ABSTRACT
The explosive growth of the centralized authority was a common feature in the
development of the European countries in the beginning of the 1600s. This also
applies to Denmark, where the influence of the government expanded in all
directions, in such fields as trade policy, the government of the market towns,
the administration of justice and so forth. The government everywhere sought to
introduce uniformity, and the central administration grew enormously. The gov-
ernment consisted of the King and the national council, but the composition of
the council, the rarity of its assemblies, the general financial situation coupled
with the personal dynamism of the King, Christian IV, ensured that development
took place to the advantage of the royal authority.
