Niels, -1134, King of Denmark, the longest living and the last ruler of Svend Estridsen's illegitimate sons. He is mentioned for the first time, when he after Knud den Hellige's kill (1086) was sent to Flandern as a hostage, so the magnates could pay Oluf Hunger free and make him king; Niels was close to this brother and agreed in the reaction against Knud's supremacy. When the message about Erik Ejegod's death arrived in Denmark, Niels succeeded in being elected king (1104); some of his older brothers had died, Svend and Ubbe Kongsemne (= pretender). Even the Roskilde Chronicle, which else is friendly to Niels,regards him not qualified as king. He was ordinary, but without overview and without royal appearance, and he was controlled by small-mindedness and greediness and brought disasters to the country. Misplaced thrift and greediness made him restrict his entourage and cut off maintaining discipline and order, so the security from Erik Ejegod's time was replaced by common insecurity; among other things he submitted to Harald Kesja's robberies. His own men did not respect their king, the chief Christiern Svendsen broke crudely Vederlagsretten, ( =judicial payments),and when king Niels was careless enough to be content just giving fines,worse ruptures soon happened among the king's men. Niels was greedy for estate and did not give his sister's son, the Wendic prince Henrik his maternal inheritance, and Henrik started a feud, which brought distress and misery on Denmark. It would have been much worse if Niels had not such a strong personality by his side, his wife Margrethe Fredkulla, whom he married shortly after his accession to the throne. A large expedition which Niels made to Ljutka in Holstein ended - caused by the Jarl Elev's treason - into a defeat, and not until Knud Lavard became hertug in Sønderjylland (1115) Denmark achieved peace from its southern neighbour. But from now on the chivalrus hero Knud Lavard threw his paternal uncle into the shade. There were enough contrasts between them. While Knud was the standard bearer of the advanced European culture,Niels was narrow-minded and held on to inherited common practice. This was obvious on the clerical grounds. Although Niels was friendly with the clergy and especially gave Roskilde domkirke and Odense kloster privileges,the pope demanded him to protect the church from assaults and to reject Niels' un-ecclesiastical demands that Danish priests were allowed to get married.(1117). On the other hand king Niels could not prevent the persecution of married priests at Sjælland (1123) and altogether he preferred to be an onlooker of events.Sigurd Jorsalfarer promised him support on a crusade to Småland, but he went back on his words and the Norwegian king ravaged furiously one of his farms. Knud Lavard's growing power and fame caught the jealous eye of king Niels. He saw that his own son Magnus, whom he assisted to be king in Sweden, could not compare with his cousin, who once would be his rival to the throne. But he dared not act vigorously towards Knud, although Knud did not show his uncle the necessary consideration. Niels set on to Knud by Henrik Skadelaar's initiative and by queen Ulvhild, whom he had married after Margrethe's death; he complained about Knud at the Thing, but he had to give up to Knuds frank and proud reply. Niels now resorted to schemes; without participating in the conspiracy against Knud, he promoted the schemes and wheedled out Knud's ring, because it according to his belief contained a talisman which made its owner invincible. After Magnus had murdered Knud, Niels felt threatened by the crews at the Thing of Sjælland and had to send his own son in exile. (1131) But soon after he called him back, and now Erik Emune raised a rebellion. During the civil war, where Niels especially had support from Jutland he won the better of it and he had Erik Emune driven out, but had to on the other side recognize the German king Lothars supremacy. Erik however had now the power in Skåne, and Niels and Magnus, who was now his father's co-king, gathered a large army in order to win a crucial victory over Erik, but the battle at Fodevig (4. June 1134)was a terribly defeat for them, Magnus was killed, and the old king escaped and took flight through the country in order to come to king Lothar; he came to Schleswig. He was afraid of going into Knud Lavard's city and his men warned him against the "Edslaget", the guild, where Knud had been Master of the Guild, but since he had taken in some hostages, his weak nature changed from fear into arrogance. "Should we be afraid of tailors and shoemakers?" he supposedly said, and he rode into the city. The citizens really wanted to revenge Knud Lavard, they locked the city gates, rang the guild-bell and gathered together. Niels wanted to flee to the king's castle, but was killed with his entourage (25 June 1134). His lack of character caused his downfall. Contrary to the other sons of Svend Estridsen Niels grew old and was therefore named "den Gamle" (the Old).He had two sons with Margrethe: Inge who as child was kicked to death by a horse and Magnus. Besides he had a daughter by a mistress, Ingerid, who married Jarlen(the earl) Ubbe. Ræder, Danmark und. Svend Estridsen og hans Sønner. A. D. Jørgensen, Den nord. Kirkes Grundlæggelse. H. Olrik, Knud Lavard. Samme, Konge og Præstestand I. translated from Hans Olrik's Danish text: grethe bachmann. Kilde: Dansk Biografisk Lexicon Carl Fr. Bricka Project Runeberg (1887-1905) Margrethe Fredkulla, --1117(?), Queen, was a daughter of the Swedish king Inge Stenkilsen and was very young married to the Norwegian king Magnus Barfod, and a Danish peace agreement was thereby confirmed (1101). Therefore Margrethe got her byname Fredkulla. She brought as a dowry to Magnus the landscapes west of Gøtaelven (river in Sweden) - the feud between the two kings had been about this land. Her first marriage was short. During a poaching at the coast of Ireland Magnus was killed (1102. Margrethe was not fond of her new living place,and her marriage was childless, which meant that Norway missed the countries which were her dowry.The Norwegians mistrusted her, it was even said, that she by her leave from Norway had stolen Holy Olaf's reliquaries. Shortly after Niels ascended the Danish throne (1104) she became his queen, they had the sons Magnus and Inge , the last mentioned died when he was a child, kicked to death by a horse. Margrethe asserted herself in Denmark as a strong personality. She had once been a pawn of peace, and she tried to keep peace in the Danish royal house, especially by making marriage connections between her relatives and the Danish royal descendants. Most of all she let Knud Lavard marry her sister's daughter Ingeborg, and Henrik Skadelaar marry her brother's daughter Ingerid, and each of those two brides she gave a fourth of her Swedish estates as a dowry. Margrethe Fredkulla's politics did not secure peace, but it was said that there could be no fight as long as she lived. Outwardly she also seems to have contributed to protect Denmark, the tradition assigns the eastern part of Danevirke to a queen M.,and it could hardly be anyone else but her. She was very generous to the church, she embroidered chasubles and altar cloths and she gave Lund's cathedral a very valuable gold chalice. Margrethe Fredkulla left herself a fine reputation. She died on 4.November from dropsy. The year of death is in a yearbook written as 1117 - but according to the connection of events it should be later. H. Olrik, Knud Lavard. A. D. Jørgensen, Bidrag til Nordens Hist. i Middelald. S. 7 ff. (Norsk) Hist. Tidsskr. 3. R. I, 272 f. H. Olrik, Konge og Præstestand I. Kilde: Dansk Biografisk Lexicon Carl Fr. Bricka Project Runeberg (1887-1905)
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