Christian II of Denmark

Christian II - Christian 2. Danish - (1481 - 1559) is king of Denmark Norway (1513 - 1523) and Sweden (1520 - 1521), under the Union of Kalmar. Christian was born son from the king Jean I {{er}} ( Kong Hans ) and from Christine of Saxony with the castle of Nyborg in 1481 and succeeds his father as king Denmark and Norway. Its successor is his uncle Frederic I {{er}}.

Policy of Christian

Like viceroy of Norway (1506 - 1512), it shows already a singular capacity to control, in particularly difficult circumstances, thanks to true qualities: patriotism, vision, courage, stature of statesman, energy, unfortunately counterbalanced by real defects: obstinacy, suspicion, dull rouery under which bubbles a volcano of avenger cruelty.

Another characteristic, more fatal for him in this aristocratic time than another, is its leaning for the ordinary people which are accentuated with his passion for a beautiful named Danish girl Dyveke, his mistress in 1507 or 1509.

Its access to the throne is confirmed to the Herredag , or assembled the notable ones of the three Scandinavian kingdoms, joined together with Copenhagen in 1513. The noble ones and the clergy of the three kingdoms worry about a sovereign having already shown in Norway that it is not afraid to apply his authority to the most point. The private councils of Denmark and of Norway or Rigsraad insist in the Haandfæstning (i.e. the extorted charter of the king) so that the crowns of the two kingdoms are elective and nonhereditary, explicitly prohibit any transgression of the charter by the king and expressly reserve the free choice of the successor of Christian to his death. But the Swedish delegates refuse to accept Christian as king.

“We have,” said they, “the choice between peace on our premises and the dissension here, or peace here and the civil war in residence, and we prefer the first. ” Any decision on the Swedish succession is thus given. The Christian August 12th, 1515 marries Isabelle of Burgundy, the little girl of the emperor Maximilien Ier, without giving up the connection with Dyveke. Only the death of this unhappy in 1517, in suspect circumstances, avoids serious complications with the emperor Charles Quint.

Christian is avenged itself by carrying out the rich person Torben Oxe, very probable murderer of Dyveke, in spite of the support brought to Oxe by his pars. The king does not lose any occasion to reduce the nobility and to promote the ordinary subjects.

Its principal adviser is the mother of Dyveke, Sigbrit, administrator born and commercial genius of first order. Christian names it initially contrôleuse toll of Öresund, and finally Minister for Finance. Its middle-class origin explains its permanent policy to develop the influence of the middle-class, in competition with the Rigsraad .

The patricians hate obviously this competition, and allot all unpopular measurements to the influence of “the Danish witch who envouté the king”.

Reconquest of Sweden

However Christian prepares the inevitable war against Sweden where the patriotic party, carried out by the viceroi freely elected Sten Sture the Young person, opposes the party pro-Danish of the archbishop Gustave Trolle.

Christian, who already took measures to isolate Sweden politically, precipitates the events with the relief of the archbishop, besieged in his fortress of Stake, but it east demolishes by Sture and its liftings of peasants with Vedila and forced to go back to Denmark. One second attempt to control Sweden in 1518 is also empéchée by the victory of Sture with Brännkyrka. The third test in 1520 with an large army of French, German mercenaries and Scot is a success.

Sture is wounded mortally with the Bataille of Bogesund on January 19th and the Danish army, without opposition, approach Uppsala where the members of the private council of Sweden or Riksråd , are already assembled. The advisers agree to pay homage to Christian, in the condition which it pours a complete allowance for the past and guarantees to let Sweden control itself according to the Swedish laws and habits. A convention for this purpose is confirmed by the parts on March 31st.

The widow of Sture, Rams Christina Gyllenstierna, holds Stockholm still well, and the farming community of the center of Sweden, raised by its patriotism, takes the weapons and demolishes the Danish invaders with Balundsås on March 19th, beaten with difficulty with the bloody battle of Uppsala on April 6th, 1520.

In May the Danish fleet arrives and Stockholm is invested by ground and sea; but Dame Gyllenstierna resists valiantly four months more and takes care, when it goes on September 7th, to obtain a total amnesty. November 1st, the representatives of the nation swear honesty with Christian as hereditary monarch of Sweden although the laws provide that the transmission of the crown is done by an election.

