Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Queen Charlotte Amalie with one of her children circa 1675; Credit – Wikipedia

Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel was the wife of Christian V, King of Denmark and Norway. During Christian V’s reign, colonies were established in the Caribbean. The islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island were originally a Danish colony, the Danish West Indies.  The city of Charlotte Amalie, on the island of St. Thomas, was named after Christian V’s wife. Denmark sold the islands to the United States in 1917 and now they are known as the United States Virgin Islands, and Charlotte Amalie is the capital.

Born on April 27, 1650, in Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in the German state of Hesse, Charlotte Amalie was the eldest of the seven children and the eldest of the three daughters of Wilhelm VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg.

Charlotte Amalie had six younger siblings:

Charlotte Amalie  circa 1667; Credit – Wikipedia

Unlike many other German royals of the time who were Lutheran, Charlotte Amalie’s parents followed Reformed Christianity which adhered to the teachings of John Calvin. Charlotte Amalie was a strict adherent to Reformed Christianity her whole life. She was well-educated in French, Italian, geography, history, and philosophy and was interested in physics and pharmacy.

Charlotte Amalie’s husband Christian V, circa 1675; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 25, 1667, at Nykøbing Castle in Falster, Denmark, 17-year-old Charlotte Amalie married 21-year-old Crown Prince Christian of Denmark, the son of Frederik III, King of Denmark and Norway and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Charlotte Amalie is the only post-Reformation Danish queen who was not Lutheran or did not convert to the Lutheran religion. Because of her strict adherence to Reformed Christianity, the marriage contract stated that she was allowed to keep her religion and that she was allowed to hold services in an enclosed room with her own Reformed minister.

The couple had seven children:

Christian V with his eldest son Frederik and his other sons Christian and Carl; Credit – Wikipedia

Charlotte Amalie’s husband succeeded his father in 1670 as Christian V, King of Denmark and Norway. Christian was anointed at Frederiksborg Palace Chapel on June 7, 1671, but Charlotte Amalie did not participate because it violated her religious beliefs.

Double portrait of Christian V and Charlotte Amalie; Credit – Wikipedia

Charlotte Amalie’s relationship with her husband cannot be described as a love affair but rather a mutual, respected friendship. In 1672, King Christian V began a long-term affair with 16-year-old Sophie Amalie Moth. Sophie Amalie, the daughter of King Frederik III’s doctor Paul Moth, had grown up at court with her siblings so she and Christian were well acquainted. Christian had five children with Sophie Amalie whom he publically acknowledged. In 1677, Sophie Amalie was recognized as Christian’s official mistress and was created Countess of Samsø. Although Christian V’s public adultery caused an embarrassing situation for Charlotte Amalie, she always made the most of her position as queen, both in her public life as well as in her private interactions with her husband.

During her tenure as Queen, Charlotte Amalie worked for the rights of those who practiced Reform Christianity, especially for displaced Huguenots from France who had settled in Denmark. In 1685, Christian V issued orders for a certain degree of religious freedom for religious refugees. In 1689, the first Reformed Church in Denmark was consecrated in Copenhagen and Charlotte Amalie was instrumental in its planning and funding. The church had a burial crypt, residences for the ministers, and later, two schools. Although Charlotte Amalie was deeply devoted to her faith, her view on religion was a Protestant ecumenical one and she corresponded with Protestants of different churches.

Charlottenborg Palace by Jacob Coning, 1694; Credit – Wikipedia

King Christian V died in 1699 and was succeeded by his son King Frederik IV. Charlotte Amalie allowed her daughter-in-law, Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, to take her rightful place as Queen. Charlotte Amalie kept a separate court and during the winter lived at Charlottenborg Palace, which is named after her, and then during the summer, she lived at Nykøbing Castle. She owned several estates and became quite wealthy from their income. In 1703, when her son Frederik IV made a bigamous marriage by marrying his mistress Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg while his wife was still living, Charlotte Amalie was deeply grieved by his behavior but never expressed her great displeasure to her son.

On March 27, 1714, Charlotte Amalie, Queen of Denmark and Norway, aged 63, died of scarlet fever after being ill for six days at Charlottenborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark. She was buried in a baroque marble tomb designed by Christoph Sturmberg next to King Christian V’s tomb in the nave of Roskilde Cathedral, the traditional burial place of the Danish royal family, in Roskilde, Denmark.

Tomb of Charlotte Amalie in Roskilde Cathedral; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charlotte Amalie Af Hessen-Kassel. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Amalie_af_Hessen-Kassel> [Accessed 29 April 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charlotte Amalie Von Hessen-Kassel. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Amalie_von_Hessen-Kassel> [Accessed 29 April 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Charlotte Amalie Of Hesse-Kassel. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Amalie_of_Hesse-Kassel> [Accessed 29 April 2020].