European Kingdoms

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Kingdom of Denmark
c.AD 400 - Present Day

Rulers of the Scandinavian kingdoms emerge from legendary origins. The Danes were part of a Scandinavian tribal collective which suffered divisions in the fourth and fifth centuries. As a result, the Danes migrated southwards from Scandinavia, entering Jutland and the Cimbric Peninsula in the fifth century, a relatively peaceful southwards movement that nevertheless put pressure on the Jutes and their Anglian overlords and contributed to their migration to Britain. The Anglians were honourable allies of the Danes, but may have seen the migration as an opportunity not to be missed.

The Danish kingdom seems to have already been established by the early fifth century, but the earliest records of its kings is fragmentary and sometimes allusive. However, some data can be built up from those records, especially from the Old English poems, Beowulf, and the fragment known as The Fight at Finnesburg. These notes are taken from the Alan Bliss/JRR Tolkein examination of the latter.

Dating the early rulers precisely contains some uncertainty. Dates vary from listing to listing, as does the order of succession on occasion, so this is an amalgamation of the available data. Dates which blatantly divert from the main body are shown in red text.

(Modern data supplied by Andreas von Millwall.)

Dan mikilláti (Magnificent)

Son of Danp , who was the brother-in-law of Domar.

Dan is the legendary founder of the Danish kingdom. He is mentioned in several medieval Scandinavian texts, which establish that he is either the son of Danp or one of the sons of King Ypper of Uppsala (the other two being Nori, who later rules Norway, and Østen, who later rules the Swedes).

Fróði mikilláti

Son.

? - c.448

Hnæf

Brother. b.c.420-5.

c.448

Hnæf seems to be a sub-king or prince of the Danes. He winters with his sister, Hildeburh, who is married to Finn, king of the Frisians. During fighting that appears to be sparked by a feud between the Jutish allies on each side, Hnæf is killed at the 'Fight at Finnesburg'. Finn is subsequently killed by Hengist, Hnæf's Anglian comrade in arms. Soon afterwards, Hengist leads his people to Britain where he begins the conquest of Kent.

? - c.495

Healfdene Scylding / Halfdan / Haldan

Son of Fróði, and nephew of Hnæf b.c.430-5.

c.495 - c.525

Hrothgar Scylding / Ro

Second son. b.c.460. Visited by Beowulf c.520.

Wealhtheow / Wealthow

Wife. A Wulfing, 'wolfling'.

c.490s

Wealhtheow is the queen of the Danes, wife of Hrothgar. He appears in Norse Sagas and two Old English epic poems, Beowulf and Widsith, while she is a Wulfing, ancestor (or mother) of the Wuffingas who, within twenty years, are to be found creating their own kingdom of the East Angles in Britain.

6th century?

Halga / Helge / Helghe

Son of Healfdene.

Snær

Son of Frosti. Oppressive & dishonest. Gained throne by trickery.

Snær's unwelcome rule over the Danes occurs while Adils is ruling the Swedes, placing the former in the mid to late sixth century.

Hrólf Kraki / Rolf Krage

Son of Halga.

588? - 647

Ivar Vidfamne

647? - 735

Harald I Hildetand

Or d.c.750.

735 - 750

Sigurd I Ring

Or c.770-812.

c.750

Randver

803 - 850

Canute I

850 - 854

Eric / Horik I

853

The Danes launch a campaign against the Couronians. However, as part of the feared 'Eastern Vikings', the Couronians fight the Danes in a sea battle, defeating them and enslaving half their number.

854 - 883?

Eric / Horik II

845

Ragnarr Lothbrok leads the Viking sack of Frankish city of Paris.

c.860 - 865

Ragnarr Lothbrok

Also king of Sweden (860-865).

Ivarr the Boneless

Son. Viking king of Dublin (853-873).

Halfdan

Brother. King of the Scandinavian kingdom of York (875-877).

865 - 873

Sigurd II Snogoje

873 - 884

Hardeknut / Knut / Canute I

879

A Danish army under Guthrum in England formalises its rule of eastern and northern territories under the Peace of Wedmore. Guthrum gains the Danish kingdom of East Anglia, founded to exist alongside the similarly-formed Scandinavian kingdom of York.

