Denmark

Capital : Copenhagen ( København)

The country is made up of a mainland connected to Germany and several large islands.

Mainland: Nordjyllands, Viborg, Ringkøbing, Arhus, Vejle, Ribe, Sønderjyllands,

Islands: Fyns, Langeland, Sjaelland, (Vestjaellands, Frederiksborg, Roskilde, Storstroms), Falster, Lolland.

History

This was part of the area known as 'Scandia' in Roman times but never under Roman rule. During the C9th and C10th, the Danes formed part of the Viking invasion of Europe, concentrating mainly on East Anglia and the coast of northern Europe where they founded Normandy (from 'Northman'). The Danes were largely Christianised by the end of the C10th.

In England, they established the Danelaw which gained much of the eastern and central section of the country from the Saxon kings. The Danish king, Cnut (Canute), ruled Denmark, Norway and England in the mid- C11th and areas of mainland Scandinavia (Halland, Blekinge, Skane) which are now part of Norway and Sweden.

Control of the narrow passages between the Baltic and North Sea was a great source of wealth but caused terrible rivalries with the neighbouring countries. Denmark joined Norway, Sweden and Finland in the Union of Kalmar which lasted from 1397-1523, breaking down when Sweden became independent under Gustavus Vasa. Denmark still controlled most of the ice-free outlets to the North Sea however with only a small strip guarded by the fortress of Alvsborg belonging to Sweden. There was a temporary alliance between Denmark and Sweden in 1525. Tension rose under Gustavus' sons and the Seven Years' War 0f the North (1563-70) lost Alvsborg to Sweden (for a large ransom). It was regained in 1611 but Sweden made further sacrifices for its return under the Peace of Knared in 1613.

There were further threats from Sweden in the first half of the C17th and Denmark gave up the island of and the coastal territories of Bornholm Blekinge, Bohuslan and Halland under the Peace of Roskilde. Denmark invaded Scania and started the Scanian War (1676-9) but Sweden was now the greater power.

Denmark remained outside the Napoleonic empire but lost further territory with the expansion of Prussia in the C19th (backed by Napoleon III). The Schleswig Holstein Question (two border territories claimed by Denmark and Prussia) led to war with Austria and Prussia (acting on behalf of the German confederation and under the influence of chancellor Otto von Bismarck) in 1864. Austria and Prussia defeated Denmark and took over the administration of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein under the Convention of Gastein in 1865.

During the Second World War, Denmark was an Axis occupied territory from 1942 but returned to independence afterwards. She was a founder member of the European Free Trade Association in 1960 and joined the EC in 1973.

Danish Names

Norse names remain in use although Biblical, classical and European influences are present.

Male

Åge	Åke	Algot	Anders	Anker	Arne
Axel	Bendt	Bengt	Bent	Berit	Bernt
Bjørn	Bo	Børge	Broder	Carsten	Christer
Christian	Ejnar	Eluf	Erich	Erik	Erling
Esben	Esbern	Falk	Frede	Gregers	Gunder
Hagen	Hans	Harm	Henning	Henrik	Herluf
Hogge	Holger	Ib	Iver	Jakob	Jan
Jens	Jes	Jesper	Johan	Jokum	Jorck
Jørgen	Jorn	Jørn	Kai	Keld	Kjeld
Klaus	Klement	Knud	Lelle	Lennart	Lenne
Lorenz	Mads	Malte	Marc	Martin	Mass
Mathies	Mikkel	Mogens	Morten	Niels	Nikolaj
Njord	Olav	Ole	Orla	Ove	Per
Peter	Poul	Preben	Regner	Rikard	Roar
Rolf	Sern	Søren	Steen	Steffan	Sten
Stig	Styrbjørn?	Tage	Tejs	Thomas	Thorbjørn
Tobbe	Torben	Torbern	Tore	Torkil	Torkild
Torolf	Torsten	Ulf	Valdemar	Valter	Verner
Vidkun	Vigge	Vilfred	Vilheim	Vilhelm

Female

Abelone	Agata	Agna	Agnete	Anna	Anne-Lis
Anni	Ase	Bente	Berit	Birte	Birthe
Bodil	Botilda	Britte	Charlotte	Dorete	Dorte
Dorthe	Dyveke	Edith	Else	Gerda	Gertrude
Grete	Hansine	Helene	Helje	Hillevi	Ing-Lis
Inge	Jensine	Jola	Jonna	Jytte	Karita
Karoline	Ketti	Kirsten	Kirstine	Laila	Lene
Line	Lisa	Lisbet	Lise	Lore	Lotte
Lovose	Magdlone	Maj-Lis	Malene	Maren	Margarte
Margarthe	Margit	Margrethe	Merete	Mette	Mia
Nille	Petrine	Rakel	Rebekka	Rigborg	Rigmor
Rikke	Sibylla	Sigrid	Sina	Sine	Siri
Sissel	Sofie	Solveig	Sonje	Synnove	Tekla
Tilde	Tova	Tove	Trine	Turid	Ulrika
Ulrike	Veronika	Vibeke	Vigdis	Vilhelmina	Vilhelmine
Vita

Surnames

These were usually patronymics (the father's name with the suffixes '-sen' for a son and '-datter' for a daughter) until laws regarding inherited surnames were introduced in the C19th. Names ending in '-sson' or 'son' are ikely to be of Swedish origin.

