Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow

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Portrait of Queen Louise, painted by J.S. du Wahl
Portrait of Queen Louise, painted by J.S. du Wahl

Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (28 August 166715 March 1721) was Queen consort of Denmark and Norway as the first wife of the King Frederick IV of Denmark.

She was born in Güstrow in the family of Duke Gustav Adolf of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and Magdalene Sibylle of Holstein-Gottorp. Her maternal grandparents were Frederick III of Holstein-Gottorp and Marie Elisabeth of Saxony.

On 5 December 1695, Louise married to Crown Prince Frederik and became Queen consort of Denmark in 1699. Their only child who reached maturity was King Christian VI of Denmark.

Louise lived quietly at the Danish Court. Unlike Frederick IV she never gained popularity with the population. Queen Louise suffered because of her husband's infidelity, which caused embarrassing scenes at the Court. Frederick even entered two morganatic marriages. He raised one of his mistresses, Anna Sophie Reventlow, to the status of Queen just days after Louise's death. Queen Louise was close to her son Christian. She was strongly influenced by Pietism and she sought solace in religion.

Rosenborg was completely abandoned as a Royal residence while Louise was Queen. The building of a new summer residence, Frederiksborg Palace, began in 1699 and was ready for occupation in 1703.

She died in Copenhagen and was buried in the Roskilde Cathedral.

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Preceded by
Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Cassel
Queen Consort of Denmark
1699-1721
Succeeded by
Anne Sophie Reventlow
Queen Consort of Norway
1699-1721