Editing John, King of Denmark

{{Short description|Scandinavian king under the Kalmar Union (1455–1513)}}
{{others|John of Denmark (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = John
| image        = John(II)DenmarkNorwaySweden.jpg
| caption      = Sculpture from [[altarpiece]] by [[Claus Berg]] ({{circa|1530}}), [[St. Canute's Cathedral]], [[Odense]]
| succession   = [[King of Denmark]]
| moretext     = ([[Style of the Danish sovereign|more...]])
| reign        = 21 May 1481&nbsp;– 20 February 1513
| coronation   = 18 May 1483<br />[[Church of Our Lady, Copenhagen]]
| cor-type     = [[Coronation of the Danish monarch|Coronation]]
| predecessor  = [[Christian I of Denmark|Christian I]]
| successor    = [[Christian II of Denmark|Christian II]]
| succession1  = [[King of Norway]]
| moretext1    = ([[Style of the Norwegian sovereign|more...]])
| reign1       = 1483&nbsp;– 20 February 1513
| coronation1  = 20 July 1483<br />[[Nidaros Cathedral]]
| predecessor1 = Christian I
| successor1   = Christian II
| succession2  = [[King of Sweden]]
| moretext2    = ([[Style of the Swedish sovereign|more...]])
| reign2       = 6 October 1497&nbsp;– August 1501
| coronation2  = 26 November 1497, [[Stockholm]]
| predecessor2 = [[Karl Knutsson]]
| successor2   = Christian II
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Christina of Saxony]]|1478}}
| issue        = [[Christian II of Denmark|Christian II]]<br />[[Elizabeth of Denmark (1485-1555)|Elizabeth, Electress of Brandenburg]]<br />[[Jacob the Dacian]] (probably)
| issue-link   = #Issue
| issue-pipe   = among others...
| house        = [[House of Oldenburg|Oldenburg]]
| father       = [[Christian I of Denmark]]
| mother       = [[Dorothea of Brandenburg]]
| birth_date   = 2 February 1455
| birth_place  = [[Aalborghus Castle]], [[Aalborg]]
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|df=y|1513|2|20|1455|2|2}}
| death_place  = [[Aalborghus Castle]], Aalborg
| burial_place = [[St. Canute's Cathedral]], [[Odense]] (from 1807)
| religion     = [[Roman Catholic]]
}}
'''John''' or '''Hans'''<ref name="q421">{{cite book | last=Allmand | first=Christopher | title=The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 7, c.1415-c.1500 | publisher=Cambridge University Press | publication-place=Cambridge | date=2015-05-21 | isbn=978-1-107-46076-8 | page=694}}</ref> ({{ne|''Johannes''}};<ref>Caspar Paludan-Müller ''[https://archive.org/details/defrstekongeraf00palugoog/page/131/ De første Konger af den Oldenburgske slægt]'' Reitzels, Köpenhamn 1874 p. 131</ref> 2 February 1455&nbsp;– 20 February 1513)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-22 |title=Hans (konge af Danmark og Norge samt Sverige) |url=https://denstoredanske.lex.dk/Hans_-_konge_af_Danmark_og_Norge_samt_Sverige |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=Den Store Danske |language=da}}</ref> was a Scandinavian monarch who ruled under the [[Kalmar Union]]. He was King of [[Kingdom of Denmark|Denmark]] from 1481 to 1513, King of [[Kingdom of Norway|Norway]] from 1483 to 1513, and King of [[Kingdom of Sweden|Sweden]] (where he has also been called '''Johan II'''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gillingstam |first=Hans |date=1969–1971 |title=Hans |url=https://sok.riksarkivet.se/sbl/Presentation.aspx?id=12583 |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon}}</ref>) from 1497 to 1501. Additionally, from 1482 to 1513, he held the titles of [[Duke of Schleswig-Holstein|Duke of Schleswig and Holstein]], which he governed jointly with his brother, [[Frederick I of Denmark|Frederick]].

