Maria Leopoldine Theresia Renata Dorothea zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort

## Prinzessin Witwe zu Löwenstein

Gräfin von Starhemberg

The Dowager Princess of Löwenstein, c. 1743

Sophie von Starhemberg

Georg Adam I, Fürst von Starhemberg

Elisabeth Josepha von Starhemberg

### Siblings

Princess Marie Christine zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (born and died in 1713)Charles Thomas, 3rd Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1714 - 1789)

Prince Johann Philipp Ernst Karl zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1715 - 1734)

Prince Leopold Constantin zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1716 - 1770)

Prince Franz Carl Wilhelm Konrad zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1717 - 1750)

Prince Christian Philipp Josef Alexander zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1719 - 1781),

Prince Johann Joseph Wenzel zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1720 - 1788)

Princess Sophie Wilhelmine Marie zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1721-1749)

Prince Theodor Alexander zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1722 - 1780)

A daughter

A son

Princess Maria Leopoldina zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort (1726 - 1759)

A son

### Religion

Protestantism (Lutheranism)

**Maria Leopoldine Theresia Renata Dorothea zu Löwenstein** (26th May 1689 - *présent*) is a Prussian artistocrat, salonnière, composer, author, mémorialiste, and the widowed *Princess-Comtesse de Starheimbourg.* Born on a warm summer's morning in 1689, Thérèse was a kin to the auspices of the House of Löwenstein.

Blessed with a pleasing physique and an *“attractive, solid character”*,  Thérèse was a woman of infinite sweetness. Regarded for her sharp wit, great beauty and ability to casually compose poetry, Thérèse was an exemplary woman of charitable righteousness. However, it was to go without saying that she would not be graced with the happiness of marriage. In the summer of 1710, she was engaged to a minor noble, Conrad Sigismund, the *Graf von Starhemberg*. A mediocre husband who's betrothment was merely for a claim on his land, their marriage would be cut short after seventeen years when he died of a stroke in September of 1727. Although freed from the shackles of marriage, Thérèse took the widow's garb for some time, only shedding it in 1733 when the Löwenstein's were called upon to present themselves at the Royal Levee of Prussia's then-crowned prince, the future *Frédéric le Grand.*

A lady of letters and charms, Thérèse spent her time at the Prussian court in the service of Queen *Élisabeth Christine de Brunswick*. Remarked for her writing skills, Thérèse often raised money through publishing books and donating portions of the royalties to charity. Characterised for her piety and charity, Thérèse had a pious temperament and innocent outlook upon life. She was loyal and passionate about caring for those she loved dearly.

## Early Years

### ***Birth***

The scene on the morning of Monday, September 1st in 1710 would be a memorable one, for those who bore witness to Thérèse's birth. A remarkably warm summer's morning, the young *Princesse de Löwenstein* was delivered after several hours of labour. Thérèse was born to the happily-married Dominik Marquard and Christiane Franziska zu Löwenstein. It was a mutually celebrated arrival and met with adequate and modest celebration. A happy and healthy infant, Thérèse would be baptised on the following Sunday in the *schlosskapelle* of Schloß Löwenstein with the name of *Maria Leopoldine Theresia Renata Dorothea* zu Löwenstein.

### ***Childhood & Education***

A child of the generation of the 1680s, Thérèse's early life was spent under the ravishing auspices of Louis XIV's wars of conquest in Europe. In 1688, the Sun King had crossed the Rhein in order to contest the corruption of the House of Habsburg in the Western reaches of the Holy Roman Empire. Löwenstein would catch itself in the middle of this conflict, narrowly avoiding destruction numerous times.

Thérèse and her siblings spent their childhood in the safety of Schloß Löwenstein with their mother. Their father, Dominik Marquard, was often away from home to fulfil his service as the Captain of the German Guards in Vienna to Emperor Leopold. The Löwenstein's kept a small court of minor nobles and bourgeoisie at Kleinheubach. For Thérèse, this often meant playing in the gardens with her siblings and going for hikes on the nearby Kleinheubach Heights with children from the town. However, there were rare occasions when everyone would have to get inside by curfew as the roar of cannons could always be heard in the distance. There were rare instances when the local Gendarmerie was busy defending the locale from Austrian scavengers or provide safety to deserters.

Thérèse's education was comparatively normal, by all accounts. Children at the court in Klenheubach were educated by a team of preceptors; In the morning, the Reverend Sebastian Baptiste Erhardt began with religious studies, rhetoric and literature. In the afternoon, their governess, Luise Henriette Schmidt, an elderly woman of the bourgeoisie gave them lessons on French, Italian, Latin and English. Thérèse's early years found her excelling at her studies, often earning her tutor's praise. When she came of age, she took horseback lessons from her father's equery and studied Shakespeare at the local theatre.

### ***Adolescence***

The dawn of the 18th-century would be the climax of the Sun King's campaigns of glory and see the height of his art of war. Louis XIV formed an alliance with Thérèse's grand-uncle, the Elector ***Max Emanuel***. The War of the Spanish Succession ignited in 1701, and would last for more than a decade. For the House of Löwenstein, it would mean being put in the Austrian crosshairs due to their blood relations to the Bavarian Wittelsbach's.

The principality was alive with war's alarms; the states of the Holy Roman Empire were dividing themselves to the causes of both camps. The Electorate of Bavaria lead a protestant force, supported by Louis XIV in a conquest to vanquish the Habsburgs and install the Wittelsbach's on the imperial throne. On the contrary, Austria lead the Empire's predominantly Catholic forces, under the auspices of *Eugene of Savoy*. All was well, until 1704 when the forces of Elector Max II Emannuel were smashed at the great Battle of Blenheim. Bavaria's forces were crushed by the Grand Alliance's forces under the leadership of the Duke of Marlborough. This spelt disaster for the Wittelsbach's as all hopes at stopping Austria were nullified. The Imperial Army soon marched on Munich, prompting the Bavarian court to flee to the Netherlands.