Category Archives: Danish Royals

Louise Rasmussen, Countess Danner

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Louise Rasmussen, Countess Danner; Credit – Wikipedia

Louise Rasmussen, Countess Danner was the morganatic third wife of King Frederik VII of Denmark. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark on April 21, 1815, Louise Christine Rasmussen was born out of wedlock to a maid, Juliane Caroline Rasmussen, who raised her, and a merchant Gotthilf L. Køppen.

In 1826, Louise was admitted to the Royal Theater Ballet School which trained dancers for the Royal Danish Ballet. She received a contract with the Royal Danish Ballet in 1830 and became a member of the corps de ballet.

In 1841, Louise had a son, Carl Christian Berling, born out of wedlock, with Carl Berling, the heir of Berlingske Tidende, now known as just Berlingske, the oldest Danish newspaper still published and among the oldest newspapers in the world. Louise retired from the ballet and with Berling’s help, opened a women’s hat shop.

Louise Rasmussen; Credit – Wikipedia

Through Berling, Louise became acquainted with the son of King Christian VIII, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, who had already divorced two wives. Louise and Frederik had a relationship during the 1840s. In 1848, Frederik’s father died and he succeeded to the Danish throne as King Frederik VII. Upon becoming king, Frederik wished to marry Louise but the government was not in favor of the marriage. In 1849, King Frederik VII signed a new constitution, changing the monarchy from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. The signing of the new constitution made Frederik so popular that the government permitted him to marry Louise Rasmussen.

On August 8, 1850, by royal decree, Louise Rasmussen was given the title Countess Danner and was married to King Frederik VII at the Frederiksborg Palace Chapel. However, the marriage was a morganatic one – neither Louise nor any children would have royal titles and the children would not be in the line of succession to the Danish throne. The marriage appears to have been happy but had much opposition and Louise was treated poorly in social circles. Frederik and Louise did not have any children.

Louise and Frederik, early 1860s; Credit – Wikipedia

On Louise’s birthday in 1854, Frederik bought a country manor, Jægerspris Palace, to spend their private life away from Copenhagen and the disdain of the aristocracy for their marriage. After Frederik died in 1863, Louise inherited Jægerspris Palace. In 1867, she had a wing of Jægerspris Palace converted into an orphanage.

Jægerspris Palace; Credit – Af Acrr – Eget arbejde, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5168738

In October 1873, six months before her death, Louise founded the King Frederik VII Foundation, still in existence. After her death, Louise intended for the foundation to convert Jægerspris Palace into a home for “destitute and abandoned girls, especially of the peasantry”.  Today the King Frederik VII Foundation works on behalf of poor, young working-class women and has offices at Jægerspris Palace. Visitors to Jægerspris Palace can see the rooms where Louise and Frederik lived and view many of their collections but part of Jægerspris Palace remains a children’s home.

Louise died in Genoa, Italy on March 6, 1874, at the age of 58. While King Frederik VII was buried at Roskilde Cathedral, the traditional burial place of the Danish Royal Family, Louise was not allowed a resting place near her husband. She was buried in a burial mound in the castle garden of Jægerspris Castle which is perhaps fitting as it is the place where she put her wealth to work for others.

Louise’s burial mound at Jægerspris Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

Louise’s tomb inside the burial mound; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Grevinde Danner. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grevinde_Danner [Accessed 20 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Jægerspris Castle. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%A6gerspris_Castle [Accessed 20 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Louise Rasmussen. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Rasmussen [Accessed 20 Sep. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2018). King Frederik VII of Denmark. [online]. Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-frederik-vii-of-denmark/ [Accessed 19 Sep. 2018].

Caroline Mariane of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Crown Princess of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Caroline Mariane of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Crown Princess of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Mariane was the second wife of the future King Frederik VII of Denmark. Born in Neustrelitz in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, on January 10, 1821, she was the second of the two daughters and the third of the four children of Georg, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Marie of Hesse-Kassel.

Caroline Mariane had three siblings:

In 1839, King Christian VIII of Denmark succeeded to the Danish throne. His son Frederik, who had divorced his first wife, was now Crown Prince and needed to marry again. He heard about Caroline Mariane who had been taught Danish by a Danish poet and thought she might make a good wife. 33-year-old Frederik and 20-year-old Caroline Mariane were married in Neustrelitz in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz on June 10, 1841. On June 21, they arrived in Denmark and made a festive entrance in Copenhagen.

The marriage was childless and unhappy. Frederik’s bad temperament, excessive drinking, and shameless womanizing put a great strain on Caroline Mariane. She was young, inexperienced, shy, and nervous, and no match for Frederik’s boisterous personality. In 1844, Caroline Mariane visited her parents and refused to return to Denmark. The couple divorced on September 30, 1846. The divorce documents stated: “The divorce was due to the inherited morbidity and broken health of the Princess.” The truth was that Caroline Mariane had been completely run down by her husband’s wild and unbearable life and that Frederik was pleased to reconnect with his mistress Louise Rasmussen who became his morganatic third wife in 1850.

Carolinepalais in Neustrelitz; Credit – Von Concord – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31904684

Caroline Mariane lived quietly in Neustrelitz where her parents built the Carolinenpalais for her in 1850. She retained her Danish titles after her divorce and never remarried. Nor did Caroline Mariane ever speak about her former husband except when she described him to Danish visitors as “He was much too bizarre!” In 1860, Caroline Mariane donated funds for the construction of the Carolinenstift, a hospital in Neustrelitz.

