Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | |
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Princess of Wales | |
Born | Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | 30 November 1719
Died | 8 February 1772 52) Carlton House, London, England | (aged
Burial | 15 February 1772 |
Spouse | |
Issue | |
House | Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg |
Father | Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg |
Mother | Princess Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst |
Signature |
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (30 November [ O.S. 19 November] 1719 – 8 February 1772) [1] was Princess of Wales by marriage to Frederick, Prince of Wales, eldest son and heir apparent of King George II. She never became queen consort, as Frederick predeceased his father in 1751. Augusta's eldest son succeeded her father-in-law as George III in 1760. After her spouse died, Augusta was the presumptive regent of Great Britain in the event of a regency, until her son reached majority in 1756.
Princess Augusta was born in Gotha to Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1676–1732) and Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst (1679–1740). Her paternal grandfather was Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, eldest surviving son of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.
In 1736, it was proposed that she marry 29-year-old Frederick, Prince of Wales, eldest son of George II of Great Britain and his queen consort Caroline of Ansbach. Originally, Frederick was intended to marry the eldest daughter of the King of Prussia. A marriage alliance between Great Britain and Prussia had been an ambition for many years. However, when George II suggested that his eldest son would marry the eldest (unmarried) daughter of the King of Prussia, while his second (unmarried) daughter would marry the eldest son of the Prussian king, the King of Prussia demanded that his eldest son should likewise marry the eldest (unmarried) daughter of the King of Great Britain, and George II refused to agree to this demand. [2]
Around the time the Prussian plan was cancelled, there were rumours that Frederick might marry Diana Russell, Duchess of Bedford, granddaughter of the Duchess of Marlborough, and that such a marriage had been proposed when he visited the duchess's lodge at Richmond. [2] Queen Caroline felt a need to arrange a marriage for her son quickly, to preempt any possibility of such a mésalliance. She therefore suggested to the king that, when he next visited the Electorate of Hanover, he should also visit Saxe-Gotha and view the princesses there. The king did so, and informed the queen that he considered Augusta suitable. When the matter was broached with Frederick, he simply replied that he would accept any bride his father decided was suitable for him. His attitude arose from a desire to obtain an additional allowance from Parliament to be financially independent of his father. [3]
Augusta did not speak French or English, and it was suggested that she be given lessons before the wedding, but her mother did not consider it necessary, as the British royal family were from Germany. [2] She arrived in Britain, speaking virtually no English, aged 16, for a wedding ceremony which took place almost immediately, on 8 May [ O.S. 27 April] 1736, at the Chapel Royal in St James's Palace, London. [4]
Augusta of Saxe-Gotha left Hellevoetsluis 17 April 1736 and arrived at Greenwich on the royal yacht William and Mary on the 25th, where she was welcomed by her groom. On 27 April 1736, she was escorted to St James's Palace, London, where she met the rest of the royal family. When she was introduced to the royal family, she made a favourable impression on the king and queen by throwing herself on the floor before them in a gesture of respect. [2] The wedding ceremony was held at the Royal Chapel inside St. James's Palace the same day (27 April O.S., 8 May N.S.)
