Christina of Denmark
 |
| Christina of Denmark | |
|---|---|
| Duchess consort of Milan and Lorraine | |
 | |
| Tenure | 1533 -1535 |
| Spouse | Francis II, Duke of Milan Francis I, Duke of Lorraine |
| Issue | Charles III, Duke of Lorraine Renata of Lorraine Dorothea of Lorraine |
| House | House of Lorraine House of Sforza House of Oldenburg |
| Father | Christian II of Denmark |
| Mother | Isabella of Austria |
Christina of Denmark (1522 – 1590), was a Danish princess, firstly Duchess-consort of Milan and then Duchess-consort of Lorraine. She was the Regent of Lorraine in 1545-1552, and a throne claimant of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Background
She was claimant to the thrones of Norway, Denmark and Sweden. She was the younger surviving daughter of Christian II of Denmark and Isabella of Austria, sister of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Christina was born in Nyborg in central Denmark in 1522. She left Denmark at her fathers desposition in 1523 and was rasied in the Netherlands.
In 1533 she married Francesco II Sforza, Duke of Milan, who died in 1535. She and Francesco had no issue. The marriage was childless. After the death of her first husband the Francesco Sforza, Christina went to live at the court of her aunt, the Governor of the Netherlands, Mary of Hungary. Christina was a favorite of Mary and had been brought up there after the death of her mother.
Marriage proposal
In 1538, German painter Hans Holbein arrived in Brussels to meet Christina. Holbein had been commissioned by Henry VIII of England to paint portraits of noble women who were considered suitable brides. Christina had been mentioned after the death of Jane Seymour in 1537. Upon Holbein's arrival, Christina sat for a portrait, wearing mourning clothes. The English ambassador was arranging for Henry VIII to see the Duchess's likeness in connection with plans to marry her. Christina, then only sixteen years old, made no secret of her opposition to marrying the English king, who by this time had a reputation around Europe for his mistreatment of his wives. She supposedly told the English ambassador that "If I had two heads, one should be at the King of England's disposal." Christina was also the grand-niece of Henry's first wife Catherine of Aragon through her mother. It was also obvious that Mary of Hungary was less than enthused with the match, being no fan of Henry VIII. Henry pursued the match until 1539 until the attitude of the Regent made it obvious that the match would never take place.
Duchess and Regent of Lorraine
In 1541 she married Francis, Duke of Bar. Francis had been betrothed to Anne of Cleves, who became the 4th wife of Henry VIII, after he was turned down by Christina; William of Cleves, the brother of Anne of Cleves was also once mentioned as a potential suitor for Christina. Francis succeeded his father as Duke of Lorraine in 1544. She was politically influential on him, which wa snoted on the concul at Speyer (1544). Francis died in 1545, leaving Christina as the Regent of Lorraine as the guardian of their minor son. In 1552, France invaded Lorraine and she was forced to resign as regent and give her son to be raised at the French court as hostage.
She left for the Netherlands. When her aunt the regent of the Netherlands died in 1558, she worked to be appointed as the new Governor and Regent of the Netlerlands. This did not succeed, and when Margaret of Parma was appointed regent, she returned to Lorraine.
Christina styled herself as the rightfull ruling Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. In late 1550s and in 1560s, adventurer Wilhelm von Grumbach and his allies, who occasionally included Peder Oxe, intrigued to dethrone her second cousin king Frederick II of Denmark in Christina's favor. Christina also conspired to marry her daughter ot Eric XIV of Sweden in an alliance against Denmark. Nothing substantial came out of these activities.
In 1578, she left for her Tortona in Italy, a fief given to her by her first husband, were she lived to her death styled as "Madame of Tortona".
Her son was Charles III, Duke of Lorraine, namesake of her uncle the emperor. Her daughter, Renata of Lorraine, married William V, Duke of Bavaria, and it is through her that the current Danish, Norwegian and Swedish royal families are descended.
Issue
By Francis I
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles | 1543 | 1608 | married Claude of Valois and had issue. |
| Renata | 1544 | 1602 | married William V, Duke of Bavaria and had issue. |
| Dorothea | 1545 | 1621 | married in 1575, Eric II, Duke of Calenberg and had no issue. |
In art and media
She was portrayed by Sonya Cassidy in an episode of The Tudors.
References
