Vintage Images Of Danish History

Denmark proper, also known as, continental Denmark, and metropolitan Denmark, is a Scandinavian country that has a rich and fascinating history that dates to the Viking era. Denmark is situated in northern Europe, and it is comprised of the northern part of the Jutland Peninsula and 406 offshore islands, also known as, archipelagos, in the Baltic Sea and Kattegat Sea, however, it may be surprising to know that only 72 of these islands are inhabited by people. Denmark is situated due South of Norway, and Southwest of Sweden, where Denmark is connected to Sweden via the Öresund bridge border, and it is also situated to the north of Germany where both countries share a land border via the historic German state, Schleswig-Holstein. The entire area of metropolitan Denmark which includes 406 offshore islands, is roughly 16,584 square miles. The official spoken language of Denmark is Danish or Dansk, and the population of Denmark (proper) was said to be about 5,926,488 million at the time of this article. The entire Kingdom of Denmark is comprised of 1,419 islands, including the autonomous countries the Greenland island and the Faroe Island.

The Greenland island is widely considered a very special case, for several reasons, firstly, Greenland is situated between the Artic and North Atlantic Oceans, it is northwest of Iceland, and northeast of Canada. Interestingly, although Greenland is part of the North American continent, it is politically and culturally a part of Denmark, and the people of Greenland are citizens of Denmark. In addition, Greenland is the world's largest island (836,330 square miles) which includes over 100 off shore islands, but it is important to mention that most of Greenland is actually uninhabited, and about 80 percent of this island is covered by a large ice mass that reaches across the bleak landscape far into the distance, nonetheless, that region is said to be an irresistible indulgence for passionate geologists around the globe. At the time of this publication the population of Greenland was just over 56,000, and the largest city and capital of Greenland is Nuuk.

Meanwhile, the capital city of Denmark (proper) is Copenhagen, and it is home to several impressive castles and royal palaces, complimentary situated in the heart of this city, is the world's third oldest amusement park and pleasure gardens which is known as the Tivoli Gardens, established in 1843. A short distance away on the Langelinie promenade (pier) in Copenhagen, the iconic 'Little Mermaid' statue is seated forever gazing aimlessly across the sea. Importantly, the legendary Danish writer Hans Christian Anderson (a renowned master fairytale writer of children's books) was born in the city of Odense, a region fortunate to possess a most strikingly beautiful countryside, in addition, Odense has an extremely enchanting display of colourful medieval styled houses that are aesthetically enhanced by meticulously crafted cobbled streets. Odense is one of Denmark's oldest and proudest cities, and the name Odense was derived from Odins Vé, meaning, Odin's sanctuary. In ancient times, Odense was once a sacred place for devout pilgrims of the mythical Viking God, Odin.

The Prehistoric Era

Danish prehistoric era began following the last Ice Age, between (10,000 - 12,000) years ago with the first settlers descending upon mainland Denmark in what is currently known as the Jutland peninsula. The first migrants were termed Maglemosian people, a term for the culture relating to the early Mesolithic (middle stone age) era that evolved in Northern Europe. It is thought that the Maglemosian tribes first originated from the Eastern and Southern parts of Europe and some tribes ventured to the Northern region currently known as Denmark. The first inhabitants of Denmark were nomads who existed by hunting and fishing. During the last Ice Age much of Scandinavian territories were covered by ice glaciers, however, as the earth's temperature began to increase, the glaciers across that region gradually began to thaw unveiling extensive lands with rich soils that ultimately produced abundant vegetation, and over the passage of time, reindeers, elks, and other grazing creatures ventured upon that land, in turn humans from other parts of Europe converged on that region to hunt those creatures for sustenance and their hides and furs in order to make garments and to build shelters.

The Maglemosian Age

During the Maglemosian age sea levels across the world was much lower than current times, also, Europe and Scandinavia were connected by land with Britain. Therefore, certain ancient tribes were able to traverse back and forth across this region and well beyond into parts of Britain where they settled and evolved. It is believed that Maglemosian people first settled along the rivers and lakes that were left behind following the last Ice Age. The global sea levels did not reach modern levels until about 3000 years ago, meaning that the area of land known as Doggerland, which is essentially the region that once connected Britain to continental Europe, is currently submerged beneath the North Sea, importantly, archaeologists and historians believe that this undersea region potentially contains a wealth of material or artefacts relating to the ancient civilizations of the Maglemosian tribes and their cultures, which is an unexplored region by modern scientists.

