second Son of Frederick I. and Brother of Christiern III. Kings of Denmark He came into the World Anno 1526 was made Knight of the Garter by Queen Elizabeth Anno 1560 and dying in the year 1586 left his Estate to John Adolph his Son who married with Augusta Daughter of Frederick II. King of Denmark and died in the year 1620. He left his Estate and Title to his Son Frederick born in Dec. Anno 1597. This is that Duke of Holstein who in the year 1633 sent those two chargeable Embassies to Moscovy and Persia whereof Olearius has made an ample Relation The end of which Embassies was to settle a Commerce of Silk in his Dominions in order to which he caused Frederickstad on the Eyder to be built He died in the year 1659 leaving his Estate to his Son Christiern Albert the present Duke of Holstein Gottorp born in Febr. 1641. Marry'd as I said before to Frederica-Aemilia one of the King of Denmark's Sisters To the Duke of Holstein Gottorp there 's but one collateral Branch viz. of Ottin or Ottingen Which begun with John of Ottin younger Brother to Frederick Duke of Holstein Gottorp born March 19th Anno 1606. He was Administrator of the Bishoprick of Lubeck and an eminent Scholar He died Febr. 18. 1655 and left a Son called John Augustus born August 3. in the Year 1647. The Branch of Holstein Sunderburg so called from Sunderburg a Castle in the Isle of Alsen near the East-Coast of Sleswick began with John second Son of Christiern III. King of Denmark born March 25th Anno 1545. He died Nov. 9th 1621 and left four Sons who made so many Branches Alexander his eldest Son Duke of Holstein Sunderburg was born Anno 1573 and died March 13. in the year 1627. His next Heir and Successor was his Son John Christiern born April 26. 1607. Who dying Anno 1653 or 54 left his Title and Estate to his Son Christiern Adolph the present Duke of Holstein Sunderburg The three younger Branches are 1. Of Holstein Norburg 2. of Holstein Gluksburg 3. of Holstein Ploen or Arnsberg Thus I have unravelled the Pedigree of the Dukes of Holstein who are now increased to a great number and some of them of no great Fortunes The Duke of Holstein Gottorp is the most considerable and yet he was much greater before he lost the King of Denmark his Brother-in-Law's favour by ingaging too far with Sweden to the prejudice of his Blood Whereby he lost to the King his Rights of Sovereignty over the Dukedom of Sleswick and has little or nothing left there besides his Castle of Gottorp Which Rights were formerly extorted from the late King Frederick by the Roschild Treaty In Holstein his Subjects are set under Contribution whilst his Highness resides at Hamburg his Place of Refuge where he has in vain protested against the King's Proceedings This Prince has a Brother Augustus Frederick born Anno 1646. Of the Nobility Clergy and Commonalty of Denmark in relation to Government As also of the chief Order of Knighthood called of the Elephant IN all Governments the Inhabitants are distinguished and divided into several Orders and Degrees commonly called States In England we have but King Lords and Commons But in Denmark they reckon five Orders or States viz. the Blood-Royal the Nobility or Gentry the Clergy Burgesses or Merchants and Countrey-men In our fore-going Discourse we have spoke at large of the Blood-Royal I come now to the next Order which is the Nobility A Bridle to Kings in all Elective Kingdoms but on the contrary a Support of Crowns Hereditary Before the Crown of Denmark was made Hereditary there was no Titular Lords But he only was counted a Noble-man that could shew his Nobility by a long Descent They bore their Arms simple and thought it a disgrace to change or add to them Here is still the Noble Family of the Wrens whose Ancestors were present at the Treaty made on the River Eyder between Charles the Great and Hening King of Denmark which is almost 900 years since As also that of the Whitfelds of which the English Whitfields are an Off-spring who bear the same Arms with the Whitfelds in Denmark and whose Ancestors came over with King Canute To proceed the Nobility or Gentry of Denmark for 't is the same thing there injoy their Estates with high and low Jurisdiction and have as the German Counts the liberty of Hunting hair with hair and feather with feather Their Patrimonial Estates are not held in fief but in free tenure All Castles Lands and Goods as well moveable as immoveable left to them by their Parents are