Yearly Archives: 2013

King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

King Oscar I was born Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte on July 4, 1799, at 291 Rue Cisalpine (today’s address: 32 Rue de Monceau) in Paris, France.  His father was General Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, a Marshal of France and the French Minister of War.  His mother Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary, known as Désirée, was the first fiancée of Napoleon Bonaparte.  Julie Clary, his mother’s sister, was married to Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother, and Jean-Baptiste and Désirée’s son was named after Joseph Bonaparte.  The name Oscar was suggested by Napoleon Bonaparte, the baby’s godfather.  Napoleon was an admirer of the 18th-century Scottish poet James Macpherson and the name Oscar was used in Macpherson’s works.

In 1809, King Carl XIII of Sweden ascended the throne of Sweden. He had no living children, and his adopted son and heir died the following year. The Swedes had the idea to offer the position of Crown Prince to one of Napoleon’s Marshals. On August 21, 1810, the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates elected Oscar’s father  Jean Baptiste Bernadotte as Crown Prince of Sweden. He arrived in Stockholm in November 1810 and was formally adopted by the King Carl III of Sweden, taking the name Carl Johan, and converting from Roman Catholicism to Lutheranism. The new Crown Prince of Sweden was actively involved in the events leading up to the Treaty of Kiel in 1814, in which Denmark was forced to cede Norway to Sweden. Unlike the previous union with Denmark, this was a personal union under a single sovereign, and Norway remained an independent state with its own constitution. King Carl XIII of Sweden also reigned as King Karl II of Norway. The separate kingdoms of Sweden and Norway were under a common monarch from 1814 until its dissolution in 1905.

Oscar was eleven years old when his father was elected Crown Prince of Sweden and in December 1810, he traveled to Stockholm with his mother Désirée. Oscar was given the title Duke of Södermanland, and, unlike his mother, quickly learned Swedish and adapted to life in Sweden. As Crown Princess, Désirée had difficulty adjusting to the Swedish court and despised the weather in Stockholm. She left Sweden in 1811 and did not return until 1823, five years after her husband became king.  As a result, Oscar did not see his mother for twelve years.

Oscar’s father prescribed guidelines for his son’s education. Upon arriving in Sweden, Oscar was immediately schooled in Swedish, quickly became proficient, and served as his father’s translator.  Besides Swedish, Oscar was also taught Norwegian and German.  He studied humanities, administration, constitutional law, science, art, and music.  Oscar was particularly talented in music and composed a funeral march performed at King Carl XIII’s funeral in 1818.  When the composer Ludwig van Beethoven heard of this, he wrote to Oscar’s father and was invited to help develop Oscar’s musical talent.  Besides his musical talent, Oscar was an expert in social-political issues and wrote articles on education and prison reform.  He was elected an honorary member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and was appointed chancellor of Uppsala University.

Oscar married Princess Joséphine of Leuchtenberg (known by the Swedish form of her name Josefina) by proxy at the Leuchtenberg Palace in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria on May 22, 1823, and in person at a wedding ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden on June 19, 1823.  Princess Joséphine of Leuchtenberg’s father was Eugène de Beauharnais, the son of Empress Joséphine (who was Napoleon’s first wife) from her first marriage to Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais who had been guillotined during the French Revolution.   Her mother was Princess Augusta of Bavaria, a descendant of King Gustav I of Sweden and King Charles IX of Sweden, thereby ensuring that future members of the House of Bernadotte were descendants of the House of Vasa which ruled Sweden from 1523-1654.  Joséphine brought to Sweden jewelry that belonged to her grandmother Empress Josephine. Members of the Swedish and Norwegian royal families still wear the jewelry. For instance, Empress Jospéhine’s Cameo Tiara was worn by her descendant Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden on her wedding day.

Queen Josefina wearing the Cameo Tiara; Credit – Wikipedia

Oscar and Josefina  (as she was known in Sweden) had five children, four sons and one daughter.

Oscar and Josefina’s marriage was a happy one.  They shared interests in music and art and had similar personalities. While he was crown prince, Oscar had an affair with a lady-in-waiting which produced a daughter.  After his marriage, Oscar had another well-known affair with Emilie Högquist, a famous Swedish actress at the Royal Dramatic Theatre.  Oscar had two sons with his mistress Emilie.  In 1832, Queen Josefina wrote in her diary that a woman was expected to endure a husband’s extramarital affairs: “A woman should suffer in silence.”  Josefina and her husband continued to appear together in public.  Oscar discontinued his extramarital affairs when he became King of Sweden and Norway in 1844 upon the death of his father.

