The Year of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, A heavenly apparition (Part two)

Read part one here. 

Despite his obvious reluctance to marry Frederica, Prince Louis wrote to her father, “The better I get to know Frederica, the more fortunate I feel to have such a wife, with whom, I am convinced, I will live happily and contentedly.”¹ The official engagement took place on 24 April 1793. The two engagements were announced at the same time, turning the two sisters into instant celebrities wherever they went. When they visited their fiances in the winter quarters, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe saw them and described them  as “heavenly apparitions in the chaos of war.”²

On 21 December 1793, the two sisters arrived in Potsdam, accompanied by their grandmother and their brother, Georg. He later noted in his diary that they were “bathed in flowers.”³ The next day, they travelled to Berlin in a golden carriage drawn by eight horses. On 24 December, it was Louise’s turn to be married. A lady-in-waiting wrote, “Wedding day of the Crown Princess. She dined with her grandmother and us ladies; then she dressed and went to the Queen at 6 o’clock to have her diadem fastened. The ceremony was in the White Hall, followed by the traditional festivities, the torchlit dance, etc.”⁴

Two days later, on 26 December, it was Frederica’s turn. She followed the same program as her sister. One observer wrote, “She was not a regular beauty like her sister, but possessed a charming figure, great grace, and a lively desire to please, which is why some preferred her to her sister’s more noble beauty.” She added that Prince Louis “betrayed through his frosty demeanour that this marriage was not a labour of love.”⁵ Nevertheless, the weddings were celebrated with balls, opera performances and dinners. Louise and Frederick William moved into the Crown Prince’s Palace on Unter den Linden, and Frederica and Louis moved into a palace adjacent to it.

Both sisters became pregnant almost immediately. However, Frederica had quickly become disillusioned with her marriage. She learned that he was in love with another woman. Even Louise wrote to her husband, “Frederica sends you many tender compliments and urgently requests that you speak to your brother about her more often, so that his mind will be occupied with her more often, so that he will love her more. I don’t like their recent conversations at all. He has let her know that he still loves a certain person, which upsets her, for she adores Louis.”⁶ Botg brothers were away on campaign and would not return until September. The two sisters spent quiet months at the Sanssouci Palace.

Tragically, Louise’s first pregnancy ended in the stillbirth of a daughter on 1 October 1794 after Louise had a fall. Frederica gave birth to a healthy son on 30 October. Louise wrote to their brother, “Although she suffered greatly, she has nevertheless received great compensation for her suffering, for she has given birth to a living and healthy child.”⁷ Louis had shown his good side during the birth. Frederica later wrote, “My dear husband never left me for a moment during the entire time of my suffering. He held me through every pain; I even pressed a wrinkle into his hand, which he had for two days. Then he and the doctor carried me to my bed. I gladly endured the pain out of gratitude for him. He is so happy to be a father, and he will surely be just as good a father as a husband!”⁸

The little prince was named Frederick Louis, and he was quickly followed by Prince Charles (born 1795) and Princess Frederica (born 1796). Louis had performed the role of a dutiful husband for a few years, but after the birth of their daughter, he fell back into his old habits. Frederica wrote, “Immediately after his return, he was as cold as stone towards me, and I am also very reserved, not a kiss without him offering me one, but friendly, so that he can see that I am not angry.”⁹

Frederica now lived for the happy moments and showered her husband with love, which only seemed to annoy him. She once wrote, “How happy I am today! My husband is in a wonderful mood today (for the first time in five days!), my children are well, beautiful, and cheerful, and my angelic brother, my dear Georg, wrote my five sheets today.”¹⁰

In December 1796, Louis became ill with diphtheria, and Frederica cared for him for many weeks, while observers admired her dedication. Louis died on 23 December 1796 at the age of 23. A lady-in-waiting wrote about the day after Louis’s death, “All the nobles and gentlemen came to us; the poor widow was beside herself with pain, and we all wept with her.”¹¹ Prince Louis was interred in Berlin Cathedral in early January

Frederica later wrote to her father that she had fulfilled her duty “to a man who did not love and made me extremely unhappy.”¹²

Snide remarks about Frederica’s grief soon appeared. Many believed that she did not truly mourn for her husband. One observer wrote in September 1797, “Princess Louis has put aside her deep grief and was at the theatre for the first time today. She knows only too well how to console herself.”¹³

Read part three here. 

1. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.36
2. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.36
3. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.44
4. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.46
5. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.47
6. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.55
7. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.58
8. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.59
9. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.63
10. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.62
11. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.66
12. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.65
13. Friederike von Preußen by Carolin Philipps p.66