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 th…