This is a list of queens consort of Norway. This list covers a large time span and the role of a queen has changed much over the centuries, with some individual queens also shaping their own roles. Many have ruled the country side by side with their husband and some have become sole regents. The marriage of an heir or a king was most often affected by politics and alliances were often affirmed by marriages in the royal families. It was also not permitted for a long period for royalty to marry non-royalty. Thus the choice of wife would be narrow in one's own country and most of the queens in this list are not native to their husband's country. Due to unions with Denmark and Sweden the queens listed for 1380–1814 were also queens of Denmark and the queens listed for 1814–1905 were also queens of Sweden.
| Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Consort | Ceased to be Consort | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Non-contemporary | Ragnhild the Mighty | Eirik of Jutland | - | 885 | 888 Her death | - | Harald I [1] | |
 Non-contemporary | Gunnhild Gormsdóttir of Denmark [2] | Gorm the Old of Denmark (Knytlinga) | 910 | 922 | 931 husband's accession | 934 husband's deposition | after 970 | Eric I |
| Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Consort | Ceased to be Consort | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Tove of the Obotrites [3] | Mstivoj | - | January 963 | 976 husband conquer Norway | 985/6 husband's death | - | Harald Bluetooth |
| Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Consort | Ceased to be Consort | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Non-contemporary | Tyri Haraldsdatter of Denmark | Harald Bluetooth (Knytlinga) | - | 998 | 9 September 1000 husband's death | 18 September 1000 | Olaf I | |
| Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Consort | Ceased to be Consort | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gunhild of Wenden [legendary] [3] [4] [5] | Burislav of Wendland | perhaps identical to Sigrid and or the daughter of Mieszko I. | Sweyn Forkbeard | |||||
 Non-contemporary | Sigrid Storråda [legendary] [3] [4] [5] | Skagul Toste | Den Store Danske Encyklopædi identifies the consort of Sweyn I as Gunhild, and considers the Sigrid the Haughty of the sagas to be based on her, but predominantly a work of "complete fiction". She subsequently married Sweyn II, who later divorced her on orders from the church, since both of them were grandchildren of the Slavic consort of Eric the Victorious of Sweden. Source: Den Store Danske Encyklopædi , CD-ROM edition, entries Gunhild and Sigrid Storråde. | |||||
| (name unknown) [3] [4] [5] | Mieszko I of Poland (Piast) | perhaps identical to one or both of previous | ||||||
| Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Consort | Ceased to be Consort | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Non-contemporary | Astrid Olofsdotter | Olof Skötkonung (Munsö) | - | February 1019 | 1028 husband flee after Denmark invade | 1035 | Olaf II | |
| Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Consort | Ceased to be Consort | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Non-contemporary | Emma of Normandy [3] [5] | Richard I, Duke of Normandy (Normandy) | 985 | July 1017 | 1028 husband's conquest | 12 November 1035 husband's death | 6 March 1052 | Canute II |
| Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Consort | Ceased to be Consort | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Elisaveta Yaroslavna of Kiev | Yaroslav I, Grand Prince of Kiev (Rurikid) | c. 1025 | Winter of 1043-44 | 25 October 1047 husband's accession | 25 September 1066 husband's death | c. 1067 | Harald III |
| Ingerid Swensdatter of Denmark | Sweyn II of Denmark (Estridsen) | ? | c. 1067 | c. 1093 husband's death | ? | Olaf III | ||
 | Margaret Fredkulla Ingesdotter of Sweden [6] | Inge I of Sweden (Stenkil) | 1080s | c. 1101 | August 1103 husband's death | c. 1130 | Magnus III | |
| Ingebjørg Guttormsdatter | Guttorm Toresson | ? | ? | August 1103 husband's accession | 29 August 1123 husband's death | ? | Eystein I | |
| Malmfred Mstislavna of Kiev [3] | Mstislav I, Grand Prince of Kiev (Rurikid) | c. 1105 | 1116 and 1120 | 26 March 1130 husband's death | after 1137 | Sigurd I | ||
| Christine Knutsdatter of Denmark | Canute Lavard (Estridsen) | c. 1118 | c. 1132 | c. 1133 | Magnus IV | |||
| Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Consort | Ceased to be Consort | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ingrid Ragnvaldsdotter of Sweden | Prince Ragnvald Ingesson of Sweden (Stenkil) | 1100–10 | c. 1134 | c. 1136 husband's death | after 1161 | Harald IV | ||
| Ragna Nikolasdatter | Nikolas Måse | ? | ? | c. 1142 husband's accession | c. 1157 | Eystein II | ||
| Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Consort | Ceased to be Consort | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estrid Bjørnsdotter | Björn Byrdasvend | ? | ? | 4 February 1161 husband's accession | c. 1176 | Magnus V | ||
| Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Consort | Ceased to be Consort | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret Eriksdotter of Sweden | Saint Erik (Erik) | ? | c. 1189 | 9 March 1202 husband's death | c. 1209 | Sverre | ||
