Abel, King of Denmark

Abel
Abel depicted on the Kronborg Tapestries at Kronborg Castle
King of Denmark and the Wends
Reign1 November 1250 – 29 June 1252
Coronation1 November 1250
PredecessorEric IV
SuccessorChristopher I
Born1218
Died29 June 1252 (aged 33–34)
Eiderstedt
Burial
SpouseMatilda of Holstein
Issue
Detail
Valdemar III, Duke of Schleswig
Eric I, Duke of Schleswig
Abel, Lord of Langeland
HouseEstridsen
FatherValdemar II of Denmark
MotherBerengaria of Portugal

Abel Valdemarsen (1218 – 29 June 1252) was Duke of Schleswig from 1232 to 1252 and King of Denmark from 1250 until his death in 1252. He was the son of Valdemar II by his second wife, Berengaria of Portugal, and brother to kings Eric IV and Christopher I.[1]

As Duke of Schleswig, Abel came into conflict with his brother, King Eric IV, whose murder in 1250 he was suspected of orchestrating. Upon taking an oath to clear himself of the allegations, he was elected king. After a short reign, he was killed during a military expedition in Frisia.

Abel's reign was the shortest of any Danish monarch since the 9th century. He founded a line of dukes of Schleswig - the "Abel family" - which ruled the Duchy of Schleswig until 1375.[2]

  1. ^ Hartley, Mick The Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg Dated September 29, 2007. Retrieved 14 Feb. 2008
  2. ^ "Abel, 1219-52, Konge". Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Retrieved August 1, 2018.