Kalmar Union
Denmark, 1397–1523. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Kalmar Union was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden as designed by Queen Margaret I of Denmark. From 1397 to 1523, it joined under a single monarch the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden (then including much of present-day Finland), and Norway. Legally, the countries remained separate sovereign states, but their domestic and foreign policies were directed by a common monarch. Gustav Vasa's election as King of Sweden on 6 June 1523 marked Sweden's final secession from the Kalmar Union.
Seat of power: Copenhagen
Rulers
Margaret I of Denmark
Monarch of Denmark, 1387–1412
She founded the Kalmar Union, which joined the Scandinavian kingdoms together for over a century. She was known as a wise, energetic and capable leader.
Portrait of Margaret I of Denmark: Jacob Truedson Demitz assisted by Emil Eikner for Ristesson, Public domain, file
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Eric of Pomerania
Monarch of Denmark, 1396–1439
He ruled over the Kalmar Union from 1396 until 1439. He was ultimately deposed from all three kingdoms of the union.
Portrait of Eric of Pomerania: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Christopher of Bavaria
Monarch of Denmark, 1440–1448
He ruled after the Kalmar Union's King Erik of Pomerania was deposed. Early in his reign, he put down two peasant rebellions in Funen and Jutland.
Portrait of Christopher of Bavaria: Unknown author, Public domain, file
Christian I of Denmark
Monarch of Denmark, 1448–1481
He was the first king of the House of Oldenburg. His subsequent accessions to the thrones of Norway in 1450 and Sweden in 1457 restored the unity of the Kalmar Union for a short period.
Portrait of Christian I of Denmark: Unknown artistUnknown artist, Public domain, file
John, King of Denmark
Monarch of Denmark, 1481–1513
The three most important political goals of King Hans were the restoration of the Kalmar Union, reduction of the dominance of the Hanseatic League, and the building of a strong Danish royal power.
Portrait of John, King of Denmark: Jacob Truedson Demitz for Ristesson, Public domain, file
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Christian II of Denmark
Monarch of Denmark, 1513–1523
Christian tried to maintain the Kalmar Union between the Scandinavian countries, which brought him to war with Sweden, lasting between 1518 and 1523. Though he captured the country in 1520, the subsequent slaughter of leading Swedish nobility, churchmen, and others, known as the Stockholm Bloodbath, caused the Swedes to rise against his rule. The nobility rose against him in 1523, and he was exiled to the Netherlands.
Portrait of Christian II of Denmark: Lucas Cranach the Elder, Public domain, file
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Culture
- The union was the work of Scandinavian aristocracy who sought to counter the influence of the Hanseatic League, a northern German trade league centered around the Baltic and North Seas.
- The Union lost territory when Orkney and Shetland were pledged by Christian I, in his capacity as King of Norway, as security against the payment of the dowry of his daughter Margaret, betrothed to James III of Scotland in 1468. The money was never paid, so in 1472 the Kingdom of Scotland annexed the islands.
- The main reason for its failure to survive was the perpetual struggle between the monarch, who wanted a strong unified state, and the Swedish and Danish nobility, which did not.
Picture
Roskilde Cathedral is the official royal burial church of the Danish monarchs and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Image: CucombreLibre from New York, NY, USA, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.