Frederick III of Denmark (18 March 1609-9 February 1670) was King of Denmark-Norway from 6 July 1648 to 9 February 1670, succeeding Christian IV and preceding Christian V.
Biography[]
Frederik von Oldenburg was born in Haderslev, Denmark in 1609, the son of King Christian IV of Denmark. His older brother Christian predeceased him, leading to Frederick inheriting the throne on his father's death in 1648. In 1657, he declared war on Sweden, rightly fearing the power of the warrior-king Charles X Gustav of Sweden. However, the Swedes were able to cross the frozen sea into Danish territory, and the 1658 treaty between Denmark and Sweden enabled Frederick to meet and befriend his erstwhile rival. However, war was resumed that same year, and - backed by the Dutch - he defeated the Swedish siege of Copenhagen and was victorious at the Battle of the Sound. The 1660 Treaty of Copenhagen returned Bornholm and parts of Schleswig to Denmark. That same year, Frederick transformed Denmark from an elective monarchy into an absolute monarchy. In 1665, he repaid the Netherlands' support for his kingdom by escorting the Dutch East Indies return fleet, which took refuge in Bergen, Norway after a storm. However, the English urged Frederick to seize the return fleet for himself, claiming that it was more valuable than his crown revenues. Frederick agreed to split the prize with the English, allowing the English to attack the Dutch fleet; however, his orders for the garrison of Bergen to allow the attack never reached the garrison's commander, and the Danes helped the Dutch in repelling the English attack. Frederick died in Copenhagen in 1670.