Caroline of Brunswick (1768-1821)

I know other stuff happened today but I’m so full of queen that I’m struggling to focus! That excited feeling didn’t really dissipate so everything had an exclamation mark after it in my head: real sausages for breakfast! Blinis! Tea candy! This last is coarse granulated sugar but for some reason is specially packaged. I realised today would be the first time I would be catching a train without the rucksack – liberty! Luxury! Added to this it was a triple-decker so I had a wonderful view of the vaguely farm/vaguely industrial belt between Hannover and Brunswick. Don’t care, I was upstairs on a train! Know who else was upstairs? The guy with the most rigorous skin care regime in Germany, that’s who. He spent at least 10 minutes with his shoes off and trousers rolled up to his knees moisturising his legs. Is he a leg model? Some kind of athlete? Has he misunderstood a public health report about coronavirus? We’ll never know.

Brunswick is not an attractive town. You’ve got the old bit, where all the old buildings have new chain stores in them, including a Woolworths and a C&A, both of which merited a photo, as did the mad statue of a bunch of cats playing on a plinth. I didn’t feel on quite such solid ground walking around: Brunswick has trams, cars, buses and dedicated cycle lanes and it was hard to work out which way to look and what to look for at any given moment. It was safe, just confusing.

This has been the most troublesome and public gather so far. The cathedral is a dull half hour walk from the train station via no caches but I had the 2001 Brit Award album to entertain me. The cathedral wasn’t what I was expecting, but I’m in deep Lutheran territory so I have no way of reading a church the way I would at home. I did a lap of the nave and chancel first to see if I could just happen upon her. I found some stairs to the crypt which was littered with wooden coffins but no signs to say who was who. I did happen upon Henry II’s daughter Matilda in one creepy, candle-lit sub-crypt (I’m here for queens so I should say Eleanor of Aquitaine’s daughter) but I couldn’t be sure where to look without some help so I bit the bullet and asked the nice lady at the help desk. Between my terrible German and her valiant English we worked out that Caroline was in the crypt, number 8. I went back down, but 1-7 were so big I couldn’t see her. There was a locked gate stopping you from actually approaching the tombs (Anne of Bohemia could have done with one of those). I could have left it there. I could have said, like Caroline of Ansbach, I may not have actually seen her tomb, but I have been in its space so that counts. Well, that might be fine for Eleanor of Provence (buried under a nursing home) but I’ve come a long way for this gather so I went back to Frau Help Desk – having googled ‘is it possible to enter the crypt’ (ist est moglich die gruft betreden if I remember right) – and pressed my suit. No, not without a tour guide. OK, how do I get one of those? I have come all the way from England just to see that tomb. Hmm, not sure. Frau Help Desk calls Herr Help Desk while I step politely away and try not to listen while trying to listen. The end result being she is given the key and permitted to escort me into the crypt. At least at Westminster there are so many people no-one really notices one weepy loon, but here she was watching me and of course as soon as I saw the little casket I started crying. Like, ugly crying. It was very small, covered in red velvet with a mock crown on the head and a plaque which I shall have to steal from google because there’s no way my misty and shaky photo came out. It wasn’t really feasible to take more than a moment and a photo so I said as big a thanks as I could and am now sat in the nave gathering my thoughts.

---

---

So, the time has come to render a view of Caroline of Brunswick. This is difficult, as she is the first queen I have researched who was so very stupid. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve all had their moments, but Caroline’s moments seemed to last her entire life. It’s interesting that 300 years earlier, Anne of Cleves came from the same austere, segregated court and showed herself to be proud, resilient and a survivor. Though as I wrote that I realise that is also what Caroline was, just in a very different way. I have’t managed to find much about her upbringing except that she was not educated, that she was kept away from male society and that she could barely write, employing a secretary to write for her. When she was drafted as a wife for George, George III having stipulated that his sons might only marry German princesses so it was really a matter of when not if, her behaviour to Lord Malmesbury, who had been tasked with escorting her to her new home, shows how much of a child she was, blurting out whatever was on her mind, signally failing to take on his increasingly heavy hints, even bringing an extracted tooth to show him as evidence of her bravery. She appeared to have no filter, no sense of decorum, or going by more than one witness, personal hygiene. Imagine how bad things must have been for an English peer to comment on a noble woman’s cleanliness.

She was not all bad. During the long journey to England from Brunswick they had to detour and even start over because of the advancing French army under Napoleon and she never showed fear at the soldiers, but was afraid of losing Malmesbury. She may not have fully comprehended the danger she was in, thinking it inconceivable anything should happen to her, the centre of the universe. Despite Malmesbury trying to use the long journey to educate her, by the time she arrived in London she was no better, and stood in stark, wholly negative contrast to George’s current mistress, Lady Jersey. That George’s first instinct on meeting her was to demand drink and an interview with his mother, and hers was to say he was fatter than in his portrait pretty much seals the deal.

(There is a slight hiatus in my gather at this point as the cathedral is closing for lunch!)

