Category Archives: Brunswick Royals

Viktoria Luise of Prussia, Princess of Hanover, Duchess of Brunswick

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Viktoria Luise, c1918. source: Wikipedia

Viktoria Luise of Prussia, Princess of Hanover, Duchess of Brunswick

Princess Viktoria Luise Adelheid Mathilde Charlotte of Prussia was the last Duchess of Brunswick through her marriage to Prince Ernst August of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick. She was born on September 13, 1892, at the Marble Palace in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, the youngest child and only daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia and Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. Viktoria Luise had six older brothers:

Viktoria Luise with her parents and siblings, c1896. source: Wikipedia

The young princess was christened on October 22, 1892, and named for her great-grandmother – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and her great-great-grandmother – Queen Luise of Prussia. As the youngest child and only daughter, she was her father’s favorite and could do no wrong in his eyes. She was educated privately at home, studying religion and music, as well as developing a love of athletic pursuits. From a young age, she became an accomplished hunter and rider. In 1900, the Hamburg-American Line named a ship in her honor. The Prinzessin Viktoria Luise would be the world’s first cruise ship.

Prince Ernst August of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick. source: Wikipedia

Viktoria Luise met her future husband in 1912 when he came to Berlin to personally thank the Emperor for sending two of his sons to the funeral of Ernst August’s brother. While there, the couple met and quickly fell in love. However, there was political tension between Prussia and Hanover, as Ernst August’s father, also named Ernst August, Duke of Cumberland, refused to relinquish his claims to the Hanoverian throne. For this reason, the Emperor had not allowed him to succeed to the Duchy of Brunswick, to which he was also the rightful heir. Finally, after months of negotiations, a compromise was reached which would allow Viktoria Luise and Ernst August to marry. The Duke of Cumberland renounced his rights to the throne of Hanover for himself and his heirs. He also ceded his rights to the Duchy of Brunswick, which allowed the younger Ernst August to become reigning Duke. After all of these negotiations, Viktoria Luise and Ernst August were engaged on February 11, 1913.

Their wedding was held in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, on May 24, 1913, and was one of the largest gatherings of royalty in Germany since the establishment of the German Empire in 1871. It would also be one of the last large social events before World War I, attended by 1,200 guests, including the British King and Queen and the Russian Emperor and Empress. Six months later, Ernst August was formally created Duke of Brunswick. He and Viktoria Luise took up residence in Brunswick, where they had five children:

Viktoria Luise and Ernst August, c1918. source: Wikipedia

Viktoria Luise’s husband was forced to abdicate on November 8, 1918, when the monarchies in Germany were abolished. The following year, he also lost his British title as a Prince of the United Kingdom under the Titles Deprivation Act. 1918 also saw the abdication of Viktoria Luise’s father, who lived the rest of his life in exile at Huis Doorn in Doorn, Netherlands. The couple lived at several of their estates, including Blankenburg Castle, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, where Viktoria Luise continued her support of philanthropic causes, promoted restoration projects for several of the old palaces, and indulged in her love of horses and hunting. When Blankenburg was expropriated by the Soviets in 1945, Viktoria Luise and her family were forced to flee. Under orders of her second cousin, King George VI of the United Kingdom, British army troops were sent to Blankenburg to transport all of their belongings to Marienburg Castle in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany, the couple’s privately owned property, where they lived for the next eight years.

Viktoria Luise was widowed in 1953, and the following year her son turned Marienburg Castle into a museum, uprooting Viktoria Luise and causing a rift between mother and son. The relationship became further strained over their disagreement on her appanage and public role. Her son wanted her to retire quietly, but Viktoria Luise had no intention of that! He offered her several residences, but instead she moved to the Riddagshausen district of Brunswick, moving into a home provided to her by a group called the Brunswick Circle of Friends. With the support of this group, she continued to be involved in her charitable works and maintained her position in society. After living many years in Brunswick, her health began to fail in the fall of 1980, and she moved to the Friederikestift, a hospital in Hanover.

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The Dowager Duchess of Brunswick died in Hanover, Germany on December 11, 1980, at the age of 88. She was the last surviving child of Wilhelm II, having outlived her siblings by over 22 years. Viktoria Luise is buried beside her husband, in front of the Royal Mausoleum in the Berggarten at Herrenhausen Gardens in Hanover, Germany.

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Brunswick Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Ernst August III of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Duchy of Brunswick: The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the Congress of Vienna turned Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel into an independent country called the Duchy of Brunswick in 1815. Ernst August III, the last Duke of Brunswick was forced to abdicate on November 8, 1918, as the German Empire came to an end. Today the land that encompassed the Duchy of Brunswick is in the German state of  Lower Saxony. Since 1866, the senior heir of the House of Hanover has been the pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of Hanover.

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photo: By Dora Tarnke, Braunschweig – Original publication: Published as a print in Europe.Immediate source: Private Collection – Wartenberg Trust, PD-US, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36382755

Ernst August III of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick

Ernst August of Hanover was the last reigning Duke of Brunswick and the pretender to the throne of Hanover. He was born Prince Ernst August Christian Georg on November 17, 1887, in Penzig, Austria, the youngest child of Ernst August II, Crown Prince of Hanover and Princess Thyra of Denmark. He had five siblings:

Ernst August’s father was heir to the Duchy of Brunswick and should have succeeded as Duke following the death of the reigning Duke of Brunswick in 1884. However, in 1866, Hanover had been annexed by Prussia, and the Crown Prince refused to renounce his claim to the throne. The German Chancellor, Otto von Bismark, persuaded the Federal Council to decree that it would not be in the interests of Germany for the Crown Prince to gain the throne of Brunswick, and instead installed a Regent, Prince Albrecht of Prussia. The regency continued after Albrecht’s death in 1906, with Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg-Schwerin named as his successor.

