Copenhagen - Rosenborg Castle and Christian IV

Yesterday, royal crypts. Today, royal residences. Specifically, Rosenborg the "pleasure palace" and treasure chamber of Danish kings from 1607 to 1853. There were a succession of Christians and Frederiks in this castle (see previous post for Domkirke), but I'll just focus on the most colorful and longest serving at 59 years, Christian IV. It was Christian IV who built the house that would become the palace, staring in 1607. It was more a vacation house placed within his extensive gardens, or, as he initially described it, "the big house in the garden," but grew to its current size by 1634.

The towers kept getting taller and taller. I'm leaning on one of the protective lions just on the other side of the moat that encircled the palace.

But back to my colorful monarch. Christian IV was larger than life. He ate too much, he drank too much, and he had 22 children. And in his 60s, he was still a warrior, losing his right eye in 1644 in a naval battle with Sweden. The painting above shows him injured but alive after the battle and is located at his burial chapel in Roskilde's Domkirke.

Christian IV deliberately saved the shirt and jacket he wore that day. You can see the blood soaked items in his bedchamber at Rosenborg.

Christian IV had a vision of victory at the battle, and also ascending to heaven,and had an artist paint an odd portrait of a svelte shirtless king in the clouds being crowned by a cupid. I suppressed my laughter.

Lastly, Christian IV's crown is on display in the treasury in the basement of the palace. I found it far more fascinating than the later crown worn by subsequent kings. The earlier crown was created in 1595 and is made of delicate enamel and jewels. Here Steven is examining it behind bullet proof glass. Hard to see, but a pelican (or swan) is pecking at her own breast, a sign of the self-sacrifice a king was expected to make. Christina IV had to pawn his own crown after losing one of his many wars, but his son Frederik III managed to buy it back and use it for its own coronation. It was last used in 1648.