| Royal House of Glücksburg | |
|---|---|
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| Parent house | House of Oldenburg |
| Country | Duchy of Schleswig Duchy of Holstein Kingdom of Denmark Kingdom of Greece Kingdom of Iceland Kingdom of Norway |
| Founded | 6 July 1825; 200 years ago (1825-07-06) (17 December 1633; 391 years ago (1633-12-17) asBeck) |
| Founder | Friedrich Wilhelm (August Philipp asBeck) |
| Current head | Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein (heir of the last extant ducal branch of the House ofSchleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg) |
| Titles | |
| Connected families | |
| Cadet branches | |
TheHouse of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, also known by its short name as theHouse of Glücksburg, is the senior surviving branch of theGerman[1]House of Oldenburg, one of Europe's oldest royal houses. Oldenburg house members have reigned at various times in Denmark,[a] Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Greece, several northern German states, and Russia[b].[c] It takes its name fromthe family seat inGlücksburg, a small town inSchleswig-Holstein, Germany.
Current monarch KingHarald V of Norway, former monarchQueen Margrethe II of Denmark and former consortsQueen Anne-Marie of Greece andQueen Sofía of Spain arepatrilineal members ofcadet branches of the House of Glücksburg.[3][4][5]
The present senior member of the House of Oldenburg and the House of Glücksburg and traditional heir to the family's ancestral lands, including Glücksburg itself, is Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein (born 1985), who heads the foundation that owns the family's ancestral seat,Glücksburg Castle.
"House of Glücksburg" is the shortened form of "House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg"—a collateral branch of theHouse of Oldenburg. The house derives its name from two regions and two towns on theJutland Peninsula.
The two regions ofSchleswig andHolstein are divided by theEider River. While Schleswig for centuries constituted the southernmost region of Denmark,Holstein historically has been the northernmost area within theHoly Roman Empire. The northern border of Holstein along theEider had already formed the northern border ofFrancia and theCarolingian Empire, after EmperorCharlemagne upon theSaxon Wars reached an agreement with KingHemming of Denmark in 811. The lands of Schleswig beyond the river remained a fief of the Danish Crown, while Holstein became an integral part ofEast Francia, theKingdom of Germany and theHoly Roman Empire. Even earlier, theEider had already been the border river betweenSaxons andPolabian Slavs to the south, and Danes andNorth Frisians to the north. This is evidenced in the largely Slavic-derivedtoponomy in Eastern Holstein, as opposed to the many Danish-derived place names in Schleswig including Southern Schleswig. Since the1920 Schleswig plebiscites, Schleswig has been divided between Denmark (Northern Schleswig), and Germany (Southern Schleswig).
The town ofSønderborg—the German name of which is "Sonderburg"—is located on the northern shores of theFlensburg Firth in Denmark (Northern Schleswig), whileGlücksburg (Ostsee) lies on the southern shores of the firth in Germany (Southern Schleswig). The "Ostsee" suffix means "Baltic Sea" (East Sea).
SinceGlücksburg Castle is the ancestral seat of the house, the house is mostly shortened to just "House of Glücksburg". It is also spelled "House of Glücksborg" (the name of Glücksburg in the localLow German dialect) or "House of Lyksborg" (theDanish name of Glücksburg).
The literal translation of "Glücksburg" is "Luck's Castle" (Glück = luck; Burg = castle). Glücksburg is officially bilingual and since 2016, there are German/Danish city limit signs in the town.
