The future king of Denmark was born into a not very prosperous family (despite the royal origin). The life of his father Frederick V was marred by chronic alcoholism, his mother Louise died while Christian was a baby, and his stepmother did not love him, cherishing the hope that her own offspring would become king. Christian was completely devoted to his teachers and educators, who also did not really like him and often beat him up …
The most mysterious king of Denmark, Christian VII was born on January 29, 1749. Like all monarchs who fell victim to serious mental illness, he ruled only nominally.
The first pathography of Christian VII was written by the Danish psychiatrist W. Christiansen, who published his research in 1906. Given the level of medical knowledge of that period, the researcher attributes the cause of the king's illness to excessive masturbation.
Further studies were more serious only in that they stated the diagnosis of the king "schizophrenia", paying special attention to the love scandal that unfolded at court. They can be understood, because love is a much more enjoyable topic to study.
King of Denmark Christian VII.
Danish and British royal houses in the 18th century were closely related by ties of kinship. So, Christian's mother Louise of Great Britain was the daughter of King George II of England, whose granddaughter, in turn, was destined to become the wife of our hero.
Louise died 2 years after the birth of the heir, but his father Frederick V did not observe mourning for long and six months later married Juliania Maria of Braunschweig. Much of Frederick V's life was marred by chronic alcoholism, from which he died at the age of 43.
Frederick V never pampered Christian with his attention. The stepmother was cold with him and gave all her love to her only son Frederick, cherishing the hope that he would become the king.
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Christian spent most of his childhood under the supervision of mentors and tutors, who were also not kind to the orphan. The main educator Ditlev Reventlov was distinguished by excessive cruelty and beat the heir for the slightest offense, calling him "his doll".
Another teacher, the Swiss Elie-Salomon François Reverdil, who served at the court as a teacher of mathematics, was more lenient towards the prince and left his memories of him. The future king was a difficult and not very outstanding student, although he showed some talent for languages (besides Danish, he spoke German and French).
When Christian was sixteen years old, negotiations began about his marriage to an English cousin, sister of the British monarch George III, Caroline-Matilda of Great Britain, who was thirteen. Due to the sudden death of Frederick V's father, the wedding took place several years ahead of the planned date.
Christian VII and Caroline-Matilda of Great Britain.
From the very first meeting of the betrothed, it became clear to everyone that their future marriage would not be happy. The French ambassador Ogier wrote: “The princess made almost no impression on the prince, and if she were even nicer, the same fate awaited her. For how could she please a man who seriously believes that it is not fashionable for a husband to love his wife.
Painful changes in the psyche of Christian were noticeable even before his marriage. The onset of the disease was psychopathic, and in the future the picture of the king's illness included behavioral disturbances with dominant sadistic, sometimes masochistic inclinations.
So, his favorite pastime was night walks around the city in the company of aggressive young people, during which he entered into fights with people who accidentally met along the way. In one of such skirmishes, he acquired a "trophy" club with iron teeth, which he then took with him.
The Danish king had minimal interest in leading the country, which may be why he did not have time to inflict economic and political harm on his country. Christian VII was only capable of foolish antics before the council - to appoint a servant or adviser to his beloved dog as chamberlain.
He spent all his time in the company of a young rake-aristocrat Konrad Holke and his mistress Anna Catherine Benhagen, known for their deviant inclinations. Together they loved to attend public executions, and sometimes the king played comic execution-performances and forced Holke to beat himself to blood.
In their "pranks" the trio went so far that during one of the night fights they destroyed a brothel. After the incident, the advisers insisted on separating Christian from Katrin, who was hastily sent into exile in Germany.
In 1768, by the time of the birth of his heir, the future King Frederick VI, Christian was already showing signs of schizophrenia. In the same year, the king decided to tour Europe, including a trip to England, and meet the relatives of his wife, who remained in Denmark with a baby.
Christiane was accompanied by Holke, with whom they, disguised as sailors, continued to explore the most sinister nooks of London at night. After his royal visit, he received the nickname Northern Rogue from Lady Stuart.
Back in Hamburg, on the way to Britain, the German Johann Friedrich Struensee joined the royal cortege as a doctor. Surprisingly quickly, he managed to win not only the trust, but also the special favor of the king. Struensee had very ambitious plans, but even he himself hardly expected that he would be able to leave not only a political, but also a genetic trace in the history of Denmark.
In January 1769, accompanied by Struensee, who became the new court physician, Christian returned to his homeland and immediately found a new mistress. Only Struensee Christian commissioned him to search his bedroom in search of an imaginary killer. His treatments were straightforward - cold baths and low-dose opium as a sedative from time to time.
The enterprising physician managed to make a proper impression on the Queen, despite the testimony of the British ambassador that “Struensee does not at all display the courtesy and attractiveness with which others create brilliant careers for themselves. His demeanor is unpleasant, and everyone is quite surprised why he could acquire such unlimited influence over the king and queen."
Johann Friedrich Struensee.
Caroline-Matilda, who at first treated him with distrust, was soon flattered by his education and progressive views. She began to trust Struense even more after he successfully vaccinated against smallpox to his heir, Crown Prince Frederick.
