Juliane Giovane (21 December 1766, in

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg is ...

– August 1805, in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

), was a German writer, as well as a

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 ...

for Queen Maria Caroline of Naples.

Life

She married Duke Nicola Giovene di Girasole on 18 April 1786 and they had two children. Their son Carlo was born on 30 April 1787, Queen Maria Caroline was his godmother, their daughter Elisabetta died in childhood. In 1787, she met

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 ...

in Naples and spoke to him about her desire to become a writer. She witnessed an eruption of

Mount Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ; it, Vesuvio ; nap, 'O Vesuvio , also or ; la, Vesuvius , also , or ) is a somma-stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of s ...

and collected minerals and wrote a

treatise A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject and its conclusions."Treat ...

mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proces ...

. After separating from her husband in 1790 she moved to Vienna. Her son remained in Naples and in 1796 she wrote ''Idèes sur la maniére de rendre les voyage des jeunes gens utils à leur propre culture...'' dedicated to him. Giovane made a name for herself at the Viennese court in 1795 through her writings on education and became employed as a Hofmeister in the court of the Archduchess Marie Louise, the granddaughter of Queen Maria Caroline. She was the winner of the

Star Cross Order The Order of the Starry Cross (or Order of the Star Cross/Star Cross Order; German: ''Sternkreuz-Orden'') is an imperial Austrian dynastic order for Catholic noble ladies, founded in 1668. The order still exists under the House of Habsburg-Lorrain ...

. On 16 January 1794,

Frederick William II of Prussia Frederick William II (german: Friedrich Wilhelm II.; 25 September 1744 – 16 November 1797) was King of Prussia from 1786 until his death in 1797. He was in personal union the Prince-elector of Brandenburg and (via the Orange-Nassau inherita ...

announced she was to be included in the

Prussian Academy of Sciences The Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences (german: Königlich-Preußische Akademie der Wissenschaften) was an academy established in Berlin, Germany on 11 July 1700, four years after the Prussian Academy of Arts, or "Arts Academy," to which "Berlin ...

, becoming the second female member. She was also an honorary member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien) is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special ...

. From 1800 to 1804 she lived in Vienna with Josephine Deym.Angabe bei Reitberger, S. 129 Due to her poor health she then moved into the home of the Brunszvik family where she died in 1805.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giovane, Juliane 1766 births 1805 deaths Italian ladies-in-waiting 18th-century women writers