When visiting Børglum Abbey today, one may well wonder why this somewhat remote hilltop was chosen to be the site of the north fjord centre of power throughout the Middle Ages.
In the Viking era, there was a royal residence at Børglum Hill. Around 1060, an episcopal residence was established on the spot, and in the mids 1100's, the Premonstratensia order chose this site as its headquarters in Scandinavia.
All of this leads us to believe that Børglum was centrally located at the time, with reliable transportation to and from the location.
In the Viking era and the early Middle Ages, Danish kings had no permanent residence, but were constantly travelling throughout the country. They often stayed at one of the many royal residences that existed at the time. These royal residences were part of the Danish Crown Estate and served as administrative centres for the various provinces or jurisdictions. To manage the daily operations and defend the king's interests, the king appointed a few ombudsmen. When the king was not himself present, they were the ones tasked with recovering taxes, fees and fines that were due to the king. As a result, these men were naturally not very popular amongst the locals.
King Canute was known as a harsh king and he was unpopular in his time. King Canute's great ambition was to reconquer England. And restore Canute the Great's rule over England. In 1086, an invasion fleet gathered in the Limfjord. Reportedly, no less than 1000 ships gathered. However, King Canute did not turn up, and the long wait resulted in many going home again as the harvest approached. As a consequence, the king demanded fines from those who had left the fleet.
There was already resentment towards the king, as the royal ombudsmen (also called ‘wrestlers’) were, according to Ælnoth, very unpopular among the population. Ælnoth describes that through violence and abuse of their power, they had committed intolerable offences against ‘the noble as well as the common man’. When the king was not present, it was the task of the royal ombudsmen to collect taxes and duties. A role that did not endear them to the local population.
These aforementioned are allegedly among the reasons that ultimately led to the rebellion that started at Børglum.
‘After the king in the southern regions beyond the stream called Lime (Limfjord) had carried out the usual royal enlistments, he travelled to the coastal area called Vendle in Danish, which means “that which turns”, and there he decided to take up residence on the farm which, after a former ruler at that place Buhrlina, but now with a changed vowel is called Børglum.’
In early summer, King Canute had travelled around the kingdom to get approval to pass new laws. This was also his purpose when Canute arrives at the royal court at Børglum with his half-brothers Benedikt and Erik and his warriors. Canute goes to the court at Børglum, which is estimated to have been located slightly north-east of the monastery today, in an area called ‘Sysseleng’.
Unrest was already simmering at Børglum. Both night and day, nobles and commoners had held assemblies where they had ‘counselled against the king's power’.
It was at the Thing (Tinget )that free men either passed or rejected laws. The king could only make proposals and had no power over the decision. It was the Thing that had the legislative power and they could reject a bill if they found it unacceptable.
This suggests that it was this power that King Canute was in the process of dismantling and centralising power in the royal power.
This did not go down well with the free men at Børglum.
‘in an uproar by his coming, both nobles and commoners flocked to their ominous council meetings and incited each other to misdemeanours: they considered it a shame to do the king's bidding and to consider themselves inferior to the king’
"On an appointed day, the king and his men went with his men to attend their numerous assemblies, and realising the hostile defiance of those present, he went out to his men to consider the matter. However, due to the clamour of the furious mob, he must content himself with presenting a few provisions that he had wanted to get off his chest"
King Canute only manages to present some of his bills before the assembly rises against him.
After the Diet, King Canute first fled back to Børglum royal farm and then fled further down the country as the rebellion spread. A number of the king's farms were taken and burned
‘Now that the king's retreat became widely known, the bands of robbers entered the royal farms in gangs, drove the king's servants out of the houses, let the greedy searching eyes find their way in everywhere; they snatched everything that was closest at hand, rummaged through everything like pigs, threw the rest of the services for the royal upkeep, what they had not put in them, out on the ground and trampled on it."
The king fled to Aggersborg to the fortification that existed there (not the Ringborgen from Harald Bluetooth's time), but the rebellion followed and it ended with King Canute fleeing across the Limfjord to the south with a number of herdsmen. King Canute fled further down through Jutland, where the rebellion spread. The king reached the royal court near Odense, but when the rebellion caught up with them, they entered the nearby St Albani Church.
This was to be the end of Knud.
The king was killed in St Albani Church. Knud's brother, Benedikt, is also killed in the church with 17 of Knud's warriors.
Only his half-brother Erik (later King Erik Ejegod) escapes the rebellion with his life.
The rebel leader Piper died of his wounds. Among the warriors who participated in the rebellion against King Canute were Thurgot, Toke, Vilgrip, Randulf, Milo, Rosten, Sune, Palne, Atte, Æskil, Gudmer, Another Thurgot, Asmund, Blakke, Sven and Bernhard.
In collaboration with Archbishop Adelbert of Hamburg-Bremen, the Danish king Svend Estridsen established three new dioceses in North Jutland around 1060: Aarhus, Viborg and Børglum. The new Vendsyssel diocese would include Vendsyssel, Thysyssel with Hanherred as well as Mors, which actually was part of Sallingsyssel.
