Caroline von Holnstein was a German noblewoman, best known for her appearance in the Gallery of Beauties

Gallery of Beauties

The Gallery of Beauties is a collection of 36 portraits of the most beautiful women from the nobility and middle classes of Munich, Germany, painted between 1827 and 1850 and gathered by Ludwig I of Bavaria in the south pavilion of his Nymphenburg Palace in Munich...

.

Life

Caroline Maximiliana Maria Freiin von Spiering was the fifth child of Carl Theodor Freiherr von Spiering and his wife Johanna Nepumukena (née Freiin von Enzberg). On her father's death in 1829 she began looking for a suitable husband. On 9 November 1831, aged 16, she married the 34-year-old Carl Theodor Graf Holnstein from Bayern. It was a no love-match, though it did mean that the Holnstein lands passed in the direct line to the Freiherren von Spiering. Caroline moved into the Palais Holnstein

Palais Holnstein

The Palais Holnstein is a historical building in Munich, southern Germany, which has been the residence of the Archbishop of Munich and Freising since 1818....

in Munich, where her husband's position opened many doors for her at court, though life among the nobility bored her. On 8 December 1833 Ludwig I of Bavaria

Ludwig I of Bavaria

Ludwig I was a German king of Bavaria from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states.-Crown prince:...

 first saw her at a court academy.

At one of many banquets she met and fell in love with the married nobleman Wilhelm Freiherrn von Künsberg

Künsberg

Künsberg was a German dynasty of knights from Frankenwald and Upper Franconia.The House of Künsberg took its name from Künsberg near Creußen. The family was directly related to the House of Sparneck. Caroline von Holnstein was married with Wilhelm Freiherr von Künsberg....

, who returned her affections in secret. When Wilhelm's wife died she moved in with him at his castle in Fronberg

Fronberg

Fronberg is a surname that originated in Sweden, meaning "from the mountains"....

, and he even left the cuirassier

Cuirassier

Cuirassiers were mounted cavalry soldiers equipped with armour and firearms, first appearing in late 15th-century Europe. They were the successors of the medieval armoured knights...

s at her behest. Caroline's husband Carl Theodor tolerated the relationship but refused her an official separation, even going so far as to have her legitimate and illegitimate children educated together. Only Carl Theodor's death cleared Caroline's way to marry Wilhelm, which she did on 21 September 1857 at the Wallfahrtskirche auf dem Kreuzberg in Schwandorf. Her illegitimate children were legitimized during her lifetime and on 7 July 1859 they were raised to the Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

n Freiherrenstand with the title Künsberg Freiherr von Fronberg. She died at the Schloss at Fronberg and was buried there in a sarcophagus in a room adjacent to the castle chapel.

Painting

The painting of her in the Gallery of Beauties

Gallery of Beauties

The Gallery of Beauties is a collection of 36 portraits of the most beautiful women from the nobility and middle classes of Munich, Germany, painted between 1827 and 1850 and gathered by Ludwig I of Bavaria in the south pavilion of his Nymphenburg Palace in Munich...

 is 71.5 cm by 58 cm. On its back is written "Caroline Gräfin Holnstein aus Bayern geborene Freyin von Spiering erblickte das Licht der Welt auf dem Gute Frohnberg in Bayern dem 8. Mai 1815. Gemalt von J. Stieler 1834" ("Caroline countess Holnstein in Bavaria née Freyin von Spiering born at dem Gute Frohnberg in Bavaria on 8 May 1815. Painted by J. Stieler 1834"). It was still in the artist's studio on 18 February 1834 and was paid for in May that year.

Children

• Karl Theodor Graf Holnstein aus Bayern 8 December 1832, † 8 December 1832
• Johanna Gräfin Holnstein aus Bayern * 17 September 1833, † 17 September 1833
• Maximilian Carl Theodor Graf Holnstein aus Bayern * 19 October 1835, † 1 February 1895 - playmate of princes Ludwig
  Ludwig II of Bavaria
  Ludwig II was King of Bavaria from 1864 until shortly before his death. He is sometimes called the Swan King and der Märchenkönig, the Fairy tale King...
  
   and Otto
  Otto of Bavaria
  Otto , was King of Bavaria from 1886 to 1913. He was the son of Maximilian II and his wife, Marie of Prussia, and younger brother of Ludwig II...
  
   (both later kings of Bavaria), and friend of Ludwig on his accession as Ludwig II. Count Maximilian brought Ludwig's "Kaiserbrief" to Otto von Bismarck
  Otto 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...
  
  .
• Wilhelm Maximilian Künsberg Freiherr von Fronberg * 27 March 1838, † 18 June 1909
• Wilhelmine Maria Caroline Künsberg Freiin von Fronberg * 23 August 1841, † 9 June 1889
• Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Karl Künsberg Freiherr von Fronberg * 26 September 1842, † 24 March 1876
• Rudolf Philipp Wilhelm Goswin Karl Künsberg Freiherr von Fronberg * 27 March 1844, † ?