Amalia of Oldenburg (; 21 December 181820 May 1875) was a
Bavarian princess who became
Queen of Greece
Consorts of the Kings of Greece were women married to the rulers of the Kingdom of Greece during their reign. All monarchs of modern Greece were male.The exception is King Otto, who was styled ''King of Greece''. Amalia, accordingly, is the only pe ...
from 1836 to 1862 as the wife of King
Otto Friedrich Ludwig. She was loved widely by the Greeks due to her patriotic love for the country and her beauty. During her tenure as queen, she was dedicated to social improvement and the founding of many gardens in Athens, and she was the first to introduce the worldwide
Christmas tree
A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. The custom was further developed in early modern ...
to Greece.
When she arrived in
Greece in 1837, she at first won the hearts of the Greeks with her refreshing beauty. After she became more politically involved, she then became the target of harsh attacks—and her image suffered further as she proved unable to provide an heir to the throne. She and her husband were expelled from Greece in 1862, after an uprising. She spent the rest of her years in exile in
Bavaria.
She acted as Regent of Greece in 1850-1851, and a second time in 1861-1862 during the absence of Otto.
Amalia is attributed to the creation of the “romantic folksy court dress,” which in return became Greece’s national costume.
Early life and marriage
Early years and family life
Duchess Amalia Maria Frederica was born on 21 December 1818 in
Oldenburg to
Duke Paul Frederick Augustus of Oldenburg and his wife
Princess Adelheid of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym
Princess Adelheid of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym (german: Prinzessin Adelheid von Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym; 23 February 180013 September 1820) was a princess of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym by birth as a daughter of Victor II, Pri ...
as their first child. She was less than two years old when her mother died, on 13 September 1820. Her father remarried in 1825 to
Princess Ida of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym
Princess Ida of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym (german: Prinzessin Ida von Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym; 10 March 1804 – 31 March 1828) was a princess of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym by birth as a daughter of Victor II, Prince of A ...
, though she soon died in 1828; his last marriage was with
Princess Cecilia of Sweden in 1831.
Due to her father’s marriages, Amalia had 5 siblings, 4 being born as
half-siblings: Duchess Frederica,
Duke Nikolaus Friedrich, Duke Alexander, Duke August, and
Anton Gunther Friedrich Elimar.
Marriage
On 22 December 1836, Duchess Amalia of Oldenburg married King
Otto Friedrich Ludwig in
Oldenburg. Born as the second son of King
Ludwig I of Bavaria, Prince Otto of Bavaria had been appointed king of the newly created
Kingdom of Greece in 1833. Otto visited Germany to find a bride after he had been declared to be of legal majority. He then met Amalia in
Marienbad in Bohemia.
Amalia was Lutheran and Otto was Catholic, and they were wed in both a Lutheran and Catholic wedding ceremony. It was an understanding, that while they were allowed to keep their religion, any child born to them would be raised in the Orthodox religion of Greece. On 14 February 1837 she arrived in Athens, in Greece.
Queen of Greece
In the early years of the new monarchy, Queen Amalia, with her beauty and vivaciousness, brought a spirit of smart fashion and progress to the impoverished country. She laboured actively towards social improvement and the creation of many gardens in Athens, and at first won the hearts of the Greeks with her refreshing beauty and the patriotic love she demonstrated for her new home country. Amalia was the first to introduce the Christmas tree to Greece.
During her first years in Greece, Athens was a relatively small town; the king and queen resided in a small house while the
Old Royal Palace was being built. Having few exceptions, the Royal Household was made up of mostly Germans. The queen's chamberlain and principal lady-in-waiting were the German couple Clemens von Weichs-Glon and Dorothea von Weichs-Glon, her favourite companion being
Julie von Nordenpflycht Julie von Nordenpflycht (1786–1842), was a Greek-German noblewoman, letter writer and court office holder. She was the lady-in-waiting of the queen of Greece, Amalia of Oldenburg.Lüth C. Fra Fredensborg til Athen: Fragment af en Kvindes Liv'. Co ...
. The queen's sister, Princess Frederike, lived with her in Greece for several years until she left after the September revolution of 1843.
[Lüth C. ]
Fra Fredensborg til Athen: Fragment af en Kvindes Liv
'. Copenhagen; Gyldendalske; 1926.
The diarist
Christiane Lüth Christiane Lüth (1817–1900), was a Danish-German diarist. She is known for her diary, regarded as a valuable source on the Greek Royal court under King Otto.
