November 15, 1863: Death of King Frederik VII of Denmark and the succession of King Christian IX.

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Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, House of Oldenburg, King Charles III of the United Kingdom, King Christian IX of Denmark, King Constantine II of Greece, King Felipe VI of Spain, King Frederik VII of Denmark, King Harald V of Norway, King Philippe of Belgium, London Protocol, Louise of Hesse-Cassel, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.

King Frederik VII (October 6, 1808 – November 15, 1863) was King of Denmark from 1848 to 1863. He was the last Danish monarch of the older Royal branch of the House of Oldenburg and the last king of Denmark to rule as an absolute monarch. During his reign, he signed a constitution that established a Danish parliament and made the country a constitutional monarchy.

Marriages

King Frederik VII’s first two marriages both ended in scandal and divorce. He was first married in Copenhagen on November 1, 1828 to his second cousin Princess Wilhelmine Marie of Denmark, a daughter of King Frederik VI of Denmark by his wife and first cousin Princess Marie Sophie of Hesse-Cassel. Her father Frederik VI was the only son of King Christian VII of Denmark.

They separated in 1834 and divorced in 1837. On June 10, 1841 he married for a second time to Duchess Caroline Charlotte Mariane of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the daughter of Georg, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and his consort Princess Marie of Hesse-Cassel.

King Frederik VII of Denmark

Very early on, the marriage proved to be a very unhappy one, due in large part to The Crown Prince (as Frederik VI was then) displayed a very bad temperament, excessive drinking and shameless womanizing. Princess Caroline Mariane, who was described as incurably shy and nervous, lacked the ability to serve as a calming influence over her consort. After a visit to her parents in Germany in 1844, Caroline Mariane refused to return to Denmark. The divorce was completed in 1846.

On August 7, 1850 in Frederiksborg Palace, he morganatically married Louise Christina Rasmussen, whom he created Landgravine Danner in 1850 a milliner and former ballet dancer who had for many years been his acquaintance or mistress, the natural daughter of Gotthilf L. Køppen and of Juliane Caroline Rasmussen. This marriage seems to have been happy, although it aroused great moral indignation among the nobility and the bourgeoisie.

After three marriages without any issue it created a succession crisis as there was no clear heir to succeed King Frederik VII.

Also at stake was the future of the duchies of Schleswig (a Danish fief) and of Holstein and Lauenburg (German fiefs) which were joined by personal union with the Kingdom of Denmark. However, since Frederik VII of Denmark was childless, a change in dynasty was imminent and the lines of succession for the duchies and Denmark diverged.

London Protocol.

On May 8, 1852, after the First War of Schleswig, an agreement called the London Protocol was signed. This international treaty was the revision of an earlier protocol, which had been ratified on August 2, 1850, by the major German powers of Austria and Prussia.

The second London Protocol was recognised by the five major European powers—Austria, France, Prussia, Russia, and the United Kingdom—as well as by the Baltic Sea powers of Denmark and Sweden. The aim of this Protocol was to determine the future of the Schleswig-Holstein duchies and find a suitable heir to the Danish throne.

The Protocol affirmed the integrity of the Danish federation as a “European necessity and standing principle”.

That meant that, contrary to the Protocol, the new king of Denmark would not also be the new Duke of Holstein and Lauenburg. So for this purpose, the line of succession to the duchies was modified. Further, it was affirmed that the duchies were to remain as independent entities, and that Schleswig would have no greater constitutional affinity to Denmark than Holstein did.

In 1851, Russian Emperor Nicholas I had recommended that Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (born 1818) should be advanced in the Danish succession.

Prince Christian was a younger son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Glücksburg.

Christian grew up in the Duchy of Schleswig as a Prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a junior branch of the House of Oldenburg which had ruled Denmark since 1448. Following the early death of the father in 1831, Christian grew up in Denmark and was educated at the Military Academy of Copenhagen. After unsuccessfully seeking the hand of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom in marriage, he married his double second cousin, Princess Louise of Hesse-Cassel, in 1842.

