History of Denmark facts for kids

The history of Denmark as a united kingdom began in the 700s. But old writings talk about the land and the people called Danes as early as 500 AD. These early writings include works by Jordanes and Procopius. When the Danes became Christian around 960 AD, it was clear they had kings. Today, Queen Margrethe II can trace her family back to the Viking kings Gorm the Old and Harald Bluetooth. This makes the Monarchy of Denmark the oldest in Europe! The area we know as Denmark has a long prehistory. People have lived here for about 12,000 years, since the end of the last ice age.

Denmark's history has been shaped by its location. It sits between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. This was a very important spot for trade and power. It was also between Sweden and Germany. Denmark often fought with Sweden over control of Skånelandene. It also fought with Germany over Schleswig and Holstein.

Over time, Denmark lost these fights. It gave up Skåneland to Sweden first. Later, it lost Schleswig-Holstein to the German Empire. After losing Norway in 1814, Denmark kept control of the old Norwegian lands: the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland. In the 1900s, Iceland became independent. Greenland and the Faroes became closer parts of the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1920, North Schleswig rejoined Denmark after people voted for it. During World War II, Nazi Germany took over Denmark. But Allied forces from Britain freed it in 1945. After the war, Denmark joined the United Nations. With the start of the Cold War, Denmark quickly joined NATO in 1949.

Prehistoric Denmark

The land of Scandinavia has a very old history. Many ancient groups of people lived here for about 12,000 years. This was after the last ice age ended. During the ice age, most of Scandinavia was covered by ice. Only parts of what is now southwestern Denmark were free of ice. When the ice melted, the bare land soon had reindeer and elk. Hunters from the south followed these animals. The land looked very different back then. Sea levels were much lower. Great Britain was connected to Europe by land. A large area between Great Britain and Denmark, now under the North Sea, was home to hunter-gatherers. As the weather got warmer, strong rivers from melting ice shaped the land. Plants and animals slowly grew in Scandinavia, especially in Denmark. The first people to live in Denmark permanently were the Maglemosian people. They lived in camps for different seasons. They used the land, sea, rivers, and lakes for food. By about 6,000 BC, Denmark looked much like it does today.

Denmark has special natural conditions. These conditions help to preserve old objects. This means we have many amazing finds from ancient times. These finds help us understand the early cultures of this area.

Stone and Bronze Age Discoveries

The last ice age covered most of Denmark. It ended about 13,000 years ago. This allowed people to move back into the land that was once covered in ice. They started to live there for good. In the first thousands of years after the ice age, the land changed. It went from bare land to light forests. Different animals, including very large ones that are now extinct, appeared. Early cultures found in Denmark include the Maglemosian (9,500–6,000 BC), Kongemose (6,000–5,200 BC), Ertebølle (5,300–3,950 BC), and Funnelbeaker (4,100–2,800 BC) cultures.

The first people in this early post-ice age land were very few. They lived by hunting reindeer and other animals. They also gathered fruits. Around 8,300 BC, the temperature rose a lot. Summers were about 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit). The land became thick forests of aspen, birch, and pine trees. Reindeer moved north. Large animals like aurochs and elk came from the south. The Koelbjerg Man is the oldest known bog body in the world. He is also the oldest human bones found in Denmark. He lived around 8,000 BC. Around 7,000 BC, oak, elm, and hazel trees arrived in Denmark. Wild pigs, red deer, and roe deer also became common.

A burial site from Bøgebakken at Vedbæk is from about 6,000 BC. It holds 22 people, including four babies and one toddler. Eight of these 22 people died before they were 20 years old. This shows how hard life was for hunter-gatherers in the cold north. Experts think Denmark's population was between 3,300 and 8,000 people around 7,000 BC. Early hunter-gatherers likely moved around. They used different areas at different times of the year. They slowly started using semi-permanent base camps.

As temperatures rose, sea levels also went up. Around 11,000 BC, Denmark was one large landmass. By 4,500 BC, it had become a group of islands. The people then started eating more seafood. This helped the population to grow.

Farmers arrived around 3,000 BC. Many stone tombs called dolmens and rock tombs are from this time. The Nordic Bronze Age in Denmark began around 1,500 BC. People buried their dead with their belongings under burial mounds. Many gold and bronze objects from this time have been found. These include beautiful religious items and musical instruments. They also show the first signs of different social groups.

Iron Age Developments

During the Pre-Roman Iron Age (from the 300s BC to the 100s BC), Denmark's climate got colder and wetter. This made farming harder. It led to groups of people moving south into Germany. Around this time, people started getting iron from bogs. We see strong Celtic influences in Denmark from this period. This influence can still be seen in some old place names.

The Roman Empire did not reach Denmark. But Roman areas traded with Danish people. We know this from Roman coins found here. The oldest known runic writings are from about 200 AD. Less farmland in the last century BC likely caused more people to move in northern Europe. It also led to more fights between Germanic tribes and Roman settlements. Roman objects are very common in finds from the 1st century. It seems some Danish warriors served in the Roman army.

Sometimes during this period, animals and even people were sacrificed. Their bodies were put into bogs. In recent times, some of these bog bodies have been found very well preserved. They give us important information about the religion and people of that time. Some of the best-preserved bog bodies from the Nordic Iron Age are the Tollund Man and the Grauballe Man.

From about the 400s to the 600s, northern Europe saw large movements of people. This time and its objects are called the Germanic Iron Age.

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  The face of Tollundmanden, a very well-preserved bog body.

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  The Dejbjerg wagon from the Pre-Roman Iron Age. It may have been a ceremonial wagon.

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  The Nydam oak boat, a ship burial from the Roman Iron Age.

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  Copies of the Golden Horns of Gallehus from the Germanic Iron Age. They were likely ceremonial horns.

Middle Ages

Early Writings and the Viking Age

Quick facts for kids Kingdom of Denmark in the Middle Ages Kongeriget Danmark i middelalderen
8th century/ 936–1397
Left: State flag since the 14th century Right: Royal banner of Estridsens (14th century) For earlier flag; see Raven banner Seal of Valdemar IV with Estridsen CoA (14th century)
Harald's realm (red) with vassals and allies (yellow).
The kingless time 1332–1340
Status	Part of the North Sea Empire (1013–1035) Independent state until 1397
Capital	Lejre in Zealand Jellinge (until 10th cent.) Roskilde (since 10th cent.)
Common languages	Old Danish, Latin, Estonian (Danish Estonia)
Religion	Norse paganism (state before 960) Roman Catholicism (state after 960) Other & non-Danish: goðlauss (lack of faith in any deity) Estonian paganism (Danish Estonia)
Demonym(s)	Dane(s); Danish
Government	Feudal monarchy
King
History
• Formed	8th century
• Incorporated into the Kalmar Union	June 17 1397
ISO 3166 code	DK
Preceded by Succeeded by Lejre Kingdom Obotrite confederacy Estonian counties Gutnish Republic Kalmar Union
Today part of	Denmark Sweden Germany

In a 6th-century book, the writer Jordanes said that the Dani people were like the Swedes. He wrote that they pushed out another group called the Heruli and took their land.

