C 57° }
C H A P . V .
Departure from Copenhagen.-*-^-Journey through the Ifle o i
Zealand.— Rolkild.— ‘the cathedral.— Sepulchres of fever al
fovereigns o f Denmark.—’■‘tombs and char aiders o f I-iarald
Blaatand.— Sweyn II.— Margaret o f Valdemaiv— Ghrif-
tian I.— Genealogical tables o f the kings o f Denmark.—
Saxo Grammaticus.— Royal fepulchres at Ringfted.— Paf-
fage acrofs the Great Belt.— -IJle of Funen.— Odenfee.—-
Tombs and characters o f John and Chriftian II.— Pajfage
acrofs the Little Belt.— Journey through Slefvick and Hol-
ftein. — Canal o f Kiel.— General remarks: on the circular
ranges o f Jlones frequent in Sweden and Denmark.-
A PRIL j . Upon quitting Copenhagen, we paffed along:
>— .— < -L \. an excellent road, through a well-cultivated open
country, to Roikild, formerly the royal- refidence and the
metropolis o f Denmark. It ftands at a fmall diftance from
the bay o f Ifefiord; and, in its flourilhing ftate, was of great
extent, comprizing within its walls 27 churches* and as many
convents*. Its prefent circumference is fcarcely half an
Englifh mile, and it contains only about 1620 fouls : the
houfes are o f brick, and o f a neat appearance. The only
remains o f its original magnificence are the ruins o f a palace,
and the cathedral, a brick- building with two fpires, in
which the kings o f Denmark are interred. According to an
infcription in the choir it was founded t by Harald VI. who
* Holberg, Vol. I. p. 618. conftru&ed of wood, and afterwards built
f Little of the original building now with ilone in the reign of Canute,
remains. According to Holberg, it M?a$
R O 8 K 1 L D. 57*
is ftyled king o f Denmark, England, and Norway. Some c Bap.
verfes, in barbarous Latin, obfcurely allude to the principal
incidents o f his life ; adding, that he built this church, and
died in 980 *. This Harald, furnamed Blâatand, Was fon o f
Gormo III. called thé Old ; and was the firft king o f Denmark
who embraced the Chriftian religion. His name occurs
in the old Saxon Chronicles as one o f the invaders of
England in the 1 oth century, Where he eltabliihed his authority
over the kingdom o f the Eaft Angles, and o f Northumberland.
But his hiftory is fo mixed with fable, that
glaring contradictions appear in almoft every incident. He
loft his life in confequence o f an infurreCtion headed by his
fon Sweyn ; but whether he Was ilain in battle, or by order
o f the rebel party, is not known. Harald was father o f a
line o f kings, who raifed the power o f Denmark to the h igh-
eft greatnefs. His fon Sweyn 1. is well known in our annals
for his depredations upon the coaft o f England, and his tributary
exactions ; and his grandfon Canute the Great, who
united, in his perfon, the crowns o f England and Denmark,
was the moft powerful prince o f his time. The immediate
defcendants o f Harald Blaatand died, and were buried, in England
; and his male line Was extinCt in the perfon o f Hardi-
canute, the laft fovereign who wore the two crowns..
In the fame cathedral reft the remains o f Sweyn II. the
firft o f a line o f fovereigns, called the Middle Race. He was
ion o f Ulf, governor o f Denmark, who had greatly figna-
lized himfelf in war, and o f Èftrrda filter o f Canute theGreat.
U lf being put to death at Roikild, by order o f Canute, Sweyn
fled into Sweden ; and, upon the death o f Hardicanute in
* F un ditus haice Jo vi fummo tunc co'ndidit ædes,
Po iV n atâk D e i, dum fcripïïmüs oèbùagintâ
N o n g en cos., meru it fcandere celfa p o li.
4 D a 1042,