Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen (17 June 1787

Hildburghausen Hildburghausen (IPA adapted from: ) is a town in Thuringia in central Germany, capital of the district Hildburghausen. Geography It is situated in the Franconian part of Thuringia south of the Thuringian Forest, in the valley of the Werra river ...

– 12 December 1847

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castle. C ...

) was the child of

Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (29 April 1763 in Hildburghausen – 29 September 1834 in Altenburg), was duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (1780–1826) and duke of Saxe-Altenburg (1826–1834). Biography He was the youngest child, but only ...

and his wife,

Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz , succession = Duchess consort of Saxe-Hildburghausen , image = Charlottesahi1800.JPG , caption = The Duchess of Saxe-Hildburghausen, 1800 , reign = 3 September 1785 – 14 May 1818 , spouse = , issue = , issu ...

. She was the wife of Prince Paul of Wurttemberg and mother to his five children.

Early life

Charlotte was the eldest daughter of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, and his wife Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. She was the second of twelve children. One of her godparents was

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...

of Russia. Along with her sisters,

Therese Therese or Thérèse is a variant of the feminine given name Teresa. It may refer to: Persons Therese *Duchess Therese of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1773–1839), member of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and a Duchess of Mecklenburg * Therese of B ...

and

Louise Louise or Luise may refer to: * Louise (given name) Arts Songs * "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005 * "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984 * "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013 * "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929 *"Louise", by Clan of ...

, Charlotte was considered quite a beauty. Poet

Friedrich Rückert Friedrich Rückert (16 May 1788 – 31 January 1866) was a German poet, translator, and professor of Oriental languages. Biography Rückert was born in Schweinfurt and was the eldest son of a lawyer. He was educated at the local '' Gymnasium'' ...

dedicated one of his works, ''Mit drei Moosrosen'', to these three young ladies. The title roughly translates to "Three Moss Roses".

Marriage and children

On 28 September 1805, she married

Prince Paul of Wurttemberg 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. Th ...

in an extravagant wedding, but it was not a happy marriage. They had numerous arguments, and Paul was said to have many

mistresses Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...

, with whom he had several affairs. However, during their marriage, they had five children: *

Princess Charlotte of Württemberg , birth_date = , birth_place = Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg, Confederation of the Rhine , death_date = , death_place = Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire , burial_place = Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire ...

(1807–1873); married

Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich of Russia (russian: Михаи́л Па́влович; ''Mikhail Pavlovich'') (8 February 1798 S 28 January– 9 September 1849 S 28 August was a Russian grand duke, the tenth child and fourth son of Paul I of ...

, taking the name "Elena Pavlovna" upon her conversion to the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

. *

Prince Frederick of Württemberg , image = Prinz Friedrich von Württemberg (1808-1870).jpg , caption = , reign = , coronation = , predecessor = , successor = , succession = , spouse = , issue = William II of Württemberg , house ...

(1808–1870); married his cousin, Princess Catherine Frederica of Württemberg. *Prince Paul of Württemberg (1809–1810); died at an early age *

Princess Pauline of Württemberg 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 ...

(1810–1856); married

Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau Wilhelm (Given names: ''Georg Wilhelm August Heinrich Belgicus''; 14 June 1792, Kirchheimbolanden – 20/30 August 1839, Bad Kissingen) was joint sovereign Duke of Nassau, along with his father's cousin Frederick Augustus, reigning from 1816 unt ...

Prince August of Württemberg , image = August of Wurttemberg.jpg , spouse = Marie Bethge , issue = Helene von Wardenberg , house =House of Württemberg , father =Prince Paul of Württemberg , mother =Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen , ...

(1813–1885); married

Marie Bethge Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in T ...

The couple separated soon after the birth of their fifth child. The idea of divorce was rejected by the King of Württemberg. Charlotte lived in a house called Sovereignty in Hildburghausen. Her eldest daughter, Princess Charlotte, visited her there quite often. Her brother, Frederick, was also a frequent visitor. Charlotte died at the Royal Palace in Bamberg and is buried in the crypt of the

House of Württemberg The House of Württemberg is a German dynasty and former royal family from Württemberg. History County The House probably originated in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty. Around 1080 the ancestors of modern Württemberg, which was then called ...

in Ludwigsburg. Soon after Charlotte's death, Paul remarried. Charlotte was the

maternal grandmother Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually-reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genetic g ...

Sofia of Nassau Sophia of Nassau (Sophia Wilhelmine Marianne Henriette; 9 July 1836 – 30 December 1913) was Queen of Sweden and Norway as the wife of King Oscar II. She was Queen of Sweden for 35 years, longer than anyone before her, and the longest-servin ...

, who became the

Queen Consort of Sweden Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

(1872–1907).

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charlotte Of Saxe-Hildburghausen, Princess 1787 births 1847 deaths House of Saxe-Hildburghausen Princesses of Württemberg People from Hildburghausen Princesses of Saxe-Hildburghausen Princesses of Saxe-Altenburg