Kirsten Munk
Encyclopedia
Kirsten Munk (6 July 1598 – 19 April 1658) was a Danish noble, the second spouse of King Christian IV of Denmark
, and mother to twelve of his children.
(1537-1602) and Ellen Marsvin
(1572-1649), members of the wealthy but untitled Danish nobility
. Her mother, widowed a second time in 1611, was the greatest landowner on Funen
.
Prior to yielding Kirsten to the evident desires of King Christian, her mother negotiated that, as a noble, she would become his wife rather than his mistress
, and that she receive properties in her own name as tokens of the king's honourable intentions. Thus, in 31 December 1615, she was married to the widowed king morganatically
. Nor did the marriage take place in a church. In 1627, she was given the title Count
ess of Schleswig-Holstein. Kirsten bore the king twelve children, among them the famous Countess Leonora Christina Ulfeldt.
Her children intermarried with the nobility of Denmark, Corfitz Ulfeldt and Hannibal Sehested
being among her ambitious sons-in-law. From the king's death in 1648 to 1652, five of her daughters' husbands were known as the so-called Sons-in-law Party, wielding dominant influence in the Rigsråd. Previously, Kirsten's son Count Valdemar of Schleswig-Holstein, had shown promise, becoming engaged
to Tsarevna Irina Mikhailovna Romanov, daughter of Michael I of Russia. The alliance was prevented by Danish objections to Valdemar's conversion
to the Russian Orthodox Church
, yet the king's disappointment on the betrothal's rupture was believed at the time to have hastened his death.
One of Kirsten's daughters, Countess Leonora Christina, distinguished herself by an internationally adventurous life, followed by imprisonment for decades in Denmark's royal dungeon
, and by the posthumous publication of her memoirs, still well regarded both as Scandinavian prose
and as early feminist
literature. Despite the turmoil of her parents' marriage and the conflicts between her brothers and brothers-in-law, according to her own writings Leonora Christina's youth and early married years at the Danish royal court were happy.
In 1627, Kirsten fell in love with a German cavalry captain in her husband's service, the Rhinegrave Otto Ludwig of Salm-Kyrburg
(1597-1634). The couple are alleged to have had encounters where they met, at Funen
, but also at Kronborg and Copenhagen. Eventually, word came to the king of his wife's illicit affair. The king did not accept Kirsten's last daughter, born in 1629, as his own, but called her "Miss Leftover". Supposedly after seeing two maids sleeping outside her locked door he got a footman to engrave the date on a stone and did not have sex with Kirsten again. Her last daughter was conceived 10 months after this which was why he denied her. He accused Kirsten of adultery, of using witchcraft and of having contact with a magician in Hamburg
.
Ellen Marsvin sought to mitigate her son-in-law's indignation so as to prevent vengeance and/or loss of her family's influence at court (several of her granddaughters were engaged to marry Denmark's leading nobles), by encouraging him to engage in an affair with her daughter's lady-in-waiting, Vibeke Kruse
. Although the king did father children with Kruse (who later became political rivals of Kirsten Munck's children and sons-in-law), in 1629, he divorced Kirsten for adultery, and exiled her to Jutland
.
She refused to admit adultery. After an interrogation, she was kept at Stjernholm in Horsens, and in 1637, she was placed under house arrest
in Boller, and her confinement was continued in 1646. Vibeke Kruse is alleged to have encouraged the king to be strict. However, Kirsten was never actually put on trial, although the king repeatedly threatened to do so. She had a good relationship with her children and her sons-in-law, interceded with the king on her behalf. In 1647, her children convinced the king to end her house arrest.
The Sons-in-law Party party spoke for her in the council 1648-51, and when it fell from power, she supported her son-in-law Corfitz Ulfeldt
. Ulfeldt and her daughter Leonora sided with Sweden, and Kirsten Munk is alleged to have financed King Charles X of Sweden's invasion and occupation of Denmark. She died during the Swedish occupation and was given a grand funeral in Odense
.
Christian IV of Denmark
Christian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death. With a reign of more than 59 years, he is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark, and he is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects...
, and mother to twelve of his children.
Early life and Morganatic marriage
Kirsten Munck was the daughter of Ludvig MunckLudvig Munk
Ludvig Ludvigsen Munk was born in 1537 in Vejle, and died 8 April 1602 at Nørlund Slot in Funen. He was a Danish-Norwegian official and Count. He was the son of Ludvik Munk , and is also referred to as Ludvig Ludvigsen Munk von Schleswig-Holstein and Ludvig Munk til Nørlund.He was a Junker at the...
