Editing List of Danish monarchs (section)

==Pre-Knýtlinga Danish monarchs==
{{see also|List of legendary kings of Denmark|House of Knýtlinga}}
[[Image:Small Sigtrygg stone.jpg|upright=0.9|right|thumb|The [[Sigtrygg Runestones]] of the "[[House of Olaf]]" was raised after king Sigtrygg by his mother. 934 AD.]]
[[Image:Canut I (of Denmark).jpg|upright=0.9|right|thumb|King [[Harthacnut I of Denmark|Cnut I (Harthacnut)]]. 17th century engraving.]]

The exact date of origin of the Kingdom of Denmark is not established, but names of Danish kings begins to emerge in foreign sources from the 8th century and onwards. Danish and Nordic legendary stories, [[chronicle]]s and [[saga]]s often have accounts of Danish kings and dynasties stretching further back in time than the 7th century, but the [[historicity]] of the content and interpretations of these stories are often put to doubt.

*[[Hygelac|Chochilaicus]]—see [[Hugleik]] and [[Hygelac]]—{{circa}} 515 AD, mentioned by [[Gregory of Tours]] (538–594).<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.faqs.org/faqs/nordic-faq/part3_DENMARK/section-2.html|title=Nordic FAQ – 3 of 7 – DENMARKSection – 3.3 History|publisher=Faqs.org|access-date=11 December 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://timerime.com/en/event/1075827/Kong+Chochillaicus/|title=TimeRime.com – Danmarks tilblivelse timeline|publisher=Timerime.com|access-date=11 December 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903121824/http://timerime.com/en/event/1075827/Kong+Chochillaicus/|archive-date=3 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pZ1qy07lmksC&pg=PA65 |title=Fokus 1. Fra Antikken Til Reformationen|year=2008|publisher=Gyldendal Uddannelse |isbn=9788702044942|access-date=11 December 2014}}</ref> Hugleik, according to the written sources, suffered a defeat in 515 during a naval expedition to the Frankish Empire. Hugleik is the first Danish king mentioned in European sources.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://natmus.dk/historisk-viden/danmark/oldtid-indtil-aar-1050/aeldre-jernalder-500-fkr-400-ekr/en-fyrsteslaegt-fra-stevns/de-foerste-daner-konger/|title=De første Daner-konger?|work=Nationalmuseet|access-date=11 December 2014}}</ref>
*[[Ongendus]] (''Angantyr''): {{circa|710}} [[Saint Willibrord]] wrote about when he visited the Danes, at the time ruled by Ongendus.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~medieval/danking.htm|title=Danish Kings before 873|publisher=Rootsweb.ancestry.com|access-date=11 December 2014}}</ref>
*Harald, named as former king in relating 9th-century events, perhaps model for legendary [[Harald Wartooth]]. Related to the Frisian king [[Redbad II]] who in 754 had to flee to "the land of the Danes" where King Harald reigned (''"Daniae Regi Heraldi"'').<ref>[http://www.vikingetidenskonger.dk/wp-content/uploads/Det-frisiske-folk.pdf Karsten Krambs: ''Det frisiske folk'' (2015 – version 1.2) (p. 8)]</ref>
*[[Sigfred]]: 770s–790s
*[[Gudfred]]: 804–810, mentioned as Danish king in the [[Treaty of Heiligen]] 811.<ref name="auto"/> Alternate spellings: Godfred, Göttrick (German), Godric(Anglicized English), Gøtrik (Danish), Gudrød (Danish)
*[[King Hemming|Hemming]]: 810–811/812 The [[Treaty of Heiligen]] was signed in 811 between the Danish King Hemming and [[Charlemagne]].<ref name="auto"/>
*[[Sigfred (Danish king 812)|Sigfred]], nephew of [[Gudfred]], and [[Anulo]] (''Anlaufr''), grandson or nephew of Harald, fought for the throne and both were killed, perhaps model for the legendary [[Sigurd Hring]]: {{circa|812}}
*[[Harald Klak]] and his brothers [[Ragnfrid]] and [[Hemming Halfdansson]]: 812–813 and again from 819/827. From 826 he and his household lived in exile with the Frankish emperor [[Louis the Pious]], he was baptized by the bishop of Mainz in [[Ingelheim]] am Rhein. The last reference of Harald in the written sources are in the [[Annals of Fulda]] which records his execution for treason in 852.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DxTGnS3Gr20C&q=harald+klak+frankish+annals&pg=PA121|title=The A to Z of the Vikings|isbn=9780810868137|access-date=11 December 2014|last1=Holman|first1=Katherine|date=June 2009|publisher=Scarecrow Press }}</ref>
