Tombs and regicide

On Fyn you can get close to the life of the Vikings - both before and after death. Visit Ladby and enter the ship grave of a Viking king. The grave is also Denmark's oldest preserved royal tomb. Continue to Odense and explore the traces and finds from one of the five ring forts, which are tangible evidence of Denmark's unification under Harald Bluetooth. And watch the Viking Age die out with the fall of the last Viking king.

Odense's hidden ring fortress is the best preserved

Around the year 700 onwards, something new appears in the Danes' landscape. This is when urbanisation begins - and during these years, enterprising people also lay the foundation stones that later led to the city of Odense.

Urbanisation is a result of the centralisation of power that took place during the Viking Age. Labour became specialized. Trade expanded. New technologies emerged - such as the watermill. Agriculture became more efficient, more land could be cultivated, more mouths could be fed. Social complexity increased, and to crown it all, Gorm the Old and Harald Bluetooth established a new royal dynasty.

Harald cemented his power with huge building projects

To show his power and cement his position, Harald Bluetooth launched a series of massive building projects. The great ring forts were a central aspect of this endeavour. One of these monumental structures with its strict geometric and symmetrical shapes landed like a UFO on the site we know today as Nonnebakken in Odense - just south of Odense Å.

The Ring Fortress makes the central power's grip on the country visible and shows Harald's financial and military strength. The Ring Fortress on Nonnebakken was long forgotten and overlooked. A nunnery occupied the area as early as 1100. Hence the name. In the early 1900s, large parts of the rampart were dug away. And the city has grown around and over the complex. However, archaeological excavations and georadar surveys show that large parts of the original ramparts are well preserved below the surface. 

UNESCO World Heritage

Nonnebakken and the other 4 ring forts, Borgring, Aggersborg, Fyrkat and Trelleborg, were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023.

The violent death of the last Viking king

We can rightly put the Viking Age to rest here in Odense. Namely with the killing of Cnut IV. He was the last Danish king who tried to reconquer England and re-establish the North Sea Empire. As a young man, he was apprenticed as a warrior king. And even before he became king, he tried to conquer England. He assembled a large fleet of perhaps 200 ships. It had been a formidable army at the beginning of the Viking Age, but by the middle of the 11th century, the English had learnt from their experience and Cnut was beaten. That's why he went all in when he wanted to set off again in 1085/86. According to one source, he mobilised up to a thousand ships. They gathered in the Limfjord and were ready for a raid. Furthermore, he could perhaps draw on another 600 ships via his father-in-law in Flanders. 

Hunted, captured, killed

Cnut was held up by unrest on the southern border. Therefore, the fleet never left. And instead of gaining wealth and fame in England, Cnut had a rebellion against him. He was chased down through Jutland and ended up at the royal court in Odense. Here he thought he was safe. But the rebellion could not be put down, and eventually Cnut fled into Albani Kirke, where he was killed. 

From Cnut IV to Cnut the Holy

Rumours of miracles at Cnut's grave and skillful political legwork on the part of the royal power led to Cnut being named a saint as early as 1100. The canonisation strengthened the alliance between church and king by identifying a direct link between king and God. This benefited both the Catholic Church and the royal power itself. 

The canonisation of Cnut also became a growth factor for Odense. People flocked to the city in large numbers. This created growth and helped make Odense one of the most prominent cities of the Middle Ages.