Oscar I’s health had never been strong and he began to suffer periods when he would fall silent in mid-sentence and then continue a minute later as if nothing had happened.  By the early 1850s, these symptoms worsened and in 1852 he was forced to make a trip to the spa at Bad Kissingen in Bavaria in hopes of recovery.  In the fall of 1852, he became ill with typhoid fever and it took a year for him to fully recover.  He continued to have neurological symptoms and by 1857, it was suspected that Oscar had a brain tumor.  By September 1857, Oscar was paralyzed and the doctors recommended that he be relieved of his duties.  On September 25, 1857, Oscar’s eldest son Carl was declared Regent.  After being bedridden for a long period, King Oscar I died at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on July 8, 1859, at the age of 60. An autopsy confirmed that he had a brain tumor.  King Oscar I was buried in the Bernadotte Chapel at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm.

Bernadotte Chapel at Riddarholmen Church; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Maria Theresia of Austria-Este, Queen of Bavaria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Maria Theresia of Austria-Este, Queen Consort of Bavaria: Credit – Wikipedia

Born on July 2, 1849, in Brno, Austrian Empire (now in the Czech Republic), Archduchess Maria Theresia of Austria-Este was the last Queen Consort of Bavaria and the Jacobite claimant to the British throne from 1875 until she died in 1919. She was the only child of Archduke Ferdinand Karl Viktor of Austria-Este and Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria. When Maria Theresia was only five months old, her father Archduke Ferdinand Karl Viktor, aged 28, died from typhoid fever.

In 1854, her mother Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska married a second time to her first cousin Archduke Karl Ferdinand of Austria-Teschen. From this marriage, Maria Theresia had six half-siblings:

Maria-Theresia (left) with her brother Friedrich and his wife Isabella (standing), sister Maria Christina (center), and their mother (right). source: Wikipedia

Francesco V, Duke of Modena, the current Jacobite claimant and Maria Theresia’s uncle and guardian, wanted his niece to marry Ferdinando IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany who was fourteen years older than Maria Theresia. In June 1867, Maria Theresia arrived in Vienna to attend the funeral of her friend Archduchess Mathilde of Austria who had tragically died due to burns after hiding a forbidden cigarette behind her very flammable dress. At that time, Maria Theresia met a first cousin of Archduchess Mathilde of Austria, Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, who was representing King Ludwig II of Bavaria at the funeral, and the couple fell in love.

Prince Ludwig, the future King Ludwig III of Bavaria, was the eldest child of Prince Luitpold of Bavaria, a son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, and Archduchess Augusta of Austria. Prince Luitpold served as Prince Regent of Bavaria from 1886 to 1912, due to the mental incompetency of his nephews, King Ludwig II and King Otto. In August 1867, Francesco V, Duke of Modena and Prince Luitpold of Bavaria met in Salzburg, Austria to discuss the marriage. After initial outrage, the Duke of Modena agreed to the marriage, and the engagement was announced on October 22, 1867. Ludwig and Maria Theresia were married at the Augustinian Church, adjacent to the Hofburg Palace, in Vienna, Austria on February 20, 1868.

Maria Theresa inherited two large estates from her father: the Sárvár estate in Hungary and the Eiwanowitz estate in Moravia (now in the Czech Republic). With the income from these estates, Ludwig and Maria Theresa purchased the Leutstetten estate in Bavaria which became quite profitable. While they lived mostly at Leutstetten, they also had a residence at the Leuchtenberg Palace in Munich, Bavaria.

Their marriage was a happy one and they had thirteen children:

In 1875, after the death of her childless uncle Francesco V, Duke of Modena, Maria Theresia became the Jacobite claimant to the British throne. After James II, King of England/James VII, King of Scots, a son of King Charles I, lost his throne via the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the Jacobite (from Jacobus, the Latin for James) movement formed. The goal of the Jacobites was to restore the Roman Catholic Stuart King James II of England/VII of Scotland and his Roman Catholic heirs to the thrones of England and Scotland. When the line of  King James II of England died out, the Jacobite claims to the British throne descended from his sister Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans. Maria Theresia was the senior surviving descendant of Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans who was the youngest sister of James II/VII and the daughter of King Charles I. However, unlike the Stuart Jacobite pretenders – James II’s son James Edward Francis Stuart and James II’s grandsons Charles Edward Stuart and Cardinal Henry Benedict Stuart – none of the later Jacobite pretenders ever claimed the title.

See how the Jacobite succession arrived in the House of Austria-Este, Maria Theresia’a birth House via Henrietta of England below.

