Carolina Danish

Carolina of Denmark, 1820s

Princess Carolina of Denmark was born on October 28, 1793 in the Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen . Her father is the Crown Prince of Denmark and Norway, Frederick , the son of King Christian VII and Carolina Matilda of Great Britain , her mother is Maria Sophia of Hesse-Kasselskaya , the daughter of Karl, the Landgrave of Hesse-Kasselsky and Louise of Denmark and Norway ^[1] . The couple had each other cousins. The paternal grandfather of the princess was mentally unstable and, starting in 1784, Carolina's father acted as regent under the king.

The birth of a healthy girl was a great joy for the parents, since two children born before her died in infancy. After Carolina, five more children were born in the family, but only one daughter, Wilhelmina , the future Crown Princess of Denmark, survived in the second marriage of the Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein.

Four months after the birth of the princess, on February 26, 1794, Christiansborg Palace was destroyed by fire. The family had to move to the Amalienborg Palace , where she spent her childhood. In the summer they lived in the Frederiksberg Palace. In 1808, King Christian died, Carolina's father ascended the throne of Denmark and Norway. Carolina was very close to her father since childhood. She was given a broad, but not too thorough and deep education. The princess was described as beautiful and talented. She met with Hans Christian Andersen in 1822 and was very interested in his writings ^[2] .

King Frederick and Queen Maria Sofia did not have sons. Carolina and her sister Wilhelmina could not inherit the throne due to the action of the Salic law , which does not give the woman the right to become the ruling queen. But, despite this, Carolina was often called the Crown Princess before her marriage, as the king’s eldest child. In 1810, the Emperor of France, Napoleon I, suggested that Carolina's father give his eldest daughter for the heir to the Swedish kingdom, Crown Prince Carl Gustav. The King of Denmark did not approve of this alliance, but nevertheless began negotiations with the Swedish side, but suddenly the Crown Prince passed away. Among the princesses' grooms, Prince William, the Duke of Clarence , the future king of Great Britain, William IV, was also listed. In 1812, Carolina was engaged to her uncle , but he died in 1814 before he reached the wedding. On August 1, 1829, Princess Carolina finally got married. Her husband was Prince , who was her cousin. At the time of the wedding, he was third in the line of succession to the throne. The marriage was unhappy, no children were born in it ^[2] .

In 1830, Carolina suffered major burns due to a fire in her room. Her face was disfigured, half of the hair on her head burned out. In 1858, the princess suffered the same thing again, then her arm and shoulders burned down ^[2] .

After the death of King Christian VIII in 1848, Frederick, the spouse of Carolina, became the first in line to the throne of Denmark, receiving the title of “Crown Prince of Denmark” . Carolina officially became the Crown Princess . She did not become a queen. Crown Prince Ferdinand died in 1863, shortly before the death of King Frederick VII . The new king after him was Christian IX of the Glucksburg dynasty, who still rule Denmark.

Carolina, until the death of her husband, lived with him in the palace of Bernstorffske Palæ , did not play any role at the royal court. With her husband, she developed a warm relationship. In 1853, when there was an epidemic of cholera in Copenhagen, Princess Carolina and her husband did not leave the capital, they helped the sick in every possible way, and this earned great love of citizens. Carolina was very proud of her country, and said that she would never leave her. She was described as a restrained, punctual and faithful nature ^[2] .

After the death of her husband lived in solitude. She paid all his debts. In the last years of her life she was practically deaf. She died on March 31, 1881 in Copenhagen ^[1] .

• Caroline, crown princess of Denmarko . - Profile on Geneall.net.
• Caroline (1793 - 1881) (Danish) . - Biography of Princess Carolina.
• Caroline, 1793-1881, Arveprinsesse (Danish) . - An article about Princess Caroline of Denmark in the Danish Biographical Encyclopedia.