Eric IV of Denmark
King of Denmark (1216-1250)
Eric IV (c. 1216 – 10 August 1250), also known as Eric Ploughpenny or Eric Plowpenny (Danish: Erik Plovpenning), was King of Denmark from 1241 until his death in 1250.
His reign was marked by conflict and civil wars against his brothers.
Early life
Eric was the son of Valdemar II of Denmark and brother of King Abel of Denmark and King Christopher I of Denmark. He was born ca. 1216 as the second legitimate son of King Valdemar II by his second wife Berengária of Portugal.
In 1218, when his older half-brother Valdemar the Young was crowned king as their father's co-ruler and designated heir, he was created Duke of Schleswig. After the premature death of Valdemar in 1231, Eric was crowned king at Lund Cathedral 30 May 1232 as his father's co-ruler and heir. Subsequently, he ceded the Duchy of Schleswig to his younger brother Abel. When his father died in 1241, he ascended to the throne.
Rule
His rule was marked by bitter conflicts, especially against his brother, Duke Abel of Schleswig who seems to have wanted an independent position and who was supported by the counts of Holstein.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Eric IV of Denmark” as king of Denmark (1216-1250). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q350226. VIAF identifies the subject as 18169496889997590449. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1216, 1250, 1241 and 1218.
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This entry incorporates text from “Eric IV of Denmark” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.