The first duke of Estonia Also known as Duke of Estland or Prince of Estonia or Lord of Estonia () was appointed in 1220 by King Valdemar II of Denmark after the Danish conquest of Estonia during the Livonian crusade. The title was resumed by the kings of Denmark since 1269. During the 1266–82 reign of the queen dowager Margaret Sambiria, the title lady of Estonia () was used.
In 1332, after Christopher II died, his second son Otto inherited the title of the duke of Estonia. Valdemar III assumed the title in 1338.
The dukes of Estonia rarely resided in Estonia. To govern the Duchy of Estonia, the king of Denmark and royal counsellors appointed the Lieutenant (), who resided in Reval.
The king of Denmark sold the duchy to the Teutonic Order in 1346, but Christian I reassumed the title of duke of Estonia in 1456.
After the Livonian War, Estonia became part of the Swedish Empire, and the title was gained by kings of Sweden. Crown Prince Gustav Adolph was already Duke of Estonia 1607–1611 before he became King, but then officially abolished all Swedish duchies in 1618.
The title was resumed by the Russian tsars after the Great Northern War and the Treaty of Nystad, when Estonia became part of the Russian Empire. The last duke of Estonia () was therefore tsar Nicholas II of Russia.
Danish dukes of Estonia The Duchy of Estonia (1219–1346) was part of the Kingdom of Denmark, where the House of Estridsen reigned.
NamePortraitBirthMarriagesDeath Canute I(Knud Valdemarsen )1220–1227 (deposed) 1205illegitimate son of Valdemar II of Denmark and Helena Guttormsdotter Hedwig of Pomereliabefore 1260two children 1260aged 55 Occupied by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword:1227-1237 Occupied by the Livonian Order of the Teutonic Order:1237-1238 Canute I(Knud Valdemarsen )1238–40 (restored) 1205illegitimate son of Valdemar II of Denmark and Helena Guttormsdotter Hedwig of Pomereliabefore 1260two children 1260aged 55 Valdemar I the Victorious(Valdemar Sejr)1240–41 9 May/28 June 1170second son of Valdemar I and Sophia of Minsk (1) Dagmar of Bohemiac. 1205Lübeckone son(2) Berengaria of Portugal18/24 May 1214four children 28 March 1241Vordingborg Castleaged 70 Eric I Ploughpenny(Erik Plovpenning)1241–50 c. 1216eldest son of Valdemar I and Berengaria of Portugal Jutta of Saxony17 November 1239six children 9 August 1250on the Schleiaged 33–34 Abel1 November1250–1252 c. 1218second son of Valdemar I and Berengaria of Portugal Matilda of Holstein25 April 1237Schleswig Cathedralfour children 29 June 1252Eiderstedtaged 33–34 Christopher I(Christoffer 1.)25 December1252–1259 c. 1219third son of Valdemar I and Berengaria of Portugal Margaret Sambiriac. 1248five children 29 May 1259Ribeaged 39–40 Eric II Klipping(Erik Klipping)1259–66 (abdicated) c. 1249eldest son of Christopher I and Margaret Sambiria Agnes of Brandenburg11 November 1273Schleswig Cathedralseven children 22 November 1286Finderupaged 36–37 Margaret Sambiria(Margrethe Sambiria)1266-1282 c. 1230daughter of Sambor II of Pomerelia and Matilda of Mecklenburg Christopher I of Denmarkc.1248five children December 1282Finderupaged 51–52 Eric II Klipping(Erik Klipping)1282–86 (restored) c. 1249eldest son of Christopher I and Margaret Sambiria Agnes of Brandenburg11 November 1273Schleswig Cathedralseven children 22 November 1286Finderupaged 36–37 Eric III Menved(Erik Menved)1286–1319 c. 1274eldest son of Eric II and Agnes of Brandenburg Ingeborg of SwedenJune 1296Kärnan Castlefourteen children 13 November 1319Roskildeaged 44–45 Christopher II(Christoffer 2.)25 January1320–26(deposed) 29 September 1276second son of Eric II and Agnes of Brandenburg Euphemia of Pomeraniac. 1300six children 2 August 1332Nykøbing Castleaged 55 Eric (IV)(Erik Christoffersen)1321-26(deposed) c. 1307eldest son of Christopher II and Euphemia of Pomerania Elizabeth of Holstein-Rendsburg1330no issue early 1332aged c. 25 Valdemar II(Valdemar 3.)1326–1329(deposed) c. 1314only son of Eric II, Duke of Schleswig and Adelaide of Holstein Richardis of Schwerintwo sons c. 1364aged 49–50 Canute II Porse(Knud Pedersen Porse)(House of Porse)1329–30 (elected) c.1282Son of Peter Knudsen Porse Ingeborg of Norway21 June 1327three children 30 May 1330Copenhagenaged 47–48 Ingeborg of Norway(Ingibjörg Hákonardóttir)1329–32 (co-ruler) 1301daughter of Haakon V of Norway and Euphemia of Rügen Duke Eric Magnusson1312Oslotwo childrenCanute II Porse21 June 1327three children 17 June 1361aged 59–60 Otto(Otto Christoffersen)1332-38 c. 1310second son of Christopher II and Euphemia of Pomerania unmarried after 1341aged c. 31/32 Valdemar II(Valdemar 3.)1338-40(restored) c. 1314only son of Eric II, Duke of Schleswig and Adelaide of Holstein Richardis of Schwerintwo sons c. 1364aged 49–50 Valdemar III Atterdag(Valdemar Atterdag)21 June1340–46 c. 1320third son of Christopher II and Euphemia of Pomerania Helvig of Schleswigc. 1340Sønderborg Castlesix children 24 October 1375Gurre Castleaged 54–55
In 1346, Northern Estonia is sold to the Livonian Order. This Order was already ruling Southern Estonia since 1237.
