Caroline Mathilde
Caroline Mathilde of Hanover (engl. Caroline Matilda, German Karoline Mathilde) (born 11 Jul . / 22 July 1751 greg. at Leicester House , London ; † 10 May 1775 at Celle ), was an English princess and from 1766 until 1772 as wife of Christian VII Queen of Denmark and Norway . At the beginning of 1772 she was divorced because of her affair with the personal physician Johann Friedrich Struensee and banished to Celle, where she lived separated from her children until her early death.
Life
English princess
Caroline Mathilde was born posthumously , the last of nine children of the Prince of Wales , Friedrich Ludwig von Hannover , almost four months after the father's death. Her mother was Augusta of Saxe-Gotha . Caroline Mathilde's eldest brother became Prince of Wales in 1751 and succeeded him as King George III in 1760. of Great Britain and Ireland his grandfather. Although her father died before she was born and his title passed to her brother George, she was referred to as the daughter of the Prince of Wales rather than a sister.
She grew up far from court at Kew , where her mother planted and tended gardens . Her mother shared this passion with Prime Minister Lord Bute , with whom she was said to have a relationship. Only two public appearances are known from Caroline Mathilde's youth, in 1761 at the coronation of her brother as king and in 1764 as a bridesmaid at the marriage of her eldest sister Augusta to the Brunswick hereditary prince Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand , otherwise little is known about her youth. Caroline Mathilde - usually just called "Matilda", while the full name appeared in official papers - was brought up puritanically . She received a good education, according to contemporary reports spoke English, French, German, Danish and Italian, played the harpsichord and read a great deal. Since her mother was no longer the wife of the heir to the throne when she was born, but only his widow, Mathilde was of little interest for marriage ambitions.
Augusta with her children, 1751. On her mother's lap is Caroline Mathilde, who was born after her father's death
Princess Caroline Mathilde, painting by Jean-Etienne Liotard , 1754
George III in coronation regalia, 1761
Caroline Mathilde (standing) with her sister Louisa (1749–1768), Francis Cotes 1767
Danish queen
At the age of 13½, Caroline Mathilde was betrothed without her knowledge to the Danish-Norwegian King Christian VII , her first cousin, who was two years her senior. This marriage was engineered by the Danish Minister of State, Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff , who was concerned with strengthening Denmark-Norway 's good relationship with Great Britain. Caroline Mathilde's mother-in-law Louise , who died early , was an English princess. After long negotiations, the marriage contract was signed on July 14, 1766. Caroline Mathilde left the English royal family when she got married. Her dowry became the property of the Danish crown in full.
Bernstorff, who knew about the young king's incipient mental illness and hoped that the marriage would put a stop to his debauchery, pushed for an early marriage, although George III. thought his sister was too young. On October 1, 1766, the wedding took place in London "per procurationem" . The young bride then left and was handed over to the Danish authorities in Altona . The entire court was also exchanged. Her lady-in-waiting became Louise von Plessen . The actual wedding followed on November 8, 1766 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. On May 1, 1767, Caroline Mathilde and Christian VII were crowned.
Christian hardly noticed his young wife, but continued to have fun together with his protégé Conrad Holck at the numerous court festivals and with his sadomasochistic lover Anna Cathrine Benthagen . The young queen tried to get to know her new homeland, but increasingly suffered from her husband's disregard and the strict court etiquette. Christian VII did not take them with him on the traditional journey of a newly crowned king through his country in the summer of 1767. On January 28, 1768, at the age of sixteen, she gave birth to her first child, the Crown Prince and later King of Denmark and Norway, Frederick VI. Shortly thereafter, the king dismissed her chief steward, Louise von Plessen, because she had urged him to treat his young wife more kindly. Ironically, Holck's sister Margrethe von der Lühe became her successor. In May of the same year, Christian VII embarked on a lengthy journey through Europe, stopping in Altona , Paris and London . Caroline Mathilde was not allowed to accompany him, although she would have liked to visit her mother. She spent the summer at Frederiksborg Palace with her son. During this time she began to blend into court life.
The king returned to Copenhagen on January 12, 1769 . He brought Johann Friedrich Struensee to his court as his personal physician and later appointed him minister. He had met Struensee at the beginning of his journey in Altona. Struensee was evidently able to deal with the king's mental instability, and the king developed a special trust in him. Caroline Mathilde initially viewed his wish that his wife should also get to know the new confidante with suspicion, as she did not appreciate Christian's other favourites.
