On This Day: Danish Royal Family

[Countessmeout]

December 12, 1995 death of Princess Caroline Mathilde of Denmark. If Danish law of succession was not changed, she would have been Queen Consort.

https://i2.wp.com/www.unofficialroyalty.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Caroline-mathilde.jpg


Caroline was born a Princess of Denmark. Her father Prince Harald was a son of Frederick VIII. Her father was the younger brother of Christian X (her future father in law) and Haakon VII of Norway. Her mother was Princess Helena Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. On her mother's side she was the cousin of Princess Sibylla of Sweden (Carl Gustaf's mother). She was the second of their five children, with two sisters and two brothers.

Caroline-Mathilde was born April 27, 1912 in Jægersborghus, the house her parents bought in 1907. She was named for her maternal grandmother.

September 8, 1933 she was married to her cousin Knud, Hereditary Prince of Denmark. The bride was 21 and her groom and first cousin was 33. Knud was the second son of Christian X who was on the throne at the time. They lived at Sorgenfri Palace.

https://royalwatcherblog.com/2019/09/08/wedding-prince-knud-princess-caroline-mathilde/


Her father in law and Uncle died in April 1947. Her brother in law became Frederick IX. Frederick and his wife Ingrid of Sweden had three daughters so Knud was heir presumptive. In 1953 the law of succession was changed to allow a female to inherit. Knud found himself replaced as heir to the throne by his 13 year old niece Margrethe. Her husband resented the change in succession and caused a lot of family tension for years.


Her husband died in 1976 and was buried in Roskilde cathedral. She would out live her husband by 19 years. She died at their home and was buried next to her husband.

The couple had three children:

-Princess Elisabeth: she never married. She did live for years with her partner though Clause Hermansen until his death in 1997. She lived at her parents palace and was often at royal events. She was a diplomat with the foreign service. She sadly died in 2018.

-Prince Ignolf: he lost his title and place in succession when he chose to marry in 1968 without royal permission. His Uncle wouldn't grant it, despite Knud trying to convince his brother, as his wife was a commoner. He has been married twice, his first wife dying but he has no children from either wife. He has been Count Ignolf of Rosenborg. He and his wife attend events like royal weddings. Unlike his sister who remained in line for succession, and his brother, he receives an allowance.

-Prince Christian: Like his brother he lost his right to succession and is Count Christian of Rosenborg. His wife Countess Anne and he had Caroline-Mathilde's only grandchildren, three daughters. Like his brother he did attend events like Fred and Mary's wedding. He died in 2013 and his wife in 2014.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, December 18, 1724 ~ Birth of Louisa of Great Britain, Queen of Denmark, Wife of King Frederik V of Denmark

 

[Countessmeout]

December 24, 1879 birth of Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen consort of Christian X.

https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/n...line-danish-rubies.html&share=embed_Pinterest

She was born in the city of Schwerin. Her father was Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Her mother was Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia. Her mother was a granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas I by his youngest child Michael (4th son and 7th child). She was the eldest of three children of her parents. Her brother would succeed their father as Frederick Francis IV. Her sister Cecilie married Wilhelm, German Crown Prince of Prussia (eldest son of Wilhelm II). She was likely named after her father's paternal grandmother Princess Alexandrine of Prussia.

She was first cousins with Queen Juliana of the Netherlands as Juliana's father Prince Henry was the younger half-brother of Frederick Francis (their father was married three times, Frederick was the first child by the first marriage, Henry was the youngest child of the third marriage). She was also first cousins with Princess Elena, Princess Nicholas of Greece and Denmark (mother of Princess Marina of Kent) on her father's side as well.

She met her future husband when she was in Cannes. Due to her father's ill health the family often spent their time in the Riviera for the climate. Her mother had a bed reputation for her attitude, her lifestyle. Her father died in 1897 and her mother had a love child with Vladimir Alexandrovich Paltov after his death. Despite concern their mother's reputatiin may hurt their chances at good matches, both her daughters made impressive marriages.