Charles I of England → his daughter Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans → her daughter Anne Marie d’Orléans, Queen of Sardinia → her son Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia → his son Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia → his son Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia, first Jacobite Pretender from the House of Savoy → his brother Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia → his eldest surviving daughter Maria Beatrice of Savoy, Duchess of Modena → her eldest son → Francesco V, Duke of Modena → his niece Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, Queen of Bavaria

In 1912, Prince Regent Luitpold died and Ludwig became the Prince Regent for his first cousin King Otto. On November 4, 1913, the Bavarian constitution was changed to allow the Prince Regent to become King if the incapacitation of a king had lasted for ten years and there was no reasonable expectation that the incapacitated king would ever reign. On November 5, 1913, King Otto was deposed by Prince Regent Ludwig who assumed the title King Ludwig III. The Bavarian parliament gave its approval on November 6, 1913, and on November 8, 1913, King Ludwig III took the constitutional oath.

The Queen, The King, and The Crown Prince. source: Wikipedia

When World War I started in August of 1914, King Ludwig III sent an official dispatch to Kaiser Wilhelm II in Berlin to express Bavaria’s solidarity. Queen Maria Theresia appealed to Bavarian women and girls to support the country and the soldiers at the front by making packages with clothes and food for soldiers and the wounded. On February 20, 1918, amid World War I, Ludwig and Maria Theresia celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary by donating ten million marks to charity.

As World War I progressed, the conditions in Bavaria deteriorated. The population was restless, soldiers were dying at the front, women had to work harder and harder in the factories, and food was always scarce. Through all of this, the Bavarian royal family remained loyal to Kaiser Wilhelm II. On November 7, 1918, King Ludwig III of Bavaria was deposed and the Republic of Bavaria was proclaimed. When mass demonstrations occurred throughout Munich Ludwig and his family fled the Residenz Palace in Munich. He was the first of the monarchs in the German Empire to be deposed.

Ludwig and Maria Theresia first fled to Schloss Anif, near Salzburg, Austria. They returned to Bavaria and settled at Schloss Wildenwart in the village of Wildenwart about 80 kilometers southeast of Munich. Maria Theresia, aged 69, died at Schloss Wildenwart on February 3, 1919, and was buried in its chapel. Ludwig was afraid he might be assassinated, and fled to Hungary, later moving to Liechtenstein and Switzerland. He returned to Bavaria in April 1920 and lived once again at Schloss Wildenwart. He remained there until September 1921 when he took a trip to his Sárvár estate in Hungary. He died there on October 18, 1921, at the age of 76.

On November 5, 1921, Ludwig’s body was returned to Munich along with the remains of his wife. They were given a state funeral and were buried in the crypt of the Frauenkirche in Munich, Germany, Despite the abolition of the monarchy, the former King and Queen were laid to rest in the presence of the royal family, the Bavarian government, military personnel, and an estimated 100,000 spectators in the streets.

Tombs of King Ludwig III and Queen Maria Theresa in the Frauenkirche, Munich, Photo © Susan Flantzer, August 2012

Tombs of King Ludwig III and Queen Maria Theresa in the Frauenkirche, Munich. Photo © Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Bavaria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Wedding of Alice of the United Kingdom and Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

by Emily McMahon and Susan Flantzer, Revised May 2020
© Unofficial Royalty 2013

Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, aged 19, married 24-year-old Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine, the future Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine on July 1, 1862, at Osborne House in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, England. The couple had seven children and the British Royal Family, the line of King Charles III, descends from this marriage as his father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was a great-grandson of Alice and Ludwig.

Alice’s Early Life

Princess Alice painted in 1861 by Franz Xaver Winterhalter; Credit – Wikipedia

Alice was the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Alice’s upbringing was typical for the times, spending most of her time with her siblings under the watch of nannies and tutors. From an early age, Alice developed a deep sense of compassion for others that would continue to develop in her adult years.

In March 1861, Alice’s maternal grandmother, the Duchess of Kent, died. Alice had been with her grandmother during her final days and had established herself as the “family caregiver”. After the Duchess of Kent died, it was Alice who Prince Albert sent to take care of Queen Victoria, whose intense grief over the Duchess’ death was unbearable. Queen Victoria later attributed Alice’s efforts with helping her to get through the dark days that followed. Sadly, it would not be long until Alice’s caregiving skills would be needed again.

At the end of 1861, Alice’s father, Prince Albert, fell ill with typhoid. Alice stayed at his side, nursing him through the last days of his life. Albert died on December 14, 1861, and Queen Victoria went into seclusion. It was Princess Alice who then stepped in as unofficial secretary to her mother, assisted by her younger sister Louise, handling all of the state papers and correspondence, all while trying to support and comfort her mother.

