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73-503: He was an ancestor of the Valdemarian kings ( Valdemarerne ) and of their subsequent royal line. Canute Lavard was the father of King Valdemar I of Denmark ( Valdemar den Store ) and grandfather of King Valdemar II of Denmark ( Valdemar Sejr ). Canute was the only legitimate son of King Eric I of Denmark (died 1103) and Boedil Thurgotsdatter , but as a minor he was bypassed in the election of 1104. He grew up in close contact with

146-578: A collateral branch of the House of Oldenburg . The House of Glücksburg also produced the monarchs of Norway , of the United Kingdom and the former monarch of Greece in the direct male line. The Danish monarchy is constitutional and as such, the role of the monarch is defined and limited by the Constitution of Denmark . According to the constitution, the ultimate executive authority over

219-670: A first-born child becomes heir to the throne regardless of gender. According to the Danish Constitution , the Danish monarch, is the head of state and implicitly the commander-in-chief of the Danish Armed Forces and is the holder of executive power and, jointly with the Folketing , legislative power . The monarch has the ability to deny giving a bill royal assent as well as to choose and dismiss

292-789: A former Danish fiefdom which had been lost to Prussia during the Second War of Schleswig . According to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles , the disposition of Schleswig was to be determined by two Schleswig Plebiscites : one in Northern Schleswig (today Denmark's South Jutland County ), the other in Central Schleswig (today part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein ). Many Danish nationalists felt that Central Schleswig should be returned to Denmark regardless of

365-485: A marriage, the monarch can impose conditions that must be met in order for any resulting offspring to have succession rights. Part II, Section 9 of the Danish Constitution of 5 June 1953 provides that the parliament will elect a king and determine a new line of succession should a situation arise where there are no eligible descendants of King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine. The monarch of Denmark must be

438-655: A member of the Danish National Church , or Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark ( Danish Constitution , II,6). The National Church is by law the State Church . Although the monarch is not the head of the Church, the monarch, together with the Folketing , makes up the secular supreme authority of the Church. In that role, the monarch is requested to fulfil certain duties pertaining to the Church, such as appointing new bishops and authorising texts for use in

511-638: A new chapel at St. Bendt's Church in Ringsted. During medieval times a chapel ( Knut Lavards Kapel ) was erected on the site where he died but it disappeared after the Reformation . The ruins were rediscovered in 1883. In 1902 a memorial in the form of a 4-metre crucifix was erected near the site of the death of Canute Lavard. After the death of Canute Lavard, the Obotrite lands were partitioned between Pribislav and Niklot (1090–1160), both chiefs of

584-681: A residence and work palace. These are arranged around an octagonal courtyard. Currently, Queen Margrethe resides in Christian IX's Palace and the King in Frederik VIII's Palace . Christian VIII's Palace has apartments for other members of the royal family, whereas Christian VII's Palace is used for official events and to accommodate guests. Amalienborg was originally built in the 1750s by architect Nicolai Eigtved for four noble families; however, when Christiansborg Palace burned in 1794,

657-609: A series of wars of conquest against England, which was completed by Sweyn's son Cnut the Great by the middle of the eleventh century. The reign of Cnut represented the peak of the Danish Viking age; his North Sea Empire included England (1016), Denmark (1018), Norway (1028) and held strong influence over the north-eastern coast of Germany. The last monarch descended from Valdemar IV , Christopher III of Denmark , died in 1448 AD. Count Christian of Oldenburg, descendant of Sophia,

730-603: A vassal of the Holy Roman Empire . He seems to have been the first member of the Danish royal family who was attracted by the knightly ideals and habits of medieval Germany, indicated by his changing his title to Duke of Schleswig ( Hertug af Slesvig ). His appearance made him a popular man and a possible successor of his uncle, but he also acquired mighty enemies among the Danish princes and magnates, who apparently questioned his loyalty and feared his bond with Emperor Lothair III , who had recognized him as sovereign over

