| Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel | |
|---|---|
| Hereditary Princess of Württemberg | |
| Spouse | Frederick of Württemberg |
| Issue | |
| William I of Württemberg Catherine, Queen of Westphalia Princess Sophia Dorothea of Württemberg Prince Paul of Württemberg |
|
| Full name | |
| Augusta Caroline Friederika Louise | |
| House | House of Brunswick-Bevern (by birth) House of Württemberg (by marriage) |
| Father | Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick |
| Mother | Augusta of Great Britain |
| Born | 3 December 1764 Brunswick |
| Died | 27 September 1788 (aged 23) Lohde |
Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (Augusta Caroline Friederika Luise; Brunswick, 3 December 1764 – 27 September 1788 in Koluvere castle, Governorate of Estonia)[1] was a German princess, and first wife of Frederick of Württemberg. In the family, she was generally called "Zelmira".
Augusta was the eldest child of Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick and Princess Augusta of Great Britain. She was also the sister of Caroline of Brunswick, wife of George IV of the United Kingdom.
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On 15 October 1780 in Brunswick, at the age of 15, she married Frederick of Württemberg. He was the eldest son of Frederick Eugene, youngest brother of Charles Eugene, Duke of Württemberg, and heir presumptive to the duchy (neither of his uncles having any sons).
There were four children of this marriage:
Frederick's sister Sophie was married to Tsesarevich Paul, future Emperor of Russia.
In 1782, Frederick followed Sophie to Russia, where Empress Catherine II appointed him governor of eastern Finland.
The marriage was not a happy one. Frederick may have been bisexual, and had a coterie of young noblemen. He was also reportedly violent towards his wife. As he was at 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) tall and weighed about 200 kg (440 lb), this would have been terrifying.
During a visit to Saint Petersburg in December 1786, Augusta fled to the apartments of Empress Catherine to ask for protection. Catherine offered Augusta asylum and ordered Frederick to leave Russia. When Sophie protested at the treatment of her brother, Catherine replied curtly "It is not I who cover the Prince of Württemberg with opprobrium: on the contrary, it is I who try to bury abominations and it is my duty to suppress any further ones."
Augusta's father was less sympathetic, and refused his daughter's plea for divorce. In response, Catherine offered Augusta the use of one of her Imperial estates: Lohde castle,[2] in Lohde (now Koluvere) in Kullamaa Parish to the south-west of Tallinn, Estonia.[3] She was put in the custody of former huntmaster Wilhelm von Pohlmann (9 April 1727–22 January 1796), who took advantage of his office and began a sexual relationship with her; it is unknown whether she was willing or was forced. She soon became pregnant by him.[4]
On 27 September 1788, at the age of 23, Augusta went into premature labour with a stillborn child, followed by hemorrhaging. Fearful of both the illegitimate birth and his relationship to her being found out, von Pohlmann refused to send for a doctor or any other medical help, and Augusta died of blood loss. She was hurriedly buried in an unmarked grave in the church at Koluvere, and her death was announced to Catherine and her parents in a brief missive with the cause given as the breaking of a blood vessel. Sightings of her were reported for several years, but none proved to be true. The facts of her death only came to light many years later, when her eldest son had the matter investigated and her body was exhumed.[5] The castle and lands of Koluvere were afterwards granted to Count Frederik Vilhelm Buxhoevden.
Elisabeth E. Kwan und Anna E. Röhring, Frauen vom Hof der Welfen, 2. Auflage, München, 2008