Christian III of Denmark
Christian III. ( Born August 12, 1503 Gottorp Castle, † January 1, 1559 to Koldinghus ) was from 1534 to 1559 King of Denmark and Norway.
Life
Christian III. was the eldest son of King Frederick I of Denmark and Norway and his first wife Anna of Brandenburg. Christian III. was ardent Lutherans and led the Reformation in Denmark, Norway and Iceland. He encouraged agriculture and trade, and published a Danish translation of the Bible ( 1550). Under his reign, the monarchy has experienced an enormous upswing.
During a trip abroad he lived in 1521 at the Diet of Worms; the meeting with Martin Luther made an indelible impression on him.
1523 his father gave him the management of part of the Duchy of Schleswig with the center of Haderslev, where he introduced the Reformation.
Disputes about the succession and Count feud
When Frederick I died on April 10, 1533, the Catholic -dominated Imperial Council, the Lutheran -inspired Christian refused to choose king; the election was postponed to the following year. In this period, Denmark and Norway were without a king. The Lutheran minority in the Imperial Parliament offered together with the mayors of Copenhagen and Malmö Duke Christian to the throne, but this struck him out. Also on the support of Lübeck and the Hanseatic League he renounced prefer instead to go into new dependencies. Then the two mayors have allocated a, Christian II, who was imprisoned at Sønderborg Castle, to reinstate with the help of Count Christopher of Oldenburg and Lübeck. This triggered the so-called Count feud.
Christian took over the royal authority only after a request of the Imperial Council, after Lübeck and its allies attacked Denmark in 1534 and first victories had won. The nobles chose him to a meeting in the church Sct. Sören about Rye on July 4 1534th The Imperial Council had transferred a large part of its power to the king, before accepting the Christian choice.
In his election capitulation it says in § 3:
" Och efftherthij att Norgis riige nw saa forringget he bode aff magtt formwæ och, och Norgis riigis jndbiggere jcke Aldene formwæ att vnderholde thennom aenn herre och konnyng, och samme riige he dog Forbundet att bliffue hoes Danmarcks crown till ewiig tiidt [ ... ] tha skall thet heer effther Weere och bliffwe vnder Danmarcks crown, liige som eth aff the other country, Jutland, Fyenn, Sielandt eller Skonæ EERE, och ago effther jcke Weere eller hede jngtet koninge riige for seg, menn eth ledemodt aff Danmarcks riige och vnder Danmarcks crown till ewiige tiidt. "
" After the kingdom of Norway has been reduced so much power and wealth, and the inhabitants of the kingdom of Norway alone a lords and King are not able to entertain and since now this realm is connected with Denmark's Crown for ever [ ... ] so it shall hereafter under be Denmark's crown and remain no longer be described as a kingdom, but as a member of the Kingdom of Denmark for all time as the other countries of Jutland, Funen, Zealand and Skåne and from now on. "
Thus ended the statehood of Norway.
Christian III. had at the beginning of his reign, only the control of Jutland. In September also moved Skipper Clement citizens and peasants to revolt in northern Jutland. The uprising was put down, and Clement fled from Aalborg with the troops Johann Rantzaus in the neck. He was soon caught and hanged on September 9, 1535 in Viborg. The body was quartered and put on display, and the severed head continued to lead a crown.
In the spring of 1535 Christian army sat over to Funen, where Johann Rantzau at the Battle of Øksnebjerg won the decisive victory over the now feuding opponent on June 11. Around the same time defeated a Danish- Swedish fleet under the leadership Peder Skrams at Svendborgsund the fleet of Luebeck. On July 29, 1536 33 -year-old Christian took a Copenhagen, Denmark and was again a united kingdom.
In Norway, were the southern and northern Imperial Council department disagree about the successor Friedrich I. In the northern parts ruled Bishop Olav Engelbrektsson, and he defied a Lutheran king with all power and forced the remaining Council members confrontation. But as the Count feud ended with a total victory Christian and he sent his troops to Norway, Olav had to leave the country. The Imperial Council recognized Christian III. 1537 as king and was dissolved, and Norway lost its independence.
Introduction of the Reformation
On August 12, 1536 King had three Catholic bishops arrest, partly to break the resistance against the Reformation to partly settle the expropriation handsome church 's assets, the debt to the great army of mercenaries. Martin Luther sent his congratulations to the King. The church order of Johannes Bugenhagen the Reformation in Denmark and Norway was introduced.
Schleswig-Holstein
1544 were the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein between Christian III. and his half-brothers Johann the Elder and Adolf I. divided. Christian Herzog was the royal share, Adolf of Schleswig -Holstein - Gottorp and Johann of Schleswig -Holstein - Haderslev. For his stays in the fort brim acquired Christian III. where the so-called royal court.
Marriage and issue
Christian married in 1525 Princess Dorothea of Saxe- Lauenburg ( 1511-1571 ), daughter of Duke Magnus I of Saxe- Lauenburg, with whom he had five children:
- Anna (* November 22, 1532; † October 1, 1585 )
- Frederick II ( July 1, 1534 *, † April 4, 1588 )
- Magnus (* August 14, 1540, † March 18, 1583 ), Duke of Holstein, Bishop of Osel - Wiek ( 1560-1572 ) and Courland ( 1560-1583 ), King of Livonia ( 1570-1577 )
- Johann III. (* March 25, 1545; † October 9, 1622 )
- Dorothea (* June 29, 1546; † January 6, 1617 )