Copenhagen

THE HISTORY OF COPENHAGEN.

of the clergy, and from this date the pow er of the bishops was practically at an end. The little tow n on the Sound was regained for the crown and new possibilities were opened to it. Christoph of Bavaria conferred upon it a new m un ici­ pal code (the first was conferred by Bishop Jakob E rlandsen in 1254). The first O ld enbu rg ian king, Christian I, founded the University in 1479, and his g ran d so n , Christian II, cheri­ shed g reat and far-reaching hopes of m aking C openhagen a m ighty trad ing city, a m art for the Baltic, and thus pu tting an

end to the commercial suprem acy of Lübeck in the North. D u ring his reign the S ound -dues (first im po ­ sed in 1425 o r 1426, and only re ­ pealed in 1857 by international compact) were for a short time col­ lected at C openhagen instead of Elsinore. These royal plans, however, came to nothing. W hen K ing Christian fled from his k ingdom , C op enh a ­ g en , which sided w ith him , had to stand tw o severe sieges, the first lasting seven m onths (1523 —24),

CHRISTIANS­ HAVN ON AMAQER

the second m ore than a year (1535 —36). The inhabitants en ­ du red the severest sufferings and privations, especially d u ring the latter of the sieges, for "they had no eatables in the town, neither horses, no r dog s, no r cats, no r crow s, no r anything bu t the leaves of the trees", and the result was that the town was obliged to capitulate both times. After the second siege Lutheran Protestantism was introduced. This change emanated from the highest authorities, bu t met with general approbation am ong all classes. W ith this event are naturally connected the new charter of foundation for the University (1539), and the first complete Danish translation of the Bible, prin ted in 1550. The reign of Christian IV (1588 —1648), especially between ( 2 )

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