Mette Marie Rose (1745-1819) was a Danish stage actor. She was the
central figure of a cause célèbre kidnapping when she was abducted
by a nobleman from the theatre in 1765, which became a great scandal
at the time.She was the daughter of the actor Christopher Pauli Rose
(1723-1784) and Gertrud Christensdatter (1722-1775). She made her
stage debut as Mélite in Den gifte Filosof at the Royal Danish
Theatre in Copenhagen in 1761.During this time period, the profession
of acting was compared to that of a prostitute, and after her
performance as Bélise in the French comedy Vulcani Kjæp, Mette Marie
Rose was abducted by Count Christian Conrad Danneskiold-Laurvig, while
the friends of the count diverted her father's attention and then told
him that his daughter had been taken by the count to his palace in
Copenhagen. The case attracted great attention and became a
scandal.Her father reported the kidnap to the king, and because Mette
Marie Rose was employed at the Royal Danish Theatre and therefore
formally an employee at the king's household, the king accused the
count of having offended his royal authority. Christian Conrad
Danneskiold-Laurvig was forced to release Rose and was sentenced to
fines and exile in Norway (where he was later involved in the
elopement of Ingeborg Akeleye). This was an unusual case when a
nobleman was judged guilty for a crime against a commoner. However,
there are indications that Mette Marie Rose and her mother had been
aware of the kidnap beforehand and consented to it.
central figure of a cause célèbre kidnapping when she was abducted
by a nobleman from the theatre in 1765, which became a great scandal
at the time.She was the daughter of the actor Christopher Pauli Rose
(1723-1784) and Gertrud Christensdatter (1722-1775). She made her
stage debut as Mélite in Den gifte Filosof at the Royal Danish
Theatre in Copenhagen in 1761.During this time period, the profession
of acting was compared to that of a prostitute, and after her
performance as Bélise in the French comedy Vulcani Kjæp, Mette Marie
Rose was abducted by Count Christian Conrad Danneskiold-Laurvig, while
the friends of the count diverted her father's attention and then told
him that his daughter had been taken by the count to his palace in
Copenhagen. The case attracted great attention and became a
scandal.Her father reported the kidnap to the king, and because Mette
Marie Rose was employed at the Royal Danish Theatre and therefore
formally an employee at the king's household, the king accused the
count of having offended his royal authority. Christian Conrad
Danneskiold-Laurvig was forced to release Rose and was sentenced to
fines and exile in Norway (where he was later involved in the
elopement of Ingeborg Akeleye). This was an unusual case when a
nobleman was judged guilty for a crime against a commoner. However,
there are indications that Mette Marie Rose and her mother had been
aware of the kidnap beforehand and consented to it.
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