- Election of Christian III
The election of Christian III as
king of Denmark and Norway on4 July 1534 was a landmark event for all ofDenmark andNorway . It took place in the church in the town of Rye, easternJutland , where the Jutlandicnobility elected Prince Christian, son of king Frederick I and Duke of Slesvig andHolsten , as king. This brought about theCount's Feud (the civil war of 1534-36) and later also led to the implementation of the Protestant Reformation in Denmark and Norway. Christian was a zealousProtestant who had witnessed the defence ofMartin Luther at theDiet of Worms , and he had already carried out the Reformation in the Duchies of Slesvig and Holsten.Christian's views made it difficult to gain the support of a majority of the Council of the Realm as most noblemen and, of course, the
bishop s would rather see aRoman Catholic king on the throne and hence preferred his younger brother. Among the supporters of Christian wereMogens Gøye , Steward of the Realm, and he was among the originators of the meeting in Rye Church between eight Jutlandic members of the Council and the four Jutlandic bishops. Members of the lesser nobility had also turned up – presumably on Gøye's initiative – but had to stay outside the church. The lengthy discussion about the election eventually made them lose patience, and they forced their way into the church and demanded to know who opposed the election of Prince Christian. After that, the opponents finally gave up. Bishop Bille of Aarhus cried wept when he signed the request for the Protestant Duke to become king, realising that it would mean his own downfall.Although hesitant, Christian accepted the election and was cheered at a meeting in
Horsens on18 August 1534 where he declared that he would, like his predecessors, sign a "håndfæstning " (charter), although with a reform of ecclesiastical affairs, i.e. the implementation of the Protestant Reformation in Denmark and Norway.
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