Glücksburg is a small coastal town on the German southern side of thefjord of Flensburg that divides Germany from Denmark.[4] In 1460, Glücksburg came, as part of the conjoined Dano-German duchies ofSchleswig and Holstein, to Count Christian ofOldenburg whom, in 1448, theDanes had elected their king asChristian I, theNorwegians likewise taking him as their hereditary king in 1450.[4]
In 1564, Christian I's great-grandson, KingFrederick II, in re-distributingSchleswig and Holstein's fiefs, retained some lands for his own senior royal line while allocating Glücksburg to his brother DukeJohn the Younger (1545–1622), along withSønderborg, inappanage.[4] John's heirs further sub-divided their share and created, among other branches, a line ofSchleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg dukes at Beck (an estate nearMinden bought by the family in 1605), who remainedvassals of Denmark's kings.[4]
By 1825, the castle of Glücksburg had returned to the Danish crown (from anotherducal branch called Glücksburg, extinct in 1779) and was given that year by KingFrederick VI, along with a new ducal title, to his kinsmanFrederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck.[7] Frederick suffixed theterritorial designation to the ducal title he already held, in lieu of "Beck" (an estate the family had, in fact, sold in 1745).[4] Thus emerged the extantDukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.
The Danish line of Oldenburg kings died out in 1863, and the elder line of theSchleswig-Holstein family became extinct with the death of the lastAugustenburgduke in 1931. Thereafter, the House of Glücksburg became the senior surviving line of the House of Oldenburg. Anothercadet line of Oldenburgs, theDukes of Holstein-Gottorp, consisted of two branches which held onto sovereignty into the 20th century. But members of the Romanov line were executed in or exiled from theirRussian Empire in 1917, while theGrand Duchy of Oldenburg was abolished in 1918, although itsdynastic line survives.[4]
Neither the Dukes of Beck nor of Glücksburg had been sovereign rulers; they held their lands infief from the ruling Dukes of Schleswig and Holstein, i.e. the Kings of Denmark and (until 1773) the Dukes ofHolstein-Gottorp.
Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, the fourth son ofDuke Friedrich of Glücksburg, was recognized in theLondon Protocol of 1852 as successor to the childless KingFrederick VII of Denmark. He became King of Denmark asChristian IX on 15 November 1863.[4]
Prince Vilhelm, the second son of Crown Prince Christian and Crown Princess Luise, was electedKing of the Hellenes on 30 March 1863, succeeding the ousted WittelsbachOtto of Greece and reigning under the nameGeorge I.
Prince Carl, the second son ofFrederick VIII of Denmark, Christian IX's eldest son, became King of Norway on 18 November 1905 asHaakon VII.
Christian IX's daughters,Alexandra andDagmar (asMaria Feodorovna) became the consorts of, respectively, KingEdward VII of the United Kingdom and EmperorAlexander III of Russia. As a result, by 1914 descendants of King Christian IX held the crowns of several Europeanrealms, and he became known as the "Father-in-law of Europe".
Christian IX's older brother inherited formal headship of the family asKarl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, followed by their brotherFriedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. It is his descendants who now represent the senior line of the Schleswig-Holstein branch of the House of Oldenburg, withFriedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein, as its current head.
The Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg constitute the senior male line of the branch. They hold the headship byprimogeniture of the cadet house of Glücksburg. The headship byagnatic primogeniture of the entireHouse of Oldenburg is held by Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein.
| Portrait | Name | Life | Reign |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg | 1785–1831 | 1825–1831 |
 | Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg | 1813–1878 | 1831–1878 |
.jpg) | Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg | 1814–1885 | 1878–1885 |
 | Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein | 1855–1934 | 1885–1934 |
 | Wilhelm Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein | 1891–1965 | 1934–1965 |
 | Peter, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein | 1922–1980 | 1965–1980 |
 | Christoph, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein | 1949–2023 | 1980–2023 |
 | Friedrich Ferdinand [fr], Prince of Schleswig-Holstein | born 1985 | 2023–present |
Theheir apparent is Prince Alfred of Schleswig-Holstein (born 2019).