Caroline Mariane died in Neustrelitz on June 1, 1876, at the age of 55. She was buried at the traditional burial site of the Grand Ducal Family of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the Johanniterkirche (Church of St. John) (in German) in Mirow, now in Germany.

The Johanniterkirche in Mirow; Credit – Thomas Kohler – originally posted to Flickr as Kirche Mirow, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12084832

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Mariane af Mecklenburg-Strelitz. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariane_af_Mecklenburg-Strelitz [Accessed 20 Sep. 2018].
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Caroline zu Mecklenburg. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_zu_Mecklenburg [Accessed 20 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Duchess Caroline Mariane of Mecklenburg. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchess_Caroline_Mariane_of_Mecklenburg [Accessed 20 Sep. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2018). King Frederik VII of Denmark. [online]. Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-frederik-vii-of-denmark/ [Accessed 19 Sep. 2018].

Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark, Princess Frederik of Denmark, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark was the first wife of the future King Frederik VII of Denmark, the wife of Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, and the younger of the two surviving daughters of King Frederik VI of Denmark and his wife Marie of Hesse-Kassel. She was born on January 18, 1808, in Kiel Castle in Kiel, Duchy of Holstein, now in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Vilhelmine Marie had seven siblings but unfortunately, six of them died in infancy:

  • Christian (born and died September 1791), died in infancy
  • Marie Louise (1792 – 1793), died in infancy
  • Caroline (1793 – 1881), married her father’s first cousin Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Denmark, no children
  • Louise (August 1795 – December 1795), died in infancy
  • Christian (born and died September 1797), died in infancy
  • Juliana Louise (born and died February 1802), died in infancy
  • Frederikke Marie (June 1805 – July 1805), died in infancy

King Frederik VI and Queen Marie with their daughters Vilhelmine Maria and Caroline by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, 1821; Credit – Wikipedia

Vilhelmine Marie had several prospects for marriage including the future King Oscar I of Sweden of the new Bernadotte dynasty but an internal Danish marriage was arranged for her to Prince Frederik of Denmark (the future King Frederik VII), the only surviving child of King Christian VIII and his first wife Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Vilhelmine Marie and Frederik were half-second cousins, both descended from King Frederik V of Denmark. Vilhelmine Marie was a great-grandchild of King Frederik V of Denmark and his first queen Louisa of Great Britain. Frederik was a great-grandchild of King Frederik V and his second queen Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

The future King Frederik VII, Vilhelmine Marie’s first husband; Credit – Wikipedia

This marriage arrangement was mainly due to the desirability of a union of the two branches of the Danish royal family whose relationship was strained. Frederik and Vilhelmine Marie’s wishes and needs were not considered at all. Vilhelmine Marie and Frederick were engaged on May 28, 1826. The wedding was postponed for two years while Frederik was sent on an educational trip to Switzerland, France, and Italy. Frederik and Vilhelmine Marie were married on November 1, 1828, at the Christiansborg Castle Church in Copenhagen, Denmark. The wedding was very popular with the Danish people who participated in the many wedding festivities.

However, the marriage was childless and unhappy. Not only was Frederik a heavy drinker, but he was also unfaithful. Vilhelmine Marie, who had a kind-hearted and mild personality, was unable to have any influence on her husband who frequently hurt her feelings. Even Vilhelmine Marie’s parents, the reigning King Frederik VI and his wife Queen Marie, felt sorry for their daughter. The couple separated in 1834 and divorced in 1837.

Vilhelmine Marie’s second husband, Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg; Credit – Wikipedia

One year later, on May 19, 1838, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Vilhelmine Marie married her first cousin Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, the eldest son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and Princess Louise Caroline of Hesse-Kassel. Karl was also the elder brother of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, the future King Christian IX of Denmark who would succeed King Frederik VII, Vilhelmine Marie’s thrice-married but childless first husband. The marriage was a happy one but Vilhelmine and Karl had no children. It is believed that Vilhelmine Marie was unable to have children as there are no records of any miscarriages or stillbirths.

During the First Schleswig War (1848–1851), which Denmark won, Karl served as commander of a Schleswig-Holstein brigade fighting against Denmark. This caused Vilhelmine Marie’s relations with her Danish family to be cut off for some time. In 1852, Vilhelmine Marie reconciled with her Danish relatives. From then on, Vilhelmine Marie and her husband Karl lived mainly in Kiel Castle and Louisenlund Castle in Schleswig-Holstein

In 1864, after the Second Schleswig War, which Denmark lost, Karl’s duchy was annexed by Prussia and Karl lost his ducal title. Vilhelmine Marie and Karl were able to live at Karl’s family ancestral home Schloss Glücksburg which Wilhelm I, German Emperor allowed the former ducal family to keep. On October 24, 1878, Karl died at Schloss Glücksburg.

Vilhelmine Marie’s charitable work made her popular in Glücksburg. She was sad about Denmark’s loss of the Schleswig-Holstein duchies but the new Danish dynasty founded by her brother-in-law King Christian IX gave her much joy. Eventually, she became more and more isolated as her hearing loss made it difficult to communicate. Vilhelmine Marie survived her husband Karl for thirteen years, dying on May 30, 1891, at the age of 83 at Schloss Glücksburg in Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia, German Empire. She was buried next to her husband in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Neuer Friedhof Glücksburg (New Cemetery Glücksburg).

