Sophie Amalie Moth, Countess of Samsøe (28 March 1654 – 17 January 1719) was the officially acknowledged

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

Christian V of Denmark Christian V (15 April 1646 25 August 1699) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699. Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the decree ...

. Together they had six acknowledged illegitimate children, all of whom bore the surname

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 ...

. In 1677 she was elevated to be the first Countess of Samsø. The still-existing

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

Danneskiold-Samsøe The House of Danneskiold-Samsøe is a Danish family of high nobility associated with the Danish Royal Family, and who formerly held the island of Samsø as a fief. By royal statutory regulation, the Counts Danneskiold-Samsøe and their male-lin ...

is descended from her. Sophie Amalie Moth was the first officially acknowledged royal mistress in Denmark.

Biography

Sophie Amalie was born on 28 March 1654 as the daughter of Poul Moth (1601–1670), doctor of the royal court, and Ida Dorothea Bureneus (1624–1684). The relationship with the monarch was more or less arranged by her mother, and started in 1671 or 1672. Sophie bore Christian six children, each of whom he acknowledged publicly. Consistent with the practice of his father and grandfather, all were given the surname

. In 1677 Sophie Amalie was given the title Countess of

Samsø Samsø (Anglicized: "Samso" or "Samsoe") is a Denmark, Danish island in the Kattegat off the Jutland Peninsula. Samsø is located in Samsø municipality. The community has 3,724 inhabitants (2017) (January 2010:4,010) called ''Samsings'' and is ...

, a title which chancellor

Peder Griffenfeld Count Peder Griffenfeld (before ennoblement Peder Schumacher) (24 August 1635 – 12 March 1699) was a Danish statesman and royal favourite. He became the principal adviser to King Christian V of Denmark from 1670 and the ''de facto'' ruler of ...

had been deprived of after falling from favor. The relationship was known within the royal court from the start, but it was not official until she was given her title and officially presented at court. In 1679, her children were acknowledged; in 1685, they were officially introduced at court. Moth lived quite discreetly and did not have any political influence; the only times that she used her influence were when she secured a few favours from the monarch for some of her relatives. Her brother Matthias Moth, in particular, used the connection to his advantage. In 1682, she was granted estates in

Gottorp Gottorf Castle (german: Schloss Gottorf, da, Gottorp Slot, Low German: ''Gottorp'') is a castle and estate in the city of Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is one of the most important secular buildings in Schleswig-Holstein, and ha ...

After

Niels Juel Niels Juel (8 May 1629 – 8 April 1697) was a Danish admiral and a naval hero. He served as supreme command of the Dano-Norwegian Navy The history of the Danish navy began with the founding of a joint Dano-Norwegian navy on 10 August 1510, ...

's death in 1697, the king arranged for her to take over his mansion, today known as the Thott Palace after a later owner and housing the French Embassy in Copenhagen. Two years later Christian died and she lived a quiet life on her estate until her death in 1719, twenty years later.

Christian Gyldenløve Christian Gyldenløve, Count of Samsøe (Copenhagen, 28 February 1674 – Odense, 16 July 1703), was a Danish nobleman and military officer. He was one of five illegitimate children fathered by Christian V of Denmark with Sophie Amalie Moth. H ...

, their oldest son, took over the mansion after her.

Children

Sophie Amalie's six acknowledged illegitimate children by Christian V were:

References

Sources

Sophie Amalie Moth
in '' Dansk Biografisk Leksikon 1. ed. (in Danish)''
Sophie Amalie Moth (1654 - 1719)
at Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon (in Danish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Moth, Sophie Amalie Mistresses of Danish royalty Moth Sophie 1654 births 18th-century Danish landowners 1719 deaths 17th-century Danish landowners