Absalon or Axel was a Danish prelate and statesman. He was born in 1129 and died in 1201. The foster-brother of Valdemar I, whom he helped to the throne in 1157, he was appointed Bishop of Roskilde in 1158 and elected Archbishop of Lund in 1177. As Chief Minister to Valdemar I, he led an army against the Wends in 1169 and extended Danish territories in the Baltic by capturing Rugen. In 1169 he built a fortress at Havn, around which subsequently developed the city of Copenhagen. In 1184, as Chief Minister to Knut VI he led an expedition that captured Mecklenburg and Pomerania. While Archbishop of Lund, he organised the systematization of Danish ecclesiastical law. Research Absalon
Waldemar I (Waldemar the Great) was king of Denmark in 1157. He was born in 1131 and died in 1182. Aided by his great minister, Archbishop Absalon, he raised his kingdom to a high degree of prosperity. Having formed a league against the Wends with Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony, he conquered the island of Rugen in 1169. He was exceedingly popular with his people, especially with the peasantry. Research Waldemar I
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Research Absalon
