Princess Charlotte of Prussia
Charlotte of Prussia | |||||
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New Palace, Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia | |||||
Died | 1 October 1919 Baden-Baden, Weimar Republic | (aged 59)||||
Burial | 7 October 1919 , Thuringia, Germany | ||||
Spouse | |||||
Issue | Princess Feodora | ||||
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House | Hohenzollern | ||||
Father | Frederick III, German Emperor | ||||
Mother | Victoria, Princess Royal |
Prussian Royalty |
House of Hohenzollern |
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Frederick III |
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Princess Charlotte of Prussia (
Princess Charlotte was a difficult child and indifferent student, with a nervous disposition. Her relationship with her demanding mother was strained. As she grew older, Charlotte developed a penchant for spreading gossip and causing trouble. Eager to escape from parental control, at age seventeen, she married Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Meiningen in 1878. Her husband's weak-willed personality had little effect on her. Known for spreading gossip and her eccentric personality, Princess Charlotte enjoyed Berlin society while frequently leaving her only child, Princess Feodora, in the care of family members. Charlotte and Feodora, in turn, also had a difficult relationship.
Charlotte's brother succeeded their father as
Early life
Birth and family
Princess Viktoria Elisabeth Auguste Charlotte was born on 24 July 1860 at the
Charlotte's paternal family belonged to the
Upbringing and education
The growing family, which came to include eight children,[11] spent its winters in Berlin and summers in Potsdam; the year also usually included a stay in the country, to the delight of the children. In 1863, Vicky and Frederick William purchased a run-down property and refurbished it into a farm, allowing the family to periodically experience a simple country life.[12] Frederick William was a loving husband, but as an officer in the Prussian army, his duties increasingly pulled him away from the home. Vicky was an intellectually demanding mother who expected her children to exhibit moral and political leadership, and in her husband's absence she carefully supervised their education and upbringing.[13] Shortly after arriving in her new adopted country, Vicky observed the continuous arguments and intrigues within the Prussian royal family. This bolstered her belief in the superiority of English culture; she raised her children in English-style nurseries, and successfully fostered a love of her native country by incorporating aspects of English culture in the home and taking them on frequent trips to England.[14]
While Vicky was close with her eldest daughter, this changed as the girl grew older; by the time she was two years old, Charlotte had become known as "sweet naughty little Ditta"[15] and would prove to be the most difficult of the family's eight children.[15][16] As a young girl, she acted nervously and made frequent displays of agitation, such as pulling at her clothes. An early habit of biting her nails led to preventative measures like the forced wearing of gloves, but any methods only provided temporary relief.[16][17] Queen Victoria wrote to her daughter, "tell Charlotte I was appalled to hear of her biting her things. Grandmamma does not like naughty little girls".[16] In 1863 the Crown Princess recorded in her diary that Charlotte's "little mind seems almost too active for her body – she is so nervous & sensitive and so quick. Her sleep is not so sound as it should be – and she is so very thin."[15] Charlotte developed violent tantrums; Vicky described them as "such outbreaks of rage & stubbornness that she screams blue murder."[18] The young girl was also underweight and had a troublesome digestion.[19]
Charlotte was an indifferent student, to the dismay of her mother, who placed a high value on education. Charlotte's governess declared she had never seen "more difficulties" than with the princess, while Vicky once wrote of Charlotte in a letter to her mother that "Stupidity is not a sin, but it renders education a hard and difficult task."[16][20] The Crown Princess rarely withheld her true thoughts of those who displeased her,[21] and bluntly admonished her children to encourage their efforts and help them avoid vanity.[8] Queen Victoria urged her daughter to act encouragingly rather than reproachfully towards Charlotte, believing that she could not expect the young princess to share Vicky's tastes.[17] The biographer Jerrold M. Packard thinks it likely that the "pretty but nervous and sullen girl sensed [her mother's] disappointment from an early age," exacerbating the gulf between them.[21]
