Sophie Von Fersen
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Countess Eva Sophie Piper, née Eva Sophie von Fersen (30 March 1757 – 2 February 1816, Lövstad Castle), was a Swedish countess and
lady in waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but ...
. She was the daughter of count
Axel von Fersen the Elder Count Fredrik Axel von Fersen (5 April 171924 April 1794) was a Swedish statesman and soldier of Baltic German descent. He served as Lord Marshal of the Riksdag of the Estates, and although he worked closely with King Gustav III before and thro ...
and Hedvig Catharina von Fersen, and the sister of
Axel von Fersen the Younger Hans Axel von Fersen (; 4 September 175520 June 1810), known as Axel de Fersen in France, was a Swedish count, Marshal of the Realm of Sweden, a General of Horse in the royal Swedish Army, one of the Lords of the Realm, aide-de-camp to Rocham ...
,
Hedvig Eleonora von Fersen Hedvig Eleonora "Hedda" von Fersen (2 July 1753 – 8 November 1792) was a Swedish noble and a lady in waiting to the Swedish queen, Sophia Magdalena of Denmark. She was the daughter of Axel von Fersen the Elder and Hedvig Catharina De la Ga ...
and
Fabian von Fersen (1762–1818) Count Fabian Reinhold von Fersen (7 October 1762, Stockholm – 10 March 1818, Stockholm) was a Swedish count, politician, officer and courtier. He was the son of Axel von Fersen the Elder and Hedvig Catharina De la Gardie and the brother of ...
. She is known primarily for her close relationship with Queen Hedvig Elizabeth Charlotte, who dedicated her famous diary to her.


Life


Association with Prince Frederick

As a member of one of the most powerful noble families in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, Sophie von Fersen often participated in court life, though she never served as ''hovfröken'' (
maid of honor Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party at some Western traditional wedding ceremonies. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often the bride's close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ce ...
) prior to her marriage, which was otherwise common for a person of her status: both her cousins,
Ulla von Höpken Ulrika "Ulla" Eleonora von Höpken, later ''von Wright'', née ''von Fersen'' (24 March 1749 – 17 September 1810), was a Swedish countess and courtier. She is also famous in history as one of "the three graces" of the Gustavian age; three ladi ...
and
Augusta von Fersen Augusta may refer to: Places Australia * Augusta, Western Australia Brazil * Rua Augusta (São Paulo) Canada * Augusta, Ontario * North Augusta, Ontario * Augusta Street (Hamilton, Ontario) France * Augusta Suessionum ("Augusta of the Su ...
served at court prior to their marriage. Sophie von Fersen was described as a beauty before her marriage. In 1774, she received a proposal from Duke Frederik Adolf, the king's youngest brother and third in line to the throne, who had previously proposed unsuccessfully to her cousin
Ulrika von Fersen Ulrica, also spelled Ulrika, is a female given name of Germanic origins. Its male equivalent is Ulric, Ulrich or Ulrik. Ulrike and Ulrikke are alternative names derived from Ulrica. A German diminutive thereof is Ullie, Swedish Ulla. Ulric ...
. Her father forbade the marriage, since he had no wish to bind his family to the royal family. Both Sophie and her father feared that she would have been humiliated by the King and the Queen Dowager, who both disliked the match. An attempt to elope was prevented by the Duchess Charlotte. In 1777, Sophie von Fersen married chamberlain count Adolf Ludwig Piper (1750–1795). The whole affair was described by the Duchess Charlotte, an account supported by that of her father. After Prince Frederick Adolf had proposed to Sophie, she informed the Princess, who welcomed her as a sister-in-law because of their friendship, but advised her to inform her father. When Frederick Adolf presented his proposal to her father in January 1774, her father declined with the motivation that it was not a suitable match, and that although honored, he must decline for the sake of loyalty to the royal house. Sophie was by that time already promised to Count Piper, because he was rich, and because the families were friends. Frederick Adolf was not met with open opposition by his family, but his mother, the Queen dowager, and his brother the King were, in fact, opposed to it. Fredrick Adolf was sent away, and the King and the Queen dowager proposed that Sophie be lady in waiting. Her father stated in his papers that the reason for this suggestion was to "abuse the youth and lack of experience of my daughter and, if they could, make her the official mistress of the Duke", and he therefore declined the position of lady in waiting for Sophie. When Frederick Adolf continued to be in love with Sophie von Fersen after two years had passed, he and his brother Duke Charles proposed to Sophie von Fersen that they would abduct her from a ball of the duchess Charlotte and bring her to Prince Frederick's residence Tullgarn Palace, where a priest would be waiting to perform the ceremony before it could be prevented. Sophie declined the offer after having consulted duchess Charlotte, mostly, as it seemed, out of pride. She informed Frederick Adolf of her decision at a masquerade ball in the presence of duchess Charlotte. When Frederick Adolf tried to convince her to change her mind, she was almost ready to do so, but asked duchess Charlotte to take her to another room, so that her feelings would not persuade her to accept. After this, she accepted that her engagement to Count Piper was to be confirmed. After her marriage, Frederick Adolf left for Italy.


