Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

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Portrait of Franz Xaver Winterhalter : Helene Luise zu Mecklenburg-Schwerin, duchesse d'Orléans, with her son Louis Philippe Albert, around 1839
Tomb in Dreux

Helene Luise Elisabeth, Duchess of Mecklenburg [ -Schwerin ], French Hélène de Mecklembourg-Schwerin, duchesse d'Orléans (born January 24, 1814 in Ludwigslust ; † May 18, 1858 in Richmond , England ), was a German princess and by marriage Duchess of Orléans and Chartres .

Life

Helene Luise was the daughter of Hereditary Prince Friedrich Ludwig (1778-1819) and his wife Princess Karoline Luise von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (1786-1816), the third daughter of Grand Duke Carl August and Princess Luise of Hessen-Darmstadt .

On May 30, 1837, Princess Helene married the heir to the throne Ferdinand Philippe d'Orléans, duc de Chartres (1810–1842), eldest son of the last French king Louis Philippe and his wife Princess Maria Amalia of Naples-Sicily at Fontainebleau Palace . From the common marriage two sons emerged:

On July 13, 1842, her husband died in a carriage accident. This death sparked a dispute within the royal family over the establishment of a Regency Council. These plans were inevitable due to the king's old age. The main opponents were his widow and brother, Louis d'Orléans, duc de Nemours , who then prevailed. However, the regency did not come into play due to further developments.

After the unsuccessful attempt to win the throne for her older son Louis Philippe Albert d'Orléans, comte de Paris by appearing before the French National Assembly on February 24, 1848 , she fled and settled in Eisenach , where she became an honorary citizen in 1851 received.

The Duchess was extremely popular in Eisenach because she looked after the poor in the city in a variety of ways and, in collaboration with the Vogt of the Wartburg, Bernhard von Arnswald , was involved in the renovation and redesign of the historic fortress. Her commitment to the Thuringian linen weavers is historically documented. In a story by the Eisenach writer Marie Rasch (d. August 21, 1920), who lived in the house of the former court pharmacy (today Ratsapotheke) right across from the castle and whose family had friendly neighborly relations with the Duchess, it is reported how the Duchess of bought linen from a poor weaver at the Eisenach weekly market and commissioned the bailiff to decorate rooms in the Wartburg ("How the old German blankets came into fashion").

At times she stayed with the Louis-Philippes family in England .

Helene, duchesse d'Orléans, died on May 18, 1858 of complications from a dragged flu in Richmond and was buried in Weybridge. In 1876 her body was reburied after St-Louis de Dreux (Chapelle royale) in Dreux .

See also

literature

  • Helene, Princess of Mecklenburg, married Duchess of Orleans . In: Illustrirte Zeitung . No. 1 . J. J. Weber, Leipzig July 1, 1843, p. 2-4 ( Wikisource ). .
  • Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert : Memories from the life of Her Royal Highness Helene Louise . Munich 1859 (archived text)
  • D'Harcourt b. Countess Saint-Aulaire: The Duchess of Orleans, Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. A picture of life . Berlin 1859.
  • Alexander Wittich: Helene Louise Elisabeth Duchess of Orleans zu Eisenach, with memories from her youth . Jena 1860. Digitized
  • French Hélène de Mecklembourg-Schwerin. Madame la duchesse d'Orléans . Michel Lévy, Paris 1859.
  • Ludwig Brunier : The daughter of a prince from Mecklenburg: (Helena, Duchess of Orléans) , 1872
  • French Georges Poisson : Les Orléans, une famille en quête d'un trône . Perrin, Paris 1999, ISBN 2-262-01583-X .
  • French Jean-Charles Volkmann: Généalogie des rois et des princes . Gisserot, Paris 1998.

Web links

Commons : Helene zu Mecklenburg (-Schwerin)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Helene of Mecklenburg
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Helene Luise Elisabeth of Mecklenburg; Orléans, Helene d '
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German princess and by marriage Duchess of Orléans and Chartres
DATE OF BIRTH January 24, 1814
PLACE OF BIRTH Ludwigslust
DATE OF DEATH May 18, 1858
Place of death Richmond , England