803-677: A yearly vacation in summer. The hunting lodge the Eremitage Palace in the Dyrehaven deer park north of Copenhagen is used during royal hunts in Dyrehaven. Finally, Sorgenfri Palace is at the disposal of the monarch. It was the residence of Hereditary Prince Knud and Hereditary Princess Caroline Mathilde and is not in official use at all at this time. Apart from these state-owned palaces, Marselisborg Palace in Aarhus

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876-606: Is important to bear in mind that the usage of the word king , in the context of exercising acts of state, is understood by Danish jurists to be read as the Government (consisting of the Prime Minister and other ministers). This is a logical consequence of articles 12, 13 and 14, all of which in essence stipulate that the powers vested in the monarch can only be exercised through ministers, who are responsible for all acts, thus removing any political or legal liability from

949-514: Is privately owned by Queen Margrethe. It functions as the summer residence of Queen Margrethe, as well as during the Easter and Christmas holidays. In the Kingdom of Denmark all members of the ruling dynasty who hold the title Prince or Princess of Denmark are said to be members of the Danish royal family. As with other European monarchies, distinguishing who is a member of the national royal family

1022-608: Is recorded on the Jelling stones . The exact extent of Harald's kingdom is unknown, although it is reasonable to believe that it stretched from the defensive line of Dannevirke , including the Viking city of Hedeby , across Jutland , the Danish isles and into southern present day Sweden; Scania and perhaps Halland . Furthermore, the Jelling stones attests that Harald had also "won" Norway. The son of Harald, Sweyn Forkbeard , mounted

1095-526: Is used principally in Spring and Autumn. It is often the site of state visits and ceremonial events in the royal family. The palace may be visited by the public on guided tours when not in use. In Jutland , Graasten Palace is at the disposal of the monarch. It was used as the summer residence of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid . Since the death of Queen Ingrid in 2000, the Queen has stayed at Graasten for

1168-591: The Council of State , receptions, royal christenings, lyings-in-state and other ceremonies. Also, the Royal Stables which provide the ceremonial transport by horse-drawn carriage for the royal family, are located here. The present building, the third with this name, is the last in a series of successive castles and palaces constructed on the same site since the erection of the first castle in 1167. The palace today bears witness to three eras of architecture, as

1241-702: The Danish Parliament implemented a new Danish Law called Act on Greenlandic Self-rule, which, unlike any other case with the Indigenous Peoples around the world, acknowledges Greenlanders as a people in accordance to the International Law , and hereby giving the Greenlanders ability to obtain sovereignty . Denmark has had absolute primogeniture since 2009. The Danish Act of Succession adopted on 27 March 1953 restricts

1314-617: The First War of Schleswig against the German powers in 1848–51, Frederick appeared as "the national leader" and was regarded almost as a war hero, despite having never taken any active part in the struggles. On 5 June 1849 the constitution, known as the June Constitution, was altered to create the framework of a constitutional monarchy for Denmark. As King Frederick VII was without legitimate issue, Prince Christian of Glücksborg

1387-643: The Prime Minister or any Minister of Government with or without cause; however, no monarch has exercised the latter powers since King Christian X dismissed the government on 28 March 1920, sparking the 1920 Easter Crisis . The Monarch along with the Folketing is the Head of the Church of Denmark , as well as being the head of the Danish Honors system. However, when reading the Danish Constitution of 1953, it

1460-465: The Swedish attack . Charles X Gustav suddenly died of an illness in early 1660, while planning an invasion of Norway. Following his death, Sweden made peace in the Treaty of Copenhagen . The Swedes returned Trøndelag to Norway and Bornholm to Denmark, but kept the other territories gained two years earlier. The Netherlands and other European powers accepted the settlement, not wanting both coasts of

1533-794: The Wends who were raiding the Danish coasts. They occupied Pomerania and the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea and were a definite threat to the Danes in the Baltic as the Wends outnumbered the Danes more than two to one. So the Danes soon began raiding the Wendish coasts in turn; this culminated in the conquest of Rügen, which was used as another base to raid and later conquer more Wendish territory. Danish influence had therefore reached both Pomerania and

