Christian III of Denmark
Christian III of Denmark (born the August 12th 1503 with Copenhagen - died on January 1st 1559 with Koldinghus).
He was king of Denmark and Norway (1534 - 1559), duke of Holstein and Schleswig of 1523 with 1533.
Family
Wire of Frederic Ier and Anne de Brandebourg.
Maraige and descent
The October 29th 1525 Christian III of Denmark married Dorothée of Saxony-Lauenbourg († 1575), (girl of the duke Magnus Ier of Saxony-Lauenbourg).
Five children were born from this union:
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Magnus of Denmark (1540 - 1583), it was bishop of Oesel and of Courlande, king of Livonie of 1570 with 1577 date of his abdication, in 1573, it married Marie de Staritsa (1560 - 1597), (girl of the duke Vladimir de Staritsa (two children)
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Jean de Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderbourg, known as the Young person (1545 - 1622), duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderbourg, in 1568, it married Elisabeth of Brunswick-Grubenhagen († 1586), (girl of the duke Ernest of Brunswick-Grubenhagen). Widower, it married in 1588, Agnés d' Anhalt († 1616), (girl of prince Joachim d' Anhalt)
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Dorothée of Denmark (1546 - 1617), in 1561, it married the duke Guillaume de Brusnwick-Lunebourg († 1592).
Biography
Among the teachers of the future Christian III, Wolfgang von Utenhof originating in Wittenberg and the Lutheran Holsatian Johann Ranztzau who became his tutor, they were at the same time men of a great capacity and reformers.
In 1521, Christian III of Denmark went in Germany and took part in the Diète of Worms (January 28th with the May 25th 1521) where Martin Luther made a great impression on him. On his return, his/her father was ridden on the Danish throne in the place of Christian II of Denmark. Christian III of Denmark never hid his opinion on the Luthérisme and its freedom of speech was worth some troubles, not only to him with the roman catholics Rigsraad, but also with its father, careful and timer man.
At its own Court with Schleswig, in spite of the opposition of the bishops, Christian III of Denmark the Reform made of sound to better introduce. Like duke of Schleswig and Holstein and like viceroy of Norway, it showed a great administrative capacity, but it was shown of a great intolerance towards the roman catholics. Some proposed with the succession with the Danish and Norwegian throne, his/her Jean half-brother of Denmark, duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderbourg, because this one had been educated in the faith roman catholic.
Christian III, king of Denmark
After the death of his/her father in 1533, it was proclaimed king de Danemark and of Norway. It initially had to be imposed upon the partisans of Christian II and in Lübeckois It thus took an active share with the " War of the comtes" or " Grevens Fejde " of 1534 with 1536. The triumph of the Reform caused the fall of Roman Catholicism to the Denmark, but the presence of the catholics Roman to the Council of State was still very strong, Christian III of Denmark had to resort to the coup d'etat, which it successfully achieves with the assistance of his German mercenaries the August 12th 1536. The brutality of this act was strongly blamed by Martin Luther. Christian III of Denmark imposed the Luthéranisme like religion of State in the whole of his possessions, triumphing over a strong catholic opposition and confiscating the goods of the Church what it enabled him to readjust finances of the kingdom. The circumstances which brought Christian III on the throne exposed it to the danger of the foreign domination. It was with the assistance of the nobility of the duchy of Holstein that Christian III of conquered Denmark the Danish throne. Noble German and of Holstein had led its armies and directed its diplomacy. A mutual confidence between a king who had conquered his kingdom and people which resisted to him with the weapons could not be carried out in the immediate future. The first six years of its reign were remembered by a fight between the German Danes and advisers. Although the Danish part gained a victory by obtaining insertion in the Charte of provisions providing that only the Danish natives should obtain highest dignities of the State, the German advisers continued to occupy the first places within 'State during the first years of the reign of Christian III of Denmark. The Danes, Charles Quint and the family members of Christian III of Denmark threatened it of imprisonment, these threats managed to convince it to eliminate the last traces from dissatisfaction in its kingdom, it dealt exclusively with the Danish members of the noble big families and the soldiers. The recognition of Christian III of Denmark by the Danish people achieves with Copenhagen in 1542. The Danish nobility had to give one twentieth its goods in order to refund the heavy debt contracted towards the Holstein and German.
To make counterweight with the persistent hostility of Charles Quint which was given to support the claims of the nieces of Christian III of Denmark ((girls of Christian II of Denmark) concerning the heritage of the Scandinavian kingdom, the pivot of poltic foreign of Christian III of Denmark was his alliance with the German princes evangelists. In 1542, with the assistance of the Protestant German princes, it declared the war with Charles Quint. Charles V of the Holy roman Empire made peace with Christian III of Denmark at the time of the Diète of Whorl the May 23rd 1544. The foreign politics of Christian III of Denmark was regulated by Dière de Spire. It avoided carefully any danger of complications, it refused to take part in the Ligue of Smalkalde in 1546. The mediation between the emperor and the Saxony after the fall of Maurice of Saxony to the battle of Sievershausen in 1553, contributed much to the conclusion of peace.
It developed the Danish fleet, centralized the capacity, put an end to the electoral statute of king de Danemark by establishing the hereditary right of its line to the Danish crown, and raised its country with the row of great power. His/her son Frederic II succeeded to him.
Died and burial
Christian III of Denmark died on January 1st 1559. He was buried in the cathedral of Roskilde.
Genealogy
Christian III of Denmark belongs to the first branch of the Maison of Oldenbourg. This line gave kings to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, it died out in 1863 with the death of Frederic VII of Denmark.
Internal bonds
- Christian Ier of Denmark (paternal grandfather)
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Jean Ier Cicéron de Brandebourg (maternal grandfather)
External bonds and sources
web.genealogie.free.fr
en.wikipedia.org