During the first year of marriage, Augusta could be seen playing with her doll in the windows of her residence, until her sister-in-law, Princess Caroline, told her to stop. [2] Frederick took advantage of her inexperience when he had his then lover, Lady Archibald Hamilton, employed as her First Lady of the Bedchamber, after convincing Augusta that there was no truth in the rumour of his affair. [2] Augusta and Frederick had nine children, the last born after Frederick's death. [5] [6] [7]
Frederick once stated that he would never allow himself to be influenced by his consort as his father was, and he thus never made Augusta his confidante. [2] He did, however, instruct her to act in accordance with his wishes in his feud with his parents, and on several occasions, Frederick reportedly instructed her to snub them. [2] When she attended the service of the German Lutheran Chapel, for example, which was also attended by the queen, Frederick instructed Augusta to make sure she always arrived after the queen, so that she would be forced to push in front of the queen to reach her place. This eventually made the queen insist that Augusta should be directed to her place by another entrance, which in turn caused Frederick to instruct Augusta to refuse to enter the Chapel if the queen had arrived before her. [2]
When Augusta's first pregnancy was announced, the queen stated that she would be sure to witness the birth, to be assured that the pregnancy was indeed genuine. She reportedly wished the succession to pass to her second surviving son, Prince William, Duke of Cumberland. The birth of their first daughter, Princess Augusta, on 31 July 1737, took place at St James's after the Princess of Wales was forced by Frederick to travel from Hampton Court Palace while in labour, to prevent his hated parents from being present at the birth. [2] The delivery was traumatic: St James Palace was not ready to receive them, no bed was prepared, no sheets could be found, and Augusta was forced to give birth on a tablecloth. [2] Queen Caroline once said of her daughter-in-law and the inconveniences she had inflicted on her: "Poor creature, were she to spit in my face, I should only pity her for being under such a fool's direction, and wipe it off." [2]
The circumstances of the birth of Princess Augusta led to a dispute between the Prince and Princess of Wales and the king and queen, who were not reconciled until public opinion during the Jacobite rebellion in 1745 pressured them to. [2] After the reconciliation, the couple became less isolated from high society, allowing courtiers to appear at both courts without giving offence. Augusta made a good impression in society life, where she was described as pretty, elegant, and a gracious hostess. [2] On some occasions, the children of Augusta were made to give amateur theatre performances for their guests, notably on 4 January 1749, when George, Augusta, Elizabeth, Edward and some of their playmates acted in the tragedy of Cato. [2]
On 31 March 1751, Frederick unexpectedly died, making Augusta a widow at thirty-two. Dr. Doran described her at the death of her spouse: "She had, throughout her married life exhibited much mental superiority, with great kindness of disposition, and that under circumstances of great difficulty, and sometimes of a character to inflict vexation on the calmest nature. [...] She was then the mother of eight children, expecting shortly to be the mother of a ninth, and she was brought reluctantly to knowledge that their father was no more. It was six in the morning before her attendants could persuade her to retire to bed; but she arose again at eight, and then, with less thought for her grief than anxiety for the honour of him whose death was the cause of it, she proceeded to the Prince's room, and burned the whole of his private papers. By this the world lost some rare supplementary chapters to a Chronique Scandaleuse!" [8] : 4–5
The King reportedly did not show much feeling upon the death of his son and the funeral was simple. [8] On receiving the King's condolences, Augusta replied that she placed herself and her children upon his mercy and protection, and he was evidently touched by her widowhood and minor children, and was willing to show them consideration. [8] Following Frederick's death, her role as mother of the heir-apparent to the throne became a more prominent one, and she was named prospective regent by the king and the parliament, should the King die during the minority of her eldest son, the Prince of Wales. [8] This caused a controversy and opposition from Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, who had expected to be given that role instead. [8]
During the remaining years of the reign of George II, Augusta chose to live in seclusion with her children, devoting herself to their care. [8] The few occasions when she did appear in public, the King gave her the same ceremonial role and honours previously given to the Queen, and she was honoured the same way by the public as well as the court. [8]
However, Augusta suffered a loss of popularity as a widow. She was to be criticised for her manner of raising her children, as she isolated them from the outside world into a secluded family environment, seldom meeting people outside the family. [8]
As her eldest son came of age, the King attempted to arrange a marriage. His favoured choice was a princess of Brunswick-Wolffenbüttel or a princess of Prussia, but Augusta refused, favouring a member of her own family, the House of Saxe-Gotha. [8]
