Since 1149 the archbishop of Lund has held three of Bornholm's four herreder, the medieval Hasle, Hænnings and Michlings herreder, roughly the later Nørre, Øster and Sønder Herred: the north, east and south of the island.
The crown kept Rønne herred in the west, with the natural harbour at Rønne and the island's only stronghold, the royal castle of Lilleborg in the Almindingen forest. It is the one true territorial lordship of the Danish church, an island on the sea road between Skåne, Gotland and the south Baltic.
Who holds it
- Name
- Absalon
- Title
- Archbishop of Lund
- Since
- 1177-78
- Confidence
- high
See Lund. He rules his part of the island from Lund through his own officers; he has no castle on Bornholm.
What it holds
- Three of the four herreder (Hasle, Hænnings and Michlings herreder), with the dues and rights the crown had there; the exact split of rights with the king is not pinned
- A share of the island tax (øskat), which the see already drew in 1123
- The churches of its three herreder, among them the great church at Aakirkeby
- No castle: the archbishop has none on the island until Hammershus is built about 1250-60
How it was acquired
Saxo has King Sven Grathe hand the three herreder to the see of Lund in 1149; a local historian of 1920 places the act at Sonebod and calls it a transfer to the archbishop as property. The see already had a share of the island tax in 1123.
How things stand that morning
Quiet. The division of 1149 stands, with the king's men in Lilleborg and the archbishop's officers in his three herreder. No quarrel is recorded for 1200.
Wealth
Farm dues and the island tax; fishing round the coasts; the island sits on the sea road between Skåne, Gotland and the Wendish and Pomeranian coast. Rønne, later the main port, lies in the king's herred and only grows into a town in the late 13th century.
Threats
- The king's castle of Lilleborg is the only fortress on the island; the archbishop has no stronghold of his own
- The see's rights rest on royal goodwill; open conflict over them comes in the 1250s
Advocates and rivals
The king holds the fourth herred and Lilleborg, which Knud VI seems to have finished building. Crown and see fight over the island's taxes for two centuries; in 1259 the archbishop's brother and Prince Jaromar of Rügen storm the king's castle.
Places of note
- Lilleborg: The king's castle in Almindingen, in the royal herred (not the archbishop's)
- Aakirkeby church: The island's largest church, in the archbishop's part
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The 1149 cession rests on Saxo and is accepted by every modern account read (Wienberg, Zahrtmann, Lex). Matching the medieval herred names to the later ones is inferred: Zahrtmann places Rønne and Almindingen in the king's herred, which fits the later Vester Herred.
On the map: Bornholm is one modern municipality. Snapping this outline to municipalities by majority would fill the whole island, including the king's quarter; please clip to the outline here instead. The line between the king's herred and the archbishop's is approximate.
Primary sources for Denmark
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The Danish annals of Lund, Ryd and other houses (12th and 13th centuries; Lund continued to 1307, Ryd to 1288). Short dated entries from Lund, the archbishop's seat, and from Ryd in Schleswig. Read online
- Annals of Stade, by Albert of Stade, Albert of Stade (about 1240 to 1256). A world chronicle written at Stade in the 1240s from older Stade and Bremen annals. Read online
- Chronicle of the Slavs, by Arnold of Lübeck, Arnold of Lübeck (about 1209 to 1210). Arnold continues Helmold and writes from Lübeck, close to Danish, Welf and Baltic affairs. Read online
- Chronicle of the Slavs, by Helmold of Bosau, Helmold of Bosau (about 1167 to 1172). Background only. Read online
- The Icelandic annals to 1578 (compiled from the late 13th century onward from older notes). Year-by-year notices that fix Icelandic chronology. Read online
- The Livonian Chronicle of Henry, Henry of Livonia (1225 to 1227). The chief source for the Baltic mission. Read online
- Deeds of the Danes, Saxo Grammaticus (about 1185 to 1208). Saxo was writing at Lund in 1200 under Absalon, who died in March 1201, and his last books are an insider's history of Valdemar I and Knud VI to 1185: the Wendish wars, the taking of Rügen, the submission of Pomerania in 1185, the Danish fleet, Absalon's power and the Danish quarrel with the Empire. Read online
- Short history of the kings of Denmark; The Law of the Retainers, Sven Aggesen (about 1185 to 1188). A short Latin history of the Danish kings to Knud VI's Pomeranian victory of 1185, with the Lex castrensis, Sven's version of the law of the royal household. Read online
11 more in the sources library for Scandinavia.
Sources and studies
- Bornholms historie (lex.dk)
- Bornholms historie (da.wikipedia)
- Jørn Wienberg, Bornholms kirker i den ældre middelalder (Hikuin)
- M. K. Zahrtmann, Det gamle Rønne, Bornholmske Samlinger 13 (1920)
- Lilleborg, Bornholm (en.wikipedia)
- Rønne (lex.dk)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.