King of Denmark from 1947 to 1972
Frederik IX
(
Danish
:
Christian Frederik Franz Michael Carl Valdemar Georg
; 11 March 1899 ? 14 January 1972) was
King of Denmark
from 1947 to 1972.
[3]
Frederik was born into the
House of Glucksburg
during the reign of his great-grandfather
King Christian IX
. He was the first child of
Prince Christian of Denmark
and
Princess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
(later King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine). He became
crown prince
when his father succeeded as king in 1912. As a young man, he was educated at the
Royal Danish Naval Academy
. In 1935, he married
Princess Ingrid of Sweden
. They had three daughters:
Margrethe
,
Benedikte
and
Anne-Marie
. During
Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark
, Frederik acted as
regent
on behalf of his father from 1942 until 1943.
[4]
[5]
Frederik became king on his father's death in April 1947. During Frederik's reign, Danish society changed rapidly, the
welfare state
was expanded and, as a consequence of the booming economy of the 1960s, women entered the labour market. The modernization brought new demands on the monarchy and Frederik's role as a
constitutional monarch
. Frederik died in 1972, and was succeeded by his eldest daughter, Margrethe II.
[6]
Birth and family
[
edit
]
Prince Frederik was born on 11 March 1899 at his parents' country
residence
, the
Sorgenfri Palace
, located on the shores of the small
river
Mølleaen
in
Kongens Lyngby
north of
Copenhagen
on the island of
Zealand
in
Denmark
, during the reign of his great-grandfather
King Christian IX
.
[7]
His father was
Prince Christian of Denmark
(later King Christian X), the eldest son of
Crown Prince Frederik
and
Princess Louise of Sweden
(later King Frederik VIII and Queen Louise). His mother was
Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
, the eldest daughter of
Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
and
Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia
.
[
citation needed
]
He was baptised in the
Garden Room
at Sorgenfri Palace on 9 April 1899 by the royal
confessor
Jakob Paulli.
[7]
The young prince had 21
godparents
: Christian IX of Denmark (his paternal great-grandfather);
Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark
(his paternal grandfather); the
Dowager Grand Duchess Anastasia of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
(his maternal grandmother);
Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia
(his maternal great-grandfather);
Dowager Grand Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
(his maternal step-great-grandmother);
Prince Carl of Denmark
(his paternal uncle);
Princess Thyra of Denmark
(his paternal aunt);
Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
(his maternal uncle);
George I of Greece
(his paternal great-uncle);
Albert Edward, Prince of Wales
(his paternal great-uncle by marriage);
Ernest August, Duke of Cumberland
(his paternal great-uncle by marriage);
Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia
(his maternal great-uncle); his first cousins once removed,
Nicholas II of Russia
,
George, Duke of York
,
Prince George of Greece and Denmark
and Georg Wilhelm, Hereditary Prince of Hanover;
Crown Prince Constantine
and
Crown Princess Sophia of Greece
(his first cousin once removed, and his wife); his paternal great-granduncles,
Prince Johann of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg
and
King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway
; and
Crown Prince Gustaf
and
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
(his first cousin twice removed and his wife).
[8]
Frederik's only sibling,
Knud
, was born one year after Frederik. The family lived in apartments in Christian VIII's Palace at
Amalienborg Palace
in
Copenhagen
, in
Sorgenfri Palace
near the capital and in a summer residence,
Marselisborg Palace
in
Aarhus
in
Jutland
, which Frederik's parents had received as a wedding present from the people of Denmark in 1898. In 1914, the King also built the
villa
Klitgarden
in
Skagen
in
Northern Jutland
.
[
citation needed
]
Early life
[
edit
]
Christian IX died on 29 January 1906, and Frederik's grandfather Crown Prince Frederik succeeded him as King Frederik VIII. Frederik's father became crown prince, and Frederik moved up to second in line to the throne.
