Unexpected Monarchs

[Avicenna]

King Abdullah of Jordan :
just week before the death of King Husein(father of King Abdullah) his brother Prince Hassan was the crown prince of Jordan for many years but after fight between Queen Noor and prince Hassan's King Hussein decide to make his son Abdullah crown prince and week after HUssein die and Abdullah become a king.
so we can say King Abdullah is unexpected king.

Good one, Shrifia, excellent remark!

 

[Next Star]

Grand Duchess Charolette of Luxembourg the late mother of the former Grand Duke Jean succeed to the throne after her elder sister Grand Duchess Marie-Adelaide of Luxeembourg died at the age of 29.

 

[pacomartin]

I think William IV was probably the oldest man who unexpectedly found out that he could probably be the monarch someday. He was already aged 52 when his 21 year old niece died probably from an undetected post-partum haemorrhage. Since she had been healthy all of her life, the expectation was that she would eventually bear an heir. William is still the oldest man to be crowned king (although Charles will certainly be older).

 

[Warren]

Grand Duchess Charolette of Luxembourg...succeed to the throne after her elder sister Grand Duchess Marie-Adelaide of Luxeembourg died at the age of 29.

No, Grand Duchess Charlotte came to the throne when her sister abdicated in January 1919. Marie Adelaide died five years later.

 

[MAfan]

This is curious: both King Albert I and King Albert II of the Belgians were not expected to acceded to the Throne, since the elder brothers of them, both named Baudouin, was the Heir to the Throne.
Albert I became King because Prince Baudouin died aged 22, in 1891;
Albert II became King due to the sudden death of King Baudouin I in 1993.

 

[espejor]

Tsar Alexander III (Nicholas II' father) became Tsarevich after his older brother Nicholas died of meningitis at age 21. (Alexander also married his dead brother's fiancee Dagmar, who became better known as Marie).

King Juan Carlos of Spain became "heir" after his older brother was accidentally killed in a shooting accident. (I put the heir in quotes due to the circumstances of JC being groomed for the position of King by Franco).

Very fascinating to see all the twists and turns that history has taken over the years!

King Juan Carlos was older than his brother

Emperor Charles I of Austria

Regards!

 

[EmpressRouge]

Emperor Charles I of Austria

Regards!

Charles I was next in line after Franz Ferdinand since the latter married morganatically and his children were not eligible. However, it was unexpected that Charles would inherit the throne so young because FF was not expected to die young from assassination.

 

[wanderer11220]

A few more:

Charles III of Spain, he had two elder half-brothers (Louis I and Ferdinand VI) die before him. For that matter, his father Philip V ruled after abdicating for Louis I when the latter died.

Both Constantine I and George II of Greece ruled, were removed, and ended up coming back.

Alexander I of Greece was chosen instead of his elder brother George to be king in 1917.

Paul I of Greece outlived two brothers who had no male heirs.

The last king of Bavaria, Ludwig III, took power away from his cousin after being regent for him (since he were considered insane). His father was also regent, a sort of dual monarchy there, lol

Charles Albert of Sardinia became king since he was the most acceptable male in the very reduced Savoy line in 1831.

 

[wanderer11220]

Charles I was next in line after Franz Ferdinand since the latter married morganatically and his children were not eligible. However, it was unexpected that Charles would inherit the throne so young because FF was not expected to die young from assassination.

I think it was meant that Charles only became king when so many previous heirs (Rudolf, Charles Louis, FF and Otto) either died or refused it. In fact, Franz Josef becoming emperor (so soon) was also unexpected, since his father gave up the right when Ferdinand abdicated.

 

[Princess Agnes]

In Portugal, I can recall two recent cases:

- D. Luís I, who became king after his older brother, the kind Pedro V died without issue. His wife (Queen Estefânia of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen) had died from dyphteria shortly after their first wedding anniversary and, upon, her autopsy was found a virgin. The king died shortly after from typhoid fever.

- D. Manuel II, the last king, ascended to the throne after the regicide in 1908, when both his father, the King D. Carlos I, and his older brother, D. Luís Filipe, were shot.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Karl XV of Sweden's daughter was Princess Louise. When her father was still king, was there a rule in the royal succession that there could not be a Queen Regnant? If yes, then Princess Louise would not be heiress to the throne.

