Karolina of Legnica-Brieg

Karolina of Legnica-Brieg (2 December 1652 – 24 December 1707) was a Polish noble, the eldest daughter of Christian, Duke of Legnica-Brzeg-Wołów-Oława, and Louise of Anhalt-Dessau.

Karolina was born in Brzeg as the first child of her parents. They gave her an unusual first name, which had never been given to another member of the Piast dynasty (and never was after her death). She was baptized on 1 January 1653. Her godfather was a senior member of the family, Duke George Rudolf of Liegnitz, but he was seriously ill at the time of her birth. He died thirteen days later on 14 January, so he was replaced during the ceremony by her paternal uncle, Louis IV of Legnica.

During her early years, Karolina, as an only child, witnessed the rule of her father. In 1653 after the death of Duke George Rudolf, her uncles George III and Louis IV, and her father Christian, together inherited Legnica and Brzeg, for one year as co-rulers, until they decided to divide their domains in 1654. In the division, Christian received the poorest parts of the Duchy, Wołów and Oława. However, in 1664, after the death of his only surviving brother, George III, Karolina's father united the whole Duchy of Legnica-Brzeg under his rule.

Christian and his wife raised their daughter as a Calvinist. On 29 September 1660, Duchess Louise gave birth to a son and heir, George William. Of the four children born to Karolina's parents, only she and George William survived infancy.

Duke Christian died on 28 February 1672 and was succeeded by his only surviving son, George William, who was placed under the regency of his mother. A few months later, Karolina married Frederick, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Wiesenburg. He was a great-great-grandson of King Christian III under the paternal line. The groom was from a Catholic family and served in the Imperial army as a Colonel Cuirassier. Karolina probably met him through a Jesuit close to her mother. Motivated by love rather than for dynastic reasons, she adopted the Catholic faith. On 4 July 1672 Karolina and Frederick married secretly and almost one year later, on 3 May 1673, the official wedding took place. On 12 January 1674 their only child, Leopold, was born. However, the marriage proved unsuccessful and with the consent of Emperor Leopold I in August 1680 they became formally separated. In accordance with the legal arrangement of the separation, their son remained under the custody of the father.

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