Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was
King of Denmark and
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
and
Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the
longest of
Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monarchies.
A member of the
House of Oldenburg
The House of Oldenburg is a German dynasty with links to Denmark since the 15th century. It has branches that rule or have ruled in Denmark, Iceland, Greece, Norway, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Schleswig, Holstein, and Oldenburg. The c ...
, Christian began his personal rule of Denmark in 1596 at the age of 19. He is remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious, and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects. Christian IV obtained for his kingdom a level of stability and wealth that was virtually unmatched elsewhere in Europe. He engaged Denmark in numerous wars, most notably the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...
(1618–1648), which devastated much of Germany, undermined the Danish economy, and cost Denmark some of its conquered territories.
He rebuilt and renamed the Norwegian capital
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
as ''Christiania'' after himself, a name used until 1925.
Early years
Birth and family

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.
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
An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by an elected monarch, in contrast to a hereditary monarchy in which the office is automatically passed down as a family inheritance. The manner of election, the nature of candidate qualifications, and t ...
, so in spite of being the eldest son Christian was not automatically heir to the throne. But Norway was an
hereditary monarchy, and electing someone else would result in the end of the
union of the crowns
The Union of the Crowns ( gd, Aonadh nan Crùintean; sco, Union o the Crouns) was the accession of James VI of Scotland to the throne of the Kingdom of England as James I and the practical unification of some functions (such as overseas dipl ...
. 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 of his father on 4 April 1588, Christian was just 10 years old.
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
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
Niels Kaas 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. At the death of Niels Kaas in 1594, Jørgen Rosenkrantz took over leadership of the regency council.
Coming of age and coronation
Christian continued his studies at
Sorø Academy where he had a reputation as a headstrong and talented student.
["Gads Historieleksikon", 3rd edition, 2006. Paul Ulff-Møller, "''Christian 4.''", pp.99–100. ]
In 1595, the
Council of the Realm decided that Christian would soon be old enough to assume personal control of the reins of government. On 17 August 1596, at the age of 19, Christian signed his
haandfæstning
A Haandfæstning (Modern da, Håndfæstning & Modern no, Håndfestning, lit. "Handbinding", plural ''Haandfæstninger'') was a document issued by the kings of Denmark from 13th to the 17th century, preceding and during the realm's personal unio ...
(lit. "Handbinding" viz. curtailment of the monarch's power, a Danish parallel to the
Magna Carta
(Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor, on 15 June 1215. ...
), which was an identical copy of his father's from 1559.
Twelve days later, on 29 August 1596, Christian IV was
crowned at the
Church of Our Lady Church of Our Lady may refer to:
Belgium
* Cathedral of Our Lady (Antwerp)
* Church of Our Lady, Bruges
*Church of Our Lady (Kortrijk)
* Church of Our Lady of Laeken, site of the royal crypt, Brussels
*Church of Our Lady, Melsele
Canada
* Church ...
in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
by the
Bishop of Zealand, Peder Jensen Vinstrup (1549–1614). He was crowned with a new
Danish Crown Regalia which had been made for him by Dirich Fyring (1580–1603), assisted by the
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
goldsmith, Corvinius Saur.
Marriage
On 30 November 1597, he married
Anne Catherine of Brandenburg
Anne Catherine of Brandenburg (26 June 1575 – 8 April 1612) was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1597 to 1612 as the first spouse of King Christian IV of Denmark.
Life
Anne Catherine was born in Halle (Saale) and raised in Wolmirstedt. Her ...
, a daughter of
Joachim Friedrich,
Margrave of Brandenburg and
Duke of Prussia.
Reign
Military and economic reforms

Christian took an interest in many and varied matters, including a series of domestic reforms and improving Danish national armaments. New fortresses were constructed under the direction of
Dutch engineers. The
Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy
The history of the Danish navy began with the founding of a joint Dano-Norwegian navy on 10 August 1510, when King John appointed his vassal Henrik Krummedige to become "chief captain and head of all our captains, men and servants whom we now ha ...
, which in 1596 had consisted of but twenty-two vessels, in 1610 rose to sixty, some of them built after Christian's own designs. The formation of a national army proved more difficult. Christian had to depend mainly upon hired
mercenary
A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any ...
troops as was common practice in the times—well before the establishment of standing armies—augmented by native
peasant levies recruited for the most part from the peasantry on the crown domains.