[
citation needed
]
Just six years later, on 14 May 1912, King Frederik VIII died, and Frederik's father ascended the throne as King Christian X. Frederik himself became crown prince. On 1 December 1918, as the
Danish?Icelandic Act of Union
recognized Iceland as a fully
sovereign state
in
personal union
with Denmark through a common
monarch
, Frederik also became crown prince of
Iceland
(where his name was officially spelled Friðrik). However, as a
national referendum
established the Republic of Iceland
on 17 June 1944, he never succeeded as king of Iceland.
[
citation needed
]
Frederik was educated at the
Royal Danish Naval Academy
(breaking with Danish royal tradition by choosing a naval instead of an army career) and the
University of Copenhagen
. Before he became king, he had acquired the rank of
rear admiral
and he had had several senior commands on active service. He acquired several tattoos during his naval service.
[
citation needed
]
In addition, with his great love of music, the king was an able
piano
player and
conductor
. (
[9]
)
Marriage and issue
[
edit
]
In the 1910s, Alexandrine considered the two youngest daughters of her cousin
Tsar Nicholas II
,
Grand Duchesses Maria
and
Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia
, as possible wives for Frederik until the execution of the Romanov family in 1918. In 1922, Frederik was engaged to
Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark
, his second cousin. They never wed.
[10]
[11]
Instead, on 15 March 1935, a few days after his 36th birthday, his engagement to Princess
Ingrid of Sweden
(1910?2000), a daughter of
Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf
(later King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden) and his first wife,
Princess Margaret of Connaught
, was announced. They had gotten engaged in private in the beginning of February.
[12]
Frederik and Ingrid were related in several ways. In descent from
Oscar I of Sweden
and
Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden
, they were double third cousins. In descent from
Paul I of Russia
, Frederik was a fourth cousin of Ingrid's mother. They married in
Stockholm Cathedral
on 24 May 1935. Their wedding was one of the greatest media events of the day in Sweden in 1935, and among the wedding guests were the
King
and
Queen of Denmark
, the
King
and
Queen of Belgium
and the
Crown Prince
and
Crown Princess of Norway
.
[
citation needed
]
Upon their return to Denmark, the couple were given
Frederik VIII's Palace
at
Amalienborg Palace
in Copenhagen as their primary residence and
Grasten Palace
in
Northern Schleswig
as a summer residence.
[
citation needed
]
Their daughters are:
Reign
[
edit
]
From 1942 until 1943, Frederik acted as
regent
on behalf of his father who was temporarily incapacitated after a fall from his horse in October 1942.
On 20 April 1947, Christian X died, and Frederik succeeded to the throne. He was proclaimed king from the balcony of
Christiansborg Palace
by
Prime Minister
Knud Kristensen
.
Frederik IX's reign saw great change. During these years, Danish society shook off the restrictions of an agricultural society, developed a welfare state, and, as a consequence of the booming economy of the 1960s, women entered the labour market. In other words, Denmark became a modern country, which meant new demands on the monarchy.
In 1948, one year into the king's reign, the
Faroe Islands
obtained
home rule
and became a
self-governing
country within the
Danish Realm
.
Changes to the Act of Succession
[
edit
]
As King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid had no sons, it was expected that the king's younger brother,
Prince Knud
, would inherit the throne, in accordance with Denmark's succession law (Royal Ordinance of 1853).
However, in 1953, an Act of Succession was passed, changing the method of succession to
male-preference primogeniture
(which allows daughters to succeed if there are no sons). This meant that his daughters could succeed him if he had no sons. As a consequence, his eldest daughter, Margrethe, became
heir presumptive
. By order of 27 March 1953 the succession to the throne was limited to the issue of King Christian X.
Death and funeral
[
edit
]
Shortly after the King had delivered his New Year's Address to the Nation at the 1971/72 turn of the year, he became ill with flu-like symptoms. After a few days rest, he suffered cardiac arrest and was rushed to the
Copenhagen Municipal Hospital
on 3 January. After a brief period of apparent improvement, the King's condition took a negative turn on 11 January, and he died 3 days later, on 14 January, at 7:50 pm surrounded by his immediate family and closest friends, having been unconscious since the previous day.
[13]
[14]
Following his death, the King's coffin was transported to his home at
Amalienborg Palace
, where it stood until 18 January, when it was moved to the
chapel
at
Christiansborg Palace
.
