Countess Franziska Theresia von Hohenheim (10 January 1748 in
Adelmannsfelden – 1 January 1811 in
Kirchheim unter Teck) was a German noblewoman. From birth she was a Baroness von Bernerdin and from 1765 onwards Baroness
Leutrum von Ertingen. She was the official mistress of
Charles Eugene, Duke of Württemberg
Charles Eugene (German: ''Carl Eugen''; 11 February 1728 – 24 October 1793), Duke of Württemberg, was the eldest son, and successor, of Charles Alexander; his mother was Princess Marie Auguste of Thurn and Taxis.
Life
Born in Brussels, he ...
from 1772 to 1785, when she became his second wife. The marriage was
morganatic until 1790, when she was allowed use of the
dynastic title "Duchess of Württemberg".
Life
She was the daughter of ''
Freiherr
(; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...
'' Ludwig Wilhelm von Bernerdin zum Pernthurn and his wife Johanna (''née'' Baroness von
Vohenstein zu Adelmansfelden) – of this couple's 15 children, only Franziska and four of her sisters reached adulthood. She spent her childhood in their family seat,
Castle Sindlingen in the district of
Böblingen
Böblingen (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Beblenga'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, seat of Böblingen (district), Böblingen District. Sindelfingen and Böblingen are Geographic contiguity, contiguous.
History
Böblingen was found ...
. At her parents' request, in 1765 Franziska married Baron Friedrich Wilhelm
Leutrum von Ertringen. Once her husband had been appointed a chamberlain at the Württemberg court, they had to appear at court more often. In 1769, during a stay in
Bad Wildbad
Bad Wildbad is a town in Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located in the government district (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Karlsruhe and in the district (''Landkreis'') of Calw. Its coordinates are 48° 45' N, 8° 33' E. About 10,1 ...
, Franziska got to know Duke Charles Eugene better. After he separated from his long-term mistress, Catharina Bonafin, the baroness became his ''
maitresse en titre'' in 1772. On 21 January 1774, at Charles' instigation, Franziska was made
Imperial Countess von Hohenheim – she was subsequently promoted to "princess" by
Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II – and from then on bore the coat of arms of the extinct Bombaste von Hohenheim family. The Duke gave her the ''Garbenhof'' at Hohenheim on 10 January 1772 and she expanded it in the following decades into the ''
Schloss Hohenheim : ''For the district inside the city of Stuttgart, see Hohenheim.''
Schloss Hohenheim is a manor estate in Stuttgart, eponymous of the Hohenheim city district.
The original castle was a fief of the County of Württemberg, recorded for the 12th ...
'', taking a particular interest in the creation of its ''Dörfle'' or English-style landscape garden from 1776 onwards.
Franziska's worldview was shaped by Protestant
Pietistic
Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christian life, including a social concern for the needy and ...
ideas and so the nature of her relationship with the Duke to be immoral and felt guilty about it. She divorced her husband in 1772 but the Catholic Charles Eugene could not annul his wife
Elisabeth of Bayreuth. In autumn 1756 Elisabeth had gone to visit her mother in
Bayreuth
Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...
and refused to return. Charles agreed she would remain his duchess, which she did until her death in April 1780. After Elisabeth's death Charles and Franziska exchanged marriage vows on 10 July 1780. The Catholic Church did not, however, recognise Franziska's divorce and would not allow Charles to marry a Protestant. Also Franziska was not Charles'
equal
Equal(s) may refer to:
Mathematics
* Equality (mathematics).
* Equals sign (=), a mathematical symbol used to indicate equality.
Arts and entertainment
* ''Equals'' (film), a 2015 American science fiction film
* ''Equals'' (game), a board game
...
under Württemberg
house law
House law or House laws (''Hausgesetze'') are rules that govern a royal family or dynasty in matters of eligibility for order of succession, succession to a throne, membership in a dynasty, exercise of a Regent, regency, or entitlement to dynastic ...
so any marriage would be morganatic.