Prince Christian of Glücksburg had also been a foster grandson of the royal couple King Frederik VI and Queen Marie Sophie, and thus was well known at the royal court. Prince Christian was a nephew of Queen Marie Sophie and descended from a first cousin of Frederik VI. He was brought up as a Dane, having lived in Danish-speaking lands of the royal dynasty and never bore arms for German interests against Denmark, as had other princes of the House of Glücksburg and the House of Augustenburg.

King Christian IX of Denmark

A further justification for this choice was Christian’s marriage in 1842 to Louise of Hesse-Cassel, who was a daughter of the closest female relative of Frederik VII. Louise’s mother and elder siblings renounced their rights to the Danish throne in favor of Louise and her husband.

Being of the House of Glücksburg made him a relatively attractive royal candidate from the Danish viewpoint since, as a descendant of Frederik III, he was eligible to succeed in Denmark, although not first-in-line. He was also, but separately, eligible to inherit the dual duchies, but was not first-in-line

This proposal to have Prince Christian was confirmed by the London Protocol on 8 May 1852, when Prince Christian was chosen to follow Frederik VII’s aging uncle Ferdinand in the line of succession.

The decision of the London Protocol was implemented by the Danish Law of Succession of July 15, 1853 entitled Royal Ordinance settling the Succession to the Crown on Prince Christian of Glücksburg. This designated him as second-in-line to the Danish throne, following the elderly Prince Ferdinand. Consequently, Prince Christian and his family were granted the titles of Prince and Princess of Denmark and the style of Highness.

Frederick VII died in Glücksburg on November 15, 1863 following an attack of erysipelas and was interred in Roskilde Cathedral. Prince Christian took the throne as King Christian IX.

In November 1863, Friedrich of Augustenborg claimed the twin-duchies in succession to Frederik VII of Denmark, who also was the last king of Denmark who, by primogeniture, was also sovereign Duke of Schleswig and Holstein, but whose death extinguished the patriline of Denmark’s hereditary Oldenburg kings. The resulting divergence of hereditary claims to the duchies eventually developed into the Second War of Schleswig.

Christian IX’s six children with Louise married into other European royal families, earning him the sobriquet “the father-in-law of Europe”. Among his descendants are Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, King Philippe of Belgium, King Harald V of Norway, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, King Charles III of the United Kingdom, former King Constantine II of Greece, and King Felipe VI of Spain.

Birthday Gala for Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway

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Birthday Gala, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, King Harald V of Norway, Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, Tiara

Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway (born 21 January 2004) is the elder child of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and the grandchild of King Harald V. She is second in line, after her father, to succession to the Norwegian throne. She represents the fifth generation of the sitting Norwegian royal family of the House of Glücksburg.

She has a younger brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, whom she ranks above in the line of succession after the implementation of absolute primogeniture in 1990. She is expected to become the country’s second female monarch, after the 15th-century Queen Margrethe.

The Norwegian Royal Court has released three tiara portraits of Princess Ingrid Alexandra in occasion of her 18th birthday gala today! 🥳

The Princess is wearing the Boucheron Circlet Pearl Tiara that she received as a gift from her great-aunt Princess Ragnhild’s family

Guest List

TM King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway(hosts)
TRH Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway
HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway
HH Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway
Marius Borg Høiby
HH Princess Märtha-Louise and Mr. Durek Verrett (her fiancée)
Miss Maud Angelica Behn
Miss Leah Isadora Behn
Miss Emma Tallulah Behn
HH Princess Astrid Mrs Ferner
Mrs Marit Tjessem (grandmother)

TRH Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
TRH Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden
HRH Princess Estelle of Sweden
HRH Prince Oscar of Sweden
TM King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands
HRH Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands
HM Queen Mathilde of the Belgians
HRH Princess Elisabeth of Belgium
HM King Felipe VI of Spain
TRH Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie of Luxembourg
HRH Prince Charles of Luxembourg
TRH Crown Prince Pavlós and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece
HRH Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece
HRH Prince Constantine-Alexios of Greece
HRH Prince Aristides of Greece
HRH Prince Kyril of Bulgaria and his partner Miss Katharine Jibba Butler
HH Princess Mafalda-Cecilia of Bulgaria
HH Princess Olimpia of Bulgaria
HH Prince Tassilo of Bulgaria
Ms Rosario Nadal (Prince Kyril’s ex-wife)

January 21, 2004: 18th Birthday of HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway

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Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, King Felipe VI of Spain. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, King Harald V of Norway, Norwegian Constitution, Prince Sverre Magnus, Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway

Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway (born 21 January 2004) is the elder child of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.

