Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp
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Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp ' onMouseout='HidePop("37326")' href="/topics/Eutin">Eutin
, 22 March 1759 – Stockholm
, 20 June 1818) was the queen consort of Charles XIII of Sweden
, and also a famed diarist, memoir
ist and wit
. She is generally known in Sweden by her full pen name (above), though her official name as queen was Charlotte.
She was the daughter of Duke Frederick August of Holstein-Gottorp
, Bishop of Lübeck
and Duke of Oldenburg
, and Princess Ulrike Friederike Wilhelmine of Hesse-Kassel
. She grew up in Eutin
and married her cousin, the future King, Charles, Duke of Södermanland, in Stockholm
on 7 July 1774 when she was fifteen years old. The marriage was arranged by King Gustav III
to provide the throne of Sweden with an heir. The King had not consummated his marriage and had decided to give the task of providing an heir to the throne to his brother.
21 June 1774: she arrived in Sweden 3 June. The wedding was celebrated very luxuriously; she arrived in Stockholm
by gondola
7 June, and the wedding ceremony took place the same night, followed by a masquerade in Kungsträdgården. She was noted for her beauty — her waist measured a mere 48 cm (19") and her shoe size 31 (girls' size 13) — and, as the marriage of the monarch had not been consummated after nine years, there were hopes that she would provide an heir for the throne.
In January 1775, there were signs that she was pregnant. It was hoped that the question of succession was solved, and prayers were held in the churches. However, the signs soon proved to be false. The news of the false pregnancy also made the king decide to consummate his marriage and provide an heir to the throne personally.
She made a personal success with her cheerful temperament and became a centre of the royal court, where she was called "Little Duchess" and was noticed for her beauty and vividness, wittiness and ease with words. With these qualities she fulfilled a contemporary ideal. In contrast to the shy Queen, Sophia Magdalena of Denmark
, "Duchess Lotta" was lively, witty and flirtatious and was in many ways the female center of the court. It was said of her: "One can not imagine anything more lively and cheerful. She is joy itself. Her greatest pleasure is to make up jokes and foolishness. It would be a good thing, if she introduced that custom, as our by nature somewhat melancholic nation could need some cheering up"
She participated in the amateur theatre
which were an important part at the royal court at the reign of Gustav III, both as an actress and as a dancer. Her dancing was seen as scandalous by some, as ballet dancers were during this age regarded as prostitutes. After having been subjected to criticism that she and Princess Sophia Albertina distracted the King from the affairs of state by pursuit of pleasure, she retired from the stage in 1783.
Her marriage was distant and both she and her spouse had extramarital affairs. Charles paid more attention to his lovers than to her; at the time of their marriage, he was in the middle of his relationship with Augusta von Fersen
.
Among her alleged lovers was Count Axel von Fersen, alleged lover of Marie Antoinette
. Her intimate friendship with countess Sophie von Fersen inspired rumors of bisexuality
which, true or not, were repeated throughout her time as royal Duchess, by both Francisco de Miranda
in 1786 and later by Frederica of Baden
. It is not known when her affair with Axel von Fersen occurred, it is only known that she wished to resume it when Fersen returned to Sweden after the death of Marie Antoinette and that Fersen refused to do so. She also had a relationship with Axel von Fersen's younger brother, Fabian von Fersen, at this point
The rumours of her extramarital alleged affairs were given a lot of attention during her pregnancy in 1797.
She was indifferent to the affairs of her spouse as they gave her the opportunity to live more freely herself, and she expressed her frustration when her husband's lack of lovers made him more attentive toward her, which exposed her to his suspicions and accusations:
"As long as he had his mistresses, things were better, but since the last one
was exiled because she allowed herself to be insolent towards the King, and he has not provided himself with a new one, his temperament has gotten worse, and I have daily been subjected to outbursts because of this, which has occurred even in front of the staff. This hostility have increased so much during the winter that I have reached the end of my patience." She expressed her view upon love and sexuality when Gustav III refused to destroy documents of his late mother's alleged love affair with Count Gustav Tessin, and commented about the sexual double standards:
In 1782, she participated as a mediator in the reconciliation between Gustav III and his mother
at her deathbed, after they had been in conflict since 1778, when the Queen Dowager supported the rumour that the Crown Prince was illegitimate and the son of Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila
.
