Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Wilhelmine Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (21 April 1673 – 10 April 1742) was Holy Roman Empress, Queen of the Germans, Queen of Hungary, Queen of Bohemia, Archduchess consort of Austria etc. as the spouse of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Early life

Wilhelmine Amalie born on 21 April 1673, and Princess Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate. Her two surviving sisters were Charlotte Felicitas, who married Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena, and Henriette Marie, who died young. An older sister, Anna Sophie, died in childhood. After the death of her father in 1679, her mother returned to France, taking her three daughters with her. In France, Wilhelmine was given a Catholic education by her great-aunt Louise Hollandine at the convent of Maubuisson, and did not return to Hanover until she was 20 years old, in 1693.

Early on, the Holy Roman Empress Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg decided that Wilhelmine Amalie would be her daughter-in-law. The Prince of Salm was instrumental in speaking for her candidacy. The adviser of Eleonore, Marco d'Aviano, had convinced her that Wilhelmine Amalie, being pious Her mother-in-law supported her, scolding Joseph and placed his procurers in prison, but after he became emperor, nothing could be done. He had several illegitimate children, but no surviving male heir with his spouse. In 1704, Joseph contracted a venereal disease, reportedly from the daughter of a gardener, and passed the disease to his wife.

Wilhelmine Amalie outlived her spouse by more than 30 years, dying on 10 April 1742. She is buried in the Salesian convent in Vienna. Her heart is buried in the Imperial Crypt.

Ancestry