Christian II of Denmark

Christian II (1481 – 1559) was a Danish monarch and King of Denmark, Norway (1513 – 1523) and Sweden (1520 – 1521), under the Kalmar Union. Christian was born the son of King John of Denmark ("Kong Hans") and Christina of Saxony, at Nyborg Castle in 1481 and succeeded his father as king and regent in Denmark and Norway, where he later was to be succeeded by his uncle king Frederick I of Denmark. In Sweden he was as a result of his conquest of Sweden and his involvement in the Stockholm Bloodbath to be remembered as Christian the Tyrant.

The Opinion of Posterity

The name left behind of Christian II has made him one of the most discussed of all Danish kings. He has been regarded both a hypocrite tyrant and a ?progressive despot? who wanted to create an absolute monarchy based upon ?free citizens?. Besides his often surprising psychological weaknesses have caught the interest of the historians, especially his frequently mentioned irresolution which as years passed seemed to dominate his acts. Theories of manic-depression have been mentioned but like many others they are impossible to prove. The reason for his downfall was probably that he made too many enemies and that the Danish middle class was still not strong enough to make a base of the royal power. However some of his ambitions were fulfilled by the victory of absolutism 1660.

Related Topics:
Manic-depression - 1660

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The king?s almost ?Shakespearean? life and career ? both the Dyveke affair, his acts concerning the Bloodbath, his behavior at the time of his downfall 1523 and his mythical existence as ?the prisoner of Soenderborg? has created many myths. One of the most famous is the story about the irresolute king crossing the Little Belt forwards and backwards during a whole night February 1523 until he at last gave up. Another probably just as unlikely one is the legend that the restless king wandered around a round table on Soenderborg making a grove in the table top with his finger. His life of course also inspired modern Danish poets and authors. The most famous literary result is probably the novel by Johannes Vilhelm Jensen: The Fall of the King (1900-1901) in which the king is regarded almost as a symbol of the Danish ?illness of hesitation?.

Related Topics:
Shakespearean - Little Belt - Johannes Vilhelm Jensen - The Fall of the King - 1900 - 1901

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