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1606-547: The fount of honour to bestow new titles of nobility in Denmark. The royal palaces of Denmark became property of the state with the introduction of the constitutional monarchy in 1849. Since then, a varying number of these have been put at the disposal of the monarchy. The agreement on which is renewed at the accession of every new monarch. The monarch has the use of the four palaces at Amalienborg in Copenhagen as

1679-487: The Øresund strait controlled by Denmark. This treaty established the boundaries between Norway, Denmark, and Sweden that still exist today. Absolutism was introduced in 1660–1661 and the elective monarchy was de jure transformed into an hereditary monarchy . An official absolutist constitution, where absolute power and male primogeniture succession was laid down in the King's Law (Lex Regia) of 1665. When he succeeded to

1752-448: The "Canute Garden" ( Kanuti aed ) in the town. Canute Lavard married Ingeborg of Kiev , daughter of Mstislav I of Kiev and his wife Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden . They had four children: Valdemar I of Denmark Valdemar I Knudsen (14 January 1131 – 12 May 1182), also known as Valdemar the Great ( Danish : Valdemar den Store ), was King of Denmark from 1154 until his death in 1182. The reign of King Valdemar I saw

1825-467: The 17th century during the reign of Frederick III . A decisive transition to a constitutional monarchy occurred in 1849 with the writing of the first democratic constitution, replacing the vast majority of the old absolutist constitution . The current Royal House is a branch of the ducal House of Glücksburg , originally from Schleswig-Holstein in modern-day Germany, the House of Glücksburg itself being

1898-685: The 8th century, whose rulers are consistently referred to in Frankish sources (and in some late Frisian sources) as "kings" ( reges ). Under the rule of King Gudfred in 804 the Kingdom may have included all the major provinces of medieval Denmark . The current unified Kingdom of Denmark was founded or re-united by the Viking kings Gorm the Old and Harald Bluetooth in the 10th century. Originally an elective monarchy , it became hereditary only in

1971-468: The Battle of Dysiaa , where Valdemar crushed them, and after this they once more paid taxes. But even though the entire peasant force surrendered, they still refused to pay tithes, so instead Valdemar had them bring generous gifts and donations to the church. They would pay no tithes but they would pay nonetheless, the only point he conceded were the governors, who were replaced by Scanians. This concession to

2044-602: The Church. Christian, Crown Prince of Denmark has been the heir apparent to the Danish throne since 14 January 2024, following the abdication of his grandmother, Margrethe II , and the ascension of his father, King Frederik X . The first law governing the succession to the Danish throne as a hereditary monarchy was the Kongeloven ( Latin : Lex Regia ), enacted 14 November 1665, and published in 1709. It declared that

2117-511: The Crown of Denmark. This difference caused problems when Frederick VII of Denmark proved childless, making a change in dynasty imminent, and causing the lines of succession for the duchies on one hand and for Denmark on the other to diverge. That meant that the new King of Denmark would not also be the new Duke of Schleswig or Duke of Holstein. To ensure the continued adhesion of the Elbe duchies to

2190-576: The Danish Crown (i.e. members of the dynasties of Greece, Norway and the United Kingdom) do not thereby forfeit their royalty in Denmark, nor are they bound to obtain prior permission to travel abroad or to marry from its sovereign, although since 1950 those not descended in male-line from King Christian IX are no longer in the line of succession to the Danish throne. However, those who do reside in Denmark or its territories continue to require

2263-555: The Danish Crown, the line of succession to the duchies was modified in the London Protocol of 1852, which designated Prince Christian IX of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg , as the new heir apparent , although he was, strictly, the heir neither to the Crown of Denmark nor to the Duchies of Schleswig, Holstein or Lauenburg by primogeniture. Originally, the Danish prime minister Christian Albrecht Bluhme wanted to keep