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In 1852,Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg became heir-presumptive to theKingdom of Denmark, and in 1863, he ascended the throne. He was the fourth son ofFriedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, whose elder brother (and male-line descendants) retained the Glücksburg dukedom. The Danish royal family still calls itself Glücksborg, using a slightly Danicized form of Glücksburg.[8]
| Portrait | Name | Life | Reign | Additional titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Christian IX | 1818–1906 | 1863–1906 | King of the Wends King of the Goths Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Stormarn, Dithmarschen, Lauenburg and Oldenburg Prior to ascending the throne: Prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (Danish: Prins af Slesvig-Holsten-Sønderborg-Glückborg) |
 | Frederik VIII | 1843–1912 | 1906–1912 | King of the Wends King of the Goths Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Stormarn, Dithmarschen, Lauenburg and Oldenburg |
 | Christian X | 1870–1947 | 1912–1947 | King of Iceland (used 1918–1944) King of the Wends King of the Goths Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Stormarn, Dithmarschen, Lauenburg and Oldenburg |
 | Frederik IX | 1899–1972 | 1947–1972 | King of the Wends King of the Goths Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Stormarn, Dithmarschen, Lauenburg and Oldenburg |
 | Margrethe II | born 1940 | 1972–2024 | |
 | Frederik X[8][9][10][11] | born 1968 | 2024–present | Count of Monpezat |
In 1863 and with the name George I, PrinceWilhelm of Denmark was elected King of the Hellenes on the recommendation of Europe'sGreat Powers. He was the second son of KingChristian IX of Denmark.
| Portrait | Name | Life | Reign | Additional titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | George I | 1845–1913 | 1863–1913 |
|
 | Constantine I | 1868–1923 |
|
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 | Alexander | 1893–1920 | 1917–1920 |
|
 | George II | 1890–1947 |
|
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 | Paul | 1901–1964 | 1947–1964 |
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 | Constantine II | 1940–2023 | 1964–1973 |
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The Hellenic constitutional monarchy was usurped in acoup d'état by amilitary junta in 1967 and the royal family fled into exile. The monarchy was abolished in 1973. After the collapse of the military dictatorship in 1974, 69.18% of votes recorded in arepublic referendum were against the restoration of the monarchy.
As of 2024, the family has assumed the last name "De Grèce" (Ντε Γκρες; "of Greece"), first used by Greek author and dynastPrince Michael of Greece and Denmark for his pen name asMichel de Grèce, as the only one familiar to them.[clarification needed][12]
In 1905, Prince Carl of Denmark became Norway's first independent monarch in 518 years, taking the regnal nameHaakon VII. His father was KingFrederick VIII of Denmark, and one of his uncles was KingGeorge I of Greece.
| Portrait | Name | Life | Reign | Additional titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Haakon VII | 1872–1957 | 1905–1957 | Prince of Denmark, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg |
 | Olav V | 1903–1991 | 1957–1991 | Prince of Denmark, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Olympic Sailing Champion[13] |
.jpg) | Harald V | born 1937 | 1991–present | Prince of Denmark, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Sailing World Champion |
Theheir apparent isCrown Prince Haakon of Norway (born 1973). See the presentline of succession.
In 1918, Iceland was elevated from an autonomous Danish province to a separateKingdom of Iceland.Christian X of Denmark was henceforth King of Denmark and Iceland until 1944, when Icelanddissolved the personal union between the two countries and became a republic.
| Portrait | Name | Life | Reign | Additional titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kristján X | 1870–1947 | 1918–1944 |
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Theheir apparent was his son,Frederik IX of Denmark (1899–1972).
Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein (b. 1985)House of Glücksburg | ||
| Preceded by | Ruling House ofDuchy of Schleswig 1773–1864 | Duchy Abolished |
| Preceded by | Ruling House ofDenmark (non-agnatic from 2024) 1863–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Ruling House ofGreece 1863–1924 | Monarchy Abolished |
| Preceded by Republic | Ruling House ofGreece 1935–1974 | Monarchy Abolished |
| Preceded by | Ruling House ofNorway 1905–present | Incumbent |
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