Queen Margrethe II, Current Events Part 1: February 2018 - June 2020


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The yearly TV-reviews of the DRF are coming up. And here is an anecdote told by minister in the previous government, Jacob Ellemann, who was riding a carriage together with QMII in Norther Zealand, near Fredensborg BTW. Here they had opened a new national park.
And in an attempt to say something, anything, the new minister Ellemann remarked how beautiful at had been to come ashore among beeches from Esrum Lake.
To that QMII remarked dryly: "They are oaks."

But goofing up that well ended up being a good icebreaker. Ellemann excused himself by saying that he as a new minister didn't know that much about trees in Denmark and they both agreed never to mention this again.

Ellemann BTW is more than likely to become Prime Minster at some point. So we will see him again.
https://www.bt.dk/politik/ellemann-...en-overfor-dronning-margrethe-hendes-svar-var
 
Muhler said:
The yearly TV-reviews of the DRF are coming up. And here is an anecdote told by minister in the previous government, Jacob Ellemann, who was riding a carriage together with QMII in Norther Zealand, near Fredensborg BTW. Here they had opened a new national park.
And in an attempt to say something, anything, the new minister Ellemann remarked how beautiful at had been to come ashore among beeches from Esrum Lake.
To that QMII remarked dryly: "They are oaks."

But goofing up that well ended up being a good icebreaker. Ellemann excused himself by saying that he as a new minister didn't know that much about trees in Denmark and they both agreed never to mention this again.

Ellemann BTW is more than likely to become Prime Minster at some point. So we will see him again.
https://www.bt.dk/politik/ellemann-...en-overfor-dronning-margrethe-hendes-svar-var
Click to expand...

Good story, mange tak:lol: By the way, Queen Margrethe is not the only one interested in Danish politicians, according to this story in the New York Times! https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/14/arts/television/denmark-netflix-labor-shortage.html
 
Muhler said:
It sure is impressive interior!

Here are some more pics of Draper's Hall, London.
There are several similar halls/clubs all over UK.

https://headbox-media.imgix.net/upl...tail_Page_11_-LH_Big.jpg?auto=compress,format
https://cdn.venuescanner.com/photos/erUBr/a0255da7995080f22335498bdc482b68.jpg
With Venus in the ceiling:
https://omg.imgix.net/media/com_jbu...es/1287/drapers-hall-wedding-venue-london.jpg
https://thisisfunky.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Courtyard.jpg
Click to expand...

This is amazing.

I have looked into the Drapers Company role in history which is fascinating. It must be an organisation close to Queen Margrethe and The Duchess of Gloucester's hearts - both having studied fabrics, fashion and costumes.

The interiors of the rooms are beautiful. Thank you for posting this.
 
We may have to start a new thread about QMII in general or a general biography thread, because a lot of anecdotes about her are going to trickle in from now until her birthday.

Here is a wonderful account by her very close friend Brigitta Hillingsø.
As you may recall the Hillingsø family are also close friends of M&F.

https://www.bt.dk/royale/dronningen...-moede-jeg-vidste-ikke-hvordan-man-haandterer

Their friendship started almost 70 years ago when they were both ten years old.
King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid brought little Margrethe along to visit the Hillingsø home, the estate Juelsberg on the island of Funen.
Here it is: http://www.danskeherregaarde.dk/uploads/juelsberg_1986.jpg
It isn't exactly a cottage!

Birgitta Hillingsø (BH) did not look forward to the visit!
"Firstly she was a princess and secondly she was from Copenhagen. I wasn't happy about the situation. That's for sure. And I didn't quite know how to handle such a thing."

BH took Margrethe out to the greenhouse where she kept a large collection of toads.
"I showed her the largest and fattest of all my toads. And she was allowed to touch it and hold it.
If she hadn't liked the toads then I don't know what would have happened."

Even though BH is not the oldest of QMII's friends, she was the one who was selected to go to high school at Amalienborg with Margrethe. The two of them studied alone there. So BH moved in at Amalienborg.
"They treated me as a part of the family and you quickly got used to the King being there. He was very large, but he was also very, very kind. I was never afraid of him."

