| King of Iceland | |
|---|---|
| Konungur Íslands | |
 | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Style | His Majesty |
| First monarch | Haakon IV |
| Last monarch | Kristján X |
| Formation | 1262 |
| Abolition | 17 June 1944 |
This is a list of heads of state of Iceland.
| King of Iceland | |
|---|---|
| Konungur Íslands | |
| | |
| | |
| Details | |
| Style | His Majesty |
| First monarch | Haakon IV |
| Last monarch | Kristján X |
| Formation | 1262 |
| Abolition | 17 June 1944 |
This is a list of heads of state of Iceland.
Iceland was settled in the late 9th and early 10th centuries, principally by people of Norwegian and other Scandinavian origin. In 930, the ruling chiefs established a republican constitution and an assembly called the Althing—the oldest parliament in the world. Iceland remained independent until 1262, when it entered into a treaty which established a union with the Norwegian monarchy. In the late 14th century Norway and Denmark entered into a union. The union between Denmark and Norway, ignoring some shorter periods, lasted until 1814, when Norway briefly gained independence, and Iceland became an integral part of Denmark until 1918, when Iceland was recognised as a fully sovereign state in personal union with Denmark under a common monarch, on 1 December that same year.[ citation needed ]
Following a constitutional referendum between 20 and 23 May 1944, Iceland formally became an independent republic on 17 June 1944. Since Denmark was still occupied by Germany, many Danes felt offended that the step should have been taken at the time [ citation needed ]. Still, the last King of Iceland, Kristján X, sent a message of congratulations to the Icelandic people.[ citation needed ]
| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Haakon IV
| 1 April 1204 – 16 December 1263 (aged 59) | 1262 | 16 December 1263 | Son of Haakon III | Fairhair |  |
Magnus VI
| 1 May 1238 – 9 May 1280 (aged 42) | 16 December 1263 | 9 May 1280 | Son of Haakon IV | Fairhair |  |
| Eric II | 1268 – 15 July 1299 | 9 May 1280 | 15 July 1299 | Son of Magnus VI | Fairhair |  |
| Haakon V | 1270 – 8 May 1319 | 15 July 1299 | 8 May 1319 | Son of Magnus VI | Fairhair |  |
| Magnus VII | 1316 – 1 December 1374 | 1319 | 1 December 1374 [1] | Grandson of Haakon V | Bjelbo |  |
| Haakon VI | 1340 – 11 September 1380 | 15 August 1343 | 11 September 1380 | Son of Magnus VII | Bjelbo |  |
| Olaf IV | 1370 – 3 August 1387 | 29 July 1380 | 3 August 1387 | Son of Haakon VI | Bjelbo |  |
| Margaret I | c. 1353 – 28 October 1412 | 2 February 1388 | 28 October 1412 | Mother of Olaf IV | Estridsen |  |
| Eric III | c. 1381 – 3 May 1459 | 28 October 1412 | 1442 | Son of Wartislaw VII, Duke of Pomerania | Griffins |  |
| Christopher I | 26 February 1416 – 5 January 1448 (aged 31) | 1442 | 5 January 1448 | Son of John, Count Palatine of Neumarkt | Palatinate-Neumarkt |  |
| Charles I | 5 October 1409 – 14 May 1470 (aged 60) | 20 November 1449 | 1450 | Son of Knut Tordsson Bonde | Bonde |  |
| Christian I | 1426 – 21 May 1481 | 1450 | 21 May 1481 | Son of Dietrich, Count of Oldenburg | Oldenburg |  |
| John I | 2 February 1455 – 20 February 1513 (aged 58) | 1483 | 20 February 1513 | Son of Christian I | Oldenburg |  |
| Christian II | 1 July 1481 – 25 January 1559 (aged 77) | 22 July 1513 | 20 January 1523 | Son of John I | Oldenburg |  |
| Frederick I | 7 October 1471 – 10 April 1533 (aged 61) | 1523 | 10 April 1533 | Son of Christian I | Oldenburg |  |
| Christian III | 12 August 1503 – 1 January 1559 (aged 55) | 1537 | 1 January 1559 | Son of Frederick I | Oldenburg | |
| Frederick II | 1 July 1534 – 4 April 1588 (aged 53) | 1 January 1559 | 4 April 1588 | Son of Christian III | Oldenburg |  |
| Christian IV | 12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648 (aged 70) | 4 April 1588 | 28 February 1648 | Son of Frederick II | Oldenburg |  |
| Frederick III | 18 March 1609 – 9 February 1670 (aged 60) | 6 July 1648 | 9 February 1670 | Son of Christian IV | Oldenburg |  |
| Christian V | 15 April 1646 – 25 August 1699 (aged 53) | 9 February 1670 | 25 August 1699 | Son of Frederick III | Oldenburg |  |
| Frederick IV | 11 October 1671 – 12 October 1730 (aged 59) | 25 August 1699 | 12 October 1730 | Son of Christian V | Oldenburg |  |
| Christian VI | 30 November 1699 – 6 August 1746 (aged 46) | 12 October 1730 | 6 August 1746 | Son of Frederick IV | Oldenburg |  |
