The Year of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Therese of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – A scandal (Part three)

Read part two here.

With the rise of Napoleon in France and the subsequent wars, Therese and her family were forced to flee to Hildburghausen, where her sister Charlotte lived. Charlotte was heavily pregnant but was happy to receive them. From Hildburghausen, they went to Neustrelitz and planned to travel to Berlin in September. In November, she was able to return to Regensburg, but Napoleon continued to win victory after victory. In 1797, Karl Alexander was appointed as Prinzipalkommissar at the Perpetual Imperial Diet in Regensburg.

This led to more duties for him, but also for Therese. She wrote, “I’m not at all looking forward to Regensburg; since the Prince became Prinzipalkommissar, all my happy freedom has disappeared – stiffness and constraint, on the other hand, have taken its place.”¹ After a busy winter, Therese was happy to spend the summer of 1798 at Trugenhofen, where her sister Charlotte came to visit her. Therese was finally pregnant again, but she wrote about the “discomfort of my position, the dreadful anticipation of childbirth. It must be so, and I have enjoyed happy days, last year and this year; the difficult ones must also have their time, and God has made me so happy that the memory of the good times remains the most vivid.”² On 29 August 1798, little Louise Frederica was born. Despite the disappointment that it was not a boy, her father-in-law wrote, “We are grateful that the birth went so well and that the Hereditary Princess is doing well.”³

Therese was delighted with her daughter and wrote, “Louise is a very sweet little thing, gentle and hungry. She has magnificent blue eyes; it is truly as if a special blessing rested on little Louise, and that the godmother (Therese’s sister Louise) also shares her beauty with her name.”⁴ Three months later, the little girl died. A devastated Therese wrote to her brother Georg, “It is your Therese who is writing to you, but no longer a happy Therese, no longer the happy mother. I felt so happy, so grateful for happiness, but God wanted it to end. My Louise is no more – no more! Dear Georg, my heart is torn, my whole being deeply bowed – Ah, I have lived through terrible days. From utter despair […] back to the greatest hope. […] And yet, inexorable death triumphed. […] Her death was terrible.”⁵ Therese was seriously ill for four weeks following her daughter’s death. She later wrote, “I had four children, I fed them with my milk, I was unbelievably happy in their possession – three were taken from me – my heart bleeds.”⁶

In January 1799, a scandal rocked the family. Therese received a letter from her sister Louise, who had married the future King Frederick William III of Prussia in 1793. It was about their sister, Frederica, who had initially moved to Prussia with Louise to marry the future King Frederick William III’s younger brother, Prince Charles. He had died in 1796, leaving her with three young children. In 1798, Frederica became pregnant by her lover, Prince Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels, and a secret marriage took place in January, while others were told they had married a year earlier. Frederica’s child, a daughter named Caroline, was born in March. Therese only slowly learned the true story and couldn’t believe that Frederica had become pregnant out of wedlock. She wrote, “How I would like to forgive her completely, but it is not possible.”⁷ Even after seeing Frederica in person, she found it difficult to get along with her.

In August 1799, Therese was pregnant again. On 4 March 1800, Therese gave birth to another daughter. She was named Maria Sophia Dorothea, and she was very ill for the first few weeks of her life, leaving her parents to fear the worst again. Luckily, Sophie survived those critical weeks. On 3 November 1802, the much-longed-for son was born. Therese wrote, “On 3 November, I became a mother, the happy mother of a fat, lovable boy who was given the name Max. My health and the child’s were so good that I had the double joy of feeding him.”⁸ The fear of his possible early death lingered, and every happy update on the boy was quickly dispatched to her family members.

However, the newfound happiness with her son did not reflect in her marriage with Karl Alexander. He had had a lover for several years, whom Therese knew about and even sent greetings to. Their marriage had become one of convenience, and she had given up hope that Karl Alexander would ever truly love her again. In 1804, Therese first mentioned Maximilian, Count von und zu Lerchenfeld auf Köfering und Schönberg, in a letter. He would become very important to her later on. By then, she was pregnant again and dutifully produced a spare for the House of Thurn and Taxis. Prince Frederick William was born on 29 January 1805. His uncle, King Frederick William III of Prussia, was one of his godparents. He would be the last child for Karl Alexander – but not for Therese.

Therese had fallen deeply in love with Maximilian, Count von und zu Lerchenfeld auf Köfering und Schönberg. He was married to Maria Anna Philippine Walburga Groschlag von Dieburg, who was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Caroline of Bavaria, Therese’s aunt. It is not clear when the relationship began. In 1806, she wrote about a ring she had received from him and had been wearing for years. The inscription was “Priva di ti, priva di vita” or “Without you, there is no life.” She confided in her brother, Georg, who responded with kindness, much to her relief.

Read part four here. 

1. Therese von Thurn und Taxis by Carolin Philipps p.120
2. Therese von Thurn und Taxis by Carolin Philipps p.133
3. Therese von Thurn und Taxis by Carolin Philipps p.151
4. Therese von Thurn und Taxis by Carolin Philipps p.153
5. Therese von Thurn und Taxis by Carolin Philipps p.153
6. Therese von Thurn und Taxis by Carolin Philipps p.153
7. Therese von Thurn und Taxis by Carolin Philipps p.167
8. Therese von Thurn und Taxis by Carolin Philipps p.155