Struensee affair
Caroline Mathilde was unhappy in her marriage to Christian, who paid little attention to her and whose mental illness was becoming more and more evident. During a stay at Frederiksberg Castle in the summer of 1769, Struensee recommended that the royal couple ride out together to promote health and community. The 19-year-old queen really liked the rides suggested by Struensee. The fact that she sat in trousers in the men's saddle for the sake of better mobility caused a great sensation and offense and soon became the subject of numerous leaflets that appeared after the introduction of freedom of the press . According to her lady-in-waiting, Elisabeth von Eyben, her love affair with Struensee began during this trip.
During a smallpox epidemic in Copenhagen in 1770, Struensee also vaccinated Crown Prince Friedrich against smallpox. In doing so, he finally won the Queen's affection and trust. She fell in love with Struensee and, no later than the spring of 1770, began a love affair with him, which the king was apparently indifferent to, perhaps even welcoming. This resulted in a harmonious ménage à trois . In the summer of 1771, Struensee was also there when the court traveled from Frederiksberg via Gottorf Castle to Traventhal Castle . According to later testimonies from her chambermaids, Caroline Mathilde was often ill throughout the entire trip, did not spend a night with the king, but sought the company of the personal physician all the more.
On the return journey, the Queen sold some of her jewelery in Hamburg in order to found a new order, the Order of Mathilde. The twelve recipients of the order, which was awarded on the king's birthday on January 29, 1771, included the royal couple, the dowager queen Juliane von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel and her son hereditary prince Friedrich , Struensee, Enevold von Brandt , Schack Carl von Rantzau , Louise von Plessen, the had meanwhile settled in Celle, and Caroline von Schimmelmann, the wife of treasurer Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann .
Princess Louise Augusta was born on July 7, 1771 at Hirschholm Palace . Her father was most likely not the king, but Struensee. Despite all doubts, Christian VII recognized Louise Augusta. On the occasion of her baptism, he raised Struensee to the rank of Lehnsgrafen .
Rumors about the queen's relationship with Struensee increased, and even led to suspicions that the couple wanted to get rid of the king and his stepmother in order to be able to marry. These rumors were deliberately spread among the people by Struensee's opponents, because as a minister he worked towards enlightenment and reduced the power of the nobility.
Husband King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway (1749–1808)
Caroline Mathilde of Great Britain, Ireland and Hanover (1751–1775)
Son of Frederick VI, King of Denmark (1768–1839)
Daughter Louise Auguste of Denmark (1771–1843)
Johann Friedrich Struensee (1737–1772)
arrest and divorce
Interested nobles passed the king's stepmother, Juliane von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, a document that reported a plot to force the king to abdicate. Struensee is said to have prepared the coup in detail, Christian VII was to be arrested on January 28, 1772 and forced to abdicate. The official court reporter, Peter Suhm , presented Juliane Marie with the copy of the supposedly secret paper, which was supposed to be from Struensee's vault. With this suspicion, Struensee was arrested after a masked ball held in Copenhagen Castle on January 17, 1772 at 4 a.m., and the queen was taken to Kronborg Castle in protective custody .
All of the Queen's correspondence was confiscated and examined for traces of a conspiracy. A special commission was set up to investigate their behavior. The jewelry sold was also negotiated. On March 8, 1772, when Caroline Mathilde was not yet 21 years old, she was presented with a confession from Struensee and she herself signed a confession that had already been prepared, after she had been given hope that she might be able to save Struensee's life. The British ambassador at the time, Colonel Keith, doubted the authenticity of this signature until the end of his life – it was only possible under threat and blackmail.
The divorce proceedings were opened on March 14, but Caroline Mathilde was not allowed to testify and the verdict was clear before the start. Even the king, who may not have known about the divorce process, was not present. The guilt of the accused could not be proven in the proceedings; as the Queen's Counsel, Dr. Uldall (aka Uhdall) argued in a defense speech, all the evidence presented was merely rumour, suspicion and second- and third-hand gossip and malicious insinuations. It is noteworthy that Uldall had a close relationship with Juliane and had been chosen by her. The divorce was announced on April 6th. Surprisingly, Louise Augusta, whose father was always Struensee, was recognized as a royal princess - even though the queen had already had an affair with Struensee at the time. Louise Augusta later married Friedrich Christian II , Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg . If Juliane had had her way, both children would have been declared illegitimate to enable her own son Friedrich to ascend to the Danish throne.
