Danish Monarch. He reigned as King of Denmark and Norway from 1534 to 1559. Born 1503 on Schloss Gottorp in Schleswig as the oldest son of king Frederik I and his 1st wife Anna von Brandenburg, when they were Duke and Duchess of Schleswig- Holstein-Gottorp. In his youth he became influenced by the reformist ideas of Dr. Martin Luther, and later in life he became the "Reformation-king", that swept the Catholic Church out of Denmark and Norway. When his father died, civil war broke out in Denmark 1534-1536. Parts of the Danish Noble Council offered him the crown, but the Councils catholic majority was against him. Rebellious forces fought on behalf of his cousin, the dethroned king Christian II. He was the brother-in-law to the catholic German-Roman emperor Charles V, and if replaced on the throne, he was thought to insure the catholic dominance in Northern Europe. However, Christian III and his great field commander Count Johan Rantzau were victorious on the battlefield, and in 1536 he could make his entry into the besieged and starving city of Copenhagen. Civil war had ended, and the catholic bishops were immediately imprisoned. The king declared his absolute overlordship of the Church, that now became lutheran. When he died, the very religious king was the de facto ruler in the Baltic area.

Danish Monarch. He reigned as King of Denmark and Norway from 1534 to 1559. Born 1503 on Schloss Gottorp in Schleswig as the oldest son of king Frederik I and his 1st wife Anna von Brandenburg, when they were Duke and Duchess of Schleswig- Holstein-Gottorp. In his youth he became influenced by the reformist ideas of Dr. Martin Luther, and later in life he became the "Reformation-king", that swept the Catholic Church out of Denmark and Norway. When his father died, civil war broke out in Denmark 1534-1536. Parts of the Danish Noble Council offered him the crown, but the Councils catholic majority was against him. Rebellious forces fought on behalf of his cousin, the dethroned king Christian II. He was the brother-in-law to the catholic German-Roman emperor Charles V, and if replaced on the throne, he was thought to insure the catholic dominance in Northern Europe. However, Christian III and his great field commander Count Johan Rantzau were victorious on the battlefield, and in 1536 he could make his entry into the besieged and starving city of Copenhagen. Civil war had ended, and the catholic bishops were immediately imprisoned. The king declared his absolute overlordship of the Church, that now became lutheran. When he died, the very religious king was the de facto ruler in the Baltic area.

Bio by: Benny Chordt Hansen