Editing Christian I of Denmark (section)

===Early years===
[[File:Dietrich & Hedwig 1704.jpg|thumb|left|Christian's parents, Dietrich and Hedwig of Oldenburg, depicted in 1704]]
''Christiern'' was born in February 1426 in [[Oldenburg (city)|Oldenburg]] in [[Northern Germany]] as the eldest son of [[Dietrich of Oldenburg|Count Dietrich of Oldenburg]] by his second wife, [[Hedvig of Holstein]] (died 1436). Christian had two younger brothers, [[Maurice V, Count of Delmenhorst|Maurice]] (1428–1464) and [[Gerhard VI, Count of Oldenburg|Gerhard]] (1430–1500), and one sister [[Adelheid of Oldenburg|Adelheid]].{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

Through his father, he belonged to the [[House of Oldenburg]], a [[comital]] family established since the 12th century in an area west of the [[River Weser]] in north-western Germany. Based on the two [[stronghold]]s of [[Oldenburg (city)|Oldenburg]] and [[Delmenhorst]], the family had gradually expanded its rule over the neighbouring [[Frisians|Frisian tribes]] of the area. Christian's father was called ''the Fortunate'' as he had reunited and expanded the family's territory. Christian's mother, Hedvig, was a daughter of [[Gerhard VI, Count of Holstein]], and a sister of [[Adolphus VIII, Count of Holstein|Adolphus, Duke of Schleswig]]. Through his mother, Christian was also a [[cognatic]] descendant of King [[Eric V of Denmark]] through his second daughter Richeza (died 1308) and also a cognatic descendant of King [[Abel of Denmark]] through his daughter Sophie. Through his father, Christian was a [[cognatic]] descendant of King [[Eric IV of Denmark]] through his daughter [[Sophia of Denmark|Sophia]]. Christian thus descended from the three surviving sons of [[Valdemar II]] and his second wife [[Berengaria of Portugal]].{{citation needed|date=July 2021}} He was also a cognatic descendant of King [[Magnus III of Sweden]].

At the death of their father in 1440, Christian and his brothers jointly succeeded Dietrich as Count of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst. Christian was raised by his uncle, Duke Adolphus of Schleswig, Count of Holstein (1401–1459) as the childless duke wished for his young nephew to become his heir, and also succeeded in having Christian elected as his successor in the [[Duchy of Schleswig]].<ref>{{cite web|url = https://de.wikisource.org/wiki/ADB:Adolf_VIII|title=  Adolf VIII|publisher =   Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie|access-date=1 June 2018}}</ref>