King of Denmark

• The Kingdom of Denmark (up to 1396)
  • Personal union of Denmark and Norway (1380-1396)
  • The Kalmar Union (1397-1536)
    • Kings of Denmark claiming (sometimes successfully) the Crown of Sweden (1397-1523)
    • Kings of Denmark claiming (mostly successfully) the Crown of Norway (1397-1536)
• The Kingdom of Denmark (1536 to present)
• The Kingdom of Denmark and Norway (1536-1814)
  • With Iceland (1536-1918, then in personal union 1918-1944)
  • With Greenland
  • With the Faroe Islands

The kingdom was elective until 1660.

Gorm the Old was the first trustworthy Danish monarch. All reigns before him are dubious. Denmark has one of the longest running unbroken lines of succession in the world, second only to that of the Japanese emperors.

Different branches of Oldenburg have held the Crown of Denmark since 1448, until 1864 in personal union with the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein.

Danish name forms are given in parenthesis.

List of Dubious Danish Kings

• 794-803 : Sigfred (Sigurd) Snogoje of South Jutland
• a Harald before Godfred
• 798?-800 : Godfred (Godfrid?)
• 810-812 : Hemming, nephew of Godfred reigned two years after Godfred's death
• 813 : Sigfred, another nephew of Godfred
• 813 : Anulo, a nephew of the Harald before Godfred
• 812,813,814, 819-826 : Harald Klak, brother of Anulo and nephew of Godfred
• 813-814 : Reginfrid, another brother of Anulo
• 814-827, sole ruling 827-854, died 854 : Eric I the Old, one of four co-rulers and sons of Godfred
• 854- after 864 : Eric II the Child, whose daughter married Harald I of Norway, was a son of Eric the Old's brother
• 803-850 : Canute I (Knud I)
• died ca 863 : Harold I (Harald I)
• before 873-? : the two co-rulers, Halfdan and Sigfrid
• a Swedish "Olof Dynasty" from ca. 850 with Olof as its first king, he was a son of Sigfrid's brother.
  • at least 934 : Chnuba
  • after 934 - mentioned with Gorm the Old in 936 : Sigtryg, last king of the "Olof Dynasty"

Note: Above list of dubious kings affected the numbering of subsequent Danish monarchs:

1. Harold Bluetooth is sometimes accounted as Harald II and hence Harald II Svendsen as III and Harald Hen as IV.
   
2. Canute the Great as Knud II.

The continuous list of Danish monarchs

• mentioned 936, died 958 : Gorm the Old (Gorm den Gamle)
• died 987 at the latest : Harold Bluetooth (Harald I Blåtand)
• died 1014 : Sweyn I Forkbeard (or maybe Svein I Doublebeard) (Svend I Tveskæg)
• 1014-1018 : Harold II (Harald II Svendsen)
• 1018-1035 : Canute the Great (Knud II den Store)
• 1035-1042 : Canute the Hardy (Knud III Hardeknud)
• 1042-1047 : Magnus I (Magnus den Gode)
• 1047-1074 : Sweyn Estridson (Svend II Estridsen)
• 1074-1080 : Harald III (Harald III Hen)
• 1080-1086 : Canute the Saint (Knud IV den Hellige)
• 1086-1095 : Olaf I (Oluf I Hunger)
• 1095-1103 : Eric I (Erik I Ejegod)
• 1104-1134 : Niels (Niels)
• 1134-1137 : Eric II (Erik II Emune)
• 1137-1146 : Eric III (Erik III Lam)
• 1140-1143 : Olaf II (Oluf II)
• 1146-1157 : Sweyn III (Svend III Grathe), Canute V (Knud V) and Valdemar the Great (Valdemar I den Store)
• 1157-1182 : Waldemar the Great (Valdemar I den Store)
• 1182-1202 : Canute VI (Knud VI)
• 1202-1241 : Waldemar the Victorious (Valdemar II Sejr)
• 1241-1250 : Eric IV (Erik IV Plovpenning)
• 1250-1252 : Abel (Abel)
• 1252-1259 : Christopher I (Christoffer I)
• 1259-1286 : Eric V (Erik V Glipping)
• 1286-1320 : Eric VI (Erik VI Menved)
• 1320-1326 : Christopher II (Christoffer II)
• 1326-1329 : Valdemar III (Valdemar III)
• 1329-1332 : Christopher II (Christoffer II)
• 1332-1340 : (nobody) (Interregnum)
• 1340-1376 : Waldemar Atterdag (Valdemar IV Atterdag)
• 1376-1387 : Olaf III (Oluf III)
• 1387-1412 : Margaret I (Margrete I)
• 1412-1439 : Eric of Pomerania (Erik VII af Pommern)
• 1440-1448 : Christopher III (Christoffer III af Bayern)
• 1448-1481 : Christian I (Christian I)
• 1481-1513 : John (Hans)
• 1513-1523 : Christian II (Christian II)
• 1523-1533 : Frederick I (Frederik I)
• 1534-1559 : Christian III (Christian III)
• 1559-1588 : Frederick II (Frederik II)
• 1588-1648 : Christian IV (Christian IV)
• 1648-1670 : Frederick III (Frederik III)
• 1670-1699 : Christian V (Christian V)
• 1699-1730 : Frederick IV (Frederik IV)
• 1730-1746 : Christian VI (Christian VI)
• 1746-1766 : Frederick V (Frederik V)
• 1766-1808 : Christian VII (Christian VII)
• 1808-1839 : Frederick VI (Frederik VI)
• 1839-1848 : Christian VIII (Christian VIII)
• 1848-1863 : Frederick VII (Frederik VII)
• 1863-1906 : Christian IX (Christian IX)
• 1906-1912 : Frederick VIII (Frederik VIII)
• 1912-1947 : Christian X (Christian X)
• 1947-1972 : Frederick IX (Frederik IX)
• Since 1972 : Margaret II (Margrethe II)

See also: List of Icelandic rulers, List of Norwegian monarchs, List of Swedish monarchs, lists of incumbents

Referenced By