Ludwig’s Early Life

Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine in 1860; Credit – Wikipedia

Ludwig was the eldest of the four children of Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine (a son of Grand Duke Ludwig II and younger brother of Grand Duke Ludwig III) and his wife Princess Elisabeth of Prussia (a granddaughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm II). After it became evident that Grand Duke Ludwig III of Hesse and by Rhine would have no children with his wife Mathilde of Bavaria, his nephew Ludwig was groomed as his successor.

Ludwig began his military training in 1854, along with his younger brother Heinrich, and the two later studied at the University of Göttingen and the University of Giessen. From an early age, Ludwig was destined for a military career. After his marriage to Alice, he would go on to lead the Hessian forces in both the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871.

At the time of the wedding, Queen Victoria issued Letters Patent giving Ludwig the style Royal Highness. This would only be valid in the United Kingdom. Elsewhere, he was still a Grand Ducal Highness. Four days after the wedding, Ludwig was created a Knight of the Order of the Garter.

The Engagement

Alice and Ludwig in December 1860, after their engagement; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1858, Alice’s eldest sibling Victoria, Princess Royal (Vicky) married Prince Friedrich of Prussia, the future Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia, and Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had hoped to make an equally impressive marriage for Alice. A visit from Willem, Prince of Orange (son and heir of King Willem III of the Netherlands who predeceased his father), had failed to make a positive impression on Alice or her parents. Vicky had met Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine in the early months of her marriage and suggested that he may be suitable for Alice. Ludwig and his brother Heinrich were invited to Windsor in 1860 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to look him over.  Alice and Ludwig quickly developed a connection and on a second visit in December 1860, the couple became engaged. Following Queen Victoria’s formal consent, the engagement was announced on April 30, 1861. The Queen negotiated with Prime Minister Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston to get Parliament to approve a dowry of £30,000.

The Wedding Site

Osborne House; Credit – By Humac45 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35090565

Unfortunately for Alice and Ludwig, the deaths in 1861 of Alice’s maternal grandmother and father affected their wedding plans. The 1858 wedding of Victoria, Princess Royal at the Chapel Royal of St. James’s Palace in London had been a grand showcase but Alice’s wedding was a muted and sad private ceremony meant for family only. A spring wedding was out of the question but Queen Victoria declared that the wedding must be held sooner rather than later as Prince Albert had wished. A private wedding with far fewer guests than the weddings of Alice’s siblings was scheduled for July 1, 1862, at Osborne House in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, England.

Victoria and Albert, whose primary residences were Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, felt they needed residences of their very own. They purchased Osborne House in 1845 but they soon realized that the house was too small for their growing family. They decided to replace the house with a new, larger residence. The new Osborne House was built between 1845 and 1851. Albert’s architectural talents are evident in the seaside Italian-style palace. Osborne House and Balmoral Castle in Scotland, which Albert also helped to design, became their favorite homes.

The Dining Room at Osborne House with the large painting of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their five eldest children by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, was converted into a temporary chapel for the wedding ceremony. Also, above the door was a Winterhalter painting of Queen Victoria’s mother. Below is a painting of the wedding The Marriage of Princess Alice, 1st July 1862 by George Housman Thomas.

The Marriage of Princess Alice, 1st July 1862 by George Housman Thomas; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

Information about the above painting from Royal Collection Trust: The Marriage of Princess Alice, 1st July 1862: The marriage of Princess Alice, the third child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and Prince Louis of Hesse took place ‘in the strictest privacy’ barely six months after the death of Prince Albert. The ceremony was held in the Dining Room at Osborne ‘which was very prettily decorated, the altar being placed under our large family picture’ (RCIN 405413), as the Queen recorded in her Journal. A portrait of Victoria, Duchess of Kent, by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (RCIN 405129) also hangs on the back wall in this painting. 