Afonso VI of Portugal, who reigned 1656 to 1683.
His elder brother, Teodosio, the crown prince died when he was 19.
Had he lived, Teodosio would have been King Teodosio (Theodosius) I.


​

 

[Ish]

According to Wikipedia, while Sweden had previously had female monarchs, the constitution of 1809 didn't include a provision for female monarchs. As such, in order for Louise to become the monarch the law would have to be changed in Sweden. It would also have to have been changed in Norway which didn't allow for female succession.

Initially Karl tried to have the law changed, but as his brother had several sons he didn't have many supporters.

 

[Iluvbertie]

I think William IV was probably the oldest man who unexpectedly found out that he could probably be the monarch someday. He was already aged 52 when his 21 year old niece died probably from an undetected post-partum haemorrhage. Since she had been healthy all of her life, the expectation was that she would eventually bear an heir. William is still the oldest man to be crowned king (although Charles will certainly be older).

William still wouldn't have necessarily expected to become king until 1828 as he had two older brothers - George IV and Frederick, Duke of York who was the heir to George IV until his own death two years before George and it was at that point that William would have realised that he would become King if he outlived his eldest brother.

 

[Meraude]

Unexpected English monarchs:
Sweyn Forkbeard, king of Denmark and Norway, became king of England by overthrewing Aethelred the Unready
Cnut the Great, king of Denmark and Norway, became king of England after defeating Edmund Ironside
Harold Godwinson, elected king by the Witan after the death of Edward the Confessor
William the Conqueror, king by conquest, even if he was supposedly chosen as successor by Edward the Confessor
Several of the kings during the War of the Roses, who became king depended on who won the battle
Henry VII, king by the right of conquest, as his right to the throne was by an illegitimate grandson of Edward III

 

[Furienna]

According to Wikipedia, while Sweden had previously had female monarchs, the constitution of 1809 didn't include a provision for female monarchs. As such, in order for Louise to become the monarch the law would have to be changed in Sweden. It would also have to have been changed in Norway which didn't allow for female succession.

Initially Karl tried to have the law changed, but as his brother had several sons he didn't have many supporters.

Louise was never allowed to be a queen regent, but she did become the queen consort of Denmark. She also still has descendants in the royal families of Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg and Greece. So while it is true that her situation looks unfair to modern eyes, Louise has still left a bigger international legacy than what her cousin Gustav (V), who did become king of Sweden, was able to do.

 

[JR76]

Louise was never allowed to be a queen regent, but she did become the queen consort of Denmark. She also still has descendants in the royal families of Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg and Greece. So while it is true that her situation looks unfair to modern eyes, Louise has still left a bigger international legacy than what her cousin Gustav (V), who did become king of Sweden, was able to do.

Apparently Louise was ecstatic when her son was elected King of Norway and acceded to the same throne that had previously been her fathers. Equally pleased was her father-in-law Christian IX of Denmark who was raised at the court of Christian VIII the last King of Denmark-Norway.


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[Furienna]

Apparently Louise was ecstatic when her son was elected King of Norway and acceded to the same throne that had previously been her fathers.

Yes, she was. And that son was also originally named Carl after her father (he changed his name to Haakon after accepting the Norwegian throne).

 

[eya]

This is curious: both King Albert I and King Albert II of the Belgians were not expected to acceded to the Throne, since the elder brothers of them, both named Baudouin, was the Heir to the Throne.
Albert I became King because Prince Baudouin died aged 22, in 1891;
Albert II became King due to the sudden death of King Baudouin I in 1993.

What i would say is a coincidence a diabolical coincidense. How many possibilities to be done once but second too?

 

[Admiral Horthy]

King Abdullah of Jordan :
just week before the death of King Husein(father of King Abdullah) his brother Prince Hassan was the crown prince of Jordan for many years but after fight between Queen Noor and prince Hassan's King Hussein decide to make his son Abdullah crown prince and week after HUssein die and Abdullah become a king.
so we can say King Abdullah is unexpected king.

And a good choice he was. Jordon is lucky to have him.

