Christian III of Denmark
Encyclopedia
Christian III reigned as king of Denmark
and Norway
. He was the eldest son of King Frederick I
and Anna of Brandenburg
.
(1498–1568).
Frederick was elected king of Denmark in the place of his nephew, Christian II
in 1523. The young prince Christian's first public service after his father became king was the reduction of Copenhagen
, which stood firm for the fugitive Christian II. As stadtholder
of the Duchies of Holstein
and Schleswig
in 1526, and as viceroy of Norway
in 1529, Christian III displayed considerable administrative ability.
Johann Rantzau, were both zealous reformers who had a influence on the young prince. At their urging, while traveling in Germany
in 1521, he made himself present at the Diet of Worms
to hear Martin Luther
speak. Luther's arguments intrigued him. The prince made no secret of his Lutheran views. His outspokenness brought him into conflict, not only with the Catholic Rigsraad, but also with his cautious and temporizing father. At his own court at Schleswig he did his best to introduce the Protestant Reformation
, despite the opposition of the bishops.
There was some talk of passing him over in the succession to the throne in favour of his younger half-brother John the Elder
(Hans den Ældre), who had been brought up in traditional Catholic Christianity.
After his father's death, in 1533, Christian was proclaimed king
at an assembly in Rye
, a town in eastern Jutland
, in 1534. The Danish State Council (rigsraad), dominated by the still Catholic bishops and nobles, refused to accept Duke Christian as king and turned to Count Christopher of Oldenburg
in order to restore Christian II to the Danish throne (Christian II had supported both the New and Old Faiths at various times). In opposition to King Christian III, Count Christopher was proclaimed regent at the Ringsted
Assembly (landsting), and at the Skåne Assembly ( landsting) at St Liber's Hill at Lund Cathedral
.
This resulted in a two-year civil war, known as the Count's Feud
(Grevens Fejde, 1534–36), between Protestant and Catholic forces.
, the Hanseatic League
, and the small farmers of northern Jutland
and Funen
. Christian III found his support among the nobles of Jutland
.
In 1534, the Catholic peasants under Skipper Clement
began an uprising in northern Jutland, pillaging the holdings of Lutheran nobles. An army of nobles and their vassals assembled at Svendstrup and suffered a terrible defeat at the hands of the peasants. Realizing his hold on the throne was in imminent danger, Christian III negotiated a deal with the Hansa States which allowed him to send his trusted advisor Johan Rantzau
north with an army of Protestant German mercenaries. Clement and his army fled north, taking refuge inside the walls of Aalborg
. In December, Rantzau's forces breached the walls and stormed the city. In the following days 3,000 people were massacred and the city was plundered by the Protestant German mercenaries. Clement managed to escape the slaughter, but was apprehended a few days later. He was tried and beheaded in 1535. His body was cut apart and placed on a sty, a lead crown was placed on Clement's spiked head.
With Jutland more or less secure, Christian next focused on gaining control of Scania
. He appealed to the Protestant Swedish king Gustav Vasa
for help in subduing the rebels. Gustav immediately obliged by sending two armies to ravage central Scania
and Halland
. The Catholic peasants suffered a bloody defeat at Loshult. The Lutheran Swedes moved against Helsingborg
Castle, which surrendered in January 1535 and was burned to the ground.
Rantzau moved his army to Funen
and defeated Count Christopher's army at Øksnebjerg in June 1535. Count Christopher's forces held out in Malmø and Copenhagen
until July 1536 when they surrendered after several months of siege by Christian II's forces. With their capitulation, Christian III was firmly emplaced upon Denmark's throne, and the Catholic forces in Denmark were subdued.
and other German noblemen had led his armies and directed his diplomacy. The first six years of Christian III's reign were marked by a contest between the Danish Rigsraadet
and the German counsellors, both of whom sought to rule through the king. Though the Danish party won a victory at the outset, by obtaining the insertion in the charter
of provisions stipulating that only native-born Danes should fill the highest dignities of the state, the king's German Lutheran counsellors continued paramount during his early reign.
The triumph of a German speaking Lutheran like Christian III would eventually bring about an end to traditional Christianity in Denmark, but Catholics still controlled the Council of State
. Christian III ordered the arrest of three of the bishops on the State Council by his German mercenaries (12 August 1536). Martin Luther wrote to the king congratulating him on his success.
Christian's debt for the Count's Feud
was enormous and confiscating the Church lands (farmed by peasants who had been free from vassalage duties to the nobles) enabled him to pay down the debt to his creditors. The ultimate gainers from the confiscations were the nobles who led the New Faith imported from Germany.
