The Royal Physician’s Visit by Per Enquist
"The Royal Physician’s Visit" by Per Enquist is a historical novel that intricately weaves the dramatic life of Johann Friedrich Struensee, a German physician who rises to prominence at the Danish royal court, into the turbulent socio-political landscape of 18th-century Denmark. The narrative centers on Struensee's relationships with key historical figures, including the mentally unstable King Christian VII, his English wife Caroline Mathilde, and the manipulative Prime Minister Ove Høegh-Guldberg. Set against a backdrop of Enlightenment ideals, Struensee's journey begins when he is appointed royal physician and gradually evolves into a position of substantial influence, as he attempts to implement progressive reforms.
The story explores themes of power, love, and betrayal, particularly through the romantic and political entanglements between Struensee and Caroline Mathilde, as well as the threats posed by their adversaries. The narrative is not strictly chronological, allowing for a rich exploration of character motivations and societal constraints. As Struensee's ambitions lead to both his rise and eventual downfall, the novel delves into the complexities of court life, mental illness, and the harsh realities of political machinations in a historical context. This captivating tale invites readers to reflect on the intricate dance of power and human emotion during a transformative era in European history.
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The Royal Physician’s Visit by Per Enquist
- Born: September 23, 1934
- Birthplace: Hjoggböle, Sweden
First published: Livläkarens besök, 1999 (English translation, 2001)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Historical
Time of plot: 1760–1784
Locale: Copenhagen, Denmark; Danish castles
Principal Characters
Johann Friedrich Struensee, a German physician who joins the Danish royal court
Caroline Mathilde, an English noblewoman married to Christian VII of Denmark
Christian VII, a mentally unstable Danish king
Ove Høegh-Guldberg, a Danish professor and mortal enemy of Struensee
Élie Salomon François Reverdil, Christian VII’s Swiss tutor
Dowager Queen Juliane Marie, Christian VII’s stepmother and Struensee’s enemy
The Story
Based on historical events but taking imaginative liberties with its historical characters and not told in strict chronological order, the novel begins with the facts that Johann Friedrich Struensee was appointed as royal physician to Danish King Christian VII on April 5, 1768, and executed four years later.
In one of the novel’s first scenes, British Ambassador Robert Murray Keith describes his meeting with Christian VII at a theater performance in 1782. The king looks preternaturally aged and acts erratically. He appears to be controlled by Prime Minister Ove Høegh-Guldberg—an unusually small man with piercing eyes. Twenty years earlier, Guldberg, a professor of literature from a humble family, positioned himself to become tutor to Frederik, a crown prince and a son of Danish King Frederik V. Loathing what he perceived to be terrible immorality at court, he was able to cut down the mighty Struensee and to seize power himself. He is now reveling in that accomplishment, and the story of how that came about is recounted.
When King Frederik V died on January 14, 1766, his oldest son—at the age of sixteen—was appointed King Christian VII. His tutor for the last six years, Jewish Swiss teacher Élie Salomon François Reverdil, has discovered that Christian was brutally beaten and mentally tortured throughout his childhood by his official educator, Count Ditlev Reventlow. From this abuse and perhaps from an underlying psychological condition, Christian has come to act irrationally. His contemporaries call him mad for his bodily tics, his incoherent mumblings, and unaccountable fits of rage.
In Copenhagen, in November 1766, Christian is married to Caroline Mathilde, youngest sister of English King George III. She is fifteen and Christian is seventeen. Christian believes the wedding is a play. Until persuaded by Reverdil, he does not consummate the marriage for many months. Nine months later, a son, Frederik, is born.
On May 4, 1767, Christian’s drinking companions introduce him to a prostitute, Anna Catharine Beuthaken, who is known as "Bottine Caterine." Christian falls in love and brings Caterine to court. Eight months later, Guldberg secretly arrests Caterine and exiles her to Hamburg.
Heartbroken, Christian vows to find Caterine and embarks on a grand tour of Western Europe. Guldberg decides that a royal physician is needed to take care of the king on this journey. A young German physician, Johann Friedrich Struensee, is proposed for consideration and offered the position.
During the months they travel together, Struensee—a believer in reason, freedom, and the European Enlightenment—gains Christian’s friendship and confidence. He keeps the king out of the kind of trouble that might have resulted from his typical idiosyncratic behavior. When the tour is over, Struensee moves to Copenhagen and remains with Christian.
Within months, Struensee begins writing reform edicts on his own, which Christians simply signs. In the summer of 1770, Christian is given Moranti, an African boy, as page and playmate. While Christian plays with Moranti and his dog in his room, Struensee effectively takes over the government, believing he has been handed an opportunity to make Denmark into a progressive nation. Guldberg and others wonder how to stop Struensee.
After giving birth, Queen Caroline Mathilde discovers her sexual longings. An initial hostility toward Struensee dissipates, and she seeks his acquaintance. In September 1770 Struensee and the queen make love in a garden cottage. At about this time Christian officially names Struensee his royal proxy. In February 1771 Caroline Mathilde informs Struensee she is pregnant with his child. The populace, from nobles to commoners, is coming to hate Struensee for his power, reforms, and alleged sexual affair with the queen.
With the advent of summer, Struensee decides on a retreat. Along with Caroline Mathilde, Christian, Moranti, the dog, and a small retinue, he moves to Hirschholm Castle, which lies on a lake island outside Copenhagen. It is here that Struensee delivers the queen of a baby daughter, Louise Augusta. Warnings of danger and threats reach Struensee; although he dismisses them, he feels doom approaching. At this point, another caretaker, Enevold Brandt, wrestles with Christian and bites the king’s finger, ultimately resulting in Brandt’s death sentence.
As autumn approaches, the queen takes an active interest in Struensee’s work and tries to protect him. Guldberg sends disaffected Norwegian sailors to Hirschholm. Although Struensee fears for his life, the queen is able to placate the sailors. With the plot foiled, the royal party returns to Copenhagen.
Guldberg next plots to strike Struensee through Caroline Mathilde whom the Dowager Queen, Christian’s stepmother, loathes. He forges a treasonous note and arranges military support for a coup. After dinner and a masked ball, at 4:30 a.m. on January 17, 1772, Guldberg’s soldiers arrest Struensee, Brandt, and others in their sleeping quarters. Awakening Christian, Guldberg and the Dowager Queen bully the king into signing arrest warrants. Caroline Mathilde is also arrested and, with her baby daughter, imprisoned in Kronborg Castle.
The conspirators parade Christian and his half-brother, supposedly rescued from Struensee, through Copenhagen. Guldberg blackmails the imprisoned Struensee into confessing to his adultery with the queen and into a written profession of his reconversion to Christianity. Struensee is told that if he refuses, the queen’s daughter will be harmed and he will be tortured. At the same time the Queen is badgered to confess to adultery, enabling Christian to divorce her.
Because she is the sister of the English king, the conspirators let her go after the divorce. Her daughter, Louise Augusta, is taken from her. Struensee and Brandt are sentenced to death on April 25, 1772. Christian is prevented from pardoning them, and they are publicly executed on April 28.
Caroline Mathilde dies from fever in German exile in 1775. Louise Augusta is raised in the Danish court as Christian’s daughter. Thus, Caroline Mathilde’s line continues, intertwined with European royalty. Guldberg is removed from power in 1784.
Bibliography
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Bawer, Bruce. "Take My Queen, Please." New York Times. New York Times, 18 Nov. 2001. Web. 20 June 2014.
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Tillyard, Stella. A Royal Affair: George III and His Scandalous Siblings. New York: Random, 2006. Print.