by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Valdemar II, King of Denmark reigned from 1202 to 1241. Born on June 28, 1170, in Ribe, Denmark, Valdemar II was the fifth of the nine children and the second of the two sons of Valdemar I the Great, King of Denmark and Sophia of Minsk. Valdemar’s paternal grandparents were Saint Cnut Lavard, Duke of Schleswig, and Ingeborg of Kyiv. His maternal grandparents were Volodar Glebovich, Prince of Minsk and Richeza of Poland.

Valdemar II had eight siblings:

• Sophia of Denmark (1159 – 1208), married Siegfried III, Count of Weimar-Orlamünde, had two sons
• Cnut VI, King of Denmark (1163 – 1202), married Gertrud of Saxony and Bavaria, no children
• Maria of Denmark (circa 1165 – ?), became a nun at Roskilde
• Margaret of Denmark (circa 1167 – circa 1205), became a nun at Roskilde
• Ingeborg of Denmark (1174 – 1237), married King Philip II of France, no children. Philip asked the Pope several times for an annulment but was always denied.
• Helena of Denmark (circa 1176 – 1233), married Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, had one son
• Rikissa of Denmark (circa 1178 – 1220), married King Eric X of Sweden, had one son and four daughters
• Walburgis of Denmark (? – 1177), married Bogusław I, Duke of Pomerania, had two sons

After his father died in 1182, Valdemar became Duke of Schleswig, and his elder brother Cnut became King of Denmark. During the reign of his brother, King Cnut VI of Denmark, Valdemar conquered Holstein at the Battle of Stellau in 1201. Cnut VI died suddenly on November 12, 1202, aged thirty-nine. Because he had no children, he was succeeded by his brother Valdemar II, King of Denmark.

Death of Valdemar the Young (1843) by Christian Emil Andersen; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1205, King Valdemar II married Dagmar of Bohemia, the first of his two wives, daughter of King Ottokar I of Bohemia and Adelaide of Meissen. Dagmar died in childbirth in 1212, giving birth to a stillborn son. Valdemar and Dagmar had one surviving son who predeceased his father, known as Valdemar the Young. He was the Junior King of Denmark, co-regent with his father, from 1215 until he died in 1231. On November 28, 1231, Valdemar the Young was accidentally shot by an arrow while hunting and died the same day.

Valdemar II and Dagmar’s surviving son:

In 1214, Valdemar II married again to Berengaria of Portugal, daughter of King Sancho I of Portugal and Dulce of Aragon. In 1221, like his first wife, Berengaria also died in childbirth, delivering a stillborn child. However, Valdemar II and Berengaria had four surviving children, and three were Kings of Denmark:

• Eric IV, King of Denmark (1216 – 1250), married Jutta of Saxony, had two sons who died young, and four daughters
• Sophie of Denmark (1217 – 1247), married Johann I, Margrave of Brandenburg, had five sons and one daughter
• Abel of Denmark, King of Denmark (1218 – 1252), married Matilda of Holstein, had three sons
• Christopher I, King of Denmark (1219 – 1259), married Margaret Sambiria, had three sons (two died young), and two daughters

During Valdemar II’s reign, military campaigns included conflicts in northern Germany and the establishment of Danish rule in Estonia in 1219. A feudal system and the Code of Jutland were adopted. Adopted in 1241, the Code of Jutland was Denmark’s legal code until 1683.

The Dannebrog, the Danish flag; Credit – Wikipedia

A legend describes how the Danish flag, the Dannebrog, appeared on June 15, 1219, at the Battle of Lyndanisse, fought by the invading Danish forces and the non-Christian Estonians. The Estonians were successfully attacking the Danish stronghold. Anders Sunesen, Archbishop of Lund, raised his hands to the sky in prayer, and the Danish army held their line as long as his hands were raised. As Archbishop Sunesen became exhausted, he lowered his arms, and the Estonians were soon on the verge of victory. Then, a red flag with a white cross fell from the sky, and the Danish forces were victorious. Since 1912, June 15 has officially been called Valdemarsdag (Valdemar’s Day).

The Dannebrog falling from the sky during the Battle of Lindanise by Christian August Lorentzen (1809) Left, in the background, Anders Sunesen, Archbishop of Lund, with raised hands. Right, in the foreground, Peder Jacobsen, Bishop of Roskilde, pointing at Dannebrog while informing Valdemar II, King of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Valdemar II, King of Denmark, aged seventy, died on March 28, 1241, at Vordingborg Castle in Vordingborg, Denmark. He is buried in St. Bendt’s Church in Ringsted, Denmark. Also buried at St. Bendt’s Church are Valdemar II’s first wife Dagmar of Bohemia, his second wife Berengaria of Portugal, his son Valdemar the Young, and Valdemar the Young’s wife, Eleanor of Portugal.

Modern gravestone of Valdemar II, King of Denmark and his first wife Queen Dagmar; Credit – Wikipedia by Af Bonio

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Works Cited

• Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2004). König von Dänemark. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldemar_II._(D%C3%A4nemark)
• Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2003). Konge af Danmark (1170-1241). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valdemar_Sejr
• Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Berengaria of Portugal. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
• Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Dagmar of Bohemia. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
• Wikipedia Contributors. (2019). Flag of Denmark. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Denmark
• Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Valdemar II of Denmark. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.