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| Frederick I of Prussia @Wikipedia |
(1657-1713)
King in Prussia
1701-1713
Elector of Brandenburg
(Friedrich III)
Duke of Prussia
1688-1701
Wife of:
1. Elizabeth Henrietta von Hessen-Kassel (1661-1684), mar 1679
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| Sophie Charlotte of Hanover the Queen Philosopher @Wikipedia |
2. Sophie Charlotte von Hannover (1668-1705), mar 1684
3. Sophie Louise von Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1685-1735), mar 1708
About Sophia Charlotte of Hanover.
"On the very threshold of modern times stands a characteristic figure, Sophia Charlotte, Princess of Brunswick Luneburg, the second wife of Frederic I, who in 1700 exchanged the Electoral cap of Brandenburg for the Royal crown of Prussia at the price of 10,000 men. As a bride she is described in the 'Mercurgalant' of 1684 as slender, clear-complexioned, and combining the beauties of large blue eyes and a profusion of glossy black hair. Frederic loved pomp and ceremony, was badly educated and ill-shaped, a mixture of shrewdness, selfishness, and meanness. Sophia Charlotte, unable to endure his society, withdrew to Lutzelburg, where she kept her simple court, surrounded by men of letter and devoted to the study of philosophy, asking Leibnitz more questions than the savant could answer. 'Madame,' said he impatiently one day, 'you want to know the wherefore of every why!'" (Baring-Gould. Germany, Present and Past, Vol 1: 191)
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| Catherina von Wartenberg @nrz.de |
His lover was:
1. Catharina von Wartenberg (1674-1734)
Lover in 1696-1711
Wife of Johann Kasimir von Kolbe (1643-1712), Graf von Wartenberg
"At the court of the count palatine of Simmern, W. rose to the position of privy councillor and senior equerry. In 1688 he became a chamberlain in the service of Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg, the future King Frederick I of Prussia, who named him senior chamberlain in 1696. . . His influence increased when he offered his wife, Catharina Rickers, to the new king as a mistress. . . ." (Killy. Thibaut - Zycha: 354)
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| Friedrich II of Prussia the Great @Wikipedia |
(1712-1786)
King of Prussia
Elector of Brandenburg
Son of: Friedrich Wilhelm I von Preussen & Sophia Dorothea von Hannover.
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| Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern @Wikipedia |
Husband of Elisabeth Christine von Braunschweig-Bevern (1715-1797)
Daughter of Ferdinand Albrecht II von Braunschweig-Wolfenbuttel & Antoinette von Braunschweig-Wolfenbuttel.
Daughter of Ferdinand Albrecht II von Braunschweig-Wolfenbuttel & Antoinette von Braunschweig-Wolfenbuttel.
His lovers were:
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| Anna Karolina Orzelska @Wikipedia |
1) Anna Karolina, Countess Orzelska (1707-1769)
Natural daughter of: Augustus II of Poland and Henriette Renard-Duval, daughter of a wine-vault owner in Warsaw.
Wife of: Karl Ludwig of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck (1690-1774), mar 1730, div 1733.
Wife of: Karl Ludwig of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck (1690-1774), mar 1730, div 1733.
"Anna Orzelska (1702/07-69) was the natural daughter of King Augustus II and Henrietta Renard-Duval, daughter of the owner of a wine-vault in Warsaw. Forgotten by her father, Anna was brought up in unknown conditions. Around 1724 she was found by her half-brother Fryderyk August Rutkowski, commander of Augustus II's household cavalry regiment. The king officially recognized her as his daughter, granterd her the title of countess and the surname Orzelska, accorded her a regular stipend, and slightly presented her with the Blue Palace in Warsaw. In 1730 she was married to Prince Ludwig Karl Holstein-Beck, with whom she had a son, Karl Friedrich. Divorced in 1733, she continued to lead a free life, spending most of her time in Italy and France. She probably died in Avignon or Rome." (Art in Poland, 1572-1764: Land of the Winged Horseman: 159)
"In 1728 she was recruited as a political spy by her father and introduced in Dresden to Crown-Prince Friedrich of Prussia. She became his lover and from him she obtained political secrets to be used to the Saxon advantage. . . . " (Countess Anna Orzelska)
"My brother had fallen passionately in love with the countess Orzelska, who was at once a natural daughter and a mistress of the king of Poland: her mother was a French milliner in Warsaw. Countess Orzelska owed her fortune to count Rodofski her brother, whose mistress she had been, and who had introduced her to the king of Poland her father. . . However, the monarch was so struck with the charms of the countess, that he immediately acknowledged her as his daughter; his passion for her was unbounded. To break off this intrigue, he offered him the beautiful Formera, on condition that he should renounce countess Orzelska. My brother promised whatever was required, to obtain possession of the handsome Formera, who was his first mistress." (Memoirs of Frederica Sophia Wilhelmina, Princess Royal of Prussia, Vol 1 @Google Books: 80)
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| Blue Palace in Warsaw @Wikipedia |
"My brother had fallen passionately in love with the countess Orzelska, who was at once a natural daughter and a mistress of the king of Poland: her mother was a French milliner in Warsaw. Countess Orzelska owed her fortune to count Rodofski her brother, whose mistress she had been, and who had introduced her to the king of Poland her father. . . However, the monarch was so struck with the charms of the countess, that he immediately acknowledged her as his daughter; his passion for her was unbounded. To break off this intrigue, he offered him the beautiful Formera, on condition that he should renounce countess Orzelska. My brother promised whatever was required, to obtain possession of the handsome Formera, who was his first mistress." (Memoirs of Frederica Sophia Wilhelmina, Princess Royal of Prussia, Vol 1 @Google Books: 80)
"The Margravine of Baireuth, sister of Frederick the Great, relates that during his stay at the court of Dresden he fell in love with the Princess Orselska, daughter of Augustus the strong, who was at the same time his father's mistress, and that of his brother, Count Rutowski.---Dr. Johannes Scherr, Society and Manners in Germany." (Sword and Womankind Being an Informative History of Indiscreet Revelations 1930: 214)
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| Barbara Campanini @Wikipedia |
Lover in 1744-1748.