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2336-483: The Danish Royal Family are related to most other reigning European dynasties. The Easter Crisis of 1920 was a constitutional crisis which began with the dismissal of the elected government by King Christian X , a reserve power which was granted to him by the Danish constitution . The immediate cause was a conflict between the king and the cabinet over the reunification with Denmark of Schleswig ,

2409-726: The Danish ships also carrying cavalry. In 1175, King Valdemar built Vordingborg Castle as a defensive fortress and as a base from which to launch further raids against the German coast. In 1180, as unrest spread throughout the rich province of Scania , the people demanded that Valdemar replace the "foreign" governors from Jutland , and instead install nobility from one of the ' Skåneland ' provinces who traditionally ruled them. They also completely refused to pay church tithes . When Valdemar refused their demands, they rose up, saying they would pay neither taxes nor church tithes. Their numbers were so large that Valdemar not only gathered his own levies but also levies from Blekinge . The armies met at

2482-532: The Obotrite confederacy , both being raided routinely by the Danes. Around the year 1170, a smaller contingent of the Danish fleet (headed by Valdemar and Absalon) ventured past the mouth of the Oder, where they were ambushed by a Wendish army and fleet under Casimir , at the Julin bridge (modern-day Wolin ) hoping to end Danish raiding. But the Danes outsmarted the Wends and smashed their army and fleet, primarily due to

2555-510: The Obotrites. Some sources consider the death of Canute to be a murder committed by Magnus, while others attribute it to Niels himself. In any case. the death provoked a civil war that continued intermittently until 1157, ending only with the triumph of Canute's posthumous son Valdemar I . The fate of Canute and his son's victory formed the background for his canonisation in 1170, at the request of King Valdemar. His feast day ( Knutsdagen )

2628-632: The Scanians, that a Jute rules in Jutland and Rugian in Rügen, was then optimized for the rest of the Danish realm. This assisted immensely with keeping the peace within the kingdom, and the later extended realm . Valdemar married Sophia of Minsk ( c.  1141 –1198), the daughter of Richeza of Poland , dowager queen of Sweden, from her marriage to Prince Volodar of Minsk . She was the half-sister of King Canute V of Denmark . Valdemar and Sophia had

2701-590: The Second Northern War was not yet over. Three months after the peace treaty was signed, Charles X Gustav held a council of war where he decided to simply wipe Denmark from the map and unite all of Scandinavia under his rule. Once again the Swedish army arrived outside Copenhagen. However, this time the Danes did not panic or surrender. Instead, they decided to fight and prepared to defend Copenhagen. Frederick III had stayed in his capital and now encouraged

2774-623: The articles in this law, all except for Article 21 and Article 25 have since been repealed. Article 21 states "No Prince of the Blood, who resides here in the Realm and in Our territory, shall marry, or leave the Country, or take service under foreign Masters, unless he receives Permission from the King". Under this provision, princes of Denmark who permanently reside in other realms by express permission of

2847-713: The better part of ten years. In 1154, Valdemar joined with Canute and was recognized as co-king along with Canute. In July 1157, a temporary compromise was struck in which the three agreed to divide the country among themselves as co-regents in shifting alliances. Canute was killed at the Bloodfeast of Roskilde in August 1157. Sweyn was defeated by Valdemar in the Battle of Grathe Heath ( Slaget på Grathe Hede ) on 23 October 1157. Sweyn

2920-570: The citizens of Copenhagen to resist the Swedes, by saying he would "die in his nest", rather than to evacuate to safety in Norway. Furthermore, this unprovoked declaration of war by Sweden finally triggered the alliance that Denmark–Norway had with the Netherlands, and a powerful Dutch fleet was sent to Copenhagen with vital supplies and reinforcements, which saved the city from being captured during

2993-546: The crown of Denmark shall descend by heredity to the legitimate descendants of King Frederick III , and that the order of succession shall follow semi-Salic primogeniture , according to which the crown is inherited by an heir, with preference among the Monarch's children to males over females; among siblings to the elder over the younger; and among Frederick III's remoter descendants by substitution, senior branches over junior branches. Female descendants were eligible to inherit