The situation severely strained the relationship between the Hanovers and the German Emperor. However, this would change in 1912, when Ernst August’s eldest brother, Georg, was killed in a car crash. Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia sent condolences to the Crown Prince, who in turn sent his youngest and only surviving son Ernst August, to Berlin to personally thank the Emperor. While there, Ernst August met, and quickly fell in love with, the Emperor’s only daughter, Princess Viktoria Luise.

Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia

Ernst August and Viktoria Luise became engaged on February 11, 1913. At that time, Ernst August took an oath of loyalty to the Emperor and was commissioned as a cavalry officer and company commander in the Zieten-Hussars, a Prussian Army regiment that had previously included his grandfather and great-grandfather as Colonels. With the Emperor’s blessing and the required consent from the British King George V, the couple was married in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Hanover, on May 24, 1913. The wedding was one of the last large gatherings of European royalty before World War I began the following year, attended by 1,200 guests including numerous reigning monarchs. Ernst August and Viktoria Luise had five children:

Ernst August, Duke of Brunswick, c1916.  photo: By Gustav Rienäcker  Own work, Medvedev, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33646335

Just over five months after the wedding, Ernst August’s father renounced his claim to the Duchy of Brunswick, in favor of his son. The Federal Council voted to allow the younger Ernst August to become reigning Duke, which he did on November 1, 1913. His reign, however, would be rather short-lived. He was forced to abdicate on November 8, 1918, as the German Empire came to an end.

Following his father’s death in 1923, Ernst August became head of the House of Hanover. However, he was unable to inherit his father’s Dukedom of Cumberland, as that title had been suspended by the British government under the Titles Deprivation Act of 1917. Ernst August and his family were able to remain in Hanover, and lived his remaining years at his various properties, including Cumberland Castle (link in German) in Gmunden, Austria, Marienburg Castle in Hanover, and Blankenburg Castle in Harz.

Graves of Ernst August and Viktoria Luise, in front of the Mausoleum. photo: By Vivimeri – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16765011

Ernst August III of Hanover, the last Duke of Brunswick, died at Marienburg Castle in Hanover, Germany on January 30, 1953. He and his wife are buried in front of the Mausoleum (link in German) in Herrenhausen Gardens.

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Brunswick Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Duchy of Brunswick: The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the Congress of Vienna turned Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel into an independent country called the Duchy of Brunswick in 1815. Ernst August III, the last Duke of Brunswick was forced to abdicate on November 8, 1918, as the German Empire came to an end. Today the land that encompassed the Duchy of Brunswick is in the German state of  Lower Saxony.

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Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick; Credit – Wikipedia

Wilhelm was the second Duke of Brunswick, reigning from 1830 until 1884. He was born Prince Wilhelm August Ludwig Maximilian Friedrich of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in Brunswick, Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in Lower Saxony, Germany, on April 25, 1806, the younger son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Princess Marie of Baden. He had one older brother:

Following the death of his mother in 1808, and then his father in 1815, Wilhelm and his brother were placed under the guardianship of The Prince Regent (the future King George IV of the United Kingdom). From an early age, Wilhelm began a military career in both Prussian and Hanoverian regiments, later reaching the ranks of General and Field Marshal.

Upon their father’s death, the brothers inherited their father’s estates in Oels, a town in Silesia, now in Szczodre, Poland. After Karl reached his majority and took control of the government in Brunswick, he ceded the Oels estates to Wilhelm who would spend a large part of his life there.

Wilhelm, c1870. source: Wikipedia

When his brother Karl II was forced to flee Brunswick in September 1830, Wilhelm came to the Duchy and took the helm of the government as Regent. The following year, in May 1831, the German Confederation declared that Karl was no longer able to govern and that Wilhelm was his successor. While this cleared the way for Wilhelm to become the reigning Duke, it did not address the possibility of any heirs that Karl may have. This was resolved by a family law within the House of Guelph which formally made Wilhelm the reigning Duke, backdated to September 10, 1830, the day after his elder brother had fled.

Under Wilhelm’s regency, the Duchy of Brunswick was granted a new constitution that extended significant fundamental rights to the people. He quickly became much more popular than his brother had ever been. He let his government do much of the ruling, leaving his ministers to handle most of the government business, and spending much of his time at his estates in Oels.

Sibyllenort Castle, photographed in 1932. photo: by Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-13153 / CC-BY-SA, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5480895

Wilhelm died at Sibyllenort Castle in Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia now in Szczodre, Poland, on October 18, 1884. He is buried in the crypt at Brunswick Cathedral in Brunswick, Duchy of Brunswick, now in Lower Saxony, Germany. As he had no heir, the ducal throne should have passed to Ernst August of Hanover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland. However, because Ernst August refused to renounce his claim to the throne of Hanover which had been annexed by Prussia in 1866, Wilhelm I, King of Prussia (later also German Emperor) refused to allow him to succeed as Duke of Brunswick. Despite this, Wilhelm passed all his personal possessions to the Duke of Cumberland upon his death. Two regents – Prince Albrecht of Prussia (1885-1906) and Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1906-1913) – ruled over Brunswick for the next 23 years. In 1913, after the Duke’s son married the daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia, and the Duke renounced his succession rights, the Duke’s son – Ernst August – was allowed to succeed as Duke of Brunswick.