Up until the early 1620s, Denmark-Norway's economy profited from general boom conditions in Europe. This inspired Christian to initiate a policy of expanding Denmark-Norway's overseas trade as part of the
mercantilist wave fashionable in Europe. He founded a number of merchant cities, and supported the building of factories. He also built a large number of buildings in
Dutch Renaissance
The Renaissance in the Low Countries was a cultural period in the Northern Renaissance that took place in around the 16th century in the Low Countries (corresponding to modern-day Belgium, the Netherlands and French Flanders).
Culture in the Low ...
style.
Visits to England
His sister
Anne had married King
James VI of Scotland
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until h ...
, who succeeded to the
English throne in 1603. To foster friendly relations between the two kingdoms, Christian paid a state visit to England in 1606. The visit was generally judged to be a success, although the heavy drinking indulged in by English and Danes alike caused some unfavourable comments: both Christian and James had an ability to consume great amounts of alcohol, while remaining lucid, which most of their courtiers did not share.
Sir John Harington described an entertainment at
Theobalds, a
masque of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, as a drunken fiasco, where most of the players simply fell over from the effects of too much wine. The royal party went to
Upnor Castle and had dinner aboard the ''
Elizabeth Jonas
Elizabeth Gladman Jonas (born Southwark, London, England about 1825; died 1877) was an English pianist, child prodigy, and music teacher.
Early life
Jonas was one of six children of John and Henrietta Jonas of 35 Prospect Place, Southwark; an 1 ...
''. At Gravesend, when the royal party was on his ship the ''Admiral'', Christian IV provided a firework display built on a small ship or lighter, which brought tears to eyes of King James, although the effect was somewhat spoiled because the show was held in daylight. After an exchange of gifts Christian sailed home, escorted by
Robert Mansell with the ''
Vanguard
The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force.
History
The vanguard derives f ...
'' and the ''Moon''.
Christian IV visited England again in August 1614, coming incognito to surprise his sister at
Denmark House, accompanied only by
Andrew Sinclair and a page. He had sailed with only three ships and captured some pirates during the voyage. More ships with his Danish courtiers arrived on 5 August. The diplomatic purpose of the visit was kept secret. The Venetian ambassador
Antonio Foscarini heard that Anne of Denmark had written to him about a dispute with King James. Foscarini described Christian as, "above the average in height, dressed in the French fashion. His nature is warlike".
Exploration and colonies
Despite Christian's many efforts, the new economic projects did not return a profit. He looked abroad for new income.
Christian IV's Expeditions to Greenland involved a series of voyages in the years 1605–1607 to Greenland and to Arctic waterways in order to locate the lost
Eastern Norse Settlement
The Eastern Settlement ( non, Eystribygð ) was the first and by far the larger of the two main areas of Norse Greenland, settled by Norsemen from Iceland. At its peak, it contained approximately 4,000 inhabitants. The last written record from ...
and to assert Danish sovereignty over Greenland. The expeditions were unsuccessful, partly due to leaders lacking experience with the difficult Arctic ice and weather conditions. The pilot on all three trips was English explorer
James Hall. An expedition to North America was commissioned in 1619. The expedition was captained by
Dano-Norwegian navigator and explorer,
Jens Munk. The ships, searching for the
Northwest Passage, arrived in
Hudson Bay landing at the mouth of
Churchill River, settling at what is now
Churchill, Manitoba. However, it was a disastrous voyage, with cold, famine, and
scurvy killing most of the crew.

In 1618, Christian appointed Admiral
Ove Gjedde to lead an expedition and establish a Danish colony in
Ceylon
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. The expedition set sail in 1618, taking two years to reach Ceylon and losing more than half their crew on the way. Upon arriving in May 1620, the establishment of a colony in Ceylon failed, but instead the ''Nayak'' of Tanjore (now Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu) turned out to be interested in trading opportunities and a treaty was negotiated granting the Danes the village of
Tranquebar
Tharangambadi (), formerly Tranquebar ( da, Trankebar, ), is a town in the Mayiladuthurai district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on the Coromandel Coast. It lies north of Karaikal, near the mouth of a distributary named Uppanar of the ...
