Valdemar of Denmark (bishop)
Encyclopedia
Valdemar Knudsen was a Danish clergyman and statesman. His mother gave birth to him as the posthumous illegitimate son of Canute V of Denmark
. Valdemar officiated as Bishop of Schleswig (1182–1208), Steward
of the Duchy of Schleswig (1182–1193), and Prince-Archbishop of Bremen (1192/1206–1218).
His father, Canute V, was slain on 9 August 1157 by the co-regent Sweyn III
. So Valdemar, like his half-brother, Saint Niels of Århus, claimed succession to the Danish throne.
Valdemar grew up at the court of his cousin Valdemar I of Denmark, the Great
. Valdemar studied in Paris
. After his studies his cousin promoted Valdemar's provision for the See in Sleswick in 1178/1182.
. From 1184 on Valdemar officiated as steward
of the Duchy of Schleswig for Valdemar the Great's minor son Duke Valdemar (later King Valdemar II of Denmark
). In 1187 and 1188 Hartwig of Uthlede
, Prince-Archbishop of Bremen, and his troops invaded the trans-Elbian
free peasants republic of Ditmarsh, religiously belonging to the Archdiocese of Bremen, in order to subject Ditmarsh also to his secular princely overlordship. The free peasants promised to pay him dues, only to mock about him, once he and his soldiers had left. The Ditmarsians gained support by steward Valdemar, so that Hartwig could not dare another costly invasion.
Valdemar learned about the abbot, monks, and nuns at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Michael's in the town of Schleswig, who had fallen into immoral behavior and had earned a reputation for drunkenness. Valdemar decided that the best way to reform the monks was to move them from the temptations in town, and establish a new house far enough away that the monks wouldn't cause more trouble. In 1192 the monks apparently were moved unwillingly to Güldenholm to begin the work on a new monastery. At some point, Güldenholm Abbey
became Cistercian, with the monks working in the fields to earn their daily bread and meat.
In 1190 Emperor Henry VI
, House of Hohenstaufen, dismissed Hartwig of Uthlede as Prince-Archbishop
of Bremen for his partisanship with the House of Guelph. In 1192 Duke Valdemar, meanwhile 22 years old, seriously disagreed about Bishop Valdemar's way of ruling the Duchy of Schleswig. In the same year the Bremian Chapter didn't wait any longer for a papal dismissal of Hartwig and unauthorisedly elected Valdemar as its new Prince-Archbishop - encouraged by Henry VI. Valdemar welcomed his election, hoping his new position could be helpful in his dispute with Duke Valdemar and his elder brother Canute VI. Before entering the Prince-Archbishopric he won the support of Ditmarsh. The Bremian mint in the city of Bremen
issued coins showing Valdemar's portrait.
to avoid arrest. The following year he organised - supported by the Hohenstaufens - a fleet of 35 ships and harried the coasts of Denmark with an eye to overthrowing King Canute VI of Denmark
, claiming the Danish throne for himself. In 1193 King Canute VI of Denmark
captured him, before he could ever enter the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen.
Despite the interventions by the Holy See
Valdemar stayed in captivity in Nordborg
(1193–1198) and then in the tower at Søborg Castle
on Zealand until 1206. So he in effect couldn't take the Bremian See. Valdemar was released upon the initiative of the Danish Queen Dagmar
and Pope Innocent III
and after swearing, never to interfere again in Danish affairs. Valdemar left Søborg for Rome
. The king in return asked the pope the favour to confirm Nicholas
as new bishop of Schleswig. Innocent III, however, refused referencing to canon law
precepts.
, then under Danish occupation.
Valdemar, still asserting himself as Prince-Archbishop, could not hinder Iso of Wölpe, Prince-Bishop of Verden, to capture the Bremian castle in Ottersberg
. Hamburg and the neighboured County of Holstein
, both part of the diocesan, but not of the prince-archiepiscopal territory, were subject to Danish occupation under Valdemar II, who in 1202 had confederated himself with Otto IV
, House of Guelf, rival king against the German King Philip
. Philip, House of Hohenstaufen, recognised bishop Valdemar as the legitimate Prince-Archbishop of Bremen, because thus the Prince-Archbishopric would become his ally against Valdemar II.
