- 1588-1648: King of Denmark and Norway
- 1588-1648: Duke of Holstein and Schleswig
- 1621-1625: Supervisor of Hamburg
- House of Oldenburg
Biography
Christian IV of Denmark, king of Denmark and Norway, was born 12 April 1577 Frederiksborg Palace in Hillerød, Denmark to Frederik II of Denmark (1534-1588) and Sophie von Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1557-1631) and died 28 February 1648 Rosenborg Castle Copenhagen, Denmark of unspecified causes. He married Anna Katharina von Brandenburg (1575-1612) 7 December 1597 in Haderslev, Denmark. He married Kirstine Munk (1598-1658) 31 December 1615 .
Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is the longest in Scandinavian history.[1]
A member of the House of Oldenburg, Christian began his personal rule of Denmark-Norway in 1596 at the age of 19. He is remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious, and proactive Danish-Norwegian kings, having initiated many reforms and projects. Christian IV obtained for his kingdoms a level of stability and wealth that was virtually unmatched elsewhere in Europe.[2] He engaged Denmark-Norway in numerous wars, most notably the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), which devastated much of Germany, undermined the Danish economy, and cost Denmark-Norway some of its conquered territories.[3] He rebuilt and renamed the Norwegian capital Oslo as Christiania after himself, a name used until 1925.[4]
Titles and style
In the 1621 Treaty of The Hague and Treaty of Bremen between Denmark-Norway and the Dutch Republic, Christian was styled "Lord Christian the Fourth, King of all Denmark and Norway, the Goths and the Wends, duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Stormarn, and Ditmarsh, count of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst, etc."[5][6]
Birth and family
Frederiksborg Castle, c. 1585.
Christian was born at Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark on 12 April 1577 as the third child and eldest son of King Frederick II of Denmark–Norway and Sofie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.[7] He was descended, through his mother's side, from King John of Denmark, and was thus the first descendant of King John to assume the crown since the deposition of King Christian II.
At the time, Denmark was still an elective monarchy, so in spite of being the eldest son Christian was not automatically heir to the throne. But Norway was a hereditary monarchy, and electing someone else would result in the end of the union of the crowns. However, in 1580, at the age of 3, his father had him elected Prince and successor to the throne of Denmark.
Young king
At the death bed of Niels Kaas. The 17-year-old Christian IV receives from the dying chancellor the keys to the vault where the royal crown and sceptre are stored.
History painting by Carl Bloch, 1880.
At the death of his father on 4 April 1588, Christian was just 10 years old.[7] He succeeded to the throne, but as he was still under-age a regency council was set up to serve as the trustees of the royal power while Christian was still growing up. It was led by chancellor Niels Kaas (1535–1594) and consisted of the Rigsraadet council members Peder Munk (1534–1623), Jørgen Ottesen Rosenkrantz (1523–1596) and Christoffer Valkendorff (1525–1601). His mother Queen Dowager Sophie, 30 years old, had wished to play a role in the government, but was denied by the council.[8] At the death of Niels Kaas in 1594, Jørgen Rosenkrantz took over leadership of the regency council.
Marriage and Issue
1st Marriage: Anna von Brandenburg
On 30 November 1597, he married Anna Katharina von Brandenburg (1575-1612), a daughter of Joachim Friedrich, Margrave of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia.[9] They were married from 1597 to 1612. She died after bearing Christian seven children.
With his first wife, Anne Catherine of Brandenburg he fathered the following children:
- Stillborn son (1598).[10]
- Frederik (15 August 1599 – 9 September 1599).
- Christian (10 April 1603 – 2 June 1647).
- Sophie (4 January 1605 – 7 September 1605).
- Elisabeth (16 March 1606 – 24 October 1608).
- Frederik III of Denmark (1609-1670) - successor king of Denmark and Norway.
- Ulrik (2 February 1611 – 12 August 1633); murdered, Administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Schwerin as Ulrich III (1624–1633).
Kirsten Munk and children portrayed by Jacob van Doordt, 1623.
2nd Marriage: Kirsten Munk
In 1615, three years after her death, the king privately married Kirsten Munk, by whom he had twelve children.[7]
In 1632, an English envoy to king Christian IV, then aged 55, primly remarked "Such is the life of that king: to drink all day and to lie with a whore every night".[11]
In the course of 1628, he discovered that his wife, Kirsten Munk, was having a relationship with one of his German officers. Christian had Munk placed under house arrest. She endeavoured to cover up her own disgrace by conniving at an intrigue between Vibeke Kruse, one of her discharged maids, and the king. In January 1630, the rupture became final and Kirsten retired to her estates in Jutland.