 | Margrete Skulesdatter | Skule Bårdsson | c. 1208 | 25 May 1225 | 15 December 1263 husband's death | c. 1270 | Haakon IV | |
| Rikissa Birgersdotter [7] | Birger Jarl (Bjälbo) | c. 1237 | c. 1251 | 5 May 1257 husband's death | after 1288 | Haakon Haakonsson the Young | ||
| Ingeborg Eriksdotter of Denmark | Eric IV of Denmark (Estridsen) | c. 1244 | 11 September 1261 | 16 December 1263 husband's accession | 9 May 1280 husband's death | c. 1287 | Magnus VI | |
| Margaret of Scotland | Alexander III of Scotland (Dunkeld) | 28 February 1261 | c. 1281 | 9 April 1283 | Eric II | |||
| Isabel Bruce | Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale (Bruce) | c. 1272 | c. 1293 | 15 July 1299 husband's death | 1358 | |||
| Euphemia of Rügen | Günther, Count of Arnstein | c. 1270 | Spring of 1299 | 15 July 1299 husband's accession | c. 1312 | Haakon V | ||
| Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Consort | Ceased to be Consort | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Non-contemporary | Blanche of Namur [8] [9] [4] | John I, Marquis of Namur (Dampierre) | 1320 | 5 November 1335 | 15 August 1343 husband's deposition | 1363 | Magnus VII | |
 Non-contemporary | Margaret Valdemarsdatter of Denmark [8] [9] [4] | Valdemar IV of Denmark (Estridsen) | 1353 | 9 April 1363 | 11 September 1380 husband's death | 28 October 1412 | Haakon VI | |
| Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Consort | Ceased to be Consort | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Non-contemporary | Philippa of England [3] [10] [4] | Henry IV of England (Lancaster) | 4 June 1394 | 26 October 1406 | 7 January 1430 | Eric III | ||
| Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Consort | Ceased to be Consort | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Dorothea of Brandenburg [8] [9] [3] [4] [10] [11] | John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (Hohenzollern) | 1430–31 | 12 September 1445 | 6 January 1448 husband's death | 10 November 1495 | Christopher | |
| Picture | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Consort | Ceased to be Consort | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Katarina Karlsdotter of Bjurum [8] [9] [4] | Karl Ormsson Gumsehuvud (Gumsehufvud) | 1418 | 5 October 1438 | 20 November 1449 husband's accession | June 1450 husband's deposition | 7 September 1450 | Charles I |
| Picture | Coat of Arms | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Consort | Ceased to be Consort | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp [8] [9] [4] [10] | Frederick August I, Duke of Oldenburg (Holstein-Gottorp) | 22 March 1759 | 7 July 1774 | 4 November 1814 husband's accession | 5 February 1818 husband's death | 20 June 1818 | Charles II |
| Picture | Coat of Arms | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Consort | Ceased to be Consort | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | Désirée Clary [8] [9] [4] [10] | François Clary | 8 November 1777 | 17 August 1798 | 5 February 1818 husband's accession | 8 March 1844 husband's death | 17 December 1860 | Charles III John |
 |  | Joséphine de Beauharnais [8] [9] [4] [10] | Eugène de Beauharnais (Beauharnais) | 14 March 1807 | 19 June 1823 | 8 March 1844 husband's accession | 8 July 1859 husband's death | 7 June 1876 | Oscar I |
 |  | Louise van Oranje-Nassau [8] [9] [4] [10] | Prince Frederick of the Netherlands (Orange-Nassau) | 5 August 1828 | 19 June 1850 | 8 July 1859 husband's accession | 30 March 1871 | Charles IV | |
 |  | Sophia of Nassau [8] [9] [4] [10] | William, Duke of Nassau (Nassau-Weilburg) | 9 July 1836 | 6 June 1857 | 18 September 1872 husband's accession | 26 October 1905 husband's renounce claim after the Union dissolved | 30 December 1913 | Oscar II |
| Picture | Coat of Arms | Name | Father | Birth | Marriage | Became Consort | Ceased to be Consort | Death | Spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  [15] | Maud of Wales | Edward VII of the United Kingdom (Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) | 26 November 1869 | 22 July 1896 | 18 November 1905 husband's accession | 20 November 1938 | Haakon VII | |
 |  | Sonja Haraldsen | Karl August Haraldsen | 4 July 1937 | 29 August 1968 | 17 January 1991 husband's accession | Incumbent | - | Harald V |
Margaret I was Queen regnant of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden from the late 1380s until her death, and the founder of the Kalmar Union that joined the Scandinavian kingdoms together for over a century. She had been queen consort of Norway from 1363 to 1380 and of Sweden from 1363 to 1364 by marriage to Haakon VI. Margaret was known as a wise, energetic and capable leader, who governed with "farsighted tact and caution," earning the nickname "Semiramis of the North". Also famous derisively as "King Breechless", one of several derogatory nicknames once thought to have been invented by her rival King Albert of Sweden, she was also known by her subjects as "Lady King", which became widely used in recognition of her capabilities. Knut Gjerset calls her "the first great ruling queen in European history."
