Atlas of Battles

battle, medieval

Battle of Grathe Heath

Battle of Grathe Heath was a battle fought in 1157 at Gråhede, in what is now Denmark. It was part of the Danish Civil Wars, which ran from 1131 to 1157. The recorded result: Valdemar I victory; End of the Danish Civil War. Recorded strength: ~2,000 against ~4,000–5,000; (entire force of Zealand and east Denmark mustered).

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Battle of Grathe Heath as the artist da:Lorenz Frølich imagined.
Battle of Grathe Heath as the artist da:Lorenz Frølich imagined.. Lorenz Frølich, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1157
WhereGråhede, Denmark56.239N, 9.290E
OutcomeValdemar I victory; End of the Danish Civil War
BelligerentsForces of Valdemar IagainstForces of Sweyn III
Casualties and lossesMinorand~4,000; entire force slain, captured or scattered
Part ofDanish Civil Wars1131 to 1157

Where it sits in the Danish Civil Wars

Battle of Jellinge Heath, 1131Siege of Schleswig, 1131Battle of Sejerø, 1132Battle of Værebro, 1133Battle of Fotevik, 1134Battle of Grathe Heath, 115711311157Battle of Grathe Heath, 1157
6 placed engagements of the Danish Civil Wars in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1157 (year precision)
PlaceGråhede, Denmark
56.239N, 9.290E
KindBattle, medieval
Strength~2,000~4,000–5,000; (entire force of Zealand and east Denmark mustered)
Casualties and lossesMinor~4,000; entire force slain, captured or scattered
Commanders
  • Valdemar I of Denmark
  • Sweyn III of Denmark
Battle of Grathe HeathBattle of Grathe HeathBattle of TaphedeBattle of NonnebjergetSkirmish of ÅrhusBattle of VejleBattle of FredericiaBattle of TaphedeBattle of NonnebjergetBattle of VejleBattle of FredericiaOdenseAalborgEsbjergSvendborgFrederikshavnSorø100 km56.239N, 9.290E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1157

Battle of Grathe Heath is one of 438 engagements of the 12th century in the atlas and one of 65 in present-day Denmark.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q3267709, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Grathe Heath, revision 1381703476, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.