DANISH FLAG PIKE, model 1864, Second half of the 19th century. 13518

DANISH FLAG POLE, 1864 model, Second half of the 19th century. 13518

Multicolored mustard wooden tip, H 15.5 cm, maximum width 8.3 cm.

Kingdom of Denmark.
Second half of the 19th century.
Good condition, wear, small losses on the edges.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
The settlement of the future succession to the throne in 1848 led to great turmoil, as Sleswig, Holstein, and Lauenburg attempted to separate from Denmark, with the support of Prussia: after a three-year war in which Prussia was defeated, the London Treaty of May 8, 1852 settled the dispute by ensuring the succession, after the extinction of the Oldenburg house, to Prince Christian of Sonderbourg-Glücksbourg. However, nationalist troubles between Danish supporters and German activists persisted in the duchies. Nevertheless, upon the death of King Frederick VII of Denmark in 1863, a united Germany in Frankfurt demanded the independence of Holstein and Sleswig, leading to a new War of the Duchies in 1864, disastrous for Denmark, which faced an Austro-Prussian expeditionary force. It was the Prussian army, led by General von Molkte, that took the initiative and conquered southern Denmark, island by island, dealing a humiliating defeat. On October 30, 1864, a peace treaty was signed, in which Denmark ceded the duchies of Sleswig, Holstein, and Lauenburg to the Austrian Empire and Prussia, which had been entrusted with federal execution.