Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland
Barbara Villiers, 1st Duchess of Cleveland ( November 1640 *, † October 9, 1709 and married Palmer, Lady Castlemaine ) was next to Nell Gwyn, the most famous of the many mistresses of the English King Charles II.
Life
Barbara Villiers was the only child of William Villiers, 2nd Viscount Grandison and the rich heiress Mary Bayning. When her father died in 1643 of a war injury, he left his wife and daughter back into poverty. It was considered a great beauty, but for lack of dowry she was not a good match. Your first love as a fifteen year old to Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield, failed it.
On April 14, 1659 she married against the wishes of his family, Roger Palmer, a diplomat and math scholar. In 1660 she became the mistress of Charles II, while he was still alive in exile in Holland. Of their six children five were officially recognized by King Charles II, but not legitimate for the throne. It is believed that none of their children comes from her husband.
Charles II elevated Roger Palmer 1661 for Baron of Limerick and Earl of Castle Main, a title which was used primarily to support his mistress and their children. The title was not inherited by Roger Palmer, but was expressly granted to the children of Barbara Palmer " [ ... ] children gotten on Barbara Palmer, now wife. ". 1661 she released her first of five children with Charles II to the world, Anne Palmer. In 1662 they separated after the birth of her first son of her husband.
Barbara Palmer's beauty has often been described and praised by Samuel Pepys. Sir Peter Lely painted several portraits of her. Lely was so smitten with her that he was unable, according to Pepys, in pictures capture her beauty " [ ... ] it was beyond the compass of art to give { her } ago due as to her sweetness and exquisite beauty. " ( Samuel Pepys, Diary ).
In Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, however, the adviser to the king, she had a nemesis, which displeased her position as a lady's maid to the Queen. The relationship with the Queen, who was childless and had to accept it as official mistress, was also very excited. In 1662 it came to the so-called Bedchamber Crisis, in which Barbara Palmer was even able to prevail against the wishes of the English Queen. In the same year, she procured the dismissal of a maid of honor of the queen, as they had dared to argue with her. Until 1662 they had apparently more influence at the English court as the queen.
Because of her infamous temper outbursts with which they demanded the legitimacy of their illegitimate children by the king, their influence fell to the king and the English court from 1670 and on. 1670 Charles II appointed her to Baroness Nonsuch, Countess of Southampton and Duchess of Cleveland. When the king is stronger other mistresses turned, as Nell Gwyn and Louise de Kérouaille, they also turned to new lovers to as the acrobat Jacob Hall and her cousin John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, which they partly with money from the king endured. 1673 lost by the test Act, its position as Lady of the Bedchamber to the Queen. The Test Act forbade Catholics also work at court or in royal apartments. 1676 she traveled with her four youngest children to Paris. 1705 her husband died and she married Major - General Robert Fielding, whom she later indicated for bigamy. In 1709 she died of dropsy.
Progeny
The joint relationship with the King Charles II:
- Anne Palmer, Countess of Sussex (1661-1722)
- Charlotte Fitzroy, Countess of Lichfield (1664-1718)
- George Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Northumberland ( 1665-1716 )
- Barbara ( Benedicta ) Fitzroy, it was recognized, but was probably the daughter of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough.