Christian Molbech was a Danish

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 historian

Historian

A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...

, literary critic, writer and editor of historical sources.

Christian Molbech was raised in Sorø

Sorø

Sorø is a town in Sorø municipality in Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand in east Denmark. The population is 7,805 . The municipal council and the regional council are located in Sorø....

 and in 1802 he graduated from Sorø Academy

Sorø Academy

Sorø Academy is a boarding school and public gymnasium located in the small town of Sorø, Denmark. It traces its history back to the 12th century when Bishop Absalon founded a monastery at the site, which was confiscated by the Crown after the Reformation, and ever since, on and off, it has served...

. 1804 he was employed at Royal Danish Library and was thus never formally trained as an historian. 1829 he succeeded Knud Lyne Rahbek

Knud Lyne Rahbek

Knud Lyne Rahbek was a Danish literary historian, critic, writer, poet & magazine editor.Knud Lyne Rahbek was son of the clergyman Jacob Rahbek, but he had always wanted to become an actor. In his youth he tried out as an actor at the Royal Danish Theatre, but because of his looks he was...

 as professor in literature at the University of Copenhagen

University of Copenhagen

The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...

. He also functioned as director of the The Royal Danish Theatre 1830–1842.

1839 he participated in the founding of the Danish Historical Society and he was a founder of Historisk Tidsskrift which is the oldest extant scientific historical journal in the world.

Molbech also wrote various philological works f.ex. The Danish dictionary ("Dansk Ordbog" 1828–1833) and "Danish dictionary of dialects" ("Dansk Dialektleksikon 1833-1841).

Furthermore he wrote the "Historical Annals for enlightenment and education in the history of the North, specifically the history of Denmark" (3 volumes 1845–1851) which was meant as references for historians and was groundbreaking in the establishment of the chronology of Danish history.

As a literary critic he was infamous for his devastating reviews of the works of Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...

 and Bernhard Severin Ingemann

Bernhard Severin Ingemann

Bernhard Severin Ingemann was a Danish novelist and poet.Ingemann was born in Thorkildstrup, on the island of Falster, Denmark. The son of a vicar, he was left fatherless in his youth. While a student at the University of Copenhagen he published his first collection of poems Bernhard Severin...

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Source

• Danish Biographical Encyclopedia, volume XI, 1. edition 1887-1905.