Stéphanie de Beauharnais
| Stéphanie de Beauharnais | |
|---|---|
Beauharnais | |
| Father | Claude, 2nd Count des Roches-Baritaud |
| Mother | Claudine Françoise Adrienne Gabrielle de Lézay-Marnézia |
 | This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (September 2021) |
Stéphanie Louise Adrienne de Beauharnais (28 August 1789 – 29 January 1860) was a French princess and the Grand Duchess
Biography
Early life
Born in
On 13 December 1779
Princess
Her "uncle" crowned himself Emperor of the French on 2 December 1804. As a prominent member of the new Imperial Family, Stephanie held residence in the Tuileries Palace. Her new status allowed her to live a rather luxurious life.
This was a consequence of Napoleon's effort to secure an alliance with the Prince-elector of Baden. The alliance was to be secured through a marriage between the descendants of the two sovereigns, connecting the two dynasties. The Prince-Elector was to be represented by his grandson. Napoleon on the other hand lacked legitimate descendants of his own. He adopted Stephanie and named her "Princesse Française" (French Princess) with the style of Imperial Highness.
Grand Duchess of Baden
The marriage of Stephanie and
By most accounts the arranged marriage was not particularly successful. Her husband was determined to continue living as a
The Grand Duke died on 8 December 1818. Stephanie remained a widow for the rest of her long life. She was reportedly a devoted mother to her three daughters. Her residence in Mannheim became a popular Salon for artists and intellectuals. Stephanie died in Nice, France at the age of 71, in 1860, 41 years after her husband.[1]
Children
On 10 June 1811 Stephanie's husband, Karl succeeded his grandfather as Grand Duke of Baden. He and Grand Duchess Stephanie would have five children:
- Princess Luise Amelie Stephanie of Baden (5 June 1811 – 19 July 1854). She was married on 30 November 1830 to Gustav, Prince of Vasa.
- Unnamed son (29 September 1812 – 16 October 1812).[a]
- Karl Anton, Fürst of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.
- Prince Alexander of Baden (1–8 May 1816).
- Princess Marie Amelie Elisabeth Karoline of Baden (11 October 1817 – 8 October 1888). She was married on 23 February 1843 to William Alexander Anthony Archibald Douglas-Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton.
Notes
- ^ One theory suspects the dead unnamed child to be unrelated to her and her actual son (and therefore the hereditary prince) to be Kaspar Hauser. Although some authors have argued that this was not the case, "the silly fairytale, which to this day moves many pens and has found much belief, was fully disproved in Otto Mittelstädt's book on Kaspar Hauser and his Baden Princedom (Heidelberg 1876)."[2] The idea has remained current in some circles to this day. Since Kaspar was unmarried and childless when stabbed to death in 1833 his heavily disputed claim reunited with the actual succession then held by Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden, since Karl's uncle and successor Louis I also died unmarried and childless three years earlier.
References
- ^ "Death of the Grand Duchess Stephanie of Baden". New York Times. February 16, 1860.
- ^ Fritz Trautz: Zum Problem der Persönlichkeitsdeutung: Anläßlich das Kaspar-Hauser-Buches von Jean Mistler, in: Francia 2, 1974, p. 723
External links
- A German article and portrait of her
- Information and photo of her emerald and diamond necklace, worn in portrait above.
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