Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel (27 April 1650 – 27 March 1714) was

Queen of Denmark The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Kingdom of Denmark was ...

and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

by marriage to King

Christian V Christian V (15 April 1646 25 August 1699) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699. Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the dec ...

. Although she did not have much political influence, she was a successful businesswoman in her many

estates Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representati ...

and protected foreign

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

non-

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

s from oppression. She gained popularity for defending

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

from Swedish forces in 1700.

Early life

Charlotte Amalie was born on 27 April 1650, in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...

, Hesse, Germany. Her parents were

William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel Wilhelm VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (23 May 1629 – 16 July 1663), known as William the Just, was Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1637 to 1663. Life Born in Kassel, he was the son of William V (whom he succeeded) and his wife Amalie Elisabeth ...

and

Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg (14 July 1623, Berlin – 26 June 1683, Schmalkalden) was Landgravine consort of Hesse-Kassel by marriage to William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, and regent from 1663 until 1677 during the minority of her sons, W ...

. Her mother was a religiously strict adherent of the

Reformed Church Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Cal ...

and politically oriented toward Brandenburg, both views which were to be shared by her daughter. She was well educated in

finances Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of f ...

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...

, the languages German, French and Italian, and philosophy. French was to be her preferred written language, though she spoke German with her more intimate friends.
Danske dronniger; fortaellinger og karakteristikker af Ellen Jorgensen og Johanne Skovgaard
', Kobenhavn H. Hagerup, 1910 Crown Prince Christian of Denmark and Norway was sent to meet Charlotte Amalie in Hesse in 1665 as a marriage prospect arranged by Danish Queen Sophie Amalie, who desired a daughter-in-law that she could control and expected this to be the case for a member of the reformed church who would be religiously isolated in Lutheran Denmark. However, the negotiations were drawn out because of religious concerns. In the marriage contract, Charlotte Amelie was not required to convert and managed to secure the right to keep her faith after her wedding to Christian, who as ruler of Denmark would become the head of the state

Lutheran Church Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

, a term which was contested and met some resistance before it was accepted.

Crown Princess

The marriage was on 15 June 1667 in

Nykøbing Slot Nykøbing means "new city". It may refer to several towns: * Nykøbing Falster, on the island of Falster, Denmark * Nykøbing Mors, on the island of Mors, Denmark * Nykøbing Sjælland, on the island of Sjælland, Denmark See also * Nyköping N ...

. Charlotte Amalie was appreciated for learning the Danish language, which was not a given thing for a royal consort in that era and which she mastered prior to becoming Queen. It was said of her that she: :"...willingly and completely love not only our people but also our language, that she has learned to speak to our people before even ascending the throne, while bringing shame on those, who has been eating our bread for thirty years and not bothered to learn even thirty Danish words." Much to the distress of her mother-in-law, Charlotte Amalie actually was a lively, smart and independent woman. She was not a meek person and made her pleasure and displeasure quite openly known, though her anger was also quickly subdued. The English ambassador

Robert Molesworth, 1st Viscount Molesworth Robert Molesworth, 1st Viscount Molesworth PC (Ire) (7 September 1656 – 22 May 1725) was an Anglo-Irish politician and writer. Molesworth came from an old Northamptonshire family. He married Hon. Letitia Coote, daughter of Richard Coote, 1st ...

called her "A Princess worthy of being described with honor, even if she did not have such a high position. ..very winning, lovable and unconstrained," while the French ambassador described her: "This lady has pale skin and brown hair. While not beautiful, nether is there anything ugly about her. She has a fine figure and a pleasant personality. She speaks quite good French, and her conversation shows that she has plenty of mind."

Queen of Denmark and Norway

Charlotte amaliehessekassel queen of denmark

Charlotte Amalie became Queen of Denmark and Norway upon the accession of Christian to the throne in 1670. Her Reformed faith caused the clergy to oppose her

anointing Anointing is the ritual act of pouring aromatic oil over a person's head or entire body. By extension, the term is also applied to related acts of sprinkling, dousing, or smearing a person or object with any perfumed oil, milk, butter, or ot ...

as Queen because the ceremony would require a Lutheran communion, which she refused. She chose the motto and was described as a popular queen. According to English ambassador Molesworth: :"Her great excellence assures her of the hearts of her subjects, even though she doesn't share their religion. ..she is an safe haven for the suffering destitute, who are never disappointed when appealing to her."

