Anna Constantia of Brockdorff
Encyclopedia
Anna Constantia von Brockdorff (17 October 1680 – 31 March 1765), later the Countess of Cosel, was a German noblewoman and mistress
of Augustus the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony. Eventually he turned against her and exile
d her to Saxony, where she died after 49 years of imprisonment.
, Holstein
, the daughter of the Knight (Ritter
) Joachim von Brockdorff and his wife Anna Margarethe, daughter of the rich Hamburg
citizen Leonhard Marselis, owner of Gut Depenauborn. The Brockdorffs belonged to the Equites Originarii (knightly noble families) and gave their daughter an unusual education for that time: she learned several languages, received instruction in mathematics and classical education, and passionately loved to hunt. However, her impetuous behavior worried her parents.
In 1694, her parents sent Anna Constantia to the Schloss Gottorf in Schleswig, the official residence of the Duke Christian Albrecht
. The fourteen-year-old girl served the Duke's daughter, Sophie Amalie, as a lady-in-waiting
. Anna Constantia accompanied Sophie Amalie to Wolfenbüttel
, where Sophie Amalie became the second wife of the Hereditary Prince August Wilhelm of Brunswick-Lüneburg
, son and heir of the Duke Anton Ulrich. While in Wolfenbüttel, Anna Constantia became pregnant, possibly by Ludwig Rudolf
, younger brother of the Hereditary Prince. Anna Constantia was expelled from the court and sent back to her parents in Gut Depenau. The fate of the child is unknown.
By 1699, Anna Constantia, in the Schloss Burgscheidungen, was living openly with the director of the Saxonian Generalakzis Kollegiums, Adolph Magnus, Baron of Hoym, whom she met in Wolfenbüttel. After four years of concubinage
, they were married on 2 July 1703 but were divorce
d by 1706. When she arrived in Dresden
, Anna Constantia claimed that she was still married to the Baron in order to be able to appear at court.
In 1704, the King of Poland and Elector of Saxony Augustus the Strong met the vivacious Baroness von Hoym and fell in love with her. The Baron of Hoym tried unsuccessfully to prevent the relationship, because he considered his former wife unsuitable for the role of official mistress. Augustus' pious wife, Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
, refused to reign alongside her husband at the Catholic, scandalous Polish court, and had effectively exile
d herself to the Schloss Pretzsch (Elbe). Anna Constantia became close to Augustus, but he still had another mistress, the Princess Teschen
.
Finally, in 1705, the Princess Teschen was banished from the court, and Anna Constantia took her place as official mistress. In 1706, she was created the Imperial Countess (Reichsgräfin) of Cosel. Two years later, on 24 February 1708, she gave birth to August's daughter, named Augusta Anna Constantia after both her parents. One year later, on 27 October 1709, the Countess von Cosel bore a second daughter, Fredericka Alexandrine, and three years later, on 27 August 1712, she had a son, Frederick Augustus, who was named after his father and eventually inherited Gut Depenau from his maternal grandparents.
In the opinion of the court, Anna Constantia interfered too much into politics, and in particular, her attempts to meddle in Augustus' Polish politics encountered strong resistance. The Protestant Electorate of Saxony was determined to turn the King's attention away from Catholic Poland, which he had lost after the defeat at the hands of Sweden's Charles XII
in the Great Northern War
. Anna Constantia came to be considered increasingly dangerous to the Polish political interests, especially when it was rumoured that Augustus had written his mistress a secret promise to marry her. The Polish aristocracy tried to supplant the countess von Cosel with a Catholic mistress and thus eliminate her from the political scene. Augustus finally gave in to the charms of Maria Magdalena Bielinski, Countess von Dönhoff.
In 1713, Anna Constantia was banished to the Pillnitz Castle
, but in 1715 she managed to flee to Berlin
, Prussia. For this, she was condemned in Saxony as a Landesverräter (state criminal). In Berlin, she hoped to get her hands on Augustus' secret written marriage promise, which was in the hands of her cousin Detlev Christian Rantzau, held in the fortress of Spandau
. However, the countess failed to retrieve this important document and was arrested on 22 November 1716 in Halle an der Saale
and exchanged for Prussian deserters in Saxony. Augustus exiled his former mistress on 26 December 1716 to the Burg Stolpen, where she was kept for the next 49 years until her death.