Over time, a rift developed between the family's three eldest and three youngest children.[22][23] The deaths of Charlotte's brothers Sigismund and Waldemar in 1866 and 1879, respectively, devastated the Crown Princess. The historian John C. G. Röhl posits that Vicky's eldest three children "could never live up to [her] idealised memory of the two dead princes."[24] The strict upbringing Vicky gave to the eldest three children—Wilhelm, Charlotte, and Henry—was not replicated in her relationship with her three youngest surviving children, Viktoria, Sophia, and Margaret.[23][25] The eldest children, in turn and sensing their mother's disappointment, became resentful of Vicky's indulgence towards their youngest siblings.[8] The historian John Van der Kiste speculates that had Vicky shown the same level of acceptance with Charlotte as with her younger children, "the relationship between them might have been a happier one".[23]
Charlotte was a favourite of her paternal grandparents,
Engagement and marriage
By the time she reached fourteen, Charlotte was described by Vicky as appearing much younger than her age; Vicky wrote, "Charlotte is in everything – health, looks and understanding, like a child of ten!"[31] The princess had short legs, which, paired with a long waist and arms, made her appear tall when sitting but short when standing. She was also quite plain.[32] She suffered from significant health issues for the majority of her adult life; this was accompanied by a nearly continuous state of mental agitation and wild excitement, confusing her doctors.[29] Her many health issues included rheumatism, joint pains, headaches and insomnia.[33]
As Charlotte grew older, her behaviour came to include flirtation, spreading malicious gossip, and causing trouble, traits her mother had noticed in her daughter's youth and had hoped she would outgrow.[34] Vicky characterised her as a "wheedling little kitten [who] can be so loving whenever she wants something".[18] She believed that Charlotte's "pretty exterior" hid "dangerous character traits," and blamed nature for producing such qualities in her daughter.[35][18]
In April 1877, the sixteen-year-old Charlotte became engaged to her second cousin
Prince Bernhard, an army officer serving in a Potsdam regiment,
The new couple established their household near the Neues Palais, in a small villa previously inhabited by
Birth of Princess Feodora
One year into their marriage, Charlotte gave birth to a daughter,
Among the era's royal families, it was unusual to be an only child; Feodora likely endured a lonely childhood.[49] Like her mother, Feodora suffered from sickness and various physical pains, as well as severe migraines.[51] Feodora also lacked an interest in her studies, a deficit blamed by Vicky on a lack of parental guidance, as Charlotte and Bernhard were frequently away. Vicky commented, "The atmosphere of her home is not the best for a child of her age... With Charlotte for an example, what else can one expect."[50]
Adulthood
Wilhelm I granted Charlotte and Bernhard a villa near
Charlotte's father ascended the German throne as Emperor Frederick III in March 1888,[53] only to succumb to throat cancer in June of that year. Charlotte stayed with her ailing father during this period, alongside most of her siblings.[54] With her brother's ascension as Wilhelm II, Charlotte's social influence increased in Berlin, where she surrounded herself with a wild group of nobles, diplomats, and young officials from the court.[55] While she had gradually reconciled with her mother during Frederick's illness, Charlotte sided with Wilhelm when he complained that he should have attended Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in place of his ailing father.[56] Upon Wilhelm's ascension, Charlotte and Bernhard took his side in disputes with Vicky; the Dowager Empress, in turn, was defended by her three youngest daughters. In one letter during this period, Vicky characterised her eldest daughter as "most odd" and "hardly com[ing] near me, also describing Bernhard as impertinent and rude.[57]
Letters scandal
In early 1891,
