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Louise of Great Britain

Louise of Great Britain (originally Louisa; 18 December [O.S. 7 December] 1724 – 19 December 1751)[a] was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1746 until her death, as the first wife of King Frederick V. She was the youngest surviving daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach.

Louise of Great Britain
Portrait by Carl Gustav Pilo, 1747
Queen consort of Denmark and Norway
Tenure6 August 1746 – 19 December 1751
Coronation4 September 1747
Born(1724-12-18)18 December 1724 (New Style)[a]
Leicester House, London, England
Died19 December 1751(1751-12-19) (aged 27)
Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark
Burial
Spouse
(m. 1743)
Issue
HouseHanover
FatherGeorge II of Great Britain
MotherCaroline of Ansbach

The marriage between Louise and Frederick V of Denmark was arranged solely for political reasons (King George's ministers wanted Danish support in disputes with Prussia).[1] Although the marriage was arranged, the couple got along quite well, at least during the first years of marriage. Louisa, who encouraged performances by actors and musicians, was a popular figure at the Danish court even though she never exerted significant influence over her husband's decision-making.[1][2]

Early years edit

 
A miniature portrait of a young Princess Louise, by Christian Friedrich Zincke, 1730s (The Royal Collection).

Princess Louise was born as the fifth daughter and youngest child of the then Prince and Princess of Wales, on 18 December [O.S. 7 December] 1724, at Leicester House, Westminster, London.[3] She was born ten years after her paternal grandfather, Elector George Louis of Hanover, had succeeded to the thrones of Great Britain and Ireland in 1714 as George I, and her father had become Prince of Wales and moved to London with his family. Her father had a strained relationship with his own father, and in 1717, after a quarrel, the King had banished his son from court. He had subsequently lived at Leicester House, a large aristocratic townhouse in Westminster, where a rival court grew up, and which became a frequent meeting place for his father's political opponents. It was here that Louise was born.[3]

She was baptised "Louisa" at Leicester House on 22 December.[4] Her godparents were her elder sister and two cousins: Princess Amelia of Great Britain, Princess Louisa Ulrika of Prussia (for whom Sarah Lennox, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox, stood proxy), and Frederick, Prince Royal of Prussia, later Frederick the Great (for whom Henry de Nassau d'Auverquerque, 1st Earl of Grantham, stood proxy).[4]

 
John Croker's 1732 medal showing the seven surviving children of King George II, Frederick, William, Anne, Amelia, Caroline, Mary, and Louisa.

Princess Louise's mother was pregnant 11 times, but lost four of the children, so Princess Louise had six older siblings who lived to adulthood. Of these, Louise lived only with the two youngest, Prince William and Princess Mary and their parents in Leicester House. They constituted the 'younger set', born in London, in contrast to the 'older set', born in Hanover, whom King George I had separated from their parents in 1717. Her favorite sister was Princess Mary, who later married Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel; The future marriages of the two sisters would become a basis for the many dynastic marriages between the Danish royal family and the House of Hesse-Kassel in the following generations.

On 11 June 1727, when Louise was two years old, her grandfather, George I, died, and her father ascended the throne as George II. The family subsequently moved to St James's Palace, the London residence of the British monarch. Here Louise grew up, spending holidays at her parents' summer residence, Richmond Lodge, located near the River Thames in Richmond. In 1737, when Louise was almost 13 years old, her mother, Queen Caroline, died, and she was then raised mainly by her older sister, Princess Caroline.

Marriage edit

 
King Christian VI with his family Queen Sophie Magdalene, Crown Prince Frederick (V), and Crown Princess Louise. Hirschholm Palace can be seen as a backdrop. Painting by Carl Marcus Tuscher, c. 1744 (Rosenborg Castle).

In 1743, a dynastic marriage was negotiated between Louise and Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway. The marriage was proposed by Great Britain for political reasons. At the time of the marriage, both France and Great Britain wished to make an alliance with Denmark-Norway, and being protestant, Great Britain had the advantage of being able to make a marriage alliance.[5] The Danish government was in favor of the proposal, while Frederick's father, King Christian VI, was initially reluctant. But he was convinced, as he hoped the marriage would lead to British support for his, or his son's, claim to the throne of Sweden.[6] On a more personal level, there were hopes that marriage would suppress the frequent drinking and debauched behaviour of the Crown Prince.[7] As for the Crown Prince, after having been presented with a portrait of the princess and finding her exterior appealing, and having been told of her amiability, he declared himself willing to marry Louise, all the more so as he too could see that the political circumstances made the marriage desirable.[5]

