Christina Wilhelmina Friederika von Grevenitz ( German Christine Wilhelmine Friederike von Grävenitz ; February 4, 1686 , Schwerin - October 21, 1744 , Berlin ) is a favorite of the Duke Eberhard Ludwig of Württemberg . It came from the ancient noble family Grevenits .
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Biography
Wilhelmina von Grevenitz grew up in Mecklenburg-based Gustrow . At the age of twenty, at the initiative of the Stuttgart hoffmarshal von Stafhorst and her brother Friedrich Wilhelm von Grevenitz Wilhelmina arrived at the Stuttgart court. With the help of a young lady, the marshal tried to influence the duke. As a new girlfriend, Wilhelmina von Grevenitz was to distract the duke from his duties as ruler. The plan was a success, but instead of a short gallant love affair between Eberhard Ludwig and Wilhelmina, a real love affair arose that lasted more than twenty years in spite of all external obstacles.
In July 1707, Eberhard Ludwig entered into an organic marriage with Wilhelmina and awarded her the title of Countess Urahskaya, the title of imperial count Grevenitz to her brother, which was approved in Vienna on September 1, 1707. In November, an official statement was published stating that the Duke was married to Countess von Grevenitz, henceforth referred to as Countess of Urach. The spouse of the Duke Johann Elizabeth of Baden-Durlahskaya did not give consent to the divorce and filed a complaint against the emperor about the bigamy. Under his pressure, the duke’s marriage was again dissolved, and Wilhelmina was expelled from Württemberg. Eberhard Ludwig followed her to Switzerland . In 1710, the duke returned Wilhelmin von Grevenitz to the court, marrying her to divert his eyes on the 70-year-old Bohemian count Johann Franz Ferdinand von Würben and Freudenthal. Wilhelmina’s newly made husband was to remain outside Württemberg and not marry anymore, for which, in addition to monetary compensation, he received the title of Württemberg’s Landmaster, Privy Councilor and Chairman of the Military Council. The financial resources received from Württemberg, he spent mainly on the repayment of his card debts in Vienna . The newly-born wife of the Landhofmeister freely returned to Stuttgart and played the first role at court. Childless Wilhelmina von Grevenitz adopted her niece Wilhelmina Charlotte, daughter of her brother Karl Ludwig.
Wilhelmina prompted the duke to rebuild the Ludwigsburg hunting castle , significantly increasing its size, appoint it his residence and move the courtyard there. In Ludwigsburg, Wilhelmina von Grevenitz lived with the duke and performed representative functions, while the duchess continued to occupy the Old Palace in Stuttgart .
Wilhelmina was actively involved in government affairs. In 1717, she became a full-time member of the secret cabinet and exerted influence in matters of justice, finance, and pardon. In 1727, Wilhelmina von Grevenitz acquired Freudenthal , where the Grevenitz Palace was built for her the following year.
In 1731, the only son of the Duke Eberhard Ludwig, the Crown Prince Friedrich Ludwig , died. In the absence of other legitimate sons from the duke, he was to be inherited and ruled in Protestant Württemberg by a cousin, Catholic Karl Alexander Württemberg . Under external pressure from various Württemberg circles, Eberhard Ludwig was forced to again abandon his relationship with Wilhelmina and make peace with the Duchess. The duke surrendered completely: he stripped Wilhelmin of all her posts and ordered her to be arrested. In 1732, Wilhelmina von Grevenitz was released from custody, finally expelled from Württemberg and deprived of possessions in Württemberg. In compensation, she received a significant amount of 150 thousand guilders. Wilhelmina moved to Berlin , where she lived until her death. Her adoptive daughter and niece, Baroness Wilhelmina Charlotte von Grevenitz accompanied her to Berlin and on February 4, 1735 she married the Prussian lieutenant colonel (future major general of the cavalry) .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 German National Library , Berlin State Library , Bavarian State Library , etc. Record # 118696955 // General regulatory control (GND) - 2012—2016.
- ↑ 1 2 http://www.fembio.org/biographie.php/frau/frauendatenbank?fem_id=11602
Literature
- Paul Sauer: Wilhelmine von Grävenitz, die schwäbische Pompadour . Pädagogisch-Kulturelles Centrum Ehemalige Synagoge Freudental, Freudental 2009, ISBN 978-3-9809962-4-2
- Karl Wächter: Ludwig Timotheus Freiherr von Spittlers sämmtliche Werke , Band 12, Stuttgart und Tübingen 1837, S. 321 f.