| Christian V | |
|---|---|
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| Reign | 1670–1699 |
| Predecessor | Frederick III |
| Successor | Frederick IV |
| Spouse | Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel |
| Issue | |
| Frederick IV of Denmark Princess Sophia Hedwig Prince Charles Christian Gyldenløve Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve |
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| House | House of Oldenburg |
| Father | Frederick III of Denmark |
| Mother | Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg |
| Born | 15 April 1646 Duborg Castle, Flensburg |
| Died | 25 August 1699 (aged 53) Copenhagen |
| Burial | Roskilde Cathedral |
| Religion | Lutheranism |
Christian V (15 April 1646 – August 25, 1699), was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 to 1699, the son of Frederick III of Denmark and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg. He married Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) on 14 May 1667 at Nykøbing and ascended the throne on 9 February 1670.
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It is generally argued that Christian V's personal courage and affability made him popular among the common people, but his image was marred by his unsuccessful attempt to regain Scania for Denmark in the Scanian War. The war exhausted Denmark's economic resources without securing any gains.[1]
Part of Christian's appeal to the common people may be explained by the fact that he allowed Danish commoners into state service, but his attempts to curtail the influence of the nobility also meant continuing his father's drive toward absolutism.[1][2] To accommodate non-aristocrats into state service, he created the new noble ranks of count and baron. One of the commoners elevated in this way by the king was Peder Schumacher, named Count Griffenfeldt by Christian V in 1670 and high councillor of Denmark in 1674.[1]
Griffenfeldt, a skilled statesman, better understood the precarious situation Denmark placed itself by attacking Sweden at a time when the country was allied with France, the major European power of the era. As Griffenfeldt predicted, Sweden's stronger ally France was the party that dictated the peace with Denmark's ally Holland, and in spite of Danish victory at sea in the battles against Sweden in 1675–1679 during the Scanian War, Danish hopes for border changes on the Scandinavian Peninsula between the two countries were dashed. The results of the war efforts proved politically and financially unremunerative for Denmark. The damage to the Danish economy was extensive. At this point, Christian V no longer had his most experienced foreign relations counsel around to repair the political damage - in 1676 he had been persuaded to sacrifice Griffenfeldt as a traitor, and to the clamour of his adversaries, Griffenfeldt was imprisoned for the remainder of his life.[3]
Christian V introduced Danske Lov (the Danish Code) in 1683, the first law code for all of Denmark.[4] It was succeeded by the similar Norske Lov (Norwegian Code) of 1687. He also introduced the land register of 1688, which attempted to work out the land value of the united monarchy in order to create a more just taxation. During his reign, science witnessed a golden age due to the work of the astronomer Ole Rømer in spite of the king’s personal lack of scientific knowledge and interest.
Like Charles XI of Sweden, who had never been outside Sweden, Christian spoke German and Danish only and was therefore often considered poorly educated due to his inability to communicate with visiting foreign diplomats.[5] Christian V was also often considered dependent on his councillors by contemporary sources. The Danish monarch did nothing to dispel this notion. In his memoirs, he listed "hunting, love-making, war and maritime affairs" as his main interests in life.[3]
He died from the after-effects of a hunting accident and was interred in Roskilde Cathedral.[3]
Christian V had eight children by his wife and five by his mistress. He publicly introduced his sixteen-year-old mistress, Sophie Amalie Moth (1654–1719), into court in 1672, a move which insulted his wife. His mistress was the daughter of his former tutor (Paul Moth), and he made her countess of Samsø on 31 December 1677.
| Name | Birth | Death |
|---|---|---|
| Frederick IV | 2 October 1671 | 2 October 1730 |
| Christian Vilhelm | 1 December 1672 | 25 January 1673 |
| Christian | 25 March 1675 | 27 June 1695 |
| Sophie Hedevig | 28 August 1677 | 13 March 1735 |
| Charles | 26 October 1680 | 8 June 1729 |
| Christiane Charlotte | 17 July 1683 | 17 july 1683 |
| Vilhelm | 21 February 1687 | 23 November 1705 |
His children with his mistress, Sophie Amalie Moth;
| Name | Birth | Death |
|---|---|---|
| Christiane Gyldenløve | 1672 | 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 |
After the Scanian War, his sister, Princess Ulrike Eleonora of Denmark, married the Swedish king Charles XI, whose mother was a stout supporter of the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. In spite of the family ties, war between the brothers-in-law was close again in 1689, when Charles XI nearly provoked confrontation with Denmark by his support of the exiled Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp in his claims to Holstein-Gottorp in Schleswig-Holstein.[5]
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Christian V
Born: 14 April 1646 Died: 25 August 1699 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by Frederick III |
King of Denmark and Norway Count of Oldenburg 1670–1699 |
Succeeded by Frederick IV |
| Preceded by Frederick III and Christian Albert |
Duke of Holstein and Schleswig 1670–1699 with Christian Albert (1670-1695) Frederick IV (1695-1699) |
Succeeded by Frederick IV (Denmark) and Frederick IV (Gottorp) |
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