The Royal Danish Embassy in Bangkok remarks another historical day on 5 June 2021. The statement says:
“Happy Constitution Day!
Today, Danes wake up to see Dannebrog waving in the skies, as we celebrate one of the world’s oldest constitutions.
On 5 June 1849 Frederik VII signed the first constitution which laid the foundation for democracy in Denmark.
Adding further significance to the date, a revision on 5 June 1915 granted women the right to vote and turned Denmark into a real democracy.
Constitution day is the closest Denmark comes to a national day and an important occasion to celebrate our fundamental human rights.”
The Danish constitution did not come out of thin air but followed after a string of revolutions the year before, spreading from Sicily to France, to Germany, and much of the rest of Europe except Russia, Spain, and Scandinavia. The European Spring of 1848, as it became known, was in most places quickly crushed by reactionary forces. In Denmark, however, it led to peaceful reform.