In 1792, her spouse became regent during the minority of his nephew Gustav IV Adolf. The actual power was in the hands of his favorite, Count Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm
, and she had no influence on the regency. In 1798-99, the spouses made a trip to Germany and Austria and visited Carlsbad
, Berlin, Vienna
and Hamburg
. In 1800, the ducal couple founded a theatre academy, Damatiska akademien, at court, but it was closed by the monarch.
In 1803, the Boheman affair caused a severe conflict between Gustav IV Adolf and the ducal couple. The mystic Karl Adolf Boheman (1764–1831) had been introduced to them by Count Magnus Stenbock
in 1793 and gained great influence by promising to reveal scientific secrets about the occult. Boheman inducted them to a secret society
and founded what he described as a branch of the Freemasons in 1801, where both sexes were accepted as members, and to which the Counts and Countesses Ruuth and Brahe as well as the mother of the queen
were introduced. Boheman was arrested upon an attempt to recruit the monarch, who accused him of revolutionary agendas and expelled him. The ducal couple were exposed to an informal investigation by the monarch, and the duchess was questioned in the presence of the royal council.
When her spouse was informed he was King, she told him that she would become his reliable adviser and confidante, but keep away from the matters of the state. During his reign, she is known to have visited him in his bedroom every morning to talk to him.
She was crowned with the king 29 June 1809. At the coronation, she was described as gracious and dignified without losing her usual vividness and cheerfulness.
Queen Hedvig Elizabeth Charlotte held a salon, the so called "Green table", where women discussed politics while sewing. After a performance of the blind musician Charlotta Seuerling
, she gave her protection to the university for the blind and deaf, which was founded by Per Aron Borg
and the first of its kind in Sweden. She also restored the Royal Swedish Opera
.
She felt sympathy for the former queen, Frederica of Baden
, and visited her in her house arrest. She worked for the release of the former royal family, and managed to gain permission for the former king to reunite with his family, which had first been placed in separate house arrest.
During the negotiations regarding the succession to the throne, she supported the Gustavian party, who wished for the deposed King's son, the former Crown Prince Gustav, to be acknowledged as heir to the throne. During a dinner, General Baron Georg Adlersparre
told her that Jean Baptiste Bernadotte had asked him whether her spouse had any issue, and was interested when he found that he had not. When she remarked that the throne had an heir in the deposed King's son, Adlersparre stated that no one of the instigators of the coup would accept this, as they feared that the boy would avenge his father when he became King, and that to prevent this they would go as far as to take up the old rumor that the deposed King was in fact the illegitimate son of Queen Sophia Magdalena and Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila
.
The candidates for the post of heir to the throne were the French General Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, Prince Peter of Holstein-Gottorp, and the Danish Prince Charles August of Augustenburg
. She was sceptical in all cases for the sake of Swedish independence, as she feared that Sweden would become a part of the French Empire, Russia (as Peter of Holstein was married to a Russian), or Denmark. During a meeting in the garden with Adlersparre, she stated: "I am very happy to be Swedish and I would not wish to be either French, Russian or Danish." Augustenburg was eventually chosen. He was expected to bring Norway to Sweden as a replacement for Finland.
It is unknown whether she had any influence upon the constitutional reform of 1809, though she is known to have discussed it with several statesmen. She stated that she disliked party divisions but also absolute monarchy, and wished for the public to decide about the matters concerning them through "elected representatives".
Before the arrival of Augustenburg, the King suffered a stroke and became unable to reign, whereupon she informally presided over the council in his place. The Gustavian party asked her to accept the post of regent, exclude the newly appointed Augustenburg and adopt the former Crown Prince Gustav as heir.
There was a fear of a coup by her and the Gustavians. Adlersparre, who arrived after having prepared the arrival of Augustenburg, met her outside the bedroom of the King. Adlersparre asked: "Perhaps I do no longer dare to approach Your Majesty?" "Why is that?" "I fear that Your Majesty is angry with me?" She laughed and answered: "How can you make me such a question? Why are you here?" He replied that he came to receive the King's instructions regarding his heir and on the assignment of Augustenburg to inquire the general view upon him; she asked him to tell Augustenburg not to hold prejudice toward any one. After having received the King's permission to bring Augustenburg to Sweden, he asked her of her opinion. She remarked that he had not yet arrived, nor given any direct reply whether he wished the throne. He answered: "Perhaps he will not come, and then Your Majesty can play the same role as that of the Empress of Russia", referring to Catherine the Great, who took the throne from her spouse. She replied: "I have never wished for power, I have not as she murdered my consort or any Prince Ivan
, nor could I do such a thing. I do not wish to be spoken to in such a tone." Adlersparre replied: "Your Majesty is correct, it is most certainly no fortune to be a regent."
