Muhler! Mange tak for this fascinating story about Bornholm and Hammershus! Who knew that the 13th century was so exciting in northern Europe? I am very curious about this period and will certainly look for more information, but wonder how these stories were preserved? Is there a Danish version of the Bayeux Tapestry or a foundational written text? All and any information is welcome
You are welcome. ?
The 1200's in particular was an extremely exciting century in especially Danish history.
It was the century when DK became truly Christian.
It was during the 1200's that hundreds of churches were build in DK - along pretty much the same template. Which makes it so easy to roughly date Danish churches.
It was in this period that the Danish kings undisputedly won control of the country and started to establish a more permanent administration of the country.
During the 1200's DK (And Norway and also Sweden) was able to free itself from the economic dominance of the Hanseatic league. - You can buy armies with money, but you can't buy loyalty.
It was during the 1200's that Denmark truly joined the Christian European countries on equal footing and that established the future wealth of DK. It was based on herring. There were enormous amounts of herring in Danish controlled waters, which were salted and exported to all the other Catholic countries as food during lent.
During the 1200's DK established itself as the dominant Baltic power, including conquering the very wealthy island of Gotland and sacking it to the bone.
That Gotland was sacked meant that modern Sweden suddenly found much more room to maneuver. Otherwise Sweden might have been a province of Gotland, not the other way around.
It was during the 1200's that a genuine Swedish national feeling was established, including their own nobility, who did
not want to be dominated by Denmark! Starting some 600 years of war between DK and Sweden, with Norway caught in the middle. It started slowly mind you, if was only during the 1500's these wars became an established pastime. One war per generation until 1720, with the last one being fought in 1814. - Thus we have the world-record in numbers of wars fought between two countries.
It was in 1286 that the last Danish king was assassinated. We still quite don't know who was behind it, but it backfired so much that none have been murdered since. - It is one of
the best murder mysteries in Danish history!
It was in 1282 that the Danish copy of Magna Carta was written and that became the basis of our Constitution, to this day.
In 1219 Dannebrog fell from the sky, giving first the king (they were the only ones allowed to use it) then our ships and armies and in the mid 1800's the people a very strong deep-rooted national symbol.
And that's just Denmark!
For those interested in economy, the confederate Hanseatic League is a must to study!
It was during the 1200's the Teutonic orders established themselves in what is now Prussia/Poland and also mainly Lithuania. The core of their army consisted of what we today may call religious fanatics, who did not get paid, got no land, no castles, had no families. - No wonder the order got rich!
Their magnificent brick castles are very much worth a visit! Especially Marienburg, their HQ. If you ever visit Poland, go there! You won't regret it.
When you have studied the Teutonic order, jump over the fence to the other side to the today little known Baltic cultures. They were pagan cultures but almost as advanced as the rest of Europe - and they learned fast!
It was in 1241 the Mongols came! - Brushing aside the Baltic defenses and destroying the Teutonic army at Liegnitz. - And at almost the exact same time a central European army at Budapest.
Had the Great Khan not died in 1242, Europe would have fallen, certainly as far as the Rhine, probably as far as the Channel and the Pyrenees.
Italy, which was fragmented into city-states, would likely have fallen as well. - No papacy in Rome. No universities at Paris or Padua. There would not have been a Holy-Roman empire. No German League. No Burgundy. No Jeanne de Arc. No Habsburgs. No European Renaissance. No Protestantism. No pope in Avignon. - Imagine that...
I cannot help mentioning the assassination of Count Gerhard III of Holstein in 1340.
That was a medieval special forces operation that saved Denmark as a nation, and a
very dramatic story!
We don't know quite who was behind that operation, but it was executed in a way that would earn the respect of modern special forces!
- So there is a lot to study!
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Here are some more photos:
I know the exhilarating feeling of finding a virgin article at Daily Mail and posting it here. I hope it didn't ruin your day. 
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