Chapter 343: National Monarchism: Danish Christianism
Chapter 343: National Monarchism: Danish Christianism
The National Monarchism in Denmark was unlike any other in the Axis Central Powers, thanks to King Christian X. As a member of House of Glücksburg, a Dano-German branch of the House of Oldenburg, he was born into the Danish royal family, both his father and his grandfather were born as princes of a German ducal family. While he was authoritarian, with a strong stress of the importance of royal dignity and power, had led to the Easter Crisis of 1920, when he dismissed a democratic elected cabine. His popularity was quiet low afterwards, but Christian managed to convince the public of his good attentions by actions during the Second Great War. While only of symbolic value, he rode trought the streets of Copenhagen unaccompanied by guards every day and became a symbol of resisting the German occupation. In solidary to the Danish Jews, he wore the Star of David until the German Empire stopped it's anti-Semitic laws and politics with the end of Adolf Hitler. His reign spanned two world wars, and thanks to his role as a rallying symbol for Danish national sentiment during the German Occupation, he became one of the most popular Danish monarchs of modern times.
It was Christian X who quickly realized that the flat Danish land could not withstand the Imeprial German tanks for very long period of time, Jutland would have been overrun quickly and without any mountain ranges from wich a draw-out resistance could be mounted against the Imperial German army, Denmark's Army, Navy and the Danish Army Air Corps stood no chance. With the threat of the Imperial German Air Force bombing Copenhagen and only one of his generals in favor of continuing fighting, Christian X and the entire Danish government capitulated, in exchange for maintaining political independence in domestic matters. As a strategic important region for Scandinavia and the Battle for Britain, Denmark remained occupied by German forces. Unlike others, who went into Exile, like Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, King Peter II of Yugoslavia, President Edvard Beneš of Czechoslovakia and others, during the Imperial German occupation of their countries, Christian X remained in his capital. His brother King Haakon VII of Norway had triked the Germns into supporing him insead if Prime Minister Quislings and gained a huge support base in the Nasjonal Samling and the Hirden in Norway. At the same time however King Leopold III of Belgium had been imprisoned in Belgium by the German Empire and his state had been split up by the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the French Empire.
In support of collaboration with the German Empire and the Axis Central Powers were the National Monarchist Party of Denmark (Danish: Danmarks Nationalmonarcistiske Arbejderparti; DNMAP), the Danish foreign minister and prime minister Erik Julius Christian Scavenius, Princess Helena Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (German: Helene Adelheid Viktoria Marie) the third eldest daughter of Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and his wife Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, a princess of Denmark through her marriage within the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg to Prince Harald of Denmark. Princess Helena and other pro-German, pro-Axis Central Powers and National Monarchist sympathiser during the Second Great War supported the HIPO Corps (Danish: HIPO-korpset) was a Danish auxiliary police corps (the word HIPO is an abbreviation of the German word Hilfspolizei or auxiliary police), established by the German Military Police, the Lorenzen Group (Danish: Lorenzengruppen) and Peter Group (Danish: Petergruppen) two armed paramilitary groups, the Danish People's Defence (Danish: Dansk Folke Værn or Dansk Folkeværn) was the civilian arm of the Danish Schalburg Corps and the Free Corps Denmark (Danish: Frikorps Danmark) was a Danish volunteer free corps created by the DNMAP, all recruited from the ranks of Danish Namo collaborators.
When Germany later implemened Martial Law in August 1942, Christian's official speeches reflected the government's official policy of cooperation with the occupying forces, but this did not prevent him 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 so in order to demonstrate that he did not abandon his sovereign rights in th face of occupation. When the Germen Emperor Wilhelm send king Christian X a telegram in 1942, congratulating him on his seventy-second birthday, the king's reply telegram was a mere, Spreche Meinen besten Dank aus. Chr. Rex (Giving my best thanks, King Christian). This perceived slight, known as the Telegram Crisis, greatly outraged the German Emperor and he recalled his ambassador from Copenhagen and expelled the Danish ambassador from Germany, threatening Denmark with full occupation and declaring martial law (officially in response to some Danish resistance groups). 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. Unknown to the Germans, however had the full confidence of the king, who recognized the increasing Imperial German and Namo threat to Denmark. Denmark had already lost parts of his southern territory to Germany and Christian X feared that, whatever independence Denmark had been able to maintain during the first years of the occupation would end abruptly with the German putsch in August 1942.
