Apologize for the long delay in this chapter! I just couldn't get it out. I was going to write about the war between Spain, France, and England, but this came first for some reason... hopefully I can start updating more frequently soon. Criticism and critique are always welcome!
The Scandinavian Troubles
1523 to 1535; Denmark, Sweden & Germany
The Kalmar Union had never been wholly stable following the death of Margaret, the Danish Queen who had engineered the union. Throughout the 15th century, the Danish kings found themselves constantly in conflict with their Swedish subjects, and had put down several rebellions in order to assert control within rebellious Sweden. Christian II, the King of Denmark had great ideas: for the Kalmar Union to succeed, he needed more power, for both the crown and his future successors. This meant increasing his influence at the expense of the clergy and nobility, as well as the centralization of the Kalmar Union. Although Sweden had briefly dejected his father, Christian II re-conquered the Scandinavian kingdom and carried out a series of reprisals against the Swedish nobility, in what became known as the “Stockholm Bloodbath.” By attempting to impose himself upon the Swedish people, the Danish king had unwittingly driven the nail into the coffin of the Kalmar Union himself. Yet for the moment, he seemed successful.
Christian returned to Denmark hailed as a victor. Spending a short time abroad in the Lowlands, he brought many Flemish artisans into his entourage and met with important dignitaries such as Erasmus, and corresponded with the Emperor Philip, who was in Italy at the time campaigning against the French. The Danish King was especially keen to discuss the Protestant reformation with Erasmus, and was remarked to have said: “Remedies that shake the whole body are of no use; mild measures are the best and surest.”[1] Returning to Denmark, never was Christian II surer of his position, and was eager to embark on a program of reform. Summoning the Rigsrad to gather in Copenhagen, Christian wished foremost to gain the support of his councilors in pressing reform. A Landelove, or code of laws was issued not long after the meeting. Although heavily influenced by the Dutch from his visits to the Lowlands, the Landelove was rather progressive for it’s time, barring the landlords from selling peasants tied to their lands, and certain restrictions on the medieval guilds were lifted to make admittance easier. It was at this time that the Reformation began to spread into Denmark—finding an audience not only amongst the people, but as well as Christian II and his consort, Isabella of Burgundy, daughter of the Emperor, both of whom were sympathetic to the ideas of religious reform.
The zeal in which Christian sought to reform his domains was met with grumbling, most especially in Jutland, who considered the king’s desire to reform, even with the aid of his council, a violation of the ancient charter he had sworn to uphold. In Sweden Christian’s position was not tenable: the Swedes rose again not long after the bloodbath, led by Gustav Vasa. Raising an army in Dalarna and with the aid of Saxon troops, Gustav Vasa waged a war against the domination of Denmark. Although loath to see the loss of Sweden, Christian II knew his position was terribly weak: following the defeat of his troops at Örebro in 1523 and the capture of Stockholm not long after, Gustav Vasa was elected king by the Swedish Riksdag that same year, finally dissolving the Kalmar Union for good. In Denmark and Norway, the end of the hostilities were met with a sigh of relief—the finances of the Danish crown had pushed to their limit, and although many had suggested the raising of tolls over the Sound Due and taxes in general, Christian had refused to do so, perhaps knowing the situation in Sweden was a lost cause, even if he had succeeded in quashing the revolt of Gustav Vasa. With the end of war against Sweden, Christian II devoted himself wholly to internal matters. Sizing down his army to free up revenue, the King of Denmark was prepared to focus wholly on the betterment of his lands and his people who inhabited it.
It was in 1525 that the Protestant Reformation began to take off in Denmark. A monk from Viborg, Hans Tausen began to preach Lutheran ideas from his pulpit. It was not long after this that the ideas began to spread throughout Jutland and Denmark as a whole, and even Norway. As the ideas began to spread, the people began to loot monasteries and churches. Although many in the king’s council spoke against these, Christian II was sympathetic to their cause and encouraged them. Jutland, the region that had been the most hostile to Christian upon the beginning of his reign, quickly became of his foremost supporters as he encouraged the reformation in order to break the power of the Bishops and to concentrate power more firmly in his hands. Taking Hans Tausen under his protection, Christian II corresponded with Martin Luther and prominent Danish theologians who had studied at Wittenburg to reform Denmark’s church. These ideas were supported most importantly by Queen Isabella, who took many Lutheran and Protestant theologians into her service. Although the Rigsrad was opposed to what they saw as overtly radical change, Christian II could safely rely upon the support of the Jutish nobility who had once opposed him. At Viborg in 1527, where the reformation had begun in Denmark, the Viborg Articles were drafted, incorporating several Lutheran ideas. Christian II corresponded frequently with both the Elector of Saxony, but also his former nemesis Gustav Vasa, who was chaffing under the refusal of the Pope to accept his nominations for Sweden’s archdioceses, and who also break from the Catholic Church in 1534. The Viborg Articles provided the basis for the Danish church constitution.
