Editing Christian IX

{{Short description|King of Denmark from 1863 to 1906}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Christian IX
| image        = Christian IX of Denmark color altered.jpg
| caption      = Portrait,{{circa|1900–06}}
| succession   = [[King of Denmark]]
| moretext     = ([[Style of the Danish sovereign|more...]])
| reign        = 15 November 1863 – {{nowrap|29 January 1906}}
| predecessor  = [[Frederick VII of Denmark|Frederick VII]]
| successor    = [[Frederick VIII of Denmark|Frederick VIII]]
| succession2  = [[List of dukes of Schleswig|Duke of Schleswig]], [[List of dukes of Holstein|Holstein]] and [[Duke of Lauenburg|Lauenburg]]
| reign2       = 15 November 1863 – 30 October 1864
| predecessor2 = Frederick VII & II
| successor2   = {{nowrap|''[[Treaty of Vienna (1864)|Lost to Prussia and Austria]]''}}
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Louise of Hesse-Kassel]]|1842|1898|end=died}}
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* [[Frederick VIII of Denmark|Frederik VIII, King of Denmark]]
* [[Alexandra of Denmark|Alexandra, Queen of the United Kingdom]]
* [[George I of Greece|George I, King of the Hellenes]]
* [[Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark)|Maria Feodorovna, Empress of Russia]]
* [[Princess Thyra of Denmark|Thyra, Crown Princess of Hanover]]
* [[Prince Valdemar of Denmark|Prince Valdemar]]
}}
| issue-link   = #Issue
| house        = [[House of Glücksburg|Glücksburg]]
| father       = [[Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg]]
| mother       = [[Princess Louise Caroline of Hesse-Kassel]]
| birth_name   = Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1818|04|08|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Gottorf Castle]], [[Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein|Schleswig]], [[Duchy of Schleswig]]
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1906|01|29|1818|04|08|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Amalienborg Palace]], Copenhagen, Denmark
| burial_date  = 15 February 1906
| burial_place = [[Roskilde Cathedral]]
| religion     = [[Church of Denmark]]
| signature    = Christian IX of Denmark.svg
}}

'''Christian IX''' (8 April 1818{{spaced ndash}}29 January 1906) was [[King of Denmark]] from 15 November 1863 until his death in 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently [[List of dukes of Schleswig|Duke of Schleswig]], [[List of dukes of Holstein|Holstein]] and [[Saxe-Lauenburg|Lauenburg]].

A younger son of [[Frederick William, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg]], Christian grew up in the [[Duchy of Schleswig]] as a prince of [[House of Glücksburg|Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg]], a junior branch of the [[House of Oldenburg]] which had ruled Denmark since 1448. Although having close family ties to the [[Danish royal family]], he was originally not in the immediate line of [[succession to the Danish throne]]. Following the early death of his father in 1831, Christian grew up in Denmark and was educated at the Military Academy of [[Copenhagen]]. After unsuccessfully seeking the hand of [[Queen Victoria|Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom]] in marriage, he married his double second cousin, [[Louise of Hesse-Kassel|Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel]], in 1842.

In 1852, Christian was chosen as heir presumptive to the [[Monarchy of Denmark|Danish throne]] in light of the expected extinction of the senior line of the [[House of Oldenburg]]. Upon the death of [[Frederick VII of Denmark|King Frederick VII]] in 1863, Christian (who was Frederick's second cousin and husband of Frederick's paternal first cousin, Louise of Hesse-Kassel) acceded to the throne as the first [[List of Danish monarchs|Danish monarch]] of the [[House of Glücksburg]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg Royal Family |url=http://monarchies.onlinewebshop.net/Schleswig_Glucksburg_Royal_Family.htm |publisher=Monarchies of Europe |access-date=15 August 2016}}</ref>

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, for 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, in which 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's six children with Louise married into other European royal families, earning him the [[sobriquet]] "the [[father-in-law of Europe]]". Among his descendants are King [[Frederik X]], King [[Philippe of Belgium]], King [[Harald V|Harald V of Norway]], Grand Duke [[Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg|Henri of Luxembourg]], King [[Charles III]] of the United Kingdom, and King [[Felipe VI|Felipe VI of Spain]].<ref>{{cite web |title=HM King Christian IX of Denmark |url=https://europeanroyalhistory.wordpress.com/tag/christian-ix-of-denmark/ |publisher=European Royal History |access-date=15 August 2016}}</ref>

==Early life==

===Birth and family===
{{see also|Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg}}
{{stack|[[File:Gottorf.jpg|thumb|Prince Christian's birthplace [[Gottorf Castle]] in Schleswig-Holstein, seat of the royal governors of the duchies of [[Duchy of Schleswig|Schleswig]] and [[Duchy of Holstein|Holstein]] (2007)]]}}
Christian IX was born between 10 and 11 a.m. on 8 April 1818 at the residence of his maternal grandparents, [[Gottorf Castle]], near the town of [[Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein|Schleswig]] in the [[Duchy of Schleswig]], at the time a [[fief]] under the Crown of Denmark.<ref name="kongeligedaab">{{cite book|first1=Lone|last1=Hindø|first2=Else|last2=Boelskifte|chapter=Døbt i Gottorp Sloskapel|trans-chapter=Baptised in the Gottorp Castle Chapel|title=Kongelig Dåb. Fjorten generationer ved Rosenborg-døbefonten|trans-title=Royal Baptisms. Fourteen generations at the Rosenborg baptismal font|publisher=Forlaget Hovedland|year=2007|isbn=978-87-7070-014-6|language=da|page=83}}</ref> Born as a prince of [[Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck]], he was the fourth son of [[Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg|Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck]], and [[Princess Louise Caroline of Hesse-Kassel]].<ref name=Burke280>{{cite book |editor-last=Montgomery-Massingberd |editor-first=Hugh |editor-link=Hugh Massingberd |title=Burke's Royal Families of the World |volume=1: Europe & Latin America |publisher=[[Burke's Peerage Ltd]] |location=London |year=1977 |page=280 |isbn=0-85011-023-8}}</ref> He was named after his mother's cousin [[Christian VIII of Denmark|Prince Christian Frederick of Denmark]], the later King Christian VIII, who was also his [[Godparent|godfather]]. Together with his wife, [[Caroline Amalie of Augustenborg]], he had traveled from [[Augustenborg, Denmark|Augustenborg]] to Gottorp so that he could hold his godson at the christening, which was held at the end of May in the chapel of Gottorp Castle.<ref name="kongeligedaab"/>

[[File:Prins Vilhelm 1785-1831.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Prince Christian's father [[Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg|Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck]], from 1825 [[House of Glücksburg|Duke of Glücksburg]]]]
Prince Christian's father was the head of the ducal house of [[Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck]], a junior male branch of the [[House of Oldenburg]]. The family descended from King [[Christian III of Denmark]]'s younger son, [[John the Younger, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg]], whose grandson [[August Philipp, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck|Duke August Philipp]] severed his ties with Denmark and emigrated to Germany where he acquired the [[Manorialism|manor]] of [[Haus Beck]] in [[Westphalia]], after which the lineage was named Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck.{{sfn|Bramsen|1992|p=50}} His sons and their descendants went into [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussian]], [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Polish]] and [[Russian Empire|Russian]] service, until his great-great-grandson, Prince Christian's father, again went into Danish military service, where he was stationed in Holstein.{{sfn|Bramsen|1992|p=63}} It was there that he had met and married Prince Christian's mother, who was a daughter of [[Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel|Landgrave Charles of Hesse]], an originally German prince, who, however, had grown up at the Danish court and had married [[Frederick V of Denmark|King Frederick V]]'s youngest daughter, [[Princess Louise of Denmark (1750–1831)|Princess Louise of Denmark]]. Prince Charles had made a career in Denmark, where he was a Danish [[field marshal]] and [[Governor|Royal Governor]] of the duchies of [[Duchy of Schleswig|Schleswig]] and [[Duchy of Holstein|Holstein]].{{sfn|Bramsen|1992|p=48}}

Through his father, Prince Christian was thus a direct male-line descendant of King [[Christian III of Denmark]] and an (albeit junior) [[agnatic]] descendant of [[Hedvig of Holstein]] (countess of Oldenburg), mother of King [[Christian I of Denmark]], who was the "Semi-Salic" heiress of her brother [[Adolf of Schauenburg]], last Schauenburg duke of Schleswig and count of Holstein. As such, Prince Christian was eligible to succeed in the twin duchies of [[Schleswig-Holstein]], but not first in line. Through his mother, he was thus a great-grandson of Frederick V, great-great-grandson of [[George II of Great Britain]] and a descendant of several other monarchs, but had no direct claim to any European throne.

