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Caroline of Brunswick

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Caroline Amalie Elisabeth
Queen consort of the United Kingdom
Tenure29 January 1820 – 7 August 1821
Burial
Brunswick
SpouseGeorge IV
IssuePrincess Charlotte Augusta of Wales
HouseHouse of Hanover
House of Welf
FatherKarl William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
MotherPrincess Augusta Charlotte of Wales

Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (later Queen Caroline; 17 May 1768 – 7 August 1821) was the queen consort of George IV of the United Kingdom from 29 January 1820 to her death.

Early life

Caroline was born Caroline Amelie Elisabeth[1] on 17 May 1768 at Brunswick (German:Braunschweig) in Germany, daughter of Karl William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Princess Augusta Charlotte of Wales, eldest sister of George III.

Troubled marriage

She married the British king's eldest son, her first cousin, on 8 April 1795 at St. James's Palace in London. Her new husband, the future George IV then Prince of Wales, regarded Caroline as unattractive and unhygienic; he also suspected that she was not a virgin when they married. He himself had already secretly married Maria Fitzherbert; however, his marriage to Fitzherbert violated the Royal Marriage Act of 1772 and thus was not legally valid.[2]

For Caroline's part, she found her husband equally unattractive, and the prince's correspondence reveals that the couple only had sexual intercourse three times during their marriage: twice during the first night, and once the second night.[2] Princess Charlotte Augusta, George's only legitimate child, was born from one of these unions on 7 January 1796. The Prince and Princess of Wales never lived together afterwards, and appeared separately in public, both becoming involved in affairs with other lovers.

It was alleged that her marriage was made uncomfortable by George IV's affair with royal courtesan Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey. However, it is more likely that Caroline had little interest in her husband, and thus little interest in who he might be involved with romantically.

Queen consort

Caroline was prevented from seeing her daughter on a day-to-day basis, and was eventually banished in 1799 to a private residence ('The Pagoda') in Blackheath, where she allegedly had affairs with the politician George Canning and the admiral Sir Sidney Smith.

In 1806, it was rumoured that a child living with her was her son, in which case he would have a right of succession, if his father were the Prince of Wales. A secret investigation was set up, the "Delicate Investigation", but did not prove the allegation, although it showed that her conduct was improper. In 1814, the Princess left the country and went to live abroad, running up large debts throughout Europe and taking other lovers. During this period, the couple's daughter, who had married Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, died after giving birth to her only child, a stillborn son. She was notified of the tragedy by a private letter from her grieving son-in-law.[2]

Her estranged husband's accession to the Throne in 1820 brought Caroline back to Britain. She had declined monetary offers to stay away. When she arrived in England on 6 June, riots broke out in support of her. The King asked his ministers to get rid of her. The Pains and Penalties Bill 1820 was introduced in Parliament in order to strip Caroline of the title of queen consort and dissolve her marriage. It was claimed that Caroline had been involved with a low-born man, Bartolomeo Pergami, on the continent. The bill passed the House of Lords, but was not submitted to the House of Commons as there was little prospect that the Commons would pass it. Caroline indicated that she had indeed committed adultery with one man - the husband of Mrs. Fitzherbert (referring to the King).[2] Caroline was turned away from the coronation on 21 July 1821 at the doors of Westminster Abbey. Despite the King's best attempts, Caroline retained a very strong popularity amongst the masses, and therefore wielded considerable power in spite of his disliking her.

Styles of
Queen Caroline
Reference styleHer Majesty
Spoken styleYour Majesty
Alternative styleMa'am

Untimely death

On the night of the coronation, Caroline fell ill, vomiting, with an erratic pulse. She died three weeks later. Even up till her last moments, she was being reported on by a man named Stephen Lushington, who conveyed his insights to the King’s loyal supporter, the Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool. Exactly why this deathbed surveillance was carried out remains unclear, and the surviving documentation is patchy in the extreme. The exact cause of her death has never been ascertained, but Caroline was certain that she had been poisoned. Her physicians thought it to be an intestinal obstruction.[2] Caroline, knowing she would die, forbade an autopsy. She died at age 53 on 7 August 1821. She legally remained queen consort of the United Kingdom, but she was buried in her native Brunswick. Her tomb is inscripted "Here lies Caroline, the Injured Queen of England".[2]

