Misplaced Pages

#55944

113-571: The history of Denmark as a unified kingdom began in the 8th century, but historic documents describe the geographic area and the people living there—the Danes —as early as 500 AD. These early documents include the writings of Jordanes and Procopius . With the Christianization of the Danes c. 960 AD, it is clear that there existed a kingship. King Frederik X can trace his lineage back to

226-602: A 1979 referendum . In 2005, the Faroes received a self-government arrangement, and in 2009 Greenland received " self rule ", thus leaving the government of Denmark with little influence over the matters of internal affairs that are devolved to the local governments of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The country or realm has land borders with Germany (the Danish-German border ) and Canada ( Hans Island ), and

339-574: A Danish county ( amt ); the Home Rule Act abolished the post of Amtmand (County Governor) and replaced it with the role of Rigsombudsmand ( High Commissioner of the Danish government ). These powers were expanded in a 2005 Act, which named the Faroese home government as an "equal partner" with the Danish government. The 1978 "Greenland Home Rule Act" devolves powers in much the same way as

452-595: A Supreme Court judge, said that due to the special circumstances, the scope of delegation need not be strictly defined. Proponents of the second interpretation include Edward Mitens, Max Sørensen and Frederik Harhoff . Mitens, a Faeroese jurist and politician, argued that the Faeroese home rule had been approved by both the Løgting and the Rigsdag , so it was an agreement between two parties, in particular because

565-580: A road and rail bridge-tunnel that connects to Malmö , Sweden (the Danish-Swedish border ). The Constitution of the Kingdom of Denmark refers to the state's territory as Danmarks Rige (Danish Realm), which means "The Realm of Denmark". The Danish term rigsfællesskabet , translated as "The unity of the Realm", the "commonwealth of the Realm", or the "Danish Commonwealth" refers to

678-482: A separate people under international law. Greenland is now described as having " self rule ", with its home government exercising a wider range of powers. There are a number of matters that can not be acquired by the territories; Constitutional affairs, foreign policy, defence , the Supreme Court , citizenship , and monetary policy . Additionally, the Faroese and Greenlandic parliaments are subordinate to

791-488: A good relationship with Archbishop Adalbert of Hamburg - Bremen – at that time the archbishop of all of Scandinavia . The new religion , which replaced the old Norse religious practices , had many advantages for the king. Christianity brought with it some support from the Holy Roman Empire . It also allowed the king to dismiss many of his opponents who adhered to the old mythology. At this early stage there

904-535: A heap of ancient oyster shells at Meilgaard in Northern Djursland . Worsaae surmised that perhaps “this had been a sort of eating-place for the people of the neighborhood in the earliest prehistoric times”; and further excavations indeed confirmed that the ancient shell heaps were signs of human prehistoric activity, being kitchen middens - Danish term køkkenmødding - and leftovers from their meals. A later commission initiated in 1893-1895, executed

1017-496: A large scale, thorough and interdisciplinary excavation at the Limfjord . The site is named Ertebølle and so the rich and defining archaeological find coined the now well-known Stone Age culture of Ertebølle . Apart from archaeology, participating scientific disciplines included botany , zoology and geology , and such kitchen middens has since been viewed as important archaeological sites internationally. Due to land-shift after

1130-527: A legislator, Valdemar enjoys a central position in Danish history. To posterity the civil wars and dissolution that followed his death made him appear to be the last king of a golden age. The Middle Ages saw a period of close cooperation between the Crown and the Roman Catholic Church . Thousands of church buildings sprang up throughout the country during this time. The economy expanded during

1243-518: A migration of peoples from the Pontic–Caspian steppe. The Nordic Bronze Age period in Denmark, from about 1,500 BC, featured a culture that buried its dead, with their worldly goods, beneath burial mounds . The many finds of gold and bronze from this era include beautiful religious artifacts and musical instruments, and provide the earliest evidence of social classes and stratification . During

SECTION 10

#1732773025056

1356-537: A new head tax ( Danish : nefgjald ) had brought his people to the verge of rebellion. Canute took weeks to arrive where the fleet had assembled at Struer, but he found only the Norwegians still there. Canute thanked the Norwegians for their patience and then went from assembly to assembly ( Danish : landsting ) outlawing any sailor, captain or soldier who refused to pay a fine which amounted to more than

1469-797: A period in history known as the Danish Estonia began. Legend has it that the Danish flag, the Dannebrog fell from the sky during the Battle of Lindanise in Estonia in 1219. A series of Danish defeats culminating in the Battle of Bornhöved on 22 July 1227 cemented the loss of Denmark's north German territories. Valdemar himself was saved only by the courageous actions of a German knight who carried Valdemar to safety on his horse. From that time on, Valdemar focused his efforts on domestic affairs. One of

1582-608: A population above 50,000 people. Denmark is populated by the Danes , the Faroe Island by the Faroese , and Greenland by the Greenlandic Inuit . In both the Faroe Islands and Greenland, Danes make up 7.6% of the population, as of 2018 . As of 2020 , there are about 11,000 Faeroese-born and 17,000 Greenlandic-born people living in Denmark. With respect to area, Greenland is by far the largest, and makes up 98% of