equally divided amongst the Brothers In case of Sisters the Brother has two shares and the Sister but one The Mansion Houses and Castles are kept by the Heir-males but many Lordships are equally divided Noble-men that are so well qualifi'd as to merit the King 's special favour may come to great Preferment and Riches 'T is out of the Nobility that is chosen the Council of State the Senators whereof must not exceed the number of 38. The Crown allows each of them a Competency with some fair Castle in the Countrey for his Retirements whilst he is of that Body The Chief Men of this Council are the Ricks Drost and the Lords Marshal Admiral Chancellour and Treasurer The Ricks Drost is as it were the King's Lieutenant that manages resolves and dispatches the King's Affairs The Lord Marshal takes care both in Peace and War of all Military Concerns and the Admiral sees to Maritime Affairs The Chancellor judges of Civil Causes and the Treasurer receives the King's Revenues The third Order or Degree is the Clergy The Body of which does consist of Ministers otherwise called the Inferiour Clergy And out of these are chosen the Superintendents or Bishops for the Church-Government These are the Overseers Inspectors and Heads of the Clergy Over which there is a general Superintendent and that is the Bishop or Arch-bishop if you will of Copenhagen These Governours of the Church have indeed a Priority both of Place and Power before other Ministers together with some liberal Maintenance in proportion to it They have a Power of Presidence in all Church Assemblies but so that they are to take along with them the Advice of other Ministers From whom they do not otherwise differ either in Order Habit or Title of Dignity All of them in general and in particular are accountable to the Supream Ecclesiastical Consistory as in former times to the Provincial or National Synod Which Consistory is made up of Counsellors of State and the Heads of the Clergy In short both the Revenues and the Power of these Prelates are much Inferiour to what it was formerly before the Reformation so that a Bishop here is little better than Primus inter Pares The fourth Order or Degree consists of Townsmen Burgesses and Merchants who have their Privileges peculiar to themselves Out of these and from the Husbandmens
afterwards of England upon the death of his elder Brother Harold who died not long after his Coronation Anno 1040. He was kindly received by the English but he proved very unkind to ' em For he caused several of the chief Men of the Kingdom to be put to death and he oppressed the People with heavy Taxes To avenge the Injuries done to his Mother Emma by Harold he caused him to be digged out of his Grave and his head to be cast into the Thames Two years after his coming to the Crown he went to a Wedding in Lambeth where he fell off his Chair and died Some thought he had been poisoned However he being dead the English took up Arms and made a riddance of the Danes This is that King Canute which was commonly called Hardy Canute To him succeeded King Magnus in Denmark who governed that Kingdom the space of four years He was Son of Olaus King of Norway Sueno II was Sisters Son of Canute I according to our account by Ulso an English Duke 'T was he that restored the Kingdom of Norway to the Norwegians Harold II was Son of that Sueno There is nothing memorable of him that I can find at present but that he was surnamed the Idle Canute III was Brother of that Harold He attempting to recover England was murdered at the Altar in the Church of St. Albans Anno 1081 and after that ranked among the Martyrs A Son of his called by his Name did likewise suffer Martyrdom and was canonized a Saint Anno 1164 by Pope Alexander IV. The Church of Rome celebrates his Day on the 19th of January I suppose this is that Canute who was murderin the Church of Odensee in Funen whom Heylin mistakes for his Father As for Olaus I find nothing of him that 's memorable Eric I surnamed the Good was Brother of Canute the Saint He being a Religious Prince took a Voyage to Rome and afterwards to the Holy Land with his Queen Bochilde and he died in Cyprus Harold III was base Son of Eric 'T is said he was murdered by his own Brother Eric II called the Bastard a cruel and passionate Prince was also assassinated Eric III Son of Anna Sister of Eric II succeeded him He was surnamed the Lamb because of his sweet Nature But he had no Fortune in his Wars with the