Christian V of Denmark

Christian V

Jacob d'Agar crafted the official portrait of the king, who poses with his hand authoritatively placed on the marshal's baton, as a true absolute monarch, ca. 1685.
King of Denmark and Norway (more...)
Reign 9 February 1670 – 25 August 1699
Coronation 7 June 1671
Frederiksborg Palace Chapel
Predecessor Frederick III
Successor Frederick IV
Born (1646-04-15)15 April 1646
Duborg Castle, Flensburg
Died 25 August 1699(1699-08-25) (aged 53)
Copenhagen, Denmark
Burial Roskilde Cathedral
Spouse Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel
Issue
among others...		 Frederick IV of Denmark
Prince Christian
Princess Sophia Hedwig
Prince Charles
Prince William
House Oldenburg
Father Frederick III of Denmark
Mother Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Christian V (15 April 1646 – 25 August 1699) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699.

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 Danish king, he fortified the absolutist system against the aristocracy by accelerating his father’s practice of allowing Holstein nobles and Danish 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.[1] 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
The anointing of Christian V in the palace chapel of Frederiksborg Castle, 1671

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. He became king upon his father's death on 9 February 1670, and was formally crowned in 1671. He was the first hereditary king of Denmark, and in honor of this, Denmark acquired costly new crown jewels and a magnificent new ceremonial sword.

Reign

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.[2] 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.[2][3] 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 Griffenfeld by Christian V in 1670 and high councillor of Denmark in 1674.[2] Griffenfeld, 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 Griffenfeld 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 Griffenfeld as a traitor, and to the clamour of his adversaries, Griffenfeld was imprisoned for the remainder of his life.[4]

King Christian V's rifle made by Trondheim's weapon-maker Lars Berg.

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]

Like Charles XI of Sweden, who had never been outside Sweden, Christian V spoke only German and Danish 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.[4]

Christian V introduced Danske Lov (the Danish Code) in 1683, the first law code for all of Denmark.[6] 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.

He died from the after-effects of a hunting accident and was interred in Roskilde Cathedral.[4]

Family

Christian V had eight children by his wife and six by his Maîtresse-en-titre, Sophie Amalie Moth (1654–1719), 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

Legitimate children by his queen Charlotte Amalie:

NameBirthDeath
Frederick IV2 October 16712 October 1730
Christian Vilhelm1 December 167225 January 1673
Christian25 March 167527 June 1695
Sophie Hedevig28 August 167713 March 1735
Christiane Charlotte18 January 167924 August 1689
Charles26 October 16808 June 1729
Daughter17 July 168317 July 1683
Vilhelm21 February 168723 November 1705

Illegitimate children by his mistress, Sophie Amalie Moth, Countess of Samsø:

NameBirthDeath
Christiane Gyldenløve7 July 167212 September 1689
Christian Gyldenløve28 February 167416 July 1703
Sophie Christiane Gyldenløve 1675 18 August 1684
Anna Christiane Gyldenløve1676 11 August 1689
Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve24 June 16788 December 1719
Daughter1682 8 July 1684

Titles, styles and arms

1670–1699 His Majesty the King: By the Grace of God, King of Denmark and Norway, the Wends and the Goths, Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Stormarn and Dithmarschen, Count of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst.

Heraldry of Christian V of Denmark-Norway
Christian V’s crown, produced in 1671 Royal Monogram Coat of arms as King

Ancestry

References

  1. ↑ Written by the Frederiksborg's historian staff on the official website of the institution.
  2. 1 2 3 "Christian V." (2007). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 9 January 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
  3. ↑ Jespersen, Knud J.V. The Introduction of Absolutism. Gyldendal Leksikon, quoted by The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, on Denmark's official web site.
  4. 1 2 3 Nielsen, Kay Søren (1999). Christian V – Konge og sportsmand. The Royal Danish Arsenal Museum, Net Publications, 1999.
  5. 1 2 Upton, Anthony F. (1998). Charles XI and Swedish Absolutism, 1660–1697. Cambridge University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-521-57390-4.
  6. ↑ Jespersen, Knud J.V. Denmark as a Modern Bureaucracy. Gyldendal Leksikon, quoted by The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, on Denmark's official web site.
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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
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