Caroline of Brunswick
| Caroline of Brunswick | |||||
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Portrait c. 1820 by James Lonsdale, "Principal Painter in Ordinary to the Queen". Her wedding ring is displayed prominently to emphasise fidelity to marriage vows.
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| Queen consort of the United Kingdom and Hanover | |||||
| Tenure | 29 January 1820 – 7 August 1821 | ||||
| Born |
17 May 1768 Brunswick, Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Holy Roman Empire |
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| Died | 7 August 1821 (aged 53) Hammersmith, London, England |
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| Burial | Brunswick Cathedral | ||||
| Spouse | George IV of the United Kingdom | ||||
| Issue | Princess Charlotte of Wales | ||||
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| House | House of Brunswick-Bevern | ||||
| Father | Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel | ||||
| Mother | Princess Augusta of Great Britain | ||||
| Full name | |
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| Caroline Amalie Elisabeth |
Caroline Amelia Elizabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (17 May 1768 – 7 August 1821), best known as Caroline of Brunswick, was Queen of the United Kingdom as the wife of King George IV from 29 January 1820 until her death in 1821. She was the Princess of Wales from 1795 to 1820.
Her father was the ruler of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in Germany, and her mother, Princess Augusta, was the sister of George III. In 1794, she was engaged to her first-cousin and George III's eldest son and heir George, Prince of Wales, despite the two of them never having met and George already being illegally married to Maria Fitzherbert. George and Caroline married the following year, and nine months later Caroline had a child, Princess Charlotte of Wales.
Shortly after Charlotte's birth, George and Caroline separated. By 1806, rumours that Caroline had taken lovers and had an illegitimate child led to an investigation into her private life. The dignitaries who led the investigation concluded that there was "no foundation" to the rumours, but Caroline's access to her daughter was restricted.
In 1814, Caroline moved to Italy, where she employed Bartolomeo Pergami as a servant. Pergami soon became Caroline's closest companion, and it was widely assumed that they were lovers. In 1817, Caroline was devastated when her daughter Charlotte died in childbirth; she heard the news from a passing courier as George had refused to write and tell her. He was determined to divorce Caroline, and set up a second investigation to collect evidence of her adultery.
In 1820, George became king of the United Kingdom and Hanover. George hated her, vowed she would never be the queen, and insisted on a divorce, which she refused. A legal divorce was possible but difficult to obtain. Caroline returned to Britain to assert her position as queen. She was wildly popular with the British populace, who sympathized with her and who despised the new king for his immoral behaviour. On the basis of the loose evidence collected against her, George attempted to divorce her by introducing the Pains and Penalties Bill to Parliament, but George and the bill were so unpopular, and Caroline so popular with the masses, that it was withdrawn by the Tory government. In July 1821, Caroline was barred from the coronation on the orders of her husband. She fell ill in London and died three weeks later; her funeral procession passed through London on its way to her native Brunswick, where she was buried.
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