The Danish Monarchy 1389-1439
King Eric of Pomerania
Jan 3, 2009 Julie Refnov Mortensen
Erik of Pomerania was born in 1382 under the name of Bogislaw. In 1389 he became the foster child of Margrethe I, regent in charge of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. She had chosen him as the new king of the three countries, where she would rule in his name until he became of age. Margrethe had chosen Eric as he was the grandson of her late sister Ingeborg and the only surviving great grandson of king Valdemar Atterdag, who succeeded in rebuilding the kingdom of Denmark.
Upon arrival to Margrethe’s court, Bogislaw’s name was changed to the common Scandinavian name Eric.
King Eric of Pomerania
Under Margrethe’s strong guardianship Eric was groomed into becoming the king she desired for the coalition of the three Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
In 1389 Eric was hailed king of Norway and in 1396 both Denmark and Sweden proclaimed him king. In 1397 upon signing a treaty and agreeing to what was to be known as the Kalmar Union, the three countries crowned Eric solemnly king of the union.
Unfortunately all the grooming and intensive training Margrethe had put Eric through, could not change the fact that Erik simply did not seem cut out for the job as triple king and ruler of the Kalmar Union.
The Reign
His reign was dominated by a long lasting conflict with the counts of Schauenburg and Holstein and an ongoing battle over the area Schleswig in southern Jutland, an area Queen Margrethe had been winning. Margrethe was a great politician and mastered negotiation, whereas Eric was much more aggressive and chose to go on the warpath to win the areas. His efforts resulted in complete loss of the regions and took a dramatic toll on the Danish economy. To make up for the loss of monetary, Eric imposed a new tax, the Sound Dues, which meant that all vessels passing through the strait between Denmark and Sweden had to stop in the town of Elsinore and pay a toll to the Danish crown. The money from the toll constituted great income to the Danish economy and was upheld until 1857.
In Sweden, an uprising against the king had begun as the Swedes felt Eric neglected their country by centralizing the power in Denmark and they objected to the Sound Dues tax. In 1334 a Swedish rebellion weakened the power of the king.
In Denmark the discontent with the way Eric was ruling was growing and the Danish nobles refused to acknowledge Eric’s choice of Duke Bugislaw of Pomerania, as the next king of Denmark.
Eric realized his defeat as a king and left Denmark to live at his castle in Gotland, which left to his deposition as king in both Denmark and Sweden in 1439. Norway, who remained loyal to the king, wanted to keep him as king, but Eric turned down the offer. He stayed in Gotland for ten years running a chain of piracy until the Danes forced him out. He then returned to his birthplace in Pomerania where he lived as duke to his death in 1459.
For more on the Danish Monarchy read: The Danish Monarchy-The Beginning and The Danish Monarchy 1439-1448, King Christoffer of Bavaria
Sources:
www.kongehuset.dk
www.danskhistorie.dk
www.kongernesjelling.dk
What do you think about this article?
More in History
Latest Articles