The Last Time a Monarch Abdicated in Denmark

In two days, Queen Margrethe II will become the second monarch, and first queen, to abdicate the Danish throne. The last (and only other) time an abdication happened in Denmark was back in 1146, when King Eric III stepped down.

Per the Danish Royal House, "The last time a Danish sovereign voluntarily gave up the throne before his death was thus in 1146, when the king Erik the 3rd Lam stepped down – to enter a monastery, in fact."

The Royal House added, "Even though abdication is therefore not Danish constitutional practice, the Act on Succession to the Throne of the Kingdom of Denmark presumes that abdication can take place, as § 6 of the act stipulates that the act’s other provisions – which are based on the death of the sovereign – also apply in case the sovereign relinquishes the throne."

Eric III, also called Erik Lam or Erik III, was born around 1100. He was the grandson of King Eric I of Denmark (also known as Eric the Good), and the nephew of King Eric II (also called Erik Emune, or Erik the Memorable). When his uncle was murdered, he succeeded him on the throne in 1137.

According to Aarhus University's Danish History site, "The first time Erik Lam appears in the sources is in connection with the battle of Fodevig, where he led the cavalry contingent in his uncle Erik Emune's army. Subsequently, Erik Lam was a member of Erik Emune's court and was present when he was killed at Ribe ting in 1137. As Erik was the oldest male member of the royal family, he was subsequently elected king."

In 1144, he married Lutgard of Stade. They had no children, though Erik had a son, Magnus, out of wedlock. Just four years later, he abdicated the throne. Per Aarhus, "In 1146 it seems that Erik was weakened by illness and he abdicated the throne. He became a monk in St. Knud's monastery in Odense, where he died in August 1147. He was also buried here."

Following King Eric III's abdication, Denmark descended into civil war and a war of succession, "the culmination of a very long dispute between different branches of the royal family" according to De Danske Garderforeninger.

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