Frederik was born in 1609 to Christian, King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein, and Anna Katharina von Brandenburg. Early in life, he became the Prince (Arch)Bishop of the imperial states of Bremen, Verden and Halberstadt. 1/10
In 1643, Sweden invaded Denmark. Frederik played a role in the Danish defences in Schleswig-Holstein but was defeated. The war proved to be disastrous for Denmark as it lost territory in Scandinavia and in the Baltic Sea (Gotland and Ösel). 2/10
Bremen and Verden were also lost and were acquired by the Swedish monarch. In 1647, Frederik's elder brother died and a year later, his father. But since Denmark was not a hereditary monarchy, Frederik had to give up some of his father's royal prerogatives to become king. 3/10
In 1657, Frederik sought to recover his losses from Sweden. Sweden at the time was busy at war with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, who also had to battle with Cossack rebels and Russians. But Sweden retaliated in strength and in speed, seizing Jutland and Zealand. 4/10
The war was resolved with the Treaty of Roskilde, but Sweden wasn't done yet. They pressed on to Copenhagen laying siege for months, but the city resisted the attacks. Meanwhile, the Dutch came to support Denmark with their fleet. 5/10
With the treaty, Denmark had lost their control over the Øresund, which connected the Baltic Sea to the North Sea. But with Sweden pushing into Copenhagen, they could gain control of both shores. The Dutch defeated the Swedes at sea partly to prevent that from happening. 6/10
Meanwhile, Copenhagen was still under siege. King Frederik bravely resisted the siege along with his compatriots forming a local militia, despite calls for him to flee. The brave stand proved crucial after Swedish finally retreated, without victory. 7/10
The Swedes were now on the back foot. In addition to Dutch support, King Frederik also received support from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Brandenburg-Prussia. The Swedes were defeated at Nyborg and finally sued for peace with the Treaty of Copenhagen. 8/10
With this victory, King Frederik managed to recover Denmark. Norway also fought to recover some of their lost territory from Sweden. Despite the overall loss, the king gained popularity among the people and was in a position to reform the government. 9/10
In 1660, Denmark became a hereditary monarchy with an absolute ruler. King Frederik was able to reorganize land holding and make governance more inclusive than limited to the nobility. In 1667, he inherited the German County of Oldenburg as well. 10/10
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Murad was born in 1404 to Mehmed. Mehmed was the son of Bayezid, the Ottoman Sultan who was captured by Timur in 1402. This led to a period of anarchy in the Sultanate. By 1413, Mehmed had managed to defeat his brothers and take over as Sultan of the entire Sultanate. 1/10
The Ottoman had Sultanate emerged in late 13th century after the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm was defeated by the Mongols. Many beyliks rose up in the Anatolian peninsula, one among which was ruled by the ancestors of Bayezid, Mehmed and Murad. 2/10
Rastislav was born in early 9th century. His father may have been Wistrach and his uncle Mojmír, the Duke of Moravia. Little is known about Rastislav's youth, until 846 when Franks invaded Moravia and installed Rastislav as the Duke of Moravia. 1/10
Moravia emerged as a semi independent state in Central Europe not long after the Franks had defeated the Avars in late 8th century. Moravia was not the first power in the region though. The Slavic states of Samo and of Nitra had lasted briefly during various times as well. 2/10
Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck was born in 1815 to Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand von Bismarck and Wilhelmine Luise Mencken. Hailing from Schönhausen, the Bismarcks were a prominent noble family of the Kingdom of Prussia, with connections in Pomerania. 1/10
Prussia became a kingdom in 1701, but its major part was Brandenburg in the centuries old Holy Roman Empire. Invasion by the French in early 19th century led to the dissolution of this empire, with many of its regions joining Napoleon backed Confederation of the Rhine. 2/10
Camillo Benso was born in 1810 to Michele Benso, Marquis of Cavour, and Adélaïde Suzanne de Sellon. The Bensos were prominent nobility of Savoy. Camillo also had a distinguishing French connection thanks to his mother and his godmother Pauline, sister of Emperor Napoleon. 1/10
The early 18th century saw the French under Napoleon occupy Savoy. But the Bensos managed to see through it in a favourable manner eventually. Young Camilo's career prospects improved with his appointment as page to Carlo Alberto, Prince of Carignano in 1824. 2/10
Iaroslav Vladimirovich was born around 980 to Vladimir Sviatoslavich, Grand Prince of Kiev, and Rogned of Polotsk. Vladimir was initially supposed to rule only in Novgorod, but he had taken Kiev and Dereva from his brothers by 980. 1/10
Iaroslav was given an early charge of Rostov and, later, of Novgorod by 1010. But he sought Kiev and rebelled against his father, when he saw that one of his many brothers may be given Kiev. However, Vladimir died in 1015 and his domain got divided between his sons. 2/10
Birger Magnusson was born around 1210 to Magnus "Minnesköld" Bengtsson and Ingrid Ilva. Magnus was the grandson of the powerful Scandinavian noble, Folke, while Ingrid may have been a descendant of Sverker, King of Sweden in mid 12th century. 1/10
The kingdom of Sweden claimed land on the western and eastern coasts of the Baltic Sea in the 13th century. However, the crown itself was held between two dynasties since Sverker's death in 1156; by Sverker's family and that of Erik who became king after Sverker. 2/10