Denmark sat between the German and British fleets and controlled strategically important approaches around the Danish straits. The Herluf Trolle class answered that problem with 9.4-inch guns, an eight-inch belt, and enough power to make a hostile navy assign a battleship rather than a cruiser. Yet the ships' limited range and speed marked them as defensive, supporting Danish independence without creating the appearance of a blue-water threat.
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The Herluf Trolle class and Danish armed neutrality
Denmark's Herluf Trolle class offered enough force to resist coercion without looking like an offensive challenge to a great power.