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3066-413: The daughter of Valdemar IV's aunt Richeza of Denmark, Lady of Werle , who was the daughter of Eric V of Denmark , was chosen as his successor and became the next monarch of Denmark, ruling under the name Christian I . Richeza thus can be considered as a sort of female founder of the House of Oldenburg . Originally the Danish monarchy was elective, but in practice the eldest son of the reigning monarch

3139-484: The defender. Secondly, the Belts froze over in a rare occurrence during the winter of 1657–1658, allowing King Charles X Gustav of Sweden to lead his armies across the ice to invade Zealand . In the following Treaty of Roskilde , Denmark–Norway capitulated and gave up all of Eastern Denmark (i.e. Skåne , Halland , Blekinge and Bornholm ), in addition to the counties of Bohuslän and Trøndelag in Norway. But

3212-414: The following children: After Valdemar's death, Sophia married Landgrave Louis III of Thuringia . King of Denmark The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark . The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland . The Kingdom of Denmark was already consolidated in

3285-496: The government of Denmark is still by and through the monarch's royal reserve powers ; in practice these powers are only used according to laws enacted in Parliament or within the constraints of convention. The monarch is, in practice, limited to non-partisan functions such as bestowing honours and formally appointing the prime minister . The monarch and their immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial, diplomatic and representational duties. King Frederik X ascended

3358-461: The king and members of the Social Democrats . Faced with the potential overthrow of the Danish monarchy, Christian X backed down and dismissed his own government. This was the most recent time that a sitting Danish monarch made an executive decision without the support of a cabinet accountable to the legislature; following the crisis, Christian X accepted his drastically reduced role as symbolic head of state . The Act of Succession of 27 March 1953

3431-413: The modern kingdom of Denmark can be traced back to Harthacnut father of Gorm the Old ( Old Norse : Gormr gamli , Danish : Gorm den gamle ), who reigned in the early and mid 10th century. The kingdom itself though is probably a couple of hundred years older than that. The Danes were united (or more likely reunited) and officially Christianized in 965 AD by Harald Bluetooth , the story of which

3504-410: The monarch invites the party leader who has the support of the largest number of seats in the Folketing to form a government. Once it has been formed, the monarch formally appoints it. Greenland and the Faroe Islands are part of the Kingdom of Denmark and thus their head of state is also the monarch of Denmark, in accordance with the Danish Constitution. After a referendum in Greenland in 2009,

3577-399: The monarch to advise him of the latest political developments. The monarch hosts official visits by foreign Heads of State, pays state visits abroad, receives letters of credence from foreign ambassadors and signs those of Danish ambassadors. The convention for appointment of a new prime minister after a general election is that after consultation with representatives of the political parties,

3650-478: The monarch's prior permission to travel abroad and to marry. Article 25 of the Kongelov stipulates, with respect to members of the Royal dynasty: "They should answer to no Magistrate Judges, but their first and last Judge shall be the King, or to whomsoever He decrees." Although all other articles of the Kongelov have been repealed by amendments to the Constitution in 1849, 1853 and 1953, these two articles have thus far been left intact. The Danish monarch holds

3723-407: The monarch. Today the monarch delegates much royal authority to Ministers in government, allowing the king to engage in the ceremonial role outlined by the Danish constitution. The Prime Minister and Cabinet attend the regular meetings of the Council of State , at which the monarch presides and gives royal assent to laws. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs report regularly to

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3796-443: The noble family of Hvide , who were later on to be among his most eager supporters. In 1115, his uncle, King Niels of Denmark , placed him in charge of the Duchy of Schleswig ( jarl af Sønderjylland ) in order to put an end to the attacks of the Slavic Obotrites . During the next fifteen years, he fulfilled his duty of establishing peace in the border area so well that he was titled Duke of Holstein ( Hertug af Holsten ) and became

