Treaty of Ribe an impossible task of raising 100,000 silver marks to redeem his country. Denmark had effectively been dissolved and the country was left without a king between 1332 and 1340. In 1340, King Valdemar IV of Denmark began a more-than-twenty-year-long struggle to reclaim his father's kingdom. Although eventually succeeding in regaining control of Zealand, Funen, Jutland, and the Scanian lands, he failed to obtain control of Schleswig, whose ducal House of Estridsen managed to continue its virtual independence. To gain influence over the province, Valdemar married Helvig of Schleswig, the only daughter of Duke Eric II of Schleswig. In 1372, he
San Juan Islands San Juan County are not part of the San Juan Islands, according to the USGS. Today, the San Juan Islands are an important tourist destination, with sea kayaking and orca whale-watching (by boat or air tours) two of the primary attractions. Politically, the San Juan Islands comprise, by definition, San Juan County, Washington. At mean high tide, the archipelago comprises over 400 islands and rocks, 128 of which are named, and over of shoreline. The majority of the San Juan Islands are quite hilly, with some flat areas and valleys in between, often quite fertile. The tallest peak is Mount