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Review: Sandra Lustig and Ian Leveson, eds, Turning the Kaleidoscope: Perspectives on European Jewry, Berghahn Books: Oxford and New York, 2006; 239 pp.; 9781845450762, $90.00/£45.00 (hbk)

The account is divided into two, equally-sized main sections. The first covers ‘the development of the consensual state, 1513–1596’ and describes how the Lutheran reformation transformed the constitution into a ‘dyarchy’ characterized by harmonious co-operation between the king and the aristocratic State Council, as well as bringing Denmark into a leading position among the reformed northern European princely states. Naturally, the second section, on ‘the age of Christian IV, 1596–1660’, draws heavily upon Lockhart’s former book, even if the perspective is different. A key theme here is Denmark’s loss of reputation, influence and territory following Christian IV’s unsuccessful involvement in the Thirty Years War, in sharp contrast to Sweden’s simultaneous rise to great power status. Another issue is the growing conflict between the king and the State Council, ending with the collapse of aristocratic dominance and the royal absolutist coup in 1660. Contrary to many Danish scholars, Lockhart does not interpret this development exclusively as a product of Danish–Swedish rivalry, but rather as an inevitable outcome of the growing interest of the great western sea powers in the Baltic region. For those powers, the traditional Danish maritime dominance in the Baltic and the Danish king’s shameless exploitation of the Sound dues became increasingly intolerable. According to Lockhart, their failing will to assist Denmark against Swedish aggression – or even their direct support for Sweden – was the principal cause of Denmark’s steep decline in the seventeenth century. This seems a reasonable interpretation. Lockhart’s book may not bring much new to a Danish reader, although his rehabilitation of King Frederik II, who in general has had a bad press among Danish historians, is noteworthy. To a Danish scholar, the book is valuable especially because of the wider perspectives on our local history. Finally, one cannot help but enjoy the well-written account, which competently summarizes and puts into perspective a vast amount of scholarly research in the field. Lockhart’s book is an impressive and well-researched work, which at long last makes an important field of Danish history and Danish scholarly debate accessible also to the international scholarly community.