===Childhood===
[[File:Lyksborg slot 9-7-2005 nr 2.jpg|thumb|Prince Christian's childhood home, [[Glücksburg Castle]] in Schleswig-Holstein, seat of the [[Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg|eponymous ducal branches]] of the [[House of Oldenburg]] (2005).]]
Initially, the young prince grew up with his parents and many brothers and sisters at his maternal grandparents' residence at [[Gottorf Castle]], the habitual seat of the royal governors of the duchies of [[Duchy of Schleswig|Schleswig]] and [[Duchy of Holstein|Holstein]]. However, in 1824, the [[Anna Karoline af Nassau-Saarbrücken|dowager duchess of Glücksburg]], widow of [[Frederick Henry William, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg|Frederick Henry William]], the last duke of the [[Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (elder line)|elder line of the house Schleswig-Holstein-Sønderborg-Glücksburg]], who had himself died in 1779, died. [[Glücksburg Castle]], located a little south of [[Flensburg Fjord]], not far from city of [[Flensburg]], was now empty, and on 6 June 1825, Duke Friedrich Wilhelm was appointed Duke of [[Glücksburg]] by his brother-in-law, [[Frederick VI of Denmark|King Frederick VI of Denmark]]. Duke Friedrich Wilhelm subsequently changed his title to Duke of [[Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg]] and thus founded [[House of Glücksburg|the younger Glücksburg]] line.{{sfn|Bramsen|1992|p=78-82}}

Subsequently, the family moved to [[Glücksburg Castle]], where Prince Christian was [[child raising|raised]] with his siblings under their father's supervision. The Duke wrote to a friend: {{blockquote|I raise my sons with rigor, that these may learn to obey, without, however, failing to make them available to the requirements and demands of the present.{{sfn|Thorsøe|1889|p=523}}}} However, Duke Friedrich Wilhelm died of a cold that had developed into pneumonia at the age of just 46 on 17 February 1831 and, at the Duke's own discretion, scarlet fever, which had previously affected two of his children. His death left the duchess widowed with ten children and no money. Prince Christian was twelve years old when his father died.

===Education===
[[File:Frederik VI and family.jpg|thumb|left|Prince Christian's surrogate father, [[Frederick VI of Denmark]], whose queen [[Marie of Hesse-Kassel]] was his aunt and the two princesses his cousins.]]
Following the early death of his father, King Frederick VI, together with [[William of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (1786-1834)|Prince William of Hesse-Philippstal-Barchfeld]], a close friend of the Duke, became [[legal guardian]]s of Prince Christian and his nine siblings.{{sfn|Thorsøe|1889|p=523}} That same year, Prince Christian wanted to be educated as a [[naval officer]], but during King Frederick VI's visit to Gottorp in 1831, shortly after Duke Wilhelm's funeral, the king agreed with his mother that Prince Christian would be sent to [[Copenhagen]] to receive an [[army officer]] training. Subsequently, in 1832, the year after his father's death, the 14-year-old Prince Christian moved to Copenhagen to be educated at the Land Cadet Academy, where he stayed at the house of Colonel Linde, the head of the Land Cadet Academy. He received private lessons at the academy and was rarely with the other [[cadets]].{{sfn|Thorsøe|1889|p=523}}<ref>{{cite web|url= https://henrypoole.com/hall_of_fame/hm-king-christian-ix-of-denmark/|title= HM King Christian IX of Denmark|publisher = Henry Poole & Co. |date= 17 June 2013|access-date= 15 August 2016}}</ref> On the other hand, the sonless royal couple took good care of the boy, as [[Marie of Hesse-Kassel|Queen Marie]] was his mother's sister and King Frederick VI his mother's cousin. Also, in 1838, Prince Christian's eldest brother, [[Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg|Duke Karl of Glücksborg]], married the king and queen's youngest daughter, [[Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark|Princess Vilhelmine Marie]], which further strengthened the bonds between them.

[[File:Det Gule Palae Copenhagen.jpg|thumb|Prince Christian's longtime home, the [[Yellow Palace, Copenhagen|Yellow Palace]] in Copenhagen (2006).]]
In 1835, Prince Christian was [[confirmation (Lutheran Church)|confirmed]] in the [[Garrison Church, Copenhagen|Garrison Church]] in Copenhagen. The following year, after completing his military education, he was appointed [[rittmeister]] at the [[Royal Horse Guards (Denmark)|Royal Horse Guards]] and was then housed in the [[Royal Horse Guards Barracks (Copenhagen)|Royal Horse Guards Barracks]] by [[Frederiksholms Kanal]] in central Copenhagen. There he lived under simple conditions until King Frederick VI in 1839 granted him a home in the [[Yellow Palace, Copenhagen|Yellow Palace]], an 18th century [[town house]] at 18 [[Amaliegade]], immediately adjacent to the [[Amalienborg]] Palace complex, the principal residence of the [[Danish royal family]] in the district of [[Frederiksstaden]] in central [[Copenhagen]], where he came to live until 1865.{{sfn|Thorsøe|1889|p=523}}

From 1839 to 1841, Prince Christian studied [[constitutional law]] and history with his half-cousin [[Prince Frederick William of Hesse-Kassel]] at the [[University of Bonn]] in Germany. It was there that in December 1839 he received the news of the death of his benefactor King Frederick VI and the accession of his mother's cousin, [[Christian VIII of Denmark|King Christian VIII]]. During the holidays he went on various excursions in Germany and also traveled to [[Venice]]. In 1841 he returned to Copenhagen. On the way home, he paid a visit to the court in Berlin, where he rejected an otherwise flattering offer from King [[Frederick William IV of Prussia]] to join the [[Prussian Army]].{{sfn|Thorsøe|1889|p=523-524}}

==Becoming the heir presumptive==
===Marriage===
[[File:Dronning victoria.jpg|thumb|left|Prince Christian's first marriage prospect, [[Queen Victoria]] of the United Kingdom.]]
As a young man, in 1838, Prince Christian, representing Frederick VI, attended the [[coronation of Queen Victoria]] at [[Westminster Abbey]].{{sfn|Thorsøe|1889|p=524}} During his stay in London, he unsuccessfully sought the hand of the young British queen in marriage. Even though she chose to follow her family's wishes and preferred to marry her cousin, [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]], the young queen had a good impression of her third cousin Prince Christian, who 25 years later would become father-in-law to her eldest son, the [[Edward VII|Prince of Wales]].{{sfn|Bramsen|1992|p=117-118}}

[[File:Christian IX with his wife Louise Hesse-Kassel.jpg|thumb|Prince Christian and [[Louise of Hesse-Kassel|Princess Louise]] in the 1840s.]]
Instead, Prince Christian entered into a marriage that was to have great significance for his future. In 1841, he was engaged to his second cousin Princess [[Louise of Hesse-Kassel]].{{sfn|Thorsøe|1889|p=524}} She was the daughter of [[Prince William of Hesse-Kassel]], who was a Danish general and the governor of Copenhagen. Prince William was married to [[Christian VIII of Denmark]]'s sister [[Princess Charlotte of Denmark]], and Louise was thus the new king's niece and was closely related to the royal family. Like Prince Christian himself, she was a great-granddaughter of both [[Frederick V of Denmark]] and Landgrave [[Frederick II of Hesse-Kassel]], and thus his double second cousin. Their wedding was celebrated on 26 May 1842 in her parents' residence in [[Frederick VIII's Palace]] at [[Amalienborg]].{{sfn|Thorsøe|1889|p=524}} The bride and groom took their [[honeymoon|bridal tour]] to [[Kiel]] in the [[Duchy of Holstein]], where they visited Prince Christian's older brother, [[Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg|Duke Karl of Glücksburg]], and his wife, Frederick VI's daughter [[Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark|Duchess Vilhelmine]], who had not been able to attend the wedding.{{sfn|Bramsen|1992|p=120}}

Louise was a wise and energetic woman who exercised a strong influence over her husband. After the wedding, the couple moved into the [[Yellow Palace, Copenhagen|Yellow Palace]], where their first five children were born between 1843 and 1853: [[Frederick VIII of Denmark|Prince Frederick]] in 1843, [[Alexandra of Denmark|Princess Alexandra]] in 1844, [[George I of Greece|Prince William]] in 1845, [[Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark)|Princess Dagmar]] in 1847 and [[Princess Thyra of Denmark|Princess Thyra]] in 1853.<ref name=Burke69>{{cite book|editor-last=Montgomery-Massingberd|editor-first=Hugh|editor-link=Hugh Massingberd|title=Burke's Royal Families of the World|volume=1: Europe & Latin America|location=London|publisher=[[Burke's Peerage Ltd]]|year=1977|isbn=0-85011-023-8|page=69}}</ref> The family was still quite unknown and lived a relatively modest life by royal standards.

