This is a list of Danish monarchs, that is, the kings and queen regnants of Denmark. This includes: The House of Oldenburg held the Danish Crown between 1448 and 1863, when it passed to the house of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a cadet branch of the same house, patrilineally descended from King Christian III of Denmark. The kingdom had been elective (although the eldest son or brother of the previous king was usually elected) until 1660, when it became hereditary and absolutist. Until 1864 Denmark was also united in a personal union with the duchies of Holstein and Saxe-Lauenburg (1815–1864), and in a political and personal union with the Duchy of Schleswig.

Pre-Knýtlinga Danish monarchs

The exact date of origin of the Kingdom of Denmark is not established, but names of Danish kings begins to emerge in foreign sources from the 8th century and onwards. Danish and Nordic legendary stories, chronicles and sagas often have accounts of Danish kings and dynasties stretching further back in time than the 7th century, but the historicity of the content and interpretations of these stories are often put to doubt.

Semi-legendary kings

List of monarchs of Denmark

House of Gorm (c. 936–1042)

House of Fairhair (1042–1047)

House of Estridsen (1047–1375)

House of Bjälbo (1376–1387)

House of Estridsen (1387–1412)

House of Griffin (1396–1439)

(Erik af Pommern) 24 January 1412 – 1439 (deposed) Rügenwalde Castle (Poland) only son of Polish Duke of Pomerania Wartislaw VII and Mary of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 26 October 1406 Lund Cathedral no issue Rügenwalde Castle (Poland) aged 76–78

House of Wittelsbach, Palatinate-Neumarkt branch (1440–1448)

(Christoffer af Bayern) 9 April 1440 – 5/6 January 1448 Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz fifth son of John, Count Palatine of Neumarkt and Catherine of Pomerania 12 September 1445 Copenhagen no issue Kärnan Castile aged 31

House of Oldenburg (1448–1863)

1 September 1448 – 21 May 1481 (32 years) Oldenburgeldest son of Dietrich, Count of Oldenburg and Hedvig of Holstein 28 October 1449 Church of Our Lady five children Copenhagen Castle aged 55 (Hans) 21 May 1481 – 20 February 1513 (31 years, 282 days) Aalborghus Castlethird son of Christian I and Dorothea of Brandenburg 6 September 1478 Copenhagen five children Aalborghus Castle aged 58 22 July 1513 – 20 January 1523 (9 years, 184 days) (deposed) Nyborg Castlesecond son of John and Christina of Saxony 12 August 1515 Copenhagen six children Kalundborg Castle aged 77 13 April 1523 – 10 April 1533 (10 years) Haderslevhus Castlefourth son of Christian I and Dorothea of Brandenburg 10 April 1502 Stendal two children (2) Sophie of Pomerania 9 October 1518 Kiel Castle six children Gottorp Castle aged 61 4 July 1534 – 1 January 1559 (24 years, 187 days) Gottorp Castleonly son of Frederick I and Anna of Brandenburg 29 October 1525 Lauenburg Castle five children Koldinghus Castle aged 55 1 January 1559 – 4 April 1588 (29 years, 101 days) Haderslevhus Castleeldest son of Christian III and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg 20 July 1572 Copenhagen eight children Antvorskov Castle aged 53 4 April 1588 – 28 February 1648 (59 years, 344 days) Frederiksborg Palaceeldest son of Frederick II and Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow 27 November 1597 Haderslevhus Castle seven children (2) Kirsten Munk 31 December 1615 Copenhagen twelve children Rosenborg Castle aged 70 6 July 1648 – 9 February 1670 (21 years, 223 days) Haderslevhus Castle third son of Christian IV and Anne Catherine of Brandenburg 1 October 1643 Glücksburg Castle eight children Copenhagen Castle aged 60 9 February 1670 – 25 August 1699 (29 years, 204 days) Duborg Castleeldest son of Frederick III and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg 25 June 1667 Nykøbing Castle eight children Copenhagen Castle aged 53 25 August 1699 – 12 October 1730 (31 years, 55 days) Copenhagen Castleeldest son of Christian V and Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel 5 December 1695 Copenhagen five children (2) Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg 6 September 1703 one son (3) Anne Sophie Reventlow 4 April 1721 Copenhagen three children Odense Palace aged 59 12 October 1730 – 6 August 1746 (15 years, 301 days) Copenhagen Castle second son of Frederick IV and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow 7 August 1721 Pretzsch Castle three children Hirschholm Palace aged 46 6 August 1746 – 14 January 1766 (19 years, 166 days) Copenhagen Castleonly son of Christian VI and Sophia Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach 11 December 1743 Altona five children (2) Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 8 July 1752 Frederiksborg Palace one son Christiansborg Palace aged 42 14 January 1766 – 13 March 1808 (42 years, 68 days) Christiansborg Palacesecond son of Frederick V and Louise of Great Britain 8 November 1766 Christiansborg Palace two children Rendsburg aged 59 13 March 1808 – 3 December 1839 (31 years, 272 days) Christiansborg Palaceonly son of Christian VII and Caroline Matilda of Great Britain 31 July 1790 Gottorp Castle eight children Amalienborg Palace aged 71 3 December 1839 – 20 January 1848 (8 years, 50 days) Christiansborg Palacegrandson of Frederick V and Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 21 June 1806 Ludwigslust Castle two sons (2) Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg 22 May 1815 Augustenborg Palace no issue Amalienborg Palace aged 61 20 January 1848 – 15 November 1863 (15 years, 303 days) Amalienborg Palacesecond son of Christian VIII and Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1 November 1828 Christiansborg Palace no issue (2) Caroline of Mecklenburg 10 June 1841 Neustrelitz no issue (3) Louise Rasmussen 7 August 1850 Frederiksborg Palace no issue Glücksburg Castle aged 55

Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg branch (1863-present)

15 November 1863 – 29 January 1906 (42 years, 84 days) Gottorf Castle fourth son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and Princess Louise Caroline of Hesse-Kassel 26 May 1842 Amalienborg Palace six children Amalienborg Palace aged 87 29 January 1906 – 14 May 1912 (6 years, 107 days) Yellow Palace eldest son of Christian IX and Louise of Hesse-Kassel 28 July 1869 Stockholm eight children Jungfernstieg, Hamburg aged 68 14 May 1912 – 20 April 1947 (34 years, 349 days) Charlottenlund Palace eldest son of Frederik VIII and Louise of Sweden 26 April 1898 Cannes two sons Amalienborg Palace aged 76 20 April 1947 – 14 January 1972 (24 years, 274 days) Sorgenfri Palace eldest son of Christian X and Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 24 May 1935 Storkyrkan Cathedral, Stockholm three daughters Amalienborg Palace aged 72 14 January 1972 – 14 January 2024 (abdicated) (52 years, 13 days) Amalienborg Palace eldest daughter of Frederik IX and Ingrid of Sweden 10 June 1967 Holmen Church, Copenhagen two sons 14 January 2024 – present Amalienborg Palace eldest son of Margrethe II and Henri de Laborde de Monpezat 14 May 2004 Copenhagen Cathedral, Copenhagen four children Age

Timeline of Danish monarchs