Anne Sophie Reventlow

Anne Sophie Reventlow
Queen consort of Denmark and Norway
Spouse	Frederick IV of Denmark and Norway
Father	Conrad, Count Reventlow
Mother	Anna Gabel
Born	16 April 1693 Clausholm Castle
Died	January 7, 1743(1743-01-07) (aged 49)

Anne Sophie Reventlow (16 April 1693, Clausholm Castle – 7 January 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.

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, where she was married to him morganatically in a wedding ceremony by Thomas Clausen.

The King's official spouse was still alive. However, he had committed 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.

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 as highly scandalous by the noble subjects and foreign rulers alike, as it flouted 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 has been referred to as the first non-royal to be Queen of Denmark: she was in reality the first since Ulvhild Håkansdotter. 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. Her brother-in-law, Prince Charles, and sister-in-law, Princess Sophia Hedwig, left the court in protest, although her stepdaughter Charlotte Amalia showed her kindness. In 1725, the King made a will where he ensured the right of Anne Sophie after his death and made his son sign it.

Anne Sophie's relatives, popularly known as the "Reventlow Gang", people from the Reventlow and Holstein families, were placed in 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 with the public.

Widowhood

After Frederick IV's death in 1730, she was expelled from Copenhagen to her birth place, the manor house Klausholm near Randers, Jutland. She was styled "Queen Anne Sophie", not Queen Anne Sophie of Denmark and Norway or Queen Dowager. She was placed virtually under house arrest on her estate the rest of her life, not allowed to leave it without permission from the king. She spent the rest of her life in strict religion. Upon her death, King Christian VI allowed for public mourning, and arranged to have her buried in Roskilde Cathedral, although to keep her from being buried with her husband in the retroquire, he purchased the Trolle family chapel in the west end of the cathedral, and arranged for her and her children to be buried there.

Issue

Anne Sophie and King Frederick IV had three children:

• Christine Amalie (23 October 1723 - 7 January 1724).
• Frederick Christian (1 June 1726 - 15 May 1727).
• Charles (16 February 1728 - 8 July 1729).

References

• http://www.kvinfo.dk/side/597/bio/1058/origin/170/
• Anna Sofie of Denmark-Norway at Find-A-Grave

Succession

Danish royalty
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