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Brunswick Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Karl II, Duke of Brunswick

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Duchy of Brunswick: The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the Congress of Vienna turned Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel into an independent country called the Duchy of Brunswick in 1815. Ernst August III, the last Duke of Brunswick was forced to abdicate on November 8, 1918, as the German Empire came to an end. Today the land that encompassed the Duchy of Brunswick is in the German state of  Lower Saxony.

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Karl II, Duke of Brunswick; Credit – Wikipedia

Karl II, Duke of Brunswick

Karl II, Duke of Brunswick, was born in Brunswick, Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in Lower Saxony, Germany,  on October 30, 1804, to Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Princess Marie of Baden. Through his father, he was a great-great-grandson of King George II of Great Britain. Karl had one younger brother:

After his mother died in 1808, Karl and his brother were sent to live with his maternal grandmother, the former Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt, while their father raised forces to fight alongside the Austrians against Napoleon. The following year, their father escaped to England and sent for his sons to join him.

The Prince Regent, painting in 1816. source: Wikipedia

In 1815, the Duchy of Brunswick was established by the Congress of Vienna. That same year, on June 16, 1815, Karl’s father died in battle, and Karl became the reigning Duke of Brunswick. He and his brother were placed under the guardianship of their father’s first cousin (and their uncle by marriage), The Prince Regent of Great Britain – the future King George IV of the United Kingdom and of Hanover. The Prince Regent also reigned in Brunswick on Karl’s behalf. When Karl turned 18 in 1822, he claimed his majority, but the Prince Regent claimed that he would not reach his majority until turning 21. A compromise was reached, and Karl took control of the government on his 19th birthday in 1823. Four years later, Karl tried to invalidate several of the laws established during his minority. This caused great conflict with Hanover, and the German Confederation stepped in, ordering Karl to accept the laws.

In 1830, Karl was in Paris when the July Revolution broke out. He fled the city and returned to Brunswick, announcing that he intended to squash any sort of revolutionary actions by force. This further caused dislike by the people of Brunswick. After being attacked while returning from the theater one evening, and a large mob attempting to storm the palace the next day, Karl fled Brunswick on September 7, 1830. Three days later, his brother Wilhelm arrived in Brunswick and was greeted with large crowds of supporters. A year later, by family law of the House of Guelph, Karl was deemed to have ended his reign on September 9, 1830.

Karl made several attempts to return and regain the throne, but all were unsuccessful. He spent the next 40 years living in London and Paris. The subject of many allegations of impropriety, homosexuality, and other eccentricities, Karl sued several publishers for libel. In 1849, he sued a publisher for republishing a libelous article from years earlier. This case established a precedent in English defamation law, ruling that plaintiffs could sue again if the original libel was re-published. This ruling remained intact until The Defamation Act of 2013.

The Brunswick Monument. photo: By Tommes – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44155891

When the Franco-Prussian War began in 1870, Karl was forced to leave Paris and settled at the Beau-Rivage Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland, where he died on August 19, 1873.  As he never married and had no direct heirs, Karl left his entire estate to the City of Geneva, on the condition that they built a large tomb for him in a prominent location in the city. The Brunswick Monument was built, largely to Karl’s specific design, in the Garden of the Alps in Geneva, and the Duke’s remains were interred there in 1879.

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Brunswick Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Queen of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Credit – Wikipedia

Born on September 4, 1729, Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was the youngest of the six daughters and the eleventh of the thirteen children of Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Juliana Maria and her siblings were first cousins of Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia and brothers-in-law/sisters-in-law of King Friedrich (the Great) II of Prussia.

Juliana Maria had twelve siblings:

Juliana Maria’s father died when she was six-years-old, having had only a six-month reign as Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. The House of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was one of the smaller German princely families and Juliana Maria had a simple, strict upbringing.

Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 19, 1751, Louisa of Great Britain, the wife of King Frederik V of Denmark and Norway died while pregnant with her sixth child. Despite having parents with very strict religious beliefs, Frederik V had a very sensual nature and loved wine and women. He spent so much time visiting Copenhagen’s taverns and brothels that his father King Christian VI considered disinheriting him from the throne. When Frederik’s marriage to the youngest daughter of King George II of Great Britain was proposed, the Danish government hoped (incorrectly) that marriage would put a damper on Frederik’s affairs and drunkenness.

However, that strategy did not work as during the early years of his marriage to Louisa, Frederik had an affair with Else Hansen, known as Madame Hansen and they had five children. After Frederik became king in 1746, he took part in the government by attending council meetings, but he was afflicted with alcoholism and most of his reign was dominated by very able ministers such as Count Adam Gottlob Moltke, Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff, and Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann.

King Frederik V of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Count Moltke thought it would be a good idea if Frederik married again as soon as possible in hopes of stabilizing his behavior. Frederik preferred another British wife, but there was no British princess at an appropriate age. Count Moltke drew Frederik’s attention to Juliana Maria. Her portrait was sent to Denmark and it pleased Frederik. 29-year-old Frederik and 22-year-old Juliana Maria were married at Frederiksborg Palace on July 8, 1752. However, many Danish people felt the marriage occurred too quickly after the death of the beloved Queen Louisa.

The couple had one child:

Hereditary Prince Frederik by Vigilius Eriksen, 1777; Credit – Wikipedia

Her marriage to Frederik V also brought Juliana Maria four stepchildren, but she had no influence in their upbringing:

Despite her efforts, Juliana Maria found it difficult to replace Queen Louisa in the hearts of the Danish people. While Louisa had learned Danish and had insisted that her children learn Danish, a rarity in an almost German-language Danish court, Juliana Maria never fully mastered the Danish language although she did try to speak and write it. She appointed Danish tutors for her son so that he could master Danish. King Frederik V continued his affairs and his drinking and as Louisa had done, Juliana Maria pretended not to notice the problems. Juliana Maria led a quiet life and had no influence in government affairs despite the expectation of her brother-in-law King Friedrich II (the Great) of Prussia that she act as his agent.