(or Tarangamabadi) on India's south coast and the right to construct a "stone house" (
Fort Dansborg) and levy taxes. The treaty was signed on 20 November 1620, establishing
Denmark's first colony in India. Christian also assigned the privilege establishing the
Danish East India Company.
Kalmar War
In 1611, he first put his newly organised army to use. Despite the reluctance of ''Rigsrådet'', Christian initiated a war with Sweden for the supremacy of the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and fr ...
.
It was later known as the
Kalmar War because its chief operation was the Danish capture of
Kalmar
Kalmar (, , ) is a city in the southeast of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 36,392 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total o ...
, the southernmost fortress of Sweden. Christian compelled King
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden to give way on all essential points at the resulting
Treaty of Knäred of 20 January 1613.
However, despite Denmark's greater strength, the gains of the war were not decisive.
He now turned his attention to the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...
in Germany. Here, his objectives were twofold: first, to obtain control of the great German rivers— the
Elbe
The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Rep ...
and the
Weser
The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports o ...
— as a means of securing his dominion of the northern seas; and secondly, to acquire the secularised German
Archdiocese of Bremen and
Prince-Bishopric of Verden as
appanage
An appanage, or apanage (; french: apanage ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture. It was common in much ...
s for his younger sons. He skillfully took advantage of the alarm of the German
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
s after the
Battle of White Mountain in 1620, to secure co-adjutorship of the See of Bremen for his son
Frederick (September 1621). A similar arrangement was reached in November at
Verden Verden can refer to:
* Verden an der Aller, a town in Lower Saxony, Germany
* Verden, Oklahoma, a small town in the USA
* Verden (district), a district in Lower Saxony, Germany
* Diocese of Verden (768–1648), a former diocese of the Catholic Chur ...
. Hamburg was also induced to acknowledge the Danish overlordship of
Holstein
Holstein (; nds, label= Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germ ...
by the
compact of Steinburg
Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to:
* Interstate compact
* Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines
* Compact government, a type of colonial rule utilized in British ...
in July 1621.
Thirty Years' War

Christian IV had obtained for his kingdom a level of stability and wealth that was virtually unmatched elsewhere in Europe. Denmark was funded by tolls on the
Øresund
Øresund or Öresund (, ; da, Øresund ; sv, Öresund ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width ...
and also by extensive war-reparations from Sweden. Denmark's intervention in the Thirty Years' War was aided by France and by Charles I of England, who agreed to help subsidise the war partly because Christian was the uncle of both the Stuart king and his sister
Elizabeth of Bohemia through their mother,
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and En ...
. Some 13,700 Scottish soldiers were to be sent as allies to help Christian IV under the command of General
Robert Maxwell, 1st Earl of Nithsdale. Moreover, some 6000 English troops under Sir
Charles Morgan also eventually arrived to bolster the defence of Denmark though it took longer for these to arrive than Christian hoped, not least due to the ongoing British campaigns against France and Spain. Thus Christian, as war-leader of the Lower Saxon Circle, entered the war with an army of only 20,000 mercenaries, some of his allies from Britain and a national army 15,000 strong, leading them as Duke of Holstein rather than as King of Denmark.
Despite the growing power of Roman Catholics in North Germany, and the threat to the Danish holdings in the
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...
duchies, Christian for a time stayed his hand. The urgent solicitations of other powers, and his fear that Gustavus Adolphus should supplant him as the champion of the Protestant cause, finally led him to enter the war on 9 May 1625.
He also feared that Sweden could use a war to further expand their holdings in the Baltic Sea. Christian embarked on a military campaign which was later known in Denmark and Norway as "The Emperor War" ( da, Kejserkrigen, no, Keiserkrigen).
He had at his disposal from 19,000 to 25,000 men, and at first gained some successes but on 27 August 1626 he was routed by
Johan Tzerclaes, Count of Tilly in the
Battle of Lutter.
Christian had not thoroughly planned the advance against the combined forces of the
Holy Roman Emperor and the
Catholic League, as promises of military support from the Netherlands and England did not materialise.
["Gads Historieleksikon", 3rd edition, 2006. Paul Ulff-Møller, "''Kejserkrigen''", p.352. ] In the summer of 1627 both Tilly and
Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein () (24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein ( cs, Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the T ...
occupied the duchies and the whole peninsula of
Jutland
Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...
