General Notes

Frederick III (of Denmark and Norway) (1609-70), king of Denmark and Norway
(1648-70), born in Haderslev, Denmark, the second son of King Christian IV. He
became king in 1648 after he signed a charter greatly restricting the royal
authority. But the power of the nobles was soon undermined by charges of
improper self-enrichment against their leaders, many of whom were forced to
leave the country. In 1657 Frederick began a war against Sweden to regain
provinces lost by his father. He was defeated and in 1658 signed the Treaty of
Roskilde, ceding a portion of Norway and some Danish islands to Sweden.
Shortly after the conclusion of peace the Swedes reopened the war and besieged
Copenhagen. With aid from the German region of Brandenburg, the Danes expelled
the Swedes from the Jylland (Jutland) Peninsula. In 1660, however, deserted by
his allies, Frederick was obliged to make peace, relinquishing all claims to
the territories possessed by Denmark in southern Sweden. In that year both the
commons and the clergy agreed to the transformation of the kingship from an
elective to an absolute and hereditary monarchy.