Haakon VII
Haakon VII, (1872–1957), king of Norway, 1905–57. He was the second son of King Frederick VIII of Denmark and was named Carl. The prince served for a time as a Danish naval officer. In 1896 he married Princess Maud, daughter of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII of Great Britain). When Norway became independent of Sweden in 1905, the people chose Prince Carl to be their king. In 1906 he was crowned Haakon VII. (The name Haakon had been borne by a line of medieval Norwegian kings.)
Haakon was a modest, democratic ruler who respected Norway's constitution and avoided party politics. In 1940 Germany invaded Norway and the royal family fled to England, where Haakon headed a government-in-exile. He returned in 1945. On his death he was succeeded by his son, who became Olaf V.