Princess Alexandra of Bavaria
Encyclopedia
Princess Alexandra Amalie of Bavaria (26 August 1826 – 21 September 1875) was a member of the House of Wittelsbach and devoted her life to literature.
in Aschaffenburg
, the eighth child and fifth daughter of King Ludwig I of Bavaria
and of his wife Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen
. As a girl her portrait was painted by Joseph Karl Stieler
for the "Gallery of Beauties" which her father commissioned at Schloss Nymphenburg
.
in Munich
and Würzburg
; this was a religious community specifically for noble ladies. In the 1850s Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte
asked King Ludwig for Alexandra's hand in marriage, but he was divorced from his wife, and Ludwig refused, using as an excuse Alexandra's delicate health.
In 1852 Alexandra began a literary career. Her first book of stories was entitled Weihnachtsrosen (Christmas roses). The next year she published Souvenirs, pensées et essais (Memories, thoughts and essays). In 1856 appeared Feldblumen (Field flowers), the proceeds of which she donated to the Maximilian Orphanage. In 1858 appeared Phantasie- und Lebensbilder (Daydreams and biographical sketches), a collection of loose translations into German from English and French. In 1862 she produced a loose translation into German of some of the romances of Eugenie Foa
. The following year appeared Thautropfen (Dewdrops), a collection of stories translated into German from French as well as others of her own.
In 1870 Alexandra produced Das Kindertheater (The children's theatre), a German translation of some French children's plays from Arnaud Berquin
's L'ami des enfants. That same year appeared Der erste des Monats (The first of the month), a German translation of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly
's French book. In 1873 she produced Maiglöckchen (Lilies of the valley), a collection of stories. Alexandra also had a number of contributions published in Isabella Braun's periodical Jugendblätter.
Alexandra died in 1875 at the age of forty-nine at Schloss Nymphenburg
. She is buried in the Wittelsbach crypt in the Theatinerkirche
in Munich.
that as a child she had swallowed a grand piano made of glass, which remained inside her. This delusion was the subject of a 2010 BBC Radio 3
programmme called "The Glass Piano", written and narrated by poet Deborah Levy
, with musical sound effects interspersed between commentary by psychoanalyst Susie Orbach
and others.
Early life
Alexandra was born in Schloss JohannisburgSchloss Johannisburg
Schloss Johannisburg is a castle in Aschaffenburg that was erected between 1605 and 1614 by Georg Ridinger. Until 1803, it was the second residence of the prince bishop of Mainz. It is constructed of red sandstone, the typical building material of the area around Aschaffenburg.The castle is one of...
in Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg is a city in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not considered part of the district of Aschaffenburg, but is the administrative seat.Aschaffenburg is known as the Tor zum Spessart or "gate to the Spessart"...
, the eighth child and fifth daughter of King Ludwig I of Bavaria
Ludwig I of Bavaria
Ludwig I was a German king of Bavaria from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states.-Crown prince:...
and of his wife Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Therese Charlotte Luise of Saxony-Hildburghausen was a queen of Bavaria.She was a daughter of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, and Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, eldest daughter of Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.-Biography:In 1809, she was on the list of...
. As a girl her portrait was painted by Joseph Karl Stieler
Joseph Karl Stieler
Joseph Karl Stieler was a German painter. Born in Mainz to a family of engravers and die-cutters, Stieler received some artistic training from his father, August Friedrich Stieler...
for the "Gallery of Beauties" which her father commissioned at Schloss Nymphenburg
Nymphenburg Palace
The Nymphenburg Palace , i.e. "Nymph's Castle", is a Baroque palace in Munich, Bavaria, southern Germany. The palace was the main summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria.-History:...
.
Later life and death
Alexandra never married, and instead was appointed abbess of the Royal Chapter for Ladies of Saint AnneSaint Anne
Saint Hanna of David's house and line, was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ according to Christian and Islamic tradition. English Anne is derived from Greek rendering of her Hebrew name Hannah...
in 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...
and Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
; this was a religious community specifically for noble ladies. In the 1850s Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte
Louis Lucien Bonaparte
Louis Lucien Bonaparte was the third son of Napoleon's second surviving brother, Lucien Bonaparte. He was born at Thorngrove, mansion in Grimley, Worcestershire, England, where his family were temporarily interned after having been captured by the British en route to America A philologist and...
asked King Ludwig for Alexandra's hand in marriage, but he was divorced from his wife, and Ludwig refused, using as an excuse Alexandra's delicate health.
