Sven III Grate ( dated. Svend 3. Grathe , circa 1125 - October 23, 1157 ) - King of Denmark since 1146 . He was co-regent with his second cousin Knud V ( 1152 - 1154 , 1157). Illegitimate son of Eric II .
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| Svend 3. Grathe | ||||
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Biography
After the abdication of Eric III of the throne in 1146, Sven was elected king of Zeeland and for the next several years he fought with Knud V, who was then ruled in Jutland . Together with another brother Waldemar I in 1151 forced Knud V to flee from Denmark to the Holy Roman Empire , where he asked for help from the emperor. The intervention of Frederick I allowed Knud to become co-regent, Sven became the "eldest king".
Sven's brutal manners and pro-German orientation led to popular discontent, and in 1154 he was overthrown by Knud V with the support of Valdemar I, who went over to Knud. After several years of exile in 1157, he returned to his homeland and achieved reconciliation with his brothers. Denmark was divided into three parts, and Sven became the ruler of Scania .
During the celebration of reconciliation in Roskilde on August 9, 1157, he tried to eliminate two other co-rulers (the so- called Blood Feast in Roskilde ). Knud V was killed, and Waldemar I fled to Jutland. On October 23, he defeated Sven in battle and killed him while trying to escape in the Grata wasteland, near Viborg (hence his nickname).