Henriette Amalie of Anhalt-Dessau
Encyclopedia
Henriette Amalie of Anhalt-Dessau (b. Dessau
, 7 December 1720 - d. Dessau, 5 December 1793), was a German princess of the House of Ascania from the Anhalt-Dessau
branch.
She was the fifth (but fourth and youngest surviving) daughter of Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
, by his morganatic wife Anna Louise Föse.
. Later her father (who himself had two illegitimate children) tried to find a suitable husband for her, but all marriage plans failed. In the meanwhile, she lived openly with the Baron of Rackmann, who was fifteen years her junior. Thanks to her intervention, he was raised to the rank of an Imperial Count and Baron of Bangert.
Probably to be near of her son (who had been put under the care of a banker's family), Henriette Amalie acquired a large house in Bockenheim (Frankfurt am Main)
, later named the "Villa Passavant," then built the former Franck-school and finally the current Saint Elisabeth's hospital.
In 1753 the princess acquired a property with a house and orangery
attached. She pursued extensive agriculture activities and made the estate virtually self-sufficient. She introduced silkworm (Bombyx mori
) breeding, kept bees, and sold oranges from her own residence. Also, she fostered the cultivation of asparagus and the growing of other fruits and vegetables.
In Kreuznach she acquired the feudal estate (German: Rittergut) of Bangert and established there a small castle (today a public museum) in the classicist style to replace the old manor house; it was completed about 1775.
The princess managed her extended properties herself, and was also an enthusiastic farmer. Her financial acumen became the basis for an independent and free life. She was said to have been five times richer than the richest farmer in that region. With her wealth she supported numerous artists.
In 1771 she extended her country house with annexes to the castle. Approximately 700 works of art were exhibited in the "Galerie" of the first floor of the remodeled castle. Near the castle a "Marmorbad" was created. Around this time her son died at approximately thirty years of age, a victim of consumption.
In 1790 she acquired a Frankfurt townhouse in Eschenheimer lane.
When French revolutionary troops moved approached Frankfurt in 1792, Henriette Amalie fled to her native Dessau
and moved into the "Palais Dietrich" (named after its former owner, her brother Dietrich, who had died in 1769).
One year later Henriette Amalie herself died, two days before her seventy-third birthday. She was buried in Dessau without any of her family members present for the funeral.
Dessau
Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...
, 7 December 1720 - d. Dessau, 5 December 1793), was a German princess of the House of Ascania from the Anhalt-Dessau
Anhalt-Dessau
Anhalt-Dessau was a principality and later a duchy located in Germany. It was created in 1396 following the partition of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst. The capital of the state was Dessau. Anhalt-Dessau experienced a number of partitions throughout its existence with Anhalt-Köthen being...
branch.
She was the fifth (but fourth and youngest surviving) daughter of Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau. He was also a Generalfeldmarschall in the Prussian army...
, by his morganatic wife Anna Louise Föse.
Life
In 1741 the twenty-one-year-old Henriette Amalie gave birth to an extramarital son; the father was the son of a court retainer. When she refused to marry him, she was banished from the Dessau court. During the next eleven years she lived as a nun in HerfordHerford
Herford is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the lowlands between the hill chains of the Wiehen Hills and the Teutoburg Forest. It is the capital of the district of Herford.- Geographic location :...
. Later her father (who himself had two illegitimate children) tried to find a suitable husband for her, but all marriage plans failed. In the meanwhile, she lived openly with the Baron of Rackmann, who was fifteen years her junior. Thanks to her intervention, he was raised to the rank of an Imperial Count and Baron of Bangert.
Probably to be near of her son (who had been put under the care of a banker's family), Henriette Amalie acquired a large house in Bockenheim (Frankfurt am Main)
Bockenheim (Frankfurt am Main)
Bockenheim is a district or Stadtteil of Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, Germany. It is part of the Ortsbezirk Innenstadt II, and is subdivided into 7 Stadtbezirke. It is in the west-central part of the city and covers an area of 540.1 ha...
, later named the "Villa Passavant," then built the former Franck-school and finally the current Saint Elisabeth's hospital.
In 1753 the princess acquired a property with a house and orangery
Orangery
An orangery was a building in the grounds of fashionable residences from the 17th to the 19th centuries and given a classicising architectural form. The orangery was similar to a greenhouse or conservatory...
attached. She pursued extensive agriculture activities and made the estate virtually self-sufficient. She introduced silkworm (Bombyx mori
Bombyx mori
The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of the domesticated silkmoth, Bombyx mori . It is an economically important insect, being a primary producer of silk...
) breeding, kept bees, and sold oranges from her own residence. Also, she fostered the cultivation of asparagus and the growing of other fruits and vegetables.
In Kreuznach she acquired the feudal estate (German: Rittergut) of Bangert and established there a small castle (today a public museum) in the classicist style to replace the old manor house; it was completed about 1775.
The princess managed her extended properties herself, and was also an enthusiastic farmer. Her financial acumen became the basis for an independent and free life. She was said to have been five times richer than the richest farmer in that region. With her wealth she supported numerous artists.
In 1771 she extended her country house with annexes to the castle. Approximately 700 works of art were exhibited in the "Galerie" of the first floor of the remodeled castle. Near the castle a "Marmorbad" was created. Around this time her son died at approximately thirty years of age, a victim of consumption.
In 1790 she acquired a Frankfurt townhouse in Eschenheimer lane.
When French revolutionary troops moved approached Frankfurt in 1792, Henriette Amalie fled to her native Dessau
Dessau
Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...
and moved into the "Palais Dietrich" (named after its former owner, her brother Dietrich, who had died in 1769).
One year later Henriette Amalie herself died, two days before her seventy-third birthday. She was buried in Dessau without any of her family members present for the funeral.