Countess Maria Wilhelmina von Neipperg (later Princess of Auersperg) (30 April 1738 - 21 October 1775) was an Austrian noble and court official, known as the mistress of

Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor Francis I (Francis Stephen; french: François Étienne; german: Franz Stefan; 8 December 1708 – 18 August 1765) was Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Grand Duke of Tuscany. He became the ruler of the Holy ...

. By birth, she was member of an ancient House of Neipperg and by marriage member of the House of Auersperg.

Early life

She was born as the third child and the youngest daughter of

Imperial Count Imperial Count (german: Reichsgraf) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. In the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from ...

Wilhelm Reinhard von Neipperg Count Wilhelm Reinhard von Neipperg (27 May 1684 – 26 May 1774) was an Austrian general. Biography Born in Schwaigern, the residence of the Lordship, from 1766 County of Neipperg, he descended from an ancient comital family from Swabia, his ...

(1684-1774) and his wife, Countess Maria Franziska Theresia von Khevenhüller-Frankenburg (1702-1760). Her father was the teacher and friend of Emperor Francis I.

Imperial court

She appeared at the

Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...

as a

maid-of-honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Role Traditionally, a queen ...

to the Empress in 1755. The Emperor soon became infatuated with her. He had begun to lose interest in his wife, Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, who by then had borne him 16 children.

Personal life

In April 1756, she married Prince Johann Adam Joseph von Auersperg (1721-1795), upon the wish of the Empress Maria Theresa. She remained in a ''liaison'' with the Emperor until his death in 1765, however she never had any position of being an official mistress, and their relationship, though known, was never confirmed. Wilhelmina also had an affair with

Charles-Joseph, Prince of Ligne Charles-Joseph Lamoral, 7th Prince de Ligne in French; in German Karl-Joseph Lamoral 7. Fürst von Ligne (also known as Karl Fürst von Ligne or ''Fürst de Ligne''): (23 May 1735 – 13 December 1814) was a field marshal, inhaber of an infant ...

. She had no children.

Legacy

Joachim Wilhelm von Brawe dedicated a tragedy to her.

References

Bibliography

* Goldsmith, Margaret Leland: ''Maria Theresa of Austria'' A. Barker, ltd. 1936 * Mahan, J. Alexander: ''Maria Theresa of Austria'' READ BOOKS 2007 * Morris, Constance Lily: ''Maria Theresa – The Last Conservative'' READ BOOKS 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Neipperg, Maria Wilhelmina von German countesses 1738 births Mistresses of Austrian royalty 1775 deaths Austrian ladies-in-waiting Mistresses of Bohemian royalty Mistresses of Hungarian royalty 18th-century Austrian people