Association with Duchess Charlotte

Sophie Piper is known for her intimate friendship with
Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp (; 22 March 1759 – 20 June 1818) was the queen consort of Charles XIII of Sweden and II of Norway. She was also a famed diarist, memoirist and wit. She is known as ''Hedwig Elisabeth Charlo ...
, the spouse of
Charles XIII of Sweden Charles XIII or Carl XIII (; 7 October 1748 – 5 February 1818) was King of Sweden from 1809 and King of Norway from 1814 to his death. He was the second son (and younger brother to King Gustav III) of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Louisa ...
. In May 1774, she accompanied her mother, who had been appointed by
Gustav III of Sweden Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what he s ...
to welcome and escort the bride of his brother to Sweden. During the trip to
Swedish Pomerania Swedish Pomerania (; ) was a dominions of Sweden, dominion under the Sweden, Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815 on what is now the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish-Swedish War, Polish War and the Thirty Years' War ...
and back to Sweden, Sophie and Charlotte formed a very strong attachment with each other, and Charlotte was to be closely associated with the von Fersen family in Sweden. From 1786 until 1800, Sophie Piper served as ''
hovmästarinna Court Mistress (; ; ; ; ) or Chief Court Mistress (; ; ; ; ; ) is or was the title of the senior lady-in-waiting in the courts of Austria, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Imperial Russia, and the German princely and royal courts. Chief c ...
'' to duchess Charlotte. The friendship between Sophie and Charlotte somewhat cooled after Sophie had refused to accompany Charlotte on her trip to
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
in 1798-99 in favor of going there separately with her lover. This was followed by her resignation as the chief lady in waiting of Charlotte's court in 1800, after which Charlotte stopped writing her journal in the form of letters to Sophie. Duchess Charlotte dedicated her famous journal, written between 1775 and 1817, to her friend Sophie Piper, and until 1800, the journal is formally written in the form of letters to her. The letters were never sent, but written in this way as a dedication to Sophie Piper. The diary has been published between 1902 and 1942, and regarded as a valuable reference work of contemporary Sweden. The two friends also upheld a vast correspondence, which has been partially published. Duchess Charlotte once referred to Sophie Piper as the only true friend she ever owned, and upon the death of Piper in 1816, Charlotte wrote a biography of her.


