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Descendants of Christian IX of Denmark

Christian IX of Denmark (April 8, 1818 – January 29, 1906) ruled Denmark from 1863 to 1906. Known as the "father-in-law of Europe", he and his wife, Louise of Hesse-Kassel (September 7, 1817 – September 29, 1898), became the ancestors of many members of European royalty. Some of these descendants would play a role in the history of several European countries, including Greece, Russia, and the United Kingdom. This article describes the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of Christian and Louise.

Background

King Christian IX

For the first 13 years of his life, Christian lived in Germany. Following the death of his father, Friedrich Wilhelm, in 1831, Christian trained as an officer in Copenhagen. He fought on behalf of the Danish Unitary State in the First Schleswig War.

In 1852, Christian became the heir presumptive to the Danish throne. Following the death of King Frederick VII 11 years later, Christian became King of Denmark. Due to Christian's German background, he was unpopular among his subjects during the start of his reign. Moreover, he nearly abdicated in 1864 after Denmark's loss in the Second Schleswig War. However, as Christian's children married into several European royal families, his popularity recovered.

Queen Louise

Born Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel, Louise became Queen of Denmark in 1863. Because her mother was a sister of King Christian VIII, Louise's marriage to Christian IX was an important factor in his rise to the Danish throne. Moreover, Louise was instrumental in marrying her children across European royalty, which helped increase her husband's popularity among the Danish people.

As Queen of Denmark, Louise exemplified the female ideas of her time. Despite remaining in the shadow of Christian, she showed artistic and social talent. Moreover, through her charity work, Louise founded the Diakonissestiftelsen in Copenhagen.

Marriage of Christian IX and Louise

Christian and Louise were married in 1842.

Children of Christian IX and Louise

King Christian IX, together with Queen Louise, had six children: Frederick, Alexandra, George, Dagmar, Thyra, and Valdemar. Because of strained finances and limited fortunes that Christian and Louise had before 1852, they were actively involved in the education of Dagmar and her siblings during that time. Later, from 1875 to 1900, Christian and Louise would welcome their children and grandchildren across six different European royal houses at Fredensborg Palace annually in the late summer.

Within Christian and Louise's family, Thyra was called the "gentle and good daughter" by her father. In addition, Alexandra and Dagmar were respectively seen as the "pretty" and "clever" girls. In contrast, Christian rejected Frederick, then Crown Prince of Denmark, because of their contrasting conservative and reformist mindsets, respectively.

Grandchildren of Christian IX and Louise

Christian IX and Louise had 40 grandchildren via eight children of Frederick VIII, six children of Alexandra, seven children of George I, six children of Dagmar, six children of Thyra, and five children of Valdemar.

Children of Frederick VIII and Louise

At the age of 17, Princess Louise of Sweden became engaged to the future King Frederick VIII of Denmark at Bäckaskog Castle. Frederick and Louise would later marry in 1869 in Stockholm. This marriage took place in the context of a desire for a Scandinavian union in both Denmark and Sweden.

Together, Frederick and Louise had eight children. Two of these children, Christian and Haakon, became King of Denmark and King of Norway, respectively. Frederick and Louise's family came to be defined by Louise's piety. Moreover, Louise oversaw the strictly disciplined education of her children.

Over time, Frederick and Louise's marriage became a happy one. However, because of Frederick's estrangement from his father, he and his wife kept their distance from his relatives. In addition, Louise had difficult relationships with her in-laws in the Danish royal family.

Children of Alexandra and Edward VII

In 1861, Princess Alexandra met the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom at the Speyer Cathedral in Germany. Edward was the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Edward later proposed to Alexandra in 1862, and they married in 1863 at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

Although Alexandra and Edward got along fairly well, Edward engaged in several affairs during their marriage. However, for the most part, Alexandra did not pay attention to her husband's romantic liaisons.

Together, Alexandra and Edward had six children. One of these children, Alexander John, died in infancy. Furthermore, Alexandra and Edward's eldest son, Albert Victor, died in 1892 after contracting an illness during a flu pandemic. Albert Victor's passing devastated Alexandra.

The three daughters of Edward and Alexandra, Louise, Victoria, and Maud, were known for being active during their youth. As the daughters aged, they became more withdrawn. Alexandra did not want Louise, Victoria, and Maud to marry because her daughters had two brothers who could potentially follow Edward to the British throne. However, both Louise and Maud eventually married.

Children of George I and Olga

In 1863, the Kingdom of Greece was without a monarch. The royal houses of Europe believed that George I, then Prince William of Denmark, would be a suitable candidate for the Greek throne. Consequently, George traveled to Greece, a country that he had never visited before, that same year to start his reign.

After arriving in Greece, George married Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia in 1867. George and Olga had seven children together.

Children of Dagmar and Alexander III

Queen Louise, Dagmar's mother, hoped to find a suitable husband for her daughter in the Russian imperial court. Following the marriage of Dagmar's sister Alexandra, Queen Louise dedicated her enthusiasm into making these hopes a reality. Eventually, in 1864, Dagmar became engaged to Nicholas Alexandrovich, the then-heir to the Russian throne. However, Nicholas died only one year later.

While on his deathbed, Nicholas insisted that his brother, the future Emperor Alexander III of Russia, marry Dagmar. Dagmar gradually developed a romantic attraction toward Alexander. They then married in October 1866, and Dagmar took the name "Maria Feodorovna" after converting to Russian Orthodoxy.

Maria and Alexander would go on to have six children together, one of whom, Alexander, did not survive past infancy. Maria adored and spoiled her surviving children, especially the future Emperor Nicholas II of Russia. Likewise, Alexander adored his daughters.

Of the five children of Maria and Alexander that survived past infancy, George died of tuberculosis. Moreover, both Nicholas and Michael, along with Nicholas's five children, were killed during the Russian Revolution.

Children of Thyra and Ernest Augustus

Finding a suitable husband for Princess Thyra of Denmark was an undertaking for her mother, Queen Louise. However, Louise had one potential suitor in mind for Thyra: Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. Eventually, Thyra married Ernest Augustus, which gave her the desired opportunity to have children.

Together, Thyra and Ernest Augustus had six children. Living in Gmunden, Thyra enjoyed a quiet life which allowed her to spend time with her children. However, two of her sons died at a young age. Namely, Prince George passed away in a car accident on the way to the funeral of King Frederick VIII of Denmark. In addition, Prince Christian died of appendicitis.

Children of Valdemar and Marie

In 1885, Prince Valdemar of Denmark married Marie of Orléans, a French princess. Together, they had five children who were nicknamed the "naughty children from the Yellow Palace". Nevertheless, both Valdemar and Marie were very popular in Denmark.

Because of Valdemar's interest in ships, he went on long sea voyages, a practice that continued during his marriage to Marie.

Notes

Citations

References

Rodriguez, Blanca; Warner, Alex (December 31, 2019). "All the Royals With (Rumored) Illegitimate Children". Marie Claire. Future plc. Retrieved March 12, 2024.

External links

Complete list of descendants of Christian IX of Denmark

Text submitted to CC-BY-SA license. Source: Descendants of Christian IX of Denmark by Wikipedia (Historical)

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