Grafin von Barschau 1787
Grafin von Barschau 1787
Contessa Campanini 1787.
Wife of:
1. Karl Ludwig, Freiherr von Cocceji mar 1748, sep 1759, div 1788.
2. a German baron.
"Soon after d'Argens got his court appointment, King Frederick gave a public display of his insatiable love of the arts. Barbara Campanini, known as La Barbarina, was a ballerina who caused a sensation when she first appeared in London and Paris. . . Frederick naturally wanted to recruit her, and in 1743 she was persuaded to promise to go to Berlin the following season. Barbarina, however, changed her mind and instead went to Venice with her young Scottish fiance, James Mackenzie, brother of the Earl of Bite. The irate Frederick demanded that the Doge and Senate of Venice arrest the runaway and compel her to come to Berlin and fulfill her rash promise, which he regarded as a contract. When they refused to intervene . . . Frederick urged the French, Spanish, and British ambassadors to add pressure to his cause. . . Still she remained in Venice with her lover, and even danced publicly. Finally, Frederick had her kidnapped and taken to Prussia by force. She was seized by soldiers, bundled into a closed carriage and delivered to Berlin like a prisoner of war. Her fiance followed her, and was promptly thrown out of the kingdom. Five days after her arrival, Barbarina started to perform, relieved that she was not to face a court-martial." (The Marquis d'Argens: A Philosophical Life: 140)
" . . . She appeared in Berlin from 1744 to 1748. She was Frederick the Great's mistress until she fell into disgrace in 1748 upon his discovering that she was having an affair with De Cocceji. . . ." (History of My Life, Vols 9-10: 541)
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| Dietrich Freiherr von Keyserlingk @Wikipedia |
3) Dietrich, Graf von Keyserling (1698-1745)
Lover in 1728.
" . . . Dietrich Lieutenant Count von Kerserling was a civilized young man who shared Frederick's enthusiasms. Frederick gave him the romantic nickname of Cesarion, and he became a fixture in his life. . . At least some observers suspected Frederick and Keyserling were lovers. The marquis de Valory, French ambassador at Frederick's court, reported that the two spent hours together and that Frederick forbade his friend to go near the window 'as he did not wish him to be seen and talked about.'. . . ." (Homosexuality and Civilization: 507)
"The Prince was released from prison in 1731. As he went out into the world, he did so with two new male friends who were to remain loyal to him for years. One was Dietrick (sic) Lieutenant Count von Keyserling, who became a lifelong friend of the Prince's. It was widely suspected that they were lovers as well. . . . " (Macho Man: 14)
"The Prince was released from prison in 1731. As he went out into the world, he did so with two new male friends who were to remain loyal to him for years. One was Dietrick (sic) Lieutenant Count von Keyserling, who became a lifelong friend of the Prince's. It was widely suspected that they were lovers as well. . . . " (Macho Man: 14)
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| Francesco Algarotti @Wikipedia |
4) Francesco Algarotti (1712-1764)
Venetian polymath, philosopher, poet, essayist, anglophile, art critic & art collector
Lover in 1740-1742.