===The Danish succession crisis===
{{See also|Danish royal family tree|Schleswig-Holstein Question}}
[[File:Christian VIII af Wilhelm Marstrand.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Louise of Hesse-Kassel|Princess Louise]]'s uncle, [[Christian VIII of Denmark]], faced a complex [[succession crisis]] during his reign.]]
In the 1840s, it became increasingly clear that the Danish monarchy was facing a [[succession crisis]]. When King Christian VIII succeeded his first cousin King Frederick VI in 1839, the elder male line of the [[House of Oldenburg]] was obviously on the point of extinction, as the king's only son and heir apparent [[Frederick VII of Denmark|Crown Prince Frederick]] seemed incapable of fathering children and the king's only brother [[Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Denmark|Prince Ferdinand]]'s marriage to King Frederick VI's daughter was childless.{{sfn|Scocozza|1997|p=182}} King Frederick VII's childlessness presented a thorny dilemma and the question of succession to the Danish throne proved complex, as the rules of succession in the different parts of the Danish monarchy united under the king's rule, the Kingdom of Denmark proper and the three duchies of [[Duchy of Schleswig|Schleswig]], [[Duchy of Holstein|Holstein]] and [[Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg|Saxe-Lauenburg]], not being the same, the possibility of a separation of the crown of Denmark from its duchies became probable.{{sfn|Glenthøj|2014|p=136-37}}

[[File:Herzogtümer.png|thumb|The duchies of [[Duchy of Schleswig|Schleswig]], [[Duchy of Holstein|Holstein]] and [[Duchy of Lauenburg|Lauenburg]] before 1864.]]
The succession in the Kingdom of Denmark was regulated by the ''[[King's Law|Lex Regia]]'' ({{Langx|da|Kongeloven}}; ''Law of The King''), the [[Absolute monarchy|absolutist]] constitution of [[Denmark–Norway|Denmark and Norway]] promulgated by [[Frederick III of Denmark|Frederick III]] in 1665.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ekman|first=Ernst|date=1957|title=The Danish Royal Law of 1665|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/237987|journal=The Journal of Modern History|volume=29|issue=2|pages=102–107|doi=10.1086/237987|s2cid=145652129|issn=0022-2801|url-access=subscription}}</ref> With the Lex Regia, Denmark had adopted the [[Salic law]], but restricted the succession to the [[agnatic descent|agnatic descendants]] of Frederick III, who was the first [[hereditary monarchy|hereditary monarch]] of Denmark (before him, the kingdom was officially [[elective monarchy|elective]]). Agnatic descent from Frederick III would end with the death of the childless Frederick VII and his equally childless uncle, [[Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Denmark|Prince Ferdinand]]. At that point, the Lex Regia provided for a [[Semi-Salic]] succession, which stipulated that after the extinction of all-male descendance, including all collateral male lines, a female agnate (such as a daughter) of the last male holder of the property would inherit, and after her, her own male heirs according to the Salic order. There were, however, several ways to interpret to whom the crown could pass, since the provision was not entirely clear as to whether a claimant to the throne could be the closest female relative or not. In the duchy of Holstein, where the king reigned as duke, the rules of succession also followed the Salic law, but did not limit the succession to the agnatic descendants of Frederick III. As there were several junior male lines of the House of Oldenburg, who were however not descendants of Frederick III, there were thus numerous agnatic descendants with succession rights in the Duchy of Holstein, who were however not eligible to succeed to the Danish throne. In addition, the two duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were permanently joined to each other by the [[Treaty of Ribe]] of 1460, which proclaimed that the two duchies should be "Forever Undivided".

[[File:SprogforholdSlesvig.png|thumb|The linguistic distribution in the [[Duchy of Schleswig]] around 1840.]]
The already complicated dynastic question of the succession was made even more complex as it took place against a background of equally complicated political issues. The movements of [[nationalism]] and liberalism had been on the rise in Europe since the [[Napoleonic era]]. Whereas the concepts of nation and [[homeland]] increasingly replaced dynastic questions for the nationalists, aristocratic privileges and the concept of an [[absolute monarchy|absolute ruler]] of divine right were poorly accepted by the liberals. Denmark and the Duchies were no exception, and the political movement of [[national liberalism]] had been on the rise since the 1830s. While the Danish and German national liberals were united in their liberal political aspirations and in their opposition to the absolutist rule of the House of Oldenburg, the two political movements were heavily opposed in the national question. It mainly concerned the question of the affiliation of the [[Duchy of Schleswig]]. Constitutionally, the Duchy of Schleswig was a Danish [[fief]], which had become increasingly independent from Denmark during the [[High Middle Ages]]. [[Linguistically]], however, Danish, German and [[North Frisian language|North Frisian]] existed as [[vernacular]]s in different parts of the Duchy, and German functioned as the language of law and the ruling class.

The Danish national liberals insisted that Schleswig as a fief had belonged to Denmark for centuries and aimed to restore the southern frontier of Denmark on the [[Eider (river)|Eider river]], the historic border between Schleswig and Holstein. The Danish nationalists thus aspired to incorporate the Duchy of Schleswig into the Danish kingdom, in the process separating it from the duchy of Holstein, which should be allowed to pursue its own destiny as a member of the [[German Confederation]] or possibly a new united Germany. With the claim of the total integration of Schleswig into the Danish kingdom, the Danish national liberals opposed the German national liberals, whose goal was the union of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, their joint independence from Denmark and their membership in the German Confederation as an autonomous German state. The German nationalists thus sought to confirm Schleswig's association with Holstein, in the process detaching Schleswig from Denmark and bringing it into the German Confederation.

There was burgeoning nationalism within both Denmark and the German-speaking parts of [[Schleswig-Holstein]]. This meant that a resolution to keep the two Duchies together and as a part of the Danish kingdom could not satisfy the conflicting interests of both Danish and German nationalists, and hindered all hopes of a peaceful solution.

[[File:Christian August af Augustenborg.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Christian August II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg]], [[pretender]] to the duchies during the succession crisis.]]
As the nations of Europe looked on, the numerous descendants of [[Hedvig of Holstein]] began to vie for the Danish throne. Frederick VII belonged to the senior branch of Hedvig's descendants. In the event of extinction of the senior branch, the house of [[Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg]] would become the most senior branch of the House of Oldenburg, but it did not descend from King Frederick III. However, in the duchies, [[Christian August II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg]], claimed the position of [[Order of succession|heir]] to the throne of the duchies of [[Schleswig]] and [[Holstein]], being head of the house of Augustenburg, and thus became a symbol of the nationalist German independence movement in Schleswig-Holstein.

The closest female relatives of Frederick VII were his paternal aunt, [[Princess Louise Charlotte of Denmark]], who had married a scion of the [[cadet branch]] of the [[House of Hesse]], and her children. However, they were not agnatic descendants of the royal family, so were not eligible to succeed in Schleswig-Holstein.

The dynastic female heir reckoned most eligible according to the original law of primogeniture of Frederick III was [[Caroline of Denmark]] (1793–1881), the childless eldest daughter of the late king [[Frederick VI of Denmark|Frederick VI]]. Along with another childless daughter, [[Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark]] (1808–1891), Duchess of Glücksburg; the next heir was Louise, sister of Frederick VI, who had married the Duke of Augustenburg. The chief heir to that line was the selfsame [[Frederick VIII of Schleswig-Holstein|Frederick of Augustenburg]], but his turn would have come only after the death of two childless princesses who were very much alive in 1863.

The [[House of Glücksburg]] also held a significant interest in the succession to the throne. A more junior branch of the royal family, they were also descendants of Frederick III through the daughter of King [[Frederick V of Denmark]]. Lastly, there was yet a more junior agnatic branch that was eligible to succeed in Schleswig-Holstein. There was Christian himself and his three older brothers, the eldest of whom, Karl, was childless, but the others had produced children, and male children at that.

Prince Christian had been a foster "grandson" of the grandchildless royal couple Frederick VI and his Queen consort Marie (Marie Sophie Friederike of Hesse). Familiar with the royal court and the traditions of the recent monarchs, their young ward Prince Christian was a nephew of Queen Marie and a first cousin once removed of Frederick VI. He had been brought up as a Dane, having lived in Danish-speaking lands of the royal dynasty and not having become a German nationalist, which made him a relatively good candidate from the Danish point of view. As junior agnatic descendant, he was eligible to inherit Schleswig-Holstein, but was not the first in line. As a descendant of Frederick III, he was eligible to succeed in Denmark, although here too, he was not first in line.