Charles thus not only sought to make Franziska his lawful wife but also to obtain recognition for her as his duchess, both of which goals he pursued steadily for years. First, the ''Ehegericht'' (marriage court) lifted the ban on their marriage, naming Franziska as the guilty party in her divorce. In drawing up the agreement for the morganatic marriage on 15 May 1784, Charles Eugene made his younger brother
Frederick Eugene (and ultimately Frederick's son
Frederick William) his successor. On 10 or 11 January 1785 the ducal chaplain secretly married Franziska and Charles Eugene in
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
, though the marriage was only proclaimed publicly on 2 February 1786. In 1790 Charles Eugene finally reached an agreement with Frederick Eugene and Frederick William: Franziska would be recognised as duchess and ''
Kirchheim unter Teck'' as her ''
Wittum'', with any potential descendants barred from the succession, while Frederick Eugene's wife, born
Princess Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt
Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt (Friederike Sophia Dorothea; 18 December 1736 – 9 March 1798) was Duchess of Württemberg by marriage to Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg. She is an ancestor to many European royals of the 19th and ...
, would retain precedence over Franziska. The pope only recognised the marriage in 1791, after the
Vatican obtained theological and expert opinions as to the invalidity of Franziska's first marriage. This eventually also led to formal recognition of Franziska by
Louis Eugene, Charles Eugene's middle brother, who was himself in a morganatic marriage. In this manner Franziska became "
''Herrin'' von Württemberg".
Franziska acquired a reputation in Württemberg as a kind and caring woman due to her charity work, donations and moderating influence on the Duke (initially unpredictable and pompous, she guided him into at the role of a caring father of his country). She became known in her lifetime as the "Good Angel of Württemberg". After the Duke's death (upon which Frederick Eugene, Louis Eugene and Frederick William succeeded to the duchy, in turn), she gave safe haven to the
Pietist and
Theosophist Johann Michael Hahn in Sindlingen after he was persecuted for his views by the church in Württemberg. On Charles Eugene's death in 1793 Franziska had to leave ''Schloss Hohenheim'' and in January 1795 she moved into ''Schloss Kirchheim'', spending summer months on her estates in Sindlingen and ''
Bächingen an der Brenz
Bächingen is a municipality in the district of Dillingen in Bavaria in Germany. The town is a member of the municipal association Gundelfingen an der Donau
Gundelfingen an der Donau is a town in the Bavarian district Dillingen in Swabia. Gun ...
'', the latter which she had paid off but tried to sell after Charles' death, being financially strapped. She rarely came to the Stuttgart court, since her relations with Charles Eugene's family, especially his nephew Frederick William, were tense after Charles Eugene's death.
On New Year's Day 1811 she died in ''Schloss Kirchheim'' after long suffering from
endometrial cancer
Endometrial cancer is a cancer that arises from the endometrium (the lining of the uterus or womb). It is the result of the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. The first sign is most o ...
. Five days later she was buried in the choir of the Martinskirche in Kirchheim, contrary to her wish to be buried beside Charles Eugene in Ludwigsburg. Her tomb was later lost, only being rediscovered in 1885. In 1906 the ''württembergischen Geschichts- und Altertumsverein'' placed a marble
relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
of her on the south wall of the choir and in 1962 her remains were reburied in a new oak coffin.
References
* ''Tagbuch der Gräfin Franziska von Hohenheim späteren Herzogin von Württemberg''. Hrsg. v. A. Osterberg.
*Utta Keppler: ''Franziska von Hohenheim. Die tapfere Frau an der Seite Carl Eugens. Ein biographischer Roman''.
*
Ottilie Wildermuth
Ottilie Wildermuth (; née Rooschüz; 22 February 1817 in Rottenburg am Neckar – 12 July 1877 in Tübingen) was a German writer, particularly notable for her children's books.
Life
Ottilie Rooschüz was the daughter of Gottlob Christian ...
: ''Franziska von Hohenheim, Herzogin zu Württemberg und Teck''. In: Württembergischer Bildersaal, Erster Band. Schaber, Stuttgart 1859, S. 36–64(
Digitised version)
* Thomas Kuster, Franziska von Bernerdin, Reichsgräfin Hohenheim. In: Der Aufstieg und Fall der Mätresse im Europa des 18. Jahrhunderts. Eine Darstellung anhand ausgewählter Persönlichkeiten. phil.Dipl. Innsbruck 2001
External links
*
Literature by and about Franziska von Hohenheimin the catalogue of the
Deutschen Nationalbibliothek
*
Franziska von Hohenheim*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hochenheim
1748 births
1811 deaths
People from Ostalbkreis
German baronesses
German countesses
Mistresses of German royalty
Morganatic spouses of German royalty
Franziska