Christian I of Holstein (Merveilles des Morte)

Christian I
King of Holstein and Schleswig
Reign	1596-1603
Coronation	12 June 1598 in Kiel
Predecessor	Title Created
Successor	Josias (Claimed) George II of Denmark
Born	30 September 1547 Schloss Breitenburg, Steinburg, Hanseatic League
House	House of Rantzau
Father	Henrik Breidesen Rantzau
Mother	Christina of Stade
Religion	Northern Catholicism

Christian I (30 September 1547 - ) was King of Schleswig-Holstein (Styled as Lord Defender of Holstein) from 1596, after the territory declared its independence from the Hanseatic League and elected Christian as its first leader. The son of a minor Holsteiner noble, Christian was born during a turbulent period of the Protestant Reformation in northern Germany. His family became involved in the Kerpen War as adamant supporters of the Northern Papacy, and participated in the defeat of Henry von Kerpen at Münster. Christian would remain Catholic all throughout his life, despite pressures from Lübeck to adopt the growing Jungist faith.

During the early Forty Years' War, the Hanseatic League began to fracture due to internal religious division. The Hanseatic government would ultimately side with the Jungists, polarizing the predominantly Catholic Schleswig-Holstein. A rebellion would break out, with Christian being elected as the first leader of a Catholic kingdom independent of Hanseatic rule. Christian proved a competent military leader, and at his peak in 1601 he captured almost the entirety of the region of Holstein, including the city of Kiel.

After the abdication of Joktan of Hesse, the Jungist cause attracted support from the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway, which retained a claim to the Schleswig-Holstein duchies. George II of Denmark would spearhead an invasion against Christian's domain, which ultimately led to his defeat in 1603. Although the kingdom that Christian forged would be destroyed and largely annexed to Denmark, many of Christian's descendants would continue to fight in the Forty Years' War and beyond for the Catholic cause or against Denmark, including his eldest son Josias, who continued to claim the title of king long after Holstein's fall, and allies in the County of Schaumburg.