.
Christian now formed an alliance with Sweden on 1 January 1628, as he and Gustavus Adolphus shared the reluctance of German expansion in the Baltic region.
Gustavus Adolphus pledged to assist Denmark with a fleet in case of need, and shortly afterwards a Swedo-Danish army and fleet compelled Wallenstein to raise the
siege of Stralsund. Thus with the help of Sweden, the superior sea-power enabled Denmark to tide over her worst difficulties, and in May 1629 Christian was able to conclude peace with the emperor in the
Treaty of Lübeck
Treaty or Peace of Lübeck ( da, Freden i Lübeck, german: Lübecker Frieden) ended the Danish intervention in the Thirty Years' War (Low Saxon or Emperor's War, Kejserkrigen). It was signed in Lübeck on 22 May 1629 by Albrecht von Wallenstein ...
, without any diminution of territory.
However, the treaty bound Christian not to interfere in the Thirty Years' War any further, removing any Danish obstacles when Gustavus Adolphus entered the war in 1630.
Containment of Sweden
Christian's foreign policy did not suffer from lack of confidence following the Danish defeat in The Thirty Years' War. To compensate for lacking export revenues, and also in order to stifle the Swedish advances in the Thirty Years' War, Christian enacted a number of increases in the
Sound Dues throughout the 1630s.
Christian gained both in popularity and influence at home, and he hoped to increase his external power still further with the assistance of his sons-in-law,
Corfitz Ulfeldt and
Hannibal Sehested, who now came prominently forward.
Between 1629 and 1643 the European situation presented infinite possibilities to politicians with a taste for adventure. However, Christian was incapable of a consistent diplomatic policy. He would neither conciliate Sweden, henceforth his most dangerous enemy, nor guard himself against her by a definite system of counter-alliances.
Christian contacted the Roman Catholic part of the Thirty Years' War, and offered to broker a deal with Sweden. However, his mediating was highly skewed in favour of the Holy Roman Emperor, and was a transparent attempt at minimising the Swedish influence in the Baltics.
["Gads Historieleksikon", 3rd edition, 2006. Paul Ulff-Møller, "''Torstensson-krigen''", pp.658–659. ] His Scandinavian policy was so irritating and vexatious that Swedish statesmen advocated for a war with Denmark, to keep Christian from interfering in the peace negotiations with the Holy Roman Emperor, and in May 1643, Christian faced another war against Sweden.
The increased Sound Dues had alienated the Dutch, who turned to support Sweden.
Torstenson War

Sweden was able, thanks to their conquests in the Thirty Years' War, to attack Denmark from the south as well as the east; the Dutch alliance promised to secure them at sea. In May 1643 the Swedish
Privy Council decided upon war; on 12 December the Swedish
Field Marshal
Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered a ...
Lennart Torstensson, advancing from
Bohemia, crossed the southern frontier of Denmark; and by the end of January 1644 the whole peninsula of
Jutland
Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...
was in Swedish hands. This unexpected attack, conducted from first to last with consummate ability and lightning-like rapidity, had a paralysing effect upon Denmark.
In his sixty-sixth year he once more displayed something of the energy of his triumphant youth. Night and day he laboured to levy armies and equip fleets. Fortunately for him, the Swedish government delayed hostilities in
Scania
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skå ...
until February 1644, and the Danes were able to make adequate defensive preparations and save the important fortress of
Malmö
Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal popula ...
.
The Danish fleet prevented Torstensson crossing from Jutland to
Funen
Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as o ...
, and defeated the Dutch auxiliary fleet which came to Torstensson's assistance at the
action of 16 May 1644
This battle took place on 16 May 1644 during the Danish-Swedish War near List Deep, between Sylt and Rømø in western Denmark. Nine Danish ships under King Christian IV forced a retreat back into List Deep of 26 smaller Dutch ships (13 u ...
.
Another attempt to transport Torstensson and his army to the Danish islands by a large Swedish fleet was frustrated by Christian IV in person on 1 July 1644. On that day the two fleets encountered at the
Battle of Colberger Heide. As Christian stood on the quarter-deck of the ''Trinity'' a cannon close by was exploded by a Swedish cannonball, and splinters of wood and metal wounded the king in thirteen places, blinding one eye and flinging him to the deck. But he was instantly on his feet again, cried with a loud voice that it was well with him, and set every one an example of duty by remaining on deck till the fight was over. Darkness at last separated the contending fleets; and the battle was drawn.