(1537-1602) and Ellen Marsvin
Ellen Marsvin
Ellen Marsvin was a Danish noble, landowner and county administrator. She was the mother-in-law of King Christian IV of Denmark as the mother of Kirsten Munk....
(1572-1649), members of the wealthy but untitled Danish nobility
Danish nobility
Nobility in Denmark was a leading social class until the 19th or 20th century. Danish nobility exists yet and has a recognized status in Denmark, a monarchy, but its real privileges have been abolished....
. Her mother, widowed a second time in 1611, was the greatest landowner on Funen
Funen
Funen , with a size of 2,984 km² , is the third-largest island of Denmark following Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy, and the 163rd largest island of the world. Funen is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 454,358 inhabitants . The main city is Odense, connected to the...
.
Prior to yielding Kirsten to the evident desires of King Christian, her mother negotiated that, as a noble, she would become his wife rather than his mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
, and that she receive properties in her own name as tokens of the king's honourable intentions. Thus, in 31 December 1615, she was married to the widowed king morganatically
Morganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
. Nor did the marriage take place in a church. In 1627, she was given the title Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
ess of Schleswig-Holstein. Kirsten bore the king twelve children, among them the famous Countess Leonora Christina Ulfeldt.
Children
She had 12 children. The youngest, Dorothea Elisabeth, was rumoured not to have been the king's child;- Unnamed Stillborn child (b. & d. 1615)
- Unnamed infant (b. & d. 1617)
- Countess Anna Christiane of Schleswig-Holstein (10 August 1618-20 August 1633)
- Countess Sophie Elisabeth of Schleswig-HolsteinSophie Elisabeth PentzSophie Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein was the daughter of king Christian IV of Denmark and Kirsten Munk. She shared the title Countess of Schleswig-Holstein with her mother and siblings....
(20 September 1619-29 April 1657); married Christian von Pentz - Countess Leonora Christina of Schleswig-Holstein (8 July 1621-16 March 1698); married Corfitz Ulfeldt
- Count Valdemar Christian of Schleswig-HolsteinValdemar Christian of Schleswig-HolsteinValdemar Christian of Schleswig-Holstein was the son of king Christian IV of Denmark and his morganatic spouse Kirsten Munk...
(1622-26 February 1656) - Countess Elisabeth Auguste of Schleswig-HolsteinElisabeth Augusta LindenovElisabeth Augusta of Schleswig-Holstein was the daughter of king Christian IV of Denmark and Kirsten Munk. She shared the title Countess of Schleswig-Holstein with her mother and siblings....
(28 December 1623-9 August 1677) - Count Friedrich Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (26 April 1625-17 July 1627)
- Countess Christiane of Schleswig-HolsteinChristiane SehestedChristiane Christiansdatter Sehested was the daughter of king Christian IV of Denmark and his morganatic spouse, Kirsten Munk. She shared the title Countess of Schleswig-Holstein with her mother and siblings. She was the twin of her sister Hedevig Ulfeldt. Christiane was engaged by her father...
(15 July 1626-6 May 1670); married Hannibal SehestedHannibal Sehested (governor)Hannibal Sehested was a Danish statesman and Governor of Norway.He was born at Arensborg Castle on Øsel, Son of Claus Maltesen Sehested. After being educated abroad, he returned to Denmark in 1632 and was attached to the court of King Christian IV... - Countess Hedwig of Schleswig-HolsteinHedevig UlfeldtHedwig of Schleswig-Holstein was the daughter of king Christian IV of Denmark and Kirsten Munk. She was the twin of her sister Christiane Sehested. She shared the title Countess of Schleswig-Holstein with her mother and siblings.As with her siblings, she was raised by her grandmother Ellen Marsvin...
(15 July 1626-5 October 1678) - Maria Katharina of Schleswig-Holstein (29 May 1628-1 September 1628)
- Countess Dorothea Elisabeth of Schleswig-HolsteinDorothea Elisabeth ChristiansdatterDorothea Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein was the daughter of king Christian IV of Denmark and Kirsten Munk....