At some point the two girls finished a subject they weren't keen on and Margrethe celebrated by standing on her hands, when their teacher left the classroom for a while.
But then he came back...
"And what did he see? He saw the Princess with her skirt handing over her head, you could see her girdle, her stockings and everything.
She quickly got down again and quickly got out the door. But my, how we laughed."

BH says about QMII:
"She is funny and clever. Really funny. You don't think so when you see her, but she has a huge glimmer in the eye. She has a sense of humor.
She a natural person. I don't think she has changed. I think she has done a job well done."

BH clearly remember how nervous QMII was when she was to give her first New Year speech and even though QMII by now has a lot of experience in that respect, BH can tell:
"I do think you can tell that she is a bit nervous, when she is sitting there."

BH is the mother of M&F's very close friend, Ellen Hillingsø.
 
Muhler said:
We may have to start a new thread about QMII in general or a general biography thread, because a lot of anecdotes about her are going to trickle in from now until her birthday.



Here is a wonderful account by her very close friend Brigitta Hillingsø.

As you may recall the Hillingsø family are also close friends of M&F.



https://www.bt.dk/royale/dronningen...-moede-jeg-vidste-ikke-hvordan-man-haandterer



Their friendship started almost 70 years ago when they were both ten years old.

King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid brought little Margrethe along to visit the Hillingsø home, the estate Juelsberg on the island of Funen.

Here it is: http://www.danskeherregaarde.dk/uploads/juelsberg_1986.jpg

It isn't exactly a cottage!



Birgitta Hillingsø (BH) did not look forward to the visit!

"Firstly she was a princess and secondly she was from Copenhagen. I wasn't happy about the situation. That's for sure. And I didn't quite know how to handle such a thing."



BH took Margrethe out to the greenhouse where she kept a large collection of toads.

"I showed her the largest and fattest of all my toads. And she was allowed to touch it and hold it.

If she hadn't liked the toads then I don't know what would have happened."



Even though BH is not the oldest of QMII's friends, she was the one who was selected to go to high school at Amalienborg with Margrethe. The two of them studied alone there. So BH moved in at Amalienborg.

"They treated me as a part of the family and you quickly got used to the King being there. He was very large, but he was also very, very kind. I was never afraid of him."



At some point the two girls finished a subject they weren't keen on and Margrethe celebrated by standing on her hands, when their teacher left the classroom for a while.

But then he came back...

"And what did he see? He saw the Princess with her skirt handing over her head, you could see her girdle, her stockings and everything.

She quickly got down again and quickly got out the door. But my, how we laughed."



BH says about QMII:

"She is funny and clever. Really funny. You don't think so when you see her, but she has a huge glimmer in the eye. She has a sense of humor.

She a natural person. I don't think she has changed. I think she has done a job well done."



BH clearly remember how nervous QMII was when she was to give her first New Year speech and even though QMII by now has a lot of experience in that respect, BH can tell:

"I do think you can tell that she is a bit nervous, when she is sitting there."



BH is the mother of M&F's very close friend, Ellen Hillingsø.
Click to expand...



Thank you for sharing this Muhler. I’ve been a bit of a lurker this last year or so for various reasons but I always appreciate your posts. As a QM fan I had been hoping to get to Denmark for her 80th birthday celebrations but unfortunately my finances have ruled this out. Thank goodness we have the internet and forums like this!
 
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OMG! Her Majesty is wearing my all time favourite coat. I love this coat and the little hat that goes with it. She looks lovely - majestic!
 
Iain said:
Does anyone know the reason the cathedral has those strange benches where people face each other?
Click to expand...
That are only the chairs in the room close to the Altar. The bencehs in the Main room are facing to the Altar.
But i habe often noticed at Services in westminster Abbey whgere there are no benches who are alwys there that the charis for big oiccasions are placed towards the Aisle.
 
Today, January 14, Queen Margrethe inaugurated the North Wing at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen:



** tt.se gallery *
 
Stefan said:
That are only the chairs in the room close to the Altar. The bencehs in the Main room are facing to the Altar.
But i habe often noticed at Services in westminster Abbey whgere there are no benches who are alwys there that the charis for big oiccasions are placed towards the Aisle.
Click to expand...

