Frederick VII of Denmark: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=JulyMay 20132023}}
{{Infobox royalty

| name = Frederick VII

| image = Frederik VII af August Schiøtt.jpg

| caption = Portrait by [[August Schiøtt]], {{circa}} 1850

| alt = Painting depicting the 42-year-old Frederick VII

| succession = [[King of Denmark]]

| moretext = ([[Style of the Danish sovereign|more...]])

| reign = 20 January 1848 – 15 November 1863

| predecessor = [[Christian VIII]]

| successor = [[Christian IX]]

| full name = Frederik Carl Christian

| house = [[House of Oldenburg|Oldenburg]]

| father = [[Christian VIII of Denmark]]

| mother = [[Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1808|10|6|df=y}}

| birth_place = [[Copenhagen]], Denmark]]

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1863|11|15|1808|10|6|df=y}}

| death_place = [[Glücksburg]], [[Duchy of Holstein]]

| place of burial = [[Roskilde Cathedral]]

The future King Frederick VII was born at 11 a.m. on 6 October 1808 at his parents' residence ''[[Levetzau's Palace]]'', an 18th-century palace which forms part of the [[Amalienborg Palace]] complex in central [[Copenhagen]].<ref name="kongeligedaab">{{cite book|first1=Lone|last1=Hindø|first2=Else|last2=Boelskifte|chapter=Lykkelig forløst med en Prins|title=Kongelig Dåb. Fjorten generationer ved Rosenborg-døbefonten|trans-title=Royal Baptisms. Fourteen generations at the Rosenborg baptismal font|publisher=Forlaget Hovedland|year=2007|isbn=978-87-7070-014-6|language=da|page=75-81}}</ref> Born into the [[House of Oldenburg]], the [[royal house]] which had ruled Denmark since its foundation there in the 15th century, he was the second, but eldest surviving, child to the then [[Christian VIII of Denmark|Prince Christian Frederick of Denmark]], the future King Christian VIII, and his first wife [[Duchess Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]. His maternal grandparents were [[Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]], and [[Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1756–1808)|Luise]], [[Duchess]] of [[Saxe-Gotha]].

On 7 August 1850 in [[Frederiksborg Palace]], he [[morganatic marriage|morganatically]] married [[Louise Rasmussen|Louise Christina Rasmussen]], whom he created [[LandgravineLensgreve (Danish title)|Lensgrevinde]] Danner in 1850 ({{lang-da|Lensgrevinde Danner}}), a [[Hatmaking|milliner]] and former [[ballet dancer]] who had for many years been his [[acquaintance]] or [[mistress (lover)|mistress]], the natural daughter of Gotthilf L. Køppen and of Juliane Caroline Rasmussen. This marriage seems to have been happy, although it aroused great moral indignation among the nobility and the [[bourgeoisie]]. Countess Danner, whoRasmussen was denounced as a vulgar [[:wikt:gold digger|gold digger]] by her enemies, but viewed as an unaffected daughter of the people by her admirers, and seems to have had a stabilizing effect on him. She also worked at maintaining his popularity by letting him meet the people of the provinces.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

[[File:Frederick VII and Countess Danner.jpg|thumb|left|Photograph of Frederick VII and his [[Morganatic marriage|morganatic]] spouse]] [[Louise Rasmussen]], {{circa|1860-611860–61}}]]

It has recently been claimed that the kingFrederick did indeed father a son, Frederik Carl Christian Poulsen, born on 21 November 1843, as a result of his relationship with Else Maria Guldborg Pedersen (also referred to as Marie Poulsen), which took place after his first two unhappy marriages. This was broughtfirst forward in a book publishedasserted in 1994. andIn again in2009, a bookDanish publishedwoman, inElse 2009. According to an article in the Danish newspaperMargrethe ('Gete'[[Politiken]]'',) theBondo authorOldenborg ofMaaløe the latter book, who believes herselfclaimed to be the great-granddaughter of FrederickFrederik VII, isthrough inFrederik possessionCarl. ofMaaloe possesses four letters from the KingFrederick to Marie Poulsen in which he acknowledgedacknowledging paternity.; The lettersthese are quoted in theher book, published in 2009.<ref name="Gete">[http://politiken.dk/kultur/article802125.ece "''Margrethe kunne være din dronning''" ("Margrethe could be your Queen")], ''[[Politiken]]'', 2 October 2009 (in Danish)</ref><ref>Gete Bondo Oldenborg Maaløe: ''Getes Erindringer'', Ådalen, 2009, {{ISBN|978-87-91365-44-7}}</ref> In all cases, however, extramarital offspring were and still are barred from the [[Line of succession to the Danish throne|line of succession]].