Although the work on religious reformation continued undeterred, Christian faced a crisis in his family life, following the death of his only living son, Philip, in 1529, his two other sons, Hans and Maximilian having died shortly after birth. All that remained was his only daughter, Anna, who happened to be twin of Philip[2]. This precipitated a crisis in the Oldenburg dynasty, as Christian’s uncle the Duke of Holstein was childless, leaving no viable male heir in the next generation. While many believed this a blessing in disguise, some hoping that Frederick of Holstein might succeed his nephew, many knew that he was in poor health and would likely leave his dominions to Christian. While a member of House of Oldenburg from the County of Oldenburg would succeed Christian in Holstein according to salic law that governed the empire, there was little idea of what would happen in Denmark. Most logical seemed to be the succession of his future grandson by daughter, who would be heir to Norway. Overnight, Anna of Denmark quickly became one of the most sought-after heiresses in Europe. The King was ultimately prepared to use his daughter as an arm of his religious policy, ordering she be given the best education possible and be raised as a strict Protestant, all while seeking out a husband who would be a suitable father to a future king.
Christian and Isabella quarreled incessantly over the future of their daughter. Isabella argued due to the impeccable lineage her daughter possessed, counting her Habsburg and Trastamara blood, that Anna needed a husband of a proper royal rank, such as a second or third son who would be unlikely to inherit a crown. Christian preferred someone of a suitable princely rank that would befit his daughter, yet without dragging Denmark into a costly foreign alliance, or the possibly of submerging his dominions within the kingdom of another. It was because of this that Christian refused the suggestion that Anna marry John George, eldest son of the Elector of Brandenburg. His choice soon fell upon John of Châlon, the son of Philibert of Châlon[3], the Prince of Orange and Maria of Praet, acquaintance that Christian had met during his time in the Lowlands. A military commander under the Emperor, the Châlon connection appeased Emperor Philip who was glad to see his granddaughter marry the son of one of his skilled commanders. As a minor prince, John of Châlon would not drag Denmark into any entanglements, and would owe his elevation to Christian and would hopefully not cause any problems. The marriage contract was signed on 1531, and John converted into the Lutheran faith, leaving the Netherlands to finish his education in Denmark. Anna and John would be married in 1534, when both were only fifteen.
The marriage of Anna of Denmark and John of Châlon was the first large scale Protestant ceremony celebrated in Denmark. Many Catholic ceremonies were omitted and Hans Tausen, having risen to become a prominent Lutheran Bishop within the Danish Church officiated the ceremony. In many ways the marriage was the final break with Catholicism. Shortly after the marriage John of Châlon was created Prince of Norway (despite the protests of the Norwegian Rigsrad) to symbolize that his son would be heir to the throne and was formally made a Danish Prince and appointed Viceroy of Norway, although powers remained with several important deputies appointed by Christian II given the youth of his son-in-law. It was in Oslo where Anna and John spent their earliest years, and where their three children Christian (b. 1536), Frederick (b. 1538, d. young) and Elizabeth (1539) were born. John and Anna arrived in Norway when it was teeming with dissatisfaction. The Norwegian nobility were opposed to the reforms that originated in Denmark with the Rigsrad refusing to register some of the legislation that Christian II had passed. The common people continued to cling to Catholicism and the reforms of the church were met with great hostility. Having no political experience, John of Châlon was not equipped to deal with situation in Norway. The stress of the situation, combined with his poor health in the harsh climate of Norway contributed to his death at the age of twenty, shortly before the birth of his daughter. Finding herself stranded in a hostile land, the now widowed Anna was forced to call upon her father, who sent a squadron to Oslo to rescue his daughter and two grandchildren. Sending several regiments to Norway, he ensured the Norwegian Rigsrad was abolished and Norway was subordinate to the Copenhagen. The Norwegian Church was also subordinated to Denmark—Norwegian priests were exiled if they refused to recant their faith, being replaced with Danish priests. As Norway possessed no university, all Norwegians were forced to attend university in Copenhagen, depriving Catholics of an educated clergy and ensuring Norway would accept the Reformation.
It was not long after the death of John that Duke Frederick of Holstein also died, returning the duchies of Holstein and Schleswig to the Danish crown. Yet given Christian II had no male heir to succeed him, the Treaty of Gottorp was signed in 1539, confirmed by the Emperor, Charles V. It stipulated that upon the death of Christian II, the Duchy of Holstein would pass to Maurice of Oldenburg, the second son of the Count of Oldenburg, Anthony. Yet the Duchy of Schleswig, a Danish fief, would remain part of the Danish crown and would pass to Christian of Châlon, Christian II’s grandson and future successor. The treaty stipulated that the intended heir of the King of Denmark would be styled Duke of Schleswig and granted the duchy as an appange. Although the Treaty of Ribe (1460) stipulated that Schleswig and Holstein should remain undivided, the Treaty of Gottorp essentially overruled this, and would contribute to the impoverishment of many of Holstein’s nobility. Many believed this was deliberate: both the King of Denmark and the Emperor benefited from the separation of the two duchies.
[1]In OTL, eager to reform Denmark from the top down, Christian II remarked to Erasmus that “Mild measures are of no use; remedies that give the whole body a good shaking are the best and surest.” He was overthrown less than two years later. Butterflies have still produced one eager to reform the state, yet not in a matter as to throw the state into disarray.
[2]His wife gave birth to a pair of twins, Philip and Maximilian IOTL, but both had died young.
[FONT="][3]He died unmarried at the siege of Florence IOTL.[/FONT]
It certainly takes some practice, writing. Don't knock yourself too hard. I've read your TL and I enjoy the style with which you write. History book style, so to speak, works best for me, although I do regret it seems rather impersonal at times.