She declined the offer to be regent, and the coup never took place. Statesman Carl Johan Adlercreutz stated that, if the King had died, the matter would have been different: "If King Charles XIII had died, before the peace with Denmark was made and Kristian August was still in Norway, Queen Charlotte, who eagerly supported the plans of the Gustavian party, would have played a considerable part."
Pamphlets circulated in the capital claiming that the Crown Prince had been murdered by the Gustavians, and that the Queen deserved to be hanged. The Gustavian Count Axel von Fersen the Younger was lynched, suspected to be involved in the alleged murder. The mob then sought Fersen's sister, Countess Sophie Piper, who was the intimate friend of the Queen and was said to influence her. The mob was told that Piper was with the Queen at Haga Palace
.
The Queen and her ladies-in-waiting were left without guards at Haga, and there was a fear that she would be attacked. She was advised not to come in to town, and boats were sent to evacuate them, if the lynch mob were to march to Haga. She decided to leave for town without an escort. Her lady-in-waiting Countess Wilhelmina Taube asked her not to, upon which she answered: "You are a coward, Mina! You are afraid; I will go alone! I do not fear death. I can defy it, and I will die as Marie Antoinette
. Let us leave!" The women persuaded her to stay, and when she asked them to leave, they asked to remain. In the end, nothing happened. Despite opposition, she supported a clearing of Sophie Piper's name, which was most unpopular.
. She supported the former Crown Prince Gustav first and Peter of Holstein second. It was decided that the Queen should be confined to Strömsholm Palace
during the election because of the general belief that she would interfere.
When Jean Baptiste Bernadotte was elected, the government sent her Fredrik August Adelswärd as their representative to inform her. He said that realized her disappointment, as Bernadotte was a non-royal, but asked her to pretend to be happy for the health of the monarch, who was afraid that she would displeased. She answered that she would be happy with any one who could bring stability: "Then it will be the right one, and he will find a loyal friend in me. If he is also gifted with talent and a good heart, then his lineage would mean nothing to me." She asked for permission to go to Örebro, and declared: "I do not meddle in politics, although everyone may say otherwise."
Bernadotte made a very good impression on her, and their relationship was a good one. At their first meeting, he said to her: "Madam, I understand more than well what feelings my arrival must bring you, but please remember, that the first King was a soldier, who benefited from success!" She replied: "Let us not speak of it now, you have earned your success, which is more worthy than to have been born to it." He asked her for advice and discussed the matters of state with her. He also assisted her in arranging a state funeral for Axel von Fersen.
In 1811, she was asked by the council to convince the King to appoint Bernadotte regent and convince the latter to accept the post, which she did.
The Queen described Désirée Clary
as good-hearted, generous and pleasant when she chose to be and not one to plot, but also as immature and a "spoiled child", who hated all demands and was unable to handle any form of representation. She described Desiree as "a French woman in every inch", who disliked and complained about everything which was not French, and "consequently, she is not liked."
Bernadotte ordered the removal of everything reminding of the deposed royal family. Her Gustavian views made the anti-Gustavians direct the suspicions of Bernadotte to her, and she was obliged to stop her correspondence with former Queen Frederica (1813), but her relationship with Bernadotte remained good. She supported his plan to conquer Norway, and became Queen of Norway in 1814.
In 1816–1817, governor Baron Olof Rudolf Cederström attempted to implicate her in an alleged poison attempt against the life of the Crown Prince and his son. She had him questioned for slander, but this led to a break in the relationship with the Crown Prince, though it deepened her relation to Prince Oscar, who took her side in the affair.
At the death of her spouse, she said that she would not be able to survive him. After the funeral, a great conflict of some sort is reported to have taken place between the Queen Dowager and the King. After a private dinner with the King, she withdraw to her room to write, and the same night, she fainted and died.
Eutin
Eutin is the district capital of Eastern Holstein located in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. As of 2005, it had some 17,000 inhabitants....
, 22 March 1759 – 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...
, 20 June 1818) was the queen consort of Charles XIII of Sweden
Charles XIII of Sweden
Charles XIII & II also Carl, , was King of Sweden from 1809 and King of Norway from 1814 until his death...
, and also a famed diarist, memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
ist and wit
Wit
Wit is a form of intellectual humour, and a wit is someone skilled in making witty remarks. Forms of wit include the quip and repartee.-Forms of wit:...
