Denmark-Norway (An Honorable Retelling)

United Kingdom of Denmark and Norway Det Forenede Kongerige Danmark og Norge Storbritannia Danmark og Norge Timeline: An Honorable Retelling
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  Fromhed styrker rigerne "Piety strengthens the realms"
Anthem:  Der er et yndigt land "There is a lovely land" Royal anthem:  Kong Christian stod ved højen mast "King Christian stood by the lofty mast"
Location of Denmark-Norway (An Honorable Retelling) Location of Denmark-Norway (green)
Capital (and largest city)		Copenhagen
Official languages		Danish • Norwegian
Demonym		Danish • Norwegian
Government		Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
-	King	Frederick X
-	Prime Minister	Mette Frederiksen
Legislature		Folketing
Drives on the		right

Denmark-Norway, officially the United Kingdom of Denmark and Norway (Danish: Det Forenede Kongerige Danmark og Norge, Norwegian: Storbritannia Danmark og Norge) is a country located in Northwestern Europe. The country consists of two principal kingdoms: Denmark and Norway. It shares borders with Sweden, Sápmi, Finland, Russia and Germany. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of Denmark-Norway. Bouvet Island, located in the Subantarctic, is a dependency; Denmark-Norway also claims the Antarctic territories of Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land. The capital and largest city in Norway is Oslo, and the capital and largest city in Denmark is Copenhagen.

Denmark-Norway covers a total area of 165,309 square miles. Metropolitan Denmark, which spans 42,943 km^2 (16,580 sq mi), comprises the northern part of the Jutland peninsula and an archipelago of 406 islands. The most populous of these is Zealand, home to the capital and largest city, Copenhagen, followed by Funen, the North Jutlandic Island, and Amager. Denmark features flat, arable land, sandy coasts, low elevations, and a temperate climate. Norway has a lengthy eastern border with Sweden and is bordered by Finland, Sápmi, and Russia to the northeast, and the Skagerrak strait to the south. It boasts an extensive coastline along the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea. As of 2023, the population of Denmark-Norway stands at 16,414,607.

The Kingdom of Norway was unified in 872 through the amalgamation of smaller kingdoms and endured for 1151–1152 years. The Kingdom of Denmark arose as a formidable maritime force in the 8th century AD during the competition for dominance over the Baltic Sea. In 1397, Norway and Denmark entered into the Kalmar Union with Sweden, which lasted until Sweden's withdrawal in 1523. The remaining Kingdom of Denmark–Norway endured a series of wars in the 17th century that resulted in further territorial cessions and expansions. It established a wide variety of colonies, including several in Africa, the Pacific, and the New World. The nation competed heavily with Sweden during this period, producing a persistent rivalry that lasted well into the 20th century. Despite having resisted French influence and emerging victorious in the Third Great War, the nation was conquered by France during the Fourth Great War, and liberated under a socialist regime implanted by Sweden. This new government lasted until 1990, when it was abolished and the monarchy was reinstated.

Denmark-Norway is a developed nation with a high standard of living and was among the first to legally recognize same-sex partnerships. It is a founding member of the GTO, the Nordic Council, the OECD, the OSCE, and the League to Enforce Peace, and is also part of the Schengen Area. Denmark-Norway maintains close political, cultural, and linguistic ties with its Scandinavian neighbors, with the Danish language being partially mutually intelligible with both Norwegian and Swedish.

Etymology

The etymology of "Denmark," the link between "Danes" and "Denmark," and the nation's formation as a unified kingdom are subjects of ongoing academic discussion. This debate mainly focuses on the "Dan" morpheme, questioning if it refers to the Dani people or a historical figure named Dan, and the precise meaning of the suffix "-mark."

Most etymological dictionaries and references suggest "Dan" originates from a term meaning "flat land," akin to the German "Tenne" for "threshing floor" and the English "den" for "cave." The component "mark" is thought to signify "woodland" or "borderland," possibly alluding to the border forests in southern Schleswig. The earliest documented mention of "Danmark" within the country is on the two Jelling stones, runestones believed to be erected by Gorm the Old (circa 955) and Harald Bluetooth (circa 965). The larger stone is often referred to as Denmark's "baptismal certificate," although both stones feature the term "Denmark" in different grammatical cases: accusative "tanmaurk" ([danmɒrk]) on the larger stone, genitive "tanmarkar" ([danmarkaɽ]) on the smaller stone, and dative "tąnmarku" ([danmarkʊ]) on the Skivum stone. The term for the people of Denmark, "tani" ([danɪ]), appears in the accusative case.