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| Hans Hermann von Katte @Wikipedia |
5) Hans Hermann von Katte (1704-1730)
Prussian soldier
"More significant, and finally more tragic, was another attachment Frederick formed this same year (1728). Hans Hermann von Katte, six years his senior and the son of a Prussian general. . . Katte served as the teenager's confidant and protector, standing guard during his flute lessons, and their friendship seems to have blossomed into a love affair. . . But Frederick's relations with his father had by now become intolerable. . . It is not surprising that the desperate Frederick laid plans to escape from Prussia. . . Frederick was caught as he was about to cross the border, and Katte was arrested as his accomplice. The king had both court-martialed for desertion. Katte was sentenced to life imprisonment, but the court refused to judge the prince. The king . . . ordered Katte executed and the prince imprisoned." (Homosexuality and Civilization: 507)
" . . . As a teenager, Frederick formed several close relationships, the most important one with Hans Hermann von Katte. Katte was several years older than Frederick and they shared interests as well as a common outlook on life. They attempted to leave Prussia but were caught when a member of the escape party betrayed the group. The king ordered a trial on charges of desertion; the penalty for Katte was life in prison, but the court was not willing to judge the prince. The king overruled the court and had Katte beheaded. Frederick was made to watch the sentence being carried out." (Historical Dictionary of Homosexuality: 72)
" . . . As a teenager, Frederick formed several close relationships, the most important one with Hans Hermann von Katte. Katte was several years older than Frederick and they shared interests as well as a common outlook on life. They attempted to leave Prussia but were caught when a member of the escape party betrayed the group. The king ordered a trial on charges of desertion; the penalty for Katte was life in prison, but the court was not willing to judge the prince. The king overruled the court and had Katte beheaded. Frederick was made to watch the sentence being carried out." (Historical Dictionary of Homosexuality: 72)
6) Lieutenant Borcke.
" . . . Frederick William was no luckier with a young officer he appointed as a companion responsible for his son's morals. Frederick was soon sending Lieutenant Borcke fervent love letters. . . ." (Homosexuality and Civilization: 507)
". . . To avoid such homosexual carryings on (sic), the King appointed a more proper companion to the young Prince, to make him more of a man. He chose a Lieutenant Borcke to be his son's new masculine 'buddy.' Unfortunately for the King, this plan backfired too, and soon the Prince was writing love letters to Lieutenant Borcke. When Prince Frederick realized that his love affair with Borcke was not going to work out, he turned his desires toward the son of a Prussian General. . . . " (Macho Man: 14)
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| Michael Gabriel Fredersdorf @Wikipedia |
7) Michael Gabriel Fredersdorf (1708-1759)
Lover in 1731.
"On 27 December, Frederick went to the university town of Frankfurt nearby and dined there with 'a lot of fools'. He enjoyed himself, for all that, especially as he was serenaded by the students. It seems possible that it was on this occasion that he made the acquaintance of Michael Gabriel Fredersdorf, who played the oboe in the regiment garrisoned in the town. Fredersdorf had music in his blood. He was the son of the town musician at Gartz, on the left back of the Oder, between Schwedt and Stettin. Fredersdorf was three and a half years older than the prince and, of course, a commoner; but this is no way prevented an intimate relationship from growing up between them, and one which lasted until Fredersdorf's death in 1759: Fredersdorf was one of two or three people Frederick referred to as 'tu' or 'Du'. Fredersdorf proved useful at that difficult time in Frederick's life. He also played the flute, and clearly extremely well, as he was later to accompany Quantz, deemed to be the greatest virtuoso of his day. Frederick had Fredersdorf brought up to Kustrin, where his flute playing soothed him 'during many troubled hours'. Later he had him released from his regiment, to serve him in his households in Ruppin and Rheinsberg." (Frederick the Great: A Life in Deed and Letters: 86)
"In 1731, shortly before his release from prison, Frederick made another friend who was also to serve him for many years. This was Michael Gabriel Fredersdorf, a private in the Prussian army and an accomplished flautist, who became Frederick's valet and factotum, responsible for the royal theater and opera. He was four years older than the prince, clever, well-mannered, and strikingly good-looking. Voltaire, who later observed the relationship at first hand, wrote slyly in his Memoires: 'This soldier, young, handsome, well made, and who played the flute, served to entertain the prisoner in more than one fashion. This was to prove the longest attachment of Frederick's life. Frederick made him chancellor and shocked Prussia's class-conscious aristocracy by giving the peasant's son an estate. . . ." (Homosexuality and Civilization: 508)
"The king imprisoned Frederick for a year, during which Frederick began two of his longest relationships, with Lieutenant Count von Keyserlingk and Michael Gabriel Fredersdorf. Voltaire wrote of Fredersdorf, 'This soldier, young, handsome, well made, and who played the flute, served to entertain the prisoner in more than one fashion.' Fredersdorf was the heir of a peasant, but as king, Frederick would name him royal valet, then director of the royal theatre, and eventually chancellor of the kingdom." (Frederick II of Prussia)
" . . . As an adult, Frederick continued to form close and almost certainly sexual relationships with other men, such as Michael Gabriel Fredersdorf, who was a private in Frederick's army as well as someone who shared a passion for the flute. . . ." (Historical Dictionary of Homosexuality: 72)
"The Prince was released from prison in 1731. As he went out into the world, he did so with two new male friends who were to remain loyal to him for years. . . The other soldier he befriended was Michael Gabriel Fredershof, a private in the Prussian army. It is also suspected that he and the Prince were lovers." (Macho Man: 14)
Fredersdorf's physical appearance & personal qualities.
