Through him uenmark saw some of its best years, expanding " me south and east, and taking advantage of within Gemiany. In time, after И nl' succession of Valdemar coasth along the south thTpil North Sea east of Щтт ы responsible for ' and in 1219 he set out to conquer Estonia and take charge of Russian trade routes through the Gulf of Finland. But in 1223 he was kidnapped by Count Henry of Schwerin (a Danish vassal) and forced to give up many Danish possessions. There was also a redrawing of the southern boundary of Jutland, which caused the Danish population of the region to be joined by a large number of Saxons from Holstein. Within Denmark, the years of expansion had brought great prosperity. The laws of the tings were written as the Jutish Code, which unified the laws all over the country, in so doing marking a shift toward lawmaking being carried out by the king rather than by the tings. The increasingly affluent nobles demanded greater rights if they were to be counted on to support the new king. The Church was envious of the growing power of the nobles and much bickering ensued in the following years, resulting in the eventual installation of Valdemar ll's son, Christoffer I, as monarch. Christoffer died suddenly in Ribe when his only son Erik was two years old; Queen Margrethe took the role of Regent until Erik V came of age. Erik's overbearing manner and penchant for German bodyguards annoyed the nobles, and they forced him to a meeting at Nyborg in 1282 where his powers were limited by a hSndfsstning, or charter, that included an undertaking for annual consultation with a Danehof, or forum of nobles. In 1319 Christoffer II became king, after agreeing an even sterner charter, which allowed for daily consultations with a Rida council of nobles. In 1326, in lieu of a debt which Christoffer had no hope of repaying, Count Gerd of Holstein occupied a large portion of Jutland. Christoffer fled to Mecklenburg and Gerd installed the twelveyear old Valdemar, Duke of Schleswig, as a puppet king. Н I S Т о R YH5 As they proceeded to divide the country among themselves, the Danish nobles became increasingly unpopular with both the Church and the peasantry. Christoffer attempted to take advantage of the internal discord to regain the crown in 1329 but he was defeated in battle by Gerd. Under the peace terms Gerd was given Jutland and Funen while his cousin. Count Johan of Plon, was granted Zealand, SkSne and LollandFalster. In 1332 SkSne, the richest Danish province, inflicted a final insult on Christoffer when its inhabitants revolted against Johan and transferred their allegiance to the Swedish king, Magnus.? Gerd was murdered in 1340. The years of turmoil had taken their toll on all sections of Danish society: from Christoffer's death in 1332, the country had been without a monarch and it was felt that a reestablishment of the crown was essential to restoring stability. The throne was given to Vatdemar IV.