With his second wife, Kirsten Munk, he had 12 children, though the youngest, Dorothea Elisabeth, was rumoured to be the daughter of Kirsten's lover, Otto Ludwig:
- Stillborn child (b. & d. 1615).
- Unnamed infant (b. & d. 1617).
- Countess Anna Cathrine of Schleswig-Holstein (10 August 1618 – 20 August 1633); married Frands Rantzau.
- Countess Sophie Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein (20 September 1619 – 29 April 1657); married Christian on Pentz.
- Countess Leonora Christina of Schleswig-Holstein (8 July 1621 – 16 March 1698); married Corfitz Ulfeldt.
- Count Valdemar Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (26 June 1622 – 26 February 1656).
- Countess Elisabeth Auguste of Schleswig-Holstein (28 December 1623 – 9 August 1677); married Hans Lindenov.
- Count Friedrich Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (26 April 1625 – 17 July 1627).
- Countess Christiane of Schleswig-Holstein (15 July 1626 – 6 May 1670); married Hannibal Sehested.
- Countess Hedwig of Schleswig-Holstein (15 July 1626 – 5 October 1678); married Ebbe Ulfeldt.
- Countess Maria Katharina of Schleswig-Holstein (29 May 1628 – 1 September 1628).
- Countess Dorothea Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein (1 September 1629 – 18 March 1687).
3rd Relationship: Kirsten Madsdatter
With Kirsten Madsdatter:
- Christian Ulrik Gyldenløve (1611–1640).
4th Relationship: Karen Andersdatter
With Karen Andersdatter:
- Dorothea Elisabeth Gyldenløve (1613–1615).
- Hans Ulrik Gyldenløve (1615–1645).
5th Relationship: Vibeke Kruse
Christian openly acknowledged Vibeke as his mistress, and they had several children. With Vibeke Kruse:
- Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve (1630–1658).
- Elisabeth Sophia Gyldenløve (1633–1654); married Major-General Klaus Ahlefeld.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Frederik of Denmark (1599-1599) | |||
| Christian of Denmark (1603-1647) | |||
| Sophie of Denmark (1605-1605) | |||
| Elisabeth of Denmark (1606-1608) | |||
| Frederik III of Denmark (1609-1670) | 18 March 1609 Haderslev, Denmark | 9 February 1670 Copenhagen, Denmark | Sophie Amalie von Braunschweig-Calenberg (1628-1685) Margarethe Pape (1620-1684) |
| Ulrik of Denmark (1611-1633) | |||
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Mary Elisabeth von Schleswig-Holstein (c1632-?) | |||
| Christiane von Schleswig-Holstein (1626-1670) | |||
| Jorgen Ulrik von Schleswig-Holstein (1615-1655) | |||
| Dorothea Elisabeth von Schleswig-Holstein (1629-1687) | |||
| Marie Elisabeth von Schleswig-Holstein (c1627-?) | |||
| Anna Catharine von Schleswig-Holstein (1618-1633) | |||
| Sophie Elisabeth von Schleswig-Holstein (1619-1657) | |||
| Sophie von Schleswig-Holstein (c1620-c1620) | |||
| Leonora Christine von Schleswig-Holstein (1621-1698) | |||
| Elisabeth Augusta von Schleswig-Holstein (1623-1677) | |||
| Valdemar Christian von Schleswig-Holstein (1622-1656) | |||
| Frederik Christian von Schleswig-Holstein (1625-1627) | |||
| Hedvig von Schleswig-Holstein (1626-1678) | |||
| Marie Catharine von Schleswig-Holstein (1628-1628) | |||
| Auguste von Schleswig-Holstein (1630-?) | |||
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Elisabeth of Denmark (1573-1625) | 25 August 1573 Kolding, Denmark | 19 July 1625 Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, Germany | Heinrich Julius von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1564-1613) |
| Anne of Denmark (1574-1618) | 14 October 1574 Skanderborg, Denmark | 2 March 1618 Hampton Court Palace, England, United Kingdom | James I of England (1566-1625) |
| Christian IV of Denmark (1577-1648) | 12 April 1577 Hillerød, Denmark | 28 February 1648 Copenhagen, Denmark | Anna Katharina von Brandenburg (1575-1612) Kirstine Munk (1598-1658) |
| Ulrich of Denmark (1578-1624) | |||
| Augusta of Denmark (1580-1639) | 8 April 1580 Kolding, Denmark | 5 February 1639 Husum, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany | Johann Adolf von Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf (1575-1616) |
| Hedwig of Denmark (1581-1641) | |||
| Hans of Denmark (1583-1602) | |||
Research Notes
See Also
- Frederik Oldenburg
- Oldenburg Family
- Oldenburg in Lower Saxony
Notable Descendants
- Christian is patrilineal 14x great-grandfather of King Charles III of the United Kingdom.
