Frederick II (King of Denmark)

In 1542 , after long negotiations between his father and the Council of State, all of Denmark swore allegiance to Frederick as heir to the throne. In 1548, Norway swore allegiance to him, whom he then visited for the first and last time. The hereditary duke of Schleswig-Holstein, he was not chosen during his father’s life.

Frederick was raised, at the insistence of the state council, in Denmark. He was not particularly burdened by sciences; he led, in the circle of peers brought up with him, a rather fun and free life. They began to devote him to state affairs in advance; He participated in meetings of the State Council, entered into official relations with the church, university, etc.

In 1557 he traveled to Germany and struck up friendships with German princes, nobles, and the military; he subsequently called many of the latter to his service in Denmark. Unlike his father, he was an adherent of military ideals and at a young age was friends with the German military. Soon after the accession, he won his first victory, having won the Ditmarschen in the summer of 1559.

Christian III died in 1559, and Frederick became king of Denmark and Norway. From the young king one could at first expect an extraordinary reign; but his bold, healthy, and broad nature lacked prudence, endurance, and firm perseverance; the absence of these qualities was only to a certain extent compensated by the diminution in choosing advisers and obeying their leadership in serious cases. The war with the Dietmarschen, interference in the complicated political relations of the Baltic regions, the resumption of the old unionist policy (see Kalmar Union ), which pursued the unification of all three northern states under one scepter and led to a bloody war with Sweden - these are the main events of the first part of Frederick's reign.

The main military conflict in which Denmark participated during his reign was the Northern Seven Years War of 1563 - 1570 . Frederick made unsuccessful attempts to conquer Sweden, which was ruled by his cousin, King Eric XIV . The conflict developed into an extremely debilitating war, during which some areas of Scandinavia were completely ruined by the Swedish and Norwegian military. The king personally led his army into battle, but without any particular result, which led to a deterioration in his relations with the nobility. However, the unrest in Sweden and the participation in the management of Denmark by the talented statesman Pedera Ose helped improve the situation. The war ended with the restoration of the status quo, which enabled Denmark to "save face", but also showed the limited Danish military force.

After the war, Frederick maintained peace, but did not abandon his attempts to achieve the glory of a sea ruler. His foreign policy is marked by the moral support of the Protestant states (at one time he courted the English Queen Elizabeth I , becoming a knight of the Order of the Garter ). But at the same time, he maintained strict neutrality.

Frederick focused on rebuilding the affected Danish economy and strengthening the country's defense. His main adviser, Peder Okse, taxed the nobility, levied a fee for passage of vessels through the Sund Strait to the Baltic Sea - an important trade route for the economies of northern Europe. Duty revenues provided substantial support to the Danish economy, and additional revenue was also generated after competition from the Hansa trading cities decreased. In an effort to strengthen Danish control over the Baltic, Frederick cleared the pirates washing Denmark of the sea.

Peder Oxe ( date. Peder Oxe ), Niels Kaas ( date. Niels Kaas ), Arild Huitfeldt ( date. Arild Huitfeldt ) and Christopher Valkendorff ( date. Christoffer Valkendorff ) took part in the government . The second part of Frederick's reign (from 1571 ) was a happy era in the history of Denmark. Lasting peace brought about general prosperity; Denmark's prestige also rose, as had not happened; royal power increased somewhat.

Frederick was the patron of the sciences and the arts and a supporter of freedom of conscience. Between 1574 and 1585, Zund built the Kronborg fortress in Helsingør , sung in Shakespeare ’s tragedy Hamlet , to defend the Strait. In 1576 he founded Fredrikstad in Norway. Frederick supported the famous astronomer Tycho Brahe , providing him with the use of the island of Vienna (near Copenhagen) and funds for the construction of the Uraniborg Observatory.

He was buried in the cathedral of Roskilde .

July 20, 1572 married Sofia Mecklenburg-Gustrowskaya . Children:

• Elizabeth ( Elisabeth , August 25, 1573 - June 19, 1626) - wife of the Duke Heinrich Julius Braunschweig-Wolfenbuttelsky ;
• Anna ( Anna , October 14, 1574 - March 4, 1619) - the wife of the Scottish king James VI , later the English king under the name Jacob I;
• Christian ( Christian , April 12, 1577 - February 28, 1648) - King of Denmark Christian IV;
• Ulrik ( Ulrik , December 30, 1578 - March 27, 1624);
• Augusta ( Augusta , April 8, 1580 - February 5, 1639) - wife of the Duke Johann Adolph of Holstein-Gottorp ;
• Gedwig ( Hedwig , August 5, 1581 - November 26, 1641) - wife of Christian II, Elector of Saxony ;
• Johann ( Johan , July 9, 1583 - October 28, 1602) - John the Royal , groom of the Russian Princess Ksenia Godunova .

• Hansen P.G. Frederick II, the Danish king // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.