Valdemar II and the fled capitulars protested at Pope Innocent III
, who first wanted to research the case. When bishop Valdemar left Rome for Bremen
against Innocent's order to wait his decision, he banned Valdemar by an anathema
and in 1208 finally dismissed him too as bishop of Schleswig. The fled capitulars and King Valdemar II of Denmark then gained the Hamburg chapter to elect Burchard as anti-archbishop in early 1208. Lacking papal and imperial support King Valdemar II himself, usurping imperial power, invested him as Prince-Archbishop Burchard I with the regalia
, however, only accepted in the North Elbian prince-archiepiscopal and diocesan territory.
Prince-Archbishop Valdemar confederated with the free peasants of Stedingen
, a region within the Prince-Archbishopric whose inhabitants rejected to be subjected as serf
s. Earlier Burchard, then still provost of the Bremian Chapter, had failed to subject the free peasants by military means. This weakness provoked the neighboured Count Maurice I
of Oldenburg to subject them and annex Stedingen – also in vain. The free peasants of Stedingen agreed to provide Prince-Archbishop Valdemar with mercenaries, who in return retained any further attack on their freedom.
In 1208 Valdemar II invaded with Danish troops the prince-archiepiscopal territory south of the Elbe and conquered Stade
. In August Prince-Archbishop Valdemar reconquered the city only to lose it soon after again to Valdemar II, who now built a bridge over the Elbe and fortified a forward post in Harburg upon Elbe
.
In Bremen Prince-Archbishop Valdemar had been warmly welcomed and nobody cared about the anathema. After Philip's assassination in June 1208, Prince-Archbishop Valdemar as well as the burgher
s and the city of Bremen joined the party of the former rival king Otto IV, whom Innocent III crowned Emperor in 1209. Otto IV persuaded Valdemar II to withdraw into the north of the Elbe, urged Burchard to resign and expelled Prince-Archbishop Valdemar. Now Valdemar fled to Rome and craved Innocent's forgiving, and he pardoned him.
Bremen's capitular dean
as well as its suffragans Albert of Bexhövede, Bishop of Livonia, and Prince-Bishop Dietrich I of Lübeck
, proposed Burchard's uncle Gerhard I, Count of Oldenburg-Wildeshausen, already Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück
, for the See. In 1210 Innocent III made him the new Prince-Archbishop. In 1211 Duke Bernard III
of the younger Duchy of Saxony escorted his brother-in-law Valdemar, the papally dismissed Prince-Archbishop, into the city of Bremen, de facto regaining the See and enjoying the sudden support of Otto IV, who meanwhile fell out with Innocent over Sicily
. As a reaction Valdemar II recaptured Stade, while in 1213 Otto's elder brother Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine
, conquered it for Prince-Archbishop Valdemar. In 1215 Henry repelled another Danish attack on Stade.
In 1212–1214 the mercenaries from Stedingen destroyed the castles at Beverstedt
, Stotel (a part of today's Loxstedt
), Riensberg and Seehausen (both a part of today's city of Bremen), all held by partisans of Valdemar's rival Prince-Archbishop Gerhard I, Count of Oldenburg-Wildeshausen, whom the Stedingers clearly identified as a proponent of their subjection to serfdom. The Oldenburgers
successfully defended the castle in Hagen im Bremischen
against the Stedingers and Gerhard I mobilised the Count Henry I of Hoya to help, who inflicted the first defeat on the Stedingers in 1213.
But soon Otto IV's position was challenged by Frederick II
, in 1215 replacing Otto as accepted Emperor. Nevertheless, in the same year Henry V, his younger brother Otto IV, Margrave Albert II
of Brandenburg
, and Prince-Archbishop Valdemar and their troops, among them mercenaries from Stedingen
, conquered Hamburg
. In the winter of 1216 Valdemar II and his Danish troops, unable to take the city of Stade, ravaged the County of Stade and reconquered Hamburg.
