Emerentia von Düben known as Menza, was a Swedish 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...

, favourite of queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden

Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden

Ulrika Eleonora or Ulrica Eleanor , also known as Ulrika Eleonora the Younger, was Queen regnant of Sweden from 5 December 1718 to 29 February 1720, and then Queen consort until her death....

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Emerentia was the daughter of organist Gustaf Düben

Gustaf Düben

Gustaf Düben was a Swedish organist and composer.Düben was born and died in Stockholm. In 1663, he succeeded his father, the German-born Andreas Düben as both hovkapellmästare, director of the Royal Swedish Court Orchestra, and organist of the German St Gertrud Church in Stockholm.Father of...

. She was initially employed as a chamber maid at the court of the queen, Ulrika Eleonora and was in 1690 made responsible for Princess Ulrika Eleonora. She was ennobled with her brothers in 1707 and became lady-in-waiting and Baroness. She stood by Ulrika's side her entire life as her support and advisor and enjoyed great influence. Foreign diplomats often gave her large sums to influence the queen, especially during the negotiations regarding the queens marriage, but she is not considered to have abused her influence. She did, however, gather a great fortune: she received a large inheritance from the queen in 1741, and at her own death in 1743, she left a fortune of $200.000, the yearly wage of 877 chamber maids (the position in which she had started) put together.

She was the aunt of Ulrika Eleonora von Düben

Ulrika Eleonora von Düben

Ulrika Eleonora von Düben , was a Swedish Courtier, lady in waiting and favourite of the Swedish queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia....

, also a royal favourite.