Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein
Encyclopedia
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Empress and Queen of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
. Her full German name was Auguste Victoria (also spelled Viktoria) Friederike Luise Feodora Jenny von Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.
She was the eldest daughter of Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
Duke Frederick VIII , succeeded nominally as the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein from 1863 while Prussia actually took overlordship and real administrative power.-Life:...
and Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg was a niece of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. She was the second daughter of Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Feodora of Leiningen, older half-sister of the British queen...
. Her maternal grandparents were Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Feodora of Leiningen
Princess Feodora of Leiningen
Princess Feodora of Leiningen was the only daughter of Emich Carl, Prince of Leiningen and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld . Feodora and her older brother Carl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen were maternal half-siblings of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom...
, half-sister of Queen Victoria.
Marriage
On 27 February 1881, Augusta married the then-Prince Wilhelm of Prussia in an eight-hour ceremony that required everyone to remain standing. Chancellor Otto von BismarckOtto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
was a strong proponent of the marriage, believing that it would end the dispute between the Prussian government and Augusta's father. She accompanied him to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, where she died a few years later.
Wilhelm had earlier proposed to his first cousin, Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine (known in the family as "Ella,") but she declined. Wilhelm did not take that well - and was adamant to soon marry another princess.
Wilhelm's family was originally against the marriage with Auguste Victoria, whose father was not even a sovereign. But in the end, Wilhelm's intransigence, the support of Bismarck, and a determination to move beyond the rejection of his proposal to Ella, led the reluctant imperial family to give official consent.
Family life
Before her marriage and indeed for sometime after it, Augusta was looked down upon by some members of Wilhelm's family. His sister, Princess CharlottePrincess Charlotte of Prussia
Princess Charlotte of Prussia , Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen was the second child born to Prince Friedrich of Prussia and Princess Victoria...
, in particular, thought she was of insufficient rank to marry a Crown Prince, as she was merely the daughter of a Duke with questionable sovereignty.
Augusta was known as "Dona" within the family. She enjoyed a somewhat lukewarm relationship with her mother-in-law, Victoria
Victoria, Princess Royal
The Princess Victoria, Princess Royal was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert. She was created Princess Royal of the United Kingdom in 1841. She became German Empress and Queen of Prussia by marriage to German Emperor Frederick III...
, who had hoped that Dona would help to heal the rift between herself and Wilhelm; sadly, this was not to be the case. The Empress was also annoyed that the title of Head of the Red Cross went to Dona, who had no nursing or charity experience or inclination (though in her memoirs, Princess Viktoria Luise
Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia
Victoria Louise of Prussia was the only daughter and the seventh child of William II, German Emperor and Empress Augusta Victoria. She was their last surviving child. Princess Victoria Louise is the maternal grandmother of Queen Sophie of Spain and the former King Constantine II of the Hellenes...
paints a different picture, stating that her mother loved charity work).
Reportedly, when Empress Victoria complained about Augusta Victoria, her mother, Queen Victoria, said that Augusta Victoria was a little nobody who would never have become anything without marriage with Wilhelm.
Augusta often took pleasure in snubbing her mother-in-law, usually small incidents, such as telling her that she would be wearing a different dress than the one the Empress had recommended, that she would not be riding to get her figure back after childbirth as Wilhelm had no intention of stopping at one son, and informing the Empress that Augusta's daughter, Viktoria, was not named after her (though, again, in her memoirs, Viktoria Luise states that she was named after both her grandmother and her great-grandmother, Queen Victoria).
Augusta and her mother-in-law grew closer for a few years when Wilhelm became emperor, as Augusta was often lonely while he was away on military exercises and turned to her mother-in-law for companionship of rank, although she never left her children alone with her lest they be influenced by her well-known liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
. Nevertheless, the two were often seen out riding in a carriage together. Augusta was at the 'Empress Frederick's' bedside when she died of spinal cancer in 1901.
Augusta also had less than cordial relationships with some of Wilhelm's sisters, especially the recently married Crown Princess Sophie of Greece
Sophia of Prussia
Princess Sophie of Prussia was Queen of the Hellenes as the wife of King Constantine I.-Princess of Prussia:...
. In 1890, when Sophie announced her intention to leave her Evangelical faith
Prussian Union (Evangelical Christian Church)
The Prussian Union was the merger of the Lutheran Church and the Reformed Church in Prussia, by a series of decrees – among them the Unionsurkunde – by King Frederick William III...
for Greek Orthodoxy, Dona summoned her and told her that if she did so, not only would Wilhelm find it unacceptable, being the head of the Evangelical State Church of Prussia's older Provinces; she would be barred from Germany and her soul would end up in Hell. Sophie replied that it was her business whether or not she did. Augusta became hysterical and gave birth prematurely to her son, Prince Joachim
Prince Joachim of Prussia
Prince Joachim Franz Humbert of Prussia was the youngest son of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, by his first wife, Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein.-Candidate for thrones:...
, as a result of which she was protective of him for the rest of his life, believing that he was delicate. Evidently, so did Wilhelm; he wrote to his mother that if the baby died, Sophie would have murdered it.
