Hedwig Ulrike Taube from Odenkat

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Hedwig Ulrike Taube von Odenkat (by Martin van Meytens )
King Friedrich of Sweden - Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel

Hedwig Ulrike Countess Taube von Odenkat ( Swedish : Hedvig Ulrika Taube; born October 31, 1714 in Stockholm , † February 11, 1744 in Stockholm) was the first official mistress of a Swedish king recognized by the Swedish royal court .

origin

Hedwig Ulrike was the daughter of the Swedish Imperial Admiral and Privy Councilor Eberhard Diedrich Count Taube von Odenkat (1681–1751) and his wife Christina Maria Falkenberg (1685–1753). She had eight other siblings, including her brothers, Admiral Diedrich Heinrich Count Taube von Odenkat (1711–1781) and Court Marshal Arvid Gustaf Count Taube von Odenkat (1729–1785). Her great-nephews, the grandsons of her brother Arvid, were Court Marshal Gustaf Johann Count Taube von Odenkat (1796–1872) and Major General Friedrich Wilhelm Count Taube von Odenkat (1813–1888). The German-Swedish-Baltic aristocratic family " von Taube " had a high reputation in Sweden and the Baltic countries and was an influential family.

Sweden's royal family

After the death of her brother Karl XII. (1682–1718) Ulrike Eleonore (1688–1741) was elected Queen of Sweden and crowned in 1719. Friedrich von Hessen-Kassel had been married to Luise Dorothea von Prussia (* 1680), who died in 1705 and was a daughter of the Prussian King Friedrich I and Elisabeth Henriette von Hessen-Kassel . In 1715 he married Ulrike Eleonora of Sweden. In 1720 she abdicated in favor of her husband, who was enthroned as Frederick I (1676-1751) King of Sweden . Both marriages remained childless and the king was said to have had several extramarital affairs . At that time, the Taube family already had a great influence at the Swedish court and provided high military and court marshals in the service of the king.

Manor house at Gut Panker
Friedrich Wilhelm & Karl Eduard, Counts of Hessenstein

Hedwig Ulrike's life

The young Hedwig Ulrike was introduced to court society at the age of 17 . Her father had almost driven the family to economic ruin through speculation and gambling and was hoping for financial support. She performed her first service as a maid to Queen Ulrike Eleonore. The king met the girl as early as 1730 and apparently fell in love with her. The resulting liaison was kept secret, although the Reichstag was aware of this new affair. After a trip together with the king, who had taken her to Hesse , she became the queen's maid in 1731 , who partially approved of the love affair. After three years, she was discharged from the Queen's service and became pregnant for the first time in 1733. In 1734 the relationship between the king and Hedwig was officially recognized as the next birth was due. When she was recognized as the king's mistress, her position at court also changed; she received her own residence, where the "lovers" stayed. She held her own receptions and received her beloved regularly. Between 1738 and 1739 the relationship developed into a state crisis and the Reichstag handled the situation. In 1739 the king asked the Reichstag for an unofficial travel permit to Hesse and the rumor spread that he would not return with Hedwig Taube and that Queen Eleonore would take over the reign . Neither happened.

In the summer of 1740, Hedwig and her children were to be sent to the Panker estate in Schleswig-Holstein , and the rumor spread again that the king would follow her. Hedwig initially refused, but was finally convinced by the boss of the House of Hessen-Kassel to come to the estate. During the stay in Schleswig-Holstein, the relationship with King Friedrich cooled significantly. This was due, on the one hand, to the fact that Queen Eleonora strongly opposed this connection, and on the other hand, because the Church of Sweden explicitly dealt with the king's adultery . The king was put under pressure to loosen ties with Hedwig. Hedwig only returned to Riddarholmen after the queen's death and the dissolution of parliament in 1741 . She was denied a marriage to the king or the succession of her first-born son. Instead, their sons were raised to the Swedish count status on March 29, 1742 and introduced to the knight's house . On February 2, 1743, Hedwig received the status of a German countess from Emperor Charles VII . However, she died the following year due to pregnancy complications.

Count of Hessenstein

The following children resulted from the illegitimate relationship with King Friedrich:

  • Fredrika Vilhelmina, called Mamsell Ehrlich (* March 1, 1733 † summer 1734), known posthumously as Fredrika Vilhelmina von Hessenstein
  • Friedrich Wilhelm (born March 10, 1735 - † July 27, 1808), Prince of Hessenstein since 1772
  • Karl Eduard (born November 26, 1737; † April 17, 1769), Count of Hessenstein
  • Hedvig Amalia (born December 9, 1743 - † May 6, 1752), Countess of Hessenstein

As early as 1739, at Hedwig's instigation, King Friedrich had acquired the Panker and Klamp estates and in 1741 the Schmoel and Hohenfelde estates in Schleswig-Holstein. Friedrich, who as Landgrave of Hessen-Kassel had been imperial prince in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation since 1730 , had obtained the elevation of his beloved and his descendants to Count von Hessenstein from the Roman-German Emperor . Gut Panker became the residence of the older son Friedrich Wilhelm, who after the death of the younger brother Karl Eduard († 1769) owned all four estates. The rule of Hessenstein developed into the center of the Schleswig-Holstein nobility .

literature

  • Ulf Sundberg, Kungliga släktband: Kungar, drottningar, frillor och deras barn , Svenska Historiska Media Förlag AB, 2015, ISBN 91-87263-09-2 [1]

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Dove from Odenkat, Hedwig Ulrike
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Taube von Odenkat, Hedwig Ulrike Countess (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swedish countess, mistress
DATE OF BIRTH October 31, 1714
PLACE OF BIRTH Stockholm
DATE OF DEATH February 11, 1744
Place of death Stockholm