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{{Color sample|border=crimson|white; border-width:3px}} – Kings of Denmark<br>
{{Color sample|border=red|white; border-width:3px}} – Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg<br>
{{Color sample|border=tomato|white; border-width:3px}} – Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg<br>
{{Color sample|border=darkorange|white; border-width:3px}} – Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck
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{{chart | | | | | AAA | | | | | | | | EEE | | FFF |AAA=[[Christian V of Denmark]]|EEE=[[Prince Frederick William of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg]]|FFF=[[Frederick Louis, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck|Frederick Louis]]
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{{chart | | | | | AAA | | | | | | | | EEE | | FFF |AAA=[[Frederick IV of Denmark]]|EEE=[[Christian August, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg|Christian August]]|FFF=[[Peter August, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck|Peter August]]
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{{chart | AAA | | BBB |y|J| PLC |y|J| CCC | | DDD | | |AAA=[[Frederick VI of Denmark]]|BBB=[[Princess Louise Auguste of Denmark]]|PLC=[[Princess Louise Caroline of Hesse-Kassel]]|CCC=[[Christian VIII of Denmark]]|DDD=[[Princess Louise Charlotte of Denmark]]
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{{chart | AAA | | BBB | |F| CIX | | | CCC | | DDD |7|AAA=[[Princess Caroline of Denmark]]|BBB=[[Christian August II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg|Christian August II]]|CIX=(Prince Christian)<br>'''CHRISTIAN IX OF DENMARK'''|CCC=[[Frederick VII of Denmark]]|DDD=[[Louise of Hesse-Kassel]]
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{{chart bottom}}

{{center|House of Oldenburg, 1863}}

===Appointment as an heir presumptive===
{{See also|London Protocol (1852)|Act of Succession (Denmark)}}
[[File:Princess Dagmar, Prince Vilhelm, Christian IX of Denmark and Princess Alexandra..JPG|thumb|left|Prince Christian as [[heir presumptive]] with his children [[Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark)|Dagmar]], [[George I of Greece|William]] and [[Alexandra of Denmark|Alexandra]] in 1861.]]
In 1851, the Russian emperor recommended that Prince Christian advance in the Danish succession. And in 1852, the thorny question of Denmark's succession was finally resolved by the [[London Protocol (1852)|London Protocol]] of 8 May 1852, signed by the United Kingdom, France, Russia, [[Prussia]] and Austria, and ratified by Denmark and Sweden. Christian was chosen as [[heir presumptive]] to the throne after Frederick VII's uncle, and thus would become king after the extinction of the most senior line to the Danish throne. A justification for this choice was his marriage to [[Louise of Hesse-Kassel]], who as daughter of the closest female relative of Frederick VII was closely related to the royal family. Louise's mother and brother, and elder sister too, renounced their rights in favor of Louise and her husband. Prince Christian's wife was thereafter the closest female heiress of Frederick VII.

The decision was implemented by the Danish Law of Succession of 31 July 1853—more precisely, the ''Royal Ordinance settling the Succession to the Crown on Prince Christian of Glücksburg'' which designated him as second-in-line to the [[Danish throne]] following King Frederick VII's uncle. Consequently, Prince Christian and his family were granted the titles of Prince and Princess of Denmark and the [[Royal and noble styles|style]] of ''[[Highness]]''.<ref>[http://www.hoelseth.com/royalty/denmark/dkres18530731.html Royal Ordinance settling the Succession to the Crown on Prince Christian of Glücksburg]. from ''[http://www.hoelseth.com/royalty/royalty.html Hoelseth's Royal Corner]''. Retrieved 7 November 2011.</ref>

[[File:Bernstorff Slot Feb06.jpg|thumb|[[Bernstorff Palace]], Prince Christian's summer residence as [[heir presumptive]] (2006).]]
As second in line, Prince Christian continued to live in the Yellow Palace with his family. However, as a consequence of their new status, the family were also granted the right to use [[Bernstorff Palace]] north of Copenhagen as their summer residence. It became Princess Louise's favorite residence, and the family often stayed there. It was also at Bernstorff that their youngest son, [[Prince Valdemar of Denmark|Prince Valdemar]], was born in 1858.<ref name=Burke69/> At the occasion of Prince Valdemar's [[baptism]], Prince Christian and his family were granted the style of ''[[Royal Highness]]''. Although their economy had improved, the financial situation of the family was still relatively strained.

However, Prince Christian's appointment as successor to the throne was not met with undivided enthusiasm. His relationship with the king was cool, partly because the colorful King Frederick VII did not like the straightforward, military prince, and had preferred to see Christian's eldest son, the young Prince Frederick, take his place, partly because Prince Christian and Princess Louise openly showed their disapproval of the king's [[morganatic]] third wife, the actress Louise Rasmussen, who received the title [[Countess Danner]].{{sfn|Scocozza|1997|p=182}} Politically, Prince Christian also had little influence during his tenure as second-in-line. This was partly due to the distrust of the Countess Danner, partly due to Christian's perceived conservatism, which earned him the distrust of the powerful [[National Liberal Party (Denmark)|National Liberal Party]]. It was not before 1856 that the politician [[Carl Christoffer Georg Andræ]], to whom Prince Christian always felt close, secured him a seat in the [[Council of State (Denmark)|Council of State]].{{sfn|Scocozza|1997|p=183}}

The year 1863 became rich in significant events for Prince Christian and his family. On 10 March, his eldest daughter, [[Alexandra of Denmark|Princess Alexandra]] married the Prince of Wales (the future King [[Edward VII]] of the United Kingdom). On 20 March, his second son, Prince William was elected [[King of the Hellenes]] and ascended the [[Monarchy of Greece|Greek throne]] taking the name of King George I.<ref name=Burke69/> And in June 1863, Prince Christian himself became ''heir-presumptive'' upon the death of the elderly Prince Ferdinand before eventually becoming King Christian IX on 15 November that year.

== Early reign ==
===Accession===
[[File:2 rigdalers Denmark 1863.png|thumb|2 [[Danish rigsdaler|rigsdaler]] – death of [[Frederick VII of Denmark|Frederick VII]] and accession of Christian IX<ref>Year: 1863; Quantity released: 101,000 coin; Weight: 28.893 gram; Composition: Silver 87.5%; Diameter: 39.5 mm – https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces23580.html</ref>]]
During the last years of the reign of King Frederick VII, his health was increasingly poor, and in the autumn of 1863, during a visit to the [[Danevirke]] fortification, he contracted a severe cold, which after his return to [[Glücksburg Castle]] turned into [[erysipelas]]. Shortly after, on 15 November, King Frederick VII died unexpectedly at the age of 55 after a sixteen-year reign, thus ending the 415-year reign of the main line of the [[House of Oldenburg]] on the Danish throne. Upon the death of Frederick VII, Christian succeeded to the throne at the age of 45. He was proclaimed king from the balcony of [[Christiansborg Palace]] by the [[Council President (Denmark)|Council President]] [[Carl Christian Hall]] on 16 November 1863 as Christian IX.

[[File:Christian Carl Magnussen - Herzog Friedrich VIII von Schleswig-Holstein.jpg|thumb|left|[[Frederick VIII of Schleswig and Holstein|Prince Frederick of Augustenburg]], [[pretender]] to the duchies as ''Frederick VIII'' (1863).]]
Christian and Denmark was immediately plunged into a crisis over the [[Schleswig-Holstein Question|possession and status of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein]]. Already in November 1863, [[Frederick VIII of Schleswig and Holstein|Prince Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg]] (1829–1880) (the future father-in-law of [[Kaiser]] [[Wilhelm II of Germany]]) claimed the twin-duchies in [[Order of succession|succession]] after King [[Frederick VII of Denmark|Frederick VII]] and proclaimed himself [[Frederick VIII of Schleswig-Holstein|Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein]]. Frederick of Augustenburg (as he was commonly known) had become the symbol of the nationalist German independence movement in [[Schleswig-Holstein]] after his father (in exchange for money) renounced his claims as [[Line of Succession|heir]] to the throne of the duchies of [[Schleswig]] and [[Holstein]]. In view of the London protocol of 8 May 1852, which concluded the [[First War of Schleswig]], and his father's concurrent renunciation to claims to the throne, Frederick's claim was not recognized by the parties to the protocol.

===Second Schleswig War===
{{main|Second Schleswig War}}
{{Wikisource|Denmark and Germany}}
Under pressure, Christian signed the November Constitution, a treaty that made Schleswig part of Denmark. This resulted in the [[Second Schleswig War]] between Denmark and a Prussian/Austrian alliance in 1864. The [[London Conference of 1864|Peace Conference]] broke up without having arrived at any conclusion; the outcome of the war was unfavorable to Denmark and led to the incorporation of Schleswig into Prussia in 1865. Holstein was likewise incorporated into Austria in 1865, then Prussia in 1866, following further conflict between Austria and [[Prussia]].