Nonetheless she does her duty – twice if reports are to be believed – and regardless of their personal feelings, nine months later Charlotte Augusta is born. There isn’t much sense of the intervening period but the fact that Charlotte’s christening appears to be some kind of Rubicon for George is evident in his changing his will, leaving Caroline exactly one shilling and explicitly excluding her from the care and education of her own child. Given how Caroline would cling to the children around her later in life, this was either a terrible blow to an existing maternal desire, or the start of her obsession. Unfortunately she didn’t do herself any favours, using Charlotte as a prop in her endless PR battle to be loved by her people. It didn’t take long for George to make their separation formal, and Caroline removed herself to Blackheath where she made a general nuisance of herself, throwing parties at which she would conspicuously disappear with a favoured male guest for several hours, and confuse and alarm her country neighbours by her matchmaking and pretending to be pregnant. This last is absolutely bonkers – one of her friends was expecting and presumably not wanting to be left out she claims she is too. This is accompanied by the sudden arrival of William Austin, a bonny baby boy into her household, actually adopted from a local pauper family. For the Princess of Wales to suddenly have a baby is a serious threat to the monarchy and the Delicate Investigation begins, with all manner of tall tales about Caroline’s behaviour being slung about. Even after 11 years as part of the English royal family she remains totally tone deaf – how? She could be calculating and manipulative which requires some intelligence but she seemed utterly incapable off seeing beyond herself and her desires. Her taking in local children was about being seen to be charitable and having people required to love her. So was her use of Charlotte. When her mother fled the invading French, Caroline saw it as an opportunity to be received by the king and queen, and in giving up her house to her mother, hoped to be closer to the court, disappointed at only getting rooms at Kensington and not St. James. She just could not keep a lid on her need to be loved and noticed.

Eventually George III succumbed to porphyry and the Regency began. Another couple of years of increasingly fraught letters and avoidances follow until Caroline finally decides to go home. She’s given a pension, her pick of retinue and sets out for Brunswick, though as with a lot of Caroline’s ideas it doesn’t last and after a fortnight at her family court she is probably reminded of why she was happy to leave. And so begins a 5-6 year nomadic holiday, arriving and departing when she pleases, being received as the Princess of Wales with none of the attendant responsibilities and engaging in whatever extra-marital affairs fall in her lap. She was absolutely at her own leisure, free to do whatever ridiculous or scandalous thing popped into her head like wearing trousers or riding into Nazareth on a donkey: making friends with Napoleon’s brother, or inventing the Order of St. Caroline and making her lover, Pergami, the Grand Master. Did she think she would be left alone? Did she think she could consort with kings and popes and for her behaviour to a) not be known and b) not have consequences?

---

---

On the subject of Pergami, despite her vehement denials I think it highly likely they were lovers, though there are witnesses on both sides. I think Caroline’s denials were from a childish desire not to get in trouble and a distaste at being questioned. I think Pergami used her, and I think she knew it. I think she saw him as attractive and willing to create this ersatz family with her and William Austin, and that was enough. As far as the Milan Commission and Caroline’s ‘trial’ goes, I feel like I want to say as little as possible because in every biography I’ve read it has been placed at the centre of her life instead of what must have been a difficult few months near the end of it. But it is also possibly where she shines: that courage, regardless of where it came from or whether it was realistic, that had shown itself as she was transported through Germany and Holland came back. I have to admire her sheer bloody-mindedness in the face of overwhelming odds, almost complete ostracisation by her class and the growing understanding even by her dense brain that she was being used by the men around her. It must have been exhausting. I find it strange that more isn’t known about those months when England seemed to be literally on the brink of revolution and a group of unscrupulous men saw Caroline as the figurehead, as the victim of a corrupt aristocracy to be pitied and rallied around. There were public demonstrations, riots, newspaper printers were torched, as were quite a few peers’ homes. She didn’t attend the House of Lords every day of her trial, but she did attend, and heard members of the House ask the most personal, prying questions of friends and servants, knowing it would be repeated verbatim in the newspapers. I think the painting by George Hayter more than any of the romantic portraits captures the best of Caroline’s character: determined, unflinching, refusing to back down as damning evidence is given against her. That was her crowning triumph, and albeit through luck and the political powder keg the government was sitting on, she came through. Despite all the evidence and two votes against her, it was just too dangerous to find her guilty. She had won against her class, against George, against the traitors in her own household.

If only she could have ridden out the last few waves. Whether through greed, impatience or stupidity – or a combination of all three – she gave away her advantage and accepted the £50k pension from the government, meaning she had no bargaining power left. She was humiliated at George’s coronation, being literally barred from entering Westminster Cathedral on George’s orders and forced to ride away to cries from the crowd of ‘go back to Pergami’. Within days she was diagnosed with what was probably bowel cancer and made a dignified end to an undignified life, speaking with fondness at the end of her children, both biological and adopted, but not a word of Pergami. Per her wishes her coffin was transported back to Brunswick where it rests in the cathedral crypt.