" . . . Fredersdorf was 'tall [and] handsome' and had 'understanding and ingenuity'. He was 'polite, attentive and supple, frugal of his fortune, and yet liberal'. . . ." (Frederick the Great: A Life in Deed and Letters: 114)
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| Peter Karl Christoph von Keith @Wikipedia |
9) Peter Karl Christoph von Keith (1711-1756)
"Frederick had a page in his court by the name of Peter Christoph Keith. When the young Prince Frederick was sixteen years old, he became friendly with Keith, who was a year older than he. Reportedly, Keith became a devoted friend of the Prince. As young Frederick's sister Wilhelmine was to write, '[Frederick and Peter Christoph Keith] soon became inseparable. Keith was intelligent, but without education. He served my brother from feelings of real devotion, and kept him informed of all the King's actions.' However, she was also to note, 'Though I had noticed that he was on more familiar terms with this page than was proper in his position, I dod not know how intimate the friendship was.'. When Frederick's father, the King, got wind of this, he promptly sent Keith into exile, and that was the end of that. . . ." (Macho Man: 13)
"Two other remarkable members of the family of Keith, known and esteemed by the Great Frederick, were the Murray-Keiths, father and son, ambassadors at Vienna. Of them we shall have to speak later on. Here we have to mention still two other brothers: Keiths, the pages, who did play a passing part in the life of young Prince Frederick. They were not related to the Earl Marischal’s family, though also descended from Scottish forebears. They were born at Poberow in Pomerania. Peter Karl Christoph von Keith, the elder, was privy to the secret flight of the Crown Prince, and when the plans were discovered, he was warned by his master in a short letter containing only the words, "Sauvez-vous; tout est découvert." He had time left to escape to Holland, and with the assistance of Lord Chesterfield to England. His image was hung on the gallows at Wesel. After a short stay in Portugal, where he served as major, he returned to Berlin, when the Crown Prince had succeeded his father as King Frederick II. There he was made equerry, Lieutenant-Colonel and Curate of the Academy of Sciences with a good salary. But even then he complained and thought himself but poorly rewarded. His character, so different from the splendid and lofty unselfishness of the Earl Marischal, soon forfeited the favour of the King. He died in 1756. Of his younger brother almost nothing is known except that he served in a regiment of infantry at Wesel." (The Scots in Germany @Electric Scotland)
"The first friendship to arouse suspicions was with his father's page, Peter Christoph Keith. The prince was sixteen, Keith a year older. Frederick's sister Wilhelmine. . . wrote that the two 'soon became inseparable. Keith was intelligent, but without education. He served my brother from feelings of real devotion, and kept him informed of all the king's actions.' Then she added, mysteriously, 'Though I had noticed that he was on more familiar terms with this page than was proper in his position, I did not know how intimate the friendship was.' The king, alarmed, sent Keith into exile. . . ." (Homosexuality and Civilization: 506)
"Among Voltaire's most notable homosexual friends were Count Francesco Algarotti, the marquis de Villette, and Frederick the Great. . . Voltaire's friendship with the king was an intense and enduring passion, though often clouded with storms. 'For four years you have been my mistress,' Voltaire wrote the king in 1740. But for the moment, he explained, he must return to Mme du Chatelet. . . He addresses Frederick as 'grand roi, charmante coquette' ('great king, charming tease') and declared that he would like to spend the rest of his life at his feet. The ardor is passionate enough, but it does not seem to have been erotic. Though he frankly and explicitly acknowledged the homosexual ambiance of Frederick's court, Voltaire takes care to distance himself from it. . . . " (Homosexuality and Civilization: 514)
Prince-Elector of Brandenburg 1786
Sovereign Prince of Neuchatel 1786.
