Mary of Great Britain, Ireland and Hanover (1776–1857)
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Princess Maria of Great Britain, Ireland and Hanover (born April 25, 1776 in Buckingham Palace , London , † April 30, 1857 in Gloucester House , London) was a member of the British royal family from the House of Hanover .
Early years
Maria was the eleventh child and fourth of six daughters of the British King George III. (1738-1820) and his wife, Princess Sophie Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818), daughter of Prince Karl of Mecklenburg and Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxony-Hildburghausen .
Princess Mary was baptized in the Grand Council Chamber of St James's Palace on May 19, 1776 by Frederick Cornwallis , Archbishop of Canterbury . Her godparents were Landgrave Friedrich von Hessen-Kassel , Princess Charlotte von Sachsen-Meiningen and Princess Friederike Caroline Luise von Hessen-Darmstadt .
Maria was considered the prettiest daughter of King George III. She grew up in Windsor Castle with her younger sisters Sophia and Amelia . She had a particularly cordial relationship with her older brother and later King George IV . She had one of her first public appearances at the age of 16 on her father's birthday when she was dancing the minuet . In the spring of 1792 she made her official debut at the royal court.
Around 1796 Maria fell in love with her second cousin Friedrich von Oranien-Nassau (1774–1799), the second son of the inheritance holder Wilhelm V of the Netherlands and Princess Friederike Sophie Wilhelmine of Prussia , when his family was living in exile in London . However, there was no marriage because he died of an infectious disease in Padua in 1799 and King George III. wanted to see his eldest daughters married first.
She became the constant companion of her youngest sister Amelia, with whom she had a close relationship. Amelia always jokingly called her "Mama - Tool" because of her obedient nature. When Amelia became very ill in 1810, it was Maria who cared for her devotedly and watched over her bed. Amelia's death left Maria in deep mourning for many years.
marriage
On July 22, 1816, Mary married her first cousin William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (1776–1834), the only son of William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (1743–1805), in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace. and his wife Maria Walpole (1736–1807). The harmonious marriage remained childless. Due to her childlessness, she developed a special relationship with her niece and future Queen, Alexandrina Victoria (1819-1901), the only child of her older brother Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn . After the death of her husband, she moved from Bagshot Park to Richmond .
Maria felt a deep dislike for Caroline von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel , the wife of her brother Georg. When she fled to Italy because of her unhappy marriage, Maria congratulated her brother: "On a good prospect of liberation. May Heaven see that she never returns and that we may never see her again."
In 1857 Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh, died at the White Lodge in Richmond Park . She was buried in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle .
Name in different phases of life
- 1776–1816 Her Royal Highness Princess Maria
- 1816–1857 Her Royal Highness Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh
literature
- Flora Fraser: Princesses - The six daughters of George III. , Bloomsbury Publishing, London 2012, ISBN 9781408832530
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mary of Great Britain, Ireland and Hanover |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mary, Duchess of Gloucester at Edinburgh |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Member of the British royal family from the House of Hanover |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 25, 1776 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Buckingham Palace , London |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 30, 1857 |
| Place of death | Gloucester House , London |