Several things indicate that part of the royal estate's land was parcelled out to the bishop's palace and the diocese's administration. Since the king at this time had his residence at the top of Børglum Hill, more than likely with an adjoining church, the bishop was placed on the parcel immediately south of the hill.
We do not know for sure when the first actual abbey was established at Børglum, but it is believed that on the erection of the episcopal residence in 1060, a chapter or monastery-like society associated with the episcopal residence already existed. At the request of Archbishop Eskil, the powerful Premonstratensian order settled at Børglum in the mid 1100s, and Børglum became the order's headquarter for its monasteries in the current Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
The Premonstratensian Order was founded in 1120 at Prémontré, France, by "Saint Norbert of Xanten", and quickly became one of the preferred monasterial orders of the aristocracy, with approximately 500 monasteries spread throughout Europe.
The brothers of this order call themselves canons, not monks. This is due to the fact that one has to be an ordained priest to join the Order. It is possible that the Cistercian Bernard of Clairvaux recommended the Premonstratensians to his close friend, the Danish Archbishop Eskil, who in the mid-1100s acted as an intermediary when the Premonstratensians arrived in Denmark. The Premonstratensians who arrived at Børglum Abbey were commonly considered to belong to Europe's ecclesiastic elite.
Børglum Abbey, the main abbey in Circariae Dania, had great influence in the Middle Ages. Abbeys in the Premonstratensian order were independent but worked together in regional groups called circariae.
The head of the abbey, the Præpositus, was elected for life by the convention. He had a high rank and was a member in the king’s council. The Præpositus represented the circaria at international general chapters in Prémontré, France every year.
Børglum Abbey had trade relations with the current Germany, Frisia, Flanders, England, Scotland, Norway and Sweden. The Abbeys Tønsberg, Dragsmark, Børglum and Fearn cooperated closely on trade with their own fleet.
Børglum Abbey
the main abbey in Circariae Dania. Established as a Premonstratensian Abbey 1139-1142 and the main Abbey in Circaria Dania. The abbey leader was called ’Præpositus’ Børglum Abbey Church also served as the cathedral of the diocese. The church was originally planned to be larger than the current building, but whether this was realised is unknown.
Tønsberg Abbey:
Founded 1170-1190 with Børglum as the mother abbey. Tønsberg was a trading town and the Abbey church was the largest round church in Scandinavia.
Dragsmark Abbey:
Founded by Børglum and Tønsberg in 1230 and dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Fearn Abbey:
The only Scottish abbey in Circariae Dania with close trading co-operation with Børglum, Tønsberg and Dragsmark.
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Tommerup
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Prémontré:
Main abbey of the Premonstratensian order until the French Revolution, where the order was almost destroyed.
Steinfeld:
Became a Premonstratensian abbey in 1130 and had many daughter Abbeys, including Børglum Abbey.
Rome:
Børglum Abbey was independent from the king and bishop and was directly under the papal authorit
Børglum Bishop Thurgot attended the Christmas Court in Odense in 1187, which would become the starting point for a dramatic event in Danish history. In the middle of King Canute VI's Christmas court, an envoy from the Pope arrived. He brought the shocking news that Jerusalem had fallen to Sultan Saladin.
Esbern Snare, a legendary figure from the Danish Crusades, called for action, which resulted in several brave men choosing to go to holy war. The book ‘The Story of the Danes’ Journey to Jerusalem’ describes one of the crusades that started from Denmark in 1191 and was probably written in Børglum Monastery.
Bishop Thurgot's nephew is one of the crusaders who participates when the crusade departs from Vendsyssel, first to Kongehelle and then Tønsberg in Norway, home to the second most powerful Premonstratensian monastery in Scandinavia, second only to Børglum Abbey. Tønsberg Abbey Church was the largest round church in Scandinavia, measuring 23 metres in diameter. Norway's King Sverre blesses the crusade in Bergen before the crusaders turn their gaze towards Jerusalem.
Unfortunately, the Vendsyssel Crusade sails into a violent storm that claims lives and several ships are wrecked. These losses are counted among the martyrs. The survivors are picked up by the crusaders who made it through the storm.
The Crusade did not arrive before the peace agreement with Saladin, but the ‘Narrative’ emphasises that it was a real Crusade anyway, and the Crusaders are hailed as heroes and martyrs.
Some crusaders choose to visit the holy sites as pilgrims before travelling back north.
The account is then written, probably in Børglum Monastery. It was written at the request of ‘Dominus K’, probably the then Prepositus of Børglum Monastery. The canon who wrote the account was Norwegian and possibly a native of Tønsberg.
Photo equestrian frieze by Arnold Mikkelsen, National Museum of Denmark
The Reformation 1536
When the Reformation ended in 1536, all clerical property was seized by Lutheran Christian III, who "forgot" to channel money out to the individuals who would now have to assume the obligations that the monastery hitherto had carried.
The years to follow were extemely difficult for the people of Vendsyssel. The social infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and the social network collapsed, the witch hunt began, and to top it all, Christian III gave all the farmers in Vendsyssel the death sentence, because most of them had taken Skipper Clement's side in the Count's feud.