Thus, the marriage negotiations began during the year of 1743, and were successfully concluded within a few months on 14 September.[8] On 19 October, the 18 year old Princess Louise left London and began her journey towards Copenhagen. The Lord Chamberlain ordered the provision of supplies for the Princess, including "sets of royal bedding, portmanteaus, a travelling tea equipage, and items for Mrs. Dives and the "Fubbs" yacht: all to an estimate of £503". [9] She first sailed aboard the royal yacht HMY Fubbs to her father's German possession, the Electorate of Hanover, where on 10 November a proxy wedding ceremony was conducted in Hanover with her brother, the Duke of Cumberland, as the representative of the groom.[5][8] After this, the entourages of Louise and Frederick met in the border city of Altona in the then Danish Duchy of Holstein, where Louise met her husband for the first time a week after the wedding.[5] There her English retinue was exchanged for a Danish one, headed by her new chamberlain Carl Juel and her Chief Court Mistress Christiane Henriette Louise Juel. Louise and Frederick then travelled together to Copenhagen, where they held their official entry into the Danish capital on 11 December to great cheers from the population. That same day a second wedding ceremony with the groom present was held in the chapel of Christiansborg Palace, the recently completed principal residence of the Danish Monarchy in central Copenhagen.[8][10]

Crown Princess edit

 
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess sharing cherries in their apartment at Charlottenborg Palace, a scene described by Charlotte Dorothea Biehl. History painting by Wilhelm Marstrand, 1868.

After the wedding, the newlyweds initially took up residence at Charlottenborg Palace[b], a Baroque style minor residence of the Danish royal family located at Copenhagen's largest square, Kongens Nytorv. Here, their home quickly became the setting for a lively and entertaining court which differed greatly from the rigid and heavy etiquette that prevailed at the court of Louise's in-laws at Christiansborg Palace.[8] They lived there until, in 1745, they could move into the completed Prince's Mansion[c], a city mansion remodeled for them by the Danish architect and royal building master Nicolai Eigtved in Rococo style, and located just across the Frederiksholm's Canal from Christiansborg Palace.[10]

Although the marriage was arranged, the couple got along quite well, and at least during the first years, their relationship was apparently amicable.[7] The couple had five children, of whom the eldest son, the heir to the throne Crown Prince Christian, did not survive infancy.[11] Although Frederick came to feel high regard for her and always treated her with kindness, he reportedly was not in love with her and continued his debauched lifestyle.[12] However Frederick was comfortable with her, and Louise pretended not to notice his adultery and random liaisons with others, notably with his favorite mistress Else Hansen.

Louise quickly made herself popular in the Danish court, and her father-in-law remarked that she seemed to him to be kind and agreeable.[11] She was also met with great enthusiasm from the citizens of Copenhagen, due to her natural and straightforward behavior.[10] Unlike her mother-in-law, Queen Sophie Magdalene, she made an effort to learn Danish, and studied the Danish language right from her arrival under the court priest Erik Pontoppidan. She also hired teachers so that her children could learn to speak their country's language.[7]

Queenship edit

 
Portrait of Queen Louise by Carl Gustaf Pilo, c. 1745 (Rosenborg Castle).

At the death of Christian VI on 6 August 1746, her husband ascended the throne as King Frederick V, and Louise became Queen of Denmark and Norway at the age of 21. The new king and queen then moved the short distance from the Prince's Mansion across the Frederiksholm's Canal into the large Christiansborg Palace. The ceremonies of the accession to the throne were concluded as the new king and queen were solemnly anointed in the chapel of Frederiksborg Palace on 4 September the following year.[13]

What Louise and her husband on a small scale had begun at Charlottenborg and the Prince's Mansion, they now continued at a larger scale at Christiansborg. Indeed, Frederick V's accession to the throne brought about a great change in life at the Danish court, which now became far more festive and acquired a more easy-going tone than under Louise's strictly religious parents-in-law. Almost as a sign of the new times, the heavy iron chains that had previously surrounded Christiansborg to keep the people at distance disappeared, court life regained its luster, and the palace's halls and salons once again became the setting for balls and social gatherings.[10] Queen Louise was very popular in Denmark,[6] and the great popularity of the royal couple has been attributed to Louise.[7] Louise had a vivacious personality, allowing her to socialise easily with others.[6] She was described as well educated and good at conversation, not beautiful but very dignified and well suited to her role as queen. A Swedish diplomat stationed in Denmark described her as follows:

She has good sense and is easy with words, friendly in tone, knows how to converse on many subjects and can speak several languages; while giving court, she seldom leaves anyone without saying something nice; she very much enjoys dance and dances well, she has a good temper and is known for her piety and excellent qualities. She finds pleasure in reading and music, she plays the clavichord well and teaches her daughters to sing.[5]

 
Portrait by court painter C.G. Pilo, 1751 (National Gallery of Denmark)

Her effort to speak the Danish language, including with her children, was much appreciated, as the royal Danish court spoke mostly German.[14] The Dano-Norwegian writer Ludvig Holberg thus wrote in one of his epistles:

It is impossible to describe with what sincere Pleasure a common man hears Her Majesty, though an English Princess, to speak Danish with the Royal Children.[15]