3869-442: The order and resigned several days later after a heated exchange with the king. Subsequently, Christian X dismissed the rest of the government and replaced it with a de facto conservative care-taker cabinet under Otto Liebe . The dismissal caused demonstrations and an almost revolutionary atmosphere in Denmark, and for several days the future of the monarchy seemed very much in doubt. In light of this, negotiations were opened between

3942-421: The plebiscite's results, generally motivated by a desire to see Germany permanently weakened in the future. Christian X agreed with these sentiments, and ordered Prime Minister Carl Theodor Zahle to include Central Schleswig in the re-unification process. As Denmark had been operating as a parliamentary democracy since the Cabinet of Deuntzer in 1901, Zahle felt he was under no obligation to comply. He refused

4015-409: The result of two serious fires in 1794 and in 1884. The main part of the current palace, finished in 1928, is in the historicist Neo-Baroque style . The chapel dates to 1826 and is in a Neoclassical style . The showgrounds were built 1738–46, in a Baroque style . The royal parts of the palace are open to the public when not in use. Another residence is Fredensborg Palace north of Copenhagen which

4088-518: The rise of Denmark, which reached its medieval zenith under his son King Valdemar II . Valdemar was the son of Canute Lavard , Duke of Schleswig , the chivalrous and popular eldest son of King Eric I of Denmark . Valdemar's father was murdered by King Magnus I of Sweden days before the birth of Valdemar; his mother, Ingeborg of Kiev , daughter of Grand Prince Mstislav I of Kiev and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden , named him after her grandfather, Grand Prince Vladimir Monomakh of Kiev. Valdemar

4161-405: The royal family bought the palaces and moved in. The state rooms of Christian VIII's Palace and Christian VII's Palace may be visited by the public on guided tours. In addition, parts of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen are also at the disposal of the monarch. It is the site of official functions such as banquets , state dinners , diplomatic accreditations , public audiences , meetings of

4234-408: The separate hereditary principles, but in the end the government decided on a uniform agnatic primogeniture , which was accepted by the Parliament. This order of succession remained in effect for a hundred years, then the Salic law was changed to male-preference primogeniture in 1953, meaning that females could inherit, but only if they had no brothers. In 2009, the mode of inheritance of the throne

4307-413: The south, He built Sønderborg Castle as a fortified fortress, constructed on an islet in the Als Strait that later was connected to Als Island . He reinvented Viking raiding tactics of old to deal with the Wends to the south, which was now optimized for heavy cavalry; this use of amphibious assault was further improved upon by his successor Canute VI . At Absalon's instigation, he declared war upon

4380-547: The throne as the first Danish monarch of the House of Glücksburg . Christian IX eventually became known as Father-in-law of Europe due to his family ties with most other ruling dynasties of Europe: His daughter Princess Alexandra married Edward VII of the United Kingdom , another daughter Princess Dagmar married Alexander III of Russia and Princess Thyra married Crown Prince Ernst August of Hanover . His son Vilhelm went on to become George I of Greece . Further, his grandson Carl became Haakon VII of Norway . To this day

4453-400: The throne following the abdication of his mother, Queen Margrethe II , on 14 January 2024. Danish regnal names have traditionally (since 1513) alternated between "Frederik" (anglicised to Frederick ) and "Christian". Accordingly, Frederik's heir apparent is Crown Prince Christian . The Danish monarchy is over 1200 years old, founded in the 8th century (or earlier). The line of kings of

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4526-410: The throne in January 1848, King Frederick VII was almost at once met by the demands for a constitution and an end to absolutism. The Schleswig-Holsteiners wanted an independent state while the Danes wished to maintain South Jutland as a Danish area. Frederick VII soon yielded to the Danish demands, and in March he accepted the end of absolutism , which resulted in the June Constitution of 1849 . During

4599-439: The throne in the event there were no eligible surviving male dynasts born in the male line . As for the duchies , Holstein and Lauenburg where the King ruled as duke, these lands adhered to Salic law (meaning that only males could inherit the ducal throne), and by mutual agreement were permanently conjoined. The duchies of Schleswig (a Danish fief ), Holstein and Lauenburg (German fiefs) were joined in personal union with

