Eleonora Catherine of Pfalz-Zweibrücken
Encyclopedia
Eleonora Catherine of the Palatinate-Zweibrücken (17 May 1626 – 3 March 1692) was a cousin and foster sister of Queen Christina of Sweden
and sister of King Charles X of Sweden. After her brother's accession to the throne (1654), she and her siblings were all considered royal princesses and princes of Sweden
. As the wife of Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Eschwege
(1617–1655), she was by marriage a German landgravine, and after her husband's death acted as regent
and administrator of his lands (1655–1692).
, Sweden to Princess Catharina of Sweden and John Casimir of the Palatinate-Zweibrücken
. Her mother was an elder half-sister of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
and the firstborn daughter of King Charles IX
. Her parents, who were second cousins, had lived in Sweden since 1622, and Eleonora and her siblings, including her sister Maria Eufrosyne
, grew up in Sweden as foster siblings of their cousin, Queen Christina of Sweden
. Eleonora was only about seven months older than Christina and had the same teacher, Johannes Matthiæ.
The negotiations concerning her marriage with Frederick (9 May 1617 – 24 September 1655), son of Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
, started in 1643. The landgrave was a second cousin of both her parents and nine years her senior. The negotiation process was difficult, but finally completed in June 1646. She was granted a fortune of 20,000 gulden
by her father. The marriage took place at Tre Kronor
in Stockholm
on 6 September 1646.
After the wedding, Eleonora confessed before her husband, "on her knees", that she had an affair with a French
lute
-player and actor, Beschon from the French court theatre of Antoine de Beaulieu
, and was pregnant with his child. Frederick decided to act like nothing and hide the matter, but it became a known scandal.
Frederick took part in the war of his brother-in-law in Poland, where he was shot in 1655. Eleonora never remarried. It is said she was too embarrassed by the scandal to return to the Swedish court, so she preferred to live in the palace in Eschwege
, although she did visit Sweden. She was the administrator and regent of her husband's possessions in the Holy Roman Empire
.
She had five children. Her daughter, Juliana of Hesse-Eschwege
, was brought up at the Swedish court as the prospective bride of Charles XI of Sweden
. Another daughter, Christine Wilhelmine of Hesse-Eschwege (1648–1702), married Ferdinand Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
(a great-grandson of Princess Elizabeth of Sweden
) and was the mother of Duke Ferdinand Albert II
.
Eleonora died in Osterholz
, Bremen (today's Germany) and is buried at the Altstädter Kirche ("Old City church") in Eschwege where now stands the Marktkirche ("Market Church").
Some of her notable descendants include Wilhelm II, German Emperor; Nicholas II of Russia
; Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
; Charles, Prince of Wales
; and the present king of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf
.
|-
Christina of Sweden
Christina , later adopted the name Christina Alexandra, was Queen regnant of Swedes, Goths and Vandals, Grand Princess of Finland, and Duchess of Ingria, Estonia, Livonia and Karelia, from 1633 to 1654. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King Gustav II Adolph and his wife Maria Eleonora...
and sister of King Charles X of Sweden. After her brother's accession to the throne (1654), she and her siblings were all considered royal princesses and princes of Sweden
Swedish Royal Family
The Swedish Royal Family since 1818 consists of a number of persons in the Swedish Royal House of Bernadotte, closely related to the King of Sweden. They are entitled to royal titles and style , and some perform official engagements and ceremonial duties of state...
. As the wife of Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Eschwege
Hesse-Wanfried
The mini-state Hesse-Wanfried existed from about 1700 to 1731. It was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire in the area of the today's Land of Hesse...
(1617–1655), she was by marriage a German landgravine, and after her husband's death acted as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
and administrator of his lands (1655–1692).
Biography
Eleonora was born at Stegeborg Palace in ÖstergötlandÖstergötland
Östergötland, English exonym: East Gothland, is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland, and the Baltic Sea. In older English literature, one might also encounter the Latinized version, Ostrogothia...
, Sweden to Princess Catharina of Sweden and John Casimir of the Palatinate-Zweibrücken
John Casimir, Count Palatine of Kleeburg
John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg was the son of John I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken and the founder of a branch of Wittelsbach Counts Palatine often called the Swedish line, because it gave rise to three subsequent kings of Sweden, but more commonly known as the Kleeburg ...
. Her mother was an elder half-sister of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...
and the firstborn daughter of King Charles IX
Charles IX of Sweden
Charles IX of Sweden also Carl, was King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, brother of Eric XIV and John III of Sweden, and uncle of Sigismund III Vasa king of both Sweden and Poland...
. Her parents, who were second cousins, had lived in Sweden since 1622, and Eleonora and her siblings, including her sister Maria Eufrosyne
Countess Palatine Maria Eufrosyne of Zweibrücken
Countess Palatine Maria Eufrosyne of Zweibrücken was a cousin and foster-sibling of Queen Christina of Sweden and sister of king Charles X of Sweden...
, grew up in Sweden as foster siblings of their cousin, Queen Christina of Sweden
Christina of Sweden
Christina , later adopted the name Christina Alexandra, was Queen regnant of Swedes, Goths and Vandals, Grand Princess of Finland, and Duchess of Ingria, Estonia, Livonia and Karelia, from 1633 to 1654. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King Gustav II Adolph and his wife Maria Eleonora...
. Eleonora was only about seven months older than Christina and had the same teacher, Johannes Matthiæ.