. She is generally known in Sweden by her full pen name (above), though her official name as queen was Charlotte.
She was the daughter of Duke Frederick August of Holstein-Gottorp
Frederick August I, Duke of Oldenburg
Friedrich August, Duke of Holstein-Oldenburg was the son of Christian August, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and his wife Margravine Albertine Friederike of Baden-Durlach.-Marriage and issue:...
, Bishop of Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
and Duke of Oldenburg
Oldenburg
Oldenburg is an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen, Netherlands, at the Hunte river. It has a population of 160,279 which makes it the fourth biggest city in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Braunschweig...
, and Princess Ulrike Friederike Wilhelmine of Hesse-Kassel
Princess Ulrike Friederike Wilhelmine of Hesse-Kassel
Princess Ulrike Friederike Wilhelmine of Hesse-Kassel was a member of the House of Hesse-Kassel by birth, and of the House of Holstein-Gottorp through her marriage to Frederick Augustus I, Duke of Oldenburg...
. She grew up in Eutin
Eutin
Eutin is the district capital of Eastern Holstein located in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. As of 2005, it had some 17,000 inhabitants....
and married her cousin, the future King, Charles, Duke of Södermanland, 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...
on 7 July 1774 when she was fifteen years old. The marriage was arranged by King Gustav III
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
to provide the throne of Sweden with an heir. The King had not consummated his marriage and had decided to give the task of providing an heir to the throne to his brother.
Royal Duchess
Prince Charles saw her for the first time in Eutin in 1770 and remarked that she was pretty. The marriage was suggested in 1772, and the first ceremony took place in WismarWismar
Wismar , is a small port and Hanseatic League town in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,about 45 km due east of Lübeck, and 30 km due north of Schwerin. Its natural harbour, located in the Bay of Wismar is well-protected by a promontory. The...
21 June 1774: she arrived in Sweden 3 June. The wedding was celebrated very luxuriously; she arrived 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...
by gondola
Gondola
The gondola is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian Lagoon. For centuries gondolas were the chief means of transportation and most common watercraft within Venice. In modern times the iconic boats still have a role in public transport in...
7 June, and the wedding ceremony took place the same night, followed by a masquerade in Kungsträdgården. She was noted for her beauty — her waist measured a mere 48 cm (19") and her shoe size 31 (girls' size 13) — and, as the marriage of the monarch had not been consummated after nine years, there were hopes that she would provide an heir for the throne.
In January 1775, there were signs that she was pregnant. It was hoped that the question of succession was solved, and prayers were held in the churches. However, the signs soon proved to be false. The news of the false pregnancy also made the king decide to consummate his marriage and provide an heir to the throne personally.
She made a personal success with her cheerful temperament and became a centre of the royal court, where she was called "Little Duchess" and was noticed for her beauty and vividness, wittiness and ease with words. With these qualities she fulfilled a contemporary ideal. In contrast to the shy Queen, Sophia Magdalena of Denmark
Sophia Magdalena of Denmark
Sofia Magdalena of Denmark and Norway was a Queen consort of Sweden as the spouse of Gustav III of Sweden....
, "Duchess Lotta" was lively, witty and flirtatious and was in many ways the female center of the court. It was said of her: "One can not imagine anything more lively and cheerful. She is joy itself. Her greatest pleasure is to make up jokes and foolishness. It would be a good thing, if she introduced that custom, as our by nature somewhat melancholic nation could need some cheering up"
She participated in the amateur theatre
Amateur theatre
Amateur theatre is theatre performed by amateur actors. These actors are not typically members of Actors' Equity groups or Actors' Unions as these organizations exist to protect the professional industry and therefore discourage their members from appearing with companies which are not a signatory...
which were an important part at the royal court at the reign of Gustav III, both as an actress and as a dancer. Her dancing was seen as scandalous by some, as ballet dancers were during this age regarded as prostitutes. After having been subjected to criticism that she and Princess Sophia Albertina distracted the King from the affairs of state by pursuit of pleasure, she retired from the stage in 1783.
Her marriage was distant and both she and her spouse had extramarital affairs. Charles paid more attention to his lovers than to her; at the time of their marriage, he was in the middle of his relationship with Augusta von Fersen
Augusta von Fersen
Christina Augusta von Fersen, as married Löwenhielm , was a Swedish noble and lady-in-waiting. She is a well-known figure of the Gustavian Age, and is known in history as one of "The Three Graces" at court, and as royal mistress to king Charles XIII of Sweden.-Background:Augusta was the daughter of...