Born on January 21, 2004 at 9:13 am in The National Hospital, part of the Oslo University Hospital in Oslo, Princess Ingrid Alexandra is the first child and only daughter of Crown Prince Haakon, heir apparent to the throne, and the second granddaughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja.

Her mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has a son named Marius Borg Høiby, born in 1997 from a previous relationship. Following Ingrid Alexandra’s birth, the already well-regarded royal family experienced an upsurge of popularity.

Ingrid Alexandra was baptised by Bishop Gunnar Stålsett in the chapel of the Royal Palace on April 17, 2004. Her grandfather the King, her aunt Princess Märtha Louise, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, the Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, the then Infante Felipe, Prince of Asturias (now King Felipe VI of Spain) and her maternal grandmother Marit Tjessem were her godparents.

The Crown Prince of Denmark and the Prince of Asturias were unable to attend the christening due to their respective weddings scheduled to occur within a month of the christening.

On June 17, 2014, the Norwegian Royal Family notified the public that from the start of the 2014–2015 school year, Princess Ingrid Alexandra would transfer to the private English-language Oslo International School, reportedly because her parents wanted her to be fluent in English. Her younger brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, was to transfer to Oslo’s Montessori school.

Constitutional status

The Constitution of Norway was altered in 1990 to introduce absolute primogeniture, ensuring that the crown would pass to the eldest child regardless of sex but keeping the Crown Prince Haakon ahead of his elder sister, Princess Märtha Louise; the change was to apply for the first time to their children. Princess Ingrid Alexandra has thus been second in the line of succession since birth, preceded only by her father.

Because of the reform, her status was not affected by the subsequent birth of her brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, in 2005. The Princess is expected to become Norway’s first female monarch since Queen Margrethe I who reigned over Norway, Denmark and Sweden from the late 1380s until her death in 1412.

Along with her parents and grandparents – Princess Ingrid Alexandra is a member of the Norwegian Royal House. The family belongs to the House of Glücksburg.

Prince Sverre Magnus is third in the line of succession to the Norwegian throne following his sister. He has the style of ”His Highness” and not “His Royal Highness.” He is a member of the Royal Family but not of the Royal House, which consists only of his grandparents, parents and sister.

January 17, 1991: Accession of King Harald V of Norway.

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Constitutional Monarchy, Constitutional Role, Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, King Harald V of Norway, King of Norway, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Queen Sonja of Norway

Harald V (born February 21, 1937) is the King of Norway.Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the line of succession at the time of his birth, behind his father. His paternal grandparents were King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway; his maternal grandparents Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg of Sweden; King Leopold III of Belgium; Queen Mary and King George VI of the United Kingdom; and Crown Princess Ingrid of Denmark. His parents already had two daughters, Princess Ragnhild and Princess Astrid. The King is a second cousin of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom as they are both great-grandchildren of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom.

Harald V of Norway

At the time of Harald’s birth, he was 2nd in line of succession to the Norwegian throne following his father, Crown Prince Olav; and also was 16th in line of succession to the British throne as a descendant of Queen Victoria through his paternal grandmother, Queen Maud.In 1940, as a result of the German occupation during World War II, the royal family went into exile. Harald spent part of his childhood in Sweden and the United States.

He returned to Norway in 1945, and subsequently studied for periods at the University of Oslo, the Norwegian Military Academy and Balliol College, Oxford.Following the death of his grandfather Haakon VII in 1957, Harald became crown prince as his father became king. A keen sportsman, he represented Norway in sailing at the 1964, 1968, and 1972 Olympic Games, and later became patron of World Sailing.