In 1216 the mercenaries of Stedingen
swung over to the party of Gerhard I, who promised to respect their freedom, and attacked the city of Bremen, loyal to Valdemar. Henry V rescued the city with his troops. In 1217 the city of Bremen deserted Valdemar's party. Now Henry V, Otto IV and their troops ravaged the Prince-Archbishopric (so-called Valdemarian Turmoils, 1217–1218). In 1218 Gerhard I and Valdemar II allied to expel Henry and Otto from the Prince-Archbishopric. Gerhard's troops approached the fortress of Vörde
disguised as sick, lining up for a treatment by the faith healer and farmer Otbert. Once arrived they overthrew Henry's soldiers in the fortress. After the deaths of Otto in 1218 and Gerhard I in 1219, Henry V reached an agreement with the new Prince-Archbishop Gerhard II, to maintain the County of Stade as prince-archiepiscopal vassal.
of the younger Duchy of Saxony. Later Valdemar entered the monastery of Loccum
. In 1220 the anathema against him was lifted. In the same year or only in 1232 Valdemar moved into the monastery of Cîteaux, where he died in 1235 or 1236. He was buried on 28 April 1236 in the Loccum Abbey
.
Canute V of Denmark
Canute V of Denmark was a Swedish prince and King of Denmark from 1146 to 1157, as co-regent in shifting alliances with his Sweyn III and Valdemar I. Canute was killed at the so-called Bloodfeast of Roskilde in 1157. Nothing certain is known about his person and character.-Biography:Canute was...
. Valdemar officiated as Bishop of Schleswig (1182–1208), Steward
Steward (office)
A steward is an official who is appointed by the legal ruling monarch to represent him or her in a country, and may have a mandate to govern it in his or her name; in the latter case, it roughly corresponds with the position of governor or deputy...
of the Duchy of Schleswig (1182–1193), and Prince-Archbishop of Bremen (1192/1206–1218).
His father, Canute V, was slain on 9 August 1157 by the co-regent Sweyn III
Sweyn III of Denmark
Sweyn III Grathe was the King of Denmark between 1146 and 1157, in shifting alliances with Canute V and his own cousin Valdemar I. In 1157, the three agreed a tripartition of Denmark...
. So Valdemar, like his half-brother, Saint Niels of Århus, claimed succession to the Danish throne.
Valdemar grew up at the court of his cousin Valdemar I of Denmark, the Great
Valdemar I of Denmark
Valdemar I of Denmark , also known as Valdemar the Great, was King of Denmark from 1157 until 1182.-Biography:...
. Valdemar studied in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. After his studies his cousin promoted Valdemar's provision for the See in Sleswick in 1178/1182.
Valdemar as Bishop of Schleswig and Steward of the Duchy of Schleswig
In 1187/1188 Valdemar was consecrated probably in the Cathedral St. PetriSchleswig Cathedral
Schleswig Cathedral , officially the Cathedral of St. Peter at Schleswig , is the main church of Schleswig and was the cathedral of the Bishop of Schleswig until the diocese was dissolved in 1624...
. From 1184 on Valdemar officiated as steward
Steward (office)
A steward is an official who is appointed by the legal ruling monarch to represent him or her in a country, and may have a mandate to govern it in his or her name; in the latter case, it roughly corresponds with the position of governor or deputy...
of the Duchy of Schleswig for Valdemar the Great's minor son Duke Valdemar (later King Valdemar II of Denmark
Valdemar II of Denmark
Valdemar II , called Valdemar the Victorious or Valdemar the Conqueror , was the King of Denmark from 1202 until his death in 1241. The nickname Sejr is a later invention and was not used during the King's own lifetime...
