The Royal Danish CollectionAmalienborgThe kingsChristian VII

Christian VII

Christian VII was the King of Denmark-Norway from 1766, son of Frederik V and Louise of Great Britain. Married in 1766 to Caroline Mathilde of Great Britain and father of Frederik VI.

Christian VII was completely unsuitable as an absolute monarch. He probably suffered from schizophrenia and had intense mood-swings. In the first years of his reign he participated in nightly boozes at the brothels of Copenhagen in the company of a prostitute named Bootee-Katrine. The King’s physician, the reformatory J.F. Struensee, succeeded in getting real power, but he was overthrown and executed in 1772. Struensee had a love affair with the Queen, and after his fall, Christian VII’s marriage was dissolved.

After Struensee, it was first and foremost Ove Høegh-Guldberg who had real power but in a coup, in 1784, Crown Prince Frederik (VI) took control of the government. Christian VII died of a heart attack in Rendsborg after witnessing the arrival of Spanish auxiliaries, which he mistook for enemy forces.

 

 

Relations

14 Frederik V's Cabinet

This is the first of the rooms occupied by Frederik IV's brother, Prince Carl.

1800-1825

At the beginning of the 19th century, the long peaceful period ended. International relations in connection with the Napoleonic Wars made it difficult for Denmark to stay neutral.

23 The Porcelain Cabinet (closed)

Frederik IV planned to have a porcelain cabinet to form a counterpart to the Glass Cabinet. Such cabinets became fashionable at princely courts in Europe by the end of the 17th century.

Frederik V

Frederik V was the King of Denmark-Norway from 1746; son of Christian VI and Sophie Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, and father of Christian (VII).

Caroline Mathilde, 1771

Caroline Mathilde. Copy of original by Jens Juel from 1771.

Portrait of Caroline Mathilde, ca. 1767

This portrait of Caroline Mathilde is from around 1767, and is therefore one of the earliest portraits we have of her. The picture depicts the young queen about a year after she married the Danish king, Christian VII. It therefore portrays her before she began her famous affair with the king’s personal physician JF Struensee. The painting is attributed to the Danish artist Peder Als (1727-1776) who was one of the artists who paved the way for neoclassicism in Danish portraiture. He also painted other royal portraits, not just of Caroline Mathilde, but of the king and the crown prince. The queen is portrayed here with her hair powdered white, and adorned with lace which falls over her right shoulder. She wears an aqua blue dress adorned with lace along the neckline, and bows on the chest and arms. She has adorned her ears and neck with white stones in the form of earrings and an aqua blue necklace. On the left of the queen is a bouquet of white flowers with a light blue bow.

19 The Corridor

The Corridor on the second floor connects the central room on the floor, The Rose, with the South-end of the Palace.