Entrance to the royal section at the Neuer Friedhof Glücksburg; Credit – www.findagrave.com

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Vilhelmine af Danmark. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilhelmine_af_Danmark [Accessed 20 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl,_Duke_of_Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Gl%C3%BCcksburg [Accessed 20 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Vilhelmine_Marie_of_Denmark [Accessed 20 Sep. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2018). King Frederik VII of Denmark. [online]. Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-frederik-vii-of-denmark/ [Accessed 19 Sep. 2018].

King Frederik VII of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

King Frederik VII of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

The last monarch of the House of Oldenburg and also the last absolute monarch of Denmark, Frederik Carl Christian was born on October 6, 1808, at Amalienborg in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was the only surviving child of King Christian VIII of Denmark and his first wife Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. When Frederik was not even a year old, his mother was accused of adultery, divorced, and banished from the Danish court. Frederik never saw her again. His father married again to Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderborg-Augustenburg but the marriage was childless.

Frederik as a boy; Credit – By Øyvind Holmstad – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34770222

Because his father, as Governor-General of Norway, was often away, Frederik’s upbringing was left to relatives and strangers. A team of seven renowned professors was appointed to teach him Danish, Latin, French, German, religion, history, geography, geometry, mathematics, gymnastics, music, and dance. The professors’ orthodox teaching methods did little to stimulate Frederik and his favorite subject was gymnastics.

Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

When Frederik was nearly 18-years-old, he was betrothed to Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark, the younger of the two daughters of the reigning King of Denmark, Frederik VI. This marriage arrangement was mainly due to the desirability of a union of the two branches of the Danish royal family whose relationship was strained. Frederik was a direct male-line descendant of King Frederik V by his second queen Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Vilhelmine Marie was a daughter of King Frederik VI of Denmark and a granddaughter of King Christian VII, son of King Frederik V by his first queen Louisa of Great Britain. Frederik and Vilhelmine Marie’s wishes and needs were not considered at all. The wedding was postponed for two years while Frederik was sent on an educational trip to Switzerland, France, and Italy.

Frederik and Vilhelmine Marie were married on November 1, 1828, at the Christiansborg Palace Church in Copenhagen, Denmark. The wedding was very popular with the Danish people who participated in many festivities. However, the marriage was childless and unhappy, mostly due to Frederik’s affairs and drinking. The couple separated in April 1834 and divorced on September 4, 1837.

Caroline Mariane of Mecklenburg-Strelitz; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1839, when Frederik’s father succeeded to the Danish throne, Frederik became Crown Prince. Frederik needed to marry again. He heard about Caroline Mariane of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a German princess who had been taught Danish by a Danish poet. Caroline Mariane was the daughter of Georg, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel. 33-year-old Frederik and 20-year-old Caroline Mariane were married in Neustrelitz in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz on June 10, 1841. On June 21, they arrived in Denmark and made a festive entrance in Copenhagen. Once again, the marriage was childless and unhappy. Caroline Mariane was inexperienced, shy, and nervous and no match for Frederik’s boisterous temperament. In 1844, she visited her parents and refused to return to Denmark. The couple divorced on September 30, 1846.

Louise Rasmussen; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1848, Frederik’s father died and he succeeded to the Danish throne as King Frederik VII. During the 1830s, he met Louise Rasmussen, a ballerina and stage actress. Frederik began a relationship with Louise during the 1840s and upon becoming king, he wished to marry Louise but the government was not in favor of the marriage.

In December 1847, a month before his death, Frederik’s father King Christian VIII commissioned the drafting of a new constitution in which the absolute monarchy would be abolished. He died before the draft was finished. Upon his deathbed, Christian VIII urged his son to continue with the work of the new constitution. On June 5, 1849, King Frederik VII signed the new constitution which made him a constitutional monarch.

King Frederik VII and Countess Danner; Credit – Wikipedia

The signing of the new constitution made Frederik so popular that the government granted him permission to marry Louise Rasmussen. On August 8, 1850, by royal decree, Louise Rasmussen was given the title Countess Danner and was married to King Frederik VII at Frederiksborg Palace Chapel in Hillerød, Denmark. However, the marriage was morganatic, and any children of the marriage would not be in the line of succession to the Danish throne. The marriage appears to have been happy but had much opposition and Countess Danner was treated poorly in social circles. Frederik and Louise did not have any children.

King Frederik VII had to deal with the succession crisis as he had no children. Princess Charlotte of Denmark was the daughter of Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark, the surviving son of King Frederick V of Denmark and his second wife Juliana Maria of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. As the sister of Frederik’s father King Christian VIII, Charlotte was King Frederik VII’s aunt. She had married Wilhelm, Prince and later titular Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, and was the only sibling of King Christian VIII to have children. This meant that it was likely that one of Princess Charlotte’s children would inherit the Danish throne. Princess Charlotte supported the solution that her branch of the family should succeed to the throne.

Princess Charlotte’s daughter Louise of Hesse-Kassel had married her second cousin Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. Christian had spent much of his youth in Denmark and also had a claim on the Danish succession. Through his father, he was a direct male-line descendant of King Christian III of Denmark. Through his mother, Christian was a great-grandson of King Frederik V of Denmark. King Frederik VI of Denmark was the first cousin of Christian’s mother and had been married to Christian’s maternal aunt Marie of Hesse-Kassel. Women could inherit the Danish throne only if there were no male heirs (Semi-Salic Law). On July 15, 1851, Charlotte and her son Friedrich renounced their claims to the Danish throne in favor of Charlotte’s daughter Louise, who in turn renounced her claim in favor of her husband Christian. The Act of Succession of 1853 officially made Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg the heir of King Frederik VII.

