Anne Sophie Reventlow
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Anne Sophie Reventlow (April 16, 1693 - January 7, 1743), was a Danish noble, royal mistress, spouse by bigamy and, later, queen consort of Denmark and Norway 1721-30, the second spouse of king Frederick IV of Denmark and Norway.
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[edit] Spouse by bigamy
She was daughter of Conrad, Count Reventlow who served Frederick as Chancellor of Denmark 1699-1708. In 1711, the king fell in love with her at a Masquerade ball, and wanted her as his mistress. Her mother refused to allow this. In 1712, the king took her to Skanderborg Slot, were she was married to him morganatically in a wedding ceremony by Thomas Clausen.
The king's official spouse was still alive. However, he had comitted bigamy once before, with Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg. The church authorities had not forbidden the king to engage in polygamy, as there were doctrines based on biblical polygamy of Hebrew patriarchs. She was made princess and duchess of Schleswig. In 1713, she was given Vallø as a fief.
[edit] Queen
On 4 April 1721, soon after the death of Queen Louise, the king married Anne Sophie a second time. This time, the wedding was formal and conducted under grand ceremonies. He declined to make this marriage morganatic, although it was regarded highly scandalous by the noble subjects and foreign rulers alike, as it was outside the era's standards that royals marry regular noblewomen, their own subjects (the requirements of so-called Ebenbuertigkeit). The king had Anne Sophie recognized as queen, and had her crowned in May 1721. She was the first non-royal to have been Queen of Denmark. Three children were born of this marriage, but each of them died at or before one year of age. This was seen as punishment for the bigamy.
Crown Prince Christian, who had been very close to his mother, detested her strongly. The king's two siblings, Prince Carl and Princess Sophia Hedvig, left the court in protest. In 1725, the king made a will were he ensured the right of Anne Sophie after his death and made his son sign it.
Anna Sophie's relatives, popularly known as the "Reventlow Gang", people from the Reventlow and Holstein families, were placed on high positions. Her sister, the Salonist countess Christine Sophie Holstein, who was called Madame Chancellor, exerted influence over the affairs of state. Anne was blamed for the nepotism, but it is not known whether she actually affected him politically, or if it was he who wanted to assure her position this way. Her recommendation was important for anyone who wished something from the king. Due to her donations to widows and the poor, she was called The protector of the poor classes, but there is no information about whether she was popular or unpopular by the public.
[edit] Widowhood
After Frederik IV's death in 1730, she was expelled from Copenhagen to her birth place, the manor house Klausholm near Randers, Jutland. Her title was decided as Queen Anne Sophie, not as Queen Anne Sophie of Denmark and Norway or as Queen dowager. She was placed virtually under house arrest on her estate the rest of her life, not allowed to leave it without permission rom the king. She spent the rest of her life in strict religion. The king granted her wish to be burried in the royal chapell and allowed for public mourning.
[edit] References
[edit] Succession
| Preceded by Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow |
Queen Consort of Denmark 1721-1730 |
Succeeded by Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach |
| Queen Consort of Norway 1721-1730 |
