The port city of Lübeck, a prominent…
May 1534 CE
The port city of Lübeck, a prominent member of the Hanseatic league of northern German mercantile cities, seeks to maintain commercial supremacy in the Baltic region at the expense of the Swedes, Danes, and Dutch.
Jürgen Wullenwever, who was probably born at Hamburg in 1492, has settled in Lübeck as a merchant and takes some part in the risings of the inhabitants in 1530 and 1531, being strongly in sympathy with the democratic ideas in religion and politics which have inspired them.
Having joined the governing council of the city and become leader of the democratic party, he is appointed burgomaster early in 1533 and throws himself into the movement for restoring Lübeck to her former position of influence.
Preparations had been made to attack the Dutch towns, the principal trading rivals of Lübeck, when the death of Frederick I, king of Denmark, in April 1533 changed the position of affairs.
The Lübeckers object to the bestowal of the Danish crown upon any prince favorable to the Empire or the Roman Catholic religion, and Wullenwever goes to Copenhagen to discuss the matter.
At length an alliance is concluded with Henry VIII of England; considerable support is obtained in North Germany.
Copunt Christopher of Oldenbourg is the grandson of Gerhard of Oldenburg, a brother of King Christian I of Denmark.
Educated a clergyman as a young man, he had later chosen a military career, participating in wars in Germany, probably because of economic pressures.
He is described an "intellectual condottiere" possessing a classic Greek knowledge but apparently no great military talent.
As a second cousin of both Christian II and Christian III, he takes an interest in Scandinavian politics.
When the civil war breaks out in Denmark 1534 after the death of Frederick I, Christopher, who has converted to Protestantism, is hired by Lübeck as the military leader of the alliance of Danish commoners, Lübeck and Protestants against Christian III and the Danish nobility.
The formal purpose of this alliance is the restoration of Christian II.
Christopher's own zeal seems to have been for the Danish crown.