1695-577: A referendum in Greenland. It also needs consent from the Folketing, in accordance with section 19 of the Danish constitution. That section states that any changes to the Kingdom's territory needs to be approved by the Folketing. Greenlandic independence does not require a constitutional change; instead, should Greenland become independent, the rules in the constitution regarding Greenland becomes void. With regards to international law , Denmark signed

1808-612: A weakened Denmark provided windows of opportunity to both the Hanseatic League and the Counts of Holstein . The Holstein Counts gained control of large portions of Denmark because the king would grant them fiefs in exchange for money to finance royal operations. Valdemar spent the remainder of his life putting together a code of laws for Jutland , Zealand and Skåne . These codes were used as Denmark's legal code until 1683. This

1921-835: A whole is a member of the United Nations , NATO , the OECD and the World Trade Organization . The Faroe Islands and Greenland are associated members of the Nordic Council in their own right as part of Denmark's membership. Although the Kingdom of Denmark is a member of the European Union , both areas have special dispensation and remain outside the EU. Greenland joined the EU as part of Denmark in 1973, but opted to leave in 1985 after Greenlandic home rule

2034-415: A years harvest for most farmers. Canute and his housecarls fled south with a growing army of rebels on his heels. Canute fled to the royal property outside the town of Odense on Funen with his two brothers. After several attempts to break in and then bloody hand-to-hand fighting in the church, Benedict was cut down, and Canute was struck in the head by a large stone and then speared from the front. He died at

2147-602: Is a unitary sovereign state. It has Arctic territorial claims in the Arctic Ocean : various sites near the North Pole ( Lomonosov Ridge , Gakkel Ridge , and the Alpha - Mendeleev Ridge complex). Constitutionally, the Kingdom of Denmark encompasses the realm or the country, but the Faroe Islands and Greenland have an extended degree of autonomy to govern their relations. The Faroe Islands and Greenland have been under

2260-555: Is no evidence that the Danish Church was able to create a stable administration that Harald could use to exercise more effective control over his kingdom, but it may have contributed to the development of a centralising political and religious ideology among the social elite which sustained and enhanced an increasingly powerful kingship. England broke away from Danish control in 1035 and Denmark fell into disarray for some time. Sweyn Estridsen's son, Canute IV , raided England for

2373-559: The Bronze Age . A complex web of trading roots now linked Jutland with the remainder of Bronze-Age Europe. An overland route carried Jutland amber to Mycenaean Greece , while sea-routes also brought it to England, and the Mediterranean. The Iron Age came relatively late to Denmark, but again the bogs yielded an exciting and dramatic find, Tollund Man . The well-preserved body of a hanged man created intense interest; it

SECTION 20

#1732773025056

2486-582: The Danish parliament , where the two territories are represented by two seats each (from a total of 179 seats). The Faroe Islands have gradually taken control of more and more areas of responsibility according to their Home Rule Act from 1948. The Faroese/Danish act of 2005 states: "This law is based on an agreement between the Governments of the Faroe Islands and Denmark as equal partners." Previously, most foreign relations were undertaken exclusively by

2599-584: The German Empire . After the eventual cession of Norway in 1814 , Denmark retained control of the old Norwegian colonies of the Faroe Islands , Greenland and Iceland . During the 20th century, Iceland gained independence, Greenland and the Faroes became integral parts of the Kingdom of Denmark and North Schleswig reunited with Denmark in 1920 after a referendum. During World War II , Denmark

2712-578: The Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention in 1996 and acknowledged the Greenlandic Inuit as an Indigenous people . In the 2009 self rule act, Denmark recognised the Greenlandic people as a "people" within the context of international law, and their inherent right to self-determination . The Kingdom of Denmark constitutes a unified sovereign state, with equal status between its constituent parts. Devolution differs from federalism in that

2825-710: The Kalmar Union , made official in 1397. Her successor, Eric of Pomerania (King of Denmark from 1412 to 1439), lacked Margaret's skill and thus directly caused the breakup of the Kalmar Union. Eric's foreign policy engulfed Denmark in a succession of wars with the Holstein counts and the city of Lübeck. When the Hanseatic League imposed a trade embargo on Scandinavia, the Swedes (who saw their mining industry adversely affected) rose up in revolt. The three countries of

2938-631: The Maglemosian culture (9,500–6,000 BC); the Kongemose culture (6,000–5,200 BC), the Ertebølle culture (5,300–3,950 BC), and the Funnelbeaker culture (4,100–2,800 BC). The first inhabitants of this early post-glacial landscape in the so-called Boreal period , were very small and scattered populations living from hunting of reindeer and other land mammals and gathering whatever fruits

3051-463: The Maglemosian people , residing in seasonal camps and exploiting the land, sea, rivers and lakes. It was not until around 6,000 BC that the approximate geography of Denmark as we know it today had been shaped. Denmark has some unique natural conditions for preservation of artifacts, providing a rich and diverse archeological record from which to understand the prehistoric cultures of this area. The Weichsel glaciation covered all of Denmark most of

3164-556: The New Testament into Danish; it became an instant best-seller. Kingdom of Denmark The Danish Realm , officially the Kingdom of Denmark , or simply Denmark , is a sovereign state and refers to the area over which the Constitution of Denmark applies. It consists of metropolitan Denmark —the kingdom's territory in continental Europe and sometimes called "Denmark proper" (Danish: egentlige Danmark )—and

