Jenny von Westphalen
Encyclopedia
Baroness Johanna Bertha Julie "Jenny" von Westphalen (February 12, 1814 – December 2, 1881) was the wife of the philosopher Karl Marx
. They became engaged in 1836 and married in 1843. They had six children.
to a prominent family of the Prussian aristocracy
. Her father, Baron Ludwig von Westphalen
(1770–1842), was a former widower with four previous children, who served as "Regierungsrat" in Salzwedel and in Trier. Her paternal grandfather Baron Christian Philip Heinrich von Westphalen (1723–1792) had been de facto "chief of staff" to Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick
during the Seven Years' War
. Her paternal grandmother, Jeanie Wishart (1742–1811), was a Scottish noble: her father George Wishart (1703–1785) was a direct descendent of the 9th Earl of Angus
and Lady Agnes Keith, the latter in turn a direct descendant of King James I
, and the royal House of Stuart
, while her mother's family were the Dukes of Argyll
, for centuries Scotland's most powerful aristocratic family. Her mother, Baroness Amalia Julia Carolina von Westphalen (née Heubel), lived from 1780 to 1856. Jenny von Westphalen's brother Edgar Gerhard Julius Oscar Ludwig von Westphalen (1819–1890), was a schoolmate and friend of Karl Marx. Another brother, Baron Ferdinand Otto Wilhelm Henning von Westphalen, was the conservative Interior Minister of Prussia
, 1850–58.
.
Following their marriage, Karl and Jenny Marx moved to Rue Vaneau in Paris
and befriended the German poet Heinrich Heine
, who lived at Rue Matignon.
Karl and Jenny Marx had the following seven children, in chronological order:
.
In 1848 the Brussels police detained Jenny and served an expulsion order. The Marxes returned to Paris and then moved to Cologne
.
Revolutionary upsurges took place in many European countries in 1848, including the German states. The Prussian authorities had Karl Marx deported to France. He then left with his family for London
in England.
Around 1849–1850 the Marxes lived at Dean Street
in London.
In 1856 the Marxes moved to Grafton Terrace, near Hampstead Hill in London, thanks to the money given to Jenny by her mother when she died (1856). 9 Grafton Terrace, then at the outskirts of "civilized" London, had a small garden and two floors with seven rooms, including the kitchen. Jenny wrote: "we are walking now steadfast to become bourgeois".
In later years Jenny Marx suffered from internal pains, diagnosed as liver cancer
. Following a family visit to France, she died in London at the age of 67 on 2 December 1881. The family buried her in Highgate Cemetery
, London.
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
. They became engaged in 1836 and married in 1843. They had six children.
Background
Jenny von Westphalen was born in SalzwedelSalzwedel
Salzwedel of Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, and has a population of approximately 21,500. Salzwedel is located on the German Framework Road.-Geography:...
to a prominent family of the Prussian aristocracy
Junker
A Junker was a member of the landed nobility of Prussia and eastern Germany. These families were mostly part of the German Uradel and carried on the colonization and Christianization of the northeastern European territories during the medieval Ostsiedlung. The abbreviation of Junker is Jkr...
. Her father, Baron Ludwig von Westphalen
Ludwig von Westphalen
Baron Johann Ludwig von Westphalen was a liberal government official, [Prussian] aristocrat with Scottish heritage, and a friend and mentor of [Karl Marx].-Biography:...
(1770–1842), was a former widower with four previous children, who served as "Regierungsrat" in Salzwedel and in Trier. Her paternal grandfather Baron Christian Philip Heinrich von Westphalen (1723–1792) had been de facto "chief of staff" to Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick
Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick
Ferdinand, Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg , was a Prussian field marshal known for his participation in the Seven Years' War...
during the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
. Her paternal grandmother, Jeanie Wishart (1742–1811), was a Scottish noble: her father George Wishart (1703–1785) was a direct descendent of the 9th Earl of Angus
William Douglas, 9th Earl of Angus
William Douglas, 9th Earl of Angus was a Scottish nobleman and zealous supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots.He was the eldest son of Sir Archibald Douglas of Glenbervie, Knt., by his spouse Agnes, daughter of William Keith, 3rd Earl Marischal, and upon the death of Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of...
and Lady Agnes Keith, the latter in turn a direct descendant of King James I
James I of Scotland
James I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...
, and the royal House of Stuart
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
, while her mother's family were the Dukes of Argyll
Duke of Argyll
Duke of Argyll is a title, created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The Earls, Marquesses, and Dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerful, if not the most powerful, noble family in Scotland...
, for centuries Scotland's most powerful aristocratic family. Her mother, Baroness Amalia Julia Carolina von Westphalen (née Heubel), lived from 1780 to 1856. Jenny von Westphalen's brother Edgar Gerhard Julius Oscar Ludwig von Westphalen (1819–1890), was a schoolmate and friend of Karl Marx. Another brother, Baron Ferdinand Otto Wilhelm Henning von Westphalen, was the conservative Interior Minister of Prussia
Interior Minister of Prussia
This page lists Prussian Ministers of the Interior. See also Interior Ministers of Germany.-Prussian Ministers of the Interior, 1808-1918:*Count Alexander von Dohna-Schlobitten 1808-1810*Count Karl August von Hardenberg 1810-1814...
, 1850–58.
