Valdemar III of Denmark

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Valdemar III (1314–1364) was King of Denmark from 1326 to 1329, while he was still a child. He was also Duke of Schleswig (Valdemar V) from 1325 to 1326 and again from 1330 to 1364. He became king after the nobles chose him while his rival, Christopher II, was exiled. His regent was his maternal uncle, Gerhard of Holstein.

A key agreement called the Constitutio Valdemariana said that one person could not rule both Denmark and Schleswig at the same time, so Valdemar gave Schleswig to his uncle. Denmark was then controlled by powerful nobles, which upset many peasants and led to uprisings in Zealand (1328) and Jutland (1329). In 1329 Christopher II was allowed to return, and Valdemar once again became Duke of Schleswig.

In 1340 his sister Helvig married Valdemar IV of Denmark. Valdemar’s later years were marked by shifting policies, with wars and cooperation alternating. He died in 1364. He was married to Richardis of Schwerin, and they had two sons: Valdemar (1338–1360) and Henry (1342–1375), who later became Duke of Schleswig. Valdemar came from the Estridsen lineage, the son of Eric II, Duke of Schleswig, and Adelaide of Holstein-Rendsburg.