Thursday, August 20, 2009

4 x Hvide, Aage,Niels, Ove & Skjelm Stigsen,


Dansk Biografisk Lexicon
4 x Hvide
Aage Stigsen, Niels Stigsen, Ove Stigsen, Skjelm Stigsen.




Stigsen, Aage, --1170--, magnate, a son of Stig Hvide
(Hvidelæder) and Valdemar I's sister Margrethe, became
during the expeditions to the Wend a brave warrior.

He and his brother Niels won especially fame on their cousin,
hertug Christoffer's and Esbern Snare's Baltic-Sea expedition
against the Estonian and Kurland pirates (1170): Niels was
the first to storm the wooden castle the pirates had built
on the coast of Øland, but he would have been killed, if his
brother hadn't come to his rescue. Aage Stigsen got a
wound in the throat. At their homecoming they participated
in the famous Ringsted-meeting.

Aage Stigsen is probably the Aage, who 10 years later was
Gælker in Lund; when the peasants rebelled against the
king's men, he had to seek shelter in Lund's cathedral and
then he took flight to Valdemar. In spite of the objections
from the Scanians he was after the king's victory re-placed
in his office. Aage Stigsen was also among the noblemen,
who after Esbern Snare's flaming speech at the Odense-
meeting in 1188 took the cross in order to participate in the
liberation of Jerusalem, and he is said to have been the
eldest and wisest among the crusaders.The expedition first
started in 1191, and a long period of time was wasted in
Norway. When they finally reached the Holy Land, the
large western crusades had ended, and Jerusalem was
not conquered. Aage Stigsen and his companions had to
be content just to visit the Holy City as peaceful pilgrims
and then go home.(1192).

Aage Stigsen and his brothers Peder and Niels belonged to
the extensive, distinguished brotherhood in Knud
Valdemarsen's ruling period, according to the Broderlisten
(the members of brotherhood) they had their home in
Jelling Syssel (Southeast Jutland).

From Hans Olriks text: grethe bachmann.
Dansk Biografisk Lexicon,
Carl Frederik Bricka
Project Runeberg.


Roskilde Domkirke
Stigsen, Niels - 1249 - bishop, was a son of Stig Galen,
who was a son of Skjalm Hvide's son's son Toke Ebbesen.
His mother was Christine. Niels Stigsen belonged in this
way to Denmark's mightiest and most famous family. He
chose the clerical way, and when the message arrived
that bishop Peder Jacobsen of Roskilde had died, he was
elected his successor (1225).

Valdemar II was still in German prison, so Niels Stigsen
had to wait for his confirmation, the bishop-consecration
took place in 1226. Valdemar showed him his favor by in
1230 giving the island Saltholm to Roskilde bishopric.This
island had valuable limestone quarries. A few years later
he became the king's kansler, when bishop Niels of
Schleswig died.

Niels Stigsen had a prominent position among the bishops
of that time, and he was a very devoted cleric, he enforced
the privileges of his chapter, among this the free election of
canons, and he was considered a friend of the klosters.
Together with archbishop Uffe and bishop Gunner of Viborg
he tried to secure to Sorø kloster the estate, which Esbern
Snare's son Johannes Marsk had given to it, which his heirs
would not give up. (1233). He did not reach his goal in that
matter, but since Esbern Snares son's son Esbern Snerling
on his deathbed had given Sorø kloster a large part of
estate, and since his mother nonetheless still held it back ,
Niels Stigsen banned her 3 times and forced thereby the
accomplishment of the will.

Furthermore he made a lucky exchange of property
between Sorø and St. Peder's Kloster at Næstved, and this
kloster considered him its benefactor. He also contributed
considerably in the foundation of the Franciscan-kloster
in Roskilde 1237 which church he later inaugurated.(1239).
At the meeting in Stensby 1238, where Estonia was given
back by the German knights, and at the meeting in
Vordingborg in 1241, where Jyske Lov was proclaimed,
Niels Stigsen was present. In Vordingborg he shortly after
was present by king Valdemar's deathbed.

