Category Archives: Danish Royals

Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Having reigned for 59 years, Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway, is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark and one of the most beloved. Born on April 12, 1577, at Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark, he was the third child and the eldest son of Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway and Sophie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, daughter of Ulrich III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and Princess Elizabeth of Denmark, a daughter of Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway and his second wife Sophie of Pomerania.

Christian IV had six siblings:

Coronation of King Christian IV; Credit – Wikipedia

At the time, Denmark was still an elective monarchy, so despite being the eldest son, Christian was not automatically the heir to the throne. However, in 1580, King Frederik II had his three-year-old son Christian elected heir to the throne. Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway died, aged 53, on April 4, 1588, and eleven-year-old Christian became King of Denmark and Norway. Christian’s thirty-year-old mother Sophie wanted to play a role in the government but was given no role in the regency council set up for her son. In 1596, Christian IV became of age and was crowned on August 29, 1596, at the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Christian IV of Denmark and his first wife Anna Cathrine of Brandenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

In the autumn of 1595, during a trip through some of the German monarchies, Christian IV met Anna Katharina of Brandenburg, daughter of Joachim Friedrich, Margrave of Brandenburg and his first wife Katharina of Brandenburg-Küstrin, and decided to marry her. Anna Katharina and her parents attended Christian’s coronation in 1596. Christian and Anna Katharina met again in January 1597, and later that year, the marriage contract was signed. The wedding took place on November 27, 1597, at Haderslevhus Castle in Denmark.

Christian IV and Anna Katharina of Brandenburg had six children:

Christian IV had affairs during his marriage, and Anna Katharina was aware of them. Her maid of honor Kirsten Madsdatter gave birth to a son the day after Anna Katharina gave birth to her last child. A little more than a year after the birth of her last child, Anna Katharina died on April 8, 1612, at the age of 36, and was buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark.

The surname Gyldenløve, which means Golden Love, was given to the illegitimate children of Christian IV, his son Frederick III, and his grandson Christian V.

Christian IV had the following illegitimate children:

With Kirsten Madsdatter, the chambermaid of Christian’s first wife Anna Cathrine:

With Karen Andersdatter, mistress from 1613-1616:

  • Dorothea Elisabeth Gyldenløve (1613–1615), died in childhood
  • Hans Ulrik Gyldenløve (link in Danish) (1615–1645), married Regitze Grubbe, no children

With Vibeke Kruse: the chambermaid of Christian’s second wife Kirsten Munk and Christian’s official mistress from 1629 until he died in 1648:

In 1616, 39-year-old Christian IV became attracted to 18-year-old Kirsten Munk, from a wealthy, untitled noble Danish family. Kirsten’s astute mother did not want her daughter to become Christian’s mistress and instead negotiated a morganatic marriage between Christian and her daughter due to Kirsten’s status as a noble. Kirsten received properties in her name and was assured of a widow’s pension. Christian and Kirsten were married on December 31, 1615, and Kirsten was not the Queen due to the morganatic marriage and was given the title Countess of Schleswig-Holstein. Christian and Kirsten’s stormy marriage ended in divorce in 1630, amid mutual allegations of infidelity and much bitterness, and Kirsten retired to her estates in Jutland.

Kirsten Munk with her eldest four children; Credit – Wikipedia

Christian IV and Kirsten’s ten children married into the Danish nobility, were styled Count and Countess of Schleswig-Holstein, but did not have succession rights. Through their daughter Leonora Christine, Christian and Kirsten are the ancestors of Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein and Princess Michael of Kent (born Baroness Marie Christine von Reibnitz) and past monarchs King Simeon II of the Bulgarians, King Michael of Romania, King Peter II of Yugoslavia, King Manuel II of Portugal, Emperor Karl I of Austria-Hungary, King Friedrich August III of Saxony.

The cipher of King Christian IV at the entrance gate of Rosenborg Castle; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

During his long reign, Christian IV repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempted by military means to make the Kingdom of Denmark and Norway into a great power, especially during the Thirty Years’ War. However, his legacy would be his building projects, and this writer frequently noticed his cipher, C4 (see above photo), on many buildings during a trip to Denmark. Christian converted Frederiksborg Castle into a Renaissance palace and completely rebuilt Kronborg Castle into a fortress. It is through his building that he became a beloved and admired king.

Christian IV is responsible for founding the following cities:

  • Christianopel: founded in 1599 as a garrison town in the then Danish territory of Blekinge  near the then Danish-Swedish border, now Kristianopel, Sweden
  • Christianstad: founded in 1614 in the then Danish territory of Skåne, now Kristianstad, Sweden
  • Glückstadt: founded in 1617 as a rival to Hamburg in the then Danish territory of Holstein,  now in Germany
  • Christianshavn: founded in 1619 as a fortification/garrison town, now part of Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Kongsberg: founded in 1624 as an industrial town after the discovery of silver ore, now Kongsberg, Norway
  • Christiania: after a devastating fire in 1624, Christian IV ordered the old city of Oslo to be moved closer to the fortification of Akershus Fortress and renamed the city Christiania. The city name went back to Oslo in 1924.
  • Christiansand: founded in 1641 to promote trade in southern Norway, now Kristiansand, Norway
  • Røros: founded as an industrial town after the discovery of copper ore, now in Norway

Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

In Copenhagen, Christian IV is responsible for the construction of:

  • Børsbygningen (Stock Exchange)
  • Holmen Church: converted into a naval church, the burial site of naval heroes
  • Kongens Bryghus (King’s Brewhouse): originally built as a bastion that was part of Copenhagen’s defense system, in 1618 a brewery was set up in the former bastion, where beer was brewed for the military
  • Nyboder: row house district of Royal Danish Navy barracks
  • Proviantgården: part of Christian IV’s Arsenal Dock, a naval harbor, used for storing cannons, sails, ropes, food, and other supplies for the navy
  • Rosenborg Castle
  • Regensen Collegium Domus Regiæ (Royal House’s College)
  • Rundetårn (Round Tower): built as an astronomical observatory
  • Tøjhus (Arsenal): originally an arsenal in the Arsenal Dock, a naval harbor, it is now the Danish War Museum (Krigsmuseet)
  • Trinitatis Church: originally served the students of Copenhagen University

Christian IV on his deathbed; Credit – By Berent Hilwaertz – Own work, Sven Rosborn, 18 June 2011, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19385295

Sensing he did not have a long time to live, Christian IV requested to be brought to his beloved Copenhagen. On February 21, 1648, he was carried in a litter from Frederiksborg Palace to Copenhagen. He died a week later, on February 28, 1648, at Rosenborg Castle, at the age of 70. Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway was interred at Roskilde Cathedral, the traditional burial site of the Danish royal family in Roskilde, Denmark.

