FREDERICIA (FRIEDERICIA), a seaport of Denmark, near the S.E. corner of
Jutland, on the west shore of the Little Belt opposite the island of
Fuenen. Pop. (1901) 12,714. It has railway communication with both south
and north, and a steam ferry connects with Middelfart, a seaside resort
and railway station on Fuenen. There is a considerable shipping trade,
and the industries comprise the manufacture of tobacco, salt and
chicory, and of cotton goods and hats. A small fort was erected on the
site of Fredericia by Christian IV. of Denmark, and his successor,
Frederick III., determined about 1650 to make it a powerful fortress.
Free exercise of religion was offered to all who should settle in the
new town, which at first bore the name of Frederiksodde, and only
received its present designation in 1664. In 1657 it was taken by storm
by the Swedish general Wrangel, and in 1659, after the fortress had been
dismantled, it was occupied by Frederick William of Brandenburg. It was
not till 1709-1710 that the works were again put in a state of defence.
In 1848 no attempt was made by the Danes to oppose the Prussians, who
entered on the 2nd of May, and maintained their position against the
Danish gunboats. During the armistice of 1848-1849 the fortress was
strengthened, and soon afterwards it stood a siege of two months, which
was brought to a glorious close by a successful sortie on the 6th of
July 1849. In memory of the victory several monuments have been erected
in the town and its vicinity, of which the most noticeable are the
bronze statue of the Danish Land Soldier by Bissen (one of Thorvaldsen's
pupils), and the great barrow over 500 Danes in the cemetery of the Holy
Trinity Church, with a bas-relief by the same sculptor. On the outbreak
of the war of 1864, the fortress was again strengthened by new works and
an entrenched camp; but the Danes suddenly evacuated it on the 28th of
April after a siege of six weeks. The Austro-Prussian army partly
destroyed the fortifications, and kept possession of the town till the
conclusion of peace.
FREDERICK (Mod. Ger. _Friedrich_; Ital. _Federigo_; Fr. _Frederic_ and
_Federic_; M.H.G. _Friderich_; O.H.G. _Fridurih_, "king or lord of
peace," from O.H.G. _fridu_, A.S. _frith_, "peace," and _rih_ "rich," "a
ruler," for derivation of which see HENRY), a Christian name borne by
many European sovereigns and princes, the more important of whom are
given below in the following order:--(1) Roman emperors and German
kings; (2) other kings in the alphabetical order of their states; (3)
other reigning princes in the same order.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account