Charlotte von Lengefeld

Charlotte Luise Antoinette von Schiller was born, Lengefeld ( born November 22, 1766 Rudolstadt, † July 9, 1826 in Bonn) was the wife of Friedrich von Schiller.

Life

She spent her childhood in Rudolstadt, where she grew up with her older sister, the later writer Caroline of Wolzogen ( 1763-1847 ). Her father, the Oberland Jägermeister Karl Christian von Lengefeld (1715-1775) died early, leaving the completely inexperienced in economic matters widow Louise Lengefeld, born of Wurmb ( 1743-1823 ). All reserves were quickly consumed and the family got into a physical bottleneck. So Louise consented at once, as in 1779 the well-heeled Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Beulwitz stopped by the hand of her eldest daughter, Caroline.

When in 1787 the destitute Schiller came to Rudolstadt, both sisters fell in love with him. Schiller returned the affection. Since both Charlotte and Caroline were equally attractive to him and he could not decide the two, he thought about a three-way relationship. However, neither Charlotte nor her mother, who had already objection to the impoverished poet were to warm up to this idea. In the summer of 1789, the two sisters Kurten in the then Saxon luxury and Modebad Lauchstaedt in Halle ( Saale). The former residence of the Sisters poorhouse lane 5 (now Schiller Straße 5 ) is obtained. After a short visit Schiller in Bad Lauchstaedt Charlotte reached here written in Leipzig " engagement letter ". End of 1789, just before the wedding with Charlotte ( 1790), Schiller wrote to his fiancée, however: " Caroline has more feelings brought me to language than you, my Lotte [ ... ]. What Caroline has recently ahead of you, you have received from me, your soul must unfold in my love, and my creature you need to. "

On February 22, 1790 Schiller, who now stood a little better financially, Charlotte von Lengefeld married in a small church in Weningenjena. Soon after the wedding, he could write: "What a wonderful life I lead now [ ... ]. The existence of Charlotte, this sweet love being around me, whose whole happiness is lost in the mine, spread a soft light over my existence " Of their four children were born. :

• Karl Ludwig Friedrich Schiller (1793-1857), later Baron ( buried at the Stuttgart Fangelsbachfriedhof )
• Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm Schiller (1796-1841)
• Karoline Luise Friederike Schiller (1799-1850), married. Junot ( buried at Würzburg's main cemetery)
• Emilie Henriette Luise Schiller, married. von Gleichen - Russwurm (1804-1872)

The connection to Caroline of Wolzogen other hand, with her ​​novel " Agnes of Lilies" (1797 ) and her autobiography, " Schiller's Life" ( 1830) still came to literary fame, increasingly lost importance.

Friedrich Schiller's death in 1805

In the fall of 1825 Charlotte von Schiller visited her son Ernst in Bonn, where she underwent an operation against cataracts. On July 9, 1826, she suffered a fatal stroke and was buried two days later at the old cemetery in Bonn.

From Weimar Classicism Charlotte von Schiller is not indispensable: Their validity as wise and prudent partner her famous husband may be overestimated. Largely forgotten is the occupied in their letters and diaries importance they had for Goethe and his friend Karl Ludwig von Knebel. Wrongly Charlotte von Schiller has been assessed by the literary posterity occasionally as unimpressive, boring or even dull. Perhaps this impression is created by the letters Charlotte von Stein. The astute and sometimes biting companion Goethe has her godchild Charlotte, with whom they had close contact, sometimes described as something simple.

How intelligent Charlotte was really illustrate their diaries and their " extensive Exzerptsammlung ", which supports the Weimar archive. In it she not only represents views that possess great unconventionality and intellectual independence, but it shows there too, the tenacity with which she studied all the well-known new releases of its time. These included those of the philosophy and literature of the " scientific fields ", which she followed with great interest and assessed with exceptional expertise, which Schiller and the old Goethe appreciated most.

In Bad Lauchstaedt today recalls the literary and theater museum "New Schiller House " at the residence of the Sisters Lengefeld, her meeting with Schiller and Schiller's visit to the Lauchstädter Theatre in August 1803.

Letters

• Heinrich Düntzer (ed.): Letters of Schiller's wife to a trusted friend. Leipzig 1856.
• Ulrich Ludwig (ed.): Charlotte von Schiller and her friends. 3 vols Stuttgart 1860.