Frederica Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Friederike Luise; 16 October 1751 – 25 February 1805) was
Queen of Prussia as the second spouse of
King Frederick William II.
Life
Frederica Louisa was the daughter of
Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, and
Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken. She was born in
Prenzlau. She was the sister of
Grand Duchess Louise of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, as well as
Grand Duke Louis I of Hesse.
Marriage
Frederica Louisa was selected to marry Frederick William immediately after his divorce from
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg, after
Margravine Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt
, house = Brandenburg-Schwedt
, father =Frederick William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt
, mother =Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia
, birth_date =
, birth_place =Schwedt
, death_dat ...
and
Sophia Albertina of Sweden had been suggested. Her mother was highly admired by Frederick the Great. The wedding was performed on 14 July 1769 at the
Charlottenburg Palace.
Frederica Louisa was described as solid and sensible and with an agreeable conversation, though lacking of beauty and any particular intellectual abilities.
[Atkinson, Emma Willsher: ]
Memoirs of the queens of Prussia
', London : W. Kent Wraxall said of her: "She is an amiable, virtuous, and pleasing woman, possessing neither the personal attractions, nor the graces of her predecessor, but exempt from her errors and defects. She is of the middle size, her countenance agreeable, though not handsome, her manners easy and engaging, her character estimable and formed to excite universal respect."
Frederick William called her his "''Hessische Lieschen''", or "Hessian Lizzie", but did not show her much appreciation or attention and neglected her to indulge in his own pleasures.
The marriage was not happy, and Fredrick had numerous lovers, most notably
Wilhelmine von Lichtenau
The Wilhelmine Period () comprises the period of German history between 1890 and 1918, embracing the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II in the German Empire from the resignation of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck until the end of World War I and Wilhelm's a ...
, with whom he had a relationship from the same year he married Frederica Louisa until his death.
Her position was somewhat difficult because of the demise of the first wife of her spouse, and king Frederick the Great never showed her much favor and did in fact make a point of refusing her the favors and privileges he had formerly given her predecessor.
She mainly resided in Potsdam, "in the most monotonous and wearisome seclusion, neglected by her husband, slighted by the King, and seldom allowed even the diversion of a visit to Berlin".
Reportedly, she did not give much attention to her children and was blamed for having a part in their lack of education: "Frederic William III. received the very worst of educations; so beyond all measure bad as only that of a crown Prince can be. His father troubled himself more about his illegitimate than his legitimate children. They were left to their mother. She, constantly embroiled with her finances, often did not see them for days together; they were therefore left to the care of their attendants and of their misanthropic Hofmeister Benisch."
Queen
Frederica Louisa became queen of Prussia upon the accession of Frederick William to the throne in 1786, and she left Potsdam for Berlin, where she was to perform the ceremonial role of queen and regularly host drawing room-receptions for the royal court, the nobility and foreign envoys. She unintentionally provoked a diplomatic incident on her first court reception: unaware of the custom that the queen should only play with her subjects, she asked the Austrian and Russian ministers to join her at her gambling table, which caused the French minister to take offence on behalf of his nation for his exclusion.
The court of Frederick William was described as disorganized and ill-managed, and this was regarded to be the case of the household of Frederica Louisa as well. She was given an allowance of fifty-one thousand crowns per annum as queen, which was not sufficient to cover her expenses as she was "generous in her tastes and somewhat profuse in her habits", and
Mirabeau relates how she was at one occasion unable to pay for the wood to supply the fires in her apartments, while her husband spent thirty thousand Thalers annually on his mistress.
While the favorites and lovers of the king often participated in the affairs of state, she was allowed no political influence whatsoever, and Mirabeau said that "no Queen of Prussia of all Queens the least influential was ever so uninfluential" as the consort of Frederic William II.
Wraxall remarks however, that although the queen "had not captivated the affections, or secured the constancy of her husband, she possessed at least his esteem, and received from him every proof of respect."
In 1787, she was asked to consent to the
bigamy of her husband the king to her
lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...
Julie von Voß. Her brother-in-law the Duke of Saxe Weimar was appointed ambassador in the negotiations between the king and queen, and Frederica Louisa was eventually obliged to agree. Reportedly, she laughed and exclaimed: "Oh, yes! I will give my consent, but it shall be dearly paid for!"
She finally consented to the king's bigamy on condition that he pay her debts, which amounted to one hundred thousand crowns.
During this affair, the German theatre gave the play "Inez de Castro" several nights in a row, it attracted great attention that the queen always retired during the performance of the fourth act, where the Prince makes vows of passionate love to the maid of honour, and it was speculated whether this was a demonstration or not.
Mirabeau commented: "It is difficult to determine, on account of the turbulent and versatile, but not particularly weak, character of this Princess, whether she acted thus intentionally or not."
In 1790, she was obliged to consent to a second bigamy of her husband to another one of her ladies-in-waiting,
Sophie von Dönhoff, who reportedly insulted the queen by demanding a queen's precedence at court.
When
Wilhelmine, Gräfin von Lichtenau was finally given the title of countess, Frederica Louisa was obliged to receive her officially at court and present her with her portrait set in brilliants upon the advice of her own favorites, her Oberhofmeister
Wittgenstein and her gentlewoman of the chamber.
