Jenny von Westphalen
| Jenny von Westphalen | |
|---|---|
Jenny von Westphalen, 1830s
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| Born |
Johanna Bertha Julie Jenny von Westphalen February 12, 1814 Salzwedel |
| Died | December 2, 1881 (aged 67) London |
| Home town | Trier |
| Spouse(s) | Karl Marx |
| Children |
Jenny Longuet Laura Marx Charles Louis Henri Edgar Henry Edward Guy Jenny Eveline Frances Eleanor Marx |
| Parents |
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Freiin Johanna Bertha Julie Jenny von Westphalen (February 12, 1814 – December 2, 1881) was the wife of the philosopher Karl Marx. They became engaged in 1836 and married in 1843. They had seven children.
Jenny von Westphalen was born in Salzwedel to a prominent family of the Prussian aristocracy. Her father, Ludwig von Westphalen (1770–1842), was a former widower with four previous children, who served as "Regierungsrat" in Salzwedel and in Trier. Her paternal grandfather "Edler" Christian Philip Heinrich von Westphalen (1723–1792) had been de facto "chief of staff" to Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick during the Seven Years' War. Her paternal grandmother, Jeanie Wishart (1742–1811), was a Scottish noble: her father George Wishart (1703–1785) was a direct descendent of the 9th Earl of Angus and Lady Agnes Keith, the latter in turn a direct descendant of King James I, and the royal House of Stuart, while her mother's family were the Dukes of Argyll, for centuries Scotland's most powerful aristocratic family. Her mother, Amalia Julia Carolina von Westphalen (née Heubel), lived from 1780 to 1856. Jenny von Westphalen's brother Edgar von Westphalen (1819–1890), was a schoolmate and friend of Karl Marx. Another brother, , was the conservative Interior Minister of Prussia, 1850–58. Although he was one of the leading conservative forces in 19th century Prussia, Ferdinand would remain on amiable terms with Karl and Jenny Marx.
Jenny von Westphalen and Karl Heinrich Marx regularly met each other as children. She was four years older than Karl. They became close friends as teenagers. Both of them were well-read and literary, and they soon began courting. According to Marx, she was the most beautiful girl in the town of Trier. Her father, Ludwig von Westphalen, a friend of Marx's father, also befriended the teenage Marx, and would often go on walks with him, where they would discuss philosophy and English literature. Jenny and Karl became engaged in 1836. They eventually married on June 19, 1843 in the Kreuznacher Pauluskirche (the Kreuznach church of Saint Paul), Bad Kreuznach.
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