Anne Cathrine Benthagen, known in history by her nickname Støvlet-Cathrine (b.
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 ...
, 1745 – d.
Plön
Plön (; Holsatian: ''Plöön'') is the district seat of the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and has about 8,700 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on ...
,
Holstein
Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...
, 1805), was a
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 ...
prostitute
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...
, one of the best known
courtesan
Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress (lover), mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the Royal cour ...
s 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 ...
in the 1760s and the official royal mistress of King
Christian VII of Denmark
Christian VII (29 January 1749 – 13 March 1808) was a monarch of the House of Oldenburg who was King of Denmark–Norway and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein from 1766 until his death in 1808. For his motto he chose: "''Gloria ex amore patriae'' ...
.
Biography
Støvlet-Cathrine is believed to have been the illegitimate child of her godfather, Prince
Georg Ludwig of Brunswick-Bevern (1721–1747), and Anna Marie Schrøder (d. 1771).
[Claus Bjørn]
Støvlet-Cathrine (1745 - 1805): Benthagen, Anne Cathrine
from Dansk kvindebiografisk leksikon
''Dansk kvindebiografisk leksikon'' ("Biographical Encyclopedia of Danish Women") is a collection of over 1,900 biographies of Danish women from the Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approxi ...
She was raised in the home of an
officer
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...
of her father the prince as a foster child, with an allowance given to her by the prince for her upkeep. The allowance left to her by her father eventually dried out, and she returned to her mother, in 1753.
Her mother was married to the soldier Johan Ernst Benthagen, and Cathrine took his last name. Her mother manufactured boots, which earned the girl the nickname Støvlet-Cathrine (literally "Boots-Catherine").
[ She was described as a beautiful, tall woman with a feminine figure and a dark complexion: her mother was believed to have been of ]Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
n origin.[ As a person, she was described as confident, strong-willed and witty.][
Cathrine employed herself with prostitution early in life.][ Initially, having a good voice and a fine figure, she enlisted at the theater as a dancer and actress, and continued to be officially listed as such.][ In reality, however, she hardly started her stage career before she left it to be kept as a mistress by the British ]ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
, during which she was called "Mylady". After the British diplomat left Denmark, she was kept by the Austrian
Austrian may refer to:
* Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent
** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law
* Austrian German dialect
* Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
ambassador.[
]
Relationship with the king
In 1767, Støvlet-Cathrine became the mistress of King Christian VII
Christian VII (29 January 1749 – 13 March 1808) was a monarch of the House of Oldenburg who was King of Denmark–Norway and Duke of Duchy of Schleswig, Schleswig and Duchy of Holstein, Holstein from 1766 until his death in 1808. For his motto ...
. That same year, there had been plans at court to introduce the king with Birgitte Sofie Gabel Birgitte Sofie Gabel (1746–1769) was a Danish noblewoman.
She was the daughter of Baron Verner Rosenkrantz and Else Margrete Sehested and married the courtier and nobleman in 1762. She was known for her beauty and admired for her great intellige ...
as an official mistress, but it had not succeeded.[August Fjelstrup, ]
Damerne ved Karoline Mathildes Hof
', 1909 Støvlet-Cathrine, however, appeared with him at the masked ball
A masquerade ball (or ''bal masqué'') is an event in which many participants attend in costume wearing a mask. (Compare the word "masque"—a formal written and sung court pageant.) Less formal "costume parties" may be a descendant of this tra ...
s of the court theatre, visited the brothel
A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...
s with him and his companions, and was seen playing cards with him at court.[ She is believed to have influenced him in the dismissal of the cabinet secretary Reverdil.][ Their relationship was soon seen as a security risk, and Queen Dowager ]Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern (Danish: ''Juliane Marie''; 4 September 1729 – 10 October 1796) was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1752 to 1766 as the second consort of King Frederick V of Denmark and Norway. She was mother to ...
disliked her influence over the king. It was considered scandal
A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...
ous that the king took her to court.[ He seemed to be in love with her, and called her the "Mistress of the Universe".][
]
Later life
In early January 1768, she was arrested and taken to prison in Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
until she was moved to prison in Neumünster
Neumünster () is a city in the middle of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. With more than 79,000 registered inhabitants, it is the fourth-largest municipality in Schleswig-Holstein (behind Kiel, Lübeck and Flensburg).
History
The city was fi ...
in Holstein
Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...
, where she was treated better.[ She was under observation in her exile, as there was a fear that she would find a way to reunite with the king. During Christian's European trip in 1768–69, he tried unsuccessfully to see her.][ In 1769, there were unsuccessful plans at court to replace her with ]Birgitte Sofie Gabel Birgitte Sofie Gabel (1746–1769) was a Danish noblewoman.
She was the daughter of Baron Verner Rosenkrantz and Else Margrete Sehested and married the courtier and nobleman in 1762. She was known for her beauty and admired for her great intellige ...
.[
In 1770, she was given a pension of 500 Rigsdaler a year.][ It is known that she sent the king a letter after the fall of ]Struensee
Count, Lensgreve Johann Friedrich Struensee (5 August 1737 – 28 April 1772) was a German-Danish physician, philosopher and statesman. He became royal physician to the mentally ill King Christian VII of Denmark and a minister in the Danish gove ...
in 1772, in which she wished him the best and explained that she had written several times before, but assumed that Struensee had intercepted her letters.[
Cathrine married ]lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
Conrad Ditlev Maës, (1748–1813) in 1770, then divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
d him and married musician Hans Hinrich Schweder (1760–1813) in 1785.
References
External links
Fra Støvlet-Kathrines unge Aar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stovlet-Cathrine
Mistresses of Danish royalty
Danish courtesans
1745 births
18th-century Danish people
1805 deaths
18th-century Danish women