Husband of:
1. Elisabeth Christine von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, mar 1765, div 1769.
"As a consort for this prince, before he had completed his 21st year, the king now selected Elisabeth, fourth daughter of duke Charles of Brunswick, to whom he was married on the 14th of July, 1765. The union was not auspicious. That the prince's habits were early debauched and profligate, and that he was fond of low pleasures, seems to be generally admitted; but whether, as it has been alleged, some infidelity on the part of the princess contributed to produce their subsequent separation, appears rather doubtful. The only issue of this marriage was a daughter, united in process of time to the duke of York. The divorce took place in 1769. It was a painful circumstance for the king, not merely on account of the frustration of his own plans, but for the sake of the house of Brunswick, with which he was united by so many ties of kindred and friendship. He appointed a commission to investigate the matter . . . When the proceedings were closed, the king sealed up the documents with his own hand. The result was communicated to the foreign sovereigns. A divorce was pronounced, and the princess exiled to Stettin, where she resided till her death in 1840, at the advanced age of 93. . . Closely confined at first, she was afterwards allowed perfect liberty in Stettin, and treated with all the respect due to her birth. The present king, when crown prince, never omitted visiting her when he was in Pomerania, and this threw a cheering brilliance over her latter years." (The Writings of John Greenleaf Whittier: 174)
2. Frederike Luise von Hessen-Darmstadt, mar 1769.
"No sooner was this unpleasant business disposed of than Frederick William contracted a fresh marriage, on the 19th of July, 1769, with Louise, daughter of Louis IX, landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, a general in the Prussian army, who in the following year presented him with a son. The birth of this prince (the late king of Prussia) was a joyful event to Frederick, as tending to secure the line of succession." (The Writings of John Greenleaf Whittier: 174)
"No sooner was this unpleasant business disposed of than Frederick William contracted a fresh marriage, on the 19th of July, 1769, with Louise, daughter of Louis IX, landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, a general in the Prussian army, who in the following year presented him with a son. The birth of this prince (the late king of Prussia) was a joyful event to Frederick, as tending to secure the line of succession." (The Writings of John Greenleaf Whittier: 174)
3. Julie von Voss, Grafin von Ingenheim, morg mar 1787.
"Although the marriage of king and queen was somewhat lacking in affection, there was one thing in Frederika's chambers that her husband was very fond of. It wasn't her sense of humour, her intelligence or even her looks. . . it was her lady-in-waiting and his affair with Julie von Voss resulted in a morganatic bigamous marriage. All of this whilst running a country, being a husband and maintaining his official mistress." (Life in the Georgian Court: 40)
4. Sophie von Donhoff, morg mar 1790.
"When Julie in 1789, her job as lady-in-waiting was taken by 21-year-old Sophie von Donhoff. You will not be surprised to learn that it wasn't the only role vacated by Julie that Sophie would take. True to form, Frederick William married Sophie too, the last nuptial act in a scandalous life." (Life in the Georgian Court: 40)
Friedrich Wilhelm's physical appearance & personal qualities.
"Unlike the other princes of his house, Frederick William was of commanding stature, being upwards of six feet high, and well proportioned. He had enjoyed the benefit of an education far more regular and judicious than that which his illustrious uncle had received, and collected a considerable fund of information and experience. He had cultivated music also, and played the violincello with such skill as to be heard with pleasure after the two celebrated brothers Duport." (The Writings of John Greenleaf Whittier: 174)
". . . He was a man of singularly handsome presence, not without mental qualities of a high order; he was devoted to the arts. . . . " (EB)
List of royal mistresses.
"It must be said, however, that lawful marriage was but an episode in the life of the immoral king Frederick William II, while favorite after favorite divided his affections. Wilhelmina Encke, nominal wife of the chamberlain Rietz, later raised to the rank of Countess of Lichtenau, maintained her position with the king during his whole life, not only through the influence of her own charms, but by means of immoral services in connection with other beautiful women. Other ladies of noble birth, Julie von Voss and Countess Sophie von Donhoff, exacted almost a formal marriage from the king while the queen was actually alive, and the Evangelical Consistory was compelled submissively to sanction the royal bigamy. Rich payments to the families of the royal pseudo-wives are on record, and prove the accumulation of a debt of forty-nine millions thalers at the death of the king, who had had at his disposal the treasure of Frederick the Great." (Women of the Teutonic Nations: n.p.)
His lovers were:
"Although the marriage of king and queen was somewhat lacking in affection, there was one thing in Frederika's chambers that her husband was very fond of. It wasn't her sense of humour, her intelligence or even her looks. . . it was her lady-in-waiting and his affair with Julie von Voss resulted in a morganatic bigamous marriage. All of this whilst running a country, being a husband and maintaining his official mistress." (Life in the Georgian Court: 40)
4. Sophie von Donhoff, morg mar 1790.
"When Julie in 1789, her job as lady-in-waiting was taken by 21-year-old Sophie von Donhoff. You will not be surprised to learn that it wasn't the only role vacated by Julie that Sophie would take. True to form, Frederick William married Sophie too, the last nuptial act in a scandalous life." (Life in the Georgian Court: 40)
Friedrich Wilhelm's physical appearance & personal qualities.