). In 1187 and 1188 Hartwig of Uthlede
Hartwig of Uthlede
Hartwig of Uthlede was - as Hartwig II - Prince-Archbishop of Bremen and one of the originators of the Livonian Crusade. Coming from a family of the Bremian Ministerialis at Uthlede, he was a canon of Bremen Cathedral and a clerk of Duke Henry the Lion of Saxony, House of Guelph, before becoming...
, Prince-Archbishop of Bremen, and his troops invaded the trans-Elbian
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
free peasants republic of Ditmarsh, religiously belonging to the Archdiocese of Bremen, in order to subject Ditmarsh also to his secular princely overlordship. The free peasants promised to pay him dues, only to mock about him, once he and his soldiers had left. The Ditmarsians gained support by steward Valdemar, so that Hartwig could not dare another costly invasion.
Valdemar learned about the abbot, monks, and nuns at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Michael's in the town of Schleswig, who had fallen into immoral behavior and had earned a reputation for drunkenness. Valdemar decided that the best way to reform the monks was to move them from the temptations in town, and establish a new house far enough away that the monks wouldn't cause more trouble. In 1192 the monks apparently were moved unwillingly to Güldenholm to begin the work on a new monastery. At some point, Güldenholm 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...
became Cistercian, with the monks working in the fields to earn their daily bread and meat.
In 1190 Emperor Henry VI
Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VI was King of Germany from 1190 to 1197, Holy Roman Emperor from 1191 to 1197 and King of Sicily from 1194 to 1197.-Early years:Born in Nijmegen,...
, House of Hohenstaufen, dismissed Hartwig of Uthlede as Prince-Archbishop
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
of Bremen for his partisanship with the House of Guelph. In 1192 Duke Valdemar, meanwhile 22 years old, seriously disagreed about Bishop Valdemar's way of ruling the Duchy of Schleswig. In the same year the Bremian Chapter didn't wait any longer for a papal dismissal of Hartwig and unauthorisedly elected Valdemar as its new Prince-Archbishop - encouraged by Henry VI. Valdemar welcomed his election, hoping his new position could be helpful in his dispute with Duke Valdemar and his elder brother Canute VI. Before entering the Prince-Archbishopric he won the support of Ditmarsh. The Bremian mint in the city of Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
issued coins showing Valdemar's portrait.
Valdemar as canon-law Prince-Archbishop of Bremen in Danish captivity (1193–1206)
Duke Valdemar realised the threat Prince-Archbishop Valdemar presented. In 1192 he invited the Prince-Archbishop to meet him in Åbenrå. Then the bishop fled to Swedish NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
to avoid arrest. The following year he organised - supported by the Hohenstaufens - a fleet of 35 ships and harried the coasts of Denmark with an eye to overthrowing King Canute VI of Denmark
Canute VI of Denmark
Canute VI was King of Denmark . Canute VI was the eldest son of King Valdemar I and Sophia of Polotsk.-Life:...
, claiming the Danish throne for himself. In 1193 King Canute VI of Denmark
Canute VI of Denmark
Canute VI was King of Denmark . Canute VI was the eldest son of King Valdemar I and Sophia of Polotsk.-Life:...
captured him, before he could ever enter the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen.
Despite the interventions by the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
Valdemar stayed in captivity in Nordborg
Nordborg
Nordborg , is a town with a population of 6,730 and a former municipality in Sønderborg Municipality, Region of Southern Denmark on the northwest half of the island of Als off the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. The former Nordborg municipality covered an area of...
(1193–1198) and then in the tower at Søborg Castle
Søborg Castle
Søborg Castle , in its heyday, was the strongest castle in Denmark ,and was also used as a prison . It was inhabited until the Count's Feud in 1535, when it is speculated that it was destroyed...
on Zealand until 1206. So he in effect couldn't take the Bremian See. Valdemar was released upon the initiative of the Danish Queen Dagmar
Margarethe of Bohemia
Dagmar of Bohemia was Queen consort of Denmark as the first spouse of King Valdemar II of Denmark. She was the daughter of King Přemysl I Ottokar of Bohemia and his first wife, Adelheid of Meissen.-Family:Markéta had one brother, Vratislav, and two sisters, Božislava and Hedwig/Hedvika...
and Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
and after swearing, never to interfere again in Danish affairs. Valdemar left Søborg for Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. The king in return asked the pope the favour to confirm Nicholas
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 ....
as new bishop of Schleswig. Innocent III, however, refused referencing to canon law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
precepts.