Old English poems like Widsith and Beowulf also mention the Danes. Later Scandinavian writers, especially Saxo Grammaticus around 1200, also wrote about them. These are some of the earliest records of the Danes.

The Viking Age: Explorers and Warriors

The Viking Age began in the 800s. This is when Denmark's prehistoric period ends. The Danish people were part of the Vikings from the 700s to the 1000s. Viking explorers first found and settled in Iceland in the 800s. They were on their way from the Faroe Islands. From Iceland, they also settled Greenland and Vinland (likely Newfoundland). The Vikings were skilled at building ships and navigating. They used these skills to raid and conquer parts of France and the British Isles.

They were also excellent traders. They traded along the coasts and rivers of Europe. Their trade routes went from Greenland in the north to Constantinople in the south. They traveled through Russian and Ukrainian rivers, especially the River Dnieper and through Kiev. Kiev was the capital of Kiev Rus then. Danish Vikings were most active in Britain, Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy. They raided, conquered, and settled in these places. Their early settlements included areas in the Danelaw, Ireland, and Normandy. The Danelaw covered the northeastern half of what is now England. Danes settled there, and Danish law ruled. Before this, England had about seven independent Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The Danes conquered all of them except the kingdom of Wessex. Alfred the Great, king of Wessex, became the only English king left. He is seen as the first English monarch.

In the early 800s, Charlemagne's Christian empire reached the southern border of the Danes. Frankish writings give us the first historical facts about the Danes. They mention a King Gudfred. He appeared in present-day Holstein with a navy in 804. There, he met with the Franks. In 808, King Gudfred attacked the Obotrites. He conquered the city of Reric. Its people were moved or taken to Hedeby. In 809, King Godfred and Charlemagne's messengers could not agree on peace. The next year, King Godfred attacked the Frisians with 200 ships.

Viking raids along the coast of France and the Netherlands were huge. Paris was attacked, and the Loire Valley was destroyed in the 900s. One group of Danes was allowed to settle in northwestern France. They had to defend the area from future attacks. This region became known as "Normandy." The descendants of these settlers conquered England in 1066.

The oldest parts of the Danevirke defenses near Hedeby are from at least 755. They were made much bigger in the 900s. The size of these defenses shows that a powerful ruler was in the area. This fits with what Frankish writings say about kings. In 815 AD, Emperor Louis the Pious attacked Jutland. He seemed to support someone who wanted the throne, maybe Harald Klak. But Godfred's sons pushed him back. At the same time, St. Ansgar traveled to Hedeby. He began to spread Christianity in Scandinavia.

Gorm the Old (also called Gorm the Languid) was the first king of Denmark we know from history. He ruled from about 936 until he died around 958. He ruled from Jelling. He made the oldest of the Jelling Stones to honor his wife, Thyra. Gorm was born before 900. His rule marks the start of the Danish monarchy.

The Danes were united and officially became Christian in 965 AD. This was done by Gorm's son, Harald Bluetooth. The story is told on the Jelling stones. We don't know the exact size of Harald's Danish Kingdom. But it likely stretched from the Dannevirke defense line. It included the Viking city of Hedeby, across Jutland, the Danish islands, and into southern Sweden. The Jelling stones also say that Harald had "won" Norway.

Harald's son, Sweyn Forkbeard, started many wars against England. This was to get back at England for killing Danes. By 1014, England was fully under Danish rule. But the distance and different interests stopped a lasting union. Harald's grandson, Cnut the Great, barely kept the two countries together. The link broke completely when his son, Hardecanute, ruled. A final attempt by the Norwegians to conquer England failed in 1066. This paved the way for William the Conqueror to take over England.

Christianity and the Kingdom of Denmark

The story of Christianity in Denmark is linked to the Viking Age. Many small kingdoms existed in the area of Denmark for a long time. Between about 960 and the early 980s, Harald Bluetooth seems to have created a kingdom. It stretched from Jutland to Skåne. Around the same time, a German missionary visited him. Legend says the missionary survived a fire test. This convinced Harald to become Christian.

The new religion had many benefits for the king. Christianity brought some support from the Holy Roman Empire. It also let the king remove many opponents who followed the old Norse religion. At this early stage, the Danish Church could not create a strong government for Harald. But it may have helped create a central idea of power among the rich. This idea supported and made the kingship stronger.

England broke away from Danish control in 1035. Denmark then faced problems for a while. Sweyn Estridsen's son, Canute IV, raided England one last time in 1085. He planned another invasion to take the English throne from an old William I. He gathered a fleet of 1,000 Danish ships and 60 Norwegian longboats. He planned to meet another 600 ships. But Canute was starting to see that his people were ready to rebel. He had made them pay taxes to fund churches and monasteries. He also added a new head tax. Canute took weeks to arrive where the fleet was. He found only the Norwegians still there.

Canute thanked the Norwegians. Then he went from meeting to meeting. He declared that any sailor, captain, or soldier who refused to pay a fine was an outlaw. This fine was more than a year's harvest for most farmers. Canute and his guards fled south. A growing army of rebels followed them. Canute fled to a royal property outside Odense on Funen with his two brothers. After several tries to break in, and then bloody hand-to-hand fighting in the church, Canute was struck in the head and then speared. He died on July 10, 1086. He was buried there.

Canute's death marks the end of the Viking Age. Never again would huge fleets of Scandinavians gather each year to attack the rest of Christian Europe.

Canute's nephew, Sweyn Estridson (1020–74), made the Danish king's power strong again. He also built a good relationship with the Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. This archbishop was in charge of all of Scandinavia's churches then.

In the early 1100s, Denmark became the center of an independent church area for Scandinavia. Soon after, Sweden and Norway started their own church areas. The mid-1100s were hard for Denmark. Violent civil wars shook the land. Finally, Valdemar the Great (1131–82) took control. He made the kingdom stable and reorganized the government. King Valdemar and Absalon (about 1128–1201), the bishop of Roskilde, rebuilt the country.

During Valdemar's rule, work began on a castle in Havn village. This led to the founding of Copenhagen, Denmark's modern capital. Valdemar and Absalon made Denmark a major power in the Baltic Sea. This power later competed with the Hanseatic League (a group of trading cities), the counts of Holstein, and the Teutonic Knights for trade and land. In 1168, Valdemar and Absalon gained control of the southern Baltic coast. They took over the Principality of Rügen.

