COMPANIONS from Denmark

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Danish Companions of all time. This list of famous Danish Companions is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Danish Companions.

1. Queen Anne-Marie of Greece (b. 1946)

With an HPI of 70.97, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece is the most famous Danish Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 39 different languages on wikipedia.

Anne-Marie (Greek: Άννα-Μαρία, romanized: Ánna-María; born 30 August 1946) is a Danish princess who was Queen of Greece as the consort of King Constantine II from their marriage on 18 September 1964 until the abolition of the Greek monarchy on 1 June 1973. Anne-Marie is the youngest daughter of Frederik IX of Denmark and Ingrid of Sweden. In 1964, she married Constantine and became queen consort of Greece. They had five children: Princess Alexia, Crown Prince Pavlos, Prince Nikolaos, Princess Theodora, and Prince Philippos. As queen, Anne-Marie spent much of her time working for a charitable foundation known as "Her Majesty's Fund", a foundation established by her mother-in-law, Queen Frederica of Greece. In 1967, Anne-Marie and her family were forced into exile upon the rise of a military dictatorship. After fleeing to Rome, they eventually settled in London, when the Greek monarchy was officially abolished. Anne-Marie and her family were stripped of their Greek citizenship and had their property revoked, leading them to sue in the European Court of Human Rights, where they won and were allowed back to Greece. Of the compensation she earned, Anne-Marie set up the "Anne-Marie Foundation", which provided assistance to people in rural areas of Greece. In 2013, she and Constantine moved back to Greece. They moved to Athens in 2022. Constantine died in January the following year.

2. Maria Feodorovna (1847 - 1928)

With an HPI of 69.55, Maria Feodorovna is the 2nd most famous Danish Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 50 different languages.

Maria Feodorovna (Russian: Мария Фёдоровна, romanized: Mariya Fyodorovna; 26 November 1847 – 13 October 1928), known before her marriage as Princess Dagmar of Denmark, was Empress of Russia from 1881 to 1894 as the wife of Emperor Alexander III. She was the fourth child and second daughter of Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. Maria’s eldest son, Nicholas, was the last Emperor of Russia, ruling from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. Maria lived for 10 years after Bolshevik functionaries killed Nicholas and his immediate family in 1918.

3. Anne of Denmark (1574 - 1619)

With an HPI of 63.67, Anne of Denmark is the 3rd most famous Danish Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 48 different languages.

Anne of Denmark (Danish: Anna; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until her death in 1619. The second daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark and Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, Anne married James at age 14. They had three children who survived infancy: Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, who predeceased his parents; Princess Elizabeth, who became Queen of Bohemia; and James's future successor, Charles I. Anne demonstrated an independent streak and a willingness to use factional Scottish politics in her conflicts with James over the custody of Prince Henry and his treatment of her friend Beatrix Ruthven. Anne appears to have loved James at first, but the couple gradually drifted and eventually lived apart, though mutual respect and a degree of affection survived. In England, Anne shifted her energies from factional politics to patronage of the arts and constructed her own magnificent court, hosting one of the richest cultural salons in Europe. After 1612, she had sustained bouts of ill health and gradually withdrew from the centre of court life. Though she was reported to have been a Protestant at the time of her death, she may have converted to Catholicism at some point in her life. Some historians have dismissed Anne as a lightweight queen, frivolous and self-indulgent. However, 18th-century writers including Thomas Birch and William Guthrie considered her a woman of "boundless intrigue". Recent reappraisals acknowledge Anne's assertive independence and, in particular, her dynamic significance as a patron of the arts during the Jacobean age.

