Carin Göring
Encyclopedia
Carin Axelina Hulda Göring (21 October 1888 – 17 October 1931) was the Swedish first wife of Hermann Göring
.
She was born Carin Fock in Stockholm
in 1888. Her father Commander Baron Carl Fock was a Swedish Army
colonel, from a family who had immigrated from Westphalia
. Her mother, Huldine Fock (née Beamish; b. 1860), was from an Anglo-Irish
family famous for brewing Beamish and Crawford
stout
in Cork
. Her great-great grandfather William Beamish was one of the founders of Beamish and Crawford. Her English grandfather had served in Britain's Coldstream Guards
. Carin's maternal grandmother founded the private religious sisterhood, Edelweiss Society. She was the fourth of five daughters, her sisters were named Mary von Rosen
(b. 1886), Fanny von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff (b. 1882), Elsa and Lily.
She became Carin von Kantzow upon her marriage in 1910 to a Swedish army officer, Baron Niels Gustav von Kantzow
. They had one child, Thomas von Kantzow, born in 1912.
In 1920, when she was estranged from her first husband, she met Hermann Göring at Rockelstad Castle. He was five years her junior and was then working as a commercial pilot in Sweden for Svenska Lufttrafik
. He had flown Count Eric von Rosen to the castle through a snowstorm and the two freezing men went in to heat up in front of the fireplace in the Hall. Carin, who's sister Mary
was the Countess, was visiting for the weekend and when Goring saw her come down the stairs he fell immediately in love. When Carin and Göring started seeing each other in Stockholm it caused a scandal in the high-society, for Carin was married and had a young child. She became divorced from von Kantzow in December 1922.
After their marriage on 3 January 1923 the Görings first lived in a house in the suburbs of Munich
. When Göring was badly injured in the groin while marching alongside Hitler in the failed Beer Hall Putsch
in November 1923, Carin transported him to Austria, then on to Italy, and nursed him back to health. In the 1930s Carin and Goring's romantic love-story was used by Goebbel's propaganda machine and the couple toured around the nation to boost popularity.
She suffered from tuberculosis
during her later years. When her mother, Huldine Fock died unexpectedly on 25 September 1931 it came as a great shock to the 42-year-old Carin. She was admitted to a sanatorium for her own weak heart condition after this. The following year, after returning to Sweden, she died of heart failure on 17 October 1931, four days prior to her 43rd birthday. She died before Hitler gained power.
Her death came as a great blow to Göring. He named the baronial hunting lodge he built from 1933 Carin Hall
, in her honour. It was there that he had her body reinterred from her original grave in Sweden, in a funeral attended by Adolf Hitler. He filled Carin Hall with images of Carin. He also did the same in his apartment in Berlin, where Göring created an altar in memory of her which remained even after he remarried in 1935. Carin Hall was later demolished under Göring's orders as Russian troops advanced in 1945. Carin's remains were later recovered by the Fock family, cremated and re-buried in Sweden.
After her death Carin's older sister Fanny wrote a biography of her which quickly became a bestseller in Germany. By 1943 it had sold 900,000 copies.
Carin's sister, Mary Fock
(1886–1967), was married to Count Eric von Rosen (1879–1948), one of the founding members of Nationalsocialistiska Blocket, a Swedish Nazi political party.
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
.
She was born Carin Fock in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in 1888. Her father Commander Baron Carl Fock was a Swedish Army
Swedish Army
The Swedish Army is one of the oldest standing armies in the world and a branch of the Swedish Armed Forces; it is in charge of land operations. General Sverker Göranson is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Army.- Organization :...
colonel, from a family who had immigrated from Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
. Her mother, Huldine Fock (née Beamish; b. 1860), was from an Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
family famous for brewing Beamish and Crawford
Beamish and Crawford
Beamish and Crawford is the longest-established brewery in Cork, Ireland. Established in 1792 by William Beamish and William Crawford on the site of an existing porter brewery, it has had a number of owners over the centuries...
stout
Stout
Stout is a dark beer made using roasted malt or barley, hops, water and yeast. Stouts were traditionally the generic term for the strongest or stoutest porters, typically 7% or 8%, produced by a brewery....
in Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
. Her great-great grandfather William Beamish was one of the founders of Beamish and Crawford. Her English grandfather had served in Britain's Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
. Carin's maternal grandmother founded the private religious sisterhood, Edelweiss Society. She was the fourth of five daughters, her sisters were named Mary von Rosen
Mary von Rosen
Mary von Rosen was born in Sweden. She was the third of the five daughters of Baron Carl Fock and the elder sister of Carin Göring...