Christian's Protestant
policies led Denmark toward the establishment of the Danish Lutheran Church as the national church of Denmark (Folkekirke). This occurred officially on 30 October 1536 when the reconstituted State Council (purged of Catholics) adopted the Lutheran Ordinances designed by the German Johannes Bugenhagen
, which outlined church organization, liturgy, and accepted religious practice.
Monasteries, nunneries, priories were closed and the property taken by the crown (see Chronicle of the Expulsion of the Grayfriars
). Vast tracts of land were handed out to the king's supporters. Churches were closed, cathedral schools terminated, and recalcitrant priests turned out of their parishes. Catholic bishops were imprisoned unless they agreed to marry and give up their privileges. Some submitted after years of imprisonment; others refused to accept the New Faith and became martyrs.
and other kinsmen of the imprisoned Christian II convinced him of the necessity to lessen the discontent in the land by relying on Danish magnates and nobles.
At the Herredag of Copenhagen, 1542, the newly enriched nobility of Denmark voted Christian a twentieth part of all their property to pay off his heavy debt to the Holsatians and other Germans.
The pivot of the foreign policy of Christian III was his alliance with the German Protestant princes, as a counterpoise to the persistent hostility of Charles V, who was determined to support the hereditary claims of his nieces, the daughters of Christian II, to the Scandinavian kingdoms.
War was declared against Charles V in 1542, and, though the German Protestant princes proved faithless allies, the closing of the Sound
against Dutch shipping proved such an effective weapon in King Christian's hand that the Netherlands compelled Charles V to make peace with Denmark
at the diet of Speyer
, on 23 May 1544.
(Hans den Ældre) and Adolf
. They determined their youngest brother Frederick, Prince of Denmark for a career as Lutheran administrator of an ecclesiastical state within the Holy Roman Empire
.
In 1544 the elder three brothers partitioned Holstein (a fief of the Holy Roman Empire
) and Schleswig (a Danish fief) in an unusual way, following negotiations between the brothers and the Estates of the Realm
of the duchies, which opposed a factual partition. So the revenues of the duchies were divided into three equal shares by assigning the revenues of particular areas and landed estates to each of the three brothers, while other general revenues, such as taxes from towns and customs dues, were levied together but then shared among the brothers. The estates, whose revenues were assigned to the parties, made Holstein and Schleswig look like patchworks, technically inhibiting the emergence of separate new duchies, as intended by the estates of the duchies.
The secular rule in the fiscally divided duchies thus became a (international law) condominium
of the parties. As an effect both separate duchies, Holstein and Schleswig, with shares of each party scattered in both duchies, provided them with a condominial government binding both together, partially superseding their legally different affiliation as Holy Roman and Danish fiefs. As dukes of Holstein and Schleswig, the three brothers bore the formal title of "Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Ditmarsh and Stormarn
". John the Elder conveniently called Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev produced no issue, so no branch emerged from his side. Adolf founded a cadet branch of the royal Danish House of Oldenburg
called House of Holstein-Gottorp
, a convenient usage for the technically more correct Duke of Schleswig and Holstein at Gottorp
.
Similarly Christian III's youngest son John the Younger gained for himself and his heirs a share in Holstein's and Schleswig's revenues in 1564, comprising a third of the royal share, a ninth of Holstein and Schleswig from a fiscal point of view. John the Younger and his heirs, however, had no share in the condominial rule.
of 1546; mediated between the emperor and Saxony
after the fall of Maurice of Saxony at the Battle of Sievershausen
in 1553.
King Christian III died on New Year's Day 1559 at Koldinghus
and was interred in Roskilde Cathedral
.
on 29 October 1525 at Lauenburg Castle
. They were the parents of five children;
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. He was the eldest son of King Frederick I
Frederick I of Denmark
Frederick I of Denmark and Norway was the King of Denmark and Norway. The name is also spelled Friedrich in German, Frederik in Danish, and Fredrik in Swedish and Norwegian...
and Anna of Brandenburg
Anna of Brandenburg
Anna of Brandenburg was a German noblewoman.Anna was the daughter of Johann Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg and Margarethe of Saxony. She was born in Berlin, Brandenburg, and died in Kiel, Holstein.- Marriage :...
.
Childhood
Christian was born in 1503 at Gottorf Castle which Frederick I had made a primary residence. In 1514, when he was just ten years old, Christian's mother died. Four years later, his father remarried to Sophie of PomeraniaSophie of Pomerania
Sophie of Pomerania was a Queen consort of Denmark and Norway as the spouse of King Frederick I of Denmark...
