Danehof ("Danish Court") was the name of the Danish medieval parliament which played a certain role between c. 1250 and 1413. The precondition of the Danehof – like that of the Håndfæstning - was the growing power and opposition among Danish magnates after 1250. They wanted limitations of the royal power, especially of its right of legislation and taxation. The political weakness of the royal house during this period seems to have promoted its development. By 1282, King Eric V of Denmark had so offended the nobles throughout Denmark that he was forced to accept a Royal Charter (''Håndfæstning''), which limited his authority and guaranteed the ancient rights and customs which preserved the power of the nobles. About the details of the establishment and form of the Danehof, surprisingly little is known. It had to be gathered at a central site which was often

Nyborg Castle Nyborg Slot is a restored medieval castle in Nyborg on the Danish island of Funen. The castle figures prominently in Danish history. It was here that King Eric V Klipping signed Denmark's first constitution in 1282. The castle was also the venu ...

Funen Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as o ...

, centrally located within the

Lands of Denmark The three lands of Denmark historically formed the Danish kingdom from its unification and consolidation in the 10th century: *Zealand (''Sjælland'') and the islands south of it, with Roskilde as a centre *Jutland (''Jylland''), the western pen ...

, but nothing is known of elections or procedures. Its members consisted only of magnates, clergy and noblemen. The king was to consult this parliament before he took greater steps especially of economic character. However, in several cases, the kings ignored the Danehof by omitting to summon it. By the creation of the first Haandfæstning in 1282, more defined rules were established. However, in reality the Danehof was only summoned at special occasions. The disasters and chaos in Denmark during the 14th century did not strengthen the authority of the Danehof. Step by step it was ousted by not only the royal power but also by the Danish Council of the state (''Rigsraadet''), the Privy Council or inner circle of magnates that often controlled the king. Dating from the 1320s, it became the role of the Rigsraadet to rule together with the king and to manage the affairs of State.{{Cite web , url=http://www.udfordringer.dk/dk1000/nogleord/default.asp?ord=handfaestning , title=''Håndfæstning'' (TV 2 {{! Danmark A/S) , access-date=2010-10-25 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719132508/http://www.udfordringer.dk/dk1000/nogleord/default.asp?ord=handfaestning , archive-date=2011-07-19 , url-status=dead

References

Historical legislatures Medieval Denmark Political history of Denmark Thing (assembly)