In 1760, King Frederik V broke his leg in a drunken accident, affecting his health for the rest of his life. Frederik V died on January 14, 1766, at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark at the age of 42. He was buried at Roskilde Cathedral in the Frederik V Chapel.

Frederik V was succeeded by his 17-year-old son from his first marriage, King Christian VII. Christian had been only two-years-old when his mother died. He had a nervous disposition and had been poorly educated and terrorized by a brutal governor, Christian Ditlev Reventlow, Count of Reventlow.  A few months after he became king, Christian married his first cousin Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales, the daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales (who predeceased his father King George II) and the sister of King George III.

It was soon clear that Christian VII was not quite normal. He publicly declared that he could not love Caroline Matilda because it was “unfashionable to love one’s wife”. His symptoms included paranoia, self-mutilation, and hallucinations. Christian wandered the streets of Copenhagen visiting the city’s taverns and brothels. It was becoming clearer and clearer that Christian could not fulfill his role as king. On a trip that had been arranged because it was believed that new environments could change Christian’s behavior, Christian became acquainted with the physician Johann Friedrich Struensee. Struensee was the first person who understood that Christian was seriously ill. When Christian came home from the trip, Struensee accompanied him and was employed as Christian’s personal physician. Struensee could handle Christian’s instability, which was a great relief to the king’s advisers, and Christian developed confidence in him.

King Christian VII; Credit – Wikipedia

Because of Christian’s confidence in him, Struensee gained political power. In 1770, Struensee became Master of Requests and Minister of the Royal Cabinet. He also became the lover of the ill-treated Caroline Matilda, whose marriage was less than satisfactory. When Caroline Matilda gave birth to her daughter Louise, no one doubted that Struensee was the father of the princess. Eventually, Queen Dowager Juliana Maria maneuvered a coup that would bring about the fall of Struensee and discredit Caroline Matilda. Juliana Maria arranged for King Christian VII to sign the arrest warrant of Struensee after she had already made the arrest in the name of the king. In 1772, Struensee was executed and Caroline Matilda was exiled.

After the fall of Struensee, Juliana Maria and her son, Christian VII’s half-brother Hereditary Prince Frederik took charge of the Council of State. Christian VII was only nominally king from 1772 onward. Between 1772 and 1784, Denmark was ruled by Queen Dowager Juliana Maria, Hereditary Prince Frederik, and Cabinet Secretary Ove Høegh-Guldberg. Juliana Maria was given the responsibility of the upbringing of Christian VII’s eldest son Crown Prince Frederik, the future King Frederik VI. From 1784, Crown Prince Frederik ruled permanently as a prince regent. Crown Prince Frederik had no intention of allowing Juliana Maria and her son Frederik to continue their rule. He somehow managed to get his insane father to sign an order dismissing the supporters of Juliana Maria from the council and declaring that no royal order was legal unless co-signed by the Crown Prince, thereby deposing Queen Dowager Juliana Maria and Hereditary Prince Frederik.

Juliana Maria showing the portrait of her only child Hereditary Prince Frederik by Johann Georg Ziesenis, 1766-1767; Credit – Wikipedia

Juliana Maria lived the rest of her life quietly at court. She survived her husband by 30 years, dying on October 10, 1796, at Fredensborg Palace at the age of 67 and was buried at Roskilde Cathedral in the Frederik V Chapel.

Tomb of Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel – Photo by Susan Flantzer

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Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2017). Juliane Marie af Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliane_Marie_af_Braunschweig-Wolfenb%C3%BCttel [Accessed 7 Aug. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliana_Maria_of_Brunswick-Wolfenb%C3%BCttel [Accessed 7 Aug. 2017].
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2017). King Christian VII of Denmark. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-christian-vii-of-denmark/ [Accessed 7 Aug. 2017].
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2017). King Frederik V of Denmark. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-frederik-v-of-denmark/ [Accessed 7 Aug. 2017].

Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Princess Friedrich of Württemberg

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

source: Wikipedia

Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was the first wife of the future King Friedrich of Württemberg. She was born August Caroline Friederike Luise (known in the family as Zelmira) on December 3, 1764, in Brunswick, Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in Lower Saxony, Germany. Her parents were Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Princess Augusta of Great Britain, a sister of King George III. Augusta had six siblings:

Friedrich of Württemberg. source: Wikipedia

On October 15, 1780, in Brunswick, Augusta married Prince Friedrich of Württemberg (later King Friedrich I). He was the son of Friedrich Eugen, Duke of Württemberg and Margravine Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Despite a very unhappy marriage, Augusta and Friedrich had four children:

Koluvere Castle. photo: By MinuHiiumaa – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 ee, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35791062

The marriage was a disaster from the start, with Augusta wanting to leave her husband as early as her first pregnancy. However, they remained married for several years. In 1782, Friedrich had impressed Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia while visiting Russia, and she made him Governor-General of Eastern Finland. Four years later, while they were visiting the Empress in St. Petersburg, Augusta asked Catherine for protection from her husband. She claimed that Friedrich was abusive to her, and was having affairs with several men. The Empress took Augusta in and told Friedrich to leave the country. Augusta hoped to obtain a divorce, but her father would not permit it. So the Empress provided Augusta with a home at Koluvere Castle in Estonia, along with a custodian, Wilhelm von Pohlmann. Soon, Augusta and von Pohlmann began an affair and she became pregnant.