"Unlike the other princes of his house, Frederick William was of commanding stature, being upwards of six feet high, and well proportioned. He had enjoyed the benefit of an education far more regular and judicious than that which his illustrious uncle had received, and collected a considerable fund of information and experience. He had cultivated music also, and played the violincello with such skill as to be heard with pleasure after the two celebrated brothers Duport." (The Writings of John Greenleaf Whittier: 174)
". . . He was a man of singularly handsome presence, not without mental qualities of a high order; he was devoted to the arts. . . . " (EB)
List of royal mistresses.
"It must be said, however, that lawful marriage was but an episode in the life of the immoral king Frederick William II, while favorite after favorite divided his affections. Wilhelmina Encke, nominal wife of the chamberlain Rietz, later raised to the rank of Countess of Lichtenau, maintained her position with the king during his whole life, not only through the influence of her own charms, but by means of immoral services in connection with other beautiful women. Other ladies of noble birth, Julie von Voss and Countess Sophie von Donhoff, exacted almost a formal marriage from the king while the queen was actually alive, and the Evangelical Consistory was compelled submissively to sanction the royal bigamy. Rich payments to the families of the royal pseudo-wives are on record, and prove the accumulation of a debt of forty-nine millions thalers at the death of the king, who had had at his disposal the treasure of Frederick the Great." (Women of the Teutonic Nations: n.p.)
His lovers were:
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Julie von Voss Grafin of Ingenheim |
German lady-in-waiting to Friederike Sophia von Hessen-Darmstadt
Queen of Prussia 1783.
Daughter of: Friedrich Christian von Voss & Amalia Ottilia von Vieregg.
Natural offspring:
1. Gustav Adolf von Ingenheim (1789-1855)
Natural offspring:
1. Gustav Adolf von Ingenheim (1789-1855)
Prussian royal chamberlain 1810, Privy Councillor 1816
Physical Traits & Personal Qualities.
"Mademoiselle Voss has a kind of natural wit, some information, is rather willful than firm, and is very obviously awkward, which she endeavours to disguise by assuming an air of simplicity. She is ugly, and that even to a degree; and her only excellence is the goodness of her complexion, which I think rather wan than white, and a fine neck. . . . " (Mirabeau, 1789, pp. 296-297)
"Although the marriage of king and queen was somewhat lacking in affection, there was one thing in Frederika's chambers that her husband was very fond of. It wasn't her sense of humour, her intelligence or even her looks . . . it was her lady-in-waiting and his affair with Julie von Voss resulted in a morganatic, bigamous marriage. Al of this whilst running a country, being a husband and maintaining his official mistress." (Life in the Georgian Court: 40)
Physical Traits & Personal Qualities.
"Mademoiselle Voss has a kind of natural wit, some information, is rather willful than firm, and is very obviously awkward, which she endeavours to disguise by assuming an air of simplicity. She is ugly, and that even to a degree; and her only excellence is the goodness of her complexion, which I think rather wan than white, and a fine neck. . . . " (Mirabeau, 1789, pp. 296-297)
"Although the marriage of king and queen was somewhat lacking in affection, there was one thing in Frederika's chambers that her husband was very fond of. It wasn't her sense of humour, her intelligence or even her looks . . . it was her lady-in-waiting and his affair with Julie von Voss resulted in a morganatic, bigamous marriage. Al of this whilst running a country, being a husband and maintaining his official mistress." (Life in the Georgian Court: 40)
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Wilhelmina Encke Grafin of Lichtenau |
Daughter of: Johann Elias Enke, an innkeeper and a chamber musician in the court of Friedrich II von Preussen.
Wife of:
1. Johann Friedrich Rietz (or Ritz) (1755-1809), Groom of the Bedchamber to Friedrich Wilhelm II, mar 1782, sep 1794, diss 1796.
"In 1782 she was married to Rietz (Ritz), Groom of the Chamber. When Frederick was crowned King of Prussia Rietz was made Groom of the Privy Chamber. . . . " (The Two Duchesses: 473)
2. Franz Ignaz Holbein (Baron), a minor writer and 26 years her junior, mar 1802, sep 1806. (Wikipedia).
Biography of Wilhelmina in Meyer's Encyclopaedia.
"Lichtenau (Wilhelmina, Countess of), mistress of Frederick William II of Prussia, was born December 29, 1752, in Potsdam. She died June 2, 1820, in Berlin. She was the daughter of the musician Enke of Hildburghausen.
'The the Prince of Prussia, afterwards King Frederick William II, made her acquaintance when she was 13 years old at her sister's house, who was a dancer at the Italian Opera in Berlin. The Prince had her educated in Paris and in Potsdam, where intimate intercourse followed. Five children were born, who received the title of Counts and Countesses of the Mark.