Private life

Sophie married the chamberlain count Adolf Ludwig Piper (1750–1795), owner of Ängsö Castle, with whom she had two sons and two daughters, born between 1778 and 1785. Sophie Piper was known for her love life in contemporary high society life. After her affair with Frederick Adolf, she fell in love with the Russian Prince
Alexander Kurakin Prince Alexander Borisovich Kurakin, sometimes spelled ''Kourakine'' (; 18 January 1752 – Weimar, 6 / 24 June 1818) was a Russian statesman and diplomat, a member of the State Council (from 1810), who was ranked Active Privy Counsellor 1st Cl ...
, whom Empress
Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...
had sent to
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 ...
in 1776 at the head of a diplomatic delegation. He preserved her love letters, which vividly record her emotional state. In 1779, she had a relationship with the Spanish envoy marquess Liano y las Qanchas, who at one point lived at Ängsö Castle with her and her spouse, and later with the French envoy count Louis Claude Bigot de Saint-Croix, whom she shared with Eva Löwen, while her spouse was in turn the lover of
Ulla von Höpken Ulrika "Ulla" Eleonora von Höpken, later ''von Wright'', née ''von Fersen'' (24 March 1749 – 17 September 1810), was a Swedish countess and courtier. She is also famous in history as one of "the three graces" of the Gustavian age; three ladi ...
. Sophie Piper is known to be one of five women to have been a member of the
Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
s in Sweden during the 18th century: alongside
Hedvig Eleonora von Fersen Hedvig Eleonora "Hedda" von Fersen (2 July 1753 – 8 November 1792) was a Swedish noble and a lady in waiting to the Swedish queen, Sophia Magdalena of Denmark. She was the daughter of Axel von Fersen the Elder and Hedvig Catharina De la Ga ...
, Countess Ulrica Catharina Brahe and (not as surely documented but most likely) Christina Charlotta Stjerneld, she is confirmed as a member of a Freemasonic adoption lodge for women at court in 1776, when Princess Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte was initiated by her consort Duke Charles as Grand Mistress of the female lodge. Sophie Piper was a close confidante to her brother
Axel von Fersen the Younger Hans Axel von Fersen (; 4 September 175520 June 1810), known as Axel de Fersen in France, was a Swedish count, Marshal of the Realm of Sweden, a General of Horse in the royal Swedish Army, one of the Lords of the Realm, aide-de-camp to Rocham ...
, known as a favorite and rumored lover of
Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...
– for reasons of caution the letters between Axel and Sophie make numerous references to that relationship, but out of caution Marie Antoinette is never referred to by name but always as "She" or "Josephine"; the Swedish historian
Alma Söderhjelm Alma Söderhjelm (10 May 1870 – 16 March 1949) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish historian and the first female professor in Finland. Academic career After gaining an M.A. in history, Söderhjelm spent three years in Paris, preparing her do ...
has demonstrated that these are aliases for Marie Antoinette. In their correspondence, Sophie reproached Axel for his sexual relationship with
Eleanore Sullivan Anna Eleanore Sullivan, previously Eleanora Franchi (12 June 1750 in Lucca – 14 September 1833) was an Italian courtesan, mostly known in history for her relationship with Axel von Fersen, the alleged lover of the French queen Marie Antoinette. ...
out of consideration for the feelings of Marie Antoinette: "I truly hope that she will never find out about this, for it would give her great pain", and: "Think of Her, the poor one, spare her such mortal sorrows!" Out of consideration of the reputation of the late queen Marie Antoinette, the correspondence of Axel von Fersen was later censured and to some extent even burned when it included material which was considered to be harmful to the reputation of the late queen. From 1784, it was noticed that Sophie was courted by Baron Evert Wilhelm Taube af Odenkat, cousin of
Hedvig Taube Hedvig Ulrika Taube (31 October 1714 – 11 February 1744), also Countess von Hessenstein, was a Swedish courtier and countess, a countess of the Holy Roman Empire, and royal mistress to king Frederick I of Sweden from 1731 to 1744. She and Soph ...
, and from about 1790, they were known to be involved in a serious long-term relationship. This affair took place in parallel with the affair of her friend duchess Charlotte and her younger brother
Fabian Reinhold von Fersen Fabian may refer to: People * Fabian (name), including a list of people with the given name or surname * Pope Fabian (died 250), Catholic saint * Fabian Forte (born 1943), 1950s American teen idol, singer and actor, known by the mononym Fabian * ...
, and the two women gave each other messages in their letters referring to "F." and "T."Alma Söderhjelm (1945). ''Gustav III:s syskon'' (The siblings of Gustav III) Stockholm: Albert Bonniers Förlag. 23033 (Swedish) In 1795, she was widowed, and her relationship with Taube became official. When duke Charles and duchess Charlotte left Sweden for their European journey in 1798, Sophie declared that she would also go to Germany, not as the lady in waiting in service of duchess Charlotte, but separately, with Baron Taube, a decision she fulfilled. In Germany, however, Taube died in
Carlsbad Carlsbad may refer to: Geographical locations * Carlsbad, California, San Diego County, United States ** Carlsbad Santa Fe Depot, NRHP ID No. 93001016 * Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States ** Carlsbad Caverns National Park ** Carlsbad Irriga ...
, which was reportedly a great sorrow for her. In 1800, her mother died, and her brother
Axel von Fersen the Younger Hans Axel von Fersen (; 4 September 175520 June 1810), known as Axel de Fersen in France, was a Swedish count, Marshal of the Realm of Sweden, a General of Horse in the royal Swedish Army, one of the Lords of the Realm, aide-de-camp to Rocham ...
returned to settle in the family residence in Stockholm, after which Sophie resigned as chief lady in waiting of duchess Charlotte, intending to settle in her childhood home with her brother, who was unmarried, to keep his household and be his hostess.


