Danish Army Records Background: Difference between revisions

The information in this article was extracted from the publication ''A Guide to Danish Army Units: Compiled from a study of Danish Military Records and Histories'' by Brentnall H. Barlow, Genealogical Society Research Department, December 1966. This article contains the introductions and descriptions of the army units publication. However, the compiled content about the army units themselves are accessible in the article [[Denmark_Military_Records#Army_Units|Denmark Military Records]].

==Background==

Only since King Christian IV's Kalmar War (1611-1613) has Denmark had a peace time army. Prior to this, the King relied upon the nobility to furnish from the peasantry the necessary troops for the various wars. In 1614, from his own royal estates, Christian IV raised the first permanent troops, from which some of the present Danish Army Regiments trace their beginnings.

 

In the following century, the Danish kings raised additional regiments on a recruited as well as a levied basis. These units often were released or consolidated after relatively short existence. The king more commonly commissioned various experienced men to raise additional regiments for the major wars of this period: The Thirty Years War (Danish periods 1618-1629 and 1643-1645), the Scania War (1657-1660), The Spanish Succession (1678-1679), the Disputes with the Dukes of Holstein (1689 and 1699-1700), and the Great Northern War (1709-1720).

 

King Frederick III formed a standing army of recruited regiments in 1660. Shortly thereafter, he raised additional levied regiments of infantry and cavalry. The levied infantry militia saw periods of activity, as well as times when they did not exist as organized units. The army reduction and reorganization in the early 1720s again resulted in the retention of the old tried units. '''Most of the Units that existed after this period have some of their records existing today.'''

 

Both Kings Christian VI and Frederick V had peaceful reigns. Only the threat of war with Russia (which did not materialize) in the period 1756-1763 gave cause to any great change. This occurred in the so-called "Saint Germain" period (1761-1767), when all the levied units were disbanded, and each recruited regiment received a definite levying district. Several older units were released, and a smaller number of newer units were formed to replace them.

 

Under Kings Christian VII and Frederick VI (the latter both as Crown Prince Regent and King), there was a long period in which the country maintained a status of armed neutrality (essentially 1780-1806) except when at war (1788, 1801, 1806-1814). During this period a number of changes of interest were made, besides the raising and releasing of units.

 

Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars, a major army reorganization was made in 1817. Again, the old tried units were retained and most of the new war units were released.

 

 

Kings Frederick VII and Christian IX each saw a bitter war with the duchies - the Slesvig-Holstein Wars. While the first was won (1848-1850), the second was lost (1864) as well as the duchies. Various reserve units were raised during these wars, and some after.

 

The number of the various army units (infantry and cavalry being the most important) varied at different times as the following table will show:

 

| '''Infantry''' - (abt). || 21 || 20 || 15 || 18 || 18 || 23

| '''Cavalry''' || 20 || 11 || 9 || 11 || 10 || 7

 

Levied Units in Denmark have existed in the following periods:

| '''Infantry:''' || 1632-1660 || 1663-1679 || 1701-1730 || 1733-1762 || abt 1767 to present

| '''Cavalry:'''  || 1646-1657 || 1670-1760 || abt 1767 to present

 

 

Copenhagen in Denmark and Rendsborg in Holstein have long been the two main garrison towns of the Danish Army, but not exclusively so.  The infantry, except the levied units, have always been garrisoned in the cities, as too many recruited soldiers found opportunities to desert otherwise. The city magistrates were early charged with making the rules for placing the soldiers with various families. In 1694 the king changed this to a uniform code. These rulings, in either case, usually left the poorest people with the greatest burden of harboring the soldiers. Fortunately, in Copenhagen in the 1700s, several barracks were built by the troops, and others purchased by the crown. In the other major garrison cities this policy was also carried out. This helped considerably in improving the relationship of the army with the citizens.

 

The levied infantry units were, of course, militia soldiers who served only a relatively short time with their units. For all practical purposes, most soldiers mentioned in rural parish registers are found to be local militia, or discharged soldiers, while soldiers mentioned in city registers will be active militia and the recruited soldiers of the then existing regiments. One should note also that both the officers and the non-commissioned officers of the levied militia units were required to reside in their levying districts.

 

 

:# On Sjaeland: Esrom; Jaegersborg; Gjorlev; Ringsted Closter; Vordingborg Slot Ladegaard.

 

 

 

==The Regimental Records==

Essentially, the regimental records of all branches of the army were the same. Only in minor details will the other services differ from the infantry, which records we will use as an example.

 

The most important records are the '''regimental muster rolls (stambøger)'''. While in the earlier periods the whole regiment is often included in one book, in the 1800s the tendency was to have a separate book for each company. Commonly, there may be found periods in which both types were maintained. The keeping of these records became compulsory with the army regulations of 1746. However, they have only been preserved, as a rule, from 1765 or later. Although the 1746 regulations required an index to be kept for the muster roll, it was very seldom done.

 

Each man was listed with information pertaining to his name, birthplace, age, religion, marital and family status, previous military service, and re-enlistments. His record also carried several purely military items, such as his company identification number, punishment record, etc. Because the birthplace was usually given only as a county or region such as "Fyen", "Saxony", "Holstein", etc., one should investigate ''all'' references to a person in ''all'' records of that particular regiment. Often at other times, additional information was given including actual birthplaces, such as "Berlin", "Haderslev", "Odense", etc. The age given in most cases was that of the individual when he joined that particular regiment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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