ABSTRACT
The Kingdom of Denmark’s Constitution of 1849 established a two-chamber system with an electorate for the Senate that differed from that for the Lower House. How was this ‘liberal Senate’ compatible with the ideas of the time that senates should be a conservative or moderating force? The chapter points at the liberal outcome as a factor of a compromise between three factions – the left, centre and right – in the Danish Constituent Assembly. Its negotiations took place against the background of ongoing war with the Schleswig-Holstein insurgents, which had ignited nationalism and sentiments in favour of the ‘people’. The need for a conscripted army may also have led to increased pressure to adopt a more democratic constitution, yet broader societal changes were also important.
