Louise Auguste Wilhelmine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz -- and later Queen of Prussia -- was the mother of nine children
** She was born in 1776
** She was married in 1793
** She was the Queen of Prussia 1797-1810
** She died in 1810
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This statue of two princesses - Louise and her sister Friederike - was created by the German artist Johann Gottfried Schadow.
The first version in plaster, the second version in marble (1795-1797)
The statue was commissioned by Louise's father-in-law, who was the king of Prussia 1786-1797.
Louise and her sister Friederike loved it, but her husband Friedrich Wilhelm, who succeeded his father as the king of Prussia in 1797, did not like it.
He said it showed too much of his wife and her sister. He decided that it should be placed in a private place.
It was hidden from the public for almost 90 years. In the 1920s, after the fall of the German monarchy, it was finally placed in a public museum.
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The conference held in Tilsit in 1807
Painted by Nicolas Gosse in 1837
In 1806, Napoleon Bonaparte defeated Russia and Prussia. In 1807, Napoleon held a conference during which the conditions of a peace treaty were negotiated.
Napoleon arranged a meeting with the representatives of the nations he had defeated. Four persons are standing in the central section of the painting. From the left:
** Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French
** Alexander, Tsar of Russia
** Louise, Queen of Prussia
** Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
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On 06 July 1807, Queen Louise of Prussia had a personal meeting with Napoleon Bonaparte. She pleaded for softer peace terms. She begged him:
“Please do not destroy Prussia!”
She knew Napoleon had defeated the Prussian army, but she wanted him to be a generous conqueror.
Napoleon later said she was beautiful and charming, but he could not change his decisions just because a beautiful and charming woman asked him to do so.
Napoleon took half of Prussia (the western part of the country). The King and Queen still had the eastern part of the country. In addition, Prussia had to pay economic compensation to Napoleon.
He said: “Prussia has lost the war. Now Prussia must pay the price of losing the war.”
Napoleon maintained control of the conquered territory for six years. He lost control of his conquest in 1813, after his failed invasion of Russia in 1812.
Prussia recovered. In 1814 and 1815, Prussia was a member of the multinational coalition which defeated Napoleon two times. Sadly, Queen Louise did not live long enough to see this. She died of an unidentified disease (perhaps pneumonia) in 1810.
Napoleon did not make any concessions when he met Queen Louise. But he was still impressed with her courage to stand up for her country and to meet him face to face.
He described her as a formidable and intelligent enemy. When he heard that she had died, he said the King of Prussia had “lost his best minister.”
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Napoleon und die Deutschen
This documentary film was shown on
German television (ZDF) in 2008.
Run time: 43 minutes
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Frauen die Geschichte machten
This series was shown on
German television (ZDF) in 2013.
Queen Louise of Prussia is one of several women
whose stories are told in this series.
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