Therese Charlotte Luise of Saxony-Hildburghausen (8 July 1792 – 26 October 1854) was
queen of Bavaria as the wife of King
Ludwig I.
Biography
Therese was a daughter of
Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, and
Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, eldest daughter of
Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charles II (Charles Louis Frederick; 10 October 1741 – 6 November 1816) was ruler of the state of Mecklenburg-Strelitz from 1794 until his death. Originally ruling as duke, he was raised to the rank of grand duke in 1815. Prior to succeeding to ...
. In 1809, she was on the list of possible brides for
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
, but on 12 October 1810 married the Bavarian
crown prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the w ...
Ludwig. Their wedding was the occasion of the first ever
Oktoberfest
The Oktoberfest (; bar, Wiesn, Oktobafest) is the world's largest Volksfest, featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival. It is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is a 16- to 18-day folk festival running from mid- or ...
.
She became queen in 1825. During the numerous love affairs of her husband, Therese suffered but tolerated the situation. She did not refrain, however, from demonstrating her disapproval in discreet ways; in 1831, she left town during one of his affairs, and she strictly rejected associating with the mistresses. Therese often assisted with the administration of the kingdom of Bavaria, especially when Ludwig was absent from Munich during his numerous journeys, and she did have some political influence and participated in political issues. She was very popular and was considered to embody an ideal image of queen, wife and mother. She was involved in a great number of charitable organizations for widows, orphans and the poor. She was the object of great sympathy during her husband's infidelity with
Lola Montez
Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld (17 February 1821 – 17 January 1861), better known by the stage name Lola Montez (), was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a Spanish dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludwig I ...
, which was one of many factors that contributed to his unpopularity and his abdication in 1848.
Children
Therese and Ludwig had nine children:
*
Maximilian (1811–1864), who married
Princess Marie of Prussia (1825–1889); King of Bavaria as Maximilian II from 1848 to 1864.
*
Mathilde Caroline (1813–1862), who married
Ludwig III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine
Louis III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (german: link=no, Großherzog Ludwig III von Hessen und bei Rhein; 9 June 1806, Darmstadt – 13 June 1877, Seeheim) was Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine from 1848 until his death in 1877.
Biograp ...
(1806–1877).
*
Otto (1815–1867), who married
Duchess Amalie of Oldenburg
Amalia of Oldenburg (; 21 December 181820 May 1875) was a Bavarian princess who became Queen of Greece 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 countr ...
(1818–1875); King of
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
as Otto I from 1832 to 1862.
* Theodelinde (1816–1817).
*
Luitpold (1821–1912), who married
Archduchess Auguste of Austria (1825–1864); Prince Regent of Bavaria (1886–1912).
*
Adelgunde (1823–1914), who married
Francis V, Duke of Modena (1819–1875).
*
Hildegard (1825–1864), who married
Archduke Albert of Austria (1817–1895) Duke of Teschen.
*
Alexandra
Alexandra () is the feminine form of the given name Alexander (, ). Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; GEN , ; meaning 'man'). Thus it may be roughly translated as "defender of man" or "p ...
(1826–1875).
*
Adalbert (1828–1875), who married
Infanta Amalia of Spain (1834–1905).
Honours
: Sovereign of the
Order of Saint Elizabeth
Ancestry
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saxe-Hildburghausen, Therese of
1792 births
1854 deaths
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 ...
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 ...
Bavarian queens consort
Deaths from cholera
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 ...
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 ...
Queen mothers