Filling the ranks: Recruitment and conscription for the Danish–Norwegian army during the Napoleonic era

At the beginning of the Napoleonic Era, the king of Denmark-Norway was the mentally ill Christian VII (1749-1766-1808). Later, his son, Frederik VI (1768-1808-1839), took the throne. However, in 1784, when he was a 16-year-old crown prince, Frederik assumed control of the government, including the army. Throughout his life he remained very engaged in military matters (his great idol was the legendary Frederick the Great of Prussia) and during the Napoleonic Wars acted as the army’s commander-in-chief.