Falster

Falster is a Danish island south of Zealand, with Nykøbing and Stubbekøbing among its old market towns. The island saw wars with the Wends in 1158 and with Lübeck in 1253. Much of it belonged to the crown from medieval times, and King Valdemar's census book lists its parishes and villages around 1231, giving a glimpse of its settlement in the Middle Ages.

Noble farms gradually returned to royal ownership between 1560 and 1630, allowing the island to form part of Queen Sophie Amalie's provision. Heavy taxes contributed to the abandonment of farms. In 1766 the crown sold Falster's estates by auction, dividing them into ten large farms. The labour demanded of local peasants to prepare new fields led to disputes, while reforms from 1778 gradually changed the villages and their tenures.