4672-432: The throne to those descended from King Christian X and his wife, Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin , through approved marriages. Dynasts lose their right to the throne if they marry without the permission of the monarch given in the Council of State. Individuals born to unmarried dynasts or to former dynasts who married without royal permission, and their descendants, are excluded from the throne. Further, when approving

4745-424: The western Wends . Both Niels and his son, Magnus the Strong , seem to have been alarmed at Canute's being recognized by the Emperor. On 7 January 1131, Canute was trapped in the Haraldsted Forest ( Haraldsted Skov ) near Ringsted in Zealand and murdered by Magnus. Ringsted Abbey , one of the earliest Benedictine houses in Denmark, became the initial resting place of Canute Lavard, which in 1157 were moved to

4818-508: Was a royal chancellor and crusader. Esbern and Absalon had a close relationship and formed an alliance with Valdemar. In 1146, when Valdemar was fifteen years old, King Eric III of Denmark abdicated and a civil war erupted. Valdemar was a possible contender to the throne. The other pretenders to the throne were: Sweyn III Grathe , the son of King Eric II of Denmark , and Canute V , the son of Magnus I of Sweden , both of whom declared themselves King of Denmark in 1146. The civil war lasted

4891-464: Was chosen in 1853 as heir presumptive to the Danish throne, with the approval of the great powers of Europe, in light of the expected extinction of the senior line of the House of Oldenburg . A justification for this choice was his marriage to Louise of Hesse-Kassel , who as a niece of Christian VIII , was a more close relative to the incumbent king than her husband. Upon the death of King Frederick VII of Denmark in 1863, Christian IX acceded to

4964-421: Was elected. Later a Coronation Charter was signed by the king to restrict the powers of the Danish monarch. In 1657, during the Second Northern War , King Frederick III launched a war of revenge against Sweden which turned into a complete disaster. The war became a disaster for two reasons: Primarily, because Denmark's new powerful ally, the Netherlands, remained neutral as Denmark was the aggressor and Sweden

5037-407: Was killed during flight, supposedly by a group of peasants who stumbled upon him as he was fleeing from the battlefield. Valdemar, having outlived all his rival pretenders, became the sole king of Denmark. In 1158, Absalon was elected bishop of Roskilde , and King Valdemar made him his chief advisor. The king reorganized and rebuilt war-torn Denmark. He strengthened the Dannevirke fortifications to

5110-433: Was once more changed, this time into an absolute primogeniture . Following the transformation of Denmark's monarchy from elective (at least theoretically, although it had generally descended to the eldest son of the House of Oldenburg since 1448) to hereditary in 1660, the so-called Kongelov ( Latin : Lex Regia ) established the right to rule " by the grace of God " for King Frederick III and his posterity. Out of

5183-418: Was originally celebrated on the day of his death, 7 January, but when the end of Christmas was moved to a week later in Sweden, Finland, and (parts of) Norway in the late 17th century, the feast day moved with it, and is now celebrated on 13 January. The Canute Guild in Tallinn , Estonia was named in commemoration of Canute Lavard. The guild later gave its name to the "Canute Street" ( Kanuti tänav ) and to

5256-516: Was promulgated after a 1953 referendum introduced the possibility of female succession and, in effect, made Princess Margrethe the heir presumptive to her father, Frederik IX rather than her uncle Prince Knud . Upon Frederik IX's death in 1972, Queen Margrethe II ascended to the throne and reigned until her abdication in 2024. Following a referendum in 2009 , the Act of Succession was amended so that primogeniture no longer puts males over females;

5329-470: Was raised at Ringsted in the court of Danish nobleman Asser Rig of Fjenneslev ( c.  1080 –1151). Asser was a member of the Hvide noble family and had been raised together with Valdemar's father Canute Lavard. Valdemar was raised together with Asser's sons, including Absalon ( c.  1128 –1201), who would become an archbishop and go to battle with Valdemar, and Esbern Snare (1127–1204), who

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