King Hemming

Hemming (died 812) was a king in Denmark from 810 until his death. He was the successor of King Gudfred, his uncle.

In 810 Hemming made peace with the Franks and in 811 he concluded the Treaty of Heiligen with Charlemagne confirming this and establishing the Eider River as the border. This treaty was signed, amongst others, by his brothers Haakon and Agantyr.

After Hemming's death, the succession was disputed between his cousin Sigifrid and a prince named Anulo. Anulo's faction won this battle but he himself was killed. He was succeeded by his brothers Harald Klak and Ragnfrid, and they recalled a third brother, (another) Hemming who was staying in the Frankish Empire. These were the sons of "dux" Halfdan, who had commended himself to Charlemagne in 807. However, they were soon driven out by the sons of Gudfred, who had been exiled to Sweden since 810. Ragnfrid died 813 in an unsuccessful attempt to regain power. Harald's career is reasonably well known, but of this younger Hemming nothing more is heard, until he was killed in 837 on the island of Walcheren in the Scheldt estuary.

Yet another Hemming, son of Anulo became Count of Rustringen in 841.

Literature

*citation|author=Simon Coupland |title=From poachers to gamekeepers: Scandinavian warlords and Carolingian kings |doi=10.1111/1468-0254.00019 |journal=Early Medieval Europe |year=1998 |volume=7 |pages=85-114