Election of Christian III
On July 4, 1534, in St. Søren's Church in Rye, eastern Jutland, the Danish nobility elected Prince Christian, son of King Frederick I and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein, as king. His election sparked the Count’s Feud and helped bring about the Protestant Reformation in Denmark (in 1536) and Norway (in 1537).
Christian III was a devoted Protestant who had seen Martin Luther defend his views at the Diet of Worms and who had already begun Reform in Holstein and Schleswig. Because of his religious stance, many nobles and bishops preferred a Catholic king, making support for him hard to win.
Mogens Gøye, the Steward of the Realm, helped organize a meeting in Rye Church with eight Jutlandic council members and four Jutlandic bishops. Some lesser nobles arrived too, but stayed outside. The discussion was long, and the opponents finally gave up.
Ove Bille, the Bishop of Aarhus, wept when he signed the request to make Christian king, realizing his own downfall. Though hesitant, Christian accepted. He was cheered at a meeting in Horsens on August 18, 1534, where he promised to sign a haandfæstning (charter) to reform church matters, launching the Protestant Reformation in Denmark and Norway.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:48 (CET).