by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg

Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg was born on May 4, 1679, probably at her father’s estate in Wattmannshagen, now in Lalendorf in the German state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. She was the only daughter and the eldest of the three children of Adam Otto von Vieregg and Anna Helene von Wolffersdorff. Her father was the Chamber President of the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and Prussian Minister of State and Privy Councilor. From 1698 to 1706, Elisabeth’s father was a Prussian envoy in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Frederik IV, King of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1699, Elisabeth became a lady-in-waiting to Princess Sophie Hedwig of Denmark and Norway, the sister of Crown Prince Frederik. She caught his attention, and Frederik gave Elisabeth a diamond ring as a gift. After succeeding to the throne as Frederik IV, King of Denmark and Norway in August 1699, he began a secret relationship with her despite having married Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow in 1695. Their relationship remained a secret until 1701 when a letter from Elisabeth’s father defending the relationship was made public.

On September 6, 1703, without divorcing his wife Queen Louise, Frederik IV made a bigamous marriage to Elisabeth. On the same day, Elisabeth was created Countess of Antvorskov and was given Antvorskov Castle, a Catholic monastery before the Protestant Reformation. In 1585, it became illegal to use the name Antvorskov Abbey to refer to the property, and so it was called Antvorskov Castle.

Antvorskov Castle, 1749; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 18, 1704, Elisabeth gave birth to a son, Frederik Gyldenløve. Following the practice of his predecessors, Frederik IV gave his illegitimate children the surname Gyldenløve which means Golden Lion. After giving birth, Elisabeth developed complications and died on June 27, 1704, aged 25. She was greatly mourned by Frederik IV who gave her a lavish funeral and commanded that the bells of three churches should ring for two hours. Elisabeth was buried at the Church of Our Savior in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her son lived for only nine months and was buried with Elisabeth.

Church of Our Saviour in Copenhagen, Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

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Charlotte Helene von Schindel

After the death of Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg in 1704, Frederik IV, King of Denmark and Norway began an affair with her lady-in-waiting, Charlotte Helene von Schindel. Charlotte was born in 1690, the only daughter and the youngest of the three children of Wiglas von Schindel and Anna Helene von Horn. Charlotte’s father was a Hofmester, a senior official, at the Danish royal court. Her mother was responsible for the upbringing of Frederik IV’s son by Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg, Frederik Gyldenløve, who died when he was nine months old.

In 1709, Frederik again wanted to make a bigamous marriage but received strong opposition from Lutheran church leaders who told him that the law against bigamy also applied to kings. Charlotte and Frederik had a daughter in 1710 who died shortly before her first birthday. After the birth of her daughter, Charlotte was created Countess of Frederiksholm and received two estates Frederik had bought for her, Næsbyholm Castle in Næsby, Denmark, and Bavelse, a manor in Bavelse Sogn, Denmark.

Charlotte’s relationship with Frederik IV ended in 1711 when he entered into a relationship with Anna Sophie Reventlow who became Frederik’s mistress, bigamous wife, second legal wife, and Queen of Denmark. Charlotte was ordered to leave the Danish court and live at her estates. She claimed to be pregnant with Frederik’s child but the pregnancy claim turned out to be false. As Countess of Frederiksholm, Charlotte had an active social life and she had a relationship with Major-General Ernst Gotschalck von Bülow, the governor of Antvorskov Castle with whom she had a son, Frederik August Gotschalck von Bülow.

When King Frederik IV heard about the child, he ordered von Bülow to marry Charlotte. The wedding took place at the Antvorskov Castle Church on February 9, 1716. After the marriage, Frederik IV took away Charlotte’s estates, awarded her an annual pension, and ordered the couple to leave Denmark. They settled in Holstein in the Duchy of Holstein (now in Germany), where they lived until von Bülow died in 1721.

After her husband’s death, Charlotte lived with her sister in Silesia, then part of the Kingdom of Prussia, now located mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. She also lived in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia (now in Germany) before settling in Flensburg, Denmark (now in Germany) in 1750. Despite her annual pension, Charlotte died in poverty on April 6, 1752, aged 62.

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Works Cited

• Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charlotte Helene Von Schindel. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Helene_von_Schindel> [Accessed 1 May 2020].
• Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elisabeth Helene Von Vieregg. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Helene_von_Vieregg> [Accessed 1 May 2020].
• De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elisabeth Helene Von Vieregg. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Helene_von_Vieregg> [Accessed 1 May 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charlotte Helene Von Schindel. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Helene_von_Schindel> [Accessed 1 May 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elisabeth Helene Von Vieregg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Helene_von_Vieregg> [Accessed 1 May 2020].
• Sv.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charlotte Helene Von Schindel. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Helene_von_Schindel> [Accessed 1 May 2020].