.
Among her alleged lovers was Count Axel von Fersen, alleged lover of Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
. Her intimate friendship with countess Sophie von Fersen inspired rumors of bisexuality
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
which, true or not, were repeated throughout her time as royal Duchess, by both Francisco de Miranda
Francisco de Miranda
Sebastián Francisco de Miranda Ravelo y Rodríguez de Espinoza , commonly known as Francisco de Miranda , was a Venezuelan revolutionary...
in 1786 and later by Frederica of Baden
Frederica of Baden
Friederike Dorothea Wilhelmina of Baden was Queen consort of Sweden from 1797 to 1809. Daughter of Karl Ludwig of Baden and Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt, she was the younger sister of Empress Elisabeth Alexeievna , wife of Tsar Alexander I of Russia.-Biography:She was born in Karlsruhe...
. It is not known when her affair with Axel von Fersen occurred, it is only known that she wished to resume it when Fersen returned to Sweden after the death of Marie Antoinette and that Fersen refused to do so. She also had a relationship with Axel von Fersen's younger brother, Fabian von Fersen, at this point
The rumours of her extramarital alleged affairs were given a lot of attention during her pregnancy in 1797.
She was indifferent to the affairs of her spouse as they gave her the opportunity to live more freely herself, and she expressed her frustration when her husband's lack of lovers made him more attentive toward her, which exposed her to his suspicions and accusations:
"As long as he had his mistresses, things were better, but since the last one
Charlotte Eckerman
Charlotte Eckerman , was a Swedish opera singer and actress. She was also a very well known courtesan during the Gustavian era, and the official royal mistress of Charles XIII of Sweden from 1779 to 1781...
was exiled because she allowed herself to be insolent towards the King, and he has not provided himself with a new one, his temperament has gotten worse, and I have daily been subjected to outbursts because of this, which has occurred even in front of the staff. This hostility have increased so much during the winter that I have reached the end of my patience." She expressed her view upon love and sexuality when Gustav III refused to destroy documents of his late mother's alleged love affair with Count Gustav Tessin, and commented about the sexual double standards:
How sad it is to have a tender heart, for a tender nature is a misfortune as well as a blessing, and no one can resist the power of love (….) Yes, nothing is more true than the inscription upon the image of ErosErosEros , in Greek mythology, was the Greek god of love. His Roman counterpart was Cupid . Some myths make him a primordial god, while in other myths, he is the son of Aphrodite....
: "Here is your true master, He is, He was, and He always will be." You must admit the misfortune of women: while men have their complete freedom, she is always burdened by prejudice and circumstance. (….) I am convinced that most women would ask for nothing more than to be transformed to men, so they could be freed from the unhappy bonds and enjoy complete freedom.
In 1782, she participated as a mediator in the reconciliation between Gustav III and his mother
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia was Queen of Sweden between 1751 and 1771 as the spouse of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden, and queen mother during the reign of King Gustav III of Sweden.-Background:...
at her deathbed, after they had been in conflict since 1778, when the Queen Dowager supported the rumour that the Crown Prince was illegitimate and the son of Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila
Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila
Adolf Fredrik, Count Munck af Fulkila was a Swedish and Finnish noble alleged to have been the biological father of King Gustaf IV Adolf.- Biography :...
.
In 1792, her spouse became regent during the minority of his nephew Gustav IV Adolf. The actual power was in the hands of his favorite, Count Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm
Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm
Baron Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm , was a Swedish statesman.-Early career:...
, and she had no influence on the regency. In 1798-99, the spouses made a trip to Germany and Austria and visited Carlsbad
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately west of Prague . It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370...
, Berlin, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. In 1800, the ducal couple founded a theatre academy, Damatiska akademien, at court, but it was closed by the monarch.
In 1803, the Boheman affair caused a severe conflict between Gustav IV Adolf and the ducal couple. The mystic Karl Adolf Boheman (1764–1831) had been introduced to them by Count Magnus Stenbock
Magnus Stenbock
Count Magnus Gustafsson Stenbock was a Swedish military officer at the time of the Great Northern War.He was the son of Gustaf Otto Stenbock and Christina Catharine de la Gardie....
in 1793 and gained great influence by promising to reveal scientific secrets about the occult. Boheman inducted them to a secret society
Secret society
A secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...
and founded what he described as a branch of the Freemasons in 1801, where both sexes were accepted as members, and to which the Counts and Countesses Ruuth and Brahe as well as the mother of the queen
Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt
Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt was the daughter of Ludwig IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Henriette Karoline of Palatine-Zweibrücken.-Marriage and issue:...
were introduced. Boheman was arrested upon an attempt to recruit the monarch, who accused him of revolutionary agendas and expelled him. The ducal couple were exposed to an informal investigation by the monarch, and the duchess was questioned in the presence of the royal council.
