1577–1648
Christian IV
Kirsten Munk was married to Christian IV.
✩ 6 July 1598 ✝ 19 April 1658
Kirsten Munk
At just 17 years of age, the noblewoman Kirsten Munk was married to Christian IV, but the marriage came to a dramatic end.
Married at 17, the birth of 12 children, infidelity and accusations of poisoning – Kirsten Munk’s life with and marriage to Christian IV was dramatic, to put it mildly.
Early life
Kirsten Munk was raised as the only daughter of Ellen Marsvin and one of the Denmark’s largest landowners, Ludvig Munk, who belonged to the upper echelons of Danish nobility.
Morganatic marriage
Kirsten Munk was 17 when she first met the 38-year-old Christian IV. According to contemporary sources, including Christian IV’s own letters, he fell head over heels in love with the young woman.
Kirsten Munk’s mother, Ellen Marsvin, was not impressed, however. She did not want her daughter to be just another one of Christian IV’s mistresses. Therefore, Ellen Marsvin drew up a document to secure Kirsten Munk a fief (a large area of land) in case Christian IV died. At the time, it was common for a queen consort to receive a fief when marrying a king, so that she would have a source of income if she was widowed. Ellen Marsvin demanded that her daughter receive the same level of security.
Christian IV soon sorted out the formalities, and later that same year, Kirsten Munk and Christian IV were joined in a morganatic marriage, meaning that Kirsten Munk could never officially become Queen of Denmark.
Christian IV’s passion for his new love
Christian IV certainly had strong feelings for Kirsten Munk, but we don’t actually know whether his feelings were reciprocated. The only first-hand sources we have that describe their relationship are from Christian IV’s own hand.
Marriage
From the day of the wedding and the next 14 years, Kirsten Munk gave birth to 12 children. In 1625, Christian IV had a severe riding accident that was said to lead to a significant change in his personality. In addition to the effects of the ongoing war, his injuries made him more distant, glum and withdrawn.
Kirsten Munk was said to have quite a temper and to take out her frustrations over her husband’s mood swings on their children. In 1626, she met Rhinegrave Otto Ludwig of Salm, who had served under Christian IV during the war in Germany. He was the same age as her, and she was drawn to him. Later, they had an affair. According to The King’s own account, on 10 November 1628, Kirsten Munk locked her husband out of her bedroom. The date became significant when he later refused to acknowledge paternity of her last child.
Separation
Kirsten Munk continued her affair with the Rhinegrave. She dismissed her servants, including Vibeke Kruse, who later became Christian IV’s mistress. She probably did this to avoid having any witnesses to her affair with the Rhinegrave. Meanwhile, Christian IV grew closer to Vibeke Kruse. In 1630, Kristen Munk left Frederiksborg Castle and thus Christian IV. She went to her mother, Ellen Marsvin, who gave her the cold shoulder. Over the following years, the sensational story of Christian IV and his separation from Kirsten Munk could be traced through his many indictments of her. She was repeatedly questioned on charges of infidelity but only ever admitted to having flirted with the Rhinegrave.
Indictments
Over time, the accusations against Kirsten Munk became increasingly severe. She was even accused of poisoning Christian IV. Despite their conflict, Christian IV summoned Kirsten Munk to his deathbed at Rosenborg Castle in 1648. Sadly for The King, his old love did not get there in time. After The King’s death, Kirsten Munk and her children and children-in-law strove for vindication and revenge, including evicting Vibeke Kruse from Rosenborg Castle.
Frederik III, who inherited the throne from his father, had a strained relationship with Kirsten Munk, and the year before her death, she was stripped of the title of Countess of Holstein, which Christian IV had bestowed upon her in 1627.