Christian Frederik Carl Georg Valdemar Axel (Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg) of Norway (1872 - 1957)

Born 3 Aug 1872 in Charlottenlund Slot, near København, Danmark

Ancestors

Husband of Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria (Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) av Norge — married 22 Jul 1896 in Buckingham Palace, London, England

Descendants

Died 21 Sep 1957 at age 85 in Det kongelige slott, Oslo, Norge

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Biography

Haakon VII (Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg) of Norway is Notable.

Haakon was the King of Norway from November 1905 until his death in September 1957. Originally a Danish prince, he was born 3 August 1872 in Copenhagen as the son of the future Frederick VIII of Denmark, Frederik VIII Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, and Louise Bernadotte. ^[1] He was confirmed 17 April 1887 in Copenhagen.^[2]

Prince Carl was educated at the Royal Danish Naval Academy and served in the Royal Danish Navy. ^[3]

After the 1905 dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway, Prince Carl was offered the Norwegian crown. Following a November plebiscite, he accepted the offer and was formally elected King of Norway by the Storting. He took the Old Norse name Haakon and ascended to the throne as Haakon VII, becoming the first independent Norwegian monarch since 1387.^[4]

He was married 22 July 1896 to his first cousin, Princess Maud of Wales, the youngest daughter of the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and his wife, Princess Alexandra of Denmark, eldest daughter of King Christian IX and Princess Louise. Their son, the future Crown Prince Olav (and eventually King Olav V of Norway) , was born 2 July 1903.^[5]

Haakon died 21 September 1957 at the Royal Palace in Oslo at the age of 85. His remains were buried 1 October 1957 alongside those of his wife at the Royal Mausoleum at Akershus Castle.^[6]

Obituary:^[7]

King Haakon, Norway, Dies

Monarch Aged 85; Son Olav Succeeds

Oslo, Saturday, Sept. 21 (AP)--King Haakon ViII of Norway, the world's oldest reigning Monarch, died today. The 85-year-old king had been in poor health for a long time and fear for his life was expressed this week when doctors announced he was suffering from a circulatory ailment. [....]

Haakon was the only European monarch of his time to gain his crown by popular vote. He was also Norway's only king since it dissolved its union with Sweden in 1905.

A Danish prince by birth, Haakon won the love of Norwegians during his long reign while crowned heads toppled all over Europe.

Queen Elizabeth's visit in 1935 was a highlight of a triple anniversary celebration for Haakon, which began on June 7, a significant date in his life. Fifty years earlier, on June 7, 1905, the people of Norway elected Haakon, then Prince Carl of Denmark, as their ruler. On June 7, 1940, in what was the darkest hour of his life, he boarded a British cruiser at Tromsøe to flee to England from Hitler's Nazi invasion forces. On June 7, five years later, he made a triumphant return also aboard a British cruiser.

The King had lived alone in his palace overlooking Oslo's main street since the death of his wife, Queen Maud, in 1938. He had spent summers on this estate near Oslo or on the royal yacht Norge, once owned by American dime store heiress Barbara Hutton and bought for Haakon by the people of Norway in 1947.

Haakon was born August 3, 1872, the second of eight children of King Frederick VIII and Queen Louise of Denmark.

He never aspired to become king, choosing instead the sea as a career. At 14, he entered the Danish Navy as a cadet training to become a naval officer. All his life he remained true to his first love, the sea, and his favorite attire was his admiral's uniform.

While still a Danish prince and naval officer, he married his cousin, Princess Maud of England, at Buckingham Palace July 22, 1896, over the objections of his mother.

Nine years later, when Norway dissolved its union with Sweden, the Norwegians offered him their throne. The then Prince Carl, aware of the anti-royal sentiment among some Norwegians, insisted the people first vote for a monarchy in a plebiscite. With Carl the sole candidate for ing in the plebiscite, Norwegians voted in favor of a constitutional monarchy by an overwhelming majority.

U. S. Legacy

• In the USA, Haakon County, South Dakota is named in his honor.

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia Haakon VII of Norway.
2. ↑ "Danmark Kirkebøger, 1484-1941," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG8N-9358 : 10 March 2021), Carl Georg Valdemar Axel, 17 Apr 1887; Confirmation, Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, , Rigsarkivet, København (The Danish National Archives), Copenhagen.
3. ↑ Wikipedia Haakon VII of Norway.
4. ↑ Wikipedia Haakon VII of Norway.
5. ↑ "The Queen Receives". Time. 18 June 1923. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
6. ↑ Find a Grave Memorial for Haakon VII.
7. ↑ Boston Herald Saturday, Sep 21, 1957 Boston, MA Page: 6.