The death sentences could be avoided if the farmers paid a hefty sum to the king, buying their lives, but the king's self-imposed judgments were a far cry from what we are usually accustomed to in the Nordic jurisprudence.
1536-1540
In a transitional period during which attempts were made to get an overview of Børglum Abbey's value and land holdings, the king appointed the monastery's Prior Niels Lauridsen to oversee the siezed property of the monastery and episcopal residence. This proved to be a clear advantage, because the Prior was the person who kept the accounts and was used to overseeing the monastery's property before the Reformation. In other words, Prior Niels kept his job, but changed employer; instead of working for the abbot, he now worked for Christian III. The property was quickly sold, the despised Peder Ebbesen Galt acquired 68 farms, and the old monastery goods were handed over to the royal fief in 1540.
The Royal Fief 1540-1669
During the 129 år that Børglum Abbey was endowed to different noblemen and Sorø Academy, the record of the estate's possessions remained essentially unchanged, and the noblemen's revenues wer about the same. However, the poor maintenance of the buildings took its toll and the buildings fell into disrepair. As a result, after Godslev Budde's death in 1622, the king commanded Otto Skeel and Mogens Kaas to draft a detailed appraisal of the estate and the condition of the buildings. The report describes the monastic buildings and all the farm buildings as dilapidated. No mention is made of the church, but presumably it was in relatively good condition since it had been renovated both in 1590 and 1616. This report provides, for the first time, a record of the estate's possessions, and even though an exact value of the estate is not provided - it only mentions the number of properties - it still gives a fairly good idea of the possessions belonging to Børglum Abbey at that time. The appraisal mentions 268 farms, 163 homes and 4 mills.
Time as a Manor 1669-1770
Before Børglum Abbey was sold to a private owner in 1669, a large part of the copyhold farms had been sold off. Of the 1555 acres belonging to the estate in 1664, only 798 were transferred to Peder Reedtz. Mainly the outlying lands had been sold. Normally, this era is characterised by adscription, the cattle plague and the subjugation of Danish farmers. However, countless trials taking place during that time bear testimony to the fact that the peasants of Børglum Abbey would not let themselves be cowed by the landed proprietors, this is especially true in the case of the bombing of Colonel Poulson. A contemporary report indicates that conditions at the Abbey were not terrible at all: A record of moveable property from 1721 states: "No torture instruments like the wooden horse were to be found at Børglum".
1770-1835
A royal decree was issued in 1781 calling for the abandonment of old community property in the villages. Farms were to be moved out to the land that belonged to the farm so that each farm would have its total land available around it, instead of having all the farms gathered around the village pond, as had been the case thus far. Because the process was both laborious and expensive, and there was uncertainty as to whether the landowner or the peasant had to pay the surveyor and the costs of moving the buildings, the entire process took 37 years. In 1798, it was estimated that 998 acres of land belonged to the main estate.
The Rottbøll Genus
In 1835, Børglum Abbey was purchased by the Rottbøll family. The family originally came from the main farm Rotbøl, in Lodbjerg parish in Thy, which was destroyed by drifting sand in the late 1600s. This family has since been fostering the landowners of Børglum Abbey.
Period after 1835
When the law on the liquidation of copyhold farms was issued in 1861, a list of copyhold farms still belonging to Børglum Abbey was drawn up. Since Rottbøll previously had sold approximately 400 acres of the estate, there were now only 81 farms with a total of 265 acres left. Things happened quickly; the Constitution was adopted; the corvée was abolished and copyhold farmers became self-governing which, among other things, meant that there was a more intense cultivation of the fields and a greater yield than before. It was not, however, always an advantage that the farmers came to own their farms. In several cases, they preferred to defer the change of ownership, because the rent they paid to the landowner was relatively low. In a sense it can be said that the farmer's copyhold letter was replaced by a mortgage. By 1935, a total land appraisal saw the acreage of Børglum Abbey dwindle to about 54 acres.
Following a fire, the current owners Hans and Anne Rottbøll built a new 300om2 granary, and in 1995 they embarked on the most extensive restoration work of the church made since 1590. A project budgeted at DKK 13 million.
Børglum Abbey today
One of the remarkable things about the history of Børglum Abbey, which still amazes historians, is that this power centre of the Middle Ages never developed into a regular town with citizens, merchants and commercial houses, which otherwise were an important part of the other Danish bishops' financial foundation. If we look at the development of other episcopal residences in present day Denmark - Viborg, Aarhus, Ribe, Odense and Roskilde, all of these developed into cities, whereas the extensive buildings and large population at Børglum shrunk until it only comprised the now lonely manor on a hilltop.
Had development at Børglum been the same as in the country's other episcopal residences, Børglum Abbey would now been at the heart of a large city, perhaps with a shopping mall to the west of the mill and a home improvement center north of the cemetary. Not that we have anything against home improvement centres or shopping malls, but we are many here in the are that find that the buildings and landscape go very well together, and that what became the fate of the beautiful old abbey is not all that bad.