Augusta’s tomb in the Kullamaa Church. photo: By Avjoska – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16334954

On September 27, 1788, Augusta went into premature labor. Fearing that their affair would become known, von Pohlmann refused to call for a doctor and Augusta died of blood loss. She was quickly buried in an unmarked grave in the nearby Kullamaa Church. To avoid a scandal, both Empress Catherine II and Augusta’s father were told that she had died suddenly, with a broken blood vessel as the cause of death. The truth did not come out until many years later when her son had her body exhumed and the details of her death investigated.

Württemberg Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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Princess Augusta of Wales, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Princess Augusta of Wales, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on July 31, 1737, at St. James’ Palace in London, Princess Augusta of Wales was the eldest of the nine children of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, Princess of Wales. Born during the reign of her grandfather King George II of Great Britain, Augusta was the elder sister of King George III, the mother of King George IV‘s wife Caroline of Brunswick, and the grandmother of their daughter Princess Charlotte of Wales.

True to the Hanoverian tradition, Augusta’s father Frederick, the eldest son, did not get along with his parents. When it was announced that the Princess of Wales was pregnant with her first child, Queen Caroline doubted that there was a pregnancy and then doubted that her son was the father. She told Robert Walpole, “At her labour I positively will be present. I will be sure it is her child.” Agreeing with Queen Caroline, King George II insisted that the birth should take place in their presence at Hampton Court Palace.

When the Princess of Wales went into labor in the middle of the night at Hampton Court Palace where King George I and Queen Caroline were in residence, Frederick insisted that Augusta endure a bumpy carriage ride back to St. James’ Palace in London to prevent his hated parents from being present at the birth. Of course, there was no preparation for the birth and there was a frantic search for napkins, tablecloths, and warming pans to be used during the baby’s delivery. The couple’s first child, Augusta, was born within an hour of her mother’s arrival at Hampton Court Palace. John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey saw Augusta within a few hours of her birth and described the infant as “a little rat of a girl about the bigness of a good large toothpick case.”

When Queen Caroline was told how tiny the new princess was, she conceded that Frederick was the father. Afterward, the king ordered them to leave St. James’ Palace and they moved to Kew Palace. The Queen paid a visit to Frederick and Augusta before they left St. James’ Palace and expressed a wish that she never see them again. Queen Caroline got her wish as she died several months later without reconciling with her son and daughter-in-law.

The infant princess was christened Augusta Frederica on August 29, 1737, at St James’ Palace by John Potter, Archbishop of Canterbury.  Both her paternal grandparents were to be Augusta’s godparents, but neither came to the christening and both were represented by a proxy.

Augusta’s godparents were:

Augusta had eight younger siblings:

Family of Frederick, Prince of Wales painted in 1751 after the prince’s death; Credit – Wikipedia Front row: Henry, William, Frederick; Back row: Edward, George, Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales holding Caroline Matilda, Elizabeth, Louisa

The family of Frederick, Prince of Wales lived at Leicester House which stood on present-day Leicester Square in London. In 1751, when Augusta was 13, her father Frederick, Prince of Wales died, leaving a pregnant widow with eight children. King George II then created his grandson George Prince of Wales. Augusta was a rather boisterous child and not afraid to express her opinions. She loved music, acting, and dancing, and participated in amateur theatricals that were a favorite pastime of the royal family.

Augusta at the age of 17 by Jean-Etienne Liotard, 1754; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 25, 1760, King George II died and his grandson became King George III at the age of 22. George’s choice for a wife fell upon an obscure German princess, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. On September 8, 1761, at 10 PM, George and Charlotte married in the Chapel Royal of St. James’ Palace. On September 22, 1761, their coronation was held at Westminster Abbey.

Around this same time, negotiations for a marriage between Augusta and Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel were being held. Augusta and Karl were both great-grandchildren of King George I of Great Britain, so they were second cousins. The negotiations were slow because Augusta’s mother, now The Dowager Princess of Wales, did not like the House of Brunswick. Finally, the marriage negotiations were settled and Karl came to England in January of 1764 to marry Augusta. Karl had a military career during the Seven Years’ War of 1756-63 serving in the Hanoverian Army of Observation under Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, Augusta’s paternal uncle. On January 16, 1764, Augusta and Karl were married at the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace.

Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel by Gerrit Kamphuysen, 1763; Credit – Wikipedia

The couple had seven children:

Augusta with her firstborn son Karl by Angelica Kauffman, 1767; Credit – Wikipedia

In March 1780, Karl succeeded his father as reigning Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. By that time, Augusta and Karl had four sons and three surviving daughters. Three of the couple’s four sons suffered from disabilities. Their eldest son Karl was named heir apparent but suffered from a significant learning disability. However, he married Frederika of Orange-Nassau, daughter of William V, Prince of Orange, who remained devoted to him. He died childless at the age of 40, shortly before his father. The second son, Georg suffered from an even more severe learning disability than his elder brother. He never married, was declared incapacitated, and was excluded from the succession. The couple’s third son August was blind, was also excluded from the succession, and also never married. The fourth son Friedrich Wilhelm had no health or developmental issues and eventually succeeded his father, married, and had children.

Augusta’s son, Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel by Johann Christian August Schwartz, 1809; Credit – Wikipedia

Augusta never fully adapted to life in Brunswick nor was she well-liked.  Any popularity she had was damaged by the fact that her three eldest sons were born with handicaps. Although Augusta reported to her brother King George III that her marriage was happy, but in truth it was unhappy. Karl found Augusta dull and preferred to spend time with his mistresses.