---

---

This is the first time I have come close to disliking a queen. I disagree with almost all her choices and motives and my overall impression of her is Lydia from Pride and Prejudice. But she never gave up. When she felt herself wronged, she complained. When she saw an opportunity to make her lot better, she took it. She looked for pleasure and avoided pain. She was independent and not afraid to change her mind or direction if it became expedient. She was not afraid to do the difficult thing and she fought for the love she so desperately needed. She was impetuous, poorly educated, narcissistic and too trusting of her own limited charms but she was also a thorn in the side of her ridiculous husband for their whole married life and if for nothing else I can love and admire her for that. Caroline of Brunswick, Queen of England, I honour you.

I’ve covered the cathedral, though I forgot to say that Frau Helpdesk gave me a copy of a German biography of Caroline before she threw me out – I put 10 euros in the collection pot which may have been insulting as I think she meant for me to have it. Around the corner I found Cafe Zeit where I ordered some tea and a weird sausage and egg soup to continue mulling. While I was there a lady came and asked if I was writing a book at which point all my German failed me, I stammered something about the cathedral and she nodded and smiled at me as though I was mentally deficient. I got a second cup of tea, purely because I’ve been dying to use ‘noch ein’ since my last time in Germany, and set off for the train station. I did go via a shoe shop to get some better insoles: they were having a closing down sale so after I carefully counted out the 5.95, the cashier took 50c and gave me back the rest. Bargain!

I forgot to mention that while I was gathering my thoughts in the cathedral a chap was hoovering the alter and tomb of Henry the Lion. You don’t see that at Westminster Abbey.

Most of the way back was just streets but I took a detour through a park close to the station and was rewarded with the most exotic wildlife so far, mooses notwithstanding. Red squirrels, rabbits and what I have since identified as Fieldfares. I think. The German bird watching site did not have excellent photos, but its the closest I could get. Still haven’t identified the black and white cormorant-type bird I saw at Malmohus. Or I have and it actually is one of the incredibly rare species normally only found in Africa or Australia. Could go either way.

I bought a fridge magnet at the station, once again enjoyed the futuristic facilities this time accompanied by weird Logan’s Run/Stranger Things instrumentals on a loop, and ascended to the platform (literally, stairs can fuck off at this point) where my train was already waiting. 45 minutes of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and I was ‘home’. Changed up my final 200sek, hit up Burger King and staggered back to the hotel where true to form fell asleep about 8pm and woke about 5am.

---

The Life of Caroline of Brunswick (or what we know of it)

1768

• 17 May: Caroline Amelia Elizabeth is born to Duke Charles William Ferdinand of Brunswick and Princess Augusta of Great Britain. She is the niece of the reigning British monarch George III. Her title is Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel

1794

• 26 December: Word arrives from Prince George, Prince of Wales permitting Lord Malmesbury and Caroline to begin their journey, though she is not permitted to bring her secretary Mlle Rosenweit
• 29 December: Caroline leaves the Brunswick court accompanied by Lord Malmesbury and her mother Augusta. On the trip Caroline has a tooth pulled which she shows to Malmesbury as evidence of her ordeal. He reports he finds the gesture ‘nasty and indelicate’.

1795

• 1 January: Caroline’s party receives news that Napoleon’s army has crossed the Dutch border, though news that they had retreated comes swiftly after
• 6 March: Lord Malmesbury receives orders to head for Stadt after being turned back to Osnabruck by French fighting. Caroline would continue from there by sea under escort by the British Royal Navy
• 24 March: Caroline and her retinue leave Hanover again. Caroline’s father the Duke, frightened by the French fighting encourages Malmesbury to go to Berlin separately but Caroline won’t hear of being separated from him
• 28 March: Caroline and Malmesbury board the Jupiter for the Channel crossing to England from Cuxhaven
• 1 April: Caroline’s ship the Jupiter gets caught in fog off Great Yarmouth and is forced to rest at anchor for several days
• 5 April: Caroline and Malmesbury transfer to the Augusta to sail up the Thames to Greenwich. They arrive at mid-day but cannot disembark until 1pm when the welcoming committee finally arrives. Caroline is affronted by George’s mistress, Lady Jersey, who insists on Caroline changing her dress and wearing more make-up. Later that afternoon Caroline and Prince George meet for the first time, whereupon they embrace but George leaves abruptly, demanding wine and an interview with his mother. Caroline is reported as saying after their meeting ‘I find him very fat and nothing like as handsome as his portrait’. Lady Jersey is present at their first dinner that night which disconcerts Caroline. Her attempts at conversation are seen as vulgar by George and Jersey.
• 8 April: Caroline and Prince George are married at St. James’ chapel. Caroline is weighed down by her wedding dress and George is noticeably drunk. On their first night together, according to George they had sex twice and by her appearance, her comments and her lack of hymenal blood she was not ‘new’ and he was disgusted by her uncleanliness. According to Caroline he fell asleep drunk on the hearth.
• 11 April: Caroline meets her uncle George III and her familiarity and ease with the king is commented upon, though he appears to enjoy it. The king presents Caroline to crowds at Windsor, though Prince George absents himself
• Summer: After their honeymoon at Kempshot, which is attended by more of Prince George’s friends than Caroline had expected, the couple retire to Brighton. George allows Caroline £5,000 from his own income, as pin money, on top of the £7-8,000 allowed for her household, though as a cost-cutting measure she is not permitted maids of honour – though this decision is reversed in case it makes the Prince appear miserly
• 24 November: Caroline and Prince George remove to Carlton House in London for Caroline’s lying in