The official proceedings against Struensee began on April 21, 1772. In addition to his relationship with Caroline Mathilde, he was accused of high treason, arrogance and enrichment. There was no doubt about the outcome of the trial, as he had already been found guilty on April 15 (six days before the trial began). The execution took place on April 28, 1772.
Caroline Mathilde was initially to be taken to Aalborg , but her brother, the English King George, demanded that Denmark pay back her entire dowry and move her to his dominions, where she would be cared for at his expense. On May 31, 1772, she had to say goodbye to her daughter, who had been with her until then, and left Denmark. In Denmark she was completely hushed up after her departure. The medals she donated were reclaimed and the precious stones reused. Even the ship of the line Dronning Caroline Mathilde of the Danish-Norwegian Navy, named after her, was renamed Øresund .
banishment and end of life
After her marriage to the king was dissolved, Caroline Mathilde was separated from her children and transferred to the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , which George III ruled. ruled in personal union with Great Britain. At first she was accommodated in the Göhrde hunting lodge , where her sister Augusta, who was also her godmother, visited her immediately after her arrival. During the summer, Celle Castle , which had not been used for almost seventy years, was renovated and refurnished for them. The theater has been completely redesigned. In October 1772 she moved to Celle , where she was received with great joy and festivities.
She soon became friends with Ernst zu Mecklenburg , the governor of Celle, and his brother Karl , her brother's brother-in-law. She visited the city every day, only accompanied by her only lady-in-waiting, Louise von Plessen, and sought contact with a wide variety of people. Georg Christoph Lichtenberg was also one of their visitors. She practiced in Celle what she had learned from Struensee in Copenhagen – her small court was open to all classes of society and her societies were enlivened by interesting personalities from the bourgeoisie. In addition, her stay promoted the cultural life of the city. As can be seen from the lending slips in the Royal Library in Hanover , she read a lot during her exile, including works by French philosophers and historical and political treatises alongside Gellert . Following the example of her mother, she laid out gardens. Caroline Mathilde, previously known for her beauty, took refuge in food and gained a lot of weight.
Being separated from her children was difficult for her, and so she increasingly invited children over, with whom she played and for whom she organized parties. She lived in the hope that her ex-husband would be deposed because of his mental illness and that she would be allowed to return to Denmark with her children. This hope was not fulfilled. Finally, she took the four-year-old orphan Sophie von Bennigsen (1769-1850) into foster care. Sophie's father Levin August von Bennigsen had left Celle in 1773 after the death of his first wife to enter Russian service. Thanks to Sophia von Steinberg, the stepmother of the late Friederike Amalie Louise von Bennigsen, the little girl came into Caroline Mathilde's care. Raised alongside six-year-old Amalia by Ompteda, the daughter of her chief lady-in-waiting, she eased the queen's grief at the loss of her children.
Just three years later, Caroline Mathilde, not yet 24 years old, died unexpectedly on May 10, 1775 after a six-day illness, probably of scarlet fever . This spring a scarlet fever epidemic was rampant in Celle and the surrounding area, and the day before Caroline Mathilde had spent the whole day at the bedside of her foster daughter, who was ill. But she may also have suffered like her brother George III. of porphyria . Because of the risk of infection, her body was buried that same night in the royal crypt in the town church of St. Marien in Celle next to the grave of her great-grandmother Sophie Dorothea . The magnificent coffin that George III. commissioned for his sister was not completed until 1789.
Although Caroline Mathilde had left no will, Sophie von Bennigsen, whose upkeep she had paid for out of her private coffers, received from George III. an annual, lifelong pension of 400 Reichstaler and inherited jewelry and furniture from the Queen's estate. In 1786 Sophie von Bennigsen married Karl von Lenthe (1746–1815), District Administrator of Lüneburg. Karl and Adolf Carl Daniel von Auersperg were her grandsons.
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afterlife
Caroline Mathilde's fate soon became a legend. As early as 1773, a collection of fictitious letters appeared in which she protested her and Struensee's innocence. After her early death, further publications appeared that spread the image of an innocent sufferer who had been sacrificed to reasons of state and romanticized her fate.
