Officers: prévôtés, bailiwicks, seneschals · Kingdom of Denmark · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Søborg

Søborg stands on an island in a fjord that then opened to the Kattegat near Gilleleje, in the far north of Zealand.

Valdemar I took the castle in 1161 (Den Store Danske), tradition says from Archbishop Eskil, and it has been a royal castle and state prison since. Its most valuable prisoner on 1 January 1200 is the king's cousin Valdemar, son of Canute V, bishop of Schleswig and elected archbishop of Bremen, who governed South Jutland for the young duke after 1182 and in 1192 was elected archbishop of Bremen, which made him a danger to the crown. The king had him seized in 1192 (at Aabenraa, en.wikipedia Canute VI) or 1193; he was held at Nordborg on Als until 1198 and at Søborg from then (en.wikipedia Valdemar II and Søborg Castle), and stays until 1206.

Count Adolf III of Holstein will join him after Stellau (1201).

Who he is

Name
not named in the sources read
Title
the king's castellan of Søborg
Since
not pinned
Born
not pinned
Family
not pinned
Confidence
low

Den Store Danske (Søborg Slot); en.wikipedia (Søborg Castle, Canute VI, Valdemar II)

Overlord

King Canute VI

What it holds

  • the castle on its island in the Søborg fjord
  • the royal land round it (extent not pinned)
  • the prisoner Bishop Valdemar of Schleswig

How it was acquired

Taken by Valdemar I in 1161.

Allies and rivals

The prisoner's friends: the Bremen chapter that elected him, Count Adolf III, and Rome, which wants him freed.

How things stand that morning

Royal, garrisoned, holding Bishop Valdemar. The brick castle whose ruins stand today is of the later 13th century (excavations of 1985, en.wikipedia); the fortress of 1200 is the earlier one, its form not pinned.

Wealth

Royal land and fishing in the fjord; the castle is a prison and a stronghold, not a source of revenue.

Military

A water-girt castle in the fjord; garrison not known.

Threats

  • papal pressure to free the bishop
  • a rescue attempt by the bishop's friends (none recorded)

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

In 1200

  1. throughout 1200Bishop Valdemar stays in Søborg (he is freed only in 1206).Depends on: the king's will and Rome's patience Stopped by: a papal ultimatum or a deal with the bishop's German friends

Later, on the likely course

  1. after this year: 1201Count Adolf III, taken at Stellau, is brought to Søborg (en.wikipedia Canute VI).Depends on: Danish victory in Holstein Stopped by: Danish defeat

Places of note

  • Søborg castle: the castle and prison

Where the sources disagree

  • en.wikipedia (Canute VI) has the bishop sent to Søborg directly in 1192 for 13 years; en.wikipedia (Valdemar II) and (Søborg Castle) have Nordborg 1193-1198, then Søborg 1198-1206. Either way he is at Søborg on 1 January 1200.

Evidence: The imprisonment is well attested; the castellan and the castle's form in 1200 are not.

On the map: A disc round the castle; its land in 1200 is not pinned.

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.

11 more in the sources library for Scandinavia.

Sources and studies

  1. Den Store Danske: Søborg Slot
  2. Wikipedia: Søborg Castle
  3. Wikipedia: Valdemar II of Denmark
  4. Wikipedia: Canute VI of Denmark
  5. Dansk Biografisk Leksikon: Knud 6.

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.