Danish Monarchs

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

A unified Danish monarchy can be traced back to Gorm the Old who died in 958. In the 10th and 11th centuries, several Kings of Denmark were also Kings of England.

Denmark, Sweden, and Norway were ruled together under one monarch from 1397 until 1523 when Sweden seceded and became its own kingdom. In 1814, after the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark lost Norway to Sweden. Eventually, in 1905, the union between Sweden and Norway was dissolved and Norway became its own kingdom. Norway’s first king, Haakon VII, was born Prince Carl of Denmark, a son of King Frederik VIII of Denmark.

The House of Oldenburg reigned in Denmark from 1448 – 1863 when the crown passed to the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a cadet branch of the same house, because there were no Oldenburg heirs.

For more information see:

Monarch links are to Unofficial Royalty biography articles.

House of Knýtlinga (circa 936–1042)

  • Gorm the Old, son of Harthacnut I – circa 936 – 958/959
  • Harald Bluetooth, son of Gorm the Old – 958/9–985/6
  • Sweyn I Forkbeard, son of Harald Bluetooth – 986–1014
  • Harald II, son of Sweyn I Forkbeard – 1014 – 1018
  • Cnut I the Great, son of Sweyn I Forkbeard (also King of England 1016 – 1035) – 1018 – 1035
  • Cnut II the Hardy, son of Cnut the Great (also Harthacanut, King of England 1040 – 1042) – 1035 – 1042

House of Fairhair (1042–1047)

  • Magnus I, son of Olav II of Norway – 1042 – 1047

House of Estridsen (1047–1375)

  • Sweyn II Estdisen, grandson of Sweyn I – 1047 – 1076
  • Harald III, illegitimate son of Sweyn II – 1076 – 1080
  • Cnut III the Saint, illegitimate son of Sweyn II – 1080 – 1086
  • Olaf I, illegitimate son of Sweyn II – 1086 – 1095
  • Erik I, illegitimate son of Sweyn II – 1095 – 1103
  • Niels, illegitimate son of Sweyn II – 1104 – 1134
  • Erik II, son of Erik I – 1134 – 1137
  • Erik III, grandson of Erik I – 1137 – 1146
  • Olaf II, grandson of Erik I -1140 – 1143
  • Sweyn III, regent for the minor Valdemar I, son of Erik II – 1146 – 1157
  • Cnute IV, regent for the minor Valdemar I, son of Magnus II
  • Valdemar I the Great, grandson of Eric I – 1157 – 1182
  • Cnute VI, son of Valdemar I – 1192 – 1202
  • Valdemar II, son of Valdemar I – 1202 – 1241
  • Erik IV, son of Valdemar II – 1241 – 1250
  • Abel, son of Valdemar II – 1250 – 1252
  • Christoffer I, son of Valdemar II – 1252 – 1259
  • Erik V, son of Christoffer I – 1259 – 1286
  • Erik VI, son of Erik V – 1285 – 1320
  • Christoffer II, son of Erik V – 1320 – 1326
  • Interregnum Period – 1332 – 1340
  • Valdemar IV, son of Christoffer II – 1340 – 1376

House of Bjelbo (1376–1387)

  • Olaf III, grandson of Valdemar IV – 1376 – 1387

House of Estridsen (1376–1412)

  • Margrethe I, daughter of Valdemar IV – 1387 – 1412

House of Pomerania (1397–1439)

  • Erik of Pomerania (VII), adopted by Margrethe – 1412 – 1439

House of Palatinate-Neumarkt (1440–1448)

  • Christoffer of Bavaria (III), nephew of Erik of Pomerania – 1440 – 1448

House of Oldenburg (1448–1863)


House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (since 1863)