Louise of Great Britain

Louise of Great Britain (originally Louisa; 1724 – 19 December 1751) was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1746 until her death, as the first wife of King Frederick V. She was the youngest surviving daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach. The marriage between Louise and Frederick V of Denmark was arranged solely for political reasons (King George's ministers wanted Danish support in disputes with Prussia). Although the marriage was arranged, the couple got along quite well, at least during the first years of marriage. Louisa, who encouraged performances by actors and musicians, was a popular figure at the Danish court even though she never exerted significant influence over her husband's decision-making. Early years Princess Louise was born as the fifth daughter and youngest child of the then Prince and Princess of Wales, on 1724, at Leicester House, Westminster, London. She was born ten years after her paternal grandfather, Elector George Louis of Hanover, had succeeded to the thrones of Great Britain and Ireland in 1714 as George I, and her father had become Prince of Wales and moved to London with his family. Her father had a strained relationship with his own father, and in 1717, after a quarrel, the King had banished his son from court. He had subsequently lived at Leicester House, a large aristocratic townhouse in Westminster, where a rival court grew up, and which became a frequent meeting place for his father's political opponents. It was here that Louise was born.