DENMARK 



1760 



DENMARK 



herreder, and they in turn are divided into 

 parishes. In the towns there is a mayor ap- 

 pointed by the government, the larger cities 

 also having boards of aldermen. Copenhagen, 

 the capital, has its own special form of govern- 

 ment. 



The percentage of crime in Denmark is very 

 small, there being fewer than 900 prisoners in 

 the penitentiaries. 



History. The early inhabitants of the main- 

 land of Denmark were those warlike Germans, 

 the Cimbri. They were overcome by Angles, 

 Saxons and Jutes, and when the latter tribes 

 invaded England the Danes of the island of 

 Zealand entered the Continent and by reason 

 of their adventurous spirit soon made their 

 presence felt throughout Europe. The tales 

 of Vikings are many and interesting. From 

 the eighth century Danish kings were heard 

 of, but the first prominent one was Svend I 

 (about 985). He was followed by his son, the 

 great King Canute, who conquered England, 

 and during those reigns the Danes were con- 

 verted to Christianity. 



After Canute's death in 1035 there was much 

 internal dissension and loss of possessions, but 

 from 1157 to 1241, under Valdemar I, Canute 

 VI and Valdemar II, Danish conquests again 

 extended Denmark's power into other lands. 

 After that, again in the hands of weak rulers, 

 the country lost power and prestige. Finally, 

 however, from 1375 to 1412, under the rule 

 of Margaret, daughter of Valdemar IV, the 

 country was given a strong government, and by 

 the Union of Kalmar in 1397, Denmark, Nor- 

 way and Sweden were united under her sover- 

 eignty. She appointed her nephew Eric as her 

 heir. He had none of her great qualities, how- 

 ever, and he undid much of her excellent work. 

 Tired of misrule, in 1448 the Danes chose 

 Christian I as king and he became the founder 

 of the royal family of Oldenburg, which ruled 

 until 1863, a period of 415 years. Christian 

 was also chosen ruler of Schleswig and Holstein, 

 and so kings of Denmark received recognition 

 in the German parliament. 



Christian II took the throne in 1513, but his 

 tyranny resulted in the loss of Sweden, that 

 country gaining its freedom under Gustavus 

 Vasa (see GUSTAVUS) ; it was never again 

 united to Denmark. The cruelties of Christian 

 II cost him the throne in 1523, and his uncle 

 Frederick I was chosen king, ruling for ten 

 years. During the reign of his successor, Chris- 

 tian III, Protestantism was established. During 

 the sixteenth century Denmark began to have 



a part in European affairs, and during the 

 reign of Frederick II (1559-1588) it was the 

 mistress of the northern seas. Christian IV 

 (1588-1648), one of the most able rulers of 

 Denmark, took part in the Thirty Years' War 

 (which see). 



Until 1660 choice of a king was by election, 

 and so the power of the nobles grew while the 

 peasants were oppressed; through the resulting 

 internal unrest the power of Denmark weak- 

 ened. In 1660, however, Frederick III suc- 

 ceeded in having the kingship declared heredi- 

 tary in his family; the power of the nobility 

 was lessened, and many improvements in ad- 

 ministration were introduced. Not until the 

 rule of Christian VII (1776-1808), however, 

 was serfdom abolished. 



Through its relations with Napoleon, Den- 

 mark became involved in war with Sweden, 

 England, Russia and Prussia, thereby losing its 

 fleet to England in 1807 and being forced in 

 1814 to cede Norway to Sweden. Soon trouble 

 started with Denmark's German subjects in 

 Holstein and Schleswig. Rebellion and dis- 

 content were put down- and held in check for a 

 number of years, but finally Prussia and Aus- 

 tria determined to unite in settling the Schles- 

 wig-Holstein matter, and in 1864 war was begun 

 in Denmark. As a result, Schleswig-Holstein 

 passed into the hands of Prussia. 



Of late years, one of the most important 

 events in Danish history has been the necessity 

 of granting a constitutional government to 

 Iceland, and in 1904 a special minister for 

 Iceland was created, to reside at Reykjavik. 

 Through the marriage of children of Christian 

 IX into many reigning families of Europe, dur- 

 ing the latter half of the nineteenth century 

 Denmark came into very close relationship 

 with many European powers; during his later 

 years Christian IX was called the "father-in- 

 law of Europe." At his death in 1906 his son 

 Frederick VIII succeeded him. For six years 

 the latter was a democratic and popular ruler; 

 his sudden death raised his son to the throne 

 as Christian X. 



Other Items of Interest. Denmark raises 

 more wheat to the acre than any other country 

 in the world, its average yield being 47.2 

 bushels. 



Rates on the government-owned railroads of 

 Denmark are astonishingly low, and if, at 

 times, the trains are distressingly slow, this is 

 compensated for in a measure by a total 

 absence of accidents. 



Conditions in Denmark may be summed up 



