150 years of the House of Glücksborg
Friday, 15 November 2013, the House of Glücksborg celebrates 150 years on the Danish throne. The Glücksborg dynasty, to which Her Majesty The Queen belongs, is the fourth and youngest branch of the Danish royal lines that descended from Gorm the Old and Queen Thyra in the mid-900s.
The currently-reigning Glücksborg dynasty descends from Christian IX (1863-1906) and Queen Louise. Thus, it is the youngest branch in the royal lineage, whose roots go back more than a thousand years.
When Frederik VII (1848-1863) died without leaving heirs, his successor was, as a result of the Throne Succession Law of 1853, Prince Christian of Glücksborg, who belonged to a side-branch of the House of Oldenborg stemming from Christian III (1536-1559). Moreover, his mother was the sister of Frederik VI’s queen, Marie Sophie Frederikke of Hessen-Kassel (1757-1852), and also on the distaff side a grandchild of Frederik V (1746-1766). Prince Christian’s consort, Princess Louise, was, on her mother’s side, the niece of Christian VIII (1839-1848) and was, according to the Royal Law, also in the line of heirs to the Danish throne. In connection with the Throne Succession Law of 1853, she transferred that hereditary claim to her consort.
Read more about the Danish royal lineage.
THE ROYAL DANISH LINES
- Gorm the Old’s direct descendants (middle of 900s - 1157)
- Valdemar the Great and his descendants (1157 - 1448)
- The House of Oldenborg (1448 - 1863).
- The House of Glücksborg (1863 - )
See genealogical tree.
Read more on the website of The Royal Danish Collection.
