Abel of Denmark

Abel Valdemarsen (c. 1218–1252), son of Valdemar II, became Duke of Schleswig in 1232. As duke he fought a long civil war against his brother Eric IV, and after Eric's murder in 1250 Abel cleared himself by a public oath and was elected king.

After only eighteen months he campaigned against tax-rebelling Frisian peasants and was killed on Husum Bridge in 1252 by a wheelwright named Henner. His son was held hostage in Cologne, and his brother Christopher I succeeded him.