| Frederick V | 31 March 1723 – 14 January 1766 (aged 42) | 6 August 1746 | 14 January 1766 | Son of Christian VI | Oldenburg |  |
| Christian VII | 29 January 1749 – 13 March 1808 (aged 59) | 14 January 1766 | 13 March 1808 | Son of Frederick V | Oldenburg |  |
| Frederick VI | 28 January 1768 – 3 December 1839 (aged 71) | 13 March 1808 | 7 February 1814 | Son of Christian VII | Oldenburg |  |
| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick VI | 28 January 1768 – 3 December 1839 (aged 71) | 7 February 1814 | 3 December 1839 | Son of Christian VII | Oldenburg | |
| Christian VIII | 18 September 1786 – 20 January 1848 (aged 61) | 3 December 1839 | 20 January 1848 | Son of Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Denmark and grandson of Frederick V | Oldenburg |  |
| Frederick VII | 6 October 1808 – 15 November 1863 (aged 55) | 20 January 1848 | 15 November 1863 | Son of Christian VIII | Oldenburg |  |
| Christian IX | 8 April 1818 – 29 January 1906 (aged 87) | 15 November 1863 | 29 January 1906 | Son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and great-grandson of Frederick V | Glücksburg |  |
| Frederik VIII | 3 June 1843 – 14 May 1912 (aged 68) | 29 January 1906 | 14 May 1912 | Son of Christian IX | Glücksburg |  |
| Christian X | 26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947 (aged 76) | 14 May 1912 | 1 December 1918 | Son of Frederik VIII | Glücksburg |  |
| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kristján X [2] | 26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947 (aged 76) | 1 December 1918 | 17 June 1944 | Son of Frederik VIII | Glücksburg | |
Constitutional monarchy, also known as limited monarchy, parliamentary monarchy or democratic monarchy, is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in making decisions. Constitutional monarchies differ from absolute monarchies in that they are bound to exercise powers and authorities within limits prescribed by an established legal framework.
Scandinavia is a subregion of Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. Scandinavia most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also refer to the Scandinavian Peninsula. In English usage, Scandinavia is sometimes used as a synonym for Nordic countries. Iceland and the Faroe Islands are sometimes included in Scandinavia for their ethnolinguistic relations with Sweden, Norway and Denmark. While Finland differs from other Nordic countries in this respect, some authors call it Scandinavian due to its economic and cultural similarities.
The history of Sweden can be traced back to the melting of the Northern Polar Ice Caps. From as early as 12000 BC, humans have inhabited this area. Throughout the Stone Age, between 8000 BC and 6000 BC, early inhabitants used stone-crafting methods to make tools and weapons for hunting, gathering and fishing as means of survival. Written sources about Sweden before AD 1000 are rare and short, usually written by outsiders. It is usually accepted that Swedish recorded history, in contrast with pre-history, starts around the late 10th century, when sources are common enough that they can be contrasted with each other.
The history of Denmark as a unified kingdom began in the 8th century, but historic documents describe the geographic area and the people living there—the Danes—as early as 500 AD. These early documents include the writings of Jordanes and Procopius. With the Christianization of the Danes c. 960 AD, it is clear that there existed a kingship. King Frederik X can trace his lineage back to the Viking kings Gorm the Old and Harald Bluetooth from this time, thus making the Monarchy of Denmark the oldest in Europe. The area now known as Denmark has a rich prehistory, having been populated by several prehistoric cultures and people for about 12,000 years, since the end of the last ice age.
The recorded history of Iceland began with the settlement by Viking explorers and the people they enslaved from Western Europe, particularly in modern-day Norway and the British Isles, in the late ninth century. Iceland was still uninhabited long after the rest of Western Europe had been settled. Recorded settlement has conventionally been dated back to 874, although archaeological evidence indicates Gaelic monks from Ireland, known as papar according to sagas, may have settled Iceland earlier.
