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ABSALON (c. 1128–1201)

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Originally appearing in Volume V01, Page 74 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ABSALON (c. 1128–1201) , Danish See also:archbishop and statesman, was See also:born about 1128, the son of See also:Asser Rig of Fjenneslev, at whose See also:castle he and his See also:brother Esbjern were brought up along with the See also:young See also:prince Valdemar, afterwards Valdemar I. The Rigs were as pious and enlightened as they were See also:rich. They founded the monastery of Soro as a civilizing centre, and after giving Absalon the rudiments of a See also:sound See also:education at See also:home, which included not only See also:book-See also:lore but every manly and See also:martial exercise, they sent him to the university of See also:Paris. Absalon first appears in Saxo's See also:Chronicle as a See also:fellow-See also:guest at See also:Roskilde, at the banquet given, in 115.7, by See also:King Sweyn to his rivals Canute and Valdemar. Both Absalon and Valdemar narrowly escaped assassination at the hands of their treacherous See also:host on this occasion, but at length escaped to See also:Jutland, whither Sweyn followed them, but was defeated and slain at the See also:battle of Grathe See also:Heath. The same See also:year (1158) which saw Valdemar ascend the Danish See also:throne saw Absalon elected See also:bishop of Roskilde. Henceforth Absalon was the See also:chief counsellor of Valdemar, and the See also:promoter of that imperial policy which, for three generations, was to give See also:Denmark the dominion of the Baltic. Briefly, it was Absalon's intention to clear the See also:northern See also:sea of the Wendish pirates, who inhabited that portion of the Baltic littoral which we now See also:call See also:Pomerania, and ravaged the Danish coasts so unmercifully that at the See also:accession of Valdemar one-third of the See also:realm of Denmark See also:lay wasted and depopulated. The very existence of Denmark demanded the suppression and See also:conversion of these stiff-necked See also:pagan freebooters, and to this See also:double task Absalon devoted the best See also:part of his See also:life. The first expedition against the See also:Wends, conducted by.Absalon in See also:person, set out in 116o, but it was not till 1168 that the chief Wendish fortress, at Arkona in See also:Rugen, containing the See also:sanctuary of their See also:god Svantevit, was surrendered, the Wends agreeing to accept Danish See also:suzerainty and the See also:Christian See also:religion at the same See also:time. From Arkona Absalon proceeded by sea to Garz, in See also:south Rugen, the See also:political See also:capital of the Wends, and an all but impregnable stronghold.

But the unexpected fall of Arkona had terrified the See also:

garrison, which surrendered unconditionally at the first See also:appearance of the Danish See also:ships. Absalon, with only Sweyn, bishop of See also:Aarhus, and twelve " housecarls," thereupon disembarked, passed between a double See also:row of Wendish warriors, 6000 strong, along the narrow path winding among the morasses, to the See also:gates of the fortress, and, proceeding to the See also:temple of the seven-headed god Rugievit, caused the idol to be hewn down, dragged forth and burnt. The whole See also:population of Garz was then baptized, and Absalon laid the See also:foundations of twelve churches in the isle of Rugen. The destruction of this chief sally-See also:port of the Wendish pirates enabled Absalon considerably to reduce the Danish See also:fleet. But he continued to keep a watchful See also:eye over the Baltic, and in 1170 destroyed another pirate stronghold, farther eastward, at Dievenow on the isle of Wallin. Absalon's last military exploit was the annihilation, off Strela (See also:Stralsund), on Whit-See also:Sunday 1184, of a Pomeranian fleet which had attacked Denmark's 'See also:vassal, Jaromir of Rugen. He was now but fifty-seven, but his strenuous life had aged hint; and he was content to resign the command of fleets and armies to younger men, like See also:Duke Valdemar, after-wards Valdemar II., and to confine himself to the See also:administration of the See also:empire which his See also:genius had created. In this See also:sphere Absalon proved himself equally See also:great. The aim of his policy was to See also:free Denmark from the See also:German yoke. It was contrary to his See also:advice and warnings that Valdemar I. rendered fealty to the See also:emperor See also:Frederick See also:Barbarossa at See also:Dole in 1161; and when, on the accession of Canute V. in 1182, an imperial See also:ambassador arrived at Roskilde to receive the See also:homage of the new king, Absalon resolutely withstood him. " Return to the emperor," cried he, " and tell him that the king of Denmark will in no See also:wise show him obedience or do him homage." As the archpastor of Denmark Absalon also rendered his See also:country inestimable services, See also:building churches and monasteries, introducing the religious orders, See also:founding See also:schools and doing his utmost to promote See also:civilization and enlightenment. It was he who held the first Danish See also:Synod at See also:Lund in 1167.

In 1178 he became archbishop of Lund, but very unwillingly, only the See also:

threat of See also:excommunication from the See also:holy see finally inducing him to accept the See also:pallium. Ahsalon died on the 21st of See also:March 1201, at the See also:family monastery of SorS, which he himself had richly embellished and endowed. Absalon remains one of the most striking and picturesque figures of the See also:Middle Ages, and was equally great as churchman; statesman and See also:warrior. That he enjoyed warfare there can be no doubt; and his splendid physique and See also:early training had well fitted him for martial exercises. He was the best rider in . the See also:army and the best swimmer in the fleet. Yet he was not like the See also:ordinary fighting bishops of the Middle Ages, whose See also:sole concession to their sacred calling was to avoid the " shedding of See also:blood " by using a See also:mace in battle instead of a See also:sword. Absalon never neglected his ecclesiastical duties, and even his See also:wars were of the nature of See also:crusades. Moreover, all his martial See also:energy notwithstanding, his See also:personality must have been singularly winning; for it is said of him that he See also:left behind not a single enemy, all his opponents having See also:long since been converted by him into See also:friends. See Saxo, Gesta Danorum, ed. Holder (See also:Strassburg,1886) books x.-xvi.; Steinstrup, Danmark's Riges Historie. Oldtiden eg den celdre Middelalder, pp. 570-735 (See also:Copenhagen, 1897-1905).

(R. N.

End of Article: ABSALON (c. 1128–1201)

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