The Viking Era

The early Danes and other Scandinavian nations established an admirable reputation for their exceptional boat-building and seafaring navigational skills, which those nations exploited ruthlessly when they began undertaking sea invasions against several different nations across Europe that spanned (800 AD - 1050 AD). This part of European history was perceived as the Viking era, which began when vast numbers of seafaring Scandinavian soldiers, originally from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, began launching war missions on different parts of European coastal regions, including, defenceless European monasteries and certain regions of Britain. As a result, those ancient warmongers gained a fearsome reputation as bloodthirsty murderers, marauders, and rapists, causing devastation anywhere they invaded, while collectively they became notoriously known as the Vikings or Norsemen (Northmen). Yet, the Vikings also established a reputation for trading successfully with different nations across Europe, and vast numbers of them had settled permanently within certain regions in Europe, while successfully integrating within those communities and adopting different cultures.

King Harald Bluetooth

The reign of King Harald Bluetooth also known as Harald I, heralded a momentous chapter in Denmark's history, however, his precise date of birth and death is somewhat of a mystery, most sources state that his birth was either 910 AD or 911 AD, and his death was either 985 AD or 986 AD. Harald was the son of King Gorm and Queen Thyra Dannebod, and Harald's full name is 'Harald Blåtand Gormsson' translated as, Harald Bluetooth Gormsson. In time Harald was eventually crowned sovereign of two domains, namely, Denmark and Norway. Harald's reign of Denmark was from 958 AD until his demise in 986 AD. In contrast, Harald's precarious reign of Norway was relatively brief, as it ended in about 970 AD. Apparently, there is an ancient and rather curious tale that King Harald once possessed a dead tooth, and its colour was a combination of a dark blue and grey, which had earned him the nickname Bluetooth. After Harald's demise his initials were carved in runic inscription (ancient Scandinavian writing) upon his Jelling tombstone, in accordance with his wishes. In modern times the name Bluetooth is currently used by an organisation that is famously recognised around the world for producing numerous Bluetooth short-range technology devices, such as, computers, phones, and printers. King Harald's name was adopted based upon the romantic analogy that one day Bluetooth technology would ultimately unite all devices, as Harald Bluetooth had once famously reconciled the tribes of Denmark and Norway into a United Kingdom. It is also important to mention that King Harald had converted to Catholicism around 965, following a tactical truce made with the Holy Roman Emperor Otto (I or II), and later Harald ordained the Christianization of his entire Kingdom.

King Cnute The Great

King Sweyn Forkbeard (963 - 1014) was the son of King Harald Bluetooth, even though Forkbeard was the heir to the throne, nevertheless, father and son relations had been notoriously hostile. This situation reached a crisis in the mid-980s, when the ambitious Sweyn Forkbeard revolted against his father Harald Bluetooth, resulting in a war between the two that culminated in a victory for Sweyn, who had seized the throne and forced his father Harald Bluetooth into exile, where later, Harald died between (986 - 987). Sweyn became King of Denmark between (986 - 1014), and sovereign of Norway between (986 - 995), also, shortly before his death, Sweyn became the first Danish monarch to become King of England, albeit, for just 5 weeks spanning 25 December 1013 to 3 February 1014. Sweyn Forkbeard produced three children the eldest became King Harald II of Denmark, while his only daughter, Estrid Svendsdatter, produced a son who later became King Sweyn II of Denmark. But importantly, it was his youngest son King Canute (994-1035), also known as Cnut the Great, who is best remembered. King Canute eventually, simultaneously, became sovereign of three Kingdoms, namely, King of England beginning 1016, King of Denmark beginning 1018, and King of Norway beginning 1028. In Danish history King Canute is famously remembered for temporarily uniting all three kingdoms under his rule, those three Kingdoms collectively were referred as the 'North Sea Empire' and the three realms had existed as a United Kingdom under Canute's rule until his demise in 1035. By around 1050 to 1066, the Viking era had ended, but their legacy was said to have profoundly impacted upon many parts of Europe. Meanwhile, a new dawn in Denmark's history had witnessed internal and external religious, political, and protracted neighbouring territorial disputes spanning many centuries.