The negotiations concerning her marriage with Frederick (9 May 1617 – 24 September 1655), son of Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
-External links:...
, started in 1643. The landgrave was a second cousin of both her parents and nine years her senior. The negotiation process was difficult, but finally completed in June 1646. She was granted a fortune of 20,000 gulden
Baden gulden
The Gulden was a currency of Baden from 1754 until 1873. Until 1821, the Gulden was a unit of account, worth 5/12 of a Conventionsthaler, used to denominate banknotes but not issued as a coin. It was subdivided into 50 Conventionskreuzer or 60 Kreuzer landmünze.In 1821, the first Gulden coins were...
by her father. The marriage took place at Tre Kronor
Tre kronor (castle)
Tre Kronor or Three Crowns was a castle located in Stockholm, Sweden, on the site where Stockholm Palace is today. It is believed to have been a citadel that Birger Jarl built into a royal castle in the middle of the 13th century...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
on 6 September 1646.
After the wedding, Eleonora confessed before her husband, "on her knees", that she had an affair with a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
-player and actor, Beschon from the French court theatre of Antoine de Beaulieu
Antoine de Beaulieu
Antoine de Beaulieu was a French noble, dancer, and ballet master of the Swedish court from 1637 to 1663 and is considered to have introduced ballet in Sweden....
, and was pregnant with his child. Frederick decided to act like nothing and hide the matter, but it became a known scandal.
Frederick took part in the war of his brother-in-law in Poland, where he was shot in 1655. Eleonora never remarried. It is said she was too embarrassed by the scandal to return to the Swedish court, so she preferred to live in the palace in Eschwege
Eschwege
Eschwege , the district seat of the Werra-Meißner-Kreis, is a town in northeastern Hesse, Germany.- Location :The town lies on a broad plain tract of the river Werra at the foot of the Leuchtberg northwest of the Schlierbachswald and east of the Hoher Meißner...
, although she did visit Sweden. She was the administrator and regent of her husband's possessions in the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
.
She had five children. Her daughter, Juliana of Hesse-Eschwege
Juliana of Hesse-Eschwege
Juliana of Hesse-Eschwege was a German noble. In her teens she was brought up at the Swedish royal court as the future queen of King Charles XI of Sweden, her cousin. However, on two separate occasions before the wedding Juliana became pregnant, and the engagement was eventually broken off...
, was brought up at the Swedish court as the prospective bride of Charles XI of Sweden
Charles XI of Sweden
Charles XI also Carl, was King of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in a period in Swedish history known as the Swedish empire ....
. Another daughter, Christine Wilhelmine of Hesse-Eschwege (1648–1702), married Ferdinand Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Ferdinand Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Ferdinand Albert , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, was a relative of the princes of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel....
(a great-grandson of Princess Elizabeth of Sweden
Princess Elizabeth of Sweden
Princess Elizabeth of Sweden, , was a Swedish princess and a duchess consort of Mecklenburg-Gadebusch...
) and was the mother of Duke Ferdinand Albert II
Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Ferdinand Albert , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, was an officer in the army of the Holy Roman Empire...
.
Eleonora died in Osterholz
Osterholz-Scharmbeck
Osterholz-Scharmbeck is a town and the capital of the district of Osterholz, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Osterholz-Scharmbeck is situated in between the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven.-Neighbouring places:* Bremen * Delmenhorst...
, Bremen (today's Germany) and is buried at the Altstädter Kirche ("Old City church") in Eschwege where now stands the Marktkirche ("Market Church").
Some of her notable descendants include Wilhelm II, German Emperor; Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
; Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
; Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
; and the present king of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf is the reigning King of Sweden since 15 September 1973, succeeding his grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf because his father had predeceased him...
.
Children
Eleonore had at least three children who survived infancy.- Christine Wilhelmine (30 October 1648 – 18 March 1702), married Ferdinand Albrecht I, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgFerdinand Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgFerdinand Albert , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, was a relative of the princes of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel....
on 25 November 1667 in Eschwege. - Margarethe (31 March 1647 – 19 October 1647), died young.
- Elisabeth (7 April 1650 – 27 April 1651), died young.
- JulianeJuliana of Hesse-EschwegeJuliana of Hesse-Eschwege was a German noble. In her teens she was brought up at the Swedish royal court as the future queen of King Charles XI of Sweden, her cousin. However, on two separate occasions before the wedding Juliana became pregnant, and the engagement was eventually broken off...
(14 May 1652 – 20 June 1693) - Charlotte (3 September 1653 – 7 February 1708), married August (1650–1674), son of Duke August of Saxe-Weissenfels in 1673; secondly, married Count Johann Adolf von Bentheim-TecklenburgBentheim-TecklenburgBentheim-Tecklenburg was a German district based in the region around Tecklenburg in northern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Bentheim-Tecklenburg emerged as a partition of the County of Bentheim in 1277, and was partitioned between itself and Bentheim-Lingen in 1450. Count Conrad converted his...
(1637–1704) in 1679, divorced in 1693; died 1708 in BremenBremenThe City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, Germany; buried in Altstadter Kirche, Eschwege. - Friedrich (30 November 1654 – 27 July 1655), died young.
Ancestry
External links
- Eleonora Katarina av Pfalz på Projekt Runeberg
- http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/womeninpower/Womeninpower1640.htm
- http://runeberg.org/nfbg/0204.html
- "Fab pedigree"
|-