So, the 18-year-old queen, completely devoid of the attention of her husband, who at best ignored her, at worst humiliated or frightened her with her inappropriate behavior, was sincerely carried away by Struense. As a result, despite the fact that historians consider him a rather controversial figure, not devoid of pragmatism and ambition, in response he also developed strong feelings for the queen. They became lovers.
Struensee gained almost complete power over the king. He said to Caroline Matilda: “Someone will have to rule the king. And it would be in my interests to be governed by your Majesty, and not by someone else. He persuaded Christian to demote the councilors and make him head of the secret cabinet, and later settled in the royal palace and was appointed director of petitions. So he began his fast-paced but short-lived political career.
Struensee was an ardent admirer of the ideas of the Enlightenment, and the first thing he undertook was reforms. Many of them were quite progressive, but anticipated the development of Danish society, which by that time was not ready for such drastic changes.
He introduced a policy of austerity, reducing the cost of maintaining the court, canceling the celebration of minor religious holidays and many prerogatives of the nobility, and also freed the press from censorship. In the end, Struense's reformism played against him, and he quickly made enemies and envious people.
Meanwhile, Christian's illness progressed. The twenty-year-old king began to experience hallucinations and plunge into the power of delusional ideas. At times Christian was convinced that he was not a real king. In this regard, he imagined that the royal council was going to proclaim its illegality, and this event would be preceded by a sign from above - a lightning strike, thunder or earthquake.
Christian stated that he did not want to be king, and that royal duties were a burden for him, and even told Struensee during a trip to Europe that he wanted to escape. From time to time, Christian shared with others the assumption that he was not the natural son of his parents, or that he was a foundling who replaced the crown prince after birth, and that he was the illegitimate son of the queen and one of the court lords.
Sometimes Christian said that he was the son of the king of Sardinia or an adviser to the French parliament, or the empress of Russia, or his own wife.
Sadistic tendencies in the character of Christian VІI are closely intertwined with masochistic ones. Narcissistic about his body and fitness, he used all sorts of ways to challenge himself. Emotionally immature, infantile in nature and physically weak, he defended the idea that a real man should periodically torture and torture himself.
Christian VII - King of Denmark and Norway.
Trying to make his skin strong and impenetrable, the king physically tortured himself, pinched and beat himself. He practiced "physical education" even at night, running and jumping in the royal garden, rubbed himself with snow, ice and gunpowder, burned himself with red-hot pieces of wood, boxed against a wall, and sometimes even smashed his head into blood on it.
When they tried to restrict the king in his nocturnal hooliganism outside the palace, he found an outlet for his aggressive impulses, breaking windows and breaking furniture in his chambers or in ceremonial halls. In these atrocities, as an assistant, he used his black page, Moranti, a native of the Danish colony of the Gold Coast, whom he once almost threw out the window with his beloved dog Gourmet. Often Christian arranged half-child fights with Moranti - fighting, they rolled on the floor, biting and scratching.
Other courtiers and relatives also got it - the king often delayed dinner for several hours or suddenly ordered it to end, getting up from the table five minutes after the food was served. Often he himself asked for fights - one day during lunch he suddenly began to insult Struense's deputy, Enevoll Brant. Calling him a pathetic coward, Christian threatened to beat him off. The situation ended in a fistfight duel in which the king was badly beaten.
In addition to real aggressive behavior, Christian was tormented by constant fantasies or even hallucinations on this topic. He told those around him how he ran around the palace in search of the first person he met in order to kill or at least maim him, verbally insulted people, spat on and slapped in the face, even threw knives and plates at them.
The king imagined that he ran through the streets, smashing windows and killing passers-by, fought the night watch and visited brothels, participating in perverse orgies. He invented an imaginary mistress, whom he called de La Roca, and who, according to the description, looked more like a man - tall and strong, with big hands, depraved and drunk, this fantasy lady, together with him, "beat" people on the streets of the city at night.
Christian often did not sleep at night, being in an agitated state, looking for casual listeners, people whom he called "Comme Ca", considering them the same warehouse with him - actors, sailors, soldiers and vagrants.
Christian VII.
Former teacher Christian Reverdil, who returned from Switzerland in 1770-71, at first did not notice the changes in the king's behavior and found him in full health and sanity. However, soon Christian suddenly stopped recognizing him in a personal conversation: “You are Brant,” he told me, then switched to a quick and indistinct chatter, repeated several verses from Zaira, which we had read together four years earlier. Then he said "You Denise, you Latour" - the French actors who were in his service; finally he realized who I was."
Reverdil noted that the king could not concentrate while reading, often lost the thread of the conversation, adding: "I am confused", "I am not quite myself", "I have a noise in my head." According to Reverdil's recollections, the king was characterized by lightning-fast changes in self-esteem and mood - his state ranged from sublimely excited to deeply depressed.
Sometimes Christian claimed that he overshadowed all monarchs, and that the British during the trip looked at him like a god. At times, the king spoke of himself as a "little man" and threatened to commit suicide. For example, during one of his walks with a mentor, he talked about suicide: “But how can I do this without causing a scandal? And if I do that, won't I be even more miserable? Should I drown myself? Or smash your head against the wall?"
