Category Archives: Current Monarchies

Olaf I, King of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

1685 engraving depicting King Olaf I of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Born circa 1050, Olaf I, King of Denmark, from 1086 to 1095, was the third of five illegitimate sons of Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark to become King of Denmark. Olaf’s father Sweyn II married twice. His first marriage was childless. According to the chronicle “Jerusalem History”, Sweyn the Crusader, the legitimate son of a King of Denmark, took part in the First Crusade, dying in battle in 1097. Some researchers believe that he was the son of Sweyn II from his second marriage, but there is no documentary evidence of the existence of Sweyn the Crusader. Sweyn the Crusader would have been living when Sweyn II died in 1076. It would seem logical that a legitimate son of Sweyn II would have been considered a candidate to be his successor. However, only his illegitimate sons Harald III, Sweyn II’s successor, and Cnut IV, who succeeded Harald III, were considered.

Portrait of King Sweyn II that marks his place of burial in Roskilde Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

Sweyn II had many mistresses and fathered at least twenty children. The identity of the mothers of his illegitimate children is uncertain. Sweyn II’s illegitimate children listed below are either Olaf’s full siblings or half-siblings. “Brother” will be used when discussing Sweyn’s male siblings, but it is unknown whether they were full brothers or half-brothers.

Around 1067, Olaf married Ingegerd Haraldsdotter, the daughter of King Harald III Hardrada of Norway. The marriage was part of the peace treaty between Denmark and Norway to strengthen their alliance. There are no known children from this marriage.

When Olaf’s father, Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark, died in 1076, there were two candidates for the Danish throne, Harald, Sweyn II’s eldest illegitimate son, and Cnut, Sweyn II’s second illegitimate son. An assembly of Danish nobles had to choose between the two candidates. Harald was seen as more peaceful, while Cnut wanted to reconquer England. To convince the nobles to vote for him, Harald took the vows called Harald’s Laws, declaring that he would uphold the existing rule of law. Cnut was sent into exile and did not return until his brother King Harald III of Denmark died in 1080, when Cnut succeeded his childless brother as King Cnut IV of Denmark.

As the great-grandson of Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway, King Cnut IV believed he was entitled to the English crown and saw William the Conqueror, now King William I of England, as a usurper. In 1085, Cnut planned an invasion of England with the support of his father-in-law Robert I, Count of Flanders and King Olaf III of Norway. However, the invasion never happened because Cnut feared an invasion of Denmark’s southern border by Heinrich IV, Holy Roman Emperor.

The Danish fleet with the Danish army aboard the ships remained in Danish ports. Supplies were running low, and the harvest was approaching. A council was held, and Olaf was sent to ask his brother King Cnut IV to begin the English campaign or send the army home. Cnut feared Olaf’s support among the nobles. Olaf had concerns about Cnut’s ambitions and saw Cnut’s young son Carl, born the previous year, as a future rival for power. Cnut blamed Olaf for stirring up trouble, and Olaf was imprisoned by their brother Eric, the future King Eric I of Denmark. Olaf was banished to Flanders, under the supervision of Robert I, Count of Flanders, Cnut’s father-in-law.

Cnut’s actions resulted in open rebellion. He had to flee from the royal estate in Børglum and continued to flee to Aggersborg and on to Viborg and Schleswig, finally ending up in Odense. On July 10, 1086, Cnut, his brother Benedikt, and seventeen of their followers took refuge in the wooden, Viking Age St. Alban’s Priory Church (link in Danish) at St. Alban’s Priory in Odense. The rebels stormed into the church and killed Cnut, his brother Benedikt, and their seventeen followers before the altar. The Benedictine monks of St. Alban’s Priory buried Cnut and his brother Benedikt in front of the main altar of the St. Alban’s Priory Church.

Olaf, still imprisoned in Flanders, was proclaimed King of Denmark. An arrangement was made to exchange Olaf for his younger brother Niels, a future King of Denmark. When Olaf returned to Denmark as King Olaf I, his brother Eric, who had imprisoned him, fled to Scania, now in Sweden.

During the reign of King Olaf I, Denmark suffered from crop failure, and Olaf was given the nickname “Hunger”. The crop failure was seen as divine retribution for Cnut’s murder. There were reports of miracles occurring at Cnut’s burial site, and his canonization was already being sought during King Olaf I’s reign. In 1101, persuaded by envoys from King Eric I of Denmark (reigned 1095 – 1103), brother of King Cnut IV and successor of their brother King Olaf I of Denmark, Pope Paschal II canonized King Cnut IV as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church.

King Olaf I of Denmark died on August 18, 1095, aged about 45, under uncertain circumstances. His burial site is unknown. The Danish historian, theologian and author Saxo Grammaticus (circa 1150 – circa 1220) in his Chronicle of Denmark says, he “willingly gave himself to lose the land of its bad luck and begged that all of the guilt would fall upon his head alone. So he offered his life for his countrymen.” Some historians speculate that Olaf killed himself over the guilt of the murder of his brother King Cnut IV and the famines in Denmark.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2003). Konge af Danmark (1050-1095). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oluf_Hunger
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Saint Cnut IV of Denmark. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/saint-cnut-iv-king-of-denmark/
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/sweyn-ii-estridsson-king-of-denmark/
  • Olaf Hunger – heimskringla.no. (2025). Heimskringla.no. https://www.heimskringla.no/wiki/Olaf_Hunger
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Olaf I of Denmark. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Swedish Styles and Titles

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Gustav I Vasa, King of Sweden, founding father of the modern Swedish state, reigned 1523 – 1560; Credit – Wikipedia

It is not known exactly when the Kingdom of Sweden started. Sweden’s list of rulers usually begins with Eric the Victorious, who lived circa 945 to circa 995. Denmark, Sweden, and Norway were ruled together under one monarch from 1397 until 1523 when Danish rule was overthrown in a rebellion led by nobleman Gustav Vasa, who became King Gustav I of Sweden. In 1814, during 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.

King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden, the first of the House of Bernadotte, which still reigns in Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

The current Swedish Royal Family are members of the House of Bernadotte. In 1809, King Carl XIII ascended the throne of Sweden. He had no living children, and his adopted son and heir died the following year. The Swedes had the idea to offer the position of Crown Prince to Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, one of the Marshals of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. Bernadotte was well-liked in Sweden, particularly because of his considerate treatment of Swedish prisoners during the recent war with Denmark, and he had a son who could continue the succession. In 1810, the Swedish Riksdag elected Bernadotte as Crown Prince. Shortly afterward, he arrived in Stockholm, was formally adopted by King Carl XIII, taking the name Carl Johan, and converted from Roman Catholicism to Lutheranism. When King Carl XIII died in 1818, Bernadotte ascended the throne as King Carl XIV Johan. Thus began the Bernadotte dynasty in Sweden, which continues today.

King Carl XIV Johan’s son and successor King Oscar I married Princess Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, the granddaughter of Napoleon I’s first wife Empress Joséphine and her first husband Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais. Princess Joséphine’s mother was Princess Augusta of Bavaria, a descendant of King Gustav I of Sweden and King Karl IX of Sweden. The marriage ensured that future members of the House of Bernadotte were descendants of the House of Vasa, which ruled Sweden from 1523 to 1654.

Royal House and Royal Family

Members of the Swedish Royal House are closely related to the monarch and are covered by the provisions of the Constitution and the Order of Succession regarding religion, approved marriages, and the upbringing of children in Sweden. They perform official engagements and ceremonial duties. At present, members of the Swedish Royal House include the monarch and his/her spouse, the Crown Prince or Crown Princess and their spouse if the spouse has accepted a royal title, the Crown Prince or Crown Princess’ eldest child, and the monarch’s other children and their spouses if they accepted a royal style.

Members of the Swedish Royal Family include the members of the Swedish Royal House, family with royal titles and style who perform no official engagements, and extended family who are not dynasts. Currently, this includes the children of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine and the sisters of King Carl XVI.

The Swedish Monarch

King Carl XVI Gustaf, current King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia By Bengt Nyman from Vaxholm, Sweden

The Swedish monarch is styled His Majesty King <name> or Her Majesty Queen <name>. His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf is the current King of Sweden. Carl Gustaf’s regnal number XVI comes after his first name Carl to indicate that he is the 16th Swedish monarch to have the first name Carl or Karl.

The line of succession to the Swedish throne is determined by the 1810 Act of Succession and its amendments. In 1979, two years after the birth of Crown Princess Victoria, King Carl XVI’s first child, the Riksdag, Sweden’s legislature, introduced absolute primogeniture – the eldest child of the monarch, regardless of gender, is first in the line of succession. The change went into effect on January 1, 1980, making Sweden the first monarchy to adopt absolute primogeniture. The Swedish succession had previously been agnatic primogeniture – only males could inherit the throne. Carl Philip, King Carl XVI Gustaf’s second but first and only male child had been born Crown Prince of Sweden in 1979, and retained his title and first place in the succession for seven months until January 1, 1980, when his elder sister Victoria became Crown Princess and heir apparent.

