Christian VI of Denmark

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Christian VI
King of Denmark and Norway
Born	30 November 1699
Died	6 August 1746
Buried	Roskilde Cathedral
Predecessor	Frederik IV
Successor	Frederick V
Consort	Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
Father	Fredrik IV
Mother	Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow

Christian VI (30 November 1699 - 6 August 1746) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730.

He was the son of Fredrik IV and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. He married Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and fathered Fredrik V.

[edit] The reign and personality of Christian VI

To posterity Christian VI is known first of all as a religious ruler. He was deeply devoted to pietism, and during his entire reign he tried to impart these teaching onto his subjects. This religious pressure, along with his personal lack of charm, made him one of the most unpopular of Denmark's absolute kings. Later historians have tried to vary this picture; they have stressed that he was not quite that intolerant as it had been said, and that he was both an industrious and a scrupulous bureaucrat. The negative impression, however, has lasted over the years.

His central domestic act was the introduction of the so-called adscription of 1733 (Danish stavnsbånd), a law that forced peasants to remain in their home region, and by which the peasantry was subject to both the local nobility and the army. Though the idea behind this law was probably to secure a constant number of peasant soldiers, it was later on widely regarded as the ultimate subjugation of Danish peasantry. Therefore this act too had damaged his reputation. The act was abolished in 1788.

The pietist views of King Christian, of course, influenced much of his ecclesiastical polity. On the surface the king was victorious, but both parsons and many common people secretly resisted the line of the king, and after his death pietism lost its official support. This did not mean that it was without effect. It influenced much of the poetry of the age, among other the great hymn writer Hans Adolph Brorson. Another lasting result of the king’s efforts was the introduction of confirmation in 1736.

In addition to pietism and adscription, there were numerous "building activities" connected to Christian VI, and he was probably the greatest Danish builder of the 18th century. His queen also made a notable effort. Among their works are Christiansborg Castle (built 1732-42, burned 1794, rebuilt), Hirschholm Palace in North Zealand in current day Hørsholm municipality (built 1737-39, demolished 1812) and the Eremitage (built 1734-36, still existing). These expensive buildings were erected with the purpose of representing, but they also became an economic burden on the subjects.

His foreign policy was a peaceful one, and Denmark kept strictly neutral. As for both trade and commerce, it was an age of advancement; some new companies and banks were founded.

Personally, Christian VI was a puritan of simple habits, and a man with a tendency to shun human society. From his youth he was sickly and several diseases led to his early death.

On his passing in 1746, Christian VI was interred in Roskilde Cathedral. The neoclassical memorial designed and produced by sculptor Johannes Wiedewelt was commissioned by the king's widowed wife. The marble monument was completed in 1768, but was not installed at Roskilde Cathedral until 1777. The monument includes a sarcophagus and two female figures, "Sorgen" ("Sorrow") and "Berømmelsen" ("Fame"). This was the first neoclassical sarcophagus in Denmark, and is considered to be neoclassicism’s start in Denmark.

Preceded by Frederick IV	King of Denmark 1730–1746	Succeeded by Frederick V
	King of Norway 1730–1746