Ryd Abbey
Encyclopedia
Ryd Abbey or Rüde Abbey was a Cistercian monastery in Munkbrarup
that formerly occupied the present site of Glücksburg Castle in Glücksburg
on the Flensburg Fjord
in the Schleswig-Flensburg
district of Schleswig-Holstein
, Germany
.
in 1210. The monastic community originated however in St. Michael's Abbey in Schleswig
, a Benedictine double monastery
which had become disorderly, with a reputation for immorality and drunkenness. In 1192 Nicholas I
, the de facto officiating Bishop of Schleswig, therefore moved the monks to a remote site, where they established Guldholm Abbey
. This was not a success, and the monks were moved again to the site at Munkbrarup. This coincided with the arrival in Denmark of the then new and severe Cistercian order, to whom the bishop entrusted the new foundation, with a substantial endowment.
The monastery was thus at last placed on a stable footing and prospered under the more rigorous discipline of the Cistercians.
Later in the century however the abbey acquired unwelcome notoriety because of the abbot Arnfast, who was accused of murdering King Christopher I of Denmark
by giving him poisoned communion wine on 29 May 1259 in Ribe Cathedral
, in retaliation for the king's imprisonment and mistreatment of the Archbishop of Lund, Jacob Erlandsen. In the following year Archbishop Jacob named Arnfast bishop of Aarhus
, but the pope made another appointment and Arnfast never assumed office. Arnfast was declared an enemy of the new king, Erik V, and fled to Øm Abbey
. When the king came to hear of it, he accused the monks at Øm of harboring a criminal, but despite a search throughout Denmark's monastic houses, Arnfast could not be located.
In 1433 the abbey was granted the lucrative right to the income from the pilgrimage chapel at a miraculous hermitage nearby, the Klues.
At its greatest extent the monastery precinct measured 350 meters long and 200 meters wide. It consisted of a church and cemetery, hospital, guest house, farm and a wing for lay brothers, with kitchen and refectory.
to King Erik VI (Erik Menved)
. The chronicle was started not long after the Cistercians took over Ryd Abbey and ends in 1288. From the writing it is clear that the writers were southern Jutland
ers and thus have a slightly different perspective from that of other contemporary chroniclers. The tone is distinctly anti-German. Along with Saxo's "Gesta Danorum
", the "Annales Ryenses" constitute one of the main Danish sources for the history of the Middle Ages.
Munkbrarup
Munkbrarup is a municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
that formerly occupied the present site of Glücksburg Castle in Glücksburg
Glücksburg
Glücksburg is a small town in the district Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.It is situated on the south side of the Flensburg Fjord, an inlet of the Baltic Sea, approx. 10 km northeast of Flensburg...
on the Flensburg Fjord
Flensburg Fjord
Flensburg Fjord , occasionally known as Flensburg Firth, is a 50 km long inlet of the Baltic Sea. The fjord or firth forms part of the border between Germany to the south and Denmark to the north....
in the Schleswig-Flensburg
Schleswig-Flensburg
Schleswig-Flensburg is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Dithmarschen and Nordfriesland, the Region Syddanmark in Denmark, the city of Flensburg and the Baltic Sea.-History:Written history in the area began about 800 AD, when the...
district of Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
History
Ryd Abbey was settled by the Cistercians of Esrum AbbeyEsrum Abbey
Esrum Abbey, also Esrom Abbey was the second Cistercian monastery founded in Denmark, located near Hillerød in Region Hovedstaden, on the island of Zealand , on the north side of the Esrum Sø near Esbønderup and Græsted.- Monastery :Esrum Abbey began as a Benedictine foundation, perhaps in about...
in 1210. The monastic community originated however in St. Michael's Abbey in Schleswig
Schleswig
Schleswig or South Jutland is a region covering the area about 60 km north and 70 km south of the border between Germany and Denmark; the territory has been divided between the two countries since 1920, with Northern Schleswig in Denmark and Southern Schleswig in Germany...