On 25 October 1760, her son succeeded his grandfather as George III. The year after his succession, he married Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Augusta's relationship with her daughter-in-law was not a good one. She reportedly made it difficult for Charlotte to establish social contacts by referring to rigid court etiquette. [9] Furthermore, she initially appointed a large part of Charlotte's court staff, several of whom were suspected of reporting to Augusta about Charlotte's behaviour. [9] When Charlotte turned to her German companions for friends, she was criticised by Augusta for keeping favourites, notably her close confidant Juliane von Schwellenberg. [9]
Augusta had an acknowledged political influence upon her son, who "strove to follow the counsels she gave", and in which he trusted. [8] Reportedly, she was in turn influenced by Lord Bute, who was appointed prime minister with her support in 1762. [8] His appointment caused a serious crisis and exposed both Augusta and Bute to such public hostility that Bute had to resign from his post the following year. [8] Thackeray described the public sentiments and the circulating rumours: "Bute was hated with a rage there have been few examples in English history. He was the butt for everybody's abuse; for Wilkes, for Churchill's slashing satire, for the hooting of the mob who roasted his booth, his emblem, in a thousand bonfires; that hated him because he was a favourite and a Scotsman, calling him Mortimer, Lothario, and I know not what names, and accusing his royal mistress of all kinds of names – the grave, lean, demure, elderly woman, who, I dare say, was quite as good as her neighbours. Chatham lent the aide of his great malice to influence the popular sentiment against her. He assailed, in the House of Lords, 'The secret influence, more mighty than the throne itself, which betrayed and dogged every administration'. The most furious pamphlets echoed the cry 'Impeach the King's mother', was scribbled over every wall at the Court end of the town". [8]
When the King had a first, temporary, bout of mental illness in 1765, Augusta and Lord Bute kept Queen Charlotte unaware of the situation. [9] The Regency Bill of 1765 stated that if the King should become permanently unable to rule, Charlotte was to become Regent. [9] Augusta was suggested as regent, but there was fierce opposition to her appointment, as there were concerns of the influence of Lord Bute in her potential regency, and fears that should she become regent, Bute would de facto rule as "King". [8]
Augusta reportedly resented the marriages of her younger sons, which took place without her consent. [8]
In 1769, the husband of her daughter Caroline Matilda, Christian VII of Denmark, visited Great Britain. During his visit, Augusta, upon the initiative of Caroline Matilda, asked him publicly during a dinner to reinstate Louise von Plessen, a favourite of Caroline Matilda whom Christian had fired, to her position. [10] He answered that he had made a sacred vow never to do so, but that if Caroline Matilda preferred von Plessen's company over his, so be it. [10] In the end, Louise von Plessen was not reinstated, and Augusta apparently asked Caroline Matilda not to press the matter and to show more affection to Christian. [10]
In 1770, rumours about Caroline Matilda, the queen of Denmark, began to circulate. In particular these concerned the mental state of her spouse as well as the fall of prime minister Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff, in which Caroline Matilda was rumoured to have participated. [8] When Augusta visited her eldest daughter in Brunswick that year, she also took the opportunity to see Caroline Matilda, who received her in breeches, which at that time was regarded as scandalous. Upon Augusta's lamentations, her daughter answered: "Pray, madam, allow me to govern my own kingdom as I please!" [8]
Augusta died of throat cancer at the age of 52 at Carlton House, and was buried seven days later at Westminster Abbey.
Princess Augusta enlarged and greatly extended Kew Gardens after her husband's death. Sir William Chambers built several garden structures for her. One of these, the lofty Great Pagoda built in 1761, still remains. [11]
Name [12] | Birth | Death | Notes |
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Princess Augusta, Duchess of Brunswick | 31 July 1737 | 23 March 1813 | Married, 1764, Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel; had issue. |
George III | 4 June 1738 | 29 January 1820 | Married, 1761, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz; had issue. |
Prince Edward, Duke of York | 25 March 1739 | 17 September 1767 | Died aged twenty-eight, unmarried. |
Princess Elizabeth | 10 January 1741 | 4 September 1759 | Died aged eighteen, unmarried. |
Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester | 25 November 1743 | 25 August 1805 | Married, 1766, Maria, Countess Waldegrave; had issue. |
Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland | 7 November 1745 | 18 September 1790 | Married, 1771, Anne Luttrell; no issue. |
Princess Louisa | 19 March 1749 | 13 May 1768 | Died aged nineteen, unmarried. |
Prince Frederick | 13 May 1750 | 29 December 1765 | Died aged fifteen, unmarried. |
Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark and Norway | 11 July 1751 | 10 May 1775 | Married, 1766, Christian VII, King of Denmark and Norway; had issue. |
Several places in British America were named in her honour:
Michelle Fairley portrayed a fictionalized version of Augusta in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023).
