Memoirs of Denmark, containing the life and reign of the late K. of Denmark, Norway, &c., Christian V together with an exact account of the rise and progress of those differences now on foot betwixt the two houses of Denmark and Holstein Gottorp ... taken from authentick letters and records / by J.C., Med. D., Fellow of the Royal Society, and a Member of the College of Physicians.

CHAP. IV. What occasioned the Rupture betwixt the late King of Denmark, Christian V. and Christian Albert, the late Duke of Hol∣stein Gottorp.

KING Frederick III. had some Reason to be∣lieve, that the young Duke of Holstein, having got every thing he desired, would now rest satisfied with his new Acquisitions, and cultivate a good Understanding with Denmark for the future, but this had a quite contrary Effect; For, the Duke thinking it not for his Interest to conside in those, whom he had dis∣oblig'd so lately, took other measures; and in the beginning of the Year 1661, not long after the Peace of Copenhagen, entred into a new and a more strict Alliance with Sweden.

Denmark taking the Alarm at this Proceeding,* 1.1 it was represented by the Duke's Ministers, as a defensive Alliance, made for no other Pur∣pose but to secure their new Aquisitions against any Attempts that might be made upon them from Denmark, there being one express Article inserted, That the same should not be prejudicial to the Friendship betwixt those two Families. But tho' it was true, that the said Alliance was penn'd in defensive Terms, yet were the two Articles inserted, which would admit of no other Interpretation, than to have been contri∣ved

to the great Prejudice of Denmark.

The first was: That in case the King of Den∣mark, should, beyond all expectation, recede from the last Northern Peace, and came to the worst of the War, which he should draw upon him by so doing; That in such a Case, the Duke did reserve to himself all his Right and Title to the Royal Part of those Dukedoms, both for himself and his Posterity.

The second is, That the Duke does expresly agree with his Majesty of Sweden, That, if in Case of a Rupture betwixt the two Northern Crowns, that Part of the Dukedoms belonging to Denmark, shall oblige its selt to stand Neu∣ter, so, as that not the least Injury or Danger may from thence accrue to the Swedes, the said King obliges himself not to attack or molest them.

Both those Points could not but stick very close in the King of Denmark's Stomach; for to pretend to secure the Succession of the Duke∣doms, when there were at least twenty Princes of the Royal Branch alive, who had an unque∣stionable Precedency before the Branch of Hol∣stein Gottorp, could not but be considered as very foreign to a defensive Alliance; The second tending to no less than to abalienate the King of Denmark's Subjects from the Allegiance due to their Sovereigns, without his Approbation, as it had a near Relation to the first, so the Danes could take it for no less than a strong Presumption to shew how eager the Duke was of getting into the entire Possession of those Duke∣doms; but the Remembrance of their late Ca∣lamities, and their unsetled State at home, oc∣casioned by that Great Revolution, obliged

them to pass by those things till a better Oppor∣tunity.

The Duke on the other hand, being flush'd by this new Alliance, and by the weakness of Denmark, too this Juncture as the most pro∣per to promote his Interest; and being put to a great Nonplus, how to maintain those Forces that were to be kept on foot for their Mutual Defence, pursuant to this Alliance (his ordinary Reve∣nues being insufficient) it was proposed to Denmark, that those Taxes,* 1.2 which used to be levied for the common defence of the Country, and were kept in one common Treasury (to prevent the listing of Soldiers without the Con∣sent of both Parties) should not be put in the common Rank, but that each party might have Power to collect and keep his own Share.

The Danes were not so insensible as not to perceive the Duke's Intention, but as they were not in a Condition to break with Sweden at that time, so, after many Contestations, they saw themselves under a Necessity to comply with the Duke's desire in the Year 1663. under this Limitation however, that it should be only for a certain time, and not be made use of hereafter in prejudice of either side; for which reason also the said Treasury was not shut up, but the Taxes raised upon the Noble Men's Estates were to be paid in there, as before.

The Duke got a remarkable Advantage by this Concession, being now at liberty to pay his own Troops, who were to swear Fealty to him alone; besides, that the Danes being to provide most of the Garrison'd Places (which belong'd to their Share) the Taxes were not sufficient to answer the Charges they were of Necessity to be at.

The King of Denmark having in the mean while, in some measure, re-setled his Affairs at home, began to make pressing Instances to the Duke, to settle the Gathering and Management of the extraordinary Taxes upon the antient Foundation; but he being unwilling to part with it, new Pretensions were made, founded upon the Patent of King Christian I. who first divided Sleswick betwixt his Sons, John and Fre∣derick; in which it is express'd, That the extra∣ordinary Tax, (call'd the Land Bede) should be divided equally amongst them. But this Argument could stand them in little stead, considering that the whole Dukedom was re-united with the Crown under King Frederick I. whose Sons (from whom both the Branches of Denmark and Holstein Gottorp are descended) made a new Division and Union, in which there is not the least of it mentioned. Whilst these Contests lasted, the English and Dutch were engag'd in a War in the Year 1665, when King Frederick III. in remembrance of what he owed to the Dutch for their seasonable Relief at the time of the late Siege of Copenhagen, gave shelter to the Dutch East-India Ships in the Port of Bergen in Norway, against the Earl of Sandwich, the then English Admiral; who being vehemently exas∣perated against him, and endeavouring to per∣swade the Swedes to break with Denmark, he did not think it seasonable to push this Point of the Community of Taxes to the utmost, but rather to link the said Duke to his Interest by a Marriage with his Daughter Frederica Amalia,* 1.3 which was consummated in the Year 1667, im∣mediately after the Peace was concluded betwixt England and Holland.

But it seems the Ties of Marriage were not strong enough to draw him from the Swedish Inte∣rest; for, in the Year 1669, there being a Meeting appointed at Hamborough betwixt the Deputies of Denmark and Holstein Gottorp, in order to compose the Differences arisen betwixt the King and Duke of Holstein Gottorp, on one, and the Duke of Holstein Ploen, on the other side, about the Succession in the Countries of Oldenburgh and Delmenhorst; the Deputies of Gottorp shew'd so much Haughtiness in their deportment, that the first Commissioner of the Duke disputed the Precedency with the second Commissioner of Denmark, and shew'd their Orders for so doing; and tho' the Imperial Commissioner, who assist∣ed at those Conferences, employed all his Care and Authority to terminate those Differences in an Amicable manner, yet the Ministers of Got∣torp were so far from hearkning to those Pro∣positions, that they at several times threatned both the Emperour and the Empire with the Swedes; so that this Negotiation broke off fruitless.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Alliance be∣twixt Swe∣den and Hop∣stein.
• * 1.2

  The Dukes incrcach∣ments ••••an Denmark.
• * 1.3

  Marriage of the Duke of Holstein Gottorp.