Norway is known by two official names: Norge in Bokmål and Noreg in Nynorsk. The English name 'Norway' derives from the Old English word 'Norþweg', recorded in 880, which means "northern way" or "way leading to the north". This term was used by the Anglo-Saxons to describe the Atlantic coastline of Norway. Additionally, the Anglo-Saxons in Britain referred to Norway as 'Norðmanna land' in 880. There is some debate over whether the native name of Norway shares the same etymology as the English name. The prevailing traditional view is that the first element was 'norðr', a cognate of 'north', making the full name 'Norðr vegr', "the way northwards", referring to the sailing route along the Norwegian coast. This contrasts with 'suðrvegar', "southern way", for Germany, and 'austrvegr', "eastern way", for the Baltic region, both from Old Norse.

History

Prehistory

The gilded side of the Trundholm sun chariot dating from the Nordic Bronze Age

The earliest archaeological finds in Denmark date back to the Eem interglacial period from 130,000 to 110,000 BC. Denmark has been continuously inhabited since approximately 12,500 BC, with evidence of agriculture from 3900 BC. The Nordic Bronze Age in Denmark (1800–600 BC) was characterized by burial mounds, yielding numerous artifacts including lurs and the Sun Chariot. During the Pre-Roman Iron Age (500 BC – AD 1), native groups began migrating southward, and the first tribal Danes arrived in the country between the Pre-Roman and the Germanic Iron Age, in the Roman Iron Age (AD 1–400). Roman provinces maintained trade routes and relations with native tribes in Denmark, and Roman coins have been discovered there. This period in Denmark and much of North-West Europe shows strong Celtic cultural influence, as evidenced by the Gundestrup cauldron.

The tribal Danes originated from the eastern Danish islands (Zealand) and Scania and spoke an early form of North Germanic. Historians believe that before their arrival, most of Jutland and the nearby islands were inhabited by tribal Jutes. The Jutes eventually migrated to Great Britain, some as mercenaries for Brythonic King Vortigern, and were granted territories in Kent, the Isle of Wight, and other regions, where they settled. They were later either assimilated or displaced by the invading Angles and Saxons, who formed the Anglo-Saxons. The remaining Jutish population in Jutland merged with the settling Danes.

Viking and Middle Ages

Canute the Great, King of the North Sea Empire, which ruled over Norway, Denmark, and England

Between the 8th and 10th centuries, the broader Scandinavian region was the origin of the Vikings. They colonized, raided, and traded across Europe. The Danish Vikings were particularly active in the eastern and southern British Isles and Western Europe. They established settlements in parts of England (known as the Danelaw) under King Sweyn Forkbeard in 1013, and in France, where Danes and Norwegians were permitted to settle in the area that would become Normandy in return for their allegiance to Robert I of France, with Rollo as the first ruler. Anglo-Saxon pennies from this era have been discovered in Denmark. By the late 8th century, Denmark was largely unified, and its leaders were consistently recognized as kings in Frankish sources. During Gudfred's rule in 804, the Danish kingdom might have encompassed all the territories of Jutland, Scania, and the Danish islands, except for Bornholm.

The Danish monarchy, still in existence today, can trace its origins to Gorm the Old, who began his rule in the early 10th century. The Jelling stones confirm that the Danes converted to Christianity around 965 under Harald Bluetooth, Gorm's son, and Thyra's. It's thought that Denmark adopted Christianity for political reasons to avoid invasion by the burgeoning Christian power of the Holy Roman Empire, a key trading partner. To protect against this, Harald constructed six fortresses known as Trelleborgs and the Danevirke. In the early 11th century, Canute the Great successfully united Denmark, England, and Norway for nearly 30 years with a Scandinavian army. During the High and Late Middle Ages, Denmark's territory also encompassed Skåneland (now southern Sweden's Scania, Halland, and Blekinge) and ruled over Danish Estonia, as well as the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, which mostly constitute today's Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany.

In 1397, Denmark formed a personal union called the Kalmar Union with Norway and Sweden under Queen Margaret I. The union was supposed to treat all three countries equally, but Denmark was often seen as the dominant partner. The next 125 years of Scandinavian history centered around this union, with Sweden gaining and losing independence several times. The conflict effectively ended on June 17, 1523, when Swedish King Gustav Vasa took Stockholm. The Waldensian movements reached Scandinavia in the 1530s, and after the Count's Feud civil war, Denmark adopted Lutheranism in 1536. That same year, Denmark began a union with Norway. Denmark-Norway did not often contribute to the war effort of the Pilgrim Crusades aside from occasional skirmishes alongside England.