After the death of August the Strong (1 February 1733) and during the reign of his son and successor, August III, the countess' exile was apparently not lifted, although there is no certainty about that or about the details surrounding her continued residence at Burg Stolpen. It is curious that the countess did not use the opportunity to flee, twice presented to her (in 1745 and 1756), in both cases the Saxon guards having fled before advancing Prussian troops. She died in Stolpen
.
On incidents and circumstances of her life, the Polish writer Józef Ignacy Kraszewski
based his historical novel
Countess of Cosel ("Hrabina Cosel" 1873) which later was adapted into Polish feature movie, Hrabina Cosel
.
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
of Augustus the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony. Eventually he turned against her and exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
d her to Saxony, where she died after 49 years of imprisonment.
Life
Anna Constantia was born in Gut Depenau, today part of StolpeStolpe, Schleswig-Holstein
Stolpe is a municipality in the district of Plön, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
, Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
, the daughter of the Knight (Ritter
Ritter
Ritter is a designation used as a title of nobility in German-speaking areas. Traditionally it denotes the second lowest rank within the nobility, standing above "Edler" and below "Freiherr"...
) Joachim von Brockdorff and his wife Anna Margarethe, daughter of the rich Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
citizen Leonhard Marselis, owner of Gut Depenauborn. The Brockdorffs belonged to the Equites Originarii (knightly noble families) and gave their daughter an unusual education for that time: she learned several languages, received instruction in mathematics and classical education, and passionately loved to hunt. However, her impetuous behavior worried her parents.
In 1694, her parents sent Anna Constantia to the Schloss Gottorf in Schleswig, the official residence of the Duke Christian Albrecht
Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp
Christian Albert was a duke of Holstein-Gottorp and bishop of Lübeck.He was a son of Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, and his wife Princess Marie Elisabeth of Saxony. Christian Albertbecame duke when his father died in the Castle Tönning, besieged by the King Christian V of Denmark...
. The fourteen-year-old girl served the Duke's daughter, Sophie Amalie, as a lady-in-waiting
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
. Anna Constantia accompanied Sophie Amalie to Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, located on the Oker river about 13 kilometres south of Brunswick. It is the seat of the District of Wolfenbüttel and of the bishop of the Protestant Lutheran State Church of Brunswick...
, where Sophie Amalie became the second wife of the Hereditary Prince August Wilhelm of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Augustus William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Augustus William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg ruled over the Wolfenbüttel subdivision of the duchy from 1714 until his death....
, son and heir of the Duke Anton Ulrich. While in Wolfenbüttel, Anna Constantia became pregnant, possibly by Ludwig Rudolf
Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg ruled over the Wolfenbüttel subdivision of the duchy from 1731 until his death....
, younger brother of the Hereditary Prince. Anna Constantia was expelled from the court and sent back to her parents in Gut Depenau. The fate of the child is unknown.
Concubinage
Concubinage is the state of a woman or man in an ongoing, usually matrimonially oriented, relationship with somebody to whom they cannot be married, often because of a difference in social status or economic condition.-Concubinage:...
, they were married on 2 July 1703 but were divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d by 1706. When she arrived in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Anna Constantia claimed that she was still married to the Baron in order to be able to appear at court.
In 1704, the King of Poland and Elector of Saxony Augustus the Strong met the vivacious Baroness von Hoym and fell in love with her. The Baron of Hoym tried unsuccessfully to prevent the relationship, because he considered his former wife unsuitable for the role of official mistress. Augustus' pious wife, Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth was Electress of Saxony from 1694 to 1727 and titular Queen of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1697 to 1727 as the wife of Augustus II the Strong. Not once throughout the whole of her thirty-year queenship did she set foot in Poland, instead...
