The Danish Order of Freemasons (Danish

Danish language

Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...

: Den Danske Frimurerorden) (abbr.

Abbreviation

An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...

: DDFO), also known as the Grand Lodge of Denmark, is the main governing body of regular freemasonry

Freemasonry

Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...

 in Denmark

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...

. The Danish Order of Freemasons can trace its history back to 1743 making it the oldest masonic organisation of Denmark.

The Danish Order of Freemasons is the only masonic organisation in Denmark, which is recognised by the world's oldest grand lodge

Grand Lodge

A Grand Lodge, or "Grand Orient", is the usual governing body of "Craft", or "Blue Lodge", Freemasonry in a particular jurisdiction. The first Masonic Grand Lodge was established in England in 1717 as the Premier Grand Lodge of England....

, the United Grand Lodge of England

United Grand Lodge of England

The United Grand Lodge of England is the main governing body of freemasonry within England and Wales and in other, predominantly ex-British Empire and Commonwealth countries outside the United Kingdom. It is the oldest Grand Lodge in the world, deriving its origin from 1717...

 founded 1717 in London. It works in accordance to the Swedish Rite

Swedish Rite

The Swedish Rite is a variation of Freemasonry that is worked in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. A slight variation is common in parts of Germany under the Große Landesloge der Freimaurer von Deutschland. Also other craft masonic bodies are working in the nordic countries...

.

The Danish Order of Freemasons has today around 10,000 members. Of deceased members include royalties such as King Frederick V

Frederick V of Denmark

Frederick V was king of Denmark and Norway from 1746, son of Christian VI of Denmark and Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.-Early life:...

, prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel, King Frederick VI

Frederick VI of Denmark

Frederick VI reigned as King of Denmark , and as king of Norway .-Regent of Denmark:Frederick's parents were King Christian VII and Caroline Matilda of Wales...

, prince and duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

Friedrich Wilhelm Paul Leopold was the first Duke of the Second Line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and founder of a line that includes the Royal Houses of Denmark, Greece, Norway, and the United Kingdom...

, King Christian VIII

Christian VIII of Denmark

Christian VIII , was king of Denmark from 1839 to 1848 and, as Christian Frederick, king of Norway in 1814. He was the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway and Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, born in 1786 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen...

, King Frederick VII

Frederick VII of Denmark

Frederick VII was a King of Denmark. He reigned from 1848 until his death. He was the last Danish monarch of the older Royal branch of the House of Oldenburg and also the last king of Denmark to rule as an absolute monarch...

, King Frederick VIII

Frederick VIII of Denmark

Frederick VIII was King of Denmark from 1906 to 1912.-Early life:Frederick was born on 3 June 1843 in the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen as Prince Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a junior male line of the House of Oldenburg descended from Christian III of Denmark and who had...

, King Christian X

Christian X of Denmark

Christian X was King of Denmark from 1912 to 1947 and the only King of Iceland between 1918 and 1944....

 and the princes Carl (later Haakon VII of Norway)

Haakon VII of Norway

Haakon VII , known as Prince Carl of Denmark until 1905, was the first king of Norway after the 1905 dissolution of the personal union with Sweden. He was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...

, Harald

Prince Harald of Denmark

Prince Harald of Denmark was a member of the Danish Royal Family. He was the fourth child and third son of Frederick VIII of Denmark and his wife, Princess Louise of Sweden and Norway, and thus brother to Christian X of Denmark.The prince served in the Royal Danish Army for most of his life, and...

, Gorm

Prince Gorm of Denmark

Prince Gorm of Denmark and Iceland was the first son of Prince Harald of Denmark and his wife Princess Helena Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg....

 and Oluf (later count of Rosenborg)

Count Oluf of Rosenborg

Oluf, Count of Rosenborg , a former Danish and Icelandic prince, was the younger child and son of HRH Prince Harald of Denmark, by his wife Princess Helena Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.Oluf renounced his rights to the throne in 1948 and took the title Count of Rosenborg when...

. Furthermore, architect Philip de Lange

Philip de Lange

Philip de Lange was a leading Dutch-Danish architect who designed many different types of building in various styles including Dutch Baroque and Rococo.-Early life and family:...

, count Christian Conrad Danneskiold-Laurvig, supreme court justice J.O. Schack-Rathlou, count Marcus Gerhard Rosencrone, count Ernst Heinrich von Schimmelmann

Ernst Heinrich von Schimmelmann

Ernst Heinrich von Schimmelmann was a German-Danish politician, businessman and patron of the arts. His father was Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann.-Early life and career:Ernst von Schimmelmann was born in Dresden...

, Lord Chamberlain and patron Johan von Bülow

Bülow

Bülow may refer to:*Bülow, Germany, a municipality in the district of Parchim, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, GermanyThe von Bülow family are a German / Danish noble family, with the titles Baron or Prince...

