Eric V
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Eric V Klipping (1249 – 22 November 1286) was
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 Is ...
from 1259 to 1286. After his father Christopher I died, his mother Margaret Sambiria ruled Denmark in his name until 1266, proving to be a competent regent. Between 1261 and 1262, the young King Eric was a prisoner in
Holstein Holstein (; ; ; ; ) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider (river), Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost States of Germany, state of Germany. Holstein once existed as the German County of Holstein (; 8 ...
following a military defeat. Afterwards, he lived in
Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...
, where he was initially held captive by John I, Margrave of Brandenburg (c. 1213–1266). During his reign, he enforced his power successfully over the church but failed to do so on the nobility, he offended the nobles and was thereby forced to accept a charter ('' Håndfæstning'') which limited his authority while confirming the rights of the nobles.


Nickname

The king's nickname "Klipping" or "Glipping" refers to a medieval
coin A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...
that has become "clipped" (a "clipped penny") or cut in order to indicate devaluation. The nickname is an unkind reference to his lack of trustworthiness. He "short-changed" his people and the monarchy.


Regency

When his father King Christopher I died in 1259, Eric was too young to rule in his own right. The Danish court appointed his mother, Queen Margaret, to rule as
regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
. She was the daughter of Duke Sambor II of Pomerania and Matilda of Mecklenburg, and was an intelligent woman. Immediately, she had to fight to keep her son on the throne from two powerful enemies; Archbishop Jacob Erlandsen (ca. 1220–1274) and Erik Abelsøn who was Duke of Schleswig from 1260 until his death in 1272. Archbishop Jacob had excommunicated the bishop who had anointed young Eric as king. Duke Eric was a nephew of King Christopher and had been in frequent conflict with the king. Taking advantage of the situation, Chief Jaromar II of
Rügen Rügen (; Rani: ''Rȯjana'', ''Rāna''; , ) is Germany's largest island. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic ci ...
(c. 1218–1260) gathered an army of
Wends Wends is a historical name for Slavs who inhabited present-day northeast Germany. It refers not to a homogeneous people, but to various people, tribes or groups depending on where and when it was used. In the modern day, communities identifying ...
and invaded
Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...
. Queen Margaret raised an army, but was soundly defeated in 1259 near Ringsted. Jaromar went on to attack and pillage
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
later that year. He shipped his army to
Skåne Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...
in order to continue his campaign. Unfortunately for him, he encountered the wrath of a farmer's wife, who killed him outright. The Wends fled back to Rűgen. Believing the Wendish incursion showed the queen was weak, Duke Eric rebelled. The queen was forced to raise another army and march to Jutland to put the Duke in his place. She defeated the duke, and while he negotiated a truce with her, he gathered allies in northern Germany to help him attack. The combined forces defeated Queen Margaret in 1261 at the Battle of Lohede south of
Danevirke The Danevirke or Danework (modern Danish language, Danish spelling: ''Dannevirke''; in Old Norse language, Old Norse: ''Danavirki'', in German language, German: ''Danewerk'', literally meaning ''Earthworks (archaeology), earthwork of the Danes'') ...
in Schleswig-Holstein. She and her son were captured and were forced to cede royal properties in southern Jutland to secure their release. In 1260, Queen Margaret had released Archbishop Jacob from prison thinking he would be grateful, but he subsequently issued an
interdict In Catholic canon law, an interdict () is an ecclesiastical censure, or ban that prohibits certain persons or groups from participating in particular rites, or that the rites and services of the church are prohibited in certain territories for ...
over all of Denmark trying to force her and Eric off the throne. In 1263, acting as regent of Denmark, the queen wrote to
Pope Urban IV Pope Urban IV (; c. 1195 – 2 October 1264), born Jacques Pantaléon, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1261 to his death three years later. He was elected pope without being a cardinal; he was the fi ...
asking him to intervene with Archbishop Jacob. After several years of quibbling, the pope agreed to several items that the queen wanted. He issued a dispensation to alter the terms of the Danish succession that would permit women to inherit the Danish throne. This would make it possible for one of King Eric's sisters to become queen in the event of his death, because he had no children. Although Pope Urban IV gave his consent, it never became an issue. King Eric's son Eric Menved eventually succeeded to the Danish throne.