1796

• 7 January: After a 12 hour labour, Caroline gives birth to her first child, a daughter named Charlotte Augusta after her two grandmothers. Prince George describes the child as ‘immense’.
• 8 January: Caroline is visited by the Queen Charlotte and five of her daughters, the king unable to attend experiencing a bilious attack
• 10 January: Prince George re-writes his will leaving all his worldly goods to his former mistress Maria Fitzherbert, while to ‘her who is call’d the Princess of Wales’ he leaves one shilling. He also explicitly stated that Caroline should have no concern in her daughter’s care or education, writing ‘the convincing and repeated proofs…of her entire want of judgement and of feeling make me deem it incumbent upon me…to prevent by all means possible the child’s falling into such improper and bad hands as hers’. He requires all jewellery given to Caroline to be taken back and given to Charlotte.
• 11 February: Caroline’s daughter Princess Charlotte is christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. According to the nursery rules laid our by Prince George, Caroline could see Charlotte briefly each day either before or after she takes a walk in the gardens at Carlton House
• Mid-April: Caroline writes to Prince George asking him to see her more regularly and not force her to have to suffer the presence of Lady Jersey’s attendance. He replies that she had Lady Jersey to thank for their being married, and that she can always call on the company of her ladies in waiting
• Late April: after a long correspondence Prince George tries to end communication with Caroline asking for peace and tranquillity. Shortly after Caroline attends the opera and is greeted by cheers, which George believes has been orchestrated by Caroline
• 30 April: Prince George writes to Caroline from Windsor announcing his intention to separate. Caroline removes to a private house at Blackheath, and treats his letter of separation as licence to consider herself free to do as she wishes. She establishes her own court, as the mother of the future queen, and builds a reputation for flirtatiousness, often leaving her own dinners or parties with a man for several hours at a time
• May: It is reported in the press that Lady Jersey has intercepted a letter to Caroline from her family in Brunswick which contained unflattering comments about Jersey and the royal family. Caroline is supported by the press for having her private mail opened
• 13 June: After the election of a Whig over a Tory in Westminster, the celebratory procession passes by Carlton House and shouts to see the Princess and child. Caroline shows Princess Charlotte off to the crowd from the nursery windows and then takes a carriage ride with her through the crowds, confirming Prince George’s opinion she was aligned with his political enemies. After this incident Lady Jersey resigns

1797

• January: Martha, Countess of Elgin takes over as Princess Charlotte’s governess. Caroline begins taking her daughter for carriage rides, making her popular with the public, though not with the rest of the royal family

1798

• April: George III, while suffering the after effects of what Queen Charlotte calls a cold but is likely the early stages of a new attack of porphyria, abruptly leaves Buckingham House to call on Caroline, who is breakfasting in bed when he arrives. He assures her she would receive the kindest of treatment from all his family but one. Caroline also relates a story of one of the King’s other visits when he attempts to rape her. After seeming to recover, he still regularly rides to Blackheath to dine with Caroline
  
  December: Prince George invites Caroline to spend the winter at Carlton House. She refuses and remains at her house at Blackheath, her home for the next 16 years. Her parties start to gain a reputation as not the sort for young ladies to attend, even with a chaperone

1804

• August: Caroline calls for Princess Charlotte, telling her governess she had been summoned by the king. Lady Elgin is uneasy about the breach of protocol, but goes along. The king receives them alone and tells Caroline that Prince George is negotiating the king taking over care of Charlotte. Prince George sees the whole event as a way for Caroline to take control of his daughter

1806

• May: A secret, four-man enquiry begins to look into allegations of adultery on Caroline’s behalf, known as the Delicate Investigation. Caroline’s neighbour Lady Douglas, while giving evidence, suggests Caroline had tried to both ensnare her in a lesbian relationship and ‘pair her off’ with Prince George’s younger brother William. She also claimed that Caroline had given birth to a son in 1802. This child was likely William Austin, a boy Caroline adopted from a local family.  Caroline is not permitted to defend herself before the committee. It finds her innocent of having an illegitimate child but condemns her behaviour
• September: A copy of the report from the Delicate Investigation is finally sent to Caroline, after months of begging
• 2 October: Caroline publishes a 160-page rebuttal to the Delicate Investigation
• October: The carriage Caroline is riding in overturns. She escapes but her travelling companon, Miss Cholmondeley is killed.
• 10 November: Caroline’s father Duke Charles dies from wounds inflicted leading his troops into battle against the French. After this, Brunswick is captured, meaning Caroline can not now return home. On hearing the news she takes to her bed ill with grief and shock

