Princess Louise of Denmark (''Louise Caroline Josephine Sophie Thyra Olga'') (17 February 1875 – 4 April 1906) was a member of the

Danish royal family The Danish royal family is the dynastic family of the monarch of Denmark. While some members of the Danish royal family hold the title of ''Prince(ss) of Denmark'', descendants of Margrethe II additionally bear the title '' Count(ess) of Monpe ...

who became a princess of

Schaumburg-Lippe Schaumburg-Lippe, also called Lippe-Schaumburg, was created as a county in 1647, became a principality in 1807 and a free state in 1918, and was until 1946 a small state in Germany, located in the present-day state of Lower Saxony, with its capi ...

by marriage. The third child and oldest daughter of King Frederik VIII and his wife, Queen Louise, Princess Louise grew up in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

as a Danish princess. Known for her shy and quiet personality, Louise remained a low-key member of the royal family throughout her life. In 1896, she married her

second cousin A cousin is a relative who is the child of a parent's sibling; this is more specifically referred to as a first cousin. A parent of a first cousin is an aunt or uncle. More generally, in the kinship system used in the English-speaking world, ...

Prince Friedrich of Schaumburg-Lippe who belonged to a

cadet branch A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets (realm, titles, fiefs, property and incom ...

of the German

princely house A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. Historians ...

and was heir to the

lordship A lordship is a territory held by a lord. It was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas. It originated as a unit under the feudal system during the Middle Ages. In a lordship, the functions of eco ...

Náchod Náchod (; ) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. It is known both as a tourist destination and centre of industry. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and i ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

. After the wedding, she moved with him to Bohemia where she died in 1906, aged only 31.

Early life

Danish Crown Princess Louise with one of her daughters

Princess Louise was born on 17 February 1875 in

Frederik VIII's Palace Amalienborg () is the official residence for the Danish royal family and is located in Copenhagen. Frederick VIII's palace complex has four identical Classical façades, effectively four palaces, with Rococo interiors, laid around an octagona ...

, an 18th-century

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

which forms part of the

Amalienborg Palace Amalienborg () is the official residence for the Danish royal family and is located in Copenhagen. Frederick VIII's palace complex has four identical Classical façades, effectively four palaces, with Rococo interiors, laid around an octagona ...

complex in central

, during the reign of her paternal grandfather,

King Christian IX Christian IX (8 April 181829 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 15 November 1863 until his death in 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently Duke of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg. A younger son of Frederick William, Duke of Schleswi ...

. She was the third child and first daughter of Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark and his wife

Louise of Sweden Louise of Sweden (; 31 October 1851 – 20 March 1926) was List of Danish royal consorts, Queen of Denmark from 1906 until 1912 as the wife of Frederick VIII of Denmark, King Frederick VIII. Born into the House of Bernadotte, Louise was the onl ...

. Her father was the eldest son of

King Christian IX of Denmark Christian IX (8 April 181829 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 15 November 1863 until his death in 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently List of dukes of Schleswig, Duke of Schleswig, List of dukes of Holstein, Holstein and Saxe-Laue ...

and

Louise of Hesse-Kassel Louise of Hesse-Kassel (, ; 7 September 1817 – 29 September 1898) was Queen of Denmark as the wife of King Christian IX from 15 November 1863 until her death in 1898. From 1863 to 1864, she was concurrently Duchess of Schleswig, Holstein an ...

, and her mother was the only daughter of King Charles XV of Sweden and Norway and

Louise of the Netherlands Louise of the Netherlands (Wilhelmina Frederika Alexandrine Anna Louise; 5 August 1828 – 30 March 1871), also called Lovisa, was Queen of Sweden and Norway from 8 July 1859 until her death in 1871 as the wife of King Charles XV & IV. Youth P ...

. She was baptised with the names ''Louise Caroline Josephine Sophie Thyra Olga'', and was known as Princess Louise (namesake of her mother, as well as her paternal and maternal grandmothers). Family Photo

Princess Louise was raised with her siblings in the royal household in Denmark and grew up between her parents' city residence in

, the

at the

complex, and their country retreat, the

Charlottenlund Palace Charlottenlund Palace () is a former royal summer residence in Charlottenlund, some north of central Copenhagen, Denmark. The palace was named after Princess Charlotte Amalie, who was responsible for the construction of the original palace. It wa ...

, located by the coastline of the

Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; ; ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Denmark–Sweden border, Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width var ...

strait A strait is a water body connecting two seas or water basins. The surface water is, for the most part, at the same elevation on both sides and flows through the strait in both directions, even though the topography generally constricts the ...

north of the city. In contrast to the usual practise of the period, where royal children were brought up by

governess A governess is a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching; depending on terms of their employment, they may or ma ...

es, the children were raised by Crown Princess Louise herself. Under the supervision of their mother, the children of the Crown Princess received a rather strict Christian-dominated upbringing, which was characterized by austerity, the fulfilment of duties, care and order. Like her siblings, she was educated privately under the supervision of tutors. From childhood, Louise was described as a very withdrawn girl with a shy and quiet personality. As she also married and left Denmark at an early age, she remained a relatively unnoticed member of the

throughout her life.

