Maria Aurora von Spiegel, born Fatima (born before 1686 – fl 1733), also referred to as Fatime, Fatima Kariman or Fatima von Kariman, was the Ottoman

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a female lover of a married man ** Royal mistress * Maîtresse-en-titre, official mistress of a ...

Augustus II the Strong Augustus II the Strong (12 May 1670 – 1 February 1733), was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1697 to 1706 and from 1709 until his death in 1733. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the H ...

of Poland and Lithuania. Fatima was one of the many Turkish captives during the Battle of Buda. She was brought to the

royal court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...

s of Europe, including Sweden, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and Saxony, and trained as a

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...

Life

Early life

Maria Aurora was captured by the imperial army that took the slaves and property belonging to the Turks after the successful Imperial reconquest of

Buda Buda (, ) is the part of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, that lies on the western bank of the Danube. Historically, “Buda” referred only to the royal walled city on Castle Hill (), which was constructed by Béla IV between 1247 and ...

from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

after the

Siege of Buda (1686) The siege of Buda (1686) () was a military engagement during the Great Turkish War, in which forces of the Holy League, led by the Habsburg Monarchy, recaptured the fortified city of Buda (now part of modern-day Budapest) from the Ottoman Empir ...

during the

Great Turkish war The Great Turkish War () or The Last Crusade, also called in Ottoman sources The Disaster Years (), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League (1684), Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lith ...

. A Swede in Austrian service, Baron Alexander Erskin was given four female slaves as a part of his loot: Raziye (Roosia); Asiye (Eisia); Emine; and Fatma (Fatima). Fatima stated, that she was of Christian heritage but had been enslaved by Ottomans since her childhood and that she had been "married" to a "Muhammedan Priest" (referring to a

mullah Mullah () is an honorific title for Islam, Muslim clergy and mosque Imam, leaders. The term is widely used in Iran and Afghanistan and is also used for a person who has higher education in Islamic theology and Sharia, sharia law. The title h ...

, a Muslim clergyman). This was possibly a euphemism for her having been a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

of a mullah. Baron Erskin returned to Sweden with

Philip Christoph von Königsmarck Count Philip Christoph von Königsmarck (4 March 1665 – 2 July 1694), also spelled Philipp, was a Swedes, Swedish count and soldier. He was allegedly the lover of Sophia Dorothea of Celle, Sophia Dorothea, Princess of Celle, the wife of Duke Ge ...

, and gave Fatima and the other captives to Philip's sister, Countess

Maria Aurora von Königsmarck Countess Maria Aurora von Königsmarck () (28 April 166216 February 1728) was a Swedish and German noblewoman of Brandenburg extraction and mistress of Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. Life Aurora von Königsmarck was ...

. Upon their arrival in Sweden, they would have lost their slave status, since

slavery in Sweden The Swedish slave trade mainly occurred in the early history of Sweden when the trade of ''thralls'' (Old Norse: ''þræll'') was one of the pillars of the Norse economy from the 9th to the 11th century, and ended with the widespread adoption o ...

was abolished in 1335. The four women were

baptised Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

on 7 November 1686 at the royal court. Crown Prince Charles and Aurora von Königsmarck stood as Fatima's

godparent Within Christianity, a godparent or sponsor is someone who bears witness to a child's baptism (christening) and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelong spiritual formation. In both religious and civil views, ...

s, and she was christened ''Maria Aurora'' after the countess. She was taught

etiquette Etiquette ( /ˈɛtikɛt, -kɪt/) can be defined as a set of norms of personal behavior in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviors that accord with the conventions and ...

and

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

and became a

lady's companion A lady's companion was a woman of genteel birth who lived with a woman of rank or wealth as Affinity (medieval), retainer. The term was in use in the United Kingdom from at least the 18th century to the mid-20th century but it is now archaism, arc ...

to Aurora von Königsmarck. If not before she would have been automatically free upon arrival within Swedish borders, since Sweden had abolished slavery in 1335.

Royal mistress

In 1691 she followed her mistress to Saxony and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where Aurora von Königsmarck became the

royal mistress A royal mistress is the historical position and sometimes unofficial title of the extramarital lover of a monarch or an heir apparent, who was expected to provide certain services, such as sexual or romantic intimacy, companionship, and advice ...

of King Augustus. She was often present at the King's visits to Aurora von Königsmarck, and in 1701 she replaced Aurora as the royal mistress. Augustus married her in 1706 to Johann George Spiegel who died in 1715 shortly before arrest at the ''Festung Sonnenstein''. Augustus acknowledged his children with her, which he did not do with all of his mistresses, and seemed to have been in love with her. He often returned to her between his other relationships. She was the mother by King Augustus of Count

Frederick Augustus Rutowsky Frederick Augustus, Count Rutowsky (also written ''Rutowski'') (Warsaw/Dresden 19 June 1702 – Pillnitz, 16 March 1764), was a Saxon field marshal who commanded Saxon forces in the Siege of Pirna during the Seven Years' War. Life Early y ...

and Countess Katharina Rutowska (born in 1706), who married Major-General Count Claudius Maria von Bellegarde (born in

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

, died in France in 1755), an ambassador to the court of

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

.Nöthige Supplemente zu dem Großen Vollständigen UNIVERSAL LEXICON Aller Wissenschaften und Künste, Welche bishero durch menschlichen Verstand und Witz erfunden und verbessert worden. Dritter Band, Barc-Bod, Leipzig, 1752

Later life

She remained a central character within the royal court after her relationship with Augustus ended, and was good friends with the influential Przebendowska, a relation of the favourite Count Fleming. At the king's death in 1733, she was given an allowance of 8000 ''

thaler A thaler or taler ( ; , previously spelled ) is one of the large silver coins minted in the states and territories of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy during the Early Modern period. A ''thaler'' size silver coin has a diameter o ...

'' in his will.

References

* (Swedish
Personhistorisk tidskrift / Första årgången 1898-99 /
* http://saebi.isgv.de/biografie/Friedrich_August_von_Rutowski_(1702-1764) * Vehse: Geschichte der Deutschen Höfe del 32, Georg Ludvig von Haxthausen. * Reiner Pommerin, Rutowski (Rutowsky), Friedrich August Graf von, in: Sächsische Biografie, hrsg. vom Institut für Sächsische Geschichte und Volkskunde e.V., bearb. von Martina Schattkowsky, Online-Ausgabe: https://web.archive.org/web/20150721202407/http://www.isgv.de/saebi (16.8.2015) {{DEFAULTSORT:Spiegel, Maria Aurora of Converts to Lutheranism from Islam Mistresses of Augustus II the Strong People from Buda 18th-century Polish nobility Year of birth unknown 18th-century Polish women 17th-century women from the Ottoman Empire Year of death unknown 17th-century slaves in the Ottoman Empire People of the Great Turkish War 17th-century Swedish women Immigrants to the Swedish Empire Swedish slaves