Christian IX of Denmark (8 April 1818 - 29 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 1863 to 1906.

He was born in Gottorp in 1818, the fourth son of Duke William of Slesvig-Holsten-Sønderborg-Glücksborg (d. 1831) and Luise, a daughter of Charles, prince of Hesse-Kassel (d. 1836). Though descended from several monarchs through his mother, including George II of Great Britain and Frederik V of Denmark, he had no strong claim to any European throne. He grew up in Denmark and was educated in the Military Academy of Copenhagen.

As a young man, he unsuccessfully sought the hand of Queen Victoria in marriage. In 1842 he married Luise of Hesse-Kassel, a niece of Christian VIII and had six children with her.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_IX_of_Denmark, accessed 23 Oct 2003

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