Following the loss, Christian IX went behind the backs of the Danish government to contact the Prussians, offering that the whole of Denmark could join the [[German Confederation]], if Denmark could stay united with Schleswig and Holstein. This proposal was rejected by [[Otto von Bismarck|Bismarck]], who feared that the ethnic strife in Schleswig between Danes and Germans would then stay unresolved. Christian IX's negotiations were not publicly known until published in the 2010 book ''[[Dommedag Als]]'' by [[Tom Buk-Swienty]], who had been given access to the royal archives by Queen [[Margrethe II]].<ref>[http://politiken.dk/kultur/article1038865.ece Hemmeligt arkiv: Kongen tilbød Danmark til tyskerne efter 1864] 18 August 2010 (politiken.dk)</ref>

==Later reign==
===Constitutional struggle===
[[File:Christian IX af Henrik Olrik.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Portrait by [[Henrik Olrik]], 1871]]
The defeat of 1864 cast a shadow over Christian IX's rule for many years and his attitude to the Danish case—probably without reason—was claimed to be half-hearted. This unpopularity was worsened as he sought unsuccessfully to prevent the spread of democracy throughout Denmark by supporting the authoritarian and conservative prime minister [[Estrup]], whose rule 1875–94 was by many seen as a semi-dictatorship. However, he signed a treaty in 1874 that allowed Iceland, then a Danish possession, to have its own constitution, albeit one under Danish rule. In 1901, he reluctantly asked [[Johan Henrik Deuntzer]] to form a government and this resulted in the formation of the [[Cabinet of Deuntzer]]. The cabinet consisted of members of the [[Venstre Reform Party]] and was the first Danish government not to include the conservative party [[Højre]], even though Højre never had a majority of the seats in the [[Folketing]]. This was the beginning of the Danish tradition of [[parliamentarism]] and clearly bettered his reputation for his last years.{{sfn|Scocozza|1997|pp=185–88}}

Another reform occurred in 1866, when the Danish constitution was revised so that Denmark's upper chamber would have more power than the lower. Social security also took a few steps forward during his reign. Old age pensions were introduced in 1891 and unemployment and family benefits were introduced in 1892.
{{clear}}

===Last years===
In spite of the King's 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.{{sfn|Scocozza|1997|p=188}} The celebration of the [[golden wedding anniversary]] of King Christian and Queen Louise in 1892 thus became a great and authentic tribute from the people to the king and queen which contrasted profoundly with the sober marking of their [[silver wedding anniversary]] in 1867.{{sfn|Bramsen|1992|p=166}}

In 1904, the King became aware of the efforts of [[Einar Holbøll]], a postal clerk in Denmark, who conceived the idea of selling [[Christmas seals]] at post offices across Denmark to raise badly needed funding to help those afflicted with [[tuberculosis]], which was occurring in alarming proportions in Denmark. The King approved of Holbøll's idea and subsequently the Danish post office produced the world's first Christmas seal, which generated more than $40,000 in funding. The Christmas seal portrayed an image of his wife, [[Louise of Hesse-Kassel|Queen Louise]].<ref name=ostler35-38>[[#ostler1947|Ostler, 1947]], pp. 35–38</ref>

===Death and succession===
[[File:Kong Christian 9.s bisættelse 16._februar_1906.jpg|thumb|left|King Christian IX's [[funeral procession]] at [[Christiansborg Palace Square]] on 16 February 1906.]]
Queen Louise died at age 81 on 29 September 1898 at [[Bernstorff Palace]] near [[Copenhagen]]. King Christian IX survived his wife by 7 years, and died peacefully of old age, at age 87, on 29 January 1906 at his residence, [[Christian IX's Palace]] at [[Amalienborg Palace]] in Copenhagen, after a reign of 42 years and 75 days. After [[lying in state]] at the [[Christiansborg Palace Chapel|chapel]] at [[Christiansborg Palace]] in Copenhagen, he was interred on 16 February 1906 beside Queen Louise in ''[[Roskilde Cathedral#Christian IX's Chapel|Christian IX's Chapel]]'' in [[Roskilde Cathedral]] on the island of [[Zealand]], the traditional burial site for [[List of Danish monarchs|Danish monarchs]] since the 15th century.

After his death, a competition was announced for a double [[sarcophagus]] for him and Queen Louise to be placed in ''[[Roskilde Cathedral#Frederick V's Chapel|Frederick V's Chapel]]''. The competition was won by the artist [[Jens Ferdinand Willumsen]], but his proposal was deemed too controversial and was not accepted. Instead, two completely different artists were assigned the task, the Dano-Icelandic sculptor [[Edvard Eriksen]] and the Danish architect [[Hack Kampmann]]. They created a large sarcophagus in white [[marble]] flanked by three graceful sculptures symbolizing ''Remembrance'', ''Love'' and ''Grief''.

Upon King Christian IX's death, Crown Prince Frederick ascended the throne at the age of 62 as King [[Frederick VIII of Denmark|Frederick VIII]].

{| style="margin:auto"
| [[file:Denmark Christmas Seal, 1906 issue.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|Christian IX appeared on a Denmark [[Christmas seals|Christmas seal]], issued the same year as his death in 1906]]
| [[File:Denmark, First Christmas Seal, 1904.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85 | [[Louise of Hesse-Kassel|Queen Louise]] on the Danish Christmas seal of 1904, the world's first [[Christmas seal]] ]]
|}

==Legacy==

==="Father-in-Law of Europe"===
Christian's family links with Europe's royal families earned him the [[sobriquet]] "the [[father-in-law of Europe]]". Four of Christian's children sat on the thrones (either as monarchs or as consorts) of Denmark, [[Kingdom of Greece|Greece]], the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]] and [[Russian Empire|Russia]]. His youngest son, Valdemar, was on 10 November 1886 elected as new Prince of Bulgaria by [[National Assembly (Bulgaria)#Grand National Assembly|The 3rd Grand National Assembly of Bulgaria]], but Christian IX refused to allow Prince Valdemar to receive the election.<ref>{{cite journal|date=3 January 1887|title=Udlandet i 1886.|url=https://www2.statsbiblioteket.dk/mediestream/avis/record/doms_aviser_page%3Auuid%3Ac554e698-c934-4b12-9c14-b6a587993c1a|page=1|journal=Randers Amtsavis og Adressekontors Efterretninger|language=da}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|date=14 July 1913|title=Da Prins Valdemar skulde være Fyrste af Bulgarien.|url=https://www2.statsbiblioteket.dk/mediestream/avis/record/doms_aviser_page%3Auuid%3Ad2587edc-154d-4acd-93e5-ad638ea210c6|page=1|journal=Ærø Avis. Kongelig priviligeret Adresse-, politisk og Avertissements-Tidende|language=da}}</ref>

{| style="margin:auto"
| [[File:Their parents' Golden Jubilee in 1882.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Six children of Christian IX and Queen Louise, 1882. From left: [[George I of Greece|King George I of Greece]], [[Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark)|Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia]], [[Alexandra of Denmark|Alexandra, Princess of Wales]], [[Frederick VIII of Denmark|Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark]], [[Princess Thyra of Denmark|Princess Thyra]] and [[Prince Valdemar of Denmark|Prince Valdemar]].]]
| {{Css Image Crop|Image = Danish West Indies 1904 10 Daler.jpg|bSize = 400|cWidth = 200|cHeight = 200|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0|Location = right|Description = {{center|Christian IX, on a 10 Daler coin of the [[Danish West Indies]] (1904)}}}}
|}
The great dynastic success of the six children was to a great extent not attributable to Christian himself but the result of the ambitions of his wife [[Louise of Hesse-Kassel]]. An additional factor was that Denmark was not one of the [[Great Powers]], so the other powers did not fear that the [[Balance of power (international relations)|balance of power]] in Europe would be upset by a marriage of one of its royalty to another royal house.

Christian's grandsons included [[Nicholas II|Nicholas II of Russia]], [[Constantine I of Greece]], [[George V]] of the United Kingdom, [[Christian X of Denmark]] and [[Haakon VII|Haakon VII of Norway]].

