I think also the Elephant Order is funny because... I don't think of Denmark as really being a place where I'd expect to see elephants, or orders relating to the same!
You're right! I wouldn't bat an eye at an Elephant Order in India.
Wait, isn't that the usual reason for nobility to get married?
Yes, but not usually a reason for them to get remarried within 6 months when they already have an heir! I can only think of one other example where a king's remarriage happened that fast (Selena will probably think of more), and it was Philip "the Frog" V, who was incapacitated and needed a wife to be his Moltke: 24/7 emotional support and go-between with the ministers.
Joseph, Philippe d'Orleans, Friedrich I of Prussia...all these people needed heirs and *still* took over a year to remarry. It was considered in bad taste for Frederik to remarry so quickly, and wasn't good PR for him or Juliana Maria.
There wasn't a huge amount of pressure at this time for Frederik to be related to someone ASAP, and the marriage to Juliana Maria didn't bring huge immediate advantages to Denmark's neutrality policy. I suspect the reasons were more internal and personal, not foreign policy related.
Wait, I just remembered Paul of Russia: he needed an heir and was pressured into remarrying in 5 months. But there was no question why: Catherine needed to stabilize her position on the throne by ensuring the succession. Having a spare for Frederik was nice, but not nearly this urgent (as it wasn't for Philip V either.)
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Re: Danish kings and their favorites: Moltke's memoirs
Date: 2023-02-24 07:33 pm (UTC)You're right! I wouldn't bat an eye at an Elephant Order in India.
Wait, isn't that the usual reason for nobility to get married?
Yes, but not usually a reason for them to get remarried within 6 months when they already have an heir! I can only think of one other example where a king's remarriage happened that fast (Selena will probably think of more), and it was Philip "the Frog" V, who was incapacitated and needed a wife to be his Moltke: 24/7 emotional support and go-between with the ministers.
Joseph, Philippe d'Orleans, Friedrich I of Prussia...all these people needed heirs and *still* took over a year to remarry. It was considered in bad taste for Frederik to remarry so quickly, and wasn't good PR for him or Juliana Maria.
There wasn't a huge amount of pressure at this time for Frederik to be related to someone ASAP, and the marriage to Juliana Maria didn't bring huge immediate advantages to Denmark's neutrality policy. I suspect the reasons were more internal and personal, not foreign policy related.
Wait, I just remembered Paul of Russia: he needed an heir and was pressured into remarrying in 5 months. But there was no question why: Catherine needed to stabilize her position on the throne by ensuring the succession. Having a spare for Frederik was nice, but not nearly this urgent (as it wasn't for Philip V either.)