In 1852 Alexandra began a literary career. Her first book of stories was entitled Weihnachtsrosen (Christmas roses). The next year she published Souvenirs, pensées et essais (Memories, thoughts and essays). In 1856 appeared Feldblumen (Field flowers), the proceeds of which she donated to the Maximilian Orphanage. In 1858 appeared Phantasie- und Lebensbilder (Daydreams and biographical sketches), a collection of loose translations into German from English and French. In 1862 she produced a loose translation into German of some of the romances of Eugenie Foa
Eugenie Foa
Eugenie Foa was a French writer.Eugenie Foa was by descent a Sephardi Jewess, her mother being a member of the Gradis family, and both parents being members of the Bordeaux Jewish community. On the death of her father in 1826, the family moved to Paris...
. The following year appeared Thautropfen (Dewdrops), a collection of stories translated into German from French as well as others of her own.
In 1870 Alexandra produced Das Kindertheater (The children's theatre), a German translation of some French children's plays from Arnaud Berquin
Arnaud Berquin
Arnaud Berquin was a French children's author.His most famous work was L'Ami des Enfans which was first translated into English, albeit bowdlerised, by Mary Stockdale and published in London in 1783-4 by Mary's father John Stockdale.The work remained popular until the middle of the nineteenth...
's L'ami des enfants. That same year appeared Der erste des Monats (The first of the month), a German translation of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly
Jean-Nicolas Bouilly
Jean-Nicolas Bouilly was a French playwright, librettist, children's writer, and politician of the French Revolution...
's French book. In 1873 she produced Maiglöckchen (Lilies of the valley), a collection of stories. Alexandra also had a number of contributions published in Isabella Braun's periodical Jugendblätter.
Alexandra died in 1875 at the age of forty-nine at Schloss Nymphenburg
Nymphenburg Palace
The Nymphenburg Palace , i.e. "Nymph's Castle", is a Baroque palace in Munich, Bavaria, southern Germany. The palace was the main summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria.-History:...
. She is buried in the Wittelsbach crypt in the Theatinerkirche
Theatinerkirche (Munich)
The Theatine Church of St. Cajetan is a Catholic church in Munich, southern Germany. Built from 1663 to 1690, it was founded by Elector Ferdinand Maria and his wife, Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, as a gesture of thanks for the birth of the long-awaited heir to the Bavarian crown, Prince Max...
in Munich.
Psychological issues
Notwithstanding her literary accomplishments, Alexandra suffered from a number of psychological eccentricities, including a fixation with cleanliness as well as wearing only white clothes. In her early twenties, she notably developed a delusionDelusion
A delusion is a false belief held with absolute conviction despite superior evidence. Unlike hallucinations, delusions are always pathological...
that as a child she had swallowed a grand piano made of glass, which remained inside her. This delusion was the subject of a 2010 BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
programmme called "The Glass Piano", written and narrated by poet Deborah Levy
Deborah Levy
Deborah Levy is a British playwright, novelist, and poet.-Life:Levy's father was a member of the African National Congress, an academic, a historian. The family emigrated to Wembley Park, in 1968...
, with musical sound effects interspersed between commentary by psychoanalyst Susie Orbach
Susie Orbach
Susie Orbach is a psychotherapist, psychoanalyst, writer, and social critic from London, UK.-Background:Orbach was born in London, in 1946, and was brought up in Chalk Farm, north London, the child of Jewish parents, British MP Maurice Orbach and an American mother...
and others.
Ancestry
Sources
- Rall, Hans. Wittelsbacher Lebensbilder von Kaiser Ludwig bis zur Gegenwart: Führer durch die Münchener Fürstengrüfte mit Verzeichnis aller Wittelsbacher Grablegen und Grabstätten. München: Wittelsbacher Ausgleichsfonds.