In the 1180s, Mecklenburg and Pomerania also came under Danish control. In these new southern areas, the Danes promoted Christianity and settlement. The Danes lost most of their southern gains after the Battle of Bornhöved (1227). But the Rugian principality stayed with Denmark until 1325.

In 1202, Valdemar II became king. He started several "crusades" to claim new lands, especially modern Estonia. After these efforts succeeded, a period called Danish Estonia began. Legend says the Danish flag, the Dannebrog, fell from the sky during the Battle of Lindanise in Estonia in 1219. A series of Danish defeats, ending with the Battle of Bornhöved on July 22, 1227, meant Denmark lost its northern German lands. Valdemar himself was saved only by a brave German knight.

From then on, Valdemar focused on matters within Denmark. He started a feudal system. He gave land to men who then owed him service. This made the power of noble families stronger. Free farmers lost their old rights.

The king of Denmark had trouble keeping control. The nobles and the Church opposed him. There was a long period of bad relations between the king and the Popes in Rome. This was called the "archiepiscopal conflicts."

By the late 1200s, the king's power had weakened. The nobles forced the king to grant a charter. This is seen as Denmark's first constitution. After the Battle of Bornhöved in 1227, a weaker Denmark gave chances to the Hanseatic League and the Counts of Holstein. The Holstein Counts gained control of large parts of Denmark. The king would give them land in exchange for money to pay for royal activities.

Valdemar spent the rest of his life creating laws for Jutland, Zealand, and Skåne. These laws were used in Denmark until 1683. This was a big change from local lawmaking at regional meetings. Several ways of deciding guilt were outlawed, like trial by ordeal. The Code of Jutland was approved in 1241, just before Valdemar died. Because he was "the king of Dannebrog" and a lawmaker, Valdemar is very important in Danish history. The civil wars and problems after his death made him seem like the last king of a golden age.

The Middle Ages saw close teamwork between the king and the Roman Catholic Church. Thousands of churches were built across the country. The economy grew in the 1100s, mostly from the profitable herring trade. But the 1200s became a hard time. The king's power temporarily collapsed.

Count Rule and the Black Death

During the difficult rule of Christopher II (1319–1332), most of Denmark was taken by local counts. Skåne was taken by Sweden. This happened after many farmer revolts and fights with the Church. For eight years after Christopher's death, Denmark had no king. Instead, counts controlled the country. After one of them was killed in 1340, Christopher's son Valdemar was chosen as king. He slowly started to get the lands back. This was finished in 1360.

The Black Death, a terrible disease, came to Denmark during these years. It also helped Valdemar's efforts. His continued efforts to expand the kingdom after 1360 led to conflict with the Hanseatic League. He conquered Gotland, which made the League very unhappy. They lost Visby, an important trading town there.

The Hanseatic alliance with Sweden attacked Denmark. At first, it went badly for them. Danish forces captured a large Hanseatic fleet. They made them pay a huge amount of money to get it back. Luckily for the League, the Jutland nobles rebelled. They were unhappy about the high taxes for the war. The nobles and the League worked against the king. They forced him to leave the country in 1370. For several years, the Hanseatic League controlled the forts on "the sound" between Skåne and Zealand.

Margaret and the Kalmar Union (1397–1523)

Margaret I, the daughter of Valdemar Atterdag, married Håkon VI of Norway. This was an attempt to join the two kingdoms, along with Sweden. Håkon had family ties to the Swedish royal family. The plan was for her son, Olaf II, to rule all three kingdoms. But he died young in 1387. So Margaret took on the role herself (1387–1412). During her life, the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (including the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, and Finland) became linked. This was called the Kalmar Union. It became official in 1397.

Her successor, Eric of Pomerania (King of Denmark from 1412 to 1439), was not as skilled as Margaret. This led to the breakup of the Kalmar Union. Eric's foreign policy caused Denmark to fight many wars. He fought the Holstein counts and the city of Lübeck. When the Hanseatic League stopped trade with Scandinavia, the Swedes rebelled. Their mining industry was badly affected. The three countries of the Kalmar Union all declared Eric no longer king in 1439.

However, people still liked the idea of a united region. So, when Eric's nephew Christopher of Bavaria became king in 1440, he was elected in all three kingdoms. This briefly reunited Scandinavia (1442–1448). The Swedish nobles became more and more unhappy with Danish rule. The union soon became just a legal idea with little real power. During the reigns of Christian I (1450–1481) and Hans (1481–1513), tensions grew. Several wars broke out between Sweden and Denmark.

In the early 1500s, Christian II (ruled 1513–1523) came to power. He tried to make the union stronger by conquering Sweden. In November 1520, he had about 100 leaders of the Swedish anti-union forces killed. This massacre destroyed any hope of a lasting Scandinavian union.

After Sweden finally left the Kalmar Union in 1521, Denmark and Norway faced civil war and the Protestant Reformation. When things settled, Denmark's Privy Council had less power. Norway's no longer existed. The two kingdoms, known as Denmark–Norway, were ruled by one king. Norway kept its own laws and some government parts. Its status as a separate kingdom was important to the royal family. This helped them win elections as kings of Denmark. The two kingdoms stayed linked until 1814.

Early Modern Denmark

The Reformation: Changing the Church

The Protestant Reformation started in Germany in the early 1500s. It was based on the ideas of Martin Luther. It had a big impact on Denmark. The Danish Reformation began in the mid-1520s. Some Danes wanted to read the Bible in their own language. In 1524, Hans Mikkelsen and Christiern Pedersen translated the New Testament into Danish. It became very popular right away.

People who had traveled to Wittenberg in Germany were influenced by Luther's teachings. One of them was Hans Tausen, a Danish monk. On Good Friday in 1525, Tausen used his church pulpit to talk about Luther's reforms. His bosses were shocked. They ordered him to leave Zealand and kept him locked up in Viborg. They hoped he would change his mind.

But townspeople came to see the monk. Tausen preached to them from his cell window. Within days, Tausen's ideas spread through the town. Luther's new ideas were well-received. Tausen's preaching changed ordinary people, merchants, nobles, and monks. Even the head of the priory started to like Tausen and ordered his release. Tausen preached openly. This made Bishop Jøn Friis very upset. He lost his power to stop the Lutherans and went to Hald Castle.

After preaching outside, Tausen got to use a small chapel. It soon became too small for the crowds who came to hear services in Danish. His followers broke into a Franciscan Abbey. They could listen to Tausen, who filled the church daily. The town leaders protected Tausen from the Bishop of Viborg. Viborg became the center for the Danish Reformation for a time. Lutheranism quickly spread to Aarhus and Aalborg.