In the spring of 1946, Princess Sibylla (born a Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), wife of Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, was pregnant for the fifth time. The couple was parents of four daughters, none of whom could be in the line of succession due to the succession laws at that time. Prince Gustaf Adolf’s grandfather King Gustaf V was the reigning King of Sweden and his father, the future King Gustaf VI Adolf, was the Crown Prince. As his father’s eldest son, Prince Gustaf Adolf was second in the line of succession. On April 30, 1946, Princess Sibylla gave birth to a son, the future King Carl XVI Gustaf. The newborn prince was third in the line of succession to the Swedish throne after his grandfather and father. On January 26, 1947, when Carl Gustaf was only nine months old, his father died in an airplane crash, and Carl Gustaf became second in the line of succession behind his grandfather. Carl Gustaf’s great-grandfather King Gustaf V died on October 29, 1950, and his grandfather became King Gustaf VI Adolf while four-year-old Carl Gustaf became Crown Prince. When Carl Gustaf’s grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf, died on September 15, 1973, Carl Gustaf became King of Sweden at the age of 27.

The Swedish Royal Consort

Queen Silvia of Sweden, the current royal consort; Credit – Wikipedia By Frankie Fouganthin

The wives of Swedish kings have been styled Her Majesty and titled Queen <name> of Norway. The current consort is Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden, born Silvia Sommerlath in Heidelberg, Germany.

There is no real precedent for the style and title of the husband of a reigning Queen of Sweden. Sweden has had three reigning queens. Margrethe I was the reigning Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, reigning in Denmark 1387 –1412, in Norway 1388 – 1412, and in Sweden 1389 – 1412). Her husband King Haakon VI was King of Norway (reigned 1343 – 1380) and King of Sweden (reigned 1362 to 1364). He died in 1380, before Margrethe became Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Queen Christina of Sweden, reigned from 1632 until she abdicated in 1654, was unmarried.

Queen Ulrika Eleonora reigned 1719 – 1720. She wanted to reign jointly with her husband Prince Fredrik (born Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel) as husband and wife and first cousins King William III and Queen Mary II had done in England, but the Swedish nobility rejected the notion. Frederik increased his influence on his wife and in state affairs and then reached out to the most powerful men in Sweden, who soon considered a change. Ulrika Eleonora wrote a letter to the Riksdag, the Swedish legislature, on February 29, 1720, informing its members of her desire to abdicate in favor of her husband on the condition that she should succeed him if he should die before her. The Riksdag confirmed the succession of Ulrika Eleonora’s husband and the condition of her abdication, which granted her place as the heir to the Swedish throne until her death. On March 24, 1720, Prince Fredrik acceded to the Swedish throne as Fredrik I, King of Sweden and Ulrika Eleonora became Queen Consort.

Prince Daniel of Sweden, born Daniel Westling in Örebro, Sweden, the husband of the heir to the Swedish throne, Crown Princess Victoria, will likely be the next royal consort. When his wife becomes Queen of Sweden, he will likely retain the same title and style – His Royal Highness Prince Daniel of Sweden, but there is the possibility that he could be created Prince Consort.

The Heir to the Swedish Throne – Crown Prince of Sweden or Crown Princess of Sweden

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia by New Zealand Government, Office of the Governor-General

Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria is the current heir apparent to the Swedish throne. The wife of a Crown Prince is Her Royal Highness Crown Princess <name>, but not the husband of a Crown Princess. Crown Princess Victoria’s husband, born Daniel Westling in Örebro, Sweden, is styled His Royal Highness Prince Daniel of Sweden.

Prince and Princess

In general, the children and grandchildren of the Swedish monarch are Prince and Princess. In addition, it is common for Princes and Princesses of Sweden to receive ducal titles, which are discussed below. The children of the Swedish monarch and their spouses, if the spouse accepted a royal title, are His/Her Royal Highness Prince or Princess of Sweden. The reason Christopher O’Neill, Princess Madeleine’s husband, does not have a royal title is that a member of the Swedish royal house needs to be a Swedish citizen and not hold any position of responsibility in business. At the time of his marriage, Christopher O’Neill, an American and British citizen, said, ” To continue my career is really important for me. I chose to not receive a title that would have prevented me from my dream of continuing my work. Of course, I consulted with Madeleine and the King and Queen. It was important for me to have their blessing.”

At birth, the children of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine, King Carl XVI Gustaf’s two youngest children, were styled as Royal Highness Prince and Princess and were members of The Royal House. However, on October 7, 2019, the Swedish Royal Court announced that King Carl XVI Gustaf decided to make changes regarding the styles of the children of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine. It is unknown whether these changes will become the practice in subsequent reigns.

As of October 7, 2019, the children of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine were no longer members of The Royal House but would continue to be members of The Royal Family. However, the two children of Crown Princess Victoria, Her Royal Highness Princess Estelle and His Royal Highness Prince Oscar, retain the styles and titles they received at birth and remain members of the Royal House.

The children of Prince Carl Philip – Prince Alexander and Prince Gabriel – and the children of Princess Madeleine – Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas, and Princess Adrienne – are no longer styled Royal Highness but they retain their titles of Duke and Duchess previously granted by King Carl XVI Gustaf and they remain in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. In the future, they will not be expected to perform any royal duties and will not receive the taxpayer-funded annual sum known as appanage. They are styled Prince/Princess <Name>, Duke/Duchess of <Geographical Area>.  For instance, Princess Madeleine’s eldest child, born in 2014, is now styled Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland.

King Carl XVI Gustaf made this decision before the children of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine reached school age. Swedish law states that all members of The Royal House must attend school in Sweden and must be raised with Evangelical Lutheran teachings. Also, members of The Royal House may not start a business or be employed. King Carl XVI Gustaf wanted to provide the children of Carl Philip and Madeleine, unlikely to succeed to the throne, greater independence and make them less bound by the rules that govern princes and princesses.

Ducal Titles

In the 13th and 14th centuries, Kings of Sweden from the House of Bjälbo began to give their sons hereditary duchies to rule as fiefs. However, because the boundaries of these duchies were unclear, feuds between family members were common, sometimes ending in murder. This practice of giving hereditary duchies was discontinued during the Kalmar Union (1397 to 1523) when a single monarch ruled Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.

King Gustav III of Sweden (reigned 1771 – 1792) revived the practice by giving male heirs to the Swedish throne ducal titles of Swedish provinces. These Swedish duchies were named for the historical provinces of Sweden, which were no longer governmental entities. The titles were given at birth and were non-hereditary courtesy titles without any ruling privileges. Since 1980, ducal titles have been given to all royal heirs, male and female, and are kept for life, except for Swedish monarchs, who do not continue to hold ducal titles. The wives of royal dukes have always shared their husbands’ titles, and the husbands of royal duchesses have shared them since 2010. The current ducal titles can be seen at Wikipedia: Duchies in Sweden Today.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Bidragsgivare till Wikimedia-projekten. (2004). monarkins institutionella roll i Sverige. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sveriges_monarki
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2014). King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/april-30-1946-birth-of-king-carl-xvi-gustaf-of-sweden/
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2014). Prince Carl Philip of Sweden. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/prince-carl-philip-of-sweden/
  • Hofverberg, Elin. (2022, December 14). The Shrinking Royal Houses of Scandinavia | In Custodia Legis. The Library of Congress. https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2022/12/the-shrinking-royal-houses-of-scandinavia/
  • Swedish King Carl Gustaf removes grandchildren from royal house. (2019, October 7). https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49958085
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Duchies in Sweden. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2019). Monarchy of Sweden. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchy_of_Sweden
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Swedish Royal Family. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

(Saint) Cnut IV, King of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Statue of Saint Cnut at St. Peter’s Church in Næstved, Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia By Orf3us – Own work 

Born circa 1042, King Cnut IV of Denmark was the second of five illegitimate sons of Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark to become King of Denmark. He reigned from 1080 until 1086, when rebels killed him. Cnut was canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.

Cnut’s father, Sweyn II, married twice. His first marriage was childless. According to the chronicle “Jerusalem History”, Sweyn the Crusader, the legitimate son of a King of Denmark, took part in the First Crusade, dying in battle in 1097. Some researchers believe that he was the son of Sweyn II from his second marriage, but there is no documentary evidence of the existence of Sweyn the Crusader. Sweyn the Crusader would have been living when Sweyn II died in 1076. It would seem logical that a legitimate son of Sweyn II would have been considered a candidate to be his successor. However, only his illegitimate sons Harald III, Sweyn II’s successor, and Cnut IV, who succeeded Harald III, were considered.

Sweyn II had many mistresses and fathered at least twenty children. The identity of the mothers of his illegitimate children is uncertain. Sweyn II’s illegitimate children listed below are either Cnut’s full siblings or half-siblings. “Brother” will be used when discussing Cnut’s male siblings but it is unknown whether they were full brothers or half-brothers.