Christian IV Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral: Caskets front row left to right: Anna Katharina, Christian IV,  Christian, Prince-Elect; back row left to right: Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneberg, Frederik III; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

In 1613, a year after the death of his first wife Anna Katharina, Christian IV ordered the construction of a new burial chapel (Christian IV Chapel) because the space inside Roskilde Cathedral for burials was limited. Two older chapels were demolished to make space for the new burial chapel. The exterior of the new chapel was completed by 1641. However, when Christian IV died in 1648, the interior had not been completed, and his coffin was placed in the crypt below. The interior of the chapel was not completed until 1866. Two large paintings illustrating important scenes from Christian IV’s life are on the walls, and a statue of Christian IV watches over the chapel. King Christian IV’s silver-plated casket now stands in the middle of the chapel in addition to the caskets of his first wife Anna Katharina of Brandenburg (died 1612), his eldest son and heir apparent Christian who predeceased him (died 1647); his second son who succeeded him as King Frederik III (died 1670); and Frederik III’s wife Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneberg (died 1685).

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Anna Cathrine af Brandenburg. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Cathrine_af_Brandenburg> [Accessed 25 February 2021].
  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Christian 4.. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_4.> [Accessed 25 February 2021].
  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Kirsten Munk. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirsten_Munk> [Accessed 25 February 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Anne Catherine of Brandenburg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Catherine_of_Brandenburg> [Accessed 25 February 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Christian IV of Denmark. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_IV_of_Denmark> [Accessed 25 February 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Kirsten Munk. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirsten_Munk> [Accessed 25 February 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Roskilde Cathedral. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roskilde_Cathedral> [Accessed 25 February 2021].

Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, Queen of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, Queen of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

The wife of Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway, Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow was born on September 4, 1557, in Wismar, Duchy of Mecklenburg, now in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. She was the only child of Ulrich III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and his first wife Elizabeth of Denmark, daughter of Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway and his second wife Sophie of Pomerania. Sophie’s mother Elizabeth died in 1586 while returning from visiting her daughter in Denmark. After the death of his first wife, Sophie’s father Ulrich III married Anna of Pomerania but their marriage was childless.

Sophie’s husband Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

In Denmark, marriage negotiations had been unsuccessfully conducted for Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway during the end of his father’s reign and during the first thirteen years of Frederik’s reign. The negotiations were difficult because Frederik insisted on meeting the prospective bride before committing to her. In 1572, Frederik’s aunt Elizabeth of Denmark and her husband Ulrich III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (Sophie’s parents), arranged for Frederik to meet a prospective bride Margaret of Pomerania at Nykøbing Castle in Denmark. Elizabeth and her husband brought along 14-year-old Sophie. Frederik II and Sophie were half-first cousins through their grandfather Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway, Frederik through his first wife Anna of Brandenburg, and Sophie through his second wife Sophie of Pomerania. Instead of being interested in Margaret of Pomerania, Frederik II was interested in Sophie. On July 20, 1572, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Frederik II and Sophie were married.

Frederik II and Sophie had seven children. Through their daughter Anna, who married James VI, King of Scots, later also James I, King of England, they are ancestors of the British Royal Family.

Frederik II and Sophie; Credit – Wikipedia

Despite a 23-year age difference, Frederik II and Sophie had a happy marriage. Sophie is consistently mentioned in Frederik’s handwritten diary as “mynt Soffye“, meaning “my Sophie”. She never interfered in government matters, always accompanied him on his travels, participated in his hunts, and nursed him when he was ill. Sophie was interested in books, visited the Danish pioneering astronomer Tycho Brahe, collected folk songs, and encouraged historian Anders Sørensen Vedel to publish his Hundredvisebogen, a collection of a hundred Danish folk songs he had gathered that became the foundation of Danish literary tradition.

Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway died, aged 53, on April 4, 1588. When her husband died, Sophie was a thirty-year-old widow with seven children ranging in age from five-years-old to fifteen-years-old. Her eldest son who succeeded his father as Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway was only eleven-years-old. Sophie wanted to play a role in the government but was given no role in her son’s regency council. From 1590, she did act as regent of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein for Christian as was the custom in the duchies. Sophie arranged the marriages and dowries for her daughters including a marriage for her daughter Anna (Anne) with the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, James VI, King of Scots who also became King of England upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I of England.

Nykøbing Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1593, when Christian IV was declared of age, Sophie engaged in a power struggle with the regency council and the Danish Council of State. According to custom, she wanted the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein to be divided between her two younger sons but was unsuccessful. In 1594, Sophie was forced to retire to her dower property Nykøbing Castle on the island of Falster in Denmark.

Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, Queen of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophie managed her estates on the Danish islands of Falster and Lolland so well that her son King Christian IV borrowed money from her on several occasions for his wars. She also engaged in trade and money-lending with Danish nobles. Sophie had a great love of knowledge and studied chemistry, astronomy, and other sciences. She often visited her homeland Mecklenburg and when her daughter Hedwig married Christian II, Elector of Saxony in 1602, she attended the wedding in Dresden, Saxony.

Tomb of Frederik II and Sophie – Photo by Susan Flantzer

Sophie survived her husband by forty-three years, dying on October 14, 1631, at the age of 74, at Nykøbing Castle on the island of Falster in Denmark and was buried with her husband Frederik II in the Chapel of the Magi at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark. At the time of her death, she was the richest woman in Northern Europe.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Sophie Af Mecklenburg. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_af_Mecklenburg> [Accessed 18 January 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Sophie Von Mecklenburg (1557–1631). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_von_Mecklenburg_(1557%E2%80%931631)> [Accessed 18 January 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Sophie Of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_of_Mecklenburg-G%C3%BCstrow> [Accessed 18 January 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2021. Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway.  [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/frederik-ii-king-of-denmark-and-norway/> [Accessed 18 January 2021].

Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on July 1, 1534, at Haderslevhus Castle in Haderslev, Duchy of Schleswig, now in Denmark, Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway, was the eldest of the three sons and the second of the five children of Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg.

Frederik II had one elder sibling and three younger siblings:

When Frederik was eight years old, he traveled around Denmark so the people could see the heir to the throne. He made a similar trip to Norway when he was fourteen years old, his only trip to Norway. Frederik was educated with a group of boys from noble families. Frederik’s father Christian III had established Lutheranism as the Danish National Church in 1536, so Frederik got a strong dose of Lutheran theology. While Frederik was intelligent and had a good memory, he had difficulties with reading and spelling. Most likely, Frederik was dyslexic, but his contemporaries perceived him as illiterate. In 1554, when he was twenty, Frederik was given his own court at Malmö Castle in Scania, now in Sweden.

Frederik II had a close relationship with his brother-in-law August, Elector of Saxony, who was six years older than Frederik. In 1557 – 1558, Augustus took Frederik on a trip throughout the Holy Roman Empire. They attended the coronation of the new Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I and met his son, the future Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II, Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange, and other prominent rulers. The experience gave Frederik an appreciation of the complex nature of European politics and a love for all things military.

