Princess Wilhelmina Caroline Of Denmark

Princess Wilhelmina Caroline of Denmark and Norway (Danish: Vilhelmina Karoline; German: Wilhelmina Karolina) was born on 10 July 1747 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen and died on 14 January 1820 in Kassel. She was a member of the Danish royal family and held titles through marriage, becoming the Landgravine consort and later the Electress of Hesse-Kassel.

She was the third child and second daughter of King Frederick V of Denmark and Queen Louise, daughter of King George II of Great Britain. Her birth occurred shortly after her father ascended to the Danish throne; he became king in 1746. Wilhelmina Caroline's siblings included Princess Sophia Magdalena, Crown Prince Christian (later King Christian VII), born in 1749, and Princess Louise, born in 1750. Her mother Queen Louise died in 1751 during her sixth pregnancy, at the age of 27. Subsequently, her father married Duchess Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, with whom he had a son, Prince Frederick, born in 1753.

From childhood, it was arranged that Wilhelmina Caroline would marry her first cousin, Hereditary Prince William of Hesse-Kassel. This familial connection was reinforced by their mothers' relationship: Mary of Great Britain, William’s mother, and Queen Louise, Wilhelmina Caroline's mother, were sisters. Around 1756, after Mary moved to Denmark to care for her sister Queen Louise's children, Wilhelmina Caroline and William grew up together, fostering a close relationship.

Wilhelmina Caroline and William married on 1 September 1764 at the chapel of Christiansborg Palace. Shortly thereafter, they left Denmark and settled in the county of Hanau-Münzenberg, which had been separated from Hesse-Kassel and assigned to William. They resided in Hanau, establishing their court there.

During the initial years of their marriage, the relationship between Wilhelmina Caroline and William was described as harmonious. In 1770, they received visits from Crown Prince Gustav of Sweden and his brother Prince Frederick Adolf, with accounts noting their marriage as exemplary and suggesting that their example might influence Wilhelmina Caroline's sister and her own husband's marriage. A courtier from the Swedish entourage described her as charming, energetic, and admired by her court, and noted their playful and affectionate relationship.

However, this harmony deteriorated over time. Around five years after their marriage, William began an affair with Charlotte Christine Buissine. His conduct continued to be infidel, introducing multiple mistresses at court, including Rosa Dorothea Ritter and Karoline von Schlotheim, producing numerous illegitimate children. Wilhelmina Caroline was described as beautiful, distant, kind, and sympathetic. In 1804, she was noted to still speak Danish without an accent and maintained a strong attachment to Denmark.

William succeeded as Landgrave William IX of Hesse-Kassel in 1785 and was elevated to Elector of Hesse (William I) in 1803.

In 1806, during the Napoleonic Wars, Hesse was occupied by French forces. William and their son fled to her brother-in-law Prince Charles of Hesse in Schleswig, while Wilhelmina Caroline remained in Kassel until a French governor was appointed. Subsequently, she moved to her daughter Karoline Amalie in Gotha. During the subsequent period of her exile, she resided in Schleswig and Prague. She returned to Kassel with her husband in 1813 after the French occupation ended.

Her children included:

- Landgravine Marie Friederike (1768–1839), who married Alexius Frederick Christian, Duke of Anhalt-Bernburg.

- Landgravine Karoline Amalie (1771–1848), who married Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.

- Frederick (1772–1784), who died in childhood.

- William II (1777–1847), who became Elector of Hesse.

Her ancestry includes Danish and British royal lineages through her parents and extended family connections.