Canute V of Denmark

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Canute V of Denmark (Danish: Knud V Magnussen; born c. 1125 - August 9, 1157) was a King of Denmark and a co-regent with Sweyn III and Valdemar I between 1146 and 1157.

Canute was the son of King Niels' son Magnus, who had slain Canute Lavard. After the abdication of Eric III in 1146, the magnates of Jutland declared him king and for the following years he tried in vain to defeat his rival Sweyn III on Zealand. Canute participated in the 1147 Wendish Crusade. In 1151 he was expelled from Denmark and his request for help from Frederick Barbarossa only resulted in a compromise which made him the inferior co-regent of Sweyn.

However, a secret co-operation with Valdemar, the son of Canute's father's old enemy, led to an 1154 alliance which made them sole rulers of the kingdom, forcing Sweyn to flee. After a new war, a final compromise in 1157 made Canute the ruler of Zealand. During the peace banquet (the Bloodfeast of Roskilde) he was killed, allegedly by one of Sweyn's warriors.

Nothing sure is known about his person and character. In 1156, he married Helena of Sweden. His half-sister Sofia of Minsk married Valdemar I, who avenged him the same year at the Battle of Grathe Heath by killing Sweyn.

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Regnal titles
Canute V Born: c. 1125 Died: August 9, 1157
Preceded by Eric Lamb	King of Denmark 1146-1157 with Sweyn Grathe & Valdemar the Great	Succeeded by Valdemar the Great

v • d • e Monarchs of Denmark

Early Danish monarchs	(Harthacnut) · Gorm the Old · Harald Bluetooth · Sweyn Forkbeard^†* · Harald II · Canute the Great^†* · Harthacanute* · Magnus the Good^† · Sweyn II · Harald III · Canute the Saint · Olaf I · Eric Evergood · Niels · Eric the Memorable · Eric Lamb · Sweyn Grathe & Canute V & Valdemar the Great · Canute VI · Valdemar the Victorious · Eric Plough-tax · Abel · Christopher I · Eric Klipping · Eric Menved · Christopher II · Valdemar III · Christopher II · Valdemar Atterdag · Olaf II^† · Margaret I^†^‡

House of Palatinate-Neumarkt	Eric of Pomerania^†^‡ · Christopher of Bavaria^†^‡

House of Oldenburg	Christian I^†^‡ · Hans^†^‡ · Christian II^†^‡ · Frederick I^† · Christian III^† · Frederick II^† · Christian IV^† · Frederick III^† · Christian V^† · Frederick IV^† · Christian VI^† · Frederick V^† · Christian VII^† · Frederick VI^† · Christian VIII^† · Frederick VII

House of Schleswig- Holstein-Sonderburg- Glücksburg	Christian IX · Frederick VIII · Christian X^§ · Frederick IX · Margrethe II

^† also Monarch of Norway · ^‡ also Monarch of Sweden · * also Monarch of England · ^§ also Monarch of Iceland