884 - 885

Frodo

885 - 899

Harald II Parcus

Helgi

911

To keep the peace in the face of Viking attacks, Charles III of the Franks grants territory in the north to the Danish Viking chieftain, Rollo. The resulting duchy of Normandy proves to be far more powerful than the king could have feared.

Viking village

The Vikings who settled in Normandy would have seemed a rough and ready lot to the relatively sophisticated French court

918

The Danish kingdom of East Anglia in England falls to Edward the Elder of Wessex, as he begins to unify the country under one king.

fl c.925

Olof the Brash / Olav / Ole den Frøkne

fl 934

Gyrd and Gnupa

fl c.935

Sigtrygg Gnupasson / Sigerich

Deposed.

c.935

Sigtrygg Gnupasson is mentioned in 935, although this conflicts with a date of 917 in which he is deposed by Harthacnut.

Harthacnut

? - 950

Gorm the Old

950 - 991

Harald III Bluetooth

First Christian king.

991 - 1014

Sweyn I Forkbeard

Occupied the English throne (1013-1014). Died unexpectedly.

991

The Battle of Maldon on the Essex coast of England is lost when the forces of Olaf Tryggvason (Sweyn's main rival for the Danish throne and soon to be king of Norway) defeat those of the ealdorman of Essex. The Vikings begin to demand heavy tribute from the Saxon lands.

1002

In England there is a massacre of Danes not of the Danelaw, which apparently includes the sister of Sweyn Forkbeard. This prompts an increasing number of Danish raids on England by Danish forces.

1013 - 1014

Sweyn Forkbeard occupies England as the English king seeks exile in Normandy. The occupation ends with Sweyn's death on 2 February 1014, and King Ethelred fights to expel Sweyn's son, Canute, who nevertheless gains the throne in 1017.

1014 - 1018

Harold IV

Son.

1018 - 1035

Knut / Canute II the Great

Brother. Also king of Norway (1028-1035) & England (1017-1035).

1035

Canute's death sees his great Scandinavian empire begin to break up. By the late 1020s he had been able to claim kingship over England, Denmark, Norway, and part of Sweden. Scotland had also submitted to his overlordship, and Viking raids against the British Isles had been ended. Now his brother Harold gains England, his son Hardicanute gains Denmark, and another son, Sweyn, gains Norway.

1035 - 1042

Hardicanute / Knut / Canute III

Son. Also king of England (1040-1042).

1042

Hardicanute dies unexpectedly at a wedding feast in England, and Edward, son of the Anglo-Saxon king, Ethelred II, is perfectly positioned to ascend the throne, ending the dynasty of Danish kings and replacing it with a restored Anglo-Saxon dynasty.

1042 - 1047

Magnus the Good

King of Norway.

1047 - 1074

Sweyn II

1074 - 1080

Harold V Hen

1080 - 1086

Knut / Canute IV the Holy

1085 - 1095

Olaf IV the Hungry

1095 - 1103

Eric I the Evergood

1103 - 1134

Niels the Elder

1134 - 1137

Eric II

1137 - 1146

Eric III

1146 - 1157

Sweyn III

1157

Knut / Canute V Magnussen

1157 - 1182

Valdemar I the Great

1168

The island of Rügen and an area of the adjoining mainland off the coast of Pomerania are taken as a Danish possession, forcing the Slav rulers to become vassals.

1170

Denmark is fast rising as a great military and merchant power, and it is in its interest to end the occasional Estonian and Couronian pirate attacks that threatened its Baltic trade. To that end, a Danish fleets now makes an attack against Estonia.

1182 - 1202

Knut / Canute VI the Pious

1185

An invasion of Pomerania secures overlordship of the duchy from the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick Barbarossa.

1194 - 1197

Danish fleets makes a second and third attack on Estonia in 1194 and 1197, but the efforts probably fail to end the problem, leading to more direct action in 1206.

