Augusta Louise zu Stolberg-Stolberg (1753-1835)

Countess Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility.L. G. Pine, Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty'' ...

Louise Augusta zu Stolberg-Stolberg (7 January 1753 in

Bramstedt Bramstedt is a village and a former municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 January 2014, it is part of the municipality Hagen im Bremischen. Bramstedt belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen. In 1648 ...

, Duchy of Holstein30 May 1835 in

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the J ...

) is known for her lively correspondence with the poet and thinker

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...

; she is known as ''Goethes Gustchen'' in the history of literature. By birth she was member of the

House of Stolberg The House of Stolberg is the name of an old and large German dynasty of the former Holy Roman Empire's high aristocracy ('' Hoher Adel''). Members of the family held the title of ''Fürst'' and ''Graf''. They played a significant role in feudal ...

and by marriage member of House of Bernstorff.

Early life

She was daughter of Count Christian Günther zu

Stolberg-Stolberg Stolberg-Stolberg was a county of the Holy Roman Empire located in the southern Harz region. Its capital was the town of Stolberg, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was ruled by a branch of the House of Stolberg. In 1429, the County of Wernigero ...

(1714–1765) and Countess Christiane Charlotte zu Castell-Remlingen (1722–1773). She was younger sister of Goethe's friends Count Friedrich Leopold zu Stolberg-Stolberg ("Fritz") and Count

Christian zu Stolberg-Stolberg Christian, Count of Stolberg-Stolberg (15 October 1748 – 18 January 1821) poet, brother of Frederick Leopold, also a poet. Born at Hamburg, he became a magistrate at Tremsbüttel in Holstein in 1777. Of the two brothers Frederick was undoub ...

Later life

She lived in a

pension A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...

for young, unmarried noble girls from 1770 to 1783 along with the older

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

ess

Metta von Oberg Anna Metta von Oberg (November 10, 1737 – October 25, 1794) was a German Baroness and close friend to Augusta Louise zu Stolberg-Stolberg. Von Oberg was born in Jersbek, Duchy of Holstein, and lived in the period from 1762 to 1794 in the monast ...

. Her letters to the young Goethe date to 1775 and 1776. They never met in person. In all her correspondence she was a lively writer. ''"Augusta – vom Morgen bis in Abend laufen die Depeschen bey ihr ein, wie bey einem Staatsminister, und werden sorgfältiger abgefertigt, als in einer Canzelley"'' noted Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock.

Marriage

On 7 August 1783 Augusta Louise moved to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, and later married the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

Minister of State Count Andreas Peter von Bernstorff. They had no issue.

Sources

* Plath-Langheinrich, Elsa: ''Als Goethe nach Uetersen schrieb: Das Leben der Conventualin Augusta Louise Gräfin zu Stolberg-Stolberg''. (de) * Koopmann, Helmut: ''Goethe und Frau von Stein''. (de) * Goethe an Auguste Gräfin zu Stolberg, rankfurt, January 18.- 30. 1775 (de)

External links

Brief biography and excerpts of Goethe, also with ''Gustchen''
de)

(de) {{DEFAULTSORT:Stolberg-Stolberg, Louise Augusta Zu 1753 births 1835 deaths German letter writers Women letter writers German philosophers Augusta Louise People from Bad Bramstedt People from the Duchy of Holstein