John, King of Denmark

John of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

John, Johann, Johan II, Danish and Norwegian name Hans, was a Danish monarch and union king of Denmark (1481 – 1513), Norway (1483 – 1513) Sweden (1497 – 1501), under the Kalmar Union, and also Duke of Schleswig and Holstein.

He was born on February 2, 1455 as the son of Christian I and Dorothea of Brandenburg, daughter of Margrave Hans of Brandenburg. In 1478 he married Christina of Saxony, granddaughter of Frederick the Gentle of Saxony. This produced the following offspring: Christian II, Franciscus, Knud, and Elisabeth, who later married as princess of Brandenburg. He died on February 20, 1513.

The three most important political goals of King John seem to have been the recovery of the union, fight against the Hanseatic League and the making of a strong Danish royal power. He worked to obtain all three things during his reign.

"Hans"

Reign in Denmark	1481-July 22, 1513
Reign in Norway	1483-July 22, 1513 Regency until 1506.
Reign in Sweden	1497-1501
Coronation	1483 in Denmark 1483 in Norway November 26, 1497 in Sweden
Queen	Chistina of Saxony
Predecessors	Christian I in Denmark and Norway Sten Sture the Elder in Sweden
Successors	Christian II in Denmark and Norway Sten Sture the Elder in Sweden
Date of Birth	February 2, 1455
Place of Birth	Aalborg Castle, Aalborg
Date of Death	February 20, 1513
Place of Death	Aalborg Castle, Aalborg
Place of Burial	Odense, Denmark

During the first years of his rule he carried on a balancing policy. By diplomatic means he tried to weaken the position of the Swedish regent Sten Sture and he also sought new allies – he is the first Danish king who has established a political co-operation with Russia (a treaty of 1493). The Hanseatic cities were troubled by a secret war by Danish privateers (a more modest Danish forerunner of the policy of Queen Elizabeth of England against Spain). At that time the position of the Hansabund was also little by little declining because of the changes of trade routes (the new geographic discoveries) and the growing opposition against the Hansa in the Northern European naval states. John’s domestic politics were marked by an economic support of the Danish merchants and by a widespread use of commoners as officials and even as councilors in spite of the anger of the nobility. The most important of his initiatives was perhaps that he started the building of a permanent Danish navy that came to play a role during his last years.

According to the Privilege of Ripen the Noble Diets of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were to elect a duke among the sons of the previous duke. After the death of Christian I, John did however successfully argue for electing both sons to co-dukes (in 1482), when it looked as though his 10 years old brother Frederick was going to be elected. Although it was initially agreed they should govern the duchies jointly, at the majority of Frederick (in 1490) the duchies were never the less divided.

In 1497 John conquered Sweden during a short and effective military campaign after in advance having undermined the position of Sten Sture by winning most of the Swedish nobility. After the victory the king acted wisely and pardoned his enemies.

In 1500 he made the act that is in Denmark most connected to his name: the fatal attempt of conquering the Ditmarshes (Dithmarschen) in Northern Germany that was in reality an independent peasant republic. Together with his brother Frederick he carried through en large-scale campaign based upon an army of German professional soldiers but the Ditmarshers caught most of the army in a trap after having opened the dykes of the low-land area and all ended in a military disaster.

The defeat shook the king’s prestige and already 1501 Sweden made itself independent. During the next years John fought a still more bitter war against Sten Sture and his successor Svante Nilsson in which he showed himself unbalanced and resorted to acts of violence. The war meant frictions with both the Danish nobility and the Hanseatic cities, especially Lübeck, and 1509 it ended by a peace which principally recognised him as king of Sweden but in reality let the Swedes remain independent. Norwegian attempts of opposition were strangled by John’s son prince Christian (afterwards King Christian II) who was the viceroy of Norway from 1507.

1510-12 the king fought a last war with both Sweden and Lübeck in which Denmark was at first very pressed but partly turned the tables by a naval offensive. The result concerning Sweden was the status quo; in return Lübeck was suffering a real political and economic setback by the peace.

In his own age and partly to posterity John has often appeared a “commoner’s king”, a jolly and plain man with a folksy manner. Behind the surface however he seems to have been a hard realist and a zealous political calculator. In many ways he is a Scandinavian parallel of Louis XI of France and Henry VII of England.

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