The three most important political goals of King John were the restoration of the Kalmar Union, reduction of the dominance of the [[Hanseatic League]], and the building of a strong Danish royal power.

==Biography==
===Early life===
[[File:King Christian I of Denmark and Queen Dorothea.jpg|thumb|left|150px|John's parents, King Christian and Queen Dorothea]]
John was born on 2 February 1455, probably at [[Aalborg]] in [[Northern Jutland]]. He was the third but eldest surviving son of [[Christian I of Denmark]] and [[Dorothea of Brandenburg]], daughter of [[Margrave]] John of [[Prussia|Brandenburg]].<ref name="lagerqvist">{{Cite book |last=Lagerqvist |first=Lars O. |url=https://archive.org/details/kingsrulersofswe0000lage/page/32/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Kings and rulers of Sweden : a pocket encyclopedia |date=1995 |publisher=Vincent Publications |isbn=978-91-87064-15-9 |location=Stockholm |pages=32}}</ref>

===Reign===
[[File:KongHans segl b-028.jpg|right|thumb|Seal of King John of Denmark, Norway and Sweden]]
In 1458, King Christian I, the father of John, had the Norwegian [[Rigsraadet|Council of the Realm]] commit to electing Christian's eldest son as next king of Norway upon his death. A similar declaration was made in Sweden. In 1467, John was hailed as successor to the throne in Denmark. John used the title ''heir'' to the throne of Norway, in line with Norway's old status as a [[hereditary Kingdom of Norway|hereditary kingdom]], but this was a claim the Norwegian Council did not immediately recognise. Consequently, upon King Christian's death in May 1481, John's position was unchallenged in Denmark, whereas in Norway the Council of the Realm assumed royal authority, and an [[interregnum]] ensued. No serious rival candidates to the Norwegian throne existed, but the council was determined to demonstrate Norway's status as a sovereign kingdom. A meeting between the Councils of Denmark, Sweden and Norway was appointed for 13 January 1483 at [[Halmstad]], to work out the terms for electing John as king—his [[håndfæstning]]. The Swedish Council failed to turn up at the meeting, but the Norwegian and Danish councils proceeded to produce a joint declaration containing the terms for John's rule, and electing him king. It was hoped that Sweden would later accept the same document and thereby acknowledge John as king. Subsequently, John was crowned King of Denmark in [[Copenhagen]] on 18 May, and King of Norway in [[Trondheim]] on 20 July.

During the first years of his rule John carried out a balancing policy. By diplomatic means he tried to weaken the position of the Swedish regent [[Sten Sture the Elder|Sten Sture]], and he also sought new allies—he was the first Danish king to establish political cooperation with Russia. After the 1493 treaty, [[Ivan III of Russia]] imprisoned all Hanseatic merchants trading in [[Novgorod]] and instigated the [[Russo-Swedish War (1496–1499)]]. The Hanseatic cities were also troubled by a secret war by Danish privateers. At that time the position of the Hansabund was slowly but steadily declining because of changes in trade routes and the growing opposition against the Hanseatic League in the Northern European naval states.

John's domestic policies were marked by economic support of the Danish merchants and by the widespread use of commoners as officials or even as councillors, something which angered the nobility. The most important of his initiatives was perhaps establishing a permanent Danish navy, one which came to play a role during his later years.

According to the [[Treaty of Ribe|Privilege of Ribe]] the Noble [[Diet (assembly)|Diet]]s of the duchies of [[Schleswig]] and [[Holstein]] were to elect a duke among the sons of the previous duke. Many nobles in Schleswig and Holstein preferred John's much younger brother [[Frederick I of Denmark|Frederick]], but John successfully argued for electing ''both'' the late king's sons as co-dukes. Although it was initially agreed they should govern the duchies jointly, at the majority of Frederick (in 1490) the duchies were nevertheless divided.

