Christopher, Duke of Lolland
Christopher Valdemarsen (1341–1363) was a Danish prince known as the Duke of Lolland. He was the son of King Valdemar IV of Denmark and Helvig of Schleswig, and a member of the House of Estridsen. He became Duke of Lolland in 1359 and was seen as a potential heir to the throne.
He is first mentioned in records from 1354–55, and in 1358 he traveled to Nyborg to talk with rebels from Jutland. He took part in his father’s war to reconquer Scania and was wounded in the Battle of Helsingborg in 1362. Accounts vary about his injuries; some say he was struck by a rock during fighting at sea.
Christopher died in 1363 in Copenhagen after an illness, and it is not clear how much his wounds contributed to his death. He was buried in Roskilde Cathedral beside his sister Margaret I; originally, he was set to be buried at Sorø Abbey with his parents.
His tomb is an alabaster effigy of a young knight, decorated with the heraldic shields of Denmark, Halland, and Lolland. The tomb is now empty, and the prince is believed to lie beneath the church floor. The statue was restored in 1879 by Vilhelm Bissen from fragments after being damaged during the Reformation.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:41 (CET).