However, Christian's suicidal intentions were mostly demonstrative - while riding the boat the next day with Reverdil, the king said: "I would like to jump and then they would drag me back very quickly."
The unambiguous relationship between the Queen and Struensee could not go unnoticed for long, and the lovers themselves lost their caution. Caroline-Matilda insisted that he be present at all receptions, they often took solitary walks in the woods, rode together in a carriage. Struensee prompted Christian to establish a special knightly order named after the queen.
Christian VII, Caroline-Matilda and Struense.
He often gave her intimate gifts - for example, a pair of scented garters or his miniature portrait, which Caroline-Matilda wore around her neck. Even having lost a strong connection with reality, Christian asked questions, who is the queen's lover - Struensee or, perhaps, the Prussian king. In July 1771, Caroline gave birth to a daughter, Princess Louise. Even tabloid newspapers questioned the king's paternity.
The scandal in the royal family completely untied the hands of Struense's political opposition, which found support from the dowager stepmother Christian Juliania, who had long cherished the dream of placing her son and half-brother King Frederick on the throne. The latter's mentor, Ove Guldberg, helped carry out an insidious plan to overthrow the government.
Late in the evening, January 17, 1772, in the midst of a costume ball held in the palace, the conspirators burst into the frightened Christian's bedroom. They easily got him to sign arrest warrants for Caroline Matilda, Struensee and Brunt. The next day, as if nothing had happened, the king went to the theater.
The Queen and the baby were imprisoned in Kronborg Castle, and Struensee and Brant were imprisoned in a prison with cruel and harsh conditions. Struensee was accused of abuse of power and connection with the queen. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. Christian was also easily persuaded to sign the death warrant for the two ministers. On the eve of the execution, he attended the opera.
Struensee's execution.
The marriage of Christian and Carolina was annulled, she was separated from her children and sentenced to life imprisonment. The British king George III, her brother, who, under the threat of a military invasion, forced the Danes to release Carolina, intervened in the matter, but forbade her to return to England. She settled in Hanover, in the land of her ancestors.
In 1775, in her prime, 23-year-old Carolina-Matilda died suddenly of scarlet fever. According to researchers McLapine and Hunter, she, like her brother, became a victim of porphyria, a hereditary disease of the Hanoverian royal dynasty. However, their point of view remains unproven.
Caroline's daughter, although she was officially recognized as Christian's child, received the nickname "little Struense". Louise was brought up at court as a princess along with her brother Frederick. Her daughter, Caroline Amalia, became Queen of Denmark, consort of Christian VIII. Among her subsequent direct descendants are the now ruling kings of Sweden and Spain, Charles XVI and Philip VI.
Christian VІI did not fully realize neither the imprisonment and death of his wife, nor his bitter fate. Once, he even ordered the horses to be harnessed to go to meet her. Soon after the coup and execution, he painted several primitive and stereotypical drawings of Caroline, Struensee, Brunt, Holke and other courtiers.
Struensee and Brandt. Drawings of the mentally ill King Christian VII, made in 1775, with signatures in German. Among the inscriptions - "Struensee, a great man who died by order of the Queen and Prince Frederick, and not by my will"; "I should have saved them both."
Portrait of the wife (with earrings).
The queen's gender was given only by earrings, and the date of her death was indicated incorrectly. The inscriptions under the portraits of the ministers read: “They died by order of Queen Juliania and Prince Frederick, and not by my will and not by the will of the Council of State … if I could, I would have saved them. This was done at the behest of the Queen and Prince Frederick."
Subsequent events showed that Struensee's unofficial government was far more favorable to Denmark than the regency of Juliania and Frederick. They stopped reforming, restored censorship in the press and literature, corvee for peasants and torture for prisoners, emptied the treasury, thereby slowing down the development of the state. Only with the accession of Crown Prince Frederick V, Christian's heir, progress and enlightenment returned to Denmark.
The rest of his days, Christian VІI lived in social isolation. He appeared in public only in exceptional cases. Nevertheless, some of the king's contemporaries left memories of those days of his life:
“I was deeply impressed by the venerable appearance of the monarch, as well as the reverence and respect that was shown to him … The return of the disease manifested itself in an extraordinary way. In the midst of a very cheerful conversation, and apparently completely in control of himself, he suddenly ran across the hall and greeted the first one who came across with a strong blow to the face.
The English scientist Thomas Malthus witnessed how in June 1799 the king hosted a military parade:
“He is treated like an idiot. The court officers were ordered not to answer him. Some of those present saw how he spoke something very quickly and made grimaces to the officer, who was one of the guards at the tent, and he remained completely serious in his face and did not answer a word."
In 1784, the grown son Frederick forced his father to come to the Council of State to sign a document dissolving the cabinet. It is noteworthy that neither the stepmother, nor the brother, nor the son were officially appointed regents. The real power belonged to the sick Christian VIІ for more than forty years, until his death in 1808.
