Frederik VIII (; 3 June 1843 – 14 May 1912) was
King of Denmark
The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional political system, institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous administrative division, autonomous territories of the Faroe Is ...
from 29 January 1906 until his death in 1912.
As the eldest son of
King Christian IX, nicknamed the ''
Father-in-law of Europe'', Frederick was related to royalty throughout Europe. He was
heir apparent
An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...
to the Danish throne and served as
crown prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent.
''Crown prince ...
for more than 42 years. During the long reign of his father, he was largely excluded from influence and political power.
Upon his father's death in 1906, he acceded to the throne at the advanced age of 62. In many ways, Frederick VIII was a liberal monarch who was much more favorable to the new
parliamentary system
A parliamentary system, or parliamentary democracy, is a form of government where the head of government (chief executive) derives their Election, democratic legitimacy from their ability to command the support ("confidence") of a majority of t ...
introduced in 1901 than his father had been, being reform-minded and democratically inclined. Due to his late accession to the throne, however, Frederick's reign would last only six years, throughout which he was plagued by ill health.
Frederick VIII was married to
Louise of Sweden, with whom he had eight children. Their eldest son succeeded his father as
Christian X of Denmark, while their second son,
Carl, ascended the
Norwegian throne as Haakon VII in 1905.
Early life

Prince Frederick was born on 3 June 1843 in the
Yellow Palace, an 18th-century
town house at 18
Amaliegade, immediately adjacent to the
Amalienborg Palace complex, the principal residence of the
Danish royal family in the district of
Frederiksstaden in central
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
. He was the eldest son and child of
Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and
Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel-Rumpenheim.
[. pp. 69–70.] His father's family was a
cadet branch of the Danish royal
House of Oldenburg
The House of Oldenburg is a Germans, German dynasty whose members rule or have ruled in Danish Realm, Denmark, Kingdom of Iceland, Iceland, Kingdom of Greece, Greece, Norway, Russian Empire, Russia, Sweden, United Kingdom, the United Kingdom, King ...
, which was descended from
Christian III and which had ruled as non-sovereign dukes in
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...
for eight generations. He was baptised on 22 June with the names ''Christian Frederik Vilhelm Carl'', and was known as Prince Frederick.
To the family he was known as ''Fredy'' throughout his life.

He had five younger siblings:
Alexandra
Alexandra () is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander (, ). Etymology, Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; genitive, GEN , ; ...
(1844–1925),
William
William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
(1845–1913),
Dagmar (1847–1928),
Thyra (1853–1933) and
Valdemar (1858–1939). Although they were of royal blood, the family lived a comparatively normal life. They did not possess great wealth; their father's income from an army commission was about
£800 per year and their house was a rent-free
grace and favour property. Occasionally,
Hans Christian Andersen was invited to call and tell the children stories before bedtime.
In 1853, it was clear that the main line of the Oldenburg dynasty would become extinct with
King Frederick VII, who was elderly and childless. Frederick's mother was very close to the succession, as she was a niece of the previous Oldenburg king,
Christian VIII, through
his sister. With the other heirs from the
House of Hesse
The House of Hesse is a European dynasty, directly descended from the House of Reginar, House of Brabant. They ruled the region of Hesse, one branch as prince-electors until 1866, and another branch as grand dukes until 1918.Burke's Peerage, Bur ...
-Kassel having renounced their claims to the Danish throne in favour of Louise, who in turn relinquished her own claim, his father was eventually chosen as the heir presumptive. Accordingly, Frederick was created a Prince of Denmark.
On 19 October 1860, he was
confirmed together with his sister
Princess Alexandra in the
chapel
A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...
of
Christiansborg Palace. After his confirmation, Prince Frederick was given an extensive military education, pursuing a career in the
Royal Danish Navy alongside his brother
Valdemar. In 1863, Frederick was sent to study political science at the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
, but returned to Denmark upon his father becoming king in November that year. As heir apparent to the throne, he was given a seat in the
State Council and subsequently assisted his father in the duties of government. In 1864, he formally took part in the
Second Schleswig War
The Second Schleswig War (; or German Danish War), also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War, was the second military conflict over the Schleswig–Holstein question of the nineteenth century. The war began on 1 Februar ...
against
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
and
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
.
