Hedvig Taube
Encyclopedia
Hedvig Ulrika Taube also Countess von Hessenstein was a Swedish
noble and salonist
, official royal mistress
to King Frederick I of Sweden
. She is generally considered to have been the only official royal mistress in Swedish history, and she did have some political significance.
, was to marry the brother of the famous scientist Countess Eva Ekeblad
, aunt of famous Axel von Fersen the Younger. King Frederick I, nearing sixty, was at this point more and more infamous for his sexual excesses. The young girl at first refused him, but she was exposed to a great effort of persuasion; first, court officials came and offer her the formal position as a lady-in-waiting
to the queen, while it was understood that she would in reality be the mistress of the king. Both the king's friends, among them her relatives, and her own family united themselves in the persuasion; she had nine siblings, and her family suffered from gambling debts at the time of the king's suggestion. Carl Tersmeden
held a speech to her calling her future fate as more beautiful than she could imagine, the wives of two noblemen of the court visited her to make her give in, her mother, her paternal and maternal aunts all did what they could, and eventually, her resistance was broken. When the carriage came to take her to court, Tersmeden reported her saying; My fate is harder than I could imagine. I am being forced to expose my virtue to save a family ruined by gambling.
She was installed at court as lady-in-waiting
to queen Ulrika Eleonora in 1731, and apparently became more to the king then merely a sexual plaything. On 1 March 1733, Hedvig gave birth a daughter, called Frederica Wilhelmina.
grant her the title of Countess von Hessenstein, acknowledged her as his official mistress and gave her her own palace to live in with her own household. This caused a great scandal, as she thus was the first official royal mistress in Swedish history. Of course, many Swedish kings had mistresses, but they had never previously been official, in the "French way". The Queen locked herself in her rooms, the priests refused to pay homage in the churches to a king "with two wives", satirical pamphlets circulated in Stockholm, the opinion of the public greatly favoured the Queen, as she was respected for her pious behaviour and the last of the old Swedish dynasty, and leaders of the government reminded the king of his promise to always "treat the queen with respect" when she abdicated in his favour. The king publicly acknowledged his offspring with Hedvig, and denied the rumors that he was to have married Hedvig in secret, but answered that the matter of treating the Queen with respect out of gratitude for her abdication had nothing to do with his private life, and wrote a letter to the Queen and asked her to protect Hedvig after his death.
The Queen had the bishops of the parliament's clerical group lecture both Hedvig and the king; the king answered that the government had promised not to get involved in his personal affairs and refused to accept a written protest. Hedvig followed the manner of the queen and pretended to be sick, but the bishops forced their way in to "The public sinner" and lectured her lying in bed with half of her face covered by a sheet. She said to them, "I had no idea that Her Majesty was displeased because of this," and the bishops replied "We can assure you miss that it is so, and how else should it be?", and she said to them that they should have lectured her when she was younger and defenceless. They said that they were discussions to expel her from the country, and she answered that they should have more important things to discuss than someone who was never involved in politics.
, who had opposed her position as mistress, but she herself favoured Horn, as she had been opposed to her position herself, and refused to be influenced to be anything but neutral during the 1739 election.
On 10 March 1735, Hedvig bore a second child, a son, named Fredrik Vilhelm, later Prince of Hessenstein. Two years later, on 26 November 1737, she gave birth to his third child and second son, Karl Edvard, created Count of Hessenstein, who died unmarried in Paris in 1769.
, where the king met her, claiming to go hunting, and she never left the country. This enraged the Queen who refused to leave her room for fourteen days, which was said to have contributed to the Queen's declining health, and Hedvig continued as his mistress. King Frederick, however, continued his use of prostitutes in parallel, which worsened his reputation more and more over the years, as this behaviour increased.
The next year (1744), Hedvig became pregnant again. She died in childbirth and was buried in the church of Strängnäs together with her stillborn daughter. After her death, Frederick made himself a public laughing stock by hiring prostitutes off the streets. In 1745, Taube was replaced as an official royal mistress by the noblewoman Catharina Ebba Horn
, who was also officially recognized and given the title of German-Roman countess, but their relationship ended after three years and she has been largely forgotten by history.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
noble and salonist
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
, official royal mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
to King Frederick I of Sweden
Frederick I of Sweden
Frederick I, , was a prince consort of Sweden from 1718 to 1720, and a King of Sweden from 1720 until his death and also Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1730...
. She is generally considered to have been the only official royal mistress in Swedish history, and she did have some political significance.
Background
Hedvig Taube was a member of a noble family, who suffered from gambling debts when the king noticed the beautiful sixteen-year-old daughter of the family in 1730. She was the daughter of the royal councillor Count Edvard Didrik Taube and Christina Maria Falkenerg. Her sister, Catherine CharlotteCathérine Charlotte De la Gardie
Countess Catherine Charlotte De la Gardie or de La Gardie, also called Catharina Charlotta and Katarina Charlotta, née Taube, , was a Swedish noble...
, was to marry the brother of the famous scientist Countess Eva Ekeblad
Eva Ekeblad
Eva Ekeblad , née Eva De la Gardie, was a Swedish agronomist, scientist, Salonist and noble . Her most known discovery was to make flour and alcohol out of potatoes...
