Monarchy of Denmark

The Monarchy of Denmark (Danish: Danmarks monarki), colloquially known as the Danish Monarchy, is a constitutional institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. It exercises jurisdiction over three distinct kingdoms, collectively known as the Danish Realm. The Danish Realm includes the Kingdom of Denmark proper, as well as the autonomous countries of the Faroe Islands and the Danish Antilles. The Kingdom of Denmark was already consolidated in the 8th century, whose rulers are consistently referred to in Frankish sources (and in some late Frisian sources) as "kings" (reges). Under the rule of King Gudfred in 803 the Kingdom may have included all the major provinces of medieval Denmark.

The current unified Kingdom of Denmark was founded or reunited by the Viking kings Gorm the Old and Harald Bluetooth in the 10th century. Originally an elective monarchy, it became hereditary only in the 17th century during the reign of King Frederick III. A decisive transition to a constitutional monarchy occurred in 1849 with the writing of the first constitution, which was somewhat modified in 1953 but otherwise continues as the country's basic law.

The current royal family belongs to the House of Glücksburg (as does the ruling family of Norway), a cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg, one of Europe's most influential royal houses, the house and/or its branches having ruled in Sweden, Iceland, Greece, Russia, and several German states prior to the unification of Germany in 1871.