Arthur I of Florida (Oldenburg Sweden)

Arthur I (Arthur William Patrick Albert) was the first King of the independent state of Florida.

He was born on 1 May 1850 at Buckingham Palace, London, England, a son of Queen Victoria I of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India, and Prince consort Albert.

He was elected King of Florida by the senate of Florida (after Florida having declared itself independent on 22 February 1885) on 23 February 1885, and accepted his new throne, and immediately travelled from England to Florida to be crowned. He was crowned in Tallahassee 1 August 1885, and then he ordered the building of the Royal Palace in Tallahassee, a building that was finished on 13 January 1890. Until then, he lived in a private house in Tallahassee. The congress of Florida elected a son of Queen Victoria as King, thinking that that would give them the protection of the mighty British Empire, as they feared being invaded by neighboring countries.

King Arthur I, the first Floridan monarch of the house of Wettin, died on 16 January 1942 in the Royal Palace, Tallahassee, and was succeeded by his grandson Alastair I.

He married on 13 March 1879 at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England to Princess Louisa Margaret of Prussia (1860-1917), a daughter of Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia (1828-1888) and his wife Princess Mary Anne of Anhalt (1837-1906), having the following issue:

Princess Margaret (1882-1920), through marriage Crown Princess of Sweden (her husband, Gustavus VI Adolphus, became King of Sweden in 1930) and mother of King Oscar I of Florida.

Crown Prince Arthur (1883-1938), father of King Alastair I.

Princess Patricia, Lady Ramsay (1886-1974).