In 1082, Cnut married Adela of Flanders (circa 1064 – 1115), daughter of Robert I, Count of Flanders and Gertrude of Saxony. The marriage was part of an alliance between Flanders and Denmark against King William I of England (the Conqueror). Cnut and Adela had three children, a son and twin daughters:

When Cnut’s father Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark, died in 1076, there were two candidates for the Danish throne, Harald, Sweyn II’s eldest illegitimate son, and Cnut, Sweyn II’s second illegitimate son. An assembly of Danish nobles had to choose between the two candidates. Harald was seen as more peaceful, while Cnut wanted to reconquer England. To convince the nobles to vote for him, Harald took the vows called Harald’s Laws, declaring that he would uphold the existing rule of law. Cnut was sent into exile and did not return until his brother, King Harald III of Denmark, died in 1080, when Cnut succeeded his childless brother as King Cnut IV of Denmark.

The reign of King Cnut IV of Denmark focused on three areas: his desire to strengthen the Danish monarchy, his deep religious devotion and strong support of the Roman Catholic Church, and his desire to be the King of England. Cnut IV attempted to increase his royal power by stifling the nobles and their power. His policies and actions led to discontent among his subjects and are considered a direct cause of his eventual murder.

Cnut issued edicts giving the king ownership of common lands, rights to the goods on shipwrecks, and the right to inherit the property of foreigners and those without descendants. During Cnut’s reign, Denmark was still Roman Catholic and would remain so until the Protestant Reformation, when Lutheranism became Denmark’s official religion in 1536. Cnut enhanced the Roman Catholic Church’s authority by establishing stricter penalties for offenses committed on church holidays and enforcing the collection of tithes, giving ten percent of one’s income to the church. Cnut gave large sums of money to the churches in Dalby, Luns, Odense, Roskilde, and Viborg. Cnut’s actions made the Roman Catholic Church in Denmark a powerful ally, and in turn, the church supported Cnut’s position of power.

As the great-grandson of Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway, King Cnut IV believed he was entitled to the English crown and saw William the Conqueror, now King William I of England, as a usurper. In 1085, Cnut planned an invasion of England with the support of his father-in-law, Robert I, Count of Flanders and King Olaf III of Norway. However, the invasion never happened because Cnut feared an invasion of Denmark’s southern border by Heinrich IV, Holy Roman Emperor.

The Danish fleet with the Danish army aboard the ships remained in Danish ports. Supplies were running low, and the harvest was approaching. A council was held, and Cnut’s half-brother Olaf, the future King Olaf I of Denmark, was sent to ask him to begin the English campaign or send the army home. Cnut feared Olaf’s support among the nobles. Olaf had concerns about Cnut’s ambitions and saw Cnut’s young son Carl, born the previous year, as a future rival for power. Cnut blamed Olaf for stirring up trouble, and Olaf was imprisoned by their brother Eric, the future King Eric I of Denmark. Olaf was banished to Flanders, under the supervision of Robert I, Count of Flanders, Cnut’s father-in-law.

Murder of King Cnut IV in Saint Alban’s Church by Christian Albrecht von Benzon (1843); Credit – Wikipedia

However, Cnut’s actions resulted in open rebellion. He had to flee from the royal estate in Børglum and continued to flee to Aggersborg,  Viborg, and Schleswig, finally ending up in Odense. On July 10, 1086, Cnut, his brother Benedikt, and seventeen of their followers took refuge in the wooden, Viking Age St. Alban’s Priory Church (link in Danish) at St. Alban’s Priory in Odense. The rebels stormed into the church and killed Cnut, his brother Benedikt, and their seventeen followers before the altar. The Benedictine monks of St. Alban’s Priory buried Cnut and his brother Benedikt in front of the main altar of the St. Alban’s Priory Church.

Cnut was considered a martyr, and calls for his canonization as a saint were quickly heard. During the reign of Cnut’s brother and successor, King Olaf I of Denmark, Denmark suffered from crop failure. This was seen as divine retribution for Cnut’s murder. There were reports of miracles occurring at his burial site, and his canonization was already being sought during King Olaf I of Denmark’s reign (1086 – 1095). In 1101, persuaded by King Eric I of Denmark (reigned 1095 – 1103), brother of King Cnut IV and successor of their brother King Olaf I of Denmark, Pope Paschal II canonized King Cnut IV as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church.

Soon after Cnut’s murder, construction began on the first Saint Cnut’s Cathedral, just southwest of St. Alban’s Priory Church in Odense, Denmark. In 1095, construction had progressed enough for Cnut’s remains to be transferred from St. Alban’s Priory Church to the crypt at Saint Cnut’s Cathedral. The new cathedral was completed in 1122 and consecrated in Cnut’s name. In 1247, a fire devastated Odense, and the cathedral was badly damaged.

The second St. Cnut’s Cathedral in Odense, Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia by Samuel Damon, Own work

In 1280, construction began in Odense, Denmark on the second and current Saint Cnut’s Cathedral in the Brick Gothic style. By 1300, construction had progressed enough to allow the reburial of Cnut IV, King of Denmark, and his brother Benedikt in the cathedral’s crypt. It took more than 200 years to complete the second cathedral, which was dedicated on April 30, 1499. Originally Roman Catholic, Saint Cnut’s Cathedral has been Evangelical-Lutheran since the Danish Reformation. The remains of Cnut and Benedikt were walled up by the monks in an alcove in the cathedral to protect the remains from destruction during the Danish Reformation.  During the 19th century, their long-forgotten coffins were discovered, and the remains of Cnut and his brother Benedikt are now on display in the cathedral.

Tomb of Cnut IV, King of Denmark at Saint Cnut’s Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia by Hideko Bondesen – http://www.nordenskirker.dk/

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2003). Konge af Danmark 1043-1086. Katolsk helgen. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knud_den_Hellige
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Harald III, King of Denmark. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/harald-iii-king-of-denmark/
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/sweyn-ii-estridsson-king-of-denmark/
  • (n.d.). St. Canute IV. Catholic Online. https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=2589
  • St. Canute IV – Saint of the Day. (2022). Saint of the Day -. https://saintoftheday.com/st-canute-iv/
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Adela of Flanders. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Canute IV of Denmark. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Olaf I of Denmark. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Spanish Styles and Titles

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

King Carlos I, the first King of a unified Kingdom of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

In the 15th century, the territory Spain currently occupies included the Kingdom of Leon, the Kingdom of Castile, the Kingdom of Aragon, and the Kingdom of Navarre. The marriage in 1469 of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile and León eventually led to a unified Kingdom of Spain.

The current Spanish Royal Family are members of the House of Bourbon. In 1700, the last Spanish king of the House of Habsburg, Carlos II, King of Spain, died childless with no immediate Habsburg heir. He named 16-year-old Philippe of Anjou, Duke of Anjou as his successor. Philippe was the son of Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, the heir apparent to the throne of France, and the grandson of King Louis XIV of France and his wife Maria Theresia, daughter of King Felipe IV of Spain and his first wife Elisabeth of France, daughter of King Henri IV of France. Philippe became the first Bourbon king of Spain, reigning as Felipe V.

Spouses and widows and widowers of the Spanish monarch’s sons and daughters, other than those of the Prince or Princess of Asturias, are entitled to the form of address and honors the Spanish monarch may grant them.

The Spanish Monarch

King Felipe VI of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

The Spanish monarch is styled and titled His Majesty King (Spanish: el Rey) or Her Queen (Spanish: la Reina). His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain is the current King of Spain. On June 2, 2014, King Juan Carlos I of Spain, Felipe’s father, announced his intention to abdicate the throne in favor of his son. On June 18, 2014, King Juan Carlos signed the formal instrument of abdication, and Felipe ascended the throne at midnight. King Felipe VI was sworn in and proclaimed as king on June 19, 2014, in a ceremony in the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Spanish legislature.

The Spanish constitution limits the line of succession to the successors of King Juan Carlos I. The constitution states that if all the lines designated by law become extinct, the Cortes Generales, the Spanish legislature, shall provide for succession to the Crown in the manner most suitable for the interests of Spain.

Currently, Spain uses male-preference primogeniture, meaning that a son comes before a daughter, regardless of age. It has been proposed that the laws be changed to allow for equal primogeniture in the future, although no changes to the Constitution have been made. Members of the Spanish royal family must have the consent of the monarch and the Cortes Generales to marry. If they marry without consent, they are removed from the line of succession.

The Spanish Royal Consort

Queen Letizia of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

The King of Spain’s wife has the title of Queen of Spain with the style Her Majesty. The current royal consort of Spain is Her Majesty Queen Letizia, born Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain. The husband of a reigning Queen is known as Consort to the Queen of Spain and has the title of Prince and is styled His Royal Highness. However, there is no constitutional issue with a future reigning Queen of Spain amending the royal decree and elevating her husband to King Consort with the style His Majesty since there is historical precedent. Francisco, Duke of Cadiz, the husband of Queen Isabella II of Spain (reigned 1833 – 1868) was styled and titled His Majesty King Consort of Spain.

The Heir to the Spanish Throne – The Prince of Asturias or The Princess of Asturias

Leonor, The Princess of Asturias; Credit – Wikipedia

Born Her Royal Highness Infanta Leonor of Spain, the elder of the two daughters of King Felipe VI, is Her Royal Highness The Princess of Asturias, the heir presumptive to the Spanish throne. On June 18, 2014, when Leonor’s grandfather, King Juan Carlos, signed the formal instrument of abdication and her father ascended the throne as King Felipe VI, Leonor automatically became Princess of Asturias.