Ha also stood high in Erik Plovpenning's favour. It was still
known in 1244 that Erik in a matter about privileges followed
his "elskede kanslers" (beloved kansler's") request. But in
the year 1245 a change happened. Together with the other
bishops of the kingdom Niels Stigsen participated in the
wellknown Odense-meeting, which proclaimed a solemn curse
on everyone who offended against the estate and rights of
the church. This was aimed at the king, and king Erik took
away Niels Stigsen's kansler office because he had spoken
against him; he even accused him of that he together with
his family and friends wanted to take his life and kingdom
from him. After the break with the king Niels Stigsen must
have gone for support at his mighty family, but the same
year he took flight, first to Norway, later to France, where
he was partly by the pope in Lyon and partly in Clairvaux.

Thus the fatal enmity begun between Skjalm Hvide's family
and the kingdom. In connection to this was Niels Stigsen's
brother Juris killed, it was said by his own people. (1246).
The king had however taken all Niels Stigsen's private
property and his estate of the bishopric, among these
Copenhagen. Niels Stigsen sent a complaint to pope
Innocent IV, but from political reasons he treated the case
coldly and just let a legate make an investigation. The result
was against the king, and Niels Stigsen lit interdict over
Roskilde Stift, but the king defied and confiscated also
Jacob Erlandsen's estate, because he had talked his family
member's case to the pope. From this day on Innocents IV
behaved more determined against king Erik; he appointed
a tribunal to look at the case and put the king's enemy
bishop Eskil of Schleswig in the lead, he even threatened
the king with excommunication and interdict.

But then Niels Stigsen died during his stay in Clairvaux
(Not as a monk) 24 Sept. 1249. He was exiled for the liberty
of his church, but he got his grave upon one of the most
prominent places in the kloster-church, and his silvercrucifix
was kept there as a dear memory. The pope was now even
more strict against king Erik, but first after the king's death
1250 the properties were given back. The whole feud is
the prelude to the large fights between the kingdom and
the church in Denmark.

Hist. tidsskr. 6 R. VI, 626 ff.
Kirkehist. Saml. 4. R. III, 7 ff.
From Hans Olriks text: grethe bachmann.
Dansk Biografisk Lexicon,
Carl Frederik Bricka
Project Runeberg.


Middelfart
Stigsen, Ove - 1359, of Eskebjerg, was a son of the younger
Marsk Stig Andersen Hvide and is mentioned as Ridder in 1353,
but was then in prison in Holstein. In 1355 and 1356 he was
king Valdemar's kammermester (responsible for the king's
finances and the treasury), but he probably had to leave this
office, when his father in 1357 became the leader of the
rebellious Jutland nobility. In 1358 he and his father's brother
Peder Andersen of Margård with a royal granted safe passage
accompanied hr. Niels Bugge to agreement-negotiations with
king Valdemar in Slagelse at Christmas time. These negotiations
were however futile; they got interrupted - and on their
journey back the three men were attacked and killed by some
fishermen in Middelfart; people meant that the king had ordered
it. Ove Stigsen left a widow, Maren Jensdatter, a sister of
Palne Jensen Munk, who later became the king's marsk.

From Thiset's text: grethe bachmann.
Dansk Biografisk Lexicon,
Carl Frederik Bricka
Project Runeberg

Stigsen, Skjelm - 1292, drost.
Skjelm took over the difficult
office as the king's drost in the year 1291 when Erik Menved
had just got of age and was fighting his father's outlawed
killers, who had found a resort in Norway and who had a
connection to hertug Valdemar of Sønderjylland. Already
the year after Skjelm Stigsen was killed in presence of the
king by Erik (Langben ), the king's brother. There is no
further information about this.

From Kr. Erslev's text: grethe bachmann.
Dansk Biografisk Lexicon,
Carl Frederik Bricka
Project Runeberg.

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