Swedes At last he retired into a Monastery and there died Canute IV. was slain at a Feast by his Successor Sueno III who was likewise murdered by his Successor Waldemar I Son of Canute the lawful Son of Eric I by whose means the Rugians and Vandals embraced the Gospel He was the first that reduced the Laws into a set form and Writing And by his Laws the Bishops were to sit with the Council of State in all Causes of moment But they were discharged from that Employment by King Christiern III. Canute V. was the Son of Waldemar and of Sophia Sister to Canute the Fourth Having reigned some time with his Father he at last succeeded him He made War to the Pomeranians and is said to have been married to Mathildis Daughter of Henry the Lion Duke of Saxony Waldemar II Brother of Canute the Fifth was Duke of Sleswick before his coming to the Crown Eric IV Son of Waldemar the Second was married to Agnes the then Marquess of Brandenburgh's Daughter He shewed a great deal of good Conduct in his Government But he was murdered by his Brother Abel the second Son of Waldemar the Second Who did not long enjoy his Usurpation For two years after he came to the Crown by an Act more Cain than Abel-like he was kill'd himself by the Boors in the Friseland War And it is said that the Place where he was inhumed swarmed with Spirits and strange Apparitions Christopher I the youngest Brother of the foresaid Abel and Eric was no Admirer of Prelates He reigned with a various Fortune and at last was taken Prisoner in his War against the Earls of Holstein Some Authors are of opinion that he did not die before the year 1268. Eric V surnamed the Old was Christopher his Son His Reign of twenty eight years was blessed with Peace and Plenty but he was slain by the Practices and Treason of his Officers Mathildis Daughter of Albert called the Great Duke of Brunswick was his Queen By whom he had amongst other Children his Son and Successor Eric VI surnamed the Young who supplanted Christopher his Elder Brother He began his Reign with a severe Punishment of his Father's Murderers He took Rostock now a Hanse Town in Mecklemburg and some other Places and he married with the Sister of Birger King of Sweden by whom he left no Issue Christopher II elder Brother of Eric added the Island of Rugen to the Crown of Denmark and gave Rostock in fief to the Dukes of Mecklemburg The Earls of Holstein beat him out of his Kingdom and he was twice restored to it Waldemar III was Son of Christopher A stout Prince but unfortunate in his Wars with the Hanse Towns which confederated against him and vanquished him in many Battels Margaret Daughter of Waldemar the Third gave her self in Marriage to Aquin King of Norway and so united the Kingdoms They had a Son named Olaus a hopeful Prince but he died young Aquin her Husband and Olaus her Son being dead she stood still at the Helm and not contented with two Crowns she put in for a third In short she attempted by force of Arms to recover the Crown of Sweden She raised a fine Army and appeared at the head of it Albert Duke of Mecklemburg was then King of Sweden He was Son of Euphemia the Sister of Magnus IV. of Sweden and got that Crown to the prejudice of Aquin the Husband of Margaret For you must know that Magnus IV. King both of Sweden and Norway had two Sons Eric and Aquin aforesaid Eric his eldest Son was his designed Successor in the Crown of Sweden whilst in his Life-time he bestow'd the Crown of Norway upon Aquin. Eric dies before his Father and after his death the Father himself was outed of his Kingdom by the practice of Albert his Nephew aforesaid Queen Margaret therefore having raised a good Army undertook to do her self Justice and to dispossess Albert of his Inchroachments By that time Albert was grown a worse Tyrant than his Predecessor which made the Nobility that had raised him up to the Throne seek the means to unthrone him So that all things seemed to concur for the Success of Queen Margarets Design And indeed such was her Valour and the Fortune of her Arms that she gave the Swedes Battel in the Year 1387 defeated their Army and took their King Prisoner A bloody Battel it was says my Author Albert was kept Prisoner for the space of seven years To get his Liberty he freely resigned his Kingdom to Margaret and so went to his own Country where he died Upon his Resignation Anno 1394 she caused
