Eva Catharina Hahn was a German woman of letters. In 1756 she married the Hamburg businessman Engelbert König, giving her the married name Eva König. In 1767 she first became friends with the playwright Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing was a German writer, philosopher, dramatist, publicist, and art critic, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the development of German literature...

, who was also her son Fritz's godfather. On König's death in 1768, Lessing cared for her and finally became engaged to her in 1771. Due to König's estate she had to stay a long time in Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 and in 1775 Lessing had to travel to Italy with Prince Leopold, so their contacts during their engagement are mainly known through their correspondence. In 1776 they finally got married, in Jork near Hamburg

Hamburg

-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

. She moved to Wolfenbüttel to be with him but died in 1778 soon after their son's birth - her grave is now lost.