Which country in Europe has the oldest continous monarchy?
The answer depends upon how you define “continuous.” Are you talking about a monarchy that has not had any interregnums or other suspensions? The first recognized king of all Scotland was Kenneth MacAlpin whose reign began about 840 AD. There was an interregnum and civil war at the end of the 13th Century after the death of Margaret, Maid of Norway, while 43 rival claimants battled for the throne. Scotland was united with England in 1603 when James VI of Scotland assumed the English crown on the death of Elizabeth I. The first King of All the English was Egbert whose reign is dated from 829 AD. From about 400 AD there had been regional kingdoms whose boundaries fluctuated. The monarchy (of both England and Scotland) was interrupted by the 12 years of the “Commonwealth” under the Cromwells. The first king of Denmark was Gorm the Old who reigned from about 900-950 AD – prior to his rule, there were, as in England, a number of smaller kingdoms. Since Denmark has never suspended its monarc
