Frederik III (1609-1670) became king of Denmark and Norway in 1648. During his reign, Frederik lost much Danish territory to Sweden during the Danish-Swedish War (1657-1660). But he succeeded in increasing the power of the Danish monarch over the country’s nobility.
Frederik was born on March 18, 1609, in Haderslev in southeastern Denmark. His father, Christian IV, fought expensive wars that resulted in the loss of some Danish territory to Sweden. After Christian died, a council of Danish nobles elected Frederik king. But the powerful Danish nobility made Frederik sign an agreement that increased their authority and reduced the king’s.
After Frederik became king, he worked to improve the country’s economy. In 1657, he declared war on Sweden, which was already fighting a war in Poland. Frederik hoped to regain the land lost during his father’s reign. But King Charles X of Sweden marched his army from Poland to Denmark and overwhelmed the Danes. In 1658, Charles forced Frederik to accept the humiliating Treaty of Roskilde. The treaty’s terms included the surrender of much Danish and Polish territory, including the area that now makes up the southern tip of Sweden. The Swedes soon attacked again, but pressure from England, France, and the Netherlands helped end the war, now called the Danish-Swedish War, in 1660.
After the war, Frederik used the resentment of townspeople and the clergy toward the nobles to increase his power and break the power of the Danish nobility. In the early 1660’s, the king, backed by townspeople and the clergy, pressured the nobles into giving up their right to elect the monarch. Frederik obtained approval of a law that made the monarchy hereditary (inherited) and its power absolute (not subject to any council or assembly). Frederik spent the rest of his reign rebuilding the economy and reforming and centralizing the administrations of Denmark and Norway. He died in Copenhagen on Feb. 9, 1670.
See also Denmark (Wars with Sweden).