King Frederik VII, 1861; Credit – Wikipedia

King Frederik VII of Denmark died from erysipelas on November 15, 1863, aged 55, in Glücksburg, Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. He was buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark in the Frederik V Chapel.

Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg succeeded to the Danish throne as King Christian IX, the first monarch of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg which still occupies the Danish throne today. Among King Christian IX’s children were King Frederik VIII of Denmark, King George I of Greece, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom (wife of King Edward VII) and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia (born Dagmar of Denmark, wife of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia). King Christian IX is the ancestor of six of the ten current European royal families: Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom, and also two former monarchies: Greece and Romania.

Tomb of King Frederik VII – Photo by Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Frederik 7.. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederik_7. [Accessed 19 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Frederick VII of Denmark. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_VII_of_Denmark [Accessed 19 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Duchess Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchess_Charlotte_Frederica_of_Mecklenburg-Schwerin [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Louise Rasmussen. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Rasmussen [Accessed 19 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilhelmine_Marie_of_Denmark [Accessed 19 Sep. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2015). King Christian IX of Denmark. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-christian-ix-of-denmark/ [Accessed 19 Sep. 2018].

Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, Queen of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, Queen of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Amalie was the second wife of King Christian VIII of Denmark and was his Queen Consort from 1839 – 1848. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark on June 28, 1796, she was the eldest of the three children and the only daughter of Friedrich Christian II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, and Princess Louise Auguste of Denmark. Caroline Amalie’s mother was the only daughter of King Christian VII of Denmark and Caroline Matilda of Wales, the sister of King George III of the United Kingdom. There is strong evidence that Louise Auguste’s father was her mother’s lover Johann Friedrich Struensee.

Caroline Amalie had two younger brothers:

Princess Caroline Amalie; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Amalie spent most of her childhood in Denmark, moving with her family to Augustenborg Palace in her father’s duchy in 1807. In 1808, Prince Christian of Denmark, the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederik of Denmark, became the heir presumptive to the Danish throne when his half-uncle King Christian VII died. King Frederik VI, the new king, the only son of King Christian VII, had no surviving sons. Prince Christian had divorced his first wife and needed a new wife. His half-aunt Princess Louise Auguste of Denmark, also the sister of King Frederik VI, suggested her only daughter Caroline Amalie.

In December 1814, Caroline Amalie became engaged to Christian, now the Hereditary Prince of Denmark. The couple was married on May 22, 1815, at Augustenborg Palace.  After having no success conceiving a child, Christian and Caroline Amalie visited many spas throughout Europe from 1818 – 1822 seeking a cure for their inability to have children. Sadly, the couple remained childless.

King Frederik VI died on December 3, 1839, and Christian inherited the throne as King Christian VIII and Caroline Amalie became Queen. On June 28, 1849, Caroline Amalie attended Christian VIII’s anointing at the Frederiksborg Castle Church. He was the last Danish monarch to be anointed.

Anointing of King Christian VIII and Queen Caroline Amalie by Joseph-Désiré Court, 1841; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Amalie was a composer of piano music and founded and supported several orphanages. She also was instrumental in opening a school for disadvantaged children and establishing the Women’s Care Association, whose purpose was to provide maternity nursing care for needy women.

On January 20, 1848, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, 61-year-old King Christian VIII died of blood poisoning after a blood-letting. After her husband’s death, Caroline Amalie spent the winters at Amalienborg Palace and the summers at Sorgenfri Castle north of Copenhagen. Caroline Amalie continued her charitable projects. When Queen Marie, wife of King Frederik VI died in 1852, she took over as patron of the charitable women’s society Det Kvindelige Velgørende Selskab, which remained in existence until 2004.

Caroline Amalie, 1879; Credit -Wikipedia

Caroline Amalie outlived her stepson King Frederik VII and in 1863, saw the resolution of the Danish succession crisis with the establishment of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg when King Christian IX, born Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, became the King of Denmark.

Queen Caroline Amalie survived her husband by 33 years, dying at Sorgenfri Castle north of Copenhagen, Denmark on March 9, 1881, surrounded by the Danish royal family, at the age of 84. She was buried next to her husband at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark in the Frederik V Chapel.

Tomb of Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg – Photo by Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Caroline Amalie. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Amalie [Accessed 19 Sep. 2018].
  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Christian 8.. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_8. [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Caroline Amalie von Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Amalie_von_Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg [Accessed 19 Sep. 2018].
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Christian VIII.. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_VIII. [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018]
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Caroline Amalie of Augustenburg. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Amalie_of_Augustenburg [Accessed 19 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Christian VIII of Denmark. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_VIII_of_Denmark [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].

Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Hereditary Princess of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Hereditary Princess of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

The first wife of the future King Christian VIII of Denmark, Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, was born December 4, 1784, in Ludwigslust Palace in Ludwigslust, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. She was fifth of the six children and the youngest of the two daughters of Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.

Charlotte Frederica in 1791; Credit – Wikipedia

Charlotte Frederica had five siblings:

During a visit to the court of his maternal uncle Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Prince Christian of Denmark (the future King Christian VIII), the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederik of Denmark and Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin fell in love with his first cousin Charlotte Frederica, who was two years younger. Christian and Charlotte Frederica were married at Ludwigslust Palace in Ludwigslust, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, on June 21, 1806.

