Background 

Having emerged as a significant maritime power in the 18th century, Denmark commands great influence in the European arena. The first Danes likely migrated from Southern and Eastern Europe around the end of the last Ice Age. These migrants discovered the exceptional quality of the Danish soil and began establishing farms. In the Iron Age, trade between Danish groups and Roman provinces was substantial. Such trade served as the genesis for connecting Denmark to the rest of Europe. In the Viking and Middle Ages, Denmark was the source of vikings that would later settle in parts of England. This period lasted around 250 years. Finally, in 1849, Denmark adopted the constitutional monarchy that it observes today. 

In Text 

In the context of Joseph Addison’s “The Royal Exchange,” Denmark is not expressly mentioned. RatherAddison references “Dutchmen” in order to accentuate European interconnectivity: “I hustled among a body of Armenians: sometimes I am lost in a crowd of Jews; and sometimes make one in a group of Dutchmen. I am a Dane, Swede, or Frenchman at different times.” 

Sources Consulted 

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/when-did-denmark-become-a-country.html