Abel of Denmark

. [Hartley, Mick. The Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. 27 Sep. 2007. 14 Feb. 2008 http://mickhartley.typepad.com/blog/2007/09/the-duke-of-sch.html.]

Duke Abel fought against his brother, King Erik Ploughpenny, trying to gain independence for the Duchy of Southern Jutland. He raided north as far as Randers ravaging Erik's supporters and then moved into Funen. Erik struck back a year later surprising Abel's garrison at Schleswig, forcing Abel's young daughter to flee "without so much as a pair of shoes for her feet." Abel's sister Sofie brokered a truce between Duke Abel and King Erik that held until 1252 when Erik was murdered while a guest at Duke Abel's residence at Schleswig.

Abel was proclaimed King of Denmark at the Viborg Assembly (Danish:landsting) on November 1, 1250, after the death of his brother Eric IV. Eric IV was slain by Abel's chamberlain, Lave Gudmundsen and others after a long conflict between the two brothers; the king's headless body dumped into the Schlien. Even though Abel and twenty-four noblemen swore an official oath ("dual dozen's oath", in (Danish "dobbelt tolvter-ed") that the Duke had no part in the killing, it was widely believed that King Eric was murdered at his brother's bidding. "Abel by name, Cain by his deeds" (Danish, "Abel af navn, Kain af gavn"), or so people said.

Abel and Queen Mechtild of Holstein only ruled for a year and a half. King Abel received word that the peasants in Frisia led by Sicko Sjaerdema, refused to pay the tax levy. Abel raised an army to punish them. He was killed by a wheelwright named Henner on Husum Bridge near Ejdersted on 29 June 1252. Most people at the time viewed Abel's sudden death as God's judgment on him for the murder of his brother. As the Abel's body lay in Schleswig Cathedral, the monks heard strange sounds in the church at night. They said they were too afraid to go into the church after that. They believed that Abel's unholy ghost walked abroad at night. Consequently, the kings body was taken outside the church and stuffed into a soggy grave near Gottorp Castle outside Schleswig. Someone rammed a wooden stake through Abel's chest to make sure he remained in his grave. It was said long after that the king's ghost found no peace and from time time there were reports of "Abel's wild hunt" where a black faced man on a white horse and glowing hounds hunted across the moors and forest of Schleswig. [Hvitfeldt, Arild. Danmarks Riges Krønike]

Abel's half-grown son Valdemar was held for ransom by the Archbishop of Cologne at the time, and so Abel's youngest brother Christopher I, was crowned King on Christmas Day 1252 in Lund Cathedral.

Queen Dowager Mechthildis married in 1261 Birger Jarl of Sweden.

Abel's descendants - the "Abel Family" - ruled South Jutland until 1375, often in co-operation with their relatives in Holstein, and they created a permanent problem for the Danish government. Their rule meant the eventual separation of Frisia, Holstein, and most of Schleswig from the rest of Denmark.

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