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| Brief History of Denmark |
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All information on the history of Denmark prior to and including the medieval period that is available today is based completely on the ‘Gesta Danorum,’ which was a series of 16 books written in Latin by Danish history scholar Saxo Grammaticus during the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Historians believe that the first inhabitants of Demark date to the Stone Age, or rather prior to 1200 B.C. It is said, however, that the inhabitants of this early Danish Kingdom might have moved to other neighboring locations, mainly due to the drastic weather conditions in Denmark. Later, around 400 B.C., part of the Kingdom of Denmark was ruled by the Romans, which can also be proven by Roman artistic creations found during the 1st century A.D. Medieval Period During this period, the Vikings (also known as the Norsemen) settled in what is today the Kingdom of Denmark. Some scholars say that the Vikings were raiders and hunters and were so strong that they were able to raid the British Kingdom and Western areas of Europe. These Vikings further settled in Denmark and became farmers. During the first half of the 9th century, Danes were Christianized by Saint Ansgar. After Christianity was introduced in Denmark, Harold Blaatand (Bluetooth) became the first King of the Kingdom of Denmark to have supported two main aspects: 1) a Unified Kingdom and 2) Christianity. After Harold’s reign, his son conquered England and a new state was included in the Kingdom of Denmark. The dominant King Canute the Great further ruled this new unified Denmark during the 11th century. After Canute the Great there was civil war in Denmark and England was separated from the unified Kingdom of Denmark. There were other kings who attempted to take control but Waldemar the Great was crowned as the next king and was strong enough to finally stabilize the situation in Denmark. Waldemar IV’s daughter, Queen Margaret, was finally able to once again form a unified Kingdom with Sweden and Norway in the late 14th century. Modern Denmark From the late 20th century onwards, there was several changes in the size of Kingdom of Denmark. Two important territories, the Faeroe Islands and Iceland, which had been part of the unified Kingdom for over 600 years, split to form independent nations soon after being occupied by the British. While these developments were going on, Greenland became an official part of the Kingdom. Denmark became a member of the United Nations in 1945 and of the European Union in 1973. |