Stefan, it's not the chairs near the altar where the Queen is sitting that I mean. It's the benches where there are two seats together which means that, not only are people facing each other, but some would be sitting with their backs to the altar. You can see them in this photo.


https://scontent.fath3-3.fna.fbcdn.n...6b&oe=5EA6FCDC
 
Iain said:
Stefan, it's not the chairs near the altar where the Queen is sitting that I mean. It's the benches where there are two seats together which means that, not only are people facing each other, but some would be sitting with their backs to the altar. You can see them in this photo.


https://scontent.fath3-3.fna.fbcdn.n...6b&oe=5EA6FCDC
Click to expand...

You are thinking about a bench like this, right? https://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/s.../07/20150720184743_0.jpg/20150720184743_0.jpg

I did a little research.
They came about after the Reformation in 1536.

Until then there were usually no benches or seats in the church except for the most highranking worshipers, and they often had a gallery of their own, above the common riff-raff.
So people were standing at the Catholic services, conducted in Latin, so few understood much. And combined with a society where people for health reasons were tipsy most of the day and a society where violence and loud behavior was much more common (there is a good reason why the room right at the entrance is called the arms-house here in DK - people literally stored their personal weapons there. Swords, daggers, long knives even axes and spears and later on primitive pistols) attending a service could be a very unruly experience!
Imagine a village church where the clerics are going through the rituals, with a congregation who were chatting, arguing, sleeping, flirting, praying, making deals, children wailing their heads off and often brawling as well and you get the picture. In this unruly lot a couple of sometimes monks, but mainly lay-clerical assistants tried to keep some order whacking the most unruly and waking up those who were sleeping.
The image of a medieval congregation sitting quietly listening to the priest is a myth. The priest had problems being heard! Anyway few understood what he was talking about and pretty much ignored him. After all it was showing up that mattered, right?
If you wanted to pray in peace in the church, you didn't go there on Sundays! Or during the multitude of holidays either. You went to a monastery or a cloister or to the church outside normal hours.
It was only late in the medieval period that some semblance of order started to be imposed, as Christianity got more and more hold of society and people.
After all it took at least 200 years from DK being officially Christian in 900's until it actually became Christian in earnest!
There were some seating arrangements in many medieval churches though - for those who paid the church for a seat, that is.

Reformation came and now the service was conducted in Danish, so people could actually follow what happened and understand the sermons. Combined with the revolution of the printing press meaning that even fairly ordinary people learned to read and got hold of religious pamphlets and sometimes even their own bibles(!) meant an increased interest in religion and religious matters. And that meant a more active, personal involvement for the worshipers.

But Protestantism was also more strict! Not only were you expected to attend service, preferably every time, you were also expected to pay attention and be seen to pay attention - or else...!
Combined with an increased religious awareness during the 1500's and certainly in the 1600's that meant a lot more people went to church even for ordinary services.
So seating arrangements were introduced.
Initially the highest ranking sat up front on chairs. No more sitting in the gallery. Before God we are all - almost - equal.
Those better off sat behind in often elaborately carved benches - even though such ornamentation was frowned upon by many Protestants. And the poor stood in the back. The further back, the lower your status.

Over time benches were introduced all over the churches. It was a good way to keep the congregation focused and in order. The problem was that those standing in the back often couldn't hear a bleep anyway due to the general albeit somewhat muted chatter and wailing children. So benches came in handy.
And since everyone was required to attend service the churches were pretty full. - You could be fined, whipped or accused of being a papist or a witch in the worst cases, depending on the period if you didn't attend service as often as possible.
So double-benches were introduced. I.e. benches facing in both direction. So it was pretty cramped! Simply because basically the whole parish was stuffed inside the church, especially on Sundays.
Of course double-benches were not for those better off. Those who had a higher status sat on single-benches facing the altar.
And in a society where no one were equal, there was a very specific seating-order. Even on bench.
The best place was nearest to the aisle. The oldest sat before the younger. The married before the unmarried.

Originally men always sat to the south side of the church - the "sword-side".
While women sat to the north side - the "spinning-wheel-side".

Some churches had a special area for riff-raffs, they were officially called riff-raffs = "rakkere" in Danish. They were the sick, the poorest, the prostitutes, those with particularly low-status jobs and so on.

