Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate
Encyclopedia
Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate (Benedicta Henrietta Philippina; 14 March 1652 – 12 August 1730) was a German princess, the third and youngest daughter of Edward of the Palatinate and his French wife, the political hostess Anna Gonzaga
. Benedicta became the Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg, or of Hanover, by her marriage to Duke John Frederick
, and was commonly referred to as Benedicta of Hanover. She was an ancestor of Louis XVI of France
as well as many of the reigning European monarchs, including Juan Carlos I, Manuel II of Portugal
, Umberto II of Italy
and Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
.
and Princess Elizabeth of Scotland
, the Winter Queen. Her maternal grandparents were Charles I, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat and his French wife Catherine de Guise, daughter of Charles de Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne
.
Bénédicte was "reared from her babyhood" by Louise de La Fayette
, a courtier-turned-nun known as Sister Louise-Angélique. She was the youngest of three daughters. Her eldest sister, Luise Marie, married Charles Theodore, Prince of Salm
and had a son and two daughters. The middle sister, Anne Henriette Julie
, married the mad Henri Jules, Prince of Condé, son of le Grand Condé, and remained in France.
Anne Henriette became an ancestor of the famous Philippe Égalité
and the present French pretender Henri d'Orléans. Anne Henriette named one of her daughters Louise Bénédicte presumably after both her sisters, which indicates the princesses were close, or at least on friendly terms.
, who was the same age as her father, and childless. The Hanoverian
prince harbored a love for Latin Europe
an culture; John Frederick supported the French party in Germany, converted to Roman Catholicism from Lutheranism
after traveling to Italy, and built a palace in Herrenhausen
inspired by the Palace of Versailles
. Thus, while John Frederick's countrymen accused him of being a religious bigot, Louis XIV considered the duke a desirable suitor for Princess Bénédicte, and they were married on 30 November 1668. The union, which had been arranged
by "the busy French diplomatist De Gourville" and likely Benedicta's mother, produced four daughters.
John Frederick died in 1679 without a male heir, and the duchy of Brunswick was inherited by his Protestant younger brother, Ernest Augustus
, the husband of Sophia of Hanover
and father of George I of Great Britain
. Incidentally, Benedicta was both the niece and sister-in-law of Sophia, heiress presumptive to the British throne. After her husband's death, Benedicta returned to her native France and resided there with her sister, the princess of Condé.
The Holy Roman Empress Eleonor Magdalene of the Palatinate-Neuburg had decided early on that Benedicta's youngest daughter, Princess Wilhelmina Amalia, would be her daughter-in-law. To prepare her daughter for the prestigious role of Holy Roman Empress, Benedicta sent her to Maubuisson to be educated by her paternal aunt Louise Holladine
. The princess received a Catholic education from her great-aunt, the abbess of Maubuisson, and did not return to Hanover until she was 20 years old, in 1693. Benedicta helped arrange Wilhelmina's marriage to the Archduke Joseph, future Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I
, in 1699. Through Wilhelmina's eldest daughter, the Archduchess Maria Josepha
, Benedicta Henrietta is an ancestor of King Juan Carlos I of Spain
and the present royal houses of Parma, Luxembourg and Belgium.
Benedicta's eldest surviving daughter, Charlotte, had married Rinaldo d'Este in Modena
on 11 February 1696. Rinaldo wanted to encourage relations between Modena and Hanover. On 29 September 1710, Charlotte died in childbirth, aged 39.
She corresponded with Gottfried Leibniz
. Benedicta died the age of 78, at Asnieres, her late sister's residence near Paris, on 12 August 1730.
Anna Gonzaga
Anne Gonzaga was a French noblewoman and political hostess of Italian descent. She was by marriage Countess Palatine of Simmern, called "Princess Palatine", as the wife of Edward of the Palatinate, a grandson of King James I of England and an uncle of King George I of Great Britain. She bore...
. Benedicta became the Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg, or of Hanover, by her marriage to Duke John Frederick
John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
John Frederick was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruled over the Principality of Calenberg, a subdivision of the duchy, from 1665 until his death....