Queen
In 1809, the ducal couple was placed on the throne after the aristocratic coup deposing the monarch. During the coup, she stated: "I do not wish to be a Queen!", and she was later to say that she found it embarrassing to take the place of another.When her spouse was informed he was King, she told him that she would become his reliable adviser and confidante, but keep away from the matters of the state. During his reign, she is known to have visited him in his bedroom every morning to talk to him.
She was crowned with the king 29 June 1809. At the coronation, she was described as gracious and dignified without losing her usual vividness and cheerfulness.
Queen Hedvig Elizabeth Charlotte held a salon, the so called "Green table", where women discussed politics while sewing. After a performance of the blind musician Charlotta Seuerling
Charlotta Seuerling
Charlotta Seuerling or Charlotte Seuerling , was a blind Swedish concert singer, harpsichordist, composer and poet, known as "The Blind Song-Maiden". She was active in Sweden, Finland and Russia. Her last name is also spelled as Seijerling and Seyerling...
, she gave her protection to the university for the blind and deaf, which was founded by Per Aron Borg
Per Aron Borg
Pär Aron Borg was a Swedish pedagogue and a pioneer in the education for the blind and deaf.Borg was a teacher. After having seen a play where a deaf boy communicated by gestures, he was inspired to create a manual alphabet...
and the first of its kind in Sweden. She also restored the Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
.
Political influence
Despite her personal denial, the queen was believed by her contemporaries to exercise great political influence.She felt sympathy for the former queen, Frederica of Baden
Frederica of Baden
Friederike Dorothea Wilhelmina of Baden was Queen consort of Sweden from 1797 to 1809. Daughter of Karl Ludwig of Baden and Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt, she was the younger sister of Empress Elisabeth Alexeievna , wife of Tsar Alexander I of Russia.-Biography:She was born in Karlsruhe...
, and visited her in her house arrest. She worked for the release of the former royal family, and managed to gain permission for the former king to reunite with his family, which had first been placed in separate house arrest.
During the negotiations regarding the succession to the throne, she supported the Gustavian party, who wished for the deposed King's son, the former Crown Prince Gustav, to be acknowledged as heir to the throne. During a dinner, General Baron Georg Adlersparre
Georg Adlersparre
Count Georg Adlersparre was a Swedish army commander.Adlersparre was born in Hovermo . Having entered the army at the age of 15, he received from King Gustav III, in 1791, a secret commission to excite the Norwegians to rebellion...
told her that Jean Baptiste Bernadotte had asked him whether her spouse had any issue, and was interested when he found that he had not. When she remarked that the throne had an heir in the deposed King's son, Adlersparre stated that no one of the instigators of the coup would accept this, as they feared that the boy would avenge his father when he became King, and that to prevent this they would go as far as to take up the old rumor that the deposed King was in fact the illegitimate son of Queen Sophia Magdalena and Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila
Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila
Adolf Fredrik, Count Munck af Fulkila was a Swedish and Finnish noble alleged to have been the biological father of King Gustaf IV Adolf.- Biography :...
.
The candidates for the post of heir to the throne were the French General Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, Prince Peter of Holstein-Gottorp, and the Danish Prince Charles August of Augustenburg
Charles August, Crown Prince of Sweden
Charles August was a German prince. He is best known for serving as Crown Prince of Sweden briefly in 1810, adopted by Charles XIII, before his sudden death from stroke. Earlier, he had been a general in the Royal Danish Army as well as the Danish Governor-general of Norway...
. She was sceptical in all cases for the sake of Swedish independence, as she feared that Sweden would become a part of the French Empire, Russia (as Peter of Holstein was married to a Russian), or Denmark. During a meeting in the garden with Adlersparre, she stated: "I am very happy to be Swedish and I would not wish to be either French, Russian or Danish." Augustenburg was eventually chosen. He was expected to bring Norway to Sweden as a replacement for Finland.
It is unknown whether she had any influence upon the constitutional reform of 1809, though she is known to have discussed it with several statesmen. She stated that she disliked party divisions but also absolute monarchy, and wished for the public to decide about the matters concerning them through "elected representatives".