In the meantime, John had initially approved to join a [[crusade]] plan as presented in [[Rome]] on 25 March 1490, in which Nordic soldiers would be part of a coalition of armies fighting the Turks of the [[Ottoman Empire]]; however, he sent a legate with a letter to [[Julius II]] to explain that he had many conflicts at home, which would prevent him from implementing such endeavor.{{sfn|Møller Jensen|2007|p=150}}

In June 1495, John set sail with a fleet for [[Kalmar]], Sweden. Along with the Danish and Norwegian Councils, he expected to meet with the Swedish Council. His goal was the reunification of the Nordic region under his rule: a renewed Kalmar Union.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gustafsson |first=Harald |date=2006-12-06 |title=A STATE THAT FAILED?: On the Union of Kalmar, Especially its Dissolution |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03468750600930720 |journal=Scandinavian Journal of History |language=en |volume=31 |issue=3–4 |pages=205–220 |doi=10.1080/03468750600930720 |issn=0346-8755}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ingvardson |first1=Gitte T. |last2=Müter |first2=Dirk |last3=Foley |first3=Brendan P. |date=2022-06-01 |title=Purse of medieval silver coins from royal shipwreck revealed by X-ray microscale Computed Tomography (µCT) scanning |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X22001316 |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports |volume=43 |pages=103468 |doi=10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103468 |bibcode=2022JArSR..43j3468I |issn=2352-409X}}</ref> Along the way from Copenhagen to Kalmar, John's [[flagship]], ''[[Gribshunden]]'', suffered an explosion and sank at anchor near the town of Ronneby. John was not aboard at the time; he survived and continued on to Kalmar. However, Sten Sture repeatedly delayed his own arrival, and Hans finally abandoned the summit in August to return exhausted to Copenhagen.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Foley |first=Brendan |date=2024-01-31 |title=Interim Report on Gribshunden (1495) Excavations: 2019–2021 |journal=Acta Archaeologica |volume=94 |issue=1 |pages=132–145 |doi=10.1163/16000390-09401052 |issn=0065-101X|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Christensen |first=William |title=Missiver fra Kongerne Christiern I's og Hansʹs tid. |date=1912 |publisher=Gad: Selskabet for Udgivelse af Kilder til Dansk Historie |language=da}}</ref> Direct diplomacy had failed, so John turned to other means to achieve his ambition.

On 6 October 1497, John conquered Sweden during a short and effective military campaign, defeating Sten Sture at the [[Battle of Rotebro]] after having undermined his position by winning over most of the Swedish nobility.  Sten surrendered to King John in Stockholm and was reconciled with him. John was crowned King of Sweden, and Sten was given the highest position of authority in Sweden below the King.

