A rare seal from the 14th century. Archbishop discovered in West Jutland

A metal detector found the seal of a 14th-century archbishop in a field in West Jutland. The inscription identifies its owner as Esger Juul, Archbishop of Lund, who died on January 17, 1325, exactly 700 years ago.

The seal is a pointed oval, with in the center an image of St. Francis of Assisi, dressed in simple robes, with arms raised and hands outstretched. There are lilies on either side of him. Esger Juul’s other seals also feature a prominent fleur-de-lis. It has a pendant ring on the top, indicating that Juul wore it around his neck as a pendant for a necklace, an important security measure to preserve his legitimate signature. The inscription reads: “S’ ESGERI FILII NICHOLAI IUUL DE DACIA”, which translates to “the seal of Esger, son of Nielsen Juul of Denmark”.

Esger Juhl’s father, Niels, was a Jutland noble and a member of the Danish Parliament (the Medieval Danish Parliament), who represented King Einstein of Denmark when Waldemar IV, Duke of Schleswig, claimed the island of Ars. Reign of King Rick V. His son entered the church at a young age and later followed in his father’s footsteps by supporting King Eric VI, Eric’s son, in his dispute with the then Archbishop of Lund, Jens Grande. The dispute lasted for ten years, and in 1299 Esger traveled to Rome to negotiate with the papal authorities on behalf of the king to secure the handover of Jens Grande. He was so successful in mediating a reconciliation between the Danish king and the pope that he was appointed bishop of Aarhus in 1306, and when the seat finally became vacant in 1310, he was appointed archbishop of Lund, making Einstein Sigur became the leader of the Danish church.

As Archbishop Esger traveled extensively within Denmark and abroad (Vienna, Avignon, Sweden, Germany). This explains why his seal inscription mentions his Danish nationality. If he is a homebody and only needs to use the seal locally, then there is no need.

The seal was found at Store Skindbjerg Mark in the parish of Dejbjerg, between Ringkjøbing and Skjern. This may indicate that Esg Yule’s family originally came from this area. In 1310, Esger Juul donated all his estates in the area of ​​​​Skaster to the priests of Ribe, and in 1312 he donated three farms also in the area of ​​​​Skaster to Ribe. cathedral.

“We don’t know the exact origins of Esger Jules’ family in Jutland, but the seals suggest that he may have had his own origins and connections to the region. This area of ​​West Jutland has been featured in several histories There has been quite a bit of activity during the period, so it would be interesting if Esger Juul could also be linked to this. It confirms the importance of West Jutland in various aspects of Danish history as a whole. Archeology Michelle Wølch, archaeologist and museum curator Staffe said.