Queen Margaret I (1353-1412)

The Nordic conflicts began around the 12th century and continued intermittently until the 19th century. However, a pivotal event in Denmark's history occurred when regent Queen Margaret I (1353 - 1412), concurrently became Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (which included Finland), her reign spanned from the late 1380s until her demise in 1412. In addition, Queen Margrethe was the founder of the Kalmar Union, a treaty that was founded at Kalmar, in Sweden, June 1397. This historic agreement was the first treaty to unit the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark together under a single ruler until 1523. During her reign, Queen Margaret was perceived as a prudent and wise leader, who is aknowledged as one of the greatest monarchs in Scandinavian history. After Queen Margaret died in 1412, her grave was placed in the Roskilde Cathedral, within the city of Roskilde, the island of Zealand, in eastern Denmark. This location is the official royal resting place for many of the previous Kings and Queens of Denmark, including, the famous King Harald Bluetooth. It is said that the bells of Roskilde Cathedral is tolled twice daily in order to honour the memory of Queen Margaret I.

The Swedish War Of Liberation

The Swedish War of Liberation, also known as 'Gustav Vasa's Rebellion' and 'Swedish War of Secession' was a significant historical event in Sweden (1521 - 1523) resulting in Sweden's independence from Denmark in 1523. The Swedish uprising against the Danish King Christian II (born 1481- died 1459), began after King Christian ordered the slaughter of hundreds of Swedish citizens, including many Swedish nobles and priests, in 1520, and this massacre became infamously known as The Stockholm Bloodbath. King Christian II of Denmark had reigned under the 'Kalmar Union' as King of Sweden and Denmark, however, there were many Swedish citizens who had resented his rule and had plotted against his sovereignty. King Christian had ordered the death of those individuals whom he deemed to have conspired against his reign over Sweden. Following this event a great rebellion was instigated against King Christian, by the Swedish nobleman Gustav Vasa and several other prominent rebel leaders, who had joined forces, and eventually that rebellion deposed King Christian II of Denmark from the Swedish throne in 1521. After Christian II was ousted from the Swedish throne, the event marked the end of the Kalmar Union treaty. The Treaty of Kalmar (1397–1523) was a treaty that united the three Scandinavian kingdoms of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. It was officially signed by prominent representatives of those three kingdoms on 25 September 1397, as a result, the Kalmar Union was established, which ordained that all three realms could be ruled by one monarch. Gustav Vasa, the principal rebellion leader, became duly elected as King of Sweden on 6 June 1523, which marked Sweden's independence, and presently this day is observed each year in Sweden, as National Day of Sweden. However, at that moment in history, the Danish King, had only officially acknowledged Sweden's independent status at the Treaty of Malmö, on 1 September 1524, which marked the official end of the Swedish War of Liberation. After that event Denmark and Norway remained as a United Kingdom by forming a new alliance which continued until 1814.

The Last King Of (Denmark & Norway)

King Frederik VI (1768-1839) of Denmark, became King of Denmark from 1808 until 1839 and King of Norway from 1808 until 1814, also, he was the last King of Denmark-Norway. Frederik VI was the son of Christian VII and Caroline Mathilde of Britain, and in 1790 he married Marie Sophie Frederikke of Hesse-Kassel. Frederick VI is also remembered for supporting Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars, in particular, the Denmark-Norway government was coerced by Napoleon to declare war upon neighbouring Sweden on 29 February 1808. But ultimately, Napoleon lost the war to the allied forces which at that time included Sweden, Russia, Prussia, Austria, Spain, Portugal, and Britain. As a result of Napoleon's defeat, Denmark was punished by the allied nations, namely, Denmark was forced to surrender Norway to Sweden as part of the Treaty of Kiel (14 January 1814). But, as a small expression of leniency, the coalition forces decided to grant Frederik VI a small region called the German duchy of Lauenburg. But Norway was against this treaty because it had bound their nation to Sweden, therefore, Norway later rebelled against the Treaty of Kiel declaring their independence in 1814. Nevertheless, Sweden refused to accept Norway's proclamation of independence, and as a result, following numerous neighbouring hostilities and bitter confrontations between the two nations spanning 1814 - 1905, eventually, Sweden officially granted Norway their long-awaited independence, which occurred on 23 September 1905. And after Norway had dissolved its union with Sweden, Denmark and Norway immediately re-established diplomatic relations in 1905.

