Hans had long before his father’s death been accepted as the successor to the throne and was crowned king of Denmark soon after King Christian I died in 1482.
He was also supposed to inherit the throne in both Sweden and Norway due to an agreement signed between his father and the state councils, but both countries was showing reluctance towards choosing Hans as regent.
Norway
The Norwegian state council was determined to show their independence from Denmark even though they had no contender to the throne. Instead they chose to issue an interregnum.
In order to become king of Norway, Hans had to sign a treaty insuring equality between Denmark and Norway, meaning the king was not allowed to favor Denmark. In 1453 Hans signed the treaty and was accepted as the rightful heir to the Norwegian throne.
Sweden
In Sweden, the state council also insisted on stating their independence from Denmark, therefore they kept Sten Sture, who had been regent in charge since 1470. Sture never took the title of king but managed to hold the position of regent until 1497, when Hans defeated Sture in battle, bringing together once again the union of Denmark, Norway and Sweden under one king.
Three years later Hans was off trying to conquer the small peasant republic of Dithmarschen. But the king underestimated the peasants, who caught him and his men off guard. The king suffered great losses and the defeat was humiliating. The greatest loss being that Sten Sture saw his opportunity to regain Sweden while the king was away and his army weak. Sture fought Hans’ wife Christine of Sachsen at the castle in Stockholm. Christine and her army of a 1000 men, managed to defend the castle and keep Sture at bay for six or seven months before accepting defeat. The 70 men, who weren’t killed in battle or died of hunger and starvation, were allowed to return to Denmark, while the queen was held prisoner until 1503.
In the years that followed, Hans continued to fight Sture for Sweden, but never succeeded.
King Hans was known as a reasonable king with good intentions. A merry man with a round face, who enjoyed a good party. He quickly became popular with the people when he hired commoners as his advisers, giving the common public a voice. This of course did not sit well with the nobles, who were used to their people holding the positions close to the king.
The king was said to also have a dark side to him and would at times get extremely depressed and act very irrational.
In 1513 King Hans was traveling the country of Denmark when his horse fell with him by a lake. Hans went into the water and was badly bruised. The fall and the cold water resulted in a terrible cold and when the king arrived in the Aalborg, he was gravely ill and died shortly after.
His son, Christian, succeeded him as king of Denmark and Norway.
For more on the Danish Monarchy read: The Danish Monarchy-The beginning and The Danish Monarchy 1513-1523, King Christian II
Sources:
www.danskekonger.dk
www.kongernesjelling.dk
www.kongehuset.dk
