[POTN] 2.2 - Lightning Strikes in Denmark

Prince Valdemar, after moving to Sweden in early 1649, had stayed there ever since. Having befriended the King, the Queen, and the Princess Kristina, Valdemar was a frequent guest of the Vasa royal family, occupying a chamber in the Tre Kronor Castle that had become known as the "Danish Quarters" among the castle servants. King Frederik, of course, was very alarmed by the news. After all, should there be another Dano-Swedish war, the Swedes could very well ally with the overwhelmingly anti-King Danish nobility, and seek to proclaim Valdemar King by brute force.

Should Valdemar support a Swedish invasion in the future, it would provide the nobility with the excuse they desperately wanted to overthrow Frederik, who had been loathed by many nobles since his feud with the nobles in Schleswig prior to his ascension. For Frederik, the greatest threat at the time was posed by his brother-in-laws, the noblemen who married some of Valdemar's full sisters. These men were closely allied to Kirsten Munk, who had been funding both her sons, Valdemar and Christian, from Denmark proper.

However, as the late King's morganatic wife, Munk was not someone Frederik could dismiss at will. Having legitimised her children formally, Kirsten Munk was the de facto Queen Dowager in many ways, and it would further tarnish Frederik's already lackluster reputation if she was to be arrested. In late 1650, a commoner woman, Dina Vinhofvers, the rumoured mistress of Corfitz Ulfeldt, accused the latter of plotting to assassinate the King.

The accusations were communicated to Frederik through the woman's lover, and Frederik, upon receiving the report, was more amused than frightened. For him, it was the perfect opportunity to eventually get rid of the influence of Kirsten Munk's faction. Ulfeldt had long been the leader of the opposition to the King in the Rigsråd, and had caused countless headaches to Frederik since his ascension. Ulfeldt himself, however, did not see his position as dangerous, and believed Frederik would tolerate opposition like the late King did.

On 3rd January, 1651, Frederik assembled the Rigsråd, requiring every member to be present, but did not show up punctually as usual. As the members were wondering where the King was, Frederik marched into the meeting hall, himself in full armour, with over a hundred elite royal guards by his side. Frederik first gave a speech to the Rigsråd, recounting Ulfeldt's past mistakes for a quarter of an hour. Frederik claimed that Ulfeldt was the reason why the Torstenson War occurred, and he was responsible for the poor preparation and chaotic state of the Danish army at the beginning of the war.

Ulfeldt was also accused of disrespecting both the late and the current King, disobeying commands, and wasting gold from the Danish treasury with costly missions overseas with practically zero results. Sensing the imminent danger, many members of the Rigsråd immediately switched sides, and began cheering for the King, some even spitting on Ulfeldt to prove their loyalty.

At that moment, Frederik started another speech - this time far more fierce, far more menacing. With details, Frederik began presenting the supposed plot made by Ulfeldt to poison him and his entire family, in order to proclaim himself King. The plot was intentionally exaggerated to Frederik's liking, and many brutal and ruthless ideas were presented plainly by the King, aiming to highlight Ulfeldt's evilness. The Rigsråd exploded in rage and confusion after the speeches, with Ulfeldt utterly speechless. Frederik immediately ordered his guards to arrest Ulfeldt and his closest allies, and they were subsequently locked up in the Copenhagen Castle, banned from any visits.

Following that, Frederik adjourned the Rigsråd, and declared a state of emergency as a dangerous plot of high treason was under investigation. The Rigsråd was formally suspended on 5th January, to be assembled again after the state of emergency was lifted by the King. Hannibal Sehested, another of Frederik's brothers-in-law and Ulfeldt's close allies, fled Copenhagen to the Empire the night after the event, essentially a self-coup d'etat by the King.

On 11th January, Frederik released the details of the plot to the public, after much modification to exaggerate the brutality of the plot. Ulfeldt was kept in captive, while his family, including Frederik's half-sister, were put under house arrest. On 4th March, 1651, a public trial officially commenced, charging Ulfeldt with high treason, attempted regicide, and attempted murder. Thousands of Copenhagen residents attended the trial, many throwing rotten food and spitting towards Ulfeldt.

Frederik himself sat on the other side of the public court, watching the worn-out Ulfeldt with amusement. For the previous two months, Ulfeldt had been tortured on Frederik's order, successfully forcing him to plead guilty eventually.

Ulfeldt's wife, Leonora Christina, was heavily pregnant, but was also forced by the King to watch his husband's trial. The judges, directly appointed by Frederik, spent more time mocking Ulfeldt and speaking to the crowd about how much of a traitor he was, rather than seriously considering the case. The trial lasted three days, and Ulfeldt was duly sentenced to death by decapitation, as wished by Frederik. The crowd was enthusiastic about the execution, as many deemed Ulfeldt to be an actual traitor.

Frederik thus ordered for the decapitation to the held in public, outside Copenhagen Castle, for all the city to see. Following the sentence, Ulfeldt was continuously tortured, as Frederik wished to obtain more details about his allies in order to uproot the opposition thoroughly.

Ulfeldt's family was also imprisoned in increasingly worse conditions, eventually in a dirty cell in Copenhagen Castle. Leonora Christina tried to beg her half-brother for better arrest conditions for the children, but the request was denied. On 31st March, 1651, the decapitation was carried out by a trusted ally of Frederik, the execution attended by thousands. The head of Ulfeldt, after the axe was swung, continued blinking for almost a minute, causing many to believe that he was a servant of Satan himself.

Leonora Christina and her children with Ulfeldt, even including the newborn infant just born three weeks prior, were all forced to watch the execution in full by Frederik, in order to break them completely.

The family was locked back up into Copenhagen Castle afterwards, and Frederik denied the children any opportunity of education, fearing they would one day wish to avenge their father.

Several more public executions took place with some of Ulfeldt's closest allies beheaded, all charged with high treason. The remaining nobility who held staunch opposition against the King fled the capital in haste, some residing in rural Holstein or Norway, with many fleeing to the Empire for safety. The state of emergency was eventually lifted on 5th August, 1651, when Frederik assembled the Rigsråd again. Nonetheless, all members of this new Rigsråd were picked directly by Frederik, and effectively functioned as Frederik's personal rubber stamp.

While still an elective monarchy in name, Denmark-Norway essentially functioned as an absolute monarchy from then on, with Frederik entirely disregarding the limitations of his power detailed in the Haandfæstning he signed before his election and ascension as King. While many nobles were discontent, they remained silent after witnessing Ulfeldt's gruesome fate, especially with Kirsten Munk also opting for retirement and a secluded life in rural Jutland. Frederik, for the time being, functioned as the absolute dictator in Denmark-Norway, with nobody daring to challenge his power and rule.