The Rise of Denmark
1340-1490 		Absolutism
1660-1790






Denmark : Kings and Estates, 1525 - 1660



The REFORMATION introduced in 1536 was a major political change. The state established it's influence over the church, and first steps were taken in cutting down on old territorial privileges and institutions. Norway's RIGSRAD was dissolved, Danish introduced as the language of administration in Norway.
The Danish RIGSRAD, however, continued to function and was an influential political body, which jointly with the King ruled the country. It's members were powerful noblemen, owning large estates, and keen on preserving their privileges.
In 1618 the 30 YEARS WAR had begun, and King CHRISTIAN IV of Denmark entered the scene in 1625, as the leader of the protestant side. Soon, however, he was defeated by Wallenstein, whose forces even occupied Jutland (1627). In 1629, Denmark had to sign a humiliating peace. In 1630 Sweden entered that war and was successful; in 1643 the Swedes turned on Denmark, which, after being defeated, had to cede OESEL, GOTLAND, HALLAND, JAEMTLAND, HAERJEDALEN. In 1655 another war broke out, and in 1658 Denmark had to cede BORNHOLM, BLEKINGE, SCANIA, BOHUSLAEN, STIFT DRONTHEIM.
The wars of the 17th century had brought disaster over Denmark-Norway; in 1655-58 the country was close to collapse, having lost two central, key provinces : Scania, with Lund, the seat of Denmark's archbishopric, and Stift Drontheim, with Drontheim (Trondhjem), Norway's ancient capital and seat of the country's archbishopric. Also, a share in the crucial SOUND LEVY had been ceded to archenemy Sweden.

Economically, Denmark-Norway was a dominantly agrarian society. The city of Copenhagen, by far the biggest within the realm, had about 30.000 inhabitants in 1650. Denmark proper produced mainly corn and cattle, the surplus of which was sold in the Netherlands. Norway exported dried or salted fish and some iron, as well as wood. The most important source of revenue to the Danish state, however, was the SOUND LEVY, charged from every ship passing from the North Sea into the Baltic Sea and vice versa.
In 1618, the DANISH EAST INDIA COMPANY acquired it's first colony, FREDERIKSNAGAR in Bengal, to which in 1620 TRANQUEBAR, in southeast India, was added.





EXTERNAL
FILES 		Reformation and Absolutism, from History of Denmark, from the Den. Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Danish Phase, from Thirty Years War
Biography of Christian IV., from The Thirty Years War by Mikarel Andersson
Description of the Battle of Kringen, from DHM
Kriget mot Danmark 1643-1645, from Sverige som Stormakt
Taget over Belt, 1658, from Sverige som Stormakt, in Swedish
Københavns Belejring 1658-1660 (The Siege ov Copenhagen, 1658-1660), from Københavms Historie, posted by KKB, in Danish, illustrated, bibliography
Den hollandske indvandring i 1521 (Dutch Immigration into Amager, Denmark, 1521), from Dragør Lokalarkiv, in Danish
DOCUMENTS World Statesmen : Denmark, by Ben Cahoon
Portrait of Christian II., from Art Istocracy
Downloadable documents from Charles Jenkinson: [A] collection of all the treaties of peace, alliance and commerce between Great Britain and other powers : from the treaty signed at Munster in 1648, to the treaties signed at Paris in 1783 (London 1785): vol. 1
1654. Treaty between Oliver Cromwell and Denmark, pp.75ff; same treaty from English Treaties with Denmark (Chalmers, Vol.1) : Sept. 15th 1654 Treaty of Peace and Alliance, pp.65ff
Map 1598, from Abraham Ortelius, Le miroir du monde, Amsterdam 1598 plate 69, text in French; posted by MATEO, Univ. Mannheim
Portraits of King Christian IV., of Heinrich Rantzau, Fanish stadholder in Holstein, of King Frederick II., from Dominicus Custos, Atrium heroicum Caesarum, regum, [...] imaginibus [...] illustr[atum]. Pars 1-4. Augsburg: M. Manger, J. Praetorius, 1600-1602, posted by MATEO, Univ. Mannheim
Images from Chronik 2000 Bilddatenbank : Christian III., Tycho Brahe, Crown of King Christian IV., Frederiksborg Castle on Sjaelland, Christian IV., Christian IV.
Painting : Battle of Kringen (1612), by Georg Nielsen Stroemdal, from DHM, fought in Norway during the Dano-Swedish War of 1611-1613
Map : Copenaghen, XVI c., Groenlandia, 1600, from Mappe di Citta Italiane ed altre mappe antiche diverse
From the Danish Royal Library Image Databank : Frederik I., Frederik II., Christian IV., Ove Gjedde, Admiral of the Realm and captain of the first Danish East India expedition (1619).
Dansk Møntt (Danish Coins), Frederik I., Greven's Fejde, Christian III., Christian II., Christian IV.
Medal : Accession of Frederik III. of Denmark to Peace of Westphalia, from Medal Web, Collection Benjamin Weiss
Sources on Danish History 1500-1700, from Skræp, in Danish
REFERENCE Knud J.V. Jespersen, A History of Denmark, Basingstoke : Palgrave MacMillan 2004, KMLA Lib.Sign. 948.9 J58h


This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2000, last revised on November 8th 2004

Click here to go Home
Click here to go to Information about KMLA, WHKMLA, the author and webmaster
Click here to go to Statistics