Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Encyclopedia
Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg (21 April 1673 – 10 April 1742) was a Holy Roman Empress as the wife of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor
.
, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
, and Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate
. Her two surviving sisters were Charlotte Felicitas
, who married the Duke of Modena, and Henriette Marie, who never married. Wilhelmina was given a Catholic education by her great-aunt Louise Holladine
at the convent
of Maubuisson, and did not return to Hanover until she was 20 years old, in 1693. Early on, the Holy Roman Empress Eleonor Magdalene of the Palatinate-Neuburg decided that Wilhelmina Amalia would be her daughter-in-law.
, the heir of Emperor Leopold I
. At their wedding, the opera Hercule and Hebe by Reinhard Reiser (1674–1739) was performed. Upon Joseph's election as Emperor in 1705, she became Empress of the Holy Roman Empire.
She bore her husband three children:
Wilhelmina Amalia was described as beautiful but also as religious and serious. Her relationship with her husband was initially described as happy, but it soon deteriorated. Joseph had a long line of mistresses, both servants and nobles, such as Dorothea Daun. He had several illegitimate children, but no surviving male heir with his spouse. In 1704, Joseph contracted syphilis
, and gave the disease to his wife. It has been suggested that this condition was the reason for the failure of the Empress to produce more children after the birth of her second daughter. Without male heirs, a crisis developed in regards to the imperial succession. In 1711, Wilhelmina Amalia was widowed, and her mother-in-law became the interim regent until her brother-in-law, the Archduke Charles
, could return from Spain where he was the Austrian nominee for the Spanish throne during the War of the Spanish Succession
. Upon his return, he was proclaimed as the new Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VI
.
, a document which abolished male-only succession (hitherto effective in all the Habsburg realms) and declared his lands indivisible. The new Emperor favoured his own daughters over those of Joseph I and Wilhelmina Amalia, in the succession, ignoring a decree he had signed during the reign of his father, Leopold I
.
After her daughters were married, Wilhelmina Amalia in 1722 withdrew to a convent that she had founded earlier in 1717, the Salesianerinnenkloster auf dem Rennwege in Vienna.
Charles VI
died in 1740. In the struggle that ensued over the succession, Wilhelmina Amalia initially supported her son-in-law, Charles Albert, Elector of Bavaria
, in his pursuit of the imperial crown, but soon retired again to private life.
Wilhelmina Amalia outlived her spouse by more than 30 years, dying on 10 April 1742. She is buried in the Salesian convent in Vienna
. Her heart is buried in the Imperial Crypt.
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Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph I , Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, King of the Romans was the elder son of Emperor Leopold I and his third wife, Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg....
.
Family and early life
She was the youngest daughter of John FrederickJohn Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
John Frederick was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruled over the Principality of Calenberg, a subdivision of the duchy, from 1665 until his death....
, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Brunswick-Lüneburg
The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , or more properly Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg, was an historical ducal state from the late Middle Ages until the late Early Modern era within the North-Western domains of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, in what is now northern Germany...
, and Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate
Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate
Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate was a German princess, the third and youngest daughter of Edward of the Palatinate and his French wife, the political hostess Anna Gonzaga...
. Her two surviving sisters were Charlotte Felicitas
Duchess Charlotte Felicitas of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Charlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg was a German noblewoman. She was born into the House of Hanover and later married into the House of Este,. She was thus the Duchess of Modena by marriage. She died in childbirth...
, who married the Duke of Modena, and Henriette Marie, who never married. Wilhelmina was given a Catholic education by her great-aunt Louise Holladine
Louise Marie of the Palatinate
Louise Hollandine of the Palatinate was a daughter of Frederick V, Elector Palatine and King of Bohemia, and Elizabeth Stuart.- Painting :...
at the convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
of Maubuisson, and did not return to Hanover until she was 20 years old, in 1693. Early on, the Holy Roman Empress Eleonor Magdalene of the Palatinate-Neuburg decided that Wilhelmina Amalia would be her daughter-in-law.
Marriage and issue
As a result, on 24 February 1699, she married Eleonor's son, Archduke JosephJoseph I, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph I , Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, King of the Romans was the elder son of Emperor Leopold I and his third wife, Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg....
, the heir of Emperor Leopold I
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
. At their wedding, the opera Hercule and Hebe by Reinhard Reiser (1674–1739) was performed. Upon Joseph's election as Emperor in 1705, she became Empress of the Holy Roman Empire.
She bore her husband three children:
- Maria Josepha of AustriaMaria Josepha of AustriaMaria Josepha of Austria was born an Archduchess of Austria, and from 1711 to 1713 was heiress presumptive to the Habsburg Empire...
(8 December 1699 – 17 November 1757); she married August III ("the Saxon") - Archduke Leopold Joseph of AustriaArchduke Leopold Joseph of Austria (1700-1701)Leopold Joseph, Archduke of Austria was the second of three children and the only son of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor. He died in infancy.-External links:...
(29 October 1700 – 4 August 1701) - Maria Amalia of AustriaMaria Amalia of AustriaMaria Amalia of Austria was the younger daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I and Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
(22 October 1701 – 11 December 1756); she married Charles VII, Holy Roman EmperorCharles VII, Holy Roman EmperorCharles VII Albert a member of the Wittelsbach family, was Prince-elector of Bavaria from 1726 and Holy Roman Emperor from 24 January 1742 until his death in 1745...
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
, and gave the disease to his wife. It has been suggested that this condition was the reason for the failure of the Empress to produce more children after the birth of her second daughter. Without male heirs, a crisis developed in regards to the imperial succession. In 1711, Wilhelmina Amalia was widowed, and her mother-in-law became the interim regent until her brother-in-law, the Archduke Charles
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
, could return from Spain where he was the Austrian nominee for the Spanish throne during the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
. Upon his return, he was proclaimed as the new Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VI
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
.
Succession
His wife's inability to produce male heirs irked Charles VI and eventually led to the promulgation of the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713Pragmatic Sanction of 1713
The Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 was an edict issued by Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI to ensure that the throne of the Archduchy of Austria could be inherited by a daughter....
, a document which abolished male-only succession (hitherto effective in all the Habsburg realms) and declared his lands indivisible. The new Emperor favoured his own daughters over those of Joseph I and Wilhelmina Amalia, in the succession, ignoring a decree he had signed during the reign of his father, Leopold I
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
.
After her daughters were married, Wilhelmina Amalia in 1722 withdrew to a convent that she had founded earlier in 1717, the Salesianerinnenkloster auf dem Rennwege in Vienna.
Charles VI
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
died in 1740. In the struggle that ensued over the succession, Wilhelmina Amalia initially supported her son-in-law, Charles Albert, Elector of Bavaria
Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VII Albert a member of the Wittelsbach family, was Prince-elector of Bavaria from 1726 and Holy Roman Emperor from 24 January 1742 until his death in 1745...
, in his pursuit of the imperial crown, but soon retired again to private life.
Wilhelmina Amalia outlived her spouse by more than 30 years, dying on 10 April 1742. She is buried in the Salesian convent 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...
. Her heart is buried in the Imperial Crypt.
Ancestry
External links
- Wilhelmina Amalia at Find-A-Grave
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