Carola of Vasa (Caroline Friederike Franziska Stephanie Amalie Cäcilie; 5 August 1833 – 15 December 1907), was by birth a titular princess of Sweden and styled Princess of Vasa as member of the House of Holstein-Gottorp, and by marriage the last queen consort of Saxony.
At the side of her husband, Carola dedicated herself to the charitable development of new social institutions in the Kingdom of Saxony. With the founding of the Albert Association (German: Albertverein) in 1867 and other nursing and training institutions, she set impulses in the areas of charity, poor and sick care as well as the care of the wounded. In addition, she was involved in aid, children's and women's associations for the support of the disadvantaged. She was a recipient of the Order of Sidonia and gave her name to the Carola Medal for charity, which was named after her. Numerous places are named after her, especially in Dresden.
Princess of Vasa 1833–1853
Childhood and youth
Princess Carola of Vasa was born on 5 August 1833 in the Kaiserstöckl, an annex of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, as the second child and only daughter of the former crown prince of Sweden and Austrian field marshal Prince Gustav of Vasa and his wife Princess Louise Amelie of Baden. Her only sibling, Prince Louis, was born and died in 1832, so Carola remained the only surviving offspring from her parents' marriage.
Carola did not come from the Vasa dynasty, as her name might suggest. Rather, she owed the suffix to her father, who, as a member of the deposed Swedish House of Holstein-Gottorp, was no longer allowed to call himself "Prince of Sweden". Instead, he gave himself the nicknames Vasa and (to further affirm his claim to the throne) Holstein-Gottorp, hence Vasa-Holstein-Gottorp. Consequently, Carola also received this surname.
Carola's evangelical baptism took place on 7 August 1833 in Schönbrunn Palace with the full name of Caroline Friederike Franziska Stephanie Amalie Cäcilie, but her mother called her "Carola". Her godparents were, among other royal representatives, Emperor Francis I of Austria and his third wife Empress Caroline Augusta (born Princess of Bavaria), Stephanie, Dowager Grand Duchess of Baden (born of Beauharnais) and Cecilia, Grand Duchess of Oldenburg (born Princess of Sweden and Carola's paternal aunt); she received her names after her godparents, her paternal grandmother, Frederica of Baden (former Queen of Sweden) and another paternal aunt, Princess Amalia of Sweden. Until the divorce of her parents in the summer of 1844, Carola spent most of her childhood in the couple's summer residence in South Moravia, Veveří Castle. The princess, who was considered shy and reserved, was raised and instructed in a strict manner, but marked by parental love.
After the separation of her parents, Carola and her mother settled in Moravec Castle in August 1846. Amalie von Ungern-Sternberg took over the instruction of the princess: she developed a preference for drawing, painting and chess, but not for making music. Carola enjoyed performing her own plays. Apart from larger gatherings, rural life in Moravec was quiet and tranquil. During this time, the young princess developed great compassion for underprivileged children and the infirm, to whom she donated food and clothing financed by her mother. In doing so, she laid the foundation for her later involvement in the field of charitable care for the poor and sick. The stay was mostly interrupted for spa trips by her mother, who was suffering from asthma and a heart defect, or for visits to her father or relatives in Mannheim or Karlsruhe.
During the Italian Wars of Independence in 1848–1849, Carola supported Hungarian wounded by submitting gifts. In the years that followed, her mother's health continued to deteriorate, which made it necessary for her and her daughter to have long visits to the spas in Merano, Venice, Bolzano and Baden. In the years leading up to 1851, the now 18-year-old Carola, who was considered the most beautiful princess in Europe at the time, devoted herself intensively to oil painting.
Carola, like her mother, converted to Catholicism in 1852, despite strong opposition from her father. He only gave his consent on the condition that his daughter separated from her mother for a long time in order to take religious instruction with his sister Sophie, Grand Duchess of Baden in Karlsruhe. The princess returned to her mother after graduation and professed her Catholic faith on 4 November of the same year in the parish church in Moravec.