Swedish dukes of Estonia The Duchy of Estonia (1561–1721) or Swedish Estonia was part of the Swedish Empire.
House of Vasa
|width=auto|Eric XIV (Erik XIV) 1561– 29 September 1568||||Tre Kronor (castle), 13 December 1533 son of Gustav I and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg||Karin Månsdotter||Died (Poisoned) while imprisoned in Örbyhus Castle, 26 February 1577. Aged 43, buried at Västerås Cathedral |- |width=auto|John III (Johan III) 30 September 1568 – 17 November 1592||||Stegeborg Castle, Östergötland, 20 December 1537 son of Gustav I and Margaret Leijonhufvud||Catherine Jagellonica (1562 – 1583),Gunilla Bielke (1585–1597)||Tre Kronor (castle), 17 November 1592, aged 54, buried at Uppsala Cathedral |- |width=auto|Sigmund (Sigismund) 17 November 1592 – 24 July 1599||||Gripsholm Castle, 20 June 1566, son of John III and Catherine Jagellonica of Poland.||Anna of Austria (1592–1598),Constance of Austria (1605–1631)||Warsaw, Poland, 30 April 1632, aged 65, buried at Wawel Cathedral, Kraków, Poland |- |width=auto|Charles IX (Karl IX) 22 March 1604 – 30 October 1611 also as regent Duke Charles, 1599–1604||||Tre Kronor (castle), 4 October 1550 son of Gustav I and Margaret Leijonhufvud||Maria of Palatinate-Simmern (1579–1589),Christina of Holstein-Gottorp (1592–1611)||Nyköping Castle, 30 October 1611, aged 61, buried at Strängnäs Cathedral |- |width=auto|Gustav II Adolph (Gustav II Adolf) 30 October 1611 – 6 November 1632||||Tre Kronor (castle), 9 December 1594, son of Charles IX and Christina of Holstein-Gottorp.||Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg||6 November 1632, in the Battle of Lützen, Electorate of Saxony, aged 37, buried in Riddarholmen Church |- |width=auto|Christina (Kristina) 6 November 1632 – 6 June 1654||||Stockholm, 8 DecemberNote that the birth date is 8 December in the Julian calendar, which was in effect in Sweden at the time, corresponding to 18 December in the Gregorian calendar. 1626, daughter of Gustavus Adolphus and Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg||Unmarried||Rome, 19 April 1689, aged 62, buried at St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch of the House of Wittelsbach
|Charles X Gustav (Karl X Gustav) 6 June 1654 – 13 February 1660||||Nyköping Castle, 8 November 1622, son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catharina of Sweden (daughter of Charles IX)||Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp||Gothenburg, 13 February 1660, aged 37, buried in Riddarholmen Church |- |Charles XI (Karl XI) 13 February 1660 – 5 April 1697||||Tre Kronor (castle), 24 November 1655 son of Charles X and Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp||Ulrike Eleonora of Denmark||Tre Kronor (castle), 5 April 1697, aged 41, buried in Riddarholmen Church |- |Charles XII (Karl XII) 5 April 1697 – 30 November 1718||||Tre Kronor (castle), 17 June 1682 son of Charles XI and Ulrika Eleonora the Elder||Unmarried||Fredrikshald, Norway, 30 November 1718, aged 36, buried in Riddarholmen Church |- |Ulrica Eleanor (Ulrika Eleonora) 5 December 1718 – 29 February 1720||||Tre Kronor (castle), 23 January 1688 daughter of Charles XI and Ulrika Eleonora the Elder||Frederick I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel||Stockholm, 24 November 1741, aged 53, buried in Riddarholmen Church
House of Hesse
|width=auto|Frederick (Fredrik I av Hessen) 24 March 1720 – 10 September 1721||||Kassel, (in today's Germany), 23 April 1676 son of Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Maria Amalia of Courland||Louise Dorothea of Prussia Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden||Stockholm, 25 March 1751, aged 74, buried in Riddarholmen Church
On 10 September 1721, Sweden ceded Estonia to the Tsardom of Russia, in the Treaty of Nystad.
References