The Royal Danish CollectionRosenborgCastle historyInterior and objectsA Entry to the TreasuryChristian V as the prince elect

Christian V as the prince elect

It was considered of great importance to be able to defend not only the people but more sayingly the various provinces and borders of the danish kingdom. As a product of this, most princes were taught the arts of war from a very early point in their lives, here examplified by Christian V portrayed as the prince elect in the year 1650, in a painting by Karel van Manders. The four-year old successor is dressed not only in an adult attire, clothes typically connected to military generals that is, but is sorrounded by several military attributes such as the cannons, some of which are identical to the exhibits in front of the painting.

Not only is this a rare insight in the upbriging of Christian V, but it can also be viewed as a link in the self-promotion of both king and prince showing their military prowess, hereby gaining prestige in the eyes of the prices of Europe, who themselves had their own quite similar paintings made. As a minimum it gave Chritian V a militaristic udnerstanding of himself, shown amongst others during the Scanian Wars 1675-1679, where he tried to reconquer the southern part of Sweden – not least underlined by the fact that the war was started by a danish declaration of war.

Relations

Count Griffenfeld

Peder Schumacher, Count Griffenfeld (1635-99). Painting by Abraham Wuchters.

1625-1650

The second half of Christian IV's reign became a time of recession. The economic crisis became more severe, and at the same time the fortunes of war turned.

1650-1675

The wars of Charles Gustavus (1657-1658 and 1658-1660) were the important events in foreign politics of the period. The loss of Scania, Halland and Blekinge at the Peace of Roskilde in 1658 was a nadir of power politics in Danish history.

Christian V

Christian V was the King of Denmark-Norway from 1670; son of Frederik III and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg. He was married to Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel in 1667. He was the father of Frederik IV.

Christian V with His Half-Brother, c. 1671

Christian V in conversation with his elder half-brother Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, and with Count Anthon Aldenburg (1633-1680). Grisaille by Anton Steenwinkel. The Gyldenløve family, the king’s ‘natural’, which is to say illegitimate children, played an important role in the political machinations of 17th century Denmark. As children of the king, they had high status in the class-divided society. At the same time, however, they were excluded from line of succession, and thus had no dynastic ambitions, making them extremely loyal to the reigning king. Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve was the issue of a relationship Frederik (III) had with Margrethe Pape, before he married Sophie Amalie in 1643.

Small weapons

Flint-lock gun, Copenhagen around 1710. The lock is engraved with the signature Friderich Osterman Copenhagen, along with a C, representing Christian VI, as they were his first weapons.

Christian V., ca. 1690

Christian V. Portrait by Jacob d’Agar, c. 1690.

Silver boxes

Nine silver boxes ofwhich eight contain the umbilical cords of Frederik III's children, believed to provide protection against disease and death.