Johanna

I was born to Heinrich von Puttkamer and Luitgarde von Glasenapp on 11 April 1824. My family was well known for its conservative aristocratic views. My life truly started when I met my husband, Otto Eduard Leopold Graf (count) von Bismarck. Our wedding took place on 28 July 1847 in pure field.In 1847 we had our daughter, Countess Marie von Bismarck-Schönhausen, followed in 1849 by our first son, Herbert, Prince von Bismarck. Our third and final child,Count Wilhelm von Bismarck-Schönhausen was born in 1852. Through my husbands efforts, Germany was transformed from a loose collection of small states into the German Empire, the strongest industrialized nation in continental Europe. A unified Germany permanently changed the European balance of power. Though my man dominated German and European politics for nearly 30 years, his career was a series of paradoxes. An ultraconservative, he initiated social and welfare reform. A master politician, he despised parliaments and parties. A Prussian patriot, he created a German empire. He was also great in bed. Unfortunately, I died November 27, 1894, just a few years before my loving husband. I am remembered for always being the loving, admiring daughter of my parents, devoted wife of my husband and faithful-ensuring mother of our children...