When Therese met her sister Louise in Berlin in September 1805, she was already two months pregnant, but perhaps she hadn’t even realised it. This time, the father was not her husband. It was Count Maximilian. She had dreaded meeting her sister as she did not know if Georg had told her anything about the affair. In October, she travelled to stay with Frederica and their father in Neustrelitz. The following month, Napoleon managed to occupy Vienna, spreading worry around the royal courts of Europe. Therese also received some bad news; her father-in-law had died on 13 November 1805 after a stomach cramp attack. Therese and Karl Alexander were now the new Prince and Princess of Thurn and Taxis, but Therese wouldn’t even be able to make it home to the funeral.
By early December, Therese was back in Berlin and watched the departing troops from a balcony with Louise. Among the soldiers was their 23-year-old half-brother, Charles. The Battle of the Three Emperors had already taken place, although they did not know it yet. Napoleon had defeated the Austrians and the Russians. The following treaty had significant consequences for Therese’s family as the imperial postal system, run by the Thurn and Taxis family, was nationalised in Württemberg and Bavaria. Therese immediately began petitioning the Bavarian King, her beloved uncle. In January, Therese and Karl Alexander travelled to Munich to attend the wedding of the King’s daughter, Auguste, to Napoleon’s stepson, Eugène de Beauharnais. The King eventually granted them the post as a fiefdom for an initial period of ten years.
As Therese’s pregnancy advanced, she decided to go to Lány Castle, where her father-in-law’s sister, Elisabeth, was living. She had been married to Prince Karl Aloys zu Fürstenberg but was widowed seven years earlier. Elisabeth had an ongoing relationship with Freiherr Joseph von Laßberg, who was married, and they would have a son together in 1807. Therese was joined there by her brother, Georg, and she gave birth on 6 May 1806 to a boy who was named Georg von Stockau. He was quietly baptised on 17 May in Dresden. Little Georg was taken to the Stockau estate, owned by his biological father, and he would spend his early years there. Therese was allowed to visit him there, and she did so often.1
By the middle of June 1806, Therese was back in Regensburg. Her thoughts were with her son and the Count. She wrote to her brother, “And how I thank you for feeling with me, for putting yourself in my situation so closely, for not demanding renunciation, even denial, where it would still be impossible for my wounded heart. The renunciation of happiness is a very difficult thing.”2 Over the summer months, Karl Alexander disappeared often to go hunting, and it was up to Therese to represent the interests of the Thurn and Taxis family. In response, he showered her with gifts. Then came the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, which again put the postal service at risk. Therese wrote to her husband, “The news concerning our postal existence has completely devastated me. This is the death blow, and what is even more gruesome is that so many families and so many individuals will fall into misfortune with us.”3 Karl Alexander’s signature was often urgently needed, but he refused to act, leading to severe delays. Nevertheless, Therese tried to persevere to save what could be saved.
In October 1806, Prussia declared war on France, and so more trouble was to come. At the end of October, Napoleon marched into Berlin as a victor. Therese’s sisters, Louise and Frederica, had been forced to flee, and Therese anxiously waited for news. A letter finally arrived from Königsberg, where they had arrived safely. Therese read every newspaper she could find to learn more.
In the early months of 1807, Karl Alexander had discovered Therese’s infidelity, and he immediately tried to seek a divorce. Therese wrote about her fears of being separated from her children and her lover, “With horror, I see the hour of a separation approaching which will rob me of half my existence.”4 However, Karl Alexander had quickly changed his mind. The King of Bavaria was only willing to help his niece Therese, but if she was no longer married, that help would go away. Therese was very relieved, not in the least because she was once again pregnant by her lover. This time it was twins, so her belly was a lot more noticeable. Once again, she went to Princess Elisabeth, who was now at Heiligenberg Castle.
On 10 June 1807, she gave birth to a boy and a girl – Emanuel Maximilian and Elisabetha Therese – and they received the last name Stargard. At the end of the month, Therese was planning her return and brought the twins to Stockau, where Georg was also staying. Upon her return to Regensburg, she was warmly received by her husband and children.
In July 1807, a peace was concluded at Tilsit between France and Russia and France and Prussia, marking the end of the war. Her sister, Louise, had gone to Napoleon personally to appease him. Therese now faced the same situation as she and her husband travelled to Dresden to plead for their cause. However, Karl Alexander hesitated, delaying the trip and causing them to miss Napoleon. So, Therese decided to go to Paris instead. She wrote to her brother, “Paris lies before me like an open grave!”5 Karl Alexander could not be persuaded to go, and expectations for the trip were low.
She spent the first few days sightseeing, even visiting Versailles and the Cathedral of St Denis. Luckily, she was quickly able to get an audience with Napoleon. On the day of the visit, she wrote, “Wish me luck, my children, I swear. I am determined!”6
- Therese von Thurn und Taxis by Carolin Philipps p.211
- Therese von Thurn und Taxis by Carolin Philipps p.213
- Therese von Thurn und Taxis by Carolin Philipps p.217
- Therese von Thurn und Taxis by Carolin Philipps p.239
- Therese von Thurn und Taxis by Carolin Philipps p.248
- Therese von Thurn und Taxis by Carolin Philipps p.252
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