Born as the youngest legitimate son of King Christian IV of Denmark, he had a tough childhood. His elder half-brother
Ulrik had succeeded (under the name Ulrich III) his
uncle as a
bishop of Schwerin. He was raised under the supervision of the royal governess
Karen Sehested. In 1643, he was sent to Russia to marry
Irene of Russia, the daughter of Tsar
Michael of Russia, but as he refused to convert to the
Orthodox faith, he was kept prisoner until 1645. In 1648, he came into conflict with his half-brother Prince
Frederik because of his wish to be elected king instead of Frederick, and after this, he lived abroad. He served in the Swedish army from 1655 and was killed in Poland in 1656. ==Ancestry==