Støvlet-Cathrine

Støvlet-Cathrine

Støvlet-Cathrine (Anne Cathrine Benthagen), (b. Copenhagen, 1745- d. Plön, Holstein, 1805), was a Danish prostitute, on of the most well known courtesans in Copenhagen in the 1760s and the royal mistress of King Christian VII of Denmark.

Biography

Støvlet-Cathrine is believed to have been the illegitimate child of Prince Georg Ludwig of Brunswick-Bevern (b. 1721 - d. 1747) -who was her godfather-, and Anna Marie Schrøder (d. 1771), and was raised in the home of an officer; her mother was married to the soldier Johan Ernst Benthagen. In 1753, she ran away to her mother, who worked as a manufacturer of boots, and Cathrine was then nicknamed Støvlet-Cathrine, which means "Boots-Catherine".

Cathrine became a prostitute early in life; officially, she was listed as an actress, but was in reality a courtesan and was kept by both the British and the Austrian ambassador before she became the mistress of King Christian in 1767. He appeared with her at the ball of the court theatre, visited the brothels with her and is believed to have influenced him in the dismissal of cabinet secretary Reverdil. The relationship was soon seen as a security risk, and dowager queen Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel disliked her influence over the king. It was considered scandalous that the took her to court. He seemed to have been in love with her and called her the "Mistress of the universe".

In new year 1768, she was arrested and taken to Hamburg, were she was imprisoned. She was soon moved to prison in Neumünster in Holsten, were she was treated better, and in 1770, she was given a pension. She was described as a beautiful, tall woman with a feminine figure and a dark complexion; her mother was believed to have been from Africa, and as a person she was described as confidant and strong-willed. She was under observation in her exile, as there was a fear that she would find a way to get back to the king. During Christian's European trip in 1768-1769, he tried to see her but did not succeed.

Cathrine married lawyer Conrad Ditlev Maës, (1748-1813) in 1770, divorced him and married musician Hans Hinrich Schweder (1760-1813) in 1785.

References

* http://www.kvinfo.dk/side/597/bio/120/origin/170/


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