Parents: Christopher II, king of Denmark, and Euphemia of Pomerania
Born: circa 1320
House: Estridsen
Spouse(s): Hedvig, daughter of Eric II, duke of Schelswig, and Adelaide of Holstein-Rendsburg
Predecessor: Christopher II
Reign: 1340 – 1375
Brief: Valdemar was a king in exile for the first eight years of his life. His father, Christopher, had been killed and the nobles of Denmark had taken over led by Count Gerhard III. In 1340, Gerhard was assassinated and Valdemar proclaimed king, though the nobles still hoped to control the young man. Almost as soon as he became king, Denmark went bankrupt. Valdemar spent most of his reign buying back lost lands, angering much of his populace by his high taxes. He was given the town of Copenhagen by the bishop of Roskilde, and Valdemar proclaimed it his new capital. By 1347, all of Denmark was back under royal control. The plague arrived two years later after an abandoned ship crashed on Danish soil. The plague killed up to 66% of the population, but Valdemar did not reduce taxes; instead he used it as an opportunity to take back more lands from the nobility. In the 1360s, open war broke out between Denmark and the Hanseatic League, with Denmark losing and being forced to sign the Treaty of Stralsund in 1370. He died five years later, still fighting the Jutlanders and other neighbors to assert Denmark's dominance in the region.
Brief: Valdemar was a king in exile for the first eight years of his life. His father, Christopher, had been killed and the nobles of Denmark had taken over led by Count Gerhard III. In 1340, Gerhard was assassinated and Valdemar proclaimed king, though the nobles still hoped to control the young man. Almost as soon as he became king, Denmark went bankrupt. Valdemar spent most of his reign buying back lost lands, angering much of his populace by his high taxes. He was given the town of Copenhagen by the bishop of Roskilde, and Valdemar proclaimed it his new capital. By 1347, all of Denmark was back under royal control. The plague arrived two years later after an abandoned ship crashed on Danish soil. The plague killed up to 66% of the population, but Valdemar did not reduce taxes; instead he used it as an opportunity to take back more lands from the nobility. In the 1360s, open war broke out between Denmark and the Hanseatic League, with Denmark losing and being forced to sign the Treaty of Stralsund in 1370. He died five years later, still fighting the Jutlanders and other neighbors to assert Denmark's dominance in the region.
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
- Hugues, king of West Francia (996)
- Said ad-Din Qutuz, sultan of Egypt (1260)