The Denmark's African Slave Trade

The Danish West Indies were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John, and Saint Croix, which spanned from about the 1650s until the Danes sold those islands to the United States in 1917. The Danish West India Company or Danish West India-Guinea Company was a Dano-Norwegian chartered company that operated out of the colonies in the West Indies. In that era Denmark was the seventh largest transatlantic slave trading nation in the world. Historical records show that an estimated 120,000 African enslaved labourers were shipped under a Danish flag from the so-called 'Gold Coast' (now Ghana) in west Africa to the West Indies between (1600 - 1800). The Danes exploited the profitable triangular trade route involving the export of various goods and equipment in exchange for African slaves, who were then transported to the Caribbean where they were forced to undergo various types of very demanding labour tasks. The treatment and living conditions of African slaves were extremely severe, with a high mortality rate, many had contracted fatal diseases, or died from malnutrition, exhaustion, or torture. The primary resources on the Danish West Indies were coffee, sugar, tobacco, and cotton plantations, such commodities had provided the Danes with significant profits. Thousands of African slaves had been taken to the Danish West Indies to undergo various hard labor tasks on the plantations. In some cases, certain slaves were trained to acquire construction skills in order to assist with building homes, meanwhile, the so-called house slaves, included cooks, nannies, and cleaners. The primary resources on the Danish West Indies were coffee, sugar, tobacco, rum (trademarked Old St Croix), and cotton plantations, such commodities had provided the Danes with significant wealth. During World War I, the United States began applying great pressure on Denmark to sell the Danish West Indies (Saint Thomas, Saint John, and Saint Croix), according to the story, the USA needed the islands for strategic military positions against Germany and its allies. Therefore, following many long and difficult negotiations, the USA and Denmark finally agreed on a price for the Danish West Indies. The deal was called Treaty of the Danish West Indies, and the agreed purchase price was $25 million in gold (about $623 million in current prices), following this acquisition, the United States renamed the islands, the Virgin Islands.

Hans Jonatan: First Black African In Denmark

Hans Jonatan (1784 - 1827) also known as Hans Jonathan, was born a slave in the Danish colony of Saint Croix. Hans is thought to be the first person of African descent who was brought to Denmark by slave-owner Heinrich Ludvig Ernst von Schimmelmann. But years later, Hans managed to escape to neighbouring Iceland, where he began work as a peasant farmer employed at a Danish trading station in Djúpivogur, situated on a peninsula in eastern Iceland, interestingly, according to historical accounts, in 1819, Hans eventually gained employment as the manager of that trading post, and in 1820, Hans met a respected local lady by the name Katrín Antoníusdóttir (Nordic heritage), they became romantically involved and soon married, then produced three children, two of which survived. According to some sources their children's descendants have endured to the present day. Yet, there are no known photographs of Hans Jonatan, in addition, Hans's paternity is in question, however, Danish archive records describe him as having very dark skin and extremely black curly hair. It is thought that his father was probably white Danish, and his mother was a black African house slave, nevertheless, it is important to stress that there is no certainty about such claims due to a lack of enough historical evidence.