Sophia of Nassau, also Sofia, was Queen of Sweden and Norway as the wife of King Oscar II. She was Queen of Sweden for 35 years, longer than anyone before her, and the longest-serving queen until 2011, when she was surpassed by Queen Silvia. She is also the most recent woman to have been officially Dowager Queen of Sweden.
Princess Ingeborg of Denmark, was a Princess of Sweden by marriage to Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland.
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but historically she does not formally share the king's political and military powers, unless on occasion acting as regent.
A prince consort is the husband of a monarch who is not a monarch in his own right. In recognition of his status, a prince consort may be given a formal title, such as prince. Most monarchies do not allow the husband of a queen regnant to be titled as a king because it is perceived as a higher title than queen, however, some monarchies use the title of king consort for the role.
Duchies in Sweden have been allotted since the 13th century to powerful Swedes, almost always to princes of Sweden and wives of the latter. From the beginning these duchies were often centers of regional power, where their dukes and duchesses had considerable executive authority of their own, under the central power of their kings or queens regnant. Since the reign of King Gustav III the titles have practically been nominal, with which their bearers only rarely have enjoyed any ducal authority, though often maintaining specially selected leisure residences in their provinces and some limited measure of cultural attachment to them.
Isabella of Austria, also known as Elizabeth, was born an Archduchess of Austria and Infanta of Castile from the House of Habsburg, and subsequently became Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, under the Kalmar Union, as the wife of King Christian II. She was the daughter of King Philip I and Queen Joanna of Castile and the sister of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. She ruled Denmark as regent in 1520.
Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was Queen of Denmark from 1912 to 1947, as well as Queen of Iceland from 1918 to 1944 as the spouse of King Christian X.
A queen regnant is a female monarch, equivalent in rank, title and position to a king. She reigns suo jure over a realm known as a kingdom; as opposed to a queen consort, who is married to a reigning king; or a queen regent, who is the guardian of a child monarch and rules pro tempore in the child's stead or instead of her husband who is absent from the realm, be it de jure in sharing power or de facto in ruling alone. A queen regnant is sometimes called a woman king. A princess, duchess, or grand duchess regnant is a female monarch who reigns suo jure over a principality or (grand) duchy; an empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns suo jure over an empire.
House laws are rules that govern a royal family or dynasty in matters of eligibility for succession to a throne, membership in a dynasty, exercise of a regency, or entitlement to dynastic rank, titles and styles. Prevalent in European monarchies during the nineteenth century, few countries have house laws any longer, so that they are, as a category of law, of more historical than current significance. If applied today, house laws are mostly upheld by members of royal and princely families as a matter of tradition.
Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg was queen consort of Denmark and Norway by marriage to King Christian III of Denmark. She was known to having wielded influence upon the affairs of state in Denmark.
Charles Frederick, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp was a Prince of Sweden and Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp and an important member of European royalty. His dynasty, the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, were a cadet branch of the ancient House of Oldenburg, which at that time was ruling Denmark-Norway. His mother was a sister of Charles XII of Sweden. Charles Frederick married a daughter of Peter the Great and became the father of the future Peter III of Russia. As such, he is the progenitor of the Russian imperial house of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov and the patrilineal ancestor of all Russian emperors starting with Peter III, except for Catherine II.
Augusta of Great Britain was a British princess, granddaughter of George II and the only elder sibling of George III. She was Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Princess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel by marriage to Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick. Her daughter Caroline was the spouse of George IV.
Ingeborg of Norway was a Norwegian princess and by marriage a Swedish royal duchess with a position in the regency governments in Norway (1319–1327) and Sweden (1319–1326) during the minority of her son, King Magnus Eriksson. In 1318–1319, she was Sweden's de facto ruler, and from 1319 until 1326, she was Sweden's first de jure female regent. Her role in northern European history is considered of major importance.
A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also used to describe a number of similar yet distinct monarchical concepts in non-European cultures around the world. The rank does not go to all mothers of monarchs though. A mother of a ruling monarch may only be referred to as queen mother if she was a queen consort as opposed to a princess consort.