Cattel being the two main Things that are exported out of Denmark the first by Sea and the last by Land over into Germany the Incomes of Custom-houses as to other Commodities are not exceeding great But on the other side the Accession of the Crown-Lands is not inconsiderable In short the Kings Revenues are such that he keeps a handsom Court and maintains a good Fleet with several Garrisons he has in his numerous Forts and Frontire-Places As to the Forces which he is able to raise that may best be seen by some of his Royal Predecessors particular Undertakings As of Christiern II who at the Request of Henry II. of France sent a Fleet of a hundred Sail into Scotland and therein no fewer than 10000 Souldiers And of Frederick his Uncle then Duke of Holstein who in his Wars against this Christiern whose Removal from the Crown he had projected brought 50000 Men into the Field to make good his Quarrel In short considering the many Ports and Islands this Crown is Master of both within the Baltick and without it cannot be but the King may suddenly raise a strong Power at Sea And then considering that each of the Nobility which are here numerous enough is bound to find a certain number of Horse upon all Occasions as are those also who hold Lands of the King which the Danes call Verlehninge there is no doubt but he is able to make good Levies for a sudden Service especially in defence of his Dominions For State-Affairs the King has his Council of State with whose Advice he determines either of Peace or War enters into new Leagues or Confederacies and imposes Taxes upon his Subjects as occasion requires In this Juncture of time this Court seems engaged with France with an Eye upon Sweden in order perhaps to recover from that Crown by the Assistance of France what has been formerly extorted from the Crown of Denmark by the Treaty of Roschild Schonen is a fine Country East of Seland which till that Treaty belonged to Denmark and if the King of Denmark should attempt to recover it by such means as God has put into his hands 't were but repelling Force by Force and endeavouring to regain that by Force of Arms which Charles Gustave by the terrour of his Arms extorted from Frederick I pass by the Act of Calmar whereby the Swedes bound themselves to a perpetual Union with Denmark under the lawful Successors of Queen Margaret Which Act was afterwards confirmed upon the Coronation of Eric her immediate Successor For all Causes and Controversies such is the Constitution of this Crown that they are first to be decided in the Herets or Prefectures where they first arise From whence it is lawful to appeal to the Judge of the Province from him to the Chancellor of the Kingdom and finally to the King and Council Having said thus much as to the Government of Denmark and of the King as Supreme thereof I shall now present you with the Chronological Succession of the Kings of Denmark with an Historical Abstract of those Kings Lives that have any thing worth taking notice of The Danish Authors make a great Catalogue of fabulous Kings since King Dan which being unwilling to impose upon the Publick I shall freely pass over I could begin as Heylin with Gotricus whom he looks upon as the first Legislator of the Danes and the Establisher of their Kingdom But I shall content my self to begin with Harold the first Christian King of Denmark that settled the Christian Religion in those Parts and who began his Reign about the Year 927. The Chronological Succession of the Christian Kings of Denmark since the Year 927. Anno Chr. Reigned 927 HArold I. 48 Years 975 Sueno I. 35. Years 1010 Olaus 10. Years 1020 Canute I. 21. Years 1036 Canute II. 9. Years 1045 Magnus 4. Years 1049 Sueno II. 27. Years 1074 Harold II. 2. Years 1076 Canute III. 9. Years 1085 Olaus 10. Years 1095 Eric I. 7. Years 1102 Harold III. or Nicolas 33. Years 1135 Eric II. 4. Years 1139 Eric III. 8. Years 1147 Canute IV. 8. Years 1155 Sueno III. 2. Years 1157 Waldemar I. 28. Years 1185 Canute V. 18. Years 1202 Waldemar II. 40. Years 1241 Eric IV. 9. Years 1250 Abel 2. Years Anno Chr. Reigned 1252 Christopher I. 7 Years 1259 Eric V. 28. Years 1286 Eric VI. 35. Years 1321 Christopher II. 12. Years 1333 Waldemar III. 42. Years 1376 Margaret with Aquin 36. Years 1412 Eric VII 27. Years 1445 Christopher III. 3. Years 1448 Christiern I. 34. Years 1482 John 32. Years 1513 Christiern II. 10. Years 1523 Frederick I. 11. Years 1534 Christiern III. 24. Years 1559 Frederick II. 29. Years 1588 Christiern IV. 60. Years 1648 Frederick III. 