Wilhelmine, Gräfin von Lichtenau
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Wilhelmine, Gräfin von Lichtenau, born as Wilhelmine Enke, also spelled Encke (29 December 1753 in Potsdam – 9 June 1820 in Berlin), was the official
mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a ...
of King
Frederick William II of Prussia Frederick William II (german: Friedrich Wilhelm II.; 25 September 1744 – 16 November 1797) was King of Prussia from 1786 until his death in 1797. He was in personal union the Prince-elector of Brandenburg and (via the Orange-Nassau inherita ...
from 1769 until 1797 and was elevated by him into the nobility. She is regarded as politically active and influential in the policy of Prussia during his reign.


Biography

The future Countess von Lichetenau's father, Johann Elias Enke, was a chamber musician in service of King Frederick II of Prussia. Wilhelmine met Crown Prince Fredrick William in 1764. The king preferred that the crown prince maintain a relationship with her rather than have changing relationships with foreign women, and in 1769, during which for most of the year she was 15 and he 24, she became the crown prince's official mistress. The couple had five children, of whom only the youngest survived to adulthood:«Wilhelmine Enke, the later Countess of Lichtenau». Discover Potsdam. Retrieved 20 May 2012. *A daughter – born and died 10 August 1770). *Ulrike Sophie von Berckholz – March 1774 to 5 September 1774 *Christina Sophie Frederica von Lützenberg 25–31 August 1777 *Count Alexander von der Marck – 4 January 1779 to 1 August 1787 – reportedly the King's favorite child; he was probably poisoned *Countess Marianne Diderica Frederica Wilhelmine von der Marck – 29 February 1780 to 11 June 1814 Countess Marianne survived into adulthood. She married firstly, on 17 March 1797, Hereditary Count Frederick of Stolberg-Stolberg; they divorced in 1799. Her second marriage on 14 March 1801 was to Baron Kaspar von Miaskowski; they were also subsequently divorced. Her third and final marriage was in 1807 to French aristocrat Étienne de Thierry. She had four daughters over her three marriages, the eldest of them was the notorious poet Countess Louise of Stolberg-Stolberg. In 1782, Fredrick William arranged for her to marry his councillor and chamberlain Johann Friedrich Rietz (1755–1809), but the relationship between Wilhelmine and Fredrick William continued. It is debated whether Wilhelmine co-operated with Johann Rudolph von Bischoffswerder and
Johann Christoph von Wöllner Johann Christoph von Wöllner (19 May 1732, Döberitz, Margraviate of Brandenburg – 10 September 1800, Grossriez near Beeskow) was a Prussian pastor and politician under King Frederick William II. He was inclined to mysticism and joined the F ...
to keep the monarch under control. Wilhelmine was given the title Countess von Lichtenau in 1794, but this was not made public for two years, until 1796. After Frederick William died in 1797, Wilhelmine was exiled and her property confiscated, although she was finally granted a pension in 1800. From 1802 to 1806, she had a second marriage to the dramatic Franz Ignaz von Holbein, known as "Fontano" and 26 years her junior, in Breslau (now in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
and renamed
Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
). In 1811,
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
allowed her to return to
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
.


Legacy

Wilhelmine, known popularly as "Beautiful Wilhelmine", is closely associated with the
Marmorpalais The Marmorpalais (or Marble Palace) is a former royal residence in Potsdam, near Berlin in Germany, built on the grounds of the extensive '' Neuer Garten'' on the shores of the '' Heiliger See'' (lake). The palace was commissioned by King ''Friedr ...
in Potsdam. As Friedrich Wilhelm II's official mistress, she had great influence on the interior decoration of the palace. Following plans by Michael Philipp Boumann, an early classicist style townhouse called Lichtenau Palace was erected for her at the edge of Potsdam's Neuer Garten, at a site on today's Behlertstrasse. During her lifetime, she was the subject of satire, and following fake memoirs, she published her own. She is a main character in
Ernst von Salomon Ernst von Salomon (25 September 1902 – 9 August 1972) was a German novelist and screenwriter. He was a Weimar-era national-revolutionary activist and right-wing Freikorps member. Family and education He was born in Kiel, in the Prussian prov ...
's 1965 novel '' Die schöne Wilhelmine'', which also was turned into a 1984 television serial ''
Beautiful Wilhelmine ''Beautiful Wilhelmine'' (German: ''Die schöne Wilhelmine'') is a West German historical television series broadcast on ZDF in four episodes in 1984. It is an adaptation of the novel '' Die schöne Wilhelmine'' by Ernst von Salomon.Klossner p.34 ...
''.


See also

*
Julie von Voß Julie Amalie Elisabeth von Voss (24 July 1766, Buch (Berlin) – 25 March 1789) was a German lady-in-waiting and a bigamy, bigamous morganatic spouse of King Frederick William II of Prussia. Life She was the daughter of Friedrich Christian von Vos ...
*
Sophie von Dönhoff Countess Sophie Friederike Juliane von Dönhoff (17 October 1768 – 28 January 1838) was a German lady-in-waiting and a morganatic spouse by bigamy to King Frederick William II of Prussia. Early life She was the daughter of Count Friedrich ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lichtenau, Wilhelmine Von 1753 births 1820 deaths People from Potsdam 18th-century German people Mistresses of German royalty