Princess Charlotte Amalie of Denmark and Norway (6 October 1706 – 28 October 1782) was a Danish princess, daughter of King

Frederick IV of Denmark Frederick IV ( Danish: ''Frederik''; 11 October 1671 – 12 October 1730) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1699 until his death. Frederick was the son of Christian V of Denmark-Norway and his wife Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel. Early l ...

and

Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (28 August 1667 – 15 March 1721) was Queen of Denmark and Norway as the first spouse of King Frederick IV of Denmark. In 1708–09, she was regent during her husband's trip to Italy. Early life Louise was born in ...

Life

Charlotte Amalie never married. In 1725, she was placed on the list of 99 princesses regarded as suitable for marriage with

Louis XV of France Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

(which would require that she convert to Catholicism), but she was removed from the list because Denmark-Norway was an arch enemy toward Sweden, the traditional ally of France, and that such a marriage could potentially disturb the French-Swedish alliance. In the early 1730s, her brother the king tried to arrange a marriage between her and

Frederick, Prince of Wales Frederick, Prince of Wales, (Frederick Louis, ; 31 January 170731 March 1751), was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen Caroline. Frederick was the fa ...

, but the negotiations did not succeed and she remained unmarried. As was the custom for unmarried princesses, she lived with her mother until her mother's death, and then with her stepmother. In contrast to her brother and sister-in-law, she had a good relationship with her stepmother,

Anna Sophie Reventlow Anne Sophie von Reventlow ( da, Anna Sophie; 16 April 1693 – 7 January 1743) was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1721 to 1730 as the second wife of Frederick IV of Denmark and Norway. Early life Countess Anna Sophie von Reventlow was born in ...

. Charlotte Amalie tried to prevent the worst hostility toward her stepmother at court. She was separated from Anna Sophie when her brother succeeded to the throne in 1730. After this, she lived at the royal court in winters, and at

Charlottenlund Palace Charlottenlund Palace ( da, Charlottenlund Slot) is a former royal summer residence in Charlottenlund, some north of central Copenhagen, Denmark. The palace was named after Princess Charlotte Amalie, who was responsible for the construction of th ...

in summer with her own court. Charlotte Amalie was described by her contemporaries as a lovable character with the ability to keep the peace with most: she had a good relationship with her father and stepmother, and still managed to have a good relationship also with her brother, who hated his own father and stepmother. She had no influence upon the affairs of state, and lived a peaceful life at court her entire life. On 8 April 1771, she was ordered to leave court. She spent the rest of her life with her nephew's widow, the queen dowager Juliana Maria. This meant that she continued to spend much of her time at court, when the queen dowager attended it: Juliana Maria became de facto regent in 1772. As she preferred black wigs, she had ordered her staff to wear them, and her court became known as "The court of the black wigs". After 1778, she no longer showed herself to the public, as she had become

senile Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

. Charlotte Amalie is known as the benefactress of the writer

Charlotte Baden Charlotte Baden (21 November 1740 – 6 June 1824) was a Danish writer, feminist and letter-writer. Sophia Lovisa Charlotte Baden was the daughter of major Gustav Ludvig von Klenau (1703–72) and Bolette Cathrine From (1696-1788). She was b ...

, who was the niece of one of her chief ladies-in-waiting, Anna Susanne von der Osten. Baden was raised at her court, and Charlotte Amalie provided her with an education and an allowance.Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon
/ref> In her will from 1773, Charlotte Amalie created a foundation, ''Prinsesse C.A.s stiftelse'', to finance the upbringing of poor girls of all classes.

Legacy

, where she spent her summers, was built and named after her in 1731–1733.

Ancestry

References

Dansk biografisk Lexikon / III. Bind. Brandt - Clavus
1889
Dansk Biografisk Leksikon, 1979-84.
* https://web.archive.org/web/20110609124413/http://www.ses.dk/en/SlotteOgHaver/Slotte/CharlottenlundSlotOgSlotshave/CharlottenlundSlot.aspx *
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External links

{{authority control 1782 deaths 1706 births Danish princesses Norwegian princesses Charlotte Amalie of Denmark Burials at Roskilde Cathedral Daughters of kings