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Denmark
Christian X
– King of Denmark: 14 May 1912 – 20 April 1947
King of Iceland: 1 December 1918 – 17 June 1944
& Queen Alexandrine
Silver Wedding Anniversary
1922 Silver
2 Kroner 30mm (15.00 grams)
.800 silver, approximately 0.3833 troy ounce pure silver
Reference: KM 821
Heads of Christian X and Queen Alexandrine right, initials GJ.
Crowned arms within anniversary dates, initials HCN, denomination below.
Designer: Gunnar Jensen
You are bidding on the exact item pictured,
provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of
Authenticity.
Alexandrine
Auguste of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (24 December 1879 – 28 December 1952) was
Queen of Denmark
as the wife of
King Christian X
. She was also Queen of Iceland
from (1. December 1918 – 17. june 1944)
Family
She was born a
Duchess
of
Mecklenburg-Schwerin
, in the city of
Schwerin
, Germany. Her father was
Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
;
her mother was
Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia
,
a granddaughter of Emperor
Nicholas I
of
Russia
.
Marriage and issue
Princess Alexandrine married Prince Christian of Denmark on 26 April 1898, in
Cannes
,
France
, when she was 18 years old. They had two
children:
- Prince Frederick (1899–1972), later King
Frederick IX of Denmark
; married
Princess Ingrid of Sweden
- Prince Knud (1900–1976), later
Knud, Hereditary Prince of Denmark
; married
Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark
She died in
Copenhagen
as Dowager Queen of Denmark in 1952
and is interred next to her husband in
Roskilde Cathedral
.
The only brother of Queen Alexandrine was
Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
,
while her only sister was
Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
, wife
of
German Crown Prince William
, eldest son of
German Emperor William II
.
Queenship
In 1902, the couple were given
Marselisborg Palace
, and the garden was to
become one of her greatest interests. Alexandrine became crown princess in 1906
and queen in 1912. She is not considered to have played any political role, but
is described as being a loyal support to her spouse.
She was interested in music, and acted as the protector of the musical
societies
Musikforeningen i København
and Den
danske Richard Wagnerforening. She was known for her needlework, which she
sold for charitable purposes. After the death of her
mother-in-law
Louise of Sweden
in 1926, she succeeded her as
the official protector of the various charity organisations founded by Louise.
She enjoyed golf
and
photography
. During
World War I
, she founded Dronningens
Centralkomité af 1914 (In English: “The Queen’s Central Committee of 1914”)
to the support of poor families.
She survived the
1918 flu pandemic
.
The couple were given great popularity as national symbols during the
World War II
occupation, which was demonstrated
during a tour through the country in 1946. Before the occupation, she and her
daughter-in-law were engaged in mobilising the women of Denmark. Her rejection
of General
Kaupisch
on 9 April 1940 became a symbol for
her loyalty toward Denmark before her birth country Germany. When the General of
the occupation forces first asked for an audience with the monarch, Christian
was persuaded to receive him by his daughter-in-law as he would any other, which
was supported by Alexandrine. He asked to do so alone, but Alexandrine told him
she would interrupt them. When the General was about to leave, she came in; and
when he greeted her, she said: “General, this is not the circumstance in which I
expected to greet a countryman.” It was reported, that although
Alexandrine was seen as shy and disliked official ceremonies, she had a “sharp”
intelligence, and she was, together with her daughter-in-law,
Ingrid of Sweden
, a true support of the monarch
and a driving force for the resistance toward the occupation within the royal
house. It was also reported, that in contrast to the monarch himself and the
Crown Prince, the Queen and the Crown Princess never lost their calm when the
nation was attacked. As she was not the Head of the Royal House, she could show
herself in public more than her spouse, who did not wish to show support to the
occupation by being seen in public, and she used this to engage in various
organisations for social relief to ease the difficulties caused by the
occupation.[7]
Kaj Munk
is quoted to describe the public
appreciation of her during WWII with his comment: “Protect our Queen, the only
German we would like to keep!”
In 1947, she was widowed; she became the first queen dowager of Denmark to
opt not to use that title.
Queen Alexandrine became the 1,170th
Dame
of the
Royal Order of Queen Maria Luisa
on 3 February
1929.