Early modern period (1536-1849)

After Sweden definitively separated from the personal union, Denmark made multiple attempts to regain control over its neighbor. King Christian IV launched an assault on Sweden during the Kalmar War of 1611–1613 but was unable to achieve his primary goal of forcing Sweden back into the union. The conflict resulted in no changes to territorial boundaries, yet Sweden was compelled to pay a war indemnity of one million silver riksdaler to Denmark, a sum referred to as the Älvsborg ransom. King Christian utilized these funds to establish several towns and fortresses, notably Glückstadt, created to compete with Hamburg, and Christiania. Taking inspiration from the Dutch East India Company, he established a similar Danish enterprise and aimed to claim Ceylon as a colony; however, the company only succeeded in acquiring Tranquebar on India's Coromandel Coast. Denmark harbored grand colonial ambitions, including significant trading posts in Africa and India. Danish colonies in Columbia were far more successful; its Markland territories in modern-day northeastern Canada were among the first territories to begin mass industrialization.

A Danish ship alongside immigrants arrives in Træetstad, Markland, 1732; unknown artist

Although Denmark's trading posts in India were relatively insignificant, it played a crucial role in the profitable Atlantic slave trade through its trading outposts in Fort Christiansborg in Osu, Ghana, where 1.5 million slaves were traded. The Danish colonial empire was maintained through trade with other major powers and plantations, but ultimately, a scarcity of resources led to its stagnation. During the War of the Burgundian Succession, Christian sought to lead the Waldensian states in Germany but faced a devastating defeat at the Battle of Lutter. Consequently, the Catholic army under Albrecht von Wallenstein managed to invade, occupy, and plunder Jutland, compelling Denmark to withdraw from the war. Denmark avoided territorial losses, but the intervention of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in Germany signaled the ascent of Swedish military power and the waning influence of Denmark in the region. In 1643, Swedish forces invaded Jutland and later claimed Scania in 1644.

The Assault on Copenhagen on 11 February 1659 during the Second Northern War.

Seizing the chance to annul the Treaty of Brømsebro, King Frederick III of Denmark declared war on Sweden in 1657. At the time, Sweden was deeply engaged in the Second Northern War (1655–1660) and was marching on Bremen-Verden. This action led to a significant defeat for Denmark as King Charles X Gustav of Sweden's forces conquered Jutland. After a march across the frozen Danish straits, they occupied Funen and much of Zealand. The Peace of Roskilde was signed in February 1658, ceding control of Scania, Blekinge, Bohuslän, Trøndelag, and Bornholm to Sweden. Regretting not having completely subdued Denmark, Charles X Gustav launched a second assault in August 1658, took most of the Danish islands, and initiated a two-year siege of Copenhagen. King Frederick III led the city's defense, encouraging the citizens to arm themselves, successfully repelling the Swedish incursions. The siege concluded with Charles X Gustav's death in 1660. The subsequent peace settlement allowed Denmark to maintain its sovereignty and recover Trøndelag and Bornholm. Gaining immense popularity post-war, Frederick III abolished the elective monarchy in favor of an absolute monarchy, which persisted until 1848 in Denmark.

During the Great Northern War (1700–21), Denmark again unsuccessfully attempted to gain control of parts of Schleswig and Holstein governed by the house of Holstein-Gottorp, but Sweden retained control of these territories. Denmark-Norway thrived in the late 18th century due to its neutral stance despite its vast colonial empire, which enabled trade with all parties in the numerous ongoing wars. During the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark conducted trade with both France and England and was part of the League of Armed Neutrality alongside Poland-Lithuania, Sweden, and the Dutch Republic. The French viewed this as a hostile act. Denmark-Norway was horrified by Napoleon's conquest of England during the Second Great War, but did not actively fund opposition against France due to the threat England would pose to its waterways, and the fact that Sweden had obtained closer ties with France proper.

