Eric V of Denmark - Reign

Reign

When his father Christopher was murdered, Prince Eric was too young to rule in his own right. The Danish court appointed his mother, Queen Margaret Sambiria (Danish: Sprænghest) as regent. She was the daughter of Count Sambor II of Pomerania and was a clever and intelligent woman. Immediately she had to fight to keep her son on the throne from two powerful enemies in Archbishop Jacob Erlandsen, who excommunicated the bishop who anointed young Eric as king, and Duke Valdemar of southern Jutland.

Taking advantage of the situation Chief Jarimar II of Rügen gathered an army of Wends and invaded Zealand. Queen Margaret raised an army but was soundly defeated in 1259 near Ringsted. Jarimar went on to attack and pillage Copenhagen later that year. He shipped his army to Skåne to continue his campaign. Unfortunately for him, he encountered the wrath of a farmer's wife, who killed him outright. The Wends fled back to Rűgen.

Believing the Wendish incursion showed the Queen was weak, Duke Valdemar rebelled. The queen was forced to raise another army and march to Jutland to put the duke in his place. She defeated the duke, and while he negotiated a truce with her, he gathered allies in northern Germany to help him attack. The combined forces defeated Queen Margaret at the Battle of Lo Heath. She and her son Eric were captured and she was forced to cede all royal properties in southern Jutland to secure her release.

Margaret released Archbishop Erlandsen from prison thinking he would be grateful, but he issued interdict over all of Denmark trying to force Queen Margaret and Eric off the throne. In 1263, acting as regent of Denmark, the queen wrote to Pope Urban IV asking him to intervene with Archbishop Erlandsen. After several years of quibling, the pope agreed to several items the queen wanted. Urban IV issued a dispensation to alter the terms of the Danish succession that would permit women to inherit the Danish throne. This would make it possible for one of Eric's sisters to become the reigning Queen of Denmark in the event of Eric V's death because he had no children. Although Urban IV gave his consent, it never became an issue. Eric's son, Eric Menved eventually succeeded to the Danish throne.

As an adult ruler, Eric tried to enforce his power over the church and nobility. In the 1270s, Eric Glipping attacked Småland. His conflict with the church was brought to a satisfying result, with the help of the pope. By 1282 he had so offended the nobles throughout Denmark that he was forced to accept a charter (Danish: håndfæstning - a kind of a Danish Magna Carta) which limited his authority and guaranteed the ancient rights and customs which preserved the power of the nobles.