Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz’s mother, Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt, died following childbirth in 1782 at the age of 29. Her father remarried Friederike’s sister, Charlotte, in 1784.
Charlotte was born on 5 November 1755 as the fifth but fourth surviving child of Countess Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg and Prince George William of Hesse-Darmstadt, who was the second son of Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt.
She grew up in a close-knit family, and this was often mentioned and observed by others. One observer wrote, “Every day I am delighted by the unity that prevails in this large family. I rejoice in the friendly interactions between parents and their children, and between children and their parents. It is truly quite edifying… Prince George and his wife… loving and kind… There is a happy atmosphere of courtesy that is never a nuisance and satisfies everyone.”1
On 18 September 1768, her sister Friederike married the future Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and they moved to Hanover. Friederike went on to have 10 children, of whom only 5 survived to adulthood.
Charlotte was first engaged to the future William I, Duke of Oldenburg, in 1775, but this engagement was dissolved due to his mental illness.2
Charlotte was known to have kept a correspondence with Queen Marie Antoinette of France.3
In May 1780, Queen Marie Antoinette wrote to Charlotte, “Dear Princess! I will pass by your house at 12:45 on a drive to the woods; I have a lady-in-waiting with me, so only space for two. If you would like to be ready with one of your sisters, I will give you a lift as I drive by. Don’t bother getting dressed and don’t wear big hats; we will be travelling in a light carriage. Good morning, most heartfelt kisses.”4
That same month, she wrote, “Dear Princess! It is lovely of you to have already found the portrait I sent you. I hope it reminds you often enough of someone who loves you tenderly. I would be extremely sorry if you would go to the trouble of visiting me, as I cannot even say whether I will be home tomorrow or the day after dinner. Farewell, I am not at home and am writing this on one knee, so I only have enough time to give you a warm hug and a kiss.”5
Friederike would not survive her tenth childbirth. She gave birth to a girl on 19 May 1782, and the little girl died the following day. Friederike died three days after the birth on 22 May 1782; she was still only 29 years old. Charles was now left alone with five surviving children, and Charlotte, who was well known to her nieces and nephew, seemed like the obvious choice for his second wife.
On 9 May 1784, Queen Marie Antoinette wrote to Charlotte, “My dear Princess! I will faithfully keep your secret, but I cannot let Prince George depart without at least conveying all my wishes for your well-being and happiness. You cannot imagine how intensely I have been thinking about your marriage from the moment I received your notification; you will certainly need the intervening time, and above all your influence on the Prince of Mecklenburg, to make your future life as happy as possible and, in particular, to be able to see your relatives as often as possible. I will not even mention another journey that I would very much like to undertake; I beg your pardon, for I might appear selfish, and yet today I wish to concern myself only with you and your happiness. I already picture you surrounded by your five children; with such a stepmother, they can look forward to a happy future. Farewell, Prince George will surely convey all my greetings to your family. I send my warmest regards to the Hereditary Princess and ask you, my dear Princess, to count on my tender and unwavering friendship for the rest of my life.”6
The wedding took place on 26 September 1784. The future Queen of Prussia, who was also Charlotte’s goddaughter, was present at the wedding.7 The wedding took place in Darmstadt and afterwards the family returned to Hanover.8
One observer wrote about Charlotte around this time, “She was excellent and well-built, of noble bearing, blonde and fair, with large blue eyes, very pleasant to be around, gifted with a good sense and the invaluable quality of a noble heart.”9 However, there are no surviving letters to attest to the relationship between Charles and Charlotte.
The education of her stepchildren remained under the same plan as Friederike had arranged during Charlotte’s lifetime.10
Charlotte became pregnant the following year and gave birth to a son named Charles on 30 November 1785. She died two weeks later on 12 December 1785. Charlotte had apparently had fears about childbirth, which she wrote about in her letters to Queen Marie Antoinette.11
The children’s governess wrote about Charlotte’s last hours, “Her poor husband is more dead than alive… I pity him with all my heart. Two women dying in childbirth… I just heard that she is beginning to sing and scream worse than ever.”12
Charlotte’s stepdaughter Louise later wrote, “A very sad day for my heart… May God give me a heart like hers!”13
- Luise, Die Königin und ihre Geschwister by Carolin Philipps p.21
- Anekdoten, Charakterschilderungen und Denkwürdigkeiten aus der Hessischen Geschichte Zusammengestellt von Carl Friedrich Günther p.172
- Luise, Die Königin und ihre Geschwister by Carolin Philipps p.63
- Marie Antoinette : ihre Briefe als Dauphine und Königin p.79
- Marie Antoinette : ihre Briefe als Dauphine und Königin p.80
- Marie Antoinette : ihre Briefe als Dauphine und Königin p.92-93
- Collected papers; historical, literary, travel and miscellaneous by Sir Adolphus William Ward p.234
- Memoirs of the Private Life and Opinions of Louisa, Queen of Prussia by Constance Richardson p.4
- Luise, Die Königin und ihre Geschwister by Carolin Philipps p.25
- Collected papers; historical, literary, travel and miscellaneous by Sir Adolphus William Ward p.234
- Herzoghaus Mecklenburg-Strelitz by Helmut Borth p.126
- Luise, Die Königin und ihre Geschwister by Carolin Philipps p.26
- Luise, Die Königin und ihre Geschwister by Carolin Philipps p.26
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