, aunt of famous Axel von Fersen the Younger. King Frederick I, nearing sixty, was at this point more and more infamous for his sexual excesses. The young girl at first refused him, but she was exposed to a great effort of persuasion; first, court officials came and offer her the formal position as a 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...
to the queen, while it was understood that she would in reality be the mistress of the king. Both the king's friends, among them her relatives, and her own family united themselves in the persuasion; she had nine siblings, and her family suffered from gambling debts at the time of the king's suggestion. Carl Tersmeden
Carl Tersmeden
Carl Tersmeden was a Swedish admiral and diarist.-Life:Carl Tersmeden was the son of Jacob Tersmeden the Elder and Elisabeth Gangia and thus the younger brother of Jacob Tersmeden the Younger...
held a speech to her calling her future fate as more beautiful than she could imagine, the wives of two noblemen of the court visited her to make her give in, her mother, her paternal and maternal aunts all did what they could, and eventually, her resistance was broken. When the carriage came to take her to court, Tersmeden reported her saying; My fate is harder than I could imagine. I am being forced to expose my virtue to save a family ruined by gambling.
She was installed at court as 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...
to queen Ulrika Eleonora in 1731, and apparently became more to the king then merely a sexual plaything. On 1 March 1733, Hedvig gave birth a daughter, called Frederica Wilhelmina.
Public scandal
In 1734, shortly after her one-year-old daughter died, the king had the Holy Roman EmperorHoly Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
grant her the title of Countess von Hessenstein, acknowledged her as his official mistress and gave her her own palace to live in with her own household. This caused a great scandal, as she thus was the first official royal mistress in Swedish history. Of course, many Swedish kings had mistresses, but they had never previously been official, in the "French way". The Queen locked herself in her rooms, the priests refused to pay homage in the churches to a king "with two wives", satirical pamphlets circulated in Stockholm, the opinion of the public greatly favoured the Queen, as she was respected for her pious behaviour and the last of the old Swedish dynasty, and leaders of the government reminded the king of his promise to always "treat the queen with respect" when she abdicated in his favour. The king publicly acknowledged his offspring with Hedvig, and denied the rumors that he was to have married Hedvig in secret, but answered that the matter of treating the Queen with respect out of gratitude for her abdication had nothing to do with his private life, and wrote a letter to the Queen and asked her to protect Hedvig after his death.
The Queen had the bishops of the parliament's clerical group lecture both Hedvig and the king; the king answered that the government had promised not to get involved in his personal affairs and refused to accept a written protest. Hedvig followed the manner of the queen and pretended to be sick, but the bishops forced their way in to "The public sinner" and lectured her lying in bed with half of her face covered by a sheet. She said to them, "I had no idea that Her Majesty was displeased because of this," and the bishops replied "We can assure you miss that it is so, and how else should it be?", and she said to them that they should have lectured her when she was younger and defenceless. They said that they were discussions to expel her from the country, and she answered that they should have more important things to discuss than someone who was never involved in politics.
Royal mistress and salonist
The countess herself lived an unhappy and discreet life. After her first public appearance at court after her acknowledgement in 1735 the Queen protested by claiming to be indisposed and refused to leave her rooms, and after this, Hedvig never appeared at court again. She had never wanted to be a mistress, and when foreign ambassadors visited her to ask her to use her influence, she told them she had none and that she did not wish to have any. She did, however, became a noted patron of artists, and her salon became its own little court that rivaled that of the religious Queen; one of her favorites was the poet Olof von Dahlin, who was regarded as somewhat of the Court Poet. Indirectly, however, she really was to play a political role. She had a lot of influence when it came to the offices appointed by the king; it was said, that one need only to be recommended by her to become a favorite to the king and receive an office. Her court was the center of the Gylleborg party, which opposed Arvid HornArvid Horn
Count Arvid Bernhard Horn of Ekebyholm was a Swedish soldier, diplomat and politician. He served twice as President of the Privy Council Chancellery and was one of the leading figures of the Swedish Age of Liberty.- Soldier and diplomat :He was born Arvid Bernhard Horn in Vuorentaka ,...
, who had opposed her position as mistress, but she herself favoured Horn, as she had been opposed to her position herself, and refused to be influenced to be anything but neutral during the 1739 election.
On 10 March 1735, Hedvig bore a second child, a son, named Fredrik Vilhelm, later Prince of Hessenstein. Two years later, on 26 November 1737, she gave birth to his third child and second son, Karl Edvard, created Count of Hessenstein, who died unmarried in Paris in 1769.
Almost exiled
The indignation about the fact that the king had an official mistress did not cease, and was discussed in parliament several times from 1738 forwards and greatly contributed to the impopularity of the king. In 1739, the Queen wanted Hedvig and her two sons expelled from the country; and they left for Hesse, but Hedvig stayed behind in NyköpingNyköping
Nyköping is a locality and the seat of Nyköping Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 32,427 inhabitants in 2005. The city is also the capital of Södermanland County.- History :...
, where the king met her, claiming to go hunting, and she never left the country. This enraged the Queen who refused to leave her room for fourteen days, which was said to have contributed to the Queen's declining health, and Hedvig continued as his mistress. King Frederick, however, continued his use of prostitutes in parallel, which worsened his reputation more and more over the years, as this behaviour increased.
Later life
Hedvig was introduced to the new Crown Prince Adolf Fredrik in 1743; on 9 December of that year, she gave birth to Frederick's fourth child and second daughter, Hedvig Amalia, created Countess of Hessenstein, who died in 1752 only nine years old.The next year (1744), Hedvig became pregnant again. She died in childbirth and was buried in the church of Strängnäs together with her stillborn daughter. After her death, Frederick made himself a public laughing stock by hiring prostitutes off the streets. In 1745, Taube was replaced as an official royal mistress by the noblewoman Catharina Ebba Horn
Catharina Ebba Horn
Catharina Ebba Horn af Åminne, , was a Swedish noble, a German Roman countess and the second official royal mistress of king Frederick I of Sweden. She was one of two official royal mistresses in Sweden....
, who was also officially recognized and given the title of German-Roman countess, but their relationship ended after three years and she has been largely forgotten by history.