Kingdom of Sweden Index

Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden, reigned 1973 – present; Credit – Wikipedia

Sweden is in northern Europe. It borders Finland and is connected to Denmark in the southwest by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund Strait. It is not known exactly when the Kingdom of Sweden started. Sweden’s list of rulers usually begins with Eric the Victorious (circa 945 – 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, after the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark lost Norway to Sweden. Eventually, in 1905, the union between Sweden and Norway was dissolved and Norway became its own kingdom.

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 had 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. In addition, he was related to Napoleon through his wife and already had a son who could continue the succession. In 1810, the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates 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. Princess Joséphine’s mother was Princess Augusta of Bavaria, a descendant of King Gustav I of Sweden and King Charles 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 1523-1654.

Below is an indexed listing with links to biographical articles about the Swedish Royal Family at Unofficial Royalty. If it says “Notable Issue” before a name, that means not all of the children for the parent of that person are listed. Also listed below are links to Swedish Royal Wedding articles and various Swedish Content Areas.

House of Oldenburg (1450 – 1523)

Note: Denmark, Sweden, and Norway were ruled together under one monarch from 1397 until 1523.

Family of King Christian I of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

King Christian I of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (reigned 1448 – 1481)
Dorothea of Brandenburg, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (wife of Christian I)
- Notable Issue: King Hans of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (see below)
- Notable Issue: Margaret of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Queen of Scots
- Notable Issue: King Frederik I of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (see below)

Family of King Hans of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

King Hans of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (reigned 1481 – 1513)
Christina of Saxony, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (wife of Hans)
- Notable Issue: King Christian II of Denmark and Norway (see below)

Family of King Christian II of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

King Christian II of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (reigned 1513 – 1523)
Isabella of Austria, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (wife of Christian II, had five children, no surviving sons)

House of Vasa (1523 – 1654)

Family of King Gustav Vasa I of Sweden

King Gustav Vasa I of Sweden (reigned 1523 – 1560)
Katharina of Saxe-Lauenburg, Queen of Sweden (1st wife of Gustav Vasa I)
- Notable Issue: King Eric XIV of Sweden (see below)
Margaret Leijonhufvud, Queen of Sweden (2nd wife of Gustav Vasa I)
- Notable Issue: King Johan III of Sweden (see below)
- Notable Issue: Karl IX, King of Sweden (see below)
Katerina Stenbock, Queen of Sweden (3rd wife of Gustav Vasa I, no issue)

Family of King Erik XIV of Sweden

King Erik XIV of Sweden (reigned 1560 – 1569, deposed)
Karin Månsdotter, Queen of Sweden (mistress and then wife of Erik XIV, had issue)

Family of King Johan III of Sweden

King Johan III of Sweden (reigned 1569 – 1592)
Katarina Jagellonica of Poland, Queen of Sweden (1st wife of Johan III)
- Notable Issue: Sigismund III Vasa, King of Sweden, King of Poland (see below)
Gunilla Bielke, Queen of Sweden (2nd wife of Johan III, had issue)

Family of King Sigismund III Vasa of Sweden

King Sigismund III Vasa of Sweden (1592 – 1599, deposed)
Anna of Austria, Queen of Sweden (1st wife of Sigismund III Vasa, had issue)

Family of King Karl IX of Sweden

King Karl IX of Sweden (Regent of Sweden 1599–1604, King of Sweden 1604 – 1611)
Maria of Palatinate-Simmern, Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Södermanland, (1st wife of Karl IX, had issue)
Christina of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden (2nd wife of Karl IX)
- Notable Issue: King Gustavus II Adolphus the Great of Sweden (see below)

Family of King Gustavus II Adolphus the Great of Sweden

King Gustavus II Adolphus the Great of Sweden (reigned 1611 – 1632)
Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, Queen of Sweden (wife of Gustavus II Adolphus)
- Notable Issue: Queen Christina of Sweden (see below)

Queen Christina of Sweden

Queen Christina of Sweden (unmarried, reigned 1632 – 1654, abdicated)

House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken (1654 – 1720)

Family of King Karl X Gustav of Sweden

King Karl X Gustav of Sweden (grandson of King Karl IX, reigned 1654 – 1660)
Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden (wife of Carl X Gustav)
- King Karl XI of Sweden (see below)