The crown prince was a member of the
Danish Order of Freemasons, serving as its
Grand Master from 1871 until his death.
Marriage

Queen Louise wanted her eldest son to marry as well as had her two daughters, Alexandra and Dagmar. Queen
Victoria of the United Kingdom had two yet unmarried daughters,
Princess Helena and
Princess Louise, and Queen Louise planned to have Frederick marry one of them. During his stay in England, Crown Prince Frederik actually took an interest in Princess Helena, and although his feelings were reciprocated, the connection did not materialize, as Queen Victoria opposed it. Victoria did not want her daughters to marry heirs to foreign thrones, as this would force them to live abroad, instead preferring German princes who could establish homes in England. In addition, Victoria had always been pro-German and another Danish alliance (Frederick's sister, Alexandra, had married Victoria's eldest son
Edward, Prince of Wales), would not have been in line with her German interests.
After this failed marriage attempt, attention turned instead to
Princess Louise of Sweden and Norway, the only daughter of
King Charles XV of Sweden and Norway. Princess Louise belonged to the
Bernadotte dynasty, which had ruled in Sweden since 1818, when the founder,
Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte
Charles XIV John (; 26 January 1763 – 8 March 1844) was King of Sweden and King of Norway, Norway from 1818 until his death in 1844 and the first monarch of the Bernadotte dynasty. In Norway, he is known as Charles III John () and before he be ...
, one of
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
's generals, was elected crown prince of Sweden in 1810 and later succeeded the throne as King Charles XIV John in 1818. He married
Désirée Clary, who had once been engaged to the French Emperor. Charles XIV's son,
Oscar I, had married
Josephine of Leuchtenberg, the granddaughter of Napoleon's first wife, the
Empress Josephine. King Oscar I and Queen Josephine were Princess Louise's paternal grandparents.
The marriage was suggested as a way of creating friendship between Denmark and Sweden. Relations between the two countries had been tense after Sweden had not assisted Denmark during the war with Prussia in 1864. Frederick and Louise had met for the first time in 1862, but in 1868, Frederick was invited to Sweden to get to know Louise, and their meeting was described as a success. In July that same year, Crown Prince Frederick—then 25 years old—became engaged to the 17-year-old Princess Louise. A year later, they were married in the chapel at the
Royal Palace in Stockholm on 28 July 1869. Louise was the first Swedish princess to be married into the Danish royal house since the Middle Ages, and the marriage was welcomed in all three Scandinavian countries as a symbol of the new
Scandinavism
Scandinavism (; ; ), also called Scandinavianism or pan-Scandinavianism,["Pan-Scandinavi ...](_blank)
.

On 10 August 1869, the newlyweds made their entrance into
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
, where they received a warm welcome. As their residence, the couple was awarded
Frederik VIII's Palace, an 18th century palace which forms part of the
Amalienborg Palace complex in central
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
. As their country residence they received
Charlottenlund Palace, located on the shores of the
Øresund Strait 10 kilometers north of
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
. Here they had a refuge far away from court life at Amalienborg and here several of their children were born. Frederick and Louise had four sons and four daughters born between 1870 and 1890:
Prince Christian,
Prince Carl,
Princess Louise,
Prince Harald,
Princess Ingeborg,
Princess Thyra,
Prince Gustav and
Princess Dagmar.
[ Their eldest sons, Christian and Carl, would become kings of Denmark and Norway respectively. Due to the many children, Charlottenlund Palace was rebuilt to accommodate the large family, and in 1880–81, the palace was expanded with a dome and two side wings.
]
Heir apparent to the throne
Frederick was crown prince for 43 years and used the time to prepare carefully for his reign. Even though he, as heir apparent to the throne, had a seat in the Council of State
A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...
, his father made sure to largely exclude him from influence and political power.
Reign
On 29 January 1906, King Christian IX died peacefully at the age of 87, after a reign of 43 years. Upon his father's death, Frederick succeeded to the throne at the age of 62. He was proclaimed king from the balcony of Christian VII's Palace at Amalienborg by the Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Jens Christian Christensen as Frederick VIII.