The Spanish monarch’s heir apparent or heir presumptive holds the title Prince of Asturias or Princess of Asturias with the style Royal Highness. The title Prince of Asturias originated in 1388, when King Juan I of Castile granted the title Prince of Asturias and the rights to the territory of Asturias, now in northwest Spain, to his first-born son, the future King Enrique III of Castile. Prince/Princess of Astrurias was the title of the heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Castile, until King Carlos I, the son of Juana I, Queen of Castile and León and Queen of Aragon, united Castile and León, and Aragon into the Kingdom of Spain. Carlos would reign in Spain as King Carlos I but is better known as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. He was one of the most powerful monarchs ever and had a large number of titles due to his vast inheritance of the Spanish realms from his mother and the Burgundian and Austrian realms from his father, Philip of Habsburg, Duke of Burgundy, the ruler of the Burgundian State. King Carlos I’s son, the future King Felipe II of Spain, was the first heir to the Kingdom of Spain to be Prince of Asturias.

Besides the title Prince/Princess of Asturias, the heir apparent or heir presumptive to the Spanish throne also holds other titles:

Currently, Spain’s succession law is male-preference cognatic primogeniture. This means that Leonor, as the elder of King Felipe VI’s two daughters, is first in line to inherit the throne, and she is the heir presumptive. However, if her parents have a son, which is very unlikely at this point, he would be the heir apparent and Leonor would forfeit the title of Princess of Asturias and the other titles to her brother. There have been discussions of changing the succession law to absolute primogeniture, where the eldest child, regardless of gender, inherits the throne, but no legislation has been forthcoming. If Leonor ascends to the throne, she will be Spain’s first queen regnant since Queen Isabella II, who reigned from 1833 to 1868.

Infante and Infanta of Spain

Infanta Sofia of Spain, younger daughter of King Felipe VI of Spain

Unlike other European monarchies, in Spain, only the heir to the throne is a Prince or Princess. The other children of the Spanish monarch and the children of the Prince of Asturias or the Princess of Asturias hold the title of Infante of Spain (male) or Infanta of Spain (female) and the style Royal Highness.

The Spanish monarch may grant the title of Infante or Infanta with the style of Highness by Royal Decree. For instance, in 1994, King Juan Carlos of Spain created his second cousin Carlos de Borbón, Duke of Calabria (1938 – 2015), then the pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, an Infante of Spain as the “representative of a line linked historically to the Spanish Crown”.

Royal Grandees

Felipe Froilán de Marichalar y Borbón, son of Infanta Elena of Spain

The Grandee of Spain is the highest rank of the Spanish nobility. In precedence, a Grandee of Spain is ranked immediately after the Prince or Princess of Asturias and the Infantes/Infantas of Spain. In addition to the hereditary nobility, the children of Infantes and Infantas are also Grandees of Spain. They bear the style of The Most Excellent and the rank but not the title of Royal Grandee of Spain. The style and rank are not hereditary or transmissible. The most current Royal Grandees of Spain are the children of King Juan Carlos’ two daughters, Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Colaboradores de los proyectos Wikimedia. (2005). Familia formada por el rey de España, su consorte, hijos y padres. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Familia_real_espa%C3%B1ola
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2014). King Felipe VI of Spain. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-felipe-vi-of-spain/
  • List of Titles and Honours of Leonor. Princess of Asturias. (2025). Wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_titles_and_honours_of_Leonor
  • Royal House of His Majesty The King – Inglés – home. (n.d.). www.casareal.es. https://www.casareal.es/EN/Paginas/home.aspx
  • Spanish Royal Family. (2024). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_royal_family
  • Título del Heredero del Trono de España. (2004). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%ADncipe_de_Asturias
  • Título nobiliario en España. (2005).  Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandeza_de_Espa%C3%B1a
  • Título que se otorga en España a los hijos del rey y del príncipe heredero. (2008). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infante_de_Espa%C3%B1a
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024, October 21). Infante of Spain. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). List of Current Grandees of Spain. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Succession to the Spanish throne. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succession_to_the_Spanish_throne

Harald III, King of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Harald III, King of Denmark depicted on his coins with a drawn sword, a show of power; Credit – Wikipedia

King Harald III of Denmark was born circa 1042 and reigned as King of Denmark from 1076 to 1080. He was the first of five illegitimate sons of Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark to become King of Denmark. Harald was called Harald Hen, Runic Danish for Harald the Whetstone with whetstone meaning “the soft one”. Perhaps the nickname originated because Harald was gentle and peaceful by nature and did not always want to impose his own will.

Harald III's father Sweyn II Estridsen that marks his place of burial; Credit – Wikipedia

Portrait of Harald’s father King Sweyn II marking his burial place in Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Harald’s father Sweyn II married twice. His first marriage was childless. According to the chronicle “Jerusalem History”, Sweyn the Crusader, the legitimate son of a King of Denmark, took part in the First Crusade, dying in battle in 1097. Some researchers believe that he was the son of Sweyn II from his second marriage, but there is no documentary evidence of the existence of Sweyn the Crusader. Sweyn the Crusader would have been living when Sweyn II died in 1076. It would seem logical that a legitimate son of Sweyn II would have been considered a candidate to be his successor. However, only his illegitimate sons Harald III, Sweyn II’s successor, and Cnut IV, who succeeded Harald III, were considered.

Sweyn II had many mistresses and fathered at least twenty children. The identity of the mothers of his illegitimate children is uncertain. Sweyn II’s illegitimate children listed below are either Harald III’s full siblings or his half-siblings. “Brother” will be used when discussing Harald’s male siblings but it is unknown whether they were full brothers or half-brothers.

Harald III married Margareta Asbjørnsdatter, the daughter of Jarl Asbjörn Ulfsen, a Danish nobleman (Jarl was a nobility title), and possibly Harald’s maternal uncle. Margareta’s birth and death dates are unknown, and there are no known children from the marriage.

In 1069, Harald participated in the last Viking invasion of England, attempting to exploit the English people’s dissatisfaction with King William I of England, who in 1066, as Duke of Normandy, invaded England and defeated the last king of the House of Wessex, Harold II Godwinson, at the Battle of Hastings. However, the Viking army was unsuccessful against the stronger Norman army and returned home with nothing accomplished.

When Harald’s father Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark, died in 1076, there were two candidates for the Danish throne, Harald, Sweyn II’s eldest son, and Cnut, Sweyn II’s second son. An assembly of Danish nobles had to choose between the two candidates. Harald was seen as more peaceful, while Cnut wanted to try to reconquer England. To convince the nobles to vote for him, Harald took the vows called Harald’s Laws, declaring that he would uphold the existing rule of law.

Although Harald had conflicts with his brothers Cnut and Eric, his reign was relatively peaceful. He continued his father’s pro-church policies and had a good relationship with Pope Gregory VII. Harald often took the peasants’ side in conflicts between chieftains and peasants. He made the large forests owned by the crown accessible and usable to all, despite protests from the nobles who previously had sole rights.

Harald is particularly known for abolishing the old innocence tests, in which a person accused in a criminal case had to prove their innocence by some ordeal. When Harald came to the throne, the old pagan traditions, such as victory in a duel or trial by fire, were still used to prove innocence or guilt. Harald abolished them and decided that if the accused himself and a certain number of honorable men dared to swear that he was innocent, his innocence was proven.

Harald III, King of Denmark died on April 17, 1080, aged around 38, and was succeeded by his brother, King Cnut IV of Denmark. Harald was buried in Dalby Church, now in Dalby, Sweden. When the church was built, Dalby was part of Denmark. The church was commissioned by Harald’s father Sweyn II and was constructed during the second half of the 11th century.

Dalby Church; Credit – Wikipedia

In Dalby Church, the 13th-century apse ends in a Romanesque tombstone with an incised cross, known as Harald’s Stone. No one is buried under the stone, which probably comes from an earlier canon‘s grave. Harald is possibly buried in the southeast corner of the church by the niche in the sacristy.

The niche in Dalby Church where King Harald III may be buried; Credit – By Oleryhlolsson Own work

A 2015 study suggested that King Harald III may have died of Brugada syndrome, a genetic disorder in which the electrical activity in the heart is abnormal. It increases the risk of abnormal heart rhythms and sudden cardiac death. The study showed that perhaps up to fourteen Danish kings who suddenly died at a relatively young age without being ill possibly died of Brugada Syndrome.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Bidragsgivare till Wikimedia-projekten. (2005, April 14). Dalby Kyrka. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalby_kyrka
  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2003). Konge af Danmark (1041-1080). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harald_Hen
  • Flantzer, S. (2025). Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark [Review of Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark]. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/sweyn-ii-estridsson-king-of-denmark/
  • Hadley, Dawn & Richards, Julian. (2022). The Viking Great Army and the Making of England. Thames & Hudson.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Harald Hen. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Norwegian Styles and Titles

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway on their coronation day; Credit – Wikipedia

The Kingdom of Norway was established in 872 as a merger of many small kingdoms. Under the Kalmar Union from 1397 to 1523, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway were ruled together under one monarch. In 1523, Danish rule was overthrown in a rebellion led by Swedish nobleman Gustav Vasa, who became King Gustav Vasa I of Sweden. From 1525  to 1814, Norway was a part of the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway, and from 1814 to 1905, it was in a personal union with the Kingdom of Sweden.

