Others include Canute Lavard, Ansgar, St Thger of Vendsyssel, St Wilhelm, St Leofdag of Ribe, and others gave their lives and efforts to the task of making the Danes Christian. Once part of a Danish clan became Christian, it often meant that the rest of the family's view toward Christianity softened. The first Christian Danish King was Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson, and there is no trace of Hathen Adelstein being the first Chistian King of Denmark) Munich: R. Oldenbourg, 1991. Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson was King of Denmark for nearly 30 years, beginning in approximately 958 AD when his brother and favored son of Gorm the Old was killed in England during attacks near Ireland. There were instances when the conversion of a powerful chief (Danish: jarl) or one of the kings was followed by wholesale conversions among their followers. Christian X, (born Sept. 26, 1870, Charlottenlund, Den.died April 20, 1947, Copenhagen), king of Denmark (1912-47) who symbolized the nation's resistance to the German occupation during World War II. According to popular legend, King Christian X of Denmark chose to wear a yellow star in support of the Danish Jews during the German occupation of Denmark. He was retained as travelling physician (Livmedikus hos Kong Christian VII) on 5 April 1768, and accompanied the entourage on the king's foreign tour to Paris and London via Hannover from 6 May 1768 to 12 January 1769. During his visit, he set out a church structure for Norway. This account survives in the Orkneyinga saga and in the last chapter of Hervarar saga where the saga successively moves from legendary history to historic Swedish events during the centuries before its compilation. At this point in time Harald was in exile, after having been granted refuge by the Frankish king Louis the Pious (814-840). [16] A significant step in this direction was the foundation of an archbishopric for the whole of Scandinavia at Lund in 110304.[16]. "Mana in the North: Power and Religion in Medieval Scandinavian Historiography,", This page was last edited on 11 July 2023, at 09:48. We would like to thank Crown Family Philanthropies and the Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation for supporting the ongoing work to create content and resources for the Holocaust Encyclopedia. 4 (2011) pp. Christian VIII | king of Denmark | Britannica [1] The conversion of Scandinavian kings occurred over the period 9601020. The Catholic church was strengthened with growing Swedish influence in the 12th century and the Finnish "crusade" of Birger Jarl in the 13th century. Using his estate in Friesland as a base, he now began to undertake acts of piracy, to the great annoyance of the Franks. Subsequently Harald became king, together with his brother in 812-13, and with Godfreys sons in the period 819-27. Rozett, Robert, and Shmuel Spector, "Denmark." Eric I had travelled to Rome himself in order to negotiate with the pope. Corrections? Another Christianizing influence was the mass emigration of Danes to England and Normandy in the Viking years. Christian missionaries were able to help the process along by locating churches on or near sacred places, in some cases actually using wood from the sacred groves for church construction. King Christian I Of Denmark : Family tree by comrade28 - Geneanet Updates? Vilhjlmsson, Vilhjlmur rn, "The Kingand the Star." How Sweyn Forkbeard became the first Viking king of England Ribe was an important trading town, and as a result, southern Denmark was made a diocese in 948 with Ribe as its seat, a part of the Archdiocese of Hamburg-Bremen under its first bishop, St. Leofdag who was murdered that year while crossing the Ribe River. 10, Rimbert, "Anskar: The Apostle of the North, 801865", trans. The three children born after the 1721 marriage were styled as Prince/Princess of Denmark and Norway but none of them survived infancy either. "How Christian Were Viking Christians?. No, he did not. At this time it would have been beneficial to the Frankish emperors if Northern Europe adopted Christianity, as this might result in fewer problems with these neighbours. Christian VI | Danish Monarch, Reformer & Father | Britannica [3] According to historian Anders Winroth, Christianity was not forced upon Scandinavians by foreign states or foreign missionaries, but instead willfully adopted by Scandinavian kings who saw the religion as politically advantageous. This also strengthens the theory of English influence. Christian I King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden - Geni.com . Did King Christian X of Denmark wear a yellow star in support of the Danish Jews? Christian VI, (born Nov. 30, 1699, Copenhagendied Aug. 6, 1746, Hrsholm, Den. In 1842 he married Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel, with whom he had six children, of which four later ascended European thrones. Sacred springs (Danish: kilder) were simply consecrated to one of the local saints associated with the spring and life went on much as it had before. Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff, Louise Auguste, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, Princess Caroline Matilda of Great Britain, crowned King and Queen of Denmark and Norway, Christian Heinrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, "Kongelig fdsel og db om kirkebgerne fra Dansk Historisk Fllesrd", "Charlottenborg et stop p din musikalske byvandring gennem Kbenhavn", Dansk biografisk Lexikon, tillige omfattende Norge for tidsrummet 1537-1814, "Christian, the name of nine kings of Denmark. Christian I (February 1426 - 21 May 1481) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union. His godparents were King Frederick V (his father), Queen Dowager Sophie Magdalene (his paternal grandmother), Princess Louise (his aunt) and Princess Charlotte Amalie (his grand-aunt). Anna Katharina and her parents attended Christian's coronation in 1596. 