Princess Charlotte | |
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Princess William of Hesse-Kassel | |
Portrait by August Schiøtt, c. 1830-39
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Born |
Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen |
30 October 1789
Died | 28 March 1864 Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen |
(aged 74)
Spouse | Prince William of Hesse-Kassel |
Issue | Princess Caroline Marie Luise Charlotte, Princess Frederick Augustus of Anhalt-Dessau Louise, Queen of Denmark Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse Princess Auguste Princess Sophie |
House | Oldenburg |
Father | Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway |
Mother | Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
Princess Louise Charlotte of Denmark (Danish: Charlotte af Danmark; 30 October 1789 – 28 March 1864) was born in Christiansborg Palace to Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Denmark and Norway, and Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
On 10 November 1810 in Amalienborg Palace she married Prince William of Hesse-Kassel.
They were parents to:
Princess Charlotte was described as a wise, practical and thrifty, and kept the finances of her household under strict control. She had some interest in art and poetry, and reportedly felt herself to be a Danish patriot. She supported the solution that her branch of the family should succeeded to the throne, and because of this, she opposed the Schleswig-Holstein matter. Her spouse was in Danish service from his youth, and the family lived in Denmark.
During the reign of her brother Christian VIII of Denmark (r. 1839-1848), she had an important position at the Danish royal court in Copenhagen because her brother favored that her line of the family should succeed to the throne after the male line had died out.
In 1848, her brother died and was succeeded by his childless son. In 1850, the Danish government was influenced by the demand of the Empire of Russia to discontinue its support of her line of the family in the succession order in favor of the Duke of Oldenburg, her son-in-law. Christian of Oldenburg had displayed an anti-Danish sentiment during the recent war, and when gehejmeråd F.C. Dankwart, on behalf of the government, issued negotiations with her that she should renounce her and her sons right to the throne in favor of her son-in-law, she replied: "It is impossible: the Danish people would under no circumstance accept as King a Prince from a house who has made war against Denmark, and who is so hostile toward us". In exchange, she demanded that the House of Oldenburg purchased the Duchy of Hesse and name if Kingdom, so that her son Frederick could "Switch one Kingdom for another". After having been persuaded that her terms was impossible and that Christian of Oldenburg in fact had good support for his claim, she agreed to renounce her and her sons claims to the throne.