User:Axel Norup Hedegaard/The Blood Guild in Roskilde

The Blood Feast in Roskilde was an event during the Danish civil war from 1146 to 1157. It was supposed to be a reconciliation feast on August 9, 1157, among the three contenders for the Danish throne: Sweyn III Grathe (King of Scania), Canute V (King of Zealand), and Valdemar I the Great (King of Jutland). The feast took place at Canute's royal estate in Roskilde.

According to Saxo Grammaticus, Svend had planned the murder of his rivals and had his men ambush them. Knud was killed, and Valdemar was severely wounded in the thigh. However, with the help of his foster brother Esbern Snare, Valdemar managed to escape to Jutland along with his other foster brother Absalon.

Shortly after the failed assassination attempt, Svend marched up through Jutland with his Scanian-Zealandic army against Valdemar's Jutish army. In the final battle at Grathe Heath, Valdemar's forces defeated the attackers, and Svend was killed. Valdemar could then declare himself the sole king over the three regions.