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW Agantyr did permit 30 young men to return to Frisia with Willibrord. [16], In 1769, Christian VII of Denmark invited the Hungarian astronomer Miksa Hell (Maximilian Hell) to Vard. Photo Credit - Wikipedia King Christian X of Denmark (Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm) was born on September 26, 1870, at the Charlottenlund Palace in Gentofte Kommune near Copenhagen, Denmark. The decision of a meeting of the Danish and Swedish councils at Halmstad, Swed. Haakon Jarl was later betrayed and killed by his own slave, while he was hiding from the rebels in a pig sty. Christian VII. The Vikings might not make violent attacks if they became Christians.In 826 AD Ansgar undertook a missionary journey to spread knowledge of Christianity amongst the Saxons, and perhaps also the Danes, of Southern Jutland. [10], In 826, the King of Jutland Harald Klak was forced to flee from Denmark by Horik I, Denmark's other king. Responding to a suggestion from German occupation officials that martial law might be a good opportunity to solve the Jewish question in Denmark, the German Security Police sent a deportation coordinator to Copenhagen in September to make arrangements. Christian VII of Denmark - Wikipedia John, King of Denmark John Reign 1483 - 20 February 1513 Coronation 20 July 1483 Nidaros Cathedral Predecessor Christian I Successor Christian II Harald Klak - the first Christian Viking king In 826 Harald Klak consented to be baptised and thus became the first Danish Christian Viking king. Ruthenika, Suppl. Families who lived close to the earth did not want to offend the local spirits (Danish: landvtter), so offerings were left just as they had been in pre-Christian times. He was the son of Dietrich Oldenburg, Count of Oldenburg and Hedwig Herzogin von Schleswig-Holstein. Christian currents were apparent in Denmark long before King Harald's time. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Rather than yield to a German demand to prosecute suspected saboteurs in German military courts, the Danish government resigned on August 28, 1943. Christoph Willibald Gluck, then conductor of the royal opera troupe, composed the opera La Contesa dei Numi ("The Contention of the Gods"), in which the Olympian Gods gather at the banks of the Great Belt and discuss who in particular should protect the new prince. In 831 the Archdiocese of Hamburg was founded and assigned responsibility for proselytizing Scandinavia. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. TTY: 202.488.0406, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC, Raoul Wallenberg and the Rescue of Jews in Budapest, The Kielce Pogrom: A Blood Libel Massacre of Holocaust Survivors, The July 20, 1944, Plot to Assassinate Adolf Hitler. After her arrival in Copenhagen, another wedding ceremony took place on 8 November 1766 in the royal chapel at Christiansborg Palace. Louis I offered to make Harald Duke of Frisia if he would give up the old gods. From the pulpits, Danish clergy urged their congregations to help the Jews. Harald Bluetooth is also mentioned in the inscription on the Curmsun Disc, dated AD 960s980s. Around 960, Bluetooth converted to Christianity,[18] reportedly when the Frisian monk Poppo held a fire-heated lump of iron in his hand without injury. Christian VII (29 January 1749 - 13 March 1808) was a monarch of the House of Oldenburg who was King of Denmark-Norway and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein from 1766 until his death in 1808. Around 30 wooden churches are known from Denmark. He obtained office by agreeing to a royal charter that granted extensive privileges to the nobility, including effective control of the government by the noble-dominated Rigsrd (Council of the Realm). Christian gained control over both Schleswig (now split between Denmark and Germany) and Holstein (now in Germany) in 1460, at the time that the Schleswig ducal line died out. He also appointed bishops freely. Petrow, Richard,The Bitter Years: The Invasion and Occupation of Denmark and Norway, April 1940May 1945. All the while, King Christian X expressed firm objections to German deportation plans, lending visible moral support and encouragement to his countrymen. [31] It would have been impossible for King Inge the Elder to rule as a Christian king without strong support from his subjects, and a Norwegian invasion of Vstergtland by Magnus Barefoot put Inge's relationship with his subjects to the test: he appears to have mustered most of the Swedish leidang, 3,600 men, and he ousted the Norwegian occupation force.[32]. Universities closed down to allow students to participate in the rescue efforts. king of Denmark, . Christianity comes to Denmark - National Museum of Denmark Also known as: Christian of Oldenburg, Christiern I. