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Valdemar the Great Unifies Denmark

Type Event Region Europe Time 1161–1170

In the 1160s, Valdemar I defeated Sweyn III, ended the Danish civil war, and through marriage, church alliances, and expansion into Wendish lands uni…

Timeline

  1. 1161–1165Jutland and Zealand · DenmarkValdemar I established his rule after the Battle of Grathe Heath and in the 1160s brought the divided Danish lands back under royal authority by eliminating remaining opposition and installing loyal nobles.
  2. 1166–1170Coast of the Lübeck Bay · Baltic SeaValdemar and Absalon launched crusade-style expeditions into Wendish territory, seizing Rügen and other places and building castles, extending Danish power to the southern Baltic coast while strengthening control over domestic nobles.

Sources