The siege of Arkona was a short eight-day siege between the Danish and Pommeranian forces under Valdemar I and the Wendish forces of the temple-fortress of Arkona. It resulted in a decisive victory for the Danish forces, after which the rest 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 ...

surrendered.

Background

During the Danish civil war, the King

Sweyn III Sweyn III GratheFor the significance of the epithet, see (; – 23 October 1157) was the king of Denmark between 1146 and 1157, in shifting alliances with Canute V and his own cousin Valdemar I. In 1157, the three agreed to a tripartition of ...

was said to have allied with the pagan

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 ...

against his rivals for the throne, whereupon the Wends were sent to harry the lands of those who did not recognize his claim. Sweyn was ultimately defeated by King Valdemar, leaving a king who was hostile to the Wends on the Danish throne. After reunifying Denmark, Valdemar I began reorganizing his military in a style akin to that of the Vikings, focusing heavily on amphibious assault and raiding. These raids culminated in the late 1160s when King Valdemar and Bishop

Absalon Absalon (21 March 1201) was a Danish statesman and prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the bishop of Roskilde from 1158 to 1192 and archbishop of Lund from 1178 until his death. He was the foremost politician and church father of De ...

set out to conquer Rügen.

The siege

Gesta Danorum ("Deeds of the Danes") is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th-century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate", literally "the Grammarian"). It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and is an essentia ...

, the chronicler

Saxo Grammaticus Saxo Grammaticus (), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a Danish historian, theologian and author. He is thought to have been a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. He is the author ...

writes that the siege only lasted for 8 days. The siege was reportedly so short because a fire broke out beneath one of the fortress's towers, forcing the Wendish defenders to divert a significant portion of their manpower in order to put out the fire. Seeing this, the bishop Absalon urged the King to attack the fortress, and so King Valdemar began a full assault. The Danish forces capitalized on the distracted Wends, who could not prevent the Danes from taking the gate and the fortress along with it. The Danes then plundered the settlement and destroyed the temple of Svetovit (or Svandavitz)—first chopping the great four-headed statue of Svetovit to pieces, and then burning it.

Aftermath

With the fortress taken, the island submitted to Danish rule. The victorious Danes established the principality of Rügen, with

Jaromar I Jaromar is a masculine given name. It is the Polabian form of the West Slavic name, Jaromir. It may refer to: People: Jaromar, also Jaromar of Rügen, is the name of several members of Rügen's princely house: * Jaromar I (1141–1218), Prince o ...

becoming prince of the isle, and Valdemar its king. The island's population was christened and baptized, and the islanders were forced to build new Christian churches. The total success of this crusade revitalized the notion of crusades in the region, and seemed to confirm to the Christian world that the pagans of northeastern Europe could only be Christianized through subjugation.

References

Works cited

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arkona Sieges involving Denmark 1160s conflicts Persecution of Pagans Valdemar I of Denmark Looting in Germany Attacks on religious buildings and structures in Europe Attacks on military installations in Germany Building and structure arson attacks in Europe Arson in Germany Rügen Military history of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Religious building and structure arson fires Sieges of the Middle Ages