Harald married a commoner, Sonja Haraldsen, at Oslo Domkirke in Oslo on August 29, 1968. The pair had dated for nine years, but Olav was reluctant to allow his son to marry a commoner. Olav only relented when Harald told his father that if he was not allowed to marry Sonja he would not marry at all. This would have ended the reign of his family and the Norwegian monarchy, as Harald was the sole heir to the throneThe couple had two children, Märtha Louise and Haakon.

Harald became King of Norway upon the death of his father, King Olav V, on January 17, 1991. He became the first Norwegian-born monarch since Magnus VII abdicated in 1343, a gap of 648 years. Harald is the sixth King of Norway to bear that name, and the first in 855 years. The five other kings who have borne the name are Harald Fairhair, Harald Greycloak, Harald Bluetooth, Harald Hardrada, and Harald Gille. Harald Bluetooth is usually not given a number in the Norwegian list of kings, therefore Harald is ‘only’ numbered as Harald V.

While the Constitution vests the King with executive power, he is not politically responsible for exercising it. This is in accordance not only with provisions of the Constitution, but with conventions established since the definitive establishment of parliamentary rule in Norway in 1884. His acts are not valid without the countersignature of a member of the Council of State (cabinet)–usually the Prime Minister–and proceedings of the Council of State are signed by all of its members.

Although he nominally has the power of veto, no Norwegian king has exercised it since the dissolution of the union with Sweden in 1905. Even then, the king’s veto power is suspensive, not absolute as is the case with British monarchs. A royal veto can be overridden if the Storting passes the same bill following a general election.

While the Constitution nominally vests the King with the power to appoint the government, in practice the government must maintain the confidence of Parliament. The King appoints the leader of the parliamentary bloc with the majority as prime minister. When the parliamentary situation is unclear, the king relies on the advice of the President of Parliament and the sitting prime minister. Unlike some monarchs, Harald does not have the power to dissolve Parliament; the Constitution does not allow snap elections

.The King meets with the Council of State at the Royal Palace every Friday. He also has weekly meetings with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He receives foreign envoys, and formally opens parliament every October delivering a speech from the throne during each opening. He travels extensively throughout Norway and makes official state visits to other countries, as well as receiving and hosting guests.The reign of King Harald has been marked by modernization and reform for the Norwegian Royal family.

The King has cooperated closely with Queen Sonja and the Crown Prince in making the royal household more open to the Norwegian public and the Norwegian media. King Harald’s decision to accept two more commoners into the royal family, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Ari Behn, has been interpreted as a sign of modernization and adjustment.

August 29, 1935: Queen Astrid of the Belgians died in a car crash in Switzerland.

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Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, King Albert II of Belgium, King Baudouin of Belgium, King Harald V of Norway, King Leopold III of Belgium, King Philippe of the Belgians, Princess Astrid of Sweden, Queen Astrid of Belgium

August 29, 1935, 85 years ago, Queen Astrid of the Belgians died in a car crash in Switzerland.

The Queen was 30 years old and she had three young children with her husband King Leopold III.

Queen Astrid was born as Princess Astrid of Sweden, daughter of Prince Carl of Sweden and his wife Princess Ingeborg (born Princess of Denmark).

Astrid’s sister Märtha became Crown Princess of Norway and the current King Harald V of Norway is her son.

The current King Philippe of the Belgians and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg are her grandsons. 

Of the Queen’s children, only her youngest son King Albert II (86), who abdicated in 2013, is still alive today.

Her daughter Joséphine-Charlotte, who would become Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, died in 2005.

Eldest son King Baudouin died in 1993 (and was succeeded by Albert II).

