Christian IV of Denmark

His involvement in the Thirty Years’ War was typical of the man. He overreached in the Emperors’ War, as the Danish involvement became known at home. His quest to expand his holdings in Holstein was to fail, but his popularity at home increased even after the defeat at Lutter. He set up a navy capable of dominating the Baltic for many years, the Danish East India Company, and many merchant cities. He also strengthened the bond between the two main elements of his kingdom: Denmark and Norway.

At the outbreak of the Torstensson War in 1644, once more at odds against Sweden, Christian displayed great personal bravery and resilience despite being sixty-six years of age. He finally had to bow to demands from Sweden and her allies, and Sweden was to gain supremacy over the Baltic before his death, however even this did not diminish his popularity with his subjects.