Christian VI of Denmark

Christian was born 30 November 1699, eldest surviving son of Frederick IV and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. He took the throne in 1730 and ran Denmark-Norway with an authoritarian hand, the first Oldenburg king to avoid war entirely. In 1736 he made confirmation mandatory; three years later he established a public school system that reached across the kingdom. He ruled under the motto "Deo et populo" — for God and the people — and died 6 August 1746, leaving behind a reign remembered less for drama than for the structures he built.