Marriage

Princess Louise's grandmother, Queen Louise, was known for her successful

matchmaking Matchmaking is the process of pairing two or more people together, usually for the purpose of marriage, in which case the intermediary or matchmaker is also known as a marriage broker. Matchmaking may be done as a profession for a fee or it may ...

skills. She recognized early on that her granddaughter had a tendency towards melancholy and wanted her to marry well. Through her German relations, Queen Louise was in contact with a

of the German

, which possessed the castle and

in northeastern Bohemia as a

secundogeniture A secundogeniture (from 'following, second', and 'born') was a dependent territory given to a younger son of a princely house and his descendants, creating a cadet branch.Luard, Evan. The Balance of Power: The System of International Relations, ...

. Thus, Princess Louise was introduced to her half-cousin Prince Frederick of Schaumburg-Lippe (1868–1945). He was a son of

Prince William of Schaumburg-Lippe Prince William of Schaumburg-Lippe (; 12 December 1834 – 4 April 1906) was the son of George William, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and member of the House of Lippe. Early life William was born at Bückeburg, Schaumburg-Lippe on 12 December 1834 ...

by his wife,

Princess Bathildis of Anhalt-Dessau Princess Bathildis of Anhalt-Dessau (; 29 December 183710 February 1902) was a Princess of Anhalt-Dessau and member of the House of Ascania by birth. As the wife of Prince William of Schaumburg-Lippe she was a Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe by marr ...

. The couple were engaged in 1894, and the wedding was celebrated on 5 May 1896 at

in Copenhagen. The couple lived in Ratiboritz Castle in Bohemia. They had three children. The marriage was not a happy one, however. Princess Louise suffered from melancholy and homesickness, longed for Denmark and spent much time visiting her family, staying for 2 to 3 months at a time.Bo Bramsen: Huset Glücksborg. Europas svigerfader og hans efterslægt. Band 2, Kopenhagen 1992, Her father also came and visited with her each year.

Death

Princess Louise died at Ratiboritz Castle on 4 April 1906, within five hours of the death of her father-in-law Prince William; and 65 days after her paternal grandfather King Christian IX. The official cause of death of Princess Louise was "cerebral inflammation" caused by meningitis, after weeks of being ill. It was rumoured that she attempted to drown herself in the castle lake on her husband's estate, Ratiboritz, and caught a chill in the attempt, eventually leading to her death. She was the only child of

Frederick VIII of Denmark Frederik VIII (; 3 June 1843 – 14 May 1912) was King of Denmark from 29 January 1906 until his death in 1912. As the eldest son of Christian IX of Denmark, King Christian IX, nicknamed the ''Father-in-law of Europe'', Frederick was related ...

and

to have predeceased her parents.

Issue

Frederick and Louise had three children: * Princess Marie Luise Dagmar Bathildis Charlotte of Schaumburg-Lippe (10 February 1897 – 1 October 1938) She married Prince Friedrich Sigismund of Prussia and had issue. Prince Friedrich died in a riding accident after a fall from his horse. * Prince Christian Nikolaus Wilhelm Friedrich Albert Ernst of Schaumburg-Lippe (20 February 1898 – 13 July 1974) He married his first cousin,

Princess Feodora of Denmark Princess Feodora of Denmark (Feodora Louise Caroline-Mathilde Viktoria Alexandra Frederikke Johanne) (3 July 1910 – 17 March 1975) was a Danish princess as a daughter of Prince Harald of Denmark and granddaughter of Frederick VIII of Denma ...

and had issue. * Princess Stephanie Alexandra Hermine Thyra Xenia Bathildis Ingeborg of Schaumburg-Lippe (19 December 1899 – 2 May 1925). She married Viktor Adolf, Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt (1883–1961) (son of

Alexis, Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt Alexis (Alexis Carl Ernst Louis Ferdinand Eugen Bernhard; 17 November 1845 – 21 January 1919) was a lieutenant general, statesman, and the Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt from 28 September 1890 to 21 January 1919. Biography Early life Alex ...

and Princess Pauline of Waldeck and Pyrmont) and had two sons; Prince Alexis (30 July 1922 – 2 December 1943, KIA over the Mediterranean) and Prince Christian (9 December 1923 – 12 December 2023). Stephanie died in childbirth with twin boys. Both boys died on 2 May 1925, one stillborn, the other living only a few hours.

Ancestry

References

Citations

Bibliography

* *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Louise Of Denmark, Princess 1875 births 1906 deaths 19th-century Danish people People from Austria-Hungary Princesses of Denmark House of Glücksburg (Denmark) Princesses of Schaumburg-Lippe House of Lippe Danish emigrants Daughters of kings Children of Frederick VIII of Denmark