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King Christian X
The Lion with an Angel’s Heart

“This is a different country.” The young soldier thought to himself. He was a long way away from home, and was thoroughly certain that the Danes were as much cowards as they were strange.

The soldier had long seen an aged man regally dressed take his horse for a morning ride through the streets of Copenhagen, every morning, without fail. The old man seemed quite unwell in the head. He would wave his hand and people would wave back. Was he some crazy old man who fancied himself as someone of great importance? And why would the Danes indulge his fancy? In Germany this old man, crazy as he was, would have been removed from society.

But this was Denmark, not Germany.

One day when the old man was at it again, the soldier decided to ask a boy who he was.

“Who is that man?”

“He is the King of Denmark.” The boy said.

He snorted to himself, “Well then,” he asked. “Where are his body guards?”

The boy turned to the soldier, his shoulders pulled back with pride. “All of Denmark, all the citizens of Denmark.” The boy turned back towards the horse and waved. “All of Denmark.”

The soldier snorted again, this time not so discretely. He made sure the boy could hear. He pulled his shoulders back just as the boy had done and polished the swastika pin on the lapel of his uniform with the tip of his leather gloved finger.

“Cowardly and crazy,” he mumbled. Not only were the Danes cowards they were crazy as well. “Just as crazy as their king.” Only crazy people would want to protect a crazy king.

– – –

In truth the king of Denmark, King Christian X was a kind and brave man. He rode his horse, Jubilee—whom he was very fond of—each morning, greeting people as he passed them, people opening their shops, children on their way to school. He loved peace above all and looked on all people equally.

After being crowned King in 1912, he gave women the right to vote. A lot of otherwise unproductive land was made good for farming. Denmark became very rich agriculturally, and King Christian’s government helped Danish businesses flourish around the world.

It was no wonder why Germany’s Nazis needed Denmark so much. Germany was at war and countries like Denmark gave them the means to feed their vast army.

Many countries resisted and fought the Nazis. France, Poland, Norway…they fought brave and hard, and still they lost. For sure, King Christian had a heavy heart when he did not let his country fight against Germany. Denmark was such a small country; it would not have withstood a fight. He was not a coward. He was wise and all of Denmark knew it. The Danes thought he would not continue his morning rides after the German invasion in 1940, but he did. He rode on where both Danes and Germans could see him. He rode on to give strength to the people he loved so much.