Within months, King Frederick made Tausen one of his personal chaplains in October 1526. This was to protect him from Catholics. Tausen's ideas spread throughout Denmark. Copenhagen became a center of reform. Tausen moved there to continue his work. His fame came before him. Thousands of people came to hear him. They were excited to hear the church service in Danish. With the king's permission, churches in Copenhagen opened their doors to Lutherans. They held services for Catholics and Lutherans at different times.

At Our Lady Church, the main church of Copenhagen, Bishop Ronnow refused to let in the "heretics." In December 1531, a crowd stormed the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen. They were encouraged by Copenhagen's mayor. They tore down statues and altars. They destroyed art and holy objects. Frederick I wanted the two groups to share churches peacefully. But this made neither Lutherans nor Catholics happy.

Luther's ideas spread fast. This was because people were excited for church reform. Also, the king wanted to gain more wealth by taking church lands. In Denmark, the Reformation increased the king's money by 300%.

Problems with the Catholic Church

Many people in Denmark were already unhappy with the Catholic Church. They saw the taxes and fees as unfair. This was especially true for farmers and merchants. This became clear when people heard that King Frederick and his son, Duke Christian, did not like the Franciscans. The Franciscans often went around collecting food, money, and clothes, on top of the taxes. Between 1527 and 1536, many towns asked the king to close the Franciscan houses.

Frederick agreed. He sent letters allowing the monasteries to close. He often offered a small amount of money to help the monks leave. With the king's letter, crowds forced Franciscan abbeys to close all over Denmark. They beat up monks, and two of them died. Franciscan houses closed in Copenhagen, Viborg, Aalborg, Randers, Malmö, and ten other cities. In total, 28 monasteries closed. People literally chased Franciscan monks out of towns.

No other religious group faced such harsh treatment. Luther's teaching had become so popular. Danes systematically removed statues, paintings, and other Catholic items from churches. This happened without anyone stopping them. The only exceptions were in a few churches where local church leaders refused to allow reform.

Frederick I died in 1533. The Viborg Assembly declared his son, Duke Christian of Schleswig, King Christian III. But the State Council on Zealand, led by Catholic bishops, took control. They refused to accept Christian III as king because he was a strong Lutheran. The leaders feared Christian's strong Lutheran ideas would take away rights from Catholics.

The State Council asked Count Christopher of Oldenburg to become ruler of Denmark. Christian III quickly raised an army to enforce his election. This included hired soldiers from Germany. Count Christopher also raised an army to bring back his Catholic uncle, King Christian II. This led to a three-year civil war called the Count's Feud.

The Count's Feud (1534–1536)

An armed rebellion by Catholic farmers started in northern Jutland. It was led by Skipper Clement. The rebellion spread across Funen, Zealand, and Skåne. Christian III's army defeated an army of Catholic nobles on October 16, 1534. Christian made a truce with the Hanseatic League, who had sent troops to help Count Christopher. Christian III's army chased the rebels back to Aalborg. Then they killed over 2,000 of them inside the city in December 1534.

The Protestants captured Skipper Clement in 1534. He was later executed in 1536. Christian III's hired troops ended Catholic hopes on Zealand and Funen. Skåne rebels even declared Christian II king again. King Gustav Vasa of Sweden sent two armies to force Halland and Skåne to surrender. Finally, the last rebels in Copenhagen and Malmø surrendered in July 1536 after being starved out. By spring 1536, Christian III was firmly in control.

Denmark Becomes Lutheran

Denmark officially became Lutheran on October 30, 1536. This was by order of King Christian III. In 1537, the new State Council approved the Lutheran rules for the church. These rules were based on the Augsburg Confession and Luther's Little Catechism. The government set up the Danish National Church as the official state church. All of Denmark's Catholic bishops were put in prison. They stayed there until they agreed to become Lutheran. They were released if they promised to marry and support the reforms.

If they agreed, they received land and lived as rich landowners. If they refused, they died in prison. The state took over church lands. This money paid for the armies that had helped Christian III become king. Priests had to promise to be loyal to Lutheranism or find new jobs. The new owners forced monks out of their monasteries. Nuns in a few places were allowed to live out their lives in nunneries. But they got no money from the government. The king closed churches, abbeys, and cathedrals. Their property was given to local nobles or sold.

The King appointed Danish leaders (later called bishops) to make sure the church followed Lutheran beliefs. Denmark became part of a Lutheran area that included Scandinavia and northern Germany. The Catholic Church in Scandinavia had made mistakes by supporting losing causes. These included Christian II and the emperor Charles V in Denmark, and Norwegian independence. Also, they were too far from Rome to get much help.

The 1600s were a time of strict Lutheran beliefs in Denmark. People who followed other Christian ideas, like Calvinism, were punished harshly. Lutheran leaders treated Catholics badly. They feared Catholics might try to hurt the king and the church. Later, Denmark got involved in the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) on the Protestant side.

Losing Eastern Denmark

The Dano-Norwegian Kingdom became rich in the 1500s. This was mostly because of more trade through the Øresund (the Sound). Danes could tax this trade because Denmark controlled both sides of the Sound. The trade of grain from Poland to the Netherlands and other parts of Europe grew a lot. The Danish kings made a lot of money from this. The Sound duty was only stopped in the 1840s.

Denmark's economy also benefited from the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) in the Netherlands. Many skilled people from that area, which was very rich, came to Denmark. This helped Denmark become more modern. It also helped create trade links between Denmark and the Netherlands.

Denmark–Norway was seen as a strong kingdom then. European politics in the 1500s were mostly about the fight between Catholic and Protestant groups. So, it seemed likely that Denmark, a strong Lutheran kingdom, would get pulled into the larger war. The Thirty Years' War went badly for the Protestant states in the early 1620s. People asked Denmark–Norway to "save the Protestant cause."

King Christian IV decided to join the fight in northern Germany. He was also a duke in the Holy Roman Empire because of his lands in Holstein. The campaign ended in defeat. Jutland was taken over by the imperial army. In the Treaty of Lübeck, Christian made peace. He agreed not to get involved in Germany again. The war in Germany had been very expensive. Christian IV had no choice but to raise the Sound tolls. Sadly, this made the Netherlands turn away from Denmark and towards Sweden.

Torstenson War (1643–1645)

In 1643, Sweden's armies suddenly invaded Denmark without declaring war. This conflict became known as the Torstenson War. The Netherlands wanted to end Denmark's control over the Baltic Sea. So, they joined Sweden in the war against Denmark–Norway. In October 1644, a combined Dutch-Swedish fleet destroyed most of the Danish fleet. This defeat was terrible for Denmark–Norway. In the Second treaty of Brömsebro (1645), Denmark gave up the Norwegian provinces of Jemtland, Herjedalen, and Älvdalen. It also gave up the Danish islands of Gotland and Øsel. Halland went to Sweden for 30 years. The Netherlands no longer had to pay the Sound Duty.

