Princess Wilhelmina Ernestine of Denmark
Encyclopedia
Wilhelmine Ernestine of Denmark and Norway of Denmark (born 20 or 21 June 1650, died 22 or 23 April 1706) was an Electress Palatine. She was the third of five daughters of King Frederick III of Denmark
and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
, the heir of the Electoral Palatinate. Unusually, this was not a wedding by proxy, but the groom was married to her in person on Sophie Amalienborg
in Denmark on September 20, 1671. On August 14, the spouses left for Heidelberg with a large entourage of Danes. Wilhelmina Ernestine was granted a large dowry from Denmark, and she also received the villages and castles Germersheim
and Oppenheim
by her father-in-law.
The marriage was very unhappy: Charles had been forced to marry her by his father against his will and disliked the marriage from the beginning, and her shy behaviour and physical appearance - she was said to have been somewhat crippled - only widened the distance between them. In 1677, Charles' dislike had made her father-in-law consider serious plans of a divorce, although these plans were never realised. They had no children.
On 28 August 1680, they became Elector and Electress Palatine. The reign of her consort was marked by his dependency of favorites. The Elector died 26 May 1685, making her a widow. As a widow, she lived with her sister, Dowager Electress Anna Sophie of Saxony, at Castle Lichtenburg
in Saxony
.
Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. He instituted absolute monarchy in Denmark and Norway in 1660, confirmed by law in 1665 as the first in western historiography. He was born the second-eldest son of Christian IV of Denmark and Anne Catherine of Brandenburg...
and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
Biography
Her mother's sister-in-law, Electress Sophia of Hanover, arranged a marriage between Wilhelmina Ernestine and Sophia's nephew CharlesCharles II, Elector Palatine
Charles II was Elector Palatine from 1680 to 1685. He was the son of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine and Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel.Charles was a strict Calvinist. In 1671, his aunt Electress Sophia of Hanover arranged his marriage to Princess Wilhelmina Ernestina, daughter of King Frederick III...
, the heir of the Electoral Palatinate. Unusually, this was not a wedding by proxy, but the groom was married to her in person on Sophie Amalienborg
Sophie Amalienborg
Sophie Amalienborg was a pleasure palace roughly located where Amalienborg Palace stands today in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built by Queen Consort Sophie Amalie who lived there until her death in 1685 after her husband, King Frederick III, died a few years prior to its completion.It burnt down to...
in Denmark on September 20, 1671. On August 14, the spouses left for Heidelberg with a large entourage of Danes. Wilhelmina Ernestine was granted a large dowry from Denmark, and she also received the villages and castles Germersheim
Germersheim
Germersheim is a town in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, of around 20,000 inhabitants. It is also the seat of the Germersheim district. The neighboring towns and cities are Speyer, Landau, Philippsburg, Karlsruhe and Wörth.-Coat of arms:...
and Oppenheim
Oppenheim
Oppenheim is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is well known as a wine town, the site of the German Winegrowing Museum and particularly for the wines from the Oppenheimer Krötenbrunnen vineyards.- Location :...
by her father-in-law.
The marriage was very unhappy: Charles had been forced to marry her by his father against his will and disliked the marriage from the beginning, and her shy behaviour and physical appearance - she was said to have been somewhat crippled - only widened the distance between them. In 1677, Charles' dislike had made her father-in-law consider serious plans of a divorce, although these plans were never realised. They had no children.
On 28 August 1680, they became Elector and Electress Palatine. The reign of her consort was marked by his dependency of favorites. The Elector died 26 May 1685, making her a widow. As a widow, she lived with her sister, Dowager Electress Anna Sophie of Saxony, at Castle Lichtenburg
Lichtenburg (concentration camp)
Lichtenburg was a Nazi concentration camp, housed in a Renaissance castle in Prettin, near Wittenberg in eastern Germany. Along with Sachsenburg, it was among the first to be built by the Nazis, and was operated by the SS from 1933 to 1939. It held as many as 2000 male prisoners from 1933 to 1937...
in Saxony
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
.