Christian VII of Denmark

Who was Christian VII of Denmark?

Christian VII was an Oldenburg monarch who ruled as King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein from 1766 until his death. He was the son of King Frederick V and his first wife Louise of Great Britain.

Christian VII's reign was marked by mental illness which affected government decisions, and for most of his reign Christian was only nominally king. His royal advisers differed depending on who won power struggles around the throne. In the late 1760s, he came under the influence of his personal physician Johann Friedrich Struensee, who rose steadily in power. 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 and the Danish politician Ove Høegh-Guldberg.

From 14 April 1784 until Christian VII's death in 1808, it was Christian's son, later Frederick VI, who unofficially acted as regent. This regency was marked by liberal and agricultural reforms, but also by the beginning disasters of the Napoleonic Wars.