, refused to reign alongside her husband at the Catholic, scandalous Polish court, and had effectively exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
d herself to the Schloss Pretzsch (Elbe). Anna Constantia became close to Augustus, but he still had another mistress, the Princess Teschen
Ursula Katharina of Altenbockum
Ursula Katharina of Altenbockum Lubomirska , later Princess of Teschen, was a Polish-German noblewoman and mistress of Augustus the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony.-Early life:...
.
Finally, in 1705, the Princess Teschen was banished from the court, and Anna Constantia took her place as official mistress. In 1706, she was created the Imperial Countess (Reichsgräfin) of Cosel. Two years later, on 24 February 1708, she gave birth to August's daughter, named Augusta Anna Constantia after both her parents. One year later, on 27 October 1709, the Countess von Cosel bore a second daughter, Fredericka Alexandrine, and three years later, on 27 August 1712, she had a son, Frederick Augustus, who was named after his father and eventually inherited Gut Depenau from his maternal grandparents.
In the opinion of the court, Anna Constantia interfered too much into politics, and in particular, her attempts to meddle in Augustus' Polish politics encountered strong resistance. The Protestant Electorate of Saxony was determined to turn the King's attention away from Catholic Poland, which he had lost after the defeat at the hands of Sweden's Charles XII
Charles XII of Sweden
Charles XII also Carl of Sweden, , Latinized to Carolus Rex, Turkish: Demirbaş Şarl, also known as Charles the Habitué was the King of the Swedish Empire from 1697 to 1718...
in the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
. Anna Constantia came to be considered increasingly dangerous to the Polish political interests, especially when it was rumoured that Augustus had written his mistress a secret promise to marry her. The Polish aristocracy tried to supplant the countess von Cosel with a Catholic mistress and thus eliminate her from the political scene. Augustus finally gave in to the charms of Maria Magdalena Bielinski, Countess von Dönhoff.
Pillnitz Castle
Pillnitz Castle is a restored Baroque castle at the eastern end of the city of Dresden in the German state of Saxony. It is located on the bank of the River Elbe in the former village of Pillnitz...
, but in 1715 she managed to flee to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Prussia. For this, she was condemned in Saxony as a Landesverräter (state criminal). In Berlin, she hoped to get her hands on Augustus' secret written marriage promise, which was in the hands of her cousin Detlev Christian Rantzau, held in the fortress of Spandau
Spandau
Spandau is the fifth of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is the fourth largest and westernmost borough, situated at the confluence of the Havel and Spree rivers and along the western bank of the Havel, but the least populated.-Overview:...
. However, the countess failed to retrieve this important document and was arrested on 22 November 1716 in Halle an der Saale
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
and exchanged for Prussian deserters in Saxony. Augustus exiled his former mistress on 26 December 1716 to the Burg Stolpen, where she was kept for the next 49 years until her death.
After the death of August the Strong (1 February 1733) and during the reign of his son and successor, August III, the countess' exile was apparently not lifted, although there is no certainty about that or about the details surrounding her continued residence at Burg Stolpen. It is curious that the countess did not use the opportunity to flee, twice presented to her (in 1745 and 1756), in both cases the Saxon guards having fled before advancing Prussian troops. She died in Stolpen
Stolpen
Stolpen is a town in the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany.- References :...
.
On incidents and circumstances of her life, the Polish writer Józef Ignacy Kraszewski
Józef Ignacy Kraszewski
Józef Ignacy Kraszewski was a Polish writer, historian and journalist who produced more than 200 novels and 150 novellas, short stories, and art reviews He is best known for his epic series on the history of Poland, comprising twenty-nine novels in seventy-nine parts.As a novelist writing about...
based his historical novel
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
Countess of Cosel ("Hrabina Cosel" 1873) which later was adapted into Polish feature movie, Hrabina Cosel
Hrabina Cosel
Hrabina Cosel is a 1968 Polish film directed by Jerzy Antczak. The film is based on Józef Ignacy Kraszewski’s novel Hrabina Cosel, a historical romance set in the court of Augustus the Strong, the first of the two Saxon Kings of Poland, at the turn of the eighteenth century.-Plot:The Countess...
.