Christian II (1481-1559) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1513 to 1523 and king of Sweden from 1520 to 1521. Some of his policies improved trade and helped townspeople and peasants. But Christian created enemies, especially among the nobility, by acting arbitrarily, appointing many officials who were not nobles, and ruling on the advice of favorites. He lost all three kingdoms to rebels.
Christian II was born on July 1, 1481, in Nyborg, Denmark. From 1506 to 1512, he served as governor of Norway for his father, Hans, who was king of Denmark and Norway. He succeeded Hans in 1513. He then negotiated with the council of Sweden to obtain the Swedish throne. The Swedes still recognized a 1397 agreement between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden called the Union of Kalmar that said the three kingdoms would share one monarch. But they stalled the negotiations to avoid accepting Christian as their king. Christian began raiding Sweden in 1517 and launched an invasion in 1520. The Swedish nobles finally proclaimed him king later that year, after Sten Sture the Younger, the leader of the opposition, died of battle wounds.
Christian had promised not to punish his Swedish opponents. But he allowed more than 80 Swedes to be executed in what became known as the Bloodbath of Stockholm. The Swedes rebelled in 1521. In 1523, they chose the Swedish nobleman Gustav Vasa as their king, ending the Union of Kalmar.
Meanwhile, some Danish nobles organized a rebellion in late 1522. Christian fled to the Netherlands in 1523. His uncle was crowned King Frederik I of Denmark and Norway. In 1531, Christian invaded Norway with an army of hired soldiers. He went to Copenhagen in 1532 to negotiate with Frederik, but the Danes seized him and imprisoned him for the rest of his life. He died on Jan. 25, 1559.
See also Gustav I Vasa; Kalmar, Union of; Sture, Sten, the Younger.
