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Christopher I of Denmark

Type Figure Region Denmark Time 1219–1259 Also known as Christopher I of Denmark、Christoffer I、丹麦克里斯托弗一世

Christopher I (1219–1259) was King of Denmark, youngest son of Valdemar II. Made Duke of Estonia in 1241, he succeeded in 1252 after his brother Abel…

Timeline

  1. 1241–1250Tallinn · Harju CountyIn 1241 his father Valdemar II enfeoffed Christopher with Denmark's Estonian territories, ordering him to guard the eastern Baltic coast. During this period he administered the Tallinn fortress and consolidated control over local German colonial towns, while keeping his distance from brothers Eric IV and Abel in the power balance of Denmark proper.
  2. 1250–1252Copenhagen · ZealandAfter his brother Eric IV was murdered in 1250, Abel succeeded as King of Denmark. During this period Christopher accumulated strength and courted noble support; after Abel died campaigning in Frisia in 1252, he smoothly inherited the throne, ending the brief rivalry among brothers.
  3. 1252–1259Lund · Skåne CountyAfter accession he promoted compilation of the Danish Code to unify the kingdom's laws, while clashing fiercely with Jacob Erlandsen, Archbishop of Lund, seeking to restrict the Church's judicial authority. He died suddenly after a banquet on Rügen in 1259, suspected of poisoning by traditional historians, and by his dying command was succeeded by his young son Eric V.

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