Valdemar as canonically dismissed, but de facto ruling Prince-Archbishop of Bremen
When in 1207 Hartwig of Uthlede died, a majority of Bremian Capitulars - overlooking the votes of the absent constitutionally provided three representatives of the Hamburg Concathedral chapter - again elected Valdemar. A minority, led by Bremen's cathedral dean Burchard of Stumpenhusen, who had opposed this election, fled to HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, then under Danish occupation.
Valdemar, still asserting himself as Prince-Archbishop, could not hinder Iso of Wölpe, Prince-Bishop of Verden, to capture the Bremian castle in Ottersberg
Ottersberg
Ottersberg is a municipality in the district of Verden, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 20 km north of Verden, and 28 km east of Bremen.-History:Ottersberg belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, established in 1180...
. Hamburg and the neighboured County of Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
, both part of the diocesan, but not of the prince-archiepiscopal territory, were subject to Danish occupation under Valdemar II, who in 1202 had confederated himself with Otto IV
Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto IV of Brunswick was one of two rival kings of the Holy Roman Empire from 1198 on, sole king from 1208 on, and emperor from 1209 on. The only king of the Welf dynasty, he incurred the wrath of Pope Innocent III and was excommunicated in 1215.-Early life:Otto was the third son of Henry the...
, House of Guelf, rival king against the German King Philip
Philip of Swabia
Philip of Swabia was king of Germany and duke of Swabia, the rival of the emperor Otto IV.-Biography:Philip was the fifth and youngest son of Emperor Frederick I and Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy, daughter of Renaud III, count of Burgundy, and brother of the emperor Henry VI...
. Philip, House of Hohenstaufen, recognised bishop Valdemar as the legitimate Prince-Archbishop of Bremen, because thus the Prince-Archbishopric would become his ally against Valdemar II.
Valdemar II and the fled capitulars protested at Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
, who first wanted to research the case. When bishop Valdemar left Rome for Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
against Innocent's order to wait his decision, he banned Valdemar by an anathema
Anathema
Anathema originally meant something lifted up as an offering to the gods; it later evolved to mean:...
and in 1208 finally dismissed him too as bishop of Schleswig. The fled capitulars and King Valdemar II of Denmark then gained the Hamburg chapter to elect Burchard as anti-archbishop in early 1208. Lacking papal and imperial support King Valdemar II himself, usurping imperial power, invested him as Prince-Archbishop Burchard I with the regalia
Regalia
Regalia is Latin plurale tantum for the privileges and the insignia characteristic of a Sovereign.The word stems from the Latin substantivation of the adjective regalis, 'regal', itself from Rex, 'king'...
, however, only accepted in the North Elbian prince-archiepiscopal and diocesan territory.
Prince-Archbishop Valdemar confederated with the free peasants of Stedingen
Stedingen
Stedingen is an area north of Bremen in the delta of the Weser river in north-western Germany.-Founding:In the year 1106, five Dutchmen made a long journey from the mouth of the Rhine to Bremen. They wanted to talk to the Archbishop of Bremen about taking over settling land on the Weser River,...
, a region within the Prince-Archbishopric whose inhabitants rejected to be subjected as serf
SERF
A spin exchange relaxation-free magnetometer is a type of magnetometer developed at Princeton University in the early 2000s. SERF magnetometers measure magnetic fields by using lasers to detect the interaction between alkali metal atoms in a vapor and the magnetic field.The name for the technique...
s. Earlier Burchard, then still provost of the Bremian Chapter, had failed to subject the free peasants by military means. This weakness provoked the neighboured Count Maurice I
Maurice, Count of Oldenburg
Maurice I was Count of Oldenburg from 1169 through 1211.-External links:*...
of Oldenburg to subject them and annex Stedingen – also in vain. The free peasants of Stedingen agreed to provide Prince-Archbishop Valdemar with mercenaries, who in return retained any further attack on their freedom.
