Eric III Lamb ( da, Erik III Lam, – 27 August 1146) was the

King of Denmark The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional political system, institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous administrative division, autonomous territories of the Faroe ...

from 1137 until 1146. He was the grandson of

Eric I of Denmark Eric I ( – 10 July 1103), also known as Eric the Good ( da, Erik Ejegod), was King of Denmark following his brother Olaf I of Denmark, Olaf I Hunger in 1095. He was a son of Sweyn II of Denmark, Sweyn II. His mother's identity is unknown. He ...

and the nephew of Eric II of Denmark, whom he succeeded on the throne. He

abdicated Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other societ ...

in 1146, as the first and only Danish monarch to do so voluntarily. His succession led to a period of civil war between Sweyn III,

Canute V Canute V Magnussen ( da, Knud V Magnussen) ( – 9 August 1157) was a King of Denmark from 1146 to 1157, as co-regent in shifting alliances with Sweyn III and Valdemar I. Canute was killed at the so-called ''Bloodfeast of Roskilde'' in 1157. Noth ...

, and Valdemar I.

Biography

Eric was born on

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 of ...

. His mother was Ragnhild, the daughter of King Eric I, and his father the nobleman Hakon Sunnivasson, a great-grandson of King Magnus the Good of Norway and Denmark. Eric was the nephew of Eric II of Denmark, fighting for him at the decisive

Battle of Fotevik Battle of Fotevik ( da, Slaget ved Fodevig) was fought between forces of King Niels of Denmark and his son Magnus Nilsson, against those of Erik Emune on 4 June 1134 at the bay of Fotevik in Skåne. At his death, King Eric I of Denmark had ...

in 1134,Stefan Pajung
Erik Lam ca. 1100-1147

Aarhus University Aarhus University ( da, Aarhus Universitet, abbreviated AU) is a public research university with its main campus located in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the second largest and second oldest university in Denmark. The university is part of the Coimbra Gr ...

, 20 January 2010, archived fro
the original
on 7 August 2011. and succeeded Eric II to the throne when he was murdered in 1137. Not much is known of Eric's kingship. Contemporary chroniclers highly disagree about the personality of this king, and he portrayed both as a passive and irresolute man, as well as an eager and brave fighter. Eric had to fight for his kingship against his cousin

Olaf Haraldsen Olaf Haraldsen (died ) was a Danish anti-king who ruled Scania for a few years from 1139. He never won control over the rest of Denmark, and he is not included in the list of Danish monarchs used by the Danish monarchy or ''Den Store Danske Encykl ...

, sometimes called ''Olaf II''. Olaf established a base of power in

Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...

in 1139 and tried to conquer the throne from there, until Eric defeated and killed him in 1141 near Helsingborg. During the civil wars, the Wends raided the Danish coasts and sounds without much Danish resistance. Eric supported

Magnus the Blind Magnus Sigurdsson (c. 1115 – 12 November 1139), also known as Magnus the Blind, was King of Norway (being Magnus IV) from 1130 to 1135 and again from 1137 to 1139. His period as king marked the beginning of the civil war era in Norway, which las ...

and Sigurd Slembe in the Norwegian civil war. He worked to aggrandize the church, especially St. Canute's Abbey in Odense, and had a close relationship with bishop Eskil of Roskilde. In 1143, he married

Lutgard of Salzwedel Lutgard of Salzwedel or ''Liutgard/Luitgard of Stade'', (b. , murdered 1152) was Queen of Denmark as the wife of King Eric III. Life Lutgard was born to Richardis, Countess of Sponheim-Lavanttal, and Count Rudolf I of Stade and Ditmarsh (d. 112 ...

, daughter of

Rudolf I, Margrave of the Nordmark Rudolf I (died 7 December 1124), Margrave of the Nordmark and Count of Stade, son of Lothair Udo II, Margrave of the Nordmark, and Oda of Werl, daughter of Herman III, Count of Werl, and Richenza of Swabia. Rudolf was the brother of his predeces ...

. Eric and Lutgard were married by Rudolf's son Hartwig, then Provost of Bremen Cathedral, in 1143 or 1144. In 1146, Eric abdicated, as the only Danish king in history, for unknown reasons. He entered St. Canute's Abbey, where he died on 27 August 1146 and was buried at the cloister. His abdication has been explained as being rooted either in his realization of his inability to govern, or an illness which ultimately killed him.

Legacy

His nickname "Lam" means "lamb". This is taken to either reference the

Lamb of God Lamb of God ( el, Ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, Amnòs toû Theoû; la, Agnus Dei, ) is a title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God wh ...

as he was seen as a pious man, as describing his mildhearted and generous nature, or indicating a weak and soft king. Carl Frederik Bricka, ''Dansk Biografisk Lexikon'', vol. IV lemens - Eynden 1890
pp.541-542
He married

in 1144, which indicated an increasing

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

influence on Denmark. He and Lutgard did not have any children, though Eric fathered a son, Magnus, out of wedlock. After Eric died, Lutgard married Herman II of Winzenburg.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eric 02 Of Denmark House of Estridsen 1120s births 1146 deaths Year of birth uncertain Burials at St. Canute's Cathedral Monarchs who abdicated 12th-century kings of Denmark