Duke Wartislaw I of Pomerania had continued to struggle against Polish overlordship.

In 1181, Wartislaw's son Duke Bogislaw I of Pomerania becomes a vassal of Emperor Frederick.

Jaromar, a Ranish nobleman native of the island of Rügen, had risen to rule the Principality of Rügen as result of the Danish conquest of the island in 1168.

His predecessor was Tetzlav, who in 1168 had submitted to the Danes.

The Danes had organized a war to Christianize the formerly pagan islanders and to destroy the pagan strongholds and cult places.

This action had also served to end their piracy and raids to Danish lands.

The Danish navy, led by among others, Archbishop Absalon, had conquered and destroyed the fortress of Cape Arkona.

The temple fortress of Arkona (Jaromarsburg) had been the religious center of the Slavic Rani.

The island of Rügen had been incorporated into the Danish Archdiocese of Roskilde and the Danes had made Rügen their vassal.

Jaromar, who had not aligned with the hitherto pagan rulers of the island, had accepted Christianity and promised loyalty to King Valdemar I of Denmark.

Jaromar is allied to the Hvide and Galen magnate clans, who are leaders of Zealand and Skåne.

Jaromar has his son and heir Wizlaw I marry a woman from these Danish magnates' families, who are influential in those parts of Denmark that are closest to Rügen.

Emperor Frederick Barbarossa had compelled Canute's father to acknowledge him as overlord, and in 1184 Barbarossa sends a messenger to Canute requiring him to acknowledge the emperor as his liege.

Canute fails to respond, so the emperor sends a second messenger threatening the emperor's wrath if Canute fails to acknowledge his liege lord.

Bishop Absalon replies to the messenger on behalf of Canute.

"Canute is as free a king as the emperor.

He has as much right to Denmark as the emperor has to the Holy Roman Empire, and so the emperor should expect no allegiance from this place."

The emperor flies into a rage when he receives Canute's reply, but because of troubles farther south, orders his vassal, Bogislaw I, Duke of Pomerania, to invade Denmark.

Bogislaw, recognizing a great opportunity, quickly gathers a great number of ships.

The first notice of the pending invasion comes from Chief Jaromar of Rügen, who sails to Zealand to give warning.

The king is in Jutland, and so it is left to Bishop Absalon to order every available ship from Zealand, Funen and Skåne to meet him in six days.

Absalon sails for Rügen with his fleet and waits for Bogislaw to appear.

When the enemy fails to materialize, Absalon sends out scouts to bring word of the Pomeranian fleet’s arrival.

He orders his men to go ashore so he can celebrate mass on Second Easter Day.

In the middle of services, one of the scouts runs into the church shouting that the enemy had been sighted through the fog.

The Danish fleet weighs anchor and sails through the fog toward the Pomeranians.

Bugislaw's fleet sees nothing of the Danes until they are close enough to hear their war cries.

Panicing, the Pomeranians attempt to row away, but they are in such close quarters that the ships cannot turn.

The men begin jumping from ship to ship, causing eight of them to founder.

The Danes throw themselves onto the ships to plunder them when Absalon shouts that they should leave the goods and go after the ships; few comply.

With just seven ships, Absalon routs the entire Pomeranian fleet, capturing thirty-five enemy ships.

Absalon sends Bogislaw's own great tent to Canute, who is still in Jutland.

With Bogislaw's defeat, the emperor abandons, for a time, his attempts to rule Denmark.

Canute IV forces Bogislaw to acknowledge Canute as his overlord in 1185.

From thais time until 1972, the Kings and Queens of Denmark will use the title "King of the Wends" as part of a lengthy list of duchies, counties, and regions ruled by Danish monarchs through the centuries.