Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 4.djvu/806

 DENMARK

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DENMARK

decimal system of Southern and Central Europe. The Government finances are in a good condition ; the national debt small. The principal means of liveli- hood is agriculture. Its products (oats, barley, rye, wheat) represent a value of 400 million kroner ($107,- 200,000). Of late, a change is going on in favour of cattle-raising and of dairy industry (domestic animals, 1903: horses 490,000; beeves 1,900,000; hogs 1,600,- 000; sheep 900,000; goats 40,000; chickens 12,000,- 000). In 1903, 300 million pounds of pork and butter alone were exported. Eggs to the value of 24 million kroner were shipped to foreign countries. The fishing industry is less prominent than might be expected: still, the total income from this branch amounts to 10 million kroner. Manufactures give occupation to about one-fourth of the population and are rapidly increasing. However, only the smaller part of the products is exported : by far the greater part is used to supply the home demand. In some branches of man- ufacture Denmark excels, and the royal porcelain fac- tory of Copenhagen rivals successfully those of the best establishments in France and Germany.

The high standing of Denmark as a commercial country may be inferred from the one fact that its yearly business transactions are almost one-half of those of Italy, which is thirteen times as large. In 1903 the merchant marine could boast a total of 430,- 000 tons, and it increases from year to year. To safe- guard navigation, which is exposed to many dangers, especially along the coasts of Jutland, there are 350 lighthouses, 15 lightships, and 50 life-saving stations. Being shallow, most of its harbours admit only small vessels. For the same reason the canals are of small importance, but 2000 miles of railways, telegraph con- nexions, etc. amply supply the country with the con- veniences of modern traffic.

Beside the gigantic armies and fleets of Germany and England, Denmark's fighting strength appears insignificant. Military service is compulsory. The period of service is, however, considerably shorter than in other states. The peace footing is 800 officers and 9000 men; the war strength is given as 1500 offi- cers, 60,000 rank and file. The naval strength aggre- gates 50,0(K) tons, about 80,000 horse power, and 400 gims. Army and navy combined entail an outlay of 20 million kroner.

The Royal House belongs to the dynasty of Schles- wig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Gliieksburg and is, conse- quently, of German origin. At present (1908), Freder- ick VIII (born 3 June, 1843) wears the crown, having succeeded his father. Christian IX, 29 January, 1906. His consort, Louise, is a princess of Sweden ; his son Charles governs the Kingdom of Norway under the name of Haakon VII. His brother William has occu- pied the throne of Greece as King George since 6 June, 1863. A second brother of the sovereign. Prince Walderaar, is married to the Catholic Princess Marie of Orleans Bourbon; their sons are, according to the constitution, brought up in the Protestant faith, while their daughter Margaret follows the religion of her mother.

Tr-\p, Beskrivehe af Kongeriget Danmark (1898 — ); LoF- FLER, Omrids a! Geographien (Denmark, 1893-98); Id., Dan- marks Nalur und Volk (Copenhagen. 190,5. with hterar.v notes on the Faroe Islands and Iceland, 111-114;.

Reliqious History. — The first attempts to win the rough Danish warriors over to the mild yoke of Christ are said to have been made by the Frisian Bishop Wil- librord, who died in 739. But for this there is no reli- able evidence. A missionary journey which Arch- bishop Ebbo of Reims undertook to Jutland, in 823, e roved a failure. But when, a few years later, the lanish chief Harold (Klack) went to Ingelheim to ask aid from Louis the Pious, he was baptized with his whole retinue, and on his return took the Frankish monk Ansgar (Anschar,q. v.) as missionary. Interior disturbances made it impossible for the apostle to work

successfully. In 831 the zealous priest was nominated Bishop of Hamburg and thereby recognized as Apos- tolic delegate to the Scandinavian nations. In 849 he was also appointed to the See of Bremen. From this place he laboured untiringly for the extension of the Faith and was able to consecrate a church in Schleswig (Hedeby). Owing to the expulsion of Erik (854), who had favoured his cause, heathenism regained its ground for a while, and many of the faithful lost their lives and property. Two years later affairs took a turn for the better. The church in Schleswig was reopened, and a new one was built in Ribe. When the saintly man died, in 865, he beheld a flourishing band of Christians around him. So far, Christianity had gained no entrance to the islands, and when Gorm the Old, a fanatical worshipper of Odin, succeeded in extending his power over Jutland, he raged with fire and sword against the Christians. He met his master in Henry I of Germany, who conquered him, in 934, in a bloody battle, and forced him to at least tolerate Christianity. Gorm himself died a heathen. Under his son Harold (Bluetooth), who was compelled to acknowledge the supremacy of Otto I, it became pos- sible to erect the dioceses of Schleswig, Ribe, and Aarhus. During the reign of Canute the Great (1014- 35) Christianity gradually spread all over the country. The new dioceses of Viborg and Borglum were formed in Jutland, and to these were added Odense in Fiinen and Roskilde in Zealand. At this time also the first monasteries arose. When, under Sven Estridson, the Diocese of Lund was founded, the whole kingdom had been won for the Faith. Under Canute II (the Saint) the bishops became powerful feudal lords, ecclesias- tical dignitaries, and commanders of armies. Ab- sorbed by their secular occupations, they not seldom lost sight of their spiritual duties. Some, like Bishop Absalon (Axel) of Lund and Odense, who died at Soroe, 1201, largely contributed to the extension and influence of the State by their shrewdness and energy. Others, however, became involved in confficts with the king himself, in which cases the Roman See often im- posed the severest spiritual punishments. At the same time the number of monasteries increased almost too rapidly, so that towards the end of the Middle Ages there were 134 belonging to different orders.

The external constitution of the Church in Denmark was settled definitely in 1104, when the country was separated from the metropolitan See of Hamburg- Bremen, and its seven bishops were subordinated to the Archbishop of Lund as primate. About the re- ligious life of the clergy and laity we are not sufficiently informed, much historical material having been lost during the later changes in the ecclesiastical govern- ment. The conditions were, however, hardiy satis- factory. The higher ecclesiastics, supported by the lower clergy and the people, led a sumptuous life and did little to cultivate the minds and morals of their flocks. We must not forget, however, that, previous to the invention of the printing press, education, as we understand it at present, was not possible. Only thus can we explain the fact that the earlier zeal of the Danish people, proved by the erection of many splen- did churches, rich donations, and countless founda- tions for the benefit of the poor, was swept away, as it were, in a few years by the hurricane of the Reforma- tion. Christian II was the first who tried to over- throw the power of the princely hierarchy, and for this purpose invited (1520) a German, Martin Reinhard, to preach in Copenhagen in the spirit of Luther, but as the people did not understand him, he remained in the country only a short time. His successor, the notori- ous Karlstadt, met with the same fate. After the deposition of King Christian, his uncle Frederick I ascended the throne. Contrary to his sworn promise at the election, he at once allowed the Lutheran preachers to spread the new creed. Prominent among them was a disciple of Luther, Hans Tausen, who seems