Life and Cult of Cnut the Holy the First Royal Saint of Denmark
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Life and cult of Cnut the Holy The first royal saint of Denmark Edited by: Steffen Hope, Mikael Manøe Bjerregaard, Anne Hedeager Krag & Mads Runge Life and cult of Cnut the Holy The first royal saint of Denmark Life and cult of Cnut the Holy The first royal saint of Denmark Report from an interdisciplinary research seminar in Odense. November 6th to 7th 2017 Edited by: Steffen Hope, Mikael Manøe Bjerregaard, Anne Hedeager Krag & Mads Runge Kulturhistoriske studier i centralitet – Archaeological and Historical Studies in Centrality, vol. 4, 2019 Forskningscenter Centrum – Odense Bys Museer Syddansk Univeristetsforlag/University Press of Southern Denmark Report from an interdisciplinary research seminar in Odense. November 6th to 7th 2017 Published by Forskningscenter Centrum – Odense City Museums – University Press of Southern Denmark ISBN: 9788790267353 © The editors and the respective authors Editors: Steffen Hope, Mikael Manøe Bjerregaard, Anne Hedeager Krag & Mads Runge Graphic design: Bjørn Koch Klausen Frontcover: Detail from a St Oswald reliquary in the Hildesheim Cathedral Museum, c. 1185-89. © Dommuseum Hildesheim. Photo: Florian Monheim, 2016. Backcover: Reliquary containing the reamains of St Cnut in the crypt of St Cnut’s Church. Photo: Peter Helles Eriksen, 2017. Distribution: Odense City Museums Overgade 48 DK-5000 Odense C [email protected] www.museum.odense.dk University Press of Southern Denmark Campusvej 55 DK-5230 Odense M [email protected] www.universitypress.dk 4 Content Contributors ...........................................................................................................................................6 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................7 Odense before and after the canonization of Cnut ........................................................................ 10 Jakob Tue Christensen, Mikael Manøe Bjerregaard & Mads Runge The Archaeological Sources on the Killing and Enshrining of King Cnut IV ............................ 26 Mikael Manøe Bjerregaard Oriental and Byzantine silks in St Cnut’s reliquary shrine ........................................................... 42 Anne Hedeager Krag Danish Coinage under the Reign of Cnut IV, 1080-1086 ............................................................... 50 Thomas Guntzelnick Poulsen King Cnut’s donation letter and settlement structure in Denmark, 1085 – new perspectives on an old document ......................................................................................... 60 Jesper Hansen Erik Ejegod’s International Connections and the Beginnings of the Cult of Cnut .................... 84 Paul Gazzoli From Cnut the Great to Cnut the Holy: England and Denmark in the Eleventh Century ...... 90 Marie Bønløkke Missuno The Odense literature and the early liturgy of St Cnut Rex ....................................................... 100 Steffen Hope Cnut Rex and Cnut Dux – A Comparison of the two Danish Medieval Saints’ Cults ........... 118 Nils Holger Petersen Textiles in Christian Tombs ............................................................................................................. 130 Gale R. Owen-Crocker Researching relics: new interdisciplinary approaches to the study of historic and religious objects ......................................................................................................................... 142 Georges Kazan & Tom Higham «Sanctus Olaus rex et martiris»: Constructing the early cult of St Olav of Norway 1030 – 1220 ................................................... 168 Øystein Ekroll Gustav Vasa and the Erikmas in Uppsala. A question of the source for political symbolic value ................................................................. 186 Henrik Ågren 5 Contributors Jakob Tue Christensen Nils Holger Petersen Odense City Museums University of Copenhagen Overgade 48, DK-5000 Odense C Faculty of Theology e-mail: [email protected] Karen Blixens Plads 16, DK-2300 København S e-mail: [email protected] Mikael Manøe Bjerregaard Odense City Museums Gale R. Owen-Crocker Overgade 48, DK-5000 Odense C The University of Manchester (retired) e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] 181, Chester Road, Hazel Grove, Mads Runge Stockport SK7 6EN, United Kingdom Odense City Museums e-mail: [email protected] Overgade 48, DK-5000 Odense C e-mail: [email protected] Georges Kazan University of Turku Anne Hedeager Krag Department of Archaeology Saxo-Instituttet Geotalo, 1st floor, Akatemiankatu 1 University of Copenhagen FI-20014 Turun yliopisto Karen Blixens Vej 8, DK-2300 København S e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Tom