Editing History of Denmark (section)

=== Christianity, expansion and the establishment of the Kingdom of Denmark ===
{{see also|North Sea Empire}}
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| footer = Often regarded as Denmark's "birth certificate", the large [[Jelling stones|Jelling Stone]] announces the unification and Christianization of Denmark by [[Harald Bluetooth]] c. 980
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The history of [[Christianity]] in Denmark overlaps with that of the Viking Age. Various petty kingdoms existed throughout the area now known as Denmark for many years. Between c. 960 and the early 980s, [[Harald Bluetooth]] appears to have established a kingdom in the lands of the Danes which stretched from Jutland to Skåne. Around the same time, he received a visit from a German [[missionary]] who, according to legend,<ref>Adam of Bremen, History of the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen, trans. Francis J. Tschan (New York, 2002), pp. 77–78.</ref> survived an [[trial by ordeal|ordeal by fire]], which convinced Harald to convert to [[Christianity]].

[[Sweyn II of Denmark|Sweyn Estridson]] (1020–1074) re-established strong royal Danish authority and built a good relationship with [[Archbishop]] [[Adalbert of Hamburg]]-[[Archbishopric of Bremen|Bremen]] – at that time the archbishop of all of [[Scandinavia]].

The new [[religion]], which replaced the old [[Norse mythology|Norse religious practices]], had many advantages for the king. Christianity brought with it some support from the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. It also allowed the king to dismiss many of his opponents who adhered to the old mythology. At this early stage there is no evidence that the Danish Church was able to create a stable administration that Harald could use to exercise more effective control over his kingdom, but it may have contributed to the development of a centralising political and religious ideology among the social elite which sustained and enhanced an increasingly powerful kingship.

[[England]] broke away from Danish control in 1035 and Denmark fell into disarray for some time. Sweyn Estridsen's son, [[Canute IV of Denmark|Canute IV]], raided England for the last time in 1085. He planned another invasion to take the [[List of English monarchs|throne of England]] from an aging [[William I of England|William I]]. He called up a fleet of 1,000 Danish ships, 60 Norwegian [[Longship|long boats]], with plans to meet with another 600 ships under [[Robert I, Count of Flanders|Duke Robert of Flanders]] in the summer of 1086. Canute, however, was beginning to realise that the imposition of the tithe on Danish peasants and nobles to fund the expansion of monasteries and churches and a new [[Tax per head|head tax]] ({{langx|da|nefgjald}}) had brought his people to the verge of rebellion. Canute took weeks to arrive where the fleet had assembled at Struer, but he found only the [[Norway|Norwegians]] still there.
[[File:Ecclesiastical map of Denmark (900-1100).png|thumb|240x240px|Ecclesiastical map of Denmark from the tenth to twelfth century]]
Canute thanked the Norwegians for their patience and then went from assembly to assembly ({{langx|da|landsting}}) outlawing any sailor, captain or soldier who refused to pay a fine, which amounted to more than a year's harvest for most farmers. Canute and his [[housecarl]]s fled south with a growing army of rebels on his heels. Canute fled to the royal property outside the town of Odense on Funen with his two brothers. After several attempts to break in and then bloody hand-to-hand fighting in the church, Benedict was cut down, and Canute was struck in the head by a large stone and then speared from the front. He died at the base of the main altar on 10 July 1086, where he was buried by the Benedictines. When Queen Edele came to take Canute's body to Flanders, a light allegedly shone around the church and it was taken as a sign that Canute should remain where he was.{{Citation needed|reason=Reliable source needed for the whole paragraph. The last sentence reads like a legend.|date=May 2012}}

The death of St. Canute marks the end of the Viking Age. Never again would massive flotillas of [[Scandinavia]]ns meet each year to ravage the rest of Christian Europe.

