Fiefs and titles for Scandinavian royalty

I'm aware of the titles given to British and French princes but what titles were given to princes in the Scandinavian monarchies? It seems like Danish and Norwegian royalty were just styled princes...anyone knows about a ducal title? And the Swedes...they had duchies for a long time, but as actually a land the Duke would rule. Even in the 1600s Karl X Gustav was the Duke of Öland and his brother Adolf of Stegeborg but then it seems to be ignored until nominal titles were given in 1772 IIRC. But how did they choose which son to give what? Any kind of rule? It doesn' t seem like those titles were hereditary. Was there a special title for the heir like the English Prince of Wales? I think something like a "Prince of Svealand" or "Prince of Götaland" would be awesome. :D And I think I've read smt about Södermanland being a title for a second son, like the Duchy of York.
So if anyone has any information about at least one of those kingdoms I would appreciate it. :)
 

Redbeard

Banned
I'm aware of the titles given to British and French princes but what titles were given to princes in the Scandinavian monarchies? It seems like Danish and Norwegian royalty were just styled princes...anyone knows about a ducal title? And the Swedes...they had duchies for a long time, but as actually a land the Duke would rule. Even in the 1600s Karl X Gustav was the Duke of Öland and his brother Adolf of Stegeborg but then it seems to be ignored until nominal titles were given in 1772 IIRC. But how did they choose which son to give what? Any kind of rule? It doesn' t seem like those titles were hereditary. Was there a special title for the heir like the English Prince of Wales? I think something like a "Prince of Svealand" or "Prince of Götaland" would be awesome. :D And I think I've read smt about Södermanland being a title for a second son, like the Duchy of York.
So if anyone has any information about at least one of those kingdoms I would appreciate it. :)

"Styled princes" ?! Do you want us to take you serious?

Anyway, the Kings of Denmark (and Norway) for centuries also were Dukes of Slesvig and Holsten and a lot other places in Germany. The Duchies were not part of the Kingdom but parts of the German Reich.

Until 1972 the King of Denmark's full title was (my own translation):

Of God's Grace King of Denmark, the Vends and Goths, Duke of Slesvig and Holsten, Stormarn, Ditmarsken, Lauenburg and Oldenburg.

The Swedish Kings were just pimped rebels and the present a descendant of a French provincial lawyer... ;-)
 
IIRC Sweden have, at times, a thing with calling royal heirs Hertug (roughly equal to Duke) of (inset region here).

the Danish Royal house doesn't have any titles of the same kind
 
"Styled princes" ?!

I guess I though about about something like "styled as princes" or something similar :eek:

And I know about those titles Dukes of Holstein etc. The Swedes were also Dukes of Estonia and other places...but I meant those titles like Duke of Uppland or Halland and others like the princes of the Holstein-Gottorp and Bernadotte family had. Is there some rule about that... Which one is the Crown Prince (or Princess) receive, or was it just randomly chosen?
 
looking through the lists there doesn't seem to be any rules, but certain areas are used more often than others (most often used is Öster- / Vestergötland, Värmland and Södermanland)
 
Duke is a totally foreign word in the Scandinavian languages, they had to borrow the German to express the concept. (Hertog Low German, Herzog High German)

I wouldn't have been surprised if territorial Jarls (equated to Counts) had survived, but a quick Google suggests that that didn't really happen.
 
Duke is a totally foreign word in the Scandinavian languages, they had to borrow the German to express the concept. (Hertog Low German, Herzog High German)

I wouldn't have been surprised if territorial Jarls (equated to Counts) had survived, but a quick Google suggests that that didn't really happen.

Jarl was largely replaced by Hertug in 12th century

The only title i can tell being handed out in Denmark recently was Greve (Graf / Count), which was given to royals that disinherited themselves, most often via marrying commoners when it still wasn't fully accepted, even that is no longer the case and haven't been for some 40 years, prehaps closing in on 50 years ... Only recent case IIRC was Alexandra which was given a title after she divorced Prince Joachim, no longer being a direct member of the royal house.
 

Redbeard

Banned
Jarl was largely replaced by Hertug in 12th century

The only title i can tell being handed out in Denmark recently was Greve (Graf / Count), which was given to royals that disinherited themselves, most often via marrying commoners when it still wasn't fully accepted, even that is no longer the case and haven't been for some 40 years, prehaps closing in on 50 years ... Only recent case IIRC was Alexandra which was given a title after she divorced Prince Joachim, no longer being a direct member of the royal house.

Yes, Count/Countess of Rosenborg has been used as a title to Royals loosing their position in the list for the Throne, typically through marriage.

Recently the Crownprince's younger brother Joachim has not been "Rosenborg'ed" by (twice) marrying non-royals, but Crownprince Frederik and Prince Joachim in all have 7 children. Will they and their future spouces and decendants all be Princes/Princesses of Denmark? We might all end up being Royals in a few centuries... :eek:
 
I think the title of Royal Prince and all those "Royal Highness" stuff is only worth a couple generations...it probably can't last forever
 
As others have said there is no hard and fast rule for designating extra titles onto the Crown Prince and siblings.

Well, they've introduced looser rules recently simply so they can start giving away titles on a more liberal basis. I was actually rather surprised that Princess Madeleine's two kids got duchies, since that has previously been reserved to the children of the monarch and the immediately heir to the monarchy. And up until I think it was this generation, only males got the ducal title. None of the current King's nephews became any dukes or duchesses.

And people who support the Swedish monarchy will of course never tire of telling me of the importance of respecting, honouring and celebrating the long, and proud traditions of Sweden. And I will say, "Then why not just give these titles to males who are children of either the monarch or immediate heirs to the monarchy? Also, shouldn't we then, in line with respecting historical institutions, return to male primogeniture? Have Carl Philip be our next monarch and pass over Victoria?" And they will say, "Now, I think we should move with the time and modernize. Don't you think it's a little outdated with male primogeniture?" And I will say "I dunno. Don't you think it's a little outdated to have as an institution the idea that the country should be represented by an upper-class aristocrat who has earned his or her job and who gets his or her massive funds from the ordinary working folks of this country through taxes?"
 
Nobility was formally abolished in Norway in 1814, although some (including myself) would consider modern day royalty as a remnant of the nobility...
 
And I've always wondered whether the rubber stamp had a little crown or not ;):p

:D

Nobility was formally abolished in Norway in 1814, although some (including myself) would consider modern day royalty as a remnant of the nobility...

Sweden (who basically governed Norway like if it was a colony throughout the 19th century) actually tried to reintroduced nobility, but you Norwegians stood your ground. There would be no more fancy titles for upper-class toffs like that.

As a Swede, I'm sorry about that.
 
Top