On August 15, 1326, Skive received its letter of privilege from King Valdemar III. In the letter, the king confirmed Skive’s right to conduct trade and fine crafts within the city limits, so that the farmers in the surrounding area had to trade their goods at Torvet in Skive.
The letter was probably a confirmation of rights that the city already possessed or had taken for itself. There was already a small settlement where Skive is located in the 1100s, and the Church of Our Lady (the white church) dates from the 1200s. This means that there was a basis for Skive to have functioned as a central place with a square even before 1326.
The text of the letter
At the town’s anniversary in 1926, the letter was rewritten in modern Danish, which is reproduced here:
“Valdemar, by the grace of God, King of Danes and Slaves, wishes all who see this letter eternal salvation in the Lord. We announce to all that we have taken us amiable townsmen of Skive, who present this letter, together with all their goods and property and the households relating to them, under our peace and protection and under our special defense, and will grant them in whole and in part all the rights, freedoms and favors which they are seen to have received from our ancestors, and which they now possess quite freely, as we confirm them according to the contents of this letter. We also grant them that they may be completely free and exempt from any payment of duty everywhere in our kingdom – except in Skanør and Malmø in the fall of the year. With the forfeiture of our grace, we very firmly forbid that any of our ombudsmen or their bailiffs or anyone else, of whatever position or status he may be, in any way hinder or offend our citizens themselves or any of their property or person against the contents of this letter, in so far as they intend to avoid our wrath and royal revenge. – As proof of this, our seal is attached to this letter given in Nyborg in the year of our Lord 1326 on the Ascension Day of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
Remarks
Ascension Day is identical to August 15.
King Valdemar III was 11 years old in 1326 and had Count Gerhard III of Holstein as his guardian.
Sources
- The privilege letter is preserved at the National Archives.
- The book about Skive, 1926 page 12-13.
- History of Skive Municipality 1, 2001 page 86.
- Arkiv.dk