1807

• 18 May: Caroline attends the opera receiving a tumultuous welcome having been formally received back into the royal family after the Delicate Investigation
  
  June: Caroline is received at court by the George III and Queen Charlotte
  
  7 July: Caroline’s mother Augusta arrives in England fleeing form the French advance and is received by her brother George III, though Prince George absents himself so as to avoid Caroline. While in England Augusta moves into Caroline’s residence Montague House at Blackheath, while Caroline, who had hoped to be invited to St. James, moves into rooms at Kensington Palace

1811

• 6 February: Prince George is sworn in as Regent as a result of George III’s sudden decline in health
• June: Prince George hosts a gala for 2,000 people at Carlton House, nominally for the exiled French royal family but really celebrating his own Regency. Caroline is not invited, though she encourages her ladies to accept and lends them her carriage

1812

• June: Caroline’s visits with Princess Charlotte are further restricted to once a fortnight when Charlotte may travel to Kensington, but on no account may Caroline visit Charlotte at Windsor as Prince George would be there

1813

• 14 January: Caroline sends a letter of complaint, drafted by her new advisor Henry Brougham, against the Delicate Investigation and her subsequent treatment, and the restrictions imposed upon her seeing Princess Charlotte. The letter is returned unopened three times until Caroline sends it instead to Lord Liverpool on the understanding he would read it aloud to Prince George
• 13 March: Prince George retaliates against Caroline by leaking the depositions against her in the Delicate Investigation. Brougham fights back by leaking all the testimonies in Caroline’s favour
• 11 April: Caroline writes to her London agent instructing them to pay £100 each to Matthew Wood and Samuel Whitbread, both reformers, towards the education of their children
• Winter: Montague House at Blackheath is sold to pay off Caroline’s debts, and she moves to a house in Bayswater
• 12 December: Princess Charlotte accepts the proposal of marriage from the Prince of Orange – she did not want to have to constantly travel between England and Holland and has it written into the marriage contract that she would never be made to travel abroad without her consent – which is agreed to by the Prince of Orange, but not by her father Prince George.

1814

• 8 August: Caroline sets sail from Lansing on the Jason, accompanied by her adopted son William and a personally selected retinue, and the promise of an annuity of £35,000
• August: Caroline arrives in Brunswick which has been restored to her family
• August: After only staying in Brunswick for two weeks, Caroline finds the austere atmosphere of her brother’s court unpleasant and departs for Italy
• October: Caroline arrives in Rome where a ball is held in her honour at which she dances in little more than a shift, scandalous even to Roman society. She also meets and forms an attachment to Lucien Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother
• December: Caroline arrives in Naples and forms an attachment to the King and Queen, with whom she lives. As England and Naples are only observing an armistice, not actual peace, this proves increasingly embarrassing to the English parliament. Without her knowledge her movements are being reported by spies from most European countries, as well as Prince George’s private informants, as he tries to find evidence for a divorce. His personal spy, Friedrich Ompteda reported that the King of Naples has been raped by Caroline, having no other way to describe her extravagant behaviour. Others reported on her attachment to her Italian courier, Bartolomeo Pergami

1815

• Spring: Caroline has withdrawn from the King and Queen of Naples in favour of Pergami, though it is reported that he his impotent from a war wound. Many of Caroline’s retinue are starting to find her behaviour insupportable and leave
• 5 March: Caroline attends a ball given by the Naples minister of finance, at which Napoleon’s mistress Countess Walewski is in attendance. The ball is abandoned half way through when it is reported that Napoleon has escaped from Elba a week earlier. The English parliament urge Caroline to leave Naples, which she agrees to, via Genoa, Milan, Ravenna, finally purchasing property at Lake Como
• 16 June: Caroline’s brother Fredrick William is killed at the battle of Quatre-Bras

1816

• January: Caroline sets sail for Syracuse from Messina. While in Sicily she manages to acquire two titles for Pergami meaning he is technically high ranking enough to be her chamberlain
• April: Caroline sets sail in the newly refitted and renamed Princess Caroline for Tunis. While there, a British traveller writes home having seen her wearing low cut dresses which only reach her knees, showing thigh high boots. Others reported she was dressed in trousers
• May: Caroline’s daughter Princess Charlotte marries Prince Leopold of Saxe Coburg, setting up house at Claremont House in Surrey
• 8 May: Caroline arrives in Athens
• 11 June: Caroline arrives in Nazareth, by donkey. While there she nominates William Austin and Pergami as members of the Knights of the High Order of Jerusalem, at which they both swear to be of noble birth and Caroline institutes the Order of St. Caroline, of which Pergami is Grand Master
• 15 August: Caroline arrives back in Rome where she is received by the pope
• 3 November: Caroline’s daughter Princess Charlotte goes into labour for 50 hours, after suffering two miscarriages during the previous year
• 5 November: Caroline’s daughter Princess Charlotte gives birth to a stillborn boy
• 6 November: Caroline’s daughter Princess Charlotte dies from complications during her pregnancy

1817

• August: Caroline sells her house at Lake Como and moves to Pesaro, hoping to avoid English tourists and spies
• 30 November: The courier carrying Prince Leopold’s letter regarding Princess Charlotte’s death to the pope is intercepted at Pesaro. On hearing the news, Caroline is reported as saying ‘this is not only my last hope gone, but what has England lost?’

