By the 20th Century, if left alone, Scandinavia will tend toward neutrality. Denmark sat out World War I and benefited greatly, if not enough to satisfy King Christian X. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
Todays stamp shows a newly acquired castle in the area of Northern Schleswig that was retaken from a defeated Germany. The Danes have since sensibly renamed the area South Jutland. It being hard to argue Jutland isn’t naturally Danish. Sonderborg Castle was actually built by Danish 12th century King Valdemar I, so does a great job of signifying Danish claims to the area are long term and have legitimacy. Sonderborg Castle wasn’t the prize that it may appear on the stamp. The previous owner, a Schleswig Duke, had been renting the castle out as a warehouse.
Todays stamp is issue A21, a 20 Ore stamp issued by the Kingdom of Denmark on October 5th, 1920. It was a three stamp issue in various denominations celebrating the return after 50 years of Northern Schleswig to Denmark. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 50 cents used.
Denmark got many benefits from staying out of World War I. Wartime Germany was short of everything Denmark had to export and paid dearly for it. Denmark was able to sell money pit colonies in the Virgin Islands to the USA for still more money. See https://the-philatelist.com/2019/05/01/danish-west-indies-1900-triangular-trade-becomes-triangular-bidding/ . After the War, there was even a vote in Schleswig as to whether the area wanted to be Danish or German. The Northern area voted 3 to 1 to return to Denmark. The southern part, despite relative German poverty, voted to stay German. This outraged King Christian X, who thought the whole of Schleswig should be Danish whatever the voting. If you are guessing that the Danish Royal family probably could trace it’s heritage to areas still part of Germany, you would be correct. In any case, the elected government did not appreciate the interference of the King, and there was a constitutional crisis over Easter in 1920. The King eventually backed down and stayed on the Throne in return for staying out of politics. See https://the-philatelist.com/2018/09/05/iceland-honors-king-christian-one-last-time-before-the-union-with-denmark-ends/ .
Sonderborg Castle was built first as a fortified tower in the 12th Century by Danish King Valdemar I. It was built on a then separate(now connected) small island off the bigger island of Als on the Baltic Sea side of Jutland. The fort was built to defend Germanic settlements from attacks of the Wends people. The Wends people were Slavic people who had ended up on what Middle Age Germans would consider the wrong side (western) of the Oder River. Over the long term the Wend Slavs integrated with the Germans and lost their separate identity. While there are really no more Wend people, the term has survived in some Baltic languages as a sneer aimed at Russia. The castle over many years gradually was rebuilt into a castle. It’s most interesting claim to fame was when deposed Danish King Christian III was held there against his will for 17 years starting in 1532. A legend grew up that he paced around a round table so much that his thumb wore a groove in it. The castle passed through many hands and the last Duke who owned it was happy to sell out to the government of Denmark in 1920. The Duke was not living in it but renting it out to serve as a warehouse. The castle currently contains a museum which is the main place for the artefacts of the former Dutchy of Schleswig. Hmmm….
Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast all those who remember to stay on the right side of the Oder. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.