Hjerl Hede, replica of church from the early eleventh century.
Christianity was moving fast forward into Denmark, stone churches were being built and the magnate Toke Trylle Palnesen and his wife (Cæcilia?) were - probably together with family and household - baptized on Sjælland a few days before his son Skjalm was born in ab.1040. Maybe it was the upcoming birth which made Toke decide to keep up with the times. It was 80 years after Harald Bluetooth raised the Jelling runestone, known as Denmark's birth certificate.Toke's baptism probably takes place while Hardicanute is king. (In 1047 king Magnus the Good falls off his horse and is killed in Alslev near Fjenneslev. )
Some sources say that Toke came from Jutland, others that he came from Sjælland, maybe the simple explanation is that he and his family had property in Jutland and were wellknown there too. In written sources in Sorø Kloster's Gavebog (Gift Book) are in ab. 1210 reports about deed of gifts where Skjalm's father Toke Trylle is mentioned as the first Christian man in the family.
According to tradition Toke Trylle was a son of Slau, who 'gave name to the city Slagelse', but this cannot be, since Slagelse had its name long before that. It was also said that Slau had his burial place in a hill near Slagelse. Slau being Palne Slau (or 'Slag Hvide') Tokesen.
Toke's children:
Skjalm Tokesen Hvide (ab. 1040-1113)
Aute Tokesen (Hvide) ( was killed by the Wends ab. 1095)
Torben Tokesen (Hvide), Torben was said to be the ancestor of the family Due from Borup and to Strange den Unge , who was the ancestor of the Ulfeldt family. Some sources claim that Torben was married to Gro Kongedatter, who might be a daughter of Svend Estridsen. Svend had a daughter Gro; she was one of his many illegitimate children.
The first 'known' with the name Cæcilia in Denmark might be Toke Trylle's wife. Another Cæcilia is a daughter of Knud den Hellige and Adele of Flandern, she was in some sources known as Florina. It was a period where Christianity's influence changed peoples' first names to something more 'saintly' if the name was considered pagan. That's why the names in the sources around this period might create some confusion. Toke Trylle's wife might have had another first pagan name before her baptism in 1040. Her ancestors are unknown. The name Cæcilia/Cecilie was much used in the Hvide-family hereafter.
photo: grethe bachmann © copyright
Source: Dansk/Norsk/Svensk Biografisk Lexicon; Danmarks Historie, Politiken 3-4; Vikingeskibsmuseet; Nationalmuseet; Skalk, arkæologisk magasin; Saxo Grammaticus; Emma emmorium; Sejer Olesen Leth og hans slægt af P. Filtenborg; Den Hvide Klan af Michael Kræmmer; Thi de var af stor slægt af Marianne Johannesen & Helle Halding.
No comments:
Post a Comment