Denmark: World War I

When World War I began in 1914, Denmark was suddenly placed in an awkward position, since it did not have a powerful army and therefore was vulnerable to attack. Importantly, the Danes did not wish to provoke neighbouring Germany, meanwhile, Denmark wanted to maintain good relations with all other nations that were at war with Germany, particularly, Britain, and the United States. During World War I, Denmark continued to export a variety of important provisions to all warring nations. But towards the end of the war, Denmark's status of neutrality became an increasingly difficult balancing act, as political pressure from many nations was brought to bear, but especially when the USA and Britain began to increase diplomatic and economic pressures on the Danes in order to force their hand, nevertheless, Denmark valiantly maintained its status of neutrality throughout the war. When Germany eventually capitulated at the end of World War I, in 1918, the repercussions of this event proved to be a pivotal moment in Danish history.

The Treaty of Versailles was a formal post-war peace agreement that was signed by the Allied forces and Germany in the Hall of Mirrors, at the Palace of Versailles, in France, on 28 June 1919. The treaty was principally about severely punishing Germany for its part in the war, namely, Germany was compelled to accept full responsibility for the war, also, Germany was forced to pay substantial financial reparations to those nations that it had fought against, which amounted to many billions in currency, and finally, Germany had to cede many regions of its Kingdom to other nations. As a consequence, the Treaty of Versailles had left Germany feeling bitterly resentful over the next two decades, and some academics argued that the seeds of resentment that had been sown in Germany was the reckoning that amounted to World War II. Importantly for the Danes, the terms within the treaty returned the territories of Schleswig and Holstein to Denmark, which Prussia and Austria had taken from Denmark back in 1864. These substantial regional changes had addressed long-standing neighbouring disputes and ensured the reunification of southern Jutland with Denmark which was achieved by 1920.

Denmark: World War II

On 9 April 1940, Germany invaded Denmark by brazenly violating the non-aggression treaty that was signed by Denmark and Germany, on 31 May 1939. Germany's initial military plan was to secure naval bases for use against the British fleet in the North Sea. Also, Germany wanted to acquisition important strategic locations and vital Danish resources and deploy an extensive network of German radar defence systems across given tactical locations. Furthermore, Germany planned to ensure uninterrupted supply lines of vital iron-ore shipments from neutral Sweden. But ultimately, such operations were a precursor to launch an attack on Norway, the key objective was to seize iron-ore from the town of Narvik, in Norway, and then utilize it for the critical production of the German war machine. Copenhagen's government decided that Germany's military superiority was too great to justify further resistance, moreover, there was the intimidating threat which was announced by Germany, namely, if Denmark’s government did not surrender, the spectre of German warplanes that were looming ominously over Copenhagen at that time would commence bombing and obliterate the entire city, as such, Denmark's surrender was the only logical choice, as the alternative, would have amounted to a nationwide suicide.

When Denmark was first invaded by the Nazis, the Danish government was granted the privilege to continue their normal international trading arrangements, albeit, operating semi-autonomously under German supervision. Meanwhile, the repercussions of Germany's occupation of Denmark, meant that Iceland had to assume control over its own foreign affairs and henceforth it progressed gradually towards complete independence from Denmark, as a consequence, a plebiscite (a nationwide people's vote) occurred on 17 June, 1944, the result was Iceland formally became an independent republic. The statesman and diplomat Sveinn Björnsson became the very first president of Iceland. Meanwhile, over in Denmark, the Nazis decided to seize total control over the government in 1943. The Danish people became increasingly resentful of Nazi rule, this in turn instigated an underground Danish resistance group, called 'Holger Danske' named after the legendary Danish hero. Holger Danske (around 350 members) is remembered for successfully disrupting and undermining certain sections of the Nazi regime in Denmark, especially, towards the end of the war.

Denmark Liberation Day (5 May 1945)

Denmark finally received liberation from Germany on 5 May 1945, the combined efforts of the so-called Grand Alliance (UK, USA, USSR) as well as Danish resistance, eventually prevailed. Across Denmark millions of Danes participated in the jubilant celebrations. Danish cities witnessed poetic visions of numerous buildings proudly brandishing Danish flags as they fluttered in the wind like the rapturous red and white wings of exotic birds. The once bitter taste of resentment concealed beneath proud Danish faces was now replaced with Danish faces full of glowing smiles and joyous laughter, redeemed at last from the dark veil of oppression that had once descended upon their nation.