'In 1782 she was married to Rietz (Ritz), Groom of the Bedchamber. When Frederick was crowned King of Prussia, Rietz was made Groom of the Privy Chamber. Although Rietz's wife was superseded in the King's favour by the Countess von Voss and the Donhoff, she succeeded in retaining his friendship till 1796, when she received the title of Countess of Lichtenau, which admitted her to Court. The King gave her also the sum of 500,000 thalers, several estates, and a dowry of 200,000 thalers to her daughter, Countess Marianne of the Mark (a son, Count of the Mark, died when nine years old) on the occasion of her marriage with Count Stolberg. She retained the King's affection and confidence, which she never misused, till his death in 1797.
'King Frederick William III then arrested and opened proceedings against her, but nothing could be laid to her charge. Nevertheless she kept prisoner at Glogau, only regaining her liberty by surrendering all her property, in return for which she received a pension of 4000 thalers a year. A marriage which she contracted with the dramatic poet Holbein in 1802 was dissolved in 1806. In 1811 a portion of her estates were returned to her." (The Two Duchesses: 473)
An affair that would outlast all of his other relationships.
"In the year that his marriage collapsed, Frederick William happily began an affair that would outlast all of his other relationships, continuing for nearly three decades. The lady in question was Wilhelmine Enke, a 16-year-old daughter of a court musician, and Frederick William was crazy about her. Installed as his official mistress, she was mother to five children by her noble lover. For Frederick the Great, however, whilst Wilhelmine might make a fine mistress for his flighty young nephew, , she was no substitute for the real thing. In fact, before the annulment was even final, he was already urging Frederick William to look around for the next dynastic match." (Life in the Georgian Court: 40)
"The Prince of Prussia has nothing in his figure which denotes a person of superior talents or genius . . . Even when he forgets he is a prince and frequents lower company, which, though from the pains he takes to be constantly in it, appears to amuse him . . . yet even there, he never expresses his satisfaction, otherwise than by encouraging his companions to be as loud and clamorous as possible, and to lay aside every respect due to him as their future sovereign. His favourite mistress, formerly a stage dancer, presides at these revels, and takes the lead in all scenes of indecent mirth which pass there. She is large in her person, spirity in her looks; loose in her attire, and gives a true idea of a perfect bacchanalian. He is liberal to her to a degree, and she alone spends the full income he receives from the King. She makes indeed the best return in her power to such generosity, for at the same time she assures him that he has the sole possession of her affections, she by no means exacts the same fidelity from him, but endeavours, as far as lays in her power, to satisfy his desires, whenever from fickleness or satiety they fix themselves on some new object: and in this profession she is so dexterous, as never to suffer him to become acquainted with any woman who is likely to be her rival in the dominion she has over him. Her choice,and fortunately for her his, is generally among those of the lowest kind, and such as well knows can never afford him more than temporary amusements." (Music and Theatre in Handel's World: 826)
"The Prince referred to is Frederick William, Frederick the Great's nephew and subsequently King Frederick William II of Prussia. By 1775 he had made two dynastic marriages (the first one dissolved) and (during the lifetime of his consorts) two morganatic marriages. The actress Wilhelmina Enke, daughter of a trumpeter, bore him children in 1770, 1774, and 1777." (Music and Theatre in Handel's World: 837)
Wife of:
1. Johann Friedrich Rietz (or Ritz) (1755-1809), Groom of the Bedchamber to Friedrich Wilhelm II, mar 1782, sep 1794, diss 1796.
"In 1782 she was married to Rietz (Ritz), Groom of the Chamber. When Frederick was crowned King of Prussia Rietz was made Groom of the Privy Chamber. . . . " (The Two Duchesses: 473)
2. Franz Ignaz Holbein (Baron), a minor writer and 26 years her junior, mar 1802, sep 1806. (Wikipedia).
Biography of Wilhelmina in Meyer's Encyclopaedia.
"Lichtenau (Wilhelmina, Countess of), mistress of Frederick William II of Prussia, was born December 29, 1752, in Potsdam. She died June 2, 1820, in Berlin. She was the daughter of the musician Enke of Hildburghausen.
'The the Prince of Prussia, afterwards King Frederick William II, made her acquaintance when she was 13 years old at her sister's house, who was a dancer at the Italian Opera in Berlin. The Prince had her educated in Paris and in Potsdam, where intimate intercourse followed. Five children were born, who received the title of Counts and Countesses of the Mark.
'In 1782 she was married to Rietz (Ritz), Groom of the Bedchamber. When Frederick was crowned King of Prussia, Rietz was made Groom of the Privy Chamber. Although Rietz's wife was superseded in the King's favour by the Countess von Voss and the Donhoff, she succeeded in retaining his friendship till 1796, when she received the title of Countess of Lichtenau, which admitted her to Court. The King gave her also the sum of 500,000 thalers, several estates, and a dowry of 200,000 thalers to her daughter, Countess Marianne of the Mark (a son, Count of the Mark, died when nine years old) on the occasion of her marriage with Count Stolberg. She retained the King's affection and confidence, which she never misused, till his death in 1797.
