Louise of Denmark (1726-1756)
Encyclopedia
Louise of Denmark was a Danish princess, the daughter of King Christian VI of Denmark
and his wife Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
. Following her marriage to Ernest Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen, she became Duchess of Saxe-Hildburghausen
.
and the Prince of Mecklenburg
were mentioned as suitable wedding partners. She was suggested as a bride both to a British prince (Prince William, Duke of Cumberland), and to the newly elected Swedish Crown prince (the future King Adolf Frederick of Sweden
); after Adolf Frederick's election, it was thought that their marriage would be conducive to an alliance between Sweden and Denmark, and reduce the tension created between the two countries after the election of a candidate who was preferred by Sweden and opposed by Denmark. However, none of these plans came to fruition. In 1749, Louise had an affair—and possibly a child—with a page boy
from the noble Danish family Ahlefeldt
, who was afterwards sentenced to imprisonment in Munkholm Fortress. Later that year, she was hastily married to Ernest Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen, with a large dowry to hasten the wedding and calm down the scandal. They married in the Hirschholm Palace
, north of Copenhagen
, on 1 October 1749.
The marriage produced one child, Fredericka Sophie Juliane Caroline (b. Hildburghausen, 5 December 1755 - d. Hildburghausen, 10 January 1756).
Christian VI of Denmark
Christian VI was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746.He was the son of King Frederick IV of Denmark and Norway and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. He married Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and fathered Frederick V.-The reign and personality of Christian VI:To posterity Christian...
and his wife Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
Sophia Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach was queen-consort of Denmark and Norway as the wife of King Christian VI of Denmark and Norway.-Background:...
. Following her marriage to Ernest Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen, she became Duchess of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Saxe-Hildburghausen
Saxe-Hildburghausen was an Ernestine duchy in what is now southern Thuringia, Germany. Its territory was similar to that of the modern Hildburghausen district.-History:...
.
Biography
Louise was described as a lively person not well suited to the strict and religious court of her parents. The relations between her and her parents were not good because of their differing personalities. She disliked the strict customs at court; her father complained about her "rebellious nature".Scandal and marriage
Her father had ambitions of making her Queen of Sweden. During the election of the heir to the Swedish throne in 1742-43, the different contestants for this position, such as the Prince of BirkenfeldBirkenfeld
Birkenfeld is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde.-Location:...
and the Prince of Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
were mentioned as suitable wedding partners. She was suggested as a bride both to a British prince (Prince William, Duke of Cumberland), and to the newly elected Swedish Crown prince (the future King Adolf Frederick of Sweden
Adolf Frederick of Sweden
Adolf Frederick or Adolph Frederick was King of Sweden from 1751 until his death. He was the son of Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin and Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach....
); after Adolf Frederick's election, it was thought that their marriage would be conducive to an alliance between Sweden and Denmark, and reduce the tension created between the two countries after the election of a candidate who was preferred by Sweden and opposed by Denmark. However, none of these plans came to fruition. In 1749, Louise had an affair—and possibly a child—with a page boy
Page (servant)
A page or page boy is a traditionally young male servant, a messenger at the service of a nobleman or royal.-The medieval page:In medieval times, a page was an attendant to a knight; an apprentice squire...
from the noble Danish family Ahlefeldt
Ahlefeldt
Ahlefeldt is a Danish and German family of high nobility.The earliest known ancestor is one Benedict Ahlefeldt, , whose son and grandsons served king Atterdag Valdemar IV of Denmark and received significant pawn fiefs and properties in Denmark....
, who was afterwards sentenced to imprisonment in Munkholm Fortress. Later that year, she was hastily married to Ernest Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen, with a large dowry to hasten the wedding and calm down the scandal. They married in the Hirschholm Palace
Hirschholm Palace
Hirschholm Palace, also known as Hørsholm Palace, was a royal palace located in present-day Hørsholm municipality just north of Copenhagen, Denmark...
, north of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, on 1 October 1749.
Duchess of Saxe-Hildburghausen
As duchess of Saxe-Hildburghausen, she hosted a court known for its formal etiquette, great costs and many parties; she was described as proud and with "royal expenses" in her way of living, amusing herself with ballets, masquerades, balls, hunting and gambling, driving through the streets with a carraige (or, in winters, with a sleigh) of gold and silver.The marriage produced one child, Fredericka Sophie Juliane Caroline (b. Hildburghausen, 5 December 1755 - d. Hildburghausen, 10 January 1756).