Denmark with Copenhagen and Odense

Denmark

Archaeological research suggests that Denmark was populated as early as 100,000 years ago, though at this time these people were not related to the modern Danes. The modern Danish people are related to the Indo-Europeans who migrated from an area around the Black Sea some 6,000 years ago. Germanic people were living in this area at the time of Tacitus, around the first century c.e. and perhaps earlier.

An Iron Age Village in Denmark Photo by S. Brantly

The first mention of the kingdom of Denmark comes from the medieval period. Denmark claims the longest continuous monarchy. The first king of Denmark is noted to be Gorm the Old from the 10th century. The expansion of Charlemagne's Frankish empire in the late 8th century brought Denmark into closer contact with the rest of Europe. Frankish conquests were halted in the early 9th century, and a treaty signed in 811 made the Eider River the frontier between Denmark and its neighbors to the south. In the early medieval period, Danes, along with the other Scandinavians often collectively called Vikings, expanded their area of influence beyond their borders by raiding and trading with people as far as Constantinople and North America. Under King Knut, an Anglo-Danish empire came into being that included parts of modern England and modern Sweden and lasted until his death in 1035. Christianity arrived in Denmark in the 10th century.

Krononborg Castle at Elsinore: The site of Hamlet Photo by S. Mellor

During the medieval period of Danish history there was heavy competition between the Danish nobility and kings. In 1282, King Erik V was forced to sign a charter giving the nobility some rights and power.

During the 14th and 15th centuries Danish trade was largely controlled by the German-dominated Hanseatic League. Due to problems with succession and the desire to create a greater nation, in 1397 a union under the Danish crown and Margarethe I was created between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden called the Kalmar Union. It lasted until 1523, when Sweden left the union. Norway and Denmark continued to be a province until the early 19th century.

Rosenberg Palace Photo by S. Mellor

The 16th century was marked by civil war. During this time and under Christian III, Denmark broke from the Catholic church, and like many of its neighbors established a Lutheran state church with the king as its head. The 17th century was a tumultuous time throughout Europe with fighting between Catholic and Protestant. Denmark, like many other nations was drawn into the Thirty Years War in the 1620s under Christian IV. Further, due largely to rivalries with Sweden, Denmark pursued a series of debilitating wars in an attempt to assert its hegemony over the Baltic, though they were mostly unsuccessful. The result was the Treaty of Copenhagen in 1660, which established

The Danish Countryside Photo by S. Mellor

the present borders of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. A further result of these wars and of the economic losses by a disgruntled growing merchant class, was the growing power of the king. In 1660, Frederick III carried out a coup d'état against the aristocratic nobility's Council of the Realm. This coup was largely possible because of the popular discontent with the nobility after its poor military performance in the Swedish Wars in the Baltic. The monarchy, which until then had largely depended on the aristocracy for its power, was made hereditary, and in 1661 it became absolute. The absolute monarchy would last until Andersen's time in the middle of the 19th century.

The costly wars on the continent and with Sweden were followed by economic hardships, though some international markets opened in the 18th century. Denmark began the colonization of Greenland and opened trade with the West Indies.

A Danish Vicarage from the 1800s Photo by S. Brantly

Andersen's time, the 19th century, was a time of tremendous change for Denmark. Andersen was born in 1805, the middle of the Napoleonic wars, from 1799 to 1815, which bankrupted the country. In1814, due to Denmark's support of Napoleon, Denmark had to cede Norway to Sweden. In 1849, the absolute monarchy was abolished and a constitutional monarchy was set in its place. In 1864-66 Denmark lost Schleswig-Holstein to the Prussians. All these changes influenced Andersen and his writings

Denmark's relative size compared with Wisconsin

Denmark went through three constitutions between 1849 and 1915. In 1920, Denmark regained the northern portion of Schleswig. In 1945 Denmark recognized the independence of Iceland, a former colony, and in 1948 granted home rule autonomy to the Faeroe Islands. Greenland became an official part of Denmark in 1953 and was granted autonomy in 1979. Denmark was one of the founding members of NATO in 1949.

Today, Denmark is a nation of about 6 million people. It is a constitutional monarchy. The current monarch is Queen Magarethe II. Denmark is a member of the European Union.

S. Mellor