During the letters scandal, Charlotte lost her diary which contained both family secrets and critical thoughts on various members of her family; the diary was eventually given to Wilhelm, who never forgave her for its contents. Bernhard was transferred to a regiment in
Relations with Feodora
As Feodora grew older, various suitors were considered for marriage. The exiled
As her husband acquired military assignments, Feodora travelled throughout Germany.[67] The marriage, however, did not improve relations between mother and daughter. After a visit by the couple in 1899, Charlotte wrote that Feodora was "incomprehensible" and "shrinks away, whenever I try to influence her, concerning her person & health".[68] Charlotte also disliked her son-in-law, criticizing his appearance and inability to control his strong-willed wife. Unlike her mother, Feodora wanted children; her inability to conceive left Feodora disappointed, though it pleased Charlotte, who had no desire for grandchildren.[69]
Van der Kiste writes that Charlotte and Feodora had very similar personalities, "both strong-willed creatures who loved gossip and were too ready to believe the worst of each other".[70] Eventually, their relationship deteriorated enough for Charlotte to bar Feodora and Henry from her house. Charlotte refused to accept Feodora's claim to have malaria, believing instead that her daughter had contracted a venereal disease from Henry; this opinion outraged Feodora.[70] Over the years members of the family tried to repair the mother-daughter relationship, without success. Charlotte did not write to Feodora for nearly a decade, finally doing so after Feodora underwent a dangerous operation to help her conceive. Charlotte expressed outrage that such an operation had been approved, but eventually visited her in the sanatorium at Feodora's request.[71]
Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen; death
In June 1911, Charlotte attended her cousin
The end of the war in 1918 led to the political demise of the German Empire, as well as all of its many duchies; consequently, Bernhard was forced to abdicate his rule over Saxe-Meiningen. The following year, Charlotte travelled to Baden-Baden to seek medical treatment for her heart, ultimately dying there of a heart attack on 1 October 1919 at the age of 59. Bernhard died nine years later and was buried with her at Schloss Altenstein in Thuringia.[73]
Medical analysis
Recent historians have argued that Charlotte and Feodora were afflicted with
For evidence, Röhl reviewed letters between Charlotte and her doctor, as well as correspondence with her parents, that had been sent over a 25-year period; he found that even as a little girl, Charlotte had suffered from hyperactivity and
In the 1990s, a team led by Röhl exhumed Charlotte's and Feodora's graves and took samples of each princess for testing. In both mother and daughter, the researchers found evidence of a mutation related to porphyria. While the team noted they could not be completely certain that this mutation was caused by the genetic disease,[78] they believed it beyond dispute, based on the historical and biological evidence,[79] and noted that many of the same symptoms were found in Charlotte's mother, Vicky, as well as other family members including Queen Victoria. Röhl, Warren, and Hunt conclude "...for what else could have caused their terrible attacks of lameness and abdominal pain and skin rashes – and in Charlotte's case dark red urine?"[79]
Honours
- Companion of the Order of the Crown of India, 19 June 1911[80]
Ancestry
Ancestors of Princess Charlotte of Prussia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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References
- ^ a b Pakula 1997, p. 138.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 33.
- ^ a b c d e Van der Kiste 1999.
- ^ Packard 1998, p. 106.
- ^ Pakula 1997, pp. 94–101.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 47.
- ^ Hibbert 2001, p. 261.
- ^ a b c Van der Kiste 2001.
- ^ Röhl 1998, p. 73.
- ^ Pakula 1997, pp. 153–59.
- ^ a b Ramm 2004.
- ^ Pakula 1997, p. 323.
- ^ Pakula 1997, pp. 321–24.
- ^ Gelardi 2005, pp. 9–11.
- ^ a b c Röhl 1998, p. 106.
- ^ a b c d e Pakula 1997, p. 335.
- ^ a b Van der Kiste 2012, 87.
- ^ a b c d Röhl 1998, p. 107.
- ^ Röhl, Warren & Hunt 1998, pp. 183–84.
- ^ Röhl, Warren & Hunt 1998, p. 183.
- ^ a b Packard 1998, p. 135.
- ^ Röhl 1998, p. 101.
- ^ a b c Van der Kiste 2012, 60.
- ^ Röhl 2014, p. 13.
- ^ MacDonogh 2000, p. 36.
