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Jylland's District of
Jelling
District Leader:
Position is currently vacant
The name of Jelling is synonomous with a royal dynasty from the Viking age
The name of Jelling is synonomous with a royal dynasty from the Viking age, although recent excavations have found that there has been some kind of settlement at Jelling for thousands of years. The unification of Denmark began from about 700 AD, and was completed during the reigns of Gorm the Old and his son Harald I Bluetooth in the tenth century. They were both buried at Jelling, and had runic stones erected in their honour. On these stones are two of the first recorded references to Denmark. Their burial mounds are both very fine, and in the excavations a wooden church was also found, which was larger than the later stone church. These finds attest to the wealth and power of these early rulers, and the importance of Jelling during this time.
Jelling Runestones
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