Due to his late accession to the throne, Frederick's reign would last only six years, throughout which he was plagued by ill health. In many ways, Frederick VIII was a liberal monarch who was much more favorable to the new parliamentarian system than his father had been, being reform-minded and democratically inclined.
Death
On 14 May 1912, while on his return journey from a trip to Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million[Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...]
, staying at the Hotel Hamburger Hof under the pseudonym "Count Kronberg". That evening, Frederick—while incognito—went out for a stroll on the Jungfernstieg, during which he became faint and collapsed on a park bench at Gänsemarkt. He was discovered by a police officer who took him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead; his cause of death was announced as a heart attack. As Frederick was incognito at the time and had no papers on him, his body was brought to the local morgue, where he was identified by the hotel manager the next morning.
Rumors soon began to circulate about a possible scandal involving the king, as the place where he collapsed and died at was near a well-known brothel
A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...
. The local police did not disclose details about the investigation, for fear of causing distress to the royal family.
Frederick's body was transported via a special train to Travemünde, after which he was brought back to Denmark by the royal yacht '' Dannebrog''. After lying in state at the chapel
A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...
of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, he was interred in '' Christian IX's Chapel'' in Roskilde Cathedral
Roskilde Cathedral (), 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 one of the most important churches in D ...
on the island of Zealand, the traditional burial site for Danish monarchs since the 15th century.
Descendants
The reigning families of Denmark, Norway, Belgium and Luxembourg are descended from King Frederick VIII; Denmark's through his eldest son Christian X, and Norway's through his second son, Haakon VII as well as through his daughter, Princess Ingeborg of Denmark. The royal family of Belgium and grand ducal family of Luxembourg are both also descended from Princess Ingeborg of Denmark.
Titles, styles, honours, and arms
Titles and styles
During his reign, the King's full style was: '' His Majesty Frederick VIII, By the Grace of God, King of Denmark
The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional political system, institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous administrative division, autonomous territories of the Faroe Is ...
, of the Wends and of the Goths, Duke of Schleswig
The following is a list of earl, jarls and dukes, who ruled over Schleswig respectively Southern Jutland (Sønderjylland).
First jarls/dukes
House of Estridsen (1080–1375)
House of Schauenburg (1325-1459)
Under domain of Oldenburg
In ...
, Holstein, Stormarn, Dithmarschen
Dithmarschen (, ; archaic English: ''Ditmarsh''; ; ) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Nordfriesland, Schleswig-Flensburg, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, and Steinburg, by the ...
, Lauenburg and Oldenburg.''
Honours
The Kronprins Frederiks Bro in Frederikssund and King Frederick VIII Land in Greenland are named after him.
National orders and decorations
* Knight of the Elephant, ''3 June 1861''
* Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog, ''3 June 1861''
* Grand Commander of the Dannebrog, ''28 July 1869''
* Commemorative Medal for the Golden Wedding of King Christian IX and Queen Louise, ''1892''
Foreign orders and decorations
;Honorary military appointments
* Colonel-in-Chief of The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), ''1906 – 1914'' (United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
)
* '' À la suite'' of the Imperial German Navy[Justus Perthes, ''Almanach de Gotha'' (1912]
p. 33
/ref>
* Honorary General of the Swedish Army
The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years.
History
Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...
, ''1891'' ( Sweden-Norway)
Issue
Ancestry
Notes
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
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*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
The Royal Lineage
at the website of the Danish Monarchy
Frederik VIII
at the website of the Royal Danish Collection at Amalienborg Palace
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederick 08 Of Denmark
1843 births
1912 deaths
Sons of kings
Crown princes of Denmark
20th-century monarchs of Denmark
House of Glücksburg (Denmark)
Princes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Danish Freemasons
Burials at Roskilde Cathedral
Grand Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog
Recipients of the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog
Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Kalākaua
Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion
3
3
3
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa
Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania
Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Romania)
Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain
Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia)
Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class
Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class
Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Extra Knights Companion of the Garter
Knights of the Order of Charles XIII
Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword
Children of Christian IX of Denmark
Danish people of German descent
Danish people of English descent
Danish people of Scottish descent
Danish people of British descent
Icelandic people of Danish descent
Sons of dukes
Protestant monarchs