After a fall with his horse on 19 October 1942, Christian X was more or less an invalid for the rest of his reign and life. While the role he played in creating the Easter Crisis of 1920 greatly reduced his popularity, his daily rides, the Telegram Crisis and the admiring stories spread by Danish circles all around the world had once again made him popular to the point of being a beloved national symbol. The pressure put on Denmark and the Danish during the Second Great War after the Telegram Crisis and the German declaration of Martial Law in the country, forced Christian X to sign the Integration Treaty (also Treaty of Coppenhagen) that integrated Denmark into Germany. Fearing that total annexation like in Belgium, might happen to Denmark too, Christian X saw this as the only way to save at least a little bit of Danish independence, national sovereignity and dignity. Much like the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Kingdom of Denmark became a German State, but the Danish (now officially a German minority group like Saxons, Bavarians and others) had special rights reguarding it's internal politics and freedom within the German Empire. This independence over it's army, railways, post office, diplomatic body, parliament and internal elections was the main reason King Christian X accepted the treaty instead of handing the government over toa German Miliary Administration. Despite this forced treaty that brought Denmark into Germany, Christian X would be remained as a fighter for Danish independence, nationalism, souvereignity and dignite (leading to the double meaning of his form of National-monarchism; Christianism, a reference to christian morals and the Danish democratic opposition against to much Namo and Faro authoritarianism), even long after his death on 20 April 1947.
The National Monarchism in Denmark was unlike any other in the Axis Central Powers, thanks to King Christian X. As a member of House of Glücksburg, a Dano-German branch of the House of Oldenburg, he was born into the Danish royal family, both his father and his grandfather were born as princes of a German ducal family. While he was authoritarian, with a strong stress of the importance of royal dignity and power, had led to the Easter Crisis of 1920, when he dismissed a democratic elected cabine. His popularity was quiet low afterwards, but Christian managed to convince the public of his good attentions by actions during the Second Great War. While only of symbolic value, he rode trought the streets of Copenhagen unaccompanied by guards every day and became a symbol of resisting the German occupation. In solidary to the Danish Jews, he wore the Star of David until the German Empire stopped it's anti-Semitic laws and politics with the end of Adolf Hitler. His reign spanned two world wars, and thanks to his role as a rallying symbol for Danish national sentiment during the German Occupation, he became one of the most popular Danish monarchs of modern times.
It was Christian X who quickly realized that the flat Danish land could not withstand the Imeprial German tanks for very long period of time, Jutland would have been overrun quickly and without any mountain ranges from wich a draw-out resistance could be mounted against the Imperial German army, Denmark's Army, Navy and the Danish Army Air Corps stood no chance. With the threat of the Imperial German Air Force bombing Copenhagen and only one of his generals in favor of continuing fighting, Christian X and the entire Danish government capitulated, in exchange for maintaining political independence in domestic matters. As a strategic important region for Scandinavia and the Battle for Britain, Denmark remained occupied by German forces. Unlike others, who went into Exile, like Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, King Peter II of Yugoslavia, President Edvard Beneš of Czechoslovakia and others, during the Imperial German occupation of their countries, Christian X remained in his capital. His brother King Haakon VII of Norway had triked the Germns into supporing him insead if Prime Minister Quislings and gained a huge support base in the Nasjonal Samling and the Hirden in Norway. At the same time however King Leopold III of Belgium had been imprisoned in Belgium by the German Empire and his state had been split up by the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the French Empire.
When Germany later implemened Martial Law in August 1942, Christian's official speeches reflected the government's official policy of cooperation with the occupying forces, but this did not prevent him 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 so in order to demonstrate that he did not abandon his sovereign rights in th face of occupation. When the Germen Emperor Wilhelm send king Christian X a telegram in 1942, congratulating him on his seventy-second birthday, the king's reply telegram was a mere, Spreche Meinen besten Dank aus. Chr. Rex (Giving my best thanks, King Christian). This perceived slight, known as the Telegram Crisis, greatly outraged the German Emperor and he recalled his ambassador from Copenhagen and expelled the Danish ambassador from Germany, threatening Denmark with full occupation and declaring martial law (officially in response to some Danish resistance groups). 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. Unknown to the Germans, however had the full confidence of the king, who recognized the increasing Imperial German and Namo threat to Denmark. Denmark had already lost parts of his southern territory to Germany and Christian X feared that, whatever independence Denmark had been able to maintain during the first years of the occupation would end abruptly with the German putsch in August 1942.
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