Louise Lehzen

Johanna Clara Louise Lehzen ( born October 3, 1784 in Coburg, † September 9, 1870 in Biickeburg ), known as Baroness Louise Lehzen was the governess, governess and later companion of Queen Victoria.

Life

Louise Clara Johanna Lehzen was born as the daughter of originating from Lüchow pastor Johann Friedrich Lehzen ( 1735-1800 ). She was a member of the household of Princess Victoria of Saxe- Coburg- Saalfeld and their first daughter Feodora of Leiningen governess from her marriage to the Prince of Leiningen. After his death, the Princess of Leiningen married the Duke of Kent and Strathearn British, the fourth- born son of King George III. Louise Lehzen moved with the Duchess of Kent to London and was appointed governess of the Princess Victoria, who was born 1819. Eight months after the birth of the princess died, the Duke of Kent, leaving his widow such a mountain of debt that it had to refuse the inheritance. In 1826 it was raised to the Baroness of Lehzen.

Louise Lehzen was for the adolescent Princess Victoria to confidant, as it increasingly came to tensions between the Duchess of Kent and her daughter. John Conroy, appointed by the Duke of Kent to the executor, increasingly dominated the household of the Duchess. He thought it likely that any offspring would emerge from the marriages of older brothers Duke and Princess Victoria would thus remain the only legitimate heir to the throne of the British royal throne. The princess would climb given the high age of William IV at a time when the British throne, to which they would still be immature. The Duchess of Kent would be appointed very likely in this case, in place of the still immature queen regent and John Conroy was thus the possibility to reach power and influence. For this it was necessary, however, that the princess and her mother remained largely isolated from the royal court (so-called Kensington System ). This also meant that the now named for Baroness Louise Lehzen still was responsible for the training of princess, though she was not sufficiently qualified to prepare them for the role of a monarch. The lessons Louise Lehzens therefore limited on a instruction in languages. The Princess Victoria for gewesenen important subjects such as constitutional law and economic policies remained largely. The power backup attempts by John Conroy culminated in an attempt to have this confirmed in writing by the 17 -year-old princess, that she would appoint him after her accession to the private secretary. When Princess Victoria refused him this signature, exercised both her ​​mother and John Conroy considerable pressure on the princess. During this time, the princess found primarily support from her governess.

1837 Crown Princess Victoria followed by her uncle on the British throne. Louise Lehzen as the closest confidant took over the role of a private secretary for the British Queen. She had greater influence on the Queen as the Duchess of Kent. This changed with the marriage of Queen with Albert of Saxe- Coburg and Gotha, which had been fully prepared by his uncle, Leopold I, on the role of a monarch. Between the Baroness Lehzen and Prince Albert there were repeated tensions, as the Baroness Lehzen was not willing to hand over their sphere of influence to the king consort. Only after the birth of the Princess Royal Victoria Prince Albert could do his wife it clear that the Baroness was overwhelmed with the tasks entrusted to it. Baroness Lehzen the retreat was suggested to private life and on September 30, 1842 left the English court final. She returned to Germany and settled in Biickeburg. She died in 1870 and was buried at the cemetery Jetenburger. A commissioned by Queen Victoria erected in the Gothic Revival style grave stone still reminds us Louise Lehzen.

Queen Victoria wrote about Lehzen: "She was an admirable teacher, and I adored her, though I was also afraid of her. "

Film

Louise Lehzen is also depicted in some movies about Queen Victoria. Greta Schröder she starred in Queen Victoria (1937 ) and Sixty Glorious Years ( 1938). In the film girlhood of a Queen (1954 ) She will be played by Magda Schneider, in the British TV miniseries Victoria & Albert ( 2001) by Diana Rigg and The Young Victoria ( 2009) by Jeanette Hain.