Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark
| Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark | |
|---|---|
| Princess Frederick of Denmark | |
Painting by Christian Albrecht Jensen
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| Duchess consort of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg | |
| Reign | 19 May 1838 – 24 October 1878 |
| Born |
18 January 1808 Kiel, Duchy of Schleswig |
| Died | 30 May 1891 (aged 83) Glücksburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia |
| Spouse |
Prince Frederick of Denmark Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg |
| House | Oldenburg |
| Father | Frederick VI of Denmark |
| Mother | Marie Sophie of Hesse-Kassel |
Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark and Norway (Danish: Vilhelmine af Danmark; German: Wilhelmine von Dänemark) (18 January 1808, Kiel, Duchy of Schleswig – 30 May 1891 in Glücksburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia) was the youngest daughter of Frederick VI of Denmark and his wife and first cousin Marie Sophie of Hesse-Kassel. Her paternal grandfather, Christian VII of Denmark, had major psychological problems and as result, her father had been acting as Regent since 1784. Within two months of her birth, Vilhelmine Marie's grandfather died of a cerebral aneurysm and her father ascended as king. At the time of her death, she was the last surviving grandchild of Christian VII.
Since her father had no surviving legitimate sons, Vilhelmine Marie was a very desirable bride. Among her suitors was the future Oscar I of Sweden of the then newly established Bernadotte dynasty. On 1 November 1828 in Copenhagen, she married Prince Frederick of Denmark, the future King Frederick VII. The engagement had been made official in 1826. Prince Frederick was a direct male-line descendant of King Frederick V by his second queen Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. The marriage united the two lines of the Royal House, which had been in a strained relationship since 1814, and was very popular: the public celebrations were unusually vivid, with illuminations, poems, public festivities and a foundation, Vilhelmine-Stiftelsen, for the benefit of providing brides with a suitable equipment. The marriage soon turned out to be an unhappy one. That was not least because of Frederick's debauched lifestyle with infidelity and heavy drinking. It was said that Vilhelmine, although good hearted and mild, lacked character and was unable to gain any influence on Frederick, and that Frederick deeply hurt her "female feelings". Her unhappy marriage was also a cause of concern for her parents, who felt sorry for her. The couple were separated in 1834, and divorced in 1837.
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