| Christian III | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Jakob Binck, 1550 | |
| King of Denmark | |
| Reign | 4 July 1534 – 1 January 1559 |
| Coronation | 12 August 1537 Copenhagen Cathedral |
| Predecessor | Frederick I |
| Successor | Frederick II |
| King of Norway | |
| Reign | 1537–1559 |
| Coronation | 12 August 1537, Copenhagen |
| Predecessor | Frederick I |
| Successor | Frederick II |
| Duke of Schleswig-Holstein | |
| Reign | 1533 – 10 April 1559 |
| Predecessor | Frederik of Denmark |
| Successor | Frederick II |
| Born | 12 August 1503 Gottorf Castle, Schleswig, Denmark (now Germany) |
| Died | 1 January 1559 (aged 55) Koldinghus, Kolding, Denmark |
| Burial | Roskilde Cathedral, Zealand, Denmark |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Anna, Electress of Saxony Frederick II, King of Denmark and Norway Magnus, Duke of Holstein John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg Dorothea, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg |
| House | Oldenburg |
| Father | Frederick I of Denmark |
| Mother | Anna of Brandenburg |
| Religion | Lutheran |
| Signature |  |
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Christian III (12 August 1503 – 1 January 1559) reigned as King of Denmark from 1534 and King of Norway from 1537 until his death in 1559. During his reign, Christian formed close ties between the church and the crown. He established Lutheranism as the state religion within his realms as part of the Protestant Reformation, and was the first King of Denmark-Norway.[1][2]