It wasn't only to make things more comfortable for the congregation that benches were introduced. After all you don't go to church to be comfortable. It was a question of keeping people in order and making sure they listening to the public announcements that were also made by the priest. Whenever a new tax was imposed or a new law implemented, you heard it from the priest.

Later on there was not that much use for double-benches as things gradually became more relaxed and attending a service became more voluntarily. So they are more for decoration now and a very convenient place for your coat, bag, bible, toddlers, baby-lifts and what not.

- It's a fascinating image, eh? I'm sure people more in the know can tell more.
 
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Muhler said:
You are thinking about a bench like this, right? https://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/s.../07/20150720184743_0.jpg/20150720184743_0.jpg

I did a little research.
They came about after the Reformation in 1536.

Until then there were usually no benches or seats in the church except for the most highranking worshipers, and they often had a gallery of their own, above the common riff-raff.
So people were standing at the Catholic services, conducted in Latin, so few understood much. And combined with a society where people for health reasons were tipsy most of the day and a society where violence and loud behavior was much more common (there is a good reason why the room right at the entrance is called the arms-house here in DK - people literally stored their personal weapons there. Swords, daggers, long knives even axes and spears and later on primitive pistols) attending a service could be a very unruly experience!
Imagine a village church where the clerics are going through the rituals, with a congregation who were chatting, arguing, sleeping, flirting, praying, making deals, children wailing their heads off and often brawling as well and you get the picture. In this unruly lot a couple of sometimes monks, but mainly lay-clerical assistants tried to keep some order whacking the most unruly and waking up those who were sleeping.
The image of a medieval congregation sitting quietly listening to the priest is a myth. The priest had problems being heard! Anyway few understood what he was talking about and pretty much ignored him. After all it was showing up that mattered, right?
If you wanted to pray in peace in the church, you didn't go there on Sundays! Or during the multitude of holidays either. You went to a monastery or a cloister or to the church outside normal hours.
It was only late in the medieval period that some semblance of order started to be imposed, as Christianity got more and more hold of society and people.
After all it took at least 200 years from DK being officially Christian in 900's until it actually became Christian in earnest!
There were some seating arrangements in many medieval churches though - for those who paid the church for a seat, that is.

Reformation came and now the service was conducted in Danish, so people could actually follow what happened and understand the sermons. Combined with the revolution of the printing press meaning that even fairly ordinary people learned to read and got hold of religious pamphlets and sometimes even their own bibles(!) meant an increased interest in religion and religious matters. And that meant a more active, personal involvement for the worshipers.

But Protestantism was also more strict! Not only were you expected to attend service, preferably every time, you were also expected to pay attention and be seen to pay attention - or else...!
Combined with an increased religious awareness during the 1500's and certainly in the 1600's that meant a lot more people went to church even for ordinary services.
So seating arrangements were introduced.
Initially the highest ranking sat up front on chairs. No more sitting in the gallery. Before God we are all - almost - equal.
Those better off sat behind in often elaborately carved benches - even though such ornamentation was frowned upon by many Protestants. And the poor stood in the back. The further back, the lower your status.

Over time benches were introduced all over the churches. It was a good way to keep the congregation focused and in order. The problem was that those standing in the back often couldn't hear a bleep anyway due to the general albeit somewhat muted chatter and wailing children. So benches came in handy.
And since everyone was required to attend service the churches were pretty full. - You could be fined, whipped or accused of being a papist or a witch in the worst cases, depending on the period if you didn't attend service as often as possible.
So double-benches were introduced. I.e. benches facing in both direction. So it was pretty cramped! Simply because basically the whole parish was stuffed inside the church, especially on Sundays.
Of course double-benches were not for those better off. Those who had a higher status sat on single-benches facing the altar.
And in a society where no one were equal, there was a very specific seating-order. Even on bench.
The best place was nearest to the aisle. The oldest sat before the younger. The married before the unmarried.

Originally men always sat to the south side of the church - the "sword-side".
While women sat to the north side - the "spinning-wheel-side".

Some churches had a special area for riff-raffs, they were officially called riff-raffs = "rakkere" in Danish. They were the sick, the poorest, the prostitutes, those with particularly low-status jobs and so on.