January 17, 1991: Death of King Olav V of Norway

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Christian X of Denmark, Gustaf V of Sweden, Haakon VII of Norway, Ingeborg of Denmark, King Edward VII of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, King Harald V of Norway, Kingdom of Norway, Olav V of Norway, Princess Märtha of Sweden

Olav was born Prince Alexander Edward Christian Frederik in Appleton House on the royal Sandringham Estate, Flitcham, United Kingdom. His parents were Prince Carl, second son of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark (later King Frederik VIII), and Princess Maud, youngest daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, who was the eldest son of Britain’s Queen Victoria. When Olav’s father was elected king of Norway, he took the name Haakon VII, and on the day he was inaugurated, he gave his son the Norwegian name Olav after Olaf II Haakonsson.

He became heir apparent to the Norwegian throne when his father was elected King of Norway in 1905. He was the first heir to the Norwegian throne to be brought up in Norway since Olav IV in the fourteenth century, and his parents made sure he was given as Norwegian an upbringing as possible. In preparation for his future role, he attended both civilian and military schools. In 1929, he married his first cousin Princess Märtha of Sweden. During World War II his leadership was much appreciated and he was appointed Norwegian Chief of Defence in 1944. At his death in 1991, he was the last surviving grandchild of Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Alexandra of Denmark.

Owing to his considerate, down-to-earth style, King Olav was immensely popular, resulting in the nickname Folkekongen (“The People’s King”). In a 2005 poll by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, Olav was voted “Norwegian of the Century”.

Princess Märtha of Sweden

On March 21, 1929 in Oslo, he married his first cousin Princess Märtha of Sweden, the second child of Prince Carl of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland, and his wife Princess Ingeborg of Denmark. Her father was the younger brother of King Gustav V of Sweden, making her a first cousin twice removed of the present King of Sweden, and her mother was the younger sister of King Christian X of Denmark and of King Haakon VII of Norway. with whom he had two daughters, Ragnhild and Astrid and one son, Harald (future King Harald V of Norway)

As exiles during World War II, Crown Princess Märtha and the royal children lived in Washington, D.C., where she struck up a close friendship with Franklin D. Roosevelt. She died in 1954, before her husband ascended the throne.

During the summer of 1990, the King suffered from health problems, but recovered somewhat during Christmas the same year. At the age of 87, on 17 January 1991, while residing in the Royal Lodge Kongsseteren in Oslo, he became ill and died in the evening of a myocardial infarction. An interview given by King Harald V and hints in a biography by Jo Benkow, who was the President of the Storting at that time, mention the possibility that King Olav suffered great trauma upon learning of the outbreak of the first Gulf War, which began the day of his death. Olav’s son Harald V succeeded him as King.

Ari Behn Has died

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Ari Behn, King Harald V of Norway, Kingdom, Kingdom of Norway, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway

Sad to report…. Norwgian news just announced that Ari Behn was found dead today. The ex-husband of Princess Märtha-Louise of Norway had taken his own life, according to a spokesman for the family. The author and artist wrote about his internal psychological struggle in his most recent book.

Ari Mikael Behn (né Bjørshol, September 30, 1972 – December 25, 2019) was a Norwegian author. He has written three novels, two collections of short stories and a book about his wedding. His 1999 short stories collection Trist som faen (“Sad as hell”) sold in about 100,000 copies and received several favourable reviews. His books have been translated into Swedish, Danish, German, Hungarian, and Icelandic as well as French. In the spring of 2011, Ari Behn made his debut as a playwright with Treningstimen, directed by Kim Sørensen and staged at Rogaland Teater.

He was married to Princess Märtha Louise of Norway from 2002 to 2017. They had had three daughters: Maud Angelica (born 2003 in Oslo), Leah Isadora (born 2005), and Emma Tallulah (born 2008).

Absolute Primogeniture and future Queen Regnants in Europe: Part I.

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Absolute cognatic primogeniture, Crown Princess of Sweden Princess Estelle of Sweden, Duchess of Östergötland Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherla, Duchess of Brabant Infanta Leonor of Spain, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, King Harald V of Norway, Primogeniture, Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway Princess Victoria of Sweden, Princess of Asturias, Princess of Orange Princess Elisabeth of Belgium

The principles governing the succession to crowns and aristocratic titles was Primogeniture which is was the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate son to inherit his parent’s entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relative. In some contexts it instead means the inheritance of the firstborn child (absolute primogeniture) or the firstborn daughter (matrilineal primogeniture).