Her husband was then Prince Christian of Denmark, eldest son and heir of Frederick VIII of Denmark. His younger siblings included the future Haakon VII of Norway and Ingeborg (mother of Queen Astrid of Belgium and CP Martha of Norway).They were married in Cannes April 26, 1898. The bride was 18 and the groom 29. Theirs was reportedly a very happy loving marriage, one where they were devoted to one another until her husband died.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h0iapYsVM...00nbGRngAM/s1600/chr+x+-wedding+in+cannes.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AYMiFZC_VTM/UllJjdClMBI/AAAAAAAAHzk/JQdT1nQhe8E/s1600/chr+x+wedding-2.jpg


The couple were given Marselisborg Palace as a gift from the people though not complete until 1902. Christian VIII's palace was their base in Copenhagen but they also made frequent use of Sorgenfri palace. They traveled extensively, often visiting Cannes where they had fallen in love.

She was shy and not big on the ceremony and public events. She was an avid gardener and a passionate patron of the arts. She shared her love for the arts with her son Frederick.

At the time of their marriage her father in law was only Crown Prince of Denmark. He ascended the throne in 1906 on the death of his father Christian IX. The couple then became Crown prince and princess of Denmark. Her husband would succeed the throne as Christian X on the death of his own father in 1912. His father had been on his way home from Nice with his wife and several of his children when he died in Hamburg.

During WWII Alexandrine proved her loyalty to her adopted country and not that of her birth. She dedicated her time to several relief organizations. She managed to save the Danish royal jewels by hiding them in churches and farms from the Nazis and their looting. Her and husband were both lauded for their devotion to their people during the war.

Her husband sadly died in 1947. Unlike queens before her, she didn't use the title Queen Dowager, she was simply Queen Alexandrine. Her son Frederick succeeded the throne as Frederick IX.


Alexandrine died five years later in 1952, 4 days after her 73rd birthday. She had undergone intestinal surgery less then two weeks before her death. She was buried next to her husband.

https://virtualglobetrotting.com/ma...of-denmark-at-roskilde-cathedral/view/google/

Alexandrine and her husband had two sons.

-Frederick: succeeded his father as Frederick IX of Denmark. He married Princess Ingrid of Sweden. They had three children. Thanks to a change in succession laws he was succeeded by his daughter Margrethe II.

-Knud: married his cousin Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark. They had three children, one daughter and two sons.


The couple lived to see the birth of all their grandchildren. A photo of the royal couple with their six grandchidlren.

https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/n...3Q&referrer=http://www.unofficialroyalty.com/

 

[Countessmeout]

December 25, 1461 birth of Christina of Saxony, Queen of Denmark.

Christina was born in Torgau Saxony. Her father was Ernst, Elector of Saxony. Her mother was Elizabeth of Bavaria. Christina was the eldest of their seven children, six of whom reached adulthood (their youngest died young). She had four brothers and one sister.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris...eden_(1497)_sculpture_c_1530_(photo_2009).jpg

Christina was engaged at the age of 16 to 22 year old John of Denmark. John was the eldest son and heir of Christian I of Denmark. In 1478 she was escorted to Copenhagen. They married September 6, 1478 in the cathedral. The couple became king and queen in 1481 with the death of his father in law.

The couple preferred to spend their time away from the capital, Nykoping castle being a favorite of the queen.


In 1499 they were crowned king and queen of Sweden. During the Dano-Swedish war her husband left Sweden in 1501. He left Christina behind in Sweden as she was ill. When she eventually surrendered to Sten Sture the agreement was that she would be transferred to a convent where she would remain until she could be returned to Denmark. Unfortunately when John sent a ship to retrieve his wife the Swedes betrayed their agreement and sent Christina Vadstenna abbey as a form of imprisonment. It wasnt until October 1503 that Sten finally kept his word and he escorted her to the Danish border himself where she was met by her son Christian.

