Court Mistress (; ; ; ; ) or chief court mistress (; ; ; ; ; ) is or was the title of the senior lady-in-waiting in the courts of Austria, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Imperial Russia, and the German princely and royal courts.
Chief court mistresses of Austria
In 1619, a set organisation was finally established for the Austrian Imperial court which came to be the characteristic organisation of the Austrian-Habsburg court roughly kept from this point onward. The first rank of the female courtiers was the Obersthofmeisterin, who was second in rank after the empress herself, and responsible for all the female courtiers.Nadine Akkerman & Birgit Houben, eds. The Politics of Female Households: Ladies-in-Waiting Across Early Modern Europe (2013). Whenever absent, she was replaced by the Fräuleinhofmeisterin, normally in charge of the unmarried female courtiers, their conduct and service.
Anna of Tyrol, 1608–1618 1611–1618: Freiin Katharina v. Kollowrath-L.
Eleonora Gonzaga , 1622–1658 1621–1624: Gräfin Maria Anna v. Portia 1624–1637: Gräfin Ursula v. Attems 1637–1644: Freiin Margarita v. Herberstein 1647–1647: Gräfin Octavia Strozzi 1652–1655: Freiin Anna Eleonora v. Metternich
Maria Anna of Spain, 1631–1646 1630–1638: Victoria de Toledo y Colonna 1643–1646: Marquesa de Flores Dávila
Maria Leopoldine of Austria, 1648–1649 1648–1649: Gräfin Anna Eleonora v. Wolkenstein 1648–1649
Eleonora Gonzaga, 1651–1686 1651–1658: Gräfin Maria Elisabeth v. Wagensperg
Maria Theresa of Austria, 1740–1780 1740–1754: Gräfin Marie Karoline von Fuchs-Mollard
Empress Elisabeth of Austria, 1854–1898 1854–1862: Gräfin Sophie Esterházy 1862– : Gräfin Pauline von Königsegg Maria Welser, Gräfin von Welsersheimb Freiin zu Gumpenstein
Chief court mistresses of Denmark
The early modern Danish court was organized according to the German court model, in turn inspired by the Imperial Austrian court model, from the 16th century onward.Fabian Persson (1999). Servants of Fortune. The Swedish Court between 1598 and 1721. Lund: Wallin & Dalholm. .
The highest rank female courtier to a female royal was the hofmesterinde (Court Mistress) from 1694/98 onward named Overhofmesterinde (Chief Court Mistress), equivalent to the Mistress of the Robes, normally an elder widow, who supervised the rest of the ladies-in-waiting.Klaus Kjølsen: Det Kongelige Danske Hof 1660–2000: en forvaltningshistorisk oversigt, 2010
The Princess Anne of Denmark married James VI of Scotland in 1589, and Fru Ide Ulfstand was appointed hofmesterinde to her new household. In Scotland, Margaret Stewart, Mistress of Ochiltree seems to have fulfilled the role.Michael Pearce, 'Anna of Denmark: Fashioning a Danish Court in Scotland', The Court Historian, 24:2 (2019), p. 146.
When the office was vacant the tasks were taken over by the second in command, the kammarfrøken. This was also the case when the office of hofmesterinde to the queen was left vacant in 1808–23 and 1839–45, and was handled by Friederiche Amalie Marie Hedevig von der Manfe and Marie Ernestine Wilhelmine von Walterstorf respectively.Kongelig dansk hof- og statskalender
Christina of Saxony, 1481–1513 1490–1496: Sidsel Lunge 1503–1516: Anne Meinstrup
Isabella of Austria, 1515–1523 1516–1517: Anne Meinstrup 1517–1523: Sigbrit Willoms
Sophie of Pomerania, 1523–1533 1526–1533: Anne Meinstrup
Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg, 1534–1571 1557–1558: Fru Kirstine.Emil Madsen, Forskellige Forhold ved den danske Hofstat i det 16. Aarhundrede, særlig dets anden Halvdel. , Historisk Tidsskrift, Bind 7. række, 3 (1900 - 1902) 1558– : Anne Albertsdatter Glob-Urne.Emil Madsen, Forskellige Forhold ved den danske Hofstat i det 16. Aarhundrede, særlig dets anden Halvdel, Historisk Tidsskrift, Bind 7. række, 3 (1900 - 1902)
Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, 1572–1631 1572–1584: Inger Oxe 1584–1592: Beate Clausdatter Bille
Anne Catherine of Brandenburg, 1597–1612 1597–1612: Beate Huitfeldt
Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, 1648–1685 Lucie von Løschebrand 1657–1685: Maria Elisabeth von Haxthausen
Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, 1670–1714 1677–1692: Juliane Elisabeth von Uffeln 1695–1705: Dorothea Justina Haxthausen 1705–1707: Sophie Dorothea von Schack von Marschalck Louise Charlotte von Schlaberndorf
Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, 1699–1721 1699–1716: Abel Cathrine Buchwald
Anne Sophie Reventlow, 1721–1743 Fru von Grabow
Sophie Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, 1721–1770 Beate Henriette af Reuss-Lobenstein
Louise of Great Britain, 1746–1751 1746–1751: Christiane Henriette Louise Juel (first term)
Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, 1752–1796 1752–1754: Christiane Henriette Louise Juel (second term) 1757–1767: Karen Huitfeldt 1772–1784: Margrethe von der Lühe 1784–1793: Sophie Louise Holck-Winterfeldt
Caroline Matilda of Great Britain, 1766–1775 1766–1768: Louise von Plessen 1768–1768: Anne Sofie von Berckentin 1768–1770: Margrethe von der Lühe 1770–1772: Charlotte Elisabeth Henriette Holstein 1772–1775: Cathrine Charlotte von der Horst
Marie of Hesse-Kassel, 1808–1852 1808–1823: Vacant 1823–1839: Lucie Charlotte Sehestedt Juul 1839–1852: Vacant
Caroline Amalie of Augustenburg, 1839–1881 1839–1845: Vacant 1845–1859: Ingeborg Christiane Rosenørn
Louise of Hesse-Kassel, 1863–1898 1864–1876: Ida Marie Bille 1876–1888: Julia Adelaide Harriet Raben-Levetzau 1888–1898: Louise Bille-Brahe (first term)
Louise of Sweden, 1906–1926 1906–1910: Louise Bille-Brahe (second term)
Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 1912–1952 1912–1935: Louise Grevenkop-Castenskiold 1935–1952: Inger Wedell
Chief court mistresses of Germany The Austrian court model was the role model for the princely courts in Germany, and the post of Obersthofmeisterin, or only hofmeisterin, existed in the princely (and later royal) German courts as well.
The German court model in turn became the role model of the early modern Scandinavian courts of Denmark and Sweden.
Chief court mistress to the queens of Prussia and empresses of Germany
Sophia Louise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 1708–1713 Countess von Wittgenstein ValendarAtkinson, Emma Willsher: Memoirs of the queens of Prussia, London : W. Kent
Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, 1713–1757 Sophie von Kameke Susanna Magdalena Finck von Finckenstein
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, 1740–1797 1740–1742: Christiane von Katsch (the same position with the crown princess since 1733) 1742–1766: Sophie Caroline von Camas 1766–1797: Charlotte Albertine von Kannenberg
Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt, 1786–1805
Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, 1797–1810 1797–1810: Sophie Marie von Voß (the same position with the crown princess since 1793)
Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, 1840–1873 Wilhelmine van Reede-Ginkel
Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, 1861–1891 Gabriele von Bülow
Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, 1888–1918 Therese von Brockdorff
Chief court mistresses of the Netherlands In the 16th-century, the principal lady-in-waiting in the courts of the Habsburg governors of the Netherlands, Margaret of Austria and Mary of Hungary (governor of the Netherlands), was named hofmesterees ('Court mistress') or dame d'honneur.Jacqueline Kerkhoff: Maria van Hongarije en haar hof 1505–1558: tot plichtsbetrachting uitverkoren
The principal female office holder in the royal court of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the 19th century was named Grootmeesteres ('Grand Mistress').Dianne Hamer: Sophie: biografie van Sophie van Würtemberg (1818–1877) op basis van brieven en dagboken, 2011S Gravenhaagsche” Stads-Almanak: voor 1857
Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands, 1815–1837
1818–1824: Agneta Margaretha Catharina Fagel-Boreel 1823–1837: Sophie Wilhelmina barones van Heeckeren van Kell (1772–1847)
Anna Pavlovna of Russia, 1840–1865 1840–1844: Sophie Wilhelmina barones van Heeckeren van Kell (1772–1847) 1844–1850: Rose Amour Caroline Aya Gislène(Zézette) Falck, geb. barones De Roisin (1792–1850) 1850–1852: Johanna Philippina Hermanna barones van Knobelsdorff (1772–1860)
Sophie of Württemberg, 1849–1877
1849–1858: Anna Maria Margaretha Deutz van Assendelft – Rendorp (1797–1858) 1858–1878: Alida van der Oudermeulen barones van Wickevoort Crommelin (1806–1883)
Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, 1879–1934 1879–1894: Leopoldine Marie gravin van Limburg Stirum (1817–1894) 1894–1909: Wilhelmina Elizabeth Charlotta gravin Van Lynden van Sandenburg (1869–1930)
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, 1890–1962
1909–1938: Agneta Hendrika Groeninx van Zoelen-Van de Poll (1857–1933) 1924–1938: Gerarda Cornelia barones van Nagell (1878–1946) 1938–1954: Cornelie Marie, barones van Tuyll van Serooskerken
Juliana of the Netherlands, 1948–2004 1954–1957: Adolphine Agneta barones Van Heeckeren van Molecaten-Groeninx van Zoelen (1885–1967)
Chief court mistresses of Norway During the union of Sweden-Norway in 1814–1905, Sweden and Norway shared the same royal family. At that time, there were two Chief Court Mistress for the same queen: one as Queen of Sweden at the Swedish royal court when she lived in Sweden, and a separate Chief Court Mistress as Queen of Norway at the Norwegian royal court, who served in her post during the visits of the Swedish-Norwegian royal family to Norway.