Interested in music, dance and theatre, she arranged in 1747 for the Italian opera company of Pietro Mingotti to be invited to Copenhagen, where they performed opera and ballet for the court at Charlottenborg Palace until 1750.[16][17] Its members included the composer Christoph Willibald Gluck, who stayed with the Danish court from 1748 to 1749. At the occasion of the Queen's birth of an heir to the throne, Crown Prince Christian, he composed the opera La Contesa dei Numi ("The Contention of the Gods"), in which the Olympian Gods gather at the banks of the Great Belt and discuss who in particular should protect the new prince. It was first performed on 12 March 1749 at Charlottenborg on the occasion of the Queen's first church service after the birth.[18] In 1748, the French theatrical troupe Du Londel Troupe under the leadership of Jeanne Du Londel was invited for dramatic performances to Copenhagen, where they performed until 1753, and also performed in Oslo in Norway during the king's stay there in 1749.

In 1751, Queen Louise unsuccessfully opposed the planned dynastic marriage between her daughter, the five-year-old Princess Sophie Magdalene, and the heir apparent to the Swedish throne, Crown Prince Gustav, the later King Gustav III.[7] She feared that her daughter would not be treated well by the queen of Sweden, Louisa Ulrika. Queen Louisa Ulrika was known for her anti-Danish views and for being opposed to the match, and it was known that she was the real ruler at the Swedish court.[19] Reportedly, Louise also disliked arranged marriages because of her own experience.

Early death edit

 
Queen Louise's catafalque in the Christiansborg Palace Chapel.

That same year, Louise became seriously ill with a pinched umbilical hernia while pregnant with her sixth child.[10][11] The court surgeon operated on her but could not save her life, nor that of her unborn child. She died at Christiansborg Palace on 19 December 1751, the day after her 27th birthday, after 14 years of marriage and after just 5 years as queen. The news of the popular queen's death was met with dismay at court and sincere mourning among the people who had come to appreciate their queen immensely during her short tenure.[20] After lying in state with great pomp at the chapel at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, she was interred in Roskilde Cathedral on the island of Zealand, the traditional burial site for Danish monarchs since the 15th century.[21]

 
Queen Louise's sarcophagus in Roskilde Cathedral, designed by the English sculptor Carl Frederik Stanley.

Frederick V survived Queen Louise by 14 years. Although initially unwilling to remarry a foreign princess, unless it was with an English princess, none of whom were available at the time, a new marriage for the king was arranged by Count Adam Gottlob von Moltke, who thought it best that the king remarry as soon as possible. Thus, the king's second marriage took place at the chapel of Fredensborg Palace on 8 July 1752 to Frederick the Great of Prussia's sister-in-law Duchess Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, daughter of Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. The marriage was frowned upon by the people who saw it as too early for the King to remarry. Neither did the formal princess appeal to his own taste, and with the court she was never popular — with no other identifiable cause than her sense of rigid etiquette, practised in German princely courts, that may have seemed less friendly than the English Louise.

In 1756, Louise's sister, Mary, who was estranged from her husband, Landgrave Frederick II of Hesse-Kassel, moved to Denmark to take care of her deceased sister's children. She brought her three sons with her, who were brought up at the Danish court. The two elder sons, Prince William and Prince Charles, would later marry their Danish cousins, Princess Wilhelmina and Princess Louise, while the two younger, Charles and Frederick would remain and have careers in Denmark.

Legacy edit

Because she was extremely popular and loved by the Danes, the memory of the young queen became more and more glorified over time. An example of this glorification is the German poet Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, who felt great devotion and esteem for Queen Louise; he was deeply moved by her hardships and early death and vented his own and the people's feelings in the ode An den König (later called Die Königin Luise) from 1752.[22] Compared to this ideal, the following queens, both her husband's second wife Juliana Maria and her niece and later daughter-in-law Caroline Matilda, were so much more harshly judged.[23]

Namesakes edit

Arms edit

On 30 August 1727, as a child of the sovereign, Louise was granted use of the arms of the realm without the inescutcheon containing the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire, differenced by a label argent of three points, each bearing torteaux gules.[25]

 
Coat of arms from 30 August 1727
 
Coat of arms of Queen Louise
 
Monogram as Queen Louise

Issue edit

Name Birth Death Notes
Christian, Crown Prince of Denmark Copenhagen, 7 July 1745 Frederiksborg, 3 June 1747 Died in infancy
Princess Sophia Magdalena of Denmark 3 July 1746 21 August 1813 Married, 1766, Gustav III of Sweden; had issue
Princess Wilhelmina Caroline of Denmark 10 July 1747 19 January 1820 Married, 1763, William I, Elector of Hesse; had issue
Christian VII of Denmark 29 January 1749 13 March 1808 Married, 1766, Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales; had issue
Princess Louise of Denmark 30 January 1750 12 January 1831 Married, 1766, Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel; had issue

Ancestry edit

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b Throughout Louise's life, Great Britain used the Old Style Julian calendar. Denmark-Norway had adopted the New Style Gregorian calendar in 1700. Old Style is used in this article for dates occurring during Louise's stay in Great Britain unless otherwise indicated; however, years are assumed to start from 1 January and not 25 March, which was the English New Year.
  2. ^ Today, the Charlottenborg Palace serves as the base of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
  3. ^ Today, the Prince's Mansion houses the National Museum of Denmark.

