Gudfred
| Godfred | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of Denmark | |||||
| Predecessor | Sigfred | ||||
| Successor | Hemming | ||||
|
|||||
| House | House of Sigfred | ||||
| Father | Sigfred | ||||
| Full name | |
|---|---|
| Godfred Sigfredsson |
King Godfred (ruled from 804 or earlier until 810) was a Danish king during the Viking era. Gudfred was the younger son of King Sigfred. Alternate spelling include Gudfred, Göttrick (German), Gøtrik (Danish), Gudrød (Danish), and Godofredus (Latin).
Towards the end of the 8th Century, the Danes and their Saxon neighbours were facing challenges from the Franks.
In 798, the Saxons were defeated by the Obodrites, a West Slavic people allied to the Frankish Emperor Charlemagne, at the Battle of Bornhöved (or Swentana River).
A part of the Saxons' land, in Holstein north of the Elbe, was awarded to the Obotrites in 804, as a reward for their victory. That same year, a Frankish army penetrated as far as the Ejder (Eider), Denmark's southern boundary at the time, and King Godfred was mentioned as having a navy, as well as being involved in diplomacy with the Franks at Holstein.
It is believed that Godfred's brother Halfdan became earl of some wealthy market towns south of the river Ejder, occupying what became known as North Frisia. Refusing to pay tax to Godfred, Halfdan swore his allegiance to Charlemagne in 807 to get his protection.
Fearing an invasion by the Franks, who had conquered heathen Frisia over the previous 100 years and Old Saxony in 772 to 804, Godfred began work on an enormous structure to defend his realm, separating Jutland from the northern extent of the Frankish Empire. The Frankish invasion never materialized, but it caused Gudfred to construct the first sections of the Danevirke, which ran from the Schlei toward the west coast of Denmark by means of the river Trende. The wall was built with an earthen embankment topped by a wooden stockade and protected from the south by a deep ditch. Denmark's most important town, Hedeby, which apparently already existed on the Schlien, was expanded and garrisoned with Danish soldiers and the early sections of the wall were designed to protect it.
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Wikipedia