When the king fell ill in 1796, he was tended by von Lichtenau, who after his temporary recovery in the spring of 1797 hosted the opera ''La Morte di Cleopatra'' by
Nasolini in her garded, to which the queen was commanded to attend, an occasion which attracted a lot of attention and was described by
Dampmartin:
:"that the Queen, the crown Prince and his consort, as well as the other royal Princes and Princesses, trembled with indignation at the humiliating constraint which made them the guests of a woman, whose very neighbourhood they felt to be an insult. The King bore upon his pallid countenance the tokens of mortal disease. The kindhearted Queen writhed her lips into a sickly smile. The crown Prince could not conceal his violent agitation; he cast stolen glances alternately at his tenderly-loved mother, and his adored wife, as if he could not take in the possibility of beholding them in the apartments of the mistress of his father
..At some strophes of the opera, in which Octavia laments the infidelity of Mark Antony, all eyes involuntarily turned upon the Queen, and she concealed her face in her handkerchief."
During the following public celebrations of the king's recovery, the queen avoided to attend by claiming to be sick while Lichtenau presided at the king's side.
On his deathbed, the king was attended by Wilhelmine Lichtenau in Potsdam, while the queen stayed in Berlin and visited him once a week.
When he died, he asked her to conduct his wife and son to the ante-chamber, and asked her to tell them his farewell. Frederica Louisa was touched and embraced Lichtenau and thanked her for her devoted care of her husband, but the crown prince was judgmental.
When the king asked Lichtenau "What did my son say to you?", and was answered "Not a word", he replied: "Not a word of thanks? Then I will see no one else," which the royal family blamed Lichtenau for, thinking it was her decision rather than his.
Queen Dowager
Frederica Louisa had a good relationship with her son
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, wh ...
, who had resented his mother being put aside by his father and made a point of placing her in a high position of honour and respect, but there is almost no information of her during her years as a widow. Reportedly, she lived a quiet and peaceful life enjoying the harmony of her son's family life and the presence of her grandchildren.
Frederica Louisa has been described as eccentric, especially during her widowhood. It was claimed that she saw
ghost
A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
s and apparitions, and for this reason she kept reversed hours, sleeping by day and waking by night.
Ever since 1788, she had spent her summers in
Bad Freienwalde, where she was often visited by her children and grandchildren. This greatly contributed to the economic and cultural development of the city. Especially as a Queen Dowager, several buildings were constructed in the city to house her and her court during their stays. In 1799, a summer palace was built for her there by
David Gilly
David Gilly (7 January 1748 – 5 May 1808) was a German architect and architecture-tutor in Prussia, known as the father of the architect Friedrich Gilly.
Life
Born in Schwedt, Gilly was the son of a French-born Huguenot immigrant named Jacques ...
.
The Swedish Princess
Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte
Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp ( sv, Hedvig Elisabet Charlotta; 22 March 1759 – 20 June 1818) was Queen of Sweden and Norway as the consort of King Charles XIII and II. She was also a famed diarist, memoirist and wit. She is kn ...
described her at the time of her visit in 1798:
The Queen Dowager had invited us at déjeuner, and we left for Montbijou, a very simple manor slightly outside of Berlin, where she resides all year. It is sweet and well tendered but terribly small. She had it built herself, as well as the park and the garden. She is a small, very fat, middle aged lady, who walks so crooked that she looks like an old woman. You could mistake her for one of these fairies from an ancient tale. She is very polite and talkative and shines of a goodness which gives the witness of a kind heart and a noble character.
She died in
Berlin in 1805 having suffered a stroke.
Archives
Frederica Louisa's letters to her mother,
Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken, written between 1765 and 1773, are preserved in the Hessian State Archive (Hessisches Staatsarchiv Darmstadt) in Darmstadt, Germany. Frederica Louisa's letters to her father,
Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, as well as other persons, written between 1770 and 1805, are also preserved in the Hessian State Archive (Hessisches Staatsarchiv Darmstadt) in Darmstadt, Germany.
Issue
*
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, wh ...
(1770–1840); married
Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Luise Auguste Wilhelmine Amalie; 10 March 1776 – 19 July 1810) was Queen of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William III. The couple's happy, though short-lived, marriage produced nine child ...
and had issue.
* Princess Christine of Prussia (1772–1773)
*
Prince Louis Charles of Prussia (1773–1796); married
Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and had issue.
*
Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia (1774–1837); married
William I of the Netherlands and had issue.
* Stillborn son (born and died 1777)
*
Princess Augusta of Prussia (1780–1841); married
William II, Elector of Hesse.
*
Prince Henry of Prussia
Prince Henry of Prussia can refer to:
*Prince Henry of Prussia (1726–1802)
*Prince Henry of Prussia (1747–1767)
*Prince Henry of Prussia (1781–1846)
*Prince Henry of Prussia (1862–1929)
*Prince Henry of Prussia (1900–1904)
Prince Henry ...
(1781–1846)
*
Prince Wilhelm of Prussia
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
(1783–1851); married
Landgravine Marie Anna of Hesse-Homburg and had issue.
Ancestry
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt
1751 births
1805 deaths
People from Prenzlau
House of Hesse-Darmstadt
Landgravines of Hesse-Darmstadt
Crown princesses
Prussian royal consorts
Consorts of Brandenburg
Princesses of Neuchâtel
Burials at Berlin Cathedral
Prussian princesses
Electresses of Brandenburg
Queen mothers