Ida Hedevig von Moltke née von Buchwaldt (1744–1816) was a
Danish countess of
German origin and a letter writer.
Life
She was born to
German nobleman
The German nobility (german: deutscher Adel) and royalty were status groups of the medieval society in Central Europe, which enjoyed certain privileges relative to other people under the laws and customs in the German-speaking area, until the begi ...
Frederik von Buchwald and Henriette Emilie von Holstein and became the cousin of
Amalie Sofie von Holstein and sister-in-law of
Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff
Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff (german: Johann Hartwig Ernst Graf von Bernstorff; 13 May 1712 – 18 February 1772) was a German-Danish statesman and a member of the Bernstorff noble family of Mecklenburg. He was the son of Joachim ...
. In 1760, she married the courtier Count Christian Frederik von
Moltke
The House of Moltke is the name of an old German noble family. The family was originally from Mecklenburg, but apart from Germany, some of the family branches also resided throughout Scandinavia. Members of the family have been noted as pigfarme ...
(1736–1771).
The court office of her first spouse made her a participator in Danish court life, where she became known for her love life. While her spouse was the lover of
Elisabet von Eyben
Elisabet von Eyben (1745–1780), was a Danish courtier, lady in waiting to the queen consort of Denmark, Caroline Matilda of Great Britain, from 1766 until 1771. She was the queen's confidante in her love affair with Johann Friedrich Struensee bu ...
, she had an affair with the Spanish envoy Sebastian de Llano y la Quadra. Although her spouse was on the queen's side against the king's favorite
Conrad Holck
Frederik Vilhelm Conrad Holck (1745–1800) was a Danish nobleman and courtier.
Biography
Holck was the son of Major General Christian Christopher Holck til Orebygård (1698–1774) and Ermegaard Sophie Winterfeldt (1702–56). He was raised ...
, he lost his office in 1771 and the couple had to leave court.
When Moltke died shortly after, a scandal occurred when his widow was accused of having caused his death by infecting him with a venereal disease, by having caused him to commit suicide out of sorrow because of her adultery, or by having been poisoned by her and her lover courtier nobleman Karl Adolf von Plessen. In 1771, she married Karl Adolf von Plessen shortly after she became a widow, which made them suspicious. They were never openly accused.
Karl Adolf von Plessen belonged to the circle of
Schack Carl Rantzau–Ascheberg, who planned to make an alliance with Sweden against Russia, during which her spouse was to be sent as an agent to Sweden and
Enevold Brandt
Count Enevold Brandt (1738 - 28 April 1772) was a Danish courtier.
Biography
Brandt was born in Copenhagen, and studied law at the University of Copenhagen. He became assistant judge of the Supreme Court of Copenhagen in 1764, royal chamberlai ...
to France. These plans were never realized.
Her preserved correspondence is generally regarded as a valuable historic source about the courtiers of the Danish royal court of her time.
[August Fjelstrup: Damerne ved Karoline Mathildes Hof, 1909.]
See also
*
Luise Gramm
References
Sources
* August Fjelstrup: ''Damerne ved Karoline Mathildes Hof'', 1909.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moltke, Ida Hedevig
1744 births
1816 deaths
18th-century Danish people
18th-century Danish letter writers
19th-century Danish writers
18th-century Danish women writers
Women letter writers
Danish countesses