Stages in the building of the Danevirke Danevirke

map showing danevirke/danewerk , hærvejen/ochsenweg



map of rivers eider, treene, , rheider au, , schlei bay.

danevirke 1 – hovedvolden ( main rampart ), nordvolden ( north rampart ), Østervolden ( east rampart )

the first danevirke built in 5 stages, starting 650, according carbon-14 dating. first 3 stages simple ramparts of soil, , fourth stage palisade rampart heavy timber front, built in 737. in final stages timber palisade reinforced heavy stone wall around timber. work said have been started angantyr, , continued siegfried, , ended guðfrið according annales in 808.

hovedvolden: rejde Å (now called rheider au) small lake called dannevirke sø. main segment of danevirke. 2 m high , 12 m wide.
nordvolden: northeastern side of dannevirke sø, , further north 7 km.
Østervolden: 3.3 km long, , protecting schwansen.
a 900 m long submerged construction in slien.

danevirke 2 – kovirke ( cow-work )/kograben ( cow-moat or district moat )

built either guðfrið or harald bluetooth (if work mentioned newly made in frankish royal annals in 808, harald did not build it) stretched rheide Å 7 km southern extension of schlei bay lake called selker noor. palisade 3 m high, , little more solid on first ramparts. bank of earth behind palisade 2 m high , 7 m wide. had v-shaped moat, 4 m wide , 3 m deep.

the construction period of rampart have been time between 770 , 970.

danevirke 3 – hovedvolden/hauptwall/ main rampart , krumvolden/krummwall/ curved rampart , buevolden/bogenwall/ bow rampart ), dobbeltvolden/doppelwall/ double rampart , forbindelsesvolden ( connecting rampart )/margarethenwall ( margret s rampart )

hovedvolden expanded, 5 m high , 20 m wide. krumvolden built through rheide Å, , overlapped hovedvolden. forbindelsesvolden closed gap between halvkredsvolden ( semicircle rampart , bank protected hedeby) , hovedvolden near dannevirke sø. buevolden , dobbeltvolden protected important road junction. wall connected of building work attributed harald bluetooth. arild hvitfeldt s danmarks riges krønike adds little detail extension of danevirke in time period. summoned (queen) thyra (wife of gorm old) danes kingdom s regions meet @ border , under supervision built wall of earth , timber slien on moors trene. scanians received western section karlegat trene. zealanders , funen dwellers received section east slien (schlei bay) karlegat. jutlanders provided provisions whole army. place thyra s extension sometime before 940. forbindelsesvolden attacked saxons of ottonian dynasty in 974.

danevirke 4 – hovedvolden/hauptwall/ main rampart .

reinforcement on main wall finished in 954, , new forbindelsevold build 964 968. harald bluetooth thought main constructor.

danevirke 5 – forbindelsesvolden, krumvolden, , hovedvolden

under canute iv of denmark (1080–86) denmark @ war german empire. danevirke strengthened @ beginning of 12th century: moats deepened , ramparts made higher. granite boulder palisade wall built on part of hovedvolden.

danevirke 6 – hovedvolden , thyraborg

valdemar fortified rest of hovedvolden famous valdemar-wall , 7-m high wall of stones in mortar on granite boulder base, propped buttresses , covered tiles. large reinforcement, , doubtless deterred many tried send army northwards through jutland. last true reinforcement of ramparts. later thyraborg castle built.

the danevirke began lose purpose in 14th century, owing both expense of manning , development of ballistas, trebuchets, , similar siege engines.