Frederick V of Denmark

Frederick V of Denmark and Norway is remembered as a benevolent, popular monarch whose era was one of peace and cultural golden age, a stark contrast to the stern piety of his father, Christian VI. His accession was met with public relief; he reopened theaters, encouraged the arts and sciences, and presided over a Copenhagen that began to sparkle with the Rococo architecture that still defines parts of the city today. The king, however, was content to leave the arduous work of government to capable ministers like Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff, while he pursued a life of hunting, feasting, and pleasure. This personal affability earned him the love of his subjects, but his heavy drinking and self-indulgence took a severe toll on his health. His reign saw the founding of the Royal Danish Academy of Art and significant trade advancements, yet it also sowed the seeds of future crisis through neglected state finances and a disengaged royal upbringing for his son, the future mentally unstable Christian VII. Frederick V died at 42, a well-liked king who enjoyed the sunshine but failed to notice the clouds building on the horizon.