Wedding Guests

Royal Guests – The Bride’s Family

  • Queen Victoria, mother of the bride
  • The Prince of Wales, brother of the bride
  • Prince Alfred, brother of the bride
  • Prince Arthur, brother of the bride
  •  Prince Leopold, brother of the bride
  • Princess Helena, sister of the bride
  • Princess Louise, sister of the bride
  • Princess Beatrice, sister of the bride
  • The Duchess of Cambridge (Augusta of Hesse-Kassel), great-aunt of the bride
  • The Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Augusta of Cambridge), first cousin once removed of the bride
  • Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge, first cousin once removed of the bride
  • Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, first cousin once removed of the bride
  • Crown Prince Friedrich of Prussia, brother-in-law of the bride (Crown Princess Victoria, Alice’s sister was eight months pregnant with her third child and was unable to travel)
  • Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, paternal uncle of the bride
  • Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, first cousin once removed of the bride
  • Princess August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Clémentine of Orléans), wife of Prince August
  • Princess Feodora of Leiningen, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Queen Victoria’s half-sister, maternal half-aunt of the bride
  • The Count Gleichen (Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the son of Queen Victoria’s half-sister Feodora who made a morganatic marriage), half-first-cousin of the bride

Royal Guests – The Groom’s Family

  • Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine, groom’s father
  • Princess Karl of Hesse and by Rhine (Elisabeth of Prussia), groom’s mother
  • Prince Heinrich of Hesse and by Rhine, brother of the groom
  • Prince Wilhelm of Hesse and by Rhine, brother of the groom
  • Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine, sister of the groom

Other Royal Guests

  • Prince Louis of Orleans, Duke of Nemours
  • Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar
  • Maharajah Duleep Singh

Other Guests

Among the other guests, were several representatives of the British Government and friends of the royal family.

  • Count von Goertz, Minister of the Grand Ducal Court of Hesse and by Rhine accredited to Great Britain
  • Charles Longley, Archbishop of York
  • Richard Bethell, 1st Baron Westbury, Lord Chancellor
  • Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville, Lord President of the Council
  • John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
  • Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, First Lord of the Treasury
  • Sir George Grey, Baronet, Secretary of State for the Home Department
  • Jean-Sylvain Van De Weyer, Belgian Minister accredited to Great Britain, representing Leopold I, King of the Belgians, uncle to both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and the bride’s great-uncle
  • James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Abercorn
  • Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
  • George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon
  • George Byng, 7th Viscount Torrington
  • Lord George Lennox, Gentleman of the Bedchamber to Prince Albert
  • Lord Alfred Paget, Chief Equerry to Queen Victoria
  • Lieutenant-General The Honourable Charles Grey and The Honourable Mrs. Charles
    Grey, Private Secretary to Queen Victoria and his wife
  • Major-General William Wylde
  • Colonel The Honorable Alexander Gordon
  • Colonel Francis Seymour
  • The Reverend W. Jolly
  • Dr. Becker, Prince Albert’s librarian

Her Majesty’s Household

  • Mistress of the Robes – Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington
  • Lady-in-Waiting – Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl
  • The Lady Superintendent – Lady Caroline Barrington
  • Maids of Honor in Waiting – The Honorable Beatrice Byng, The Honorable Emily Cathcart
  • The Lord Steward – Edward Eliot, 3rd Earl of St. Germans
  • The Lord Chamberlain – John Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney
  • The Master of the Horse – George Brudenell-Bruce, 2nd Marquis of Ailesbury
  • The Vice-Chamberlain – Valentine Augustus Browne, 4th Viscount Castlerosse
  • The Keeper of the Privy Purse – Colonel The Honourable Sir Charles Beaumont Phipps
  • The Honourable Lady Phipps and The Honourable Miss Harriet Phipps (Maid of Honour in Ordinary to Queen Victoria, later served as a Woman of the Bedchamber from 1889 until Victoria’s death) – wife and daughter of Sir Charles Beaumont Phipps
  • The Dean of Windsor and Resident Chaplain to The Queen – The Honourable and Very Reverend Gerald Wellesley and his wife The Honourable Mrs. Wellesley
  • The Master of the Household – Colonel Thomas Biddulph and his wife The Honourable Mrs. Biddulph
  • The Equerries in Waiting – Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Charles Fitzroy, Lieutenant-Colonel The Honourable Dudley de Ros
  • Physicians in Ordinary – Sir James Clark, Baronet
  • Librarian to The Queen – Mr. Bernard Woodward
  • German Librarian to The Queen – Mr. Carl Ruland
  • The Rector of Whippingham Church, Isle of Wight – Reverend G. Prothero
  • Equerry to The Prince of Wales – Captain Gray
  • Major Cowell – Major John Cowell
  • Governor to Prince Arthur and Prince Leopold – Major Howard Elphinstone
  • Lady-in-Waiting to The Duchess of Cambridge – Lady Geraldine Somerset
  • Gentleman-in-Waiting to The Duchess of Cambridge – Lieutenant.Colonel Home Purves
  • Equerry-in-Waiting to The Duke of Cambridge – Colonel Tyrwhitt
  • Lady in Waiting to The Queen in Attendance on Princess Alice – Jane Spencer, Baroness Churchill
  • Ladies in Waiting to Princess Alice – Baroness Von Schenck zu Schweinsberg, Baroness Von Grancy
  • Equerry to the Queen in Attendance on Princess Alice – Major-General Francis Seymour

