World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseBorn Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm at Charlottenlund Palace near Copenhagen, Denmark, King Christian X was the older brother of King Haakon VII of Norway. In Apr 1920, he instigated the Easter Crisis, where he insisted on annexing central Schleswig, formerly of Danish territory but had since been lost to the Germans and the majority of its people now wished to remain within German boundaries. He ordered Prime Minister Carl Theodor Zahle to proceed with the annexation, but the Prime Minister, obeying the Danish constitution, refused, and was dismissed by the king. A massive demonstration took place as a result; King Christian X had no choice but to give in to public sentiments, which resulted in a reduction of the throne's powers. When the German troops marched into his country in Apr 1940, he chose to remain in Denmark. Although he officially recognized the occupation government and urged his people to cooperate with the German authorities, he was seen as a symbol of resistance against German rule. In 1942, upon the occasion of his 72nd birthday, Adolf Hitler sent him a long telegram of congratulations; King Christian X responded, deliberately, with a nonchalant "my thanks" and nothing more. Hitler was outraged, but besides expelling the Danish ambassador from Berlin and installing a more pro-German governor in Copenhagen, there was little he could do. He passed away in 1947 and now rests in peace at the Roskilde Cathedral near Copenhagen.

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