Louise Augusta of Denmark
| Louise Auguste of Denmark | |
|---|---|
Princess Louise Augusta by Anton Graff, 1791.
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| Duchess consort of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg | |
| Tenure | 13 November 1794 – 14 June 1814 |
| Born |
7 July 1771 Hirschholm Palace, Hørsholm, Denmark |
| Died | 13 January 1843 (aged 71) Augustenborg Palace, Augustenborg, Denmark |
| Spouse | Frederick Christian II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg |
| Issue |
Caroline Amalie, Queen of Denmark Christian August II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg Frederick, Prince of Noer |
| House | Oldenburg |
| Father | Christian VII of Denmark or Johann Friedrich Struensee |
| Mother | Caroline Matilda of Great Britain |
| Religion | Lutheranism |
Princess Louise Auguste of Denmark (7 July 1771 – 13 January 1843) was the daughter of the Queen of Denmark, Caroline Matilda of Great Britain. Though officially regarded as the daughter of King Christian VII, it is widely accepted that her biological father was Johann Friedrich Struensee, the king’s royal physician and de facto regent of the country at the time of her birth. She was referred to sometimes as "la petite Struensee"; this did not, however, have any effect on her position.
She was born at Hirschholm Palace in present-day Hørsholm municipality, Denmark. After the arrest of Struensee and Queen Caroline Matilda on 17 January 1772, and the subsequent execution of Struensee and the banishment and imprisonment of her mother, she was raised at the Danish court residing at Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen along with her four-year-old brother, Crown Prince Frederick, under the supervision of Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Louise Augusta and her brother had a very close relationship their entire life, and it was on his request that she agreed to marry, despite the fact that she had no enthusiasm for the match. She was her brother's closest friend, and he developed a strong resentment toward Queen Juliana Maria when she tried to separate them.
In February 1779 the nation's foremost statesman, Chief Minister Andreas Peter Bernstorff, hatched an ingenious plan for the young princess. Since a son of hers could ascend the throne some day, it would be advantageous to arrange a marriage early, and to marry the "half-royal" back into the family, to the Hereditary Prince of Augustenborg. This plan not only had the positive effect of more closely connecting the Danish royal house’s two lines, the ruling House of Oldenborg and the offshoot House of Augustenborg, thus discouraging the threat of a breakup of the kingdom, but also the prevention of her marriage into the Swedish royal house.
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