22. Years 1670 Christiern V. the present King  Harold I. according to our Account was converted to the Christian Faith seeing for a Proof of it a Clergy-man carry a burning hot Iron in his hands without any hurt Whereupon he became the Apostle of the North and prudently governed his Dominions His Son being still a Heathen waged War with him and slew him in a Battel Sept. 1. Anno 980. That Son was Sueno I. otherwise called Swain his immediate Successor At first a great Enemy of the Gospel as well as an Usurper of the Throne in his Father life-time and a great Scourge unto the English Being outed of his Estate by Eric King of Sweden he received the Gospel regained his Kingdom and re-established Christianity in it his War on England still continuing He was King of Denmark by Birth and of Norway by Conquest Which last he conquered from Olaus then King of Norway After Sueno's Death both Denmark and Norway fell to the share of his eldest Son Olaus whilst his younger Son Canute fixed in England Olaus having reigned Ten years in the North and dying without Issue left his two Crowns to his Brother Canute I. surnamed the Great but the second Canute in the general Account His Father Sueno being dead he went on in his Conquests against King Edmund surnamed Iron-side who succeeded Ethelred After some Disadvantages he at last came off victorious in a field-Fight Then he challenged his Rival to a single Combat which made them Friends but he obliged him to divide his Kingdom with him Not long after which Edmund having been basely murdered by Edward surnamed the Outlaw his eldest Son King Canute brought the Murderers to a condign Punishment and took upon himself the Government of the whole Kingdom After that he conquered Sweden and brought the Crown of Scotland to a state of Vassalage He married Emma the Widow of Ethelred and Daughter of Richard Duke of Normandy In the year 1027 he went in Pilgrimage to Rome and died eight years after leaving the Northern Crowns to Canute and England to Harold his base Son He had a Daughter called Elfgine who was married to the Emperour Henry III. Canute II second Son of Canute I was first of all King of Denmark and
Children are chosen the Bishops Canons Ministers and Magistrates of Towns Clarks of Castles and Fortresses Ship-Officers Tollmen c. These Magistrates judge the least Causes but for the most part they have a President out of the Gentry But of all the Corporations within this Kingdom none has such Privileges and truly none deserves such as the City of Copenhagen Privileges as to the Freedom of the City and the Increase of Trade Privileges whereby the City has a Vote in all those Deliberations which concern the publick Good To which add their Privileges in purchasing any Lands and Lordships whatsoever and injoying them with the same Rights as the Nobles In not being burdened with any Impositions the Nobles do not bear and not that but by publick Consent in being free from all Contributions or Inquarterings whatsoever in times of Peace and lastly in that the Citizens Children whether Ecclesiastick or Civil are admitted to Honours and publick Offices equally with Noblemens Children provided they be sit and capable for them All which Priviledges and several others the late King Frederick granted this City when besieged by Charles Gustave of Sweden that having the more to lose they might have most reason to defend themselves as they did effectually The fifth Order or Degree is that of the Country-men Which are of two Sorts the one called Freibunden that is Free-holders These enjoy their Living by Inheritance but give some small matter yearly They trade also and have the Liberty of Fishing They are not taxed with Servitude or Bondage neither pay they any Contribution without the Consent of the Senators and Counsellors of the Kingdom The other Sort is of such who have not any Land but what they farm of the King Gentry or Clergy and are bound to do Homage for the same as they make their Conditions The chief Order of Knighthood in Denmark is that of the Elephant Instituted as some say Anno 1478. by King Christiern I at the Wedding of John his Son and Successor The Badge of these Knights is a Collar powdred with Elephants towred supporting the Kings Arms and having at the end the Picture of the Virgin Mary OF THE King of DENMARK'S Foreign Estates And first of NORWAY BEsides the Crown of Denmark the King has several Estates in Foreign Parts both Continent