Reign

As an adult ruler, King Eric V tried to enforce his power over the church and nobility. In the 1270s, the King attacked
Småland Småland () is a historical Provinces of Sweden, province () in southern Sweden. Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name ''Småland'' literally means "small la ...
. His conflict with the church was brought to a satisfying result, with the help of the Pope. By 1282, he had so offended the nobles throughout Denmark that he was forced to accept a charter (Danish: '' håndfæstning'' – a kind of a Danish
Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for "Great Charter"), sometimes spelled Magna Charta, is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardin ...
) which limited his authority and guaranteed the ancient rights and customs that preserved the power of the nobles. The King signed the charter at
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 Eric V of Denmark, King Eric V Klipping signed Denmark's first constitution in 1282. The castl ...
, recognized as Denmark's first-ever constitution in existence. However at the time of King Eric's death, the rights and guarantees of the 1282 charter would lose their effectiveness, since the next king would not be bound by the same agreement.


Mysterious death

325px, "''The conspirators ride from Finderup after the murder of Eric Klipping St. Cecilia Night 1286''". Painted by Otto Bache, 1882. Legend has it that several nobles swore an oath that they would murder Eric in revenge for personal slights or policies the king enforced that they did not like. Chief among the conspirators was marshal (Danish: '' marsk'') Stig Andersen Hvide and Jacob Nielsen, Count of Halland. They paid Rane Jonsen (1254–1294) one of the king's companions, to keep them informed as to the king's activities, in order to fulfill their oath. November 1286 found the king at Viborg, in central Jutland. After a long day's hunt in the countryside led by Rane Jonsen, the king and a few attendants could not find their way back to the king's farm at Viborg. Rane suggested that they take shelter for the night of 22 November 1286 in the church barn in the village of Finderup (''Finderup Lade''). The assassins, dressed as
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
friars, were kept informed as to the king’s whereabouts and waited for everyone to settle down for the night. Once the king fell asleep, they rushed from their hiding places and stabbed and hacked the king to death. Tradition has it that he received 56 stab wounds. The folktale that grew up around this event has Stig Andersen personally striking the first blows in revenge for King Eric's seduction of Stig's wife, while Stig himself was off serving with the king's army. Eric's bloody corpse was discovered the next morning. The court immediately blamed the nation's most powerful noblemen Stig Andersen Hvide and Count Jacob of Halland and outlawed them and seven others. Only one was accused of killing the king, the others were accused of involvement. Whether they actually had anything to do with the murder remains a mystery. Stig Hvide fled the country to take up piracy. Certainly, Stig Hvide was not the only person who had a reason to want to see King Eric eliminated. Valdemar IV, who King Eric was forced to accept as Duke of Schleswig in 1283, as well as many of Archbishop Jakob Erlandsen's appointments to bishoprics, remained bitter enemies of the king until his death. These banished nobles had also raided the Danish countryside for 20 years with the support of
Haakon V of Norway Haakon V Magnusson (10 April 1270 – 8 May 1319) (; ) was King of Norway from 1299 until 1319. Biography Haakon was the younger surviving son of Magnus the Lawmender, King of Norway, and his wife Ingeborg of Denmark. Through his mother, ...
.


Issue

King Eric V married Agnes of Brandenburg (c. 1257–1304) on 11 November 1273 at
Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig (; ; ; ; ; ) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km (45 mi) south of the current border between Germany and Denmark. The territory has been di ...
. She was the daughter of John I, Margrave of Brandenburg (d. 1266) and Brigitte of Saxony. The marriage was probably agreed upon during King Eric's captivity in
Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...
by Agnes' father from 1262 to 1264. Tradition claims that the King was released from captivity on his promise to marry Agnes without a dowry. They had the following issue: *Richeza (c. 1272 – 27 October 1308), married Lord
Nicholas II of Werle Nicholas II, Lord of Werle (before 1275 – 18 February 1316 in Pustow, near Güstrow) was Lord of Werle-Parchim from 1283 until his death, and from 1292 Lord of Werle. His uncle Henry I of Werle was killed in 1291 by his sons Henry II of Werl ...
* Eric VI (1274–1319) * Christopher II (1276–1332) *
Martha Martha (Aramaic language, Aramaic: מָרְתָא‎) is a Bible, biblical figure described in the Gospels of Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John. Together with her siblings Lazarus of Bethany, Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is descr ...
(1278–1341), married King Birger of Sweden *Katharine (c. 1281 – 1283), died young *Valdemar *Elisabeth


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eric 05 Of Denmark 1249 births 1286 deaths House of Estridsen 13th-century murdered monarchs Assassinated Danish people Medieval child monarchs People murdered in Denmark Deaths by stabbing in Denmark Burials at Viborg Cathedral 13th-century kings of Denmark Sons of kings Christopher I of Denmark Roman Catholic monarchs