Before the arrival of Augustenburg, the King suffered a stroke and became unable to reign, whereupon she informally presided over the council in his place. The Gustavian party asked her to accept the post of regent, exclude the newly appointed Augustenburg and adopt the former Crown Prince Gustav as heir.
There was a fear of a coup by her and the Gustavians. Adlersparre, who arrived after having prepared the arrival of Augustenburg, met her outside the bedroom of the King. Adlersparre asked: "Perhaps I do no longer dare to approach Your Majesty?" "Why is that?" "I fear that Your Majesty is angry with me?" She laughed and answered: "How can you make me such a question? Why are you here?" He replied that he came to receive the King's instructions regarding his heir and on the assignment of Augustenburg to inquire the general view upon him; she asked him to tell Augustenburg not to hold prejudice toward any one. After having received the King's permission to bring Augustenburg to Sweden, he asked her of her opinion. She remarked that he had not yet arrived, nor given any direct reply whether he wished the throne. He answered: "Perhaps he will not come, and then Your Majesty can play the same role as that of the Empress of Russia", referring to Catherine the Great, who took the throne from her spouse. She replied: "I have never wished for power, I have not as she murdered my consort or any Prince Ivan
Ivan VI of Russia
Ivan VI Antonovich of Russia , was proclaimed Emperor of Russia in 1740, as an infant, although he never actually reigned. Within less than a year, he was overthrown by the Empress Elizabeth of Russia, Peter the Great's daughter...
, nor could I do such a thing. I do not wish to be spoken to in such a tone." Adlersparre replied: "Your Majesty is correct, it is most certainly no fortune to be a regent."
She declined the offer to be regent, and the coup never took place. Statesman Carl Johan Adlercreutz stated that, if the King had died, the matter would have been different: "If King Charles XIII had died, before the peace with Denmark was made and Kristian August was still in Norway, Queen Charlotte, who eagerly supported the plans of the Gustavian party, would have played a considerable part."
Fersen murder
She viewed Augustenburg as good-hearted but rough. He claimed to be willing to adopt former Crown Prince Gustav as heir. Augustenburg, who was popular among the public, died in 1810. The anti-Gustavians planted the rumour that he had been murdered by the Gustavian party.Pamphlets circulated in the capital claiming that the Crown Prince had been murdered by the Gustavians, and that the Queen deserved to be hanged. The Gustavian Count Axel von Fersen the Younger was lynched, suspected to be involved in the alleged murder. The mob then sought Fersen's sister, Countess Sophie Piper, who was the intimate friend of the Queen and was said to influence her. The mob was told that Piper was with the Queen at Haga Palace
Haga Palace
Haga Palace , formerly known as the Queen's Pavilion , is located in Hagaparken, Solna Municipality in Metropolitan Stockholm, Sweden. The palace, built in 1802 1805, was modelled after ballet-master Gallodiers Italian villa in Drottningholm by architect Carl Christoffer Gjörwell on appointment by...
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The Queen and her ladies-in-waiting were left without guards at Haga, and there was a fear that she would be attacked. She was advised not to come in to town, and boats were sent to evacuate them, if the lynch mob were to march to Haga. She decided to leave for town without an escort. Her lady-in-waiting Countess Wilhelmina Taube asked her not to, upon which she answered: "You are a coward, Mina! You are afraid; I will go alone! I do not fear death. I can defy it, and I will die as Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
. Let us leave!" The women persuaded her to stay, and when she asked them to leave, they asked to remain. In the end, nothing happened. Despite opposition, she supported a clearing of Sophie Piper's name, which was most unpopular.
Relation to Bernadotte
The election of a new heir to the throne was held in ÖrebroÖrebro
-Sites of interest:Örebro's old town Wadköping is located on the banks of Svartån . It contains many 18th and 19th century wooden houses, along with museums and exhibitions....
. She supported the former Crown Prince Gustav first and Peter of Holstein second. It was decided that the Queen should be confined to Strömsholm Palace
Strömsholm Palace
Strömsholm Palace, sometimes called Strömsholm Castle , is a Swedish royal palace. The baroque palace is built on the site of a fortress from the 1550s, located on an island in the Kolbäcksån river at the west end of Lake Mälaren...
during the election because of the general belief that she would interfere.
