House of Oldenburg

House of Oldenburg
Country
List
Founded1101 (1101)
FounderElimar I, Count of Oldenburg[1]
Current headFriedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein (heir of the last extant ducal branch of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg)[2][3]
Final ruler
Russia:
Nicholas II (1894–1917)
Sweden:
Charles XIII (1809–1818)
Greece:
Constantine II (1964–1973)
Oldenburg:
Friedrich August II (1900–1918)
Schleswig, Holstein and Saxe-Lauenburg:
Christian IX (1863–1864)
Denmark:
Margrethe II (agnatic; 1972–2024)
Titles
List
Deposition
Russia:
February Revolution, 1917
Greece:
1974 Greek republic referendum, 1974
Oldenburg:
German Revolution, 1918
Saxe-Lauenburg:
Second Schleswig War, 1864
Schleswig and Holstein:
Second Schleswig War, 1864
Cadet branches
List

The House of Oldenburg is a German dynasty whose members rule or have ruled in Denmark, Iceland, Greece, Norway, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Livonia, Schleswig, Holstein, and Oldenburg. The current kings of Norway and the United Kingdom are patrilineal descendants of the Glücksburg branch of this house.

The dynasty rose to prominence when Count Christian of Oldenburg was elected King of Denmark in 1448, of Norway in 1450, and of Sweden in 1457. Elimar I, Count of Oldenburg is the earliest known direct male-line ancestor of King Charles III, King Haakon VIII of Norway, and Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece.[1] Denmark's current monarch, King Frederik X, is descended from the House of Oldenburg only through his mother, Queen Margrethe II.[8][9]

History

King Christian I and Queen Dorothea of Denmark started the royal dynasty in 1450 with the birth of their first child
2 rigsdaler – death of Frederik VII and accession of Christian IX marking the transfer of the throne to the Glucksburg branch of the House of Oldenburg[10]

Count Elimar I was first mentioned in 1091. The ancestral home of the family is Oldenburg Castle. In the 12th century, Rastede Monastery near Oldenburg became their house monastery and later their country seat to this day. Marriages of medieval counts of Oldenburg paved the way for their heirs to become kings of the three Scandinavian kingdoms. Through marriage with a descendant of King Valdemar I of Sweden and of King Eric IV of Denmark, a claim to Sweden and Denmark was staked as early as 1350.[1]

At that time, the chief competitor to succeed Margaret I of Denmark (1353–1412), queen of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, to the Northern thrones was the House of Mecklenburg, while other aspirants included the Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg. In 1423, Theodoric of Oldenburg married Hedwig of Holstein, a descendant of King Magnus Ladulås of Sweden, of King Haakon V of Norway, and of the kings Eric V and Abel of Denmark. Their son Christian (the abovementioned) became the king of all three kingdoms of the whole Kalmar Union.[1]

Different Oldenburgine branches have reigned in several countries. The House of Oldenburg was briefly poised to claim the British thrones through the marriage of Queen Anne and Prince George of Denmark and Norway in 1683; however, due to the early deaths of all their children, the crown passed to the House of Hanover, Oldenburgs not gaining that crown until 2022.[11]

Rulers

Main line

Branches

Family tree of the House of Oldenburg (Counts of Oldenburg)

Oldenburg descent from the Danish royal line


House of Estridsen
Valdemar II of Denmark
Christopher I of DenmarkAbel, King of DenmarkEric IV of Denmark
Eric V of DenmarkSophie, Princess of Anhalt-BernburgSophia, Queen of Sweden
Richeza of DenmarkBernhard II, Prince of Anhalt-BernburgIngeborg, Countess of Holstein-Plön
Sophie of Mecklenburg-WerleBernhard III, Prince of Anhalt-BernburgGerhard IV, Count of Holstein-Plön
Henry II, Count of Holstein-RendsburgCatherine of Anhalt-BernburgIngeborg, Countess of Oldenburg
Gerhard VI, Count of Holstein-RendsburgCatherine Elisabeth of Brunswick-LüneburgChristian V, Count of Oldenburg
Hedvig of HolsteinDietrich, Count of Oldenburg
Christian I
House of Oldenburg

Family tree of the House of Oldenburg (Senior line)

List of head of the House of Oldenburg

Arms of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg

Line of succession

By agnatic primogeniture:

Historical images

Prominent members

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Although Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, his children and his sons' children are patrilineally descended from this branch, his male-line descendants bearing the style of "Majesty" or "Royal Highness" are de jure members of the House of Windsor, by declaration of the British monarch. (See Royal Styles and Titles – 1960 Letters Patent.) In July 1947, prior to his engagement to Princess Elizabeth, Philip relinquished his Greek and Danish royal titles and styles and became a naturalised British subject, adopting his maternal grandparents' surname of Mountbatten.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gandy, "The Male Line Ancestry of King Charles III", Genealogists' Magazine, Vol. 34, Issue 5 (Society of Genealogists, March 2023), pp. 212–214.
  2. ↑ Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser, Band XVII, "Oldenburg". C.A. Starke Verlag, 2004, pp. 44–50 (in German). ISBN 9783798008335.
  3. ↑ Burke's Royal Families of the World, p. 60. ISBN 0-85011-023-8.
  4. 1 2 "den glücksborgske linje". Lex – Danmarks Nationalleksikon. 3 October 2024. Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  5. ↑ "THE ROYAL FAMILY OF DENMARK". Burke’s Peerage. 25 January 2025. Archived from the original on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  6. ↑ Holstein, Poul (17 November 2024). "den oldenborgske slægt". Lex – Danmarks Nationalleksikon. Archived from the original on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  7. ↑ Poulsen, Bjørn (3 October 2024). "kongerækken i Danmark". Lex – Danmarks Nationalleksikon. Archived from the original on 28 January 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  8. ↑ "Kongehusets historie". Kongehuset (in Danish). Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  9. ↑ "Den glücksborgske linje - Kongeslægt siden 1863". Lex - Danmarks nationalleksikon (in Danish). 2024-10-03. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  10. ↑ Year: 1863; Quantity released: 101,000 coin; Weight: 28.893 gram; Composition: Silver 87.5%; Diameter: 39.5 mm – https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces23580.html
  11. ↑ Burke's Royal Families of the World. p. 326. ISBN 0850110238.
  12. ↑ "THE ROYAL FAMILY OF DENMARK". Burke’s Peerage. 25 January 2025. Archived from the original on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  13. ↑ Holstein, Poul (17 November 2024). "den oldenborgske slægt". Lex – Danmarks Nationalleksikon. Archived from the original on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  14. ↑ Poulsen, Bjørn (3 October 2024). "kongerækken i Danmark". Lex – Danmarks Nationalleksikon. Archived from the original on 28 January 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  15. ↑ Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser, Band XVI, "Haus Holstein". C.A. Starke Verlag, 2001, pp. 44–50 (in German). ISBN 3-7980-0824-8.
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