Tuesday, April 14, 2009


Cæcilia Skjalmsdatter, a daughter of Skjalm Hvide,
married to:
Thorstensen, Peder,
–o.1175, chief, was related to Skjalm Hvide, and he was married to his daughter Cæcilie/Cæcilia.He was Herre til Borg (Master of a Borg/Castle) and his castle was named Pedersborg, it was an early medieval fortification at an inlet of Sorø Sø (Lake), here he built a stone tower, and he probably also built Pedersborg Church,which is still situated upon the castle bank. During the fight of the Danish throne Peder T. was Svend Grathe's advisor, Svend's victory over the Friesians, who had joined Knud Magnussen, was especially caused by Peder's cleverness (1151). During the beginning of the fight with Valdemar and Knud, Svend did not follow Peder's advice, and he even scolded his faithfull supporter. "I always wore my shield for you." answered Peder T. "But I'm afraid that you shall soon need all your shields." Although Peder was attached to Valdemar, since he was the fosterfather of his frillesøn (son by a mistress) Christoffer (for whom he also later was a teacher), he was ready to defend Svend Grathe, when he had fled the country (1154). However he saw the hopeless situation in the fight against Valdemar and Knud; he let Svend's army break up, and from that point he was on Valdemar's side and became one of his most trusted men. He especially gained distinction on the expeditions to the Wends. Together with Absalon and Esbern Snare he advised Valdemar to do lesser and quicker expeditions towards the Wends; during the first expedition he put courage into the king and made him give up the warfare; when the Danes were in trouble, he saw to that they returned home in time (1159). Still in 1171 he was with an expedition and was among the brave men who wanted to stay by Absalon at the fleet at Rygen. He was now an old man and he probably did not live long after that time. - Cæcilie gave 2 bol (farms) in Førslev to Sorø Kloster; Peder T. did not want her to give more, but he was however also one of the benefactors of the kloster. Their daughter Ingerd was via her marriage to Vagn the mother of two Aarhus-bishops and the ancestral mother of many respected Danish men and women.
translated from Hans Olrik's Danish text: grethe bachmann

Saxo, ed. Müller.
Sorø Akademis Indbydelsesskr. 1900.

Dansk Biografisk Lexicon,

(1887-1905) Carl Frederik Bricka
Project Runeberg


Note:
Margrethe/ Magga Skjalmsdatter, a daughter of Skjalm Hvide, was married - and as a widow she entered Roskilde nunnery.

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