The 13th Century, 1200 - 1299 King, Church, Nobility

The 13th century is introducing the Danish flag named Dannebrog.

The legend is telling the Danish flag was falling down from heaven the 15th of June 1219 at a battle at Tallin in Estonia.

The eldest known copy of the Danish flag was conquered by the Germans from a Danish navy ship in 1427. The flag disapeared during the 2nd world war (1939 - 1945).

At the opening of the Suez-canal in 1869, Dannebrog was proclaimed to be the most beautiful flag of the entire world!

1219 Denmark 1450 Sweden
The Danish flag Has been copied by all the Scandinavian countries.
1821 Norway	The first country to copy was Sweden, and later the flag was copied by Finland, Norway, Faroe Islands, and Iceland.	1916 Iceland
In a small part of Sweden - Scania - and on the Danish island - Bornholm - you can find special copies of the Danish flag.
1918 Finland 1931 Faroe Islands 1969 Bornholm 1972 Scania (Skåne)

1201 Holstein

After concentration of troops on both sides of the borders of Germany and Denmark, the countries are at war in 1201. Itzehoe and Plön are soon captured by the Danes, and in the end of October Hamburg is Danish. In 1202 Lübeck is Danish, and the king Knud 4. is celebrated by the inhabitants.

1219 Estonia

King Valdemar 2. Sejr is sailing with a very big Danish fleet to Estonia, he is making a crusade. At Lyndanisse it is easy for the Danes to beat the estonians. The Danes are beginning to build a castle.

Without any knowledge by the Danes, the estonians have collected an army to defeat the Danes.

June 15. the Danes are suddenly attacked by the Estonians. There is big confussion among the Danes, but suddenly a flag is falling down from heaven - June the 15th 1219 is the birthday of the Danish flag - anyway Denmark had a great victory. Estonia is Danish!

Near the castle the Danes are building, and a city is growing. The city is todays capital of Estonia, Tallin, which means 'the city of the Danes'.

As can been seeing at the coin from Estonia, Estonias shield is very much like the Danish except the missing 9 hearts. Until 1940 Estonia were using this shield, and they are using it again when they got they independence back in 1990.

1223 Kidnapping

The Danes got a serious problem, because the king Valdemar 2. Sejr and his eldest son are kidnapped and sent to the castle in Dannenberg in Germany.

Denmark is a little lucky because the Pope is supporting the Danes. For some reasons the Germans are better for war than the Danes, and Denmark got in 1225 defeated at Möln, so the Danes have only negotiations left to do.

Denmark payes a very big ransom, and after the Danes has promissed not to do any revenge, king Valdemar 2. Sejr (Victory) can return to his country at Christmas.

1227 End of the Superpowerdreams

Naturally the king wanted revenge, and in 1226 he is collecting a big army. The Danes are beating everyone and getting back all the old Danish countries. The Ditmarshes are returning to the old kingdom and they are also set up an army to be allied with the Danes.

Everything is going fine for the danes!

July the 22nd the final battle is taking place between the Germans and the Danes. The Germans are using their last resources and it seems the Danes will going to have a victory - suddenly the Ditmarshes, who were allied with the Danes, are fightting together with the Germans.

The Danes are defeated - and if Denmark had a dream of being a superpower, that day was the end of the dream.

1241 The End

The great king Valdemar 2. Sejr is dying. He was very popular to the Danish people. The king lost all his dreams and hopes in 1227. Short time before he died, he is giving a set of laws to the danish people, 'Jydske Lov' or 'the Laws of Jutland'. Today Denmark still is using this law, if there is trial and the matter is not described in a Danish laws of today!

1250 Fratricide

Soon after their fathers death king Erik and his brother, who are the duke of Slesvig, began to fight eachother. The duke, Abel, wants the kingdom. To increase the kings income the Danish king invent a new tax on ploughs. The new tax is making the king very unpopular. The church is also changing its policy to increase its own power.

People around Denmark are using the situation to plunder.

The king is defeating the duke, but the Germans don't want to see a strong Danish king and are beginning to collect troops. King Erik is moving with his troops to Slesvig. The duke, Abel, use the chance to get his brother murdered. Everybody in Denmark knows that the duke is the murder, but he swear together with 24 knights he is innocent and became king of Denmark.

King Abel is better as king of Denmark, than his brother, and again there is peace inside Denmark. Because of his friendship with the Germans there is peace at the Danish border to Germany. The Norwegians and the Swedes are planning an attack on Denmark. The Frisians are refusing to pay taxes as usual, and king Abel is going to collect the money, but he is killed. The people of Denmark believes that the killing is a punishment from God because of the fratricide.

A son of the late king Valdemar is selected as the new king Christoffer.

1259 Kingdom, Christianity

At the same time as Christoffer is becoming king of Denmark, his most important enemy in the church, Jakob Erlandsen, is selected as archbishop. The archbishop is a spokesman for the church, which wishes to be more important than the crown.

In 1256 the archbishop is making a condemnation of the king, but not all the bishops of the Danish church agree with him. The fights for power between the church and the king are increasing and in 1259 the king arrests the archbishop. The 29th of May the king suddenly die, probably he is poisened by a cisterciensabbot.

1282 Coronation Charter

Erik is not of age when he became king so in the first years Denmark is ruled by a regency. The regency did a big mistake in 1261, when they thought they could get back some of the lost countries. South of the Danish/German border Denmark lost a battle. The king and his mother are taken as prisoners. Denmark has to give many estates away to the Germans. Because of the lost battle, and because the church is trying to get more power Denmark has nearly again a civil war.

Slowly the king is getting his power back, but the taxes are still increasing, and the money looses value, because Denmark has to have a strong army. In 1282 the king has to sign a Coronation Charter, which is the first constitution of Denmark. The most important in the charter is that the king must once a year call in for a parlamentar meeting.

1286 Regicide

In 1284 King Erik made an agreement with the German princes and the Hanseatic League to make better conditions for their businessmen in Denmark. The agreement make the Norwegians angry.

In 1285 there is war between Norway and Denmark, and at the same time the duke of Slesvig demands more land to rule. He is taken the island Als and the royal estates in Slesvig. He also demands the crown! The royal army are defeating him and the duke is taken as prisoner. After a half year in prison he swear to never annoy the king. November the 22nd 1286 the king is murdered.

Denmark is in shock, is the murdering the beginning af a new civil war? There are rumors telling, that the duke of Slesvig wants to be the new king. But the murdered kings advisors is standing by the new kings side, the only 12 year old Erik Menved.

At the parlamentary meeting in Nyborg in 1287, 9 men are accused of the killing of the king Erik Klipping. The men are now outlaws. During the next years the 9 men are plundering and at the same time the Norwegians also are plundering and burning down cities at different places in Denmark. It takes 7 years before the king has recreate enough power to fight the outlaws.