In 1905, when the union between Sweden and Norway was dissolved, the Norwegian government began searching for candidates to become King of Norway. Because of his descent from prior Norwegian monarchs and the British connections of his wife Princess Maud of Wales, Prince Carl of Denmark, the second son of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, was the overwhelming favorite. Before accepting, Carl insisted that the voices of the Norwegian people be heard concerning retaining a monarchy. Following a referendum with a 79% majority in favor of a monarchy, Prince Carl was formally offered and accepted the throne. He sailed for Norway, arriving on November 25, 1905, and took the oath as King Haakon VII of Norway two days later. His two-year-old son, previously Prince Alexander of Denmark, was given the more Norwegian name Olav and became Crown Prince of Norway, and later King Olav V of Norway.

The Norwegian Royal Family are members of the House of Glücksburg, shortened from House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.

The Norwegian Monarch

King Harald V of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia -By Sámediggi – Sametinget

His Majesty King Harald V of Norway is the current King of Norway. He succeeded to the throne on January 17, 1991, when his father King Olav V died.

Prior to 1990, Norway’s succession was male-preference cognatic primogeniture. In 1990, Norway adopted absolute primogeniture whereby the crown goes to the eldest child regardless of gender. However, this applies only to the grandchildren and further eligible descendants of King Harald V. King Harald V’s children are ranked in the line of succession according to male-preference cognatic primogeniture which was in effect before 1990. Crown Prince Haakon, born in 1973, and his eligible descendants take precedence over his older sister Princess Märtha Louise, born in 1971, and her eligible descendants.

The Norwegian Monarch as head of state must be a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway. Only people descended from the reigning monarch can be in the line of succession to the throne of Norway. This makes the line of succession quite short. Currently, only seven people are in the line of succession, King Harald V’s two children and his five grandchildren. If the line of succession comes to an end, the Storting, Norway’s parliament has the right to elect a new king or queen.

The Norwegian Royal Consort

Queen Sonja of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia – Av Tore Sætre – Eget verk

The wives of Norwegian kings have been styled Her Majesty and titled Queen <name> of Norway. The current consort is Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway, born Sonja Haraldsen in Oslo, Norway. Sonja became the first Queen Consort of Norway in 53 years, since Queen Maud, born Princess Maud of Wales, the wife of King Haakon VII, died in 1938.

Norway has had only one reigning Queen. Margarethe I, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden reigned in Denmark 1387 – 1412, reigned in Norway 1388 – 1412, and reigned in Sweden 1389 – 1412. Her husband was a king in his own right – Haakon VI, King of Norway and Sweden – so there is no precedent for the style and title of a husband of a reigning Queen of Norway. However, Norway will likely have a reigning Queen in the future. The eldest child of Crown Prince Haakon, Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, is second in the line of succession and will become the Crown Princess when her father becomes King and then succeed him as a reigning Queen.

The Heir to the Norwegian Throne – Crown Prince of Norway or Crown Princess of Norway

Crown Prince Haakon of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia – By Estonian Foreign Ministry

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon is the current heir to the Norwegian throne. The wife of a Crown Prince is Her Royal Highness Crown Princess <name>. Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, born Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby in Kristiansand, Norway, is the wife of Crown Prince Haakon.  As explained above, Crown Prince Haakon and his elder sister Princess Märtha Louise are ranked in the line of succession according to male-preference cognatic primogeniture which was in effect before 1990.

Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway

However, following the absolute primogeniture succession now in effect, whereby the crown goes to the eldest child regardless of gender, Crown Prince Haakon’s eldest child Princess Ingrid Alexandra is second in the line of succession to the throne of Norway behind her father and is expected to become the reigning Queen of Norway. Crown Prince Haakon’s youngest child Prince Sverre Magnus is third in the line of succession.

Prince and Princess of Norway

Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway

The children of the reigning monarch and the children of the heir apparent are titled Prince of Norway or Princess of Norway. However, only the eldest child is styled His/Her Royal Highness. The other Princes and Princesses are styled His/Her Highness. Crown Prince Haakon’s elder child is styled Her Royal Highness Prince Ingrid Alexandra of Norway but her younger brother is styled His Highness Sverre Magnus of Norway.

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway, the younger child of King Harald V of Norway, was styled Her Royal Highness from birth. In 2002, she renounced her Royal Highness style because of her desire to be self-employed. In 2022, in consultation with her father King Harald V of Norway and other close family members, Princess Märtha Louise decided she would not carry out official duties for the Royal House. However, King Harald V decided she would retain her title and is now styled Her Highness Princess Märtha Louise of Norway.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2014). King Harald V of Norway. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-harald-v-of-norway/
  • Monarchy of Norway. (2022). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchy_of_Norway
  • Princess Märtha Louise to relinquish her official duties. (2022). Royalcourt.no. https://www.royalcourt.no/artikkel.html?tid=216586&sek=113027
  • ‌The Royal House of Norway. (2025). https://www.royalcourt.no/
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Norwegian Royal Family. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_royal_family

Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Reconstruction of King Sweyn II Estridsson’s head based on the skull in Roskilde Cathedral, now in the National Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Sweyn II Estridsson reigned as King of Denmark from 1047 to 1076. Born in England, circa 1019, Sweyn II was the son of Ulf Thorgilsson, a Danish nobleman with the title of Jarl, a Viking chieftain, governor and regent of Denmark under Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway. Sweyn II’s mother was Estrid Svendsdatter, the sister of Cnut the Great and the daughter of Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark, Norway, and England and either Sigrid Storråda or Gunhilda of Wenden. The descendants of King Sweyn II of Denmark have reigned in Denmark ever since. One of his descendants, Margaret of Denmark, daughter of King Christian I of Denmark, married James III, King of Scots in 1469, introducing Sweyn II’s bloodline into the Scottish royal house. In 1603, James VI, King of Scots inherited the English throne upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I and reigned in England as King James I. Since that time, all English and British monarchs have been Sweyn II’s descendants. Sweyn had at least one sibling, a brother, Beorn Estridsson, Earl of Huntingdon (circa 1020 – 1049).

Sweyn II spent his childhood in England. At the time of his birth, circa 1019, the House of Denmark reigned in England. His maternal grandfather Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark, Norway, and England, reigned in England from 1013 to 1014 and his maternal uncle Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway, reigned in England from 1016 to 1035.

Sweyn II married twice. Around 1047, he married Gyda Anundsdotter of Sweden, daughter of Anund Jacob, King of Sweden and Gunnhildr Sveinsdóttir. It was a short marriage as Gyda died in 1048, allegedly poisoned by Sweyn’s concubine Thora. Two years later, Sweyn married Gunnhildr Sveinsdóttir, the mother of his first wife Gyda.

Sweyn’s second marriage did not last long. The marriage was considered illegal by the Catholic Church because Sweyn and Gunnhildr were too closely related, either because they were cousins or because Sweyn had been married to Gunnhidr’s daughter, and they were threatened with excommunication.

According to the chronicle “Jerusalem History”, Sweyn the Crusader, the son of the King of Denmark, took part in the First Crusade dying in battle in 1097. Some researchers believe that he was the son of Sweyn II but there is no documentary evidence of the existence of Sweyn the Crusader. Sweyn the Crusader would have been born during Sweyn II’s second marriage and would have been living when Sweyn II died in 1076. It would seem logical that a legitimate son of Sweyn II would have been considered as his successor. However, only his illegitimate sons Harald III, Sweyn II’s successor, and Cnut IV, who succeeded Harald III, were considered.

Sweyn II had many mistresses and fathered at least 20 children. His son from his second marriage who died in the First Crusade was his only legitimate child. Five of his illegitimate sons were later kings.

Illegitimate children of Sweyn II with various concubines:

Sweyn’s uncle Cnut the Great died in 1035. Cnut decreed that any sons of his second marriage to Emma of Normandy should take precedence over the sons of his first marriage to Ælfgifu of Northampton. This meant that Cnut and Emma’s only son Harthacnut was the legitimate heir to England and Denmark. At the time of his father’s death, Harthacnut was in Denmark where he easily succeeded his father as King of Denmark. However, he was unable to come to England because Denmark was under threat of invasion by Norway and Sweden. Because of this, the English council elected Harold Harefoot, Cnut’s son from his first marriage, Regent of England as a temporary measure. He was later proclaimed King of the English.

Harold Harefoot’s rule in England, lasted only five years as he died in 1040, aged about twenty-four. Within months, his half-brother Harthacnut arrived in England with sixty-two warships and ascended the English throne unchallenged. He had Harald Harefoot’s body exhumed, decapitated, and thrown into a swamp but then it was retrieved and thrown in the River Thames. A fisherman pulled Harold Harefoot’s body from the River Thames. It was buried at St. Clement Danes Church in London, originally founded by Danes in the ninth century.