Frederik’s father, Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway, died on January 1, 1559, and 24-year-old Frederik succeeded him as Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway. On August 20, 1559, Frederik II was crowned at the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, Denmark. During his reign, finances were improved, agriculture and trade were promoted, and the German Hanseatic League’s privileges with Denmark were limited or abolished. Friedrich revolutionized shipping by establishing the modern lighthouse system.  He also promoted the sciences, especially astronomy, and was a patron of pioneering Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe.

Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, Frederik’s wife; Credit – Wikipedia

During the end of his father’s reign and the 1560s, marriage negotiations were conducted to find a bride for Frederik II. The negotiations were difficult because Frederik insisted on meeting the prospective bride before committing to her. He wanted to marry Anne Hardenberg, a noblewoman who served as a lady-in-waiting to his mother. However, the marriage was prevented by the Danish Royal Council because Anne was not a royal princess. In 1572, Frederik’s aunt, Elizabeth of Denmark, who had married Ulrich III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, arranged for Frederik to meet a prospective bride, Margaret of Pomerania, at Nykøbing Castle in Denmark. Elizabeth and her husband brought their only child, 14-year-old Princess Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. Frederik and Sophie were half-first cousins through their grandfather, Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway. Instead of being interested in Margaret of Pomerania, Frederik II was interested in Sophie. On July 20, 1572, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Frederik II married Sophie. Despite a 23-year age difference, Frederik and Sophie had a happy marriage. Sophie is consistently mentioned in Frederik’s handwritten diary as “mynt Soffye“, meaning “my Sophie”, and she always accompanied him on his travels.

Frederik and Sophie had seven children. Through their daughter Anna, they are ancestors of the British Royal Family.

Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg, Frederik’s mother; Credit – Wikipedia

Despite his harmonious relationship with his wife, Frederik II had a quite different relationship with his mother Dorothea. Frederik and Dorothea had a tense relationship because Dorothea had always favored her younger sons, Magnus and Hans. She often used her parental authority to reprimand Frederik‘s lifestyle, and this did not change after he became king. Frederik II detested his mother’s reprimands and attempts to be involved in state affairs as she had done during his father’s reign. During the Nordic Seven Years War (1563 – 1570), fought against Sweden, Frederik discovered his mother had conducted secret negotiations with her nephew, King Eric XIV of Sweden, without his knowledge and during ongoing warfare, to arrange a marriage between his brother Magnus and Princess Sofia of Sweden, the half-sister of King Eric XIV. Frederik II put a stop to the marriage plans. Although Dorothea told her son that she only intended to benefit Denmark and to establish peace, in Frederik II’s mind, his mother had committed treason, and she was informally exiled to Sønderborg Castle, where she lived out the remainder of her life.

Frederik II in his later years; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway, died, aged 53, on April 4, 1588, at Antvorskov Castle, a former abbey now in ruins, in Slagelse, Zealand, Denmark. His death was sudden and unexpected. Some modern historians speculate that his health deteriorated very rapidly as a result of lung cancer. Frederik II was buried in the Chapel of the Magi at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark. Frederik’s wife Sophie, who survived him by forty-three years, dying on October 14, 1631, at the age of 74, was buried with him at Roskilde Cathedral.

Tomb of King Frederik II and Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow  Photo by Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Frederik 2.. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederik_2.> [Accessed 16 January 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Friedrich II. (Dänemark Und Norwegen). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_II._(D%C3%A4nemark_und_Norwegen)> [Accessed 16 January 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Frederick II Of Denmark. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_II_of_Denmark> [Accessed 16 January 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan. Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg, Queen of Denmark and Norway. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/dorothea-of-saxe-lauenburg-queen-of-denmark-and-norway/> [Accessed 16 January 2021].

Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg, Queen of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg, Queen of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

The wife of Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway, Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg was born on July 9, 1511, at Lauenburg Castle in Lauenburg, Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. She was the second of the six children and the eldest of the five daughters of Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg and Catherine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

Dorothea had five siblings:

King Christian III of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Dorothea’s homeland, the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg, was one of the first states of the Holy Roman Empire to accept the Protestant Reformation, and Dorothea came to her marriage as a Lutheran. On October 29, 1525, in Lauenburg, fourteen-year-old Dorothea married the twenty-three-year-old future King Christian III of Denmark and Norway, son of Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway and his first wife Anna of Brandenburg.

Dorothea’s dowry of 15,000 guilders was considered extremely small. The groom’s father Frederik I, who had only reluctantly given his permission to the marriage, did not attend the wedding. Frederik I was the last Roman Catholic Danish monarch. All subsequent Danish monarchs have been Lutheran. Christian already had Lutheran views and, as King, would turn Denmark Lutheran. Perhaps, Frederik I’s refusal to attend his son’s wedding was due to religion and the small dowry. Dorothea and Christian initially lived in Hadersleben, now Haderslev, Denmark, where Christian resided as governor of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein.

Dorothea and Christian had five children:

After a reign of ten years, Christian’s father Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway died on April 10, 1533. However, because of religious differences caused by the Reformation, a power struggle ensued regarding the succession. This resulted in a two-year civil war, known as the Count’s Feud, from 1534 – 1536, between Protestant and Catholic forces, which led to Christian ascending the Danish throne as King Christian III. In 1537, Christian III was also recognized as King of Norway. On August 6, 1536, Dorothea and Christian made their official entry into Copenhagen, Denmark. Four days later, Dorothea rode a snow-white horse at the side of her husband to Copenhagen Cathedral where they were crowned King and Queen of Denmark. Two months later, Lutheranism was established as the Danish National Church.

King Christian III and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

The relationship between Dorothea and Christian was a happy one. Christian trusted her and allowed her a great deal of influence. Contemporary accounts show her to have been politically active and to have participated in state affairs. Shortly after his succession to the throne, Christian III supported plans to have Dorothea appointed future regent of Denmark should their son, the future Frederik II, succeed to the throne while still a minor. However, these plans were defeated by the Danish State Council, particularly by Johan Friis, the Chancellor of Denmark, whom Dorothea strongly resented. Friis also prevented Dorothea’s admission to the Danish State Council after the death of her husband.

Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway died on January 1, 1559, aged 55, at Koldinghus, a Danish royal castle, on the Jutland Peninsula in Kolding, Denmark. He was buried in the Chapel of the Magi at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark in a tomb designed by Flemish sculptor Cornelis Floris de Vriendt. His 25-year-old son succeeded him as Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway. After Christian III’s death, Dorothea took over the management of Koldinghus, where she resided with her own court. She made annual trips to visit her daughters Anna, Electress of Saxony and Dorothea, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

Shortly after Christian III’s death, Dorothea fell in love with Johann II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev, Christian III’s unmarried half-brother from his father’s second marriage to Sophie of Pomerania. Johann was ten years younger than Dorothea and as early as 1559, there was talk of marriage. However, the marriage was opposed by various theologians who considered it impossible for a widow to marry her late husband’s brother and was eventually prevented, despite several years of efforts from Dorothea.

