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I wonder how you're gonna deal with Prussia over the whole Slesvig thing? Best find a strong friend in Europe soon.
The Rise of Nationalism
Frederick VII succeeded his father, Christian VIII
At the start of 1848, Christian VIII's health was in decline. And on the 20th of January he died of blood poisoning, his last words being "I didn't make it..." - Referring the constitution. His son Prince Frederick - Who just like his father was loved by the people, succeeded him as King Frederick VII of Denmark and Norway, the Wends and the Goths, Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Lauenburg, Stormarn, Dithmarschen, Oldenburg and Delmenhorst.
Frederick VII succeeded his father, Christian VIII
In late January, 1848, the desire for a liberal constitution caused unrest in Copenhagen. When this news reached Kiel, German government officials and aristocrats ceased the opportunity to throw off the chains of their Danish overlords, and on January the 29th Schleswig-Holstein declared independence from Denmark. They did this because they thought the King had fallen under the control of the revolutionaries who wanted to integrate Schleswig, and thereby separate it from Holstein. The declaration was considered an act of rebellion by Frederick VII and the Danish government.
The Battle of Heligoland
The only major battle between the Schleswig-Holsteinians and the Danes was fought off the coast of Heligoland. A small Schleswig-Holsteinian squadron was intercepted by a superior Danish squadron led by Edouard Suenson, who had gained an international reputation by this point. The Schleswig-Holsteinian admiral was a German nationalist by the name of Karl von Schlieffen. Prussian by birth, he had studied at the St. Petersburg Admiralty and had graduated at the top of his class.Edouard Suenson tried in vain to cross the Schleswig-Holsteinian T during the battle, and after 2 hours of heavy fighting von Schlieffen ordered his squadron to sail back to port. The Danish Navy was left intact, while the Schleswig-Holsteinian Navy had lost one ship-of-the-line and one frigate. But von Schlieffen had saved the Schleswig-Holsteinian Navy from complete annihilation, and therefore became a celebrated German hero by many German nationalists.
But again, von Schlieffen was not able to stop the advancing Danish Army, which soon captured and burnt. Von Schlieffen was shot by a Danish soldier when he refused to surrender.
Prussian Intervention
It only took a few months before Schleswig-Holstein was defeated and yet again in Danish hands. However, Frederick VII decided to fully integrate the two duchies into the Kingdom of Denmark. Thereby angering Prussia, who decided to step into the war, in order to bring Schleswig-Holstein under Prussian control. It became clear that this war would be long and bloody.
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it's a pity it can not be some sort of compromise like RL after WW1... the North for you, the South for the Germans
The Three Years War, Part I
"Dengang jeg drog af sted,
dengang jeg drog af sted,
min pige ville med,
ja, min pige ville med.
Det kan du ej, min ven,
jeg går i krigen hen,
og hvis jeg ikke falder, kommer jeg nok hjem igen.
Ja, var der ingen fare, så blev jeg her hos dig,
men alle Danmarks piger, de stole nu på mig.
Og derfor vil jeg slås som tapper landsoldat.
Hurra, hurra, hurra!"
(First verse from the Danish marching song "Dengang Jeg Drog Afsted")
The Prussian Army which was aided by many smaller German states, quickly advanced into Denmark and Lauenburg was under complete Prussian control by the start of November. The Prussian Army proceeded to march into Holstein, where they were welcomed by many German inhabitants. But the luck of the Prussian Army was about to run out."Dengang jeg drog af sted,
dengang jeg drog af sted,
min pige ville med,
ja, min pige ville med.
Det kan du ej, min ven,
jeg går i krigen hen,
og hvis jeg ikke falder, kommer jeg nok hjem igen.
Ja, var der ingen fare, så blev jeg her hos dig,
men alle Danmarks piger, de stole nu på mig.
Og derfor vil jeg slås som tapper landsoldat.
Hurra, hurra, hurra!"
(First verse from the Danish marching song "Dengang Jeg Drog Afsted")
The Battles of Schmalensee and Trittau
A Danish Dragoon
The Danish Army which was now under the command of Gen. Julius Christian de Meza had prepared to ambush the Prussians near Schmalensee, a small village close to Bornhöved - Where the great King Valdemar II 'The Victorious' had suffered a decisive defeat 600 years before. On the 22nd of November the Prussian Army under the command of Heinrich Cordemann was spotted near Schmalensee. The Danish Artillery opened fire at 1:00 AM, 23rd of November, taking the Prussians by surprise. After a short artillery bombardment of the Prussian lines, the Danish Cavalry was ordered to charge, seperating a small part of the Prussian Army. The Jyske Regiment Lette Dragoner performed excellent during this charge, capturing seven Prussian standards. After the succesful charge, de Meza proceeded by ordering his infantry to move forward towards the now disorganised Prussian lines. The battle then turned into a bloody line battle, where the Prussian Gen. Cordemann struggled in vain to get his infantry in line formation, and by 6:00 AM the Prussian Army was completely routed.
A Danish Dragoon
The Prussians retreated to Trittau, where a Hamburgian General by the name of Hasso von Roon was appointed head of the Coalition army, replacing Gen. Cordemann. The Danish Army had been following the Prussians, giving them little time to rest, and on the 10th of December de Meza engaged the Coalition forces at Trittau. The Battle of Trittau was as crushing as it was brief. The Coalition had suffered 8200 casualties, while the Danes had only suffered 1500. De Meza had effectively expelled the Coalition from Holstein and Lauenburg.
Left - The Battle of Schmalensee, Right - The Battle of Trittau
The Battle of Hamburg
Gen. de Meza, Gen. Bülow and Gen. von Krogh inspecting the Danish Infantry
The Coalition Army now found itself retreating to Gen. von Roon's native town of Hamburg, one of the greatest cities in all of Germany. After suffering many casualties, the Coalition forces now also found themselves outnumbered by the Danes for the first time. The battle commenced at 5:00 AM, on the 29th of December, when Gen. von Krogh who commanded the Danish left flank started advancing towards the Prussian lines, while Gen. Bülow and the Danish right flank attacked the Hamburgian lines. De Meza held his men in reserve, ready to support either flank. The Prussian line was routed rather quickly, but the Hamburgians proved to be a worthy foe. At 9:00 AM the Hamburgians went on the offensive, advancing towards Gen. Bülow in a line formation despite being outnumbered, and their allies being routed. De Meza was reported to have said "Bravo! Bravo!", applauding the Hamburgian assault. The Hamburgians were eventually routed and forced to retreat, but they had proved their worth.
Gen. de Meza, Gen. Bülow and Gen. von Krogh inspecting the Danish Infantry
The Battle of Hamburg - A Strategic Danish Victory
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I just realised I've been spelling de Meza's name wrong this entire AAR. It's Christian Julius de Meza :S