Saint Canute Lavard

Also known as

• Canute Laward
• Canute of Schleswig
• Duke of Jutland
• King of the Western Wends
• Knud Lavard
• Knut Lavard

Memorial

• 7 January
• 25 July in Denmark for the translation of his relics

Profile

Second son of King Eric the Good of Denmark. Nephew of King Saint Canute of Denmark. Raised in the court of Saxony. Duke of Jutland with his court at Schlewig. Spent years defending against Viking raids. Supported the missionary work of Saint Vicelin. Father of King Valdemar I, who worked for Canute’s canonization. King of the Western Wends in 1129. Canute’s uncle, King Nils of Denmark, opposed Canute coming to the throne, and arranged his murder. Venerated in Denmark.

Born

• c.1096 at Roskilde, Denmark

Died

• murdered in 1131 by his cousins Magnus Nielsen and Henry Skadelaar in the forest of Haraldsted near Ringsted in Zeeland, Denmark
• declared a martyr for justice
• relics enshrined at Ringsted on 25 June 1170

Canonized

• 1169 by Pope Alexander III

Patronage

• Zeeland, Denmark

Representation

• knight with a wreath, lance, and ciborium

Additional Information

• Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
• Heiligen 3s
• Lives of the Saints, by Father Alban Butler
• Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints

MLA Citation

• “Saint Canute Lavard“. Saints.SQPN.com. 7 January 2013. Web. 24 May 2013. <>