Cecilia of Sweden (22 June 1807 in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

– 27 January 1844 in Oldenburg) 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 def ...

, a Swedish

princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...

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 List of Swedish monarchs, King of Sweden from 1792 until he Coup of 1809, was deposed in a coup in 1809. He was also the last Swedish monarch to be the ruler of Fin ...

and

Frederica of Baden Frederica of Baden (Frederica Dorothea Wilhelmina; 12 March 1781 – 25 September 1826) was List of Swedish royal consorts, Queen of Sweden from 1797 to 1809 as the Queen consort, consort of King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden, Gustav IV Adolf. Life ...

Biography

After birth, she was raised under the supervision of the royal governess Charlotte Stierneld. The youngest of four children, Cecilia left Sweden in 1810 with her family after her father was deposed as king of Sweden by the Coup of 1809. She was raised in her mother's home country, the

Grand Duchy of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden () was a German polity on the east bank of the Rhine. It originally existed as a sovereign state from 1806 to 1871 and later as part of the German Empire until 1918. The duchy's 12th-century origins were as a Margravia ...

(Germany). After her parents were divorced in 1812, she was raised mainly by her grandmother Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt in Bruchsal. She met Augustus, Grand Duke of Oldenburg 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. 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''. 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 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 region, cross-border Cultural area, cultural region in Northwestern Europe. Stretching along the Wadden Sea, it encompasses the north of the Netherlands and parts of northwestern Germany. Wider definitions of "Frisia" ...

) was named after her. Cecilia died at the age of 36 from puerperal fever, 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 burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

in the

Churchyard In Christian countries, a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church (building), church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster S ...

of St. Gertrude (St. Gertrudenkirchhof / Gertrudenfriedhof) in the city of Oldenburg. Her sister Amalia Maria Charlotta was also buried there. 1807 Cacilie

Marriage

She married Augustus, Grand Duke of Oldenburg (1783–1853) on 5 May 1831 in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. Both being members of the House of Holstein-Gottorp and descendants of Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin, 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,

Biography

Marriage

Ancestry

References

Further reading