and Islands In the Continent he has NORWAY a Kingdom that lies North and North-cast from Denmark from which parted by the Ocean And 't is from its Northern Situation that it is so denominated Norway quasi Tractus seu Via Septentrionalis And indeed 't is the most Northern Country of all Europe part of it lying in the frigid Zone I mean the North-cast Parts Where you will find the North-Cape in the seventy second degree of Latitude that is about five degrees within the Arctick Circle So that there is no Night in Summer for about three Months together and consequently no day in Winter-time during the same space of time This Country runs as I said before North and North-east from Denmark which way it extends it self about 1000 miles But the Breadth of it is not proportionable the Southwest Parts where it is broadest not exceeding 300 miles in breadth from East to West From whence Northward it grows much narrower Westward it is bounded with the Northern Ocean and Eastward with Sweden Which together with Norway makes up that large and famous Peninsule by the Ancients called Scandia or Scandinavia But before we proceed to the description of Norway let us take a View of the Northern Ocean otherwise called the Frozen Sea as being commonly clogged with Ice in Winter-time In which Sense Pliny called it Mare Amalchium Tacitus Mare Pigrum and the Cimbrians of old Marimorusa Illuc usque tantum Natura here is the end of Nature says Tacitus speaking of this Sea Till the English found the way to Archangel in Moscovy this Sea was commonly look'd upon as Unnavigable Now this North-east Passage was discovered in King Edward the Sixth's time Anno 1553 under the Conduct of Richard Chancellour For which Adventure three Ships were fitted out but two of them perished with Cold and all their Men were the next Year found frozen to death in their Ships Along the Coast of Norway the Sea runs much into Creeks and long Bays and there is a World of Islands But it is most remarkable for that great and famous Gulf or Whirl-pool called Maelstroom or Moskestroom which lies between two Islands near the Coast of Norway A Whirl-pool is a Collection of Waters turning swiftly about and drawing to it self whatever comes within some distance of it and having whirled the same to the bottom casts it up again after a certain time The fury of which Stream being so great has a long time deterred Men from venturing themselves over it So that Whirl-pools were concluded to be unfadomable Abysses of Water Nay some would have 'em to be the origininal Cause of the Flux and Reflux wherein when the Water runs it is Ebb and when it runs out Flood Kircherus in his Tabula Geogr. Hydrogr is of opinion that the Sea runs down this Whirlpool under the Land of Norway and out again at another Whirl-pool within the Gulf of Bothnia part of the Baltick Sea And to strengthen this his Opinion he says there is a high Rock in the midst of the Stream and under that Rock an Abyss through which the Water is swallowed So that there should be first a Vortex or Whirl-pol and within it a Vorago or Gulf that should have its way under Norway and its out-let within the Gulf of Bothnia But Lucas Jacobson Debes a Danish Writer thinks otherwise of it He says that where this Whir-pool lies the bottom of the Sea arises and does not descend in deep Cavities That the Whirl-pool proceeds from round Grounds with Channels or Conduits in them That if there were any deep Ground to make a swallowing Gulf the Water should not run about as it does in such turbulent and boisterous a manner as to be heard some Leagues off at Sea And his Reason is because the stillest Waters have the deepest Bottom But he says that great Noise is occasioned by the narrowness of the Passage for the large Ocean to run through with the Tide to the Continent and to fall back again into the main Sea Besides the round Grounds and Channels under Water where the huge beating and running about of the Sea must needs make a terrible Noise As to what Peter Clauson writes that what whole Trees that Stream draws in come out again rugged with torn Roots and Branches 't is probable enough that happens by reason of those high round and sharp Grounds between which the Trees are whirled about by the strong Stream so as to beat and wear off the Roots Branches Bark and the uppermost of the Trunk thereof Of which sort of Trees sayes my Author there comes many ashore to Feroe and Greenland Which would not be