References edit

Citations edit

  1. ^ a b Panton, Kenneth J. (2011). Historical dictionary of the British monarchy. Scarecrow Press. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-8108-5779-7. OCLC 897043675.
  2. ^ Holm 1896, p. 399-401.
  3. ^ a b Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Online ed.). Oxford: British Academy, Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198614128. OCLC 56568095.
  4. ^ a b The London Gazette refers to her as "Princess Louisa". "No. 6332". The London Gazette. 26 December 1724. p. 1.
  5. ^ a b c d e Holm 1896, p. 399.
  6. ^ a b c Bregnsbo, p. 347.
  7. ^ a b c d e Louise, Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon
  8. ^ a b c d Jørgensen 1938, p. 490.
  9. ^ "Treasury Books and Papers: October 1744 Pages 522-530 Calendar of Treasury Books and Papers, Volume 5, 1742-1745. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1903". British History Online.
  10. ^ a b c d e Bech 1981.
  11. ^ a b c Holm 1896, p. 400.
  12. ^ Holm 1896, p. 399-400.
  13. ^ Monrad Møller, Anders (2012). Enevældens kroninger. Syv salvinger - ceremoniellet, teksterne og musikken [The coronations of the absolute monarchy. Seven anointings - the ceremonial, the lyrics and the music] (in Danish). Copenhagen: Forlaget Falcon. pp. 104–27. ISBN 978-87-88802-29-0.
  14. ^ Bregnsbo, p. 349.
  15. ^ Ludvig Holberg (1749). "Epistola CCCLXXVII.". Ludvig Holbergs Epistler. Vol. Tomus IV. Copenhagen. pp. 281–82.
  16. ^ Schepelern, Gerhard (1976). Italienerne på Hofteatret [The Italians at the Court Theater] (in Danish). Vol. 1. Copenhagen: Forlaget Rhodos.
  17. ^ Müller, Erich (1917). Angelo und Pietro Mingotti : Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Oper im 18. Jahrhundert [Angelo and Pietro Mingotti: A Contribution to the History of Opera in the Eighteenth Century] (in German). Dresden.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  18. ^ [Charlottenborg - a stop on your musical city walk through Copenhagen] (in Danish). The Royal Danish Library. Archived from the original on 15 September 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  19. ^ Ribbing, Gerd (1958). Gustav III:s hustru. Sofia Magdalena [The wife of Gustav III. Sofia Magdalena]. Stockholm: Bonnier.
  20. ^ Jørgensen 1938, p. 491.
  21. ^ "Dronning Louise". gravsted.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  22. ^ Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (1798). Oden (in German). Vol. 1. Leipzig: Göschen. pp. 106ff.
  23. ^ Leitner, Thea (1993). Skandal bei Hof (in German). Ueberreuter. ISBN 3-8000-3492-1.
  24. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 191.
  25. ^ Marks of Cadency in the British Royal Family

Bibliography edit

Primary sources edit

  • H. Bang, J., ed. (1866). "Charlotte Dorothea Biehls historiske Breve" [Charlotte Dorothea Biehl's Historical Letters]. Historisk Tidsskrift (in Danish). Copenhagen: Den danske historiske Forening. 4 (3): 147–494.

External links edit

Louise of Great Britain
Cadet branch of the House of Welf
Born: 18 December 1724 Died: 19 December 1751
Royal titles
Preceded by Queen consort of Denmark and Norway
1746–1751
Vacant
Title next held by
Juliana Maria of
Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

