The history of modern Denmark is essentially the story of how a once extensive and diverse empire slowly disintegrated under the changing circumstances of the times. Eventually, the dissolution of the component parts resulted in one small core area remaining which is today called Denmark.

In this introductory guide, Knud J. V. Jespersen traces the lengthy process of disintegration and reduction which helped to form the modern Danish state, and the historical roots of Denmark's current international position. Taking the starting point as the Reformation in the sixteenth century, when modern Danish society began to emerge, Jespersen explains how the Denmark of today was shaped by 500 years of wars, territorial losses, domestic upheavals, new methods of production, and changes in thought. He goes on to explore the development of a specific sense of Danish identity, and disusses whether the Danes can be most aptly described as a tribe or as a nation.

'An eminently approachable and readable introduction to Danish history.' - Thomas Munck, University of Glasgow

Map of Denmark
Introduction: What is Denmark and Who are the Danes?
Foreign and Security Policy: From Gatekeeper of the Baltic to a Midget State
Domestic Policy, 1500-1848: The Era of Aristocracy and Absolutism
Domestic Policy, 1848-2000: Democracy and the Welfare State
The Church and Culture from Luther to Postmodernism
Economic Conditions: The Old Denmark, 1500-1800
Economic Conditions: The New Denmark, 1800-2000
The Danes: A Tribe or a Nation?
References
Select Bibliography
A Short Chronology
Index

KNUD J.V. JESPERSEN is Professor of Modern History at the University of Southern Denmark and Royal Historiographer to H.M. the Queen of Denmark.