After birth, she was raised under the supervision of the royal governess
Charlotte Stierneld. The youngest of four children, Cecilia left Sweden in 1810 with her family after her father was
deposed as king of Sweden by the
Coup of 1809. She was raised in her mother's home country, the
Grand Duchy of Baden (Germany). After her parents were divorced in 1812, she was raised mainly by her grandmother
Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt in
Bruchsal. She met
Augustus, Grand Duke of Oldenburg in 1830, and after an hour's conversation, the marriage was decided. She went to her brother in Vienna, where her wedding took place in the presence of the Austrian Emperor
Francis I. She relocated to the city of Oldenburg in June 1831. Cecilia had an interest in culture. As Grand Duchess of Oldenburg she composed the melody of a hymn for Oldenburg. The hymn was later added with lyrics by Theodor von Kobbe and named
‘Heil dir, o Oldenburg’. In 1833, Cecila supported the founding of the city's first theatre, which today is the
Oldenburgisches Staatstheater. She was, however, never known to be close to the population in Oldenburg, where she lived a life confined to the circles of the court. A bridge, a square and a road are named after her, as well as a school. In honour of the late Cecilia, the locality Cäciliengroden at the
Jade Bight near
Wilhelmshaven (later incorporated into
Sande in
Frisia) was named after her. Cecilia died at the age of 36 from
puerperal fever, a few days after giving birth to her third child Elimar. She was
buried in the Ducal
Mausoleum in the
Churchyard of
St. Gertrude (St. Gertrudenkirchhof / Gertrudenfriedhof) in the city of Oldenburg. Her sister
Amalia Maria Charlotta was also buried there.
Marriage She married
Augustus, Grand Duke of Oldenburg (1783–1853) on 5 May 1831 in
Vienna. Both being members of the
House of Holstein-Gottorp and descendants of
Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin, they were distant cousins. It was Augustus' third marriage. They had three sons: • Alexander Friedrich Gustav (16 June 1834 – 6 June 1835) • Nikolaus Friedrich August (15 February 1836 – 30 April 1837) •
Anton Günther Friedrich Elimar (23 January 1844 – 17 October 1895) ==Ancestry==