Luise von Alten
Louise Friederike Auguste Countess von Alten (born November 15, 1832 in Hanover , † July 15, 1911 in Cannes ) was a Hanoverian countess and a British duchess by marriage .
Life
She came from the count's line of the Hanoverian noble family von Alten and was the daughter of Karl Franz Victor Graf von Alten and his wife Hermine von Schminke.
At the age of twenty she married the British nobleman William Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester (1823–1890), on July 22, 1852, her first marriage . As his wife, she held the courtesy title of Duchess of Manchester . She had five children with him:
- George Montagu, 8th Duke of Manchester (1853-1892);
- Lady Mary Louise Elizabeth Montagu (1854–1934), ⚭ (1) 1873 William Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton , ⚭ (2) 1897 Robert Forster;
- Lady Louisa Augusta Beatrice Montagu (around 1856–1944) ⚭ 1876 Archibald Acheson, 4th Earl of Gosford ;
- Lord Charles William Augustus Montagu (1860–1939) ⚭ 1930 Hon. Mildred Sturt, daughter of Henry Sturt, 1st Baron Alington ;
- Lady Alice Maude Olivia Montagu (1862–1957) ⚭ 1889 Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby .
From 1858 to 1859 she was the Mistress of the Robes to Queen Victoria of Great Britain. As a sixty-year-old widow, she married the second marriage on August 16, 1892, the British nobleman and influential politician Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire , with whom she had had a relationship for many years. She received the courtesy title of Duchess of Devonshire through marriage .
Luise von Alten was considered a legendary beauty in English society in the Victorian era. Socially and politically ambitious, she led an influential salon and gave lavish "house parties". The "Double Duchess", as Luise was called after her second marriage, was described by some contemporaries as one of the most influential people outside the government.
She was also named the Lady of Justice of the Order of Saint John .
literature
- Henry Vane: Affair of State. A biography of the 8th Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. Peter Owen, London 2004, ISBN 0-7206-1233-0 .
- Aubrey Leo Kennedy: My Dear Duchess. Social and Political Letters to the Duchess of Manchester 1858–1869. John Murray, London 1956.
- Deborah Vivien Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire: The House. A Portrait of Chatsworth by the Duchess of Devonshire. Macmillan, London 1982, ISBN 0-333-28455-0 .
Web links
- Luise Friederike Auguste Countess von Alten on thepeerage.com
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Alten, Luise von |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Alten, Louise Friederike Auguste von; Montagu, Louise, Duchess of Manchester; Cavendish, Louise, Duchess of Devonshire |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German lady-in-waiting to the British Queen Victoria |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 15, 1832 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hanover |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 15, 1911 |
| Place of death | Cannes |