It wasn't only to make things more comfortable for the congregation that benches were introduced. After all you don't go to church to be comfortable. It was a question of keeping people in order and making sure they listening to the public announcements that were also made by the priest. Whenever a new tax was imposed or a new law implemented, you heard it from the priest.

Later on there was not that much use for double-benches as things gradually became more relaxed and attending a service became more voluntarily. So they are more for decoration now and a very convenient place for your coat, bag, bible, toddlers, baby-lifts and what not.

- It's a fascinating image, eh? I'm sure people more in the know can tell more.
Click to expand...

I think there are few who know more about things Danish than you, Muhler!:flowers: Mange tak for this interesting overview of Danish social history.
 
You flatter me, Gerry ?

It is such an interesting field!

Roughly speaking and in regards to churches DK can be divided into this:
900's - 1200.
1200 - the Reformation in 1536.
The Reformation - 1775 (The Enlightenment.)
1775 - present day.
With considerable overlapping and local variation.

900's - 1200.
DK was only half-Christian.
For foreign political and security political reasons it was important that DK was a Christian country and by 1100 or so practically all had been baptized. But the old gods and ways had not been forgotten!
DK being a trading (and raiding) country, people knew a good deal about a simplified form of Christianity. In particular from foreign Christian slaves.
The distance between slaves and free people was shorter back then, simply because they lived close together. Slaves had no rights but were protected from general abuse by being property. You don't go around whipping someone else's horse, cattle or slaves or you'd face trouble!
But there were considerable advancement prospects for slaves, which is an interesting paradox.
It was a brutal world. But an English peasant boy could very likely end up being a valued and respected member of society in DK, based on his skills or courage.
A peasant girl, especially a teenage girl, could also rise by merit in a society where women had a much higher standing and more rights than later on. And with a bit of luck she married a free man, a yeoman or someone higher and became free, her children became free and she would end up a pretty high-ranking woman. That happened surprisingly often, based on high-ranking women's graves here in DK. Their DNA can be traced to often distant places in Europe. Marrying foreign girls was seemingly quite common - and marrying a slave girl was cheap and without conditions... For a girl that meant being very low in the pecking order, to suddenly being in the top of the pecking order. Higher up than if she had remained home in England. (Ironically in later centuries similar siblings from the British Isles, the Faeroe Islands and Iceland could and did advance in a similar manner after being captured by Moorish pirates.)
But female slaves were subjected to sexual abuse. A fact of life. However, being female they were the undisputed responsibility of the lady of the house and as such enjoyed considerable protection, especially if the girl was respected or liked.
Anyway, these Christian slaves brought with them their belief and apart from those who went native, they also taught what they remembered and understood about Christianity to the children of the yeoman farm they ended up in, either because caring for the children was part of their job or because they gave birth to these children - being married or otherwise.

And that was the level of Christian teaching for the vast majority of the period. Because priests were few and very far between and monasteries were a novelty and while there were quite a few missionaries around, not belonging to a household, they lived a dangerous life.

1200 - The Reformation.
The kings are now in control of the country, albeit with some limitations. the nobility could be a challenge! And the population as a whole consisted of free households, organized and represented by local councils. DK only began to become feudal during this period.
Denmark had become a nation.
In order to stay in control a building boom of pretty standardized churches was initiated during the 1200's. The vast majority of DK village churches today were build in this period. All that thanks to the new wonder-material: Burned red bricks.
By now DK was Christian. Practically all Danes considered themselves Christian - while still practicing some of the old ways, what we today would label superstition, the old gods had been abandoned.
Towns shot up all over the place as a result of the increased trade in especially herring and cattle but also because coastal shipping was profitable connecting a vast trade network.
The Virgin Mary (Jomfru Maria in DK) was hugely popular!
Ordained and well-educated priests were still scarce so Christianity was mainly interpreted privately and via half-educated clerical laymen. And the concept of a male god, the Father. His wife (sort of) Mary, being the Mother and almost a kind of female god. And their son, who at the time was a secondary figure, - was something everybody could relate to. That was akin to how religion had been since forever.
The church tried, not particularly successful, to correct that notion. Oh well, the main thing is that people adhered to Christianity and did - pretty much - what the church told them and didn't think too much... the church could live with that. And the income was good and Rome was far, very far away. (There is a wonderful record of an envoy send from Rome. A very timid envoy, who after having conducted his business here far up in the wild, uncivilized north, left in a most un-clerical haste.) So clerical matters was conducted in a surprisingly autonomous way as late as the 1300's.

