Duchess Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (4 December 1784 – 13 July 1840), was the first wife of King Christian VIII from 1806 until 1810, before he became King of Denmark. She was a daughter of Frederick Francis I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
.
in the Duchy of Mecklenburg. She married Prince Christian of Denmark and Norway, heir apparent to the throne of Denmark, in 1806. In 1808, she gave birth to her husband's only surviving son, the future King Frederick VII of Denmark
.
Duchess Charlotte Frederika allegedly had an affair with the French
singer and composer Édouard Du Poy
. For this reason, her husband divorced her in 1810, sent her into internal exile, and prohibited her from seeing her son again.
, in Jutland
, where she cultivated amorous affairs with local officers. In 1830, she traveled to Italy
, finally settling in Rome. She later converted to the Catholic
faith. Charlotte Frederica died in Rome in 1840.
Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1756–1808)
Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, was a member of the House of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and a Princess of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and a Duchess in Saxony by birth...
.
Marriage
Charlotte Frederica was born at LudwigslustLudwigslust
Ludwigslust is a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, 40 km south of Schwerin. It was the capital of the former district of Ludwigslust, and is part of the district Ludwigslust-Parchim since September 2011.-History:...
in the Duchy of Mecklenburg. She married Prince Christian of Denmark and Norway, heir apparent to the throne of Denmark, in 1806. In 1808, she gave birth to her husband's only surviving son, the future King Frederick VII of Denmark
Frederick VII of Denmark
Frederick VII was a King of Denmark. He reigned from 1848 until his death. He was the last Danish monarch of the older Royal branch of the House of Oldenburg and also the last king of Denmark to rule as an absolute monarch...
.
Duchess Charlotte Frederika allegedly had an affair with the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
singer and composer Édouard Du Poy
Jean Baptiste Édouard Du Puy
Jean Baptiste Édouard Louis Camille Du Puy was a Swiss-born singer, composer, director and violinist. He lived and worked in Copenhagen and Stockholm from 1793 until his death in 1822.-Early years:...
. For this reason, her husband divorced her in 1810, sent her into internal exile, and prohibited her from seeing her son again.
Later life
After her divorce, Charlotte Frederica spent the next years of her life in a palace in HorsensHorsens
Horsens is a Danish city in east Jutland. It is the site of the council of Horsens municipality. The city's population is 53,807 and the Horsens municipality's population is 82,835 ....
, in Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
, where she cultivated amorous affairs with local officers. In 1830, she traveled to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, finally settling in Rome. She later converted to the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
faith. Charlotte Frederica died in Rome in 1840.