Kongernes købstadsbesøg - Dansk Center for Byhistorie

Summary in English
This thesis examines the relation between the Danish population and the Danish monarchy,
with emphasis on the concordance between the royal self-perception and the people’s
expectations to the king. It is hypothesized that the endurance of the Danish monarchy, at
least in part, can be attributed to a prevailing agreement between royal self-perception and
public expectations. The congruity is examined through a comparative analysis of royal
visits to market towns in Jutland and Schleswig-Holstein during the reigns of three kings:
Frederik 5 th (1746-1766), Christian 8 th (1840-1848) and Christian 10 th (1912-1947). All
three kings have been selected because of the transitional character of their reigns. Frederik
5 th reigned when the theocratic legitimisation was slowly replaced by opinion oriented
absolutism, Christian 8 th was caught between absolutism and the middle class’ demands for
a free constitution, and Christian 10 th ruled while the monarchy was transformed from
having limited political power to being solely ceremonial.
The study investigates both the power display of the monarch as well as the
homage of the inhabitants of the market towns. The analysis of royal power displays is
performed by applying the power concepts of Max Weber: Macht and Herrschaft. Macht is
defined as the means to force one’s will upon others. This can be achieved through fear of
physical or economical reprisals - in reality relating to the absolute king’s control of the
military, legislative power and the right to appoint at all levels of the administration,
church and military. Herrschaft is a form of power, where the populace is encouraged to
willingly to accept the monarch’s power. This is accomplished mainly through rituals, but
also by the king demonstrating paternalistic features such as interest in the everyday life of
the common people. The four main responsibilities of the absolute monarch have been
studied, corresponding to the king as leader of the administration, church and military.
Finally, also the king’s paternalism has been examined. The first three activities mainly
relates to Macht while the latter corresponds to Herrschaft. Furthermore, the population’s
view upon the king has been subjected to analysis, mainly through examination of physical
forms of homage such as triumphal arches, songs, and other types of celebrations.
Frederik 5 th predominantly demonstrated Macht in his visits to market towns. He
prioritized inspections of the military, but, interestingly, during these inspections he
managed to convey paternalism as the population saw him taking an interest in defending
the kingdom in a war torn Europe. This emphasis on the military was reflected in the
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