Editing Christian VII (section)

== Early reign ==
===Accession===
[[File:Christianviidenmark.jpg|thumb|Coronation portrait of Christian VII by [[Jens Juel (painter)|Jens Juel]]]]
After a long period of infirmity, Frederick V died on 14 January 1766, just 42 years old. At the death of his father, Christian immediately ascended the thrones of Denmark and Norway as their sixth [[Absolute monarchy|absolute monarch]], a few weeks before his 17th birthday. Later the same day, Christian was proclaimed king from the balcony of [[Christiansborg Palace]]. Christian's reign was marked by severe mental illness,<ref>Jan Sjåvik. ''The A to Z of Norway''  p.49</ref> which affected government decisions, and for most of his reign, Christian was only nominally king.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last= |first= |title=Scandinavia in the Age of Revolution: Nordic Political Cultures, 1740–1820 |publisher=Ashgate |year=2011 |isbn=978-0754698661 |editor-last=Ihalainen |editor-first=Pasi |location=Farnham |pages=73–74 |editor-last2=Bregnsbo |editor-first2=Michael |editor-last3=Sennefelt |editor-first3=Karin |editor-last4=Winton |editor-first4=Patrik}}</ref> His royal advisers changed depending on who won power struggles around the throne. Bored by the politics of being king, a few years after his accesion to the throne, Christian was given a 9 year old slave boy called Moranti, whom he could play games with. The two would eventually become friends, and the king would spend much of his time with the young boy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Christian 7.: Den gale konge |url=https://museumns.dk/historier/hoersholm/historiske-personer-fra-hoersholm/christian-7-den-gale-konge/ |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=Museum Nordsjælland |language=da-DK}}</ref>

===Marriage===
[[File:Christian VII and Caroline Mathilde - first dance.jpg|thumb|left|Christian VII and Caroline Matilda dance at the wedding held at [[Christiansborg Palace]], the image has inscriptions in French]]
Later the same year, the young king married his first cousin, the 15-year-old [[Caroline Matilda of Great Britain|Princess Caroline Matilda of Great Britain]], in a dynastic marriage. They had been betrothed already in 1765. Her brother, King [[George III]] of Great Britain, was anxious about the marriage but not aware that the bridegroom was mentally ill. They were married in a [[proxy wedding]] ceremony on 1 October 1766 in the [[Chapel Royal (St. James's Palace)|Chapel Royal]] of [[St James's Palace]] in London, with the Princess's brother, [[Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany]], acting as the representative of the groom. After her arrival in Copenhagen, another wedding ceremony took place on 8 November 1766 in the [[Christiansborg Palace Chapel|royal chapel]] at [[Christiansborg Palace]]. Marriage celebrations and balls lasted for another month. On 1 May 1767, Christian VII and Caroline Matilda were [[coronation of the Danish monarch|crowned King and Queen of Denmark and Norway]] in the royal chapel of Christiansborg Palace.<ref>{{cite book |last=Monrad Møller |first=Anders |title=Enevældens kroninger. Syv salvinger – ceremoniellet, teksterne og musikken |trans-title=The coronations of the absolute monarchy. Seven anointings – the ceremonial, the lyrics and the music |year=2012 |location=Copenhagen |publisher=Forlaget Falcon |isbn=978-87-88802-29-0 |pages=128–49 |language=da }}</ref>

[[File:Frederik 6s fødsel.jpg|thumb|The King visiting the newborn Crown Prince [[Frederick VI of Denmark|Frederick]] and the Queen [[Caroline Matilda of Great Britain|Caroline Matilda]] after the birth.]]
The marriage was unhappy, and after his marriage, the king abandoned himself to the worst excesses, especially sexual promiscuity. In 1767, he entered into a relationship with the courtesan [[Støvlet-Cathrine]]. He ultimately sank into a condition of mental stupor. Symptoms during this time included [[paranoia]], [[self-mutilation]], and [[hallucination]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://snl.no/Caroline_Mathilde | title=Caroline Mathilde | publisher =Norsk biografisk leksikon|first=  Magne|last=  Njåstad|access-date= 15 August 2016}}</ref> The king showed little interest in the queen and only reluctantly visited her in her chambers. His trusted Swiss tutor, [[Élie Salomon François Reverdil]] had to step in, among other things with love letters written in the king's name, in an attempt to make the marriage lead to a pregnancy and thus an heir to the throne.{{sfn|Engberg|2009|p=37}} On 28 January 1768, Queen Caroline Mathilde gave birth at Christiansborg Palace to the royal couple's son and heir to throne, the future [[Frederick VI of Denmark|King Frederick VI]].

===Struensee===
{{See also|Royal Life Guards' Mutiny}}[[File:Struensee_Juel.jpg|thumb|upright|Portrait of [[Johann Friedrich Struensee]] by [[Jens Juel (painter)|Jens Juel]].]]
The progressive and radical thinker [[Johann Friedrich Struensee]], Christian's personal physician, became his advisor and rose steadily in power in the late 1760s to ''de facto'' regent of the country, where he introduced widespread progressive reforms. Struensee was a protégé of an [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] circle of aristocrats that had been rejected by the court in Copenhagen. He was a skilled doctor, and having somewhat restored the king's health while visiting the [[Schleswig-Holstein]] area, he gained the king's affection. He was retained as travelling physician (''Livmedikus hos Kong Christian VII'') on 5 April 1768, and accompanied the entourage on the king's foreign tour to [[Paris]] and [[London]] via [[Hannover]] from 6 May 1768 to 12 January 1769. He was given the title of State Councilor (''[[etatsråd]]'') on 12 May 1768, barely a week after leaving Altona. The neglected and lonely Caroline Matilda entered into an affair with Struensee.<ref>{{cite web|url=   https://snl.no/Johann_Friedrich_Struensee|title=  Johann Friedrich Struensee|publisher =Norsk biografisk leksikon|first=  Magne|last=  Njåstad|access-date= 15 August 2016}}</ref>

From 1770 to 1772, Struensee was ''de facto'' regent of the country, and introduced progressive reforms signed into law by Christian VII. Struensee was deposed by a coup in 1772 after which the country was ruled by Christian's stepmother, [[Juliane Marie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel]], his half-brother [[Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Denmark|Frederick]], and the Danish politician [[Ove Høegh-Guldberg]].<ref>{{cite web|url=   https://nbl.snl.no/Christian_7|title=  Christian 7|publisher =    Norsk biografisk leksikon|first=  Terje|last=  Bratberg|access-date= 15 August 2016}}</ref>

===Divorce===
The king divorced Caroline Matilda in 1772 after they had produced two children: the future [[Frederick VI of Denmark|King Frederick VI]] and [[Princess Louise Auguste of Denmark|Princess Louise Auguste]] (the latter is believed to be the daughter of Struensee). Struensee, who had enacted many modernising and emancipating reforms, was arrested and executed the same year. Christian signed Struensee's arrest and execution warrant under pressure from his stepmother, Queen [[Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel|Juliana Maria]], who had led the movement to have the marriage ended. Caroline Matilda retained her title but not her children.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} She eventually left Denmark and passed her remaining days in exile at [[Celle Castle]] in her brother's German territory, the [[Electorate of Hanover]]. She died there of [[scarlet fever]] on 10 May 1775 at the age of 23.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://snl.no/Celle|title= Celle|publisher = Norsk biografisk leksikon|first= Arvid|last= Bornstein|access-date= 15 August 2016}}</ref>