The first definition given is also known as male-line primogeniture, the classical form popular in European jurisdictions among others until into the 20th century. In the absence of male-line offspring, variations were expounded to entitle a daughter or a brother or, in the absence of either, to another collateral relative, in a specified order (e.g. male-preference primogeniture, Salic primogeniture, semi-Salic primogeniture). The French throne adhered to Salic primogeniture, while the majority of the extinct German monarchies were either Salic or semi-Salic in their primogeniture laws and traditions.

During the 20th and early 21st century many monarchies have eliminated the preference for males over females (absolute male-preference primogeniture). and have implemented absolute primogeniture in succession. The following extant throne now follow absolute primogeniture Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

With absolute primogeniture now in place in the near future thrones of Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden will be occupied by women. Below is the list of the future Queen Regnants that will occupy European thrones, followed by some biographical info on each of them.

Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway
Princess Victoria of Sweden, Crown Princess of Sweden
Princess Estelle of Sweden, Duchess of Östergötland
Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherla, Princess of Orange
Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, Duchess of Brabant
Infanta Leonor of Spain, Princess of Asturias

HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway: Born on 21 January 2004 at 9:13 am in The National Hospital the Oslo University Hospital in Oslo, Princess Ingrid Alexandra is the first child and only daughter of Crown Prince Haakon, heir apparent to the throne, and the second granddaughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja. Her mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has a son named Marius Borg Høiby, born in 1997 from a previous relationship. Following Ingrid Alexandra’s birth, the already well-regarded royal family experienced an upsurge of popularity.

Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway

Crown Prince Haakon, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, King Harald V of Norway

The Constitution of Norway was altered in 1990 to introduce absolute primogeniture, ensuring that the crown would pass to the eldest child regardless of sex but keeping the Crown Prince ahead of his elder sister, Princess Märtha Louise; the change was to apply for the first time to their children. Princess Ingrid Alexandra has thus been second in the line of succession since birth, preceded only by her father. Because of the reform, her status was not affected by the subsequent birth of her brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, in 2005. The Princess is expected to become Norway’s first female monarch since Queen Margarethe who reigned over Norway, Denmark and Sweden from the late 1380s until her death in 1412.

HRH Princess Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland

HRH Princess Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland: born July 14, 1977, is the heir apparent to the Swedish throne, as the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf. If she ascends to the throne as expected, she will be Sweden’s fourth queen regnant (after Margarethe, Christina and Ulrika Eleonora) and the first since 1720. She is a member of the House of Bernadotte. Born as a princess of Sweden, she was designated crown princess in 1979 ahead of her younger brother. Her place as first in the line of succession formally went into effect on January 1, 1980 with the parliamentary change to the Act of Succession that introduced absolute primogeniture. This Act of Succession supplanted her younger brother, Prince Carl Philip who had been heir to the throne since his birth on May 13, 1979. As of 2016, Prince Carl Philip is fourth in the line of succession.

Princess Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden married Daniel Westling on June 19, 2010, and on February 23, 2012 at Victoria gave birth to Princess Estelle, Duchess of Östergötland, in the Karolinska University Hospital. Princess Estelle is second in line to the Swedish throne.

King Carl XVI Gustafson of Sweden, Crown Princess Victoria, Princess Estelle

Princess Estelle, Duchess of Östergötland was born February 23, 2012, is the elder child and only daughter of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland. She is the eldest grandchild of King Carl XVI Gustaf, and is second in line of succession to the Swedish throne.

Princess Estelle is second in the line of succession to the Swedish throne and the first female in Swedish history to be born with a right to inherit the crown that cannot be superseded by the birth of a male heir, as well as the first person in Swedish history to be born of a female heir apparent. The only two princesses of Sweden to be born first in line for the throne were heir presumptive at their birth: Christina (who eventually became queen regnant) and Hedwig Sophia (who was superseded by a younger brother). Her status was not altered when on March 2, 2016, her brother Prince Oscar, Duke of Skåne was born.

