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PROLOGUE
The entire Kingdom of Denmark was in a frenzy and had been for the past several weeks. The king of Denmark, Valdemar, had decided it was high time to find suitable brides for his two sons, Heir Apparent Knud and Prince Magnus. Envoys were sent to all nearby courts and even to some distant ones and, lo and behold, it had happened. It was soon announced that Knud’s betrothed was none other than Princess Sophie, daughter of the mighty Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, a match many agreed was more advantageous to the Danes than to the Germans. Even so, preparations had started the moment the two Courts agreed. The wedding would be held in Arhus, officiated by Cardinal Harald, the king’s long life friend and advisor. Thus, the entire realm had started preparations and if one were to travel to Arhus, they would scarcely find an empty inn or a suitable room.
The city’s markets saw activity like never before, with merchants from all corners of the kingdom, and beyond, who sensed a good opportunity for their wares. Fur trappers and fishermen from Skane had set up shop in the vicinity of the harbour, whereas the more refined foreign traders had established themselves closer to the palaces and noble residences. There were German traders form Saxony who even had salt in their wares and from Magdeburg, due to Harald’s good relationship with the Archbishop, those who could afford it could purchase fine wool. From Flanders, a people with a natural ability for profit, came traders peddling textiles and all manner of dyes, refined wares necessary to all the ladies for the upcoming wedding. The local populace also sensed it was a time of change, maybe for the better, as they too could be found selling everything from the abundant amber to vegetables and poultry, as well as all kinds of smoked meats.
The Danish nobles were also busy, organising hunting parties and banquets to impress the foreign dignitaries, especially the Germans, some of which still believed this marriage was too good for the Danish House of Hen, even though Knud had not been asked his opinion on the marriage.
The two Princes were busier than ever before, though this was nothing new for Knud, as he had been the one to administrate the Royal Lands for a long time. For Prince Magnus, however, things were different. He had finished his military education and, being the second son, younger, and the land at peace, he had little to do. Upon hearing that he too was to be married, Magnus had been more upset than his brother, though he did enjoy the thought that nothing had been established yet. The King had sent envoys to the Flemish and Pomeranian courts, as well as the distant Russian lands, to try and find a wife for Magnus. Still, no decision had been made and thus it was decided that invitations should be sent to the Princesses and Noble Daughters of these lands to attend Knud’s wedding. It would be then and there that a decision would be made, once they would meet the wonderful ladies.
This wedding, however, had already caused a rupture at the Danish court. Several nobles had been against the betrothal, as advantageous as it was, and none was more vocal than Lord Erik Rosen, who thought that a Danish woman was more suited for the Danish throne, and not a foreigner. Of course, the Danish woman he had in mind was none other than his daughter, Lady Cecilia. As a consequence, Lord Erik and a number of lesser nobles, vassals of his, had left the capital, retreating to their southern possessions. The fact that the future Queen would have to pass through their lands on her way to Arhus, or that Lord Erik was King Valdemar’s closest friend, would not make things easier.
Truth be told, Valdemar owed everything to Lord Erik, including his life. This is a story every noble in Denmark knows, either told by the King, Harald or Lord Erik himself. Indeed, due to this unspoken debt, some of the nobles were inclined to take Lord Erik’s side against the King regarding the Heir’s wedding, though only a handful did so openly.
Almost four decades ago, King Eric III decided to renounce the throne, without paying heed to the consequences. “The line is strong”, he was often heard saying, though exactly this strength was the problem. King Valdemar was barely an adult then, with no ambition or even thought to the Danish throne. Civil war soon started though, as two others vied for the now vacant throne.
The line was indeed strong, as one of the contenders was Sweyn, Valdemar’s cousin and the second one was Knud Magnussen, their second cousin. Knud was the son of Magnus the Strong, who had claimed the life of Valdemar’s father just days before the current king’s birth. At that time and since, Valdemar’s closest friends were Harald and Erik Rosen, as the three had grown up together at the estates of Harald’s father, Aser Rig, in Zealand.
Knud Magnussen had supporters in Jutland, whereas Sweyn was supported by the nobility in Zealand and Skane, as well as by his cousin Valdemar, who had holdings in Schleswig. After initial conflicts and a lost battle by Knud Magnussen, a short period of calm followed when the three cousins decided to share power and divide the lands between them. Thus, in 1157, Sweyn organised a feast to celebrate their newly forged alliance and invited his cousins and other nobles to Roskilde.
While preparing, Erik Rosen kept arguing against Valdemar’s departure, saying that it was a trap, and an obvious one at that, but both Valdemar and Harald persuaded him he was wrong. He hadn’t been, however, as the feast would soon be known as the Bloodfeast of Roskilde. Sweyn had planned to get rid of his contender, Knud Magnussen, but also of his closest supporter, Valdemar, as well as Harald. It was there that Erik proved his mettle, guarding and fighting to clear a path as Harald escorted a wounded Valdemar outside the city. It was there that the link between the three men had been re-forged and it was together that they fought, side by side, for many years. Knud Magnussen was killed that night in Roskilde, but later in the same year, fate would have Valdemar, Harald and Erik face Sweyn once more.
In the north of Jutland the two armies faced each other. It hadn’t been difficult for Valdemar to gain supporters, as word of Sweyn’s treachery reached every corner of Denmark. In the end, when the battle was won and Sweyn lay among the dead, Valdemar turned to Harald and Erik and, in Harald’s own words, “told us the road had only started, as it was time to finally bring peace upon the realm”.
The civil war had lasted the better part of ten years, though the peace that came after it now entered its third decade...when the announcement of the Heir’s betrothal to the German princess managed to divide the three friends.