In 1504 after a visit to her daughter in Brandenberg, on her return home she founded several convents of the Poor Clares.

After her return from Sweden, Christina lived apart from her husband, having her own small court. She lived in her dower lands in Odense with her son Frans. Though her court was lively with visitors, her husband almost never visited.

In 1513 she was widowed when her husband died after being thrown from his horse. He was succeeded by their son Christian II.

She died December 8, 1521 at the age of 59 weeks short of her 60th birthday.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15976643/christina#view-photo=19872388

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris..._&_Sweden_relief_2009_St._Canute's_Odense.jpg

They had five children (perhaps 6 but one is disputed). The eldest 2 died young.

-Hans: died young

-Ernst died young


-Christian: succeeded his father as Christian II.Married Isabella of Austria. They had three children who survived infancy and two who reached adulthood. He was exiled and replaced on the throne by his Uncle Frederick I.

-Elizabeth: married Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg. She bore her husband five children who all reached adulthood.

-Francis: died at the age of 14.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, January 1, 1559 ~ Demise of King Christian III of Denmark at Koldinghus in Kolding, Denmark

 

[Countessmeout]

January 17, 1719 death of Sophie Amalie Moth, official mistress of Christian V.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophi...ile:Sophie_Amalie_Moth_Graefin_von_Samsoe.jpg


Sophie was born March 28, 1654. Her father was the doctor to the royal court.

Her relationship with Christian V would start around 1671.She was the first mistress ever acknowledged in Denmark. Christian would recognize all of the children she bore him, and give them the surname Gyldenløve which his father and grandfather had given to their own natural children.

In 1677 she was officially presented at court. She had been given the title Countess Samsoe. The title had belonged to Peder Griffenfeld until he had been arrested and imprisoned for life. Her children were officially introduced to court in 1679. The queen was greatly embarassed for her husband's infidelity to be paraded publicaly at court.She lived discretely and never tried to have any political influence though she gained some favors for her family including her brother. She was given an estate in Gottorp.

https://www.kroneborg.dk/284/jomfruens-egede

In 1697 she was given Thott mansion as her residence (it now holds the French embassy).

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-t...-in-copenhagen-in-the-thottske-109738358.html

Christian would die in 1699. She would remain quietly at her estate after his death 20 years later. She died at her Gottorp estate.

She bore the king six children. But only 2 sons made it to adulthood.

-Christian: inherited his mother's estates and distinguished himself in a military career. He married twice. His first wife was his cousin Countess Charlotte Amalie Danneskiold-Laurvig (her father was a bastard of Frederick III, making him half-brother of Christian V). His second wife was Danish noblewoman Dorothea Krag. He had two children from each wife. His second daughter with Charlotte married Christian August, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. Through this daughter Frederrike and Christian he was the ancestor of German empress Augusta (wife of Wilhelm II) among others.

-Ulrik: governor of Iceland until his death but never visited the country. He was commander and chief of the Danish navy thanks to his half-brother Frederick IV. Though he died at 41, he never married.

 

[Muhler]

Thanks.

It's a quite interesting story.
Sophie Amalie Moth was the ideal mistress in the way she behaved.

While it was very common for kings to have mistresses, official or otherwise, there were a number of official rules. (And they also applied for other royals as well as nobility and even down to commoners.)
A king was expected to have mistresses. A marriage was for political and dynastic reasons.
A mistress was for the well being of the king - a very important thing!

So, there were the one-night-stand or brief flings be that with servant girls or anyone else who fancied the king. And once the king had "relieved the pressure" so to speak, they were pretty much out. They were often, but not always, compensated with a gift. Any children would be most unlikely to be acknowledged.

