Olav V of Norway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Olav V
King of Norway
Olav V (1950)
Reign	21 September 1957 – 17 January 1991 (33 years)
Coronation	June 22, 1958[1]
Full name	Olav, né Alexander Edward Christian Frederik
Titles	HM The King of Norway HRH The Crown Prince of Norway HH Prince Alexander of Denmark
Born	July 2, 1903(1903-07-02)
Birthplace	Sandringham Estate, Norfolk, England
Died	January 17, 1991 (aged 87)
Place of death	Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway
Buried	Akershus Fortress, Oslo
Predecessor	Haakon VII
Successor	Harald V
Wife	Princess Märtha of Sweden
Issue	Princess Ragnhild Princess Astrid Harald V
Royal House	House of Oldenburg (Glücksburg branch)
Royal anthem	Kongesangen
Father	Haakon VII
Mother	Maud of Wales

Olav V (July 2, 1903 – January 17, 1991) was the King of Norway from 1957 until his death. Olav was born in the United Kingdom as the son of Prince Carl of Denmark and Princess Maud of the United Kingdom and given the names Alexander Edward Christian Frederik. He became Crown Prince and only heir to the throne of Norway when his father was elected King in 1905. He was the first heir to the throne of Norway to be brought up in Norway since King Olav IV of Norway and his parents made sure he was given as Norwegian an upbringing as possible. In preparation for his royal duties he attended both civilian and military schools. In 1929, he married Princess Märtha of Sweden. During World War II his leadership was much appreciated and he was appointed Norwegian Chief of Defence in 1944. Succeeding to the Throne in 1957 he enjoyed a very high level of popularity and respect throughout his reign in which he was able to balance regality and approachability. Upon his death in 1991 the Norwegian public displayed a great demonstration of mourning. At his death, his was the last surviving grandchild of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.

Contents 1 Birth and early life 2 World War II 3 Reign 4 Honours 4.1 Orders and medals 4.2 Other honours and olympic record 5 Ancestors 6 Titles from birth to death 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Birth and early life

Born in Norfolk, United Kingdom to Prince Carl of Denmark and Princess Maud, (daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom), he was given the names and title of Alexander Edward Christian Frederik, Prince of Denmark. He was given the name Olav when his father became King Haakon VII of Norway in 1905.

Olav was the first heir to the throne since medieval times to grow up in Norway. He graduated from the Norwegian Military Academy in 1924, and went on to study jurisprudence and economics at Balliol College, Oxford.

He was an accomplished athlete. Olav jumped from the Holmenkollen ski jump in Oslo, and also competed in sailing regattas. He won a gold medal in sailing at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and remained an active sailor into old age.

On March 21, 1929, he married his first cousin Princess Märtha of Sweden with whom he had one son, Harald, and two daughters, Ragnhild and Astrid. As exiles during World War II, Crown Princess Märtha and the royal children lived in Washington, D.C., where she struck up a close friendship with Franklin D. Roosevelt. She died in 1954, before her husband ascended the throne.

[edit] World War II

As crown prince he had received extensive military training and had participated in most major Norwegian military exercises. Because of this he was perhaps one of the most routined Norwegian military leaders. He was respected by other allied leaders for his knowledge and leadership skills. During his visit to the United States before the war he and his wife had founded a close relationship with President Roosevelt. These factors would prove to be important for the Norwegian fight against the attacking German forces.

During World War II Olav stood by his father's side in resisting the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. During the campaign he was a valuable advisor both to civilian and military leaders. When the government decided to go into exile he offered to stay behind with the Norwegian people, but this was declined. He followed his father to the United Kingdom where he continued to be a key advisor to the government in exile and his father.

During the war he made numerous trips to Norwegian and Allied troops both in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. He was appointed to the post of Norwegian Chief of Defence in 1944 and led the Norwegian disarmament of German occupying forces after the war. His war decorations from different nations such as the War Crosses of Norway, France, Greece and the Netherlands, the US Legion of Merit and the French Médaille Militaire are testament to the international recognition his contribution to the war against Hitler received.

[edit] Reign

Succeeding to the Norwegian Throne in 1957 (upon the death of Haakon VII), Olav reigned as a "People's King", and became extremely popular. He liked to drive his own cars and would drive in the regular highway lanes though he was allowed to drive in the public transportation lane. During the 1973 energy crisis Norway banned car-driving on certain weekends, but the King, not wishing to miss an opportunity to go skiing outside Oslo, took the tram. When he tried to pay for his tickets, the conductor told him that people further back had already paid for him.^[2] A journalist once asked him if he was afraid to walk around unprotected, he answered, "Why should I be afraid? I have 4 million bodyguards!"—referring to the Norwegian people.^{[citation needed]}

For his athletic ability and role as King, King Olav V earned the Holmenkollen medal in 1968. He had a strong interest in military matters and took his role as titular Commander-in-Chief very seriously. As well as his ceremonial roles in the Norwegian Army, he also served as Colonel-in-Chief of the Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Yorkshire Regiment).

