Sophia Magdalena Of Denmark

Sophia Magdalena of Denmark (Danish: Sophie Magdalene; Swedish: Sofia Magdalena) was born on 3 July 1746 and died on 21 August 1813. She was Queen of Sweden from 1771 to 1792 as the consort of King Gustav III.

**Early Life and Family Background**

She was born at Charlottenborg Palace located at Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen, Denmark. She was the second child and first daughter of Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway and Princess Louise of Great Britain. Following her grandfather King Christian VI's death in 1746, her father became King Frederick V, and she gained the status of heir presumptive after the death of her elder brother in 1747, remaining next in line to the Danish throne until her marriage.

**Betrothal and Marriage**

At the age of five, in the spring of 1751, she was betrothed to Gustav, the heir apparent to the Swedish throne, as part of a political effort to improve relations between Denmark and Sweden. The engagement was arranged by the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates and aimed to create peace between the two nations. Her childhood upbringing was influenced heavily by her grandmother and stepmother, with a strict and religious education. She had good relationships with her siblings, grandmother, and stepmother, but her father reportedly frightened her when intoxicated, which caused her lifelong phobia.

The engagement was renewed in 1764, and the marriage was officially celebrated on 1 October 1766 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, with her brother Frederick serving as the representative of Gustav. She then traveled to Sweden via Helsingborg and Stockholm, where she was formally introduced to the Swedish royal court.

**Crown Princess and Queen**

Gustav and Sophia Magdalena married in 1766. She was initially well-received due to her beauty and manners but soon gained a reputation for being shy, reserved, and serious, qualities that contrasted with the lively court lifestyle. Her relationship with her mother-in-law, Queen Louisa Ulrika, was strained, as the latter often harassed her and encouraged distance between her and her husband.

Gustav III ascended to the throne in 1771, and Sophia Magdalena became Queen of Sweden. The couple's marriage was not consummated until 1775, leading to rumors and scandal about the legitimacy of their child, Gustav IV Adolf. Her marriage to Gustav was marked by his numerous infatuations with male courtiers and rumors about his sexuality, which remain subjects of historical debate.

**Role as Queen**

As queen, Sophia Magdalena carried out her ceremonial duties with dignity but disliked court social events and preferred solitude. She was popularly regarded as a symbol of virtue and religion. Her political involvement was limited but included a diplomatic mission to Denmark in 1788 to prevent a possible declaration of war during the Russo-Swedish War.

She maintained a close relationship with her son, Gustav IV Adolf, and sought to live a quiet life after her husband's assassination in 1792. Following the king's death, she withdrew from active public life, living at Ulriksdal Palace and later in Stockholm, rarely participating in court functions.

**Later Life and Death**

During her widowhood, Sophia Magdalena refused to participate much in political affairs and seldom appeared at court. She lived in relative seclusion, with her close friends being Maria Aurora Uggla and Virginia Manderström. She was affected by health issues, including an eye disease, and suffered a stroke in May 1813. She died at Ulriksdal Palace and was interred in the Gustavian Crypt of Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm.

**Family and Issue**

She was the mother of Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden and Prince Charles Gustav, Duke of Uppland, both of whom played significant roles in Swedish history. Her ancestry includes the Danish royal line, Alexander the Great through her ancestors, and British royal connections through her mother.

**In Popular Culture**

Her marriage and scandals are depicted in the Swedish television series "The Marriage of Gustav III" (2001) and inspired the novel "The Queen's Tiara" (1834) by Carl Jonas Love Almquist.

**References**

Her biography is documented in primary sources and historical accounts focused on Swedish and Danish royal history, including court diaries, diplomatic correspondences, and academic research on 18th-century European monarchy.

**External Links**

Further information about Sophia Magdalena can be found in the Svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexikon.