The Confessions of the Celebrated Countess of Lichtenau, Late Mrs. Rietz: Now Confined in the Fortress of Gloglau as a State-prisoner

In Short

This book presents the self-narrated rise and fall of Wilhelmine Enke, better known as the Countess of Lichtenau, the powerful mistress of King Frederick William II of Prussia. Composed of a biographical sketch and a collection of her private, intercepted papers, the text reveals how she manipulated court life, filled state offices with loyal sycophants, and directed the geopolitical interests of Prussia through intimacy and intrigue. It serves as a stark historical artifact, capturing the anxieties of a Europe unsettled by the French Revolution and the volatile nature of absolute power.

The Story

The narrative begins with the unlikely ascent of Wilhelmine Enke, a girl of modest means whose natural charm and wit secure the devotion of a prince of the highest rank. As her protector matures into a king, Wilhelmine transitions from a hidden favorite to the Countess of Lichtenau, a figure of immense wealth and influence at the Prussian court. The story charts this progression through her eyes, detailing the careful maintenance of her status, which requires constant vigilance against rivals, the "Rosicrucian" mystics who distract the King, and the inevitable decay of her own beauty.

As her power stabilizes, the narrative shifts from personal romance to systematic corruption. Wilhelmine describes the cultivation of a secret society and the placement of her own "creatures" into every significant government office. She acknowledges, with a chilling lack of remorse, the use of bribery, forged cabinet orders, and a network of spies to crush opposition and enrich her inner circle. Her influence extends to the theater of war; she revels in the political maneuvers behind the invasion of France, viewing the state’s resources as personal tools to secure her future and maintain the King’s favor despite his declining health and the warnings of his advisers.

The final act of her story is one of rapid disintegration. Following the death of her royal protector, the political climate shifts, and the protection she once enjoyed is replaced by the cold machinery of justice. The Countess finds herself stripped of her treasures, her property, and her agency, ending her journey as a prisoner in the fortress of Glogau. The book concludes with her desperate attempts to reconcile her past actions with her current reality, appealing to the mercy of a new monarch while haunted by the records she once thought secure.

How It Unfolds

The humble origins Wilhelmine recounts her transition from a mistreated servant in her sister’s home to the chosen favorite of a prince. Her mother plays a pivotal role, instructing her in the art of pleasing the royal eye and securing a future through calculated affection.

The consolidation of power The Countess details how she secures her title and legitimizes her daughter’s status through royal dowries. She embraces her role as a political gatekeeper, ensuring that the King’s favor is mediated entirely through her and her chosen conspirators.

The machinery of control The narrative moves into the dark heart of her influence, describing the creation of a secret society governed by oaths of silence and blood. She demonstrates how she weaponized the state’s bureaucracy, dismissing upright magistrates and clergy who dared to question her absolute dominance.

The politics of distraction Wilhelmine reflects on the use of magic tricks, theatrical performances, and lavish fêtes to manage the King’s ennui and shield him from reality. She masterfully navigates the arrival of charlatans and the court’s obsession with the supernatural to keep her hold on the throne firm.

The final reckoning The narrative culminates in her sudden arrest and imprisonment. She grapples with the loss of her "cursed pocket-book"—the physical record of her treasonous activities—and pleads for the mercy of a king who she fears is bound to the dictates of justice.

The People

Wilhelmine Enke (Countess of Lichtenau) is the architect of her own fate. She is defined by a ruthless ambition that masks itself in the language of devotion; she views the world as a series of transactions, where beauty, wit, and secrecy are the currency of survival.

Frederick William II is the central sun around which Wilhelmine orbits. Presented as a man susceptible to both the charms of women and the deceptions of mystics, he is the source of all her power, yet he remains an elusive, often sickly figure whose inconstancy is the constant threat to her safety.

Mousons, the Marquis, acts as Wilhelmine’s mentor in the "sublime politics of Machiavel." He is the embodiment of the cold, calculated, and cynical influence of the French court, teaching her how to turn the state’s internal discord into her own personal leverage.

The Mother, who orchestrates the initial introduction of her daughter to the prince, serves as the grounding force of the Countess’s early career. She is the practical strategist who treats her daughter’s life as a long-term investment in social mobility and financial security.

In Its Own Voice

"I am with child, mother, and big F---- is ready to die with joy about it."

In this candid letter to her mother, Wilhelmine reveals the clinical, transactional nature of her intimate relationship with the King.

"The end sanctifies the means, said my great tutor, Machiavel, and Mousons would analyze this doctrine with me in its most minute details."

The Countess justifies her systematic destruction of political enemies by invoking the cold, pragmatic philosophy that governed her rise.

"I am criminal before my own conscience; I am so in the eye of the law."

From the confines of the fortress, Wilhelmine finally acknowledges the gap between her self-justification and the reality of her state crimes.

What It's Really About

The book explores the corrosive nature of absolute power and the fragility of influence built upon personal favor rather than merit. It questions the extent to which the personal whims of a sovereign and his inner circle can dictate the fate of a nation. More specifically, it examines the tension between the public face of monarchy—often marked by religious and moral posturing—and the private reality of a court governed by spies, charlatans, and the cynical manipulation of human desire. It is a cautionary study of how a society can be subverted from within when the mechanisms of justice are replaced by the interests of an unprincipled few.

Why Read It Today

Readers with an interest in the intimate, often tawdry history of the 18th-century Prussian court will find this volume uniquely compelling. It offers a rare, if cynical, glimpse into the life of a woman who wielded immense power in an era that systematically denied it to her. The prose is direct, occasionally brutal, and entirely devoid of the sanitized reverence found in many traditional biographies.

Reading these confessions feels like leafing through a cache of confiscated secrets. You encounter a voice that is at once calculating, desperate, and remarkably self-aware. While the text reflects the prejudices of its time—particularly regarding the "indelicacy" of the subject and the threat of the French Revolution—it remains a fascinating psychological study. It is not always a pleasant read, as it documents the oppression of the poor and the corruption of the state with cold, almost clinical precision. However, it succeeds in humanizing a historical villain in a way that feels uncomfortably modern. Those who enjoy primary source documents or the grittier side of political history will find that the Countess of Lichtenau’s fall from grace leaves a lasting impression, long after the final page is turned.