Discussions about the Imperial Family and European Royalty > The Danish Royal Family
Families of Christian IX & Queen Louise
Marc:
Thank you so much Kmerov for this...I always wanted to know more about some lesser known royals who are always in the "shadow" of more prominent ones,which doesn't automatically mean that their lives were less interesting,sometimes just the opposite...but we don't know...maybe that is because the "majority" is interested just in the "main" ones...that's why these kind of threads make this board more interesting and useful...
Naslednik Norvezhskiy:
--- Quote from: Marc on March 21, 2010, 02:07:03 PM ---which doesn't automatically mean that their lives were less interesting,sometimes just the opposite...
--- End quote ---
Yes, even though modern royalty fans don't find their lives interesting, their lives might have been very interesting to themselves - either as quietly fulfilled or full of inner conflicts! :-)
But take somebody like Christian IX. Although handsome and charming, he was not exactly a fascinating personality with an exciting life. The interest in him is mostly due to his august kin. And it is quite strange, really, that the most interesting thing about Christian IX gets so little mention: That he reigned against a parliamentary majority for decades through governments which issued temporary provisions (and that after starting his reign by losing a major war!) and still he managed to become popular. The same can be said of Louise, who with echoes of Empress Alexandra, was believed to have been the driving force behind her husband's anti-parliamentary position.
Eric_Lowe:
Indeed. Bismark gave Louise a more forceful role of gearing her children against Prussia/Germany than actually was the case.
Naslednik Norvezhskiy:
I have come to the conclusion that the Hesse-Cassels are the most neglected dynasty in modern royal historiography, probably because their country disappeared from the map before the Great Royal Cull of WW1. They get so little attention, but had such a great influence of the extremely influential Glücksborgs. Considering that it was Christian IX and Louise's great grandfather Landgrave Friedrich II who sold the Hessians so famous in American folklore to the British, I'm surprised that there aren't more American royalty watchers fascinated by the Hesse-Cassels. Even more so considering how the Brothers Grimm and the Rotchschilds also are an essential part of their story. The story of Hesse-Cassel is simply such an Ur-German story.
Interesting Hessian titbit: The estate of Panker in Holstein, today the residence of the Landgrave of Hesse, was inherited by Christian IX's grandfather Carl of Hesse from his cousin, Fredrik of Hesse, King of Sweden's bastard son, the Prince of Hessenstein.
Speedycat:
--- Quote from: Naslednik Norvezhskiy on February 02, 2010, 01:40:52 PM ---
--- Quote from: Eric_Lowe on February 02, 2010, 01:07:31 PM ---Is Karl related to Karen Blixen ? "Out of Africa" fame ?
--- End quote ---
As far as I can see Baron Carl (von) Blixen-Finecke was actually the paternal grandfather of Baron Bror Blixen-Finecke, the husband of Karen Blixen née Dinesen. But by his first marriage, to the Swedish noblewoman Gustava Charlotta Adelaide Sofie Ankarcrona. So Augusta of Hesse-Kassel was the stepmother of Karen Blixen's father-in-law Baron Fredrik Theodor Blixen-Finecke.
His wife, Bror's mother, was Comtesse Clara Alvi(l?)de Benedicte Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs née (von) Haffner, who was the first cousin of Karen Blixen's father Adolf Wilhelm Dinesen (their mothers Thyra and Dagmar Haffner were sisters). That makes Karen and her husband Bror second cousins.
--- End quote ---
This is absolutely fascinating. I knew there was a reason I was so drawn to "Out of Africa".
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