(b. 1886), Fanny von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff (b. 1882), Elsa and Lily.
She became Carin von Kantzow upon her marriage in 1910 to a Swedish army officer, Baron Niels Gustav von Kantzow
Von Kantzow
von Kantzow is the name of a noble family from the German part of Pommern, and is sometimes listed without the leading von. This family gained noble status in Sweden in 1812, was declared to be of baron status in 1821, and was introduced in Sweden's House of Knights in 1822 as family no...
. They had one child, Thomas von Kantzow, born in 1912.
In 1920, when she was estranged from her first husband, she met Hermann Göring at Rockelstad Castle. He was five years her junior and was then working as a commercial pilot in Sweden for Svenska Lufttrafik
Svenska Lufttrafik
Svensk Luftrafik was a Swedish airline. The company was founded on 7 February 1919, its first flight running on the 7 August 1920. Operations ran for 1 year. The airline operated regular passenger services between Copenhagen–Malmö–Warnemünde. Hermann Göring, later Reichsmarschall...
. He had flown Count Eric von Rosen to the castle through a snowstorm and the two freezing men went in to heat up in front of the fireplace in the Hall. Carin, who's sister Mary
Mary von Rosen
Mary von Rosen was born in Sweden. She was the third of the five daughters of Baron Carl Fock and the elder sister of Carin Göring...
was the Countess, was visiting for the weekend and when Goring saw her come down the stairs he fell immediately in love. When Carin and Göring started seeing each other in Stockholm it caused a scandal in the high-society, for Carin was married and had a young child. She became divorced from von Kantzow in December 1922.
After their marriage on 3 January 1923 the Görings first lived in a house in the suburbs of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. When Göring was badly injured in the groin while marching alongside Hitler in the failed Beer Hall Putsch
Beer Hall Putsch
The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt at revolution that occurred between the evening of 8 November and the early afternoon of 9 November 1923, when Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff, and other heads of the Kampfbund unsuccessfully tried to seize power...
in November 1923, Carin transported him to Austria, then on to Italy, and nursed him back to health. In the 1930s Carin and Goring's romantic love-story was used by Goebbel's propaganda machine and the couple toured around the nation to boost popularity.
She suffered from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
during her later years. When her mother, Huldine Fock died unexpectedly on 25 September 1931 it came as a great shock to the 42-year-old Carin. She was admitted to a sanatorium for her own weak heart condition after this. The following year, after returning to Sweden, she died of heart failure on 17 October 1931, four days prior to her 43rd birthday. She died before Hitler gained power.
Her death came as a great blow to Göring. He named the baronial hunting lodge he built from 1933 Carin Hall
Carinhall
Carinhall was the country residence of Hermann Göring, built on a large hunting estate northeast of Berlin in the Schorfheide forest between the Großdöllner See and the Wuckersee in the north of Brandenburg....
, in her honour. It was there that he had her body reinterred from her original grave in Sweden, in a funeral attended by Adolf Hitler. He filled Carin Hall with images of Carin. He also did the same in his apartment in Berlin, where Göring created an altar in memory of her which remained even after he remarried in 1935. Carin Hall was later demolished under Göring's orders as Russian troops advanced in 1945. Carin's remains were later recovered by the Fock family, cremated and re-buried in Sweden.
After her death Carin's older sister Fanny wrote a biography of her which quickly became a bestseller in Germany. By 1943 it had sold 900,000 copies.
Carin's sister, Mary Fock
Mary von Rosen
Mary von Rosen was born in Sweden. She was the third of the five daughters of Baron Carl Fock and the elder sister of Carin Göring...
(1886–1967), was married to Count Eric von Rosen (1879–1948), one of the founding members of Nationalsocialistiska Blocket, a Swedish Nazi political party.