Henriette Mendel

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Henriette Mendel, Baroness von Wallersee (July 31, 1833 – November 12, 1891)

Henriette Mendel was born Auguste Henriette Mendel in Darmstadt, Hesse-Darmstadt, the daughter of Adam Mendel and of Anna Sophie Müller. In English she is usually known as Henrietta Mendel.

She was an actress at Darmstadt's Großherzoglich Hessischem Hoftheater when she and Ludwig Wilhelm, Duke in Bavaria fell in love. As a Duke in Bavaria (Herzog in Bayern,) Ludwig was a high ranking member of Bavaria's Royal House of Wittelsbach. He was a nephew of Maximilian II of Bavaria (and thus a cousin of the future "Mad King" Ludwig II of Bavaria.) He was also a cousin of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. Ludwig's younger sister Elisabeth was even married to Franz Joseph.

The couple had an illegitimate daughter, Marie Louise, born on February 24, 1858. Marie would later became famous under her married name, Countess Marie Larisch von Moennich.

When Henriette became pregnant a second time, a morganatic marriage was arranged. Ludwig renounced succession rights to the Bavarian throne on March 9, 1859. The couple's son Karl Emanuel was born on May 9, 1859, Henriette was created Freifrau von Wallersee on May 19, 1859, and the marriage occurred on May 28, 1859 in Augsburg, Bavaria, at which time her children became Freiin and Freiherr von Wallersee.

Karl Emanuel only survived a few months, dying on August 1, 1859. The couple had no more children.

The baroness died November 12, 1891 in Munich, Bavaria of stomach cancer. One year later, her widower, Duke Ludwig, married Barbara Antonie Barth, who had been created Frau von Bartolf, on November 19, 1892.

[edit] Further reading

• Countess Marie Larisch, My Past, G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York & London, 1913. Ghostwritten by Maude Mary Chester ffoulkes