16 Facts About Gudfred

Gudfred was a ninth century Danish king who reigned from at least 804 to 810.

Gudfred stands at the threshold of the History of Denmark in the sense that he is the first ruler about whom there is substantial knowledge from contemporary sources.

Gudfred waged offensive war against the Carolingian Empire with some success, but was murdered under murky circumstances before a major confrontation had taken place.

Gudfred is known to have sired at least five sons, as well as having at least five nephews.

Gudfred's sons are typically called "sons of Gudfred" without mention of their names, apart from Horik I Various modern scholars have used later Scandinavian, Frankish and Irish sources in a speculative way to determine the names of some of his other sons: Olaf, Ragnar, Kettil.

The Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum of Adam of Bremen considers Hemming and Gudfred to be "patruelis", paternal cousins, but this is a derivative work.

However, the king's men advised Gudfred against meeting the emperor, and he failed to appear.

Charlemagne established a camp at Hollenstedt at the Elbe and sent an errand to Gudfred, asking him to extradite some rebels who had taken refuge in the Danish kingdom.

Gudfred is often assumed to have been the father of the later king and pretender Harald Klak and brother of the former King Harald, which probably means that he refused to pay allegiance to Gudfred due to a dynastic contest.

Now Gudfred conquered a number of Slavic strongholds and made two districts pay taxes to him.

Now the Obodrite prince Drozko appeared again with Saxon auxiliaries and ferociously attacked Gudfred's allies, the Wiltzes, in spite of the fact that his own son was a hostage at Gudfred's court.

Gudfred then subjugated the Slavic lands which had acknowledged the Danish king and successfully reclaimed his old position.

Gudfred enjoined his subjects to hold special religious services to avert the pagan threat.

Gudfred did not follow the fleet but stayed at home.

Gudfred was succeeded by his nephew Hemming without any known commotion, and the new ruler concluded a peace treaty with the Franks in 811.

The Frankish annals only expressly state that Gudfred ruled in South Jutland, but there are some hints of a wider sphere of royal power in the early 9th century.