3277-614: The North and Baltic seas, a strategically and economically important placement between Sweden and Germany , at the center of mutual struggles for control of the Baltic Sea ( dominium maris baltici ). Denmark was long in disputes with Sweden over control of Skånelandene and with Germany over control of Schleswig (a Danish fief ) and Holstein (a German fief). Eventually, Denmark lost these conflicts and ended up ceding first Skåneland to Sweden and later Schleswig-Holstein to

3390-623: The Northern Atlantic and are rugged with cliffs along the coast, while Greenland is in the North Atlantic and Arctic , and is 79% covered in ice . Greenland is the most sparsely populated territory in the world, according to the World Bank . The Kingdom has submitted five claims to the United Nations that its exclusive economic zone extends beyond the usual 200 nautical miles limit: one north and one south of

3503-574: The Obotrites and conquered the city of Reric whose population was displaced or abducted to Hedeby . In 809, King Godfred and emissaries of Charlemagne failed to negotiate peace, despite the sister of Godfred being a concubine of Charlemagne, and the next year King Godfred attacked the Frisians with 200 ships. Viking raids along the coast of France and the Netherlands were large-scale. Paris

History of Denmark - Misplaced Pages Continue

3616-527: The Pre-Roman Iron Age (from the 4th to the 1st century BC ), the climate in Denmark and southern Scandinavia became cooler and wetter, limiting agriculture and setting the stage for local groups to migrate southward into Germania . At around this time people began to extract iron from the ore in peat bogs . Evidence of strong Celtic cultural influence dates from this period in Denmark, and in much of northwest Europe, and survives in some of

3729-469: The Privy Council of Denmark had lost some of its influence, and that of Norway no longer existed. The two kingdoms, known as Denmark–Norway , operated in a personal union under a single monarch. Norway kept its separate laws and some institutions, such as a royal chancellor , separate coinage and a separate army. As a hereditary kingdom, Norway's status as separate from Denmark remained important to

3842-566: The Rani , monasteries like Eldena Abbey ) and settlement (Danish participation in the Ostsiedlung ). 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 and launched various " crusades " to claim territories, notably modern Estonia . Once these efforts were successful,

3955-635: The Treaty of Kiel , but kept control of the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland. The colonies on Greenland were situated on the west coast, and as a condition for the sale of the Danish West Indies to the United States in 1917, the U.S. recognised Danish sovereignty over the whole island, and most countries followed suit. One exception was Norway who in 1931 occupied parts of East Greenland , but abandoned their claim in 1933, when it lost

4068-612: The Viking kings Gorm the Old and Harald Bluetooth from this time, thus making the Monarchy of Denmark the oldest in Europe. The area now known as Denmark has a rich prehistory , having been populated by several prehistoric cultures and people for about 12,000 years, since the end of the last ice age . Denmark's history has particularly been influenced by its geographical location between

4181-495: The constitutional status of the relationship between Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland. The name was used by Danish and Greenlandic authorities in the negotiations for home rule introduced in 1979, and has become popular since the beginning of the 1990s. The acts establishing the 1948 Faroese home rule and the 1979 Greenlandic home rule use the term rigsenheden instead. Jurist Frederik Harhoff argued in 1993 that rigsenheden should be replaced with rigsfællesskabet , as

4294-520: The 12th century, based mostly on the lucrative herring -trade, but the 13th century turned into a period of difficulty and saw the temporary collapse of royal authority. During the disastrous reign of Christopher II (1319–1332), most of the country was seized by the provincial counts (except Skåne, which was taken over by Sweden) after numerous peasant revolts and conflicts with the Church. For eight years after Christopher's death, Denmark had no king, and

4407-420: The 1915 constitution gave Risdagen the legislative power, any laws by the Løgting necessarily derived its authority from powers delegated to it from Rigsdagen. With regards to the extent Rigsdagen was allowed to delegate its legislative power under section 2, Meyers argued that more powers could be delegated to the Faroe Islands than other parts of the country, due to its special history. Similarly, Christensen,

4520-460: The 1st century. It seems clear that some part of the Danish warrior aristocracy served in the Roman army . Occasionally during this time, both animal and human sacrifice occurred and bodies were immersed in bogs . In recent times some of these bog bodies have emerged very well-preserved, providing valuable information about the religion and people who lived in Denmark during this period. Some of

4633-579: The 8th–11th centuries. Viking explorers first discovered and settled in Iceland in the 9th century, on their way from the Faroe Islands . From there, Greenland and Vinland (probably Newfoundland ) were also settled. Utilizing their great skills in shipbuilding and navigation they raided and conquered parts of France and the British Isles . They also excelled in trading along the coasts and rivers of Europe, running trade routes from Greenland in

History of Denmark - Misplaced Pages Continue

4746-514: The Crown of Denmark since 1397 ( de facto ) when the Kalmar Union was ratified, and part of the Danish Realm since 1814 ( de jure ). However, due to their separate historical and cultural identities, these parts of the Realm now have an extensive degree of self-government and have assumed legislative and administrative responsibility in a substantial number of fields. Legal matters in

4859-570: The Danes. However, distance and a lack of common interests prevented a lasting union, and Sweyn's son Cnut the Great barely maintained the link between the two countries, which completely broke up during the reign of his son Hardecanute . A final attempt by the Norwegians under Harald Hardrada to reconquer England failed, but did pave the way for William the Conqueror's takeover in 1066. The history of Christianity in Denmark overlaps with that of

