Broholm 

Unlucky in love at Broholm 

Elisabeth Skeel, the lady of the estate, simply would not accept the shame a pregnant, unmarried daughter would bring. Her daughter was keen to marry the father of her child – but it was not to be. 

In 1745, 22-year-old Anna Beate Sehested is obliged to acknowledge that she is seven months pregnant. She is in love with the father of her child, the estate tutor, and they long to be married. 

Pregnancy out of wedlock is a shameful thing, however, so Elisabeth Skeel refuses to countenance the marriage and vows to do everything in her power to prevent it. 

The young lovers fight for the right to wed 

On 5 June 1745, the lady of Broholm Manor writes to King Christian VI, requesting that he halt the marriage. In her letter, she suggests that Anna Beate be disinherited and banished to the island of Bornholm. This is indeed what happens a few months later. 

Losing an inheritance means nothing to the young lovers, whose sole desire is to wed. Time and time again, the couple write to the king to profess their deep love for one another and to beg for mercy and the right to marry. 

The king permits Elisabeth Skeel to make her case on a couple of occasions. The estate owner states that there is nothing more shameful than discovering that the estate tutor – who was tasked with instructing her children in godliness and Christian virtues – had seduced her daughter. 

A happy ending 

To the great fortune of the frustrated couple, god-fearing King Christian VI dies in 1746 and is succeeded by his son, the hedonist Frederik V. 

On 2 June 1747, the young couple is granted leave to marry “for the sake of the child”, and the wedding takes place in September of that year. 

The tutor is later ennobled as Gyldenfeldt and Elisabeth Skeel finally permits Anna Beate to claim her inheritance. 

The manor tales are written by Linda Corfitz