Eric I, Duke of Schleswig
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Eric I Abelsøn (died 27 May 1272) was Duke of Schleswig from 1260 until his death in 1272. He was the second son of King Abel of Denmark
Abel of Denmark
Abel of Denmark was Duke of Schleswig from 1232 to 1252 and King of Denmark from 1250 until his death in 1252. He was the son of Valdemar II by his second wife, Infanta Berengária of Portugal, and brother to Eric IV and Christopher I....
, Duke of Schleswig and Mechtild of Holstein
Mechtild of Holstein
Matilda of Holstein or Mechthild was a Danish queen consort, married to King Abel of Denmark and then to Birger Jarl, Regent of Sweden.-Biography:...
.
Early life
After the death of his elder brother Duke Valdemar IIIValdemar III, Duke of Schleswig
Valdemar III Abelsøn was Duke of Schleswig from 1253 until his death in 1257. He was the eldest son af King Abel of Denmark, Duke of Schleswig and Matilda of Holstein.-Life:...
in 1257, Eric inherited the claim to the Duchy of Schleswig. However, his uncle and potential feudal overlord King Christopher I of Denmark
Christopher I of Denmark
Christopher I was King of Denmark between 1252 and 1259. He was the son of Valdemar II of Denmark by his wife, Infanta Berengária of Portugal. He succeeded his brothers Eric IV Plovpenning and Abel of Denmark on the throne. Christopher was elected King upon the death of his older brother Abel in...
refused to install him as duke.
Subsequently, Eric participated in the coalition of Bishop Peder Bang of Roskilde and Prince Jaromar II of Rugia against King Christopher. He took part in the military campaign of 1259 which resulted in the conquest of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
.
Duke of Schleswig
After the death of Christopher in 1259, he was created Duke of Schleswig by the new king Eric VEric V of Denmark
Eric V "Klipping" was King of Denmark and son of Christopher I. Until 1264 he ruled under the auspices of his mother, the competent Queen Dowager Margaret Sambiria. Between 1261 and 1262, Eric was a prisoner in Holstein following a military defeat...
in 1260.
Already the following year, fighting with the king broke out anew. The Queen Dowager, Margaret Sambiria
Margaret Sambiria
Margaret Sambiria, in Danish: Margrethe Sambiria or Sambirsdatter, was the Queen consort of Christopher I of Denmark, and acted as regent for Eric V of Denmark...
, acting as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
for her under age son, feared aggression from the Duke. However, Duke Eric was able to defeat the royal army at the Battle of Lohede and capture the young King Eric and his mother. As a result, he was able to obtain huge advantages for his duchy at the subsequent treaty in 1264.
In 1268 he acquired Gottorp Castle from Bishop Bonde of Schleswig, who then moved his residence to Schwabstedt
Schwabstedt
Schwabstedt is a municipality in the district of Northern Frisia , in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.-History:In 1268 Bishop Bunde of Schleswig sold his castle Gottorp to Eric II, Duke of Schleswig and moved his residence to Schwabstedt....
.
Duke Eric died 27 May 1272.
Marriage and issue
Eric married Margaret of Rugia, daughter of Jaromar II, Duke of Rugia in 1259 or 1260. They had the following children:- Margaret (died after 1313)
- Valdemar IV, Duke of SchleswigValdemar IV, Duke of SchleswigValdemar IV Eriksøn was Duke of Schleswig from 1283 until his death in 1312. He was the eldest son of Duke Eric I of Schleswig and Margaret of Rugia.-Early life:At the death of his father Duke Eric I in 1272, Valdemar was only about 10 years old...
(app. 1265–1312) - Eric (Longbone)Eric Longbone, Lord of LangelandErik Eriksøn, also known as Eric Longbone , , Lord of Langeland, was the second son of Eric I, Duke of Schleswig and younger brother of Valdemar IV, Duke of Schleswig.-Life:...
, from 1295 Lord of LangelandLangelandLangeland is a Danish island located between the Great Belt and Bay of Kiel. The island measures 285 km² and, as of 1 January 2010, has a population of 13,277. The island produces grain and is known as a recreational area. A bridge connects it to Tåsinge via Siø - a small island with a...
(1272–1310), married Sophia Burghardsdatter (died 1325), daughter of Queen dowager Jutta of DenmarkJutta of SaxonyJutta of Saxony was a Danish Queen consort, spouse of King Eric IV of Denmark. Jutta was the daughter of Albert I, Duke of Saxony. She married king Erik in 1239, and became junior queen consort, since her husband was junior king, even though there were no senior queen at the time...
and Count Burchard VIII of QuerfurtQuerfurtQuerfurt a town in Saalekreis district in the south of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, situated in a fertile area on the Querne, west from Merseburg, on a branch line from Oberroblingen. Pop. 12,935 .-History:...
-RosenburgGroß RosenburgGroß Rosenburg is a village and a former municipality in the district Salzlandkreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Barby....
, BurgraveBurgraveA burgrave is literally the count of a castle or fortified town. The English form is derived through the French from the German Burggraf and Dutch burg- or burch-graeve .* The title is originally equivalent to that of castellan or châtelain, meaning keeper of a castle and/or fortified town...
of MagdeburgMagdeburgMagdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....