Influence

King Christian V disliked his wife's Pro-Brandenburg sympathies and took care to remove Charlotte Amalie from exerting any influence in state affairs. She was nevertheless regarded as a potential power holder at court, and the French ambassador noted: "While the queen has little influence, the favorite ministers does fear her, as they know how much she despise them". After the fall of

Peder Griffenfeld Count Peder Griffenfeld (before ennoblement Peder Schumacher) (24 August 1635 – 12 March 1699) was a Danish statesman and royal favourite. He became the principal adviser to King Christian V of Denmark from 1670 and the ''de facto'' ruler ...

in 1676, her main political enemies were represented by her mother-in-law, who worked to maintain her political influence, and courtier Vincens Hahn, who belonged to royal mistress Sophie Amalie Moth's social circle. Spy

Justine Cathrine Rosenkrantz Justine Cathrine Rosenkrantz (1659 – 1 August 1746) was a Dano–Norwegian noblewoman, courtier and spy. Rosenkrantz was the daughter of baron Ludvig Rosenkrantz and Karen Mowat. Between 1680 and 1699, she was lady-in-waiting to Christian ...

, was placed among her ladies-in-waiting by the Hahn party to ascertain that Charlotte Amalie did not involve herself in politics. Even if she could achieve little without the support of the king, Charlotte Amalie tried to press political issues on her own. During the

Scanian War The Scanian War ( da, Skånske Krig, , sv, Skånska kriget, german: Schonischer Krieg) was a part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark–Norway, Brandenburg and Sweden. It was fought from 1675 to 1679 mainly on Scanian soil, ...

(1675–1679), her husband allied with her uncle, the Elector of Brandenburg, against Sweden. She actively worked to preserve the alliance and benefit Brandenburg interests in Denmark "in occasions when this wouldn't have been expected by a queen of Denmark". It is noted how she protected the Brandenburgian military Tromp and disfavored Danish rival

Niels Juel Niels Juel (8 May 1629 – 8 April 1697) was a Danish admiral and a naval hero. He served as supreme command of the Dano-Norwegian Navy during the late 17th century and oversaw development of the Danish-Norwegian Navy. Background Niels Juel ...

. A rich landowner, Charlotte Amalie owned and actively managed several estates around the country, including

Frederiksdal Narsarmijit, formerly Narsaq Kujalleq and Frederiksdal, is a settlement in southern Greenland. It is located in the Kujalleq municipality near Cape Thorvaldsen. Its population was 66 in 2020. There has been a slow but steady pattern of emigrat ...

, Bagsværd,

Dronninglund Dronninglund is a town with a population of 3,487 (1 January 2022)Dronninggaard, Gentofte Gaard, Vendsyssel Børglum Kloster, Stevns Herred, Frøslev Gods, and Vemmetofte Gods. She founded and skillfully supervised factories in some of her estates, such as

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...

s and playing cards factories. Both her lands

goods In economics, goods are items that satisfy human wants and provide utility, for example, to a consumer making a purchase of a satisfying product. A common distinction is made between goods which are transferable, and services, which are not ...

and industry

product Product may refer to: Business * Product (business), an item that serves as a solution to a specific consumer problem. * Product (project management), a deliverable or set of deliverables that contribute to a business solution Mathematics * Produ ...

s resulted in considerable

profit Profit may refer to: Business and law * Profit (accounting), the difference between the purchase price and the costs of bringing to market * Profit (economics), normal profit and economic profit * Profit (real property), a nonpossessory inter ...

s. Although Charlotte Amalie was pious, her view on religion was a Protestant ecumenical one: she corresponded with Protestants of different churches and expressed that she saw little difference between the Reformed church and the Lutheran faith, a view which was radical at the time. She protected the members of the Reformed church in Denmark, particularly the

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

s, where they were benefited by her protection. This included the family of her secretary and advisor Johann Heinrich Lincker, who was married to Huguenot woman named Susanne du Mont.Louis Bobé (1940): Charlotte Amalie Köngin zu Dänemark. Einar Munkgaard, Kopenhagen, pp. 17, 61, 164 She was supported in her tolerance by businesspeople, who saw the need of the qualifications of the immigrants, and was opposed by the conservative church, who regarded all non-Lutherans as an affront to the King and God, a view which her husband did lean somewhat towards himself. The law of 1685, in which immigrants of Protestant of churches were granted the privilege of a certain degree of freedom of religion, are attributed to the efforts of Charlotte Amalie, who served as the spokesperson of the foreign Protestant non-Lutherans. She supported the foundation of one French and one German Protestant church with her own

funds Funding is the act of providing resources to finance a need, program, or project. While this is usually in the form of money, it can also take the form of effort or time from an organization or company. Generally, this word is used when a firm use ...

, even including the congregations in her will.

Court of the Queen

Charlotte Amalie enjoyed the frequent courtly parties, balls, masquerades and representation which court life demanded, brushing away the strict religious scruples voiced by her sister-in-law Ulrika Eleonora as nonsense. She sometimes arranged private parties herself, such as the spontaneously for her

court dwarf Some of the first dwarfs to have their histories recorded were employed as court dwarfs. They were owned and traded amongst people of the court, and delivered as gifts to fellow kings and queens. Visual effect Court dwarfs were made to stand rig ...

