Thank you, Iceflower.
The Isted Lion was put of near the battlefield of Isted, to honor the fallen of this the largest battle of the First Schleswigan War.
The battle took place in 1850, towards the end of the war, which lasted between 1948-50.
To keep a very long a complicated story short:
Schleswig & Holstein,then two duchies, rebelled against the Danish government in 1848, in response to the reforms taking place in connection with Denmark becoming a democracy. And as such incororate the two duchies into Denmark, something they had de facto been for centuries.
By 1848 and several centuries back the Danish king automatically became the duke of Schleswig & Holstein, thus giving them a semblance of independence. So ironically they didn't rebel against their duke but against the government of the Danish king. (Headache anyone?
Be glad I wont write about the complicated issues)!
In the late 1840 a wave of nationalism swept through Europe and there were a number of uprisings all over the continent. Also in Schleswig & Holstein. They were looking south towards the German states there, it was also there the action was and they did not want to become a part of another country eventhough they had been attached to that country (Denmark) for 1.000 years. Result: rebellion.
Well, despite some support from various German states the rebellion was put down, with a lot of bitterness on both sides. Families had litterally been torn apart, many had been killed, it was a traumatic shock, a strong sense of betrayal, something akin to say Northern England today suddenly rebelling and wishing to form an alliance with Scotland. If you can imagine that.
Well, the Isted Lion was put up after the war.
Then chancellor Bismarck entered the stage, with his dream of unifying the Germans states. The Schleswig & Holstein issue was a convenient excuse to score some political points. The Second Schleswigan War in 1864 was a disaster for Denmark and just a big a national trauma as the US Civil War. Something we really omly overcame about twenty years ago.
The war in 1864 was the first of three wars instigated by Bismarck and as you know, he acheived his goal with the defeat of France in 1871.
The Isted Lion had in the meantime been brought to Berlin as a war trophy and there it remained until 1945, when it was shipped to Copenhagen.
Now, today, it has finally come home. To Flensburg in present day Germany. Where it now symbolise unification across borders and between nationalities, achieved the hard way.
In 1920 Northern Slesvig (Danish spelling) returned to Denmark. Ironically a survey showed that had there been a referendum at the time, the town of Flensburg would also have become Danish.
Now, I can hear some of you asking: "But, Joachim is Rigsforstander, shouldn't he remain on Danish soil"? Stricktly speaking, yes. The law actually says so. But laws are to be bend. Flensburg is just across the border and Joachim could comfortably walk from the border to the Isted Lion had he wished to. With modern means of communication Joachim would quickly be able to run back to Denmark within 10 minuttes, in case of a Swedish invasion.
The purpose of the law is to prevent an interregnum, should say the king be taken prisoner by the Swedes while visiting say Malmö, just across the sound from Copenhagen. To be followed by a Swedish invasion. - You never know what they are up to, those Swedes...
HAHA
But to be serious; 200 years ago that was a genuine possibillity, and that's why the law says that there must always be a regent/rigsforstander when the Monarch has left Danish soil.