Part II will be tomorrow.

A Brief history of the twin Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein: Part III

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Beck, Christian IX, Holy Roman Empire, House of House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, House of of Glücksburg, John the Younger of Denmark, King Christian III of Denmark, King Constantine II of Greece, King Harald V of Norway, Kingdom of Denmark, Kingdom of Greece, Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark., Queen Sofia of Spain

The House of Glücksburg

The House of Glücksburg (also spelled Glücksborg), shortened from House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, is a Dano-German branch of the House of Oldenburg, members of which have reigned at various times in Denmark, Norway, Greece and several northern German states.

The family takes its ducal name from Glücksburg, a small coastal town in Schleswig, on the southern, German side of the fjord of Flensburg that divides Germany from Denmark. In 1460, Glücksburg came, as part of the conjoined Dano-German duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, to Count Christian VII of Oldenburg whom, in 1448, the Danes had elected their king as Christian I, the Norwegians likewise taking him as their hereditary king in 1450.

Older Line

History

In 1564, Christian I’s great-grandson, King Frederik II, in re-distributing Schleswig and Holstein’s fiefs, retained some lands for his own senior royal line while allocating Glücksburg to his brother Duke Johann II the Younger (1545-1622), along with Sonderburg, in appanage. Both King Frederik II and Johann II the Younger were sons of King Christian III of Denmark and his wife, Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg.

Johann II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg

This line was founded by the duke Philip of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1584–1663) a son of Johann II the Younger of Denmark. Johann’s heirs further sub-divided their share and created, among other branches, a line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg dukes at Beck (an estate near Minden bought by the family in 1605), who remained vassals of Denmark’s kings.

The line was named after Glücksburg Castle, where he had his headquarters. Members of this line bore the title of Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. However, they had limited powers in ruling their territory, since it was not an estate of the Realm, but a fief of the Duchy of Holstein-Gottorp. Later, the family gave up these rights altogether and continued as titular dukes.

The last duke of this line, Frederik Henrik Wilhelm, died in 1779 without any hires and this older line of the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg became extinct.

Younger Line

By 1825, the castle of Glücksburg had returned to the Danish crown and was given that year by King Frederick VI, along with a new ducal title, to his kinsman Frederich of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck. Friedrich suffixed the territorial designation to the ducal title he already held, in lieu of “Beck” (an estate the family had, in fact, sold in 1745). Thus emerged the extant Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.

The Danish line of Oldenburg kings died out in 1863, and the elder line of the Schleswig-Holstein family became extinct with the death of the last Augustenburg duke in 1931. Thereafter, the House of Glücksburg became the senior surviving line of the House of Oldenburg. Another cadet line of Oldenburgs, the Dukes of Holstein-Gottorp, consisted of two branches which held onto sovereignty into the 20th century. But members of the Romanov line were executed in or exiled from their Russian Empire in 1917, while the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg was abolished in 1918, although its dynastic line survives.

Neither the Dukes of Beck nor of Glücksburg had been sovereign rulers; they held their lands in fief from the ruling Dukes of Schleswig and Holstein, i.e. the Kings of Denmark and (until 1773) the Dukes of Holstein-Gottorp.

Christian IX, King of Denmark.

Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, the fourth son of Duke Friedrich of Glücksburg, was recognized in the London Protocol of 1852 as successor to the childless King Frederik VII of Denmark. He became King of Denmark as Christian IX on November 15, 1863.

Christian IX’s older brother inherited formal headship of the family as Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. It is his descendants who now represent the senior line of the Schleswig-Holstein branch of the House of Oldenburg.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, King Harald V of Norway, King Constantine II of Greece, Queen Sofía of Spain and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (and his eldest son and heir to the British throne Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince George of Cambridge) are patrilineal members of cadet branches of the Glücksburg dynasty, via their descent from Christian IX of Denmark.

