Christian Danish (1604-1647)

Prince Christian was born in Copenhagen Castle and was the son of King Christian IV (1577–1648) and Queen Anne Catherine (1575–1612). Christian was their second son - his older brother Frederick died in 1599 , so his father saw him as the preferred heir to the Danish throne ^[3] .

Denmark at that time was an elected monarchy, where the power to determine the ruler belonged to the Council of the Kingdom. However, the king, as a rule, chose an heir, this was even considered as a way to maintain balance and restrict freedom of the Council ^[4] . Norway was formally a hereditary monarchy, which made Christian the crown prince from the moment of his birth, leaving the likelihood that the next king of Norway would not be the next king of Denmark at the same time. In 1608, the Council and representatives of the estates supported the king in the election of Christian as his successor. He was publicly proclaimed crown prince in 1610 ^[3] .

In 1625, Denmark entered the Thirty Years War . Danish intervention in imperial lands marked the beginning of the second stage of the war, after the end of the Czech uprising ^[5] . Since King Christian IV took charge of the army, Prince Christian was approved as acting head of government. Christian held this post until 1627 , while he himself participated in the hostilities. He was even hit by two shots in November 1626 in Holstein . In 1627, he was sent at the head of the army to the borderlands of Holstein and fortified at Segeberg. He later retreated when enemy troops captured southern Denmark and Jutland. During this march, he even broke his leg after falling from the wagon train ^[3] .

In 1626, his close relations with the noblewoman Anna Lücke caused a conflict with his father and the Council of the Kingdom, when his father arrested Anna because of her influence on the crown prince and tried to accuse her of witchcraft.

In 1628, Christian received the Malmöhus estate. In January 1632, he was appointed Governor General of the Danish possessions in Schleswig and Holstein. He also received Laalann and Falster.

In 1633, Christian married Magdalen Sybille , daughter of the Elector of Saxony, John George I. The marriage was discussed since 1630 , and the wedding took place on October 5, 1634 in Copenhagen. The marriage was childless, the couple lived in Nykobing Castle in Falster. Christian was not too interested in political intrigues and reluctantly accepted the duties of head of government in 1644 , when the king was absent in connection with the war with the Swedes . In the fall of 1644, Prince Christian visited Malmö , but the Swedish forces threatened to besiege the city; Christian left first for Copenhagen due to illness, and then for Falster ^[3] .

By maturity, Christian gained a reputation as a lazy and drinking person ^[6] . He squandered large sums, his father struggled to pay off his son's debts. Among other debts, the Crown Prince took a loan from the Duke of Gottorp in 1646 to finance treatment at Czech spas. He left Nykobing and departed for the Czech Republic on May 8, 1647 . The Crown Prince reached Dresden on May 28 . Soon after leaving the city, he was struck by a fit of illness. He was taken to the Gorbits castle near Dresden, where he died the next day. Christian was buried on November 8, 1647 in the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen. In 1655, his remains were transferred to the tombs in Roskilde Cathedral.