In 1500, John made an attempt at conquering [[Dithmarschen]] (in today's [[Schleswig-Holstein]]), an area which the kings of Denmark had long viewed as belonging to their realm, but which was in reality an independent peasant republic under the loose overlordship of the [[Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen]].<ref name="Boeselager 1995 332">Elke Freifrau von Boeselager, "Das Land Hadeln bis zum Beginn der frühen Neuzeit", in: ''Geschichte des Landes zwischen Elbe und Weser'': 3 vols., Hans-Eckhard Dannenberg and Heinz-Joachim Schulze (eds.), Stade: Landschaftsverband der ehem. Herzogtümer Bremen und Verden, 1995 and 2008, vol. I 'Vor- und Frühgeschichte' (1995; {{ISBN|978-3-9801919-7-5}}), vol. II 'Mittelalter (einschl. Kunstgeschichte)' (1995; 978-3-9801919-8-2), vol. III 'Neuzeit (2008; {{ISBN|978-3-9801919-9-9}})', (=Schriftenreihe des Landschaftsverbandes der ehem. Herzogtümer Bremen und Verden; vols. 7–9), vol. II: pp. 321–388, here p. 332.</ref> By mid-January 1500 John hired the ''[[Black Guard (1488–1500)|Black Guard]]'' of ruthless and violent Dutch and East Frisian [[mercenaries]], commanded by [[Thomas Slentz]], prior operating for [[Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg|Magnus]], vicegerent in the [[Land of Hadeln]].<ref name="Krause 1881 184">{{Cite ADB|14|183|185|Johann III., Erzbischof von Bremen|Karl Ernst Hermann Krause|ADB:Johann III. (Erzbischof von Bremen)}}, here p. 184.</ref><ref name="Schütz 1995 267">Michael Schütz, "Die Konsolidierung des Erzstiftes unter Johann Rode", in: ''Geschichte des Landes zwischen Elbe und Weser'': 3 vols., Hans-Eckhard Dannenberg and Heinz-Joachim Schulze (eds.), Stade: Landschaftsverband der ehem. Herzogtümer Bremen und Verden, 1995 and 2008, vol. I 'Vor- und Frühgeschichte' (1995; {{ISBN|978-3-9801919-7-5}}), vol. II 'Mittelalter (einschl. Kunstgeschichte)' (1995; 978-3-9801919-8-2), vol. III 'Neuzeit (2008; {{ISBN|978-3-9801919-9-9}})', (=Schriftenreihe des Landschaftsverbandes der ehem. Herzogtümer Bremen und Verden; vols. 7–9), vol. II: pp. 263–278, here p. 267.</ref>
[[File:Coin of King Hans (John II of Sweden) 1497.jpg|thumb|King John's gold coin minted in Stockholm in 1497]]

John guaranteed for its safe conduct first southeastwards via Lunenburg-Cellean [[Winsen an der Luhe|Winsen upon Luhe]] and Hoopte, crossing the [[Elbe]] by [[Zollenspieker Ferry]] to the Hamburg-Lübeckian condominial [[Bergedorf (quarter)|Bergedorf]] and [[Vierlande]].<ref name="Krause 1881 185">{{Cite ADB|14|183|185|Johann III., Erzbischof von Bremen|Karl Ernst Hermann Krause|ADB:Johann III. (Erzbischof von Bremen)}}, here p. 185.</ref> From there the ''Black Guard'' headed northwestwards again, through [[Holstein]] towards Ditmarsh. Together with his brother Frederick, John then carried out a large-scale campaign with the Black Guard, but the Ditmarsians under [[Wulf Isebrand]]'s command caught most of the Guard in a trap at the [[Battle of Hemmingstedt]] after having opened the dykes of the low-land area and flooded the narrow main road. Thus John's attempt to subject the Ditmarsian free peasants to [[feudalism]] ended for time being.

The defeat in the Battle of Hemmingstedt on 17 February 1500 hurt John's prestige and in 1501, Sweden renounced him as king. John fought an [[Dano-Swedish War (1501–1512)|increasingly more bitter war]] against Sten Sture and his successor [[Svante Nilsson (regent of Sweden)|Svante Nilsson]], and this conflict meant frictions with both the Danish nobility and the Hanseatic cities, especially [[Lübeck]]. In 1509, with the Netherlands acting as arbiter, Sweden agreed to a declaration which recognised John as king of Sweden in principle, but he was never allowed into Stockholm as long as he lived, nor crowned king of Sweden anew.

Meanwhile, Norwegian attempts at opposition were strangled by John's son Prince Christian (afterward King [[Christian II]]), who was the [[viceroy]] of Norway from 1506 until he became king in 1513. Between 1510 and 1512, the king fought a last war with both Sweden and Lübeck in which Denmark was at first very pressed but, with the help of the Scottish [[Andrew Barton (privateer)|Barton brothers]],<ref>Hannay, Mackie, Spilman, ed., ''Letters of James IV'', SHS (1953), p.xlii</ref> partly turned the tables with a naval offensive. The result concerning Sweden was the status quo, but Lübeck suffered 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]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}

