Christian IX - Reykjavik, Iceland
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Metro2
N 64° 08.851 W 021° 56.124
27W E 454490 N 7113786
Iceland was still part of Denmark during the reign of Danish King Christian IX from 1863 to 1906.
Waymark Code: WMM4XB
Location: Iceland
Date Posted: 07/21/2014
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member chstress53
Views: 12

This statue is located in front of a government building in downtown Reykjavik. It depicts the King, life-sized, standing and wearing a coat with epauletts and medals. He holds an object in his right hand which he seems prepared to present to someone...and his hat at his side with his left hand. The bronze work is set on a pyramidal stone block plinth. Rather than his name, the plaque depicts his crest.
Unfortunately, the name of the artist and date could not be found at the site or online.

Wikipedia (visit link) informs us:

"Christian IX (8 April 1818 – 29 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 1863 to 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently Duke of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg.

Growing up as a prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a junior branch of the House of Oldenburg which had ruled Denmark since 1448, Christian was originally not in the immediate line of succession to the Danish throne. However, in 1852, Christian was chosen as heir to the Danish monarchy in light of the expected extinction of the senior line of the House of Oldenburg. Upon the death of King Frederick VII of Denmark in 1863, Christian acceded to the throne as the first Danish monarch of the House of Glücksburg.

The beginning of his reign was marked by the Danish defeat in the Second Schleswig War and the subsequent loss of the duchies of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg which made the king immensely unpopular. The following years of his reign were dominated by political disputes as Denmark had only become a constitutional monarchy in 1849 and the balance of power between the sovereign and parliament was still in dispute. In spite of his initial unpopularity and the many years of political strife, where the king was in conflict with large parts of the population, his popularity recovered towards the end of his reign, and he became a national icon due to the length of his reign and the high standards of personal morality with which he was identified.

Christian married his second cousin, Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel, in 1842. Their six children married into other royal families across Europe, earning him the sobriquet "the father-in-law of Europe". Most current European monarchs are descended from him, including Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, King Philippe of Belgium, King Harald V of Norway, and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg. The consorts Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Queen Sofía of Spain are also agnatic descendants of Christian IX, as is Constantine II, the former and last King of the Hellenes."
Monarch Ranking: King / Queen

Proper Title and Name of Monarch: King Christian IX

Country or Empire of Influence: Denmark

Website for additonal information: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:

Waymark Visitor - Must either

  • Provide a photo at the Statue
  • Answer a related question, if available, as posted on the Waymark description to the satistfaction of the Owner
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