Erik 3. Lam, 1137-1146, ~ Luitgard, --1152 --

Kilde:
Dansk Biografisk Lexicon
Carl Fr. Bricka
Project Runeberg
(1887-1905)

Erik Lam, --1146, king, was a son of the
Jutlander Hakon, Sunnivas son, one of the
leaders among the revengers of Knud Lavard's
murder, and Ragnhild, illegitimate daughter
of Erik Ejegod. When Erik Emune was killed
at the Thing 18. Sept. 1137, was E. present
and run up with drawn sword for the defense
of the king , but the murderer Sorte Plov
cried to him: «Put your sword in the sheath,
fat bacon fell into your pot anyway!». E.
became as the eldest of the pretenders elected
king, but he had to fight his cousin Oluf,
Harald Kesjas son, who several times settled
in Skåne and attacked Sjælland, until he
after a few year's struggle was defeated at
Thiute Aa (river) in Skåne. Although E. was
very brave, he showed in his rule of the
kingdom no strength or character, he therefore
was rightfully given the byname Lam or "den
spage" (weak). The Wends harrassed the country
and even forced him to take flight during an
attack at Storebælt, where he left his ship
in a lurch; and he gave up a planned expedition
to the Wends. He continued the indulgent
politics of Erik Emune towards Germany's demands
about supremacy in Denmark, and influenced by
the Germans he married in 1144 Luitgard, a
daughter of Rudolf,markgraff of Soltwedel and
graff of Stade, and a sister of Hartvig,
domprovst(rural dean), later archbishop of
Bremen. Luitgard caused scandal by her relaxed
customs and her extravagance, in which she made
E. take part. He was inconstant and without
self-confidence and felt inadequate in his rule,
and he gave it up in order to become monk in
Sct. Knud's Kloster in Odense. He died shortly
after, 27. Aug. 1146. In his marriage he had
no children, he had an illegitimate son, Magnus.
Luitgard later married graf Herman of
Winzenburg and was killed together with her
husband in 1152.

Suhm, Hist. af Danmark V.
Ræder, Danmark under Svend Estridsen og hans
Sønner.

translated from Johannes C. H. R. Steenstrup's
Danish text: grethe bachmann.

Luitgard , --1152, queen, was a daughter of
markgraf Rudolf I of Soltwedel (d. 1124),
who for a time was also graf of Stade and
Ditmarsken, and Richardis (b. 1151), daughter
of a Magdeburg borggreve.(graf of castle) L.
first married the Saxon Pfalzgraf Frederik of
Sommerscheburg (d. 1162) and had with him a
son Albert and a daughter Adelheid; but since
she was a child of her husband's sibling, the
church had the marriage annulled, whereafter
her brother domprovst (rural dean)Hartvig of
Bremen arranged a marriage to king Erik Lam
(ab. 1143). This marriage was short and
childless, and L. was remembered in Denmark
as a loose queen who even seduced har husband
to ill-timed extravagance. After Erik Lam's
death(1146) L. married the third time, this
time to the violent graf Herman, who caused
by a kill had lost his main castle, the strong
Winzenburg, but now at this point strengthened
his power and at last, by the support of king
Conrad III, forced bishop Bernhard I of
Hildesheim to once again endowe him with
Winzenburg (1150). Here was Herman however
murdered by the bishop's men, and together
with him L., who was pregnant (29. Jan. 1152).
Herman and L. had 3 daughters, from which the
middle probably was married to Buris.
(Buris Henriksen, a son of Henrik Skadelår).

Suhm, Hist. af Danmark V.
Dehio, Hartwich v. Stade (Bremen 1872).
Koken, Die Winzenburg u. deren Vorbesitzer
(Hildesh. 1833).
Lüntzel, Gesch. d. Diocese u. Stadt Hildesheim
I (Hildesh. 1858).                       


Kilde:
Dansk Biografisk Lexicon
Carl Fr. Bricka
Project Runeberg
(1887-1905) 

translation grethe bachmann  ©​ copyright