King Frederik 6. Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg · 1830 Reventlow-Museet, Nakskov, Denmark

Frederik 6. had a sad childhood. After his mother, Queen Caroline Mathilde, and her lover, Struensee, were arrested in 1772, the barely four-year-old Frederik was left with a father who was mentally ill and incapable of taking care of him. Understandably, he became a natural focal point for a group of people who wanted to lead the government that came into power after the fall of Struensee and after his mother was forced into exile.

In 1788 the State Council signed the most important agricultural reform act in the country’s history. From then on, the peasants became free citizens and could travel wherever they wanted. The moving forces behind the abolishment of the adscription were the brothers Christian and Ludvig Reventlow, landed proprietors, the lawyer Christian Colbjørnsen, and the landed proprietor A.P. Bernstorff, but this reform act would most likely not have come into effect if Crown Prince Frederik had not been very favorably disposed towards it.

In order to avoid being drawn into the major French-British conflict, Denmark joined a Swedish-Russian-Prussian neutrality pact in 1800. The British demanded that Denmark leave the pact, and when the Danish government refused, a British fleet attacked the Danish fleet at Reden just outside Copenhagen in 1801 (The Battle of Copenhagen).

Part of the British fleet, under the command of Vice Admiral Nelson, was sent to attack from the south.

While suffering great losses, Nelson managed to destroy a large number of the Danish ships, and when Admiral Parker hesitatingly gave Nelson the signal to suspend fighting, the Vice Admiral put the telescope to his blind eye and ignored the signal to stop. Recognizing that the battle could not be won, Nelson sent a negotiator ashore with a letter to Crown Prince Frederik. Under threats from the British that they would burn the conquered Danish ships with the crews onboard, the Crown Prince gave in to the British demands and ceased shooting.

It was during this battle at Reden (The Battle of Copenhagen) that the young Danish naval hero, Peter Willemoes, distinguished himself.

Colonel Dannemand Hans Hansen · 1812 Frederiksborg Castle, Hillerød, Denmark

The British demanded that Denmark either ally herself with Great Britain or hand over the Danish fleet as security for continued Danish neutrality. When the Danes flatly refused to comply with this British ultimatum, the British fleet in September launched an attack on Copenhagen. After three days and nights of fierce bombardment the capital surrendered, and General Ernst Peymann, the commander-in-chief, had to give in to the demands and hand over the fleet to the British.

This British attack caused Crown Prince Frederik to barely two months later enter into a pact with France – a pact which in 1813 resulted in the country's bankruptcy and in 1814, the loss of Norway.

King Christian 7. died in 1808, and from then on Frederik 6. was King both in name and in fact. After assuming the throne he virtually invalidated the State Council, and during the time up until 1814 the Council did not meet even once. The King ruled with the help of a cabinet, but during the war it was in particular the high-ranking military aides De røde Fjer (The Red Feathers) who kept the King tied to the unnecessary and damaging alliance with Napoleon.

When Napoleon attacked Russia in 1812, the Russians allied themselves with, among others, Great Britain and Sweden. In exchange, Norway was promised to Sweden as compensation for Finland, which the Russians had conquered in 1809. After the French army's defeat at Moscow, Russia attempted to get Denmark to join the alliance, but when the Russians insisted that Denmark cede Norway to Sweden, the Danish government refused, and after a while Frederik 6. was left behind as Napoleon's only alliance partner.

The following year, Napoleon's army suffered a decisive defeat at Leipzig, and on January 15, 1814 Denmark was forced to sign a peace treaty with Great Britain and Sweden, after which we ceded Norway to Sweden. Frederik VI commented bitterly at the peace signing, Would that I had never experienced this sad day when I had to confess that Norway, my beloved Norway, was the sacrifice we had to make in order to not have to give up absolutely everything. After 444 years under the Danish crown, Norway became the price of peace.

Frederik 6. was the last Danish king who kept an official mistress. Frederikke Dannemand was Frederik 6.s mistress throughout thirty years, and very indicative of the King's interest in military matters, she was given the rank of Colonel in 1839. Together they had four children, and their relationship was apparently accepted by the Queen, who is reported to have said to the mistress at the funeral of Frederik 6. in 1840, We have both lost a good man. During his time as Crown Prince, Frederik 6. gained great popularity by abolishing adscription, a popularity that was worn severely thin during the war years of 1807-14. However, Frederik 6. quickly regained a fair amount of his earlier approval because of his frugality and sense of duty.

Nonetheless, a large crowd of people were shouting and whistling at his coffin when it was driven out of Copenhagen in January of 1840. But when it approached Roskilde, the coffin was lifted off the wagon and carried by peasants for the last distance to Roskilde Cathedral.