 

[TheRoyalCourtisane]

Ummm I will say Jean Bernadotte also known as King Carl-Johan of Sweden and Denmark he went from a Napoleonic Marshall to Crown Prince under Prince Carl VII Then King of not one but two countries in the span on 2 years

 

[grevinnan]

Ummm I will say Jean Bernadotte also known as King Carl-Johan of Sweden and Denmark he went from a Napoleonic Marshall to Crown Prince under Prince Carl VII Then King of not one but two countries in the span on 2 years

A few minor corrections...he arrived in Sweden and became the Crown Prince 1810 but did not become King until 1818. He was never King of Denmark. He was however King of Sweden and Norway. Karl XIV Johan succeeded Karl XIII and not Karl XII who lived 1682 to 1718.

 

[Curryong]

^^ Manuel II, the last king of Portugal became a monarch very unexpectedly. On February 1st 1908 Manuel, his older brother Crown Prince Luis Filipe and their parents King Carlos and Queen Maria Amalia got into a carriage in Lisbon to drive back to their palace.

Within minutes the party came under fire from assassins' bullets. King Carlos died immediately and Luis Filipe was mortally wounded. He died within hours and Manuel was proclaimed King. He wasn't a monarch for very long as he and his family went into permanent exile in October 1910, but his was a very unexpected accession to the throne.

 

[Furienna]

A few minor corrections...he arrived in Sweden and became the Crown Prince 1810 but did not become King until 1818. He was never King of Denmark. He was however King of Sweden and Norway. Karl XIV Johan succeeded Karl XIII and not Karl XII who lived 1682 to 1718.

It is very interesting though that Jean-Baptiste (Carl Johan) and Desirée (Desideria) were both born into middle class families down in France, but they would become king and queen in Sweden. Jean-Baptiste would state later in his life "nobody has made a career like mine". They had previously received a principality in Italy, Pontecorvo, by Napoleon, but they would never actually visit the place, and their new life in Sweden was really hard on Desirée in particular.

 

[Denville]

It is very interesting though that Jean-Baptiste (Carl Johan) and Desirée (Desideria) were both born into middle class families down in France, but really hard on Desirée in particular.

That was a very weird start to a royal dynasty.

 

[Furienna]

That was a very weird start to a royal dynasty.

To be fair though, that was rather typical of that era. Because after the French revolution, there were many "upstarts" on the thrones of Europe. Napoleon I himself had come from a minor aristocratic family at Corsica, but he was able to make himself emperor of France and his relatives kings of different other countries. Desiree's sister Julie, who happened to be married to one of Napoleon's brothers, became the queen of Spain. Desirée had been betrothed to Napoleon, and he would keep her under his protection even after he dumped her for another woman. Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte had rised through the ranks during the revolution, so he could become a marshall, the prince of Ponte-Corvo and finally king of Sweden and Norway.

Yet again, two things are special about the Bernadottes:
1: Their kingdom was way up in northen Europe, while all the other Napoleonic upstarts had theirs in southern Europe.
2: Their descendants are still royals to this day, which is not true for any of their peers.

 

[Furienna]

Désirée found the Swedish weather to be very harsh. She found it hard to adapt to the formality and responsibilities of her new role as Crown Princess.

Jean-Baptiste wasn't too pleased about the cold weather either. There are stories about how he refused to get out of his bed in the morning, so he did his work from his bedroom. Neither he or Desirée would learn Swedish properly. But their son Oscar, who only was a kid when they had to move to Sweden, was able to adapt to the new environment and learn the language. I believe that he even acted as his father's interpretor at times.

 

[Denville]

To be fair though, that was rather typical of that era. Because after the French revolution, there were many "upstarts" on the thrones of Europe. Napoleon I himself had come from a minor aristocratic family at Corsica, but
Yet again, two things are special about the Bernadottes:
1: Their kingdom was way up in northen Europe, while all the other Napoleonic upstarts had theirs in southern Europe.
2: Their descendants are still royals to this day, which is not true for any of their peers.

that's what I meant. The Bonapartes who became kings all lost their crowns, Berndotte and Desiree held on...

 

[Blog Real]

King Manuel II of Portugal. He became king after the murder of his father and older brother.

 

[Prinsara]

Albert I of Belgium was not only king due to the death of his older brother, but primarily that of his young cousin Prince Leopold, the heir apparent, sadly. No wonder he tended to have a cynical, gloomy outlook on things...

 

[Mbruno]

that's what I meant. The Bonapartes who became kings all lost their crowns, Berndotte and Desiree held on...

Subsequent Bernadotte kings made up for their dynasty's humble origins by marrying foreign princesses, including descendants of the Vasa dynasty such as Victoria of Baden.