Vilhelm was a different king than his father-in-law, while Frederik had been a drunkard who left governing to other people, Vilhelm was a more hands on approach. But even as absolute king Vilhelm knew that he position was weaker than Frederiks, so he kept Frederiks inner circle and continued the military reforms, which had been started under his father in law. Vilhelm had little interest in culture, but he was interested in science, the army and economy. Which would be the focus under his reign. He ended up agreeing with the removal of the Stavnsbaand. But he also decided to to enforce his will on Holstein.
The Knights of Holstein had been able to go the Imperial Diet with their complains, when the Duke (the Danish king) attacked their rights. But the agreement about Holstein now meant that they no longer could do that. So he disestablish their estates and freed their serf, much to the lamentation of the knights, he also forced the same land reform down over them as it had been done against the Danish nobles.
As part of the Danish Louisiana policies, the Holstein knights and Danish nobles, did get compensation giant land plot along the Mississippi River. They wasn’t happy. But on the other hand land was still land, and many send agents to see what they had gotten. Some sold their plot, but other decided to develop them. They send relatives or agents to set up estates on their new land. Contracted British merchants to know what they dealt with. The discovery that the British grew rice in some of their southern North American colonies, inspired some to set rice plantations up, other just decided to let cattle grass there, until they got a better idea or sold it. All in all it served well to develop the new colonies.
Denmark was one of the more tolerant countries of Jews, but they had never had any political important positions, they was used by the state to weaken the guild structure. But Vilhelm imported the idea of Court Jew to handle finance, while the inner circle wasn’t happy about it, on the other hand the position was political rather harmless.
One place where Vilhelm had to walk very careful was on the issue of faith, Vilhelm was Reformed, while Denmark-Norway was Lutheran. He did increase the religious tolerance for Reformed and favoured Pietist bishops. But the Lutheran Church kept ruling supreme. There was pressure for him to convert, but foreign policy-wise he found that his Reformed faith offered him more opportunities, as example future marriage with the Dutch or Prussian royal house for his children.
Vilhelm second oldest brother Carl was made Stadtholder of Schleswig-Holstein, there was several reasons to this the most important that until Vilhelm produced a son, Carl was his heir. Carl was also competent.
Economical the Danish economy began a Golden Age under Vilhelm, the land and agricultural reforms resulted in decades long growth, as the Danish agricultural production increased. At the same time Vilhelm invited Hessians settlers to the Jutish heath, where they joined the already existing German settlers. The Jutish heath which almost covered one quarter of Denmark was mostly unpopulated, but the Hessians and other German could grow potatoes in its sandy soil. The Reformed Hessians was given religious freedom to practice their faith, as long as they did preach for Lutherans. Dutch settlers (with same rights) was also invited to settle along the Wadden Sea, a low lying which was often flooded. The result was new techniques was introduced. Among the Dutch settlers was many Friesians, they often integrated and converted the local Frisian who enjoyed visiting Churches using a language closer to their own. The Stadtholder mostly ignored this. But to avoid conflict with the Lutheran Church he ordered the Bible translated to North Frisian, and that North Frisian should be liturgical language in Frisian areas. As such he ordered a census of the population in Schleswig-Holstein and which language they spoke. He also discovered that many Danish speaking areas used German as liturgical language. So to avoid Reformed conversions, he ordered that the liturgical language should follow the language of the local population.
But the land and agricultural reforms wasn’t the only thing pushing the Danish economic boom, the sugar production on the Danish West Indies push the growth, but also the East Indian trade, some of which was little more than money laundering from corrupt British administrators in India. But money was money.
Danish foreign policy had usually been based on a balance act between the French and British, Vilhelm began moving it toward Britain. The pro-French attitude of the Danish result of the Scanian War, where the French support of the Dutch resulted in a loss on the negotiation table. He cynical saw that the weakness of Sweden and the strategic position of Denmark meant that being on the opposite side of UK was the greatest threat. The Danish navy could beat both the Swedish and Russian, while a conflict with the Dutch could be won on land. So while UK was politically isolated Denmark began to toward them. Of course Denmark did it best to keep a cordial relationship with other powers, as Denmark’s interest in this period was solely opportunistic. There wasn’t any land, which Denmark had great interest in, which they could realistic gain.
As such when the American Revolutionary War began, Denmark and UK began negotiations. UK wanted to rent soldiers from Denmark, Vilhelm was open to it, but he demanded a significant price. The result was that by 1777 Denmark rented out 30000 soldiers to the British, they could use in North America, the Danes would transport them over again paid by the British. Beside the fortune the British paid, Denmark also received some territorial concessions, the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg, the east bank of the Lower Mississippi and the territory west of the Ohio River. These soldiers would only be rented out to the British and Denmark was still neutral.
