Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg
Encyclopedia
Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg (16 March 1729 – 11 March 1818); also known as princess George, was heiress to the barony of Broich and by marriage Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt. She was the grandmother and educator of princess Louise
who later became queen consort of Prussia.
She is a direct matrilineal
ancestor (through women only) of Queen Margaret II of Denmark, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
, King Albert II of Belgium
and King Harald V of Norway
.
(1695–1766) and his wife Countess Katharina Polyxena of Solms-Rödelheim (1702–1765). After the death of her father, she was heiress to the barony of Broich and began with the architect Nicolas de Pigage
, the restoration and expansion of the Broich Castle. In 1806, the government of Broich was dissolved by Napoleon in 1815 and Broich was annexed by Prussia.
On 16 March 1748, She married Prince George William of Hesse-Darmstadt, the brother of the reigning Landgrave Louis IX of Hesse-Darmstadt
in Heidesheim am Rhein
. As Louis IX stayed almost exclusively in Pirmasens
, she felt obliged, after the death of his wife in 1774, to represent the territory in the capital Darmstadt
.
Her daughters Friederike and Charlotte were the first and second wife of Prince Charles II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. They both died in childbirth. Charles then ended his service as governor-general in Hannover and moved with his children to his mother in Darmstadt. Princess George was a widow since 1782 and took over the education and care of Charles's children.
Charlotte
did not move with her father to Darmstadt. At the age of 16, she had been married the Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen. His father visited his two sons frequently and moved to Hildburghausen with his oldest daughter in 1787, after he became president of the local imperial debit Commission. Thus, Maria Luise cared primarily for Louise
and her sisters Therese
and Frederica
for whom she provided a secure and largely informal home in the "Old Palace" at the market square in Darmstadt. She employed regional educational methods.
In 1790 she traveled with Louise, Frederica and George to Frankfurt to see the coronation of Emperor Leopold II
. She stayed here with Catharina Elisabeth Goethe. In 1791, she joined an educational trip to the Netherlands. In 1792 she fled for the advancing French army and took the children from Darmstadt to her granddaughter Charlotte in Hildburghausen, where she remained until March 1793. On the return trip to Darmstadt, she traveled via Frankfurt, where a meeting between Louise and her future husband Frederick William III of Prussia
had been arranged. In 1793 she accompanied Louise and Frederica to their wedding in Berlin.
Maria Louise was described as a magnificent person, warm hearted, cheerful all the time and usually speaking the Palatinate dialect. The proximity and warmth she has as a surrogate mother during the formative years of her granddaughters passed on to them.
Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was Queen consort of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William III...
who later became queen consort of Prussia.
She is a direct matrilineal
Matrilineality
Matrilineality is a system in which descent is traced through the mother and maternal ancestors. Matrilineality is also a societal system in which one belongs to one's matriline or mother's lineage, which can involve the inheritance of property and/or titles.A matriline is a line of descent from a...
ancestor (through women only) of Queen Margaret II of Denmark, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba. She is the first daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She studied law at Leiden University...
, King Albert II of Belgium
Albert II of Belgium
Albert II is the current reigning King of the Belgians, a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
and King Harald V of Norway
Harald V of Norway
Harald V is the king of Norway. He succeeded to the throne of Norway upon the death of his father Olav V on 17 January 1991...
.
Life
Maria Louise Albertine was a daughter of Count Christian Karl Reinhard of Leiningen-Dachsburg-Falkenburg-HeidesheimChristian Karl Reinhard of Leiningen-Dachsburg-Falkenburg-Heidesheim
Christian Karl Reinhard of Leiningen-Dachsburg-Falkenburg-Heidesheim was a German nobleman.He was a great-great-great-grandparent of Mary of Teck.-Life:...
(1695–1766) and his wife Countess Katharina Polyxena of Solms-Rödelheim (1702–1765). After the death of her father, she was heiress to the barony of Broich and began with the architect Nicolas de Pigage
Nicolas de Pigage
Nicolas de Pigage was a French builder.Pigage was born in Lunéville. His father was a stonemason. In 1743 he began his studies at the École Militaire changing to the Académie Royale d'Architecture after only one year studying under Jacques-François Blondel...
, the restoration and expansion of the Broich Castle. In 1806, the government of Broich was dissolved by Napoleon in 1815 and Broich was annexed by Prussia.
On 16 March 1748, She married Prince George William of Hesse-Darmstadt, the brother of the reigning Landgrave Louis IX of Hesse-Darmstadt
Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Louis IX of Hesse-Darmstadt was the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1768 - 1790. He was a son of Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, and Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg and Müntzenberg....
in Heidesheim am Rhein
Heidesheim am Rhein
Heidesheim am Rhein is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Heidesheim am Rhein, which also includes the...
. As Louis IX stayed almost exclusively in Pirmasens
Pirmasens
Pirmasens is a district-free city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near the border with France. It is famous for the manufacture of shoes. The surrounding rural district was called Pirmasens from 1818 until 1997, when it was renamed Südwestpfalz....
, she felt obliged, after the death of his wife in 1774, to represent the territory in the capital Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
.
Her daughters Friederike and Charlotte were the first and second wife of Prince Charles II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. They both died in childbirth. Charles then ended his service as governor-general in Hannover and moved with his children to his mother in Darmstadt. Princess George was a widow since 1782 and took over the education and care of Charles's children.
Charlotte
Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Duchess Charlotte Georgine Luise Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz by birth and a member of the House of Saxe-Hildburghausen and Duchess consort of Saxe-Hildburghausen...
did not move with her father to Darmstadt. At the age of 16, she had been married the Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen. His father visited his two sons frequently and moved to Hildburghausen with his oldest daughter in 1787, after he became president of the local imperial debit Commission. Thus, Maria Luise cared primarily for Louise
Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was Queen consort of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William III...
and her sisters Therese
Duchess Therese of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Duchess Therese Mathilde Amalie of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and a Duchess of Mecklenburg. Through her marriage to Karl Alexander, 5th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, Therese was also a member of the House of Thurn and Taxis.-Family:Therese Mathilde Amalie...
and Frederica
Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz , Duchess of Cumberland and later Queen of Hanover , was the consort of Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, the fifth son and eighth child of George III and Queen Charlotte.She was born in the Altes Palais of Hanover as the fifth...
for whom she provided a secure and largely informal home in the "Old Palace" at the market square in Darmstadt. She employed regional educational methods.
In 1790 she traveled with Louise, Frederica and George to Frankfurt to see the coronation of Emperor Leopold II
Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold II , born Peter Leopold Joseph Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard, was Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary and Bohemia from 1790 to 1792, Archduke of Austria and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790. He was a son of Emperor Francis I and his wife, Empress Maria Theresa...
. She stayed here with Catharina Elisabeth Goethe. In 1791, she joined an educational trip to the Netherlands. In 1792 she fled for the advancing French army and took the children from Darmstadt to her granddaughter Charlotte in Hildburghausen, where she remained until March 1793. On the return trip to Darmstadt, she traveled via Frankfurt, where a meeting between Louise and her future husband Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:...
had been arranged. In 1793 she accompanied Louise and Frederica to their wedding in Berlin.
Maria Louise was described as a magnificent person, warm hearted, cheerful all the time and usually speaking the Palatinate dialect. The proximity and warmth she has as a surrogate mother during the formative years of her granddaughters passed on to them.
External links
- http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/womeninpower/Womeninpower1740.htm