The blood bath of Stockholm

November 4th he is crowned by Gustave Trolle in the Cathédrale of Stockholm, and to seize the power, he makes the usual oath, reserved to the Swedes of birth in theory. The three following days are devoted to banquets, but a festival of another kind occurs. In the evening, Christian makes gather his captains for a conference deprived with the palate. The result is that a band of Danish soldiers, with lanterns and torches, emerges in the large hall and seizes a good number of selected people.

Then, the other guests are placed in dungeons. All these people were designated by a list of the Trolle archbishop. The following day a council, chaired by Trolle, solemnly pronounces a judgment of dead on these prisoners like obvious heretics.

To midnight, this night, the patriotic bishops of Skara and Strängnäs are taken along in the large park and are decapitated. Fourteen noble, three mayors, four city council men and twenty ordinary citizens are drowned then decapitated. The executions continue the next day; in all, eighty eight people are killed.

Christian is also avenged on deaths. Thus, the skin of Sten Sture is exhumed and burned, like that of its young person wire. Ram Christina and several noble Swedish women are off-set like captive in Denmark. In Sweden Christian from now on is described as tyrant.

Christian makes conceal his political opponents under the pretext of defend an ecclesiastical system that it makes some hates. Even when it becomes necessary to make excuses for its crime, it is proof of the same duplicity. In a proclamation with the Swedish people, it presents the massacre like a necessary measure to avoid a papal prohibition.

Attempts at reform

The brain bubbling of large projects, Christian returns in his native, concerned kingdom of the " bien-être" of its possessions. As inhuman as it is when it is in anger, it is humanistic as much that its most enlightened contemporaries. But it acts with its manner and is wary deeply of noble Danish with whom it shares its capacities. He seeks a support among the rich person and the middle-class of Flandres.

In June 1521 it makes a sudden visit with the Netherlands and remains a few months there. He visits the majority of the big cities, takes with his service several Flemish craftsmen and makes the personal knowledge of Quentin Matsys and Albrecht Dürer which makes its portrait. Christian also discusses with Érasme the reform with his usual expression: “Weak measurements are without utility; the remedies which give to the body a good jolt are best and the most effective. ”

At the time of his return to Denmark on September 5th, 1521 king Christian seems more than ever to the maximum of his power. Entrusting in its force, it starts brutally with the strongest reforms. Soon, it enacts large Landelove, or codes laws, based for the greatest part on the models Dutch and testifying to the egalitarian aimings of the king. Education is generalized and the high clergy loses of its political influence. Severe sorrows are envisaged against the naufrageurs and those which put the peasants in slavery. The corporations are maintained but the rules of admission are softened. The trade agreements supporting the middle-class rich person with the detriment of the smaller salesmen are prohibited.

Unfortunately these reforms suppose the action of a monarch by divine right and not of an elected leader. Some are even in direct infringment with the charter, and the old Scandinavian spirit of independence deeply is wounded by the preference given to the Dutchmen.

Fall

Sweden is from now on in open revolt. Norway and Denmark are heavily taxed in order to recruit an army to subdue the kingdom brother. Complications with the foreigner are added to these disorders. With an aim of releasing the Danish trade of the dependence on the Hanseatic League, and of making of Copenhagen the large market of north, Christian increases tolls of the strait arbitrarily and seizes several Dutch vessels which he suspects of not paying the tax.

Also its relations with the Netherlands are tarnished and Lübeck and its allies is openly in war. Finally the Jutland raises and offers the Danish throne to Frederic on January 20th, 1523. Christian feels unable to overcome all these problems and takes the sea to seek of the assistance abroad. The first May 1523, it unloads in Veere in Zealand.

Eight years later on October 24th, 1531, it tries to take again its kingdoms, but a storm disperses its fleet at broad Norwegian coast. The first July 1532, by the convention of Oslo, it goes to its rival king Frederic. The 27 following years, he lives in forced residence, initially in the blue tower in Copenhagen, then with the castle of Sønderborg.

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