Landgravine Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt
Encyclopedia
Princess Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt (14 April 1765 – 30 March 1796) was the mother of King Ludwig I of Bavaria
.
Augusta Wilhelmine was born at Darmstadt
, the fourth daughter and ninth child of Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hesse-Darmstadt (second son of Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
) and Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg
.
Maximilian was an officer in the French army stationed at Strasbourg
, but the couple also often visited Paris
. There Augusta Wilhelmine met Queen Marie Antoinette
with whom she maintained an ongoing correspondence.
In 1789 Maximilian's regiment rose in revolt
and he and Augusta Wilhelmine fled to her parents' home in Darmstadt. For the next five years they lived mostly in the neighbouring town of Mannheim
. In December 1794 the French army attacked Mannheim. Augusta Wilhelmine fled the city when her home was shelled by French artillery.
. She was buried in the Schlosskirche in Darmstadt.
Ludwig I of Bavaria
Ludwig I was a German king of Bavaria from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states.-Crown prince:...
.
Augusta Wilhelmine was born at Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
, the fourth daughter and ninth child of Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hesse-Darmstadt (second son of Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Louis VIII was the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1739 to 1768. He was the son of Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Margravine Dorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach....
) and Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg
Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg
Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg ; also known as princess George, was heiress to the barony of Broich and by marriage Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt...
.
Marriage and children
On 30 September 1785, in Darmstadt, Augusta Wilhelmine married Maximilian, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken (later King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria). They had five children:- King Ludwig I of BavariaLudwig I of BavariaLudwig I was a German king of Bavaria from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states.-Crown prince:...
(1786–1868); married Princess Therese of Saxe-HildburghausenTherese of Saxe-HildburghausenTherese Charlotte Luise of Saxony-Hildburghausen was a queen of Bavaria.She was a daughter of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, and Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, eldest daughter of Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.-Biography:In 1809, she was on the list of... - Princess Augusta of BavariaPrincess Augusta of BavariaPrincess Augusta of Bavaria, Duchess of Leuchtenberg was the second child and eldest daughter of Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt.- Marriage and issue :...
(1788–1851); married Eugène de BeauharnaisEugène de BeauharnaisEugène Rose de Beauharnais, Prince Français, Prince of Venice, Viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy, Hereditary Grand Duke of Frankfurt, 1st Duke of Leuchtenberg and 1st Prince of Eichstätt ad personam was the first child and only son of Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais and Joséphine Tascher de la... - Princess Amalie of Bavaria (9 October 1790 – 24 January 1794)
- Princess Caroline Augusta of BavariaCaroline Augusta of BavariaCaroline Augusta of Bavaria was a daughter of Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria and his wife, Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt , and a member of the House of Wittelsbach. She was married to Crown Prince William of Württemberg and to Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor...
(1792–1873); married King William I of WürttembergWilliam I of WürttembergWilliam I was the second King of Württemberg from October 30, 1816 until his death.He was born in Lüben, the son of King Frederick I of Württemberg and his wife Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel .-First marriage:...
, and later Emperor Francis I of AustriaFrancis II, Holy Roman EmperorFrancis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Empire after the disastrous defeat of the Third Coalition by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz... - Prince Karl Theodor of BavariaPrince Karl Theodor of BavariaPrince Karl Theodor of Bavaria was a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty. He was the second son and fifth child of Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt .Prince Karl joined the Bavarian Army and rose to be Field Marshal in 1841...
(7 July 1795 – 16 August 1875)
Maximilian was an officer in the French army stationed at Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, but the couple also often visited Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. There Augusta Wilhelmine met Queen Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
with whom she maintained an ongoing correspondence.
In 1789 Maximilian's regiment rose in revolt
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and he and Augusta Wilhelmine fled to her parents' home in Darmstadt. For the next five years they lived mostly in the neighbouring town of Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
. In December 1794 the French army attacked Mannheim. Augusta Wilhelmine fled the city when her home was shelled by French artillery.
Duchess of Zweibrücken
In April 1795 Maximilian succeeded his brother as reigning Duke of Zweibrücken; however, his duchy was entirely occupied by the French. In March 1796 Augusta Wilhelmine, who had always had delicate lungs, finally succumbed and died at RohrbachRohrbach
Rohrbach can refer to:* Heidelberg-Rohrbach, a district of the city of Heidelberg in Germany* Rohrbach, Switzerland, in the canton of Bern*municipalities in Germany:**Rohrbach, Bavaria, in the district of Pfaffenhofen, Bavaria...
. She was buried in the Schlosskirche in Darmstadt.