The Knights of Holstein had been able to go the Imperial Diet with their complains, when the Duke (the Danish king) attacked their rights. But the agreement about Holstein now meant that they no longer could do that. So he disestablish their estates and freed their serf, much to the lamentation of the knights, he also forced the same land reform down over them as it had been done against the Danish nobles.
As part of the Danish Louisiana policies, the Holstein knights and Danish nobles, did get compensation giant land plot along the Mississippi River. They wasn’t happy. But on the other hand land was still land, and many send agents to see what they had gotten. Some sold their plot, but other decided to develop them. They send relatives or agents to set up estates on their new land. Contracted British merchants to know what they dealt with. The discovery that the British grew rice in some of their southern North American colonies, inspired some to set rice plantations up, other just decided to let cattle grass there, until they got a better idea or sold it. All in all it served well to develop the new colonies.
Denmark was one of the more tolerant countries of Jews, but they had never had any political important positions, they was used by the state to weaken the guild structure. But Vilhelm imported the idea of Court Jew to handle finance, while the inner circle wasn’t happy about it, on the other hand the position was political rather harmless.
One place where Vilhelm had to walk very careful was on the issue of faith, Vilhelm was Reformed, while Denmark-Norway was Lutheran. He did increase the religious tolerance for Reformed and favoured Pietist bishops. But the Lutheran Church kept ruling supreme. There was pressure for him to convert, but foreign policy-wise he found that his Reformed faith offered him more opportunities, as example future marriage with the Dutch or Prussian royal house for his children.
Vilhelm second oldest brother Carl was made Stadtholder of Schleswig-Holstein, there was several reasons to this the most important that until Vilhelm produced a son, Carl was his heir. Carl was also competent.
Economical the Danish economy began a Golden Age under Vilhelm, the land and agricultural reforms resulted in decades long growth, as the Danish agricultural production increased. At the same time Vilhelm invited Hessians settlers to the Jutish heath, where they joined the already existing German settlers. The Jutish heath which almost covered one quarter of Denmark was mostly unpopulated, but the Hessians and other German could grow potatoes in its sandy soil. The Reformed Hessians was given religious freedom to practice their faith, as long as they did preach for Lutherans. Dutch settlers (with same rights) was also invited to settle along the Wadden Sea, a low lying which was often flooded. The result was new techniques was introduced. Among the Dutch settlers was many Friesians, they often integrated and converted the local Frisian who enjoyed visiting Churches using a language closer to their own. The Stadtholder mostly ignored this. But to avoid conflict with the Lutheran Church he ordered the Bible translated to North Frisian, and that North Frisian should be liturgical language in Frisian areas. As such he ordered a census of the population in Schleswig-Holstein and which language they spoke. He also discovered that many Danish speaking areas used German as liturgical language. So to avoid Reformed conversions, he ordered that the liturgical language should follow the language of the local population.
But the land and agricultural reforms wasn’t the only thing pushing the Danish economic boom, the sugar production on the Danish West Indies push the growth, but also the East Indian trade, some of which was little more than money laundering from corrupt British administrators in India. But money was money.
Danish foreign policy had usually been based on a balance act between the French and British, Vilhelm began moving it toward Britain. The pro-French attitude of the Danish result of the Scanian War, where the French support of the Dutch resulted in a loss on the negotiation table. He cynical saw that the weakness of Sweden and the strategic position of Denmark meant that being on the opposite side of UK was the greatest threat. The Danish navy could beat both the Swedish and Russian, while a conflict with the Dutch could be won on land. So while UK was politically isolated Denmark began to toward them. Of course Denmark did it best to keep a cordial relationship with other powers, as Denmark’s interest in this period was solely opportunistic. There wasn’t any land, which Denmark had great interest in, which they could realistic gain.
As such when the American Revolutionary War began, Denmark and UK began negotiations. UK wanted to rent soldiers from Denmark, Vilhelm was open to it, but he demanded a significant price. The result was that by 1777 Denmark rented out 30000 soldiers to the British, they could use in North America, the Danes would transport them over again paid by the British. Beside the fortune the British paid, Denmark also received some territorial concessions, the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg, the east bank of the Lower Mississippi and the territory west of the Ohio River. These soldiers would only be rented out to the British and Denmark was still neutral.