, and was commonly referred to as Benedicta of Hanover. She was an ancestor of Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
as well as many of the reigning European monarchs, including Juan Carlos I, Manuel II of Portugal
Manuel II of Portugal
Manuel II , named Manuel Maria Filipe Carlos Amélio Luís Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga Francisco de Assis Eugénio de Bragança Orleães Sabóia e Saxe-Coburgo-Gotha — , was the last King of Portugal from 1908 to 1910, ascending the throne after the assassination of his father and elder brother Manuel...
, Umberto II of Italy
Umberto II of Italy
Umberto II, occasionally anglicized as Humbert II was the last King of Italy for slightly over a month, from 9 May 1946 to 12 June 1946. He was nicknamed the King of May -Biography:...
and Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg OIH is the head of state of Luxembourg. He is the eldest son of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. His maternal grandparents were King Leopold III of Belgium and Astrid of Sweden...
.
Early life
Born in Paris to the landless Edward of the Palatinate, Bénédicte Henriettes paternal grandparents were Frederick V, Elector PalatineFrederick V, Elector Palatine
Frederick V was Elector Palatine , and, as Frederick I , King of Bohemia ....
and Princess Elizabeth of Scotland
Elizabeth of Bohemia
Elizabeth of Bohemia was the eldest daughter of King James VI and I, King of Scotland, England, Ireland, and Anne of Denmark. As the wife of Frederick V, Elector Palatine, she was Electress Palatine and briefly Queen of Bohemia...
, the Winter Queen. Her maternal grandparents were Charles I, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat and his French wife Catherine de Guise, daughter of Charles de Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne
Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne
Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne , or Charles de Guise, was a French nobleman of the house of Guise and a military leader of the Catholic League, which he headed during the French Wars of Religion, following the assassination of his brothers at Blois in 1588...
.
Bénédicte was "reared from her babyhood" by Louise de La Fayette
Louise de La Fayette
Louise Angélique Motier de la Fayette was a French courtier and close friend of King Louis XIII who renounced the corruption of his court and entered a convent.- Life in the royal court :...
, a courtier-turned-nun known as Sister Louise-Angélique. She was the youngest of three daughters. Her eldest sister, Luise Marie, married Charles Theodore, Prince of Salm
Charles Theodore, Prince of Salm
Charles Theodore Otto, Prince of Salm , became Count of Salm-Salm in 1663.He was the son of Leopold Philip Charles, fuerst of Salm, and his wife, Maria Anna of Bronckhorst-Batenburg, a Dutch noblewoman from Gelderland. His paternal grandmother, Christina of Croÿ-Havré, was herself a granddaughter...
and had a son and two daughters. The middle sister, Anne Henriette Julie
Anne Henriette of Bavaria
Anne Henriette of Palatinate-Simmern, in France known as Anne Henriette of Bavaria was a Princess of Palatinate-Simmern by birth and by her marriage in 1663, the Duchess of Enghien and then the Princess of Condé...
, married the mad Henri Jules, Prince of Condé, son of le Grand Condé, and remained in France.
Anne Henriette became an ancestor of the famous Philippe Égalité
Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Louis Philippe Joseph d'Orléans commonly known as Philippe, was a member of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, the ruling dynasty of France. He actively supported the French Revolution and adopted the name Philippe Égalité, but was nonetheless guillotined during the Reign of Terror...
and the present French pretender Henri d'Orléans. Anne Henriette named one of her daughters Louise Bénédicte presumably after both her sisters, which indicates the princesses were close, or at least on friendly terms.
Marriage and later life
She was married at the age of fourteen to a distant cousin, John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgJohn Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
John Frederick was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruled over the Principality of Calenberg, a subdivision of the duchy, from 1665 until his death....