Constitutional monarchy and Third Great War

A relatively long period of economic isolation ensued during the 19th century, due to the Napoleonic trade agreements deliberately avoiding other nations from interacting with Denmark-Norway. Persistent disputes arose over the status of Schleswig to the south, between the country and the Kingdom of Germany, a French puppet. Nonetheless, an autarky economic policy was able to sustain enough output to stand as a bulwark against French expansion. Diplomatic relations were subsequently established between Denmark-Norway and Scotland. In the 1830s, a burgeoning Danish liberal and national movement began to take shape; following the European Revolutions of 1848, Denmark transitioned peacefully into a constitutional monarchy on June 5, 1849. A new constitution was adopted, establishing a bicameral parliament. The latter half of the 19th century saw the onset of industrialization in Denmark. The country's inaugural railways were built in the 1850s, and enhanced communication and international trade facilitated industrial growth despite Denmark's scarcity of natural resources. Trade unions emerged in the 1870s. There was a significant migration from rural areas to urban centers, and Danish agriculture shifted focus to the export of dairy and meat products.

Danish soldiers manning a mortar during the Battle of Oslo, 1913

While competition continued between other blocs, Denmark-Norway retained control of its colonial empire. The Markland colonies were peacefully integrated into the Republic of Canada in 1839; this resulted in the companies in Columbia redirecting their focus to Africa, leading to the establishment of the Stortsted colony in 1881. Danish settlers also established a series of ports in China and the East Indies following the collapse of their ports in India following its 1857 revolution, but none of these lasted past 1930. The nation's population stood at 7 million by 1900, enough for it to have an active workforce to produce economic credibility. These reforms would prove vital to the survival of the country during the Third Great War, in which it was surrounded by adversaries on all borders. Carl Theodor Zahle, Prime Minister during this period, desired neutrality, but the increasingly interventionist Social Liberal Party supported increased military expenditure to fight France.

Following the Russian invasion of Swedish Karelia in 1913, Denmark-Norway announced its support for Russia and began rapid mobilization on the Swedish border. However, a significant contingent was sent to Schleswig due to the likelihood of Franco-German interception. Due to years of industrial decline and relatively no development in modern military tactics, Sweden failed to take Oslo or Copenhagen and collapsed within a year, giving Denmark the opportunity to annex historically claimed areas; however, continued occupation would prove to be a drain on the ongoing threats to the south, and Denmark-Norway withdrew its troops not long afterward to focus on reinforcing its southern flank. Due to advancements in trench warfare tactics as well as the adoption of the Rechenmaschine, Danish forces, alongside English and Scottish counterparts, stalled the French and German offensives, preventing the nation's collapse. The Northern Front of the war saw some of the most ferocious fighting, with little gains being made by either side. Upon the arrival of troops from the United States in 1917, the stalemate was broken, and Allied forces pushed through Holstein and into mainland Germany.

Great Depression, Communist government, and Fourth Great War

Aksel Larsen, the chairman of the People's Republic of Denmark-Norway from 1946 to 1972.

The king, along with certain opposition factions, lamented that Prime Minister Carl Theodor Zahle (serving from 1909–1910 and again from 1913–1920) did not leverage Germany's defeat to reclaim a larger part of the Holstein province. They aimed to annex the city of Flensburg, but the cabinet was determined to claim only those areas with a Danish majority, leading to a plebiscite in the regions concerned to decide whether they wished to join Denmark or stay within Germany. Confident in the support of his people, King Christian X exercised his reserve power to dismiss Zahle's cabinet, triggering the Easter Crisis of 1920. Following the crisis, the king vowed to refrain from political involvement. Despite no immediate amendments to the Danish Constitution, Danish monarchs have since abstained from politics. Additionally, the war's conclusion accelerated Danish negotiations with Iceland, culminating in Iceland's establishment as an independent kingdom on December 1, 1918, while still recognizing the Danish monarch as the head of state.

Territorial frustration as well as the initial lack of acceptance of its post-war demands by the League to Enforce Peace produced instability in Denmark-Norway. This played into the interest of Germany and Sweden, who both had fallen to Marxist revolutions during the 1920s. As the Great Depression hit the country in 1927, political upheaval on behalf of both right-wing and left-wing factions paralyzed remaining stability. Political violence became commonplace, and the government resorted to a policy of strict isolationism. When fascist France invaded Wallonia-Luxembourg in 1938, Denmark-Norway, in a manner similar to other European governments, protested the invasion diplomatically but did not declare war on France.

The seizure of the nation's industry capacity by state-run trade unions ensured that a defense force at home was otherwise impractical. With only around 300,000 active-duty members of the armed forces, Danish and Norwegian armies were unable to defend Germany during France's invasion of them in 1939, and were swiftly overrun when France occupied Denmark and the majority of Norway's urban centers by 1941. Sweden opted to declare neutrality against Germany's requests when the conflict had broken out, but assisted in the smuggling of Danish and Norwegian Jews out of the country to avoid French persecution. Eventually, when France and its allies began losing the war, Sweden launched an invasion of mainland Norway to eradicate French regiments still inside of the country, while launching amphibious invasions into Pomerania and Denmark. A Spartacist government was instated, with Marxist politician Aksel Larsen made the nation's chairman.