[15]
There the King was placed on
castrum doloris
, a ceremony largely unchanged since introduced at the burial of
Frederik III
in 1670, and the last remaining royal ceremony where the
Danish Crown Regalia
is used. The King then
lay in state
for six days until his
funeral
, during which period the public could pay their last respects.
[16]
The funeral took place on 24 January 1972, and was split in two parts. First a brief ceremony was held in the chapel where the king had lain in state, where the
Bishop of Copenhagen
,
Willy Westergaard Madsen
, said a brief prayer, followed by a hymn, before the coffin was carried out of the chapel by members of the
Royal Life Guards
and placed on a
gun carriage
for the journey through
Copenhagen
to
Copenhagen Central Station
. The gun carriage was pulled by 48
seamen
and was escorted by
honor guards
from the Danish
Army
,
Air Force
, and
Navy
, as well as honor guards from France, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States.
[17]
At the
Copenhagen Central Station
, the coffin was placed in a special railway carriage for the rail journey to
Roskilde
. The
funeral train
was pulled by two
DSB class E
steam engines. Once in Roskilde, the coffin was pulled through the city by a group of
seamen
to
Roskilde Cathedral
where the final ceremony took place. Previous rulers had been interred in the cathedral, but it was the King's wish to be buried outside.
[18]
Succession
[
edit
]
He was succeeded by his eldest daughter,
Queen Margrethe II
.
[19]
She
abdicated on 14 January 2024
, the 52nd anniversary of his death and her accession.
Queen Ingrid survived her husband by 28 years. She died on 7 November 2000. Her remains were interred alongside him at the burial site outside Roskilde Cathedral.
Legacy
[
edit
]
On 20 April 1982, a statue of King Frederik IX dressed in the uniform of an admiral was unveiled by the Copenhagen harbour on the 35th anniversary of his accession to the throne in 1947 and in the tenth year after his death.
[20]
The
Crown Prince Frederik Range
in
Greenland
was named after him when it was first mapped by
Sir Martin Lindsay
in 1934 during the
British Trans-Greenland Expedition
.
[21]
Folktale
[
edit
]
In the southern city,
Sønderborg
, King Frederik IX has a dish named after the king himself. The dish is called "Kong Fiddes livret" (English: King Frederik's Favorite). The name Fidde is a common nickname for people named Frederik in the southern parts of Denmark. The dish is supposedly one that was regularly served to King Frederik IX's on his birthday at
Grasten Palace
.
[22]
The dish consist of strips of flank steak, stirred in a creamy paprika and curry sauce, served with French fries, boiled potatoes, beetroot, boiled eggs and freshly sliced onions.
[23]
Honours
[
edit
]
- Danish honours
[24]
- Foreign honours
[25]
- Honorary military appointments
Ancestors
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Citations
[
edit
]
- ^
"Margarita de Dinamarca cuenta el drama de ver enfermar y morir a su padre en 14 dias"
.
Archived
from the original on 2 November 2021
. Retrieved
26 August
2019
.
- ^
"Frederik of Denmark Dies; Margrethe to Be Queen".
The New York Times
. New York, N. Y. 15 January 1972. p. 1.
- ^
"Frederik 9"
.
kongernessamling.dk
.
Archived
from the original on 7 August 2019
. Retrieved
1 December
2019
.
- ^
"Queen Anne-Marie"
.
The Greek Royal Family
.
Archived
from the original on 26 December 2019
. Retrieved
1 December
2019
.
- ^
"H.K.H. Prinsesse Benedikte"
.
kongehuset.dk
. 28 November 2015.
Archived
from the original on 30 July 2019
. Retrieved
1 December
2019
.
- ^
"The Royal Lineage"
.
kongehuset.dk
. 7 April 2016.
Archived
from the original on 8 August 2019
. Retrieved
1 December
2019
.
- ^
a
b
Hindø, Lone; Boelskifte, Else (2007).
Kongelig Dab. Fjorten generationer ved Rosenborg-døbefonten
[
Royal Baptisms. Fourteen generations at the Rosenborg baptismal font
] (in Danish). Forlaget Hovedland. p. 101-107.