The King represented Norway extensively abroad during his reign conducting state visits to both neighbouring countries and more distant destinations such as Ethiopia.

During the summer of 1990, the King suffered from health problems, but recovered somewhat during Christmas the same year. An interview given by King Harald V, and hints in a biography by the retired politician Jo Benkow, mentions the possibility that King Olav suffered a great trauma during the outbreak of the first Gulf War January 17, 1991. He collapsed during the day and died in the evening. His son claimed that Olav relived the events of the Second World War, which he himself had experienced (the Nazi occupation of Norway), and really believed that the transmitted messages from the new war foreboded World War III. This, he could not bear.

The night after he died (at the Royal Lodge Kongsseteren). For several days up until the state funeral, Norway saw a great demonstration of mourning as Norwegians lit hundreds of thousands of candles in the courtyard outside the Royal Castle in Oslo, with letters and cards placed amongst them. The National Archives have preserved all these cards.

Olav's son Harald V succeeded him as King.

[edit] Honours

[edit] Orders and medals

•  Norway War Cross with sword
•  Norway Medal for Outstanding Civic Achievement in gold
•  Norway Grand Cross with Collar of the Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav (later Grand Master)
•  Norway Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (Grand Master)
•  Norway St Olav's medal
•  Norway Coronation Medal of 1906
•  Norway War Medal
•  Norway Haakon VII's 70th Anniversary Medal
•  Norway Haakon VII's Jubilee Medal 1905 – 1955
•  Argentina Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of San Martin
•  Austria Grand Cross of the Decoration of Honour for Merit
•  Belgium Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold
•  Brazil Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Rose
•  Chile Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of La Merito
•  Denmark Knight of the Elephant
•  Denmark Grand Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog
•  Denmark King Christian X's Freedom Medal
•  Denmark Commemorative medal for King Christian IX's 100th birthday
•  Denmark Commemorative medal for King Frederik VIII's 100th birthday
•  Ethiopia Grand Cross of the Order of Solomon
•  Finland Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose
•  France Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur
•  France Croix de guerre
•  France Médaille Militaire
•  Germany Grand Cross 1. class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
•  Great Britain Knight of the Garter
•  Great Britain Knight of the Thistle
•  Great Britain Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
•  Great Britain Royal Victorian Chain (Commonwealth Realms)
•  Great Britain Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (Commonwealth Realms)
•  Great Britain King George V Silver Jubilee Medal
•  Great Britain King George VI Coronation Medal
•  Great Britain Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
•  Greece Grand Cross of the Order of the Saviour
•  Greece Grand Cross of the Order of St. George og St. Constantine
•  Greece War Cross 1940
•  Iran Grand Cross of the Order of the Tadj
•  Iceland Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon
•  Japan Grand Cross of the Order of the Chrysanthemum
•  Luxembourg Grand Cross of the Order of the Gold Lion
•  Mexico Grand Cross of the Order of the Aztec Eagle
•  Netherlands Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion
•  Netherlands Grand Cross of the House Order of Orange
•  Netherlands War Cross
•  Netherlands Medaille d'Installation Solennelle 1948
•  Peru Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun
•  Portugal Grand Cross of the Order of St. Bento d'Aviz
•  Romania 1st class of the Order of the Star
•  Saxony Grand Cross of the Ernestine Order (Saxony, Germany)
•  Spain Collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece
•  Spain Grand Cross Collar of the Order of Charles III
•  Sweden Knight of the Seraphim
•  Sweden King Gustaf V's 70th Anniversary Medal
•  Sweden King Gustaf V's 90th Anniversary Medal
•  Thailand Grand Cross of the Most Illustrious Order of the Royal House of Chakri
•  Tunisia Grand Cross of the Order of Independence
•  USA Legion of Merit
•  Yugoslavia Grand Cross of the Order of the Great Star^[3]

[edit] Other honours and olympic record

Medal record
Olympic Games
Sailing
Gold	1928 Amsterdam	Sailing 6 m mixed

•  Norway A 180 000 km² area (Prince Olav Coast) and the Prince Olav Mountains in Antarctica are named in his honour.
•  Norway In 1961 the King was a laureate of the Nansen Refugee Award.
•  Norway In 1968 he was awarded the Holmenkollen medal.
•  Norway In 2005, Olav was proclaimed the Norwegian of the century, with 41 percent of the tele-votes in a popular competition held by NRK.
•  Great Britain Honourary Freeman of Richmond
•  South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Prince Olav Harbour on South Georgia is also named in his honour.

