General Notes

Christian III, b. Aug. 12, 1503, d. Jan. 1, 1559, was king of Denmark and
Norway from 1534 to 1559. A zealous Protestant, he had to overcome opposition
in the so-called Count's War (1533-36) to succeed his father, Frederick I, to
the throne. His Diet of Copenhagen (1536) established a state Lutheran church.
In a dynastic struggle with Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who supported the
claims of the daughters of deposed Christian II, Christian III barred the
Habsburg Netherlands' shipping from the Baltic Sea, and Charles made peace
with him in 1544. Christian left Denmark a well-administered state when he
died.