摘要：Early modern navies were curious, transitional organisations. Although still the personal property of the monarch their ever increasing demands for money and resources made it necessary for kings to share power with nobles and merchants. In the process modern navies emerged. The Danish navy of Christian IV existed in this period halfway between king and council. Christian was a remarkable ruler, boisterous, larger than life and anxious to make his name, and that of his country resound across Europe. Like a better known King, England's Henry VIII, he possessed the intellect and application to rule as well as reign, making decisive, if not always successful, interventions in the development of many aspects of the state. Christian took a serious interest in the navy, but he went beyond Henry and other monarchs by serving afloat, directing the royal dockyard and commanding in battle. Only Peter the Great of Russia a century later rivalled his all round commitment to naval power. Christian inherited a large, expanding navy from his father, but quickly set his personal stamp on the organisation. He was the directing intellect of the force, which was shaped to serve his subjects