Foreign Royalty Attendants

  • Gentleman-in-Waiting to Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine – Captain Westerweller
  • Equerry to the Queen in Attendance on Prince and Princess Karl of Hesse and by Rhine – Lieutenant-Colonel du Plat
  • Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Karl of Hesse and by Rhine – Baroness von Schaeffer-Bernstein
  • Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine – Baroness von Roeder
  • Gentlemen in Waiting to Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine – Baron Von Ricou and Major Von Grolman

Bridesmaids and Supporters

Ludwig was supported by his 24-year-old brother Prince Heinrich of Hesse and by Rhine. Prince Albert’s elder brother Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, gave the bride away.

The bridesmaids were:

  • Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, Alice’s 16-year-old sister
  • Princess Louise of the United Kingdom, Alice’s 14-year-old sister
  • Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, Alice’s 5-year-old sister
  • Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine, Ludwig’s 19-year-old sister

The Wedding Attire

Princess Alice in her wedding dress; Credit – Royal Collection Trust https://www.rct.uk/collection/2905616/princess-alice-in-her-wedding-dress

Although Alice and her mother took some joy in arranging her trousseau, all the outfits were black due to the required mourning. On the morning of the wedding, Alice’s sisters wore their black mourning dresses. They changed into their white bridesmaid’s dresses right before the wedding ceremony and changed back into their mourning dresses after the newlyweds left for their honeymoon.

Alice wore a dress with a deep flounce of Honiton lace and a border of orange blossoms at the bottom of the dress. The veil of Honiton lace was held in place by a wreath of orange blossoms and myrtle. The dress was a simple style and did not have a court train. The bridesmaids wore similar white dresses with violet trim as depicted in the wedding painting above.

The guests were required to wear mourning dress: the men in black evening coats, white waistcoats, grey trousers, and black neckcloths; the ladies in grey or violet mourning dresses, and grey or white gloves.

The Wedding Ceremony

Embed from Getty Images

The wedding service was conducted by Charles Longley, Archbishop of York in the “unavoidable absence” of the bedridden John Bird Sumner, Archbishop of Canterbury who died two months later and was succeeded by Longley. A local decorator had erected an altar in the Dining Room of Osborne House, covered in purple, velvet, and gold and surrounded by a gilt railing. No other decorating arrangements had been made.

At 1:00 PM, Queen Victoria accompanied by her four sons, The Prince of Wales, Prince Alfred, Prince Arthur, and Prince Leopold, and attended by Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington, Mistress of the Robes, and Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl, Lady-in-Waiting were conducted from Queen Victoria’s apartments by the Lord Chamberlain, John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney, to an armchair on the left side of the altar.

Next, the royal guests and the other guests were conducted to their places by the Lord
Chamberlain and the Vice-Chamberlain, Valentine Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare. The parents of the bridegroom, Prince and Princess Karl of Hesse and by Rhine, and their youngest child Prince Wilhelm were placed on the left side of the altar. The Lord Chamberlain then conducted Ludwig, supported by his brother Prince Heinrich, to his place on the right side of the altar. Finally, the Lord Chamberlain proceeded to Queen Victoria’s apartments and conducted Alice to her place on the left side of the altar. Alice was supported by her uncle Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and was accompanied by her four bridesmaids, her sisters Princesses Helena, Louise, and Beatrice, and Ludwig’s sister Princess Anna. Once Alice was in her place, the wedding service began.

Queen Victoria sat in the armchair surrounded by her four sons, trying to maintain her composure. She spent the ceremony staring at the portrait of Prince Albert with his family hanging above the bride and groom. Queen Victoria would later describe the service to her daughter Vicky as “more of a funeral than a wedding.” Other guests similarly described the wedding as being a very sad occasion. Alice’s brothers cried throughout the service, as did the Archbishop of York. The death of Mathilde of Bavaria, the wife of Ludwig’s uncle Grand Duke Ludwig III of Hesse and by Rhine, a few weeks before the wedding, did nothing to raise the spirits of the wedding guests.

At the conclusion of the wedding ceremony, Alice and Ludwig  were conducted by the Lord
Chamberlain to the nearby Horn Room. The guests were conducted to the Council Room where they had luncheon. Queen Victoria remained seated in her armchair until everyone had left, and then, with Princess Beatrice, also was conducted to the Horn Room, where they had luncheon with the newlywed couple.