Then there were the unofficial mistresses. They were often lower nobility or commoners. They typically had a longterm affair with the king, living close to his chambers. We most presume that the kings were genuinely in love with their mistresses.
Everybody knew about the king's mistress, but she was living in the background and had no rights. Even though she could exercise some influence at court, she was also in constant danger from very often powerful enemies - usually the queen, but also children of the king, who were often very loyal to their mother - unsurprisingly.
Once the king lost his interest, or having the mistress became too much of a burden in regards to politics and family, they were shipped out and usually rewarded with an estate somewhere, far from the court.
Any children would often be officially acknowledged and given the non-hereditary title of Gyldenløve = Golden Lion. And they got a job or an estate somewhere, setting them up for life.

Next came the official mistresses.
They were typically from the nobility, so that they knew people at court and knew how to behave with decorum.
They were presented officially at court as mistress to the king and that gave them both protection and rights.
They were to be treated with the respect and cutesy becoming of someone of her station (in the case of Sophie Amalie Moth, being a noble lady) and being a "special and dear friend" of the king... And if you disrespected her, the wrath of the king would come crashing down on your silly head! He was obliged to act to defend an official mistress.
She would openly accompany the king, who would often openly show his affection for her.
She would sit at his left hand at dinners.
The king would unofficially be obliged not to take other mistresses while having an official mistress. - Except for the occasional one night stands. For the well being of the king...
Any children would all be officially acknowledged. That was simply a part of the deal.
If the king grew tired of her, she was to be retired with an estate suitable for her position - for life.
The same thing happened if the king died. No kicking her out on the street, penniless. Which sometimes happened to mistresses of kings ho died.
Sometimes an official mistress got along very well with the queen and even became friends. At other times they hated the sight of each other.
An official mistress had a lot of influence at court! She had the king's ear - among other things...
Sophie Amalie Moth was either very wise or she thought politics and court intrigues were way above her head and station, and decided to stay clear of that. Which was probably one of the reasons why Christian V was so fond of her.
Having an official mistress was also considered a positive thing - except for the queen and the king's children usually - because even though it was adultery it was at least seriously meant adultery, showing that the king had a good sense of moral. After all, we are all men of the world and rules don't apply to kings (and nobility...)

And finally we have the mistresses who were married to the king's left hand.
They had the same rights and position as a wife, except when the queen was present.
They would accompany the king. They would openly sleep in the same chambers as the king, if that fancied them. They would often dine and walk at the right hand of the king.
They were to be treated with the same courtesy and respect as if they were the queen, except when the real queen was present. Anyone disrespecting her would be guilty of les majesty, because she was after all (sort of) married to the king.
And this was for life!
Any children would be given high ranking titles and estates, befitting someone who was considered half-royals. Even though they could not be a part of the Line of Succession.
Upon the death of the king his "wife" would be given estates equal to a high ranking member of the royal family.
She was also protected by the same rights afforded to genuine wives. Especially in regards to inheritance and fortunes. She couldn't just be kicked out. That would mean a genuine divorce with all the trouble that entailed, also back then.
Wives to the left hand often wielded enormous influence, at least equal to, and often surpassing that of the real queen.

It happened that a king, after his queen had died and he had secured a suitable number of heirs and spares, married to his left hand.
He had done his duty and now he could marry for love.
Who the king married was a state affair, so he couldn't officially marry just anyone. But after the death of his queen, he could marry to his left hand. The wife often being a long term mistress. That was seen as both respecting the late queen and showing responsibility to the country, because if need be he could marry to his right hand again.

So while Sophie Amalie Moth was the first official mistress in the DRF, the system was in place both before and after her. And also very much in neighboring monarchies.

