A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states are governed by the same monarch while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct. It should not be confused with a federation which is internationally considered a single state. Nor is it to be confused with dynastic union, where the union can be under a dynasty. Personal unions can arise for very different reasons, ranging from near coincidence (a princess who is already married to a king becomes queen regnant, and their child inherits the crown of both countries) to virtual annexation (where a personal union sometimes was seen as a means of preventing uprisings). They can also be codified (i.e., the constitutions of the states clearly express that they shall share the same person as head of state) or non-codified, in which case they can easily be broken (e.g., by the death of the monarch when the two states have different succession laws). Because presidents of republics are ordinarily chosen from within the citizens of the state in question, personal unions are almost entirely a phenomenon of monarchies, and sometimes the term dual monarchy is used to signify a personal union between two monarchies. There is a somewhat grey area between personal unions and federations, and the first has regularly grown into the second. The following provides some detail of personal unions through history. With the exception of the constitutional monarchies of the British Commonwealth, such as Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, there are no longer any personal unions in today's world. The term personal union is also used to describe the bureaucratic device used in Nazi Germany to combine high level state positions with equivalent positions in the National Socialist Party. The same bureaucratic device is also used by other governments, such as in the People's Republic of China. It is similar to the persona designata scheme by which judicial officers can be appointed to non-judicial or quasi-judicial functions under common law systems. Andorra Aragon, Crown of In 1162 Alfonso II of Aragon was the first person to bear the titles of King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona, ruling what was called later Crown of Aragon. James I of Aragon later created and added the Kingdom of Majorca and the Kingdom of Valencia to the Crown. Later, Charles of Ghent - Charles I of Spain, Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire - would join Aragon and Castile in a personal union that would become Spain. Bohemia - Personal union with Poland 1003 - 1004 (Bohemia occupied by Poles)
- Personal union with Luxembourg 1313 - 1378 and 1383 - 1388
- Personal union with Hungary 1419-1439 (Sigismund of Luxemburg and his son in law) and 1490 - 1526 (Jagellon dynasty)
- Personal union with Austria and Hungary 1526 - 1918 (except years 1619 - 1620)
Brandenburg Brazil Commonwealth realms The conception of a personal union was suggested to keep the Irish Free State as a Commonwealth Realm. The phrase personal union appears in some discussion about the early Commonwealth of Nations , though its application to Commonwealth was refuted by others. They fit the classical definition, but whether they are in personal union is doubted because of a) the functional unimportance of the monarch in today's Commonwealth governments, and b) the term being seen as an anachronism. Also it could be questioned whether a shared monarchy falls under the definition of a personal union, as the Crowns of the countries involved aren't entirely separate. Congo Free State Croatia (disputed)However this theory is disputed. According to another theory, Croatia was subjugated and incorporated into Hungary, since medieval sources state it and the alleged document of the personal union, the so-called Pacta Conventa is most likely a forgery from centuries later. Denmark - Cnut the Great ruled both Denmark and England from 1016 to 1035. He also ruled Norway 1028 to 1035.
- Personal union with Norway from 1380 to 1814 (the Norwegian Riksråd was abolished in 1536).
- Personal union with Iceland from 1918 to 1944 when Iceland became a republic.
England - Cnut the Great ruled both England and Denmark from 1016 to 1035. He also ruled Norway from 1028 to 1035.
- Personal union with Ireland from 1541 (when Ireland was raised to the level of a kingdom) to 1707.
Finland France - Personal union with the Kingdom of Navarre from 1589 to 1620, when Navarre was formally integrated into France.
- Partial personal union with Andorra since 1607 (the French president is one of the heads of state in Andorra)
Note: The point at issue in the War of the Spanish Succession was the fear that the succession to the Spanish throne dictated by Spanish law, which would devolve on Louis, le Grand Dauphin — already heir to the throne of France — would create a personal union that would upset the European balance of power (France had the most powerful military in Europe at the time, and Spain the largest empire). Great Britain - Personal union with Hanover from the accession of George I in 1714 to union in 1801, when Great Britain became the United Kingdom (and thereafter until 1837).