(1498–1568).
Frederick was elected king of Denmark in the place of his nephew, Christian II
Christian II of Denmark
Christian II was King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden , during the Kalmar Union.-Background:...
in 1523. The young prince Christian's first public service after his father became king was the reduction of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, which stood firm for the fugitive Christian II. As stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
of the Duchies of Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
and Schleswig
Schleswig
Schleswig or South Jutland is a region covering the area about 60 km north and 70 km south of the border between Germany and Denmark; the territory has been divided between the two countries since 1920, with Northern Schleswig in Denmark and Southern Schleswig in Germany...
in 1526, and as viceroy of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
in 1529, Christian III displayed considerable administrative ability.
Religious Views
Christian's earliest teacher, Wolfgang von Utenhof, and his Lutheran tutor, the military generalGeneral
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Johann Rantzau, were both zealous reformers who had a influence on the young prince. At their urging, while traveling in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1521, he made himself present at the Diet of Worms
Diet of Worms
The Diet of Worms 1521 was a diet that took place in Worms, Germany, and is most memorable for the Edict of Worms , which addressed Martin Luther and the effects of the Protestant Reformation.It was conducted from 28 January to 25 May 1521, with Emperor Charles V presiding.Other Imperial diets at...
to hear Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
speak. Luther's arguments intrigued him. The prince made no secret of his Lutheran views. His outspokenness brought him into conflict, not only with the Catholic Rigsraad, but also with his cautious and temporizing father. At his own court at Schleswig he did his best to introduce the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, despite the opposition of the bishops.
There was some talk of passing him over in the succession to the throne in favour of his younger half-brother John the Elder
John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev
John the Elder was the only Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev. The predicate the Elder is sometimes used to distinguish him from his nephew John the Younger, who held Sønderborg from 1564 as a partitioned-off duke...
(Hans den Ældre), who had been brought up in traditional Catholic Christianity.
Early Reign
Election of Christian III
The election of Christian III as king of Denmark and Norway on 4 July 1534 was a landmark event for all of Denmark and Norway. It took place in the church in the town of Rye, eastern Jutland, where the Jutlandic nobility elected Prince Christian, son of King Frederick I and Duke of Slesvig and...
at an assembly in Rye
Old Rye
Old Rye is a small town in eastern Jutland, Denmark, with a population of 1,317 .Rye was a very important market town in medieval Denmark. In 1534 AD, St. Søren's Church in Rye was the setting of the Election of Christian III as king of Denmark...
, a town in eastern Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
, in 1534. The Danish State Council (rigsraad), dominated by the still Catholic bishops and nobles, refused to accept Duke Christian as king and turned to Count Christopher of Oldenburg
Christopher of Oldenburg
Christopher of Oldenburg . German Count, regent in Eastern Denmark during the Count's War 1534–36 which was named after him....
in order to restore Christian II to the Danish throne (Christian II had supported both the New and Old Faiths at various times). In opposition to King Christian III, Count Christopher was proclaimed regent at the Ringsted
Ringsted
Ringsted, a city in Ringsted municipality, is in the middle of the Danish island of Zealand. The municipal population is about 31,000 and the city population is 21,151 .Ringsted is approximately 60 km from Copenhagen.-Modern hotspot:...
Assembly (landsting), and at the Skåne Assembly ( landsting) at St Liber's Hill at Lund Cathedral
Lund Cathedral
The Lund Cathedral is the Lutheran cathedral in Lund, Scania, Sweden. It is the seat of the bishop of Lund of the Church of Sweden.- History :...
.
This resulted in a two-year civil war, known as the Count's Feud
Count's Feud
The Count's Feud , also called the Count's War, was a civil war that raged in Denmark in 1534–36 and brought about the Reformation in Denmark...
(Grevens Fejde, 1534–36), between Protestant and Catholic forces.
Civil War (Count's Feud)
Count Christopher had the support of most of Zealand, ScaniaScania
Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
, the Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
, and the small farmers of northern Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
and Funen
Funen
Funen , with a size of 2,984 km² , is the third-largest island of Denmark following Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy, and the 163rd largest island of the world. Funen is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 454,358 inhabitants . The main city is Odense, connected to the...
. Christian III found his support among the nobles of Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
.
