Canute Lavard was a 12th-century Danish prince and the inaugural Duke of Schleswig. Born in Roskilde around 1096, he served as a crucial border ruler, holding vassalage under both the Danish crown and the Holy Roman Empire. His efforts to maintain peace in the borderlands earned him significant influence, though his political standing made him a target for rivals. He was eventually murdered in the Haraldsted Forest by his cousin, Magnus the Strong, in 1131. He is remembered as a progenitor of the Valdemarian royal line.