Hans, King of Denmark
king of Denmark, Norway and Sweden
Hans, or sometimes called John (also Johannes; 2 February 1455 – 20 February 1513), was a Scandinavian monarch who ruled under the Kalmar Union. He was King of Denmark from 1482 to 1513, King of Norway from 1483 to 1513, and King of Sweden (where he has also been called Johan II) from 1497 to 1501. Additionally, from 1482 to 1513, he held the titles of Duke of Schleswig and Holstein, which he governed jointly with his brother, Frederick.
The three most important political goals of King Hans were the restoration of the Kalmar Union, reduction of the dominance of the Hanseatic League, and the building of a strong Danish royal power.
Early life and accession
Hans was born on 2 February 1455, probably at Aalborg in Northern Jutland. He was the third son of King Christian I of Denmark and Dorothea of Brandenburg, but the eldest to survive infancy. Dorothea was the daughter of Margrave John of Brandenburg.
Negotiations on the union
Christian had his son Hans proclaimed as future ruler in the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. However, a rebellion in 1464 forced Christian to relinquish the Swedish crown. Christian attempted to retake Sweden in 1470, but his forces were defeated by Sten Sture the Elder at the Battle of Brunkeberg in October 1471.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Hans, King of Denmark” is king of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Hans, King and Denmark, not as a finished interpretation.
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The phrase “king of Denmark, Norway and Sweden” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q157776. VIAF identifies the subject as 74782366. The Library of Congress control number is n2013072029. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1455, 1513, 1482 and 1483.
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This entry incorporates text from “Hans, King of Denmark” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.