Ludvig Albertsen Eberstein

Eberstein, Ludvig Albertsen , -- 1328, Marsk, paternal ancestors
was an ancient family from Nedersachsen (Lower Saxony) , but also
a family of counts from Pommerania, the last mentioned family-line
came to Denmark in Valdemar Sejr's ruling period, probably caused
by family relations to the Danish royalty; his great- grandfather was
married to a sister of Valdemar the Great's  queen. On his maternal
line he was, partly via his mother Cæcilie, Esbern Vognsen's daughter,
and partly via his paternal grandmother, who was a daughter's daughter
of Esbern Snare, closely connected to the finest families of the country,
especially to the Hvide-family, and it seems that the family felt at home
in Denmark, since it is not known if they used their fathers grevetitel
(title as a count) or the German family name Eberstein.

His father grev Albert died in 1289, probably while his children were
underage, for Ludvig Albertsen is mentioned the first time in 1313;
but he soon began to play an important and outstanding role as
expected from his noble descent and the family relation to the dynasty.
When he in 1315 seals the agreement in Nyborg, he is first mentioned
among the present væbners. Two years later he was the king's
kammermester (finance) and one of the king's best men for frøken
Elisabet of Rostock's brudeskat (dowry), and very soon he became
one of the indebted king Erik's most prominent creditors.In 1318 he
received all the interests of the Crown in Skåne and all the market
towns, except the mint in Lund and Skanør, plus he held pawn in
Helsingborg slot.

He was now a ridder and a marsk, and as a marsk he lead the taking
of Bornholm and Hammershus from the archbishop in Lund who
was the king's enemy. Thus he incurred the excommunication from
the church, but the king gave him Bornholm as a vasalry. It seems
that L.A. was on friendly terms with king Erik, who also made him
one of the executors of his will;  but the relation changed after Erik's
faithless and bad brother Christoffer II was on the throne,  although
L.A. had been one of the leaders for electing Christoffer as king.

L.A. got Bleking and Lister as a pawn for the money the late king
owed his relative bishop Herman of Camin, but in  1321 L.A. had
to leave Bornholm, which was given back to the archbishop, who
had to indemnify him. Two years later the king went on and took
considerable vasalries from several magnates, and from L.A. he
took all his vasalries except Bleking; this meant that the magnates
broke with the king and joined the rebel party lead by Drost Niels
Olufsen Bild and Hertug Knud Porse, which more and more was
supported by the sønderjyske hertug Erik and archbishop Esger.

L.A. was loosed from the excommunication, and he was made
chief of Hammershus, where he and his brothers soon after were
sieged by the royal army lead by one of the king's supporters
Peder Vendelbo, who had got L.A.'s job as marsk. After a
persistent defence  which is said to have lasted 16 months, L.A.
had to give up caused by lack of  provisions and seek a settlement
with the king , which he obtained on good terms, since the king
gave him a bond of 9360 Mark skånske penge and 600 Mark
silver for all his demands.This forced agreement was hardly
well meant from either side, and the king's lack of honesty could
easily bring on another break.

In 1326 L.A. denounced loyalty and faithfulness to the king together
with his relative the Drost Laurents Jonsen and called for support
from the young sønderjyske hertug and grev Gert. 30 march 1326
was in Sønderborg made a union, which secured the two rebels the
hertug's castles Tranekær and Haderslev, if their rebellion did not
succeed and they were driven out of Denmark. This time the rebels
had better luck, already in the month of June  they had in Viborg
arranged hertug Valdemar's election to king by Jutlanders and people
from Funen, and after L.A. together with Knud Porse had captured
king Christoffer's eldest son, Erik , Christoffer gave up his resistence
and took flight to Meklenborg.

At the same time, when L.A. accompanied the newly elected king on
his celebration journey in the kingdom and among other things was
at the Danehof in Nyborg, where grev Gert was endowed with
Sønderjylland, he did not forget to secure his pay in proportion to
the part, he had played in the election of Valdemar as king. He
was endowed with Almind and Jelling sysler with the cities Kolding
and Ribe, Malt and Gjern herreder and Viborg landsting. From
earlier he had Nørre Asbo herred, but since this was given to Knud
Porse, he instead got estate in Thy and Mors, and Skive by and Hjerm
and Hindborg herreder; likewise he again became marsk, probably
soon after Valdemar became king.

When he also got his old  pawn rights back from Skåne from king
Erik's days, L.A. owned power and estate, which was not much lesser
than his lord and master, and which might have been a counterbalance
against the influence of the hated grev Gert, if not death had brought
an end to this. Shortly after 29 May 1328 L.A. died, and thus king
Valdemar lost one of his strongest supporters; and the way was open
for Christoffer's return to the kingdom.

L.A. was buried in Viborg, he left a widow Else Pedersdatter, her
family relations not known, and two underage children. She tried after
her best ability to manage her husbands large estates, first by the help
of king Valdemar and then by grev Johan, whom she later bought by
giving him Helsingborg slot and leave to him the young king Erik
Christoffersen, who strangely enough had been entrusted to  L.A'.s
heirs. The Jutlanders freed him from Haderslev slot where he was
imprisoned.

She still lived in 1333  and had from the Swedish king Magnus
confirmation on her pawn properties of Bleking and Lister.

After Thiset's Danish text: grethe bachmann
Dansk Biografisk Lexicon,
Carl Fr. Bricka
Project Runeberg