Reformation - 1775.
The king is now in control! Mutually supported by the Protestants.
The last big rebellion of free men had been crushed during the viscous civil war, The Feud of the Count, where the Reformation in 1536 was pretty much a political side show.
No more opposition and competition from the church. No loyalty to faraway Rome, the king was the head of the church and the population divided into nobility, burghers, peasants and a few civil servants, the priests being among them. In typical practical fashion the Catholic church in DK was dismantled over a a period of a few decades with no blood being spilled and very few, if any, unauthorized acts of vandalism.
One of the few realized facts of the Reformation is the well-organized and efficient propaganda and re-educational machine of the Protestants aided by the newly invented printing press. (What was in print was considered gospel truth, literally!) It wasn't difficult to reorient the general public. After all many had been most annoyed with paying to a church that was rolling in money with a clergy that in too many cases did not live up to their own standards! It was still annoying to have to pay to a distant king, but at least you couldn't see his excesses on a daily basis.
Ironically the dismantling of the Catholic church meant that the first state-funded well-fare institutions were founded. because hospitals, shelters and poorhouses had previously been run by the church.
The early Protestantism was strict! It was back to basis! It was ensuring the people believed firmly in the right version of Christianity and that was accomplished with a good deal of what we today would label mind-control helped by a lot of social control as well. Making sure that people listened to what the priests told them to do and making sure they believed and preferably understood what they were taught.
It also meant that the much loved Virgin Mary became a secondary figure, to be replaced by her son. Mary was reduced to a kind mother, standing behind the stove in the kitchen. Pretty much in accordance with the view of the Protestants and this was the period in DK history were women began to be truly oppressed and it's only in recent decades women have regained rights exceeding the rights they had as late as anno 1500.
In 1660 Absolutism was introduced and the priest became true civil servants of the king, in case they were still some who were in doubt...
That meant the old ways with local councils were abandoned and modern legislation was introduced.
Before 1660 the local councils were told about (rare) changes in the legislation and conveyed that to people. It was also the local councils who acknowledged the king and/or his heir. In DK kings were elected (acknowledged) by the people until 1660, so in theory anyone could be elected king.
That also meant that councils interpreted Old Danish Law. That was a law based on precedence and what was considered common practice. It was as such very difficult to change the law.
So prior to 1660, if a transgression went against precedence or what was considered being against common moral norms, it was illegal.
After 1660 if a transgression was not specifically illegal, it was legal. - Just as it is today.
So messages from the government (the king), admonishments (there were many!) and changes in the legislation was announced at church. So people had to pay attention! Benches being better to keep people under control, also social control.
The kings supported wholeheartedly by the church also tried to instill more moral virtues into the population. - That was hardly a success though... Not least in a society where everybody drank beer and schnapps from the moment they woke up.
 
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Part two:

1775 onward. Helped by the Enlightenment and the memory of the horrors of the wars in the 1600's, the church lost influence and in most cases became more mellow. The New Testament was in forefront now with a more kind and overbearing Jesus. - Except for heathens and subjected people in the colonies naturally. They needed a firm, guiding hand as the children they were.
By now DK was de facto ruled by civil servants. We can discuss the implications for ordinary people endlessly but the fact is that DK was at peace from 1720 and really until the Second Battle of Copenhagen in 1807. A remarkable achievement! Especially as DK was quietly one of the foremost seafaring and trading nations of the period. And still is. DK is now the fifth largest sea-merchant country in the world, even in front of USA, controlling some 12 % of the worlds merchant shipping.
Anyway, civil servants taking over, combined with everyone being required to become literate as well as papers becoming common (as well as the "gutter-press, in the form a "ballad-hags", women who wrote sensational and totally libelous ballads about anyone) meant that influence of the priest gradually faded away. And that's pretty much where we are today. Where most Danes who consider themselves semi-Christians certainly, interpret Christianity in their own way. And attend services when it suits them.
 