Even so, Danes remember Christian IV as one of their great kings. He ruled for a very long time, from 1588 to 1648. He is known as "the architect on the Danish throne." This is because he started many building projects. Many of Denmark's great buildings are from his time. After Christian IV died in 1648, his son Frederick became king.

Second Northern War (1655–1660)

In 1657, during the Second Northern War, Denmark–Norway started a war to get revenge on Sweden. Sweden was busy fighting in Poland. But this war was a complete disaster for Denmark. It was a disaster for two main reasons. First, Denmark's new strong ally, the Netherlands, stayed neutral. This was because Denmark was the attacker and Sweden was defending itself. Second, the Belts froze over. This is very rare. It happened in the winter of 1657–1658. This allowed Charles X Gustav of Sweden to march his armies across the ice to invade Zealand.

In the Treaty of Roskilde, Denmark–Norway gave up. It gave up all of Eastern Denmark (Skåne, Halland, Blekinge, and Bornholm). It also gave up the counties of Bahusia and Trøndelag in Norway. Holstein-Gottorp also became linked to Sweden. This gave Sweden a way to invade from the south in the future.

But the Second Northern War was not over yet. Three months after the peace treaty, Charles X Gustav of Sweden decided to remove Denmark from the map. He wanted to unite all of Scandinavia under his rule. Again, the Swedish army arrived outside Copenhagen. But this time, the Danes did not panic or surrender. Instead, they decided to fight. They prepared to defend Copenhagen.

Frederick III of Denmark had stayed in his capital. He encouraged the people of Copenhagen to fight the Swedes. He said he would die in his nest. Also, Sweden's unprovoked declaration of war finally activated Denmark–Norway's alliance with the Netherlands. A strong Dutch fleet was sent to Copenhagen. It brought important supplies and more soldiers. This saved the city from being captured during the Swedish attack. Also, Brandenburg-Prussia, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Habsburg monarchy gathered large forces to help Denmark–Norway. Fighting continued into 1659.

Charles X Gustav of Sweden suddenly died of an illness in early 1660. He was planning an invasion of Norway. After his death, Sweden made peace in the Treaty of Copenhagen. The Swedes returned Trøndelag to Norway and Bornholm to Denmark. But they kept both Bahusia and Terra Scania. The Netherlands and other European powers accepted this. They did not want one nation to control both sides of the Sound again. This treaty set the borders between Norway, Denmark, and Sweden that still exist today. Overall, Sweden had now become the most powerful country in Scandinavia.

Absolutism: Kings with More Power

Because of the disaster in the war against Sweden, King Frederick III (ruled 1648–1670) convinced the nobles to give up some of their powers. They also gave up their tax exemptions. This led to the time of absolutism in Denmark. This meant the king had total power. The country's main goal in the next decades was to get back its lost lands from Sweden. In the 1670s, Denmark–Norway was strong enough to start a war with Sweden. But even with outside support and a strong navy, the war ended in a draw.

Great Northern War (1700–1721)

A new attack during the Great Northern War (1700–1721) first led to a bad peace treaty. But after Denmark rejoined the war and Sweden was finally defeated, Sweden was no longer a threat. However, other powerful countries did not want Denmark to gain more land. This meant the Treaty of Frederiksborg did not return the lost eastern lands to Denmark. Denmark even had to give back Swedish Pomerania to Sweden. Denmark now had no hope of getting back its lost lands from Sweden. As mentioned, the rest of Europe simply did not want one nation to control the Sound again.

For most of the 1700s, Denmark was at peace. The only time war was close was in 1762. The Duke of Holstein-Gottorp became Tsar Peter III of Russia. He declared war on Denmark over his family's claims in Schleswig. But before any fighting started, his wife overthrew him. She became Tsarina Catherine II. Empress Catherine stopped her husband's demands. She arranged for Schleswig-Holstein to go to the Danish king. In return, Russia got control of Oldenburg. This was made official in 1773. This deal linked Denmark's foreign policy to Russia's. It led to Denmark being involved in several wars later on.

The Danish assembly, called the diet, disappeared for a few centuries. During this time, power became more and more centered in Copenhagen. The government became more organized, with the king at the center. Royal officials and a new group of government workers had a lot of power. This made the old noble families unhappy, as their influence decreased. The absolute kings of Denmark were quite weak compared to Swedish kings. Landlords who were not nobles became the real rulers. They used their power to pass laws that helped themselves.

The government and laws were "modernized" during this time. In 1683, the Danske lov (Danish Code) put all the old provincial laws together. Other changes included making all weights and measures the same across the kingdom. There was also a survey of farms and land. This survey allowed the government to start taxing landowners directly. This meant the government no longer depended only on money from royal lands.

Denmark's population grew steadily during this time. It went from 600,000 in 1660 (after losing land to Sweden) to 700,000 in 1720. By 1807, it had grown to 978,000.

Changes in Farming and Economy

Attempts to make the economy less dependent on farming failed. During this period, there was little industry, except for a small amount in Copenhagen. In the late 1600s, some industry grew to support the military. Denmark struggled partly because it lacked natural resources. It had little to export except farm products. The Netherlands bought most of Denmark's exports. The landlords, only about 300 of them, owned 90% of the land.

Local government was mostly run by large landowners and a few law officials. In 1733, low crop prices led to a system called adscription. This was an effort by landlords to get cheap labor. It turned free Danish farmers into serfs. The adscription system tied farm workers to their birthplace. They had to rent farms on the estates.

As rent, farmers had to work the landlords' fields. They could not make their own deals or ask for payment for improvements to the farm. Farmers who refused to rent a farm had to serve six years in the military. Danish farming was very inefficient because of this. Farmers had no reason to do more than the minimum work. Attempts to sell Danish grain in Norway failed. It was lower quality than grain from the Baltic.

In the late 1700s, big changes happened in farming. The old open-field system was ended. Many smaller farms were combined into larger ones. With the end of the adscription system, the military could only get soldiers through conscription. These changes were possible because farm prices steadily rose in the second half of the century.

Throughout the 1700s, Denmark's economy did very well. This was largely because of more farm production. It met the growing demand across Europe. Danish merchant ships also traded around Europe and the North Atlantic. They went to new Danish colonies in the Caribbean and North Atlantic.

The Enlightenment and Danish Pride

New ideas from the Age of Enlightenment became popular among Denmark's middle classes. These ideas made people more interested in personal liberty. In the last 15 years of the 1700s, the government eased censorship. At the same time, a feeling of Danish nationalism began to grow. People became more hostile towards Germans and Norwegians at the royal court. Pride in the Danish language and culture grew. Eventually, a law stopped "foreigners" from holding government jobs. Dislike between Germans and Danes increased from the mid-1700s on.