Christian X (Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm;
26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947) was the
King
of
Denmark
from 1912 to 1947 and the only king of
Iceland
(where the name was officially spelled
Kristján), between 1918 and 1944.
He was the third Danish monarch of the
House of Glücksburg
and the first member of his
family since king
Frederick VII
to have actually been born into
the Danish royal family; both his father and his grandfather were born as
princes of a German ducal family. Among his siblings was King
Haakon VII of Norway
.
His character as a ruler has been described as authoritarian, and he strongly
stressed the importance of royal dignity and power, in spite of the growing
importance of democracy. His reluctance to embrace democracy resulted in the
Easter Crisis of 1920
, in which he dismissed
the democratically elected cabinet with which he disagreed, and instated one of
his own choosing. This was nominally his right in accordance with the
constitution, but facing the risk of the monarchy being overthrown he was forced
to accept democratic control of the state and the role as a nominal
constitutional monarch.
In spite of becoming unpopular due to his resistance to democracy, during the
German
Occupation of Denmark
he did become a popular
symbol of resistance to German occupation, particularly because of the symbolic
value of the fact that he rode every day through the streets of Copenhagen
unaccompanied by guards. He also became the subject of a persistent
urban legend
according to which, during Nazi
occupation, he donned the
Star of David
in solidarity with the
Danish Jews
. This is not true, as Danish Jews
were not forced to wear the Star of David. However, the legend likely stems from
a 1942 British report that claimed he threatened to don the star if this was
forced upon Danish Jews. This is also supported by the king’s personal diary,
where the following entry can be found:
When you look at the inhumane treatment of Jews, not only in Germany but
occupied countries as well, you start worrying that such a demand might also
be put on us, but we must clearly refuse such this due to their protection
under the Danish constitution. I stated that I could not meet such a demand
towards Danish citizens. If such a demand is made, we would best meet it by
all wearing the Star of David.
In addition, he helped finance
the transport of Danish Jews to unoccupied Sweden
,
where they would be safe from Nazi persecution.[3]
With a reign spanning two world wars, and his role as a rallying symbol for
Danish national sentiment during the German Occupation, he has become one of the
most popular Danish monarchs of modern times.
Early life
Prince Christian and Princess Alexandrine with their son
Frederick
in 1900.
Christian was born on 26 September 1870 at
Charlottenlund Palace
in
Gentofte Municipality
near
Copenhagen
as the oldest son and child of
Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark
and his wife
Louise of Sweden
, only surviving child of
King Charles XV of Sweden
. He was baptised in
the Chapel
of
Christiansborg Palace
on 31 October 1870 by the
Bishop of Zealand
,
Hans Lassen Martensen
.
Marriage
Christian married
Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
in
Cannes
on April 26, 1898; she was a daughter of
Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
,
and
Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia
.
She eventually became his
queen consort
. They had two children:
- Prince Frederick (1899–1972), later King
Frederick IX of Denmark
- Prince Knud (1900–1976), later
Knud, Hereditary Prince of Denmark
The couple were given Christian VIII’s Palace at
Amalienborg Palace
in
Copenhagen
as their residence and
Sorgenfri Palace
north of Copenhagen as a
summer residence. Furthermore, the couple received
Marselisborg Palace
in
Aarhus
as a wedding present from the people of
Denmark in 1898. In 1914, the King also built the
villa
Klitgården
in
Skagen
.
Accession
On 14 May 1912,
King Frederick VIII
died after collapsing from
shortness of breath whilst taking a walk in a park in
Hamburg
,
Germany
. He had been returning from a
recuperation stay in Nice
,
France
, and was staying anonymously in the city
before continuing to
Copenhagen
. Christian was in
Copenhagen
when he heard about his father’s
demise and ascended the throne as Christian X.
Easter Crisis of 1920
Main article:
Easter Crisis of 1920
King Christian and the
German Emperor
.
In April 1920, Christian instigated the Easter Crisis, perhaps the most
decisive event in the evolution of the Danish monarchy in the Twentieth 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
(Denmark’s
South Jutland County
1971–2006), 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, remained part of the post-war
German state.