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Thank you once again Muhler for your informative and fascinating posts. As someone who is a lay Minister in the Church of England it’s always interesting to hear the history of the Danish church.
 
Queen Margrethe edattend the Margrethegården's 70th anniversary in Valby today, January 29:


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 **


 
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Thanks, Iceflower. :flowers:

Two things:

The thing that made QMII chuckle is when the speaker said he would not talk about three lovely little princesses as that would almost be lese majesty - in reference to the recent docu about Frederik IX where QMII told how she loathed being labelled that!

The second thing is QMII herself. While visibly being delighted with the children, she does prefer merely to watch the children - while I'm in no doubt M&F would have sat down with the children. But she has often admitted that small children is not her field of expertise.
 
Muhler said:
You are thinking about a bench like this, right? https://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/s.../07/20150720184743_0.jpg/20150720184743_0.jpg

I did a little research.
They came about after the Reformation in 1536.

Until then there were usually no benches or seats in the church except for the most highranking worshipers, and they often had a gallery of their own, above the common riff-raff.
So people were standing at the Catholic services, conducted in Latin, so few understood much. And combined with a society where people for health reasons were tipsy most of the day and a society where violence and loud behavior was much more common (there is a good reason why the room right at the entrance is called the arms-house here in DK - people literally stored their personal weapons there. Swords, daggers, long knives even axes and spears and later on primitive pistols) attending a service could be a very unruly experience!
Imagine a village church where the clerics are going through the rituals, with a congregation who were chatting, arguing, sleeping, flirting, praying, making deals, children wailing their heads off and often brawling as well and you get the picture. In this unruly lot a couple of sometimes monks, but mainly lay-clerical assistants tried to keep some order whacking the most unruly and waking up those who were sleeping.
The image of a medieval congregation sitting quietly listening to the priest is a myth. The priest had problems being heard! Anyway few understood what he was talking about and pretty much ignored him. After all it was showing up that mattered, right?
If you wanted to pray in peace in the church, you didn't go there on Sundays! Or during the multitude of holidays either. You went to a monastery or a cloister or to the church outside normal hours.
It was only late in the medieval period that some semblance of order started to be imposed, as Christianity got more and more hold of society and people.
After all it took at least 200 years from DK being officially Christian in 900's until it actually became Christian in earnest!
There were some seating arrangements in many medieval churches though - for those who paid the church for a seat, that is.

Reformation came and now the service was conducted in Danish, so people could actually follow what happened and understand the sermons. Combined with the revolution of the printing press meaning that even fairly ordinary people learned to read and got hold of religious pamphlets and sometimes even their own bibles(!) meant an increased interest in religion and religious matters. And that meant a more active, personal involvement for the worshipers.

But Protestantism was also more strict! Not only were you expected to attend service, preferably every time, you were also expected to pay attention and be seen to pay attention - or else...!
Combined with an increased religious awareness during the 1500's and certainly in the 1600's that meant a lot more people went to church even for ordinary services.
So seating arrangements were introduced.
Initially the highest ranking sat up front on chairs. No more sitting in the gallery. Before God we are all - almost - equal.
Those better off sat behind in often elaborately carved benches - even though such ornamentation was frowned upon by many Protestants. And the poor stood in the back. The further back, the lower your status.

Over time benches were introduced all over the churches. It was a good way to keep the congregation focused and in order. The problem was that those standing in the back often couldn't hear a bleep anyway due to the general albeit somewhat muted chatter and wailing children. So benches came in handy.
And since everyone was required to attend service the churches were pretty full. - You could be fined, whipped or accused of being a papist or a witch in the worst cases, depending on the period if you didn't attend service as often as possible.
So double-benches were introduced. I.e. benches facing in both direction. So it was pretty cramped! Simply because basically the whole parish was stuffed inside the church, especially on Sundays.
Of course double-benches were not for those better off. Those who had a higher status sat on single-benches facing the altar.
And in a society where no one were equal, there was a very specific seating-order. Even on bench.
The best place was nearest to the aisle. The oldest sat before the younger. The married before the unmarried.

Originally men always sat to the south side of the church - the "sword-side".
While women sat to the north side - the "spinning-wheel-side".

