The Queen of England who Died of a Broken Heart

The death of Caroline of Brunswick, wife of George IV. of England, has been attributed to a broken heart; although there were many other things which conspired with this to bring her to her end. As Prince of Wales, the king had married her under the pressure of debt, having never seen her before the contract, made at the instigation of his father, George III. He immediately conceived, and steadfastly maintained, a great aversion for her. He had her name erased from the liturgy of the Established Church, and then attempted to obtain a divorce, which was refused him by Parliament.

The Prince had been regent several times during the seclusion of his father, George III., and finally for several years before he succeeded to the throne as king in 1821. When the day of his coronation arrived, his wife, although she had received no summons, went in state to Westminster Abbey, to be crowned with him, but was forcibly refused admission: she returned home, and died within a month, partially at least of a broken heart, Aug. 7, 1821.

She had previously ordered that her body should be taken to her native country, and deposited in the tomb of her ancestors, with the inscription,--

CAROLINE OF BRUNSWICK,

THE MURDERED QUEEN OF ENGLAND."

Although we cannot admire the conduct and life of Queen Caroline, her husband treated her from the beginning in a brutal manner, and left her, unprotected and uncounseled, to a vagrant life, which was full of temptations and desperate defiance.