1818

• Summer: Prince George creates a commission to seriously investigate Caroline with the hope of divorce, which would come to be known as the Milan Commission. While Caroline is never informed of the commissions’ activities, she became aware of them as they investigated her.

1819

• March: Brougham’s brother is sent to check on Caroline as there is a fear Pergami is mishandling her money and household. He describes how his portrait hangs in every room and his whole family lives at Caroline’s expense
• Spring: Worried about the Milan Commission, Caroline suggests she would accept a divorce if the settlement was large enough and that she could stay away from England. English law would not permit divorce by consent, so she would have to admit to adultery. Parliament supported the idea of a separation and Caroline’s renunciation of the crown, but for his own reasons, Brougham does not communicate this offer to Caroline
• July: The evidence of the Milan Commission is reviewed by the cabinet, who decide that though adultuery could be proved it would be worse to air the crown’s dirty laundry and preferred to allow Caroline to simply remain abroad
• September: Caroline launches her own investigation to find out which of her household betrayed her by giving evidence to the Milan Commission
• October: Caroline receives a passport for France and begins her journey back to England, ready to fight her corner. She is warned not to by the Prime Minister, who also informs her she would not be received by the royal court in Paris

1820

• January: Having changed her mind, Caroline sets sail from Marseilles via Monaco to Leghorn. She is there to receive the news of the death of George III – and that she is now queen consort of Great Britain
• 31 January: At the proclomation of Prince George as King George IV, the cry of ‘God save the queen’ had been made, such was Caroline’s popularity
• February: On arrival in Rome, Caroline is denied a guard of honour unless she accepts it as the Duchess of Brunswick, rather than the Queen Consort of Great Britain. She is also denied an audience with the pope. Many English nobles and their wives in the city shun her company
• 12 February: George IV forces an order through parliament banning priests from listing Caroline’s name among the royal family during the liturgy
• 14 February: George IV meets with Lord Castlereagh to try to force his government to allow divorce proceedings. He is persuaded otherwise, mostly out of fear of having all his amours publicised, and permits an offer to Caroline of £50,000 to stay out of England
• 17 February: At a performance at Drury Lane, God Save the King is interrupted by radicals showering the audience with pamphlets with an extra stanza titled God Save Queen Caroline. The opportunity to sing the new verse is not taken up
• April: George IV’s spies report Caroline is as attached to Pergami as ever
• April: A letter from Caroline to Lord Liverpool detailing her humiliations on the continent is made public, saying ‘England is my real home, to which I shall immediately fly’. The public start laying wagers on when she will arrive in the country
• 4 June: Brougham and Lord Hutchinson meet Caroline in Calais and present her with the previous offer, with the addition that if she set foot in England all the evidence the Milan Commission will be made public. She is also forbidden from assuming the title of queen – though this had not been agreed by parliament. She immediately rejects it
• 5 June: Caroline arrives at Dover, met by a jubilant crowd. She stays overnight at Canterbury before continuing on to London. In the nights that follow her arrival, mobs roam the streets smashing windows of anyone who does not support the queen
• 6 June: George IV sends Lord Liverpool and Castlereagh to the House of Commons and Lords to declare his intentions of taking legal action against Caroline and sharing all the evidence of the Milan Commission. Each house sets up a secret committee to review the evidence independently
• 7 June: Henry Brougham brings a message to parliament from Caroline requesting an open investigation. He also reopens negotiations between Caroline and the government
• 15 June: The 3rd Regiment of Guards, attached to the King’s Mews, mutinies after it hears that Caroline has been sent to the Tower, leading the government to question the fidelity of all militia regiments
• 24 June: William Wilberforce, after presenting and winning a resolution in the House of Commons calling on the queen not to demand all her rights but compromise, visits Caroline’s residence – she rejects the request immediately
• 26 June: Caroline writes to the House of Lords reiterating the injustice of an investigation at which she, her counsel and witnesses are excluded. Brougham and Denman are allowed to speak on Caroline’s behalf but the request is voted down.
• July: Italian men and women begin arriving at Dover to give their testimonies against Caroline. At least one group is set upon by a mob and are forced to flee. Eventually a separate residence is set up for them all at Cotton Garden
• July: Caroline sets up house at 22 Portman Street, a modest house with a small coach, emphasizing her identification with the general population
• 3 July: William Benbow plasters London with placards saying ‘Proposal to Murder the Queen’, suggesting Caroline’s life was in danger from the parliamentary investigation. It is possible the funds for the campaign came indirectly from Caroline, via Matthew Wood. Benbow takes bribes from George IV’s agents to cease publication but continues his activities regardless.
• 4 July: The House of Lords committee responds that the evidence against Caroline attributes conduct ‘of the most licentious character’. The recommendation was that legislative proceedings should begin
• 5 July: The Lords meet to hear the bill read, titled ‘An act to deprive her majesty Queen Caroline Amelia Elizabeth of the titles, prerogatives, rights, privileges and exemptions, of Queen Consort of this realm, and to dissolve the marriage between his majesty and the said Caroline Amelia Elizabeth’
• 15 July: Caroline gives the job of secretary, in charge of replying to the messages and addresses that come to her from individuals and organisations, to William Cobbett. From this point on her replies become decidedly partisan and republican
• 16 July: Cobbett drafts and open letter from Caroline to George IV complaining in uncompromising terms of her treatment and demand for a fair and open trial
