Cecilia of Sweden (22 June 1807 in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
– 27 January 1844 in
Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to:
Places
*Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica
*Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany
**Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony
*Olde ...
) was a
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
, a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
princess
Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince.
Princess as a subst ...
by birth, and
Grand Duchess of Oldenburg by marriage. She was the daughter of King
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
Gustav IV Adolf or Gustav IV Adolph (1 November 1778 – 7 February 1837) was King of Sweden from 1792 until he was deposed in a coup in 1809. He was also the last Swedish monarch to be the ruler of Finland.
The occupation of Finland in 1808–09 ...
and
Frederica of Baden
Princess Frederica Dorothea Wilhelmina of Baden (12 March 1781 – 25 September 1826) was Queen of Sweden from 1797 to 1809 as the consort of King Gustav IV Adolf.
Life Early life
Frederica of Baden was born in Karlsruhe in the Grand Duchy of Ba ...
.
Biography
After birth, she was raised under the supervision of the royal governess
Charlotte Stierneld
Christina Charlotta "Charlotte" Stierneld née ''Gyldenstolpe'' (1766-1825) was a Swedish courtier; governess for the royal children in 1802-1809, and ''överhovmästarinna'' (Mistress of the Robes) to the queen of Sweden, Hedvig Elisabeth Charlott ...
. The youngest of four children, Cecilia left Sweden in 1810 with her family after her father was
deposed
Deposition by political means concerns the removal of a politician or monarch.
ORB: The Online Reference for Med ...
as king of Sweden by the
Coup of 1809
The Coup of 1809 ( sv, Statskuppen 1809) also referred to as the Revolution of 1809 (Swedish: ''Revolutionen 1809'') was a Swedish coup d'état by a group of noblemen led by Georg Adlersparre. The coup resulted in the deposition of King Gustav IV ...
. She was raised in her mother's home country, the
Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden (german: Großherzogtum Baden) was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.
It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subs ...
(Germany). After her parents were divorced in 1812, she was raised mainly by her grandmother
Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt
Princess Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt (20 June 1754 – 21 June 1832) was a Hereditary Princess of Baden by marriage to Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden. She was the daughter of Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, Ludwig IX, Landgrave of ...
in
Bruchsal
Bruchsal (; orig. Bruohselle, Bruaselle, historically known in English as Bruxhall; South Franconian: ''Brusel'') is a city at the western edge of the Kraichgau, approximately 20 km northeast of Karlsruhe in the state of Baden-Württemberg, ...
.
She met
Augustus, Grand Duke of Oldenburg
, succession = Grand Duke of Oldenburg
, reign = 21 May 1829 – 27 February 1853
, predecessor = Peter I
, successor = Peter II
, spouse =
, issue =
, house = Holstein-Gottorp
, father ...
in 1830, and after an hour's conversation, the marriage was decided. She went to her brother in Vienna, where her wedding took place in the presence of the Austrian Emperor
Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to:
* Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407)
* Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450
* Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547
* Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...
. She relocated to the city of Oldenburg in June 1831.
Cecilia had an interest in culture. As Grand Duchess of Oldenburg she composed the melody of a hymn for Oldenburg. The hymn was later added with lyrics by Theodor von Kobbe and named ''‘Heil dir, o Oldenburg’''. In 1833, Cecila supported the founding of the city's first theatre, which today is the ''
Oldenburgisches Staatstheater
The Oldenburgisches Staatstheater (Oldenburg State Theatre) is a German theater in the city of Oldenburg, Lower Saxony.
Beginnings
The theatre was first opened in the times of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, on 1 February 1833. At that time it was ...
''. She was, however, never known to be close to the population in Oldenburg, where she lived a life confined to the circles of the court. A bridge, a square and a road are named after her, as well as a school. In honour of the late Cecilia, the locality Cäciliengroden at the
Jade Bight
The Jade Bight (or ''Jade Bay''; german: Jadebusen) is a bight or bay on the North Sea coast of Germany. It was formerly known simply as ''Jade'' or ''Jahde''. Because of the very low input of freshwater, it is classified as a bay rather than an ...
near
Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsha ...
(later incorporated into
Sande in
Frisia
Frisia is a cross-border cultural region in Northwestern Europe. Stretching along the Wadden Sea, it encompasses the north of the Netherlands and parts of northwestern Germany. The region is traditionally inhabited by the Frisians, a West Ger ...
) was named after her.
Cecilia died at the age of 36 from
puerperal fever
Postpartum infections, also known as childbed fever and puerperal fever, are any bacterial infections of the female reproductive tract following childbirth or miscarriage. Signs and symptoms usually include a fever greater than , chills, lower ab ...
, a few days after giving birth to her third child Elimar. She was
buried in the Ducal
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
in the
Churchyard
In Christian countries a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster-Scots, this can also ...
of
St. Gertrude (St. Gertrudenkirchhof / Gertrudenfriedhof) in the city of Oldenburg. Her sister
Amalia Maria Charlotta was also buried there.
Marriage
She married
Augustus, Grand Duke of Oldenburg
, succession = Grand Duke of Oldenburg
, reign = 21 May 1829 – 27 February 1853
, predecessor = Peter I
, successor = Peter II
, spouse =
, issue =
, house = Holstein-Gottorp
, father ...
(1783–1853) on 5 May 1831 in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
. Both being members of the
House of Holstein-Gottorp
Holstein-Gottorp or Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp () is the historiographical name, as well as contemporary shorthand name, for the parts of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, also known as Ducal Holstein, that were ruled by the dukes of Schlesw ...
and descendants of
Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin
Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp-Eutin (11 January 167324 April 1726) was a cadet of the reigning ducal House of Holstein-Gottorp who became prince of Eutin, prince-bishop of Lübeck and regent of the Duchy of Holstein-Gottorp.
He was the fath ...
, they were distant cousins. It was Augustus' third marriage.
They had three sons:
* Alexander Friedrich Gustav (16 June 1834 – 6 June 1835)
* Nikolaus Friedrich August (15 February 1836 – 30 April 1837)
*
Anton Günther Friedrich Elimar (23 January 1844 – 17 October 1895)
Ancestry
References
* ''This article is partially based on its equivalent on Spanish Wikipedia''
* Gisela Niemöller: Die Engelinnen im Schloß. Eine Annäherung an Cäcilie, Amalie und Friederike von Oldenburg. Isensee, Oldenburg 1997,
Further reading
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cecilia of Sweden
House of Holstein-Gottorp
Cecilia 1807
Daughters of kings
Disinherited European royalty
Grand Duchesses of Oldenburg
Deaths in childbirth
1807 births
1844 deaths
Burials at the Ducal Mausoleum, Gertrudenfriedhof (Oldenburg)
Swedish women composers
Swedish composers
19th-century composers
People from Stockholm
19th-century women composers
Royal reburials