, Prime Minister Frederik Moltke, architect and full professor Christian Frederik Hansen

Christian Frederik Hansen

Christian Frederik Hansen , known as C.F. Hansen, was the leading Danish architect between the late 18th century and the mid 19th century, and on account of his position at the Royal Danish Academy of Art the most powerful person in artistic circles for many years...

, count Frederik Ahlefeldt-Laurvig

Ahlefeldt

Ahlefeldt is a Danish and German family of high nobility.The earliest known ancestor is one Benedict Ahlefeldt, , whose son and grandsons served king Atterdag Valdemar IV of Denmark and received significant pawn fiefs and properties in Denmark....

, literary historian 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...

, sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen

Bertel Thorvaldsen

Bertel Thorvaldsen was a Danish-Icelandic sculptor of international fame, who spent most of his life in Italy . Thorvaldsen was born in Copenhagen into a Danish/Icelandic family of humble means, and was accepted to the Royal Academy of Arts when he was eleven years old...

, physicist Hans Christian Ørsted (Oersted)

Hans Christian Ørsted

Hans Christian Ørsted was a Danish physicist and chemist who discovered that electric currents create magnetic fields, an important aspect of electromagnetism...

, minister and governor of the Central Bank of Denmark L.N. Hvidt, artist Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg

Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg

Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg was a Danish painter. He was born in Blåkrog in the Duchy of Schleswig , to Henrik Vilhelm Eckersberg, painter and carpenter, and Ingeborg Nielsdatter...

, governor-general of the Danish West Indies Peter von Scholten

Peter von Scholten

Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten was Governor-General of the Danish West Indies from 1827 to 1848. He was born in Vestervig, Thy, Denmark as the son of captain Casimir von Scholten and Catharina Elisabeth de Moldrup....

, composer Friedrich Kuhlau

Friedrich Kuhlau

Friedrich Daniel Rudolf Kuhlau was a German-Danish composer during the Classical and Romantic periods. He was a central figure of the Danish Golden Age....

, landgrave William of Hesse-Kassel, full professor and medical doctor Peter Ludvig Panum

Peter Ludvig Panum

Peter Ludvig Panum was a Danish physiologist and pathologist born in Rønne. The Panum Institute in Copenhagen is named in his honor....

, baron Carl Frederik von Blixen-Finecke, Lord Chamberlain Carl Ludvig von Løvenskiold

Løvenskiold

Løvenskiold is a Dano-Norwegian noble family. Members of the family now live primarily in Norway.-History:The Løvenskiold family descend from merchant Herman Leopoldus , who immigrated from Lübeck to Christiania. His son, also named Herman Leopoldus , became very rich and was in 1739 ennobled by...

, baron Johan J.S.E. Bertouch-Lehn, count Christian Conrad Sophus Danneskiold-Samsøe

Danneskiold-Samsøe

Danneskiold-Samsøe is a Danish family of high nobility, formerly holding the island of Samsø as a fief. The family uses a traditional spelling of the name; a modern spelling would be Danneskjold-Samsø....

, founder of the Ritzau

Ritzau

Ritzaus Bureau I/S, or Ritzau for short, is a Danish news agency founded in 1866 by Erik Nicolai Ritzau. It is the largest independent Danish news agency, and also collaborates with three other Scandinavian news agencies to provide Nordic News, an English-language Scandinavian news service...

 news agency Erik Nicolai Ritzau, historian Troels Frederik Lund

Troels Frederik Lund

Troels Frederik Troels-Lund was a Danish historian born in Copenhagen. He was the youngest son of Henrik Ferdinand Lund, Søren Kierkegaard’s brother in law...

, count Carl F. Rantzau, count Ludvig E.A. Reventlow, count Christian E.J. Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Lehn

Ahlefeldt

Ahlefeldt is a Danish and German family of high nobility.The earliest known ancestor is one Benedict Ahlefeldt, , whose son and grandsons served king Atterdag Valdemar IV of Denmark and received significant pawn fiefs and properties in Denmark....

 and actor Poul Bundgaard

Poul Bundgaard

Poul Arne Bundgaard was a Danish actor and singer. He is probably best known for his role as the henpecked Kjeld in the Olsen Banden films.-Biography:...

 were all members of the masonic order.

The Danish Order of Freemasons is an independent masonic order, which encompasses around 100 lodges

Masonic Lodge

This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...

 spread throughout Denmark.

The Danish Order of Freemasons has regularized and recognised the masonic organisations the Danish Guild of Freemasons and the Union of Johannes Lodges . Therefore, the grand master

Grand Master (Masonic)

In Freemasonry a Grand Master is the leader of the lodges within his Masonic jurisdiction. He presides over a Grand Lodge, and has certain rights in the constituent lodges that form his jurisdiction....

of the Danish Order of Freemasons is also the grand master of the Danish Guild of Freemasons and the Union of Johannes Lodges. The two masonic organisations are under the Danish Order of Freemasons and its management.