Charlotte Frederica’s husband Christian in 1813; Credit – Wikipedia

Christian and Charlotte Frederica had two sons:

Christian and Charlotte Frederica’s marriage soon became unhappy. Charlotte Frederica had an affair with her singing teacher Édouard Du Puy. In 1809, when Christian found out, Charlotte Frederica was sent into exile in Horsens, Denmark while Du Puy was banished from Denmark. The marriage officially ended with a divorce in 1810 and Charlotte Frederica never saw her son again.

While in Horsens and later in Aarhus, both in Denmark, Charlotte Frederica cultivated friendships with the local gentry and allegedly had affairs with army officers. In 1829, she was allowed to travel out of Denmark and moved to Carlsbad, a spa town, then in Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic. She made one last move in 1830 to Rome, Italy where she lived in the Palazzo Bernini on Rome’s main street and converted to Roman Catholicism.

Charlotte Frederica had been exiled when her son, now King Frederik VI of Denmark, was only one year old. She hoped to see her son again but she soon became ill. Charlotte Frederica died in Rome on July 13, 1840, at the age of 55. She was buried in a tomb paid for by her son and created by the Danish sculptor Jens Adolf Jerichau at the Teutonic Cemetery, a burial site adjacent to St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City that had been dedicated to the German-speaking residents of Rome.

On July 11, 2019, the tomb of Charlotte Frederica and the adjacent tomb of Princess Sophia of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein were opened to search for the remains of Emanuela Orlandi, a 15-year-old who disappeared in 1983. Not only was there no sign of Emanuela’s remains, but the remains of Princess Sophia and Duchess Charlotte Frederica were missing. It is possible that their remains were moved due to renovations at the end of the 1800s and again in the 1960s and 1970s. For more information see Unofficial Royalty: The Strange Case of the Tombs of Two 19th Century Princesses and a 20th Century 15-Year-Old Missing Girl.

Tomb of Charlotte Frederica; Credit – By Altera levatur – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59545772

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Charlotte Frederikke af Mecklenburg-Schwerin. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Frederikke_af_Mecklenburg-Schwerin [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].
  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Christian 8.. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_8. [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Charlotte Friederike zu Mecklenburg. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Friederike_zu_Mecklenburg [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].
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  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Duchess Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchess_Charlotte_Frederica_of_Mecklenburg-Schwerin [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Christian VIII of Denmark. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_VIII_of_Denmark [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].

King Christian VIII of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

King Christian VIII of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Christian VIII was King of Denmark for eleven years, from 1839 to 1848. Christian Frederik was born on September 18, 1786, at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark, the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederik of Denmark and Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Christian’s father was the only child of King Frederik V of Denmark and his second wife Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. King Christian VII of Denmark, the mentally ill son of King Frederik V of Denmark and his first wife Princess Louisa of Great Britain, was Christian’s half-uncle.

Christian had four siblings:

Christian had five half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Princess Louisa of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain:

Christian grew up at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. After it was destroyed by fire in 1794, Hereditary Prince Frederick moved his family to Amalienborg Palace. Shortly after the move, Christian’s mother Sophia Frederica died. Christian was just eight years old. Eleven years later, when Christian was nineteen, his father died. Christian received a thorough education from statesman and historian Ove Høegh-Guldberg. He developed an early love for art and science and was exposed to artists and scientists connected to the Danish court. Later in life, Christian served as president of the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen.

During a visit to the court of his maternal uncle Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Christian fell in love with his first cousin Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin who was two years younger. Christian and Charlotte Frederica were married at Ludwigslust Palace in Ludwigslust, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, on June 21, 1806.

Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, circa 1806; Credit – Wikipedia

Christian and his first wife Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Hereditary Princess of Denmark had two sons:

Christian and Charlotte Frederica’s marriage soon became unhappy. Charlotte Frederica had an affair with her singing teacher Édouard Du Puy. In 1809, when Christian found out, Charlotte Frederica was sent into internal exile to the city of Horsens, Denmark while Du Puy was banished from Denmark. The marriage officially ended with a divorce in 1810 and Charlotte Frederica never saw her son again.

Christian as Hereditary Prince of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1808, when his half-uncle King Christian VII died, Christian became the heir presumptive to the Danish throne. King Frederik VI, the new king, the only son of King Christian VII, had no surviving sons. Christian needed a new wife and his half-aunt Princess Louise Auguste of Denmark, the only daughter of King Christian VII and also the sister of King Frederik VI, suggested her only daughter Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg whose father was Friedrich Christian II, the reigning Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.

Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

In December 1814, Caroline Amalie became engaged to Christian, now Hereditary Prince of Denmark. The couple was married on May 22, 1815, at Augustenborg Palace, Caroline Amalie’s home.  After having no success conceiving a child, Christian and Caroline Amalie visited many spas throughout Europe from 1818 – 1822 seeking a cure for their inability to have children. Sadly, the couple remained childless.

King Frederik VI died on December 3, 1839, and Christian inherited the throne as King Christian VIII. In 1660, the full coronation ritual had been replaced with a ceremony of anointing. On June 28, 1849, Christian VIII’s anointing was held at the Frederiksborg Palace Chapel. He was the last Danish monarch to be anointed.

