Royals Who Became Monarchs Of Another Country

[fearghas]

Don't forget Roumania and Bulgaria who are Hohenzollern and Saxe-Coburg respectavly. The Romanovs wre also a foriegn dynasty that married in (Holstein Gottorp).

 

[Warren]

Bulgaria
firstly Prince Alexander of Battenberg [Hesse-Darmstadt] who became Prince of Bulgaria in 1879;
secondly Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha who became Prince of Bulgaria in 1887 and King (Tsar) of the Bulgarians in 1908

Romania
Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen who became Prince of Romania in 1866 and King in 1881

Albania
Prince Wilhelm of Wied who became Prince of Albania in 1914 (short-lived)

Brazil
Prince Pedro, Prince of Beira [Portugal] who became Dom Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil 1822

Greece
firstly Prince Otto of Bavaria who was King of Greece from 1832 to 1862;
secondly Prince Wilhelm of Denmark who became King of the Hellenes in 1863

 

[Iluvbertie]

Yes, Leopold I was a very ambitious German. First he married the Princess of Wales, but when she died without leaving him with issue, he had to look elsewhere to become the one in power. The newly-founded Belgium was a nice place to start.

How about the British? Doesn't the current line go back to the Hannovers, who are German? And the "very first", William the Conquerer, who was Norman-French?

Leopold did NOT marry the Princess of Wales. That title was held by hsi mother-in-law.

He married Princess Charlotte of Wales, who died in childbirth.

Leopold was also the brother of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, father of Prince Albert the Prince Consort and Princess Victoire, Duchess of Kent mother of Queen Victoria thus making Leopold the uncle of both Victoria and Albert.

 

[Iluvbertie]

If the Hanoverians are regarded as foreigners starting new dynasties in England/Britain then it is necessary to add James VI and I of Scotland and England who was first of all the Scottish king when Scotland was not joined to England.

The fact that both these kings (James VI and I and George I from Hanover) are descendents of Henry VII and George I was a direct descendent of James VI and does raise some questions about whether they truly founded new dynasties.

 

[espejor]

Bulgaria
firstly Prince Alexander of Battenberg [Hesse-Darmstadt] who became Prince of Bulgaria in 1879;
secondly Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha who became Prince of Bulgaria in 1887 and King (Tsar) of the Bulgarians in 1908

Romania
Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen who became Prince of Romania in 1866 and King in 1881

Albania
Prince Wilhelm of Wied who became Prince of Albania in 1914 (short-lived)

Brazil
Prince Pedro, Prince of Beira [Portugal] who became Dom Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil 1822

Greece
firstly Prince Otto of Bavaria who was King of Greece from 1832 to 1862;
secondly Prince Wilhelm of Denmark who became King of the Hellenes in 1863

Hello!! Do you know where are from the Kings of Albania, Romania and Bulgaria? Germany?

Regards!

 

[LadyLeana]

Leopold did NOT marry the Princess of Wales. That title was held by hsi mother-in-law.

He married Princess Charlotte of Wales, who died in childbirth.

Leopold was also the brother of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, father of Prince Albert the Prince Consort and Princess Victoire, Duchess of Kent mother of Queen Victoria thus making Leopold the uncle of both Victoria and Albert.

Quite right, sorry, mix-up there
In my attempt to illustrate Leopold's unbridled ambition, I was a little loose with the facts.

 

[fearghas]

Hello!! Do you know where are from the Kings of Albania, Romania and Bulgaria? Germany?

Regards!

Hohenzollern, Wied and Saxe Coburg were principoalities or Duchies in Germany yes.

 

[espejor]

Hohenzollern, Wied and Saxe Coburg were principoalities or Duchies in Germany yes.

But, do you know if these kings were "imposed" to their respectives countries? For example, Amadeo I was a member of Saboya family and he wasn't Spanish and he hadn't any relation with Spain (his family hadn't Spanish blood life, for example, the first Bourbon in Spain, Felipe V). But he was voted by the Parliament.

