Hansine Pouline Andræ née Schack (1817–1898) was an early Danish

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

who proposed changes to Denmark's marriage

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

for the benefit of women. Her diaries (1854–58), reflecting her opinions on politics and parliamentary debates, provide a precious historical account of the times. They were published by her son Poul Andræ in three volumes from 1914 to 1920.

Biography

Born on 5 April 1817 in Sengeløse to the west of

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 ...

, Hansine Pouline Schack was the daughter of Nicolai Clausen Schack (1781–1844), a provost, and Tagea Dorothea Erasmi (1785–1841). She was educated at Miss Zeuthen's girls boarding school until her father was appointed parish priest of Copenhagen's

Church of Our Saviour Church of Our Saviour (or Savior), Church of the Savio(u)r, Church of Our Merciful Savio(u)r, or variations thereof, may refer to many Christian churches dedicated to Our Saviour (Our Lord), including: Americas United States (by state) * Church ...

in 1833. In 1842, she married the mathematician and politician

Carl Christoffer Georg Andræ Carl Christopher Georg Andræ (14 October 1812 – 2 February 1893) was a Danish politician and mathematician. From 1842 until 1854, he was professor of mathematics and mechanics at the national military college. He was elected to the Royal D ...

. In the evenings, before going to bed, she recorded her opinions and impressions of political life in what became the diaries which were later published as ''Geheimeraadinde Andræs politiske Dagbøger''. These reflected her husband's contacts and discussions with liberal politicians such as Andreas Frederik Krieger and

Carl Christian Hall Carl Christian Hall (25 February 1812 – 14 August 1888) was a Denmark, Danish politician, statesman. Hall served as the Council President of Denmark (Prime Minister of Denmark, Prime Minister), first from 1857 to 1859 and again from 1860 to 186 ...

. Her accounts also commented on the proceedings of the Danish parliament, which she frequently attended, and the comments her husband made on his political negotiations. In his book on ''Kirkegaard in Golden Age Denmark'', Bruce Kirmmse qualifies her as "very intelligent and politically shrewd". However, unlike her sister

Marie Rovsing Marie Nicolina Theodora Rovsing née Schack (1814–1888) was a pioneering Danish women's rights activist. From 1871 to 1888 she was a board member of the Danish Women's Society, serving as president from 1883 to 1887. Interested in allowing women ...

and her niece Tagea Johansen, she was not an open activist despite her firm feminist ideas. In 1879, she wrote to the women's rights activist

Severine Casse Severine Andrea Casse née Engelbreth (1805–1898) was a Danish women's rights activist and an influential member of the Danish Women's Society. Intent on social and political reforms for women, she successfully fought for a wife's right to dispo ...

(1805–98) in connection with a proposal from the

Danish Women's Society The Danish Women's Society or DWS ( da, Dansk Kvindesamfund) is Denmark's oldest women's rights organization. It was founded in 1871 by activist Matilde Bajer and her husband Fredrik Bajer; Fredrik was a Member of Parliament and the 1908 Nobel Peac ...

to change the

Church of Denmark The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church, sometimes called the Church of Denmark ( da, Folkekirken, literally: "The People's Church" or unofficially da, Den danske folkekirke, literally: "The Danish People's Church"; kl, ...

's marriage ritual. Andræ called for a revision which would reduce the number of times a woman had to promise obedience to her husband to just one, writing: "What is the difference between having to say 'yes' once or ten times?... It seems to me that when women push for a change in the ritual, they should call for the removal of any reference to submissiveness." She did in fact live to see changes along these lines shortly before her death. Hansine Andræ suffered a stroke in 1892 and died on 17 March 1898 in Copenhagen. She is buried in

Assistens Cemetery Assistens Cemetery ( da, Assistens Kirkegård) is the name of a number of cemeteries in Denmark. The common nominator is, as the first part of the name implies (Latin: ''assistens'' meaning assisting), an assisting cemetery for a town's churches. ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrae, Hansine 1817 births 1898 deaths Danish feminists Danish diarists People from Høje-Taastrup Municipality 19th-century Danish women writers Women diarists Burials at Assistens Cemetery (Copenhagen) 19th-century diarists