Victoire-Charlotte d'Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym

## Markgräfin von Brandenburg-Bayreuth

Suo-Jure Fürstin von Anhalt-Hoym

Portrait of princess Victoria Charlotte during her time at the Prussian court.

Fürstin Schaumburg

Gräfin von Hoym

## Occupations

### Court Posts

Dame d'Honneur à la Maison de la ReinePremière Dame du Palais de la Château de Schönhausen

Intendant de la Bibliothèque Royale de la Reine

### Military Posts

Dame d'Ordre de l'Aigle NoirDame d'Ordre de la Sincérité

Dame et Membre de l'Ordre de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem à le Grand Bailliage de Brandebourg

## Biography

### Full Name

Victoria-Charlotte von Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym

### Born

25th September, 1715, Residenzschloss Schaumburg, Balduinstein, Fürstentum Anhalt-Hoym

### Died

4th February, 1792, Residenzschloss Schaumburg, Balduinstein, Fürstentum Anhalt-Hoym

### Burial

Melandergruft, Holzappel, Fürstentum Anhalt-Hoym

### Spouse

Friedrich Christian von Brandenburg-Bayreuth (m. 1732; div. 1764)

### Father

Viktor I. Amadeus Adolf von Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym

### Religion

Protestant Lutheranism

**Victoria Charlotte of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym** (25th September 1715 – 4th February 1792) was a notable courtier, aristocrat, salonnière and suo-jure *Princesse d'Anhalt-Hoym.* A Princess of the Blood by birth and name, *Victoire* as she was known by contemporaries, carried her illustrious purple-born dignity throughout her life.

Celebrated for her beauty, wit and charm, Victoire was one of the most memorable women in the circle of *Élisabeth Christine de Brunswick.* Born into the illustrious House of Anhalt, Victoire's future was already in the hands of her lineage during her adolescence. Equipped with an arsenal of languages, diligence with a quill and the ability to orate an operatic voice of the heavens; Victoire was the embodiment of her office as *Dame d'Honneur* to the Queen. A great proponent of tradition, Victoire enjoyed the etiquette of the court greatly and carried out her duties as expected of her, bar no exception. Making history at the coronation of *Frédéric le Grand* in 1740, she became one of the first women in Prussian history to be knighted as a dame to the glories of the *Ordre de l'Aigle Noir (Order of the Black Eagle)* in her own right. A materialistic and cultivated woman, Victoire enjoyed all things rich in beauty. She was a large supporter of fashion and often influenced the court fashions of the time. Victorie had a love for wines and started her business life off in 1742 after opening her own wine industry that would later fund it's money to the Prussian people and become a well-known saleswoman.

Making her debut in 1732 at the *petit cour* held at Rheinsberg, Victoire made many allies at court, namely that of her Royal charges. On the contrary, she was also known to keep a few select rivals. Although blessed with looks, charmed with wits and a keeper of high favour, Victoire's married life was dismal. Betrothed to the wildly lame and curious Friedrich Christian, the Margrave of Bayreuth, their marriage proved to be doomed from the start. Obtaining royal consent to separate in 1764, Victoire would spend the remainder of her life unmarried, doing so happily as she'd outlive her spouse by almost thirty years.

In the final years of her life, Victoire shined under the auspices of court life. Her longtime service to the Queen and her equal friendship to the King secured her a safeguard of happiness and joy. She left a legacy of ostentatious loyalty, venerable servitude and a determined precedent for etiquette in the Prussian Court.