Regards!!

 

[Warren]

Albania
Prince Wilhelm of Wied was elected by the Albanians as Mbret or Prince of Albania following the Balkan War of 1913 and the establishment of the Principality by the Great Powers. His keenest supporter was Queen Elisabeth of Romania (he was her favourite nephew). The governments of Austria-Hungary, France and Italy were agreeable to his candidacy and in the absence of any other volunteers, Wilhelm was proposed and accepted by the Albanians in February 1914.

Bulgaria
After Russian interference led to the deposition of Prince Alexander (of Battenberg) in 1886 the Bulgarian statesman Stambouloff took charge of affairs and decided on Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha, otherwise known as "Foxy Ferdinand", "the cleverest of the clever Coburgs". He was elected Prince of Bulgaria with hereditary right in 1887.

Romania
In 1866 the Romanian Parliament resolved to appoint a foreign prince as successor to the native Prince Alexander Cuza. First choice was the Count of Flanders, younger brother of Leopold II of the Belgians, and then when he declined, Prince Karl-Eitel of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Karl-Eitel had the backing of Bismarck and was supported by Napoleon III, although he was opposed by Austria. He was elected hereditary reigning Prince of Romania by plebiscite in 1866 and took the name of Carol.

 

[Bones]

Since Amedeo of Spain was included I thought it might be permissable to list a few more who were made kings of foreign countries but did not last long enough to actually found dynasties:

Duke Adolf Friedrich von Meckenberg-Schwerin was chosen as Grand Duke of the United Baltic Duchy (basically Latvia and Estonia)

Prince Friedrich Karl of Hesse was chosen as King Vaino I of Finland

Prince Wilhelm von Urach was chosen as King Mindaugas II of Lithuania

General Pavlo Skoropadsky was chosen as Hetman of the Ukraine

Prince Faisal I was chosen as King of Greater Syria and later King of Iraq (he was originally from what is now Saudi Arabia)

Prince Aimone of Savoy-Aosta was chosen as King Tomislav II of Croatia

Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders was Emperor Baldwin I of the Latin Byzantine Empire -not sure if that one counts in this context though as there was obviously another contender for the eastern throne.

There were also the Hapsburgs and Bourbons in Tuscany and Sicily. They actually did establish dynasties that lasted for a while. If I recall the first in the long line of Sicilian kings was a Norman.

 

[Vasaborg]

Since Amedeo of Spain was included I thought it might be permissable to list a few more who were made kings of foreign countries but did not last long enough to actually found dynasties:

Duke Adolf Friedrich von Meckenberg-Schwerin was chosen as Grand Duke of the United Baltic Duchy (basically Latvia and Estonia)

Prince Friedrich Karl of Hesse was chosen as King Vaino I of Finland

Prince Wilhelm von Urach was chosen as King Mindaugas II of Lithuania

General Pavlo Skoropadsky was chosen as Hetman of the Ukraine

Prince Faisal I was chosen as King of Greater Syria and later King of Iraq (he was originally from what is now Saudi Arabia)

Prince Aimone of Savoy-Aosta was chosen as King Tomislav II of Croatia

Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders was Emperor Baldwin I of the Latin Byzantine Empire -not sure if that one counts in this context though as there was obviously another contender for the eastern throne.

There were also the Hapsburgs and Bourbons in Tuscany and Sicily. They actually did establish dynasties that lasted for a while. If I recall the first in the long line of Sicilian kings was a Norman.

Edward Bruce (brother of Robert I King of Scotland) King of Ireland. died 1318, can be added to this list.

 

[nascarlucy]

Royals being asked to be King or Queen of another Country

I read in a book that Prince Edward was asked to be King of Estonia by a group of royalists in Estonia. According to the book the spokeman said (and I quote here), "a charming but unlikely idea." Could he have if he wanted to accept their invitation? I know that he's in line to the British throne but it's extremely unlikely that he would ever be King of England.

