Genius And Social Tensions In Europe During The Late Middle Ages

RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL TENSIONS, 1523-36

The Late Middle Ages were in most of Europe characterised by social tensions. In many places, authorities were questioned – especially the rich and powerful Catholic Church. In 1521, Martin Luther – under the protection of a German prince – definitively split from the Pope and the Catholic Church. Luther, however, was only the tip of the iceberg, and several religious reform movements asserted themselves in Germany in these years. These currents were also felt in Denmark, where the Lutheran Reformation became a reality in 1536. Until then, the deposed king Christian II still played a role; partly because it was feared that his brother-in-law, the emperor Charles V, would lend him military support to reclaim the Danish throne, and partly because he became a symbol of unity for the dissatisfaction with the ruling system.

Frederik I did nothing to stop the religious reform movements that quickly spread throughout Denmark, especially in the cities. He was

One of Christian II’s followers, Skipper Clement, managed to raise a peasant rebellion in all of western and northern Jutland, and defeated an army consisting of noblemen. Before that, the Jutlandic members of the Council of the realm had conferred and then approached Duke Christian, who arrived in Jutland with a mercenary army at the end of 1534, and was hailed as Christian III (1503-1559). He would soon secure power in Jutland and during the following year also Funen, Zealand and Scania as well, thanks to his army. After a siege lasting a year, Copenhagen also surrendered. Following this, the catholic bishops were imprisoned, their lands and riches as well as that of the monasteries were confiscated by the Crown, and a Lutheran national church was established under the king’s leadership. The Danish Reformation had thus been