Amalia of Oldenburg
Amalia of Oldenburg (Greek: Αμαλία; 21 December 1818 – 20 May 1875) was a Bavarian princess who became Queen of Greece from 1836 to 1862 as the wife of King Otto Friedrich Ludwig. She was loved widely by the Greeks due to her patriotic love for the country and her beauty. During her tenure as queen, she was dedicated to social improvement and the founding of many gardens in Athens, and she was the first to introduce the worldwide Christmas tree to Greece.
| Amalia of Oldenburg | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler | |||||
| Queen consort of Greece | |||||
| Tenure | 22 December 1836 – 23 October 1862 | ||||
| Born | 21 December 1818 Oldenburg, Grand Duchy of Oldenburg | ||||
| Died | 20 May 1875 (aged 56) Bamberg, Kingdom of Bavaria | ||||
| Burial | Theatinerkirche (Munich) | ||||
| Spouse |
Otto of Greece
(m. 1836; died 1867) | ||||
| |||||
| House | Holstein-Gottorp | ||||
| Father | Augustus, Grand Duke of Oldenburg | ||||
| Mother | Princess Adelheid of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym | ||||
| Religion | Lutheranism | ||||
| Styles of Queen Amalia of Greece | |
|---|---|
| Reference style | Her Majesty |
| Spoken style | Your Majesty |
When she arrived in Greece in 1837, she at first won the hearts of the Greeks with her refreshing beauty. After she became more politically involved, she then became the target of harsh attacks—and her image suffered further as she proved unable to provide an heir to the throne. She and her husband were expelled from Greece in 1862, after an uprising. She spent the rest of her years in exile in Bavaria.
She acted as Regent of Greece in 1850-1851, and a second time in 1861-1862 during the absence of Otto.
To Amalia is attributed the creation of the “romantic folksy court dress,” which in return became Greece’s national costume.