Adriansen	Andersen	Any	Arge	Assenbjerg	Bau
Beck	Bekker	Berthelsen	Billes	Binzer	Blach
Bock	Bogedal	Bondo	Borge	Brahe	Broberg
Brondun	Cabble	Carlsen	Carstensen	Christensen	Crumlin
Danielsson	Didenksen	Drusse	Ejlersgaard	Eldjárn	Ellegaard
Eriksen	Ernst	Fallingborg	Fenger	Fetterlein	Follerup
Frandsen	Friis-Knutzen	Fynbo	Gade	Gimsing	Gram
Greve	Gruntvig	Guildenstern	Hamburger	Hamsun	Hannestad
Hansen	Hardenberg	Heiberg	Helveg	Henrik	Hjelmslev
Hoegh	Holm	Hørby	Hoyer	Hvass	Jacobsen
Jensen	Jeppesen	Jepsen	Johannsen	Jorgensen	Junge
Karseffni	Kaustrop	Kingo	Kirkeby	Kjeldsen	Kjölbye
Klindt	Kock	Kolb	Kotzebue	Krogh	Kruhl
Larsen	Laudrup	Laugeson	Laundsen	Laursen	Lavrsen
Lund	Lundgard	Madsen	Majland	Markert	Meinert
Meling	Meulengracht	Milling	Moesgaard	Moltke	Munk
Nerhus	Niebuhr	Nielsen	Nielson	Nissen	Nylén
Obel	Olrik	Olsen	Orum	Ostgerg	Ove
Pálsson	Paulsen	Pedersen	Petersen	Piechnik	Pilegaard
Poertner	Qvist	Raaby	Rasmussen	Rieper	Riis
Riseger	Roesdahl	Ronholt	Rønne	Rosenkrantz	Rude
Sand	Schmeichel	Seidenfaden	Sellevold	Simonsen	Skaarup
Skovgaard	Soerensen	Sondergaard	Sørensen	Sponneck	Stenger
Storegaard	Stubbe	Stuer	Svendsen	Tarnovius	Teglbjaerg
Thodberg	Thomsen	Thornom	Thunmark	Thyregod	Tilling
Toefting	Toksvig	Tyllesen	Uhre	Vilfort	Werlauff
Willadsen	Zoega

Rulers

Gottrik	c 808
Hemming	c 810	nephew of Gottrik
Harold	c 826
Horik	c 845-54
Oscar	c 851
Harald Gormson Bluetooth	c 950-85
Svein I Forkbeard	985-1014	son of Harald Bluetooth
Knut	1018-40
Hardaknut	1040-2	son of Knut
Svein II Ulfson	1047-74	son of Knut's sister Estrid
Interregnum?
Harold III Whetstone	1081	son of Svein II
Cnut IV	1081-6	brother of Harold III
Olaf IV	1086-95	brother of Harold III
Erik I	1095-1103	brother of Harold III
Interregnum	1103-5
Niels	1105-34 dep	brother of Harold III
Erik II	1131-7
Erik III the Lamb	1137-47	grandson of Erik I
Svein III	-1157 disp w Knut
Cnut VI the Pious	1182-1202
Waldemar II the Victorious	1202-41	brother of Cnut VI
Erik IV	1241-50	son of Waldemar II
Abel	1250-2	son of Waldemar II
Kristopher I	1252-9	son of Waldemar II
Erik V Clipping	1259-86
Erik VI Menved	1286-1319	son of Erik V
Kristopher II	1320-6	son of Erik V
Interregnum	1326-32
Regent Gerhard	1332-40	Count of Holstein
Waldemar IV	1340-75	son of Kristopher II
Interregnum	1375-6
Olaf	1376-87
Margaret of Norway	1387-1412 regent
Erik VIII (N+S+D)	1412-40? (personal rule)	Pomerania	Philippa d H.IV Eng

House of Oldenbourg

Kristopher III	1440-8	Bavaria
Kristian I	1448-81	son of Kristopher III
Hans/John I	1481-1513 + Nor
Kristian II	1513- + Nor, Swe
Frederik I	1523-33	son of Kristian I
Kristian III	1534-59 + Nor	son of Frederik I
Frederik II	1559-88	son of Kristian III
Kristian IV	1588-1648	son of Frederik II
Frederik III	1648-70	son of Kristian IV
Kristian V	1670-99
Frederik IV	1699-1730
Kristian VI	1730-46
Frederik V	1746-66
Kristian VII	1766-1808	son of Frederik V	Caroline Matilda, daughter of George III of England
Frederik VI	1808-39 lostNor,1814	son of Kristian VII
Kristian VIII	1839-48	son of Frederik VI
Frederik VII	1848-63	son of Kristian VIII
Kristian IX	1863-1906	Prince of Glucksburg
Frederik VIII	1906-12	son of Kristian IX
Kristian X	1912-47	son of Frederik VIII	Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Frederik IX	1947-72	son of Kristian X	Ingrid of Sweden
Margrethe	1972-

Greenland

Capital : Nuuk (Godthab)

Languages - Greenlandic, Danish

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This collection of names compiled by Kate Monk. Copyright January 1997, Kate Monk. Last updated February, 98. Copies may be made for personal use only.