Augusta Frederick Louise of Great Britain (Augustus of Hanover) ( German: Augusta Friederike Luise von Hannover ; , - , or ) - Princess of Great Britain , from 1773 to 1807, the Duchess of Braunschweig-Luneburg and Princess Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel .
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 Augustus, Duchess of Braunschweig-Luneburg. A copy of the work of an unknown artist from a portrait by Johann Georg Tsiesenis. 1762-1765 | |
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She married Crown Prince of Braunschweig Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand and moved from London to Braunschweig . Augusta's husband ordered the construction of Richmond Castle for her, which became her main residence since 1768. After the death of her husband and the occupation of Braunschweig by the French, she left for England and spent the last years of her life with her daughter Caroline of Braunschweig in London.
Biography
The eldest daughter of Prince of Wales, Frederick and his wife Augusta of Saxe-Gotha Augustus, was born in St. James's Palace . In addition to Augusta, seven more children were born in the family of the heir to the English throne. Augusta's father was in constant conflict with his parents, so Augusta did not have the opportunity to meet his grandfather and grandmother. Her parents avoided any contact with the court in Windsor, and the royal couple declared that any contact with their eldest son and his family was undesirable. Augusta the British grew up in a parental home in Kew and received a versatile and thorough education with her brother George. In addition to history and literature, she studied foreign languages (French and Italian).
Augusta's parents have long been thinking about marrying their daughter to Braunschweig-Luneburg, but serious actions in this direction followed only in 1761. The first daughter of the Prince of Wales received a dowry of £ 30,000 and an annual rent of £ 8,000. This money came in time to the empty treasury of the Principality of Braunschweig.
Augusta and Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, who entered into an exclusively dynastic marriage, although they respected all proper propriety, but did not feel interest in each other. Even the two official lovers of her husband Maria Anthony von Branconi and Louise von Gertefeld did not cause any emotions in Augusta. Augusta was equally cold with children. Only in the last years of her life in London did she have a relationship with her daughter Carolina. Augusta's indifference to events in his closest environment was interpreted by contemporaries as arrogance and was the reason for rumors about her adultery.
After the wedding ceremony in the Royal Chapel of St. James's Palace, the newlyweds went to Braunschweig and settled in the local palace, which Augusta did not like and seemed too simple. Augustus went to give birth to her first child in familiar London. But in December 1764, after the birth of a daughter, also named Augusta, the princess remained in England. Her husband was torn between London and Braunschweig and during this time acquired a plot of land on Mount Zuckerberg south of Braunschweig under a new comfortable castle that meets the needs of his wife. The construction of the castle was entrusted to the architect Karl Christoph Wilhelm Fleischer . The palace was named Richmond after a district in London.
Augusta returned to Braunschweig, but there she was still in the shadow of her mother-in-law of the Philippines Charlotte of Prussia . Augusta moved into the new castle as soon as it was ready.
After the birth of the third sick son of Augustus in 1770, accusations fell on Augustus. The attitude of the population of Braunschweig towards Augusta was spoiled by various rumors circulated at court.
After the early death of her last child, Amelia Augustus was completely estranged from court life. Everything changed when her husband succeeded to the throne in 1773. His mother, the widow of the old Duke of the Philippines, Charlotte left the ducal residence, and on Augustus lay numerous representation duties.
On October 14, 1806, at the Battle of Jena and Auerstedt, Carl Wilhelm Ferdinand received a severe head injury and died a month later. Augustus fled from the French troops occupying Braunschweig to England. Her brother, King George III, granted her a residence in London near the house where her daughter Caroline lived.
Augusta died in March 1813 from the effects of the flu and was buried in the royal tomb in the chapel of St. George in Windsor Castle .
Family
In a marriage with Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, seven children were born:
- Augustus Carolina Frederick (1764-1788), wife of Friedrich of Württemberg ;
- Karl Georg Augustus (1766-1806);
- Carolina Amalia (1768-1821), wife of the King of Great Britain George IV ;
- Georg William Christian (1769-1811);
- Augustus (1770-1822);
- Friedrich Wilhelm (June 1771–16, 1815), killed at the Battle of Katr Bras ;
- Amelia Carolina Dorothea Louise (1772-1773).
The first-born Carl Georg Augustus was born almost blind, like his younger brothers Georg Wilhelm Christian and Augustus, but unlike them, he did not suffer serious defects of mental development, but was only mentally retarded. Due to their physical and mental development, the first three sons could not inherit from their father. Only the youngest son, Friedrich Wilhelm, turned out to be healthy physically and mentally, although he was distinguished by an indomitable disposition who did not stop at any obstacles. The daughters of Augusta did not observe any deviations from the norm in the physical and mental state.
Literature
- William A. Beckett: Universal Biography. Isaac, London 1836.
- Elisabeth E. Kwan und Anna E. Röhrig: Frauen vom Hof der Welfen. MatrixMedia, Göttingen 2006, S. 115−126, ISBN 3-932313-17-8 .