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Absalon

Type Figure Region Denmark Time c. 1128–1201 Also known as Absalon of Roskilde

Bishop of Roskilde and Archbishop of Lund (c. 1128–1201), chief counselor of Valdemar the Great, builder of Copenhagen's fortress and patron of Saxo.

Timeline

  1. c. 1128–1157Fjenneslev · ZealandAbsalon came from the distinguished Hvide family of Zealand and was friends from childhood with the future Valdemar I. As a youth he went to Paris to study canon law and theology; after Valdemar unified Denmark in 1157, he quickly entered the inner circle of royal power.
  2. 1158–1168Roskilde · ZealandElected Bishop of Roskilde in 1158, he became Valdemar's chief counselor and joined the Baltic crusades against the Wends. In 1168–1169, when the Danes stormed the temple fortress of Arkona on Rügen, he played a key role in both war and diplomacy.
  3. 1167–1177Havn · ZealandValdemar granted the harbor settlement of Havn to Absalon. Around 1167 he built a castle on the islet of Slotsholmen to defend against Wendish pirates and guard the trade routes of the Sound; the castle became the core of the later city of Copenhagen. Around 1171 he also issued the church law of Zealand.
  4. 1178–1201Lund · ScaniaIn 1178 he succeeded Eskil as Archbishop of Lund, retaining Roskilde into the early 1190s. He supported the Cistercians, commissioned Saxo's Gesta Danorum, and advised Canute VI. He died at Sorø Abbey on March 21, 1201.

Sources