4. Sophia Magdalena of Denmark (1746 - 1813)

With an HPI of 61.80, Sophia Magdalena of Denmark is the 4th most famous Danish Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Sophia Magdalena of Denmark (Danish: Sophie Magdalene; Swedish: Sofia Magdalena; 3 July 1746 – 21 August 1813) was Queen of Sweden from 1771 to 1792 as the wife of King Gustav III. Born into the House of Oldenburg, the royal family of Denmark-Norway, Sophia Magdalena was the first daughter of King Frederick V of Denmark and Norway and his first consort, Princess Louise of Great Britain. Already at the age of five, she was betrothed to Gustav, the heir apparent to the throne of Sweden, as part of an attempt to improve the traditionally tense relationship between the two Scandinavian realms. She was subsequently brought up to be the Queen of Sweden, and they married in 1766. In 1771, Sophia's husband ascended to the throne and became King of Sweden, making Sophia Queen of Sweden. Their coronation was on 29 May 1772. The politically arranged marriage was unsuccessful. The desired political consequences for the mutual relations between the two countries did not materialize, and on a personal level the union also proved to be unhappy. Sophia Magdalena was of a quiet and serious nature, and found it difficult to adjust to her husband's pleasure seeking court. She dutifully performed her ceremonial duties but did not care for social life and was most comfortable in quiet surroundings with a few friends. However, she was liked by many in the Caps party, believing she was a symbol of virtue and religion. The relationship between the spouses improved somewhat in the years from 1775 to 1783, but subsequently deteriorated again. After her husband was assassinated in 1792, Sophia Magdalena withdrew from public life, and led a quiet life as dowager queen until her death in 1813.

5. Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scotland (1456 - 1486)

With an HPI of 60.42, Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scotland is the 5th most famous Danish Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Margaret of Denmark (23 June 1456 – 14 July 1486) was Queen of Scotland from 1469 to 1486 by marriage to King James III. She was the daughter of Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and Dorothea of Brandenburg.

6. Anne Sophie Reventlow (1693 - 1743)

With an HPI of 58.98, Anne Sophie Reventlow is the 6th most famous Danish Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Anne Sophie von Reventlow (Danish: Anna Sophie; 16 April 1693 – 7 January 1743) was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1721 to 1730 as the second wife of Frederick IV of Denmark and Norway.

7. Gunnhild, Mother of Kings (910 - 980)

With an HPI of 55.25, Gunnhild, Mother of Kings is the 7th most famous Danish Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Gunnhildr konungamóðir (mother of kings) or Gunnhildr Gormsdóttir, whose name is often Anglicised as Gunnhild (c. 910 – c. 980), is a quasi-historical figure who appears in the Icelandic Sagas, according to which she was the wife of Eric Bloodaxe (King of Norway 930–934, King of Orkney c. 937–954, and King of Jórvík 948–49 and 952–954). She appears prominently in sagas such as Fagrskinna, Egils saga, Njáls saga, and Heimskringla. The sagas relate that Gunnhild lived during a time of great change and upheaval in Norway. Her father-in-law Harald Fairhair had recently united much of Norway under his rule. Shortly after his death, Gunnhild and her husband Eric Bloodaxe were overthrown and exiled. She spent much of the rest of her life in exile in Orkney, Jorvik and Denmark. A number of her many children with Eric became co-rulers of Norway in the late tenth century.

8. Elizabeth of Denmark, Electress of Brandenburg (1485 - 1555)

With an HPI of 54.34, Elizabeth of Denmark, Electress of Brandenburg is the 8th most famous Danish Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Elizabeth of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (24 June 1485 – 10 June 1555) was a Danish princess who became Electress of Brandenburg as the spouse of Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg. She was the daughter of King Hans of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and his spouse, Christina of Saxony.

9. Hedwig of Denmark (1581 - 1641)

With an HPI of 54.23, Hedwig of Denmark is the 9th most famous Danish Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Princess Hedwig of Denmark (5 August 1581 – 26 November 1641) was the youngest daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark and Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, and Electress of Saxony from 1602 to 1611 as the wife of Christian II. The marriage was childless, and her husband was succeeded by his brother John George. After Christian's death in 1611, the Dowager Electress Hedwig held a powerful position in Saxony.

10. Richeza of Denmark (1174 - 1220)

With an HPI of 54.11, Richeza of Denmark is the 10th most famous Danish Companion.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Richeza of Denmark (Swedish: Rikissa Valdemarsdotter; ? –8 May 1220) was Queen of Sweden as the wife of King Eric X, and the mother of King Eric XI.