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Publication of the accounts from the royal Danish fiefdom of Hald

 

The accounts from the Danish fiefdom of Hald 1541-46 have been published by Viborg Museum. The unique source material adds some very important pieces to the understanding of Hald as a royal fief after the Reformation in Denmark in 1536 but also sheds light on the earlier period where bishop Jørgen Friis governed at Hald Castle.

The sources document the operations of the fief and castle and encompass the more than 1,100 peasant farms that payed rents and dues to the fief when it was at its peak in 1544. In this period it was among the largest sources of income for the Danish crown. The accounts also shed light on the building history and interior of Hald Castle and the daily life of servants and other residents at the castle as well as the royal court’s travels and stays at The High Court of Northern Jutland in Viborg.

The accounts contains valuable documentation concerning the copyhold farms of the ancient Diocese of Viborg which were confiscated at the Reformation in 1536. It also testifies to the massive increases of the annual rents of the peasants as a punishment for their participation in the peasant upheaval during the civil war known as The Count’s Feud 1534-36.

The manuscript contains almost 1200 pages in three volumes written by historian Ole Færch from Aalborg. It has been created in collaboration with curator Jesper Hjermind from Viborg Museum, and has been made possible through contributions from Anders Brøndums Velgørende Fond, Den Hielmstierne-Rosencroneske Stiftelse and The Velux Foundations.

The publication is part of the dissemination of the project “The five Hald’s” supported by a 50 mio DKR (6,7 mio EUR) grant from the A.P. Møller Foundation in 2015.

The book is for sale at Viborg Museum, Hjultorvet 4, DK – 8800 Viborg. Price: 300 DKR.

It can also be ordered by email at:  vibmus@viborg.dk