Elisa von Ahlefeldt

Elisa Davidia Margarethe Countess of Ahlefeldt (born 17 November 1788 at Trankjör Castle on Langland Island, Denmark, died 20 March 1855 in Berlin) was a German-Danish noblewoman and wife of the Prussian General-major and war hero Adolf von Lützow (1782–1834). Early l ife Elisa von Ahlefeldt was the only surviving child of Count Friedrich von Ahlefeldt-Laurvigen (1760-1832) and his first wife, Charlotte Louise von Hedemann (1762-1812). Biography She enjoyed an excellent education, but had an unhappy childhood. Domestic disputes, mostly caused by the extravagance and excesses of the father, ended the parents' marriage. In 1806 she was morganatically married to Danish Crown Prince Christian (later Christian VIII) and bore a daughter in 1807. This short, happy marriage, which had been concluded against the will of the father, was concealed, and the child kept away from Denmark. During a bathing trip to Bad Nenndorf with her mother, she met Prussian officer Ludwig Adolf Wilhelm von Lützow, who was cured there of a wound from Freischar Ferdinand von Schills while fighting against Napoleon. On 20 March 1810, she married him without her father's objection. The marriage was at first happy. When Lutzow built his freikorps in 1813, Elisa played a decisive part. She was enthusiastic about the advertising and equipment of the volunteers, accepted the reports in Breslau, and later devoted herself to the wounded. Theodor Körner, Friedrich Friesen and Petersdorff were among their most loyal friends. She was a close friend of Friedrich Friesen, and in 1843 she played a decisive role in commemorating the fact that he had been buried at the Berlin Old Garrison Cemetery 29 years after his death. In the fighting, she remained close to the corps, helping and nurturing (especially her often wounded husband).