However, the system not only applied to kings and royals. It went all the way down.
Old Danish Law was very practical.
If a woman lived with a man in his house and carried the keys to the house for three years, then she had all the legal rights of a wife. - Regardless of whether one of both of them were already married.
Because then as now, people couldn't live together or they found someone new or they simply vanished - drowned at sea or was robbed and killed or buried in a mass grave during an epidemic. So a solution had to be found. hence the rule about three years.
The Protestants put an end to that practice though, even though it unofficially endured for at least a couple of centuries after the Reformation.
The keys to the house or mostly the farm was always worn by the woman who was responsible for the household, typically the wife. But sometimes the mother or a sister, or a mistress if there was no wife. The keys being a symbol of her status. Here in DK wives carrying the keys to the house was seen well into the 1800's.
Wives also carried the keys to the doors, the cabinets and the chests, including the money chest, because they could be relied upon not to go on a binge at a nearby tavern. - That wasn't always true though...
But they primarily carried the keys because traditionally the wife was the undisputed mistress of the house and all who lived and worked within the house, and who worked with the pigs and poultry as well as the kitchen-garden.
The husband did not interfere in matters within the household, unless it was absolutely necessary. Nor was he expected to interfere. If the wife was incapacitated, another female relative would take over.
The overall property, larger livestock as well as the fields and barns was the husband's responsibility. Something a wife should not have to be involved in. If the husband was away (sometimes for a few months months a year, driving cattle to Germany) the wife would take over the responsibility for the entire farm, if there was no adult son around.

In small farms the responsibilities of husband and wife overlapped out of sheer necessity.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, January 19, 1526 ~ Demise of Isabella of Austria, Queen Consort of King Christian II of Denmark

 

[An Ard Ri]

On this day, January 19, 1526 ~ Demise of Isabella of Austria, Queen Consort of King Christian II of Denmark

Isabella who died in Ghent was buried at the Sint-Pieterskerk her son Johann who died in 1532 was buried beside.The church was ransacked by Calvinists in 1566 during the iconoclasm and the tomb destroyed but was later restored in 1652.Sadly the church was again pillaged by the French in 1796 and the burials was violated.In 1833 the remains were rediscovered and brought back to Denmark and reburied at St. Knuds Church in Odense.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, January 29, 1749 ~ Birth of King Christian VII of Denmark

 

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, February 19, 1670 ~ Demise of King Frederik III of Denmark in Copenhagen, Denmark

 

[Countessmeout]

February 28, 1648 death of Christian IV of Denmark.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris...dia/File:Christian_IV_Pieter_Isaacsz_1612.jpg

He was born April 12, 1577 in Frederiksborg Castle. His father was Frederick II of Denmark. His father had come to the throne in 1559. His mother was Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. His maternal grandmother Elizabeth was a daughter of Frederick I of Denmark. He was the 3rd of 7 children of his parents, three boys and 4 girls (all of whom reached adulthood). Anne, the wife of James VI of Scotland and England was one of his elder sisters.

At the time of his birth Denmark was still an elected monarchy. But at the age of 3 his father had him named prince-elect and heir to the crown.

His father died April 4, 1588 when Christian was only 11 years old. As he was a minor a regency counsel was put in place to govern until he came of age. His mother wished to serve as regent but she was denied.

Christian studied even after coming to the throne at Sora academy where he was said to be headstrong but a brilliant student.

On August 17, 1596 he signed the haandfæstning. 12 days later on the 29th the 19 year old was crowned Christian IV at Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen by the Bishop of Zealand.


He saw to the protection of his country. New fortresses were built under the supervision of Dutch engineers. The navy grew to 60 ships, some of them even designed by the young king. But he also looked to industry. He helped to create several merchant cities and looked to expand the merchantile business in Denmark to improve the economy of his country. He saw to building factories.

When his factories and new cities didn't bring in the profit he hoped he started looking abroad. He tried to send ships to find the Northwerst passage as well as to go to Greenland and assert the old claims there. His ships did reach Churchill river in Hudson Bay but most of his crew died from cold, hunger and scurvy.

In 1620 he did manage to establish their first colony in India and start the Danish East India Company.

Christian was a patron of the arts. He brought many musicians to court. He was known to be quite the dancer. Artists were known to travel freely between his court and those of his sisters Anne and Elizabeth.

