Frederik IV of Denmark

Frederick IV (Danish: Frederik; 11 October 1671 – 12 October 1730) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1699 until his death. Frederick was the son of Christian V of Denmark-Norway and his wife Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel. Early life Frederick was born on 11 October 1671 at Copenhagen Castle as the eldest son of King Christian V and his spouse Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel. The newborn prince was baptised the same evening with the name Frederick by the royal confessor Hans Leth. His grandfather King Frederick III had died a year and a half before he was born, and as the eldest son of the ruling King he was thus Crown Prince from birth. At the age of 18, he was given a seat on the Council of State as the heir apparent to the throne. As Crown Prince, Frederick broadened his education by travelling in Europe, led by his chamberlain Ditlev Wibe. He was particularly impressed by the architecture in Italy and, on his return to Denmark, asked his father for permission to build a summer palace on Solbjerg, as the hill in Valby was then known, the future site of Frederiksberg Palace. The one-storey building, probably designed by Ernst Brandenburger, was completed in 1703.