ISBN
978-87-7070-014-6
.
- ^
"Prinser og Prinsesser kommer ogsa i kirkebogen"
. The Danish State Archives
. Retrieved
10 August
2011
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"Frederik IX"
. 15 March 2016.
Archived
from the original on 3 June 2023
. Retrieved
3 June
2023
.
- ^
"DANISH HEIR ENGAGED.; Crown Prince Will Wed Princess Olga of Greece"
.
The New York Times
. Associated Press. 6 March 1922
. Retrieved
13 May
2017
.
- ^
"CONSTANTINE'S NIECE NOT TO WED PRINCE; Engagement of Princess Olga and Heir to the Danish Throne Is Annuled (sic)"
.
The New York Times
. Associated Press. 28 September 1922
. Retrieved
13 May
2017
.
- ^
Mandal, Marcus (director) (1999).
Frederik ? Konge til alle tider
(Television production) (in Danish).
DR
. Retrieved
6 April
2024
.
- ^
Jon Bloch Skipper.
Sømandskongen
. Pp 300?309.
Aschehoug
(2005).
ISBN
978-87-1111-789-7
.
- ^
"Frederik of Denmark Dies. Margrethe to Be Queen"
.
New York Times
. 15 January 1972.
Archived
from the original on 28 March 2023
. Retrieved
8 February
2017
.
- ^
"Royalty and Danish Commoners Honor King Frederik at Burial"
.
New York Times
.
Associated Press
. 25 January 1972.
Archived
from the original on 7 March 2018
. Retrieved
8 February
2017
.
- ^
Jon Bloch Skipper.
Sømandskongen
. Pp 315.
Aschehoug
(2005).
ISBN
978-87-1111-789-7
.
- ^
"Hans Majestæt, Kong Frederik den IX's bisættelse 1:2"
.
DR
. 24 January 1972.
Archived
from the original on 15 January 2023
. Retrieved
14 January
2023
.
- ^
Roger Lundgren.
Ingrid
. Pp 147. People'sPress (2010).
ISBN
978-87-7055-826-6
.
- ^
"Margrethe Proclaimed Queen of Denmark in Brief Ceremony at Palace"
.
New York Times
.
Reuters
. 16 January 1972.
Archived
from the original on 28 March 2023
. Retrieved
8 February
2017
.
- ^
"King Frederick IX (1899-1972)"
. The City of Copenhagen. Archived from
the original
on 17 September 2007
. Retrieved
10 August
2011
.
- ^
"French Honour For British Explorer",
The Times
, 12 April 1935.
- ^
Rørby Madsen, Holger.
"Kong Fiddes livret - opskrift pa en kongelig gryderet"
.
Madens Verden
. Moderne Medier ApS
. Retrieved
22 January
2024
.
- ^
Restaurant Colosseum.
"Menu"
.
Restaurant Colosseum
. Restaurant Colosseum
. Retrieved
22 January
2024
.
- ^
Bille-Hansen, A. C.; Holck, Harald, eds. (1943) [1st pub.:1801].
Statshaandbog for Kongeriget Danmark for Aaret 1943
[
State Manual of the Kingdom of Denmark for the Year 1943
]
(PDF)
. Kongelig Dansk Hof- og Statskalender (in Danish). Copenhagen: J.H. Schultz A.-S. Universitetsbogtrykkeri. pp. 17?18.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 23 September 2019
. Retrieved
16 September
2019
– via
da:DIS Danmark
.
- ^
Bille-Hansen, A. C.; Holck, Harald, eds. (1963) [1st pub.:1801].
Statshaandbog for Kongeriget Danmark for Aaret 1963
[
State Manual of the Kingdom of Denmark for the Year 1963
]
(PDF)
. Kongelig Dansk Hof- og Statskalender (in Danish). Copenhagen: J.H. Schultz A.-S. Universitetsbogtrykkeri. p. 17.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 22 September 2019
. Retrieved
16 September
2019
– via
da:DIS Danmark
.
