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| Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hereditary Princess of Denmark | |||||
 Portrait byFriedrich Erhard Wagener. | |||||
| Born | (1784-12-04)4 December 1784 Ludwigslust,Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | ||||
| Died | 13 July 1840(1840-07-13) (aged 55) Rome,Papal States | ||||
| Burial | Teutonic Cemetery, Rome (allegedly) | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | Frederick VII of Denmark | ||||
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| House | Mecklenburg-Schwerin | ||||
| Father | Frederick Francis I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | ||||
| Mother | Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | ||||
| Religion | Catholicism, prev.Lutheranism | ||||
Duchess Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (4 December 1784 – 13 July 1840), was the first wife ofChristian VIII from 1806 until 1810, before he became King of Norway and later King of Denmark. She was a daughter ofFrederick Francis I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, andPrincess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.
Duchess Charlotte Frederica was born on 4 December 1784 inLudwigslust inMecklenburg as the seventh and penultimate surviving child of the laterGrand Duke Frederick Francis I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin andPrincess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.[1]
Duchess Charlotte Frederikke grew up with her siblings at her parents' court in Mecklenburg. She was a lively child, who was never bothered by strict educators, did what suited her regardless of formalities, found friends among the servants, and dressed in variegated clothing, contrary to the customs of the times.[2]
During a long voyage to Germany in 1804, her cousin, the Danish Prince Christian Frederick of Denmark (laterKing Christian VIII), stayed for a longer time at his uncle's court inSchwerin, where he fell in love with the two-year-older cousin, Duchess Charlotte Frederica. They married two years later, on 21 June 1806 inLudwigslust inMecklenburg.[3]
The young couple initially settled atPlön Castle in theDuchy of Holstein. It was here, that Charlotte Frederica gave birth to their first-born son, PrinceChristian Frederick, who was born and died on 8 April 1807. From 1808 the couple lived in Copenhagen, where they took residence atLevetzau's Palace, an 18th-centurytown house which forms part of theAmalienborg Palace complex in the districtFrederiksstaden in centralCopenhagen.[2] As their country residence they usedSorgenfri Palace, located on the shores of the small riverMølleåen inKongens Lyngby north ofCopenhagen.
Nonetheless, their married life was problematic. Princess Charlotte Frederica was very preoccupied with the ideas that originated in theFrench Revolution and embraced the idea of individual freedom at a time ofabsolutism's assertion of hierarchical society. Her character was thought to be capricious, frivolous and mythomaniac. The lifestyle at court was rigid and traditional, and it did not suit her as she was used to a freer lifestyle from home and did her best to change that. One winter evening during a party that presumably bored her, she let the servants bring up snow and set about throwing snowballs.[2]
She was wasteful and constantly in want of money despite an ampleapanage, forcing her husband to step in. If he protested, she overpowered him in front of the servants. Prince Christian Frederick also often had to apologize to the Crown Prince Regent for his wife's behavior. In a letter, he writes that he has had a serious conversation with her and that she has "realized her mistakes and promised improvement and that with a sincere heart, I am convinced of that."[2]
On 6 October 1808, Charlotte Frederica gave birth to their second son and only surviving child, PrinceFrederick Carl Christian, the future KingFrederick VII of Denmark, who was calledFritz by his mother throughout his life.[2] Her joy at motherhood was great, but did not change her behavior.
In 1809, her alleged affair with her singing teacher, Swiss-born singer and composerÉdouard Du Puy, led to her removal from the court. For this reason, her husband divorced her in 1810, banished her from court, sent her into internal exile, and prohibited her from ever seeing her son again.
After her divorce, Charlotte Frederica spent the next years of her life in a palace inHorsens, inJutland and partly inAarhus, where she cultivated social circles among the local bourgeoisie and had affairs with officers.[citation needed]
In 1829 she moved from Denmark toKarlsbad under the name "Mrs. von Gothen." In 1830 she traveled to Italy, finally settling inRome and later converted to theCatholic faith.
Charlotte Frederica died in Rome in 1840. Her death was described as a relief to the court inCopenhagen as she dreamed of someday returning as the King's mother. Frederik VII, who was only one year old when she had to leave him, showed great reverence towards the memory of his late mother: he collected portraits of her in his rooms atJægerspris Castle, and when he visited Horsens in September 1857 he officially thanked the city "for the love and kindness that was shown to her."
She was allegedly buried in theTeutonic Cemetery in Vatican City. Her tomb was opened on 11 July 2019 due to investigations related to thedisappearance of Emanuela Orlandi case, but was found to be empty.[4][5]
| Ancestors of Duchess Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Media related toCharlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin at Wikimedia Commons
The generations are numbered from the implementation of hereditary monarchy byFrederick III in 1660. | ||
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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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