In the 1770s, during the rule of the king Christian VII (1766–1808), who was mentally unwell, the queen's lover, a German doctor named Johann Friedrich Struensee, became the real ruler. He was full of Enlightenment ideas. He tried many big changes, including freedom of the press and religion. But it did not last long. Landlords feared the changes would harm their power. Common people thought religious freedom meant atheism.

In 1772, Struensee was arrested. He was found guilty of serious offenses against the king and executed. The next 12 years were a time of strict control. Then, a group of reformers gained power in 1784.

Reforms and Newspapers

Denmark became a model of enlightened rule. This was partly influenced by ideas from the French Revolution. Denmark adopted liberal changes, similar to those in France. Danes knew about French ideas and agreed with them. Denmark moved from absolute rule to a liberal system between 1750 and 1850. The government change in 1784 happened because King Christian VII became ill. Power shifted to the crown prince (who became King Frederick VI) and reform-minded landowners. Between 1784 and 1815, serfdom was ended. This made most farmers landowners. The government also brought in free trade and universal education. Unlike France, Denmark's farming reforms were strong. Farmers gained more rights. The state's money was healthy. There were no major problems inside or outside the country. So, changes happened slowly. The government itself made farming reforms. These reforms weakened absolute rule by creating a class of independent farmers. Much of this came from well-organized liberals. They led political change in the first half of the 1800s.

Danish news first appeared in the 1540s. These were handwritten papers with news. In 1666, Anders Bording started a state newspaper. The right to publish a newspaper was given to Joachim Wielandt in 1720. University officials handled censorship. But in 1770, Denmark became one of the first nations to allow press freedom. It ended in 1799. From 1795–1814, newspapers, led by smart people and government workers, called for a fairer society. They spoke up for farmers against the power of the old nobles.

In 1834, the first liberal newspaper appeared. It focused more on actual news than opinions. Newspapers supported the Revolution of 1848 in Denmark. The new constitution of 1849 freed the Danish press. Newspapers grew in the second half of the 1800s. They were usually linked to a political party or labor union. Modern changes, like new features and printing methods, appeared after 1900. Total newspaper sales were 500,000 daily in 1901. This more than doubled to 1.2 million in 1925. The German occupation brought informal censorship. Some newspaper buildings were blown up by the Nazis. During the war, the underground produced 550 newspapers. These were small, secretly printed papers that encouraged resistance.

Colonial Ventures

Denmark had several colonies outside Scandinavia. These started in the 1600s and lasted until the 1900s. Denmark also controlled Greenland and Iceland in the North Atlantic. These were gained through the union with Norway. Christian IV (ruled 1588–1648) first started the plan to expand Denmark's overseas trade. This was part of a popular trend in Europe at the time. Denmark set up its first colony at Tranquebar in India in 1620.

In the Caribbean, Denmark started a colony on St Thomas in 1671. Then St John in 1718. It bought Saint Croix from France in 1733. Denmark kept its Indian colony, Tranquebar, and other smaller colonies there for about 200 years. The Danish East India Company operated from Tranquebar.

At its peak, the Danish East Indian Company and the Swedish East India Company imported more tea than the British East India Company. They smuggled 90% of it into Britain, where they sold it for a huge profit. Both Scandinavian East India Companies closed during the Napoleonic Wars. Denmark also had other colonies, forts, and bases in West Africa. These were mainly for the purpose of slave trading.

19th Century Changes

The Whole State Helstaten (da) Dänischer Gesamtstaat (de)
1814-1864
Flag Coat of arms of Frederik VII of Denmark
Territories that were part of the Kingdom of Denmark from 1814 to 1864
Status	personal union between Schleswig, Holstein, Lauenburg and Denmark
Capital	Copenhagen
Common languages	Danish, Frisian, German
Religion	Lutheranism
King of Denmark Duke of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg
• 1808-1839	Frederik VI
• 1839-1848	Christian VIII
• 1848-1863	Frederik VII
Prime ministers (1848-1855) Council Presidents (1855-1864)
• 1848-1852	Adam Wilhelm Moltke
• 1852-1853	Christian Albrecht Bluhme
• 1853-1854	Anders Sandøe Ørsted
• 1854-1856	Peter Georg Bang
• 1856-1857	Carl Christoffer Georg Andræ
Historical era	Late Modern Period
• Established	1814
• Treaty of Kiel	14 January 1814
• First Schleswig War	1848-1851
• Disestablished	1864
Preceded by Succeeded by Denmark-Norway Hannovarian Lauenburg Kingdom of Prussia Austrian Empire Kingdom of Denmark
Today part of	Denmark Germany Iceland India Ghana U.S Virgin Islands

The Napoleonic Wars and Their Impact

The long years of peace ended suddenly during the Napoleonic Wars. Britain felt threatened by a treaty of neutrality. This treaty involved Denmark, Sweden, Prussia, and Russia. The British fleet attacked Copenhagen in 1801. They destroyed much of Denmark's navy. Still, Denmark managed to stay mostly out of the Napoleonic Wars until 1807. The British fleet bombarded Copenhagen again that year. This caused a lot of damage to the city. They then captured the entire Danish fleet. This was so France could not use it to invade Britain. This led to the Gunboat War (1807–1814). Taking the Danish navy was widely criticized in Britain.

In 1809, Danish forces fought on the French side. They helped defeat a German rebellion. By 1813, Denmark could not afford the war costs anymore. The country went bankrupt. In the same year, other European powers pushed French forces out of Northern Germany. This isolated Denmark. So, Frederick VI had to make peace. A bad treaty was signed in January 1814 with Sweden and Great Britain. Another peace treaty was signed with Russia in February.

After the Napoleonic Wars, the Congress of Vienna demanded that Denmark and Norway separate. This was confirmed by the Treaty of Kiel in 1814. The treaty gave Heligoland to Great Britain. It moved Norway from Danish to Swedish rule. Denmark was supposed to get Swedish Pomerania. But the Norwegians revolted. They declared independence and chose Christian Frederick as their king. However, Norway's independence movement did not get support from other European powers. After a short war with Sweden, Christian had to step down. This was to keep Norway's self-rule, which was set up with Sweden. Denmark gave up its claims to Swedish Pomerania in 1815. Instead, it got the Duchy of Lauenburg and money from Prussia. Prussia also took over a Danish debt to Sweden.

This time is also called "the Golden Age" of Danish thought. A sign of new energy was making school required in 1814. Literature, painting, sculpture, and philosophy all had a very lively period. The stories of Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) became popular in Denmark and all over Europe. The ideas of the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) spread far beyond Denmark. They helped create new ways of thinking. The sculptures of Thorvaldsen (1770–1834) are in public buildings all over Denmark. Other artists liked and copied his style. Grundtvig (1783–1872) tried to make the Danish National Church stronger. He also helped with the hymns used in the church.

