Christianization of Scandinavia of making the Danes Christian. King Gorm the Old (Danish: "den Gamle"), who was known in his lifetime as Gorm the Sleepy, was the first king of all of Denmark. Until his day, Danish kings were presumably local kings without influence over all the Danes. Denmark consisted of Jutland and Schleswig and Holstein all the way down to the Eider River, the main islands of Zealand, Funen, Langeland, the nearby lesser islands, and Skåneland. Gorm was said to be "hard and heathen", but Queen Thyra's influence permitted Christians to live more or less without trouble. Gorm and Queen Thyra's son,
Postage stamps and postal history of the Cook Islands Postage stamps and postal history of the Cook Islands This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of the Cook Islands. The Cook Islands are named after Captain James Cook, who visited the islands in 1773 and 1777. They became a British protectorate in 1888 and in 1900 administrative control was transferred to New Zealand. In 1965 residents chose self-government in free association with New Zealand. The Cook Islands contain 15 islands in the group spread over the South Pacific. The first stamps of the Cook Islands were issued on 7 May 1892. The stamps of the