Royalty. He was the King of Denmark, as well as the first and only King of Iceland. Born Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm at Charlottenlund Palace, son of Frederick VIII and Queen Lovisa. In 1889, he was the first heir to the throne to pass the upper secondary school examination. He then trained with the military and ever after saw himself as a soldier. In 1898, he married Duchess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin with whom he had two children, Princes Frederik and Knud. Frederik VIII died in 1912 and Christian succeeded. In April 1920 he created what is now called the Easter Crisis when he dismissed the radical cabinet replacing it with a caretaker conservative government. This event caused an almost revolutionary atmosphere in Denmark. With compromises, crisis was averted and the King accepted his constitutional role, never again acting without parliamentary support. Denmark was occupied by German troops on April 9, 1940. Unlike the monarchs of Norway and the Netherlands who went into exile during WWII, Christian remained in his capital throughout the occupation of Denmark. The King won the respect of his people by continuing his daily rides through the streets of Copenhagen. Although several apocryphal stories of Christian's quiet resistance have arisen over the years, there is at least one true tale; when the occupying Germans raised the flag of the Third Reich over the Danish government building, the King summoned a senior German general and told him to remove the flag. When the general declined, the King said that a Danish soldier would remove it. The German general retorted that any such soldier would be shot. The King replied: "I think not. For I shall be that soldier." The general ordered the removal of the flag. In October 1942, the King fell from his horse during his daily ride, permanently injuring his health, and only rarely appearing in public afterward. German authorities placed him under house arrest in 1943 and he became a symbol of national resistance. In 1944, Iceland severed all ties with the Danish crown. After the war in May 1945, he attended the reopening of the Rigsdag in a wheelchair, appearing very frail. He died on April 20, 1947. An armlet worn by members of the Resistance was placed on his coffin. His personal motto had been, "My God, my Country, my Honor."
Royalty. He was the King of Denmark, as well as the first and only King of Iceland. Born Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm at Charlottenlund Palace, son of Frederick VIII and Queen Lovisa. In 1889, he was the first heir to the throne to pass the upper secondary school examination. He then trained with the military and ever after saw himself as a soldier. In 1898, he married Duchess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin with whom he had two children, Princes Frederik and Knud. Frederik VIII died in 1912 and Christian succeeded. In April 1920 he created what is now called the Easter Crisis when he dismissed the radical cabinet replacing it with a caretaker conservative government. This event caused an almost revolutionary atmosphere in Denmark. With compromises, crisis was averted and the King accepted his constitutional role, never again acting without parliamentary support. Denmark was occupied by German troops on April 9, 1940. Unlike the monarchs of Norway and the Netherlands who went into exile during WWII, Christian remained in his capital throughout the occupation of Denmark. The King won the respect of his people by continuing his daily rides through the streets of Copenhagen. Although several apocryphal stories of Christian's quiet resistance have arisen over the years, there is at least one true tale; when the occupying Germans raised the flag of the Third Reich over the Danish government building, the King summoned a senior German general and told him to remove the flag. When the general declined, the King said that a Danish soldier would remove it. The German general retorted that any such soldier would be shot. The King replied: "I think not. For I shall be that soldier." The general ordered the removal of the flag. In October 1942, the King fell from his horse during his daily ride, permanently injuring his health, and only rarely appearing in public afterward. German authorities placed him under house arrest in 1943 and he became a symbol of national resistance. In 1944, Iceland severed all ties with the Danish crown. After the war in May 1945, he attended the reopening of the Rigsdag in a wheelchair, appearing very frail. He died on April 20, 1947. An armlet worn by members of the Resistance was placed on his coffin. His personal motto had been, "My God, my Country, my Honor."
Bio by: Iola
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