Bornholm is split between the king and the archbishop.
Since 1149 the see of Lund has held three of the island's four herreder (Church map, Bornholm). The king keeps the fourth, the western Rønne herred (the later Vester Herred), with the harbour at Rønne and the island's only stronghold, the royal castle of Lilleborg in the Almindingen forest: a ring wall with a strong tower at the east gate on a rock ridge about 16 m high, ringed by a partly dammed lake, built in the middle of the 12th century (Den Store Danske; the Church map thinks Canute VI finished it). The island lies on the sea road between Scania, Gotland and the Pomeranian coast.
Who he is
- Name
- Canute VI (Knud VI)
- Title
- king of the Danes and of the Wends
- Since
- sole king since 12 May 1182
- Born
- 1162 or about 1163
- Family
- see Denmark
- Confidence
- medium
DBL Knud 6.; en.wikipedia Canute VI
What it holds
- the king's herred in the west of the island, with Rønne
- Lilleborg castle in Almindingen
- the king's share of the island's dues (the split of rights with the archbishop is not pinned)
How it was acquired
Royal since the island became Danish; the archbishop's three herreder were granted away in 1149.
Allies and rivals
The archbishop of Lund (Absalon), partner in 1200; crown and see will fight over the island in the 1250s.
How things stand that morning
Quiet: the king's men in Lilleborg, the archbishop's officers in his three herreder. The king's officer is not named.
Wealth
Farm dues, fishing, the sea road.
Military
Lilleborg, the only castle on the island until Hammershus (about 1250-60). Destroyed in 1259 by the archbishop's men and Prince Jaromar II of Rügen.
Places of note
- Lilleborg: the king's castle in Almindingen
- Rønne: harbour in the king's herred (a town only from the late 13th century)
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Rests on the Church map's reading of Saxo and later historians for the 1149 split; the king's officer and the castle's date are not pinned.
On the map: Bornholm is one modern municipality: draw only this outline. 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
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.