Anointing of King Christian VIII and Queen Caroline Amalie by Joseph-Désiré Court, 1841; Credit – Wikipedia

During Christian VIII’s reign, the National Liberal Party expected that he would agree with their agenda but the king rejected all of their proposals except administrative reform. The problems in the twin duchies of Schleswig and Holstein continued, with segments of the population identifying with either German or Danish nationality and mobilizing politically.

Christian VIII’s only son, the future King Frederik VII, had been married three times but had no children. Wanting to avert a succession crisis, Christian VIII commenced discussions regarding succession to the throne but the final arrangements would not be completed until the reign of his son.

In December 1847, a month before his death, King Christian VIII commissioned the drafting of a new constitution in which the absolute monarchy would be abolished. He died before the draft was finished and the new constitution would eventually be signed by his son.

On January 20, 1848, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark 61-year-old King Christian VIII died of blood poisoning after a blood-letting. He was buried at Roskilde Cathedral in the Frederik V Chapel. Christian’s wife Queen Caroline Amalie survived her husband by 33 years, dying on March 9, 1881, at the age of 84.

Tomb of King Christian VIII – Photo by Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Charlotte Frederikke af Mecklenburg-Schwerin. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Frederikke_af_Mecklenburg-Schwerin [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].
  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Christian 8.. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_8. [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Christian VIII.. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_VIII. [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Duchess Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchess_Charlotte_Frederica_of_Mecklenburg-Schwerin [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Christian VIII of Denmark. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_VIII_of_Denmark [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].

Marie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Marie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel was the wife of King Frederik VI of Denmark and Norway. Born on October 28, 1767, in Hanau in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (now in Hesse, Germany), Marie Sophie Frederikke was the eldest child of Prince Carl of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Louise of Denmark and Norway. Her father was the second son of Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Mary of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain. Her mother was the youngest child of King Frederik V of Denmark and Norway and his first wife Princess Louisa of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain. King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway and Sophia Magdalena, wife of King Gustav III of Sweden were Marie’s maternal aunt and uncle.

Marie had five younger siblings:

Being the second son, Marie’s father Carl had to find his own way in life and so he did what many other younger royal sons did, took positions from foreign royal relatives. Carl’s opportunities in Denmark were far greater than what Hesse-Kassel could offer him. He became a Field Marshal in the Danish Army and was royal governor of the Danish duchies of Schleswig-Holstein from 1769 to 1836. Marie and her siblings were raised at Gottorp Castle in Slesvig, then part of Denmark now Schleswig in Germany, and at her mother’s country estate Louisenlund.

Louiselund; Credit – By PodracerHH – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6889446

In 1772, due to the mental illness of King Christian VII, his half-brother Hereditary Prince Frederik became Regent but it was Hereditary Prince Frederik’s mother Dowager Queen Juliana Maria who really held the power. In 1784, Crown Prince Frederik, the only son of King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway, reached the age of legal majority. He had no intention of allowing Hereditary Prince Frederik and his mother Juliana to continue their rule. Crown Prince Frederik somehow managed to get his insane father to sign an order dismissing Hereditary Prince Frederik’s supporters from the council and declaring that no royal order was legal unless co-signed by the Crown Prince, thereby deposing his stepmother and half-brother. Crown Prince Frederik then ruled permanently as Crown Prince Regent until the death of his father.

Marie holding a portrait of her fiancé by Cornelius Høyer; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel was on the list of possible brides for Crown Prince Frederik. She had some advantages: her mother was the daughter of a King of Denmark and she had been raised in Denmark. However, factions of the Danish court did not support the marriage because a more dynastic marriage was preferred but Crown Prince Frederik wanted to show his independence and insisted upon the marriage.

Crown Prince Frederik, the future King Frederik VI; Credit – Wikipedia

On July 31, 1790, in the Gottorp Castle chapel, Frederik and Marie were married. The couple made a triumphant official entrance into Copenhagen on September 14, 1790. The Danish people were enthusiastic about the marriage because Marie was considered completely Danish and not a foreign princess although she had received a German education and German was her first language.

Crown Princess Marie was under immense pressure to produce a male heir to the throne because the main line of the Danish royal family was in danger of becoming extinct. Frederik and Marie had eight children but unfortunately, six of them, including two boys, died in infancy. Only two daughters survived and both daughters had childless marriages. For the rest of her life, Marie would lament her lack of sons and grandchildren. Injuries from her last childbirth prevented Marie from having any further marital relations and she was forced to accept her husband’s adultery.

King Frederik VI and Queen Marie with their daughters Caroline and Vilhelmine by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, 1821; Credit – Wikipedia

When King Christian VII died on March 13, 1808, his son succeeded him as King Frederik VI of Denmark and Marie became Queen of Denmark. She became more acquainted with Danes, finally learned the Danish language more fluently, took an interest in Danish literature and history, and became interested in politics. When Frederick VI was participating in the Congress of Vienna after the Napoleonic Wars from September 5, 1814 – June 1, 1815, Marie served as Regent.

Queen Marie of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

King Frederick VI died on December 3, 1839, at the age of 71 at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. He had reigned Denmark for a total of 55 years: 24 years as Crown Prince Regent and 31 years as King. As he had no sons, he was succeeded by King Christian VIII, the son of King Frederik’ VI’s half-uncle Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark.

After her husband’s death, Marie retired from public life but remained a respected figure, living at Frederiksborg Castle and Amalienborg Palace. The conflicts between the branches of the Danish royal family during the succession crisis caused by a lack of male dynasts and the First Schleswig War (1848–51) caused her much distress.