Some churches had a special area for riff-raffs, they were officially called riff-raffs = "rakkere" in Danish. They were the sick, the poorest, the prostitutes, those with particularly low-status jobs and so on.

It wasn't only to make things more comfortable for the congregation that benches were introduced. After all you don't go to church to be comfortable. It was a question of keeping people in order and making sure they listening to the public announcements that were also made by the priest. Whenever a new tax was imposed or a new law implemented, you heard it from the priest.

Later on there was not that much use for double-benches as things gradually became more relaxed and attending a service became more voluntarily. So they are more for decoration now and a very convenient place for your coat, bag, bible, toddlers, baby-lifts and what not.

- It's a fascinating image, eh? I'm sure people more in the know can tell more.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's the bench, thank you. I've never seen them anywhere else and it does seem strange to be sitting with your back to the altar. Thanks again.
 
H.M. The Queen received battalion commanders from The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment on Wednesday, February 5, 2020, at Christian IX's Mansion in Amalienborg.

In 1972, the Queen became Allied Colonel-in-Chief (Honorary Colonel) for The Queen's Regiment, later The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. The Queen took over 25 years later as Colonel-in-Chief in the regiment.

The audience took place on the occasion of a change of commander in the regiment's 2nd Battalion. Pictured are Colonel James Skelton and Colonel Stephen Brooks of The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.
H.M. Dronningen modtog bataljonschefer fra Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment | Kongehuset
 
Thanks, Polyesco. :flowers:

This is for nerds: ?
I believe the British army is one of the few armies in the world that have honorary colones of regiments, usually members of the BRF.
Regiments are normally led by a full colonel.
But as The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment already has a colonel, QMII, albeit honorary, both of these officers are "only" lieutenant colonels. Otherwise one of them would be a full colonel.
So the head of the first (and senior) battalion heads this regiment on a day to day basis.

The British and Danish army has traditionally been build up in the same way. That is each regiment has three battalions.
The first, fully active and as close to full complement as possible, battalion.
The second, usually not up to full strength and often where recruits are trained, battalion.
And the third, inactive, battalion. That is activated in time of war for training recruits and for wounded rotated out to lighter duty. Currently the third battalion is not activated.

In colonial times (basically up to around 1900 IIRC) British regiments operated with two battalions.
One active, full strength, that was stationed in the colonies for a number of years.
While the other battalion stayed at home for garrison duty, recruiting and training and performing police duty at home. And if the other battalion suffered heavy casualties in the colonies, or more likely, was decimated by disease, men and officers from the battalion at home would be shipped out as reinforcements. (Sometimes "volunteered" out...)
After a number of years the active battalion would return home for garrison duty for a number of years and the garrison regiment would be send to the colonies somewhere. But it was quite common that quite a lot of officers and men preferred to sign up for another stint of active duty and as such went out again, filling out vacant places - or simply joining another battalion in another regiment that was going out on active duty. That was very common, especially during the Napoleonic Wars.

As such it was rare for a British regiment to be on a battlefield in full, two battalion, strength.
One such rare case was in 1879, when both battalions of the 24th Regiment was in South Africa at the same time. The garrison battalion had been shipped out to relieve the active battalion that had spend a number of years campaigning in Africa. And while learning the ropes and getting acclimatized the Zulu War broke out.
The full 24th Regiment marched towards Zululand and while camping at a place called Isandlawana (spelling?) the regiment split up, the Zulu army attacked and massacred half the regiment, almost to a man.
The other half of the regiment (with supporting units) rushed back to Isandlawana, getting there after dark. They camped and slept among the corpses of the dead (some 1.300, counting dead from support units as well) of their regiment, a most eerie experience!
They broke up before first light, in order for the men not to see demoralizing spectacle of the many corpses.
As a part of a religious ritual, Zulu-warriors cut open the bellies of those they had slain, in order to release the spirits of the dead. They were also required to wear something worn by the ones they had slain until they had completed a cleansing-ritual, so most corpses had been stripped of their tunics.
The corpses remained at Isandlawana until the British army had regrouped and went on the offensive again, by then only bones remained.
It was during a skirmish during that war, that a relative of Emperor Napoleon III was killed. - It was quite common for foreigners to take part in other countries colonial wars.
 
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