4972-584: The Ertebølle culture, which had maintained a Mesolithic lifestyle for about 1500 years after farming arrived in Central Europe. The Neolithic Funnelbeaker population persisted for around 1,000 years until people with Steppe-derived ancestry started to arrive from Eastern Europe. The Single Grave culture was a local variant of the Corded Ware culture , and appears to have emerged as a result of

5085-485: The Faeroese voted for independence, but the result was rejected by the Danish government. Instead, after negotiations between the Faroe Islands and Denmark, the Faroe Islands were granted "home rule" in 1948. Greenland was originally administered as two separate colonies, viz. North and South Greenland . In 1950, these two were merged as the Colony of Greenland . Following the constitutional reform in 1953 , Greenland

5198-524: The Faroe Islands and Greenland to be somewhere in between the constitution and a usual act by the Folketing, as it had been treated as such . The Greenlandic self rule act of 2009 gives Greenland a way to achieve independence. First, the Greenlandic people must make the decision, after which there should be negotiations between the Greenlandic government ( Naalakkersuisut ) and the Danish government about how to practically implement it. The agreement reached needs to be ratified by Inatsisartut, and approved in

5311-558: The Faroe Islands must be prepared for that court, like any Danish matter. Danish currency is also legal tender in Greenland, but not in the Faroes. Denmark is responsible for the military defence of both nations. The Kingdom of Denmark is a member state of the European Communities , the predecessor of the European Union , since 1973. In 1982, Greenland voted to leave the Communities after gaining home rule from

5424-411: The Faroe Islands were given "home rule" in 1948, and Greenland in 1979. Greenland's home rule was replaced in 2009 by "self rule". There is an ongoing legal debate about what constitutional weight these arrangements have. In general, there are two conflicting views: (a) the laws delegate power from the Folketing and can be revoked unilaterally by it, and (b) the laws have special status so changes require

5537-406: The Faroe Islands, and three around Greenland. One Greenlandic claim includes the North Pole and the Lomonosov Ridge , and extend all the way to the Russian exclusive economic zone. Claims overlapping with other nations' claims have to be resolved through negotiation; in 2019, Iceland , Norway and the Kingdom of Denmark settled their claims to the area north of the Faroe Islands. The Kingdom

5650-532: The Faroese Home Rule Act. It sets out a home rule government and Greenlandic parliament . Specific areas of governance specified in the act include: Organization of local government; Fishing and agriculture; Welfare system; protection of the environment ; other areas affecting Greenlanders directly, etc. On 21 June 2009, Greenland assumed self-determination with responsibility for self-government of judicial affairs, policing, natural resources, immigration and border controls. Also, Greenlanders were recognised as

5763-466: The Government of Denmark on behalf of the entire realm, but more recently the Faroe Islands and Greenland have increased their role in foreign policy. Representatives for both have joined Danish delegations in discussions on some international matters, such as fishing rights. Greenlandic representatives were included in the process of a new treaty between Denmark and the US regarding the Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland. The Kingdom of Denmark as

SECTION 50

#1732773025056

5876-414: The Hanseatic League. He conquered Gotland , much to the displeasure of the League, which lost Visby , an important trading town located there. The Hanseatic alliance with Sweden to attack Denmark initially proved a fiasco since Danish forces captured a large Hanseatic fleet, and ransomed it back for an enormous sum. Luckily for the League, the Jutland nobles revolted against the heavy taxes levied to fight

5989-439: The Kalmar Union all declared Eric deposed in 1439. However, support for the idea of regionalism continued, so when Eric's nephew Christopher of Bavaria came to the throne in 1440, he managed to get himself elected in all three kingdoms, briefly reuniting Scandinavia (1442–1448). The Swedish nobility grew increasingly unhappy with Danish rule and the union soon became merely a legal concept with little practical application. During

6102-417: The Kingdom of Denmark". The sovereignty of the Faroe Islands and Greenland is held by the Danish state. The Kingdom of Denmark is a unitary state , with the Folketing being its unicameral legislature. The Faroe Islands and Greenland each elect two members to the parliament; the remaining 175 members are elected in Denmark. The Folketing have by law given the Faroe Islands and Greenland extensive autonomy;

6215-403: The Northeastern half of what now constitutes England , where Danes settled and Danish law and rule prevailed. Prior to this time, England consisted of approximately seven independent Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The Danes conquered (terminated) all of these except for the kingdom of Wessex . Alfred the Great , king of Wessex, emerged from these trials as the sole remaining English king, and thereby as

6328-442: The Realm of Denmark. The Faroe Islands was never part of the EU, as explicitly asserted by both Rome treaties. The relations of the Faroe Islands with the EU are governed by a Fisheries Agreement (1977) and a Free Trade Agreement (1991, revised 1998). The main reason for remaining outside the EU is disagreements about the Common Fisheries Policy . Denmark: Faroe Islands: Greenland: Archaeology of Denmark At

6441-416: The Swedish royal family. The dynastic plans called for her son, Olaf II to rule the three kingdoms, but after his early death in 1387 she took on the role herself (1387–1412). During her lifetime (1353–1412) the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (including the Faroe Islands , as well as Iceland , Greenland , and present-day Finland ) became linked under her capable rule, in what became known as