, a Benedictine double monastery
Double monastery
A double monastery is an institution combining a separate monastery for monks and an abbey for nuns. Examples include Coldingham Monastery in Scotland, and Einsiedeln Abbey and Fahr Abbey in Switzerland, controlled by the abbot of Einsiedeln...
which had become disorderly, with a reputation for immorality and drunkenness. In 1192 Nicholas I
Nicholas I, Bishop of Schleswig
Nicholas I was Bishop of Schleswig between 1209 and 1233. Since 1192 he de facto, though not consecrated, officiated during the flight and following royal captivity of his predecessor Bishop Valdemar ....
, the de facto officiating Bishop of Schleswig, therefore moved the monks to a remote site, where they established Guldholm Abbey
Guldholm Abbey
Guldholm Abbey was a short-lived Cistercian monastery on the Langsee near Böklund, formerly in Denmark, now in Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. It was founded in 1191 and abandoned after less than twenty years; some of the community went on to establish Ryd Abbey.- History :Guldholm was located on a...
. This was not a success, and the monks were moved again to the site at Munkbrarup. This coincided with the arrival in Denmark of the then new and severe Cistercian order, to whom the bishop entrusted the new foundation, with a substantial endowment.
The monastery was thus at last placed on a stable footing and prospered under the more rigorous discipline of the Cistercians.
Later in the century however the abbey acquired unwelcome notoriety because of the abbot Arnfast, who was accused of murdering 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...
by giving him poisoned communion wine on 29 May 1259 in Ribe Cathedral
Ribe Cathedral
Our Lady Maria Cathedral is located in the ancient city of Ribe on the western coast of southern Jutland, Denmark- History :Ribe is Denmark's oldest surviving city. Ribe began as an open trading market on the north bank of the Ribe River where it runs into the ocean...
, in retaliation for the king's imprisonment and mistreatment of the Archbishop of Lund, Jacob Erlandsen. In the following year Archbishop Jacob named Arnfast bishop of Aarhus
Aarhus
Aarhus or Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical center of Denmark...
, but the pope made another appointment and Arnfast never assumed office. Arnfast was declared an enemy of the new king, Erik V, and fled to Øm Abbey
Øm Abbey
Øm Abbey was a Cistercian monastery founded in 1172 in the Diocese of Aarhus near the town of Rye in central Jutland, Denmark.- History :According to the abbey chronicle, Øm Abbey was founded in 1172 by Cistercian monks from Vitskøl Abbey in northern Jutland. They wanted to found a daughter house...
. When the king came to hear of it, he accused the monks at Øm of harboring a criminal, but despite a search throughout Denmark's monastic houses, Arnfast could not be located.
In 1433 the abbey was granted the lucrative right to the income from the pilgrimage chapel at a miraculous hermitage nearby, the Klues.
At its greatest extent the monastery precinct measured 350 meters long and 200 meters wide. It consisted of a church and cemetery, hospital, guest house, farm and a wing for lay brothers, with kitchen and refectory.
"Annales Ryenses"
The abbey is perhaps best known as the place of origin of the "Annales Ryenses" or "Annals of Ryd" , which chronicles the history of Denmark from the legendary King DanDan (king)
Dan is the name of one or more legendary kings of the Danes in medieval Scandinavian texts.-The Lejre Chronicle:The Chronicle of Lejre written about 1170 introduces a primeval King Ypper of Uppsala whose three sons were Dan, who afterwards ruled Denmark, Nori, who afterwards ruled Norway, and...
to King Erik VI (Erik Menved)
Eric VI of Denmark
Eric VI Menved was King of Denmark and a son of Eric V and Agnes of Brandenburg.He became king in 1286 at age 12, when his father was murdered 20 November by unknown assailants...
. The chronicle was started not long after the Cistercians took over Ryd Abbey and ends in 1288. From the writing it is clear that the writers were southern Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
ers and thus have a slightly different perspective from that of other contemporary chroniclers. The tone is distinctly anti-German. Along with Saxo's "Gesta Danorum
Gesta Danorum
Gesta Danorum is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus . It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and is an essential source for the nation's early history...
", the "Annales Ryenses" constitute one of the main Danish sources for the history of the Middle Ages.