Harthacnut was unmarried and in 1041, he invited his half-brother Edward (the Confessor), the son of Æthelred II the Unready, King of the English and Emma of Normandy, home from his exile in Normandy and made him his heir in England. Sweyn was created a Jarl (earl) in Denmark by Harthacnut. When Harthacunt died in 1042, Sweyn asserted his claims to the Danish and English thrones. However, Edward the Confessor became King of England and Magnus I, King of Norway became King of Denmark. Sweyn entered Magnus’ service and swore an oath of allegiance to him. King Magnus was unmarried and only had one child, an illegitimate daughter. In 1047, the 24-year-old Magnus suddenly died in Denmark. On his deathbed, Magnus named Sweyn his heir in Denmark, and finally Sweyn reigned in Denmark as King Sweyn II.

Perhaps King Sweyn II’s greatest accomplishment was giving the Danish Church, Roman Catholic at that time, a firm and lasting organization by creating a framework for the bishops’ rule. Sweyn brought scholars to Denmark to teach him and his people Latin so they could converse with the rest of Europe on equal terms. The German chronicler Adam of Bremen traveled to Denmark to meet Sweyn and was impressed with his patience and wisdom. Sweyn encouraged the building of churches all over Denmark.

In 1066, William II, Duke of Normandy, known as William the Conqueror, conquered England in 1066, overthrowing Harold II Godwinson, King of England, and becoming King William I of England. King Sweyn II attempted to put England once more under Danish rule. He joined forces with Edgar Ætheling, the grandson of Edmund II Ironside, King of the English and the last remaining heir of the Anglo-Saxon royal house, and sent a force to attack England in 1069. However, after capturing the city of York, Sweyn accepted a payment from King William I of England to desert Edgar, who returned into exile in Scotland. Sweyn made another failed attempt to take over England in 1074 – 1075.

Burial site of Sweyn II Estridsen; Credit By Richard Mortel – Funerary monuments, Roskilde Cathedral CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69758143

King Sweyn II probably died on April 28, 1076, at his estate in Søderup, Southern Jutland, Denmark. He was interred in the southeastern pier at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark, the traditional burial site of Danish monarchs  A pier is similar to a column and is designed to support arches. In the photo above, a portrait of Sweyn II Ertridsen on the right marks the pier where he is buried.

Portrait of King Sweyn II that marks his place of burial in Roskilde Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

A 2015 study suggested that King Sweyn II may have died of Brugada syndrome, a genetic disorder in which the electrical activity in the heart is abnormal. It increases the risk of abnormal heart rhythms and sudden cardiac death. The study showed that perhaps up to fourteen Danish kings who suddenly died at a relatively young age without being ill possibly died of Brugada Syndrome.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2003). konge af Danmark (1020-1076). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svend_Estridsen
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2019). Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/cnut-the-great-king-of-england-denmark-and-norway/
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2021). Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/roskilde-cathedral-in-roskilde-denmark/
  • Hadley, Dawn & Richards, Julian. (2022). The Viking Great Army and the Making of England. Thames & Hudson.
  • Retsmediciner: Svend Tveskæg gav dødelig sygdom videre til en række danske konger. (2020). Videnskab.dk. https://videnskab.dk/kultur-samfund/retsmediciner-svend-tveskaeg-gav-doedelig-sygdom-videre-til-en-raekke-danske-konger/
  • Wenande, Christian. (2015). Mystery of Danish king deaths fosters new theory – The Copenhagen Post. The Copenhagen Post. https://cphpost.dk/2015-10-16/general/mystery-of-danish-king-deaths-fosters-new-theory/
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Sweyn II of Denmark. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Monaco Styles and Titles

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

The reigning family of the Principality of Monaco, the House of Grimaldi, descends from Otto Canella, a 12th-century Genoese statesman, and takes its name from his son Grimaldo Canella. Grimaldo had a son, Oberto, known as “Oberto, son of Grimaldo” or “Oberto Grimaldi,” making him the first of the family to use the surname of Grimaldi. The Grimaldi family has ruled Monaco for eight centuries, making it Europe’s longest-ruling royal family.

In 1297, François Grimaldi, dressed as a Franciscan monk, seized the Rock of Monaco. His cousin Rainier I, Lord of Cagnes, was the first Grimaldi ruler of the area now known as Monaco. However, Genoa, Milan, and France occupied the area for several periods. The first rulers were Lords of Monaco. From 1612 onward, the rulers were sovereign Princes. Monaco has had one sovereign Princess, Louise Hippolyte, who reigned for ten months in 1731 before she died from smallpox.

The Style His Serene Highness and Her Serene Highness

Monaco is a principality. A principality is a sovereign state ruled by a regnant monarch with the title of Prince or Princess. The sovereign of Monaco (the reigning Prince or Princess of Monaco) and the other Princes and Princesses of Monaco are all styled His Serene Highness and Her Serene Highness. This is the usual style for a Princely Family of a Principality. The same practice is used in the Principality of Liechtenstein, except Liechtenstein’s succession does not allow for a female Sovereign Princess.

The Monarch of Monaco

Prince Albert II of Monaco; Credit – By Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2024 from Belgium – 24_03_07_BLUE_LEADERS_ByPixelshake-344, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=146336017

His Serene Highness Prince Albert II is the current reigning Prince of Monaco. His father Prince Rainier III died on April 6, 2005, and Albert became the reigning Prince of Monaco. Monaco had one reigning Princess, Louise-Hippolyte, who reigned for ten months in 1731 before she died from smallpox.

In 1612, Honoré II, Lord of Monaco started using the title of Prince of Monaco, becoming the first Prince of Monaco. Monaco was recognized as a sovereign principality by King Felipe IV of Spain in 1633 and by King Louis XIII of France in the 1641 Treaty of Péronne. Under the Treaty of Péronne, the Principality of Monaco became a French protectorate and the Spanish troops in Monaco were finally removed. The Princes of Monaco became vassals of the Kings of France while remaining sovereign princes.

Because of the treaty with France, Honoré II lost his Spanish lands and their income. To make up for the loss, King Louis XIII gave Honoré II the Duchy of Valentinois, the Marquisate of Baux, the County of Carladès, the City of Chabeuil, the Baronies of Calvinet, Buis, and the Lordship of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Although the lands connected to these titles eventually reverted to France, some of these titles have been bestowed upon members of the Princely Family of Monaco over the years.

The Consort of Monaco

Princess Charlene of Monaco; Credit – Prince’s Palace of Monaco

The wives of the reigning Prince of Monaco have been styled Her Serene Highness Princess <name> of Monaco. The current consort of Monaco is Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene, born Charlene Lynette Wittstock in Bulawayo, Rhodesia, the former name of the country of Zimbabwe.

So far, there has only been one male consort of Monaco, the husband of Louise-Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco, Jacques François Goyon, Count de Matignon. The greatest concern of Louise-Hippolyte’s father, Antonio I, Prince of Monaco (reigned 1701 – 1731), was the future of the House of Grimaldi. Because Antonio’s only legitimate children were all daughters, the heir to the throne was his only brother François Honoré Grimaldi, a Catholic priest with the title Monsieur l’Abbé de Monaco, later Archbishop of Besançon. In 1715, François Honoré renounced his claim to the throne of Monaco, and Antonio’s elder surviving daughter Louise-Hippolyte became his heir. Antonio decided, with the permission of King Louis XIV of France, that Louise-Hippolyte’s husband would take the surname Grimaldi and jointly rule Monaco with her.

In 1689, Louise-Hippolyte married Jacques François Goyon, Count de Matignon, from a wealthy French noble family, and the couple resided in Paris, France. Jacques was given the style and title His Serene Highness Prince Jacques of Monaco. In 1731, Louise-Hippolyte’s father Antonio I, Prince of Monaco died, and she was now the reigning Princess of Monaco, and Jacques was to co-reign.

However, Louise-Hippolyte traveled alone from Paris to Monaco, and the people of Monaco received her enthusiastically. Louise-Hippolyte immediately took the loyalty oath, but her husband Jacques was not mentioned. Louise-Hippolyte decreed that she would be the sole ruler, all documents would be issued in her name only, and her husband and children would stay in France. Louise-Hippolyte had a very short reign of ten months. She died from smallpox at the age of 34, on December 29, 1731.

Upon Louise-Hippolyte’s death, her husband Jacques became the legal guardian of their eldest son, Prince Honoré III, and returned to Monaco with a plan. Jacques should rule as Prince of Monaco until Honoré reached his twenty-fifth birthday. However, Jacques I, Prince of Monaco neglected the affairs of state and, under pressure, was forced to leave Monaco. In May 1732. Jacques officially abdicated in favor of his son Honoré III on November 7, 1733.

The Heir to the Throne of Monaco – Hereditary Prince of Monaco

Hereditary Prince Jacques of Monaco with his twin sister Princess Gabriella of Monaco

His Serene Highness Hereditary Prince Jacques of Monaco, Marquis of Baux is the current heir to the throne. He is the only (legitimate) son of Prince Albert II and has a twin sister Her Serene Highness Princess Gabriella of Monaco, Countess of Carladès, who was born first.

