Christian III (12 August 1503 – 1 January 1559) reigned as king of Denmark and Norway from 1534 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Frederick I and Anna of Brandenburg.Inspired by his tutors, who were devout Lutherans, Christian established Lutheranism as the state religion of his realms in a reformation. After being state religion for several centuries after Christian III, the Lutheran church now has the status of the "People's Church" in the Constitution of Denmark (1849).