Christopher III, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Christopher III, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Christopher III, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden was born Christopher of Bavaria on February 26, 1416, in Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, then in Palatinate-Neumarkt, now in the administrative region of the Upper Palatinate in Bavaria, Germany. He was the only child of Johan, Count Palatine of Neumarkt and Catherine of Pomerania. Christopher’s paternal grandparents were Rupert, Elector Palatine and Elisabeth of Nuremberg. Wartislaw VII, Duke of Pomerania and Maria of Mecklenburg were his maternal grandparents.

Christopher’s uncle Eric of Pomerania, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Christopher’s maternal uncle, born Bogislaw of Pomerania, the future Eric of Pomerania, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, was taken as a child to Denmark to be raised as the heir to his maternal great-aunt Margrethe I, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden who had no surviving children. Bogislaw’s name was changed to the more Nordic-sounding Eric. When Eric of Pomerania came of age, he was declared co-ruler in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, however, Margarethe I remained the effective ruler of all three kingdoms for the remainder of her life. Margrethe I devised the Kalmar Union, a personal union from 1397 to 1523, in which a single monarch ruled the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden (then including much of present-day Finland), and Norway, together with Norway’s overseas colonies (then including Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland).

On October 28, 1412, 59-year-old Queen Margrethe I died and Eric succeeded his great-aunt as King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. However, Eric’s marriage to Philippa of England was childless. Eric named his cousin Bogislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania the heir presumptive of his three kingdoms. However, the Danish nobility refused to ratify his choice. In response, Eric left Copenhagen and lived at Visborg Castle in Gotland, Sweden’s largest island. Between 1439 and 1441, the nobility of Eric’s three kingdoms deposed him.

After Eric left Copenhagen, the Danish Imperial Council offered Christopher the Kingdom of Denmark and the right to inherit Norway and Sweden. Christopher became Regent of Denmark in July 1439 and was elected King of Denmark in April 1440. The following year he put down a peasant revolt and then traveled to Uppsala, Sweden where he was crowned King of Sweden in September 1441. On January 1, 1443, Christopher was crowned King of Norway.

Christopher’s reign was marked by difficulties related to his election as king. To gain support, Christopher had to make promises that later were difficult to keep and roused anger among the nobility. Christopher had promised the Swedes to return to them the island of Gotland, where the exiled former king, Erik of Pomerania lived in Visborg Castle and supported himself with piracy. Christopher’s negotiations failed, and when complaints were made, he replied frivolously, “My uncle must live too.” In Sweden, Christopher was called the “Bark King” because the people had to mix bark into their bread during a crop failure. In Denmark, there were complaints that Christopher invited too many Bavarians to come to Denmark. Christopher introduced unpopular tithes, a compulsory government tax.

In 1443, Copenhagen was granted a new city charter that prohibited trade in foreign currency. The Hanseatic League cities were not happy about this. In 1445, Christopher was forced to reaffirm the existing rights of the Hanseatic League in Sweden and Norway via a treaty. The treaty also provided for Christopher’s marriage to Dorothea of Brandenburg, the youngest of the three daughters and the youngest of the four children of Johann IV, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmburg.

Dorothea of Brandenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 12, 1445, 15-year-old Dorothea of Brandenburg married 29-year-old Christopher III, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The marriage was childless and lasted less than three years. On January 5, 1448, 31-year-old Christopher suddenly died at Kärnan Fortress in Helsingborg, Sweden. He is buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark. Christopher’s widow Dorothea was proclaimed the regent of Denmark until a new monarch could be elected.

Christopher’s death without an heir resulted in a succession crisis that temporarily broke up the Kalmar Union which had united the Kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The Danish throne was first offered to Duke Adolphus of Schleswig, the most prominent feudal lord of the lands subject to Danish sovereignty. Adolphus declined because of his age and recommended his nephew Christian, Count of Oldenburg, the future King Christian I of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. In September 1448, Christian of Oldenburg was elected King of Denmark and in 1450, he was elected King of Norway and reigned as King Christian I. However, in Sweden, in June 1448, Karl Knutsson, Lord High Constable of Sweden, was elected King of Sweden and reigned as King Karl VIII during three periods: 1448–1457, 1464–1465, and 1467–1470.

In September 1448, Christian of Oldenburg was elected King of Denmark and reigned as King Christian I. The Danish Council of State made it a condition that Christian marry Dorothea of Brandenburg, Christopher’s widow. Christian I and Dorothea were married on October 26, 1449, and their coronation was held two days later. In 1450, Christian I was elected King of Norway. He also reigned in Sweden from 1457 to 1464. Sweden would not be reunited permanently with Denmark and Norway until Christian I’s son and successor King Hans conquered Sweden in 1497.

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.

Works Cited

  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2005). König von Schweden, Dänemark und Norwegen. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christoph_III.
  • Christoffer af Bayern. (2025). Wikipedia.org. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christoffer_af_Bayern
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2021). Dorothea of Brandenburg, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/dorothea-of-brandenburg-queen-of-denmark-norway-and-sweden/
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Eric of Pomerania – Eric III, King of Norway, Eric VII, King of Denmark, Eric XIII, King of Sweden [Review of Eric of Pomerania – Eric III, King of Norway, Eric VII, King of Denmark, Eric XIII, King of Sweden]. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/eric-of-pomerania-eric-iii-king-of-norway-eric-vii-king-of-denmark-eric-xiii-king-of-sweden/
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Margrethe I, Queen of Denmark, Queen of Norway, and Queen of Sweden. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/margrethe-i-queen-of-denmark-norway-and-sweden-2/
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Christopher of Bavaria. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.