===Death and burial===
[[File:John_of_Denmark,_Norway,_and_Sweden.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Face detail on a wall monument by [[Claus Berg]] near King John's grave]]
[[File:OdenseAltar.jpg|thumb|[[Altarpiece]] by [[Claus Berg]], now in [[St. Canute's Cathedral]].]]
In 1513, King John died at Aalborghus Castle a short time after being thrown from his horse. King John was buried in the church of the [[Franciscan]] [[friary]] in [[Odense]]. Queen Christina, who lived the latter part of her life in a [[nunnery]] in Odense, commissioned the famous German sculptor [[Claus Berg]] to create a magnificent burial chapel, where both she and her husband were laid to rest after her death in 1521. The [[International Gothic|late Gothic]] [[altarpiece]] [[carving|carved]] by Berg between 1515 and 1525 is one of Denmark's national treasures. Each of the three sections is intricately carved and [[gilding|gilded]]. It survived the [[iconoclasm|iconoclastic]] fervour of the [[Protestant Reformation]] perhaps because of its connection with the royal burials. The son of King John and Queen Christina, King Christian II, with his wife Isabella of Austria, was also interred in the royal family chapel. In 1807, the former Franciscan church was demolished, and Berg's altarpiece and six royal bodies were transferred to [[St. Canute's Cathedral]], also in Odense.

===Succession===
The 32-year-old heir, [[Christian II of Denmark]] assumed the throne but was deposed in 1523. John's bloodline eventually returned to the Danish and Norwegian thrones in the person of [[Christian IV of Denmark]], the great-great-grandson of his daughter, Electress Elisabeth.<ref>[http://www.danskekonger.dk/biografi/Hans.html ''Hans · Konge af Danmark · Norge fra 1481–1513 og Sverige 1497–1501'' (Danske Konger)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701012404/http://www.danskekonger.dk/biografi/Hans.html |date=1 July 2010 }}</ref>

==Full title==
John's full title as King of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway was:
''King of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Wends and the Goths, Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Stormarn and Dithmarschen, Count of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst''<ref>[http://www.dokpro.uio.no/perl/middelalder/diplom_vise_tekst.prl?b=5595&s=n&str=Hanss%20met%20gudz%20nade ''Kong Hans'' (Diplomatarium Norvegicum)]</ref>

==Issue==
In 1478, John married [[Christina of Saxony]], daughter of Elector [[Ernest, Elector of Saxony|Ernst of Saxony]] and [[Elisabeth of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony|Elisabeth of Bavaria]].<ref name="lagerqvist">{{Cite book |last=Lagerqvist |first=Lars O. |url=https://archive.org/details/kingsrulersofswe0000lage/page/32/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Kings and rulers of Sweden : a pocket encyclopedia |date=1995 |publisher=Vincent Publications |isbn=978-91-87064-15-9 |location=Stockholm |pages=32}}</ref> 

The Danish geneological tradition mentions five children of John and Christina:<ref name="q808">{{cite book | last=Rasmussen | first=Jørgen Nybo | title=Broder Jakob den Danske, kong Christian II's yngre broder | publisher=Odense universitetsforlag | publication-place=Odense | date=1986 | isbn=978-87-7492-583-5 | language=da | page=11|url=https://slaegtsbibliotek.dk/927386.pdf}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Name!!Birth!!Death!!Notes
|-
|Hans||1479||1480||died as a child
|-
|Ernst||1480||1480||died as a child
|-
|[[Christian II of Denmark|Christian II]]||1 July 1481||25 January 1559||King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Had issue.
|-
|[[Elizabeth of Denmark, Electress of Brandenburg|Elizabeth]]||24 June 1485||10 June 1555||Married [[Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg]] in 1502. Had issue.
|-
|Francis||15 July 1497||1 April 1511||
|}