Family of King Karl XI of Sweden

King Karl XI of Sweden (reigned 1660 – 1697)
Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark, Queen of Sweden
- Notable Issue: King Karl XII of Sweden (see below)
- Notable: Queen Ulrika Eleanora of Sweden (see below)

King Karl XII of Sweden

King Karl XII of Sweden (unmarried, reigned 1697 – 1718)

Family of Queen Ulrika Eleanora of Sweden

Ulrika Eleanora, Queen of Sweden (reigned 1718 – 1720, abdicated in favor of her husband)
Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel, King Fredrik I of Sweden, Friedrich V, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (husband of Ulrika Eleanora, see below)

House of Hesse (1720 – 1751)

Family of King Fredrik I of Sweden

Fredrik I, King of Sweden (reigned 1720 – 1751, also Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel)
Ulrika Eleanora, Queen Consort of Sweden (wife of Fredrik I, Queen of Sweden, reigned 1718 – 1720, abdicated in favor of her husband, no children)

House of Holstein-Gottorp (1751 – 1818)

Family of King Adolf Frederik of Sweden

King Adolf Frederik of Sweden (reigned 1751 – 1771)
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, Queen of Sweden (wife of Adolf Frederik)
- Notable Issue: King Gustav III of Sweden (see below)
- Notable Issue: King Carl XIII of Sweden (see below)

Family of King Gustav III of Sweden

King Gustav III of Sweden (reigned 1771 – 1792, assassinated)
Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, Queen of Sweden (wife of Gustav III)
- Notable Issue: King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden (see below)

Family of King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden

King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden (reigned 1792 – 1809, abdicated)
Frederica of Baden, Queen of Sweden (wife of Gustav IV Adolf)
- Notable Issue: Sofia of Sweden, Grand Duchess of Baden
- Notable Issue: Cecilia of Sweden, Grand Duchess of Oldenburg

Note: Kings of Sweden from 1814 – 1905 were also Kings of Norway.

Family of King Carl XIII of Sweden/King Karl II of Norway

King Carl XIII of Sweden (reigned 1809 – 1818) also King Karl II of Norway (reigned 1814 – 1818)
Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden and Norway (wife of Carl XIII, no surviving issue)

House of Bernadotte (1818 – present)

Family of King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden/King Karl III Johan of Norway

King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden also King Karl III Johan of Norway (born Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, reigned 1818 – 1844)
Désirée Clary, Queen Desideria of Sweden and Norway (wife of Carl XIV Johan)
- King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway (see below)

Family of King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway

King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway (born Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte, reigned 1844 – 1859)
Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway (wife of Oscar I)
- Notable Issue: King Carl XV (see below)
- Notable Issue: King Oscar II (see below)

Family of King Carl XV of Sweden/King Karl IV of Norway

King Carl XV of Sweden also King Karl IV of Norway (reigned 1859 – 1872)
Louise of the Netherlands, Queen Lovisa of Sweden and Norway (wife of Carl XV)
- Notable Issue: Princess Louise, Queen of Denmark

Family of King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway

King Oscar II of Sweden (reigned 1872 – 1907) also King Oscar II of Norway (reigned 1872 – 1905, renounced his claim to the Norwegian throne, recognizing Norway as an independent constitutional monarchy)
Sophia of Nassau, Queen Sofia of Sweden and Norway (wife of Oscar II)
- King Gustaf V (see below)
- Notable Issue: Prince Carl of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland
- Ingeborg of Denmark, Princess of Sweden (wife of Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland)
  - Notable Issue: Märtha Louise of Sweden, Crown Princess of Norway
  - Notable Issue: Astrid of Sweden, Queen of the Belgians

Family of King Gustaf V of Sweden

King Gustaf V of Sweden (reigned 1907 – 1950)
Victoria of Baden, Queen of Sweden (wife of Gustaf V)
- King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden (see below)
- Notable Issue: Prince Wilhelm of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland

Other Swedish Royals

Carola of Vasa, Queen of Saxony (wife of Albert, King of Saxony, granddaughter of King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden)

Swedish Royal Ceremonies and Events

Accession to the Throne
National Day of Sweden (June 6)
Nobel Prize Events (December 10 – 11)
Opening of the Parliamentary Session (2nd Tuesday of September)
Swedish Royal Christenings
Swedish Royal Weddings