King
Christian X
Christian X (1870–1947)
Horse’s hoof with a silver shoe
This silver-mounted hoof comes from the horse Malgré Tout, which carried King Christian X across the border to what is now South Jutland at the Reunification on 10 July 1920.
The King reclaimed South Jutland
After the end of the First World War, there was a general vote in Schleswig about shifting the border between Denmark and Germany. After the referendum, the reunification of Denmark and North Schleswig – now South Jutland – was celebrated over several days in July 1920. The high point occurred when Christian X rode across the former border that had been drawn after the Danish defeat in 1864 and which was now – after the referendum – erased.
A prophecy come true
During these celebrations, events were staged to fulfil a prophecy from the time after 1864, which said that one day, a king in the prime of life would ride across the border on a white horse to reclaim South Jutland for Denmark. For the occasion, The King had borrowed a horse that was actually white, despite persistent rumours that it had simply been whitened with chalk. When the horse died, in 1947, one of its hoofs was mounted in silver and given to Christian X as a memento of the events.
Ever since, The King’s silver-mounted hoof has been kept in his study at Amalienborg – where it is still on display to this day. You can visit Christians X’s study at the Amalienborg Museum.