Dorothea’s son King Frederik II; Credit – Wikipedia

Dorothea and her son Frederik II had a tense relationship and she had always favored her younger sons Magnus and Hans. She had often used her parental authority to reprimand Frederik‘s lifestyle and this did not change after he became king. Frederik II detested his mother’s reprimands and attempts to be involved in state affairs as she had done during her husband’s reign.

During the Nordic Seven Years War (1563 – 1570), fought between Sweden and a coalition of Denmark, Norway, Lübeck, and Poland–Lithuania, the tension between Dorothea and her son Frederik II reached a breaking point. Dorothea was strongly against the war and repeatedly offered to act as a mediator because her nephew Eric XIV was King of Sweden. Frederik II warned his mother to stay out of state affairs. However, Dorothea continued her contact with Sweden. In 1567, Frederik II discovered that his mother had conducted secret negotiations, without his knowledge and during ongoing warfare, to arrange a marriage between his brother Magnus and Princess Sofia of Sweden, the half-sister of King Eric XIV of Sweden. Frederik II put a stop to the marriage plans. Although Dorothea told her son that she only intended to benefit Denmark and establish peace, in Frederik II’s mind, his mother had committed treason and she was informally exiled to Sønderborg Castle, where she lived the remainder of her life.

Tomb of King Christian III and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg – Photo by Susan Flantzer

Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg, Queen of Denmark and Norway died on October 7, 1571, aged 60, at Sønderborg Castle in Sønderborg, Denmark. She was initially buried at the Sønderborg Castle Chapel (link in Danish). In 1581, her son Frederik II had her remains transferred to Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark where she was buried next to her husband King Christian III.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Dorothea Af Sachsen-Lauenburg. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothea_af_Sachsen-Lauenburg> [Accessed 11 January 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Dorothea Of Saxe-Lauenburg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothea_of_Saxe-Lauenburg> [Accessed 11 January 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2021. Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christian-iii-king-of-denmark-and-norway/> [Accessed 11 January 2021].

Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

The only son and the elder of the two children of Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway and his first wife Anna of Brandenburg, Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway was born on August 12, 1503, at Gottorp Castle in Schleswig, Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Christian had one younger sister:

Christian III’s parents Frederik I and Anna of Brandenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Having two children during her teenage years weakened the health of Christian’s mother. She contracted tuberculosis and died on May 3, 1514, aged 26, while six months pregnant. Four years after the death of his mother Christian and his sister Dorothea got a stepmother when their father married Sophie of Pomerania on October 9, 1518.

Christian had six half-siblings from his father’s second marriage:

Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms; Credit – Wikipedia

Christian grew up during the time of the Protestant Reformation. He first encountered the teachings of Martin Luther from his tutor Wolfgang von Utenhof. In 1521, when he was 18-years-old, Christian traveled to the Imperial Free City of Worms, now in Germany, to witness the Diet of Worms, an assembly of the Holy Roman Empire, called by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Pope Leo X had warned Martin Luther that unless he recanted his reformer views, he risked excommunication. Martin Luther had been summoned to renounce or reaffirm his views. He defended his reformer views and refused to recant them. Holy Roman Emperor Charles V then issued the Edict of Worms that condemned Martin Luther as “a notorious heretic” and banned citizens of the Holy Roman Empire from propagating his ideas.

Martin Luther’s performance at the Diet of Worms made a great impression on Christian and impacted his future. When he returned home, Christian made no secret of his Lutheran views. Christian’s father became King in 1523 and his father gave him the management of part of the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. In 1528, Christian officially introduced Lutheranism into the duchies. This brought him into conflict, not only with the Catholic-dominated State Council but also with his father. His father Frederik I was the last Roman Catholic Danish monarch. All subsequent Danish monarchs have been Lutheran. Although Frederik I remained Catholic, he was somewhat tolerant of the new Protestant Lutheran religion. He ordered Lutherans and Roman Catholics to share the same churches and encouraged the first publication of the Bible in the Danish language. When Lutheran reformer Hans Tausen was threatened with arrest and trial for heresy, Frederick I appointed him his personal chaplain to give him immunity. Frederik I’s attitude toward religion postponed the all-out warfare between Protestants and Roman Catholics that occurred during the reign of his son King Christian III, and that ultimately turned Denmark into a Protestant nation.

Christian III’s wife Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 29, 1525, at Lauenburg Castle in Lauenberg, Duchy of Saxe-Lauenberg, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, Christian married Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg, daughter of Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg and Catherine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

Christian and Dorothea had five children:

After a reign of ten years, Christian’s father Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway died on April 10, 1533, aged 61. After Frederik I’s death, the Danish Council of State had a lengthy discussion on whether the Danish throne should go to Christian, Frederik I’s Lutheran son from his first marriage or Frederik I’s Catholic twelve-year-old son Johann from his second marriage. In 1534, Christian was proclaimed Christian III, King of Denmark at an assembly of Lutheran nobles in Jutland. However, the Danish Council of State, made up of mostly Catholic bishops and nobles, refused to accept Christian III as king. Johann, Frederik’s son from his second marriage, was deemed too young and the council was more amenable to restoring the deposed King Christian II to the throne because he had supported both the Catholics and Protestant Reformers at various times.

Christopher, Count of Oldenburg, the grandson of a brother of King Christian I of Denmark and the second cousin of both Christian II and Christian III, led the military alliance to restore King Christian II to the throne. What resulted was a two-year civil war, known as the Count’s Feud, from 1534 – 1536, between Protestant and Catholic forces, that led to King Frederik I’s son from his first marriage ascending the Danish throne as King Christian III. In 1537, Christian III was also recognized as King of Norway.

On August 12, 1536, King Christian III had three Catholic bishops arrested, partly to break the resistance to the Reformation and partly to pay off the debts by taking church property. Christian’s Protestant policies led Denmark to the establishment of Lutheranism as the Danish National Church on October 30, 1536, when the State Council adopted the Lutheran Ordinances designed by German theologian Johannes Bugenhagen, a close associate of Martin Luther.

Sophie of Pomerania, Christian III’s stepmother; Credit – Wikipedia

King Christian III had a long dispute with his widowed stepmother Sophie of Pomerania about her property. First, Christian II claimed Gottorp Castle for himself and forced Sophia to retire to Kiel Castle. Sophie considered the lands her husband had bestowed upon her as her private property and continued conflicts with Christian III and his son and successor Frederik II over revenue management and the appointment of civil servants.

Tomb of King Christian III and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg – Photo by Susan Flantzer

Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway died on January 1, 1559, aged 55, at Koldinghus, a Danish royal castle, on the Jutland Peninsula in Kolding, Denmark. He was buried in the Chapel of the Magi at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark in a tomb designed by Flemish sculptor Cornelis Floris de Vriendt. His wife Dorothea survived him by twelve years, dying on October 7, 1571, aged 60, and was buried with her husband.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Christian 3. – Wikipedia, den frie encyklopædi. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_3.> [Accessed 2 April 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Christian III. (Dänemark und Norwegen) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_III._(D%C3%A4nemark_und_Norwegen)> [Accessed 2 April 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Christian III of Denmark – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_III_of_Denmark> [Accessed 2 April 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/frederik-i-king-of-denmark-and-norway/> [Accessed 2 April 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Sophie of Pomerania, Queen of Denmark and Norway. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/sophie-of-pomerania-queen-of-denmark-and-norway/> [Accessed 2 April 2021].

