Frederik VI of Denmark
| Frederick VI | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Hans Hansen, 1824
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| King of Denmark (more...) | |
| Reign | 13 March 1808 – 3 December 1839 |
| Coronation | 31 July 1815 Frederiksborg Palace Chapel |
| Predecessor | Christian VII |
| Successor | Christian VIII |
| King of Norway | |
| Reign | 13 March 1808 – 17 May 1814 |
| Predecessor | Christian VII |
| Successor | Christian Frederick |
| Born |
28 January 1768 Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen |
| Died | 3 December 1839 (aged 71) Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen |
| Burial | Roskilde Cathedral |
| Consort | Marie of Hesse-Kassel |
| Issue |
Caroline, Hereditary Princess of Denmark Vilhelmine, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg |
| House | Oldenburg |
| Father | Christian VII of Denmark |
| Mother | Caroline Matilda of Great Britain |
| Religion | Lutheranism |
Frederick VI (Danish and Norwegian: Frederik; 28 January 1768 – 3 December 1839) was King of Denmark from 13 March 1808 to 3 December 1839 and King of Norway from 13 March 1808 to 7 February 1814. From 1784 until his accession, he served as regent during his father's mental illness and was referred to as the "Crown Prince Regent" (kronprinsregent). For his motto he chose God and the just cause (Danish: Gud og den retfærdige sag) and since the time of his reign, succeeding Danish monarchs have also chosen mottos in the Danish language rather than the formerly customary Latin.
Frederick was born at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. Frederick belonged to the House of Oldenburg. His parents were King Christian VII and Caroline Matilda of Great Britain. He was born after 15 months of marriage, a day before his father's 19th birthday, when his mother was just 16. As the eldest son of the ruling king, he automatically became crown prince at birth. On 30 January of the same year, he was baptised at Christiansborg Palace by Ludvig Harboe, Bishop of Zealand. His godparents were King Christian VII (his father), the dowager queen Juliana Maria (his step-grandmother) and his half-uncle, Hereditary Prince Frederick (Arveprins Frederik).
His father suffered from serious psychological problems, including suspected schizophrenia expressed by catatonic periods which resulted in the king ceding power to his doctor, Johann Friedrich Struensee. From 1770 to 1772, Struensee was de facto regent and lover of Caroline Matilda, Frederick's mother. Both were ideologically influenced by Enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire and Jean Jacques Rousseau. While Struensee was in power, young Frederick was raised at Hirschholm Palace following the educational approach advocated by Rousseau in his famous work Émile. Instead of receiving direct instruction, Frederick was expected to learn everything through his own efforts through playing with two commoner boys as per Struensee's instructions.
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