In 1208 Valdemar II invaded with Danish troops the prince-archiepiscopal territory south of the Elbe and conquered Stade
Stade
Stade is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany and part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region . It is the seat of the district named after it...
. In August Prince-Archbishop Valdemar reconquered the city only to lose it soon after again to Valdemar II, who now built a bridge over the Elbe and fortified a forward post in Harburg upon Elbe
Hamburg-Harburg
Harburg is a borough of the city of Hamburg, Germany and a quarter in this borough. The borough Harburg lies on the southern shores of the river Elbe and covers parts of the port of Hamburg, residential and rural areas and some research institutes...
.
In Bremen Prince-Archbishop Valdemar had been warmly welcomed and nobody cared about the anathema. After Philip's assassination in June 1208, Prince-Archbishop Valdemar as well as the burgher
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
s and the city of Bremen joined the party of the former rival king Otto IV, whom Innocent III crowned Emperor in 1209. Otto IV persuaded Valdemar II to withdraw into the north of the Elbe, urged Burchard to resign and expelled Prince-Archbishop Valdemar. Now Valdemar fled to Rome and craved Innocent's forgiving, and he pardoned him.
Bremen's capitular dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
as well as its suffragans Albert of Bexhövede, Bishop of Livonia, and Prince-Bishop Dietrich I of Lübeck
Bishopric of Lübeck
The Bishopric of Lübeck was a Roman-Catholic and, later, Protestant diocese, as well as a state of the Holy Roman Empire.-History: The original diocese was founded about 970 by Emperor Otto I in the Billung March at Oldenburg in Holstein , the former capital of the pagan Wagri tribe...
, proposed Burchard's uncle Gerhard I, Count of Oldenburg-Wildeshausen, already Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück
Bishopric of Osnabrück
The Diocese of Osnabrück is a diocese of the Catholic church in Germany; it was founded around 800. It was also a Prince-Bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire until 1803.- The Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück :...
, for the See. In 1210 Innocent III made him the new Prince-Archbishop. In 1211 Duke Bernard III
Bernhard, Count of Anhalt
Bernhard, Count of Anhalt was a German prince of the House of Ascania, Count of Anhalt and Ballenstedt, and Lord of Bernburg through his paternal inheritance...
of the younger Duchy of Saxony escorted his brother-in-law Valdemar, the papally dismissed Prince-Archbishop, into the city of Bremen, de facto regaining the See and enjoying the sudden support of Otto IV, who meanwhile fell out with Innocent over Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. As a reaction Valdemar II recaptured Stade, while in 1213 Otto's elder brother Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine
Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine
Henry was count palatine of the Rhine from 6 August 1195 to 1213.Henry was the eldest son of Duke Henry the Lion, from his marriage to Matilda, eldest daughter of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He grew up in England and became count palatine of the Rhine through his 1193...
, conquered it for Prince-Archbishop Valdemar. In 1215 Henry repelled another Danish attack on Stade.
In 1212–1214 the mercenaries from Stedingen destroyed the castles at Beverstedt
Beverstedt
Beverstedt is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 20 km southeast of Bremerhaven, and 40 km north of Bremen.Beverstedt belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen...
, Stotel (a part of today's Loxstedt
Loxstedt
Loxstedt is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated south of Bremerhaven.- History :...