Ancestors of Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha [16] |
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Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and Electress of Hanover from 11 June 1727 until her death in 1737 as the wife of King George II.
Charlotte, Princess Royal, was Queen of Württemberg as the wife of King Frederick I. She was the eldest daughter and fourth child of George III of the United Kingdom and his wife, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
Princess Thyra of Denmark was the youngest daughter and fifth child of Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. In 1878, she married Ernest Augustus, the exiled heir to the Kingdom of Hanover. As the Kingdom of Hanover had been annexed by Prussia in 1866, she spent most of her life in exile with her husband in Austria.
Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh was the eleventh child and fourth daughter of King George III and his consort Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
Caroline Matilda of Great Britain was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1766 to 1772 by marriage to King Christian VII.
Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg ; was the wife of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and the mother of Duke Ernst II and Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria.
Augusta of Great Britain was a British princess, granddaughter of George II and the only elder sibling of George III. She was Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Princess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel by marriage to Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick. Her daughter Caroline was the spouse of George IV.
Princess Elizabeth Caroline of Great Britain was one of the children of Frederick, Prince of Wales, and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. She was a granddaughter of King George II and sister of King George III.
Charles II was ruler of the state of Mecklenburg-Strelitz from 1794 until his death. Originally ruling as duke, he was raised to the rank of grand duke in 1815. Prior to succeeding to the throne, he served as Governor of Hanover from 1776 to 1786.
Princess Louisa Anne of Great Britain was a grandchild of King George II and sister of King George III.
Prince Frederick William of Great Britain was a grandchild of King George II and the youngest brother of King George III. He was the youngest son of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha.
The Nicolay family – refer to Nobility particle) is an old European noble family of the Ancien Régime with its roots in Southern France at the early part of the 14th Century. There is however, evidence to suggest that its origins stretch further back to the growth of the city state of Florence at the beginning of the Florentine Renaissance. The Nicolay family was originally associated with the French noble classes of the Nobles of the Robe and the Nobles of the Sword. It is well documented that members of the House of Nicolay became highly influential in the spheres of national government, law, the church, academia, military and diplomatic service, as well as the arts. They held the titles of marquis, count and baron.
Duchess Louise Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was the maternal grandmother of Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
Queen Victoria, the British monarch from 1837 to 1901, and Prince Albert had 9 children, 42 grandchildren, and 87 great-grandchildren. Victoria was called the "grandmother of Europe".
Frederick Louis of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a hereditary prince of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, one of the constituent states of the German Confederation. He was the son of Frederick Francis I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.
Princess Elisabeth of Prussia was a German princess. She was the second child of Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia and Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau. The Elisabeth-Anna-Palais was named in her honor after her early death in 1895.
Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz by birth and a Duchess of Saxe-Hildburghausen through her marriage to Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
St George's Chapel, formally titled The King's Free Chapel of the College of St George, Windsor Castle, at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is a Royal Peculiar, and the Chapel of the Order of the Garter. St George's Chapel was founded in the 14th century by King Edward III and extensively enlarged in the late 15th century. It is located in the Lower Ward of the castle.
Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin through her marriage to Grand Duke Frederick Francis I.
Princess Marie Gasparine of Saxe-Altenburg was a daughter of Prince Eduard of Saxe-Altenburg and his wife Princess Louise Caroline Reuss of Greiz. She was the consort of Charles Gonthier, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.