The Fersen Murder

After the deposition of
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden Gustav IV Adolf or Gustav IV Adolph (1 November 1778 – 7 February 1837) was List of Swedish monarchs, King of Sweden from 1792 until he Coup of 1809, was deposed in a coup in 1809. He was also the last Swedish monarch to be the ruler of Fin ...
in 1809, the Fersen siblings were known supporters of the
Gustavian Party The Gustavians () were a political faction in the Kingdom of Sweden who supported the absolutist regime of King Gustav III of Sweden, and sought after his assassination in 1792 to uphold his legacy and protect the interests of his descendants of ...
, who wished for the son of the deposed monarch to be acknowledged as heir to the throne. Instead, Carl August, prince of Augustenburg, was chosen. Like her brother Axel, Sophie fell under false and unfounded suspicion of involvement in crown prince Karl August's death in 1810. Both Sophie and Axel were rumored to have poisoned August. They were identified in a satire named ''Räfvarne'' ('Foxes') as the poisoners of the crown prince, and were punished in the satire with death. Axel was killed in the street on 20 June 1810 by an angry mob while escorting the funeral possession of Carl August. This became known as the Fersen Murder. Sophie was also subjected to persecution on this occasion, but she managed to escape. She was warned that she would be forced to share his fate, and she therefore left Stockholm the same night disguised as a maid and sought refuge at
Rydboholm Castle Rydboholm Castle (''Rydboholms slott'') is a castle located near the village of Rydbo in Österåker Municipality, Stockholm County, Uppland, Sweden. Building The castle dates back to the medieval period. The castle, with the three interconnec ...
. The day after, she was given permission by the king to be placed in safe custody at
Vaxholm Castle Vaxholm Fortress (), also known as Vaxholm Castle, is a historic fortification on the island of Vaxholmen in the Stockholm archipelago just east of the Swedish town of Vaxholm. It is home to the . The fortress is accessed by the Kastellet ferr ...
. She demanded a court investigate her involvement in the death of the crown prince. She remained at Vaxholm until November 1810, when she was cleared from all charges. During the investigation, she received several proposals of marriage, including one from
Georg Carl von Döbeln Georg Carl von Döbeln (29 April 1758 – 16 February 1820) was a Swedish ''friherre'' (baron), Lieutenant general and above all known for his efforts on the Swedish side during the Finnish War. Early life Georg Carl was born at the Stora To ...
: she did not accept, but it led to a correspondence between them. Sophie was described as a charming beauty but was also feared for her ambition and sharp tongue. She lived out her final years retired at Löfstad Castle near
Norrköping Norrköping ( , ) is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County, about 160 km southwest of the national capital Stockholm, 40 km east of county seat Lin ...
.


In fiction

Sophie von Fersen, alongside the fictitious Johanna and
Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp (; 22 March 1759 – 20 June 1818) was the queen consort of Charles XIII of Sweden and II of Norway. She was also a famed diarist, memoirist and wit. She is known as ''Hedwig Elisabeth Charlo ...
, is one of the three main characters in the novel trilogy ''Barnbruden'' ('Child Bride') from 2013, ''Pottungen'' ('Chamber-pot child') from 2014, and ''Räfvhonan'' ('She Fox') from 2015, by Anna Laestadius Larsson. In the manga series ''
The Rose of Versailles also known as ''Lady Oscar'' and ''La Rose de Versailles'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Riyoko Ikeda. It was originally serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Margaret'' from 1972 to 1973, while a revival ...
'', Sophie makes an appearance in some chapters.


References

*Charlotte Bellamy & My Hellsing, ''Ma chère amie, Billets de la duchesse Charlotte de Sudermanie à Sophie de Fersen'', Paris, Mercure de France, 2018.
Biography
in the
Nordisk familjebok (, 'Nordic Family Book') is a Swedish language, Swedish encyclopedia that was published in print from between 1876 and 1993, and that is now fully available in digital form via Project Runeberg at Linköping University. The public domain edit ...
for 1876 to 1904
Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon


Footnotes


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Piper, Sophie 1757 births 1816 deaths 18th-century Swedish nobility Swedish people of German descent Swedish ladies-in-waiting 18th-century Swedish women Swedish Freemasons Gustavian era people De la Gardie family Court of Gustav III
Sophie Sophie is a feminine given name, another version of Sophia, from the Greek word for "wisdom". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Soph ...
19th-century Swedish nobility