Beginning with the emergence of a Danish kingdom during the Viking Age, this book provides an introduction to the history of Denmark as a political entity, from the eighth century to the present day. It shows how what we know as 'Denmark' has evolved – from Cnut the Great's North Sea empire in the eleventh century, through disintegration and civil war in the Middle Ages, the Kalmar Union of 1397–1523 and the establishment of the absolutist state and its overseas colonies in the seventeenth century, to the emergence of the modern nation state during the nineteenth century. The book also deals with significant developments in the economic, social and cultural history of Denmark, and sheds light on complex problems such as the country's relationship with its Nordic neighbours, the origins of the current border with Germany and the historical development of the Danish welfare state.