Swedish pre-history ends around 800 AD, when the Viking Age begins and written sources are available. The Viking Age lasted until the mid-11th century. Scandinavia was formally Christianized by 1100 AD. The period 1050 to 1350—when the Black Death struck Europe—is considered the Older Middle Ages. The Kalmar Union between the Scandinavian countries was established in 1397 and lasted until King Gustav Vasa ended it upon seizing power during the Swedish War of Liberation, which concluded in 1523. The period from 1350 to 1523 is considered the Younger Middle Ages. During these centuries, Sweden gradually consolidated as a single nation.
Sweden and Norway or Sweden–Norway, officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, and known as the United Kingdoms, was a personal union of the separate kingdoms of Sweden and Norway under a common monarch and common foreign policy that lasted from 1814 until its peaceful dissolution in 1905.
An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by a monarch who is elected, in contrast to a hereditary monarchy in which the office is automatically passed down as a family inheritance. The manner of election, the nature of candidate qualifications, and the electors vary from case to case. Historically, it was common for elective monarchies to transform into hereditary ones over time or for hereditary ones to acquire at least occasional elective aspects.
Regnal numbers are ordinal numbers used to distinguish among persons with the same name who held the same office. Most importantly, they are used to distinguish monarchs. An ordinal is the number placed after a monarch's regnal name to differentiate between a number of kings, queens or princes reigning the same territory with the same regnal name.
The Kingdom of Norway as a unified realm dates to the reign of King Harald I Fairhair in the 9th century. His efforts in unifying the petty kingdoms of Norway resulted in the first known Norwegian central government. The country, however, soon fragmented and was collected into one entity in the first half of the 11th century, and Norway has retained a monarchy since that time. Traditionally, it has been viewed as being ruled by the Fairhair dynasty, though modern scholars question whether the eleventh century kings and their successors were truly descendants of Harald.
The history of Scandinavia is the history of the geographical region of Scandinavia and its peoples. The region is located in Northern Europe, and consists of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Finland and Iceland are at times, especially in English-speaking contexts, considered part of Scandinavia.
The coat of arms of Denmark has a lesser and a greater version.
The Norwegian monarch is the head of state of Norway, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Norwegian monarchy can trace its line back to the reign of Harald Fairhair and the previous petty kingdoms which were united to form Norway; it has been in unions with both Sweden and Denmark for long periods.
In the European history, monarchy was the prevalent form of government throughout the Middle Ages, only occasionally competing with communalism, notably in the case of the maritime republics and the Swiss Confederacy.
The Kingdom of Iceland was a sovereign and independent country under a constitutional and hereditary monarchy that was established by the Act of Union with Denmark signed on 1 December 1918. It lasted until 17 June 1944 when a national referendum established the republic of Iceland in its place.
The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Kingdom of Denmark was already consolidated in the 8th century, whose rulers are consistently referred to in Frankish sources as "kings". Under the rule of King Gudfred in 804 the Kingdom may have included all the major provinces of medieval Denmark.
Denmark and Norway have a very long history together: they were both part of the Kalmar Union between 1397 and 1523, and Norway was in a Union with Denmark between 1524 and 1814.
Denmark–Norway is a term for the 16th-to-19th-century multi-national and multi-lingual real union consisting of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Norway, the Duchy of Schleswig, and the Duchy of Holstein. The state also claimed sovereignty over three historical peoples: Frisians, Gutes and Wends. Denmark–Norway had several colonies, namely the Danish Gold Coast, the Nicobar Islands, Serampore, Tharangambadi, and the Danish West Indies. The union was also known as the Dano-Norwegian Realm, Twin Realms (Tvillingerigerne) or the Oldenburg Monarchy (Oldenburg-monarkiet).
The term Norwegian Realm and Old Kingdom of Norway refer to the Kingdom of Norway's peak of power at the 13th century after a long period of civil war before 1240. The kingdom was a loosely unified nation including the territory of modern-day Norway, modern-day Swedish territory of Jämtland, Herjedalen, Ranrike (Bohuslän) and Idre and Särna, as well as Norway's overseas possessions which had been settled by Norwegian seafarers for centuries before being annexed or incorporated into the kingdom as 'tax territories'. To the North, Norway also bordered extensive tax territories on the mainland. Norway, whose expansionism starts from the very foundation of the Kingdom in 872, reached the peak of its power in the years between 1240 and 1319.