Life
Lüth was born on Nordsjælland, the daughter of the Danish official Heinr. Fr. ...
described the queen in 1839-40:
Christiane Lüth describes the court in Athens as a small community full of gossip: "The least pleasant thing was that there was always a German lackey on the servant seat who heard every word said; for the entire court staff was with few exceptions German. There was endless gossip, as the Queen felt an interest for the least important things, so that everything which could be forwarded to her by lackeys, lady's maids and chamber maids was „gefundenes Fressen“"
and that the queen was a "master" of gossip.
Queen Amalia loved to dance and ride,
arranged balls at court and could be seen riding in and around Athens, and in leisure activities which was common for upper-class women in Western Europe but new in Greece where women had normally lived in seclusion during the Ottoman Empire.
Succession crisis and political activity
As King Otto and his Bavarian advisers became more enmeshed in political struggles with Greek political forces, the queen became more politically involved, also. She became the target of harsh attacks when she became involved in politics. She remained a Protestant in an almost universally
Orthodox country throughout her husband's reign.
Christiane Lüth describes the role of the queen during the
3 September 1843 Revolution
The 3 September 1843 Revolution ( el, Επανάσταση της 3ης Σεπτεμβρίου 1843; N.S. 15 September), was an uprising by the Hellenic Army in Athens, supported by large sections of the people, against the autocratic rule of K ...
:
Lüth described the queen as nervous and pessimistic during the days following the revolution. She did not wish to hear sermon and had her books packed ready to leave if necessary, and advised her sister Princess Friederike to leave Greece since she could no longer guarantee her safety. The king and queen wrote to King
Louis of Bavaria Ludwig of Bavaria or Louis of Bavaria may refer to:
Dukes
*Louis I, Duke of Bavaria (1173–1231), Duke of Bavaria in 1183 and the Count of Palatinate of the Rhine in 1214. He was a son of Otto I
*Louis II, Duke of Bavaria (1229–1294), Duke of Ba ...
to ask for his assistance, but the queen remarked that they could not expect a response for six weeks, and by that time „und Gott weiss wo wir dann sind“
God's know how things stand' On the queen's
name day no ball was given at the Palace: "... it was not seen wise, one would not risk having a
Gustav III Masquerade. There are daily rumours that Athens will be set alight on all four corners, so to speak, and everyone massacered."
Initially, Queen Amalia's Lutheran religion was not given much attention, but the aversion to it grew when she did not give birth to a child which could be raised Orthodox. One of the biggest crises of Otto's reign, as well as Amalia's unpopularity, was the succession crisis. The cause of the childlessness of Otto and Amalia has been the cause of debate. During this time period, infertility was commonly considered the fault of the woman, and Amalia's frequent dancing and riding were blamed for it.
She was exposed to various fertility treatments until her 35th birthday. Otto's brothers were given the right to the throne after him, but it was rumoured that queen Amalia wished to have her own brother Elimar of Oldenburg appointed heir instead.
The queen was eventually given more influence. Amalia was given the right to govern as regent in the case of the absence or incapability of the monarch or the heir to the throne. She acted as Regent of Greece in 1850-1851 when Otto was in Germany for health reasons, and a second time in 1861-1862, when Otto visited his family in Bavaria to discuss the succession crisis.
Her political influence was controversial. Her favorites were considered to have influence over her, notably her principal lady-in-waiting Baroness
Wilhelmine von Plüskow Juliane ''Wilhelmine'' Ditlefine von Plüskow (née von Witzleben; 1793 –1872) was a German noblewoman and Greek court office holder. Von Plüskow was the principal lady-in-waiting of the queen of Greece Amalia of Oldenburg from 1839 to 1862. Von ...
was widely rumored to influence state affairs, particularly in matters relating to Austria, through both the queen and the king, which exposed her to controversy.
Fashion influence
When she arrived in
Greece as a queen in 1837, she had an immediate impact on social life and fashion. She realised that her attire ought to emulate that of her new people, and so she created a romantic folksy court dress, which became a national Greek costume still known as the ''Amalía dress''.
It follows the
Biedermeier
The ''Biedermeier'' period was an era in Central Europe between 1815 and 1848 during which the middle class grew in number and the arts appealed to common sensibilities. It began with the Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic Wars in ...
style with a loose-fitting, white cotton or silk shirt, often decorated with lace at the neck and cuffs, over which a richly embroidered jacket or vest is worn, usually of dark blue or claret
velvet. The skirt was ankle-length, unpressed-
pleat
A pleat (plait in older English) is a type of fold formed by doubling fabric back upon itself and securing it in place. It is commonly used in clothing and upholstery to gather a wide piece of fabric to a narrower circumference.
