Even though her future was uncertain, Frederica felt positive about it. She wrote, “I have always desired and strived to love and be loved. Now I will finally enjoy this happiness.”1 Her new home would be Ansbach, and she continued to keep in touch with her family through letters. They could not come often enough for her, and she was devastated to learn of the death of Louise’s young daughter, also named Frederica, at the end of March 1800. It may have been a sort of exile, but Frederica was well taken care of by her former brother-in-law. Nevertheless, all provisions made for her would end with her death to prevent her new husband from benefiting.
Their daughter, Caroline, was born on 27 February 1799 at Schloss Ansbach. Louise reported Frederica’s “happy and speedy delivery” to their brother, Georg.2 For Frederica, little Caroline was the crowning glory on the relationship. She developed a special bond with Caroline because she was the first child she was allowed to breastfeed. She asked her sister Louise to stand as godmother, but Louise was represented by someone else at the baptism on 22 March. Tragedy struck just eight months later when Caroline died on 18 October 1799. Frederica wrote, “My little Carolinchen died in my arms, leaning against the very heart where she was born, and as she passed away, she took a part of my heart with her. You know, I have already felt the pain of losing a child. But to lose a child to whom you were a mother, whom you nursed yourself, is even more painful, much more painful.”3 The cause of death was given as tooth fever. Little Caroline was buried four days later on her father’s birthday.
Just a few months after her daughter’s death, Frederica was pregnant again. On 11 September 1800, she gave birth to a son who died before the end of the month. On 30 December 1801, a healthy son was born – he was named Frederick William. Another daughter, named Louise, born in 1803, lived for just six months and died on 27 October. On 25 July 1804, she gave birth to a daughter named Auguste, who survived to adulthood. Before Auguste’s birth, she wrote to her brother, “I am truly enjoying the happiness of being a mother. May God keep me happy.”4
In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte had crowned himself Emperor of the French, and he wasn’t done just yet. It was all anyone could talk about. By this time, Frederica had managed to reconcile with most of the family, and she had been tentatively reintroduced into society as Princess of Solms-Braunfels. She even received an invitation to a family gathering at Paretz Castle, near Berlin. Frederica also had a break from pregnancies, to her relief. She would spend three months in Potsdam and Berlin. In 1805, Prussia’s neutrality towards France ended, and soon French troops marched into Ansbach. In November, King Frederick William III joined the alliance against Napoleon. Frederica could not return to her home in Ansbach, and she watched Prussian troops as they marched away, including the King’s brothers and Frederica’s half-brother, Charles. They were eventually forced to cede Ansbach, leaving Frederica without a permanent home.
Eventually, she managed to retrieve some of her belongings, and she settled in Carlsbad. She was pregnant again and would need to be able to relax. War drew closer, and she decided to travel to Berlin with her children. There she received the troubling news of the Prussian defeat at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt. A few days after that, Frederica, her children, and the Prussian royal family were forced to flee. The children were taken to Schwedt, where Frederica joined them. Louise travelled ahead to be with her husband. They later moved from Schwedt to Danzig and on to Königsberg. On 27 October 1806, Napoleon marched into Berlin. Königsberg was riddled with typhus, and Louise’s eldest son immediately fell ill. Luckily, he survived the illness. Louise, who arrived later, also came down with the disease. She was sick throughout December.
Soon, Napoleon was advancing on Königsberg and Louise, who was still ill, was put in a carriage and brought to Memel in early January. Frederica, who was seven months pregnant, stayed in Königsberg with her family. A battle just outside the city in February did not bring a conclusive victory for either side. On 10 March 1807, Frederica gave birth to a son named Alexander after a long and challenging labour. Louise eventually returned to Königsberg and was able to spend a few months with Frederica. Louise wrote to her husband, “God had allowed us this union again as a consolation and reward for our hearts.”5 The sisters visited wounded soldiers in the hospitals as often as they could. Frederica’s husband was depressed and unable to fight. His spirits were lifted somewhat when he received a promotion to lieutenant colonel, and he left Königsberg with Frederica to take the cure.
On 7 July 1807, Napoleon made a peace treaty with Emperor Alexander I and King Frederick William III in Tilsit. All the territories west of the Elbe were ceded to Napoleon. Louise was brought in to try to bring down the harsh conditions with her charm, but it was of no use. Frederica had settled with her family in Neustrelitz, in a house built especially for them. She had given up on the idea of ever returning to Berlin. However, because of the expenses, her two eldest children, Frederick Louis and Frederica, were sent to live at the Prussian royal court.
Frederica travelled to be with Louise in September 1809 when Louise was due to give birth to her tenth child. She was with Louise for two months and returned to Berlin with the court in December, with the approval of Napoleon. Frederica was able to see her two eldest children again, and she did not leave until February 1810.
Be the first to comment