- ^
"bryllupsbillede"
. kongehuset.dk. Archived from
the original
on 3 June 2014
. Retrieved
15 September
2015
.
- ^
"Reply to a parliamentary question"
(PDF)
.
Parlament.gv.at
(in German). p. 134.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 1 May 2020
. Retrieved
8 October
2012
.
- ^
"Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun Suurristi Ketjuineen"
.
ritarikunnat.fi
(in Finnish).
Archived
from the original on 27 September 2020
. Retrieved
7 May
2020
.
- ^
Italy. Ministero dell'interno (1920).
Calendario generale del regno d'Italia
. p.
58
.
Archived
from the original on 22 September 2023
. Retrieved
8 October
2020
.
- ^
"Den kongelige norske Sanct Olavs Orden"
,
Norges Statskalender
(in Norwegian), 1922, pp. 1173?1174,
archived
from the original on 17 September 2021
, retrieved
17 September
2021
– via hathitrust.org
- ^
Sveriges Statskalender
(in Swedish), vol. 2, 1940, p. 7,
archived
from the original on 7 January 2018
, retrieved
6 January
2018
– via runeberg.org
- ^
"Image: 505953022_2_Big.jpg, (449 × 600 px)"
. 3.bp.blogspot.com.
Archived
from the original on 4 March 2015
. Retrieved
15 September
2015
.
- ^
??????????????????????????????
(PDF)
.
Royal Thai Government Gazette
(in Thai). 3 March 1917. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 4 March 2016
. Retrieved
8 May
2019
.
- ^
"No. 38339"
.
The London Gazette
. 29 June 1948. p. 3787.
- ^
"The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)"
(PDF)
. Kent Fallen.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 3 September 2012
. Retrieved
30 December
2015
.
- ^
"The Queen's Regiment"
. Regiments.org. Archived from
the original
on 10 February 2006
. Retrieved
20 July
2016
.
- ^
"Connection with The Princess of Wales Royal Regiment"
.
The Danish Royal House
. 22 April 2023.
Archived
from the original on 1 July 2023
. Retrieved
30 June
2023
.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Bramsen, Bo (1992).
Huset Glucksborg. Europas svigerfader og hans efterslægt
[
The House of Glucksburg. The Father-in-law of Europe and his descendants
] (in Danish) (2nd ed.). Copenhagen: Forlaget Forum.
ISBN
87-553-1843-6
.
- Fabricius Møller, Jes (2013).
Dynastiet Glucksborg, en Danmarkshistorie
[
The Glucksborg Dynasty, a history of Denmark
] (in Danish). Copenhagen: Gad.
ISBN
978-87-12-04841-1
.
- Lerche, Anna; Mandal, Marcus (2003).
A royal family: the story of Christian IX and his European descendants
. Copenhagen: Aschehoug.
ISBN
978-87-15-10957-7
.
- Scocozza, Benito (1997). "Frederik 9.".
Politikens bog om danske monarker
[
Politiken's book about Danish monarchs
] (in Danish). Copenhagen: Politikens Forlag. pp. 200?203.
ISBN
87-567-5772-7
.
External links
[
edit
]
Frederik IX
Born:
11 March 1899
Died:
14 January 1972
|
Regnal titles
|
Preceded by
|
King of Denmark
1947?1972
|
Succeeded by
|
|
---|
The generations are numbered from the implementation of hereditary monarchy by
Frederick III
in 1660.
|
1st generation
| | |
---|
2nd generation
| |
---|
3rd generation
| |
---|
4th generation
| |
---|
5th generation
| |
---|
6th generation
| |
---|
7th generation
| |
---|
8th generation
| |
---|
9th generation
| |
---|
10th generation
| |
---|
11th generation
| |
---|
12th generation
| |
---|
13th generation
| |
---|
1
Also prince of Norway
2
Also prince of Greece
3
Also prince of Iceland
4
Also prince of the United Kingdom
5
Not Danish prince by birth, but created prince of Denmark
Princes that lost their title are shown in italics
|
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
---|
Artists
| |
---|
People
| |
---|
Other
| |
---|