Wikipedia:WikiProject Germany/Portal:Thuringia/Article of the month/February



Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1811–1890) was Queen of Prussia and the first German Empress, the consort of William I, German Emperor. She married William in 1829 in the chapel of Schloss Charlottenburg and they had one daughter, Princess Louise.

Augusta soon became bored with Prussian court life, but took an active interest in politics and moved to Koblenz where she was visited by many liberal-minded contemporaries. Her tolerance towards Catholicism was scorned in Berlin and was felt inappropriate for a Prussian Protestant princess.

Augusta was horrified at Bismarck's foreign policy and his role in initiating the Austro-Prussian War. At the same time, she became estranged from the king. She suffered from manic-depression and made frequent trips to Baden-Baden in search of a cure. Augusta abhorred war and founded the National Women's Association in 1864, which looked after wounded and ill soldiers. Several hospital foundations exist today from Augusta's initiative, including the German Society of Surgery. In later life, she appeared reconciled to Bismarck and her husband renewing her wedding vows on his ninetieth birthday.

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