The ''Oldenburgisch Chronicon'' from 1599 cites sources mentioning additional sons named Johan and Jacob. Jørgen Nybo Rasmussen has argued that the latter can be identified as [[Jacobus de Dacia]] (1484–1566), a Franciscan friar who served as a missionary in Mexico.<ref>{{cite book | last=Rasmussen | first=Jørgen Nybo | title=Broder Jakob den Danske, kong Christian II's yngre broder | publisher=Odense universitetsforlag | publication-place=Odense | date=1986 | isbn=978-87-7492-583-5 | language=da | page=24}}</ref>

During the last decade of his life, John had a relationship with [[Edele Jernskjæg]] (died 1512).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-07-17 |title=Edele Jernskæg |url=https://biografiskleksikon.lex.dk/Edele_Jernsk%C3%A6g |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=Dansk Biografisk Leksikon |language=da}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Danish monarchs]]
* [[List of Norwegian monarchs]]
* [[List of Swedish monarchs]]
* [[Danish monarch's family tree]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{runeberg|url=https://runeberg.org/dbl/6/0565.html|chapter=Hans|title=[[Dansk biografisk Lexikon]]|last=Heise|first=Arnold|edition=1st|volume=6|date=1892}}
*{{cite book |last=Møller Jensen |first=Janus |title=Denmark and the Crusades, 1400-1650 |publisher=BRILL |year=2007 |isbn=9789047419846 }}
*{{cite book|last1=Scocozza|first1=Benito|chapter=Hans|title=Politikens bog om danske monarker|trans-title=Politiken's book about Danish monarchs|year=1997|publisher=[[Politikens Forlag]]|location=[[Copenhagen]]|isbn=87-567-5772-7|pages=99–101|language=da}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|John of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden}}
* [http://kongehuset.dk/english/the-monarchy-in-denmark/The-Royal-Lineage The Royal Lineage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150314224944/http://kongehuset.dk/english/the-monarchy-in-denmark/The-Royal-Lineage |date=2015-03-14 }} at the website of the [[Danish Monarchy]]
{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Oldenburg]]|2 February|1455|22 July|1513}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Christian I of Denmark|Christian I]]}}
{{s-ttl|rows=1|title=[[Duke of Holstein]] and [[List of dukes of Schleswig#House of Oldenburg (1460–1544)|Schleswig]]|years=1482–1513|regent1=[[Frederick I of Denmark|Frederick I]]|years1=1482–1513}}
{{s-aft|rows=1|after=[[Frederick I of Denmark|Frederick I]] and|after2=[[Christian II of Denmark|Christian II]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Denmark]]|years=1481–1513}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Christian II of Denmark|Christian II]]}}
|-
{{s-vac|last=[[Christian I of Denmark|Christian I]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Norway]]|years=1483–1513}}
|-
{{s-vac|last=[[Charles VIII of Sweden|Charles VIII]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Sweden]]|years=1497–1501}}
{{s-vac|next=[[Christian II of Sweden|Christian II]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Monarchs of Denmark}}
{{Monarchs of Norway}}
{{Monarchs of Sweden}}
{{Monarchs of Iceland}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1455 births]]
[[Category:1513 deaths]]
[[Category:15th-century Swedish monarchs]]
[[Category:16th-century Swedish monarchs]]
[[Category:15th-century Norwegian monarchs]]
[[Category:16th-century Norwegian monarchs]]
[[Category:Dukes of Schleswig|John 01]]
[[Category:Dukes of Holstein|John 01]]
[[Category:Kalmar Union]]
[[Category:Burials at St. Canute's Cathedral]]
[[Category:Swedish monarchs of German descent]]
[[Category:Knights of the Garter]]
[[Category:People from Aalborg]]
[[Category:15th-century monarchs of Denmark]]
[[Category:16th-century monarchs of Denmark]]
[[Category:Deaths by horse-riding accident in Denmark]]
[[Category:Sons of kings]]
[[Category:Children of Christian I of Denmark]]
[[Category:Royal reburials]]
[[Category:Danish people of German descent]]
[[Category:Norwegian people of German descent]]
[[Category:Sons of counts]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic monarchs]]