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Valdemar IV regerede i Danmark mellem 1340 og 1375 og krediteres med at genoprette en nation, der var blevet brudt i stykker efter faderens død.

Han var 20 år gammel da han kom til tronen, selv om han var Christoffer II’s yngste søn.

Efter at være blevet besejret i et oprør, var hans far forvist til Louis IV’s hof, som var en tysk-romersk kejser i den tyske delstat Bayern.

Valdemar tilbragte det meste af hans yngre liv i dette hof, og var vidne til hans fars død og hans ældre brødre, der blev dræbt af Holsteinerne.

Han blev udråbt til Danmarks konge efter Grev Gerhard III blev myrdet.

Han blev gift med Helvig, der var datter af Erik II, hertug af Sønderjylland.

Med den ejendom dette bryllup bragte samt det som det der var efterladt efter hans far, så havde kontrol over omkring 25 procent af Jylland nord for Kongeåen.

Adelen fik ham dog ikke til at underskrive en traktat, som hans far havde gjort, muligvis fordi de ikke troede, at han ville skabe problemer for dem.

Det gjorde han dog.

Mens hans far regerede Danmark, gik nationen konkurs og endte op at med blive udsat som pant i forskellige størrelser.

Valdemar arbejdede på at tilbagebetale gælden, således at landet kunne genvindes.

Han begyndte ved hjælp af de penge, som han havde fra sit ægteskab med Helvig.

Derefter beskattede han beboerne i sit land nord for Kongeåen og brugte pengene til at afbetale gælden på resten af Jyllands sydlige område.

Gennem en kombination af slag og afbetalinger, fik Valdemar gradvist resten af de danske landområder tilbage og blev den første danske konge til at regere over København.

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Valdemar IV ruled Denmark between 1340 and 1375 and is credited with restoring a nation that was broken into pieces after the death of his father.

He was 20 years old when he ascended to the throne, although he was Christopher II’s youngest son.

After being defeated in a rebellion, his father had been exiled to Louis IV’s court, who was Holy Roman Emperor in Bavaria.

Valdemar spent most of his younger years in that court, witnessing the death of his father and his older brothers, who were killed by the Holsteiners.

He was proclaimed Denmark’s king after Count Gerhard III was assassinated.

He married Helvig, who was the daughter of Eric II, Duke of Schleswig.

Between the property brought to him by that marriage and the property left by his father, he had control of about 25 percent of Jutland north of the river of Kongea.

The nobles didn’t push him to sign a charter like his father did, possibly because they didn’t think he would cause problems for them.

He did, however.

While his father ruled Denmark, the nation went bankrupt and ended up being mortgaged out into different parcels.

Valdemar worked on repaying the debt owed by the nation so that the lands could be reclaimed.

He began by using the dowry money brought from his marriage to Helvig.

Then he taxed the residents of his lands north of the Kongea and used that money to pay off the mortgage on the rest of Jutland’s southern area.

Through a combination of battles and payoffs, Valdemar gradually got back the rest of the Danish lands and became the first Danish king to rule Copenhagen.

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