), Riensberg and Seehausen (both a part of today's city of Bremen), all held by partisans of Valdemar's rival Prince-Archbishop Gerhard I, Count of Oldenburg-Wildeshausen, whom the Stedingers clearly identified as a proponent of their subjection to serfdom. The Oldenburgers
House of Oldenburg
The House of Oldenburg is a North German dynasty and one of Europe's most influential Royal Houses with branches that rule or have ruled in Denmark, Russia, Greece, Norway, Schleswig, Holstein, Oldenburg and Sweden...
successfully defended the castle in Hagen im Bremischen
Hagen im Bremischen
Hagen im Bremischen is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 20 km south of Bremerhaven, and 35 km northwest of Bremen...
against the Stedingers and Gerhard I mobilised the Count Henry I of Hoya to help, who inflicted the first defeat on the Stedingers in 1213.
But soon Otto IV's position was challenged by Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
, in 1215 replacing Otto as accepted Emperor. Nevertheless, in the same year Henry V, his younger brother Otto IV, Margrave Albert II
Albert II, Margrave of Brandenburg
Albert II, Margrave of Brandenburg was a member of the House of Ascania. He was Margrave of Brandenburg from 1205 until his death in 1220.- Life :...
of Brandenburg
Margraviate of Brandenburg
The Margraviate of Brandenburg was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806. Also known as the March of Brandenburg , it played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe....
, and Prince-Archbishop Valdemar and their troops, among them mercenaries from Stedingen
Stedingen
Stedingen is an area north of Bremen in the delta of the Weser river in north-western Germany.-Founding:In the year 1106, five Dutchmen made a long journey from the mouth of the Rhine to Bremen. They wanted to talk to the Archbishop of Bremen about taking over settling land on the Weser River,...
, conquered Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. In the winter of 1216 Valdemar II and his Danish troops, unable to take the city of Stade, ravaged the County of Stade and reconquered Hamburg.
In 1216 the mercenaries of Stedingen
Stedingen
Stedingen is an area north of Bremen in the delta of the Weser river in north-western Germany.-Founding:In the year 1106, five Dutchmen made a long journey from the mouth of the Rhine to Bremen. They wanted to talk to the Archbishop of Bremen about taking over settling land on the Weser River,...
swung over to the party of Gerhard I, who promised to respect their freedom, and attacked the city of Bremen, loyal to Valdemar. Henry V rescued the city with his troops. In 1217 the city of Bremen deserted Valdemar's party. Now Henry V, Otto IV and their troops ravaged the Prince-Archbishopric (so-called Valdemarian Turmoils, 1217–1218). In 1218 Gerhard I and Valdemar II allied to expel Henry and Otto from the Prince-Archbishopric. Gerhard's troops approached the fortress of Vörde
Bremervörde
Bremervörde is a town in the north of the district Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated at the Oste river near the mid of the triangle, which is formed of the rivers Weser and Elbe respectively the cities of Hamburg, Bremen and Cuxhaven....
disguised as sick, lining up for a treatment by the faith healer and farmer Otbert. Once arrived they overthrew Henry's soldiers in the fortress. After the deaths of Otto in 1218 and Gerhard I in 1219, Henry V reached an agreement with the new Prince-Archbishop Gerhard II, to maintain the County of Stade as prince-archiepiscopal vassal.
Valdemar as a monk
In 1218 Valdemar fled the Prince-Archbishopric towards his nephew Duke Albert IAlbert I, Duke of Saxony
Albert I was a Duke of Saxony, Angria, and Westphalia; Lord of Nordalbingia; Count of Anhalt; and Prince-elector and Archmarshal of the Holy Roman Empire...
of the younger Duchy of Saxony. Later Valdemar entered the monastery of Loccum
Loccum
Loccum is a village situated about 50 km north west of Hanover in the district of Nienburg in Lower-Saxony, Germany. It has been a part of the city of Rehburg-Loccum since 1974. Loccum covers an area of 32 km² with a population of about 3166 people ....
. In 1220 the anathema against him was lifted. In the same year or only in 1232 Valdemar moved into the monastery of Cîteaux, where he died in 1235 or 1236. He was buried on 28 April 1236 in the Loccum Abbey
Loccum Abbey
Loccum Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in the town of Rehburg-Loccum, Lower Saxony, near Steinhude Lake.-History:...
.