Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg (4 May 1679 – 27 June 1704), Countess of

Antvorskov Antvorskov Monastery (Danish: ''Antvorskov Kloster'') was the principal Scandinavian monastery of the Catholic Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, located about one kilometer south of the town of Slagelse on Zealand, Denmark. It served as the Scand ...

, was a Danish noble and

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

of German origin. She was the

royal mistress A royal mistress is the historical position and sometimes unofficial title of the extramarital lover of a monarch or an heir apparent, who was expected to provide certain services, such as sexual or romantic intimacy, companionship, and advice ...

of King

Frederick IV of Denmark Frederick IV (Danish: ''Frederik''; 11 October 1671 – 12 October 1730) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1699 until his death. Frederick was the son of Christian V of Denmark-Norway and his wife Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel. Early lif ...

and, later, his first

morganatic Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...

wife by

bigamy In cultures where monogamy is mandated, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their marital status as married persons. I ...

Biography

She was the daughter of Prussian minister Adam Otto von Vieregg from

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label=Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin ...

, the Prussian ambassador in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

from 1698 to 1706. Her mother was Anna Helena von Wolfersdorf. Elisabeth Helene was made lady-in-waiting to

Princess Sophia Hedwig of Denmark Princess Sophia Hedwig of Denmark and Norway (28 August 1677 – 13 March 1735) was a Danish princess, the daughter of King Christian V and his queen-consort, Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel. Biography Sophia Hedwig became the object of ma ...

, and entered into a relationship with Frederick, who became King the same year (1699). The relationship was initially a secret, but was discovered in 1701 after a letter from her father, defending their relationship, was made public. On 6 September 1703 she was secretly married to Frederick IV, who thereby committed bigamy (his queen consort,

Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (28 August 1667 – 15 March 1721) was List of Danish consorts, Queen of Denmark and List of Norwegian consorts, Norway as the first spouse of King Frederick IV of Denmark. In 1708–09, she was regent during her hus ...

, was still alive), and was given the estate

and the title Countess of Antvorskov. The church authorities had not forbidden the king to engage in polygamy, as there were doctrines based on biblical polygamy of Hebrew patriarchs. She gave birth to a son, Frederik

Gyldenløve Gyldenløve, was a surname for several illegitimate children of House of Oldenburg, Oldenburg kings of Denmark-Norway in the 17th century. Kings The surname Gyldenløve was given to the sons of the following Dano-Norwegian kings: * Christian I ...

(8 June 1704 – 9 March 1705), and died in childbirth. Frederick IV gave her an elaborate public funeral. After her death she was replaced as royal mistress by

Charlotte Helene von Schindel Charlotte Helene von Schindel (1690–1752) was a Danish noble, a lady in waiting and a royal mistress of King Frederick IV of Denmark. Early life Charlotte Helene von Schindel was born as daughter of Wiglas von Schindel and his wife, Anna Helen ...

, her lady-in-waiting.

References

* '' Dansk biografisk leksikon'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Vieregg, Elisabeth Helene Von 1679 births 1704 deaths 18th-century Danish women Danish ladies-in-waiting Deaths in childbirth Mistresses of Frederick IV of Denmark Wives of Frederick IV of Denmark Morganatic spouses Danish countesses 18th-century Prussian women

Biography

See also

References