Today, members of most of Europe's reigning and ex-reigning royal families are direct [[Royal descendants of Queen Victoria and of King Christian IX|descendants of Christian IX]]. Namely, six of the ten current [[Monarchies in Europe#Table of monarchies in Europe|hereditary European monarchs]] are descended from Christian: King [[Frederik X|Frederik X of Denmark]], King [[Charles III]] of the United Kingdom, King [[Philippe of Belgium]], King [[Harald V|Harald V of Norway]], King [[Felipe VI|Felipe VI of Spain]] and Grand Duke [[Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg|Henri of Luxembourg]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://heinbruins.nl/Christian.html|title= Descendants of King Christian IX of Denmark
|publisher = heinbruins.nl|author= Hein Bruins |access-date= 15 August 2016}}</ref>

== Titles, styles, honours, and arms ==
=== Titles and styles ===
During his reign, [[Style of the Danish sovereign|the King's full style]] was: ''[[Majesty|His Majesty]] Christian IX, [[By the Grace of God]], [[King of Denmark]], of [[King of the Wends|the Wends]] and of [[King of the Goths|the Goths]], [[Duke of Schleswig]], [[Duke of Holstein|Holstein]], [[Duke of Stormarn|Stormarn]], [[Duke of Dithmarschen|Dithmarschen]], [[Duke of Lauenburg|Lauenburg]] and [[Duke of Oldenburg|Oldenburg]].''{{efn|In spite of the fact that Denmark lost the duchies as a consequence of the [[Treaty of Vienna (1864)|Treaty of Vienna]] in 1864, this style continued to be used until the 1972 accession of Queen [[Margrethe II]].<ref name="Titles of European hereditary rulers"/>}}<ref name="Titles of European hereditary rulers">{{cite web |url=http://eurulers.altervista.org/denmark.html |title=Denmark |website=Titles of European hereditary rulers|access-date=23 July 2023 |archive-date=10 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200210010251/http://eurulers.altervista.org/denmark.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Honours===
[[King Christian IX Land]] in Greenland is named after him.

'''National orders and decorations'''<ref name="Statskalendar">{{cite book |year=1863 |orig-year=1st pub.:1801 |editor1-last=Bille-Hansen |editor1-first=A. C. |editor2-last=Holck |editor2-first=Harald |title=Statshaandbog for Kongeriget Danmark for Aaret 1863 |trans-title=State Manual of the Kingdom of Denmark for the Year 1863 |url=https://dis-danmark.dk/bibliotek/910077.pdfpage=33 |series=Kongelig Dansk Hof- og Statskalender |language=da |location=Copenhagen |publisher=J.H. Schultz A.-S. Universitetsbogtrykkeri |pages=3, 5 |access-date=30 April 2020 |via=[[:da:DIS Danmark]] }}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
* [[Order of the Dannebrog|Grand Cross of the Dannebrog]], ''28 June 1840''; Grand Commander in Diamonds, ''15 November 1863''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tallinnmuseum.com/2018/06/15/order-of-the-dannebrog-dannebrogordenen-denmark/ |title=Order of the Dannebrog (Dannebrogordenen). Denmark |last=Levin |first=Sergey |date=15 June 2018 |website=Tallinn Museum of Orders of Knighthood |access-date=6 September 2019}}</ref>
* [[Order of the Elephant|Knight of the Elephant]], ''22 June 1843''
* [[Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog]]

'''Foreign orders and decorations'''<ref name="Statskalendar02">{{cite book |year=1906 |orig-year=1st pub.:1801 |editor1-last=Bille-Hansen |editor1-first=A. C. |editor2-last=Holck |editor2-first=Harald |title=Statshaandbog for Kongeriget Danmark for Aaret 1906 |trans-title=State Manual of the Kingdom of Denmark for the Year 1906 |url=https://dis-danmark.dk/bibliotek/921842.pdf#page=38 |series=Kongelig Dansk Hof- og Statskalender |language=da |location=Copenhagen |publisher=J.H. Schultz A.-S. Universitetsbogtrykkeri |pages=2–3 |access-date=30 April 2020 |via=[[:da:DIS Danmark]]}}</ref>
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Anhalt Duchies.png}} [[House of Ascania|Ascanian duchies]]: Grand Cross of the [[Order of Albert the Bear]], ''18 January 1854''<ref>''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Herzogtum Anhalt'' (1867) "Herzoglicher Haus-orden Albrecht des Bären" p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=TYEp3N5O48EC&pg=PA17 17]</ref>
* {{flagicon|Austrian Empire}} {{flagicon|Kingdom of Hungary|1867}} [[Austria-Hungary]]: Grand Cross of the [[Order of St. Stephen of Hungary|Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen]], ''1867''<ref>[http://tornai.com/rendtagok.htm "A Szent István Rend tagjai"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222022855/http://tornai.com/rendtagok.htm|date=22 December 2010}}</ref>
* {{flagu|Baden}}:<ref>''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden'' (1888), "Großherzogliche Orden" pp. 61, 73</ref>
** Knight of the [[House Order of Fidelity]], ''1877''
** Knight of the [[Order of Berthold the First]], ''1877''
* {{flagu|Kingdom of Bavaria}}: [[Order of St. Hubert|Knight of St. Hubert]], ''1888''<ref>''Hof- und – Staatshandbuch des Königreichs Bayern'' (1890), "Königliche Orden". [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hx3e6p&view=1up&seq=37 p. 9]</ref>
* {{flagu|Belgium}}: Grand Cordon of the [[Order of Leopold (Belgium)|Order of Leopold]], ''10 September 1862''<ref>{{citation|chapter-url=https://archives.bruxelles.be/almanach/watch/AR/ALMANACH%20ROYAL%20OFFICIEL_1863_R%20208/ALMANACH%20ROYAL%20OFFICIEL_1863_R%20208#page/26|title=Almanach Royal Officiel|year=1863|chapter=Liste des Membres de l'Ordre de Léopold|language=french|via=Archives de Bruxelles|page=52}}</ref>
* {{flagu|Empire of Brazil}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of Pedro I]]
* {{flagicon|Saxe-Coburg and Gotha}} {{flagicon|Saxe-Altenburg}} {{flagicon|Saxe-Meiningen}} [[Ernestine duchies]]: Grand Cross of the [[Saxe-Ernestine House Order]], ''October 1838''<ref>''[https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00243961/Sachsen_Coburg_Gotha_165771801_1843_0043.tif?logicalDiv=jportal_jparticle_00473415 Adreß-Handbuch des Herzogthums Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha]'' (1843), "Herzogliche Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden" p. 6</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Flag of France (1794–1815, 1830–1958).svg}} [[Second French Empire|France]]: Grand Cross of the [[Legion of Honour]]
* {{flagicon|Greece|royal}} [[Kingdom of Greece|Greece]]: [[Order of the Redeemer|Grand Cross of the Redeemer]]
* {{flagu|Kingdom of Hawaii}}: Grand Cross of the [[Royal Order of Kamehameha I (decoration)|Order of Kamehameha I]]
* {{flagicon image|Flagge Großherzogtum Hessen ohne Wappen.svg}} [[Hesse and by Rhine|Hesse-Darmstadt]]: Grand Cross of the [[Ludwig Order]], ''1 October 1863''<ref>''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch ... Hessen'' (1879), "Großherzogliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen" p. 11</ref>
* {{flagicon|Hesse}} [[Electorate of Hesse|Hesse-Kassel]]: [[House Order of the Golden Lion (Hesse)|Grand Cross of the Golden Lion]], ''22 September 1842''<ref>''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Hessen'' (1879), "Großherzogliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen" p. 44</ref>
* {{flagu|Kingdom of Italy}}: [[Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation|Knight of the Annunciation]], ''9 November 1864''<ref>{{Cite book|title=Notizia storica del nobilissimo ordine supremo della santissima Annunziata. Sunto degli statuti, catalogo dei cavalieri|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q2aP6enNFoYC&q=Ordine%20supremo%20della%20Santissima%20Annunziata&pg=PA112|publisher=Eredi Botta|date=1869|access-date=2019-03-04|language=it|first=Luigi|surname=Cibrario|page=120}}</ref>
* {{flagu|Empire of Japan}}: Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Chrysanthemum]], ''24 September 1886''<ref>{{cite book|author=刑部芳則|title=明治時代の勲章外交儀礼|url=http://meijiseitoku.org/pdf/f54-5.pdf|year=2017|publisher=明治聖徳記念学会紀要|language=ja|page=144}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Flagge Großherzogtümer Mecklenburg.svg}} [[Mecklenburg]]: [[House Order of the Wendish Crown|Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown]], with Crown in Ore, ''6 February 1872''<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/hof-und-staats-handbuch-des-grossherzogthums-mecklenburg-strelitz-fur-1878/page/n1/mode/2up |title=Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Mecklenburg-Strelitz: 1878 |chapter=Großherzogliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen |location=Neustrelitz |publisher=Druck und Debit der Buchdruckerei von G. F. Spalding und Sohn |date=1878 |page=[https://archive.org/details/hof-und-staats-handbuch-des-grossherzogthums-mecklenburg-strelitz-fur-1878/page/n27/mode/2up 11]|language=German }}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Imperial Standard of Mexico (1864-1867).svg}} [[Second Mexican Empire|Mexico]]: [[Mexican Imperial Orders#Imperial Order of the Mexican Eagle|Grand Cross of the Mexican Eagle]], with Collar, ''1865''<ref>{{citation|title=Almanaque imperial para el año 1866|year=1866|language=es|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VOAxAQAAMAAJ|chapter=Seccion IV: Ordenes del Imperio|pages=214–236, 242–243|access-date=29 April 2020}}</ref>
* {{flagu|Monaco}}: [[Order of Saint Charles|Grand Cross of St. Charles]], ''7 February 1864''<ref>[https://journaldemonaco.gouv.mc/var/jdm/storage/original/application/85f531dc217b875f80ac4aab2c93bf36.pdf Sovereign Ordonnance of 7 February 1864]</ref>
* {{flagu|Principality of Montenegro}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of Prince Danilo I]]
* {{flagu|Nassau}}: [[Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau|Knight of the Gold Lion of Nassau]], ''September 1859''<ref>''[https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10021632?page=24 Staats- und Adreß-Handbuch des Herzogthums Nassau]'' (1866), "Herzogliche Orden" p. 8</ref>
* {{flagu|Netherlands}}: [[Order of the Netherlands Lion|Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion]]
* {{flagu|Ottoman Empire}}: [[Order of the Highest Privilege (Ottoman Empire)|Yüksek İmtiyaz Nişanı]], in Diamonds, ''1885''<ref>Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivi: İ.DH. 957-75653, HR.TO.336–89</ref>
* {{flagu|Kingdom of Portugal}}:
** Grand Cross of the [[Order of Christ (Portugal)|Royal Military Order of Our Lord Jesus Christ]]
** [[Order of the Tower and Sword|Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword]]
** [[Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa|Grand Cross of Our Lady of Conception]]
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Kingdom of Prussia (1803-1892).svg}} [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]:
** [[Order of the Black Eagle|Knight of the Black Eagle]], ''8 December 1866''<ref>{{citation|title=Königlich Preussische Ordensliste|volume=1|chapter-url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=5&skin=2021|page=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015049878831&view=1up&seq=14&skin=2021 6]|language=German|chapter=Schwarzer Adler-orden|location=Berlin|year=1886}}</ref>
** [[Order of the Red Eagle|Grand Cross of the Red Eagle]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia (1859 - 1862).svg}} [[United Principalities of Romania|Romania]]: [[Order of the Star of Romania|Grand Cross of the Star of Romania]]
* {{flagu|Russian Empire}}:
** [[Order of St. Andrew|Knight of St. Andrew]], ''1842''
** [[Order of St. Alexander Nevsky|Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky]]
** [[Order of the White Eagle (Russia)|Knight of the White Eagle]]
** [[Order of St. Anna|Knight of St. Anna]], 1st Class
** [[Order of Saint Stanislaus (House of Romanov)|Knight of St. Stanislaus]], 1st Class
* {{flagu|Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach}}: [[Order of the White Falcon|Grand Cross of the White Falcon]], ''1878''<ref>''[https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00185861/Staatshandbuch_Film_Nr_16_0244.tif Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730042047/https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00185861/Staatshandbuch_Film_Nr_16_0244.tif |date=30 July 2019 }}'' (1900), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" p. 16</ref>
* {{flagu|Kingdom of Saxony}}: [[Order of the Rue Crown|Knight of the Rue Crown]], ''1888''<ref name="Sachsen1901">{{cite book|author=Sachsen|title=Staatshandbuch für den Königreich Sachsen: 1901|year=1901|publisher=Heinrich|chapter=Königlich Orden|page=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015030492006&view=1up&seq=44&skin=2021 4]|location=Dresden|via=hathitrust.org}}</ref>
* {{flagu|Principality of Serbia}}: [[Order of the Cross of Takovo|Grand Cross of the Cross of Takovo]]
* {{flagicon|Thailand|1855}} [[Siam]]: [[Order of the White Elephant|Grand Cross of the White Elephant]]
* {{flagu|Restoration (Spain)}}: [[Order of the Golden Fleece|Knight of the Golden Fleece]], ''22 March 1864''<ref>{{citation |chapter-url=http://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/issue.vm?id=0000976079&search=&lang=es|chapter=Caballeros de la insigne orden del toisón de oro|title=Guóa Oficial de España |date=1900|access-date=4 March 2019|page=167|language=es}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Sweden|1844}} {{flagicon|Norway|1844}} [[Sweden-Norway]]:
** [[Order of the Seraphim|Knight of the Seraphim]], with Collar, ''8 June 1848''<ref>{{citation|title=Sveriges statskalender|year=1905|page=440|url=https://runeberg.org/statskal/1905/0464.html|via=runeberg.org|access-date=2018-01-06|language=sv}}</ref>
** [[Order of St. Olav|Grand Cross of St. Olav]], ''29 July 1869''<ref>{{citation|title=Norges Statskalender|year=1890|pages=593–594 |url=https://runeberg.org/norkal/1890/0355.html|via=runeberg.org|access-date=2018-01-06|language=no}}</ref>
** [[Order of the Norwegian Lion|Knight of the Norwegian Lion]], ''10 September 1904''<ref>[http://www.royalcourt.no/artikkel.html?tid=33000&sek=32999 "The Order of the Norwegian Lion"], ''The Royal House of Norway''. Retrieved 10 August 2018.</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Tunisia (1959–1999).svg}} [[Beylik of Tunis|Tunisia]]: Husainid Family Order, in Diamonds
* {{flagu|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}}:
** [[Order of the Bath|Honorary Grand Cross of the Bath]] (civil), ''20 March 1863''<ref name=p209>Shaw, Wm. A. (1906) ''The Knights of England'', '''I''', London, [https://archive.org/stream/cu31924092537418#page/n299/mode/2up p. 209]</ref>
** [[Order of the Garter|Stranger Knight Companion of the Garter]], ''17 June 1865''<ref name=p63>Shaw, [https://archive.org/stream/cu31924092537418#page/n151/mode/2up p. 63]</ref>
** Recipient of the [[Royal Victorian Chain]], ''8 April 1904''<ref name=p415>Shaw, [https://archive.org/stream/cu31924092537418#page/n505/mode/2up p. 415]</ref>
* {{flagu|Württemberg}}: [[Order of the Crown (Württemberg)|Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown]], ''1888''<ref>''[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_Pc5CAAAAYAAJ/page/n63 Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg]'' (1907), "Königliche Orden" p. 28</ref>
}}

