Frederick IV, king of Denmark and Norway

Frederick IV, 1671–1730, king of Denmark and Norway (1699–1730), son and successor of Christian V Christian V, 1646–99, king of Denmark and Norway (1670–99), son and successor of Frederick III. His minister, Griffenfeld , who until his fall in 1676 dominated Christian's reign, made the monarchy absolute.
..... Click the link for more information. . He allied himself (1699) with Augustus II of Poland and Saxony and with Peter I of Russia against Charles XII Charles XII, 1682–1718, king of Sweden (1697–1718), son and successor of Charles XI. The regency under which he succeeded was abolished in 1697 at the request of the Riksdag. At the coronation he omitted the usual oath and crowned himself.
..... Click the link for more information. of Sweden in the Northern War Northern War, 1700–1721, general European conflict, fought in N and E Europe at the same time that the War of the Spanish Succession was fought in the west and the south.
..... Click the link for more information. , but was forced to sign the humiliating Treaty of Travendal in 1700. Still hoping to recover S Sweden (lost in 1660) and to assure Danish rule in Schleswig, he again entered the war in 1709. In the peace treaties of 1720–21, Denmark renounced S Sweden but obtained Schleswig. Frederick was industrious and able. He systematized absolute monarchy, reduced corruption, built schools, attempted to repair the damage caused by the war, and reduced the national debt. He was succeeded by his son, Christian VI.