Nationalism and New Government

Danish liberal and nationalist movements grew stronger in the 1830s. After the European revolutions of 1848, Denmark became a constitutional monarchy on June 5, 1849. This meant the king's power was limited by a constitution. The growing middle class wanted a say in government. To avoid a bloody revolution like those elsewhere, Frederick VII agreed to the people's demands. A new constitution was created. It separated government powers. It gave all adult men the right to vote. It also gave freedom of the press, religion, and assembly. The king became the head of the government. The law-making part had two groups: the Folketing, whose members were elected by the people, and the Landsting, elected by landowners. Denmark also got independent courts.

Another important result was the end of slavery in the Danish West Indies. This was Denmark's colony in the Caribbean. Earlier, it had the biggest slave auctions in the world. In 1845, Denmark's other tropical colony, Tranquebar in India, was sold to Britain.

The Danish king's realm still included the islands, northern Jutland, and the Duchy of Schleswig. Schleswig was joined with the Duchy of Holstein. The islands and Jutland made up the kingdom. The king held the duchies in a personal union with the kingdom. Schleswig was a Danish land, while Holstein was part of the German Confederation.

Since the early 1700s, Danes had started to see the duchies and the kingdom as one state. But this idea clashed with the German majority in the duchies. They also felt strong national pride. This led to a movement called Schleswig-Holsteinism. These people wanted independence from Denmark. The First Schleswig War (1848–1851) started after the constitutional change in 1849. It ended with no real change, because Britain and other major powers stepped in.

There was much debate in Denmark about Schleswig-Holstein. Liberals wanted Schleswig to stay linked to Denmark. But they said Holstein could do what it wanted. However, international events changed things. Denmark faced war against both Prussia and Austria. This became known as the Second Schleswig War (1864). The war lasted from February to October 1864. Denmark was easily defeated by Prussia and Austria. It had to give up both Schleswig and Holstein.

The war caused great pain to Denmark as a nation. It forced the country to rethink its place in the world. Losing Schleswig-Holstein was the latest in a long series of defeats. The Danish state had now lost some of its richest areas. Skåne went to Sweden, and Schleswig to Germany. So, the nation focused on developing the poorer areas of the country. Big improvements in farming happened in Jutland. A new kind of nationalism grew. It focused on the "small" people, the goodness of rural Denmark, and avoiding big ambitions.

Industrialization and Workers' Rights

Industrialisation came to Denmark in the second half of the 1800s. The country's first railroads were built in the 1850s. Better communication and overseas trade helped industry grow. This happened even though Denmark did not have many natural resources. Trade unions started to grow in the 1870s. Many people moved from the countryside to the cities.

Danish farming focused on exporting dairy and meat products. These went especially to Great Britain. Instead of using German middlemen, Danes opened new direct trade routes to England after the defeat by the Germans. Experts say Denmark's success in dairy was not first based on co-operatives. These came later in the 1800s. Instead, leaders were rich landowners and smart political leaders. They made land reforms, used new technologies, and started education and trade systems. Together, these made Denmark a major exporter of butter after 1850. Land reform helped a middle class of farmers grow. They copied new ideas from rich estate owners. They put these ideas into practice through new co-operatives.

Internationalism and nationalism became a big part of the Danish Labour movement's history. The labor movement gained strength when social issues became linked to international ideas. Socialist ideas and contact with the International Workingmen's Association, which linked workers' movements in different countries, helped. Louis Pio became the main leader. In 1871, after the bloody defeat of the Paris Commune, he started publishing socialist writings. He strongly pushed for workers to organize themselves. He started a Danish branch of the First International. This became the start of the Social Democratic Party. It was called The International Labour Association for Denmark. It combined a union and a political party. It cleverly brought together national and international ideas.

Pio saw internationalism as key for workers to succeed. Without it, there would be no progress. He pointed out that the middle classes worked together across countries. They used nationalistic talk to fight against workers and their freedom.

The Danish group started organizing strikes and protests for higher wages and social changes. Their demands were not extreme. But they were enough to upset employers and the police. Things came to a head in the Battle of Fælleden on May 5, 1872. The authorities arrested the three leaders: Louis Pio, Poul Geleff, and Harald Brix. They were charged and found guilty of serious offenses against the state. The three left Denmark for the United States. They tried to set up a socialist colony there, but it did not last.

Back in Denmark, the new political situation worried many existing leaders. It gave more power to the farmers. Ordinary men with little education replaced professors and professionals in powerful jobs. The farmers, working with liberal and radical people from the cities, eventually won most seats in the Folketing. Even though changes had been made to give the Landsting more power, the Left Party demanded to form the government. But the king, still the head of the government, refused. However, in 1901, king Christian IX gave in. He asked Johan Henrik Deuntzer, a member of the Left Party, to form a government. This started a tradition of parliamentary government. Since 1901, no government has ruled against the majority in the Folketing, except for one time in 1920.

Monetary Union in Scandinavia

The Scandinavian Monetary Union was formed by Sweden and Denmark on May 5, 1873. It set the value of their money against gold. Norway, which was united with Sweden, joined the union two years later in 1875. It linked its money to gold at the same level as Denmark and Sweden. The monetary union was one of the few clear results of the idea of a united Scandinavia in the 1800s.

The union provided stable exchange rates for money. But member countries still printed their own separate money. What was not expected was that the feeling of security led to a situation where the separate currencies were used almost everywhere in the whole area.

World War I started in 1914 and ended the monetary union. Sweden stopped linking its money to gold on August 2, 1914. Without a fixed exchange rate, the free use of money across borders ended.

20th Century Events

Early 1900s and World War I

In the early 1900s, the new Radical Party and the older Left Party shared government. During this time, women gained the right to vote (1915). The United States bought some of Denmark's colonies: the three islands of St. John, St. Croix, and St. Thomas in the West Indies. This period also saw Denmark start important social and labor reforms. These laid the groundwork for the modern welfare state.