Frøken Elsebe. Described as charming and entertaining in social life, the Queen had many friends, such as Juliane Elisabeth von Wallenstein, Dorothea Justina Haxthausen and, particularly, her favorite lady-in-waiting and Huguenot relative princess Charlotte Amélie de la Trémoille. The relationship between Charlotte Amalie and Christian V are described as a mutually respectful friendship instead of a love affair, but both enjoyed each other's company and coexisted harmoniously. In 1672, her husband entered into a permanent love affair to Sophie Amalie Moth, who made the official mistress in Denmark, a public adultery that caused an embarrassing situation for Charlotte Amalie. Nevertheless, "no mistress could deprive her of her position as Queen, and she understood how to defend it"; Charlotte Amalie made the most of her position as Queen, both in public representational life as in her private interactions with the King. It is noted how she was always accompanied him on journeys, on hunting, in warfare, and even at playing cards late in to the evenings. She was present during the Battle of Wismar, riding at the King's side "dressed as an

amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

", and accompanied her husband in Sweden during the

. Charlotte Amalie is described as a devoted and considered mother and grandmother who was close to her family. However, she did not have a good relationship with her mother-in-law, who wished to keep her precedence and position as first lady of the court despite being a queen dowager. One reason for the animosity was because she unsuccessfully requested the release of her aunt-in-law

Leonora Christina Ulfeldt Leonora Christina, Countess Ulfeldt, born "Countess Leonora Christina Christiansdatter" til Slesvig og Holsten (8 July 1621 – 16 March 1698), was the daughter of King Christian IV of Denmark and wife of Steward of the Realm, traitor Count Cor ...

, and were known to have sent gifts to ease Ulfeldt's imprisonment, something which was resented by her mother-in-law, who regarded Ulfeldt a personal enemy.

Queen Dowager

In 1699, Charlotte Amalie was widowed. She did not threaten the position of her daughter-in-law at court as her mother-in-law had done. It is reported that she grieved over her son's

bigamy In cultures where monogamy is mandated, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their marital status as married persons. ...

, but she did not voice any criticism to him directly. She kept a separate court and made several journeys, particularly to Germany, where she spent 1711–1713 in Oldenburg. The Queen Dowager resided in

Charlottenborg Palace Charlottenborg Palace ( da, Charlottenborg Slot) is a large town mansion located on the corner of Kongens Nytorv and Nyhavn in Copenhagen, Denmark. Originally built as a residence for Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, it has served as the base of the ...

, which is named after her, during the winter and in Nykøbing Slot during the summer. She was protector of the famous Marie Grubbe after Grubbe's divorce and remarriage, which had made the new couple social outcasts. They were given refuge by the queen dowager, who allowed them to live in her own dower lands. In 1700,

was attacked by King

Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( sv, Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of ...

during the invasion

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

. On 13 July, Charlotte Amalie wrote to her friend Dorothea Justina Haxthausen: "I have the pleasure – or if you wish, the opposite – of seeing the fleets of four potentates outside my window. I hope they will disperse without bloodshed", when the Danish fleet was attacked by the Swedish, English and Dutch fleet, followed by the landing of the enemy at Humlebæk. The capital was unprepared for attack, the King was absent in the Duchies, and the city commander Schack could not handle the situation. During this incident, the Queen Dowager strengthened the resolve of the people and helped to organize the defense by convincing the city commandant to give the people access to the cannons and successfully asking the

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mili ...

to protect the capital out of loyalty, while she would herself stay and die with them if need be. For this act, she was hailed as a heroine. Charlotte Amalie died of

scarlet fever Scarlet fever, also known as Scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by '' Streptococcus pyogenes'' a Group A streptococcus (GAS). The infection is a type of Group A streptococcal infection (Group A strep). It most commonly affects chi ...

in Charlottenborg on 27 March 1714, at the age of 63. She was "heartily grieved by many". and buried in

Roskilde Cathedral Roskilde Cathedral ( da, Roskilde Domkirke), in the city of Roskilde on the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark, is a cathedral of the Lutheranism, Lutheran Church of Denmark. The cathedral is the most importan ...

. Her winter residence has housed the

Royal Danish Academy of Art The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Dani ...

since 1754.

Legacy

The city of Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands is named after her.

Issue

Ancestry

References

*
Article in the Dansk biografisk Lexikon
*
Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon kvinfo.dk

External links

Queen Charlotte Amalie
at the website of the Royal Danish Collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Charlotte Amalie Of Hesse-Cassel 1650 births 1714 deaths Danish royal consorts Norwegian royal consorts Crown Princesses of Denmark House of Hesse-Kassel German Calvinist and Reformed Christians Burials at Roskilde Cathedral Danish people of the Great Northern War Christian V of Denmark Queen mothers