The line of succession to the throne of Monaco is male-preference primogeniture, where males take precedence over females and older children take precedence over younger ones. Illegitimate children have no succession rights, however, if their parents marry, they would be legitimized. If there is no heir, the Crown Council selects a new reigning prince from the more distant members of the family who are citizens of Monaco

Members of the Princely Family must have the sovereign’s consent to marry. Those who marry without consent lose succession rights for themselves and their descendants. If a family member marries without the sovereign’s consent, and no children are born, and the marriage is dissolved, then that person will regain succession rights.

Currently, the title of Hereditary Prince of Monaco is regulated by the second paragraph of Article 2 of the Ordinance of May 15, 1882, revised by order on May 29, 2002, which says “heir of the reigning prince who is closest in the order of succession resulting from the said provisions is hereditary prince”. For a woman to be the Hereditary Princess of Monaco, the sovereign of Monaco must issue a Sovereign Order. The eldest child of Prince Rainier III, Princess Caroline, who descended from the reigning sovereign prince and was first in the order of succession from her birth on January 23, 1957, until the birth of her brother, the future Prince Albert II, on March 14, 1958, was never titled Hereditary Princess, but was titled Princess of Monaco.

There has been only one Hereditary Princess of Monaco, Princess Charlotte of Monaco, Duchess of Valentinois. She started life as Charlotte Louise Juliette Louvet, the illegitimate daughter of the future Prince Louis II of Monaco and Marie Juliette Louvet. Because Louis was unmarried and without an heir, the Monegasque throne was likely to pass to his first cousin once removed, Wilhelm, Duke of Urach, a German nobleman, the son of his father’s aunt Princess Florestine of Monaco.

To avoid this, Louis’ father, Prince Albert I had a law passed recognizing Charlotte as Louis’ heir and a member of the princely family. However, this law was later ruled invalid under earlier statutes. In October 1918, another law was passed allowing for the adoption of an heir with succession rights. On May 16, 1919, Prince Louis II legally adopted Charlotte. Prince Albert I gave Charlotte the Grimaldi surname and named her Her Serene Princess Charlotte of Monaco and Duchess of Valentinois. Upon Prince Louis II’s accession in 1922, Charlotte became the Hereditary Princess of Monaco. However, Charlotte knew that because of the circumstances of her birth, the very Catholic Monaco would never fully accept her as the reigning Princess of Monaco. In 1944, Charlotte renounced her succession rights to the Monegasque throne in favor of her son Rainier. Five years later, Charlotte’s father died and her son became Rainier III, the reigning Prince of Monaco.

Prince and Princess of Monaco

Princess Stephanie of Monaco, the younger of the two daughters of Prince Rainier III

The children of the Sovereign of Monaco are styled and titled His/Her Serene Highness Prince/Princess <name> of Monaco. We are surmising that children of the Hereditary Prince of Monaco and other male-line grandchildren, the children of sons of the sovereign of Monaco, are also styled His/Her Serene Highness Prince/Princess <name> of Monaco. However, it has been quite a while since that situation existed. Going back to Prince Joseph of Monaco, the second son of Honoré III, Prince of Monaco, Joseph’s three daughters were princesses, so there is a precedent.

Princess Caroline, daughter of Prince Rainier III and sister of Prince Albert II, is styled and titled Her Royal Highness The Princess of Hanover. In 1999, Caroline married His Royal Highness Prince Ernst August (V) of Hanover, the pretender to the thrones of the Kingdom of Hanover and the Duchy of Brunswick. In 1919, German royalty and nobility lost their privileges in Germany. Thereafter, hereditary titles could only be used legally as part of surnames. In 1931, Prince Ernst August (III), Duke of Brunswick declared that his descendants, as the senior male-line descendants of King George III of the United Kingdom, who was also King of Hanover, would continue to use British HRH Prince/Princess. However, legally, they are not British HRH Prince/Princess. All titles used by the family are used in pretense.

Other Titles

The sovereign of Monaco also holds other hereditary titles, some of which are occasionally bestowed on relatives or their spouses. All these titles were received with their lands, at different times and in different ways. These titles no longer imply ownership of territories, although the Princes of Monaco have long owned property in France. The French titles have been considered extinct in France since 1949. The most prominent titles, Duke of Valentinois and Marquis of Baux, are discussed below.

Duke of Valentinois

Prince Honoré II of Monaco, King Louis XIII of France created him Duke of Valentinois; Credit – Wikipedia

Originally in the French peerage, Duke of Valentinois is a title held by the Sovereign of Monaco despite its extinction in French law in 1949.

1498 – First Creation – The title was first created by King Louis XII of France for Cesare Borgia, an illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI of the House of Borgia in 1498. Cesare Borgia had no legitimate sons so the title became extinct when he died.

1548 – Second Creation – King Henri II of France created his mistress Diane de Poitiers Duchess of Valentinois. Because of the Salic Law, when Diane de Poitiers died the title became extinct.

1642 – Third Creation – King Louis XIII of France created the title by letters patent for Honoré II, Prince of Monaco. Honoré II’s only child Hercule Grimaldi, Marquis of Baux predeceased him. When Honoré II died, Hercule’s only son Louis I, Prince of Monaco succeeded his grandfather and then bore all his titles. The title then proceeded to Louis I’s son Antonio I, Prince of Monaco. The title’s inheritance was restricted to males and Antonio had only daughters, so his brother François-Honoré Grimaldi was the heir. However, François-Honoré became a priest and renounced his claims to the throne of Monaco, and Antonio’s elder daughter Louise Hippolyte became his heir. With the permission of King Louis XIV of France, Antonio decided that Louise Hippolyte’s husband would take the surname Grimaldi and jointly rule Monaco with her.

1715 – Fourth Creation – In 1715, Antonio’s eldest daughter and heiress Louise-Hippolyte married Jacques-François de Goyon-Matignon. King Louis XV of France recreated the title of Duke of Valentinois by letters patent for Jacques, who was to rule jointly with his wife Louise-Hippolyte. Like the previous creation, the Duke of Valemtinois’s inheritance was restricted to males. The title passed uninterrupted for several generations from Prince of Monaco to Prince of Monaco: Jacques to Honoré III, Honoré IV, Honoré V, Florestan I, Charles III, Albert I.

As stated above, the only child of Prince Albert I, the future Prince Louis II, was unmarried and without an heir. Prince Albert I had a law passed recognizing Louis II’s illegitimate child Charlotte as Louis’ heir and a member of the princely family and named her Her Serene Princess Charlotte of Monaco and Duchess of Valentinois. At this time, there was not a new creation of the French title Duchess of Valentinois. The fourth creation allowed for only male inheritance. The male descendants of Prince Louis II were legally the only claimants.

In 1949, when Prince Louis II died, he was succeeded by his grandson Prince Rainier III, the son of Princess Charlotte. Rainier III claimed the title Duke of Valentinois, possibly under the assumption that in 1919, France, no longer a monarchy, but a republic, implicitly recreated the French title for his mother Princess Charlotte when she was legally adopted by her father Prince Louis II. However, no French republic has ever created or re-created any title.

Marquis of Baux

Prince Ercole, son of Prince Honoré III was the first heir to use the title, but he predeceased his father; Credit – Wikipedia

The current Marquis of Baux is Hereditary Prince Jacques of Monaco, the only (legitimate) son of Prince Albert II of Monaco. Marquis of Baux is a subsidiary title of the sovereign of Monaco and is usually given to the male heir-apparent or male heir presumptive of the throne of Monaco. The title was originally Lord of Baux and was used by several other noble and royal houses.

King Louis XIII of France re-granted the title Lord of Baux as the Marquis of Baux to Prince Honoré II of Monaco by the 1641 Treaty of Péronne. The first heir to use the title was Prince Honoré III’s only child Prince Ercole, who predeceased his father, dying in a firearms accident.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Contributeurs aux projets Wikimedia. (2005). titres de comtes de Valence (IXe au XIe siècle), puis de comtes de Valentinois (XIIe au XVe siècle). Wikipedia.org; Fondation Wikimedia, Inc. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_des_comtes_puis_ducs_de_Valentinois
  • Contributeurs aux projets Wikimedia. (2006). Titres des Grimaldi de Monaco. Wikipedia.org; Fondation Wikimedia, Inc. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titres_des_Grimaldi_de_Monaco
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  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Marquis of Baux. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Principality. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Serene Highness. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Succession to the Monegasque throne. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Magnus the Good, King of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Magnus the Good; Credit – By Viggo Guttorm-Pedersen – CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52039023

Magnus the Good reigned as King of Denmark from 1042 to 1047 and as King of Norway from 1035 to 1047. Born circa 1024 in Norway, Magnus was the illegitimate son of King Olaf II of Norway (later Saint Olaf) and his English concubine Alfhild, originally a slave of Olaf’s wife Queen Astrid Olofsdotter. Magnus was born prematurely and was not expected to survive. He was hastily baptized and as his father was not present at the birth, his Icelandic skald (poet) Sigvatr Þórðarson named the infant Magnus after King Olaf II’s role model, Karl Magnus (Charlemagne, King of the Franks, King of the Lombards and Emperor of the Carolingian Empire), Magnus did survive, and despite his illegitimacy, as Olaf’s only son, he was vitally important.

