The Lutheran Church in Denmark came out of the Protestant Reformation and is an important part of the history of Denmark itself. Before the 16th century, Denmark was, like most European countries, Roman Catholic. Martin Luther’s ideas began to spread in Denmark in the 1520s, primarily through German influence. King Christian II initially supported Lutheran reforms but unfortunately was deposed in 1523.
King Christian III, who came to power shortly after Christian II in 1534, was also a strong supporter of Lutheranism. In 1536, he officially declared Denmark a Lutheran country, just 2 years after King Henry the VIII declared England independent from the Roman Catholic Church. When Christian III made this statement, the Danish Lutheran Church was officially born and established as the state church for Denmark.
Johannes Bugenhagen, a close associate of Martin Luther, helped organize the Danish church along Lutheran lines in 1537. As in England 2 years earlier, Dutch Catholic bishops were replaced with Lutheran superintendents (later called bishops)and Roman Catholic church property was confiscated by the crown. Like the German reformation, the Danish Reformation was relatively peaceful compared to some other countries.
The Church Ordinance of 1537/39 laid out the structure and practices of the new Lutheran church and the Lutheran Church remained the state church of Denmark until 1849 where there was a “separation of church and state” clause inserted into the new national constitution (led by America).
However, even after disestablishment, the Denmark Lutheran Church retained a special status as the “People’s Church” (Folkekirken) which continues to this day. The 1849 constitution also guaranteed freedom of religion for all citizens and despite the loss of official state-ordained status, the Lutheran Church remains the dominant religious institution in Denmark to the present day. The Evangelical Lutheran Church is not technically the “state religion,” but it enjoys a privileged position compared to other religious groups.
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