Caroline of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel
Caroline Amalie Elisabeth von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (born May 17, 1768 at Richmond Castle , Braunschweig ; † August 7, 1821 in Hammersmith , London ) was a member of the Guelph dynasty and, through her marriage to George IV, was Queen Caroline of Great Britain , Ireland and Hanover .
Childhood and youth
Caroline was the second daughter of Duke Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1735–1806) and Princess Augusta of Hanover (1737–1813).
As a child, she was torn between her overprotective father and her embittered mother. She grew up rather unrestrained, to the chagrin of her teachers and governesses, since she was a rebellious and disrespectful child, wild, unruly, boyish and cheeky. She preferred to play with her brothers rather than with girls and she couldn't stand dolls, and she was an extremely brave child. In order to keep all options for a Protestant, Catholic or Anglican marriage open to her, she received no religious education. After a visit to the Braunschweig court, Count Mirabeau judged the princess: "Most adorable, lively, playful, funny and pretty."
When she fell in love with a young officer at the age of 18, he was assigned to the field and she herself was sent to the remote hunting lodge of Nienover in Solling, where she was supposed to come to her senses. However, she enjoyed this time very much because she could do whatever she wanted there - she maintained contact with farmers and other “ordinary” people here.
wedding
On April 7, 1795 she became the wife of her cousin, the Prince of Wales and future King George IV. The marriage was more than unhappy. The princess found her bridegroom too fat and completely unlike his portrait. Georg was already very drunk during the wedding and both spouses were averse from the start. According to his wife, Georg spent the wedding night in a drunkenness under the fireplace screen. Her opinion of him was accordingly bad: “Mon père etait un héros, mon mari est un zéro.” (My father was a hero, my husband is a zero).
It is true that the princess became mother of a daughter, Charlotte , on January 7, 1796 ; but a few weeks later they both went their separate ways. Caroline was ignored at court and in fact lived under house arrest while Georg turned to his mistress. After two and a half years the Princess of Wales left the court and lived in a country house in Blackheath for ten years .
Life as an outcast
Georg had resumed his relationship with Maria Fitzherbert in 1799 and had his secret marriage to her confirmed by the Pope. He now wished for a divorce from Caroline and had her under surveillance for that purpose.
In 1802, Caroline adopted a few month old William "Willy" Austin, son of a sailmaker, which fueled rumors that the infant was her biological son. Caroline said: "Just prove it and he will be your king."
When in 1806 she was suspected of illicit dealings with Captain Thomas Manby, Admiral Sidney Smith , George Canning , Thomas Lawrence and others, the King set up a commission to investigate her conduct; however, she was only able to accuse her of carelessness and Caroline was completely rehabilitated in 1807 by a protocol of the Privy Council. Therefore, she was able to exercise her rights as Princess of Wales again in 1808 and move to Kensington Palace . In 1811, Caroline's husband was appointed Prince Regent for his mentally ill father. Again it became more lonely around Caroline, even the contact with her beloved daughter Charlotte was regulated to twice a month. In public, however, Caroline was wildly worshiped.
In August 1814 Caroline left England with the permission of her husband, toured Germany, stayed in Rome and Naples and went to Greece, Cairo and Jerusalem, whereupon she returned to Italy for a long time in the Villa d'Este in Cernobbio on Comer Lake settled.
Once again, offensive rumors spread about her dealings with the Italian baron Bartolomeo Pergami, whom she had taken into her service as a courier. Caroline, who had now settled in Pesaro , was again the target of her husband's espionage, who was still trying to get the divorce going.
The queen prevented
When her husband ascended the throne of England in 1820, he demanded that she abstain from the name and rights of a Queen of England and never return to England. However, it rejected the request and even (June 6) made a triumphant entry into London to the cheers of the people.
But now Lord Liverpool came up against her in Parliament on charges of adultery, and a scandalous trial began. The government had prescribed witnesses from almost every country; but the public voice spoke so strongly in favor of the Queen, defended by Lord Brougham, that the penalty bill passed in the second reading with only a very small majority on November 10th in the House of Lords had to be dropped. Caroline then lived at Brandenburg House in the enjoyment of royal rank; by the coronation of her husband on July 19, 1821, however, she was rejected, although she asked to be admitted at the portal door.
She died shortly afterwards on August 7th, 1821 after drinking a glass of lemonade, believing she had been poisoned. The more likely cause of death was probably abdominal disease. Her doctors, however, treated her with gigantic doses of calomel , and only high doses of opiates made her life bearable in the end. Her last words were: “The doctors don't recognize my illness. It sits here ”- whereby she put her right hand on her heart. In accordance with her last will, her body was brought to Braunschweig and buried there in the cathedral at her father's side.
Her daughter Charlotte, the wife of the future King of the Belgians, Leopold I , died in November 1817 giving birth to a stillborn son.
literature
- Diary of a British traveler or memorabilia about JKH Princess Karoline von Wallis, b. Princess of Braunschweig during the years 1815 to 1816 . From the Italian. Sauerländer, Aarau, 1817. The author is probably Giuseppe Marocco.
- Bartolomeo Baron von Pergami: Historical memorabilia and documents from the life and the trial of Queen Caroline of England. Memories of the Baron de Pergami . Brockhaus, Leipzig and Altenburg, 1821.
- Karin Feuerstein-Praßer: Caroline of Braunschweig. England's uncrowned queen . Pustet, Regensburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-7917-2224-5 .
-
Thea Leitner : Scandal at court . Ueberreuter, Vienna 1993, ISBN 3-8000-3492-1 .
- New edition under the title: Scandal at court. The fate of women at Europe's royal courts . Piper, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-492-24165-4 .
- Marita A. Panzer: England's Queens. From the Tudors to the Windsors . Piper, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-492-23682-0 .
- Jane Robins: Rebel Queen. How the Trial of Caroline Brought England to the Brink of Revolution . Pocket Books, London 2007, ISBN 0-7434-7826-6 .
- Elke Schlueter: Caroline Amalie Elisabeth of Braunschweig-Lüneburg, Princess of Wales . In: Christof Römer (Ed.): Braunschweig-Bevern, a royal house as a European dynasty 1667–1884 . Landesmuseum, Braunschweig 1997, ISBN 3-927939-38-2 , pp. 305-314.
Individual evidence
- ^ Thea Leitner: Scandal at court . Ueberreuter, Vienna 1993.
- ^ Panzer, p. 203.
- ↑ Robert Nöll von der Nahmer: Bismarck's Reptilienfonds. Mainz 1968, p. 29.
- ^ Thea Leitner: Scandal at court . Ueberreuter, Vienna 1993, pp. 306-307.
Web links
| predecessor | Office | Successor |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz |
Queen Consort of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1820–1821 |
Adelheid of Saxe-Meiningen |
| Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz | Queen of Hanover 1820–1821 |
Adelheid of Saxe-Meiningen |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Caroline of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Caroline Amalie Elisabeth of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Queen of Great Britain, Ireland and Hanover by marriage |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 17, 1768 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Richmond Castle near Braunschweig |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 7, 1821 |
| Place of death | London |