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King Frederik V
Frederick V (March 31, 1723 – January 13, 1766) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1746, son of Christian VI of Denmark and Sophie Magdelena, Markgravin of Brandenburg-Kalmbach-Bayreuth.
He was first married to Princess Louise, daughter of King George II and Caroline of Ansbach. They were parents of seven children but only five survived birth:
- Christian, Prince of Denmark and Norway (July 7, 1745) - June 3, 1747).
- Sophie Magdalen of Denmark (July 3, 1746 - August 21, 1813). Queen consort of Gustav III of Sweden.
- Karoline Wilhelmina, Princess of Denmark and Norway (July 10, 1747 - January 19, 1820). Consort of Wilhelm I, Elector of Hesse-Kassel.
- Christian VII of Denmark (January 29, 1749 - March 13, 1808).
- Luise, Princess of Denmark and Norway (30 January 1750 - 12 January 1831. She was mother to
- Luise Caroline, Princess of Hesse-Kassel and grandmother of the future Christian IX of Denmark.
Louise died on 19 December 1751). Frederick married a second time to Juliana Maria, daughter of Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. They were parents of seven additional children. They notably included
- 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.
King Frederick was also the father of five illegitimate children by Else Hansen.
(Within one hundred years of his time, Denmark faced the situation of his male issue (the main branch of the Royal House) going extinct. This created a succession crisis beginning from his grandson's reign, affecting both Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein. Finally, his great-grandson by female line, Christian IX of Denmark, who was married with his great-granddaughter Louise of Hesse, became the designated heir.)
He founded the Royal Danish Academy of Art (Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi) in Copenhagen, which officially opened on March 31, 1754, his 31st birthday.
The personal influence of Frederick was a limited one. He was marked by his alcoholism and most of his rule was marked 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 - 1763) despite its proximity to combatants Russia and Sweden.
The king died after 43 years of life and 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.
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