(1 September 1629-18 March 1687)
Her children intermarried with the nobility of Denmark, Corfitz Ulfeldt and Hannibal Sehested
Hannibal Sehested (governor)
Hannibal Sehested was a Danish statesman and Governor of Norway.He was born at Arensborg Castle on Øsel, Son of Claus Maltesen Sehested. After being educated abroad, he returned to Denmark in 1632 and was attached to the court of King Christian IV...
being among her ambitious sons-in-law. From the king's death in 1648 to 1652, five of her daughters' husbands were known as the so-called Sons-in-law Party, wielding dominant influence in the Rigsråd. Previously, Kirsten's son Count Valdemar of Schleswig-Holstein, had shown promise, becoming engaged
Engagement
An engagement or betrothal is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage which may be lengthy or trivial. During this period, a couple is said to be betrothed, affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged...
to Tsarevna Irina Mikhailovna Romanov, daughter of Michael I of Russia. The alliance was prevented by Danish objections to Valdemar's conversion
Religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
to the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
, yet the king's disappointment on the betrothal's rupture was believed at the time to have hastened his death.
One of Kirsten's daughters, Countess Leonora Christina, distinguished herself by an internationally adventurous life, followed by imprisonment for decades in Denmark's royal dungeon
Dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...
, and by the posthumous publication of her memoirs, still well regarded both as Scandinavian prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
and as early feminist
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
literature. Despite the turmoil of her parents' marriage and the conflicts between her brothers and brothers-in-law, according to her own writings Leonora Christina's youth and early married years at the Danish royal court were happy.
Separation
As the king's health declined in 1625, so did his temperament and his marriage.In 1627, Kirsten fell in love with a German cavalry captain in her husband's service, the Rhinegrave Otto Ludwig of Salm-Kyrburg
Salm-Kyrburg
Salm-Kyrburg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire located in present-day Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, one of the various partitions of Salm. It was twice created: the first time as a Wild- and Rhinegraviate , and secondly as a Principality...
(1597-1634). The couple are alleged to have had encounters where they met, at Funen
Funen
Funen , with a size of 2,984 km² , is the third-largest island of Denmark following Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy, and the 163rd largest island of the world. Funen is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 454,358 inhabitants . The main city is Odense, connected to the...
, but also at Kronborg and Copenhagen. Eventually, word came to the king of his wife's illicit affair. The king did not accept Kirsten's last daughter, born in 1629, as his own, but called her "Miss Leftover". Supposedly after seeing two maids sleeping outside her locked door he got a footman to engrave the date on a stone and did not have sex with Kirsten again. Her last daughter was conceived 10 months after this which was why he denied her. He accused Kirsten of adultery, of using witchcraft and of having contact with a magician in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
.
Ellen Marsvin sought to mitigate her son-in-law's indignation so as to prevent vengeance and/or loss of her family's influence at court (several of her granddaughters were engaged to marry Denmark's leading nobles), by encouraging him to engage in an affair with her daughter's lady-in-waiting, Vibeke Kruse
Vibeke Kruse
Vibeke Kruse was the official mistress of King Christian IV of Denmark between 1629 and 1648 and the mother of one of his three acknowledged, illegitimate sons, Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve. She was described as influential.- Biography :...
. Although the king did father children with Kruse (who later became political rivals of Kirsten Munck's children and sons-in-law), in 1629, he divorced Kirsten for adultery, and exiled her to Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
.
She refused to admit adultery. After an interrogation, she was kept at Stjernholm in Horsens, and in 1637, she was placed under house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
in Boller, and her confinement was continued in 1646. Vibeke Kruse is alleged to have encouraged the king to be strict. However, Kirsten was never actually put on trial, although the king repeatedly threatened to do so. She had a good relationship with her children and her sons-in-law, interceded with the king on her behalf. In 1647, her children convinced the king to end her house arrest.
Later life
On his deathbed in 1648, her husband sent for her, but by the time she arrived he was already dead. Kirsten and her children now had Vibeke Kruse banished from court. She also had her marriage and children confirmed as legitimate, although morganatic.The Sons-in-law Party party spoke for her in the council 1648-51, and when it fell from power, she supported her son-in-law Corfitz Ulfeldt
Corfitz Ulfeldt
Corfitz Ulfeldt , Danish statesman, son of the chancellor Jacob Ulfeldt.Corfitz Ulfeldt may also refer to:* Corfitz Ulfeldt , son of Danish diplomat Jacob Ulfeldt...
. Ulfeldt and her daughter Leonora sided with Sweden, and Kirsten Munk is alleged to have financed King Charles X of Sweden's invasion and occupation of Denmark. She died during the Swedish occupation and was given a grand funeral in Odense
Odense
The city of Odense is the third largest city in Denmark.Odense City has a population of 167,615 and is the main city of the island of Funen...
.