User:ILOVEPercyJackson13/Maria Oldenburg

Maria Oldenburg (October 31, 1768 - October 13, 1799) was the illegitimate daughter of King Christian VII of Denmark and an unknown woman.

Early Life
Maria's father had married Caroline Matilda of Wales on November 8, 1766. His marriage to Caroline was so unhappy that he sought other bedmates. Nobody knows who Maria's mother was, and it is generally assumed that she was of low rank such as a servant. Little is known of her early life except in 1779 when Maria was eleven, her father visited a "young lady who looked most exactly like our King Christian." Maria received a good education and could speak Latin, German, French, and a little Swedish next to her native tongue of Danish. She also practiced musical instruments and penmanship thrice a day. Maria was interested in astronomy, and enjoyed charting the stars.

Christian did not see Maria again until 1783 when she was fifteen. This time, she met her half brother, Prince Frederick, and they seemed to take a liking to each other. When Maria's father's step-mother, Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, first met her, she instantly disliked her according to all accounts. As Juliana mostly ruled Denmark in Christian's stead due to his severe mental problems, she sent Maria away. Maria never saw Christian or Frederick again.

Marriage
In 1790, Maria met a man named August Petersen. August was of low rank and was to only inherit his father's small farm. At this time, Maria was twenty-two years old and still unmarried. This was considered bad luck in the 1700's. August courted her for six months before asking her to marry him in February of 1791.

On June 9, 1791, Maria Oldenburg married August Petersen in a small ceremony. A few months later, August’s father died and he inherited the farmland. The next summer, Maria gave birth to a baby boy. Sadly, the boy only lived to be ten before he died of a fever.

Death
In September of 1799, Maria’s health started to deteriorate after she’d suffered a miscarriage the previous month. On October 13, 1799, Maria died with her husband and young daughter at her side. She was given a simple funeral, and her half-brother Frederick and father Christian never knew.

On June 9, 1791, Maria married August Petersen. Their marriage produced six children, but only one lived to adulthood.

1.	Christian Petersen (August 14, 1792 – February 2, 1803) died of a fever.

2.	Frederick Petersen (April 1, 1793 – November 23, 1796) died of unknown causes in the middle of the night. Maria woke up the next morning to find him dead.

3.	Sophia Petersen (September 23, 1794 – July 7, 1830) married Karl Anderssen and had three children, but only one survived to adulthood. She moved to America in 1820 with her family.

4.	August Petersen (November 30, 1796 – March 31, 1798)

5.	Erik Petersen (June 10, 1798 – December 1, 1798) weak from birth, he died after a few months.

6.	Louisa Petersen (August 29, 1799 – August 29, 1799) was stillborn, her mother’s health deteriorated after she was delivered.