His latter years of life saw a time known as the Burning Times. Christian had become obsessed with witch craft and saw to the execution of many of his subjects including 21 people in Iceland.


On February 21, 1648 he had himself carried from Frederiksborg to Copenhagen as he knew he was dying, and wished to die in his beloved capital. He died there February 28 and was buried at Roskilde cathedral. The chapel named for him had been completed 6 years before his death.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6874443/christian_iv#view-photo=1179067

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6874443/christian_iv#view-photo=172538959


Christian had married Anne Catherine of Brandenburg in 1597. She died in 1612 at 36. She bore the king 6 children, 3 of whom reached adulthood.


-Frederick: died in infancy

-Christian:was prince elect of Denmark. He died at 44 a year before his father. He was married to Magdalene Sibylle of Saxony.The marriage was childless despite 13 years of marriage. His widow would later remarry to Duke Frederick Wilhelm II of Saxe-Altenburg, with whom she had 3 children.

-Sophie: died in infancy

-Elisabeth: died in infancy

-Frederick: succeeded his father as Frederick III. He married Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg. The couple had 8 children, the eldest six making it to adulthood. His son George married Queen Anne of Great Britain. His daughter Ulrika Eleanora married Charles XI of Sweden.

-Ulrik: was prince-bishop of Schwerin.

After his first wife died, he married morgantically Kirsten Munk. The couple had 11 children together. Their children held the title count/countess. 7 of them reached adulthood (like the previous queen she also had a known miscarriage).

-unnamed child who died in infancy

-Anne Catherine: died at the age of 15

-Sophie Elizabeth: She married Christian von Pentz.

-Leonora Christina: She was married to Corfitz Ulfeldt with whom she had 10 children. Through her youngest son she is the ancestor of a number of modern royals including Simeon II, Michael of Romania, Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein and Princess Michael of Kent among others.

-Valdemar Christian of Schleswig-Holstein: went to Russia at a time to marry a daughter of Mikhail I, but was imprisoned after refusing to convert. He was released after 3 years and returned home never to marry. He came into conflict with his half brother Frederick III over the throne.

-Elisabeth Augusta: married Hans Lindenov. Seems to have been a horrid gambler and despite a royal pension and gifts from Christian V, she was often in debt. She was the mother of Sophie Amalie Lindenov who was a bit of a legend as a wealthy land owner, who admitted to murdering her husband on her death bed.

-Friedrich Christian: died at age 2.

-Christiane: She married nobleman Hannibal Sehested, who was viceroy of Norway. They lost their estates and she her status as countess for years but she regained it later in life.

-Hedwig: twin sister of Christiane. She was married to nobleman Ebbe Ulfeldt. The marriage was unhappy as her husband was abusive and she eventually went to join her sister in Pomerania. She eventually returned and lived on her husband's estates in Skane due to poverty. Her husband was a talented landscape painter.

-Maria Katharina: died in infancy

-Dorothea Elisabeth: the king did not recognize her due to her mother's affair. She was sent to Hamburg where she eventually converted to catholic and would become a nun. She was legitimized in 1648.

Kirsten died in 1658.

 

[Muhler]

Kristian IV, his name was later changed to the presumably more fashionable Christian IV, is without comparison the best known monarch in Danish history. Not least because there are monuments and buildings bearing his monogram all over the place, especially in Copenhagen.

He was typically for his time a well educated king. He became king as a child, but that didn't stop his teacher from beating him from time to time, if he didn't show enough attention. There was never such a thing as a whipping boy in Denmark. A number of Christian IV's notebooks from school are preserved and they show a typical child. There are doodles and imaginary animals and drawings of all sort of things.
He was a devout Christian who saw it as his first duty to protect his realm and people from the Devil and his cohorts and he did indeed have a keen interest in the subject. An interest he shared with his brother-in-law King James I.
At the time the King was the only one who could confirm a death sentence, hence why witches (of both sexes, but not animals as in other countries) that had been sentenced to death ended up on his desk.
In the later years of his reign he suffered many misfortunes, mainly due to unwise decisions, but Christian IV seemingly convinced himself that witches must be behind the problems, so a minor witch-hunt (if you'll forgive the unintentional pun) started that indeed led to quite a few burning at the stake.
His son however, didn't seem to believe in witches and de facto brought witch-burnings to an end.