Sophie of Pomerania, Queen of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Sophie of Pomerania, Queen of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophie of Pomerania, Queen of Denmark and Norway was born circa 1498 in Stettin, Duchy of Pomerania, now Szczecin, Poland. Stettin was also the birthplace of Catherine II (the Great) of Russia who was born there as Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst while her father, a general in the Prussian Army, was serving as Governor of Stettin. Sophie of Pomerania was the fourth of the eight children and the second of the three daughters of Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania and his second wife Princess Anna Jagiellon of Poland, daughter of King Casimir IV of Poland and Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria. The first marriage of Sophie’s father to Margarete of Brandenburg was childless.

Sophie had seven siblings:

Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 9, 1518, in Kiel, Duchy of Holstein, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, twenty-year-old Sophie became the second wife of forty-seven-year-old Frederik of Denmark, the youngest of the four sons but the second surviving son of Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden and Dorothea of Brandenburg. Frederik was co-Duke of Schleswig and Holstein with his elder brother King Hans of Denmark and Norway. Frederik’s first wife Anna of Brandenburg had died from tuberculosis in 1514 at the age of 26.

Sophie became the stepmother of Frederik and Anna’s two children:

Sophie and Frederik had six children:

Frederik’s nephew Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden had reigned since the death of his father King Hans in 1513. However, Christian II was deposed in Sweden in 1521 and replaced by Gustav Vasa, the first monarch of the Swedish House of Vasa. By 1523, the Danes also had enough of Christian II and a rebellion started. Christian was forced to abdicate by the Danish nobles and his paternal uncle Frederik, Duke of Schleswig and Holstein was offered the crown on January 20, 1523. Frederik’s army gained control over most of Denmark during the spring, and in April 1523, Christian II and his family left Denmark to live in exile. In 1531, Christian unsuccessfully attempted to reclaim Norway and was imprisoned by his uncle Frederik in castles, albeit in comfortable circumstances, for the last twenty-seven years of his life.

Frederik and Sophie as King and Queen of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik and Sophie were crowned King and Queen of Denmark on August 13, 1525, at the Cathedral of Our Lady in Copenhagen. Although Frederik was also King of Norway, he and Sophie never visited the country and were never crowned King and Queen of Norway. Frederik occasionally visited Denmark but his main residence was Gottorp Castle in the Duchy of Schleswig. After her coronation, Sophie was granted the Danish islands Lolland and Falster, Kiel Castle and Plön Castle, and several villages in the Duchy of Holstein to provide a means for her income.

After a reign of ten years, Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway died on April 10, 1533, aged 61, at Gottrop Castle in Gottorp, Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Frederik was buried in St. Peter’s Cathedral in Schleswig, Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Sophie’s stepson King Christian III; Credit – Wikipedia

After her husband’s death, when the Danish Council of State was discussing whether the Danish throne should go to her Lutheran stepson the future Christian III, or her Catholic twelve-year-old eldest son Johann, Sophie remained with her children at Gottorp Castle. In 1534, Christian was proclaimed King of Denmark at an assembly of Lutheran nobles in Jutland. However, the Danish Council of State, consisting of mostly Catholic bishops and nobles, refused to accept Christian III as king. Sophie’s son Johann was deemed too young, and the council was more amenable to restoring the deposed King Christian II to the throne because he had supported both the Catholics and Protestant Reformers at various times.

Christopher, Count of Oldenburg, the grandson of a brother of King Christian I of Denmark and the second cousin of both Christian II and Christian III, led the military alliance to restore King Christian II to the throne. A two-year civil war resulted, known as the Count’s Feud, from 1534 – 1536, between Protestant and Catholic forces, that led to King Frederik I’s son from his first marriage ascending the Danish throne as King Christian III.

Sophie had a long dispute with her stepson King Christian III and then his son and successor King Frederik II about her property. First, Christian III claimed Gottorp Castle for himself and forced Sophia to retire to Kiel Castle. Sophie considered the lands her husband had bestowed upon her as her private property. She also had conflicts with Christian III and his son and successor Frederik II over revenue management and the appointment of civil servants.

Schleswig Cathedral; Credit – Von Georg Denda, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39310151

Sophie survived her husband King Frederik I by thirty-five years, dying at Kiel Castle on May 13, 1568, at about the age of 70. She was buried with Frederik at St. Peter’s Cathedral.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Count’s Feud. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count%27s_Feud> [Accessed 28 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Sophie Of Pomerania. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_of_Pomerania> [Accessed 28 December 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2021. Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/frederik-i-king-of-denmark-and-norway/> [Accessed 27 December 2020].
  • Nl.wikipedia.org. 2020. Sophia Van Pommeren (1498-1568). [online] Available at: <https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_van_Pommeren_(1498-1568)> [Accessed 28 December 2020].
  • Pl.wikipedia.org. 2020. Zofia Pomorska (1501–1568). [online] Available at: <https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zofia_pomorska_(1501%E2%80%931568)> [Accessed 28 December 2020].

Anna of Brandenburg, Duchess of Schleswig and Holstein, first wife of Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Anna of Brandenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna of Brandenburg was the first wife of Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway. She died before her husband became King of Denmark and Norway but she was the mother of his heir. Anna was born on August 27, 1487, in Berlin, Margraviate of Brandenburg, now in the German state of Brandenburg. She was the fourth of the six children and the second of the three daughters of Johann II, Elector of Brandenburg and Margaret of Thuringia.

Anna had five siblings but a brother and a sister died in infancy:

In 1495, Johann II, Elector of Brandenburg started marriage negotiations with the Jagiellonian family of Poland for his elder surviving son Joachim Nestor and Anna, his elder surviving daughter, but the marriage negotiations were unsuccessful. After Johann II, Elector of Brandenburg died in 1499, his half-brother Friedrich V, Margrave of Ansbach-Bayreuth, successfully negotiated with the Danish royal family for marriages for Joachim Nestor and Anna. Joachim Nestor was to marry Elisabeth of Denmark, daughter of King Hans of Denmark and Norway and Anna was to marry King Hans’ much younger brother Frederik of Denmark, who was co-Duke of Schleswig and Holstein with his elder brother King Hans. The wedding was scheduled for Anna’s 14th birthday but the death of Anna’s mother on July 13, 1501, delayed the marriage. On April 10, 1502, in Stendal, Margraviate of Brandenburg, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, fifteen-year-old Anna married thirty-one-year-old Frederik. Their marriage was a double ceremony as Anna’s brother Joachim Nestor married Elisabeth of Denmark at the same time.