'''Honorary military appointments'''
* Honorary General of the [[Swedish Army]], ''1872'' ([[Sweden-Norway]])<ref>{{citation|title=Sveriges statskalender|year=1905|page=123 |url=https://runeberg.org/statskal/1905/0147.html|via=runeberg.org|access-date=2018-01-06|language=sv}}</ref>

=== Arms ===

As Sovereign, Christian IX used the greater (royal) [[coat of arms of Denmark]]. The arms were changed in 1903, as Iceland from then was represented by a falcon rather than its traditional stockfish arms.
{| border="0" style="margin:auto; width:50%"

|-
!width=50% |[[File:Royal coat of arms of Denmark (1819–1903).svg|center|200px]]
!width=50% |[[File:Royal coat of arms of Denmark (1903–1948).svg|center|200px]]

|-
|style="text-align: center" |Royal arms from 1863 to 1903
|style="text-align: center" |Royal arms from 1903 to 1906
|}

==Family==

[[File:Christian IX of Denmark with family (Tuxen).jpg|thumb|center|650px|[[The Family of Christian IX of Denmark]] gathered in the Garden Hall of [[Fredensborg Palace]] in 1883. Painting by [[Laurits Tuxen]] (1883–86).]]

===Issue===
{{Main|Descendants of Christian IX of Denmark}}
{{See also|Royal descendants of Queen Victoria and of King Christian IX}}

