Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/878

 756 DENMARK

Subjoined is a list of the Kings of Denmark, with the dates of their accession, from the time of election of Christian I. of Oldenburg: —

House of Oldenhury.

A.l).

Christian 1 1448 Christian V 1670

Hans

Christian II. Frederik I. Christian III. Frederik II. Christian IV. Frederik III.

A.D.

1448

Christian V..

1481

Frederik IV. .

1513

Christian VI.

1523

Frederik V..

1533

Christian VII.

1559

Frederik VI. .

1588

Christian VIII

1648

Frederik VII.

1699 1730 1746 1766 1808 1839 1848

House of Schles'w ig-Holstein- Sonderhitrg- Glucksbitrg.

Christian IX., 1863. Frederik VI 1 1., 1906. Christian X., 1912.

Constitution and Government.

The present Constitution of Denmark is embodied in the charter oi' 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 July 28, 1866. According to this charter, the executive power is in the King and his responsible ministers, and the right of making and amending laws in the Eigsdag, or Diet, acting in conjunction with the sovereign. The king must be a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, which is declared to be the religion of the State. The Rigsdag comprises the Landsthing and the Folkethiug, the former being a Senate or Upper House, and the latter a House of Commons. The Landsthing consists of QQ members. Of these, 12 are nominated for life by the Crown, from among actual or former representatives of the Kingdom, and the rest are elected indirectly by the people for the terms of eight years. The choice of the latter 54 members of the Upper House is given to electoral bodies composed partly of the largest taxpayers in the country districts, partly of deputies of the largest taxpayers in the cities, and partly of deputies from the totality of citizens possessing the franchise. Eligible to the Landsthing is every citizen who has passed his twenty-fifth year and is a resident of the district. The Folkethiug, or Lower House of Parliament, consists of 114 members, returned in direct election, by universal sufiiage, for the term of three years. According to the Constitution there should be one member for every 16,000 inhabitants. The franchise belongs to every male citizen who has reached his thirtieth year, who is not in the actual receipt of public charity, or who if he has at any former time been in receipt of it, has repaid the sums so received, who is not in private service without liaving his own household, and who has resided at least one year in the electoral circle on the lists of which his name is inscribed. Eligible for the Folkethiug are all men of good reputation past the age of twenty-five. lloth the members of the Landsthing and of tlic Folkethiug receive payment fur their