Maria Franzisca von Heppenstein

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Egid Verhelst : silhouette of Fanny von Ickstatt and her mother Maria Franzisca von Heppenstein

Maria Franzisca von Heppenstein , b. Eleonora Maria Franzisca Magdalena Josepha Freiin von Weinbach , widowed von Ickstatt (born September 16, 1748 in Mellrichstadt ; † October 16, 1805 in Munich ), often referred to as Fanny or Fanni , was a lady of Munich society and the mother of Fanny von Ickstatt who fell from the Frauenkirche in Munich at the age of 17 .

Adolescent years

Maria Franzisca was born in Mellrichstadt as one of 13 children of the Würzburg court chamber councilor Georg Adam von Weinbach and his wife Sabina Huder . Even as a toddler, the famous enlightener and constitutional lawyer Johann Adam von Ickstatt , who was married to her godmother, took her to live with him. Franzisca grew up like a daughter in his palace in Ingolstadt and received the best education. Ickstatt had been a professor and director at the University of Ingolstadt since 1745 ; he had no biological children. The little girl showed intelligence and curiosity at an early age. At the age of four she was instructed in the natural sciences by Ickstatt's colleagues. In a biography of Ickstatt, Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart wrote in 1776: “The izige Frau von Hebbenstein in Munich was brought up by him, and her example shows what man could become under his leadership. He just called her his Fanni and devoted so much care to her upbringing that she is now an ornament of her sex. "

Ickstatthaus in Ingolstadt

Marriages

Ickstatt named his own nephew, Peter Ickstatt, as his successor and made him Franzisca's husband. The first child from this marriage, Fanny von Ickstatt , gained notoriety through his death in the Frauenkirche in Munich . Franzisca became a widow just five years after their wedding. She then moved to Munich with her two young daughters. Her foster father, Johann Adam von Ickstatt, worked there as the closest legal advisor to Elector Maximilian III. Joseph . The beautiful, self-confident and fun-loving woman had been a widow for two years and was now eight months pregnant. In a hurry, Ickstatt managed to find a suitable husband, namely Gallus Heinrich von Heppenstein, for Franzisca. However, he was very young, he hadn't even passed his final exam.

Life on the farm

The baroness quickly made a name for herself in the royal seat. She was known for high levels of beauty, elegance, and education. In addition, Franzisca was considered a “writer” and “tenth muse at court”. In a contemporary biography Max III. she was called "a German Venus on the body and a Saffo on the mind" (meaning Sappho ). Schubart said that she deserved “a great place among the learned German women”.

Life crisis and last years

When Karl Theodor took office in 1777, gloomy times began in the country. A tragic event fell into this, which stirred up emotions far beyond Bavaria's borders and which was to change Franzisca's life forever. On January 14, 1785, her gifted daughter Fanny threw herself from the north tower of the Frauenkirche under mysterious circumstances. Rumors put the blame on the mother, whose lifestyle was considered frivolous. Franzisca thereupon decided on an elaborate and disproportionate act of justification in order to remove the ground from the voices that spoke of suicide. When this venture failed, she plunged into a deep life crisis. After years of illness, she died at the age of 56.

Fonts

No other writings than a few printed letters are known of her.

  • Letters. In: History of Fanny von Ickstatt . In: Pfalzbaierisches Museum Vol. 3, Mannheim 1785/86, pp. 1-45 ( digitized version ).

literature

  • Carl Wilhelm Otto August von Schindel : The German women writers of the nineteenth century. Part 3 containing supplements and corrections . FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1825, p. 163 ( archive.org ).
  • Maria Magdalena Leonhard: The case of Fanny von Ickstatt. A Munich tragedy in the 18th century. Allitera Verlag, Munich 2013, ISBN 978-3-86906-540-3 .
  • Maria Magdalena Leonhard: Star among the beautiful. A scandal at the Munich court. Historical novel. Allitera Verlag, Munich 2016, ISBN 978-3-86906-839-8 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Karl Schindler:  Ickstatt, Marie Franziska (Fanny) Freiin von. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 10, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1974, ISBN 3-428-00191-5 , p. 115 ( digitized version ).
  2. ^ Magister Schubart: Life of the Freyherrn von Ikstadt, Churfürstl. Bavarian Secret Council . August Lebrecht Stettin, Ulm 1776, p. 66.
  3. ^ Wilhelm Rothammer : Biography Maximilian III von Baiern. Verlag des Verfassers, Regensburg 1785, p. 219 ( digitized version ).
  4. ^ Magister Schubart: Life of the Freyherrn von Ikstadt, Churfürstl. Bavarian Secret Council . August Lebrecht Stettin, Ulm 1776, p. 66.
personal data
SURNAME Heppenstein, Maria Franzisca von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Weinbach, Eleonora Maria Franzisca Magdalena Josepha Freiin von (maiden name); Heppenheim, Fanny von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Lady of the Munich society and mother of Fanny von Ickstatt
DATE OF BIRTH September 16, 1748
PLACE OF BIRTH Mellrichstadt
DATE OF DEATH October 16, 1805
Place of death Munich