Denmark remained neutral during World War I. But the war still affected the country a lot. Denmark's economy relied heavily on exports. German submarine warfare was a serious problem. Denmark had to sell many of its exports to Germany instead of other countries. Many people made huge profits from the war. But trade also suffered greatly because of the war and money problems in Europe. Rationing was put in place. There were shortages of food and fuel. Also, Germany forced Denmark to place mines in the Sound. This was to stop British ships from entering. After Germany's defeat in 1918, the Treaty of Versailles (1919) called for votes in Schleswig. This led to Northern Schleswig (now South Jutland) returning to Denmark. The king and some opposition leaders complained. They felt Prime Minister Carl Theodor Zahle (in office 1909–1910 and 1913–1920) should have taken back more of the province. Denmark had lost it in the Second Schleswig War in 1864. The king and opposition wanted to take the city of Flensburg. But the government insisted on only claiming areas where most people were Danish. This led to a vote in the affected areas. People voted on whether they wanted to be part of Denmark or Germany. Believing he had the people's support, King Christian X used his power to dismiss Zahle's government. This sparked the Easter Crisis of 1920. As a result, the king promised not to interfere in politics anymore. Although the Danish Constitution was not changed then, Danish kings have stayed out of politics since. The end of the war also led the Danish government to finish talks with Iceland. Iceland became an independent kingdom on December 1, 1918. It kept the Danish monarch as its head of state.

In the 1924 election, the Social Democrats became Denmark's largest political party. This was under the popular Thorvald Stauning. They kept this position until 2001. Since the opposition still had more seats in the Landsting, Stauning had to work with some right-wing parties. This made the Social Democrats a more central party. He made an important deal in the 1930s. This ended the Great Depression in Denmark. It also laid the foundation for a welfare state.

Denmark joined the League of Nations in 1920. During the years between the wars, it worked to promote peaceful solutions to international problems. With Adolf Hitler rising to power in Germany in the 1930s, Denmark was in a very difficult spot. Berlin refused to accept its border with Denmark after 1920. But the Nazi government was busy with bigger issues. The Danes tried to get Germany to recognize the border, but failed. Otherwise, they tried hard to avoid upsetting Germany.

Second World War: Occupation and Resistance

In 1939, Hitler offered non-aggression agreements to the Scandinavian nations. Sweden and Norway refused, but Denmark quickly accepted. When WWII began that fall, Copenhagen declared it would stay neutral. However, Germany occupied Denmark on April 9, 1940. This was to secure communications for its invasion of Norway. Denmark offered limited resistance. British forces, however, occupied the Faroe Islands (April 12, 1940). They also invaded Iceland (May 10, 1940). These were pre-emptive moves to stop Germany from taking them. After a vote in 1944, Iceland declared its independence on June 17, 1944. It became a republic, ending its union with Denmark.

The Nazi occupation of Denmark was unique. The Monarchy remained. The occupation started very gently. (But the Communist party was banned when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941). Denmark kept its own government. The new government tried to protect the people from Nazi rule by making compromises. The Germans allowed the Folketing to stay in session. Despite nearly 2,000 police members being sent away, the police remained mostly under Danish control. The German authorities kept some distance from the people. However, Nazi demands eventually became too much for the Danish government. So, in 1943, it resigned. Germany took full control of Denmark. From that point, an armed resistance movement grew against the occupying forces. Towards the end of the war, Denmark became harder for Germany to control. But the country remained occupied until near the end of the war. On May 4, 1945, German forces in Denmark, North West Germany, and the Netherlands surrendered to the Allies. On May 5, 1945, British troops freed Copenhagen. Three days later, the war ended.

Denmark managed to smuggle most of its Jewish population to Sweden in 1943. This happened when the Nazis threatened to send them away. Danish doctors refused to treat German citizens fleeing from Germany. More than 13,000 died in 1945 from various causes. Among them were about 7,000 children under five.

Post-War Denmark

In 1948, Denmark gave home rule to the Faroe Islands. 1953 saw more political changes in Denmark. The Landsting (the elected upper house) was removed. Greenland's colonial status ended. Women gained rights to inherit the throne with a new constitution.

Denmark was not one of the wartime United Nations. But it got a late invitation to the UN Charter conference. It became a founding member of the United Nations in 1945. The Soviet occupation of Bornholm and the start of the Cold War were fresh in Danish minds. So, the country gave up its old policy of neutrality. It became one of the first members of NATO in 1949. Denmark had first tried to form an alliance only with Norway and Sweden. But this attempt failed. A Nordic Council later formed. Its goal was to coordinate policies among Nordic countries. Later, in a vote in 1972, Danes voted to join the European Community. This was the group that later became the European Union. Denmark became a member on January 1, 1973. Since then, Denmark has been a hesitant member of the European community. It has opted out of many proposals, including the Euro. The country rejected the Euro in a vote in 2000.

21st Century Challenges

Denmark faced some of its most serious problems since the war in the early 2000s. These included the SARS outbreak in 2003. Also, the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004. The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy happened in 2005. The Danish embassy in Islamabad was bombed in 2008. The Copenhagen attacks happened in 2015. And the COVID-19 pandemic (including new variants) from January 2020 to March 2022. This pandemic further hurt the economy.

In 2001, the Folketing agreed to join the war in Afghanistan. A total of 43 Danish soldiers were killed in Afghanistan since 2002.

Left Party leader Anders Fogh Rasmussen won the elections in 2001, 2005, and 2007. He formed a new government. Eight years later, he stepped down in April 2009 to become the NATO Secretary-General. Then Lars Løkke Rasmussen became Prime Minister for his first term from 2009 to 2011.

In the 2011 elections, the ruling center-right group lost power. A center-left group led by the Social Democrats took over. This made Helle Thorning-Schmidt Denmark's first female Prime Minister. The Social Liberal Party and the Socialist People's Party joined the three-party government. The new parliament met on October 4, 2011.

In 2015, Lars Løkke Rasmussen won the election. He formed a new government for his second time. The ruling Social Democrats became the largest party. But the opposition Left Party was able to form a minority government. Lars Løkke Rasmussen led it with support from other parties. He was Prime Minister between 2009 and 2011, and again between 2015 and 2019.

In the 2019 election, parties supporting the Social Democrats' leader Mette Frederiksen won. The "red bloc" of left-wing parties won 93 out of 179 seats. This gave them a majority in parliament. The old government group was reduced to 76 seats. After the 2019 election, the Social Democrats, led by Mette Frederiksen, formed a single-party government. Frederiksen became prime minister on June 27, 2019.

In November 2022, there was a snap election. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's Social Democrats remained the biggest party. They gained their best result in two decades. The second biggest was the Liberal Party, led by Jakob Ellemann-Jensen. The recently formed Moderates party, led by former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, became the third-biggest. In December 2022, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen formed a new government. It included her Social Democrats, the Liberal Party, and the Moderates party. Jakob Ellemann-Jensen became deputy prime minister and defense minister. Lars Løkke Rasmussen was made foreign minister.

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See also

In Spanish: Historia de Dinamarca para niños

• List of Danish monarchs
  • Danish monarchs' family tree
• List of Danish chronicles
• History of Christianity in Denmark
• Politics of Denmark
• Politics of the Faroe Islands
• Politics of Greenland