Pleats are cat ...
ed
silk, the color usually azure. It was completed with a soft cap or fez with a single, long, golden silk tassel, traditionally worn by married women, or with the ''kalpaki'' (a
toque) of the unmarried woman, and sometimes with a black
veil for church. This dress became the usual attire of all
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
townswomen in both
Ottoman Empire-occupied and liberated
Balkan
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
lands as far north as
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
.
Assassination attempt
In February 1861, a university student named
Aristeidis Dosios
Aristeidis Dosios ( el, Αριστείδης Δόσιος; 1844–1881) was a Greek economist, author and banker, best known for his attempted assassination of Queen Amalia. His father was the politician Konstantinos Dosios
Konstantinos Dosi ...
(son of politician
Konstantinos Dosios)
[Brekis, Spyros, L Ph.D.; ''Ίστορια της Νεωτέρας Ελλάδος'' (''History of Modern Greece'') ]n Greek
N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''.
History
...
2003. unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate the queen. He was sentenced to death, though Queen Amalia intervened and he was pardoned, and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was hailed as a
hero for his attempt by certain factions, but the attempt also provoked among the people spontaneous feelings of sympathy towards the royal couple.
Expulsion
Just over a year later,
an uprising took place in Athens while the royal couple were on a visit to the
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic regions of Greece, geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmu ...
. The
Great Powers
A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power in ...
, who had supported Otto, urged them not to resist, and Otto's reign came to an end. They left Greece aboard a British warship, with the Greek royal regalia that they had brought with them. It was reported in the press that the royal courtiers weren’t aspersed, however, the queen's controversial favorite,
Wilhelmine von Plüskow Juliane ''Wilhelmine'' Ditlefine von Plüskow (née von Witzleben; 1793 –1872) was a German noblewoman and Greek court office holder. Von Plüskow was the principal lady-in-waiting of the queen of Greece Amalia of Oldenburg from 1839 to 1862. Von ...
, was exposed to sarcasm from the crowd when she left.
It has been suggested that the king would not have been overthrown had Amalia borne an heir, as succession was also a major unresolved question at the time of uprising. It is also true, however, that the Constitution of 1843 made provision for Otto to be succeeded by his two younger brothers and their descendants.
Exile and death
Otto and Amalia spent the rest of their years in exile, at home in
Bavaria. They decided to speak
Greek each day between 6 and 8 o'clock to remember their time in Greece.
Otto died in 1867. Queen Amalia survived her husband by almost eight years and died in
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 ...
on 20 May 1875. She was buried beside the king at the
Theatinerkirche in
Munich.
The cause of the royal couple's infertility remained contested even after an autopsy was performed on the queen.
Legacy
Queen Amalia founded the
National Gardens of Athens in 1839, and an orphanage in Amaléion in 1855.
The town of
Amaliada
Amaliada ( el, Αμαλιάδα, Katharevousa: Ἀμαλιάς, ''Amaliás'') is a town and a former municipality in northwestern Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Ilida, of which it i ...
in
Elis and the village of
Amaliapolis in
Magnesia were named after the queen.
Archives
Queen Amalia's letters to her sister-in-law,
Princess Mathilde Caroline of Bavaria, Grand Duchess of Hesse, written between 1837 and 1861, are preserved in the Hessian State Archive (Hessisches Staatsarchiv Darmstadt) in Darmstadt, Germany.
Queen Amalia's letters to her brother
Peter II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg, written between 1861 and 1862, are preserved in the Niedersächsisches Landesarchiv in Oldenburg, Germany.
Titles
* 21 December 1818 – 20 May 1875: ''Her Highness'' Duchess Amalie of Oldenburg, Princess of Holstein-Gottorp
* 22 December 1836 – 23 October 1862: ''Her Majesty'' The Queen of Greece
* 23 October 1862 – 20 May 1875: ''Her Majesty'' Queen Amalia of Greece
Ancestry
References
* Brekis, Spyros L. Ph.D.; ''Ιστορια της Νεωτερας Ελλαδος'' (''History of Modern Greece'') (in Greek) (coursebook in the 'History of Modern Greece' course of the University of Athens)
* Zaoussis, Alexander L.; ''Αμαλια και Οθων'' (''Amalia and Othon'') (in Greek) Okeanida, 2002.
External links
Greek royal tombs*
*
*
{{Authority control
1818 births
1875 deaths
19th-century regents of Greece
19th-century Greek women
Greek princesses
Bavarian princesses
Burials at the Theatine Church, Munich
Duchesses of Oldenburg
Greek queens consort
History of Greece (1832–1862)
House of Wittelsbach
People from Oldenburg (city)
Greek Lutherans
Greek Protestants
German Lutherans
German Protestants
19th-century women rulers