• 17 July: The trial of Caroline in front of the House of Lords begins. London is packed with mounted troops ready to keep the peace, a provcative move given the memorial services for the Peterloo victims are still being held in the north.
• August: William Cobbett has a pamphlet published titled ‘A Peep at the Peers’ which lists the salary and alleged corruption of each of the Lords in the House, and dedicates it to Caroline
• 19 August: The prosecution’s case against Caroline opens. She does not attend to hear the charges heard against her, led by the Attorney General Sir Robert Gifford. His opening remarks, which last all day and are reproduced verbatim in the daily newspapers, list Caroline’s moving Pergami’s room closer to her own, being affectionate with him in public, allowing him to be present while she changes clothes and appearing not to sleep in her own bed.
• 21 August: The first witness for the prosecution is called – Theodore Majocci. As he is led in Caroline confronts him with either a cry of ‘Theodore’ or ‘traditore’ and rushes out of the chamber. This is seen by many as proof of her guilt. Afterwards, Denman and Brougham advise her to absent herself from the trial unless she is needed. She disagrees and attends regularly, if not every day. Majocchi’s evidence is considered weak after, under cross examination, he repeats that he did not remember more than 200 times.
• 23 August: Witness Vincenzo Garguilo, master of a ship that Caroline and Pergami travelled on, admitts to being bribed to come to England and testify against her
• 25 August: Witness Thomas Briggs, captain of the Leviathan, swear he never saw any improper familiarity between Caroline and Pergami, despite appearing for the prosecution. Witness Barbara Kress, an inn-keeper from Carlsruhe testifies that she had seen fresh white stains on Caroline’s sheets one morning
• 30 August: Caroline’s former maid Louise Demont testifies to seeing Pergami leaving Caroline’s room wearing only a shirt and slippers, that Pergami’s daughter had taken to calling Caroline ‘mama’, and that Caroline had had a portrait painted of herself as a bare-breatsed Magdalene. Under cross-examination she is accused of lying and receiving bribes, the defence assisted by Demont’s sister who had remained in service with and loyal to Caroline
• 2 September: Countess Leuven writes to her lover describing Caroline’s behaviour – that she attends the House of Lords every day but does not often go into the chamber, preferring to play backgammon with Matthew Wood
• 5 September: The prosecution against Caroline is summed up by Solicitor General John Copley
• 13 September: Caroline is presented with an address from British seamen, assuring her of their support and regard, one of many hundreds to arrive during the trial
• 3 October: Brougham opens the case for the defence. He focuses on how the Italian witnesses had been discredited, that no English woman could be found to testify against Caroline and that no individual testimony could be corroborated by a second party. Most of the witnesses for the defence are English, though not all their testimony is believed, or credible. One English polacca captain confirmed that Caroline and Pergami had slept in the same tent on board ship, Caroline claiming it was necessary in case of attacks from pirates
• Mid October: Giuseppe Giaroline, an Italian builder testifies that after completing somme building work at Villa D’Este, he had not been paid. A previous witness, Giuseppe Restelli had offered to make sure he would be paid in exchange for information about Caroline. Brougham tried to recall Restelli back to the stand but he had been sent back to Milan, prompting an outcry of bribery and witness tampering from the defence. The defence began to change tack, attempting to prove the existence of a conspiracy against Caroline, rather than her innocence
• 30 October: Caroline, tired of being the face of the radical cause and worried about the effects it has on her case and the country, ceases to receive addresses in person
• 3 November: The House of Lords votes on the Bill of Pains and Penalties: the vote is returned 123 in favour, or guilty, and 95 against, or innocent. With a mjority of only 28, the government has no confidence the bill would pass through the House of Commons. Instead the Lords agree to debate dropping the divorce clause form the bill. Caroline makes a statement saying if the whole thing was disbanded she would never mention it again – suggesting that if it continued she would resort, through her defence, to recrimination against George IV
• 10 November: The bill is read again to the House of Lords and the second vote is carried by 108 against dropping the clause, to 99 in favour, with a majority of only 9. However the Prime Minister announces that for the sake of the stability of the country, which is seriously in question give then number of protest rallies and riots using Caroline as a figurehead for the radical and reformers’ cause, they would not proceed with the bill.  When informed of the news of what amounted to an acquittal, Caroline replied ‘Regina still, in spite of them’. George IV confides to Lord Sidmouth that the trial had brought him so low that he was considering retiring to Hanover leaving the kingdom in the care of his brother the Duke of York. Celebrations were held across the capital and the country, with reportedly larger crowds and illuminations than those at the triumph at Waterloo
• 10-15 November: The offices of many newspapers that supported to the government instead of Caroline are torched
• November: In writing to Lady Charlotte Lindsay, Caroline complains that the affair has been more about politics than saving ‘ a poor forlorn woman’ but that she should be grateful as it could have been much worse
• 16 November: An Italian called Iacinto Greco gives evidence to one of George’s agents that he had walked in on Caroline and Pergami having sex, and that he had been dismissed the next day
• 29 November: Caroline attends a service of thanksgiving at St. Paul’s. The psalm read was ‘Deliver me, O Jehovah, from the evil man, preserve me from the wicked man’.
• 17 December: The first edition of ‘John Bull’, a pro-monarchy and constitution newspaper is printed, attacking Caroline and the radical agenda
• December: John Wilson Croker writes and publishes ‘A letter from the King to his people’ telling George’s side of the story. Public sympathy begins to noticeably shift from Caroline to George