The Danish fleet subsequently blockaded the Swedish ships in the
Bay of Kiel. But the Swedish fleet escaped, and the annihilation of the Danish fleet by the combined navies of Sweden and the Netherlands, after an obstinate fight between
Fehmarn and
Lolland
Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of Region Sjælland (Region Zealand). As of 1 January 2022, it has 57,618 inhabitan ...
at the end of September, exhausted the military resources of Denmark and compelled Christian to accept the mediation of France and the Netherlands; and peace was finally signed with the
Treaty of Brömsebro on 8 February 1645.
Here Denmark had to cede
Gotland,
Ösel and (for thirty years)
Halland, while Norway lost the two provinces
Jämtland and
Härjedalen, giving Sweden the supremacy of the Baltic Sea.
Norwegian issue
Christian IV spent more time in the kingdom of Norway than any other Oldenburg monarch and no Oldenburg king made such a lasting impression on the Norwegian people. He visited the country a number of times and founded four cities. He also established and took control over one silver mine (
Kongsberg), one copper mine (
Røros), and tried to make an iron plant with limited success in Eiker. He also restored and restructured the castle
Akershus
Akershus () is a traditional region and current electoral district in Norway, with Oslo as its main city and traditional capital. It is named after the Akershus Fortress in Oslo. From the middle ages to 1919, Akershus was a fief and main county ...
, where he invited the people of Norway to the official and age-old installment of the king in 1590, and again in 1610.
When the king was busy overseeing the reparations and re-building of the fortress at Oslo, he lived in the country all summer, and at the same time tried to establish a centre for producing iron at
Eiker
Eiker is a traditional district in the county of Buskerud, Norway.
History
Eiker consists of the municipalities of Nedre Eiker and Øvre Eiker. The area is located in the southern part of Buskerud county.
Eiker is an agricultural area wit ...
,
Buskerud. History tells he actually ruled the entire kingdom from this area in the summer of 1603.
In 1623, Christian again visited Norway for an entire summer, this time to oversee the foundation of
Kongsberg. He was also present in the area in 1624, when Oslo burned in August of that year. The king was able to reach the area in a few weeks, being in Eiker. Over the years, fire had destroyed major parts of the city many times, as many of the city's buildings were built entirely of wood. After the fire in 1624 which lasted for three days, Christian IV decided that the old city should not be rebuilt again. He decided that the new town be rebuilt in the area below
Akershus Fortress
Akershus Fortress ( no, Akershus Festning, ) or Akershus Castle ( no, Akershus slott ) is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. Since the Middle Ages the fortress ha ...
, a castle which later was converted into a palace and royal residence. His men built a network of roads in Akershagen and demanded that all citizens should move their shops and workplaces to the newly built city of Christiania.
Securing the Northern Lands under the Danish-Norwegian Crown
During the fourteenth century the Swedish kings tried to push the areas of their control towards the north, and
contemporary maps depicted the now Norwegian coastal areas of
Troms and
Finnmark as a part of Sweden. The possibly boldest move of any Danish-Norwegian regent was to make a voyage to the Northern Lands to secure these lands under the
Danish-Norwegian crown.
Last years and death

After the Torstenson War, ''Rigsrådet'' took on an increasing role, under the leadership of
Corfitz Ulfeldt and
Hannibal Sehested.
The last years of Christian's life were embittered by sordid differences with his sons-in-law, especially with Corfitz Ulfeldt.
His personal obsession with witchcraft led to the public execution of some of his subjects during the
Burning Times. He was responsible for several witch burnings, including 21 people in Iceland, and most notably the conviction and execution of
Maren Spliid Maren Spliid, Spliids or Splids, (c. 1600 – 9 November 1641), was an alleged Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demogr ...
, who was victim of a
witch hunt
A witch-hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. The classical period of witch-hunts in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America took place in the Early Modern per ...
at Ribe and was burned at the Gallows Hill near
Ribe on 9 November 1641.
On 21 February 1648, at his earnest request, he was carried in a litter from
Frederiksborg to his beloved
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, where he died a week later.
