Countess Sophie Marie von Voß (1729-1814) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

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 ...

and

memoirist A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...

. She was the influential confidant and ''

Oberhofmeisterin Court Mistress ( da, hofmesterinde; nl, hofmeesteres; german: Hofmeisterin; no, hoffmesterinne; sv, hovmästarinna) or Chief Court Mistress ( da, Overhofmesterinde; ('grand mistress'); ; no, overhoffmesterinne; sv, överhovmästarinna; russia ...

'' (

mistress of the Robes The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. Formerly responsible for the queen consort's/regnant's clothes and jewellery (as the name implies), the post had the responsibility for arranging the rota ...

) for many decades at the

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

n royal court. Her memoirs have also been published.

Early life

Sophie Marie was the only daughter of Wolf Adolf von Pannwitz (1679–1750) and his wife, Johanna Maria Auguste von Jasmund (1702-1771). She had an older brother, Friedrich Wilhelm von Pannwitz (1719-1790),

Knight Commander Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders. The title of Commander occurred in the medieval mili ...

of the

Order of Saint John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

Biography

From 1743 until 1751, she served as maid of honor to queen Sophia Dorothea. Prince August William of Prussia fell in love with her, and to discontinue what could have developed into a socially unacceptable affair, and end the difficult situation created when the prince reacted with jealous fits, she was married to her cousin, Count Johann Ernst von Voss (1726-1793), in 1751. From 1763 until 1793, her spouse had the office of chamberlain of the household of queen Elisabeth Christine at

Schönhausen Palace Schönhausen Palace (german: Schloss Schönhausen) is a Baroque palace at Niederschönhausen, in the borough of Pankow, Berlin, Germany. It is surrounded by gardens through which the Panke river runs. The palace is maintained by the Prussian Pal ...

, which meant that she often attended court. In 1787, the crown prince committed bigamy with the daughter of her brother-in-law, Julie von Voss. After the death of her spouse in 1793, she temporarily retired to her estates in Mecklenburg. From 1793 until 1810, she served as mistress of the robes to the new crown princess,

Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Luise Auguste Wilhelmine Amalie; 10 March 1776 – 19 July 1810) was Queen of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William III. The couple's happy, though short-lived, marriage produced nine child ...

. She accompanied the Prussian royal family to East Prussia during the invasion of Napoleon in 1806 to 1807. After Queen Louise's death, king

Frederick William III Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, wh ...

relied upon Voß's company. With Voß's help, Prince

Wilhelm zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein Wilhelm Ludwig Georg, Fürst zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein (October 9, 1770 - April 11 , 1851) was a Prussian statesman and confidant of Friedrich Wilhelm III who once held the post of Interior minister. With Karl Albert von Kamptz, the Justice ...

was introduced to the king's circle. In 1811, after the death of Queen Louise, she returned to her residence in Berlin. She died in Berlin in 1814.

References

* Sophie Marie Gräfin von Voss: Neunundsechzig Jahre am Preußischen Hofe. Aus den Erinnerungen. Aus dem Französischen übersetzt. Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1876 (Digitalisat; 5. Auflage 1887: Digitalisat); Neuausgabe nach der Textgestalt der 5. Auflage 1887: Berlin Story Verlag, Berlin, 3. Auflage 2005,

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Voss, Sophie Marie von 1729 births 1814 deaths German ladies-in-waiting German memoirists Women memoirists Governesses to the Prussian court Voss family