Christian I (1426-1481) was king of Denmark from 1448 to 1481, of Norway from 1450 to 1481, and of Sweden from 1457 to 1464. He centralized government authority and reduced the independence of the nobility in Denmark and Norway. But in Sweden, power remained with the nobles, who forced Christian off the Swedish throne.
Christian was born in February 1426 in the German province of Oldenburg. He was the son of Count Dietrich of Oldenburg. He was also distantly related to the Danish royal family. In 1440, he inherited Oldenburg.
In 1448, King Christopher of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden died with no heir. Christopher had ruled the three kingdoms under an agreement known as the Union of Kalmar that dated back to 1397. The union was supposed to join the kingdoms permanently under one monarch yet preserve each country’s separate council and laws. But when Christopher died, the Swedes chose the Swedish nobleman Karl Knutsson as their king, and the Danes chose Christian. The Norwegians were divided, but a settlement made Christian king of Norway in 1450.
In 1457, the Swedes rebelled against Karl Knutsson and made Christian king. But in 1464, Christian lost Sweden to rebels, whose complaints included high taxes to support policies outside Sweden. He tried to reclaim Sweden in 1471 but was defeated at the bloody battle of Brunkeberg near (now within) Stockholm.
Christian established the royal family of Oldenborg, the Danish spelling of Oldenburg, which ruled Denmark until 1863. He founded the University of Copenhagen, Denmark’s first university, in 1479. Christian died on May 21, 1481.
See also Kalmar, Union of; Sture, Sten, the Elder.
