Between the 9th and 11th centuries AD, the Danes were among the Viking invaders who rampaged through Western Europe and conquered much of England. King Canute ruled over Denmark, Norway and England in the 11th century. In 1397, Queen Margaret unified the crowns of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. When Sweden broke away in 1523 and finally conquered Norway in 1814, Denmark gained its independence. Danish culture thrived in the 16th and 17th centuries. A series of wars with Sweden, including the Thirty Years War, destabilized Danish aristocratic rule. In 1788, serfdom�forced lower-class agricultural labouring�was eradicated.
All rights reserved.