Christian X
- King of Denmark from 1912 to 1947 and of Iceland until 1944
- Motto: "My God, my Country, my Honour"
- Born: 26 September 1870
- Son of: Frederik VIII and Queen Lovisa
- Married: 26 April 1898 to Duchess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1879-1952)
- Children: Prince Frederik (IX) and Prince Knud
As the first of the House of Glücksborg, Prince Christian was born to succeed to the throne, and everything was done to prepare him for his future task as King. In 1889, he was the first heir to the throne to pass the upper secondary examination. His subsequent education was, however, in line with the family tradition, characterised by the military, which impacted heavily on his personality. He always saw himself as a whole-heartedly committed soldier. When Frederik VIII died in 1912, Crown Prince Christion succeeded to the throne. Thus, the two World Wars marked the beginning and the end of his long reign.
At first, the King had some difficulty in coming to terms with the parliamentary system, which had been introduced with the Change of System in 1901. This led to several clashes with the political leaders, culminating in Prime Minister Zahle's resignation after a heated exchange of words with the King and the following Easter Crisis of 1920, which for a few critical days put the continued existence of the monarchy at risk. Subsequently, the King fully accepted his constitutional role, and he never again acted without full parliamentary support. During the turbulent political climate of the 1930s, the King stood by the Government and Rigsdag (Danish Parliament) in the fight against the totalitarian movements.
The foundation of the King's later position as a national rallying point was established in connection with the festivities over the reunification with North Schleswig in 1920 and was strengthened during the Royal Couple's many travels throughout the country. When Denmark was occupied by German troops on 9 April 1940, the King won the hearts of the population by continuing his daily rides through the streets of Copenhagen. The image of the tall, upright royal figure on horseback, and the King's dignified, but reserved behaviour towards the representatives of the occupation became in the years of occupation the very symbol of courage and unity between the King and his people. The King's 70th birthday a few months after the beginning of the occupation was a grand popular manifestation of these feelings.
In October 1942, the King suffered a fall from his horse during his daily ride. This caused permanent damage to his health, and only rarely did he appear in public after the accident. He attended the reopening of the Rigsdag on 9 May 1945, in a wheelchair and was visibly weakened. On 20 April 1947, he died quietly. On the occasion of the castrum doloris, an armlet worn by members of the WW II Resistance Movement was placed on his coffin.