When Jean Baptiste Bernadotte was elected, the government sent her Fredrik August Adelswärd as their representative to inform her. He said that realized her disappointment, as Bernadotte was a non-royal, but asked her to pretend to be happy for the health of the monarch, who was afraid that she would displeased. She answered that she would be happy with any one who could bring stability: "Then it will be the right one, and he will find a loyal friend in me. If he is also gifted with talent and a good heart, then his lineage would mean nothing to me." She asked for permission to go to Örebro, and declared: "I do not meddle in politics, although everyone may say otherwise."
Bernadotte made a very good impression on her, and their relationship was a good one. At their first meeting, he said to her: "Madam, I understand more than well what feelings my arrival must bring you, but please remember, that the first King was a soldier, who benefited from success!" She replied: "Let us not speak of it now, you have earned your success, which is more worthy than to have been born to it." He asked her for advice and discussed the matters of state with her. He also assisted her in arranging a state funeral for Axel von Fersen.
In 1811, she was asked by the council to convince the King to appoint Bernadotte regent and convince the latter to accept the post, which she did.
The Queen described Désirée Clary
Désirée Clary
Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary , one-time fiancée of Napoleon Bonaparte, was a Frenchwoman who became Queen of Sweden and Norway as the consort of King Charles XIV John, a former French General. She officially changed her name there to Desideria, a Latin version of her original name...
as good-hearted, generous and pleasant when she chose to be and not one to plot, but also as immature and a "spoiled child", who hated all demands and was unable to handle any form of representation. She described Desiree as "a French woman in every inch", who disliked and complained about everything which was not French, and "consequently, she is not liked."
Bernadotte ordered the removal of everything reminding of the deposed royal family. Her Gustavian views made the anti-Gustavians direct the suspicions of Bernadotte to her, and she was obliged to stop her correspondence with former Queen Frederica (1813), but her relationship with Bernadotte remained good. She supported his plan to conquer Norway, and became Queen of Norway in 1814.
In 1816–1817, governor Baron Olof Rudolf Cederström attempted to implicate her in an alleged poison attempt against the life of the Crown Prince and his son. She had him questioned for slander, but this led to a break in the relationship with the Crown Prince, though it deepened her relation to Prince Oscar, who took her side in the affair.
At the death of her spouse, she said that she would not be able to survive him. After the funeral, a great conflict of some sort is reported to have taken place between the Queen Dowager and the King. After a private dinner with the King, she withdraw to her room to write, and the same night, she fainted and died.
Legacy
Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte is mostly known for her famous diary, which is a valuable historical source that describes the Swedish Royal Court between 1775 and 1817. Beginning in 1902, it was published in nine parts, as written in French and initially (until March 1798) in the form of letters to her close friend, Countess Sophie von Fersen, sister of Axel von Fersen. The letters were never sent, but written in this form as a tribute to Sophie von Fersen. The diaries were written with the intent to be published, as stipulated by the Queen, fifty years after her death.Children
- Lovisa Hedvig (– 2 July 1797)
- Carl Adolf, Duke of VärmlandVärmland' is a historical province or landskap in the west of middle Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland and Närke. It is also bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are Vermelandia and Wermelandia. Although the province's land originally was Götaland, the...
(StockholmStockholmStockholm 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...
, 4 July 1798 – StockholmStockholmStockholm 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...
, 10 July 1798)
Styles
- 22 March 1759 – 7 July 1774: Her Serene Highness Princess Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp
- 7 July 1774 – 5 June 1809: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of SödermanlandSödermanland', sometimes referred to under its Latin form Sudermannia or Sudermania, is a historical province or landskap on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västmanland and Uppland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea.In Swedish, the province name is...
(commonly "Little Duchess" and later "Duchess Lotta") - 5 June 1809 – 4 November 1814: Her MajestyMajestyMajesty is an English word derived ultimately from the Latin maiestas, meaning "greatness".- Origin :Originally, during the Roman republic, the word maiestas was the legal term for the supreme status and dignity of the state, to be respected above everything else...
The Queen of Sweden (commonly "Queen Hedvig Elizabeth Charlotta", formally "Queen Charlotta") - 4 November 1814 – 5 February 1818: Her Majesty The Queen of Sweden and Norway (the first queen of both Sweden and Norway since the Middle Ages)
- 5 February 1818 – 20 June 1818: Her Majesty The Queen Dowager Charlotte
External links
- Ducal House of Holstein-Gottorp then Ducal then Grand-Ducal House of Oldenburg
- Royal House of Sweden and Royal House of Norway
- Historiska personer - An image of how she looked during her grand days as a duchess
- Historiska personer - Short biography in Swedish
