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LEFT DENMABK 322 DENMABE charter of 1915. The Diet or Rigsdag consists of two chambers, the Lands- thing or Upper House, the Folkething or Lower House. The former is a Senate of 72 members. The members of the Folkething are 140 in number, directly elected by universal suffrage, and hold their seats for four years. The Rigsdag meets every October, and all money bills must be submitted to the Lower House. Education. — At the head of the educa- tional institutions stand the University of Copenhagen and the Holberg Acade- my at Soroe. The provinces are well supplied with gymnasia and middle schools, and primary instruction is given at the public expense in the paro- chial schools. The public schools, with a few exceptions, are free. There were in 1919 3,46G public elementary schools, with 406,000 pupils. In addition to the elementary schools there are 13 govern- ment grammar schools. These, together with 140 private schools, had an attend- ance of about 60,000 pupils. Between the ages of 7 and 14 elementary educa- tion is free and compulsory. The schools are maintained by communal taxes. For higher instruction there are, besides the institutions mentioned, a veterinary and agricultural college at Copenhagen, agricultural schools, tech- nical and commercial schools, and high and Latin schools. Army and Navy. — The army of Den- mark is a national militia, resembling in some points the Swiss system. Every able-bodied man is liable to service in the army and navy, except the inhabitants of Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. The total peace strength of the army is 78,000 men, with an additional force available on mobilization of 105,- 000. About 13,000 recruits are trained annually. The military budget for 1919- 1920 was 16,969,613 kroner, with 50,000 kroner additional for the Flying Corps. The navy of Denmark is maintained only for the purpose of coast defense. It consists of monitors, 2 small cruisers, 2 mine layers, 23 first-class torpedo boats, and 12 submarines. Religion. — The established religion is the Lutheran which was introduced in 1536. The affairs of the national Church are under the superintendence of seven bishops. Complete religious toleration is extended to every sect, and no civil disabilities attach to dissenters. History.— The oldest inhabitants of Denmark were the Cimbri, who dwelt in the peninsula of Jutland, the Chersonesus Cimbrica of the Romans. They first struck terror into the Romans by their incursion, with the Teutons, into the rich provinces of Gaul (113-101 B.C.). After this, led by the mysterious Odin, the Goths broke into Scandinavia, and appointed chiefs from their own nation over Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. For a considerable time Denmark was divided into a number of small states, whose inhabitants lived mostly by piracy along the neighboring coasts. In 787 they began to make their descents on the E. coast of England, and along with other inhabitants of Scandinavia they conquered Normandy in 876-877. Under Gorm the Old all the small Danish states were united in 920, and his grandson Sweyn, now the head of a powerful king- dom, began the conquest of Norway and of England, which was ultimately com- pleted by his son Canute. Canute died in 1035, leaving a powerful kingdom to his successors, who, in 1042, lost Eng- land, and in 1047 Norway. In 1C47 Sweyn Magnus Estridsen ascended the throne, but with the exception of the great Waldemar the new dynasty fur- nished no worthy ruler, and the power of the kingdom decayed considerably till the accession of the politic Queen Mar- garet in 1387, who established the union of Calmar in 1397, uniting under her rule Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. In 1448 Christian I., Count of Oldenburg, was elected to the throne, thus founding the royal family of Oldenburg, which kept possession of the throne till 1863. Under the rule of Christian, Noiway, Sweden, Schleswig, and Holstein were connected with the crown of Denmark, but under his successor, Christian II., Sweden established its independence. Under Frederick L (1523-1533) the Re- formation was introduced. Christian IV. of Denmark ascended the throne in 1588, took part in the Thirty Years' War, and engaged twice in a war with Sweden, with most unfortunate results. Fred- erick III., again engaging in war with Sweden in 1657, was equally unsuccess- ful. Christian V. and Frederick IV. were conquered in the war with Charles XII. Denmark, however, after the fall of Charles XII., gained, by the peace of 1720, the toll on the Sound, and main- tained possession of Schleswig. After this Denmark enjoyed a long repose. In 1800, having joined the Northern Con- federacy, the kingdom was involved in a war with Great Britain, in which the Danish fleet was defeated at Copen- hagen, April 2, 1801. In 1807, there being reason to think that Denmark would join the alliance with France, a British fleet was sent up the Sound to demand a defensive alliance or the sur- render of the Danish fleet as a pledge of neutrality. Both were denied, till the Danish capital was bombarded and forced to capitulate, the whole fleet being