6554-403: The United States . The Faroe Islands were made a Danish county in 1816, and with the constitution of 1849 , it gained representation in the Rigsdag . During World War II, the Faroe Islands were occupied by the United Kingdom and they largely administered themselves. After the war, it was clear that the old system could not be reinstated. In an independence referendum in 1946, 50.7% of

6667-525: The Viking Age. Various petty kingdoms existed throughout the area now known as Denmark for many years. Between c. 960 and the early 980s, Harald Bluetooth appears to have established a kingdom in the lands of the Danes which stretched from Jutland to Skåne. Around the same time, he received a visit from a German missionary who, according to legend, survived an ordeal by fire , which convinced Harald to convert to Christianity . Sweyn Estridson (1020–1074) re-established strong royal Danish authority and built

6780-431: The Viking city of Hedeby, across Jutland, the Danish isles and into southern present day Sweden ; Scania and perhaps Halland and Blekinge . Furthermore, the Jelling stones attest that Harald had also "won" Norway . In retaliation for the St. Brice's Day massacre of Danes in England, the son of Harald, Sweyn Forkbeard mounted a series of wars of conquest against England. By 1014, England had completely submitted to

6893-411: The administration. King Valdemar and Absalon ( ca 1128–1201), the bishop of Roskilde , rebuilt the country. During Valdemar's reign construction began of a castle in the village of Havn, leading eventually to the foundation of Copenhagen , the modern capital of Denmark. Valdemar and Absalon built Denmark into a major power in the Baltic Sea , a power which later competed with the Hanseatic League ,

SECTION 60

#1732773025056

7006-418: The approval by the Løgting happened according to special rules put in place in 1940 with the consent of the Danish representative there, during the occupation by the United Kingdom. Sørensen said the intention with the Faeroese home rule was that it should not be unilaterally changed, as stated in the preamble, so it had that effect. Harhoff, in his 1993 Doctorate dissertation, considered the home rule acts of

7119-424: The base of the main altar on 10 July 1086, where he was buried by the Benedictines. When Queen Edele came to take Canute's body to Flanders, a light allegedly shone around the church and it was taken as a sign that Canute should remain where he was. The death of St. Canute marks the end of the Viking Age. Never again would massive flotillas of Scandinavians meet each year to ravage the rest of Christian Europe. In

7232-425: The case at the Permanent Court of International Justice . In Iceland there was a growing nationalism in the 19th century, and Iceland was in 1874 given its own constitution and increased autonomy, but still with the executive power in Danish hands. Iceland was granted home rule in 1904, and, by the Danish–Icelandic Act of Union , full independence in 1918. The act established a personal union between Denmark and

7345-450: The changes he instituted was the feudal system where he gave properties to men with the understanding that they owed him service. This increased the power of the noble families ( Danish : højadelen ) and gave rise to the lesser nobles ( Danish : lavadelen ) who controlled most of Denmark. Free peasants lost the traditional rights and privileges they had enjoyed since Viking times. The king of Denmark had difficulty maintaining control of

7458-448: The climate was able to offer. Around 8,300 BC the temperature rose drastically, now with summer temperatures around 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit), and the landscape changed into dense forests of aspen , birch and pine and the reindeer moved north, while aurochs and elk arrived from the south. The Koelbjerg Man is the oldest known bog body in the world and also the oldest set of human bones found in Denmark , dated to

7571-507: The conflicts of the Jutes and the Danes echoed in Beowulf , or the roads, buildings, and runic inscriptions behind the later Viking kingdom. Denmark and Danish scientists played an important role in establishing archaeology as a science in the 1800s, and continue to contribute with fundamental methods and discoveries to this science in general. Denmark and Danish archaeologists has a long history of both international collaborations and engagements and public outreach, education and mediation of

7684-408: The consent of the Faeroese Løgting or the Greenlandic Inatsisartut , respectively. Proponents of the first interpretation include Alf Ross , Poul Meyer and Jens Peter Christensen . Ross, the chief architect of the Faeroese home rule, argued that it was "a municipal self-government of extraordinary extensive scope". Meyer wrote in 1947, prior to the Faeroese home rule, that since section 2 of

7797-469: The country or realm are subject to the Constitution of the Realm of Denmark . It stipulates that it applies for all parts of the Kingdom of Denmark and that legislative, executive and judicial powers are the responsibility of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Denmark (Danish: Folketing ), the Government of Denmark and the Supreme Court of Denmark . The Faroe Islands were granted home rule via an independence referendum in 1946, and Greenland did so in

7910-409: The counts of Holstein , and the Teutonic Knights for trade, territory, and influence throughout the Baltic. In 1168, Valdemar and Absalon gained a foothold on the southern shore of the Baltic, when they subdued the Principality of Rügen . In the 1180s, Mecklenburg and the Duchy of Pomerania came under Danish control, too. In the new southern provinces, the Danes promoted Christianity (mission of

8023-453: The devolved powers of the subnational authority ultimately reside in central government, thus the state remains de jure unitary. The Self-Government Arrangements devolves political competence and responsibility from the Danish political authorities to the Faroese and the Greenlandic political authorities. The Faroese and Greenlandic authorities administer the tasks taken over from the state, enact legislation in these specific fields and have