In 1534, the Catholic peasants under Skipper Clement
Skipper Clement
Klemen Andersen "Skipper Clement" was a Danish merchant, captain, privateer and leader of the peasant rebellion that was part of the civil war known as the Count's Feud .-Background:...
began an uprising in northern Jutland, pillaging the holdings of Lutheran nobles. An army of nobles and their vassals assembled at Svendstrup and suffered a terrible defeat at the hands of the peasants. Realizing his hold on the throne was in imminent danger, Christian III negotiated a deal with the Hansa States which allowed him to send his trusted advisor Johan Rantzau
Johan Rantzau
Johan Rantzau was a German-Danish general and statesman known for his role in the Count's Feud.Rantzau was born at the castle of Steinburg near Itzehoe into nobility...
north with an army of Protestant German mercenaries. Clement and his army fled north, taking refuge inside the walls of Aalborg
Aalborg
-Transport:On the north side of the Limfjord is Nørresundby, which is connected to Aalborg by a road bridge Limfjordsbroen, an iron railway bridge Jernbanebroen over Limfjorden, as well as a motorway tunnel running under the Limfjord Limfjordstunnelen....
. In December, Rantzau's forces breached the walls and stormed the city. In the following days 3,000 people were massacred and the city was plundered by the Protestant German mercenaries. Clement managed to escape the slaughter, but was apprehended a few days later. He was tried and beheaded in 1535. His body was cut apart and placed on a sty, a lead crown was placed on Clement's spiked head.
With Jutland more or less secure, Christian next focused on gaining control of Scania
Scania
Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
. He appealed to the Protestant Swedish king Gustav Vasa
Gustav I of Sweden
Gustav I of Sweden, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known simply as Gustav Vasa , was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death....
for help in subduing the rebels. Gustav immediately obliged by sending two armies to ravage central Scania
Scania
Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
and Halland
Halland
' is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden , on the western coast of Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat.-Administration:...
. The Catholic peasants suffered a bloody defeat at Loshult. The Lutheran Swedes moved against Helsingborg
Helsingborg
Helsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...
Castle, which surrendered in January 1535 and was burned to the ground.
Rantzau moved his army to Funen
Funen
Funen , with a size of 2,984 km² , is the third-largest island of Denmark following Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy, and the 163rd largest island of the world. Funen is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 454,358 inhabitants . The main city is Odense, connected to the...
and defeated Count Christopher's army at Øksnebjerg in June 1535. Count Christopher's forces held out in Malmø and Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
until July 1536 when they surrendered after several months of siege by Christian II's forces. With their capitulation, Christian III was firmly emplaced upon Denmark's throne, and the Catholic forces in Denmark were subdued.
After the war
A mutual confidence between a king who had conquered his kingdom and a people who had stood in arms against him was not attainable immediately. The circumstances under which Christian III ascended the throne exposed Denmark to the danger of foreign domination. It was with the help of the gentry of the Germanic duchies that Christian had conquered Denmark. HolsatianHolstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
and other German noblemen had led his armies and directed his diplomacy. The first six years of Christian III's reign were marked by a contest between the Danish Rigsraadet
Rigsraadet
Rigsraadet, or Riksrådet, , is the name of the councils of the Scandinavian countries that ruled the countries together with the kings from late Middle Ages to the 17th century...
and the German counsellors, both of whom sought to rule through the king. Though the Danish party won a victory at the outset, by obtaining the insertion in the charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
of provisions stipulating that only native-born Danes should fill the highest dignities of the state, the king's German Lutheran counsellors continued paramount during his early reign.
The triumph of a German speaking Lutheran like Christian III would eventually bring about an end to traditional Christianity in Denmark, but Catholics still controlled the Council of State
Council of State
The Council of State is a unique governmental body in a country or subdivision thereoff, though its nature may range from the formal name for the cabinet to a non-executive advisory body surrounding a head of state. It is sometimes regarded as the equivalent of a privy council.-Modern:*Belgian...
. Christian III ordered the arrest of three of the bishops on the State Council by his German mercenaries (12 August 1536). Martin Luther wrote to the king congratulating him on his success.
Christian's debt for the Count's Feud
Count's Feud
The Count's Feud , also called the Count's War, was a civil war that raged in Denmark in 1534–36 and brought about the Reformation in Denmark...
was enormous and confiscating the Church lands (farmed by peasants who had been free from vassalage duties to the nobles) enabled him to pay down the debt to his creditors. The ultimate gainers from the confiscations were the nobles who led the New Faith imported from Germany.
