Christian V

He received a rather meager education. At the age of 15 he was sent abroad and during his stay at the court of Louis XIV had the opportunity to observe the autocracy in all its splendor. While he was the heir to the throne, he was not allowed to participate in government affairs, and only shortly before his father died did he begin to attend meetings of the state council.

Reigning in 1670, he was a “convinced autocrat”, but due to his weak character he easily succumbed to various private influences and, not distinguished by his great intelligence, made major mistakes. The simplicity and friendliness of the treatment, a clear inclination toward "ordinary people" made Christian a national favorite. This was facilitated by the fact that from childhood he was accustomed to speak Danish and wrote mostly in the same language.

Christian strengthened the regime of absolutism in Denmark, in contrast to the aristocracy more widely using his father's practice of attracting Holstein nobility and representatives of the Danish people to the public service. To do this, he established new noble titles - Count and Baron . One of the most famous people who have risen thanks to such a system was Peder Schumacher , who received the title of Count Griffenfeld in 1670, and in 1674 became chancellor ^[1] .

During his reign, a Danish legalist was drawn up, Eric Krabbe participated in the preparation of this document.

Griffenfeld was disgraced by the king during the Scones war ( 1676 - 1679 ) against Sweden , which Christian began with the goal of recovering the Skane peninsula, lost by Denmark after the Danish-Swedish war of 1657-1658 . In 1676, he overthrew Griffenfeld and sentenced him to life imprisonment in the fortress.

Griffenfeld clearly understood Denmark's precarious position to attack Sweden at a time when France was its ally. As he predicted, the more powerful power France dictated the terms of the peace of Denmark with its ally, Holland . Despite the Danes' victories in the battles against the Swedish fleet near the island of Öland (1676) and in the Køge-Bugt Bay ( 1677 ), the Danish hopes of changing the borders on the Scandinavian peninsula did not materialize in their favor. The Swedes expelled the Danes from the Scandinavian Peninsula, in 1679, Louis XIV, under the threat of invasion, forced Denmark to make peace. The results of the war were politically and economically disappointing. The main goal of the war was not achieved, but the damage to the Danish economy was significant.

In 1683, the Danish Code ( Danske Lov ) was adopted, which was the first common Danish code of laws. A similar code was adopted in 1687 in Norway ( Dates. Norske Lov ). In 1688, a land book was introduced to assess the value of land and create a more equitable tax system. During his reign, science developed in the country thanks to the work of astronomer Ole Römer , although the king himself was not interested in science.

The wife gave birth to Christiana 8 children. He also had 6 more children from his mistress Amelia Moth ( Dates. Amelia Moth , 1654-1719), whom he introduced to the royal court at the age of 16. She was the daughter of his teacher and received the title of Countess Samsho in 1677.

Christian died of a hunting accident, buried in the Cathedral of Roskilde .

Children

From the wife of Charlotte Amalia of Hesse-Kassel :

• Frederick IV , King of Denmark (1671-1730)
• Prince Christian Wilhelm (December 1, 1672 - January 25, 1673)
• Prince Christian (March 25, 1675 - June 27, 1695)
• Princess Sophia Gedwig (1677-1735); was not married
• Princess Charlotte Christian (January 18, 1679 - August 24, 1689)
• Prince Karl (October 26, 1680 - July 8, 1729); was not married
• nameless daughter (born July 17, 1682)
• Prince William (February 21, 1687 - November 24, 1705)

From the lover of Sofia Amelia Mot:

• Countess Christian Gildenlove ( Dat. Gyldenlove ; 1672–1689)
• Count Christian Guildenlove (1674-1703)
• Countess Sofia Christian Gildenlove (1675–1684); died in childhood
• Anna Christiana (1676–1689); died in childhood
• Count Ulrik Christian Gildenlove (1678-1719)

• Christian V // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.