I am doing my Ancestry and have come across Royalty. I'm finding Ruling Queens marring Princes or dukes or a titled person from another country. Then they list them as King of her country. Is this how it was back then, the man took over from his wife the queen or is it an error? Would he be King consort? Is there such a thing as King consorts?
If not what would they have been called?
Example:
Joachim I Nestor King consort of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Brandenburg, Elector of Germany 1484-1535
Elisabeth Queen of Denmark Sweden Norway 1485-1555
Joachim and Elisabeth were never queen/king of Denmark/Sweden/Norway. They were simply elector/electress of Brandenberg. Elisabeth's father was king until 1513 and was succeeded by her elder brother Christian II who died four years after Elisabeth did. Elisabeth was Princess of Denmark, Sweden and Norway, Electress of Brandenberg. Her husband never had any Scandinavian title.
The cases where a woman inherited the throne in her own right are minimal. And it differs between countries.
in the UK Elizabeth I didn't wish to marry in part as she feared losing power to her husband. In the UK, traditionally power and titles from a woman would pass to her husband. But this has never been the case in the UK.
they have handled it one of two ways:
A couple rule jointly as queen and king, they share power. Neither as consort:
-Mary I and Philip had this arrangement but only during her lifetime. When she died, he lost his place as king of England (why he wanted to wed her sister after she died)
-Mary II and William: Ruled jointly. But unlike Philip, William was allowed to retain his position when his wife died. But Anne and her children were their heirs. If William remarried and had children after Mary died, his children would not come before Anne.
Or a queen ruled and with her husband given a lower/no title:
-Empress Mathilda: was disputed, but her husband never had a title
-Anne: Her husband remained George of Denmark, Duke of Cumberland
-Victoria: Albert was made Prince Consort
-Elizabeth II: Philip was made Duke of Edinburgh
Sweden has had three queens:
-Margaret was a widow, took the throne after her husband and son died.
-Christina never married
-Ulrika wanted her husband to be co-ruler, he was prince consort originally. When parliament refused, she abdicated in his favor, so he could be king, and she became queen consort.