What about another royal in another household. Or would their be issues regarding this? If the royal involved isn't likely to become King or Queen, why would it be an issue if they accepted an invitation from another country to be their monarch. I would be curious if anyone has an answer to this. I've been thinking about this all day.

 

[Rascal]

Hi, Nascarlucy. The report is true that Edward was approached by the group in Estonia. IIRC it was only so they could have a candidate to propose because the newly-formed independent country had still not determined its form of government?

At any rate, there are previous examples in many of the current and formerly reigning families. The current ruling house in Norway was started when a younger (third?) son of the Danish king was offered the throne. And although no longer ruling, the Greek royal family also is descended from a Danish prince appointed to the post. The Belgian royals are descendants from a German prince who was an uncle to Queen Victoria. Many times it is the other ruling monarchs who decided and "chose" a candidate for the post who was then accepted by the people of that country. Other times, such as the case in Sweden, the people with the greatest influence chose Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, a French soldier, to be their new crown prince as the reigning king had no heirs.

We don't usually think of it as most countries opt for a republic nowadays, but any country could have a plebiscite and overnight decide to change from a republic to an absolute or constitutional monarchy...however unlikely that would be...just as they depose a hereditary ruler and choose to no longer be a monarchy and become a republic.

 

[mattep74]

In 1917 when Finland declared independence from Russia they thought of taking a German prince as their king, but then Germany lost ww1 and they decided to have a president

 

[MAfan]

The German Prince in question was Friedrich Karl (1868-1940), heir presumptive to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel and husband of the Kaiser's sister, Princess Margaretha of Prussia.

If the royal involved isn't likely to become King or Queen, why would it be an issue if they accepted an invitation from another country to be their monarch. I would be curious if anyone has an answer to this.

I think that the adventure of the Empire of Mexico of Archduke Maximilian of Austria (the brother of Emperor Franz Josef) is a good example for answering to your question: he was asked to become Emperor of Mexico by some Mexican aristocrats, he accepted and left for his new Empire, supported by the conservative politicians; there he found out that the real situation was far from what he was described, and that the larges part of population was still supportive of the former republic. Then Maximilian's liberal politics vexed his conservative supporters, and in less than three years the Empire ended (and Maximilian was executed).

Accepting similar invitations can be very very risky if one doesn't know exactly the real situation of the country; and the fact that a group of Estonians asked Edward to become King of Estonia doesn't mean at all that Estonian people wanted a monarchy with Edward as King. And would he have the necessary preparation for being King of a foreign country surely very different from the UK (where however he was taught to be a Prince, but I don't think his education was aimed to make him a King)? I don't think.

 

[Rascal]

Accepting similar invitations can be very very risky if one doesn't know exactly the real situation of the country; and the fact that a group of Estonians asked Edward to become King of Estonia doesn't mean at all that Estonian people wanted a monarchy with Edward as King. And would he have the necessary preparation for being King of a foreign country surely very different from the UK (where however he was taught to be a Prince, but I don't think his education was aimed to make him a King)? I don't think.

In addition to that, there is also the matter of what resources and support structure would exist in said country, even if the majority of the people wanted a monarchy as its form of government. In the cases of both Sweden and Norway (which had previously existed under one monarch), an entire system for a royal court was in place, the buildings, staff, security, training, etc. for the existence of a monarch were in place. All that was needed was a new king/heir. And from what I have read about Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, he never actually learned the Swedish language enough to become fluent. Of course, all those things could still have existed and had a disastrous result. A newly independent country is still forming its own identity, developing its economic system, establishing its own military, etc. And don't forget that the Bosnian conflict and breakup of the former Yugoslavia in the southern region of Eastern Europe was going on and continued up until last year at least with the independence of Montenegro.

 

[nascarlucy]

Thank you for the information Rascal and MAfan. You've answered my question.

 

[cmkrcwi]

The uncle of Queen Victoria who became King of Belgium was also the husband of Princess Charlotte of Wales whose death in childbirth (the baby was stillborn) paved the way for Victoria to become Queen.

 

[Smart]

I read in a book that Prince Edward was asked to be King of Estonia by a group of royalists in Estonia. According to the book the spokeman said (and I quote here), "a charming but unlikely idea." Could he have if he wanted to accept their invitation? I know that he's in line to the British throne but it's extremely unlikely that he would ever be King of England.

What about another royal in another household. Or would their be issues regarding this? If the royal involved isn't likely to become King or Queen, why would it be an issue if they accepted an invitation from another country to be their monarch. I would be curious if anyone has an answer to this. I've been thinking about this all day.

1. There are still Monarchists in Estonia.
2. The concept of foreign Royals becoming Kings/Queens of other nations has been a common practice. It's mostly when the royal house has become extinct, or if there was a political change (independence - such as in Finland)
3. "King of England" does not exist as a title. and has not for quite some time. It would only return if the UK was dissolved.

 

[Ultramare]

Peter I of Brazil was called to be the first King of Greece, but he declined.

 

[Meraude]

Gustav Eriksson Vasa was from a noble family who managed to make himself king of Sweden and founder of the first hereditary royal dynasty in Sweden.

The Principality/Kingdom of Hungary in the medieval times are full of royals from other countries that have become monarchs: Kingdom of Hungary in the Middle Ages - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Prince Valdemar, son of King Christian IX of Denmark, was offered two European thrones, those of Bulgaria and Norway.
Valdemar declined them due to international pressures.
​

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh became the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, c1900. The second son of Queen Victoria,... News Photo | Getty Images

 

[CyrilVladisla]

After the demise of his brother-in-law Louis II, Archduke Ferdinand of Austria ruled as King of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 to 1564.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

When William III became the King of England in 1689, should not the royal house have been the House of Orange? After all, William III was from The Netherlands?

 

[Kataryn]

William III., while being the Prince of Orange, got on the English and Scottish throne due to the fact that his wife was the heiress and he was the next heir after her sister Anne - hi8s mother had been the Princess Royal in her generation. So if William and Mary had children, the next dynasty would have been the House of Orange. But as they didn't and then Anne became queen, the name still was Stuart till the Hanovers inherited after Anne Stuart.

 

[Countessmeout]

When William III became the King of England in 1689, should not the royal house have been the House of Orange? After all, William III was from The Netherlands?

It changes with a child, not a marriage traditionally. William and Mary if they had a child, their child would have started the House of Orange.

If Anne and George's children had lived and one saw the throne, we would have had the house of Oldenberg.

George I changed the family name as he wasn't born into the house of Stuart (in the male line) or married into it. He was of the house of Hannover.

Victoria and Albert were the House of Hannover. The name didn't change until their eldest son came to the throne.

 

[Gawin]

It changes with a child, not a marriage traditionally. William and Mary if they had a child, their child would have started the House of Orange.

If Anne and George's children had lived and one saw the throne, we would have had the house of Oldenberg.

George I changed the family name as he wasn't born into the house of Stuart (in the male line) or married into it. He was of the house of Hannover.

Victoria and Albert were the House of Hannover. The name didn't change until their eldest son came to the throne.

Anne and Victoria's husbands weren't King. William III was, and he ruled alone following Mary's death, so yes, the House of Orange reigned in Britain from 1689-1702.

 

[Somebody]

Why did they pick whom?

 

[An Ard Ri]

After the demise of his brother-in-law Louis II, Archduke Ferdinand of Austria ruled as King of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 to 1564.

Louis II was killed during the Battle of Mohács against the Ottomans, he had married Maria of Austria in 1515 but the marriage was childless.
Louis II's only sibling his sister, Anne of Bohemia and Hungary was married to the Archduke Ferdinand.