This is a list of the rulers of Greenland:
The Norse Colony of Greenland (982–1261) The Kingdom of Norway (1261–1814) The personal union of Norway and Sweden (1319–1343) The personal union of Norway and Denmark (1380–1385) The personal union of Norway, Sweden and Denmark (1385–1387) The Kalmar Union (1397–1523) The personal union of Norway and Denmark (1523–1814) The Kingdom of Denmark (1814–present) The Home Rule of Greenland (since 1979)
Part of the Kingdom of Norway, from 1261 to 1814
Greenland as an integral part of Norway under the Monarchy of Norway
From the 1260s, the Norse colony on Greenland recognised the King of Norway as their overlord. Norway entered into a personal union with Denmark in 1380 and from 1397 was part of the Kalmar Union. From 1536, after Sweden had broken out of the union, Norway entered into a closer dependency with Denmark in the kingdom of Denmark–Norway, which existed until 1814. From the Middle Ages up until 1814, official Danish documents made clear that Greenland was a part of Norway.
House of Sverre 1261–1263 : Haakon IV Haakonsson 1263–1280 : Magnus VI Haakonsson 1280–1299 : Eric II Magnusson 1299–1319 : Haakon V Magnusson
House of Bjälbo 1319–1343 : Magnus VII Eriksson 1343–1380 : Haakon VI Magnusson 1380–1387 : Olaf IV Haakonsson
House of Estridsen 1387–1412 : Margaret I
House of Griffins 1412–1442 : Eric of Pomerania
House of Palatinate-Neumarkt 1442–1448 : Christopher of Bavaria
House of Bonde 1449–1450 : Charles I
House of Oldenburg 1450–1481 : Christian I 1481–1513 : John I 1513–1523 : Christian II 1523–1533 : Frederick I 1534–1559 : Christian III 1559–1588 : Frederick II 1588–1648 : Christian IV 1648–1670 : Frederick III 1670–1699 : Christian V 1699–1730 : Frederick IV 1730–1746 : Christian VI 1746–1766 : Frederick V 1766–1808 : Christian VII 1808–1814 : Frederick VI
Part of the Kingdom of Denmark, from 1814 to the present
Greenland as a dependency of the Kingdom of Denmark
In 1814, Denmark-Norway found itself on the losing side of the Napoleonic Wars. In gratitude to Sweden for its assistance in defeating Napoleon (and as a consolation for the recent loss of Finland to Russia), mainland Norway and certain Norwegian territories were transferred to Sweden – thus, the personal union of Norway and Denmark ended. The dependencies of Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, however, remained part of the reorganised Kingdom of Denmark. Unlike Iceland, which was recognised as a sovereign monarchy united with Denmark under the same monarch in 1918, Greenland has remained a Danish dependency, currently under the reigning monarch Frederik X of Denmark.
House of Oldenburg 1814–1839 : Frederick VI 1839–1848 : Christian VIII 1848–1863 : Frederick VII
House of Glücksburg 1863–1906 : Christian IX 1906–1912 : Frederik VIII 1912–1947 : Christian X 1947–1972 : Frederik IX 1972–2024 : Margrethe II 2024–Present : Frederik X
See also
List of inspectors of Greenland List of governors of Greenland List of prime ministers of Greenland Norse colonization of the Americas Danish colonization of the Americas Erik the Red's Land History of Greenland Politics of Greenland List of rulers of Iceland
References