1202 - 1241

Valdemar II the Victorious

1206

Valdemar II and archbishop Andreas Sunonis launch a raid on Ösel (the modern Estonian island of Saaremaa). The islanders are forced to submit and the Danes build a fortress there, but they can find no volunteers to man it. Relinquishing their brief occupation of the island, they burned the fortress and leave the island. However, they lay claim to Estonia as their possession, which claim the Pope recognises.

1219 - 1227

A Danish fleet is led by Valdemar II to attack the trading town of Reval in North Estonia on 15 June. The battle is a hard-fought one and the Danes are close to retreating and admitting defeat when, according to tradition, a red cloth with a white cross falls from the sky, inspiring them to fight on and conquer the town. The Danes adopt the flag as their own, and it remains the world's oldest national flag. They also establish a stone castle overlooking Tallinn, and Valdemar appoints Bishop Andreas Sunonis as the first regent of Tallinn. Over the course of the next eight years the Danes set about consolidating their hold on the country.

1227 - 1238

In the same year in which they lose the overlordship of Pomerania to the Holy Roman Empire, and are defeated at the Second Battle of Bornhöved which loses them parts of the principality of Rügen, the Danes are temporarily eclipsed in North Estonia by the Livonian Order of Knights. In 1238, North Estonia is returned to the Danes under the terms of the Treaty of Stensby, which is mediated by the Pope.

1241 - 1250

Eric IV

1250 - 1252

Abel

1252 - 1259

Christopher I

1259 - 1286

Eric V

1286 - 1319

Eric VI

1320 - 1332

Christopher II

1332 - 1340

The ruler of Denmark is unknown.

1340 - 1375

Valdemar III

1343

The St George's Day Uprising in Estonia sees a revolt defeated by the Livonian Knights, using a mixture of treachery and battle. Three years later, the Danish king sells North Estonia to the Knights. All of Estonia is now ruled by a German nobility class.

1376 - 1387

Olaf V

Also king Olaf IV of Norway.

1380

The Union of Denmark & Norway. Denmark also gains Greenland & Iceland.

1387 - 1412

Queen Margaret I

1397

The Union of Kalmar. Denmark & Norway are united with Sweden.

1412 - 1439

Eric VII

Also Eric III of Norway, XIII of Sweden.

1438

The island of Rügen is lost by Denmark.

1439 - 1448

Christopher III

Son. Also Christopher of Norway and Sweden.

1448 - 1481

Christian I of Oldenburg

King of Norway (1439-1448) and Sweden (1448-1481).

1481 - 1513

John / Hans

Also John of Norway and II Sweden.

1513 - 1523

Christian II

King of Norway and Sweden.

1523

Sweden splits from the Union. Denmark still governs Norway.

1523 - 1533

Frederick I

1534 - 1558

Christian III

1558 - 1588

Frederick II

1559 - 1562

During the Livonian Wars (1558-1583) the bishopric of Courland falls into Danish hands, and control of both it and the bishopric of Ösel-Wiek are handed to Prince Magnus of Denmark. In 1562, Courland is acquired by Lithuania.

1572

The former principality of Ösel is transferred to the direct administration of Denmark.

1588 - 1648

Christian IV

1645

The Swedish gain all of North Estonia when the Danes hand over the island of Ösel (Saaremaa) under the Treaty of Brömsebro.

1648 - 1670

Frederick III

1670 - 1699

Christian V

1699 - 1730

Frederick IV

1721

The settlement in Greenland had since died out, so re-colonisation begins.

1730 - 1746

Christian VI

1746 - 1766

Frederick V

1766 - 1808

Christian VII

1807

Denmark is threatened with invasion by Napoleonic France, with the French army massed on its southern border. Napoleon Bonaparte wants the Danish fleet after losing his own at Trafalgar in 1805, so to prevent this, Britain mounts a raid on Copenhagen and captures the fleet.

1808 - 1839

Frederick VI

1814

For having supplied forces to France's Napoleon Bonaparte (despite not having any real choice), Denmark loses Norway to Sweden at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. However, it gains the minor duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg.