Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg
Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg (* May 4, 1679 , † June 27, 1704 in Copenhagen ) was the mistress of the Danish - Norwegian King Frederick IV (1671-1730) and was raised on September 6, 1703 by the king to countess of Vieregg .
origin
Elisabeth Helene came from the German noble family Vieregg and was the daughter of Adam Otto von Vieregg (also Viereck) (1634–1718), Mecklenburg Chamber President, Prussian State Minister and Privy Councilor. The mother, Anna Helene (1651–1701), came from the von Wolffersdorff family (also Wolfersdorf). Elisabeth Helene, like her brothers Friedrich Wilhelm (* 1682) and Adam Otto (* 1684) , was probably born on her father's estate in Wattmannshagen .
Royal mistress and secret wife
From 1698 to 1706 her father was the Prussian envoy in Copenhagen. In 1699, Elisabeth Helene became lady-in-waiting for Princess Sophie Hedwig (1677–1735), the sister of Crown Prince Friedrich, and caught his attention. He gave her a precious diamond ring as a present and after his accession to the throne as Frederick IV in August of the same year, he began a secret relationship with her. After the death of her mother, who died in Copenhagen in 1701, the father favored the liaison with the king, and even defended it against the outrage that was spreading. On September 6, 1703 she was raised by the king to countess and received the Antvorskov estate at Slagelse . According to the father's statements, they secretly married "on the left hand". This "second marriage", alongside the one with Queen Louise , should not be the king's last bigamistic relationship. In 1712 he concluded another morganatic marriage with Anna Sophie von Reventlow , which was formally repeated and legitimized a few days after the death of Queen Louise in 1721.
On June 18, 1704, Countess Elisabeth Helene gave birth to their son Frederik Gyldenløve , but died in childbed nine days later. The king, mourning her loss, had three churches in the city ring the bells for her solemn burial for two hours. She found her final resting place in the Church of the Savior in Copenhagen , consecrated in 1695 . On March 9, 1705, the boy also died at the age of nine months and was laid with his mother.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Elisabeth Helene von Vieregg . In: Carl Frederik Bricka (Ed.): Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Tillige omfattende Norge for Tidsrummet 1537-1814. 1st edition. tape 18 : Ubbe – Wimpffen . Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag, Copenhagen 1904, p. 564 (Danish, runeberg.org ).
- ^ Before Frelsers Kirke - En 1700-talsskæbne . (Danish) with photos of the coffins; accessed May 22, 2013
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Vieregg, Elisabeth Helene von |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Vieregg, Elisabeth Helene Countess of |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Mistress of King Frederick IV of Denmark and Norway |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 4, 1679 |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 27, 1704 |
| Place of death | Copenhagen |