Valdemar IV of Denmark

Around 1320, Valdemar Christoffersen was born into a dynasty that had already lost its country. By the time he took the throne in 1340, Denmark had collapsed through bankruptcy, its territories pawned to Holstein lords, the idea of a unified realm little more than memory. Valdemar set about reacquiring what had been scattered over centuries, piece by piece, year by year, territory by territory. His methods were blunt: heavy taxation, seizure of old noble rights, relentless pressure on families who'd held local power for generations. The uprisings came regularly. He pressed on anyway, and by the time he died in October 1375, the kingdom was whole again and answerable to one man. They called him Atterdag - the Restorer.