| Caroline Amalie of Augustenburg | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byLouis Aumont, 1830 | |
| Queen consort of Denmark | |
| Tenure | 3 December 1839 – 20 January 1848 |
| Coronation | 28 June 1840 Frederiksborg Palace Chapel |
| Born | (1796-06-28)28 June 1796 Copenhagen |
| Died | 9 March 1881(1881-03-09) (aged 84) Copenhagen |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | |
| House | Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg |
| Father | Frederick Christian II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg |
| Mother | Princess Louise Auguste of Denmark |
Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (28 June 1796 – 9 March 1881) wasQueen of Denmark as the second spouse ofKing Christian VIII between 1839 and 1848.
Caroline Amalie was the daughter ofFrederick Christian II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, andPrincess Louise Auguste of Denmark; Caroline Amalie's mother was the only daughter ofChristian VII and his British wife, QueenCaroline Matilde, after whom she was named. She was born inCopenhagen and lived there until 1807, when she moved with her family toAugustenborg. She was given a conventional education for an upper class girl of her time.
In the conflict between her parents - who disagreed politically and personally - she sided with her mother; Louise Auguste retained an ongoing close relationship with her brother, the king of Denmark, as well as with the Danish court.
Her mother introduced her to the heir presumptive to the Danish throne, the futureChristian VIII, and encouraged them to marry. Reportedly, Caroline Amalie fell in love with Christian, who found her attractive.
Christian had divorced his first spouseCharlotte Fredericka of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1810 on grounds ofadultery. In 1814, he had just returned to Denmark after hisabdication of theNorwegianthrone. The same year, Christian and Caroline Amalie were engaged. The wedding took place in 1815.
Between 1816 and 1817, the couple lived inOdense, where Christian served as Governor ofFionia. Between 1818 and 1822, they undertook numerous trips throughEurope together. They visited various resorts in an attempt to cure their inability to have children.Christian devoted himself to the sciences, mineralogy and geology in particular. While Christian became celebrated for his scientific interests, Caroline Amalie was a composer who wrote numerouspiano pieces.[1]
The personal relationship between Caroline Amalie and Christian was described as harmonious and as an image of the contemporary ideal of marriage. Her acceptance of her spouse's infidelity was regarded as something suitable and appropriate within contemporary gender roles. Her amiable personality made her respected and well liked by the rest of theroyal House, and she is described as a good stepmother of her stepson Frederick.
In 1839, when KingFrederick VI died, Caroline Amalie, as the wife of Christian VIII, became Queen of Denmark. She was considered instrumental in the pro-German party on the matter of the duchies ofSchleswig-Holstein.
Early on, Caroline Amalie was active within philanthropy. She founded the poor houseDronning Caroline Amalies Asyl inCopenhagen in 1829, the poor houseDronningens Asyl inOdense in 1836, theKvindelig Plejeforening for sick and women in childbirth in 1843. Her charitable projects for poor orphans gave her the name "The Poor Children's Mother" and "The Royal Foster mother of the Little Ones". As hereditary princess and later as queen, she used her position to launch the charitable role as a role model for the female members of the nobility and upper classes, which called for upper-class women to be actively involved in society through philanthropy. By doing so, women found a public and political role acceptable to combine with the popular 19th-century role of a Christian wife and mother in Danish society. Her introduction of a new role model for women is considered to have had great impact on Danish society.
Caroline Amalie was a follower of the religious ideas ofN. F. S. Grundtvig, whose movement she actively supported, such as the Grundtvigian priests P.O. Boisen and Peder Rørdam. In 1841, she founded an orphanage,Dronning Caroline Amalies Asylskole, whose school was inspired by the ideas of Grundtvig. She was not described as an intellectual herself, however she regarded it as a duty to introduce the representatives of art and literature at court and act as their supporter.
It is not clear whether or not she ever exerted any influence in state affairs. During the conflict between Denmark and the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, her brothers, Christian August of Augustenborg and Frederick of Nør, came to be in opposition against Christian VIII and Denmark. This caused a difficult situation for Caroline Amalie, who was suspected for conspiring with her brothers against Danish interests, especially by the nationalistic liberals in Copenhagen. This made her unpopular and exposed to some hostility during the last years of Christian's reign.
Caroline Amalie became a widow in 1848 and survived her spouse for more than thirty years. She took up residence atSorgenfri Castle north of Copenhagen, but due to ill health she preferred to spend winters in southern Europe. She also outlived her stepson by seventeen years. Hence she lived to seeChristian IX become king with her nieceLouise of Hesse-Kassel as queen. She was a godmother of two future Kings (Christian X of Denmark andHaakon VII of Norway) and a future Empress (Maria Feodorovna).
During her life as a queen dowager, she enjoyed more popularity than she did as queen. She continued with her charitable projects: in 1852, she took over as protector of the charitable women's societyDet Kvindelige Velgørende Selskab after queen dowager Marie, and in 1863, she encouraged queen Louise to open thedeaconess institution.
She died in 1881 and was buried atRoskilde Cathedral next to Christian VIII.
Caroline Amalie of Augustenburg Cadet branch of theHouse of Oldenburg Born: 28 July 1796 Died: 9 March 1881 | ||
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| Preceded by | Queen consort of Denmark 1839–1848 | Vacant Title next held by Louise of Hesse-Kassel |
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*also a princess of Greece by marriage ^also a Danish princess by birth §title lost due to divorce and subsequent remarriage | ||
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