Presently, the overhoffmesterinne in Norway acts as a vice hostess at the Norwegian royal court when the queen and the other female members of the royal family are absent.
Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp, 1814–1818 1817–1818: Karen Wedel-Jarlsberg
Désirée Clary, 1823–1861 1825–1844: Karen Wedel-Jarlsberg
Josephine of Leuchtenberg, 1844–1876 1844–1845: Karen Wedel-Jarlsberg 1846–1859: Fanny Løvenskiold
Louise of the Netherlands, 1859–1871 1859–1871: Juliane Cathrine Wilhelmine Wedel Jarlsberg
Sophia of Nassau, 1872–1905 1873–1887: Alette Due 1887–1905: Elise Løvenskiold
Maud of Wales, 1905–1938 1906–1925: Marie Magdalena Rustad 1925–1927: Emma Stang 1927–1938: Borghild Anker
Chief court mistresses of Russia In 1722, the Russian Imperial court was reorganized in accordance with the reforms of Peter the Great to Westernize Russia, and the old court offices of the Tsarina was replaced with court offices inspired by the German model. Accordingly, the new principal lady in waiting of the Russian empress was named Ober-Hofmeisterin.
Catherine I of Russia, 1713–1725
Matryona Balk Agrippina Petrovna Volkonskaia 1727–1727: Varvara Michajlovna Arsen'eva Volkov, Nikolay Egorovich: The court of the Russian emperors in his past and present: At 4 o'clock / Comp. NE Volkov. - St. Petersburg: print of R. Golike, 1900. (Волков Николай Егорович: ДВОР РУССКИХ ИМПЕРАТОРОВ В ЕГО ПРОШЛОМ И НАСТОЯЩЕМ)
Anna of Russia, 1730–1740 1730–1740: Tatyana Borisovna Golitsyna, spouse of Mikhail Mikhailovich Golitsyn (Field Marshal)Volkov, Nikolay Egorovich: The court of the Russian emperors in his past and present: At 4 o'clock / Comp. NE Volkov. - St. Petersburg: print of R. Golike, 1900. (Волков Николай Егорович: ДВОР РУССКИХ ИМПЕРАТОРОВ В ЕГО ПРОШЛОМ И НАСТОЯЩЕМ)
Elizabeth of Russia, 1741–1762 1741–1750: Tatyana Borisovna Golitsyna, spouse of Mikhail Mikhailovich Golitsyn (Field Marshal)Volkov, Nikolay Egorovich: The court of the Russian emperors in his past and present: At 4 o'clock / Comp. NE Volkov. - St. Petersburg: print of R. Golike, 1900. (Волков Николай Егорович: ДВОР РУССКИХ ИМПЕРАТОРОВ В ЕГО ПРОШЛОМ И НАСТОЯЩЕМ) 1760–1762: Anna VorontsovaVolkov, Nikolay Egorovich: The court of the Russian emperors in his past and present: At 4 o'clock / Comp. NE Volkov. - St. Petersburg: print of R. Golike, 1900. (Волков Николай Егорович: ДВОР РУССКИХ ИМПЕРАТОРОВ В ЕГО ПРОШЛОМ И НАСТОЯЩЕМ)
Catherine II of Russia, 1762–1796