Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/540

{|width="100%" Swedish chancellor Oxenstiern, Holstein was invaded by Swedish forces in 1643, the duke of Holstein-Gottorp once more betraying his liege lord by placing the enemy in full possession of the territory. In a naval action off the island of Femern, near Kiel, known as the battle of Kolberg heath, Christian was severely wounded and lost an eye. His heroism, commemorated in a famous national ballad, greatly enhanced his personal popularity; but the war ended disastrously, chiefly owing to the opposition of the Danish senate to its continuation, and the king was reluctantly obliged to conclude the treaty of peace of Brömsebro (Aug. 13, 1645), ceding the Norwegian districts of Jemtland and Herjeland, the islands of Gothland and Ösel, and other territory to Sweden, including the occupation for 30 years of Halland, and releasing Sweden from the Sound and Belt dues, while these were at once reduced for the Dutch to the rate fixed at a later period for friendly maritime powers. In addition to these disasters, Christian was greatly annoyed by the conduct of the duke of Holstein-Gottorp; these dissensions paving the way for interminable future contests in regard to the interior and exterior relations of the duchies. These reverses preyed at length upon the king; and the premature death of his son Christian, the presumptive heir to the throne, was an additional source of sadness, and accelerated his own death. Of a majestic and noble presence, Christian had endeared himself to his subjects by his love of justice and humanity, by his efforts for intellectual and general improvement, and by his gallantry and indefatigable patriotic labors; and his portrait is still found in the dwellings of the peasants as well as of the higher classes. He was succeeded by his son Frederick III.—His queen, the princess Anne Catharine of Brandenburg, died in 1612; and in 1615 he contracted a morganatic marriage with the daughter of Munk, a Danish nobleman, whom he repudiated in 1630. She had borne him many daughters, who married noblemen and senators. Prominent among them, by her virtues and accomplishments, was, countess of Schleswig-Holstein (born July 10, 1621, died about 1698). She married in 1636 Count Corfitz-Uhlfeld, the son of a Danish high chancellor. He became in 1643 major-domo, but after being suspected of conspiring against the life of the king, and incurring general odium, he left Denmark in disgrace. Intriguing in Sweden against his country, but distrusted, he fled to Flanders, where he continued to conspire against Denmark. He was sentenced to death in contumacy, July 24, 1663. He escaped to Basel, but was accidentally drowned while crossing the Rhine, Feb. 20, 1664. His wife repaired to England, where the government secretly surrendered her to Denmark, and she was imprisoned in Copenhagen more than 20 years. Her memoirs, partly autobiographical,
 * 528
 * align="center"|CHRISTIAN IV.
 * align="center" width="50%"|CHRISTIAN VII.
 * } against Sweden. At the instigation of the

revealing the injustice practised on her, and her sufferings, translated into English by F. E. Bennett, were published in London in 1873. '''III. Christian VII.,''' born Jan. 29, 1749, died March 13, 1808. He was the son of Frederick V. and Louisa, daughter of George II. of England. He succeeded his father Jan. 13, 1766, and soon after married his cousin Caroline Matilda, sister of George III. of England. A year after his marriage he set out to travel abroad, leaving his young wife at home, and visited Holland, Germany, France, and England. In 1769 he returned to Denmark, and found the affairs of his kingdom deranged, the finances low, and commerce failing; but, incapable of attention to business, he abandoned the direction of his government to unworthy favorites. At first he appeared desirous of confiding chiefly in his late father's minister Bernstorff, whom he raised to the dignity of count. A young noble named Holcke at this time, however, enjoyed the greatest share of his confidence, together with a physician, Struensee, who had accompanied him in his travels. The queen, regarding Holcke as her enemy, encouraged Struensee to supplant him in the royal confidence. By his aid the queen succeeded in recovering her husband's favor, and at length procured the banishment from court of Holcke and his equally obnoxious sister. Meantime the queen dowager, stepmother of the king (Juliana Maria, daughter of the duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel), had begun to intrigue in behalf of the interests of her son, the king's half brother; and upon the birth of a crown prince (afterward Frederick VI.) the breach between the queen and her stepmother was hopelessly widened. The king gave daily proof of increasing folly and unworthiness. Bernstorff was dismissed; the council of state, the last surviving check upon the royal authority, was suppressed; and Struensee, possessing a greater ascendancy over the king than any preceding favorite, ruled Denmark with an iron hand. He was ennobled, and empowered to issue his master's verbal orders in writing without the royal signature. Many of his measures were wise and just, but his power was at length exercised imprudently. The nobles were already exasperated by his decrees against their privileges; and a law ordaining the liberty of the press, by which he hoped to gain greater popularity, had a contrary effect, as his enemies thus obtained means of exposing and vilifying his ambitious proceedings. On Jan. 16, 1772, the machinations of the queen dowager were crowned with success. Struensee and the queen were arrested on a warrant forced from the king for a pretended conspiracy, the former beheaded, and the latter sent into exile. (See .) The queen dowager now governed the kingdom for many years in the name of the king, whose mind sunk beneath these alarms and agitations. Disease brought on by intemperate indulgences had early undermined his