Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein
(1858-1921)
BIRTH
October 22, 1858
PLACE
Dłużek, Poland
NAME
Augusta Victoria
DEATH
April 11, 1921
PLACE
Doorn, Netherlands
FAMILY
HOMES
NICKNAMES
Dona; Kirchenjuste
RELIGIOUS VIEWS
CHRISTIAN
PROTESTANT
MEMBERSHIPS
AWARDS
Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, known as Dona, was the first wife of Kaiser Wilhelm II and the last German empress and queen of Prussia, from 1888 to 1918. The couple were married in Berlin on February 27, 1881. Augusta Victoria and Wilhelm had seven children, six sons and a daughter, Viktoria Luise. When Wilhelm became emperor in June 1888, she became German empress and queen of Prussia. She was buried at the Antique Temple in Potsdam.
EARLY LIFE
Augusta Victoria was born on October 22, 1858, at Dolzig Palace, now Dłużek in Poland, the eldest daughter of Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, and Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Her father claimed the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, but they were annexed by Prussia after the wars of the 1860s, and the family lived in modest circumstances. Queen Victoria's daughter, Crown Princess Victoria of Prussia, favored a match between Augusta Victoria and her son Wilhelm, partly to reconcile the family with Prussia, and Wilhelm's grandfather eventually agreed. The couple were married in Berlin on February 27, 1881.
Augusta Victoria and Wilhelm had seven children, six sons and a daughter, Viktoria Luise. When Wilhelm became emperor in June 1888, she became German empress and queen of Prussia.
Deeply religious and conservative, she promoted the building of Protestant churches in Berlin and supported charities and nursing. She also sponsored the Augusta Victoria complex on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, a church and hospice inaugurated in 1910 that later became a hospital.
After Germany's defeat and the fall of the monarchy in November 1918, she joined Wilhelm in exile in the Netherlands. Her health declined, and she died at Huis Doorn on April 11, 1921. She was buried at the Antique Temple in Potsdam.
CAREER
DEATH
Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein also sponsored the Augusta Victoria complex on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, a church and hospice inaugurated in 1910 that later became a hospital. After Germany's defeat and the fall of the monarchy in November 1918, she joined Wilhelm in exile in the Netherlands. When Wilhelm became emperor in June 1888, she became German empress and queen of Prussia. Deeply religious and conservative, she promoted the building of Protestant churches in Berlin and supported charities and nursing. She was buried at the Antique Temple in Potsdam. Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein had already suffered a stroke in 1918, which greatly impaired her health. The press speculated late that year that she "would hardly live to see the new year." In July 1920, her youngest son Prince Joachim died by suicide, about which Wilhelm commented, "That rascal has done that to us and especially to his mother as well!" The shock of exile and abdication, with the breakdown of Joachim's marriage and his subsequent suicide, proved too much for Augusta's health. She died on 11 April 1921 at Huis Doorn at Doorn in the Netherlands, from a severe heart attack. Some of her last reported words were, "I must not die; I cannot leave the Kaiser alone."
POPULAR BIOGRAPHIES
Augusta Victoria, Wilhelm II’s first wife and the last German empress. Kirschstein and Obert are dedicated German-language biographies; Feuerstein-Praßer is collective biography. Five dedicated biographies were not identified. These editorial selections include biographies where available, with personal writings, collective biography, reference works and related studies clearly labelled.
1. Auguste Victoria: Porträt einer Kaiserin — Jörg Kirschstein. [Biography; German-language work] Find on Amazon
2. Kaiserin Auguste Victoria: Wie die Provinzprinzessin zur Kaiserin der Herzen wurde — Angelika Obert. [Biography; German-language work] Find on Amazon
3. Die deutschen Kaiserinnen, 1871–1918 — Karin Feuerstein-Praßer. [Collective biography; German-language work] Find on Amazon
4. Kaiser Wilhelm II: A Concise Life — John C. G. Röhl. [Related biography of her husband] Find on Amazon
5. The Kaiser and His Court: Wilhelm II and the Government of Germany — John C. G. Röhl. [Related court and biographical studies] Find on Amazon
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