Christopher I of Denmark

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Christopher I (1219 – May 29, 1259) was King of Denmark between 1252 and 1259. He was the son of Valdemar II of Denmark by his wife, Princess Berengária of Portugal, and brother to Abel and Eric IV. He was elected King upon the death of his older brother Abel in the summer of 1252.

The king spent most of his rule on trying to fight his many opponents. By accepting Abel's sons as rulers of South Jutland he prevented their demands on the throne but in return the border district was now more or less independent. He also had to be reconciled with the kings of Norway and Sweden which had been provoked by Abel's interventions and finally he had to yield to some of the political demands of the Danish magnates. The Danehof seems to have become an institution during his rule.

Christopher found himself excommunicated from the Catholic Church, while trying to have his brother Eric IV of Denmark canonized. Eric was supposedly murdered by brother King Abel in 1250. His men had arrested and humiliated the proud and self-righteous Archbishop Jakob Erlandsen after Erlandsen had refused to recognize Christopher's son, Eric, as his (Christopher's) rightful successor. But the excommunication had little or no effect, and Christopher was buried in Christian soil by the Bishop of Ribe upon his death on May 29, 1259.

Some claimed that the King died very "unexpectedly" and shortly after taking the Holy Communion, but proof that he was in fact poisoned has never been offered. Christopher's allies, however, apparently took to calling him Krist-Offer ("Christ's sacrifice").

Christopher (Kristoffer) married Margaret Sambiria of Kassuben and had three children: