Dress dagger, The attack on Eckernförde 1849, Denmark/Germany, 19th century.

Dress dagger with the monogram of Danish King Christian VIII (1786-1848), and the text Eckernförde d. 5 Apr. in 1849. Conquered as a commemorative item from the battle.
Whether the monogram refers to the king or the ship of the line of the same name that went under in the battle is unclear.

The Danish attack on Eckenförde on 5 April 1849 was part of the Schleswig-Holsteinian War (1848-1841) and one of its most famous battles. It was a disastrous defeat for Denmark losing two of its important ships and 1100 men against the loss of the Germans which amounted to only 4 dead and 11 wounded. The liner Christian VIII exploded. Schleswig-Holstein's successes at the battle also rendered special commemorative medals of the victory. Many volunteer Norwegians and Swedes participated in the war as part of the Scandinavianism craze.

Shank in blackened wood with steel parer bar. Double-edged blade. Length 27,5 cm.

Courage comment: An imaginative memorial from one of Denmark's most disastrous battles. A very rare and intriguing provenance.