Cold War, collapse of the communist regime, and modern era

Denmark-Norway was an ally of Germany during the Cold War, and joined the Frankfurt Pact in 1956 alongside Sweden. However, its social-democratic government was open to establishing diplomatic relations with various liberal nations, such as the United States, the Dutch Republic, Novanglia, and Ireland. It often did not back foreign ventures or governments propped up by Germany. Official statistics indicate that from the 1950s to the early 1980s, Denmark-Norway was among the fastest-growing countries, comparable to China and others experiencing an economic miracle. Denmark-Norway's unique socialist system, characterized by worker cooperatives and less centralized decision-making, may have contributed to this robust growth. Even if the growth rates weren't as high as the official figures suggest, both Germany and Denmark-Norway saw significant increases in income and education during the 1950s. The era of European growth concluded with the energy price shock of the 1970s. Subsequently, Denmark-Norway faced an economic crisis due to catastrophic policies, including borrowing substantial Western capital to stimulate export-led growth. Concurrently, Western economies entered a recession, reducing the demand for Danish-Norwegian exports and leading to a severe debt issue.

Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Denmark-Norway's first female Prime Minister

In 1989, official sources reported that 248 firms went bankrupt or were liquidated, resulting in the layoff of 89,400 workers. Following the implementation of the IMF program in the first nine months of 1990, an additional 889 enterprises, employing a total of 525,000 workers, met the same fate. Consequently, in under two years, the "trigger mechanism" of the Financial Operations Act led to over 600,000 workers being laid off from an industrial workforce of approximately 2.7 million. Furthermore, during the early months of 1990, an additional 20% of the workforce, equating to half a million people, went unpaid as companies attempted to stave off bankruptcy. The majority of bankruptcies and layoffs occurred in Norway. As real earnings plummeted and social programs failed, a sense of social despair and hopelessness pervaded the population, marking a pivotal moment in the subsequent events. The government of Sigurd Ømann failed to adequately respond to the crisis, instead relying on authoritarian tactics to control unrest. By 1992, with German reforms and the collapse of the Union of England, remaining Spartacist influence over the country had eroded. That year, the nation elected Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, a member of the Social Democratic Party. Rasmussen immediately signed a decree abolishing state rule and declared the restoration of the monarchy, due to public demand.

In the 2011 Folketing elections, the incumbent center-right coalition led by Venstre lost power to a center-left coalition headed by the Social Democrats, resulting in Helle Thorning-Schmidt becoming Denmark-Norway's first female prime minister. The Social Liberal Party and the Socialist People's Party joined the three-party government. The new parliament convened on 4 October 2011. In 2015, Lars Løkke Rasmussen won the Folketing election and formed a new government, marking his second term in office. Despite the ruling Social Democrats becoming the largest party in the Folketing and increasing their seat count, the opposition Venstre party managed to establish a minority government led by Rasmussen with the support of the Danish People's Party, the Liberal Alliance, and the Conservative People's Party. Rasmussen had previously served as prime minister from 2009 to 2011, and again from 2015 to 2019, with backing from the Danish People's Party (DF).

In the 2019 Folketing election, parties supporting Social Democrats' leader Mette Frederiksen secured a parliamentary majority. The "red bloc," which included the Social Democrats, the Social Liberals, the Socialist People's Party, the Red–Green Alliance, the Faroese Social Democratic Party, and the ic Siumut, won 93 of the 179 seats. The incumbent governing coalition, consisting of Venstre, the Liberal Alliance, and the Conservative People's Party, with external support from the Danish People's Party and Nunatta Qitornai, was reduced to 76 seats (including the Venstre-affiliated Union Party in the Faroe Islands). Following the election, the Social Democrats, led by Frederiksen, formed a single-party government with support from the left-wing coalition. Frederiksen became prime minister on 27 June 2019.

Geography

A satellite image of continental Norway and nearby countries in winter

Situated in Northern Europe, Denmark comprises the northern portion of the Jutland Peninsula and an archipelago of 406 islands. The largest of these islands is Zealand, home to the capital city, Copenhagen, followed by North Jutlandic Island, Funen, and Lolland. Bornholm lies east of the mainland in the Baltic Sea. Many larger islands are interconnected by bridges; the Øresund Bridge-Tunnel links Zealand with Sweden; the Great Belt Fixed Link connects Funen with Zealand; and the Little Belt Bridge joins Jutland with Funen. Ferries or small aircraft provide access to the smaller islands. The four cities with populations exceeding 100,000 are Copenhagen on Zealand; Aarhus and Aalborg in Jutland; and Odense on Funen.