In 1794, Augusta’s second daughter Caroline was chosen as a wife for her first cousin George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV). Caroline was rebellious and a tomboy who preferred playing with her brothers instead of with girls. She grew up not very educated in her mother Augusta’s uncultured court. Like many German princesses, she was brought up with no religious instruction to keep her options open for marriage to a prince of any religion. James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury had been sent to Brunswick to escort Caroline to England. Lord Malmesbury was astounded by her behavior and personal hygiene, and he blamed Caroline’s mother Augusta.  He wrote about Caroline’s hygiene: “It is remarkable how on this point her education has been neglected, and how her mother, though an Englishwoman, was inattentive to it.” Nevertheless, Caroline and George were married on April 8, 1795, at the Chapel Royal, St. James’ Palace in London.

Caroline of Brunswick shortly before her wedding; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage of Caroline of Brunswick and the future King George IV is one of the worst-ever royal marriages. Upon first seeing Caroline, George said to one of his attendants, “Harris, I am not well; pray get me a glass of brandy.” Caroline said George was fat and not as handsome as his portrait. It is doubtful that the couple spent more than a few nights together as husband and wife. Their only child, Princess Charlotte of Wales, was born nine months later. They both found each other equally unattractive and never lived together nor appeared in public together. Caroline was prevented from seeing her daughter. She eventually went to live abroad where she ran up debts and had lovers. Caroline returned to England when her husband George became king and he promptly started divorce proceedings. However, a parliamentary bill dissolving the marriage and stripping Caroline of her title of Queen failed. Caroline was turned away from Westminster Abbey during her husband’s coronation in 1821. She died a few weeks later and her remains were shipped back to her native Brunswick where she was buried at Brunswick Cathedral. The inscription on her tomb reads, “Here lies Caroline, the Injured Queen of England.”

Augusta and her husband Karl; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1806, when Prussia declared war on France during the Napoleonic Wars, 71-year-old Karl, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was appointed the commander-in-chief of the Prussian Army. Karl was mortally wounded at the Battle of Jena and died a few weeks later. Brunswick was occupied by the French and the widowed and nearly penniless Augusta escaped to Sweden with two of her sons and a widowed daughter-in-law. In 1807, Augusta’s brother King George III sent a British naval ship to transport his sister back home to England.

Augusta was reunited with her brother King George III at Windsor Castle, but her sister-in-law Queen Charlotte, whom she never got along with, was not so cordial. She lived at Montagu House in Blackheath, London with her daughter, Caroline, Princess of Wales. Augusta got to know her granddaughter Princess Charlotte of Wales, who told her grandmother upon their first meeting “that she was the merriest old woman she ever saw.” In 1810, Augusta moved to a house on Hanover Square in London, and it was there that she died on March 23, 1813, at the age of 75. She was buried in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor.

Works Cited
“Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 10 July 2016. Web. 25 Aug. 2016.
Fraser, Flora. Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. Print.
Hadlow, Janice. A Royal Experiment. New York: Picador, 2014. Print.
Hibbert, Christopher. George III. New York: Basic Books, 1998. Print.
“Princess Augusta of Great Britain.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Aug. 2016. Web. 25 Aug. 2016.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

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Caroline of Brunswick, Queen of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Caroline of Brunswick, Queen of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

Her Highness Princess Caroline Amelia Elizabeth, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, known as Caroline of Brunswick, was the third child of the seven children of Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Augusta of Great Britain, the elder sister of King George III of the United Kingdom. Born in Brunswick, Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel now in the German state of Lower Saxony, on May 17, 1768.

Caroline had six siblings:

Caroline was rebellious and a tomboy who preferred playing with her brothers instead of with girls. She grew up not very educated in her mother’s uncultured court. Caroline’s mother, the elder sister of King George III, spent her time knitting and doing embroidery with her ladies at her palace outside of Brunswick, Caroline’s father lived in Brunswick with his mistress. Like many German princesses, she was brought up with no religious instructions to keep her options open for marriage to a prince of any religion.

Caroline in 1795, shortly before her marriage; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1794, over the British Channel in Great Britain, the eldest son of King George III, George, Prince of Wales was once again severely in debt. If he married, Parliament would settle his debts and his allowance would be increased by £ 100,000. In 1784, George had fallen in love with Maria Fitzherbert, a twice-widowed Catholic Irish woman. A marriage with a Catholic would mean that George would lose his place in the succession as stipulated by the Act of Settlement 1701. In addition, the Royal Marriages Act 1772 prohibited marriage without the consent of the King, which would never have been granted. Nevertheless, the couple went through with a legally void marriage at Maria Fitzherbert’s home on December 21, 1785. Maria Fitzherbert was convinced she was the lawful wife of the Prince of Wales as she viewed church law to be superior to the law of the state. For political reasons, the marriage remained secret, although there were rumors spreading all over London, and Maria Fitzherbert had promised not to let anything about it be announced in public.

On June 23, 1794, Maria Fitzherbert was informed by letter that her relationship with the Prince of Wales was over. Caroline, his first cousin, was selected George’s bride. Great Britain was at war with revolutionary France and eager to obtain allies on the European mainland. Caroline and George were married on April 8, 1795, at the Chapel Royal, St. James’ Palace, in London.

George and Caroline’s wedding; Credit – Wikipedia

This marriage is one of the worst ever royal marriages. Upon first seeing Caroline, George said to his valet, “Harris, I am not well; pray get me a glass of brandy.” Caroline said George was fat and not as handsome as his portrait. It is doubtful that the couple spent more than a few nights together as husband and wife. Their only child, Princess Charlotte of Wales, was born nine months later.  They found each other equally unattractive and never lived together nor appeared in public together. To make matters worse, George’s mistress, Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey, was appointed Caroline’s Lady of the Bedchamber. Caroline was ignored at the court and lived basically under house arrest, and after two and a half years, she left the court and lived for ten years in a Montagu House in Blackheath, London. She was denied any part in the raising of her daughter Charlotte and was allowed to see her only occasionally.