It has been claimed Frederick had a same-sex relationship with his friend, [[Carl Berling]] (1812–1871), [[printer (publisher)|publisher]] and owner of the newspaper [[Berlingske|''Berlingske Tidende'']]. The [[Bisexuality |bisexual]] Berling had an illegitimate child with Louise Rasmussen, [[Carl Christian Berling|Carl Christian]] (1841–1908). whoCarl Christian was much liked by the King, to the extent that he insisted on signing the new constitution on Carl Christian's 8th birthday on 5 June 1849. To retain a tinge of decency, the King married Louise Rasmussen and the trio then moved into the royal castle, where Berling was appointed [[Chamberlain (office)|Chamberlain]] and remained until 1861. The public indignation within higher circles over Frederick's morganatic marriage is well-known, but reasons have rarely been explained in detail.<ref>[http://www.dis-danmark.dk/forum/read.php?1,85053,85101#msg-85101 DIS-Forum :: AneEfterlysning :: Louise Rasmussen (Danner)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>P. Fr. Suhm: ''Hemmelige Efterretninger om de danske Konger efter souveraineteten'', Copenhagen 1918</ref>

When he succeeded to the throne in January 1848, he was almost at once met by the demands for a constitution. The Schleswig-Holsteiners wanted an independent state while the Danes wished to maintain South Jutland as a Danish area. The king soon yielded to the Danish demands, and in March he accepted the end of [[Absolute monarchy|absolutism]], which resulted in the June Constitution of 1849. During the [[First War of Schleswig]] against the German powers in 1848–51, Frederick appeared as ”the national leader”leader" and was regarded almost as a war hero, despite having never taken any active part in the struggles.

[[File:2 rigdalers Denmark 1863.png|thumb|250px|2 [[Danish rigsdaler|rigsdaler]] -– death of Frederik VII and accession of [[Christian IX of Denmark|Christian IX]]<ref>Year: 1863; Quantity released: 101,000 coin; Weight: 28.893 gram; Composition: Silver 87.5%; Diameter: 39.5 mm -– https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces23580.html</ref>]]

Frederick was married three times, but he produced no legitimate issue. The fact that he reached middle age without producing an heir meant that his second cousin Prince Christian of Glücksburg (1818–1906), the paternal descendant of [[Christian III of Denmark|Christian III]], was chosen as his [[heir-presumptive]] in 1852. When Frederick died in 1863, Christian took the throne as [[Christian IX of Denmark|Christian IX]].

Nationalism in the German-speaking parts of [[Schleswig-Holstein]] meant that there was no consensus to keep the duchies united under the Danish crown, internationally or within the duchies themselves. The duchies were inherited according to [[Semi-Salic|Salic law]] among the descendants of a past heiress, [[HelvigHedvig of SchauenburgHolstein]], whose heir according to primogeniture after King Frederick VII was [[Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein|Frederick]], [[Duke of Augustenburg]] (who proclaimed himself [[Frederick VIII of Schleswig-Holstein|Duke of Schleswig-Holstein]] after Frederick VII's death). This Frederick of Augustenburg had become the symbol of the [[Nationalism|nationalist]] German independence movement in [[Schleswig-Holstein]] since the time that his father, in exchange for compensation, had renounced his claims as first in line to inherit the twin Duchies of [[Schleswig]] and [[Holstein]] following the [[London Protocol (1852)|London Protocol]] of 8 May 1852, which concluded the [[First War of Schleswig]]. Because of his father's renunciation, Frederick was regarded as ineligible to succeed.

Some rights also belonged to the Glücksburg line, a more junior branch of the royal clan. They were also semi-Salic heirs of Frederick III through a daughter of [[Frederick V of Denmark]]'s, and they were more junior agnatic heirs eligible to succeed in Schleswig-Holstein. These dynasts were Christian of Glücksburg (1818–1906) and his two elder brothers, the younger of whom had sons and daughters.