Prince Julius of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (younger brother Christian IX of Denmark).

Who was the first King of Denmark?

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Christian I of Denmark, Christian II of Denmark, Christian IX of Denmark, Christopher of Bavaria., Eric VII of Pomerania, Gorm the Old, King Harald V of Norway, King of Denmark, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.

Now we direct our attention to the three Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Like England and Scotland much of the early history of these monarchies are shrouded in myths and legends. We have many names for these per-histtorical kings but many are legendary and may not have existed at all.

Denmark is such a country shrouded in these myths. For example, Gyrd and Gnupa were alleged kings of Denmark and ruled during part of the 10th century according to King Sweyn II of Denmark and Adam of Bremen. They were the sons of the Swedish chieftain Olaf the Brash who was said to have conquered Denmark, ruling jointly, according to Swedish tradition. Did they actually exist?

King Gnupa is mentioned on the two Sigtrygg Runestones found near Schleswig by his wife Asfrid for their son Sigtrygg. Also, a Danish king Chnuba is named by Widukind of Corvey in his Saxon Chronicles as having been defeated and was forced to accept Christian baptism at the hands of King Gnupa in 934. There is a saga by Olav Tryggvasson’s that tells of Gnupa’s defeat by Gorm the Old. The problem with this claim is that it contradicts the chronology of Adam of Bremen, who places the succession and subsequent defeat of Sigtrygg during the tenure of Archbishop Hoger of Bremen (909-915/7). These conflicting dates influenced Gesta Danorum of Saxo Grammaticus who names a nobleman, Ennignup, who allegedly served as a guardian for a young king Canute I at some time prior to accession King Gorm the Old and it has been suggested this may be confused representation of King Gnupa.

With all of that confusion Gorm the Old is the first historically recognized King of Denmark, reigning from c.  936 to his death c.  958. He ruled from Jelling, and made the oldest of the Jelling Stones in honor of his wife Thyra. Gorm was born before 900 and died c.  958. King Gorm is the reported to be the son of semi-legendary Danish king Harthacnut. Chronicler Adam of Bremen says that Harthacnut came from Nortmannia to Denmark and seized power in the early 10th century. He deposed the young king Sigtrygg Gnupasson, reigning over Western Denmark. When Harthacnut died, Gorm ascended the throne.

Conflicting reports mention Gorm taking at least part of the kingdom by force from Gnupa, and Adam himself suggests that the kingdom may have divided prior to Gorm’s time. Gorm is first mentioned in extant documents as the host of Archbishop Unni of Hamburg and Bremen in 936. Despite the historical certainty of Gorm as King of Denmark it is recorded that Denmark was not completely unified during his reign. According to the ancient Jelling Stones it was Gorm’s son, Harald Bluetooth, brought together the various tribes in Denmark under one rule. This leads historians to speculate that Gorm only ruled Jutland from his seat in Jelling.

As in the other nations in this series I have looked at what the exact titles were in the past and Denmark will be no exception. The monarchs of Denmark have a long history of royal and noble titles. Historically Danish monarchs also used the titles ‘King of the Wends’ and ‘King of the Goths’ along with the title King of Denmark. Here is a select list of titles born by the kings of Denmark.

Eric VII of Pomerania: By the Grace of God, King of Denmark, Sweden and Norway, the Wends and the Goths, Duke of Pomerania.

Christopher I of Bavaria: By the Grace of God, King of Denmark, Sweden and Norway, the Wends and the Goths, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria.

The full title of the Danish sovereigns from Christian I to Christian II was: By the Grace of God, King of Denmark, Sweden and Norway, the Wends and the Goths, Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Stormarn and Dithmarschen, Count of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst. Christian II’s successor, Frederik I, didn’t style himself King of Norway because he never visited the country. Therefore he was never crowned King of Norway, so he styled himself King of Denmark, the Vends and the Goths, elected King of Norway.

Upon her accession to the throne in 1972, Queen Margrethe II, abandoned all outdated historical titles except the title “Queen of Denmark.”