Luise, Königin (Hanover, 1776-1810, Schloß Hohenzieritz nr. Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg), consort of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. A princess of Mecklenburg, she was married to Friedrich Wilhelm in 1793. Her unpretentious way of life and kindness of heart won her wide popularity. After the Prussian defeat at Jena she suffered hardship in the flight to East Prussia. In 1807 she sought an audience of Napoleon in order to plead for lenient terms of peace, but was brusquely received because she had earlier influenced Prussian policy in a pro-Russian sense. Soon after the royal family returned to Berlin she fell ill and died in a few months.

Luise was the mother of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV and of King Wilhelm I, who became the first German emperor. Her attractive character, the hardships she suffered, and her early death have made of her a national figure, commemorated by women's charities and organizations, and by numerous historical pictures and works of literature, mostly of a nationalistic character. Among these are two novels by Walter von Molo, Luise (1919) and Luise im Osten (1937), and a Novelle by Eckart von Naso, Die Begegnung (1936).

The Oxford Companion to German Literature. Copyright © 1976, 1986, 1997, 2005 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.