Denmark is one of the oldest States in Europe, becoming a kingdom in the 10th century. In the Viking era it conquered many territories across all of northern Europe, and then federated all of the Scandinavian countries from the 14th to the 16th centuries in the Kalmar Union. Following this the Danes joined forces with the Protestants in the wars of religion, then with Napoleon in the 19th century. This meant that they lost Norway in 1814. Denmark also lost Schleswig-Holstein in 1854. During the first half of the 20th century it built a Welfare State and provided itself with a new Constitution. An EU Member State since 1973 Denmark has a very intergovernmental vision of Europe, participating in some policies but remaining distant from others (euro, security, defence).