Christian Friedrich, Baron Stockmar
Encyclopedia
Christian Friedrich Freiherr von Stockmar (22 August 1787 – 9 July 1863) was an Anglo-Belgian statesman, who was a leading player in the affairs of the United Kingdom
under Queen Victoria
.
, Germany of German parentage and Swedish descent. He was educated as a physician, and became the personal physician of Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
in 1816 at the time of Leopold's marriage to Princess Charlotte of the United Kingdom, the only child of King George IV
.
of the household, and political advisor.
It is said, without real proof, that one of the services he provided was procuring a mistress for Leopold. He by all means was not at all pleased when in 1828 one of his cousins, Caroline “Lina” Philippine Auguste Bauer
, an actress, who bore a striking resemblance with princess Charlotte, became the mistress of his master. She was brought over to England, together with her mother, but the affair did not last long and she returned to Germany and to the theater. After her own dead (and that of both king Leopold and baron von Stockmar), Memoirs of her were published in which she claimed that she had contracted a morganatic marriage with Leopold and that she had received the title Countess of Montgomery. There has never been any evidence of such marriage, which furthermore was strongly denied by the son of the late dr. von Stockmar.
After Leopold had briefly come under scrutiny for the position of King of the Greeks, he was made king of the Belgians in 1831. From then on, Stockmar took up residence in Coburg, continuing to advise Leopold. In 1837, he was sent by Leopold to serve as advisor to Queen Victoria
: one of his first tasks was to brief her on whether Leopold's nephew, Prince Albert (later Prince Consort), was a suitable mate. After the marriage of Victoria and Albert, Stockmar became their unofficial counsellor, and intervened in several crises.
of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the parliament
of the German Confederation
.
His prominence in the United Kingdom's political circles led to resentment at what was seen to be Albert's (and, generally, German) intervention in the UK's affairs.
Stockmar was raised to the rank of baron
by the King of Saxony.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
under Queen Victoria
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....
.
Early life and education
He was born in CoburgCoburg
Coburg is a town located on the Itz River in Bavaria, Germany. Its 2005 population was 42,015. Long one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined with Bavaria by popular vote in 1920...
, Germany of German parentage and Swedish descent. He was educated as a physician, and became the personal physician of Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
Leopold I of Belgium
Leopold I was from 21 July 1831 the first King of the Belgians, following Belgium's independence from the Netherlands. He was the founder of the Belgian line of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
in 1816 at the time of Leopold's marriage to Princess Charlotte of the United Kingdom, the only child of King George IV
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
.
In service of King Leopold
Charlotte died giving birth to a stillborn son about a year later (had she lived, Leopold would have been Prince Consort of the United Kingdom), and Stockmar stayed in Leopold's service as his private secretary, comptrollerComptroller
A comptroller is a management level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization.In British government, the Comptroller General or Comptroller and Auditor General is in most countries the external auditor of the budget execution of the...
of the household, and political advisor.
It is said, without real proof, that one of the services he provided was procuring a mistress for Leopold. He by all means was not at all pleased when in 1828 one of his cousins, Caroline “Lina” Philippine Auguste Bauer
Caroline Bauer
Caroline Bauer was a German actress of the Biedermeier era who used the name Lina Bauer.Caroline Philippina Augusta Bauer was born in Heidelberg, Germany to Heinrich Bauer and Christiane Stockmar...
, an actress, who bore a striking resemblance with princess Charlotte, became the mistress of his master. She was brought over to England, together with her mother, but the affair did not last long and she returned to Germany and to the theater. After her own dead (and that of both king Leopold and baron von Stockmar), Memoirs of her were published in which she claimed that she had contracted a morganatic marriage with Leopold and that she had received the title Countess of Montgomery. There has never been any evidence of such marriage, which furthermore was strongly denied by the son of the late dr. von Stockmar.
After Leopold had briefly come under scrutiny for the position of King of the Greeks, he was made king of the Belgians in 1831. From then on, Stockmar took up residence in Coburg, continuing to advise Leopold. In 1837, he was sent by Leopold to serve as advisor to Queen Victoria
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....
: one of his first tasks was to brief her on whether Leopold's nephew, Prince Albert (later Prince Consort), was a suitable mate. After the marriage of Victoria and Albert, Stockmar became their unofficial counsellor, and intervened in several crises.
Ambassador to the German parliament
In 1848 he was made ambassadorAmbassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
of the German Confederation
German Confederation
The German Confederation was the loose association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to coordinate the economies of separate German-speaking countries. It acted as a buffer between the powerful states of Austria and Prussia...
.
His prominence in the United Kingdom's political circles led to resentment at what was seen to be Albert's (and, generally, German) intervention in the UK's affairs.
Stockmar was raised to the rank of baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
by the King of Saxony.