Editing History of Denmark (section)

=== Margaret and the Kalmar Union (1397–1523)===
{{main|Kalmar Union}}
[[File:Kalmar Union ca. 1400.svg|thumb|left|The Kalmar Union, {{circa|1400}}]]
[[Margaret I of Denmark|Margaret I]], the daughter of Valdemar Atterdag, found herself married off to [[Haakon VI of Norway|Håkon VI of Norway]] in an attempt to join the two kingdoms, along with Sweden, since Håkon had kinship ties to the Swedish royal family. The dynastic plans called for her son, [[Olaf IV of Norway|Olaf II]] to rule the three kingdoms, but after his early death in 1387 she took on the role herself (1387–1412). During her lifetime (1353–1412) the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (including the [[Faroe Islands]], as well as [[Iceland]], [[Greenland]], and present-day [[Finland]]) became linked under her capable rule, in what became known as the [[Kalmar Union]], made official in 1397.
[[File:Roskilde Margrethe1 grave.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|The tomb of [[Margaret I of Denmark|Margaret I]] in [[Roskilde Cathedral]].]]

Her successor, [[Eric VII of Denmark|Eric of Pomerania]] (King of Denmark from 1412 to 1439), lacked Margaret's skill and thus directly caused the breakup of the Kalmar Union. Eric's foreign policy engulfed Denmark in a succession of wars with the Holstein counts and the city of Lübeck. When the Hanseatic League imposed a trade embargo on Scandinavia, the Swedes (who saw their mining industry adversely affected) rose up in revolt. The three countries of the Kalmar Union all declared Eric deposed in 1439.

However, support for the idea of regionalism continued, so when Eric's nephew [[Christopher of Bavaria]] came to the throne in 1440, he managed to get himself elected in all three kingdoms, briefly reuniting Scandinavia (1442–1448). The Swedish nobility grew increasingly unhappy with Danish rule and the union soon became merely a legal concept with little practical application. During the subsequent reigns of Christian I (1450–1481) and Hans (1481–1513), tensions grew, and several wars between Sweden and Denmark erupted.

In the early 16th century, [[Christian II of Denmark|Christian II]] (reigned 1513–1523) came to power. He allegedly declared, "If the hat on my head knew what I was thinking, I would pull it off and throw it away." This quotation apparently refers to his devious and [[Niccolò Machiavelli|machiavellian]] political dealings. He conquered Sweden in an attempt to reinforce the union, and had about 100 leaders of the Swedish anti-unionist forces killed in what came to be known as the [[Stockholm Bloodbath]] of November 1520. The bloodbath destroyed any lingering hope of Scandinavian union.
[[File:Denmark-Norway in 1780.svg|thumb|left|Map of Denmark–Norway, {{circa|1780}}]]
In the aftermath of [[Sweden]]'s definitive secession from the [[Kalmar Union]] in 1521, [[civil war]] and the [[Protestant Reformation]] followed in Denmark and Norway. When things settled down, the [[Privy Council]] of Denmark had lost some of its influence, and that of Norway no longer existed. The two kingdoms, known as [[Denmark–Norway]], operated in a personal union under a single monarch. Norway kept its separate laws and some institutions, such as a royal [[chancellor]], separate coinage and a separate army. As a hereditary kingdom, Norway's status as separate from Denmark remained important to the royal dynasty in its struggles to win elections as kings of Denmark. The two kingdoms remained tied until 1814.