The double wedding in Stendal in 1502; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna and Frederik had two children:

Anna and Frederik lived at Gottorp Castle in the Duchy of Schleswig, now in Schleswig in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Anna often accompanied her husband on his travels and she was very popular with the people of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. Apparently having two children during her teenage years weakened Anna’s health. She contracted tuberculosis and died on May 3, 1514, aged 26, while six months pregnant. Anna was buried in the  Bordesholm Monastery Church (link in German) in the Duchy of Schleswig. After Anna’s death, Frederik ordered a magnificent tomb with bronze effigies of Anna and himself which still stands in Bordesholm Monastery Church. Frederik planned to be buried there but he was buried instead at Schleswig Cathedral.

Anna’s tomb at the Bordesholm Monastery Church; Credit – By Photo: Andreas Praefcke – Self-photographed, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37913487

Frederik hired Hans Brüggemann to carve an altar for Bordesholm Monastery Church in memory of Anna. From 1514 to 1520 Brüggemann worked on the altar, known as the Brüggemann or Bordesholm Altar. The altar has over 400 carved figures and depicts biblical stories including Adam and Eve, the Passion, the Ascension, Pentecost, and the Last Judgment. In 1666, the altar was moved to Schleswig Cathedral where it remains.

Brüggemann Altar; Credit – Von Arnoldius – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77065794

Frederik married again in 1518 to Sophie of Pomerania and they had six children. He became King of Denmark and Norway in 1523 and after a reign of ten years, he died on April 10, 1533, aged 61. Instead of being buried with his first wife Anna at the Bordesholm Monastery Church where a tomb was awaiting him, Frederik was buried at Schleswig Cathedral in Schleswig, Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Frederik’s second wife Sophie was buried with him upon her death in 1568.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anna Af Brandenburg. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_af_Brandenburg> [Accessed 27 December 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anna Von Brandenburg (1487–1514). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_von_Brandenburg_(1487%E2%80%931514)> [Accessed 27 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anna Of Brandenburg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_of_Brandenburg> [Accessed 27 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. John Cicero, Elector Of Brandenburg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cicero,_Elector_of_Brandenburg> [Accessed 27 December 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2020. Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/frederik-i-king-of-denmark-and-norway/> [Accessed 27 December 2020].

Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on October 7, 1471, in Hadersleben, Duchy of Schleswig, now Haderslev, Denmark, Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway was the youngest of the four sons and the youngest of the five children of Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden and Dorothea of Brandenburg.

Frederik had four elder siblings, but his eldest two siblings died young. He was fifteen years younger than his closest sibling Margaret.

Frederik’s father Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and also Duke of Schleswig and Holstein, died in 1481 when Frederik was ten years old. During King Christian I’s life, his wife Queen Dorothea asked her husband to leave the Duchy of Schleswig and the Duchy of  Holstein to Frederik. However, upon the death of King Christian I, his son and successor King Hans I, instead insisted on German inheritance law, which meant both brothers would be co-rulers of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein.

Until Frederik reached his majority in 1490, his mother Queen Dorothea was co-ruler as regent of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein with her son King Hans. Frederik grew up at Gottorp Castle in the Duchy of Schleswig, now in Schleswig in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. He was educated at Bordesholm Monastery (link in German) in the Duchy of Schleswig. Although the duchies could not be divided, Queen Dorothea arranged for the income from both duchies to be divided equally between the two brothers, who both held the title Duke of Schleswig and Holstein.

The double wedding in Stendal in 1502; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 10, 1502, in Stendal, Electorate of Brandenburg, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, thirty-one-year-old Frederik married fifteen-year-old Anna of Brandenburg, daughter of Johann II, Elector of Brandenburg and Margaret of Thuringia. Their marriage was a double ceremony as Anna’s brother Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg and Frederik’s niece Elisabeth of Denmark, daughter of King Hans of Denmark, were also married.

Frederik and his first wife Anna of Brandenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik and Anna had two children:

Having two children during her teenage years weakened Anna’s health. She contracted tuberculosis and died on May 3, 1514, aged 26, while six months pregnant. Anna was buried in the Bordesholm Monastery Church in the Duchy of Schleswig. After Anna’s death, Frederik I ordered a magnificent tomb with bronze effigies of Anna and himself, which still stands in Bordesholm Monastery Church. Frederik planned to be buried there, but he was buried elsewhere.

Sophie of Pomerania, Frederik’s second wife; Credit – Wikipedia

Four years after Anna’s death, forty-seven-year-old Frederik married twenty-year-old Sophie of Pomerania on October 9, 1518, in Kiel, Duchy of Holstein, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Sophia was the daughter of Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania and Princess Anna Jagiellon of Poland.

Sophie and Frederik had six children:

Frederik’s nephew, King Christian II; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik’s nephew, Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, had been deposed in Sweden in 1521 and replaced by Gustav Vasa, the first monarch of the Swedish House of Vasa. By 1523, the Danes had had enough of Christian II, and a rebellion started. Christian II was forced to abdicate by the Danish nobles. His paternal uncle Frederik, Duke of Schleswig and Holstein was offered the crown on January 20, 1523. Frederik’s army gained control over most of Denmark during the spring, and in April 1523, Christian II and his family left Denmark to live in exile. In November 1531, Christian II attempted to reclaim Norway but was unsuccessful. He accepted a promise of safe-conduct from his uncle Frederik I, but Frederik had had enough of his nephew Christian. He did not keep his promise, and instead, Christian was imprisoned in castles, albeit in comfortable circumstances, for the last twenty-seven years of his life.

Although Frederik was King of Norway, he never visited the country and was never crowned King of Norway. He did visit Denmark, but he kept his main residence at Gottorp Castle in the Duchy of Schleswig. It is not certain if Frederik ever learned to speak Danish. Frederik was the last Roman Catholic Danish monarch. All subsequent Danish monarchs have been Lutheran. Although Frederik remained Catholic, he was somewhat tolerant of the new Protestant Lutheran religion. He ordered  Lutherans and Roman Catholics to share the same churches and encouraged the first publication of the Bible in the Danish language. When Lutheran reformer Hans Tausen was threatened with arrest and trial for heresy, Frederick appointed him his personal chaplain to give him immunity. Frederik’s attitude toward religion postponed the all-out warfare between Protestants and Roman Catholics that occurred during the reign of his son, King Christian III, ultimately turning Denmark into a Protestant nation.