References in popular culture

  • The story of Caroline's battle to be recognised as Queen Consort was the basis for the BBC one-off drama A Royal Scandal, which attempted to draw parallels between Caroline and Diana, Princess of Wales. Susan Lynch played Caroline of Brunswick and Richard E. Grant played George IV.
  • She is mentioned in the third series of the BBC comedy Blackadder, which focused on the time of her future husband's life while he was Prince Regent, before he met her. Blackadder, the Prince's butler, is searching for a possible wife for the prince, and mentions Caroline of Brunswick as the only one suitable to marry him, but then dismisses her because she "has the worst personality in Germany".

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles

Style

At her death, Caroline's official title was Her Majesty Caroline, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Princess-Electress of Hanover, Duchess of Brunswick and Lunenburg

Issue

Name Birth Death Notes
Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales 7 January 1796 6 November 1817 married 1816, Prince Leopold George Frederick of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield; no surviving issue

Ancestry

16. Ferdinand Albert I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1636-1687)
8. Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1680-1735)
17. Christine von Hessen-Eschewege (1649-1702)[4]
4. Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1713-1780)
18. Ludwig Rudolf Herzog von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1671-1735)[3]
9. Antoinette Amalie Prinzessin von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel (1696-1762)[3]
19. Christine Luise Prinzessin von Oettingen (1671-1747)[3]
2. Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick (1735-1806)
20. Frederick I of Prussia (1657-1713)
10. Frederick William I of Prussia (1688-1740)
21. Sophia Charlotte of Hanover (1668-1705)
5. Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia (1716-1801)
22. King George I of Great Britain (1660-1727) (=24)
11. Sophia Dorothea of Hanover (1687-1757)
23. Sophia Dorothea of Celle (1666-1726) (=25)
1. Caroline of Brunswick (1768-1821)
24. King George I of Great Britain (1660-1727) (=22)
12. King George II of Great Britain (1683-1760)
25. Sophia Dorothea of Celle (1666-1726) (=23)
6. Frederick, Prince of Wales (1707-1751)
26. Johann Friedrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1654-1686)
13. Caroline of Ansbach (1683-1737)
27. Eleanore Erdmuthe Luise Prinzessin von Sachsen-Eisenach (1662-1696)[5]
3. Princess Augusta Charlotte of Wales (1737-1813)
28. Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1646-1691)
14. Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1676-1732)
29. Magdalene Sibylle of Saxe-Weissenfels (1648-1681)
7. Augusta of Saxe-Gotha (1719-1772)
30. Karl of Anhalt-Zerbst (1652-1718)
15. Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst (1679-1740)
31. Sophia of Saxe-Weissenfels (1654-1724)[6]

References

  1. ^ Lundy, Darryl, thePeerage, retrieved October 24, 2007
  2. ^ a b c d e f Shingleton, Hugh M (2006). "The Tumultous Marriage of The Prince and The Princess of Wales". ACOG Clinical Review. 11 (6): 13–16. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  3. ^ a b c Lundy, Darryl, thePeerage, retrieved October 24, 2007
  4. ^ Lundy, Darryl, thePeerage, retrieved October 24, 2007
  5. ^ Lundy, Darryl, thePeerage, retrieved October 24,2007 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ Lundy, Darryl, thePeerage, retrieved October 24, 2007

Popular legend states that upon the death of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Duke of Wellington came to tell the King the news and announced "Sire, your greatest enemy has died." The startled King is said to have responded "Is She, by God!"

External links

British royalty
Preceded by Royal Consort of the United Kingdom
(Queen consort)
1820-1821 		Succeeded by
German royalty
Preceded by Queen Consort of Hanover
1820-1821 		Succeeded by
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by Princess of Wales
1795-1820 		Succeeded by
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