8136-422: The early 12th century, Denmark became the seat of an independent church province of Scandinavia. Not long after that, Sweden and Norway established their own archbishoprics, free of Danish control. The mid-12th century proved a difficult time for the kingdom of Denmark. Violent civil wars rocked the land. Eventually, Valdemar the Great (1131–82), gained control of the kingdom, stabilizing it and reorganizing

8249-515: The early nineteenth century with the establishment of the National Museum of Denmark , organised by Christian Thomsen . It was he who introduced the three-age system – Stone, Bronze and Iron ages - to European archaeology, thus for the first time differentiating pre-history into distinct time-scales. Jens Jacob Asmussen Worsaae , one of Thomsen's early assistants, set out in 1850 to investigate an interesting find of flint tools linked to

8362-466: The economic responsibility for solving these tasks. The Danish government provides an annual grant to the Faroese and the Greenlandic authorities to cover the costs of these devolved areas. The 1948 "Home Rule Act of the Faroe Islands" sets out the terms of Faroese home rule . The Act states, "...the Faroe Islands shall constitute a self-governing community within the State of Denmark." It establishes

8475-457: The end of the last ice age . During the ice age, all of Scandinavia was covered by glaciers most of the time, except for the southwestern parts of what we now know as Denmark. When the ice began retreating, the barren tundras were soon inhabited by reindeer and elk, and Ahrenburg and Swiderian hunters from the south followed them here to hunt occasionally. The geography then was very different from what we know today. Sea levels were much lower;

8588-524: The expansionist war in the Baltic; the two forces worked against the king, forcing him into exile in 1370. For several years, the Hanseatic League controlled the fortresses on the Sound , the strait between Skåne and Zealand. Margaret I , the daughter of Valdemar Atterdag, found herself married off to Håkon VI of Norway in an attempt to join the two kingdoms, along with Sweden, since Håkon had kinship ties to

8701-459: The first English Monarch . In the early 9th century, Charlemagne 's Christian empire had expanded to the southern border of the Danes, and Frankish sources (e.g. Notker of St Gall ) provide the earliest historical evidence of the Danes. These report a King Gudfred , who appeared in present-day Holstein with a navy in 804 where diplomacy took place with the Franks ; In 808, King Gudfred attacked

8814-417: The former implies a common identity, while the latter implied a community of different identities. The use of the expression Rigsfællesskabet though can be traced back to at least 1908. Denmark's population is by far the largest of the three; 5.8 million people live in Denmark, and about 52,000 and 56,000 in the Faroe Island and Greenland, respectively. In comparison, there are ten cities in Denmark with

8927-422: The hardness of hunter-gatherer life in the cold north. Based on estimates of the amount of game animals, scholars estimate the population of Denmark to have been between 3,300 and 8,000 persons in the time around 7,000 BC. It is believed that the early hunter-gatherers lived nomadically, exploiting different environments at different times of the year, gradually shifting to the use of semi permanent base camps. With

9040-718: The home government of the Faroe Islands ( Landsstýrið ) and the Faroese parliament, the Løgting . More significantly, the Act specifies the powers devolved from the Government of Denmark, including: local government and municipal affairs; taxation , at a local and territorial level; public services , including police and town planning; welfare services , such as housing; primary and secondary education; Archives, libraries, museums; agriculture and fishing; entertainment; among other areas. The Faroe Islands were previously administered as

9153-701: The island of Great Britain was connected by a land bridge to mainland Europe and the large area between Great Britain and the Jutlandic peninsula – now beneath the North Sea and known as Doggerland – was inhabited by tribes of hunter-gatherers. As the climate warmed up, forceful rivers of meltwater started to flow and shape the virgin lands, and more stable flora and fauna gradually began emerging in Scandinavia, and Denmark in particular. The first human settlers to inhabit Denmark and Scandinavia permanently were

9266-461: The kingdom in the face of opposition from the nobility and from the Church. An extended period of strained relations between the crown and the Popes of Rome took place, known as the "archiepiscopal conflicts". By the late 13th century, royal power had waned, and the nobility forced the king to grant a charter , considered Denmark's first constitution . Following the Battle of Bornhöved in 1227,

9379-436: The last time in 1085. He planned another invasion to take the throne of England from an aging William I . He called up a fleet of 1,000 Danish ships, 60 Norwegian long boats , with plans to meet with another 600 ships under Duke Robert of Flanders in the summer of 1086. Canute, however, was beginning to realise that the imposition of the tithe on Danish peasants and nobles to fund the expansion of monasteries and churches and

9492-586: The melting of the ice, many kitchen midden sites, originally on the coast, were later submerged: The first submerged settlement excavated in Denmark was Tybrind Vig in 1977. The site was excavated over the following decade. 300 m from the shore and 3 m below the surface, divers excavated sensationally well-preserved artefacts from the Ertebølle Culture . The kitchen midden culture stretched chronologically from c.5000 BC onward. Its immediate predecessor

9605-715: The most well-preserved bog bodies from the Nordic Iron Age are the Tollund Man and the Grauballe Man . From around the 5th to the 7th century, Northern Europe experienced mass migrations. This period and its material culture are referred to as the Germanic Iron Age . In his description of Scandza (from the 6th-century work, Getica ), the ancient writer Jordanes says that the Dani were of

