"Open Letter" by King Christian VIII of Denmark in 1846
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In the letter published on July 8, 1846, the Danish king declared that the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were inseparably connected to the Kingdom of Denmark. He emphasized Danish sovereignty over the territories and made it clear that the female succession of the Danish royal house should also apply to Schleswig and parts of Holstein.
This declaration contradicted the legal view of the German Schleswig-Holsteiners. They saw themselves as part of the German Confederation and feared for their independence and status. The letter was therefore perceived as an attack on the self-determination and rights of the duchies.
The outrage over the letter erupted in unrest and protests. Both the Schleswig and Holstein Estates Assemblies rejected the king's declaration. In the following years, there was an escalation of the conflict between the pro-German movement in the duchies and the Danish crown.
In March 1848, this finally culminated in the outbreak of the Schleswig-Holstein War. Supported by Prussia, the Schleswig-Holsteiners rose up against Danish rule. The goal was a separation from Denmark and the formation of an independent Schleswig-Holstein state closely aligned with Germany.
After three years of war, the conflict ended in 1851, initially with a victory for Denmark, which was able to maintain its rule over the duchies. However, the dispute over the status of Schleswig and Holstein continued to simmer. It led to the German-Danish War in 1864, in which Prussia and Austria fought against Denmark. As a result, Denmark had to cede the duchies.
The "Open Letter" of 1846 was thus a decisive step on the way to escalation between Germans and Danes over Schleswig and Holstein. It significantly contributed to the hardening of the fronts and the conflict finally culminating in open war. Ultimately, Denmark could not maintain its position and lost the disputed territories.
