Top 10 Facts About the Danish Royal Family
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The country of Denmark has a long and storied history. In fact, Denmark is both one of the oldest countries in Europe as well as the world.[1]Denmark in Ukraine – Danish History and Culture Its history goes back to the Vikings. Denmark’s power has fluctuated many times during its history; however, the national identity has never changed. With that in mind, check out the article below for the top 10 facts about the Danish Royal Family.
#10: The Danish Royal Family, One of the Oldest in the World
The Danish royal family goes back more than 1000 years. In fact, the current Queen, Margrethe II, has a continuous traceable family line that goes all the way back to the age of Vikings. Furthermore, it is one of the oldest continuous monarchies still in existence today.[2]Denmark – THE DANISH MONARCHY The only other monarchies that are older than it are the Japanese Royal family, the Cambodian Monarchy, the Oman Monarchy, the British Monarchy, the Norwegian Monarchy, and the Monarchy of Luxembourg.
#9: The Danish Royal Family and Its Link to Modern Bluetooth Technology
Harald Bluetooth was the second king of Denmark. However, in modern times, he is better known for lending his name to modern Bluetooth technology. However, you may be asking how does a Danish king from over 1000 years ago have anything to do with modern day technology? To understand this, it is important to understand the beginning of Bluetooth technology.
In 1990s, there were several companies trying to make short range communication technologies for electronics. Jim Kardach, an engineer at Intel, realized that the only way develop this new technology was by working together. As a result, he called a conference of all the top electronics manufactures. Their goal was to develop a single global technology standard. At the time, Kardach was reading a book about the history of the Viking King Harald Bluetooth and his unification of the Scandinavian countries. Kardach said the name “Bluetooth was borrowed from the 10th century, second king of Denmark, King Harald Bluetooth; who was famous for uniting Scandinavia just as we intended to unite the PC and cellular industries with a short range wireless link.”[3]PCWorld – ‘So, that’s why it’s called Bluetooth!’ and other surprising tech name origins
However, Kardach borrowed more than just Bluetooth’s name with the new technology. He also borrowed Harald Bluetooth’s Scandinavian runes initials in the making of the Bluetooth logo. Ironically, Harald’s nickname Bluetooth described a badly decaying tooth.
#8: Margreth II is an artist
Similar to the Royal family of Britian, the power of the Danish royal family is mostly symbolic. As such, the current Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II, has used her position to realize her abilities in other areas. She is a real modern Queen and has stepped into her role as the head of the Danish royal family in a graceful and elegant manner. In fact, Margrethe II is a well known artist. For example, her interests in literature and the arts have produced a large portfolio of paintings, multiple theater designs, church garments, many book illustrations, and several book translations from Swedish into Danish as well as French into Danish.[4]Denmark – Queen Margrethe & the Prince Consort
Furthermore, a lot of her own art has been exhibited in places like ‘The Essence of Colour’ at the Arken Museum of Modern Art, in Copenhagen. Additionally, she has taken it upon herself to be a patron of the arts around the globe. In fact, when she travels to other countries, she always visits other art museums and exhibits.
#7: King Christian IX – “The Father in Law of Europe”
Historically, European royal families would marry their children off to other European royal families. This was one of the ways that they would develop political ties with other countries. Therefore, King Christian IX was well aware of this practice. In fact, King Christian IX’s success as the head of the Danish royal family does not come from any political or military actions of his. Rather, his real success came from his 6 children. They went on to successful marriages to several of the other royal houses of Europe. In fact, they were so good at this, that historians know Christian IX as the ‘Father in law of Europe’.