Magnus had one half-sister from his father’s marriage to Astrid Olofsdotter:

Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1029, Cnut the Great, King of England and Denmark invaded Norway. King Olaf II and his son Magnus had been in exile since Cnut’s invasion. Eventually, they arrived in Novgorod in Kievan Rus, now in Russia, where King Olaf sought assistance from Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise. Magnus was left to be fostered by Yaroslav and his wife Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden while Olaf went to fight Cnut the Great. In 1030, King Olaf II of Norway was killed at the Battle of Stiklestad, and Cnut became King of Norway.

For the next few years, Magnus remained in Novgorod where he was educated and trained as a soldier. King Cnut sent his wife Ælfgifu of Northampton and their eldest son Sweyn Cnutsson to govern Norway. The Norwegians considered their rule oppressive and they were expelled in 1035. Eleven-year-old Magnus the Good then became King of Norway. Initially, Magnus sought revenge against his father’s enemies, but on Sigvatr Þórðarson‘s advice, he decided against it and became known as Magnus the Good.

The child kings Magnus (left) and Harthacnut meet at the Gøta River; Credit – Wikipedia

Another son of King Cnut, Harthacnut, King of Denmark and King of England (reigned 1040 – 1042), wanted Denmark to reunite with Norway, so in defense, Magnus initiated a campaign against Denmark around 1040. However, the noblemen of both countries brought the two kings together on the border between the kingdoms on the Gøta River in present-day Sweden. Magnus and Harthacnut made peace and agreed that the first to die would be succeeded by the other.

Sweyn Estridsson; fresco from the 16th century in Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1042, Harthacnut died while in England, and Magnus became King of Denmark, despite a claim by Cnut’s nephew Sweyn Estridsson, whom Harthacnut had left in control of Denmark when he went to England. Sweyn Estridsson continued to oppose Magnus in Denmark, although they reached a settlement by which Sweyn Estridsson became Earl of Denmark under Magnus.

King Magnus wanted to reunite King Cnut’s North Sea empire by becoming King of England. When Harthacnut, King of Denmark and King of England died, his half-brother, the son of Harthacnut’s mother Emma of Normandy and her first husband Æthelred II, King of the English, now known as Saint Edward the Confessor, King of England (reigned 1042 – 1066), succeeded to the English throne. The English were mostly hostile to Magnus but Sweyn Estridsson was welcome in England.

Magnus’ uncle Harald Sigurdsson, the future King Harald III of Norway, also known as Harald Hardrada, returned to Norway and contested Magnus’ rule there. Sweyn Estridsson remained a threat in Denmark. Harald Sigurdsson allied himself with Sweyn Estridsson. King Magnus chose to appease his uncle Harald Sigurdsson and made him his co-king in Norway in 1046, and in the same year, Magnus drove Sweyn Estridsson out of Denmark.

Site of King Magnus’ grave in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway; Credit – By Ole Ryhl Olsson Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=111711349

King Magnus was unmarried and only had one child, an illegitimate daughter. On October 25, 1047, the 24-year-old Magnus suddenly died in Denmark. The exact cause of his death is unknown but there were reports that Magnus fell overboard from a ship and drowned, that he fell off his horse, and that he fell ill while on board a ship. Magnus was buried with his father King Olaf II of Norway in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway. On his deathbed, Magnus named Sweyn Estridsson (King Sweyn II Estridsson, reigned 1047 – 1076) his heir in Denmark, and his uncle and co-king in Norway, Harald Hardrada (King Harald III, reigned 1046 – 1066) his heir in Norway.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

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Luxembourg Styles and Titles

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Luxembourg, a microstate in Western Europe, is bordered by Belgium, Germany, and France. It is the only remaining Grand Duchy. During its history, Luxembourg has been a part of several countries. At the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Luxembourg was made a Grand Duchy and united in a personal union with the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The King of the Netherlands was also the Grand Duke of Luxembourg.

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg remained in personal union with the Netherlands until the death of King Willem III of the Netherlands in 1890. His successor was his daughter Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands who could not inherit the throne of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg due to the Salic Law which prevented female succession. The new Grand Duke of Luxembourg was Adolphe who was Duke of Nassau until it was annexed to Prussia in 1866. The Grand Ducal Family was then, and still is, members of the House of Nassau-Weilburg, a branch of the House of Nassau.

Adolphe’s son Grand Duke Guillaume IV had six daughters and no sons so he had to do a bit of tinkering with the succession law. The law was changed to the Semi-Salic Law, where succession first goes to all the male dynasts and then to female dynasts only upon the extinction of all the male dynasts. This allowed his two elder daughters to succeed to the throne. Eventually, In 2011, the succession law was changed to absolute primogeniture whereby the succession passes to the eldest child of the sovereign regardless of gender, and males and females have equal succession rights.

His Royal Highness and Her Royal Highness

In earlier practice, a reigning grand duke, his heir apparent, and their spouses would use the style of Royal Highness. The male line descendants of a reigning grand duke, other than the heir, would use the style Grand Ducal Highness. This practice was followed by the ruling families of Luxembourg, Hesse and by Rhine, and Baden. The current practice of Princes and Princesses of Luxembourg and Princes and Princesses of Nassau holding the style Royal Highness refers to their Bourbon-Parma origins. See Prince and Princess of Bourbon-Parma below.

The Monarch of Luxembourg

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg; Credit – Wikipedia

The monarch of Luxembourg is His/Her Royal Highness Grand Duke/Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. His Royal Highness Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg is the current monarch of Luxembourg. On October 7, 2000, Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg abdicated, and his son Henri became Grand Duke of Luxembourg. In his Christmas Eve speech on December 24, 2024, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg announced that he would abdicate in favor of his eldest child Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg on October 3, 2025.

The Consort of Luxembourg

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg; Credit – Wikipedia

The wife of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg is Her Royal Highness Grand Duchess <name> of Luxembourg. The current consort of Luxembourg is Her Royal Highness Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, born Maria Teresa Mestre y Batista Falla in Havana, Cuba.

In 1919, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg married her first cousin Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma, the only time so far, when there was a male consort. Felix retained his title as Prince of Bourbon-Parma and was created a Prince of Luxembourg in his own right.

The Heir to the Throne of Luxembourg – Hereditary Grand Duke or Hereditary Grand Duchess

Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg; Credit – Maison du Grand-Duc / Sophie Margue

His Royal Highness Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke, the eldest child of Grand Duke Henri is the current Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Since June 2011, Luxembourg’s line of succession has been based on Cognatic (Absolute) Primogeniture, beginning with the children of Grand Duke Henri. The succession passes to the eldest child of the sovereign regardless of gender with males and females having equal succession rights.

The title Hereditary Grand Duke or Hereditary Grand Duchess is held by the heir apparent to the throne of Luxembourg. The eldest child of the reigning Prince or Princess of Luxembourg may be granted the title of Hereditary Grand Duke or Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.

Prince and Princess of Luxembourg

Prince Felix of Luxembourg, the second child of Grand Duke Henri, with his wife Princess Claire of Luxembourg with the eldest two children Princess Amalia of Nassau and Prince Liam of Nassau

The children of the reigning Grand Duke/Grand Duchess or the heir apparent, the Hereditary Grand Duke/Hereditary Grand Duchess, hold the titles Prince/Princess of Luxembourg and the additional title Prince/Princess of Nassau with the style of Royal Highness. The wives of Princes of Luxembourg and Princes of Nassau (below) hold the female counterparts of their husband’s titles.

Prince and Princess of Nassau

The Grand Duke of Luxembourg uses the Duke of Nassau as his secondary title. Prince or Princess of Nassau is used as a title by the other members of the Grand Ducal family. The Nassau titles derive from Adolphe, Duke of Nassau who became Grand Duke of Luxembourg in 1890. The Duchy of Nassau was an independent state between 1806 and 1866, located in the current German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse.

Male line descendants of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg who are not the children of a Grand Duke or Hereditary Grand Duke and their wives are titled Prince/Princess of Nassau with the style of His/Her Royal Highness.

For instance, the children of His Royal Highness Prince Félix of Luxembourg, the second child of Grand Duke Henri, are male line descendants and are not children of a Grand Duke of Hereditary Grand Duke. They are styled His/Her Royal Highness and titled Princess Amalia of Nassau, Prince Liam of Nassau, and Prince Balthasar of Nassau.

Prince and Prince of Bourbon-Parma

Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma, Prince of Luxembourg; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1919, Grand Duchess Charlotte married her first cousin Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma, the son of Roberto I, Duke of Parma and his second wife Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal. Prince Felix held the style His Royal Highness. Since then, members of the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg, besides being members of the House of Nassau-Weilburg, a branch of the House of Nassau, are also members of the House of Bourbon-Parma with the title of Prince or Princesses of Bourbon-Parma and the style Royal Highness.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

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