louise, great, britain, later, princess, great, britain, called, also, called, louisa, princess, louisa, great, britain, originally, louisa, december, december, 1724, december, 1751, queen, denmark, norway, from, 1746, until, death, first, wife, king, frederic. For the later Princess of Great Britain called also called Louisa see Princess Louisa of Great Britain Louise of Great Britain originally Louisa 18 December O S 7 December 1724 19 December 1751 a was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1746 until her death as the first wife of King Frederick V She was the youngest surviving daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach Louise of Great BritainPortrait by Carl Gustav Pilo 1747Queen consort of Denmark and NorwayTenure6 August 1746 19 December 1751Coronation4 September 1747Born 1724 12 18 18 December 1724 New Style a Leicester House London EnglandDied19 December 1751 1751 12 19 aged 27 Christiansborg Palace Copenhagen DenmarkBurialRoskilde CathedralSpouseFrederick V of Denmark m 1743 wbr IssueChristian Crown Prince of Denmark Sophia Magdalena Queen of Sweden Wilhelmina Caroline Electress of Hesse Christian VII of Denmark Louise Princess Charles of Hesse KasselHouseHanoverFatherGeorge II of Great BritainMotherCaroline of AnsbachThe marriage between Louise and Frederick V of Denmark was arranged solely for political reasons King George s ministers wanted Danish support in disputes with Prussia 1 Although the marriage was arranged the couple got along quite well at least during the first years of marriage Louisa who encouraged performances by actors and musicians was a popular figure at the Danish court even though she never exerted significant influence over her husband s decision making 1 2 Contents 1 Early years 2 Marriage 3 Crown Princess 4 Queenship 5 Early death 6 Legacy 6 1 Namesakes 7 Arms 8 Issue 9 Ancestry 10 See also 11 Notes 12 References 12 1 Citations 12 2 Bibliography 12 2 1 Primary sources 13 External linksEarly years edit nbsp A miniature portrait of a young Princess Louise by Christian Friedrich Zincke 1730s The Royal Collection Princess Louise was born as the fifth daughter and youngest child of the then Prince and Princess of Wales on 18 December O S 7 December 1724 at Leicester House Westminster London 3 She was born ten years after her paternal grandfather Elector George Louis of Hanover had succeeded to the thrones of Great Britain and Ireland in 1714 as George I and her father had become Prince of Wales and moved to London with his family Her father had a strained relationship with his own father and in 1717 after a quarrel the King had banished his son from court He had subsequently lived at Leicester House a large aristocratic townhouse in Westminster where a rival court grew up and which became a frequent meeting place for his father s political opponents It was here that Louise was born 3 She was baptised Louisa at Leicester House on 22 December 4 Her godparents were her elder sister and two cousins Princess Amelia of Great Britain Princess Louisa Ulrika of Prussia for whom Sarah Lennox Duchess of Richmond and Lennox stood proxy and Frederick Prince Royal of Prussia later Frederick the Great for whom Henry de Nassau d Auverquerque 1st Earl of Grantham stood proxy 4 nbsp John Croker s 1732 medal showing the seven surviving children of King George II Frederick William Anne Amelia Caroline Mary and Louisa Princess Louise s mother was pregnant 11 times but lost four of the children so Princess Louise had six older siblings who lived to adulthood Of these Louise lived only with the two youngest Prince William and Princess Mary and their parents in Leicester House They constituted the younger set born in London in contrast to the older set born in Hanover whom King George I had separated from their parents in 1717 Her favorite sister was Princess Mary who later married Frederick II Landgrave of Hesse Kassel The future marriages of the two sisters would become a basis for the many dynastic marriages between the Danish royal family and the House of Hesse Kassel in the following generations On 11 June 1727 when Louise was two years old her grandfather George I died and her father ascended the throne as George II The family subsequently moved to St James s Palace the London residence of the British monarch Here Louise grew up spending holidays at her parents summer residence Richmond Lodge located near the River Thames in Richmond In 1737 when Louise was almost 13 years old her mother Queen Caroline died and she was then raised mainly by her older sister Princess Caroline Marriage edit nbsp King Christian VI with his family Queen Sophie Magdalene Crown Prince Frederick V and Crown Princess Louise Hirschholm Palace can be seen as a backdrop Painting by Carl Marcus Tuscher c 1744 Rosenborg Castle In 1743 a dynastic marriage was negotiated between Louise and Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway The marriage was proposed by Great Britain for political reasons At the time of the marriage both France and Great Britain wished to make an alliance with Denmark Norway and being protestant Great Britain had the advantage of being able to make a marriage alliance 5 The Danish government was in favor of the proposal while Frederick s father King Christian VI was initially reluctant But he was convinced as he hoped the marriage would lead to British support for his or his son s claim to the throne of Sweden 6 On a more personal level there were hopes that marriage would suppress the frequent drinking and debauched behaviour of the Crown Prince 7 As for the Crown Prince after having been presented with a portrait of the princess and finding her exterior appealing and having been told of her amiability he declared himself willing to marry Louise all the more so as he too could see that