Caroline Mathilde's popularity in the electorate was shown by the fact that the knights and estates asked permission to erect a monument to her just a few weeks after her death . Ernst von Mecklenburg had another memorial stone erected.
Her tragic love affair with Johann Friedrich Struensee is the subject of several novels (see ref.) and has been filmed several times. In 1923 the German feature film The Love of a Queen starred Henny Porten . She was portrayed by Madeleine Carroll in the 1935 British film The Dictator . In the German historical drama Sovereigns without a Crown (1957), the French actress Odile Versois took on the role of the Danish queen alongside OW Fischer and Horst Buchholz . In April 2012, the film The Queen and the Personal Physician , a Danish period film, was released in German cinemas. The drama film is a literary adaptation of a novel by Bodil Steensen-Leth . The Swedish actress Alicia Vikander plays Caroline Mathilde in it.
pedigree
| Pedigree Caroline Mathilde | ||||||||
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| great-great-grandparents |
Elector |
Prince |
Margrave |
Duke |
Duke |
Duke |
Prince |
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| great grandparents |
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Margrave |
Duke |
Prince |
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| grandparents |
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Duke |
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| parents |
Prince Friedrich Ludwig (1707–1751) |
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Caroline Mathilde |
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See also
literature
- Dario Fo : Christian VII - A Fool on the Throne of Denmark . Translated by Johanna Borek. Hollitzer, Vienna 2019, ISBN 978-3-99012-440-6 (novel)
- Per Olov Enquist : The Visit of the Personal Physician . Munich: Hanser, 2001 (novel)
- Herman Frederik Ewald : Caroline Mathilde. Historical novel (1890).
- Else von Hollander-Lossow : The prisoner of Celle . Leipzig: Sailor, 1935 (novel)
- Harald Jorgsen: The Unfortunate Queen. Caroline Mathildas's last years 1772-75. Copenhagen 1989
- Thea Leitner : Scandal at court - fate of women at European royal courts . Munich: Piper Verlag, 1993 ISBN 3-8000-3492-1 (romantic depiction)
- Carolin Philipps: Queen Caroline Mathilde of Denmark. The Physician's Mistress . Piper Munich Zurich 2005
- Juliane Schmieglitz-Otten , Norbert Steinau : Caroline Mathilde. From Copenhagen to Celle - The Short Life of a Queen . Published by the Bomann Museum Celle . Celle 2001 (exhibition accompanying volume)
- Rainer castles : Struensee in the German literature . Altona: Hermann Lorenzen, 1931
- Ulrike Weiß: You can see her courage and determination. Caroline Mathilde. In: Ulrike Weiß: Lady, Duke, Elector, King. The House of the Hanoverian Guelphs 1636-1866 . Hanover: Historical Museum 2008 (exhibition accompanying volume)
web links
- Biography, literature & sources on Caroline Mathilde, Queen of Denmark on fembio.org
- Christenings of the Royal Family , Yvonne's Royalty Home Page
- Caroline Mathilde , Kendtes Gravsted (Danish)
- Heinrich Christian Heimbürger, Caroline Mathilde, Queen of Denmark : after her life and suffering from partly unpublished sources, Capaun & Karlowashe Buchhandlung, Celle, 1851 (digital copy)
- The Caroline Mathilde memorial in Celle
itemizations
- ↑ Philip: Queen Coroline Mathilde of Denmark. The Physician's Mistress ; p. 19
- ↑ Matthias Wehry: The Danish Queen's Interlibrary Loans . In: MBmagazine. Hanover 2012, 150/51, pp. 20-23; p. 20.
- ↑ Philipps: Queen Caroline Mathilde of Denmark. The Physician's Mistress ; pp. 24-28.
- ↑ Philipps: Queen Caroline Mathilde of Denmark. The Physician's Mistress ; p. 32.
- ↑ Philipps: Queen Caroline Mathilde of Denmark. The Physician's Mistress ; p. 60f.
- ↑ Matthias Hattendorff: Her "nature is free and unconstrained and it seems that she does not love the humiliated way of life" - Caroline Mathilde and Johann Friedrich Struensee . In: Caroline Mathilde. From Copenhagen to Celle - The Short Life of a Queen (Lit.), pp. 27-70; p. 28.
- ↑ Struensee. The case. Defamation and Overthrow of a Reformer . Hanover 2011; p. 15f.