Christian IV was a very energetic king! Before Absolutism the kings were constantly on the move throughout the realm, and that applied not least to Christian IV! And no project or issue was too small. He was very much a micro manager and as such had a huge workload. - Beside being a womanizer, very heavy drinker (that was in line with Danish customs at the time. He managed to drink his brother-in-law and his court totally under the table.) and a glutton. (Which was also in line with fashion at the time. The fatter = the more wealthy and mighty you were.)
He was also a prolific letter-writer and there are I don't know how many surviving letters by him here in DK, which is why we know him and his mindset so well.
He was also among the last kings to lead in battle and he did indeed lose an eye during a naval battle. The present day Royal Anthem refer to that battle specifically.

Towards the end of his reign he started to lose grip. I guess he was simply getting worn out from having ruled for so many decades. He was lured into the Thirty Year War and apart from wars always costing a fortune this resulted in Jutland and Schleswig and Holstein being devastated by ransacking enemy troops. I think that contributed to breaking his spirit, because he was after all an genuinely conscientious king in accordance with his way and his time.
A man who most of his life had been a merry party-monkey, he died a tired, grumpy old man.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Christian IV is also the longest reigning Danish monarch, his reign lasted 59 years from 1588 until 1648.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, March 11, 1899 ~ Birth of King Frederik IX of Denmark at Sorgenfri Palace

 

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, March 20, 1926 ~ Demise of Lovisa of Sweden, Queen of Denmark, wife of King Frederik VIII of Denmark

 

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, April 10, 1502 ~ The Wedding of King Frederik I of Denmark and Anna of Brandenburg in Stendal, Electorate of Brandenburg

 

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, April 12, 1577 ~ Birth of King Christian IV of Denmark at Frederiksborg Palace

 

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, April 26, 1898 ~ The Wedding of King Christian X of Denmark and Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in Cannes, France

​

 

[An Ard Ri]

On this day, April 10, 1502 ~ The Wedding of King Frederik I of Denmark and Anna of Brandenburg in Stendal, Electorate of Brandenburg

Frederick did not become king until 1523 and Anna never became queen as she died in 1514.
Frederick married secondly Sophie of Pomerania in 1518.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, April 27, 1650 ~ Birth of Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark, wife of King Christian V of Denmark in Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel

 

[An Ard Ri]

On this day, April 27, 1650 ~ Birth of Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark, wife of King Christian V of Denmark in Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel

Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel was raised Calvinist and did not have to convert to Lutheranism ,I guess anything other than Catholic was acceptable.

I wonder if Charlotte Amalie was Denmark's only Calvinist queen?

 

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, May 3, 1514 ~ Demise of Anna of Brandenburg, first wife of King Frederik I of Denmark

 

[An Ard Ri]

On this day, May 3, 1514 ~ Demise of Anna of Brandenburg, first wife of King Frederik I of Denmark

She was never Queen of Denmark and died 9 years before his accession ,Anna died at Kiel and was buried in an elaborate tomb at Bordesholm Abbey in Schleswig-Holstein.

Anna af Brandenburg,Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein

 

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, May 6, 1680 ~ The Wedding of King Karl XI of Sweden and Ulrike Eleonora of Denmark at Skottorp Manor in Skottorp, Denmark

 

[An Ard Ri]

On this day, May 6, 1680 ~ The Wedding of King Karl XI of Sweden and Ulrike Eleonora of Denmark at Skottorp Manor in Skottorp, Denmark

Ulrike Eleonora was the daughter of Frederick III of Denmark & Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
Two of Karl XI and Ulrike Eleanora's children were successive Monarchs of Sweden

Charles XII of Sweden r.1697 to 1718
Ulrika Eleonora r.1718-1720 abdicated in favour of her husband ,Frederick I of Sweden.