1821

• 26 January: Sir Archibald Hamilton puts a motion before the House of Commons to restore Caroline’s name to the liturgy – it is defeated by 310 votes to 209
• 31 January: Caroline delivers an address to the House of Commons that she will accept no financial settlement as long as she is excluded from the liturgy. However when Lord Liverpool offers her a pension of £50,000, she accepts against the strenuous advice of Brougham and her former defence team, who view this as an utter betrayal
• 3 March: Caroline sends a letter to George IV stating her hope that her accepting the pension is the beginning of a softening between them and that he might replace her name in the liturgy. In accepting the money she gives up any bargaining power she had, and George does not restore her
• March: Caroline writes to Lord Liverpool threatening to attend George IV’s next Drawing Room with a petition demanding retoration to the liturgy, though she doesn’t follow through
• March: Caroline entertains a man named Bisquetti at her home in Hammersmith, who may have been Pergami. She continues to write to Pergami in Milan and continues to have a large number of Italian servants, against Matthew Wood’s advice
• April: Caroline writes to George IV regarding his coronation to which she is not invited, stating she would be attending regardless and asking what she should wear
• 19 June: An intelligence report suggests Caroline will attend the coronation, will be feted by the City of London beforehand and that violence is likely if she is not involved, making selling seats on the procession route difficult
• 19 July: On the day of the coronation, Caroline rides to Westminster Abbey where her entry is barred at the West and East doors. On presenting herself at a different door she and her attendant Lord Hood argues that she has a right to be admitted. Lord Hood offers his own Peers’ Ticket, though she she doesn’t take it, possibly afraid to enter alone. After much argument with the doorkeepers the door is eventually shut upon her. Being also barred by Gold Staff, she admits defeat and drives away in her carriage to cries form the crowd of ‘shame’ and ‘go back to Pergami’. George IV’s coronation goes ahead smoothly later that day
• Late July: Caroline becomes unwell with a pain in her bowels. Her doctors diagnose an obstruction and inform her it is likely fatal. She calmly begins setting her affairs in order and burning papers
• 3 August: Caroline signs her will in the presence of Brougham and Denman
• 7 August: Caroline of Brunswick dies at 10.25pm, likely from stomach cancer, but rumours abound she has been poisoned. In her final hours she speaks with fondness of her adopted son William and other children in her care, but never mentions Pergami. George IV, on hearing of her death orders that the minimum period of 3 weeks mourning be observed
• 14 August: Caroline’s funeral cortege sets off from Hammersmith to Harwich where it will board ship for Brunswick. The route is carefully planned to avoid the centre of London for fear radical sentiment will be re-enflamed by the sight of her carriage. Crowds mob the procession, trying to force it to pass through the city. Life Guards are pelted with rocks and they retaliate resulting in two deaths and several injuries. Finally the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate allows the procession to proceed through the city, though he is fired and condemned for cowardice for giving in to the common rabble. The coffin eventually reaches Harwich in the evening. 
• 25 August: Caroline is laid to rest at Brunswick Cathedral

References

• Robbins, Jane (2006) Rebel Queen: how the trial of Caroline brought England to brink of revolution. London, Simon & Schuster
• Holme, Thea (1979) Caroline: a biography of Caroline of Brunswick. London, Hamish Hamilton.