Cenotaph of Frederik I,  King of Denmark and Norway, Duke of Schleswig and Holstein; Credit – Von Arnoldius – Selbst fotografiert, CC BY-SA 4.0

After a reign of ten years, King Frederik I died on April 10, 1533, aged 61, at Gottrop Castle in Gottorp, Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Instead of being buried with his first wife Anna at the Bordesholm Monastery Church, where a tomb was awaiting him, Frederik was buried in St. Peter’s Cathedral in Schleswig, Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. However, the location of Frederik’s burial site in St. Peter’s Cathedral is unknown. In the north choir nave, there is a cenotaph, an empty tomb, created by Flemish sculptor Cornelis Floris de Vriendt for Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein, and erected in St. Peter’s Cathedral in 1552. His second wife Sophie survived him by thirty-five years, dying on May 13, 1568, at about the age of 70, and was also buried at Schleswig Cathedral.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Frederik 1. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederik_1.> [Accessed 26 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Frederick I Of Denmark. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_I_of_Denmark> [Accessed 26 December 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Friedrich I. (Dänemark Und Norwegen). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_I._(D%C3%A4nemark_und_Norwegen)> [Accessed 26 December 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2020. Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.  [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christian-i-king-of-denmark-norway-and-sweden/> [Accessed 26 December 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2020. Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christian-ii-king-of-denmark-norway-and-sweden/> [Accessed 26 December 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2020. Hans, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/hans-king-of-denmark-norway-and-sweden/> [Accessed 26 December 2020].

Isabella, Archduchess of Austria, Infanta of Castile and Aragon, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Isabella of Austria, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella of Austria was the wife of Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. She was born an Archduchess of Austria and an Infanta of Castile and Aragon, on July 18, 1501, in Brussels, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium. Isabella was the second of the four daughters and the third of the six children of Philip, Duke of Burgundy and Juana I, Queen of Castile and Aragon. Isabella’s maternal grandparents were King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. Her paternal grandparents were Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. Isabella’s brother was the powerful Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor who was also King of Spain. Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII of England, was her maternal aunt, and Catherine and Henry VIII’s only surviving child, Queen Mary I of England was her first cousin.

Isabella on the right with her sister Eleanor and her brother Charles; Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella had five siblings:

Isabella’s father died in 1506 when she was five years old. In 1507, her paternal aunt Margaret of Austria became the guardian of Isabella and her siblings Eleanor, Charles, and Mary. Isabella’s mother Queen Juana I of Castile and Aragon was nicknamed “La Loca” due to a mental disability alleged by her father King Ferdinand II of Aragon and then her son Charles. In 1509, her father confined her in the Royal Palace in Tordesillas, Castile, now in Spain, until she died in 1555. Whether Juana suffered from a mental disability or whether she was the victim of a conspiracy plotted by her father and then by her son is still debated by historians.

Isabella, circa 1515; Credit – Wikipedia

On July 11, 1514, one week short of her 13th birthday, Isabella was married by proxy to 23-year-old Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden with Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, Isabella’s grandfather, standing in for Christian. Isabella remained in the Spanish Netherlands until the summer of 1515 when Erik Axelsson Valkendorf, Archbishop of Nidaros (in Norway) was sent to escort her to Copenhagen where Christian and Isabella were married in person on August 12, 1515. Around 1508, while on a visit to Norway, Christian II fell in love with Dyveke Sigbritsdatter and she became his mistress. Christian’s brother-in-law, the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, demanded that Dyveke Sigbritsdatter be sent away, but only to get a refusal from Christian. This created tension between Christian and Charles. Dyveke Sigbritsdatter remained Christian’s mistress until she died in 1517.

Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit- Wikipedia

Christian II and Isabella had five children but only three survived infancy and only their two daughters reached adulthood:

Three children of Christian II and Isabella: Dorothea, Hans, and Christina; Credit – Wikipedia

When Christian II’s mistress Dyveke Sigbritsdatter died in 1517, Christian believed she had been poisoned by Danish nobleman Torben Oxe. Torben Oxe was tried and acquitted by the Danish State Council. However, Christian did not accept the verdict and had Oxe indicted by a lower justice-of-the-peace court. The verdict, as directed by King Christian II, was guilty and Torben Oxe was executed. Members of the Danish State Council strongly disapproved of what Christian had done. This act precipitated the division between the king and aristocracy that ultimately led to Christian being deposed.

In Sweden, with Christian’s permission, 82 people were either hanged or beheaded for heresy from November 9 – 10, 1520, in an incident called the Stockholm Bloodbath. Instead of cementing Christian’s control of the Swedish throne, the Stockholm Bloodbath led to him losing the Swedish throne. The remaining Swedish nobility, disgusted by the bloodbath, rose against Christian. On August 23, 1521, Christian was deposed as King of Sweden with the election of Gustav Vasa as Regent of Sweden. On June 6, 1523, Gustav Vasa was elected King of Sweden, the first monarch of the Swedish House of Vasa.

By 1523, the Danes also had enough of Christian II and a rebellion started. Christian was forced to abdicate by the Danish nobles and his paternal uncle Frederik, Duke of Schleswig and Holstein became King Frederik I of Denmark and Norway. Christian would have to go into exile but King Frederik I offered Isabella a dowager queen’s pension and an offer to stay in Denmark under his protection. Isabella wrote back to Frederik in Latin, saying “ubi rex meus, ibi regnum meum” – “where my king is, there is my kingdom”. On April 13, 1523, Christian, his wife Isabella, and their children left Denmark for the Spanish Netherlands, the territory of Isabella’s brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

Christian, Isabella, and their children leaving Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

In the following years, Isabella and Christian tried, without success, to gain the support of their royal relatives to help recover their lost kingdom. Isabella and Christian stayed for a long time in Wittenberg with Christian’s maternal uncle Friedrich III, Elector of Saxony. Friedrich was an early defender of Martin Luther. He successfully protected Luther from the Holy Roman Emperor, the Pope, and other hostile figures. Friedrich did this not because of religious conviction but because he believed in a fair trial for any of his subjects and the rule of law. Both Christian and Isabella were interested in the teachings of Martin Luther. Isabella never converted but it appears Christian did convert for a while before reverting to Catholicism.

At the end of 1524, Isabella, Christian, and their children settled in Lier, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium. Isabella’s aunt Margaret of Austria provided them with a home and financial support. Even with the support, they had a difficult time, with many worries, and a lack of money. In the spring of 1525, Isabella became seriously ill. Isabella traveled with her husband to Zwijnaarde Castle outside Ghent, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium, in late 1525. Isabella died there on January 19, 1526, at the age of 24.

Isabella was originally buried in St. Peter’s Abbey in Ghent. In 1883, thanks to the efforts of the Danish government, Isabella’s remains and those of her son Hans, who died when he was fourteen-years-old, were transferred to St. Canute’s Cathedral in Odense, Denmark where they were reburied next to the remains of King Christian II.

Grave of Isabella of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elisabeth Af Habsburg. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_af_Habsburg> [Accessed 24 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Isabella Of Austria. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_Austria> [Accessed 24 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Joanna Of Castile. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_of_Castile> [Accessed 24 December 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2020. Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christian-ii-king-of-denmark-norway-and-sweden/> [Accessed 24 December 2020].

Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Nicknamed Christian the Tyrant, Christian II was King of Denmark and Norway from 1513 until 1523 and also King of Sweden from 1520 until 1521. From 1513 to 1523, he was the joint ruler of the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein with his paternal uncle Frederik, the future King Frederik I of Denmark and Norway. In 1523, Christian II was forced to abdicate and was exiled. After trying to reclaim the throne in 1531, Christian was imprisoned for the last twenty-seven years of his life.

