Christian X of Denmark
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Christian X of Denmark (Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm) (September 26, 1870 – April 20, 1947) was King of Denmark from 1912 to 1947 and of Iceland between 1918 and 1944. He was born at Charlottenlund Palace near Copenhagen.
Christian married Princess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1898; she eventually became his Queen Consort. They had two children:
Being somewhat of an authoritarian and a ruler who strongly stressed the importance of royal dignity and power in an age of growing democracy, Christian X did not seem fit for popularity. However, a reign spanning of two world wars and the role he played as a heroic symbol of Danish nationalism and resistance under Nazi rule made him one of the most popular Danish monarchs of modern times.
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Easter Crisis of 1920
Main article: Easter Crisis of 1920
In April of 1920, Christian instigated the Easter Crisis, perhaps the most decisive event in the evolution of the Danish monarchy in the 20th century. The immediate cause was a conflict between the king and the cabinet over the reunification with Denmark of Schleswig, a former Danish fiefdom, which had been lost to Prussia during the Second War of Schleswig. Danish claims to the region persisted to the end of World War I, at which time the defeat of the Germans made it possible to resolve the dispute. According to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the disposition of Schleswig was to be determined by two 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. No plebiscite was planned for Southern Schleswig, as it was dominated by an ethnic German majority and, in accordance with prevailing sentiment of the times, remain part of the post-war German state.
In Northern Schleswig, 75% voted for reunification with Denmark and 25% for remaining with Germany. In Central Schleswig, the situation was reversed with 80% voting for Germany and 20% for Denmark. In light of these results, the government of Prime Minister Carl Theodor Zahle determined that reuinification with Northern Schleswig could go forward, while Central Schleswig would remain under German control.
Many Danish nationalists felt that Central Schleswig should be returned to Denmark regardless of the plebiscite's results, generally motivated by a desire to see Germany permanently weakened in the future. Christian agreed with these sentiments, and ordered Prime Minister Zahle to include Central Schleswig in the re-unification process. As Denmark had been operating as a constitutional monarchy since a previous crisis in 1901, Zahle felt he was under no obligation to comply. He refused the order and resigned several days later after a heated exchange with the king.
Subsequently, Christian dismissed the rest of the legitimate government and replaced it with a de facto conservative care-taker cabinet. The coup 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 the king and members of the Social Democrats. Faced with the potential overthrow of the Danish crown, Christian stood down and dismissed his own government, installing a compromise cabinet until elections could be held later that year.
This was the final time that a sitting Danish monarch attempted to take political action without the full support of parliament; following the crisis, Christian accepted his drastically reduced role as symbolic head of state.
Reign During World War II
In contrast to the monarchs of Norway and the Netherlands, who went into exile during the Nazi occupation of their countries, Christian X remained in his capital throughout the occupation of Denmark, being to the Danish people a visible symbol of the national cause. Though his official speeches were often little more than an echoing of the government's official policy of cooperation with the occupying forces, this did not prevent him from being seen as a man of "mental resistance." In spite of his age and the precarious situation, he took a daily ride on horseback through his city -- not accompanied by a groom, let alone by a guard. After a fall with his horse 1942, he was more or less invalidated for the rest of his reign.
Anecdotes and Trivia
In the early 1980s, the International Herald Tribune ran a full-page advertisement for war-era commemorative photo featuring Christian X on horseback with a Jewish Star of David on his sleeve. The image echoed a popular tale which claimed that the king wore the symbol as sign of support for and solidarity with Danish Jews suffering from Nazi persecution during the occupation. (The story had become well-known partially through its retelling in Leon Uris's 1958 novel about the founding of Israel, Exodus.) This attribution of support is apocryphal, however, as Jews in Denmark were never forced to wear the Star of David.
Another popular story, generally accepted as truth, concerned Christian's resistance to the flying of the Nazi flag over Christiansborg Castle, home of the Danish Rigsdag, during the occupation. According to the story, the king summoned a senior Nazi general and instructed him to remove the flag. When the general refuse to do so, Christian declared, "A Danish soldier will remove it." The German officer said that such a soldier would be shot. The king's reply was "I think not. For I shall be that soldier." The general immediately ordered the removal of the flag.
In 1942, Adolf Hitler sent the king a long telegram congratulating him on his 72nd birthday. The king's reply telegram was a mere Meinen besten Dank. Chr. Rex (English: My thanks. King Christian). This perceived (and no doubt deliberate) slight greatly outraged Hitler and he immediately recalled his ambassador from Copenhagen and expelled the Danish ambassador from Germany.
A popular way for Danes to display patriotism and silent resistance to the German occupation was wearing a small square button with the Danish flag and the crowned insignia of the king. This symbol was referred to as Kongemærket.
Standing at 1.99 meters, Christian X was the tallest of all Danish kings who have been measured.
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King Christian X of Denmark |
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Death
On his passing in 1947, Christian X was interred with other members of the Danish royal family in Roskilde Cathedral near Copenhagen.
| Preceded by: Frederick VIII |
King of Denmark 1912–1947 |
Succeeded by: Frederick IX |