*Sons of Gudfred (Godrik): 814–820s
**[[Horik I]]: (814) 827–854, King of the Danes (at first ruling jointly with his unnamed brothers). The Frankish annals mention Horik on numerous occasions during the next couple of decades.<ref name="auto1"/>
*[[Horik II]]: 854–860s. He is believed to have been the immediate successor of Horik I, but the annals are silent about the name of the Danish king for a few years after the disaster of 854.  In 857, Horik II allowed Rorik to occupy the part of the kingdom between the sea and the [[Eider (river)|Eider]]. Horik II was still alive in 864, when a letter was addressed to him by [[Pope Nicholas I]].<ref name="auto1"/>
*Late 9th century kings
**[[Bagsecg]]: {{circa|860s–871}}
**[[Halfdan Ragnarsson|Halfdan]]: 871–877
**[[Sigfred and Halfdan|Sigfred]]: {{circa|873–891}}. It is generally assumed that he was the immediate successor of Horik II, although that is not certain.  His year of succession is unknown, but it was between 864 (when Horik II was still king) and his first appearance as king in the Frankish annals in 873. Sigifrid was baptized in 882.<ref name="auto1"/>
**[[Godfrid, Duke of Frisia|Gudfred]]: 880s
**[[Helge (Danish king)|Heiligo]] (''Halga''): 890s (?), described by [[Adam of Bremen]] as the immediate predecessor of the House of Olof.
*The "[[House of Olaf]]": late 9th century and early 10th century. This dynasty is described by Adam of Bremen, and members of this claimed dynasty are commemorated by the two [[Sigtrygg Runestones]], which represent contemporary evidence that some of these kings controlled at least part of Denmark.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Skovgaard-Petersen |first=Inge |editor-last=Helle |editor-first=Knut |contribution=The Making of the Danish Kingdom |title=The Cambridge History of Scandinavia: Prehistory to 1520 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2003 |pages=174 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PFBtfXG6fXAC |isbn=0-521-47299-7}}</ref>
**[[Olof the Brash|Olof]], said by Adam to have come from Sweden and defeated Heiligo, taking the crown.
**[[Gyrd and Gnupa]], sons and joint successors of Olof, according to Adam. Gnupa is named by [[Widukind of Corvey]] as leader of the Danes in 934, and appears on the Sigtrygg Runestones.
**[[Sigtrygg Gnupasson|Sigtrygg]], son of Gnupa, memorialized on the Sigtrygg Runestones, presumably dating from shortly after 934.
* [[Eric the Victorious]] of Sweden mentioned by Adam of Bremen and Saxo Grammaticus as ruling Denmark after an invasion by Sweden together with Slavic warriors. Adam of Bremen got the information from Danish king [[Sweyn II]]. The [[Stone of Eric]] also describes an attack on Hedeby from the same period. Since Eric also, according to another source of Adam of Bremen, invaded the Holy Roman Empire. It virtually requires Eric to have been the king of Denmark. Therefore two independent sources describe Eric as the king of Denmark. <ref> Harrison, Dick (2009) Sveriges historia 600-1350. Stockholm: Norstedts, p. 121. </ref><ref>Erik Segersäll  Sture Bolin https://sok.riksarkivet.se/sbl/Mobil/Artikel/15407</ref>

===Semi-legendary kings===
* [[Ragnar Lodbrok]], a legendary king probably in the 9th century, only appears in sagas and late histories, and these accounts are wildly inconsistent. He may be a composite character, a chimera of several historical kings and Vikings.
* [[Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye]] (da: Sigurd Orm-i-øje or Snogeøje). Mentioned by late {{Lang|la|[[Chronicon Roskildense]]}} and [[Ragnarssona þáttr]]. Said to be king of [[Zealand]] and [[Scania]], and son of [[Ragnar Lodbrok]]. He may be inspired by late 9th century King Sigfred (above).
* [[Harthacnut I of Denmark|Harthacnut]] (''Hardeknud''). According to the sagas he is son of Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye, but some historians identify him with Adam's Hardegon, Svein's son, who invaded Denmark from ''Northmannia'' and supplanted the House of Olof. He may have ruled only part of Denmark, as Adam places the commencement of his long reign between 909 and 915, while the House of Olof was still ruling at least part of Denmark as late as 934.  He was father of Gorm the Old.