Caroline, Princess of Wales, 1798 by Sir Thomas Lawrence; Credit – Wikipedia

At Montagu House, Caroline provided a home for nine orphan children. In 1802, she adopted one of the children, William Austin, and rumors circulated that he was Caroline’s child. Caroline retorted, “Prove it, and he shall be your King!” A secret commission was set up, known as the “Delicate Investigation”, to investigate the claim that William Austin was Caroline’s son, but the commissioners found there was no real evidence for the allegation.

King George III became so ill that it was necessary for Parliament to pass the Regency Act of 1811.  George acted as Regent until his father died in 1820 and was known as The Prince Regent. Caroline was increasingly unhappy with her situation and treatment and negotiated a deal with the Foreign Secretary to allow her to leave the country in exchange for an annual allowance of £35,000. On August 8, 1814, Caroline left Great Britain and spent several years traveling in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Tunis, and Palestine. In Italy, she hired Bartolomeo Pergami as a courier and he soon became the head of her household, and rumors circulated that they were lovers. Caroline said that she had committed adultery only once – with Mrs. Fitzherbert’s husband.

A caricature mocking Caroline for her supposed affair with Pergami; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline’s daughter Charlotte married Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (the uncle of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and the future King of the Belgians), but she predeceased both her parents, dying in childbirth in 1817 at the age of 21, along with her son. Had Charlotte lived, she would have succeeded her father on the throne. Caroline, who had started receiving letters from her daughter once she was married, was devastated.

Caroline with her daughter Charlotte; Credit – Wikipedia

When King George III died in January of 1820, Caroline was determined to return to England and assert her rights as queen. On her way back to England, she received a proposal from George offering her £50,000 per year if she would continue to live outside of England. Caroline rejected the proposal and received a royal salute of 21 guns from Dover Castle when she set foot again in England. George was determined to be rid of Caroline and his government introduced a bill in Parliament, the Pains and Penalties Bill 1820, to strip Caroline of the title of queen consort and dissolve her marriage. The reading of the bill in Parliament was effectively a trial of Caroline. On November 10, 1820, a final reading of the bill took place, and the bill passed by 108–99. Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool then declared that since the vote was so close, and public tensions so high, the government was withdrawing the bill.

The Trial of Queen Caroline, 1820 by Sir George Hayter; Credit – Wikipedia (Caroline is sitting in a chair in the lower middle of the painting)

King George IV’s coronation was set for July 19, 1821, but no plans had been made for Caroline to participate. On the day of the coronation, Caroline went to Westminster Abbey, was barred at every entrance, and finally left. Three weeks later on August 7, 1821, Caroline died at the age of 53, most likely from a bowel obstruction or cancer. Prior to her death, Caroline had requested that she be buried in her native Brunswick. The official route of Caroline’s cortege through London was to avoid major streets. However, members of the public blocked those streets and forced a new route through the major streets. Caroline was buried at Brunswick Cathedral in Brunswick, Duchy of Brunswick, now in the German state of Lower Saxony, alongside her father. Her casket bears the inscription, “Here lies Caroline, the Injured Queen of England.”

Tomb of Queen Caroline: Credit – www.findagrave.com

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Recommended book: The Unruly Queen: The Life of Queen Caroline by Flora Fraser (non-fiction)

House of Hanover Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Caroline of Brunswick, wife of King George IV of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer

Caroline of Brunswick, Photo Credit – Wikipedia

August 7, 1821 – Death of Caroline of Brunswick, estranged wife of King George IV of the United Kingdom, at Brandenburg House in Hammersmith, London, England; buried at the Cathedral of St. Blasius in Brunswick, Germany

The marriage of Princess Caroline of Brunswick and the future King George IV, then Prince of Wales, was not one made in heaven.  The two did not meet until three days before their wedding.  The princess had just arrived in London and was staying in apartments at St. James’ Palace prior to her marriage and it was there on April 5, 1795 that Caroline and George first met.  The Prince of Wales came into the apartments to greet Caroline.  There was no one else there except James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury, who had escorted Caroline to London from her native Brunswick, and he described the meeting in his diary:

“She very properly, in consequence of my saying to her it was the right mode of proceeding, attempted to kneel to him.  He raised her (gracefully enough), and embraced her, said barely one word, turned round, retired to a distant part of the apartment, and calling me over to him said, ‘Harris, I am not well; pray get me a glass of brandy.'”

Lord Malmesbury suggested a glass of water.  “Upon which he, out of humour, said, with an oath, ‘No, I will go directly to the Queen,’ and away he went.  The Princess, left during this short moment alone, was in a state of astonishment; and, on my joining her, said [in French], ‘ My God! Is that the Prince? I find him very fat, and not as handsome as his portrait.'”

And so started one of the most disastrous royal marriages.

Caroline Amalie Elisabeth was born on May 17, 1768 in Brunswick, Germany.  Her parents were Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Princess Augusta, elder sister of King George III of the United Kingdom.  Caroline was not well-educated although she could understand French and English.  In 1794, Caroline became engaged to her first cousin George, the Prince of Wales.  Despite being first cousins, the two had never met.  George, who was in debt, had been promised a raise in his allowance if he married an acceptable princess. In 1785, George had married Maria Fitzherbert, but the marriage was invalid because it was against the Royal Marriages Act of 1772.

