Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/843

BUOTIIERS AND SISTERS OF THE KING 487 A age, born June 10, 1887 ; Prince Axel, born August 12, 1888 ; Prince Erich, born November 8, 1890; Prince Viggo, born De- cember 25, 1893 ; Princess Margrethe, born September 17, 1895. Brothers and Sister of the King. I. Princess Frederiea, born October 9, 1811 ; married, October 30, 1834, to Duke Alexander of Anhalt-Bernburg ; widow August 19, 1863. II. Prince Julius, born October 14, 1824 ; general in th? Danish amiy. III. Prince Haius, born December 5, 1825 ; general in the Danish ai-my. The crown of Denmark was elective from the earliest times. In 1448, after the death of the last male scion of the Princely House of Svend Estridsen the Danish Diet elected to the throne Christian I., Count of Oldenburg, in whose family the royal dignity remained for more than four centuries, although the crown was not rendered hereditary by right till the year 1660. The direct male line of the house of Oldenburg became extinct with the sixteenth king, Frederik VII., on November 15, 1863. In view of the death of the king without direct heirs, the Great Powers of Europe, 'taking into consideration that the maintenance of the integrity of the Danish Monarchy, as connected with the general interests of the balance of power in Europe, is of high im- portance to the preservation of peace,' signed a treaty at London on May 8, 1852, by the terms of which the succession to the crown of Denmark was made over to Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Gliicksburg, and to the direct male descendants of his union with the Princess Louise of Hesse Cassel, niece of King Christian VIII. of Denmark. In accordance with this treaty, a law concerning the succession to the Danish crown was adopted by the Diet, and obtained the royal sanction July 31, 1853. King Christian IX. has a civil list of 500,000 rigsdalers settled upon him by vote of the Rigsdag, approved December 17, 1863. The heir apparent of the crown has, in addition, an allowance of 60,000 rigsdalers, settled by law of March 20, 1868. Subjoined is a list of the Kings of Denmark, with the dates of their accession, from the time of election of Cliiistian I. of Oldenburg: — A.D. . 1670 . 1699 . 1730 . 1746 . 1766 . 1808 . 1839 . 1848 House of ^ickkswifj-Holsteiti-Sondcrhunj-fJlUcksbu nj. Christian IX,, 1863. Constitution and Government. The present (Constitution of Denmark is embodied in the charter of June 5, 1849, which was modified in some important respects in 1855 and 1863, but again restored, with various alterations, by a statute which obtained the royal sanction on House of i Oldenburg. Christian I. . A. D. . 1448 Christian V. . Hans . 1481 Frederik IV. . Christian II, . . 1513 Christian VI. Frederik I. . 1523. Frederik V. . Christian III. . 1533 Christian VII. Frederik II. . . 1559 Frederik VI. . Christian IV. . . 1588 Christian VIII Frederik III. . . 1648 Frederik VII.