Prince in the shadow of power
Childhood
Prince Frederik, the Heir Presumptive, was the first-born son from Frederik V's second marriage. Frederik V’s first consort, Queen Louise, died in 1751, and the following year, Frederik V married Juliane Marie. Together, they had a son, Prince Frederik, the Heir Presumptive, who was thus the half-brother of the later Christian VII.
In 1764, Frederik came under the tutelage of Ove Høegh-Guldberg, a professor of rhetoric and oratory at Sorø Academy and a champion of what he called ‘Danishness’. Even after he no longer served as the Prince’s private tutor, Høegh-Guldberg remained in his service and continued to play a significant role throughout much of his life.
Ruling in the name of the king
Christian VII was mentally ill and unable to govern the kingdom. As a result of his incapacitation, The King’s physician, the German Johann Friedrich Struensee, ruled in his name for a brief period from 1770 to 1772. When Prince Frederik and his mother had Struensee arrested, in 1772, with the collaboration of Ove Høegh-Guldberg, the new government coalesced around the Heir Presumptive.
The Guldberg Government, or the Guldberg Regime, as some critics called the trio’s rule, governed the country from 1772 to 1784. During this time, the Heir Presumptive married Sophie Frederikke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The couple had seven children, three of whom died shortly after birth. Their fourth child, and first son, Christian Frederik, later became King of Norway and Denmark as Christian VIII.
When Christian VII and Queen Caroline Mathilde’s son, Crown Prince Frederik (VI), took over as regent, in 1784, Prince Frederik no longer had any political significance and spent the rest of his life without political influence. He resided at Christiansborg Palace until it burnt down, in 1794, and then moved to Amalienborg along with the rest of The Royal Family. Here, he resided in the building that is now known as Christian VIII’s Palace, which houses the Amalienborg Museum. His wife, Sophie Frederikke, never lived at Amalienborg. She passed away the year of the fire, just 36 years old. Prince Frederik, the Heir Presumptive, died 11 years later at Amalienborg, at 52 years of age.
