Eleonore von Dönhoff

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The goddess Diana in the rectory of Kossenblatt. Possible representation of Eleonore von Dönhoff by Friedrich Wilhelm I.

Eleonore von Dönhoff (born October 29, 1674 in Friedrichstein , † September 2, 1726 in Schloss Kossenblatt ) was the second wife of the Brandenburg-Prussian Field Marshal Hans Albrecht von Barfus .

She was the daughter of Count Friedrich von Dönhoff and his wife Eleonore Katharina Elisabeth von Schwerin. After the first marriage with Sophie Elisabeth Henriette Barfus geb. von Schlabrendorff, with whom he had been childless since 1667 and ended with her death on September 30, 1691, the 58-year-old general married in 1693 the then 19-year-old Eleonore von Dönhoff. Through the marriage, the general is likely to have gained further influence over the elector through his father-in-law . For Barfus, marriage marked the beginning of his short political career. It is certain that she carefully completed the construction of the Kossenblatt Castle. Although she also died there, she was not buried at her husband's side, but transferred to Friedrichstein .

progeny

The couple had three sons: the eldest, Friedrich Otto or Friedrich, was born in 1694 and like his father a soldier. In 1707 he studied at the Knight Academy in Brandenburg Cathedral and devoted himself to military service at an early stage. In 1715 he was adjutant to Count Christoph von Dohna during the siege of Stralsund . In 1716 he attended the campaign against the Turks in Hungary, was seriously wounded as a major or captain and canon of a cuirassier regiment in the battle of Belgrade and died of these injuries in Vienna on September 3, 1717. The second son, Karl Friedrich, or Otto Albrecht, was a pupil of the Knight Academy in Brandenburg in 1707, became an officer and died young. Ludwig or Karl Friedrich, born in 1700, seems to have received an intentionally neglected upbringing as his closest relatives sought after his inheritance. Count Alexander von Dönhoff , brother of his mother, general and adjutant of King Friedrich Wilhelm I , directed and promoted the sale of the Kossenblatter goods to the Prussian king in 1736 and brought about the allodification of Quittain's goods in Prussia, which he gave to his nephew Otto Philipp von Dönhoff bequeathed in will. Like his brothers, Ludwig died childless and with that the tribe of the Counts of Barfus was extinct.

Legends about Eleanor

Little is known for sure about Eleonore von Dönhoff's life. Her image, however, was darkened by several legends in the 19th century. These include, on the one hand, the novel by Albrecht Emil Brachvogel published in 1869: The Counts Barfus , but also the story of Theodor Fontane published in 1863 in his work Walks through the Mark Brandenburg . She is said to have promoted the death of her husband, who was only able to sleep while sitting due to a war injury, by removing the pillows, or hid or destroyed the entire castle furniture and inventory before her death in order to harm her son and heir.

Extract from the hike through the Mark Brandenburg

Only his widow, Eleonore née Countess von Dönhoff, successfully carried out the construction of the palace. She was a proud woman, and it is said that she endeavored to damage and diminish his inheritance as much as possible for her only surviving son. For this purpose she had a Dutch master builder come, ordered him to dig and vault a second cellar below the cellar of the castle, and then put everything she had in gold and valuables in it. Then she gave the order to close the crypt in her presence and took an oath from the builder not to reveal the location to anyone. Doubtful whether he would keep the oath, she preferred the sure thing and had him removed from the way on the return trip to Holland. The "treasure", so it goes on, was now happily put aside, while the pictures and furniture were still there, the entire furnishings of a rich castle. That too had to go. When she felt that she was about to run out of steam, she ordered all the household effects to be carried out into the courtyard, and gilded chairs and tables, mirrors and consoles, divans and chests of drawers were now piled up in a pyramid. In a wheelchair she let herself be driven to the door of the garden room, gave orders to put two torches on, and stared long and satisfied into the rising flame. She felt the fire more than she saw it, for the bright midday sun was over the spectacle. When it all burned down, she was dead in her wheelchair.

Trivia

A picture of Diana, the goddess of the hunt, hangs in the Kossenblatt rectory to this day. It is said to be a work of the soldier king Friedrich Wilhelm I , which remained in Kossenblatt and was originally supposed to be destroyed. It is said that the king gave this image the features of Eleanor. Furthermore, there is still a communion chalice in use there, which Eleanor donated to the church in 1699. It shows the alliance coat of arms Barfus / Dönhoff under a count's crown . Including their initials: E leonore G räfin v on B arfus. The chalice is still in use today.

photos

literature

  • Franz Wilhelm von Barfus-Falkenberg : HA Graf von Barfus Königl. Prussia. General Field Marshal. A contribution to the history of the Electors Friedrich Wilhelm and Friedrich III. of Brandenburg, especially the campaigns against the Turks in 1683, 1686, 1691 . Hertz, Berlin 1854.
  • Kossenblatt, Palaces and Gardens of the Mark; Dr Sibille Badstübner-Gröner, Berlin 2003
  • Theodor Fontane : Walks through the Mark Brandenburg . Hertz, Berlin 1863, Volume 2 The Oderland , Barnim, Lebus
  • Kilian Heck, Christian Thielemann (ed.): Friedrichstein. The castle of the Counts of Dönhoff in East Prussia. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich / Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-422-06593-8 ; Pp. 37, 51, 127, 182.

Notes and sources

  1. ^ NDB, Houwald
  2. ↑ Barefoot Falkenberg
  3. ^ Houwald, Adelslexicon 1836
  4. ↑ Barefoot Falkenberg
  5. ↑ Adelslexicon 1836
  6. ↑ Barefoot Falkenberg
  7. ^ Hikes through the Mark Brandenburg
  8. ^ Theodor Fontane: Walks through the Mark Brandenburg. Second part: The Oderland in the Gutenberg-DE project
personal data
SURNAME Dönhoff, Eleonore von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dönhoff, Eleonore Countess of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Wife of the Brandenburg-Prussian Field Marshal Hans Albrecht von Barfus
DATE OF BIRTH October 29, 1674
PLACE OF BIRTH Friedrichstein
DATE OF DEATH September 2, 1726
Place of death Kossenblatt Castle