[[Christian IX of Denmark|Prince Christian of Glücksburg]] (1818–1906) had been a foster grandson of the sonless royal couple [[Frederick VI of Denmark|Frederick VI]] and [[Marie of Hesse-Kassel|Queen Marie Sophie]], and he thus was well known at the royal court. Prince Christian was a nephew of Queen Marie Sophie's and descended from a first cousin of Frederick VI. He was brought up as a Dane, having lived in Danish-speaking lands of the royal dynasty, and he never bore arms for German interests against Denmark, as had other princes of the [[House of Glücksburg]] and the [[House of Augustenburg]]. This made him a relatively attractive royal candidate from the Danish viewpoint since, as a descendant of Frederick III, he was eligible to succeed in Denmark, although not first- in- line. He was also, but separately, eligible to inherit the dual duchies, but was not first- in- line either. Christian of Glücksburg also had married Princess [[Louise of Hesse-Kassel]], second -eldest daughter of the closest female relative of Frederick VII's. Louise's mother and brothers, princes of Hesse in Germany, renounced their rights in favor of Louise and her husband. Prince Christian's wife thereby became the closest female heiress of Frederick VII's. The thorny question of the application of [[semi-Salic]] provision in the succession of Denmark was at that point resolved by legislation, through which Prince Christian of Glücksburg was chosen in 1852 to succeed Frederick VII in Denmark.

Frederick VII managed to make himself one of the most beloved Danish kings of recent times.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} This was probably due partially to his relinquishment of [[Absolute monarchy|absolutism]] and partially to his personality. In spite of many weaknesses documented by his contemporaries&nbsp;— drinking, eccentric behavior, etc.&nbsp;— he also possessed something of a gift as an actor. He could be both folksy and genuinely hearty, able to appear as a ”simple"simple, yet dignified monarch”monarch". During his many travels throughout Denmark, he cultivated contacts with ordinary subjects. He was also a keen [[antiquarianism|antiquarian]] and according to the later Danish [[archaeology|archaeologist]] [[P.V. Glob]], it was "he, more than anyone else, [who] helped to arouse the wide interest in Danish antiquities".<ref>[[P.V. Glob]] (1969). ''The Bog People: Iron Age Man Preserved''. London: Faber and Faber Limited. Page 68-69.</ref>

;Foreign honours<ref name="Statskalendar">{{cite book |year=1861 |orig-year=1st pub.:1801 |editor1-last=Bille-Hansen |editor1-first=A. C. |editor2-last=Holck |editor2-first=Harald |title=Statshaandbog for Kongeriget Danmark for Aaret 1861 |trans-title=State Manual of the Kingdom of Denmark for the Year 1861 |url=https://dis-danmark.dk/bibliotek/910075.pdf#page=33 |format=PDF |series=Kongelig Dansk Hof- og Statskalender |language=da |location=Copenhagen |publisher=J.H. Schultz A.-S. Universitetsbogtrykkeri |pages=1 |access-date=9 May 2020 |via=[[:da:DIS Danmark]]}}</ref>

* {{flagicon image|Flag of Tunisia (1959–1999).svg}} [[Beylik of Tunis]]: Husainid Family Order<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.beaussant-lefevre.com/lot/86924/8138236?|title = Nichan ad-Dam, ou ordre du Sang, institué... -– Lot 198}}</ref>

{{Reflist|2}}

* {{cite book|last=Bramsen|first=Bo|title=Ferdinand og Caroline : en beretning om prinsen, der nødig ville være konge af Danmark|trans-title=Ferdinand and Caroline: an account of the prince who was reluctant to be king of Denmark|year=1985|edition=4th|publisher=Nordiske Landes Bogforlag|location=[[Copenhagen]]|isbn=8787439220|langlanguage=da}}

* {{cite encyclopedia |last=Jørgensen |first=Adolph Ditlev |author-link=Adolf Ditlev Jørgensen |title=Frederik VII, Konge |editor=[[Carl Frederik Bricka]] |encyclopedia=[[Dansk Biografisk Leksikon]]|Dansk Biografisk Lexikon. Tillige omfattende Norge for Tidsrummet 1537–1814]] |edition=1st |volume=5V |publisher=[[Gyldendal|Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag]] |location=Copenhagen |date=1889 |pages=315–324 |language=da}}

* [http://kongehuset.dk/english/the-monarchy-in-denmark/The-Royal-Lineage The Royal Lineage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150314224944/http://kongehuset.dk/english/the-monarchy-in-denmark/The-Royal-Lineage |date=14 March 2015 }} at the website of the [[Danish Monarchy]]