Death of Anne of Denmark wife of James VI of Scotland & I of England

Death of Anne of Denmark wife of James VI of Scotland & I of England

Anne was born on 12th December 1574, at the castle of Skanderborg in Denmark, to Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and King Frederick II of Denmark.

Anne enjoyed a close, happy family upbringing in Denmark.
Suitors from all over Europe sought the hand of Anne, including James VI of Scotland & I of England.

Throughout his youth, James was praised for his chastity, since he showed little interest in women.

He was surrounded by male advisors and courtiers, and throughout his life, he would continue to prefer male company.

A suitable marriage, however, was necessary to reinforce his monarchy, and the choice fell on the fourteen-year-old Anne, a high-foreheaded, long-nosed beauty.

On 20th August 1589, the couple were married by proxy at Kronborg Castle, with the nobleman George Keith standing in for the Scottish king.

Anne then set sail for Scotland, but was forced by storms to the coast of Norway.
On hearing that the crossing had been abandoned, James sailed with a 300-strong retinue to fetch Anne personally.

The couple were married formally, at the Bishop’s Palace, in Oslo on 23rd November 1589, and returned to Scotland on 1st May 1590.

James was at first infatuated with Anne, and in the early years of their marriage, he seems to have shown her patience and affection.

Anne showed an independent streak, and was not afraid to challenge her husband, or manipulate political factions to achieve her own ends.

Once in England, she threw her energy into patronage of the arts, creating a cultural salon that attracted leading painters, writers and thinkers.

Anne gave birth to seven children who survived beyond birth, but of those, only three reached adulthood.

Further tragedy befell the family when their eldest son Henry Prince of Wales, died of typhoid fever in 1612, aged 18.
This left their other son Charles as heir to the throne.

Their daughter Elizabeth, would later become Queen of Bohemia.

From an apparently happy and loving relationship, the King and Queen drifted apart.

James’s private life was shadowed with rumours concerning his male favourites and possible lovers, notably Robert Carr, Earl of Somerset and George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham.

Anne was criticised for her frivolity.
Her enjoyment of gowns and jewellery, was at odds with James’ straightforward, logical nature.

Anne pursued pleasure, and spent extravagantly in her time as queen.

Against a staunchly Protestant nation and king, Anne quietly converted to Catholicism.

From September 1614 Anne started to be troubled by pains in her feet.
In January 1616 she moved from Whitehall Palace to Somerset House suffering from gout.

By late 1617, Anne’s bouts of illness had become debilitating.

In December the Venetian ambassador Piero Contarini, had an audience with Queen Anne.

He described her as seated under a canopy of gold brocade.
Her gown was pink and gold, low cut at the front in an oval shape, and her farthingale was four feet wide.

Her hair was dressed with diamonds and other jewels and extended in rays, or like the petals of a sunflower, with artificial hair.

She had two little dogs who barked at the ambassador.

King James visited Anne only three times during her last illness, though their son Charles often slept in the adjoining bedroom at Hampton Court Palace.

It was Charles who was at her bedside during her last hours, when she had lost her sight.
Queen Anne died on 2nd March 1619, of Dropsy aged 44 years old.

Queen Anne was buried in King Henry’s Chapel, Westminster Abbey, on 13th May 1619.

James was superstitious of everything related to illness and death, so kept a wide berth during the queen’s decline and funeral.

However, despite his neglect of Anne, James was emotionally affected by her death.
He felt great sadness, and wrote melancholy poems to express his sorrow.

? Anne of Denmark.
Portrait by John de Critz, 1605.