Marie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark died on March 21, 1852, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen at the age of 84. She was buried at Roskilde Cathedral in the Frederik V Chapel near her husband.

Tomb of Marie Sophie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark; Photo by Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Frederik 6.. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederik_6. [Accessed 15 Sep. 2018].
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  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Landgrave Charles of Hesse-Kassel. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landgrave_Charles_of_Hesse-Kassel [Accessed 15 Sep. 2018].
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  • Flantzer, S. (2018). King Frederik VI of Denmark. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-frederik-vi-of-denmark/

King Frederik VI of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

King Frederik VI of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

King Frederik VI of Denmark and Norway was the only son and the eldest of the two children of King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway and his and Caroline Matilda of Wales. Frederik’s paternal grandparents were King Frederik V of Denmark and Norway and his first wife Princess Louisa of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain. His maternal grandparents were Frederick, Prince of Wales, who predeceased his father King George II of Great Britain, and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Frederik’s parents were first cousins and King George III was his maternal uncle.

Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik was born on January 28, 1768, at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was christened two days later at Christiansburg Palace by Ludvig Harboe, Bishop of Zealand.

His godparents were:

Engraving of the newborn Crown Prince Frederik with his mother Queen Caroline Matilda; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik had one sister:

Princess Louise Auguste, Frederik’s sister; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik’s father King Christian VII suffered from mental illness. It is unknown if Christian VII’s mental illness was caused by the brutal treatment of his governor Christian Reventlow, possible porphyria inherited from his Hanover mother, or schizophrenia. Christian’s behavior wandered into excesses, especially sexual promiscuity. His symptoms included paranoia, self-mutilation, and hallucinations. It was becoming clearer and clearer that Christian could not fulfill his role as king.

On a trip arranged because it was believed that new environments could change Christian’s behavior, Christian became acquainted with the physician Johann Friedrich Struensee. Struensee was the first person who understood that Christian was seriously ill. When Christian came home from the trip, Struensee accompanied him and was employed as Christian’s personal physician. Because of Christian’s confidence in him, Struensee gained political power. He also became the lover of the ill-treated Caroline Matilda, whose marriage was less than satisfactory. When Caroline Matilda gave birth to her daughter Louise, no one doubted that Struensee was the princess’ father.

Eventually, Dowager Queen Juliana Maria, King Christian VII’s stepmother, maneuvered a coup that would bring about the fall of Struensee and discredit Caroline Matilda. Juliana Maria arranged for King Christian VII to sign the arrest warrant of Struensee after she had already made the arrest in the king’s name. In 1772, Struensee was executed and Caroline Matilda was exiled to Celle Castle where she died in 1775 at the age of 23 from scarlet fever, without seeing her children again. At the time of their mother’s exile, Crown Prince Frederik was four years old and his sister Princess Louise had not yet reached her first birthday.

After the fall of Struensee, King Christian VII’s 18-year-old half-brother Hereditary Prince Frederik became Regent and held that position until 1784 but Frederik’s mother Juliana Maria had the real power. As Crown Prince Frederik became older, he had no intention of allowing Hereditary Prince Frederik and his mother Juliana to continue their rule. In 1784, Crown Prince Frederik reached the age of legal majority. He somehow managed to get his insane father to sign an order dismissing Hereditary Prince Frederik’s supporters from the council and declaring that no royal order was legal unless co-signed by the Crown Prince, thereby deposing his stepmother and half-brother. Crown Prince Frederik then ruled permanently as Crown Prince Regent until his father died

After Frederik became Regent, the Danish court began to search for a bride for him. A marriage to Frederik’s first cousin Princess Augusta, the daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom, was contemplated. However, King George III explained that after the terrible treatment of his sister Caroline Matilda, the mother of Crown Prince Frederik, he would never send one of his daughters to the Danish court. There was also speculation that he would marry a Prussian princess, a choice supported by his step-grandmother Dowager Queen Juliana Maria and her brother-in-law King Friedrich II of Prussia (Frederick the Great).

Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel; Credit – Wikipedia

Also high on the list was his cousin Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel, daughter of Prince Carl of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Louise of Denmark and Norway. Frederik was a great-grandchild of King George II of Great Britain and Marie was a double great-grandchild of George II. Both Marie’s parents were children of a daughter of King George II of Great Britain: her father was the son of Princess Mary of Great Britain and her mother was the daughter of Princess Louisa of Great Britain who was also the mother of Frederik’s father. Factions of the Danish court did not support the marriage because a more dynastic marriage was preferred but Crown Prince Frederik wanted to show his independence and insisted upon the marriage.

On July 31, 1790, in the Gottorp Castle chapel, Frederik and Marie were married. The couple made a triumphant official entrance into Copenhagen on September 14, 1790. Crown Princess Marie was under immense pressure to produce a male heir to the throne because the main line of the Danish royal family was in danger of becoming extinct. Frederik and Marie had eight children but unfortunately, six of them, including two boys, died in infancy. Only two daughters survived and both daughters had childless marriages. For the rest of her life, Marie would lament her lack of sons and grandchildren.

King Frederik VI and Queen Marie with their daughters Caroline and Vilhelmine by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, 1821; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 13, 1808, King Christian VII died and his son succeeded him as King Frederik VI of Denmark and Norway. Due to the Napoleonic Wars, King Frederik VI’s anointing was not held until July 31, 1815, at Frederiksborg Palace Church.

