Christian X of Denmark
Second World War Danish King Who Defied Hitler
Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Wilhelm was born on September 26, 1870 near Copenhagen to King Frederick VIII and his wife Princess Louise. Christian married 18-year-old Princess Alexandrine, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin on April 26, 1898 in Cannes, France. Their first child, Frederick was born a year later and a second son, Knud, in 1900. Christian X succeeded to the throne of Denmark upon the death of his father in 1912.
Easter Crisis
Before long conflicts arose between Christian and his cabinet over the reunification with Denmark of the former Danish fiefdom of Schleswig which had been lost to Prussia. After the defeat of Germany in World War I the dispute was brought to plebiscite. Northern Schleswig voted to return to Denmark but Central Schleswig decided to remain with Germany. This caused some friction as many Danes felt that the city of Flensburg, at least, should return to Denmark due to its Danish majority. Christian X agreed with the nationalists and ordered his prime minister, Carl Zahle, to include Fensburg in the reunification. This precipitated the Easter Crisis of 1920 when Zahle, citing the fact that Denmark was a parliamentary democracy, disagreed with the king and felt he had no obligation to comply with the order. After a heated argument with the king, Zahle resigned. Christian subsequently dismissed the cabinet and replaced it with a caretaker cabinet of his own.
Denmark was in an uproar bordering on revolution. Fearing for his crown, Christian opened negotiations with the Social Democrats and in time relaxed his position and dismissed the cabinet he had appointed. A compromise cabinet was formed to continue until elections could be held. The king’s actions resulted in a greatly reduced role for the monarchy and for the king as head of state.
Invasion of Denmark
On April 9, 1940, German troops crossed the border into Denmark. The poorly equipped and badly outnumbered Danes offered some resistance but the invasion and subsequent occupation happened so quickly that the government had little choice but to surrender. Due to the Danish government’s cooperative attitude, the Germans were lenient, allowing the government to remain intact and continue functioning as before. Denmark retained control over domestic affairs and King Christian remained in the country as head of state.
King Christian remained in Copenhagen throughout the war as a visible symbol of Danish nationalism. Daily he would ride through the city on horseback without a guard, ignoring the salutes of the German military and acknowledging the greetings of his people. It was said that "All of Denmark is his bodyguard."
King and Hitler
The king’s obvious disdain for the German occupiers eventually led to problems. In 1942, German chancellor, Adolf Hitler, sent a lengthy telegram to Christian on his 72nd birthday. The king replied with a curt "My best thanks". Hitler was outraged at the slight and recalled his ambassador from Copenhagen and expelled the Danish ambassador from Germany. The Danish cabinet was then replaced and led by veteran diplomat, Erik Scavenius, whom the Germans expected would be more cooperative.
The king, meanwhile, continued his passive resistance against the Nazis and continued his rides through the city until a fall from his horse on October 19, 1942 resulted in his being an invalid for the rest of his reign.
As the war started to turn against the Germans with their defeats in North Africa and Stalingrad, discontent in Denmark began to grow. Civil disturbances, strikes and sabotage increased. The Danish government refused to enact laws to quell the disturbances so the Germans declared martial law and dissolved the government in August of 1943. Now in control of the Danish government the Germans instigated an anti-Jewish policy. Fortunately, swift action by Danish civilians resulted in the majority of Danish Jews being sent to safety in Sweden.
After the liberation of Denmark in 1945 the king attended the reopening of the Rigsdag. He never recovered from the fall from his horse and rarely appeared in public. Two years later, on April 20, 1947, he died quietly in Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. He was succeeded by his son Frederik IX.
Bibliography
A History of Denmark - Knud J.V. Jespersen - Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.
The Royal Families of Europe – Geoffrey Hindley – Lyric Books - 1979
Christian X, King of Denmark and Iceland
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