Higham Thomas Guntzelnick Poulsen University of Oxford Museum Østjylland Research Laboratory for Archaeology Stemannsgade 2, DK-8900 Randers C and the History of Art e-mail: [email protected] South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY United Kingdom Jesper Hansen e-mail: [email protected] Odense City Museums Overgade 48, DK-5000 Odense C Øystein Ekroll e-mail: [email protected] Nidaros Cathedral Nidaros Domkirkes Restaureringsarbeider, Paul Gazzoli Bispegaten 11, N-7012 Trondheim Austrian Academy of Sciences e-mail: [email protected] Institut für Mittelalterforschung Hollandstraße 11-13, 3. Stock Henrik Ågren 1020 Wien, Austria University of Uppsala e-mail: [email protected] Department of History Engelska parken Marie Bønløkke Missuno Thunbergsvägen 3A, University of Aarhus S-751 26 Uppsala Institut for Kultur og Samfund e-mail: [email protected] Nordre Ringgade 1, DK-8000 Aarhus e-mail: [email protected] Steffen Hope Linnaeus University Department of Cultural Sciences P. G. Vejdes väg, S-351 95 Växjö e-mail: [email protected] 6 Introduction By Mads Runge, Steffen Hope, Mikael Manøe Bjerregaard and Anne Hedeager Krag In 1986, to mark the 900th anniversary of the mur- in a wider, international context. By doing so we ai- der of King Cnut IV in the Church of Saint Alban in med to lay the basis for future research about Cnut, Odense, the Book of Cnut (Knuds-bogen) was pub- and to form the basis for further dissemination of the lished. The volume brought together specialists from latest discoveries pertaining to Cnut and his time. To several disciplines and shed light on different aspects be able to fully use the seminar as a groundwork for of the life and cult of Cnut as king and saint. Since future research a published version of the lectures is then, archaeological excavations in Odense, as well essential. In this perspective we are pleased that al- as recent national and international research on the most all speakers have had the opportunity to publish cult of Saint Cnut, have provided scholars with new their papers. information about the life and times of Cnut. Further- The seminar had four sessions: Life and being more, recent scholarship within medieval studies has of Cnut the Holy, The hagiography from the time resulted in a range of studies which allow for innova- of king Cnut, Relics from the time of king Cnut and tive comparisons with the Cnut material. Saint kings and their influence on later urban de- This recent academic output – both in Denmark velopment. The presenters came from many parts and abroad – has coincided with an increased interest of Europe, from museums, universities and from a from local public institutions. The Church of Saint broad variety of academic disciplines and did there- Cnut and the Odense City Archive have initiated a by cover the many aspects of Cnut, his afterlife, the collaboration with the purpose of communicating surrounding society and relevant international paral- the story of Saint Cnut’s relics in the crypt beneath lels. The composition of expertise and academic di- the church to a wider audience. In addition, Odense sciplines contributed to fruitful plenary discussions City Museums have renewed the focus on the early and more informal talks in smaller groups. On this history of Odense by the implementation of the pro- background the basis for a multitude of new collabo- ject Cnut’s Odense – the Viking city, which includes rations emerged. research, exhibitions and on site dissemination at key It is the hope of the editors that the present publi- locations in the city (https://museum.odense.dk/cen- cation will be of relevance for future research in the trum/urbane-transformationer/knuds-odense) life and being of Cnut the Holy and other saint kings With the interdisciplinary seminar behind the pre- as well as their effect on the societies in which they sent publication – organized in cooperation between functioned, both in life and in afterlife and thereby be the research centre CENTRUM at Odense City Mu- a pertinent supplement to the research presented in seums, Centre for Medieval Studies at University of the Book of Cnut more than 30 years ago. Southern Denmark and senior researcher Anne He- We would like to thank all participants in the se- deager Krag – we brought together both national and minar and not least the speakers and authors for their international experts. The aim was to bring forth new contributions. aspects of Cnut’s life and afterlife and to put these 7 Life and cult of Cnut the Holy – The first royal saint of Denmark. Interdisciplinary research seminar in Odense. November 6th to 7th 2017 Day 1: Life and being of Cnut the Holy Day 2: Saint literature, relics and urban 10-10.30: Welcome, coffee/tea & rolls development 10.30-11: Jakob Tue