Notable Ancestors
- Charlemagne (747-814) - via House of Ravensburg.
- House of Oldenburg
Christian's mother, Hedvig, was a daughter of Gerhard VI, Count of Holstein, and a sister of Adolphus, Duke of Schleswig. Through his mother, Christian was also a cognatic descendant of King Eric V of Denmark through his second daughter Richeza (died 1308) and also a cognatic descendant of King Abel of Denmark through his daughter Sophie. Through his father, Christian was a cognatic descendant of King Eric IV of Denmark through his daughter Sophia. Christian thus descended from the three surviving sons of Valdemar II and his second wife Berengaria of Portugal. He was also a cognatic descendant of King Magnus III of Sweden.
References
- ^ "28 of the world's longest-reigning monarchs". 5 May 2023. https://www.countryliving.com/uk/news/a39102607/longest-reigning-monarchs.
- ^ Paul D. Lockhart, Denmark, 1513–1660: the Rise and Decline of a Renaissance Monarchy (2007).
- ^ Paul D. Lockhart, Denmark in the Thirty Years’ War, 1618–1648: King Christian IV and the Decline of the Oldenburg State (1996)
- ^ "Oslo History". https://www.oslo.com/v/history/.
- ^ "Treaty of the Hague". (in Dutch) In Davenport, Frances G. European Treaties Bearing on the History of the United States and Its Dependencies. The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd., 2004.
- ^ "Treaty of Bremen". (in Dutch) In Davenport, Frances G. European Treaties Bearing on the History of the United States and Its Dependencies. The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd., 2004.
- ^ a b c
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Bain. "Christian IV.". In Chisholm, Hugh. Encyclopædia Britannica. 6. Cambridge University Press. pp. 276–277.
- ^ "Rosenkrantz, Jørgen, 1523–96". Dansk biografisk Lexikon. https://runeberg.org/dbl/14/0253.html.
- ^ "Anna Cathrine, 1575–1612, Dronning". Dansk biografisk Lexikon. https://runeberg.org/dbl/1/0305.html.
- ^ Son Oldenburg 1598–1598 in Gen.cookancestry.com [retrieved 16 June 2014].
- ^ Geoffrey Parker, Global Crisis: War, Climate Change, and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century
Bibliography
External links
- wikipedia:en:Christian IV of Denmark
- Christian IV of Denmark at thePeerage
- Christian IV of Denmark, Geni.com, https://www.geni.com/people/Christian-IV-king-of-Denmark-and-Norway/4104731, retrieved 15 Dec 2024
- Christian IV of Denmark, FamilySearch.org, https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/9ZHV-GLX, retrieved 15 Dec 2024
- Christian IV of Denmark, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/DENMARK.htm#FrederikIIdied1588B, retrieved 15 Dec 2024
- Christian IV of Denmark, Genealogics.org, https://genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00004370&tree=LEO, retrieved 15 Dec 2024
- Christian IV of Denmark, FindAGrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6874443/christian_iv, retrieved 15 Dec 2024
Succession Charts
- The Royal Lineage
- Christian IV at the website of the Royal Danish Collection
"Christian, the name of nine kings of Denmark. II. Christian IV.". The American Cyclopædia. 1879.- Harington's account of the drunken masque.
Christian IV of Denmark (1577-1648) Born: 12 April 1577 Died: 28 February 1648
| ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Frederick II |
King of Denmark and Norway 1588–1648 |
Succeeded by Frederick III |
| Preceded by Frederick II and Philip |
Duke of Holstein and Schleswig 1588–1648 with Philip (1588–1590) John Adolf (1590–1616) Frederick III (1616–1648) |
Succeeded by Frederick III (Denmark) and Frederick III (Gottorp) |
| Preceded by Otto V |
Count of Holstein-Pinneberg 1640 |
Holstein-Pinneberg merged into the Duchy of Holstein |
Footnotes (including sources)
| ‡ General |
|