the political circumstances made the marriage desirable 5 Thus the marriage negotiations began during the year of 1743 and were successfully concluded within a few months on 14 September 8 On 19 October the 18 year old Princess Louise left London and began her journey towards Copenhagen The Lord Chamberlain ordered the provision of supplies for the Princess including sets of royal bedding portmanteaus a travelling tea equipage and items for Mrs Dives and the Fubbs yacht all to an estimate of 503 9 She first sailed aboard the royal yacht HMY Fubbs to her father s German possession the Electorate of Hanover where on 10 November a proxy wedding ceremony was conducted in Hanover with her brother the Duke of Cumberland as the representative of the groom 5 8 After this the entourages of Louise and Frederick met in the border city of Altona in the then Danish Duchy of Holstein where Louise met her husband for the first time a week after the wedding 5 There her English retinue was exchanged for a Danish one headed by her new chamberlain Carl Juel and her Chief Court Mistress Christiane Henriette Louise Juel Louise and Frederick then travelled together to Copenhagen where they held their official entry into the Danish capital on 11 December to great cheers from the population That same day a second wedding ceremony with the groom present was held in the chapel of Christiansborg Palace the recently completed principal residence of the Danish Monarchy in central Copenhagen 8 10 Crown Princess edit nbsp The Crown Prince and Crown Princess sharing cherries in their apartment at Charlottenborg Palace a scene described by Charlotte Dorothea Biehl History painting by Wilhelm Marstrand 1868 After the wedding the newlyweds initially took up residence at Charlottenborg Palace b a Baroque style minor residence of the Danish royal family located at Copenhagen s largest square Kongens Nytorv Here their home quickly became the setting for a lively and entertaining court which differed greatly from the rigid and heavy etiquette that prevailed at the court of Louise s in laws at Christiansborg Palace 8 They lived there until in 1745 they could move into the completed Prince s Mansion c a city mansion remodeled for them by the Danish architect and royal building master Nicolai Eigtved in Rococo style and located just across the Frederiksholm s Canal from Christiansborg Palace 10 Although the marriage was arranged the couple got along quite well and at least during the first years their relationship was apparently amicable 7 The couple had five children of whom the eldest son the heir to the throne Crown Prince Christian did not survive infancy 11 Although Frederick came to feel high regard for her and always treated her with kindness he reportedly was not in love with her and continued his debauched lifestyle 12 However Frederick was comfortable with her and Louise pretended not to notice his adultery and random liaisons with others notably with his favorite mistress Else Hansen Louise quickly made herself popular in the Danish court and her father in law remarked that she seemed to him to be kind and agreeable 11 She was also met with great enthusiasm from the citizens of Copenhagen due to her natural and straightforward behavior 10 Unlike her mother in law Queen Sophie Magdalene she made an effort to learn Danish and studied the Danish language right from her arrival under the court priest Erik Pontoppidan She also hired teachers so that her children could learn to speak their country s language 7 Queenship edit nbsp Portrait of Queen Louise by Carl Gustaf Pilo c 1745 Rosenborg Castle At the death of Christian VI on 6 August 1746 her husband ascended the throne as King Frederick V and Louise became Queen of Denmark and Norway at the age of 21 The new king and queen then moved the short distance from the Prince s Mansion across the Frederiksholm s Canal into the large Christiansborg Palace The ceremonies of the accession to the throne were concluded as the new king and queen were solemnly anointed in the chapel of Frederiksborg Palace on 4 September the following year 13 What Louise and her husband on a small scale had begun at Charlottenborg and the Prince s Mansion they now continued at a larger scale at Christiansborg Indeed Frederick V s accession to the throne brought about a great change in life at the Danish court which now became far more festive and acquired a more easy going tone than under Louise s strictly religious parents in law Almost as a sign of the new times the heavy iron chains that had previously surrounded Christiansborg to keep the people at distance disappeared court life regained its luster and the palace s halls and salons once again became the setting for balls and social gatherings 10 Queen Louise was very popular in Denmark 6 and the great popularity of the royal couple has been attributed to Louise 7 Louise had a vivacious personality allowing her to socialise easily with others 6 She was described as well educated and good at conversation not beautiful but very dignified and well suited to her role as queen A Swedish diplomat stationed in Denmark described her as follows She has good sense and is easy with words friendly in tone knows how to converse on many subjects and can speak several languages while giving court she seldom leaves anyone without saying something nice she very much enjoys dance and dances well she has a good temper and is known for her piety and excellent qualities She finds pleasure in reading and music she plays the clavichord well and teaches her daughters to sing 5 nbsp Portrait by court painter C G Pilo 1751 National Gallery of Denmark Her effort to speak the Danish language including with her children was much appreciated as the royal Danish court spoke mostly German 14 The Dano Norwegian writer Ludvig