9718-401: The newly created Kingdom of Iceland , with Denmark handling coastal protection and foreign affairs. In 1944, Iceland abolished the personal union and adopted a new constitution that established the current republic , after a referendum on the subject. This happened during World War II, where Denmark and Iceland were cut off from each other, as Denmark was occupied by Germany , and Iceland by

9831-633: The north to Constantinople in the south via Russian and Ukrainian rivers, most notably along the River Dnieper and via Kiev, then being the capital of Kiev Rus , which was founded by Viking conquerors. The Danish Vikings were most active in Britain, Ireland , France , Spain , Portugal and Italy where they raided, conquered and settled (their earliest settlements included sites in the Danelaw , Ireland and Normandy ). The Danelaw encompassed

9944-583: The older place names. The Roman provinces , whose frontiers stopped short of Denmark, nevertheless maintained trade routes and relations with Danish or proto-Danish peoples, as attested by finds of Roman coins. The earliest known runic inscriptions date back to c. 200 AD. Depletion of cultivated land in the last century BC seems to have contributed to increasing migrations in northern Europe and increasing conflict between Teutonic tribes and Roman settlements in Gaul . Roman artifacts are especially common in finds from

10057-479: The realm's two autonomous regions: the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic and Greenland in North America . The relationship between the three parts of the Kingdom is known as The unity of the Realm . The Kingdom of Denmark is not a federation ; it is a concept encompassing the three autonomous legal systems of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, united under its monarch . The Kingdom of Denmark

10170-472: The realm. The entire kingdom has an area of 2.2 million square kilometres (0.85 million square miles), and is according to The World Factbook the twelfth largest country in the world, the same rank held by Greenland alone. Denmark alone has an area of about 43,000 km , and is no. 133 on that list. Denmark is situated in Northern Europe and is flat and arable, the Faroe Islands in

10283-502: The rising temperatures, sea levels also rose, and during the Atlantic period , Denmark evolved from a contiguous landmass around 11,000 BC to a series of islands by 4,500 BC. The inhabitants then shifted to a seafood based diet, which allowed the population to increase. Agricultural settlers made inroads around 4,000 BC. Many dolmens and rock tombs (especially passage graves ) date from this period. The Funnelbeaker farmers replaced

10396-613: The royal dynasty in its struggles to win elections as kings of Denmark. The two kingdoms remained tied until 1814. The Reformation , which originated in the German lands in the early 16th century from the ideas of Martin Luther (1483–1546), had a considerable impact on Denmark. The Danish Reformation started in the mid-1520s. Some Danes wanted access to the Bible in their own language. In 1524 Hans Mikkelsen and Christiern Pedersen translated

10509-654: The same stock as the Suetidi (Swedes, Suithiod ?) and expelled the Heruli and took their lands. The Old English poems Widsith and Beowulf , as well as works by later Scandinavian writers — notably by Saxo Grammaticus (c. 1200) — provide some of the earliest references to Danes. Other and non-Danish: With the beginning of the Viking Age in the 9th century, the prehistoric period in Denmark ends. The Danish people were among those known as Vikings , during

10622-457: The same time, archaeological study in Denmark has continually and fundamentally influenced the young science of archaeology from its very beginnings. The prehistory of Denmark (Jutland) reveals that (following earlier Clactonian relics) many different cultures were to settle there and leave archaeological footprints since the end of the last ice age . Their discovery parallels the ongoing evolution of Danish archaeology itself, which began in

10735-604: The sons of the above-mentioned Godfred. At the same time St. Ansgar travelled to Hedeby and started the Catholic Christianisation of Scandinavia . Gorm the Old was the first historically recognized ruler of Denmark , reigning from c.  936 to his death c.  958 . He ruled from Jelling , and made the oldest of the Jelling Stones in honour of his wife Thyra . Gorm was born before 900 and died c.  958 . His rule marks

10848-459: The start of the Danish monarchy and royal house (see Danish monarchs' family tree ). The Danes were united and officially Christianized in 965 AD by Gorm's son Harald Bluetooth (see below), the story of which is recorded on the Jelling stones . The extent of Harald's Danish Kingdom is unknown, although it is reasonable to believe that it stretched from the defensive line of Dannevirke, including

10961-464: The subsequent reigns of Christian I (1450–1481) and Hans (1481–1513), tensions grew, and several wars between Sweden and Denmark erupted. In the early 16th century, Christian II (reigned 1513–1523) came to power. He allegedly declared, "If the hat on my head knew what I was thinking, I would pull it off and throw it away." This quotation apparently refers to his devious and machiavellian political dealings. He conquered Sweden in an attempt to reinforce

11074-534: The summer of 755 and were expanded with large works in the 10th century. The size and number of troops needed to man it indicates a quite powerful ruler in the area, which might be consistent with the kings of the Frankish sources. In 815 AD, Emperor Louis the Pious attacked Jutland apparently in support of a contender to the throne, perhaps Harald Klak , but was turned back by the sons of Godfred, who most likely were

11187-418: The time of the Maglemosian culture around 8,000 BC. With a continuing rise in temperature the oak , elm and hazel arrived in Denmark around 7,000 BC. Now boar , red deer , and roe deer also began to abound. A burial from Bøgebakken at Vedbæk dates to c. 6,000 BC and contains 22 persons – including four newborns and one toddler. Eight of the 22 had died before reaching 20 years of age – testifying to

