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Kjobenhavn originally H a fn or H avn is mentioned in hi­ story for the first time in the year 1043. On an island called „Tyvnaes“ (later Slotsholm) the bishop Absalon in the year 1167 built a fortified castle, S te jle b o r g , for protection against the Wendish pirates. This fort, the fishing village Hafn and 14 sur­ rounding villages and farms were in 1186 given by him to the episcopal See of lioskihle. In the year 1254 the bishop Jacob Erlandsen gave to the town, which was now called „K opm an ­ il afn “ (the merchants harbour) and had considerably increased in size, its first municipal code, *which in 1284 was confirmed by Erik Clipping. Valdemar Atterdag had the town conveyed to him by the episcopal See of Roskilde, which later on was obliged to relinquish it completely. Christopher of Baiern raised the town to be the capital of the country in 1443. A t an early date the town was fortified, but the fortification was of small importance and very far from being impregnable to conclude by the fact that Christopher of Baiern in his municipal code imposes a penalty on any one „who climbs the walls and palisades of the town, tears away or loosens boards and creeps under them in or out“ . On several occasions the town was conquered by enemies. In 1259 it was taken by the Wends, in 1306 it was harried by the Norwegians, who were however repelled. In 1362 it was destroyed by the Lubeckers and Holsteiners and in 1368 it was assaulted by the united enemies of King Valdemar. The next battle for the possession of the town was fought between a nu­ merous Hanseatic fleet and the heroic Filippa, the Queen of Erik of Pomerania, by whom the enemy was repulsed. From the 10th of June 1523 to the 6th of January 1524 the town was besieged by Frederik I, but the citizens, who where staunch adherers to Christian II, were compelled to surrender. Frederik I strengthened