In the early 12th century, Denmark became the seat of an independent [[ecclesiastical province|church province]] of Scandinavia. Not long after that, [[Sweden]] and [[Norway]] established their own archbishoprics, free of Danish control. The mid-12th century proved a difficult time for the kingdom of Denmark. Violent [[civil war]]s rocked the land. Eventually, [[Valdemar I of Denmark|Valdemar the Great]] (1131–82), gained control of the kingdom, stabilizing it and reorganizing the administration. King Valdemar and [[Absalon]] (''ca'' 1128–1201), the [[Roskilde (titular see)|bishop of Roskilde]], rebuilt the country.
[[File:Danish Empire and campaigns 1168-1227.png|left|thumb|Danish Empire and campaigns 1168-1227]]
During Valdemar's reign construction began of a castle in the village of Havn, leading eventually to the foundation of [[Copenhagen]], the modern capital of Denmark. Valdemar and Absalon built Denmark into a major power in the [[Baltic Sea]], a power which later competed with the [[Hanseatic League]], the counts of [[Holstein]], and the [[Teutonic Knights]] for trade, territory, and influence throughout the Baltic. In 1168, Valdemar and Absalon gained a foothold on the southern shore of the Baltic, when they subdued the [[Principality of Rügen]].

In the 1180s, [[Mecklenburg]] and the [[Duchy of Pomerania]] came under Danish control, too. In the new southern provinces, the Danes promoted Christianity (mission of the [[Rani (Slavic tribe)|Rani]], monasteries like [[Eldena Abbey]]) and settlement (Danish participation in the ''[[Ostsiedlung]]''). The Danes lost most of their southern gains after the [[Battle of Bornhöved (1227)]], but the Rugian principality stayed with Denmark until 1325.

{{Scandinavia map, 1219}}
[[File:Danmarks flag 1219 Lorentzen.jpg|thumb|The flag of Denmark falling from the sky during the [[Battle of Lyndanisse]] on 15 June, 1219. Painted by [[Christian August Lorentzen|C.A Lorentzen]], 1809.]]
In 1202, [[Valdemar II of Denmark|Valdemar II]] became king and launched various "[[crusades]]" to claim territories, notably modern [[Estonia]]. Once these efforts were successful, a period in history known as the [[Danish Estonia]] began. Legend has it that the Danish flag, the [[Flag of Denmark|Dannebrog]] fell from the sky during the [[Battle of Lyndanisse|Battle of Lindanise]] in Estonia in 1219. A series of Danish defeats culminating in the Battle of Bornhöved on 22 July 1227 cemented the loss of Denmark's north German territories. Valdemar himself was saved only by the courageous actions of a German knight who carried Valdemar to safety on his horse.

From that time on, Valdemar focused his efforts on domestic affairs. One of the changes he instituted was the feudal system where he gave properties to men with the understanding that they owed him service. This increased the power of the noble families ({{langx|da|højadelen}}) and gave rise to the lesser nobles ({{langx|da|lavadelen}}) who controlled most of Denmark. Free peasants lost the traditional rights and privileges they had enjoyed since Viking times.

The king of Denmark had difficulty maintaining control of the kingdom in the face of opposition from the [[nobility]] and from the Church. An extended period of strained relations between the crown and the [[Pope]]s of [[Rome]] took place, known as the "archiepiscopal conflicts".

By the late 13th century, royal power had waned, and the nobility forced the king to grant a [[charter]], considered Denmark's first [[constitution]]. Following the [[Battle of Bornhöved (1227)|Battle of Bornhöved]] in 1227, a weakened Denmark provided windows of opportunity to both the Hanseatic League and the [[count of Holstein|Counts of Holstein]]. The Holstein Counts gained control of large portions of Denmark because the king would grant them fiefs in exchange for money to finance royal operations.

Valdemar spent the remainder of his life putting together a code of laws for [[Jutland]], [[Zealand]] and [[Skåne]]. These codes were used as Denmark's legal code until 1683. This was a significant change from the local law making at the regional assemblies ({{langx|da|landsting}}), which had been the long-standing tradition. Several methods of determining guilt or innocence were outlawed including trial by ordeal and trial by combat. The [[Code of Jutland]] ({{langx|da|Jyske Lov}}) was approved at meeting of the nobility at Vordingborg in 1241 just prior to Valdemar's death. Because of his position as "the king of Dannebrog" and as a legislator, Valdemar enjoys a central position in Danish history. To posterity the civil wars and dissolution that followed his death made him appear to be the last king of a golden age.

The [[Middle Ages]] saw a period of close cooperation between the [[The Crown|Crown]] and the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. Thousands of church buildings sprang up throughout the country during this time. The economy expanded during the 12th century, based mostly on the lucrative [[herring]]-trade, but the 13th century turned into a period of difficulty and saw the temporary collapse of royal authority.