Christian IX was the King of Denmark from his accession to the throne in 1863 until his death in 1906. Between 1863 and 1864, he concurrently held the titles of Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, and Lauenburg. He was not initially part of the immediate line of succession to the Danish throne, being a prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a junior branch of the House of Oldenburg which had reigned over Denmark since 1448. However, in 1852, Christian was selected as the heir to the Danish monarchy because it was believed that the senior line of the royal house was heading towards extinction. Following the death of King Frederick VII of Denmark in 1863, Christian became the first monarch and the founder of the Glücksburg dynasty. In the initial period of his reign, he was very unpopular due to the Danish loss in the Second Schleswig War. However, he managed to recover much of the popularity due to the longevity of his reign, as well as his impeccable character and high morality. Upon Christian’s death, his son Frederick VIII succeeded him to the Danish throne.
