| Melusine von der Schulenburg | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 December 1667 |
| Died | 10 May 1743 (aged 75) |
| Title | Duchess of Kendal and Munster |
| Children | Anna von der Schulenburg Melusina von der Schulenburg Margaret von der Schulenburg |
Ehrengard Melusine Baroness von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal and Duchess of Munster (25 December 1667 – 10 May 1743) was born at Emden near Magdeburg. Her middle name was probably given in reference to the Melusine legends. Her brother was Marshal Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg. Her father was Gustavus Adolphus Baron von der Schulenberg.[1]
When a Maid of Honour to the Electress Sophia of Hanover, she became a mistress of the Electoral Prince, George Louis, and bore him at least three illegitimate children, including:
George Louis succeeded as Elector of Hanover in 1698 and King of Great Britain (as George I) in 1714.
Melusine moved with him to England, and on 18 July 1716 was created for life Duchess of Munster, Marchioness of Dungannon, Countess of Dungannon and Baroness Dundalk, in the Peerage of Ireland. On 19 March 1719 she was further created Duchess of Kendal, Countess of Feversham and Baroness Glastonbury, in the Peerage of Great Britain.
In 1723, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, created her Princess of Eberstein. This last creation in particular tended to support the theory that she had married the King in secret. Robert Walpole said of her that she was "as much the queen of England as anyone was" (George's wife Sophia had been kept in imprisonment since their divorce in 1694).
The Duchess of Kendal was a very thin woman, being known in Germany as "the Scarecrow" and in England as "the Maypole". When in England, she lived principally at Kendal House in Isleworth, Middlesex.
After George's death, she kept a raven she believed to be the dead king returned to visit her.[2]
She died, unmarried (unless George I had wedded her), in 1743.
Her second cousin was Dorothea von Velen, an advocate of religious toleration in the Palatinate.