The Honeymoon, Leaving England, Arriving in the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine

Embed from Getty Images
St. Clare Castle where Alice and Ludwig spent their honeymoon. In 1960, it was demolished after a fire.

At about 5:00 PM, Alice and Ludwig left Osborne House to travel to Ryde, a seaside town on the northeast coast of the Isle of Wight where they stayed at St. Clare Castle which belonged to Colonel Francis Vernon-Harcourt.  Accompanying the newlyweds were Jane Spencer, Baroness Churchill (a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria from 1854 until 1900, the longest-serving member of Queen Victoria’s household), Major-General Francis Seymour (Prince Albert’s Groom in Waiting from 1840 until 1861), and Captain von Wenterweller (a courtier from the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine).

The day after the wedding, Queen Victoria wrote to her daughter Vicky, “A dagger is plunged in my bleeding, desolate heart when I hear from Alice this morning that she is proud and happy to be Louis’ wife.” Queen Victoria visited Alice and Ludwig twice during their stay at St. Clare Castle.

On July 9, 1862, Alice and Ludwig left England on the royal yacht Victoria and Albert for continental Europe on the way to their final destination, Darmstadt in the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse. They visited Brussels, Belgium where they briefly stayed with Leopold I, King of the Belgians, born a Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, the uncle of both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Alice and Ludwig arrived at the border of the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine on July 12, 1862. A train then took them to Mainz, then part of the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine,  where the first official reception took place. Alice and Ludwig crossed the Rhine River in a gaily decorated steamship. At the stop before Darmstadt, the capital of the Grand Duchy, Grand Duke Ludwig III and other members of the Hesse family boarded the steamship and accompanied the newlyweds to Darmstadt. At 4:30 PM on July 12, 1862, Alice and Ludwig made their state entry into Darmstadt. The streets were decorated with arches, flags, and flowers, the church bells were ringing and the assembled crowds enthusiastically cheered Alice and Ludwig.

Children

Alice, Ludwig, and their children, May 1875. Photo: The Royal Collection Trust

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • 1884. Alice Grand Duchess Of Hesse, Princess Of Great Britain And Ireland – Biographical Sketch And Letters. London: John Murray.
  • Mehl, Scott, 2015. Ludwig IV, Grand Duke Of Hesse And By Rhine. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/ludwig-iv-grand-duke-of-hesse-and-by-rhine/> [Accessed 17 May 2020].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2015. Princess Alice Of The United Kingdom, Grand Duchess Of Hesse And By Rhine. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-alice-of-the-united-kingdom-grand-duchess-of-hesse-and-by-rhine/> [Accessed 17 May 2020].
  • Packard, Jerrold., 2013. Victoria’s Daughters. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
  • Rct.uk. 2020. George Housman Thomas (1824-68) – The Marriage Of Princess Alice, 1St July 1862. [online] Available at: <https://www.rct.uk/collection/404479/the-marriage-of-princess-alice-1st-july-1862> [Accessed 17 May 2020].
  • The Gazette. 1862. Page 3429 | Issue 22641, 7 July 1862 | London Gazette /CEREMONIAL Observed At The Marriage Of HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCESS ALICE-MAUD-MARY,. [online] Available at: <https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/22641/page/3429> [Accessed 18 May 2020].
  • The Royal Family. 2020. Royal Wedding Dresses Throughout History. [online] Available at: <https://www.royal.uk/wedding-dresses> [Accessed 17 May 2020].
  • Trove. 1862. THE MARRIAGE OF THE PRINCESS ALICE. – The Courier (Brisbane, Qld. : 1861 – 1864) – 25 Sep 1862. [online] Available at: <https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4608199> [Accessed 17 May 2020].
  • Van der Kiste, John, 2011. Queen Victoria’s Children. Stroud: The History Press.

King Henri II of France

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2013

King Henri II of France, Credit – Wikipedia

“The young lion will overcome the older one,
On the field of combat in a single battle;
He will pierce his eyes through a golden cage,
Two wounds made one, then he dies a cruel death.”

The above quatrain by Nostradamus, a French apothecary and reputed seer, is often interpreted as predicting the death of King Henri II of France. The interpretation usually goes something like this:  King Henri II of France (older one) jousted Gabriel de Lorges, Comte de Montgomery, captain of his Scotch Guard (young lion), who was eleven years younger, during a tournament (field of combat).  Both had lions on their shields. In their final pass, Montgomery’s lance tilted up, and went through Henri’s visor, splintering into pieces. Two shards, one through the eye (pierce his eyes through a golden cage), and one through the temple, lodged in Henri’s head (two wounds made one).  Henri suffered for eleven days (then he dies a cruel death) before dying.

