List of monarchs of Norway
Wikimedia list article
The list of monarchs of Norway (Norwegian: kongerekken, kongerekkja or kongerekka) begins in 872: the traditional dating of the Battle of Hafrsfjord, after which victorious King Harald Fairhair merged several petty kingdoms into that of his father. Named after the homonymous geographical region, Harald's realm was later to be known as the Kingdom of Norway.
Traditionally established in 872 and existing continuously for over 1,100 years, the Kingdom of Norway is one of the oldest states of Europe. During interregna, Norway has been ruled by variously titled regents. The current monarch is King Haakon VIII, who has reigned since 2026.
Several royal dynasties have possessed the Throne of the Kingdom of Norway: the more prominent include the Fairhair dynasty (872–970), the Hardrada dynasty (1046–1135), the House of Sverre (1184–1319), the House of Oldenburg (1450–1481, 1483–1533, 1537–1818, and from 1905), including branches Holstein-Gottorp (1814–1818) and Glücksburg (from 1905), and the House of Bernadotte (1818–1905). During the civil war era (1130–1240), several pretenders fought each other, and as a consequence, some rulers from this era are not traditionally considered lawful kings and are usually omitted from lists of monarchs. Between 1319 and 1905, Norway was at times part of various unions with neighbouring countries, like The First Swedish–Norwegian union, The Kalmar Union, Denmark–Norway, and Sweden–Norway.
Kings of Norway used many additional titles between 1450 and 1905, such as King of the Wends, King of the Goths, Duke of Schleswig, Duke of Holstein, Prince of Rügen, and Count of Oldenburg. They called themselves Konge til Norge ('King of Norway'), usually with the style "His Royal Majesty".
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