In 1920, the shock of exile and abdication, combined with the breakdown of Joachim's marriage and his subsequent suicide, proved too much for Augusta. She died in 1921, in House Doorn
Huis Doorn
Huis Doorn is a small manor house that lies outside of Doorn, a small town near Utrecht, in the Netherlands. The 15th-century house was rebuilt in the late 18th century in a conservative manner and, in the mid-19th century, a surrounding park was laid out as an English landscape garden...
at Doorn
Doorn
Doorn is a town in the municipality of Utrechtse Heuvelrug in the central Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. On 1 January 2008 the town had 10,052 inhabitants.-History:...
in the Netherlands. The Weimar Republic allowed her remains to be transported back to Germany, where they still lie in the Temple of Antiquities, not far from the New Palace, Potsdam.
Children
Empress Augusta gave birth to seven children by Wilhelm II:- Crown Prince Wilhelm (1882–1951); married Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-SchwerinDuchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-SchwerinCecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a Crown Princess of Germany and Prussia as the wife of German Crown Prince William, the son of German Emperor William II...
. - Prince Eitel FriedrichPrince Eitel Friedrich of PrussiaPrince Eitel Friedrich was the second son of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany by his first wife, Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein...
(1883–1942); married Duchess Sophia Charlotte of OldenburgDuchess Sophia Charlotte of OldenburgDuchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg was a member of the House of Holstein-Gottorp. She was the only surviving child of Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg by his first wife Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia.Sophia Charlotte is best known for her unhappy and well-publicized marriage...
. - Prince AdalbertPrince Adalbert of PrussiaPrince Adalbert of Prussia was a son of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany by his first wife, Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein.-Marriage:He married Princess Adelheid "Adi" of Saxe-Meiningen on 3 August 1914 in...
(1884–1948); married Princess Adelaide of Saxe-MeiningenPrincess Adelaide of Saxe-MeiningenPrincess Adelaide "Adi" of Saxe-Meiningen was a daughter of Prince Frederick John of Saxe-Meiningen and his wife Countess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld.-Family:Adelaide 's father Prince Frederick was a younger son of George II of Saxe-Meiningen by his...
. - Prince August WilhelmPrince August Wilhelm of PrussiaPrince August Wilhelm Heinrich Günther Viktor of Prussia , called "Auwi", was the fourth son of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany by his first wife, Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein....
(1887–1949); married Princess Alexandra Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-GlücksburgPrincess Alexandra Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-GlücksburgPrincess Alexandra Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg was the second eldest daughter of Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and his wife Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.-Prince August:Alexandra Victoria's first...
. - Prince OskarPrince Oskar of PrussiaPrince Oskar of Prussia was the fifth son of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein.-Education:...
(1888–1958); married Countess Ina Marie von Bassewitz. - Prince JoachimPrince Joachim of PrussiaPrince Joachim Franz Humbert of Prussia was the youngest son of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, by his first wife, Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein.-Candidate for thrones:...
(1890–1920); married Princess Marie-Auguste of AnhaltPrincess Marie-Auguste of AnhaltPrincess Marie Auguste of Anhalt was the daughter of Eduard, Duke of Anhalt and his wife Princess Luise of Saxe-Altenburg.-Early life and family:...
. - Princess Viktoria LuisePrincess Viktoria Luise of PrussiaVictoria Louise of Prussia was the only daughter and the seventh child of William II, German Emperor and Empress Augusta Victoria. She was their last surviving child. Princess Victoria Louise is the maternal grandmother of Queen Sophie of Spain and the former King Constantine II of the Hellenes...
(1892–1980); married Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick.
Historical view
This view of Augusta is, however, one that is substantially based upon the point of view of late twentieth-century, often English-speaking historians, and also is reading her through the lens of twentieth-century political history. She is often compared unfavourably to Empress Elisabeth of Austria and her mother-in-law Victoria, Princess Royal
Victoria, Princess Royal
The Princess Victoria, Princess Royal was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert. She was created Princess Royal of the United Kingdom in 1841. She became German Empress and Queen of Prussia by marriage to German Emperor Frederick III...
, both of whom are read as symbols of cultural and political progress to the left. Augusta is read as a more conservative figure and, therefore, more negative imagery and narrative is directed towards her. Queen Victoria at least, believed she was "foolish". She was extremely conscientious in carrying out the public relations duty, charitable, and welfare work that was an expected part of Royal duties. She was not as untalented as later commentators made out and had interests in and affinity for the arts. There was a genuine and widespread sense of loss and mourning amongst ordinary Germans when she died and her funeral was marked by much spontaneous public grieving, as well as the more formal rituals of the Prussian State.
Titles and styles
- 22 October 1858 27 February 1881: Her Serene Highness Princess Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg
- 27 February 1881 9 March 1888: Her Royal Highness Princess Wilhelm of Prussia
- 9 March 1888 15 June 1888: Her Imperial and Royal Highness The German Crown Princess, Crown Princess of Prussia
- 15 June 1888 18 November 1918: Her Imperial and Royal Majesty The German Empress, Queen of Prussia
Her husband abdicated on 18 November 1918. She died on 11 April 1921.
Ancestry
See also
- Empress Augusta BayEmpress Augusta BayEmpress Augusta Bay is a major bay on the western side of the island of Bougainville, in Papua New Guinea, at . It is a major subsistence fishing area for the people of Bougainville. It is named after Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein, wife of German Emperor William II.In November 1943, the...
, bay on Bougainville IslandBougainville IslandBougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...
named after the Empress
- The Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem was built by Wilhelm II and named after his wife.
Sources
- Thomas Weiberg: … wie immer Deine Dona. Verlobung und Hochzeit des letzten deutschen Kaiserpaares. Isensee-Verlag, Oldenburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-89995-406-7.
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