{| class="wikitable"
!Name!!Birth!!Death!!Spouse!!Children
|-
|[[Frederick VIII of Denmark]]||3 June 1843||14 May 1912 (aged 68)
|[[Louise of Sweden|Princess Louise of Sweden]] (m. 1869)||[[Christian X of Denmark]]<br/>[[Haakon VII|Haakon VII of Norway]]<br/>[[Princess Louise of Denmark (1875–1906)|Louise, Princess Frederick of Schaumburg-Lippe]]<br/>[[Prince Harald of Denmark]]<br/>[[Princess Ingeborg of Denmark|Princess Ingeborg, Duchess of Västergötland]]<br/>[[Princess Thyra of Denmark (1880–1945)|Princess Thyra of Denmark]]<br/>[[Prince Gustav of Denmark]]<br/>[[Princess Dagmar of Denmark|Princess Dagmar, Mrs. Castenskiold]]
|-
|[[Alexandra of Denmark|Princess Alexandra of Denmark]]||1 December 1844||20 November 1925 (aged 80)
|[[Edward VII|Edward VII of the United Kingdom]] (m. 1863)||[[Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale]]<br/>[[George V|George V of the United Kingdom]]<br/>[[Louise, Princess Royal|Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife]]<br/>[[Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom]]<br/>[[Maud of Wales|Maud, Queen of Norway]]<br/>[[Prince Alexander John of Wales]]
|-
|[[George I of Greece]]||24 December 1845||18 March 1913 (aged 67)
|[[Olga Constantinovna of Russia|Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia]] (m. 1867)||[[Constantine I of Greece]]<br/>[[Prince George of Greece and Denmark]]<br/>[[Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia]]<br/>[[Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark]]<br/>[[Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark|Grand Duchess Maria Georgievna of Russia]]<br/>Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark<br/>[[Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark]]<br/>[[Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark]]
|-
|[[Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark)|Princess Dagmar of Denmark]]||26 November 1847||13 October 1928 (aged 80)
|[[Alexander III of Russia]] (m. 1866)||[[Nicholas II|Nicholas II of Russia]]<br/>[[Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich of Russia]]<br/>[[Grand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia]]<br/>[[Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia]]<br/>[[Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia]]<br/>[[Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia|Olga Alexandrovna, Duchess Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg]]
|-
|[[Princess Thyra of Denmark]]||29 September 1853||26 February 1933 (aged 79)
|[[Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover|Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover and Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale]] (m. 1878)||[[Princess Marie Louise of Hanover|Marie Louise, Margravine of Baden]]<br/>George William, Hereditary Prince of Hanover<br/>[[Princess Alexandra of Hanover (1882–1963)|Alexandra, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]<br/>Princess Olga of Hanover and Cumberland<br/>Prince Christian of Hanover and Cumberland<br/>[[Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick|Ernest Augustus, Prince of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick]]
|-
|[[Prince Valdemar of Denmark]]||27 October 1858||14 January 1939 (aged 80)
|[[Princess Marie of Orléans (1865–1909)|Princess Marie of Orléans]] (m. 1885)||[[Prince Aage, Count of Rosenborg]]<br/>[[Prince Axel of Denmark]]<br/>[[Prince Erik, Count of Rosenborg]]<br/>[[Prince Viggo, Count of Rosenborg]]<br/>[[Princess Margaret of Denmark|Margaret, Princess René of Bourbon-Parma]]
|}

===Ancestry===
{{ahnentafel
|align=center|collapsed=yes
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Christian IX of Denmark'''
|2= 2. [[Frederick William, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg]]
|3= 3. [[Princess Louise Caroline of Hesse-Kassel]]
|4= 4. [[Frederick Charles Louis, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck]]
|5= 5. [[Countess Friederike von Schlieben]]
|6= 6. [[Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel]]
|7= 7. [[Princess Louise of Denmark (1750–1831)|Princess Louise of Denmark]]
|8= 8. [[Prince Karl Anton August of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck]]
|9= 9. [[Countess Charlotte of Dohna-Leistenau]]
|10= 10. [[Count Karl Leopold von Schlieben]]
|11= 11. Countess Marie Eleonore von Lehndorff
|12= 12. [[Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel]]
|13= 13. [[Princess Mary of Great Britain]]
|14= 14. [[Frederick V of Denmark]]
|15= 15. [[Louise of Great Britain|Princess Louisa of Great Britain]]
}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist|colwidth=20em}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin|colwidth=30em}}
* {{Cite book|last=Aronson|first=Theo|author-link=Theo Aronson|title=A Family of Kings: The descendants of Christian IX of Denmark|edition=2nd|publisher=Thistle Publishing|location=London|year=2014|isbn=978-1910198124}}
* {{Cite book|last=Bramsen|first=Bo|year=1992|title=Huset Glücksborg. Europas svigerfader og hans efterslægt.|trans-title=The House of Glücksburg. The Father-in-law of Europe and his descendants|edition=2nd|publisher=Forlaget Forum|location=Copenhagen|isbn=87-553-1843-6|language=da}}
* {{Cite book|last=Chaffanjon|first=Arnaud|author-link=Arnaud Chaffanjon|year=1980|title=Histoires de familles royales : Victoria d'Angleterre – Christian IX de Danemark et leurs descendances de 1840 à nos jours|publisher=[[Ramsay (publishing house)|Ramsay]]|location=Paris|isbn=9782859561840| language=fr}}
* {{Cite book|last=Fabricius-Møller |first=Jes |year=2013 |title=Dynastiet Glücksborg, en Danmarkshistorie |trans-title=The Glücksborg Dynasty, a history of Denmark |language=da |publisher=Gad |location=Copenhagen |isbn=9788712048411 }}
* {{Cite book|last=Glenthøj|first=Rasmus|title=1864 : Sønner af de Slagne|trans-title=1864 : Sons of the defeated|year=2014|publisher=[[Gads Forlag]]|location=[[Copenhagen]]|isbn=978-8712-04919-7|language=da}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Lerche|first1=Anna|last2=Mandal|first2=Marcus|year=2003|title=A royal family : the story of Christian IX and his European descendants|location=Copenhagen|publisher=Aschehoug|isbn=9788715109577}}
* {{Cite book|last=Olden-Jørgensen|first=Sebastian|year=2003|title=Prinsessen og det hele kongerige. Christian IX og det glücksborgske kongehus|trans-title=The princess and the whole kingdom. Christian IX and the royal house of Glücksburg|publisher=Gad|location=Copenhagen|language=da|isbn=8712040517}}
* {{cite book |last=Ostler |first=Fred J. |title= Father of the Christmas Seal |publisher=Coronet Printing |year=1947 |url=https://www.seal-society.org/sites/default/files/pdf/news/88/holboll%2011-47%20coronet%20article.pdf |ref=ostler1947}}
* {{cite book|last=Scocozza|first=Benito|chapter=Christian 9.|title=Politikens bog om danske monarker|trans-title=Politiken's book about Danish monarchs|year=1997|publisher=Politikens Forlag|location=Copenhagen|isbn=87-567-5772-7|pages=182–189|language=da}}
* {{Cite encyclopedia |first=Alexander |last=Thorsøe |title=Christian 9. |url=https://runeberg.org/dbl/3/0525.html |year=1889 |encyclopedia=[[Dansk Biografisk Leksikon|Dansk biografisk Lexikon, tillige omfattende Norge for tidsrummet 1537–1814]] |editor-last=Bricka |editor-first=Carl Frederik |editor-link=Carl Frederik Bricka |volume=III |edition=1st |location=Copenhagen |publisher=[[Gyldendal]] |pages=523–526 |language=da }}
* {{Cite book|last=Van der Kiste|first=John|author-link=John Van der Kiste|year=1996|title=Northern crowns : the kings of modern Scandinavia|publisher=Sutton Publishing|location=Stroud, Gloucestershire|isbn=9780750911382}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050403232709/http://kongehuset.dk/artikel.php?dogtag=k_en_his_chrix The Danish Monarchy's official site]
* [http://www.kongernessamling.dk/en/amalienborg/person/christian-ix/ Christian IX] at the website of the Royal Danish Collection at [[Amalienborg Palace]]
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Christian IX. |short=x}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg]]|8 April|1818|29 January|1906|[[House of Oldenburg]]|name=Christian IX}}
{{S-reg|}}
{{S-bef|rows=3|before=[[Frederick VII of Denmark|Frederick VII]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[King of Denmark]]|years=1863–1906}}
{{S-aft|rows=1|after=[[Frederick VIII of Denmark|Frederick VIII]]}}
|-
{{S-ttl|title=[[Dukes of Schleswig#House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1863–1865)|Duke of Schleswig]] and [[List of rulers of Schleswig-Holstein#House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1863–1865)|Holstein]]|years=1863–1864}}
{{s-non|reason=Titles [[German mediatisation|mediatised]]}} 
|-
{{S-ttl|title=[[List of rulers of Saxony#Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg (1401–1876)|Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg]]|years=1863–1864}}
{{S-aft|after=[[William I of Prussia|William I]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Monarchs of Denmark}}
{{Monarchs of Iceland}}
{{Princes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg}}
{{Danish princes}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christian 09 of Denmark}}
[[Category:Christian IX of Denmark| ]]
[[Category:1818 births]]
[[Category:1906 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century monarchs of Denmark]]
[[Category:20th-century monarchs of Denmark]]
[[Category:Burials at Roskilde Cathedral]]
[[Category:Dukes of Schleswig]]
[[Category:Dukes of Holstein]]
[[Category:Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg]]
[[Category:House of Glücksburg (Denmark)]]
[[Category:House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck]]
[[Category:People from Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein]]
[[Category:Princes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg]]
[[Category:Protestant monarchs]]
<!-- Honours -->
[[Category:Grand Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary]]
[[Category:Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal)]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class]]
[[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain]]
[[Category:Knights of the Order of the Norwegian Lion]]
[[Category:Extra Knights Companion of the Garter]]
[[Category:Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]