Black Dog F75017 Absalon 1167

Absalon was born in 1128 and died in 1201 at the age of 73. He was one of the most outstanding hierarchs of the Catholic Church in Denmark in the history of that country and a Danish statesman. He came from a wealthy and influential Riga family. In the years 1158-1191 he was the bishop of Roskilde, and from 1178 until his death - the archbishop of Lund. He initiated and took an active part in many Danish military expeditions of that time, including against the Polabian Slavs. There are many indications that he showed personal courage and bravery in their course. He was the main adviser to the king - and his friend from his youth - Valdemar I the Great, and during the reign of his son Canute VI, he actually ruled Denmark. Bishop Absalon is also the founder of the Sorö Academy - the oldest school of its kind in the Danish state.