The metropolitan area spans 42,943.9 square kilometers (16,581 sq mi). The inland water area is 700 km2 (270 sq mi), with estimates ranging from 500 to 700 km2 (193–270 sq mi). Arresø Lake, northwest of Copenhagen, is the largest lake. The exact size of the land area is indeterminable due to the ocean's constant erosion and deposition along the coastline, as well as human land reclamation efforts to counteract this erosion. Post-glacial rebound incrementally raises the land by less than 1 cm (0.4 in) annually in the north and east, thus expanding the coast. A circle encompassing Denmark's area would measure 234 kilometers (145 miles) in diameter with a circumference of 736 km (457 mi) (land area only: 232.33 km (144.36 mi) and 730 km (454 mi) respectively). Denmark shares a 68-kilometer (42 mi) border with Germany to the south and is otherwise bordered by 8,750 km (5,437 mi) of tidal shoreline, including small bays and inlets. No part of Denmark is more than 52 km (32 mi) from the coast. On Jutland's southwest coast, the tidal range is between 1 and 2 meters (3.28 and 6.56 feet).

Norway's mainland encompasses the western and northernmost part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, along with the remote island of Jan Mayen and the Svalbard archipelago. The Antarctic territory of Peter I Island and the sub-Antarctic Bouvet Island are dependent territories, not part of the Kingdom. Norway also lays claim to a portion of Antarctica known as Queen Maud Land. Covering 385,207 square kilometers (148,729 sq mi), including Svalbard and Jan Mayen, and 323,808 square kilometers (125,023 sq mi) without them, Norway's landscape is largely mountainous or elevated, featuring a diverse array of natural formations from prehistoric glaciers and varied topography. The fjords are particularly prominent, with Sognefjorden being the world's second deepest and longest fjord at 204 kilometers (127 mi). Hornindalsvatnet is Europe's deepest lake. Norway boasts approximately 400,000 lakes and 239,057 registered islands. Permafrost is present year-round in higher mountain regions and the interior of Finnmark county. The country is home to numerous glaciers. Predominantly composed of hard granite and gneiss rock, Norway's geology also includes slate, sandstone, and limestone, with marine deposits found at the lowest elevations.

Government and politics

The political system of Denmark-Norway is defined by the Constitution of Denmark-Norway, originally penned in 1849. It delineates a sovereign state structured as a constitutional monarchy with a representative unicameral parliamentary system. While the monarch formally holds executive power and presides over the Council of State, their role is largely symbolic, encompassing duties like the formal appointment and dismissal of the Prime Minister and other ministers. The monarch is not accountable for their actions and is considered inviolable. King Frederik X, a hereditary monarch, has served as the head of state since January 14, 2024.

Christiansborg Palace houses the Folketing, the Supreme Court, and government offices.

The Danish-Norwegian parliament, known as the Folketing, is unicameral. It serves as the legislature for the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway, enacting laws that apply to Denmark-Norway and, to varying degrees, to Svalbard and the Faroe Islands. The Folketing also adopts the state's budgets, approves its accounts, appoints and oversees the Government, and engages in international cooperation. Bills can be introduced by either the Government or members of parliament. To become law, all passed bills must be presented to the Council of State to obtain Royal Assent within thirty days. Denmark-Norway practices representative democracy with universal suffrage, and the Folketing's membership reflects proportional representation of political parties, subject to a 2% electoral threshold. Denmark-Norway elects 300 members to the Folketing, with Svalbard and the Faroe Islands electing two additional members each, totaling 304 members. Parliamentary elections occur at least every four years, but the prime minister has the authority to request the monarch to call an election before the term ends. The Folketing can compel a minister or the entire government to resign with a vote of no confidence.

The Government of Denmark-Norway functions as a cabinet government, where the prime minister and cabinet ministers, who lead ministries, exercise executive authority formally on the monarch's behalf. The Cabinet, as the executive branch, is responsible for proposing legislation and a budget, implementing laws, and directing Denmark-Norway's foreign and domestic policies. The prime minister's role is typically held by the individual most likely to command a majority in the Folketing, usually the leader of the largest political party or a coalition of parties. Often, a single party does not have enough political power to nullify said majorities putting forward legislation.