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. After Harald Bluetooth had been baptised, it was harder for the German emperors to interfere in Danish affairs. Becoming crown prince in 1906, Christian led the opposition to the sale of the Danish West Indies (now the U.S. Virgin Islands) to the United States, which ultimately took place in 1917. Christian II, also spelled Christiern, (born July 1, 1481, Nyborg, Den.died Jan. 25, 1559, Kalundborg), king of Denmark and Norway (151323) and of Sweden (152023) whose reign marked the end of the Kalmar Union (13971523), a political union of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. [30], According to M. G. Larsson, the reason why the Swedish core provinces had coexistence between paganism and Christianity throughout the 11th century was because there was a general support for the transition towards the new religion. [1] The Missionary bishops were literate, and those who had experience of the royal government in Germany or England had the potential to be valuable advisors. His army destroyed Christian churches in England as part of his invasion following the St. Brice's Day massacre of Danes organized by Aethelred. Ansgar traveled to Birka in 829 and established a small Christian community there. The first Danish king to convert to Christianity was Harald Klak, who had himself baptised during his exile in order to receive the support of Louis the Pious. Religious sites in Denmark were often located at sacred springs, magnificent beech groves, or isolated hilltops. He spent the rest of his life imprisoned in Danish castles at Snderborg and, after 1549, at Kalundborg. Harald agreed, and his family and the 400 Danes with him were baptized in Ingelheim am Rhein. Christian VII | Reign of Terror, Mental Illness & Absolutism He was the eldest of the eight children of King Frederik VIII of Denmark and Princess Louise of Sweden, daughter of King Carl XV of Sweden. Christian missionaries recognized early on that the Danes did not worship stone or wooden idols as the north Germans or some Swedes did. [31] Larsson theorizes that, consequently, the vacillation between paganism and Christianity that is reported by the sagas and by Adam of Bremen was not very different from vacillations that appear in modern ideological shifts. Explore a timeline of events that occurred before, during, and after the Holocaust. Christian's reign was marked by mental illness[7] which affected government decisions, and for most of his reign, Christian was only nominally king. Monarchy of Denmark - Wikipedia Struense revolutionized the whole administration of the Danish-Norwegian kingdom and had an The archbishopric had a strong hold on Denmark in the late Viking period. We know that the Pope in Rome forbid the magnates from owning the churches on their estates. Christian signed Struensee's arrest and execution warrant under pressure from his stepmother, Queen Juliana Maria, who had led the movement to have the marriage ended. In Norway, Christian had taken up with two bourgeois Dutch women: Dyveke, who was his mistress, and her mother, Sigbrit Villoms, his counsellor. Omissions? Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. In another version, the Danish people decided to wear yellow stars. The following year he married his predecessors widow, Queen Dorothea of Hohenzollern. [11] When Harald returned to Jutland, Emperor Louis and Ebbo of Rheims assigned the monk Ansgar to accompany Harald and oversee Christianity among the converts. . Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway | Unofficial Royalty Toggle Pre-Kntlinga Danish monarchs subsection, Toggle List of monarchs of Denmark subsection. Little came of this though, as the year after Harald was driven out of Denmark again, and Ansgar was forced to follow him. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. He was king of Denmark (1448-1481), Norway (1450-1481) and Sweden (1457-1464). His baptism is believed to have been rather a tactical manoeuvre to hold the German emperor and the archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen at bay. The following night, the German military commander, General Hermann von Hanneken, declared martial law. Religion is an important aspect of almost all societies. [4], At birth, Christian had two elder sisters, Princess Sophia Magdalena and Princess Wilhelmina Caroline, and the family was joined by another daughter, Princess Louise in 1750. Denmark has several saints, canonized by local bishops as was the custom in early Scandinavia or revered by locals as saints. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Christian II, also spelled Christiern, (born July 1, 1481, Nyborg, Den.died Jan. 25, 1559, Kalundborg), king of Denmark and Norway (1513-23) and of Sweden (1520-23) whose reign marked the end of the Kalmar Union (1397-1523), a political union of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.. After serving as viceroy in Norway (1502, 1506-12), Christian succeeded his father, John, king of Denmark and . C.H. Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden Christianity only gained a strong hold in Denmark following the baptism of Harald Bluetooth. Although he was not the first Dane to be made a saint, it was the first time for a king, the symbol of a more or less united Denmark, was recognized as an example worthy of veneration by the faithful. This support was offered on the condition that Harald agreed to be baptised. This indicates that it was English craftsmen who introduced revolutionary stone building techniques to Denmark. Examples of similar doorways are known from Eastern England. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. He reached land in Sigmundargjgv in Sandvk, but a farmer in the village killed the exhausted Sigmundur and stole his precious golden arm ring. [17] Gorm and Queen Thyra's son, King Harald Bluetooth, boasted on one of the stones at Jelling that he had "made the Danes Christian". Corrections? An ill King Frederik IX saying his final "God preserve Denmark" before dying two weeks later.