This article or sectionappears to contradict itselfon dates of his reign as Count of Oldenburg. Please see thetalk page for more information.(June 2024)
Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union (1426–1481)
In thepower vacuum that arose following the death ofKing Christopher without a direct heir in 1448, Sweden electedKarl Knutsson king with the intent to reestablish the union under a Swedish king. Karl was elected king of Norway in the following year. However thecounts of Holstein made theDanish Privy Council appoint Christian as king of Denmark. His subsequent accessions to the thrones of Norway (in 1450) and Sweden (in 1457) restored the unity of the Kalmar Union for a short period. In 1464, Sweden broke away from the union and Christian's attempt at a reconquest resulted in his defeat by the Swedish regentSten Sture the Elder at theBattle of Brunkeberg in 1471.[2]
At the death of their father in 1440, Christian and his brothers jointly succeeded Dietrich as Count of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst. Christian was raised by his uncle, Duke Adolphus of Schleswig, Count of Holstein, as the childless duke wished for his young nephew to become his heir, and also succeeded in having Christian elected as his successor in theDuchy of Schleswig.[3]
Duke Adolph declining the offer of the Danish throne and recommending his nephew, Count Christian of Oldenburg.History painting byChristoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, 1819.The ascension promissory of Christian IKing Christian I andQueen Dorothea
In January 1448, KingChristopher of Denmark, Sweden and Norway died suddenly and without natural heirs. His death resulted in the break-up of the union of the three kingdoms, as Denmark and Sweden went their separate ways and Norway's affiliation was unclear. The vacant Danish throne was first offered by theCouncil of the Realm to Duke Adolphus of Schleswig, being the most prominent feudal lord of Danish dominions. The duke declined and recommended his nephew, Count Christian of Oldenburg. Before being elected, Christian had to promise to obey to theConstitutio Valdemariana, a provision in theascension promissory of KingValdemar III of Denmark, that promised that in the future, the same person could never be both ruler of theDuchy of Schleswig and Denmark simultaneously. The council also demanded that Christian should marrydowager queenDorothea of Brandenburg (ca 1430–1495), widow of his predecessor King Christopher III. On 1 September 1448, after signing his ascension promissory, count Christian was elected to the Danish throne as king Christian I at the assembly inViborg. His coronation was held on 28 October 1449, in theChurch of Our Lady inCopenhagen, at which occasion his marriage with dowager queen Dorothea was also celebrated.[4]
Meanwhile, Sweden had on 20 June 1448 electedKarl Knutsson Bonde as king. Norway was now faced with the choice between a union with Denmark or Sweden, or electing a separate king. The latter option was quickly discarded, and a power-struggle ensued between the supporters of Christian of Denmark and Karl of Sweden. The NorwegianCouncil of the Realm was divided. In February 1449, a part of the Council declared in favour of Karl as king, but on 15 June the same year, a different group of councillors paidhomage to Christian. On 20 November, Karl was crowned king of Norway inTrondheim.[citation needed]
However, the Swedish nobility now took steps to avoid war with Denmark. In June 1450, the Swedish Council of the Realm forced Karl to renounce his claim on Norway to Christian. In the summer of 1450, Christian sailed to Norway with a large fleet, and on 2 August he was crowned king of Norway inTrondheim. On 29 August,a union treaty between Denmark and Norway was signed inBergen. Norway had of old been ahereditary monarchy, but this had become less and less a reality, as at the last royal successions, hereditary claims had been bypassed for political reasons. It was now explicitly stated that Norway, as well as Denmark, was an elective monarchy. The treaty stipulated that Denmark and Norway should have the same king in perpetuity, and that he would be elected among the legitimate sons of the previous king, if such existed.[citation needed]
Karl Knutsson became increasingly unpopular as king of Sweden, and was driven into exile in 1457. Christian achieved his aim of being elected as king of Sweden, thus re-establishing the Kalmar Union. He received the power from temporary Swedish regents ArchbishopJöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna and lordErik Axelsson Tott. However, Sweden being volatile and split by factions (benefits of union being against nationalistic benefits), his reign there ended in 1464 whenKettil Karlsson Vasa, Bishop of Linköping was installed as the next regent. Karl Knutsson was recalled as King of Sweden, although he was later exiled a second time, recalled again and died during his third term as king. Christian's final attempt at regaining Sweden ended in a total military failure at theBattle of Brunkeberg (outside Stockholm) October 1471 where he was defeated by forces on Swedish regentSten Sture the Elder (Swedish:Sten Sture den äldre). Christian maintained his claim to the Swedish kingdom up to his death in 1481.[5][6][7][8]
The visit of the king of Denmark toBergamo'sMalpaga Castle, where a banquet was offered in his honour by Venetian Captain-GeneralColleoni.Medal of Christian I of Denmark, made during his journey throughItaly.
Christian's personal territory was at its largest in 1460–1464, before the loss of Sweden. However, many parts of his realm wanted to govern themselves locally, and there were constant struggles. Denmark was his most important center of power.[citation needed]
The dynasty he founded, theHouse of Oldenburg, remains on the throne of Denmark. It was on the throne of Norway until 1818, returning there again from 1905, and also on the throne of Sweden during Christian's reign there and those of hisson andgrandson), but also 1751–1818.[9]
Jahnke, Carsten (2014). "Two Journeys and One University: King Christian I and Queen Dorothea's Journeys to Rome and the Foundation of the University of Copenhagen".Denmark and Europe in the Middle Ages, c. 1000–1525: Essays in Honour of Professor Michael H. Gelting. pp. 139–153.
Platte, Hartmut (2006).Das Haus Oldenburg (in German).Werl: Börde.ISBN3-9810315-4-7.
Scocozza, Benito (1997). "Christian 1.".Politikens bog om danske monarker [Politiken's book about Danish monarchs] (in Danish).Copenhagen: Politikens Forlag. pp. 94–98.ISBN87-567-5772-7.
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