Christian's Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
policies led Denmark toward the establishment of the Danish Lutheran Church as the national church of Denmark (Folkekirke). This occurred officially on 30 October 1536 when the reconstituted State Council (purged of Catholics) adopted the Lutheran Ordinances designed by the German Johannes Bugenhagen
Johannes Bugenhagen
Johannes Bugenhagen , also called Doctor Pomeranus by Martin Luther, introduced the Protestant Reformation in the Duchy of Pomerania and Denmark in the 16th century. Among his major accomplishments was organization of Lutheran churches in Northern Germany and Scandinavia...
, which outlined church organization, liturgy, and accepted religious practice.
Monasteries, nunneries, priories were closed and the property taken by the crown (see Chronicle of the Expulsion of the Grayfriars
Chronicle of the Expulsion of the Grayfriars
The Chronicle of the Expulsion of the Greyfriars is a historical writing on the Reformation in Denmark between the years 1527 and 1532 when the Franciscans eventually were forced to leave Denmark.-Introduction:...
). Vast tracts of land were handed out to the king's supporters. Churches were closed, cathedral schools terminated, and recalcitrant priests turned out of their parishes. Catholic bishops were imprisoned unless they agreed to marry and give up their privileges. Some submitted after years of imprisonment; others refused to accept the New Faith and became martyrs.
Later reign
The dangers threatening Christian III from the emperor Charles VCharles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
and other kinsmen of the imprisoned Christian II convinced him of the necessity to lessen the discontent in the land by relying on Danish magnates and nobles.
The pivot of the foreign policy of Christian III was his alliance with the German Protestant princes, as a counterpoise to the persistent hostility of Charles V, who was determined to support the hereditary claims of his nieces, the daughters of Christian II, to the Scandinavian kingdoms.
War was declared against Charles V in 1542, and, though the German Protestant princes proved faithless allies, the closing of the Sound
Sound
Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.-Propagation of...
against Dutch shipping proved such an effective weapon in King Christian's hand that the Netherlands compelled Charles V to make peace with Denmark
Treaty of Speyer (1544)
The Treaty of Speyer or Peace of Speyer was signed on May 23, 1544 between Denmark and the Holy Roman Empire during a diet of the Holy Roman Empire in Speyer, Germany. Danish king Christian III had imposed heavy tolls on the Sound and two other channels between the North Sea and the Baltic sea, in...
at the diet of Speyer
Speyer
Speyer is a city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located beside the river Rhine, Speyer is 25 km south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Founded by the Romans, it is one of Germany's oldest cities...
, on 23 May 1544.
Partition of Holstein and Schleswig
Until this peace, Christian III ruled the entire Duchies of Holstein and of Schleswig also in the name of his then still minor half-brothers John the ElderJohn II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev
John the Elder was the only Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev. The predicate the Elder is sometimes used to distinguish him from his nephew John the Younger, who held Sønderborg from 1564 as a partitioned-off duke...
(Hans den Ældre) and Adolf
Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp
Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp was the first Duke of Holstein-Gottorp from the line of Holstein-Gottorp of the House of Oldenburg....
. They determined their youngest brother Frederick, Prince of Denmark for a career as Lutheran administrator of an ecclesiastical state within the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
.
In 1544 the elder three brothers partitioned Holstein (a fief of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
) and Schleswig (a Danish fief) in an unusual way, following negotiations between the brothers and the Estates of the Realm
Estates of the realm
The Estates of the realm were the broad social orders of the hierarchically conceived society, recognized in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period in Christian Europe; they are sometimes distinguished as the three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and commoners, and are often referred to by...
of the duchies, which opposed a factual partition. So the revenues of the duchies were divided into three equal shares by assigning the revenues of particular areas and landed estates to each of the three brothers, while other general revenues, such as taxes from towns and customs dues, were levied together but then shared among the brothers. The estates, whose revenues were assigned to the parties, made Holstein and Schleswig look like patchworks, technically inhibiting the emergence of separate new duchies, as intended by the estates of the duchies.
The secular rule in the fiscally divided duchies thus became a (international law) condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
of the parties. As an effect both separate duchies, Holstein and Schleswig, with shares of each party scattered in both duchies, provided them with a condominial government binding both together, partially superseding their legally different affiliation as Holy Roman and Danish fiefs. As dukes of Holstein and Schleswig, the three brothers bore the formal title of "Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Ditmarsh and Stormarn
Stormarn
Stormarn is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Segeberg and Ostholstein, the city of Lübeck, the district of Lauenburg, and the city-state of Hamburg.-History:...
