The Order of Mathilde (Mathildeordenen) was a Danish royal

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

, created by the queen of Denmark,

Caroline Matilda of Great Britain Caroline Matilda of Great Britain ( da, Caroline Mathilde; 1751 – 10 May 1775) was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1766 to 1772 by marriage to King Christian VII. The youngest and posthumous daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales, by Prin ...

, after whom it was named, on the birthday of the king,

Christian VII of Denmark Christian VII (29 January 1749 – 13 March 1808) was a monarch of the House of Oldenburg who was King of Denmark–Norway and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein from 1766 until his death in 1808. For his motto he chose: "''Gloria ex amore patriae'' ...

, 29 January 1771. It was no longer used after the banishment of its founder the year after. The order was used to award members of the royal house, and a close circle around the royal couple and followers of the queen and her lover

Johann Friedrich Struensee Lensgreve Johann Friedrich Struensee (5 August 1737 – 28 April 1772) was a German-Danish physician, philosopher and statesman. He became royal physician to the mentally ill King Christian VII of Denmark and a minister in the Danish government. ...

. Eleven of the twelve recipients were decorated on the birthday celebration of the monarch the same day the order was created. The exception was

Louise von Plessen Louise Scheel von Plessen (''née'' Countess Louise von Berckentin; Vienna, 26 April 1725 – Celle, 14 September 1799) was a Danish lady-in-waiting and memoir writer. She wrote the memoirs of her time at the Danish court: ''Mémoires de la cour ...

, who was awarded it in her absence, being in exile at

Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about 71,000. Celle is the southern gateway to the Lü ...

. ;Recipients #

Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern (Danish: ''Juliane Marie''; 4 September 1729 – 10 October 1796) was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1752 to 1766 as the second consort of King Frederick V of Denmark and Norway. She was mother to ...

Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Denmark Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Denmark ( da, Frederik; 11 October 1753 – 7 December 1805) was heir presumptive to the thrones of Denmark and Norway. He was the only surviving son of King Frederick V by his second wife, Juliana Maria of Braunsc ...

Peter Elias von Gähler Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

Christine Sophie von Gähler Christine Sophie von Gähler, Countess von der Goltz, née von ''Ahlefeldt'' (1745 – 18 July 1792) was a Danish noble and courtier, known for her love life and unconventional life style, known in history as one of the Three Graces of the Danish ...

# Schack Carl Rantzau-Ascheberg #

Caroline Schimmelmann Caroline von Schimmelmann, née ''Tugendreich Friedeborn'' (1730–1795), was a Danish countess. Her parentage is unknown, but she was the foster daughter of Heinrich Ernst von Gersdorfs in Dresden, and given a good education by him. She marr ...

Amalie Sophie Holstein Amalie Sofie Holstein (1748-1823), was a Danish noblewoman and courtier, known for her love life and unconventional life style, known in history as one of the Three Graces of the Danish royal court. Life She was the daughter of Schack von Buchw ...

Enevold Brandt Count Enevold Brandt (1738 - 28 April 1772) was a Danish courtier. Biography Brandt was born in Copenhagen, and studied law at the University of Copenhagen. He became assistant judge of the Supreme Court of Copenhagen in 1764, royal chamberlai ...

References

{{reflist * Lars Stevnsborg: Kongeriget Danmarks ordener, medaljer og hederstegn. Kongeriget Islands ordener og medaljer, Syddansk Universitetsforlag, 2005, s. 191–194 Dynastic orders 1771 in Denmark Awards established in 1771 Caroline Matilda of Great Britain