The easiest way to show his success is through his children’s marriages. First, his eldest son, who later became King Frederik VIII of Denmark, married Princess Louise of Sweden. Second, his daughter, Princess Alexandra of Denmark, married King Edward VII of the Britain and the United Kingdom. Third, his son, Prince Vilhelm of Denmark, became King George I of Greece when he married the Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia. Fourth, his daughter, Princess Dagmar of Denmark, married Emperor Alexander III of Russia. Fifth, his daughter, Princess Thyra of Denmark, married Crown Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover. Sixth, his son, Prince Valdemar of Denmark, married Princess Marie of Orleans.[5]Unofficial Royalty – King Christian IX of Denmark All of these marriages resulted in King Christian IX having over 39 grandchildren. Some of the most famous of them are Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and King George V of Britain.
#6: Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is one of only two ruling Queens in the World
Queen Margrethe II and the Queen of England are the only two current Queen Regents in the world. A Queen Regent is exactly the same as a King, but is just the name for a female monarch. It is important to make this distinction because a Queen consort is a Queen but has less power than a King. In other words, if the Queen Regent is married, her husband is King in name but not power.
#5: Queen Margrethe II is extremely popular
Today, in most modern countries, the ideas of a ruling King or Queen seems quite outdated. However, for many, the idea still holds a bit of romanticism and popularity. In fact, in Denmark, the Queen and the Danish royal family are quite popular. For example, the national Danish ratings show that over 70% of the country’s population both support and approve of the Queen.[6]CPH Post – The queen of Danish hearts Statisticians and political pundits attribute her popularity to her reliability, humor, and intelligence.
#4: Duties of a Danish Queen
The Queen of Denmark has no actual political power in the Danish government. However, she does have political duties to her country. For example, as the head of state, she must participate in the formation of new governments. Additionally, she is the head member of the Council of State. This is the main Danish government organization that passes the country’s laws. Lastly, she must both host visits to foreign dignitaries as well as officially represent Denmark when visiting other countries.[7]Denmark – Tasks & Duties In fact, much of her duties are very similar to the Queen of England. She stands as the symbol of the Denmark both domestically and abroad.
#3: King Christian X of Denmark helped the Jews during WWII
The Nazis occupied Denmark in 1940. However, unlike many other countries, they put into place a relatively mild rule over the country. In fact, they let Denmark rule all of its own internal affairs. the only thing that Nazi Germany would control is its international dealings.
During this period, there was a small Jewish population in Denmark. Due to their lax policies, the Nazis did not force the Danish government to deal with the ‘Jewish Question’. In fact, the Danish people supported for the Jewish people in their country. During this time, Jews were even allowed to live normal lives. Furthermore, the Danish people did not back down when pressed by the Nazi regime. For example, in 1943, the Nazis started to demand help in handing over the Jewish people living in Denmark. However, the Danish people resoundingly refused. In fact, King Christian X of Denmark openly opposed the Nazi plans and encouraged Danish people to help the Jews in the country.[8]United States Holocaust Memorial Museum – KING CHRISTIAN X OF DENMARK As such, the Jewish population in Denmark during WWII were relatively unaffected by the Nazis.
#2: The Prince Consort of Denmark is French
Before becoming Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark, his name was Henri Marie Jean Andre de Laborde de Monpezat. When he married into the Danish royal family, his first name was changed to the Danish name Henrik.[9]Marriage Across Frontiers In addition, he was given the official title of Prince Consort of Denmark. Furthermore, he comes from the French commune of Talence. His family, the Laborde de Monpezats dates back to the mid 17th century. While it was never against the rules for a Danish royal family to marry someone not royal, Henrik was the first non royal to marry into the family.
#1: Sweyn Forkbeard King of England
One of the most interesting facts about the Danish royal family is that they used to also be the kings of England. In fact, historical documents know Sweyn Forkbeard as ‘the most powerful ruler of his age – King of England, Denmark and Norway, as well as the title of the Great.[10]BBC -Sweyn Forkbeard: England’s forgotten Viking king However, historians do not know much about his rule. In fact, the little historical evidence available does not show him in a favorable light. What remains accuses him of killing his father Harald Bluetooth. Additionally, the historical evidence accuses him of destroying, plundering, and killing so many people during his reign of Britain, that we wouldn’t see anything bad for centuries.
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