History of Denmark during Shakespeare's lifetime.?

Question

I was wandering if anyone could explain to me the history or major events that happened in Denmark during the lifetime of Shakespeare.

Answer 1

The Union of Kalmar, in 1397, united Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and duly crowned Eric as the King of Scandinavia; from now on the three kingdoms were to be united under one King, to be elected jointly. This lasted 126 years, until Sweden broke away from the union in 1523. In 1536 King Christian III made Norway a province of Denmark. Denmark and Norway were united for 434 years, until the end of the Napeleonic Wars in 1814, wherein the Treaty of Kiel forced Denmark to cede Norway to Sweden. However, under the terms of the treaty Denmark managed to retain the Norwegian territories of Iceland, Greenland and the Faeroe Islands.

The Reformation penetrated the Scandinavian countries in the early 1500s; supported by its merchants and peasants, and by devout priests who had become followers of Martin Luther. King Frederik I (reigned 1523-1533), who became quite religious in his later years, strongly promoted the establishment of the Lutheran Church. He allowed the leading Danish religious reformer, Hans Tavsen, to preach in the church at Viborg and ordered many Catholic churches in the region destroyed, despite violent protests. It was King Christian III (reigned 1534-1559), son of Frederik I, who established the state Lutheran Church in Denmark. With the support of the Rigsrad - his advising council of lay members - the king ordered all Catholic property turned over to the crown, and declared the Lutheran Church the national church of Denmark with the king as its head. Shortly before King Frederik IV died in 1730, a law was passed enforcing attendance at the Sunday church service. In the towns absence was punished with fines, while in country the penalty was the pillory. From 1660 to 1849, a period of absolute monarchy in Denmark, all Danes were compelled to profess the Lutheran faith.

The law in Denmark, from 1523 onward, stated that as long as a peasant kept up his part of the lease agreement on his farm - such as paying the taxes, improving the land, and working on the estate - the landowner could not take the lease away from him. This meant that a farmer could keep his land until his death. When a man got too old to work the farm, he would usually sign over the lease to his oldest son (on Bornholm it was the youngest son). The legal document signing over the lease would include a section guaranteeing that the farmer and his wife receive undentag - meaning that they received room and board for the rest of their lives.