Hanover Holy Roman Empire - Personal union with Hungary from 1526 to 1806.
Hungary - Personal union with Poland from 1370 to 1382 under the reign of Louis the Great. This period in Polish history is sometimes known as the Andegawen Poland. Louis inherited the Polish throne from his maternal uncle Casimir III. After Louis' death the Polish nobles (the szlachta) decided to end the personal union, since they didn't want to be governed from Hungary, and chose Louis' younger daughter Jadwiga as their new ruler, while Hungary was inherited by his elder daughter Mary. Personal union with Poland for the second time from 1440 to 1444.
- Personal union with Bohemia from 1419 to 1439 and from 1490 to 1918.
- Personal union with the Holy Roman Empire from 1410 to 1439 and from 1526 to 1806 (except 1608-1612).
Iceland - Personal union with Denmark from 1918 to 1944 when the country became a republic.
Ireland - Personal union with England from 1541 (when the Irish Parliament proclaimed King Henry VIII of England King of Ireland) to 1707 (upon the formation of Great Britain).
- Personal union with the Netherlands from 1689 to 1702, with the King of Ireland, Scotland and England also serving as Stadtholder of most of the provinces of the Netherlands. The actual situation was slightly more complex with the Dutch provinces Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland and Overijssel entering into personal union in 1689 and Drenthe in 1696. Only two Dutch provinces never entered into the personal union: Friesland and Groningen.
- Personal union with Hanover from 1714 to 1837 on the accession of Queen Victoria.
Lithuania Luxembourg - Personal union with Bohemia, 1313 - 1378 and 1383 - 1388.
Navarre- Personal union with France from 1589 to 1620 due to the accession of Henry IV, after which Navarre was formally integrated into France.
The Netherlands Norway - Cnut the Great ruled both England and Denmark from 1016 to 1035. He also ruled Norway from 1028 to 1035.
- Personal union with Sweden from 1319 to 1343.
Poland - Eastern part: Personal union with Russia from 1814 to 1832, known as Congress Poland; following the suppression of an army revolt, the territory was annexed outright by Russia.
Poland-Lithuania - Personal union with Sweden from 1592 to 1599
- Personal union with Saxony from 1697 to 1705, 1709 to 1733 and 1733 to 1763
Portugal Romania Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach The duchies of Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach were in personal union from 1741, when the ruling house of Saxe-Eisenach died out, until 1809, when they were merged into the single duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Schleswig and Holstein Duchies with peculiar rules for succession.- The kings of Denmark at the same time being dukes of Schleswig and Holstein 1460-1864. (Holstein being part of the Holy Roman Empire, while Schleswig was a part of Denmark). The situation was complicated by the fact that for some time, the Duchies were divided among collateral branches of the House of Oldenburg (the ruling House in Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein). Besides the "main" Duchy of Schlewig-Holstein-Glückstadt, ruled by the Kings of Denmark, there were states encompassing territory in both Duchies. Notably the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp and the subordinate Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Beck, Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg and Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.
Scotland - Personal union with France from 1559 to 1560
- Personal union with the Netherlands from 1689 to 1702, with the King of Scotland, England and Ireland also serving as Stadtholder of most of the provinces of the Netherlands. The actual situation was slightly more complex with the Dutch provinces Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland and Overijssel entering into personal union in 1689 and Drenthe in 1696. Only 2 Dutch provinces never entered into the personal union: Friesland and Groningen.
Spain - Personal union of the crowns that would later form Spain (Crown of Castile and Crown of Aragon) with the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 to 1556 under Charles I (Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor). Castile and Aragon remained united from 1556–1707, after which they were formally unified as Spain.
Sweden - Personal union with Norway from 1319 to 1343
United Kingdom - Personal union with Hanover from 1801 to 1837, when differing succession laws resulted in Queen Victoria ascending the British throne and her uncle Ernest Augustus that of Hanover.
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