On This Day In History: Canute Lavard Was Murdered By His Cousin, Magnus I Of Sweden – On Jan 7, 1131

AncientPages.com - On January 7, 1131, Canute Lavard (Danish: Knud Lavard) (1096 - 1131) was killed by his cousin Magnus I of Sweden, who saw him as a rival to the Danish throne.

Canute Lavard was a Danish prince, the ancestor of the Valdemarian Kings and their subsequent royal line.

Medieval stone painting by Canute Lavard in the Church of Vigersted, on the outskirts of Ringsted, Denmark. Image credit: FredrikT - CC BY-SA 3.0

Canute was the only legitimate son of Eric I of Denmark (ca. 1103) and the first member of the Danish royal family who was attracted by the knightly ideals and habits of medieval Germany, as indicated by his changing his title to Duke of Schleswig.

His appearance made him a popular man and a possible successor to his uncle. Still, he also acquired mighty enemies among the Danish princes and magnates, who questioned his loyalty and feared his bond with Emperor Lothair III, who had recognized him as sovereign over the western Wends. Whether these suspicions were just or not is impossible to say.

He defended his people from Viking raids, and supported missionaries in his country.

Niels and his son, Magnus the Strong, were alarmed by Canute's recognition by the emperor. His uncle Niels, king of Denmark, saw him as a threat to the throne and had him killed.

Canute was trapped in the Haraldsted Forest near Ringsted in Zealand, Denmark and murdered by his own cousins, dying a martyr for justice. Ringsted Abbey, one of the earliest Benedictine houses in Denmark, became the initial resting place of Canute Lavard.

In 1157, Canute Lavard's remains were moved into a new chapel at St. Bendt's Church in Ringsted. A chapel was erected at the site during medieval times to commemorate his death, but it disappeared after the Reformation.

The ruins were rediscovered in 1883. In 1902, a memorial in the form of a 4-meter crucifix was erected near the site of the death of Canute Lavard.

Some sources consider the death of Canute to be a murder committed by Magnus; some attribute it to Niels himself. The death initiated a civil war that lasted until 1157, ending only with the triumph of Canute's son Valdemar I. The fate of Canute and his son's victory formed the background for his canonization in 1170.

Canute Lavard was canonized in 1170, and his feast day (Knuts Dagen) is celebrated on the day of his death, January 7.

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