 

[JR76]

On this day, May 6, 1680 ~ The Wedding of King Karl XI of Sweden and Ulrike Eleonora of Denmark at Skottorp Manor in Skottorp, Denmark

Ulrika Eleonora was engaged at an early age to Karl XI but later during the catastrophic Scanian war her brother broke off the engagement. Ulrika still considered herself engaged and refused several other prominent suitors. Her devotion to her fiancé and his country went so far that she sold some of her possessions, including her engagement ring, to be able to feed and care for Swedish prisoners of war.
The engagement was eventually formalised as part of the peace negotiations and the wedding was held held at Skottorp Palace in Southern Sweden. A grand ceremony had been planned to be held in Halmstad where Karl resided with the troops needed to control the war-torn and rebellious Scanian provinces but to get away from a meddling French ambassador it was decided that a simple private ceremony would be enough. Skottorp was seen as the only suitable house in that part of the country since most of the other grander residences of the powerful Dano-Scanian nobility had been put to the torch during the war. The simple ceremony proved a disappointment to Ulrika who felt that the daughter, sister and future wife of a king deserved something better. Even her husband who'd she'd been so devoted to proved a disappointment. He was so openly displeased with her that he didn't dine with her and was up at 4 am the next morning to go hunting before leaving for Halmstad to review his troops. Instead she dined with her formidable mother-in-law Hedvig Eleonora, The Queen Dowager of the Realm, who was neither happy about getting a Danish daughter-in-law nor about being expected to relinquish her position as the first lady of the Realm. She never did and she remained a pain in Ulrika's "derriere royale" for the remainder of her life. It's quite telling that the otherwise angelic queen called her mother-in-law the "devil of her marriage" which, I guess, is a 17th century version of there being three people in the marriage.
The King's disappointment with his future wife was obvious to everyone present at the wedding but when he complained about her looks to his chancellor Count Gyllenstierna and asked why he couldn't have gotten him a prettier bride he got the reply that "Your Majesty will soon see that in Her resides an angel".

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe..._slott_Hallandia_antiqua_et_hodierna_1753.jpg

 

[Muhler]

That war was unusually brutal!

And also very bloody. The bloodiest battle ever in Scandinavian history was fought at the now Swedish town of Lund during that war - which BTW ended with both sides going back to status quo.
The other European powers were perfectly happy with the east side of Øresund remaining in the hands of the Swedes, while the west side was Danish. - Thus no one was supposed to be in control of that vital strait.

But back to the war. It contained everything. Major battles both at sea and land. Sieges. Treason. Guerilla warfare. Scorched earth warfare. Towns being sacked by mercenaries with all the horrors that entailed. Mass executions. Ethnic cleansing by coercion - i.e. violence, rape, threats and murder. Prisoners of war were routinely killed on the spot by both sides, whether they were regulars or irregulars.
Refugees streamed across the sound to Denmark, those who remained (remember these lands was ancient Danish lands, inhabited by Danes) were collaborators. In Danish eyes, they were traitors.

There have been some 30 wars between Sweden and Denmark, a world record. But this one was probably the most hateful and bitter. Certainly the most cruel.

It's worth a long post, but it's bedtime.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

On this day, May 10, 1775 ~ Demise of Caroline Matilda of Wales, Queen of Denmark, wike of King Christian VII of Denmark

 

[An Ard Ri]

On this day, May 10, 1775 ~ Demise of Caroline Matilda of Wales, Queen of Denmark, wike of King Christian VII of Denmark

Caroline wasn't queen and the time of her death she had been divorced and exile from the court since 1772 and died at Celle, in Hanover aged just 23.