Barbara Christine von Bernhold

Barbara Christine of Bernhold (* January 1690 in Wiesbaden, † December 27, 1756 in Kassel), from 1742 Countess, was the mistress and confidante of Landgrave Karl ( 1654-1730 ) of Hesse- Kassel and confidante, consultant and Großhofmeisterin his son and successor William VIII ( 1682-1760 ).

Origin

She was the second of four daughters of the Hessian officer Johann Ludwig von Bernhold to Eschau and his wife Anna Lucrezia, born of Stain. Her father was already made in 1692 as a Hessian lieutenant colonel in the defense of 28,000 French troops besieged castle Rhine rock.

Life

As an orphan Barbara Christine came at a very young age in the services of the later Countess Eleonore (1686-1753), wife of the ( 1725 ) Landgrave Leopold II ( 1684-1749 ) of Hesse- Rotenburg. At the court in Rotenburg she learned apparently Landgrave Karl know.

Had after the death in 1711 of his wife Amalia of Courland ( 1653-1711 ), with the Landgrave Karl lived in 38 - years of marriage, was Barbara Christine of Bernhold his lover and confidant. Karl gave her on 21 May 1721, the projected benefit to the fief Ellingerode and gave her 2 September 1721 he built a hunting lodge in 1689 Veckerhagen with the corresponding domain.

After the death of Charles on March 23, 1730 she was still in possession of their property obtained by him. She had gained so much confidence in Charles' sons, that she became the first lady of the court, when it became apparent that with the later Landgrave Wilhelm VIII was married since 1717 Dorothea Wilhelmine of Saxe- Zeitz ( 1691-1743 ), due to increasing mental confusion - since 1725 no longer appeared in public - their tasks could not keep up. She was a counselor of William and Großhofmeisterin, and in 1742 charged by Emperor Charles VII to the Countess to exert their influence on Wilhelm in favor of the emperor. It maintained an apartment in Kassel Oberneustadt that had been created from 1685 as a Baroque city expansion for the settlement of Huguenot immigrants by Paul du Ry.

Barbara Christine of Bernhold died on December 27, 1756 after a lengthy illness. Your ownership in Veckerhagen reverted to Landgrave Frederick II of Hesse -Kassel in 1770.