The Danish Citizenship Act of 1776 )
Danish ''Indfødsretsforordningen af 1776'' or simply ''Indfødsretten af 1776'') was an act promulgated by
Christian VII
Christian VII (29 January 1749 – 13 March 1808) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein from 1766 until his death in 1808. He was affected by mental illness and was only nominally king for most of his reign. His roya ...
under which access to public positions in the kingdom of Denmark became the prerogative of native-born subjects and those who were considered their equals.
History
The Danish court was for centuries dominated by German-speaking aristocratic immigrants, culminating with
Johann Friedrich Struensee
Count, Lensgreve Johann Friedrich Struensee (5 August 1737 – 28 April 1772) was a German-Danish physician, philosopher and statesman. He became royal physician to the mentally ill King Christian VII of Denmark and a minister in the Danish gov ...
's ''de facto'' rule in 1770-72. The Danish Citizenship Act of 1776 was created at the initiative of
Ove Høegh-Guldberg in response to growing anti-German sentiment in the population following Struensee's fall in 1772, especially among the country's emerging bourgeoisie. The act was proclaimed on Christian VII's birthday (29 January 1776), giving the right of citizenship constitutional status, and the king promised that it would never be withdrawn. After that, attaining office was only possible for those born in the state, which was defined as all of the king's kingdoms and lands, i.e. Denmark, Norway and the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein.
Exemptions aimed at attracting wealthy foreigners were few. The right of citizenship legitimized the national identity that had developed in bourgeois Danish circles, where the law was received with enthusiasm. However, it did not eradicate Danish dislike of the king's German-speaking subjects, which culminated in the German Feud (''Tyskerfejden'') of 1789-90.
With the adoption of the
Danish constitution
The Constitutional Act of the Realm of Denmark (), also known as the Constitutional Act of the Kingdom of Denmark, or simply the Constitution (, , ), is the constitution of the Kingdom of Denmark, applying equally in the Realm of Denmark: Denma ...
in 1849, the authority to grant naturalisation was transferred from the king to the parliament. Apart from its provisions on naturalisation, the Danish Citizenship Act of 1776 remained in force until 1898, when Denmark introduced its first general citizenship legislation with the adoption of the Act on the Acquisition and Loss of Citizenship (''Lov om Rrhvervelse og Tab af Indfødsret'').
Content
Under the Danish Citizenship Act of 1776, only children born on Danish territory of Danish parents acquired ''indfødsret'' at birth. Children born on the territory to alien parents would have to remain in the Danish kingdom to meet its criteria. Immigrants could only acquire a status equal to that of native-born persons through naturalisation by royal decree.
Commemoration
The Danish Citizenship Act of 1776 was proclaimed with great festivities. One of the
Royal Danish Navy
The Royal Danish Navy (, ) is the Naval warfare, sea-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Denmark, Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and ...
's ships of the line was given the name ''
Indfødsretten'' to mark the event.
After her loss in 1783 she was followed by
another ship by the same name. A medal designed by
Daniel Adzer was also struck to mark the event.
A special ''Indfødsretten'' pattern (''Indfødsretsstellet'') was also commissioned from the
Royal Porcelain Manufactory in Copenhagen. An allegorical porcelain figurine by Daniel Adzer was also produced by the same factory. Another allegorical sculpture was created by
Nicolai Abildgaard
Nicolai Abraham Abildgaard (11 September 1743 – 4 June 1809) was a Danish neoclassical and royal history painter, sculptor, architect, and professor of painting, mythology, and anatomy at the New Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhage ...
.
File:Tallerken, infødsrets-stel, 1776.jpg, A plate with the ''Indfødsret'' pattern
File:The Right of Nationality MET ES4131.jpg, Daniel Adzer's allegorical porcelain figurine.
File:Nicolai Abildgaard - Allegory on the Right of Citizenship - KMS3785 - Statens Museum for Kunst.jpg, Abildgaard's allegorical sculpture.
See also
*
Mother Denmark
References
External links
{{Commons category, Indfødsretsforordningen af 1776
Source
Danish nationality law
18th century in Danish law
1776 in Denmark
Christian VII of Denmark