He was buried in
Roskilde Cathedral
, image = Roskilde Cathedral aerial.jpg
, caption = View from the north-west
, coordinates =
, location = Roskilde
, country = Denmark
, denomination = Church of Denmark
, previous denomination = Catholic Church
, website =
, founded da ...
. The chapel of Christian IV had been completed 6 years before the King died.
Cultural king
Christian was reckoned a typical renaissance king, and excelled in hiring musicians and artists from all over Europe. Many English musicians were employed by him at several times, among them
William Brade
William Brade (1560 – 26 February 1630) was an English composer, violinist, and viol player of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras, mainly active in northern Germany. He was the first Englishman to write a canzona, an Italian form ...
,
John Bull and
John Dowland
John Dowland (c. 1563 – buried 20 February 1626) was an English Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer. He is best known today for his melancholy songs such as "Come, heavy sleep", " Come again", " Flow my tears", " I saw my Lady weepe" ...
. Dowland accompanied the king on his tours, and as he was employed in 1603, rumour has it he was in Norway as well. Christian was an agile dancer, and his court was reckoned the second most "musical" court in Europe, only ranking behind that of
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
Eli ...
. Christian maintained good contact with his sister Anne, who was married to King James. Christian asked Anne to request for him the services of Thomas Cutting, a lutenist employed by
Arbella Stewart
Lady Arbella Stuart (also Arabella, or Stewart; 1575 – 25 September 1615) was an English noblewoman who was considered a possible successor to Queen Elizabeth I of England. During the reign of King James VI and I (her first cousin), she marrie ...
. His other sister,
Elizabeth, was married to the
Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and artists and musicians travelled freely between the courts.
City foundations
Christian IV is renowned for his many city (town) foundations, and is most likely the
Nordic head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state (polity), state#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international p ...
that can be accredited for the highest number of new cities in his
realm. These towns/cities are:
*
Christianopel
Kristianopel () is a village in Karlskrona Municipality in the southeastern Swedish region of Blekinge. In 2015 it had a population of 88.
History of the town
Flint finds have been made at the site, which indicates that there have been Stone Age ...
, now Kristianopel in Sweden. Founded in 1599 in the then Danish territory of
Blekinge as a garrison town near the then Danish-Swedish border.
*
Christianstad, now Kristianstad in Sweden. Founded in 1614 in the then Danish territory of
Skåne
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne ...
.
*
Glückstadt, now in Germany, founded in 1617 as a rival to
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
in the then Danish territory of
Holstein
Holstein (; nds, label= Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germ ...
.
*
Christianshavn
Christianshavn (literally, " ingChristian's Harbour") is a neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark. Part of the Indre By District, it is located on several artificial islands between the islands of Zealand and Amager and separated from the rest of ...
, now part of Copenhagen, Denmark, founded as a fortification/garrison town in 1619.
*
''Konningsberg'' (King's Mountain), now Kongsberg in Norway, founded as an industrial town in 1624 after the discovery of silver
ores.
*
Christiania, now Oslo in Norway. After a devastating fire in 1624 the king ordered the old city of Oslo to be moved closer to the fortification of
Akershus slot and also renamed it Christiania. The city name was altered to Kristiania in 1877 and then back to Oslo in 1924. The original town of Christian is now known as ''Kvadraturen'' = ''The Quarters''.
*
Christian(s)sand, now Kristiansand in Norway, founded in 1641 to promote trade at the in Southern Norway.
*
Røros, now in Norway, founded as an industrial town after the discovery of copper ores.
A short-lived town was:
*
Christianspris, now in
Schleswig, Germany, founded as a garrison town near
Kiel
Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021).
Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland pe ...
in the then Danish territory of Holstein.
Furthermore, Christian is known for erecting many important buildings in his realm, including the observatory
Rundetårn
The Round Tower ( Danish: Rundetårn) is a 17th-century tower in Copenhagen, Denmark, one of the many architectural projects of Christian IV of Denmark. Built as an astronomical observatory, it is noted for its equestrian staircase, a 7.5-turn h ...