Holberg thus wrote in one of his epistles It is impossible to describe with what sincere Pleasure a common man hears Her Majesty though an English Princess to speak Danish with the Royal Children 15 Interested in music dance and theatre she arranged in 1747 for the Italian opera company of Pietro Mingotti to be invited to Copenhagen where they performed opera and ballet for the court at Charlottenborg Palace until 1750 16 17 Its members included the composer Christoph Willibald Gluck who stayed with the Danish court from 1748 to 1749 At the occasion of the Queen s birth of an heir to the throne Crown Prince Christian he composed the opera La Contesa dei Numi The Contention of the Gods in which the Olympian Gods gather at the banks of the Great Belt and discuss who in particular should protect the new prince It was first performed on 12 March 1749 at Charlottenborg on the occasion of the Queen s first church service after the birth 18 In 1748 the French theatrical troupe Du Londel Troupe under the leadership of Jeanne Du Londel was invited for dramatic performances to Copenhagen where they performed until 1753 and also performed in Oslo in Norway during the king s stay there in 1749 In 1751 Queen Louise unsuccessfully opposed the planned dynastic marriage between her daughter the five year old Princess Sophie Magdalene and the heir apparent to the Swedish throne Crown Prince Gustav the later King Gustav III 7 She feared that her daughter would not be treated well by the queen of Sweden Louisa Ulrika Queen Louisa Ulrika was known for her anti Danish views and for being opposed to the match and it was known that she was the real ruler at the Swedish court 19 Reportedly Louise also disliked arranged marriages because of her own experience Early death edit nbsp Queen Louise s catafalque in the Christiansborg Palace Chapel That same year Louise became seriously ill with a pinched umbilical hernia while pregnant with her sixth child 10 11 The court surgeon operated on her but could not save her life nor that of her unborn child She died at Christiansborg Palace on 19 December 1751 the day after her 27th birthday after 14 years of marriage and after just 5 years as queen The news of the popular queen s death was met with dismay at court and sincere mourning among the people who had come to appreciate their queen immensely during her short tenure 20 After lying in state with great pomp at the chapel at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen she was interred in Roskilde Cathedral on the island of Zealand the traditional burial site for Danish monarchs since the 15th century 21 nbsp Queen Louise s sarcophagus in Roskilde Cathedral designed by the English sculptor Carl Frederik Stanley Frederick V survived Queen Louise by 14 years Although initially unwilling to remarry a foreign princess unless it was with an English princess none of whom were available at the time a new marriage for the king was arranged by Count Adam Gottlob von Moltke who thought it best that the king remarry as soon as possible Thus the king s second marriage took place at the chapel of Fredensborg Palace on 8 July 1752 to Frederick the Great of Prussia s sister in law Duchess Juliana Maria of Brunswick Wolfenbuttel daughter of Ferdinand Albert II Duke of Brunswick Wolfenbuttel The marriage was frowned upon by the people who saw it as too early for the King to remarry Neither did the formal princess appeal to his own taste and with the court she was never popular with no other identifiable cause than her sense of rigid etiquette practised in German princely courts that may have seemed less friendly than the English Louise In 1756 Louise s sister Mary who was estranged from her husband Landgrave Frederick II of Hesse Kassel moved to Denmark to take care of her deceased sister s children She brought her three sons with her who were brought up at the Danish court The two elder sons Prince William and Prince Charles would later marry their Danish cousins Princess Wilhelmina and Princess Louise while the two younger Charles and Frederick would remain and have careers in Denmark Legacy editBecause she was extremely popular and loved by the Danes the memory of the young queen became more and more glorified over time An example of this glorification is the German poet Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock who felt great devotion and esteem for Queen Louise he was deeply moved by her hardships and early death and vented his own and the people s feelings in the ode An den Konig later called Die Konigin Luise from 1752 22 Compared to this ideal the following queens both her husband s second wife Juliana Maria and her niece and later daughter in law Caroline Matilda were so much more harshly judged 23 Namesakes edit Louisa County located in the Commonwealth of Virginia was named for Princess Louise in 1742 24 Arms editOn 30 August 1727 as a child of the sovereign Louise was granted use of the arms of the realm without the inescutcheon containing the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire differenced by a label argent of three points each bearing torteaux gules 25 nbsp Coat of arms from 30 August 1727 nbsp Coat of arms of Queen Louise nbsp Monogram as Queen LouiseIssue editName Birth Death NotesChristian Crown Prince of Denmark Copenhagen 7 July 1745 Frederiksborg 3 June 1747 Died in infancyPrincess Sophia Magdalena of Denmark 3 July 1746 21 August 1813 Married 1766 Gustav III of Sweden had issuePrincess Wilhelmina Caroline of Denmark 10 July 1747 19 January 1820 Married 1763 William I Elector of Hesse had issueChristian VII of Denmark 29 January 1749 13 March 1808 Married 1766 Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales had issuePrincess Louise of Denmark 30 January 1750 12 January 1831 Married 1766 Prince Charles of Hesse Kassel