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A forbidden love – Princess Elisa Radziwiłł and Wilhelm of Prussia

They were childhood friends: Elisa, (born in 1803), the daughter of Prince Anton Radziwiłł, and Wilhelm (born in 1797), the second son of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. Even their mothers, Princess Luise Radziwiłł, the daughter of Prince Ferdinand of Prussia, and Queen Luise were close friends. Together they fled with their families from Napoleon’s advancing troops to Königsberg. Twelve years later the constantly growing love between Elisa and Wilhelm became public knowledge. The king and his advisers were utterly shocked. A wedding between a Hohenzollern prince and the daughter of a Polish prince was not befitting his social status. Would Wilhelm marry his Elisa nonetheless?

Julius Ludwig Sebbers (1804–1843): Princess Elisa Radziwiłł, 1835. Lithography based on a water colour.
Julius Ludwig Sebbers (1804–1843): Princess Elisa Radziwiłł, 1835. Lithography based on a water colour.
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PS:

This article basically follows the latest book on the theme by Dagmar von Gersdorff: “Auf der ganzen Welt nur sie. Die verbotene Liebe zwischen Princess Elisa Radziwill und Wilhelm von Preußen”, Berlin 2013; Insel-Taschenbuch 4393, Berlin 2015 / Dagmar von Gersdorff: Na całym świecie tylko ona. Zakazana miłość ksiȩżniczki Elizy Radziwiłł i Wilhelma Pruskiego, Jelenia Góra, 2014. The author evaluates the private notes of Wilhelm I of Prussia (1797-1888) in the “Geheimes Staatsarchiv zu Berlin”, as well as other documents related to the persons involved, and memoirs published by contemporaries.

Further reading:

Gräfin Elise von Bernstorff, geborene Gräfin von Donath. Ein Bild aus der Zeit von 1789-1835. Aus ihren Aufzeichnungen, 2 Bände, Berlin 1897

Oswald Baer: Prinzeß Elisa Radziwill. Ein Lebensbild, Berlin 1908

Elisa Radziwill: Ein Leben in Liebe and Leid. Unveröffentlichte Briefe der Jahre 1820-1834,  herausgegeben von Bruno Hennig, Berlin 1911

Ernst Philipp Weigel: Elisa Radziwill. Das Drama der Jugendliebe Kaiser Wilhelms I., Leipzig 1911

Anne van den Eken: Kaiser Wilhelm I Jugendliebe: Prinzeß Elisa Radziwill. Historischer Roman (Aus dem Liebesgarten gekrönter und ungekrönter Häupter, 2), Leipzig 1913

Leo Hirsch: Elisa Radziwill. Die Jugendliebe Kaiser Wilhelm I, Stuttgart 1929

Kurt Jagow: Wilhelm and Elisa. Die Jugendliebe des Alten Kaisers, Leipzig 1930

Harald Eschenburg: Die polnische Prinzessin. Elisa Radziwill: die Jugendliebe Kaiser Wilhelms I., Stuttgart 1986

Marta Bzdręga: Prinz Wilhelm von Preußen und seine Jugendliebe Elisa Radziwill, in: Studia Germanica Posnaniensia, XXX, Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu, Poznań 2006, pp. 57-73

Julius Ludwig Sebbers (1804–1843): Princess Elisa Radziwiłł, 1835. Lithography based on a water colour.
©
Public Domain
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  • ill. 1: Prince William of Prussia

    With the white field armband of the Allies in the Wars of Liberation. Engraving after a painting by Carl von Steuben.

  • ill. 2: Wilhelm's father Frederick William III of Prussia

    Painting by Ernst Gebauer, oil on canvas, 90.5 x 66.5 cm, Preußen-Museum Nordrhein-Westfalen, Minden.

  • ill. 3: Wilhelm's mother Queen Luise of Prussia

    Painting by Josef Grassi, oil on canvas.

  • Abb. 4: Elisa's mother Princess Luise Radziwiłł

    Painting by Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, oil on canvas, 80.5 x 64 cm, private collection.

  • Abb. 5: Elisa's father Prince Anton Radziwiłł

    Lithograph by Karol Antoni Simon, 1824/30, 17.3 x 15.3 cm (detail without the writing).

  • ill. 6: Princess Elisa Radziwiłł as the goddess Peri

    Painting by Wilhelm Hensel, oil on canvas, Robert Schumann House, Zwickau.

  • ill. 7: Wilhelm and his wife Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

    Lithograph, Karlsruhe City Archive.

  • ill. 8: Elisa Radziwiłł on her deathbed

    Marble bust by Christian Daniel Rauch.

  • ill. 9: Emperor Wilhelm I at his desk in the Old Palace, Berlin

    A portrait of Elisa is also said to have stood on this desk.

  • "Die verbotene Liebe"

    Nach dem Buch von Dagmar von Gersdorf 'Auf der ganzen Welt nur Sie'. Ein Film von Schülerinnen und Schülern der Robert-Jungk-Oberschule in Berlin.

  • Eine verbotene Liebe - Hörspiel von "COSMO Radio po polsku" auf Deutsch

    In Zusammenarbeit mit "COSMO Radio po polsku" präsentieren wir Hörspiele zu ausgewählten Themen unseres Portals.
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