, the
stock exchange Børsen, the Copenhagen fortress
Kastellet,
Rosenborg Castle, workers' district
Nyboder'','' the Copenhagen naval
Holmen Church (Holmens Kirke),
Proviantgården, a brewery, the
Tøjhus Museum arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, and two Trinity Churches in Copenhagen and modern Kristianstad, now known as respectively
Trinitatis Church and
Holy Trinity Church Holy Trinity Church may refer to:
Albania
* Holy Trinity Church (Berat), Berat County
* Holy Trinity Church, Lavdar, Opar, Korçë County
Armenia
* Holy Trinity Church, Yerevan
Australia
* Garrison Church, Sydney, South Wales, also known as ''H ...
. Christian converted
Frederiksborg Castle to a
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...
palace and completely rebuilt
Kronborg Castle to a fortress. He also founded the
Danish East India Company (''Asiatisk Kompagni'') inspired by the similar
Dutch company.
Legacy
When Christian was crowned king,
Denmark-Norway held a supremacy over the Baltic Sea, which was lost to Sweden during the years of his reign. Nevertheless, Christian was one of the few kings from the
House of Oldenburg
The House of Oldenburg is a German dynasty with links to Denmark since the 15th century. It has branches that rule or have ruled in Denmark, Iceland, Greece, Norway, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Schleswig, Holstein, and Oldenburg. The c ...
that achieved a lasting legacy of popularity with both the Danish and Norwegian people. As such, he featured in the Danish national play ''
Elverhøj''. Furthermore, his great building activities also furthered his popularity.
Christian IV spoke Danish, German,
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
, French and Italian. Naturally cheerful and hospitable, he delighted in lively society; but he was also passionate, irritable and sensual. He had courage, a vivid sense of duty, an indefatigable love of work, and all the inquisitive zeal and inventive energy of a born reformer. His own pleasure, whether it took the form of love or ambition, was always his first consideration. His capacity for drink was proverbial: when he visited England in 1606, even the notoriously hard-drinking English Court were astonished by his alcohol consumption. In the heyday of his youth his high spirits and passion for adventure enabled him to surmount every obstacle with elan. But in the decline of life he reaped the bitter fruits of his lack of self-control, and sank into the grave a weary and brokenhearted old man.
The
Christian IV Glacier
Christian IV Glacier ( da, Christian IV Gletscher or ''Kong Christian den IV's Gletscher'') is a large glacier on the east coast of the Greenland ice sheet. It is named after King Christian IV of Denmark (1577 – 1648). Administratively this gl ...
in
Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is ...
is named after him.
In fiction
*Christian IV is depicted as a brilliant but hard-drinking monarch in the
Eric Flint and
David Weber alternate-history novels ''
1634: The Baltic War'' and ''
1637: No Peace Beyond the Line''.
*Christian IV is featured several times in the book series ''
The Legend of the Ice People
''The Legend of the Ice People'' ( in Swedish language ''Sagan om Isfolket'') is a 47-volume story of a family bloodline, first published in 1982. The author of the series is Margit Sandemo. The novels are predominantly based in Scandinavia and ...
''.
*Christian IV also features prominently in the novel ''
Music and Silence'' by
Rose Tremain, which is primarily set in and around the Danish court in the years 1629 and 1630.
*Christian IV is depicted as a foul-natured person, but a good king who did a lot to make his realm flourish, by the Danish alternative music band
Mew in their song,
"King Christian".
*Christian IV (Danish title:
Christian IV - Den sidste rejse
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
(2018) is a biographical movie, focusing on His Majesty King Christian IV's stormy relationship to
Kirsten Munk, and the crucial last hours on his journey from
Frederiksborg Castle to
Rosenborg Castle on his deathbed. The turning point is Christian IV's and Kirsten Munk's turbulent marriage with accusations of infidelity and attempted murder.
Issue and private life

His first queen was
Anne Catherine. They were married from 1597 to 1612. She died after bearing Christian seven children. In 1615, three years after her death, the king privately married
Kirsten Munk, by whom he had twelve children.
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".
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
Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...
. Meanwhile, Christian openly acknowledged Vibeke as his mistress, and she bore him several more children.
With his first wife,
Anne Catherine of Brandenburg
Anne Catherine of Brandenburg (26 June 1575 – 8 April 1612) was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1597 to 1612 as the first spouse of King Christian IV of Denmark.
Life
Anne Catherine was born in Halle (Saale) and raised in Wolmirstedt. Her ...
he fathered the following children:
*Stillborn son (1598).