In Northern Schleswig, seventy-five percent voted for reunification with
Denmark and twenty-five percent for remaining with Germany. In this vote, the
entire region was considered to be an indivisible unit, and the entire region
was awarded to Denmark. In Central Schleswig, the situation was reversed with
eighty percent voting for Germany and twenty percent for Denmark. In this vote,
each municipality decided its own future, and German majorities prevailed
everywhere. In light of these results, the government of Prime Minister
Carl Theodor Zahle
determined that
reunification with Northern Schleswig could go forward, while Central Schleswig
would remain under German control.
Many Danish
nationalists
felt that at least the city of
Flensburg
, in Central Schleswig, should be
returned to Denmark regardless of the plebiscite’s results, due to the sizeable
Danish minority there and a general desire to see Germany permanently weakened
in the future. Christian X agreed with these sentiments, and ordered Prime
Minister Zahle to include Flensburg 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 the order and resigned several days
later after a heated exchange with the King.
Subsequently, Christian X dismissed the rest of the cabinet and replaced it
with a de facto conservative caretaker cabinet. 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 the King and members of the
Social Democrats
. Faced with the potential
overthrow of the Danish crown, Christian X stood down and dismissed his own
government, installing a compromise cabinet until elections could be held later
that year.
This was the last time a sitting Danish monarch attempted to take political
action without the full support of parliament. Following the crisis, Christian X
accepted his drastically reduced role as symbolic
head of state
.
Reign during World
War II
Two versions of the King’s Emblem Pin (Kongemærket), showing
Christian’s CX
cypher
; a popular symbol of
patriotism during the war.
At 4 a.m. on 9 April 1940, Nazi Germany
invaded Denmark in a surprise attack
,
overwhelming Denmark’s Army and Navy and destroying the Danish Army Air Corps.
Christian X quickly realized that Denmark was in an impossible position. Its
territory and population were far too small to hold out against Germany for any
sustained period of time. Its flat land would have resulted in it being easily
overrun by German panzers
;
Jutland
, for instance, would have been overrun
in short order by a panzer attack from
Schleswig-Holstein
immediately to the south.
Unlike its Nordic neighbors, Denmark had no mountain ranges from which a
drawn-out resistance could be mounted. With no prospect of being able to hold
out for any length of time, and faced with the explicit threat of the
Luftwaffe bombing the civilian population of
Copenhagen
, and with only one general in favour
of continuing to fight, Christian X and the entire Danish government capitulated
at about 6 a.m., in exchange for retaining political independence in domestic
matters. beginning the
occupation of Denmark
, which lasted until 5 May
1945.
In contrast to his brother,
King Haakon VII of Norway
,
Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
,
King George II of Greece
,
Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg
,
King Peter II of Yugoslavia
,
President Edvard Beneš of Czechoslovakia
and
President Władysław Raczkiewicz of Poland
all
who went into exile
(with the exception of
King Leopold III of Belgium
) 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 (Haakon escaped the invading
Germans after
refusing to accept a Nazi-friendly puppet regime
.)
Until the
imposition of martial law
by Germany in August
1943, Christian’s official speeches reflected the government’s official policy
of cooperation with the occupying forces, but this did not prevent his being
seen by the Danish people as a man of “mental resistance.” During the first two
years of the German occupation, in spite of his age and the precarious
situation, he nonetheless took a daily ride on his horse, “Jubilee,” through
Copenhagen, unaccompanied by a groom, let alone by a guard. He did this in order
to demonstrate that he had not abandoned his sovereign rights in the face of the
occupation.
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1945 newsreel about King Christian’s 75th birthday
In 1942,
Adolf Hitler
sent the king a long telegram
congratulating him on his seventy-second birthday. The king’s reply telegram was
a mere, Spreche Meinen besten Dank aus. Chr. Rex (English: Giving my best
thanks, King Christian). This perceived slight, known as the
Telegram Crisis
, greatly outraged Hitler and he
immediately recalled his ambassador from Copenhagen and expelled the Danish
ambassador from Germany. German pressure then resulted in the dismissal of the
government led by
Vilhelm Buhl
and its replacement with a new
cabinet led by non-party member and veteran diplomat
Erik Scavenius
, who the Germans expected would
be more cooperative. Today it is a well known fact that Scavenius also had the
full confidence of the king, who recognized the increasing German threat to
Denmark.[citation
needed] (In any event, whatever independence Denmark
had been able to maintain during the first years of the occupation ended
abruptly with the German putsch in August 1943.)
