This all but confirmed his guilt to Eric, half-brother of Canute, who demanded retribution from King Niels, when Niels not only denied this demand, but also relieved Magnus of his exile, Eric gathered his forces and sailed for presumably Schleswig where he combined forces with those of Southern Jutland and marched north towards Jelling,[1] the so-called baptismal certificate of Denmark.

Magnus the Strong had given concessions to the Holy Roman Empire, such as making the Archdiocese of Bremen-Hamburg suzerain of the Scandinavian church.

As he advanced in an organized military way, Bishop Thord of Ribe met him, and in false and cunning words he assured him that the king was quite innocent, and promised that in future he would certainly keep his oath.

The fighting did not last long as Eric's men were routed and he was forced to flee Jutland with his tail between his legs.

Eric was humiliated, and even though much of the country supported his claim, he would be unable to reconquer the southern provinces for the rest of the war.