". John the Elder conveniently called Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev produced no issue, so no branch emerged from his side. Adolf founded a cadet branch of the royal Danish House of Oldenburg
House of Oldenburg
The House of Oldenburg is a North German dynasty and one of Europe's most influential Royal Houses with branches that rule or have ruled in Denmark, Russia, Greece, Norway, Schleswig, Holstein, Oldenburg and Sweden...
called House of Holstein-Gottorp
House of Holstein-Gottorp
The House of Holstein-Gottorp, a cadet branch of the Oldenburg dynasty, ruled Sweden from 1751 until 1818, and Norway from 1814 to 1818.In 1743 Adolf Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp was elected crown prince of Sweden as a Swedish concession to Russia, a strategy for achieving an acceptable peace...
, a convenient usage for the technically more correct Duke of Schleswig and Holstein at Gottorp
Gottorp
Gottorf Castle is a castle and estate in the city of Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the ancestral home of the Holstein-Gottorp branch of the House of Oldenburg...
.
Similarly Christian III's youngest son John the Younger gained for himself and his heirs a share in Holstein's and Schleswig's revenues in 1564, comprising a third of the royal share, a ninth of Holstein and Schleswig from a fiscal point of view. John the Younger and his heirs, however, had no share in the condominial rule.
Conclusion
The foreign policy of Christian's later days was regulated by the peace of Speyer. He carefully avoided all foreign complications; refused to participate in the Schmalkaldic warSchmalkaldic League
The Schmalkaldic League was a defensive alliance of Lutheran princes within the Holy Roman Empire during the mid-16th century. Although originally started for religious motives soon after the start of the Protestant Reformation, its members eventually intended for the League to replace the Holy...
of 1546; mediated between the emperor and Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
after the fall of Maurice of Saxony at the Battle of Sievershausen
Battle of Sievershausen
The Battle of Sievershausen occurred on 9 July 1553 in Sievershausen , between the Catholic Imperial troops and those of the Protestant Schmalkaldic League. 4,000 soldiers were killed, including Maurice, Elector of Saxony, the Protestant commander of the Catholic side...
in 1553.
King Christian III died on New Year's Day 1559 at Koldinghus
Koldinghus
Koldinghus is a Danish royal castle on the south central part of the Jutland peninsula in the town of Kolding. The castle was founded in the 11th century and was expanded since with many functions ranging from fortress, royal residency, ruin, museum, and the location of numerous wartime...
and was interred in Roskilde Cathedral
Roskilde Cathedral
Roskilde Cathedral , in the city of Roskilde on the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark, is a cathedral of the Lutheran Church of Denmark. The first Gothic cathedral to be built of brick, it encouraged the spread of the Brick Gothic style throughout Northern Europe...
.
Descendants
Christian married Dorothea of Saxe-LauenburgDorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg
Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg , consort of Christian III from 1525 and Queen consort of Denmark and Norway. She was daughter of Duke Magnus I of Saxe-Lauenburg and Catherine, daughter of Henry IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
on 29 October 1525 at Lauenburg Castle
Lauenburg/Elbe
Lauenburg/Elbe is a town in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated at the northern bank of the river Elbe, east of Hamburg. It is the southernmost town of Schleswig-Holstein. Lauenburg belongs to the Kreis of Herzogtum Lauenburg and had a population of 11,900 as of 2002...
. They were the parents of five children;
- Anna of Denmark (1532–1585). Consort to Augustus, Elector of SaxonyAugustus, Elector of SaxonyAugustus was Elector of Saxony from 1553 to 1586.-First years:Augustus was born in Freiberg, the youngest child and third son of Henry IV, Duke of Saxony, and Catherine of Mecklenburg. He consequently belonged to the Albertine branch of the Wettin family...
. - Frederick II (1534–1588).
- Magnus, King of LivoniaMagnus of LivoniaMagnus of Holstein was a Prince of Denmark and a member of the House of Oldenburg. As a vassal of Ivan IV of Russia, he was the titular King of Livonia from 1570 to 1578.-Early life:...
(1540–1583). - Johann II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plon (John the Younger; 1545–1622).
- Dorothea of Denmark (1546–1617). Consort to William, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgWilliam, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgWilhelm , called William the Younger, was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Prince of Lüneburg from 1559 until his death. Until 1569 he ruled together with his brother Henry of Dannenberg....
and mother to George, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgGeorge, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgGeorge, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg ruled as Prince of Calenberg from 1635.He was a son of William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Dorothea of Denmark . His mother was daughter to Christian III of Denmark and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg...
.