[edit] Ancestors

Norwegian Royalty
House of Oldenburg (Glücksburg branch)

Haakon VII Children    Crown Prince Olav Olav V Children    Crown Prince Harald    Princess Ragnhild    Princess Astrid Harald V Children    Princess Märtha Louise    Crown Prince Haakon Grandchildren    Princess Ingrid Alexandra    Prince Sverre Magnus

8. Christian IX of Denmark

4. Frederick VIII of Denmark

9. Louise of Hesse-Kassel

2. Haakon VII of Norway

10. Charles XV of Sweden

5. Lovisa of Sweden

11. Louise of the Netherlands

1. Olav V of Norway

12. Albert, Prince Consort

6. Edward VII of the United Kingdom

13. Victoria of the United Kingdom

3. Maud of Wales

14. Christian IX of Denmark ( = 8 )

7. Alexandra of Denmark

15. Louise of Hesse-Kassel ( = 9 )

[edit] Titles from birth to death

Here is a list of the styles King Olav bore from birth to death, in chronological order:

• His Highness Prince Alexander of Denmark
• His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Norway
• His Majesty The King of Norway

Styles of King Olav V of Norway
Reference style	His Majesty
Spoken style	Your Majesty
Alternative style	Sir

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Website of the Norwegian Royal Family
• King Olav - biography (Official Website of the Norwegian Royal Family)
• The Royals – Regularly updated news coverage of the Norwegian royal family (Aftenposten)
• The Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav - H.M. King Olav V the former Grand Master of the Order
• Holmenkollen medalists - click Holmenkollmedaljen for downloadable pdf file (Norwegian)

Olav V House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg Cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg Born: July 2, 1903 Died: January 17, 1991
Political offices
Preceded by Wilhelm von Tangen Hansteen	Chief of Defence of Norway 1944-1945	Succeeded by Otto Ruge
Regnal titles
Preceded by Haakon VII	King of Norway 1957-1991	Succeeded by Harald V
Sporting positions
Preceded by Toini Gustafsson & Ole Ellefsæter	Holmenkollen medal 1968 with Assar Rönnlund Gjermund Eggen Bjørn Wirkola	Succeeded by Odd Martinsen

v • d • e Monarchs of Norway Fairhair dynasty (except *) Harald Fairhair · Eric Bloodaxe · Haakon the Good · Harald Greycloak · Haakon Sigurdsson* · Olaf Tryggvason · Eiríkr Hákonarson (R)* & Sveinn Hákonarson (R)* & Hákon Eiríksson (R)* · Sweyn Forkbeard*†§ · Olaf the Saint · Hákon Eiríksson (R)* · Canute the Great*†§ · Sveinn Álfífuson · Magnus the Good† · Harald Hardrada · Magnus Haraldsson · Olaf Kyrre · Haakon Magnusson & Magnus Barefoot · Olaf Magnusson · Eystein Magnusson · Sigurd the Crusader · Magnus the Blind · Harald Gille · Sigurd Munn · Eystein Haraldsson · Inge Haraldsson · Haakon Herdebrei · Magnus Erlingsson · Sverre Sigurdsson · Haakon Sverresson · Guttorm Sigurdsson · Inge Bårdsson · Haakon Haakonsson · Magnus the Law-mender · Eric Magnusson · Haakon V Magnusson House of Bjelbo Magnus Ericsson‡ · Haakon VI Magnusson‡ · Olaf IV Haakonsson† The Kalmar union Margaret†‡ · Eric of Pomerania†‡ · Christopher of Bavaria†‡ · Charles I‡ House of Oldenburg (Union with Denmark) Christian I† · Hans† · Christian II† · Frederick I† · Christian III† · Frederick II† · Christian IV† · Frederick III† · Christian V† · Frederick IV† · Christian VI† · Frederick V† · Christian VII† · Frederick VI† Independence of 1814 Christian Frederick† House of Bernadotte (Union with Sweden) Charles II (not Bernadotte)‡ · Charles III John‡ · Oscar I‡ · Charles IV‡ · Oscar II‡ House of Schleswig-Holstein- Sonderburg-Glücksburg Haakon VII · Olav V · Harald V (R) Regent · † also Monarch of Denmark · ‡ also Monarch of Sweden · § also Monarch of England