had issueAncestry editAncestors of Louise of Great Britain8 Ernest Augustus Elector of Hanover4 George I of Great Britain9 Princess Sophia of the Palatinate2 George II of Great Britain10 George William Duke of Brunswick Luneburg5 Duchess Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick Celle11 Eleonore Desmier d Olbreuse1 Louisa of Great Britain12 Albert II Margrave of Brandenburg Ansbach6 John Frederick Margrave of Brandenburg Ansbach13 Countess Sophie Margarete of Oettingen Oettingen3 Princess Caroline of Brandenburg Ansbach14 John George I Duke of Saxe Eisenach7 Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe Eisenach15 Johannetta Countess of Sayn AltenkirchenSee also editHistory of DenmarkNotes edit a b Throughout Louise s life Great Britain used the Old Style Julian calendar Denmark Norway had adopted the New Style Gregorian calendar in 1700 Old Style is used in this article for dates occurring during Louise s stay in Great Britain unless otherwise indicated however years are assumed to start from 1 January and not 25 March which was the English New Year Today the Charlottenborg Palace serves as the base of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Today the Prince s Mansion houses the National Museum of Denmark References editCitations edit a b Panton Kenneth J 2011 Historical dictionary of the British monarchy Scarecrow Press p 304 ISBN 978 0 8108 5779 7 OCLC 897043675 Holm 1896 p 399 401 a b Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online ed Oxford British Academy Oxford University Press ISBN 9780198614128 OCLC 56568095 a b The London Gazette refers to her as Princess Louisa No 6332 The London Gazette 26 December 1724 p 1 a b c d e Holm 1896 p 399 a b c Bregnsbo p 347 a b c d e Louise Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon a b c d Jorgensen 1938 p 490 Treasury Books and Papers October 1744 Pages 522 530 Calendar of Treasury Books and Papers Volume 5 1742 1745 Originally published by His Majesty s Stationery Office London 1903 British History Online a b c d e Bech 1981 a b c Holm 1896 p 400 Holm 1896 p 399 400 Monrad Moller Anders 2012 Enevaeldens kroninger Syv salvinger ceremoniellet teksterne og musikken The coronations of the absolute monarchy Seven anointings the ceremonial the lyrics and the music in Danish Copenhagen Forlaget Falcon pp 104 27 ISBN 978 87 88802 29 0 Bregnsbo p 349 Ludvig Holberg 1749 Epistola CCCLXXVII Ludvig Holbergs Epistler Vol Tomus IV Copenhagen pp 281 82 Schepelern Gerhard 1976 Italienerne pa Hofteatret The Italians at the Court Theater in Danish Vol 1 Copenhagen Forlaget Rhodos Muller Erich 1917 Angelo und Pietro Mingotti Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Oper im 18 Jahrhundert Angelo and Pietro Mingotti A Contribution to the History of Opera in the Eighteenth Century in German Dresden a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Charlottenborg et stop pa din musikalske byvandring gennem Kobenhavn Charlottenborg a stop on your musical city walk through Copenhagen in Danish The Royal Danish Library Archived from the original on 15 September 2011 Retrieved 16 February 2013 Ribbing Gerd 1958 Gustav III s hustru Sofia Magdalena The wife of Gustav III Sofia Magdalena Stockholm Bonnier Jorgensen 1938 p 491 Dronning Louise gravsted dk in Danish Retrieved 14 April 2022 Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock 1798 Oden in German Vol 1 Leipzig Goschen pp 106ff Leitner Thea 1993 Skandal bei Hof in German Ueberreuter ISBN 3 8000 3492 1 Gannett Henry 1905 The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States Washington D C U S Government Printing Office p 191 Marks of Cadency in the British Royal Family Bibliography edit Bech Claus 1981 Louise 1724 1751 dronning In Cedergreen Bech Svend ed Dansk Biografisk Leksikon in Danish Vol 9 3 ed Kobenhavn Gyldendal ISBN 8700055514 Bregnsbo Michael 2004 Danish Absolutism and Queenship Louisa Caroline Matilda and Juliana Maria In Campbell Orr Clarissa ed Queenship in Europe 1660 1815 The Role of the Consort Cambridge University Press pp 344 367 ISBN 0 521 81422 7 Churchyard Henry Royal Genealogies Part 10 Heiberg Steffen ed 2004 Danske dronninger i tusind ar Danish queens for a thousand years in Danish 3 ed Copenhagen Gyldendal ISBN 8702029464 Feldbaek Ole 1990 Den lange fred The long peace In Olsen Olaf ed Gyldendal og Politikens Danmarkshistorie in Danish Vol 9 1700 1800 Copenhagen Gyldendal og Politikens Forlag ISBN 87 89068 11 4 Holm Edvard 1896 Louise Dansk biografisk Lexikon tillige omfattende Norge for tidsrummet 1537 1814 in Danish 1st ed Copenhagen Gyldendals forlag 10 399 401 Jorgensen Harald 1938 Louise PDF In Engelstoft Povl Dahl Svend eds Dansk Biografisk Leksikon in Danish Vol 14 2 ed Kobenhavn J H Schultz Forlag pp 489 491 Sam Sloan Big Combined Family Trees pafg752 in Danish Louise Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon Primary sources edit H Bang J ed 1866 Charlotte Dorothea Biehls historiske Breve Charlotte Dorothea Biehl s Historical Letters Historisk Tidsskrift in Danish Copenhagen Den danske historiske Forening 4 3 147 494 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Louise of Great Britain Queen Louise at the website of the Royal Danish Collection at Rosenborg Castle Portraits of Louisa Queen of Denmark at the National Portrait Gallery London nbsp Louise of Great BritainHouse of HanoverCadet branch of the House of WelfBorn 18 December 1724 Died 19 December 1751Royal titlesPreceded bySophia Magdalene ofBrandenburg Kulmbach Queen consort of Denmark and Norway1746 1751 VacantTitle next held byJuliana Maria ofBrunswick Wolfenbuttel Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Louise of Great Britain amp oldid 1169201820, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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