Born in Nyborg Castle in Denmark on July 1, 1481, Christian was the third but the eldest surviving of the five sons and the third of the six children of Hans, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden and Christina of Saxony.

Christian had four brothers and one sister:

As a sixteen-year-old, Christian took part in his father’s conquest of Sweden in 1497, and four years later, he took part in attempting to quell an uprising in Sweden that caused his father to lose the Swedish throne. After his father lost the Swedish throne in 1501, a succession of regents ruled in Sweden. In 1508, a rebellion in Norway was crushed by Christian who ruled Norway as viceroy. At this time, the monarchies of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden elected their kings. Upon his father’s death in 1513, Denmark and Norway quickly confirmed Christian as their king and Sweden remained under the rule of regents.

Christian and his mistress Dyveke Sigbritsdatter; Credit – Wikipedia

Around 1508, while visiting Norway, Christian fell in love with Dyveke Sigbritsdatter. She remained his mistress until she died in 1517. Christian needed to marry to provide for the succession and the choice of a wife fell upon Isabella of Austria, Archduchess of Austria, Infanta of Castile and Aragon from the House of Habsburg. Isabella was the daughter of Queen Juana I of Castile and Aragon and Philip, Duke of Burgundy. Isabella’s maternal grandparents were King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. Her paternal grandparents were Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. Isabella’s brother was the powerful Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor who was also King of Spain.

Isabella of Austria, circa 1515; Credit- Wikipedia

On July 11, 1514, one week short of her 13th birthday, Isabella was married by proxy to 23-year-old Christian II with Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, Isabella’s grandfather, standing in for Christian. Isabella remained in the Spanish Netherlands until the summer of 1515 when Erik Axelsson Valkendorf, Archbishop of Nidaros (in Norway) was sent to escort her to Copenhagen where Christian and Isabella were married in person on August 12, 1515. Christian refused to end his relationship with his mistress Dyveke Sigbritsdatter. This created tension between Christian and his brother-in-law, the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who demanded that Dyveke Sigbritsdatter be sent away, only to get a refusal from Christian.

Three children of Christian II, Dorothea, Hans, and Christina; Credit – Wikipedia

Christian II and Isabella had five children but only three survived infancy and then only two daughters reached adulthood:

Christian II signing the death warrant of Torben Oxe; Credit – Wikipedia

When Christian II’s mistress Dyveke Sigbritsdatter died in 1517, Christian believed she had been poisoned by Torben Oxe, a Danish nobleman. Torben Oxe was tried and acquitted by the Danish State Council. However, Christian did not accept the verdict and had Oxe indicted by a lower justice-of-the-peace court. The verdict, as directed by King Christian II, was guilty and Torben Oxe was executed. Members of the Danish State Council strongly disapproved of what Christian had done. This act precipitated the division between the king and aristocracy that ultimately led to Christian being deposed.

King Christian II reviewing accounts with Sigbrit Willoms; Credit – Wikipedia

To make matters worse for Christian II and his relationship with the aristocracy, his chief advisor was Dyveke Sigbritsdatter’s mother Sigbrit Willoms who was his de facto minister of finance. Sigbrit was from the middle class and wanted to extend the influence of the working classes. She formed her own council that competed with the Danish State Council for power. Her influence was resented by the aristocracy who blamed her for Christian favoring the working classes.

Christian II still wanted to regain the Swedish crown. In Sweden, the Regent of Sweden Sten Sture the Younger headed the anti-Danish faction, and Archbishop Gustav Trolle led the pro-Danish party. After two unsuccessful attempts in 1517 and 1518 resulting in military victories for Sweden, Christian II’s army with forces of French, German, and Scottish mercenaries was successful in 1520. On November 4, 1520, Christian was crowned King of Sweden in Storkyrkan Cathedral in Stockholm.

The Stockholm Bloodbath; Credit – Wikipedia

Three days after the coronation, Archbishop Trolle accused the followers of Sten Sture of heresy for their part in the rising against him and King Christian II. What followed is known as the Stockholm Bloodbath. It is estimated that from November 9 – 10, 1520, 82 people were either hanged or beheaded in the square outside Stockholm Palace. Instead of cementing Christian’s control of the Swedish throne, the Stockholm Bloodbath led to him losing the Swedish throne. The remaining Swedish nobility, disgusted by the bloodbath, rose against Christian. On August 23, 1521, Christian was deposed with Gustav Vasa‘s election as Regent of Sweden. On June 6, 1523, Gustav Vasa was elected King of Sweden, the first monarch of the Swedish House of Vasa.

Christian leaving Copenhagen, Denmark in 1523 with his wife Isabella and their children Hans, Dorothea, and Christina; Credit – Wikipedia

By 1523, the Danes also had enough of Christian II and a rebellion started. Christian was forced to abdicate by the Danish nobles and his paternal uncle Frederik, Duke of Schleswig and Holstein was offered the crown on January 20, 1523. Frederik’s army gained control over most of Denmark during the spring. On  April 13, 1523, Christian, his wife Isabella, and their children left Denmark to live in the Spanish Netherlands, a territory of Isabella’s brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Both Christian and Isabella were interested in the teachings of Martin Luther. Isabella never converted but it appears that Christian did convert for a while. On January 19, 1526, Isabella died after a long illness at the age of 24.

Eventually, Christian reverted to Catholicism and reconciled with Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. In November 1531, Christian took a fleet of ships to try to reclaim Norway but was unsuccessful. He accepted a promise of safe conduct from his uncle Fredrick I, King of Denmark and Norway. However, Frederik did not keep his promise. Instead, Christian was imprisoned for the last twenty-seven years of his life, first in Sønderborg Castle and then at Kalundborg Castle (link Danish). While in captivity, Christian was treated like a nobleman. He was allowed to host parties, go hunting, and wander freely as long as he did not go beyond the town boundaries.

The former Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden died at Kalundborg Castle on January 25, 1559, aged 77. Christian’s first cousin, King Christian III who had succeeded his father King Frederik I, had died earlier in January. The new king, Frederik II, Christian III’s son, ordered the former king to be buried with royal honors. Christian II was buried with his parents in the Gråbrødre Church of the Franciscan monastery in Odense, Denmark. In 1807, the former Franciscan church was demolished, and the remains of King Christian II and his parents were transferred to St. Canute’s Cathedral, also in Odense, Denmark.  Christian’s wife Isabella was originally buried in St. Peter’s Abbey in Ghent, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium. In 1883, thanks to the efforts of the Danish government, Isabella’s remains and those of her son Hans were transferred to St. Canute’s Cathedral.

Grave of Christian II; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Christian 2.. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_2.> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elisabeth Af Habsburg. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_af_Habsburg> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Christian II Of Denmark. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_II_of_Denmark> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Isabella Of Austria. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_Austria> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Stockholm Bloodbath. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Bloodbath> [Accessed 21 December 2020].