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Frederick V (31 March 1723 – 14 January 1766) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1746, son of Christian VI of Denmark and Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.
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Frederick was born on 31 March 1723 at Copenhagen Castle. He was the grandson of King Frederick IV of Denmark and the son of Crown Prince Christian and Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach. On 12 October 1730, King Frederick IV died and Frederick's father ascended the throne as King Christian VI. Frederick himself became Crown Prince.
Christian VI and Sophia Magdalen were deeply devoted to Pietism, and Frederick was given a strictly religious upbringing. Although not unfamiliar with religious sentiments, Frederick grew into a hedonist who enjoyed the pleasures of life such as wine and women.
He was first married at Altona, Holstein, on 11 December 1743 to Princess Louise of Great Britain, daughter of King George II and Caroline of Ansbach. They were the parents of six children, but one was stillborn. Louise died on 19 December 1751 at Christiansborg Palace, predeceasing her husband by fourteen years, and was buried at Roskilde Cathedral. At the time of her death, she was pregnant with her seventh child, who also died.
Frederick married a second time at Frederiksborg Palace on 8 July 1752 to Duchess Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, daughter of Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Their notable child was the Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway, who was, in his turn, father of King Christian VIII of Denmark and grandfather of Louise of Hesse, the future queen of Denmark. She died in 1796 having been regent for her son Prince Frederick.
King Frederick was also the father of five illegitimate children by Else Hansen.
The personal influence of Frederick was limited. He was afflicted by alcoholism and most of his rule was dominated by very able ministers like A. G. Moltke, J. H. E. Bernstorff and H. C. Schimmelmann. They avoided involving Denmark in the European wars of his time. The country remained neutral even for the duration of the Seven Years' War (1756–63), despite its proximity to combatants Russia and Sweden.
He founded the Royal Danish Academy of Art (Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi) in Copenhagen, which officially opened on 31 March 1754, his 31st birthday. Frederick also purchased what would become known as the Danish West Indies from the Danish West India Company in 1754.
The king died at the age of 42, and after twenty years of reign. His last words were reportedly: "It is a great consolation to me in my last hour that I have never wilfully offended anyone and that there is not a drop of blood on my hands."
Frederick V is interred in Roskilde Cathedral next to Queen Louise.
On 1 August 1771, five years after the king's death, an equestrian statue of Frederick V dressed in the garb of a Roman emperor by the French sculptor Jacques François Joseph Saly was unveiled at Amalienborg Square in Copenhagen.
The town of Frederiksværk on the island of Zealand, the town of Frederiksted on the island of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as the district Frederiksstaden in Copenhagen are named after Frederick V.
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Christian | Copenhagen, 7 July 1745 | Frederiksborg, 3 June 1747 | died in infancy |
| Sophia Magdalena, Queen of Sweden | 3 July 1746 | 21 August 1813 | married, 1766, Gustav III, King of Sweden; had issue |
| Caroline, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) | 10 July 1747 | 19 January 1820 | married, 1763, William I, Elector of Hesse; had issue |
| King Christian VII | 29 January 1749 | 13 March 1808 | married, 1766, Princess Caroline Matilda; had issue |
| Louise, Princess Charles of Hesse | 30 January 1750 | 12 January 1831 | married, 1766, Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel; had issue |
| Hereditary Prince Frederick | 11 October 1753 | 7 December 1805 | married, 1774, Duchess Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; had issue |
Within one hundred years of his time, Denmark faced the crisis of his male issue (the main branch of the Royal House) becoming extinct. This created a succession crisis beginning from his grandson's reign that affected both Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein. Finally, his great-grandson through the female line, Christian IX of Denmark, who was married to his great-granddaughter Louise of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel), became the designated heir.
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Frederick V
Born: March 31 1723 Died: January 13 1766 |
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|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Christian VI |
King of Denmark and Norway Duke of Schleswig Count of Oldenburg 1746–1766 |
Succeeded by Christian VII |
| Preceded by Christian VI and Charles Peter Ulrich |
Duke of Holstein 1746–1766 with Charles Peter Ulrich (1746-1762) Paul (1762-1766) |
Succeeded by Christian VII and Paul |
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