'King Frederick William III then arrested and opened proceedings against her, but nothing could be laid to her charge. Nevertheless she kept prisoner at Glogau, only regaining her liberty by surrendering all her property, in return for which she received a pension of 4000 thalers a year. A marriage which she contracted with the dramatic poet Holbein in 1802 was dissolved in 1806. In 1811 a portion of her estates were returned to her." (The Two Duchesses: 473)
An affair that would outlast all of his other relationships.
"In the year that his marriage collapsed, Frederick William happily began an affair that would outlast all of his other relationships, continuing for nearly three decades. The lady in question was Wilhelmine Enke, a 16-year-old daughter of a court musician, and Frederick William was crazy about her. Installed as his official mistress, she was mother to five children by her noble lover. For Frederick the Great, however, whilst Wilhelmine might make a fine mistress for his flighty young nephew, , she was no substitute for the real thing. In fact, before the annulment was even final, he was already urging Frederick William to look around for the next dynastic match." (Life in the Georgian Court: 40)
"The Prince of Prussia has nothing in his figure which denotes a person of superior talents or genius . . . Even when he forgets he is a prince and frequents lower company, which, though from the pains he takes to be constantly in it, appears to amuse him . . . yet even there, he never expresses his satisfaction, otherwise than by encouraging his companions to be as loud and clamorous as possible, and to lay aside every respect due to him as their future sovereign. His favourite mistress, formerly a stage dancer, presides at these revels, and takes the lead in all scenes of indecent mirth which pass there. She is large in her person, spirity in her looks; loose in her attire, and gives a true idea of a perfect bacchanalian. He is liberal to her to a degree, and she alone spends the full income he receives from the King. She makes indeed the best return in her power to such generosity, for at the same time she assures him that he has the sole possession of her affections, she by no means exacts the same fidelity from him, but endeavours, as far as lays in her power, to satisfy his desires, whenever from fickleness or satiety they fix themselves on some new object: and in this profession she is so dexterous, as never to suffer him to become acquainted with any woman who is likely to be her rival in the dominion she has over him. Her choice,and fortunately for her his, is generally among those of the lowest kind, and such as well knows can never afford him more than temporary amusements." (Music and Theatre in Handel's World: 826)
"The Prince referred to is Frederick William, Frederick the Great's nephew and subsequently King Frederick William II of Prussia. By 1775 he had made two dynastic marriages (the first one dissolved) and (during the lifetime of his consorts) two morganatic marriages. The actress Wilhelmina Enke, daughter of a trumpeter, bore him children in 1770, 1774, and 1777." (Music and Theatre in Handel's World: 837)
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Wilhelmina Encke Grafin von Lichtenau |
"The King's most enduring concubine, Wilhelmina Encke, began her acquaintance with him as a fourteen-year-old prostitute. Frederick William generously lavished a fortune on her and her family, providing them with purpose-built private palaces. Mrs. Encke was eventually married to a bibulous courtier named Rietz, but she was to remain the King's mistress for another twenty years. She and her scheming husband came to form the nucleus of a court clique who bought the King's favor by catering to his urges, mostly sexual. . . ." (Shaw: 138)
First Encounter.
"The then Prince of Prussia, afterwards King Frederick William II,made her acquaintance when she was 13 years old at her sister's house, who was a dancer at the Italian Opera in Berlin. The Prince had her educated in Paris and in Potsdam, where intimate intercourse followed. Five children were born, who received the title of Counts and Countesses of the Mark." (Foster: 473)
Benefits: ". . . Although Rietz's wife was superseded in the King's favour by the Countess of Voss and the Donhoff, she succeeded in retaining his friendship till 1796, when she received the title of Countess of Lichtenau, which admitted her to Court. The King gave her also the sum of 500,000 thalers, several estates, and a dowry of 200,000 thalers to her daughter, Countess Marianne of the Mark. . . on the occasion of her marriage with Count Stolberg. She retained the King's affection and confidence, which she never misused, till his death in 1797." (Foster: 473)
Affair's end & aftermath: "After Frederick William died in 1797, Wilhelmine was exiled and her property confiscated, although she was granted a pension (1800)...." (Wikipedia)
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Sophie von Donhoff |
3) Sophie Juliane, Grafin von Donhoff (1768-1834)
Lover in 1789
Morganatic wife 1790, sep 1792.Prussian aristocrat & royal mistress.
Lady-in-waiting to Friederike Luise, Queen of Prussia 1789
Daughter of: Friedrich Wilhelm von Donhoff & Sophie Charlotte von Langermann
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