*Frederik (15 August 1599 – 9 September 1599).
*
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
(10 April 1603 – 2 June 1647).
*Sophie (4 January 1605 – 7 September 1605).
*Elisabeth (16 March 1606 – 24 October 1608).
*
Frederick III (18 March 1609 – 9 February 1670).
*
Ulrik (2 February 1611 – 12 August 1633); murdered, Administrator of the
Prince-Bishopric of Schwerin as Ulrich III (1624–1633).

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).
With
Kirsten Madsdatter:
*
Christian Ulrik Gyldenløve
Christian Ulrik Gyldenløve (3 February 1611 – 6 October 1640) was a Danish diplomat and military officer. He was one of three acknowledged illegitimate sons of Christian IV of Denmark— the only one by Kirsten Madsdatter. He died in a fight ...
(1611–1640).
With
Karen Andersdatter
Karen Andersdatter (died 1673 in Copenhagen, Denmark) was the Danish mistress of King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway and the mother of one of his three illegitimate but acknowledged children, Hans Ulrik Gyldenløve.
Early life
Andersdatter was b ...
:
*Dorothea Elisabeth Gyldenløve (1613–1615).
*
Hans Ulrik Gyldenløve (1615–1645).
With
Vibeke Kruse:
*
Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve (1630–1658).
*Elisabeth Sophia Gyldenløve (1633–1654); married Major-General Klaus Ahlefeld.
Gallery
File:Christian IV av CL Jacobsen 2.jpg, Statue of King Christian IV in Oslo
File:Kr-iv-ks ubt.jpeg, Statue of Christian IV in Kristiansand
File:Nyboder 2005-03.jpg, Statue of Christian IV in Copenhagen
File:Frederiksborg slot - Interior 20090818 03.jpg , Bust of Christian IV at Frederiksborg Castle
File:Kong Christian Den Fjerde i Roskilde Domkirke.jpg, Sculpture by Christian IV in Roskilde Cathedral by Bertel Thorvaldsen
Bertel Thorvaldsen (; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danish and Icelandic sculptor medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–1838) in Italy. Thorvaldsen was born in Copenhagen into a working-class Dani ...
File:Chr IV rådhuset Kristianstad.jpg, Statue of Christian IV at the city hall in Kristianstad by Bertel Thorvaldsen
Bertel Thorvaldsen (; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danish and Icelandic sculptor medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–1838) in Italy. Thorvaldsen was born in Copenhagen into a working-class Dani ...
File:Kungamöte-2.JPG, Sculpture of Christian IV meeting the king of Sweden, Gustav II Adolf in Halmstad
Ancestry
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
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
, the
Goths
The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Euro ...
and the
Wends, duke of
Schleswig,
Holstein
Holstein (; nds, label= Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germ ...
,
Stormarn, and
Ditmarsh
Dithmarschen (, Low Saxon: ; archaic English: ''Ditmarsh''; da, Ditmarsken; la, label=Medieval Latin, Tedmarsgo) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Nordfriesland, Sc ...
, count of
Oldenburg and
Delmenhorst, etc."
[Treaty of Bremen]
. In Davenport, Frances G. ''European Treaties Bearing on the History of the United States and Its Dependencies''. The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd., 2004.
References
Further reading
* Lockhart, Paul D. ''Denmark in the Thirty Years’ War, 1618–1648: King Christian IV and the Decline of the Oldenburg State'' (Susquehanna University Press, 1996)
* Lockhart, Paul D. ''Denmark, 1513–1660: the Rise and Decline of a Renaissance Monarchy'' (Oxford University Press, 2007).
*
* Scocozza, Benito, ''Christian IV'', 2006
External links
The Royal Lineageat the website of the
Danish Monarchy
Christian IVat the website of the
Royal Danish Collection
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a cit ...
*
Harington's account of the drunken masque.
{{Authority control
1577 births
1648 deaths
16th-century monarchs of Denmark
17th-century monarchs of Denmark
16th-century Norwegian monarchs
17th-century Norwegian monarchs
People from Hillerød Municipality
Dukes of Schleswig
Dukes of Holstein
Denmark–Norway
Danish people of the Thirty Years' War
Burials at Roskilde Cathedral
Extra Knights Companion of the Garter
People of the Kalmar War
Children of Frederick II of Denmark