Christiane Vulpius

Christiane Vulpius, drawn by Goethe

Johanna Christiana Sophie Vulpius (Weimar, 1 June 1765 – Weimar, 6 June 1816) was the mistress and wife of Johann Wolfgang Goethe.

Biography

In 1788, when a young woman of Weimar, Goethe addressed to her the Römische Elegien, an epithalamium. They lived together quasi-maritally from 1788 till their marriage in 1806, and afterward till her death in 1816, to the scandal of the ladies of Weimar and the vexation of Bettina von Arnim-Brentano. Friedrich Schiller's wife Charlotte von Lengefeld wrote of Goethe after Christiane's death, "The poor man wept bitterly. It grieves me that he should shed tears for such objects."^[1]

Christiane was the sister of Christian August Vulpius.

Children and grandchildren

Christine Vulpius and Goethe produced a son, Julius August Walther von Goethe (25 December 1789 – 28 October 1830). He was chamberlain to the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar. He married Ottilie von Pogwisch (31 October 1796 – 26 October 1872), a highly accomplished woman. She later cared for Goethe until he died in 1832. Karl August and Ottilie had three children: Walther Wolfgang, Freiherr von Goethe (9 April 1818 – 15 April 1885), known as a composer of operettas and songs; Wolfgang Maximilian, Freiherr von Goethe (18 September 1820 – 20 January 1883), a jurist and poet; and Alma von Goethe (29 October 1827 – 29 September 1844). Karl August died while on a visit to Rome.

References

1. ^ Damm, Sigrid, Christiane und Goethe: Eine Recherche (Frankfurt: Insel, 1998), quoted in Karin Barton, "Goethe über alles," Eighteenth-Century Studies, Vol. 34, No. 4 (Summer, 2001), pp. 630-637.

•  "Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von". New International Encyclopedia. 1906. 
•  "Goethe, August von". New International Encyclopedia. 1906. 

This article incorporates text from an edition of the New International Encyclopedia that is in the public domain.

Persondata
Name	Vulpius, Christiane
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1 June 1765
Place of birth
Date of death	6 June 1816
Place of death