Anointing of King Frederik VI; Credit – Wikipedia

At that point in time, the King of Denmark was also the King of Norway. During the Napoleonic Wars, Frederik tried to remain neutral but when the British attacked Copenhagen, he was forced to ally with Napoleon. In 1814, Frederik was forced by the United Kingdom and Sweden to sign the Treaty of Kiel which ceded Norway to Sweden. After the French defeat in the Napoleonic Wars in 1814 and the loss of Norway, Frederik became more authoritarian and reactionary, giving up his former liberal ideas. There were also economic problems but they eased a bit when Frederik agreed to creating the Assemblies of the Estate, consultative regional assemblies.

King Frederik VI lying in state; Credit – Wikipedia

King Frederick VI died on December 3, 1839, at the age of 71 at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. He had reigned Denmark for a total of 55 years: 24 years as Crown Prince Regent and 31 years as King. As he had no sons, he was succeeded by King Christian VIII, the son of King Frederik’s half-uncle Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark.  King Frederik VI was buried at Roskilde Cathedral in the Frederik V Chapel in Roskilde, Denmark.

Tomb of King Frederik VI – Photo © Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Frederik 6.. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederik_6. [Accessed 15 Sep. 2018].
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  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Frederick VI of Denmark. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_VI_of_Denmark [Accessed 15 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Marie of Hesse-Kassel. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_of_Hesse-Kassel [Accessed 15 Sep. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2016). King Christian VII of Denmark. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-christian-vii-of-denmark/ [Accessed 15 Sep. 2018].

Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark and Norway;  Credit – Wikipedia

Born on October 11, 1753, at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark, Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark and Norway was the only child of King Frederik V of Denmark and Norway and his second wife Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

Frederik had five half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Princess Louisa of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain:

Frederik received an excellent education as he was the second in the line of succession after his elder half-brother Christian. Among Frederik’s teachers were Jens Schielderup Sneedorff, author and professor of political science, and Ove Høegh-Guldberg, statesman and historian. In 1766, when Frederik was 13-years-old, his father King Frederik V died at the age of 42, and was succeeded by his 17-year-old son from his first marriage as King Christian VII. From 1766 – 1768, Frederik was the heir to the Danish throne until the birth of King Christian VII’s son, the future King Frederik VI.

Frederik’s wife Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 21, 1774, 21-year-old Hereditary Prince Frederik married 16-year-old Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, daughter of Ludwig of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Charlotte Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.  Although the couple was fond of each other, they both had lovers and the father of Sophia Frederica’s children was rumored to be her husband’s adjutant Frederik von Blücher (in Danish).

The couple had two stillborn daughters before the birth of five children:

Frederik’s half-brother, King Christian VII of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Soon after the succession of Frederik’s half-brother King Christian VII, it became clear that he was not quite normal. Christian had been personable and intelligent as a child but he had been poorly educated and terrorized by a brutal governor, Christian Ditlev Reventlow, Count of Reventlow. It is unknown if Christian’s mental illness was caused by the brutal treatment of Reventlow, possible porphyria inherited from his Hanover mother, or schizophrenia. Christian’s behavior wandered into excesses, especially sexual promiscuity. His symptoms included paranoia, self-mutilation, and hallucinations. It was becoming clearer and clearer that Christian could not fulfill his role as king.

During a trip arranged because it was believed that new environments could change Christian’s behavior, Christian became acquainted with the physician Johann Friedrich Struensee. Struensee was the first person who understood that Christian was seriously ill. When Christian came home from the trip, Struensee accompanied him and was employed as Christian’s personal physician. Because of Christian’s confidence in him, Struensee gained political power. He also became the lover of the ill-treated Caroline Matilda, whose marriage was less than satisfactory. When Caroline Matilda gave birth to her daughter Louise, no one doubted that Struensee was her father. Eventually, Frederik’s mother Queen Dowager Juliana Maria maneuvered a coup that would bring about the fall of Struensee and discredit Caroline Matilda. She arranged for King Christian VII to sign Struensee’s arrest warrant after he had already been arrested. In 1772, Struensee was executed and Caroline Matilda was exiled.

Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel with a portrait of her son Hereditary Prince Frederick; Credit – Wikipedia

After the fall of Struensee, Frederik and his mother Juliana Maria took charge of the Council of State. Christian VII was only nominally king from 1772 onward. Between 1772 and 1784, Denmark was ruled by Hereditary Prince Frederik as Regent and his mother. Crown Prince Frederik, King Christian VII’s son, had no intention of allowing Frederik and his mother Juliana to continue their rule. In 1784, the Crown Prince reached the age of legal majority and then ruled permanently as Prince Regent. He somehow managed to get his insane father to sign an order dismissing Frederik and Juliana Maria’s supporters from the council and declaring that no royal order was legal unless co-signed by the Crown Prince, thereby deposing his stepgrandmother and uncle.

After losing power, Hereditary Prince Frederik was left without much influence at the court. In 1794, Christiansborg Palace was destroyed by fire, and Frederik and his family moved to Amalienborg. That same year, on November 29, Frederik’s wife Sophia Frederica died at the age of 36, at Sorgenfri Palace in Kongens Lyngby north of Copenhagen, Denmark. She was buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark, the traditional burial site of the Danish royal family. Hereditary Prince Frederik survived his wife by eleven years, dying at Amalienborg in Copenhagen on December 7, 1805, at the age of 52. He also was buried at Roskilde Cathedral.

Roskilde Cathedral; Photo © Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

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