List of Norwegian monarchs



The list of Norwegian monarchs (kongerekken or kongerekka) begins in 872, the traditional dating of the Battle of Hafrsfjord, after which victor Harald 'Fairhair' Halfdanson merged several petty kingdoms into that of his father. Harald's realm was later to be known as the Kingdom of Norway.

In 970, the Fairhair dynasty became patrilineally extinct when Harald's grandson Harald II died. After short periods under the King of Denmark in the late 10th and early 11th century, Norway was ruled by native persons and families, mainly by the dynasties of King Olaf II, King Harald III, and King Sverre, until the 14th century. During the civil war era (1130–1240), several pretenders fought each other. There are both recognised and non-recognised kings from this age; only the recognised ones are included in the official list of monarchs.

In 1387, Norway entered the Kalmar Union, in which Norway, Denmark, and Sweden were gathered under the same monarch. Sweden would leave this union in 1523, but Norway and Denmark remained together. Between 1450 and 1814 Norway was ruled by Copenhagen-based monarchs of the House of Oldenburg.

In 1814, Norway gained political independence and also introduced a system of constitutional monarchy, ending the absolute monarchy of 1660. Christian Frederick, heir of the recently abdicated King in Copenhagen, was elected Norway's King. After several months, however, the King was forced to abdicate, and the Throne was given to Charles XIII of Sweden (Charles II in Norway), which brought the kingdoms Norway and Sweden into a personal union.

In 1905, King Oscar II was dethroned, whereby the union with Sweden no longer existed. Norway has since then been ruled by members of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, who are a branch of the House of Oldenburg.

Especially between 1450 and 1905, the Danish and Swedish kings of Norway possessed and used several other titles, among others King of the Goths, King of the Wends, Duke to Sleswick, Duke to Holsatia, Prince to Rügen, and Count to Oldenburg. They called themselves "King to Norway" (Konge til Norge), indicating that the country was theirs, usually with the style His Royal Majesty. With the introduction of constitutional monarchy in 1814, the traditional style "by God's Grace" was extended to "by God's Grace and after the Kingdom's Constitution", but was only briefly in use. The last king to use the style "by God's Grace" was Haakon VII, who died in 1957. The King's title today is formally "Norway's King" (Norges Konge), indicating that he is the country's king, with the style "His Majesty". A construction like "King of Norway" (Konge av Norge) is formally incorrect in Norwegian.

Established in the 9th century, the Kingdom is over 1,100 years old and as such one of the oldest in Europe today. King Harald V, who has reigned since 1991, is the 64th in this ancient lineage of monarchs.

Fairhair dynasty
Besides becoming sole king after his father's death, Eric Bloodaxe was king jointly with his father for three years before his death. After Harald's death, Eric ruled as "overking" of his brothers, who also held status as kings and had control over certain regions. Harald Greycloak also ruled as "overking" of his brothers. All dates for the kings of the Fairhair dynasty are approximate and/or just scholarly estimates. Slight differences might therefore occur between different sources. The following table uses the dates given in Norsk biografisk leksikon/Store norske leksikon.

House of Knýtlinga/Earl of Lade
The Danish king Harald Bluetooth had himself hailed as king of Norway after the Battle of Fitjar (c. 961). Besides gaining direct control of Viken in south-eastern Norway, he let Harald Greycloak rule the rest of Norway as king, nominally under himself. Harald Bluetooth later switched his support to Harald Greycloak's rival, Haakon Sigurdsson, Earl of Lade, who eventually captured Harald Greycloak's kingdom. Haakon thereafter ruled Norway (except Viken), at first nominally under Harald. All dates are estimates and subject to interpretations. Haakon is generally held as the ruler of Norway from 970 to 995.

House of Knýtlinga/Earls of Lade (restored)
After the Battle of Svolder, the Danes recaptured Norway under Sweyn Forkbeard. As before, the Danes controlled the petty kingdoms of Viken as vassals, while the two Earls of Lade, Eric Haakonsson and Sweyn Haakonsson, ruled Western Norway and Trøndelag, nominally as earls under Sweyn. Eric is generally held as the de facto ruler of Norway from 1000 to 1015, together with his brother Sweyn, a lesser known figure, with whom he shared his power.

House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
In 1905 Prince Carl of Denmark was elected King of Norway and took the name Haakon VII for himself and Olav for his son. With Haakon VII the House of Oldenburg was again sitting on the Throne of Norway.

Notes and references

 * General references


 * Notes