After a fall with his horse on 19 October 1942, he was more or less an
invalid for the rest of his reign.[7]
The role he played in creating the Easter Crisis of 1920 greatly reduced his
popularity, but his daily rides, the Telegram Crisis and the admiring stories
spread by
Danish-American
circles had once again made him
popular to the point of being a beloved national symbol.
Death of the king
On his death in
Amalienborg Palace
,
Copenhagen
, in 1947, Christian X was
interred
along other members of the Danish
royal family in
Roskilde Cathedral
near Copenhagen. Although he
had been behind the politics of Erik Scavenius, a cloth armband of the type worn
by members of the
Danish resistance movement
was placed on his
coffin at
castrum doloris
.
Legend and trivia
During the German
occupation of Denmark
, the King’s
daily ride through Copenhagen became a symbol of Danish sovereignty.
This picture was taken on his birthday in 1940. Note that he is not
accompanied by a guard.
On 22 November 1942, The Washington Post published a photograph of
Christian X; calling him, facetiously, a victim of Hitler, and stating that the
nation of this monarch did not oppose German occupation with arms.[citation
needed] It became then important for
Danish Americans
to prove the contrary, and a
number of stories were invented in the turmoil of the war. The most successful
of these was the legend of the king wearing the yellow star in order to support
the Jews.[10]
King Christian used to ride daily through the streets of Copenhagen
unaccompanied while the people stood and waved to him. One apocryphal story
relates that one day, a German soldier remarked to a young boy that he found it
odd that the king would ride with no bodyguard. The boy reportedly replied, “All
of Denmark is his bodyguard.” This story was recounted in
Nathaniel Benchley’s
bestselling book Bright
Candles as well as in
Lois Lowry
‘s book
Number the Stars
. The contemporary
patriotic song “Der rider en Konge” (There Rides a King) centers
on the king’s rides. In this song, the narrator replies to a foreigner’s inquiry
about the king’s lack of a guard that “he is our freest man” and that the king
is not shielded by physical force but that “hearts guard the king of Denmark.”
Another popular, but apocryphal, legend carried by the American press
concerned the supposed flying of the German flag over the Hotel d’Angleterre
(then being used as the Germany military headquarters in Copenhagen). The king
riding by and seeing the flag, tells a German sentry that this is a violation of
the armistice agreement and that the flag must be taken down. The sentry replies
that this will not be done. The king then says if the flag is not taken down, he
will send a Danish soldier to take it down. The sentry responds, “The soldier
will be shot.” The king replies “the Danish soldier will be me.” According to
the story, the flag was taken down. (Another version[citation
needed] has the Germans remove the Danish flag from
above Amalienborg royal palace; however, throughout the war the Danish flag flew
at Amalienborg.)
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.[citation
needed] This symbol was called the Kongemærket
(King’s Emblem pin).
The King and Danish
Jewry
During World War II Christian X became the hero of a number of myths about
his defense of the Danish Jews. The story which became best known says that the
King showed his support for the Jews by wearing the Star of David when riding in
the streets of Copenhagen.
This myth dates back to World War Two, specifically to a political cartoon,
in a Swedish newspaper on 10 January 1942 by the prominent anti-Fascist
Norwegian artist Ragnvald Blix and spread across the USA by Danish-American
propaganda efforts, but gained a second youth in 1952 with its retelling in
Leon Uris
novel and film
Exodus
. The myth has been read as a
metaphor for the general warm relation that existed between Danes and the Danish
Jews, but in the recent biography of the King by the court historian prof, Knud
J. V. Jespersen, there is substantial evidence that the King actually suggested
the idea of everyone wearing the yellow star should the Danish Jews be forced to
wear it.
Titles, styles
and honours
Royal Monogram of King Christian X of Denmark
Titles and styles
- 26 September 1870 – 29 January 1906: His Royal Highness
Prince Christian of Denmark
- 29 January 1906 – 14 May 1912: His Royal Highness The
Crown Prince of Denmark and Iceland
- 14 May 1912 – 20 April 1947: His Majesty The King of
Denmark (and Iceland/until monarchy was abolished)
Honours
Foreign Honours
Christian X was the 1,100th
Knight
of the
Order of the Golden Fleece
in
Spain
, the 849th
Knight
of the
Order of the Garter
in 1914 and the 265th
Grand Cross
of the
Order of the Tower and Sword
.
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