- ^ King 2007, p. 50.
- ^ a b c Van der Kiste 2012.
- ^ Packard 1998, p. 173.
- ^ a b c Vovk 2012, p. 41.
- ^ Marie, Queen (1934). The story of my life [by] Marie, queen of Romania. State Library of Pennsylvania. C. Scribner’s sons. p. 345.
- ^ Röhl, Warren & Hunt 1998, p. 184.
- ^ Röhl, Warren & Hunt 1998, pp. 184–84.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 601.
- ^ Röhl, Warren & Hunt 1998, p. 185.
- ^ a b c Van der Kiste 2012, 126.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 113.
- ^ a b c Pakula 1997, p. 371.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 138.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 141.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 141–154.
- ^ MacDonogh 2000, p. 60.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 180.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 559.
- ^ a b Rushton 2008, p. 117.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 192.
- ^ a b Pakula 1997, p. 374.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 207.
- ^ Packard 1998, p. 292.
- ^ a b Van der Kiste 2012, 458.
- ^ a b Pakula 1997, p. 561.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 601–614.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 207–220.
- ^ Pakula 1997, pp. 461–62.
- ^ Packard 1998, p. 258.
- ^ Röhl, Warren & Hunt 1998, p. 187.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 259.
- ^ Röhl 2004, p. 633.
- ^ a b Röhl 2004, p. 664.
- ^ a b c Van der Kiste 1999, p. 91.
- ^ Röhl 2004, p. 676.
- ^ Röhl 2004, pp. 672–73.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 259–404.
- ^ Röhl 2004, p. 638.
- ^ Röhl, John C. G. Wilhelm II: The Kaiser's Personal Monarchy, 1888–1900, Cambridge University Press, 2004. p676
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 486–499.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 499.
- ^ a b Rushton 2008, p. 118.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 585.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 571, 654.
- ^ a b Van der Kiste 2012, 654.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 654–669, 699–740.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 785–838.
- ^ Van der Kiste 2012, 851–864.
- ^ Röhl 2014, p. 9.
- ^ a b Röhl, Warren & Hunt 1998, p. 182.
- ^ Röhl 1998, pp. 105–08.
- ^ a b Röhl 1998, p. 109.
- ^ Röhl, Warren & Hunt 1998, pp. 259–69.
- ^ a b Röhl, Warren & Hunt 1998, p. 310.
- ^ "No. 12366". The Edinburgh Gazette. 23 June 1911. p. 625.
- Works cited
- ISBN 0-312-32423-5.
- ISBN 0-306-81085-9.
- ISBN 978-0-470-04439-1.
- MacDonogh, Giles (2000). The Last Kaiser: The Life of Wilhelm II. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-30557-5.
- Packard, Jerome M. (1998). Victoria's Daughters. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312244967.
- Pakula, Hannah (1997). An Uncommon Woman: The Empress Frederick, Daughter of Queen Victoria, Wife of the Crown Prince of Prussia, Mother of Kaiser Wilhelm. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0684842165.
- Ramm, Agatha (2004). "Victoria, Princess Royal (1840–1901)". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/36653. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ISBN 0593041488.
- ISBN 0521497523.
- ISBN 978-0521819206.
- ISBN 978-1107072251.
- Rushton, Alan R. (2008). Royal Maladies: Inherited Diseases in the Ruling Houses of Europe. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 978-1425168100.
- ISBN 978-0752499284.
- ISBN 0-750-93052-7.
- ASIN B0136DZ71E.
- Vovk, Justin C. (2012). Imperial Requiem: Four Royal Women and the Fall of the Age of Empires. iUniverse. ISBN 978-1-4759-1749-9.
Further reading
- Blankart, Michaela (2013). "Charlotte Prinzessin von Preussen". Preussen.de (in German). House of Hohenzollern. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
- ISBN 978-1781554357.
External links
- Portraits of Princess Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen at the National Portrait Gallery, London