Danish princess (1789?1864)
Princess Louise Charlotte of Denmark
(
Danish
:
Charlotte af Danmark
; 30 October 1789 ? 28 March 1864) was a Danish princess, and a princess of Hesse-Kassel by marriage to
Prince William of Hesse-Kassel
.
Princess Charlotte was a significant figure in her time. She was one of the leading ladies in the country, and when her brother
Christian VIII
became king in 1839, she was close to the throne. She played an important role in the succession crisis in Denmark in the first half of the 19th century.
Early life
[
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]
Hereditary Prince Frederick
and
Hereditary Princess Sophia Frederica
with their three eldest children. Princess Charlotte sits on her mother's lap. Portrait by
Jens Juel
,
1790
.
Princess Charlotte was born on 30 October 1789 at
Christiansborg Palace
, the principal
residence
of the
Danish Monarchy
in central
Copenhagen
.
She was a daughter to
Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Denmark and Norway
, and
Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
.
Her father was a younger son of King
Frederick V of Denmark and Norway
, while her mother was a daughter of
Duke Louis of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
. At birth she had two older siblings, Prince Christian Frederick (who later became
King of Norway
in 1814 and was
King of Denmark
as
Christian VIII
from 1839) and
Princess Juliane Sophie
. She later had a younger brother,
Prince Frederick Ferdinand
.
When Princess Charlotte was born, her uncle
Christian VII
was the monarch of
Denmark-Norway
. Due to the king's mental illness, however, the real ruler was her cousin, Crown Prince Frederick (later
King Frederick VI
). Charlotte's family had a strained relationship with Crown Prince Frederick and his family due to the power struggles that the king's mental condition had created, but gradually the relationship between the two branches of the royal family was normalized.
Princess Charlotte. Portrait by
Jens Juel
,
1802
.
Princess Charlotte spent the first years of her life at the large and magnificent
baroque
palace of Christiansborg. As a summer residence, the family owned
Sorgenfri Palace
, located on the shores of the small river
Mølleaen
in
Kongens Lyngby
north of Copenhagen.
The year 1794 was an eventful year for the young princess and her family. In February 1794, a fire destroyed Christiansborg Palace, and the family was forced to move to
Levetzau's Palace
, a
rococo
palace which forms part of the
Amalienborg
Palace complex in the district of
Frederiksstaden
in central Copenhagen. And in november 1794, when Princess Charlotte was five years old, her mother, who was in poor health, died at the age of just 36.
Princess Charlotte was
confirmed
on 22 May 1803 in the chapel of
Frederiksberg Palace
along with her brother Prince Christian Frederik and sister Princess Juliane Sophie.
Marriage
[
edit
]
Charlottenlund Palace
,
c.
1830
.
On 10 November 1810 in
Amalienborg Palace
, she married
Prince William of Hesse-Kassel
. Her spouse was in Danish service from his youth, and the family lived in Denmark. The couple initially settled on
Sankt Annæ Plads
in central Copenhagen in what was called the
Prince William Mansion
. Later, the couple moved into the
Brockdorff's Palace
at Amalienborg. As their country residence they received
Charlottenlund Palace
, located on the shores of the
Øresund Strait
10 kilometers north of
Copenhagen
.
Later life
[
edit
]
Princess Charlotte of Denmark
Princess Charlotte was described as wise, practical and thrifty, keeping the finances of her household under strict control.
[3]
She had some interest in art and poetry, and reportedly felt herself to be a Danish patriot.
[4]
Charlotte played some part in the succession crisis which occurred because her half first cousin, King
Frederick VI of Denmark
, lacked a male heir. She supported the solution that her branch of the family should succeed to the throne, and because of this, she opposed the Schleswig-Holstein matter.
[5]
In 1839, her brother
Christian VIII of Denmark
succeeded their cousin on the throne, and during his reign, Charlotte had an important position at the Danish royal court in Copenhagen because her brother favored that her line of the family should succeed to the throne after his male line had died out.
[6]
In 1848, her brother died and was succeeded by his childless son, her nephew, king
Frederick VII of Denmark
. In 1850, the Danish government was pressured by the Empire of Russia to discontinue its support of her line in the succession order in favor of the Duke of Oldenburg, her son-in-law. Christian of Oldenburg had displayed anti-Danish sentiment during the recent war, and when gehejmerad F.C. Dankwart, on behalf of the government, issued the demand that she should renounce her, her son's, and eldest daughter's right to the throne in favor of her second daughter and her husband, she replied: "It is impossible: the Danish people would under no circumstance accept as King a Prince from a house that has made war against Denmark, and that is so hostile toward us".
[7]
In exchange, she demanded that the House of Oldenburg purchase the Duchy of Hesse and declare it a kingdom, so that her son Frederick could "Switch one Kingdom for another".
[8]
On 18 July 1851, after having been persuaded that her terms were impossible and that Christian of Oldenburg in fact had good support for his claim, Charlotte agreed to renounce her, her son Frederick's, and her eldest daughter Marie Louise Charlotte's claims to the throne in favour of her second daughter Louise, who in turn renounced her own claim in favor of her spouse, Christian.
[9]
Charlotte died in
Christiansborg Palace
in 1864.
Issue
[
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]
Ancestry
[
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]
Ancestors of Princess Charlotte of Denmark
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References
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Citations
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Bibliography
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External links
[
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]
Media related to
Princess Louise Charlotte of Denmark
at Wikimedia Commons
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Generations are numbered from the implementation of hereditary monarchy by
Frederick III
in 1660.
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13th generation
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1
Also princess of Norway
2
Also princess of Greece
3
Also princess of Iceland
4
Not Danish princess by birth, but created princess of Denmark
Princesses that lost their title are shown in italics
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1st generation
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2nd generation
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3rd generation
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4th generation
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5th generation
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6th generation
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9th generation
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1
Princess and Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel until 1803
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International
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National
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People
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