Roskilde at the head of Roskilde Fjord is Zealand's chief town and the old royal seat: Harald Bluetooth built a church and residence here in the 980s (Adam of Bremen and Saxo), it has been a bishop's see since about 1020, and Adam called it Zealand's largest town about 1070.
Sweyn Grathe dug a ditch round it in 1150, and in 1151-52 a sworn brotherhood was formed here against the Wendish pirates. Absalon was bishop from 1158 to 1191-92 and began the brick cathedral about 1170; his kinsman Peder Sunesen, bishop since 1191, is carrying on the work. By about 1200 Roskilde has many churches and is the most important town of Zealand (en.wikipedia).
Two of the king's sisters have been nuns here since 1188. The king keeps the mint (coins struck here from the 11th to the 14th century) and his old rights; the bishop is the greater presence in the town.
Who holds it
- Name
- Peder Sunesen, bishop since 1191
- Title
- bishop of Roskilde (with the king's rights in the town)
- Since
- 1191
- Born
- 1161
- Family
- of the Hvide, son of Sune Ebbesen; brother of the chancellor Anders Sunesen (The Sunesens)
- Confidence
- medium
DBL (Peder Sunesen); en.wikipedia (Roskilde)
Lord in 1200
Shared: the bishop of Roskilde (Peder Sunesen) holds the cathedral precinct and much of the town; the king keeps the mint and royal rights. The exact division in 1200 is not pinned.
Overlord
the king
How things stand that morning
Peaceful; the brick cathedral is rising.
Wealth
The bishop's revenues, the mint, the fjord trade. No figures.
Military
The town ditch; no castle.
Charter
None in 1200 (the town's privileges are of 1268).
Council
None known in 1200.
Communities
The bishop's household and cathedral chapter, the clergy of the town's churches, a nunnery, the king's officers, merchants and craftsmen.
Fairs and markets
Market by the cathedral and the harbour; no fair recorded for 1200.
Militia
The brotherhood of 1151-52 against the Wends is the town's own fighting tradition; in 1200 the townsmen serve with the levy (not pinned).
Walls and castle
The ditch of 1150; no castle. The bishop's residence by the cathedral.
Trade and crafts
Fjord harbour trade, the mint, church building in brick (the cathedral works), crafts serving the clergy.
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.
- after this year: 1201On Absalon's death Havn passes to the see of Roskilde, and Peder Sunesen becomes its lord (Church map Havn).Depends on: Absalon's death Stopped by: the crown keeping Havn
Places of note
- Roskilde cathedral: the brick cathedral begun about 1170
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The town's history is well documented; the split of rights between bishop and king in 1200 is not.
On the map: The town and its near land.
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
- Wikipedia: Roskilde
- Dansk Biografisk Leksikon: Peder Sunesen
- Wikipedia: Valdemar I of Denmark (the nuns of Roskilde)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.