- ↑ Hattendorff: Her "nature is free and unconstrained and it seems that she does not love the humiliated way of life" - Caroline Mathilde and Johann Friedrich Struensee ; p. 31f.
- ↑ Hattendorff: Her "nature is free and unconstrained and it seems that she does not love the humiliated way of life" - Caroline Mathilde and Johann Friedrich Struensee ; p. 42.
- ↑ Portrait of one of the beneficiaries (probably the Queen herself)
- ↑ Hattendorff: Her "nature is free and unconstrained and it seems that she does not love the humiliated way of life" - Caroline Mathilde and Johann Friedrich Struensee ; p. 58.
- ↑ These files were not released until 1966 and were hardly received in Germany (Matthias Hattendorff: Her "nature is free and unforced and it seems that she does not love the humiliated way of life" - Caroline Mathilde and Johann Friedrich Struensee . In: Caroline Mathilde. From Copenhagen to Celle - The short life of a queen (Lit.), pp. 27-70; p. 28).
- ↑ Colonel Keith (later Sir Robert Murrov) was England's ambassador in Copenhagen at the time.
- ↑ Thea Leitner : Scandal at Court , 1993.
- ↑ In detail: Matthias Blazek: The execution of Counts Enevold Brandt and Johann Friedrich Struensee in 1772 - in two open wagons, covered by 400 dragoons, driven to the High Court , Sachsenspiegel 25, Cellesche Zeitung of June 25, 2011.
- ↑ Norbert Steinau: Caroline Mathilde in the Electorate of Hanover 1772-1775 . In: Caroline Mathilde. From Copenhagen to Celle - The Short Life of a Queen (Lit.), pp. 127-154; p. 130
- ↑ Helmut Rüggeberg: Celle Castle at the time of Queen Caroline Mathilde . In: Caroline Mathilde. From Copenhagen to Celle – The Short Life of a Queen (Lit.), pp. 157–170 (including inventory list)
- ↑ Matthias Wehry: The Danish Queen's Interlibrary Loans . In: MBmagazine. Hanover 2012, 150/51, pp. 20-23
- ↑ Steinau: Caroline Mathilde in the Electorate of Hanover 1772-1775 ; p. 135
- ↑ Jürgen Huck: Sophie von Bennigsen (1769-1850) - foster daughter of Queen Caroline Mathilde In: Caroline Mathilde. From Copenhagen to Celle - The Short Life of a Queen (Lit.), pp. 201-214; p. 205
- ^ a b Steinau: Caroline Mathilde in the Electorate of Hanover 1772-1775 ; p. 140
- ↑ The princely crypt and the grave slabs of the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the town church of St. Marien Celle , with photos by Dietrich Klatt, Friedrich Kremzow and Ralf Pfeiffer, illustrated leaflet in DIN A5 format (4 pages, o.O., o.D .) designed by Heide Kremzow, after: Dietrich Klatt: Kleiner Kunstführer Schnell & Steiner No. 1986 , 2008
- ^ a b Steinau: Caroline Mathilde in the Electorate of Hanover 1772-1775 ; p. 142
- ↑ Jürgen Huck: Sophie von Bennigsen (1769-1850) - foster daughter of Queen Caroline Mathilde In: Caroline Mathilde. From Copenhagen to Celle - The Short Life of a Queen (Lit.), pp. 201-214; pp. 208, 210–212
- ↑ Reliable news of the latest state change in Denmark drafted by Her Majesty Queen Caroline Mathilde herself during her imprisonment at Kronenburg Castle and recently sent to the Count of *** for examination. Translated from the English from the original. Rotterdam by JF Ebert, 1772 .
- ↑ Juliane Schmieglitz-Otten: From the life of a queen. Poetry and truth in the picture of Caroline Mathilde . In: Caroline Mathilde. From Copenhagen to Celle - The Short Life of a Queen (Lit.), pp. 15-25; p. 19
| predecessor | government office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Juliana of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel | Queen of Denmark and Norway 1766–1772 |
Marie of Hesse-Kassel |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Caroline Mathilde |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Caroline Mathilde of Great Britain, Ireland and Hanover; Caroline Mathilde of England |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Queen of Denmark (1767–1772) |
| BIRTH DATE | July 22, 1751 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Leicester House , London |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 10, 1775 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Celle |