European
Germany The
German Empire was a federation of myriad smaller monarchies, all of which are now abolished under modern republican Germany. As a result, there are a large number of claimants to various German thrones. Since the dissolution of the empire, however, a number of former royal households have become extinct in the male line, and are therefore not represented in the list below.
Mecklenburg-
Schwerin went extinct in 2001,
Saxe-Altenburg in 1991, and
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen in 1971.
Italy Up until the 19th century, the Italian peninsula comprised a number of states, some of which were monarchies. During the
Italian unification, the monarchs of such agglomerated states lost their sovereignty and their titles became purely ceremonial. The resultant throne of the Kingdom of Italy was held by the former king of
Sardinia.
Others Croatia
Upon independence in 1941, a puppet monarchy of
Italy was instituted in
Croatia, with
Prince Aimone of the
House of Savoy appointed
king. Aimone accepted the nomination in May 1941, adopting the regnal name "Tomislav II". In July 1943, however, he was forced to abdicate his throne on the orders of the Italian king
Vittorio Emanuele III, before ever having been crowned. Aimone formally renounced all claims in October 1943. Since his death on 29 January 1948, his eldest son
Amedeo may be argued to be the heir to that throne,
[135] although he does not advance the claim.
[126] If reigning, he would be known as "Zvonimir II".
[135] However, the
Habsburg claim is normally considered the primary one in regard to Croatia (see under "Austria-Hungary",
above).
Finland In 1918, following Finland's independence from Russia, the
national parliament made an attempt to establish a
monarchy under the reign of a
German king.
Prince Friedrich Karl, of the
House of Hesse, was elected as
King of Finland in October 1918. He renounced this throne two months later, without ever having taken up the position, and Finland subsequently adopted a republican constitution. For this reason, there is a dispute as to whether the House of Hesse may lay claim to this title, as many maintain that since the king-elect was never installed, the title was never officially bestowed, and thus no claim has any legal basis. The order of succession to the throne was never established, but following the desire to the keep the throne separate from the senior line of the family, the current heir (since 18 November 1999) would be
Phillipp, the great grandson of Friedrich Karl.
[136]
Ireland
The
Chiefs of the Name are the hereditary chieftains of the
Irish clans, who are directly descended from the
Gaelic royal families which ruled in parts of Ireland until the beginning of the seventeenth century. Most prominent among these are:
[137]
Lithuania Following the country's independence from Russia in 1918, the
Council of Lithuania voted to establish a
monarchy, and invited
Prince Wilhelm, the
Duke of Urach,
[eu 33] to take the throne as
king. Wilhelm accepted the nomination in July 1918, and adopted the regnal name "Mindaugas II". During the subsequent
German Revolution, however, the Council withdrew its decision in November 1918, and Wilhelm was never crowned. His grandson,
Wilhelm Albert is the current head of the family since 9 February 1991. In 2009, the Duke of Urach's brother Prince Ingio of Urach visited Lithuania and announced that if offered the throne he would be ready to assume it.
[145]