James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury, who escorted Caroline to England had doubts about her appropriateness when he first met her in Brunswick.  He thought Caroline spoke her mind too readily, acted indiscreetly, and often neglected to wash, or change her dirty clothes.  He went on to say that she had “some natural but no acquired morality, and no strong innate notions of its value and necessity.”  On April 8, 1795, three days after their ill-fated first meeting, Caroline and George married at the Chapel Royal of St. James’s Palace in London.  On the day of his wedding, George told his brother William, Duke of Clarence to tell Mrs. Fitzherbert she was the only woman he would ever love.

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (Lord Melbourne) said about George as he walked down the aisle, “…the Prince was like a man doing  a thing in desperation, it was like Macheath [character from The Beggar’s Opera] going to execution; and he was quite drunk.”  Lord Malmesbury agreed in his diary that George literally had to be supported by the Duke of Bedford and the Duke of Roxburghe.  On the other hand, Caroline appeared joyful and chattered with George’s brother William, Duke of Clarence as she waited at the altar.  The wedding night was a disaster.  Caroline confided to Lady Charlotte Campbell, “Judge what it was to have a drunken husband on one’s wedding day, and one who passed the greatest part of his bridal night under the grate, where he fell and where I left him.”  Evidently George and Caroline performed their marital duty at least once because nine months later, on January 7, 1796, their only child Charlotte was born.  A little more than a year after the marriage, George and Caroline were living separately.
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George did not allow Caroline to have any part in their daughter Charlotte’s upbringing and ordered that Caroline’s visits to Charlotte had to be supervised by a governess.  However, some sympathetic staff did allow Caroline to be alone with Charlotte.  Princess Charlotte married Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, the uncle of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.  Unfortunately, Charlotte died at age 21 of childbirth complications along with her baby.

Since Caroline was living in a household separate from her husband, she entertained whomever she pleased and there were rumors of affairs.  In 1802, Caroline adopted a three month old boy named William Austin and raised him in her home.  There were accusations that the boy was Caroline’s illegitimate son and a special commission was established called the Delicate Investigation to look into the matter.  The commission found that there was no evidence that the allegations were true.

After George became Prince Regent in 1811 upon the worsening of King George III’s illness, Caroline’s visits to Charlotte were cut off and she was further socially isolated.  Caroline was very unhappy with her situation and treatment and after Napoleon’s defeat in 1814, when she would be able to travel, she  negotiated a deal with the Foreign Secretary to leave the United Kingdom in exchange for an annual allowance of £35,000.  Caroline spent several years traveling through Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Tunisia, Malta, Greece, and Palestine.  She established a household in Milan, Italy and hired Bartolomeo Pergami and his sister as servants.  Pergami rose to become the head of Caroline’s household and rumors swirled that they were having an affair.

King George III died on January 29, 1820 and Caroline’s husband became king and she became, at least in name, queen.  Caroline decided to return to the United Kingdom to assert her rights as queen.  As she was traveling back to London, she received a proposition from her husband offering her £50,000 per year if she would continue to live abroad which she refused.  Caroline arrived back in London on June 5, 1820 where she was greeted by a stage-managed enthusiastic greeting.  King George IV wished to divorce Caroline and on July 5, 1820 the Pains and Penalties Bill was introduced into Parliament which would dissolve the marriage of George and  Caroline and deprive her of the title Queen of the United Kingdom.  During the reading of the bill, witnesses were called and there was effectively a public trial of Caroline.  The bill passed the House of Lords, but never made it to the House of Commons as there was little chance it would pass there.  Caroline joked with her friends that she had committed adultery only once, with the king, the husband of Mrs. Fitzherbert.

The Trial of Queen Caroline (she can be seen in the middle of the painting sitting in a chair), Photo Credit – Wikipedia

King George IV’s coronation was to take place on July 19, 1821, but no plans had made for Caroline’s participation.  Nevertheless, on the day of the coronation Caroline went to Westminster Abbey and demanded entrance, but was barred at every door.  When she demanded entrance to Westminster Hall where processions were being formed, the door was slammed in her face.  Finally, she left to the sound of jeering crowds.

On the evening of the coronation day, Caroline went to the Drury Lane Theatre and felt unwell.  She had suffered on and off from bowel problems and took a large amount of milk of magnesia and some laudanum.  When she did not feel better in two days, she sent for her doctor who diagnosed “acute inflammation of the bowels,” bled her, and gave her a large amount of calomel and castor oil.  Over the next three weeks, her condition worsened and it became apparent that she would die.  Caroline died on August 7, 1821 after a long night of pain.   The cause of her death is unknown.  Possibly there was a bowel obstruction or cancer, and there were rumors that Caroline had been poisoned.

Caroline had requested to be buried in her native Brunswick in a tomb bearing the inscription “Here lies Caroline, the Injured Queen of England.”  On August 14, 1821, her casket was to leave London and start its journey back to Brunswick.  It was decided that the funeral procession would avoid central London, but the crowd accompanying the procession blocked the planned route and forced the procession to go through London.  On August 25, 1821, Caroline’s casket was placed in the vault at the Cathedral of St. Blasius.  The reigning duke, Caroline’s nephew, ordered that a hundred young girls holding flowers and candles line the aisles as Caroline’s casket was brought into the cathedral.  In the vault, a prayer was said as the young girls encircled the casket and then extinguished the flames of their candles.

Coffin of Caroline of Brunswick, Photo Credit – http://www.findagrave.com

Wikipedia: Caroline of Brunswick

Recommended biography: The Unruly Queen: The Life of Queen Caroline by Flora Fraser

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