Christopher III of Denmark
| Christopher of Bavaria | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| King of Denmark | |
| Reign | 9 April 1440 – 5 January 1448 |
| Coronation | 1 January 1443 Ribe Cathedral |
| Predecessor | Eric VII |
| Successor | Christian I |
| King of Sweden | |
| Reign | 1441 – 5 January 1448 |
| Coronation | 13 September 1441 in Uppsala |
| Predecessor | Eric |
| Successor | Charles VIII |
| King of Norway | |
| Reign | June 1442 – 5 January 1448 |
| Coronation | 2 July 1442 in Oslo |
| Predecessor | Eric III |
| Successor | Charles I |
| Born | 26 February 1416 Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz |
| Died | 5/6 January 1448 (aged 31) Helsingborg |
| Burial | Roskilde Cathedral, Roskilde |
| Spouse | Dorothea of Brandenburg |
| House |
House of Palatinate-Neumarkt (House of Wittelsbach) |
| Father | John, Count Palatine of Neumarkt |
| Mother | Catherine of Pomerania |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Christopher of Bavaria (26 February 1416 – 5/6 January 1448) was King of Denmark (1440–48, as Christopher III), Sweden (1441–48) and Norway (1442–48) during the era of the Kalmar Union.
He was probably born at Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, the son of John, Count Palatine of Neumarkt, and Catherine of Pomerania, the daughter of Wartislaw VII, Duke of Pomerania in Pomerania-Stolp, and sister of the Scandinavian king, Eric of Pomerania. Count Palatine John was a son of King Rupert of Germany. In 1445, Christopher married Dorothea of Brandenburg (1430 – 25 November 1495), in Copenhagen.
Eric of Pomerania was deposed as king of Denmark and Sweden in 1439. As Eric's nephew, Christopher, who was rather unfamiliar with Scandinavian conditions, was elected by the Danish State Council as the successor to his uncle, first as regent from 1439, and then proclaimed King of Denmark at the Viborg Assembly (Danish landsting) on 9 April 1440. He was meant to be a puppet, as evidenced by the saying: "Had the Council demanded the stars of heaven from him, he would have ordered it." However he succeeded in maintaining some personal control. As a whole his rule, according to the politics of the nobility and his succession, might be called the start of the long period of balance between royal power and nobility which lasted until 1660. He was later elected king of Sweden in 1441, and Norway in June 1442.
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