Marriage
Jenny von Westphalen and Karl Heinrich Marx regularly met each other as children. She was four years older than Karl. They became close friends as teenagers. Both of them were well-read and literary, and they soon began courting. According to Marx, she was the most beautiful girl in the town of Triers. Her father, Baron Ludwig von Westphalen, a friend of Marx's father, also befriended the teenage Marx, and would often go on walks with him, where they would discuss philosophy and English literature. Jenny and Karl became engaged in 1836. They eventually married on June 19, 1843 in the Kreuznacher Pauluskirche (the Kreuznach church of Saint Paul), Bad KreuznachBad Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach is the capital of the district of Bad Kreuznach, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is located on the Nahe river, a tributary of the Rhine...
.
Following their marriage, Karl and Jenny Marx moved to Rue Vaneau in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and befriended the German poet Heinrich Heine
Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heine was one of the most significant German poets of the 19th century. He was also a journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Lieder by composers such as Robert Schumann...
, who lived at Rue Matignon.
Children
- Jenny CarolineJenny LonguetJenny Marx Longuet was the eldest daughter of Jenny von Westphalen and Karl Marx.Known as 'Jennychen' in the Marx circle, Jenny Longuet, Marx's eldest daughter, was a socialist activist...
(1844–1883) (m. Charles LonguetCharles LonguetCharles Longuet was a journalist and prominent figure in the French working-class movement, including the 1871 Paris Commune, as well as a Proudhonist member of the General Council of the First International or International Working Men's Association...
) - Jenny LauraLaura MarxJenny Laura Marx was the second daughter of Karl Marx and Jenny von Westphalen. In 1868 she married Paul Lafargue. As an elderly couple, the two committed suicide together in 1911....
(1845–1911), born in BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, m. Paul LafarguePaul LafarguePaul Lafargue was a French revolutionary Marxist socialist journalist, literary critic, political writer and activist; he was Karl Marx's son-in-law, having married his second daughter Laura. His best known work is The Right to Be Lazy... - Edgar (1847–1855), "Mush" to family and friends, named for his uncle Edgar, the brother of Jenny von Westphalen
- Henry Edward Guy ("Guido"; 1849, born at Cologne, Germany; died 1850, London, England).
- Jenny Eveline Frances ("Franziska"; 1851–1852)
- Jenny Julia EleanorEleanor MarxJenny Julia Eleanor "Tussy" Marx , also known as Eleanor Marx Aveling, was the English-born youngest daughter of Karl Marx. She was herself a socialist activist, who sometimes worked as a literary translator...
(born January 1855 when Jenny was 41 and Marx 36; died 1898, aged 43. - An unnamed child, born and died in July 1857
Exile
At 39, Jenny traveled alone with her baby, "Jennychen", to visit her mother, the Baroness Caroline. In 1845 the French political police expelled Karl Marx and the pregnant Jenny: thus the birth of Laura took place in BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
.
In 1848 the Brussels police detained Jenny and served an expulsion order. The Marxes returned to Paris and then moved to Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
.
Revolutionary upsurges took place in many European countries in 1848, including the German states. The Prussian authorities had Karl Marx deported to France. He then left with his family for London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in England.
Around 1849–1850 the Marxes lived at Dean Street
Dean Street
Dean Street is a street in Soho, London, England, running between Oxford Street to the north and Shaftesbury Avenue to the south.-Historical figures:The street has a rich history. In 1764 a young Mozart gave a recital at 21 Dean Street...
in London.
In 1856 the Marxes moved to Grafton Terrace, near Hampstead Hill in London, thanks to the money given to Jenny by her mother when she died (1856). 9 Grafton Terrace, then at the outskirts of "civilized" London, had a small garden and two floors with seven rooms, including the kitchen. Jenny wrote: "we are walking now steadfast to become bourgeois".
In later years Jenny Marx suffered from internal pains, diagnosed as liver cancer
Liver cancer
Liver tumors or hepatic tumors are tumors or growths on or in the liver . Several distinct types of tumors can develop in the liver because the liver is made up of various cell types. These growths can be benign or malignant...
. Following a family visit to France, she died in London at the age of 67 on 2 December 1881. The family buried her in Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is a cemetery located in north London, England. It is designated Grade I on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. It is divided into two parts, named the East and West cemetery....
, London.
Works
- Short Sketch of an Eventful Life (1865–1866)
- Aus der Londoner Theaterwelt. In: Frankfurter Zeitung und Handelsblatt, Frankfurt am Main, No. 328, November 21, 1875
- Londoner Saison. In: Frankfurter Zeitung und Handelsblatt, Frankfurt am Main, No. 95, April, 4, 1876
- Englische Shakespeare-Studien. In: Frankfurter Zeitung und Handelsblatt, Frankfurt am Main, No. 3, January 3, 1877
- Shakespeares "Richard III" im Londoner Lyceum-Theater. In: Frankfurter Zeitung und Handelsblatt, Frankfurt am Main, No. 39, February 8, 1877
- Vom Londoner Theater. In: Frankfurter Zeitung und Handelsblatt, Frankfurt am Main, No. 145, May 25, 1877
- Die hervorragendesten Persönlichkeiten der englischen Salonwelt. In: Der Sprudel. Allgemeines deutsches Bade-Journal, Wien, IX. Jg., No. 3, May 18, 1879
- Irving at home. In: Der Sprudel. Allgemeines deutsches Bade-Journal, Wien, IX. Jg., No. 7, June 23, 1879
External links
- Jenny Von Westphalen-Marx Correspondence Page at the Marxists Internet ArchiveMarxists Internet ArchiveMarxists Internet Archive is a volunteer based non-profit organization that maintains a multi-lingual Internet archive of Marxist writers and other similar authors...