Frederick II of Denmark in the context of "Tycho Brahe"

Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales KG (19 February 1594 – 6 November 1612) was the eldest son and heir apparent of King James VI and I and Anne of Denmark. His name derives from his grandfathers: Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley; and Frederick II of Denmark. Prince Henry was widely seen as a bright and promising heir to the English, Irish, and Scottish thrones. However, at the age of 18, he predeceased his father, dying of typhoid fever. His younger brother, the future Charles I, succeeded him as heir apparent to the thrones.

The Northern Seven Years' War (also known as the Nordic Seven Years' War, the First Northern War, the Seven Years' War of the North or the Seven Years War in Scandinavia) was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden and a coalition of Denmark–Norway, Lübeck, and Poland–Lithuania between 1563 and 1570. The war was motivated by the dissatisfaction of King Frederick II of Denmark with the dissolution of the Kalmar Union, and the will of King Eric XIV of Sweden to break Denmark's dominating position. The fighting continued until both armies had been exhausted, and many men died. The resulting Treaty of Stettin was a stalemate, with neither party gaining any new territory.

Anne of Denmark (Danish: Anna; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was Queen of Scotland from her marriage to James VI and I on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until her death in 1619.

The second daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark and Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, Anne married James at age 14. They had three children who survived infancy: Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, who predeceased his parents; Princess Elizabeth, who became Queen of Bohemia; and James's future successor, Charles I. Anne demonstrated an independent streak and a willingness to use factional Scottish politics in her conflicts with James over the custody of Prince Henry and his treatment of her friend Beatrix Ruthven. Anne appears to have loved James at first, but the couple gradually drifted and eventually lived apart, though mutual respect and a degree of affection survived.

The Livonian War (1558–1583) concerned control of Old Livonia (in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia). The Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of the Dano-Norwegian Realm, the Kingdom of Sweden, and the Union (later Commonwealth) of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland.

From 1558 to 1578, Russia dominated the region with early military successes at Dorpat (Tartu) and Narva. The Russian dissolution of the Livonian Confederation brought Poland–Lithuania into the conflict, and Sweden and Denmark-Norway intervened between 1559 and 1561. Swedish Estonia was established despite constant invasion from Russia, and Frederick II of Denmark-Norway bought the old Bishopric of Ösel–Wiek, which he placed under the control of his brother Magnus of Holstein. Magnus attempted to expand his Livonian holdings to establish the Russian vassal state, the Kingdom of Livonia, which nominally existed until his defection in 1576.

The architecture of Denmark has its origins in the Viking Age, revealed by archaeological finds. It was established in the Middle Ages when first Romanesque, then Gothic churches and cathedrals, were built throughout the country. During this period, brick became the construction material of choice for churches, fortifications and castles, as the country had little access to stone.

Under the influence of Frederick II and Christian IV, both of whom had been inspired by the castles of France, Dutch and Flemish designers were brought to Denmark to improve the country's fortifications. They increasingly transitioned to building magnificent royal castles and palaces in the Renaissance style. In parallel, the half-timbered style became popular for ordinary dwellings in towns and villages across the country.

Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (Sophia; 4 September 1557 – 4 October 1631) was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1572 to 1588 as the wife of Frederick II. She was the mother of Christian IV and Anne of Denmark, and served as regent of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein from 1590 to 1594. Especially noted for her effective management of her extensive dower lands and a large credit operation, which made her one of the wealthiest landowners and financiers of her time, she was an influential political figure in Northern Europe.

The only child of Ulrich III of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and Elizabeth of Denmark, Sophie married her first cousin Frederick in 1572, aged fourteen. Their union is widely described as unusually affectionate for the period. As queen, she maintained her own household and patronages and pursued interests in natural philosophy, astrology, alchemy, chemistry and iatrochemistry. She supported scholars including Anders Vedel and Tycho Brahe, whom she visited on Ven in 1586 and later. She did not, however, exercise formal political power during the reign of her husband. Following Frederick’s death in 1588, Sophie sought to lead the regency for the underage Christian IV, bringing her into conflict with the Council of the Realm. Although she did not prevail in directing the royal regency, she was recognised by the Danish nobility and Emperor Rudolf II as regent in the duchies until 1594, after which she withdrew to her dower lands, consisting of Lolland and Falster. From there she continued to intervene in affairs of state through correspondence, credit, and marriage diplomacy, arranging advantageous Protestant alliances for her daughters and for Christian IV with the houses of Stuart, Welf (Brunswick-Lüneburg), Hohenzollern (Brandenburg), Holstein-Gottorp and Wettin (Saxony), often contributing substantial funds for jewellery and dowries herself.