11300-418: The time, except the western coasts of Jutland. It ended around 13,000 years ago, allowing humans to move back into the previously ice-covered territories and establish permanent habitation. During the first post-glacial millennia, the landscape gradually changed from tundra to light forest, and varied fauna including now-extinct megafauna appeared. Early prehistoric cultures uncovered in modern Denmark include

11413-606: The union, and had about 100 leaders of the Swedish anti-unionist forces killed in what came to be known as the Stockholm Bloodbath of November 1520. The bloodbath destroyed any lingering hope of Scandinavian union. In the aftermath of Sweden 's definitive secession from the Kalmar Union in 1521, civil war and the Protestant Reformation followed in Denmark and Norway. When things settled down,

11526-522: The words Dansk (Danish) and Danmark (Denmark). The provisions for home rule are limited to internal matters only. Neither Greenland nor the Faroe Islands can write laws that concern the relationship with other states, nor laws that apply to the entire Realm; furthermore, the Supreme Court (Danish: Højesteret ) in Copenhagen is the final legal instance, and legal matters from Greenland and

11639-554: Was a free state until 1262/1264, when it came under Norwegian taxation. Greenland, already populated by the Indigenous Greenlandic Inuit , was settled by Norwegians in the 10th century, among those Erik the Red . The connection to Greenland was lost in the 15th century, but Denmark–Norway again established connections in 1721 through the missionary Hans Egede . In 1814, Denmark ceded Norway to Sweden under

11752-536: Was incorporated into Denmark as a county and given representation in the Folketing . When Denmark joined the European Communities (EC) in 1972, Greenland followed, despite 70% of the Greenlandic voters voting against it in the referendum . As a home rule agreement would allow them to leave again (the Faroe Islands did not join the EC ), this was an important factor in the increasing support for home rule. Another factor

11865-522: Was occupied by Nazi Germany , but was eventually liberated by British forces of the Allies in 1945, after which it joined the United Nations . In the aftermath of World War II, and with the emergence of the subsequent Cold War , Denmark was quick to join the military alliance of NATO as a founding member in 1949. The Scandinavian region has a rich prehistory , having been populated by several prehistoric cultures and people for about 12,000 years, since

11978-451: Was a desire to make Greenland more Greenlandic and less Danish . They were given home rule in 1979 and left the EC in 1985. Under the home rule agreement, Greenland gradually took over more responsibility from the Danish state. In 2009, the home rule was replaced with "self rule", granting greater autonomy. The Danish constitution also applies in the Faroe Islands and Greenland, as section one states that it "shall apply to all parts of

12091-460: Was a significant change from the local law making at the regional assemblies ( Danish : landsting ), which had been the long-standing tradition. Several methods of determining guilt or innocence were outlawed including trial by ordeal and trial by combat. The Code of Jutland ( Danish : Jyske Lov ) was approved at meeting of the nobility at Vordingborg in 1241 just prior to Valdemar's death. Because of his position as "the king of Dannebrog" and as

12204-463: Was associated by some with the accounts by Tacitus of sacrifices made to the goddess Nerthus . Runes based on the Latin alphabet began to appear, and Roman imports among grave goods also show the increasing influence of the nearby empire by the first centuries AD. For subsequent periods, Danish archaeology has worked alongside, instead of independently of, the historical record, exploring for example

12317-488: Was besieged and the Loire Valley devastated during the 10th century. One group of Danes was granted permission to settle in northwestern France under the condition that they defend the place from future attacks. As a result, the region became known as "Normandy" and it was the descendants of these settlers who conquered England in 1066. The oldest parts of the defensive works of Danevirke near Hedeby at least date from

12430-420: Was in a dispute with Canada on who has sovereignty over Hans Island between 1978 and 2022. The two governments eventually settled on a border running approximately halfway through the island, establishing a land border between the two states. The Faroe Islands were settled by Norwegian Vikings in the 9th century, displacing Irish monks already there. Iceland was settled in the 9th century by Norsemen , and

12543-450: Was instead controlled by the counts. After one of them, Gerhard III of Holstein-Rendsburg , was assassinated in 1340, Christopher's son Valdemar was chosen as king, and gradually began to recover the territories, which was finally completed in 1360. The Black Death in Denmark , which came to Denmark during these years, also aided Valdemar's campaign. His continued efforts to expand the kingdom after 1360 brought him into open conflict with

12656-515: Was introduced in 1979. The "Home Rule Act of the Faroe Islands" specifies that a 'Faroese' shall be understood to mean a person who is a " national of Denmark and a resident of the Faroe Islands". The Government of Denmark issues special passports for its citizens living in the Faroe Islands and Greenland with the right to choose a regular Danish passport as well. The Faroese Home Rule Act states that, in Faroese passports , Føroyingur (Faroese) and Føroyar (Faroe Islands) shall be inserted after

12769-451: Was the mesolithic culture of Maglemose , first uncovered in a Zealand bog in 1900; while from c. 2500 BC the midden culture would gradually come under the influence of the newly arrived neolithic farmer. Later Neolithic arrivals included the Corded Ware culture , whose round barrows scattered the Danish landscape, each including a stone battleaxe: the gradual replacement of these latter by bronze versions over time marked Danish entry into

#55944