, who was the same age as her father, and childless. The Hanoverian
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
prince harbored a love for Latin Europe
Latin Europe
Latin Europe is a loose term for the region of Europe with an especially strong Latin cultural heritage inherited from the Roman Empire.-Application:...
an culture; John Frederick supported the French party in Germany, converted to Roman Catholicism from Lutheranism
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
after traveling to Italy, and built a palace in Herrenhausen
Herrenhausen
Herrenhausen is an area of the German city Hanover which is most notable for the baroque Herrenhausen Gardens.Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg died in Herrenhausen Castle and his grandson King George II of Great Britain was born there. During the Second World War the castle was...
inspired by the Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
. Thus, while John Frederick's countrymen accused him of being a religious bigot, Louis XIV considered the duke a desirable suitor for Princess Bénédicte, and they were married on 30 November 1668. The union, which had been arranged
Arranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...
by "the busy French diplomatist De Gourville" and likely Benedicta's mother, produced four daughters.
John Frederick died in 1679 without a male heir, and the duchy of Brunswick was inherited by his Protestant younger brother, Ernest Augustus
Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Ernest Augustus was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruled over the Principality of Calenberg subdivision of the duchy. He was appointed prince-elector, but died before the appointment became effective...
, the husband of Sophia of Hanover
Sophia of Hanover
Sophia of the Palatinate was an heiress to the crowns of England and Ireland and later the crown of Great Britain. She was declared heiress presumptive by the Act of Settlement 1701...
and father of George I of Great Britain
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
. Incidentally, Benedicta was both the niece and sister-in-law of Sophia, heiress presumptive to the British throne. After her husband's death, Benedicta returned to her native France and resided there with her sister, the princess of Condé.
The Holy Roman Empress Eleonor Magdalene of the Palatinate-Neuburg had decided early on that Benedicta's youngest daughter, Princess Wilhelmina Amalia, would be her daughter-in-law. To prepare her daughter for the prestigious role of Holy Roman Empress, Benedicta sent her to Maubuisson to be educated by her paternal aunt Louise Holladine
Louise Marie of the Palatinate
Louise Hollandine of the Palatinate was a daughter of Frederick V, Elector Palatine and King of Bohemia, and Elizabeth Stuart.- Painting :...
. The princess received a Catholic education from her great-aunt, the abbess of Maubuisson, and did not return to Hanover until she was 20 years old, in 1693. Benedicta helped arrange Wilhelmina's marriage to the Archduke Joseph, future Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I
Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph I , Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, King of the Romans was the elder son of Emperor Leopold I and his third wife, Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg....
, in 1699. Through Wilhelmina's eldest daughter, the Archduchess Maria Josepha
Maria Josepha of Austria
Maria Josepha of Austria was born an Archduchess of Austria, and from 1711 to 1713 was heiress presumptive to the Habsburg Empire...
, Benedicta Henrietta is an ancestor of King Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...
and the present royal houses of Parma, Luxembourg and Belgium.
Benedicta's eldest surviving daughter, Charlotte, had married Rinaldo d'Este in Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
on 11 February 1696. Rinaldo wanted to encourage relations between Modena and Hanover. On 29 September 1710, Charlotte died in childbirth, aged 39.
She corresponded with Gottfried Leibniz
Gottfried Leibniz
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was a German philosopher and mathematician. He wrote in different languages, primarily in Latin , French and German ....
. Benedicta died the age of 78, at Asnieres, her late sister's residence near Paris, on 12 August 1730.
Issue
- Anna Sophie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (10 February 1670 – 24 March 1672), died in infancy;
- Charlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg (8 March 1671 – 29 September 1710), married Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena and had issue;
- Henriette Maria of Brunswick-Lüneburg (9 March 1672 – 4 September 1757), never married;
- Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-LüneburgWilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-LüneburgWilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg was a Holy Roman Empress as the wife of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor.-Family and early life:...
(21 April 1673 – 10 April 1742), married Joseph I, Holy Roman EmperorJoseph I, Holy Roman EmperorJoseph I , Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, King of the Romans was the elder son of Emperor Leopold I and his third wife, Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg....
and had issue.
Ancestry
Titles and styles
- 14 March 1652 – 30 November 1668 Her Serene Highness Countess Palatine Benedicta Henrietta of Simmern
- 30 November 1668 – 18 December 1679 Her Serene Highness the Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg
- 18 December 1679 – 12 August 1730 Her Serene Highness the Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Sources
- Bougaud, Emile. St. Chantal and the Foundation of the Visitation. Vol. 2. New York: Benziger Brothers, 1895. Google Books. Web.