- 1670-1699: King of Denmark and Norway
- House of Oldenburg
Biography
Christian V of Denmark, king of Denmark and Norway, was born 15 April 1646 in Flensburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany to Frederik III of Denmark (1609-1670) and Sophie Amalie von Braunschweig-Calenberg (1628-1685) and died 25 August 1699 Copenhagen, Denmark of unspecified causes. He married Charlotte Amalie von Hessen-Kassel (1650-1714) 25 June 1667 in Nykyöbing.
Christian V was King of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699.[1]
Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the decree that institutionalized the supremacy of the king in Denmark-Norway. Christian fortified the absolutist system against the aristocracy by accelerating his father's practice of allowing both Holstein nobles and Danish and Norwegian commoners into state service.
As king, he wanted to show his power as absolute monarch through architecture, and dreamed of a Danish Versailles. He was the first to use the 1671 Throne Chair of Denmark, partly made for this purpose.[2] His motto was: Pietate et Justitia (With piety and justice).
Biography
Early years

Christian V portrayed as the prince elect in the year 1650, in a painting by Karel van Mander III
Prince Christian was born on 15 April 1646 at Duborg Castle in the city of Flensburg, then located in the Duchy of Schleswig. He was the first legitimate child born to the then Prince Frederick of Denmark by his consort, Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Calenberg. Prince Frederick was a younger son of King Christian IV, but the death of his elder brother Christian, Prince-Elect of Denmark in June 1647 opened the possibility for Frederick to be elected heir apparent to the Danish throne.
After the death of King Christian IV in 1648, Frederick thus became King of Denmark and Norway as Frederick III. Prince Christian was elected successor to his father in June 1650. This was not a free choice, but de facto automatic hereditary succession. Escorted by his chamberlain Christoffer Parsberg, Christian went on a long trip abroad, to Holland, England, France, and home through Germany. On this trip, he saw absolutism in its most splendid achievement at the young Louis XIV's court, and heard about the theory of the divine right of kings. He returned to Denmark in August 1663. From 1664 he was allowed to attend proceedings of the State College. Hereditary succession was made official by Royal Law in 1665. Christian was hailed as heir in Copenhagen in August 1665, in Odense and Viborg in September, and in Christiania, Norway in July 1666. Only a short time before he became king, he was taken into the Council of the Realm and the Supreme Court.
Family
Christian V had eight children by his wife and six by his Maîtresse-en-titre, whom he took up with when she was sixteen. Sophie was the daughter of his former tutor Poul Moth. Christian publicly introduced Sophie into court in 1672, a move which insulted his wife, and made her countess of Samsø on 31 December 1677.

Christian V with his eldest son crown-prince Frederick (IV), and his other sons Christian and Charles
Marriage to Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel
Legitimate children by his queen Charlotte Amalie:
Name | Birth | Death |
---|---|---|
Frederick IV | 2 October 1671 | 12 October 1730 |
Christian Vilhelm | 1 December 1672 | 25 January 1673 |
Christian | 25 March 1675 | 27 June 1695 |
Sophie Hedwig | 28 August 1677 | 13 March 1735 |
Christiane Charlotte | 18 January 1679 | 24 August 1689 |
Charles | 26 October 1680 | 8 June 1729 |
Daughter | 17 July 1683 | 17 July 1683 |
Vilhelm | 21 February 1687 | 23 November 1705 |
Children with Sophie Moth
Illegitimate children by his mistress, Sofie Amalie Moth (1654-1719), Countess of Samsø:
Name | Birth | Death |
---|---|---|
Christiane Gyldenløve | 7 July 1672 | 12 September 1689 |
Christian Gyldenløve | 28 February 1674 | 16 July 1703 |
Sophie Christiane Gyldenløve | 1675 | 18 August 1684 |
Anna Christiane Gyldenløve | 1676 | 11 August 1689 |
Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve | 24 June 1678 | 8 December 1719 |
Daughter | 1682 | 8 July 1684 |
Children
Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
Frederik IV of Denmark (1671-1730) | 11 October 1671 Copenhagen, Denmark | 12 October 1730 Odense, Denmark | Louise zu Mecklenburg (1667-1721) Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg (1679-1704) Anne Sophie Reventlow (1693-1743) |
Christian Vilhelm of Denmark (1672-1673) | |||
Christian of Denmark (1675-1695) | |||
Sophie Hedevig of Denmark (1677-1735) | |||
Christiane Charlotte of Denmark (1679-1689) | |||
Carl of Denmark (1680-1729) | |||
Vilhelm of Denmark (1687-1705) |
Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
Christiane Gyldenløve (1672-1689) | |||
Christian Gyldenløve (1674-1703) | 28 February 1674 København, Denmark | 16 July 1703 Odense | Charlotte Amalie af Danneskiold-Samsøe (1682-1699) Dorothea Krag (1675-1754) |
Sophie Christine Gyldenløve (1675-1684) | |||
Anna Christine Gyldenløve (1676-1689) | |||
Ulrich Christian Gyldenløve (1678-1719) |
Siblings
Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
Ulrik Frederik Pape (1638-1704) | 20 July 1638 Bremen, Germany | 17 April 1704 Hamburg, Germany | Sophia Urne (c1630-1714) Marie Grubbe (1643-1718) Antoinette Augusta von Aldenburg (1660-1710) |
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
- ^ "Christian V, 1646-99". https://runeberg.org/dbl/3/0503.html.
- ^ Written by the Frederiksborg's historian staff on the official website of the institution.
Bibliography
- The Royal Lineage Archived 14 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine at the website of the Danish Monarchy
- Christian V at the website of the Royal Danish Collection
- The Royal Orders of Chivalry (Order of Dannebrog, instituted by Christian V in 1671) — Official site of the Danish Monarchy
- Nielsen, Kay Søren. "Christian V. Konge og sportsmand" (in da). The Royal Danish Arsenal Museum. http://www.thm.dk/publ/ksn/ksn1_1.htm.
External links
- wikipedia:en:Christian V of Denmark
- Christian V of Denmark at thePeerage
- Christian V of Denmark, Geni.com, https://www.geni.com/people/Christian-V-king-of-Denmark-and-Norway/4104893, retrieved 01 Jan 2025
- Christian V of Denmark, FamilySearch.org, https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/M48X-TTK, retrieved 01 Jan 2025
- Christian V of Denmark, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/DENMARK.htm#ChristianVdied1699B, retrieved 01 Jan 2025
- Christian V of Denmark, Genealogics.org, https://genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00004457&tree=LEO, retrieved 01 Jan 2025
- Christian V of Denmark, FindAGrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9427084/christian_v, retrieved 01 Jan 2025
Succession Charts
Christian V Born: 14 April 1646 Died: 25 August 1699
| ||
Regnal titles | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Frederick III |
King of Denmark and Norway Count of Oldenburg 1670–1699 |
Succeeded by Frederick IV |
Preceded by Frederick III of Denmark as co-ruler of Christian Albert of Gottorp |
Duke of Holstein and Schleswig 1670–1699 with Christian Albert (1670–1695) Frederick IV (1695–1699) |
Succeeded by Frederick IV of Denmark as co-ruler of Frederick IV of Gottorp |
Footnotes (including sources)
‡ General |
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