King Henri II of France was born on March 31, 1519, at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, France.  He was the second son of King François I of France and Claude, Duchess of Brittany, a daughter of King Louis XII of France and Anne, Duchess of Brittany.

Henri had six siblings:

Catherine de Medici, Queen of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Due to her wealth, Catherine de Medici, the daughter of Lorenzo II de Medici, Duke of Urbino and Madeleine de La Tour d’Auvergne, had several potential bridegrooms. Both her parents died before she was one month old, and she was raised by various members of the wealthy banking family and political dynasty, the House of Medici. The Medici family jumped at the offer of François I, King of France to marry her to his second son Henri, the Duke of Orléans.

At this time, Henri’s elder brother François III, Duke of Brittany, Dauphin of France was the heir to the throne. There was little prospect of Henri becoming King of France. Henri and Catherine, both fourteen years old, were married at the Église Saint-Ferréol les Augustins in Marseille, France on October 28, 1533. Henri paid little attention to Catherine during the first ten years of their marriage, preferring mistresses, particularly Diane de Poitiers who became Henri’s mistress when he was fifteen and she was 35 years old. She remained Henri’s mistress for the rest of his life. Henri and his wife Catherine did not have children until they were married for nearly eleven years.

Henri, Catherine, and their children; Credit – Wikipedia

Eventually, they had ten children, seven surviving to adulthood.

In 1536, Henri’s elder brother François, the Dauphin (the title of heir to the French throne) and Duke of Brittany, died at the age of 18.  There were suspicions that he was poisoned, but he probably died from natural causes, most likely from tuberculosis. Henri became the heir to the throne and succeeded his father on March 31, 1547, his 28th birthday. He was crowned King of France on July 25, 1547, at Reims Cathedral. Henri’s reign was marked by the Italian Wars against the House of Habsburg and the suppression of the Protestant Reformation, particularly the persecution of the Protestant French Huguenots, who were becoming a large minority.

On June 30, 1559, a great celebration and tournament were held in Paris at the Hôtel des Tournelles (now the site of the Place des Vosges) in honor of the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis with France’s longtime enemies, the Habsburgs and the two marriages that occurred as a result of the Peace: Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy marrying Henri’s sister Marguerite of France, Duchess of Berry and King Felipe II of Spain marrying Elisabeth, the eldest daughter of Catherine and Henri II.

King Henri II, at age 40, still liked to participate in tournaments even though he had been advised not to participate because of dizziness after physical exertion.  Henri and Gabriel de Lorges, Comte de Montgomery, captain of the Scotch Guard, jousted, and Henri had been almost unseated from his horse.  He insisted upon a rematch despite the urgings of his wife, the Duke of Savoy, and other friends to stop.  The Comte de Montgomery reluctantly agreed to participate.  de Montgomery’s lance struck the king’s helmet, splintered, and went through the visor, going through the king’s right eye and his temple into the brain.  The king, bleeding profusely and nearly unconscious, was carried into the Hôtel des Tournelles.

Tournament between Henri II and Lorges,  Credit – Wikipedia

Henri received immediate treatment from the court physicians and renowned surgeon Ambroise Paré.  The splinter from the king’s eye was removed, and he was bled as that was the medical practice at the time.  It was hoped that losing an eye would be the worst thing to happen. King Felipe II of Spain arranged for one of his physicians, the great Belgian anatomist Andreas Vesalius, to go to Paris from Brussels for a consultation. Vesalius arrived on July 3, 1559, and determined that the king would not recover. Queen Catherine, desperate to find a way to cure her husband, had four criminals beheaded and then had splintered lances poked through the eyes at the same angle the lance had gone through Henry’s eye. Henri’s condition continued to worsen. On July 9, he was given the last rites. He died on July 10, 1559, at the age of 40, probably from a subdural hematoma and sepsis.

Deathbed of King Henri II of France, Credit – Wikipedia

King Henri II of France was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, the traditional burial place of French royalty.  During the French Revolution, Henry’s coffin was removed and thrown into a mass grave with the remains of other French royals.  However, the tomb of Henri II and Catherine de Medici can still be seen at the Basilica of Saint-Denis.  In 1817, the mass graves containing the royal remains were opened, and the remains were then placed in the crypt of the basilica.  Nearby are several large metal plates bearing the names of those royals whose graves had been desecrated during the French Revolution.

Tomb of Henri II of France and Catherine de Medici, Credit – Susan Flantzer

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Archduke Franz Ferdinand with his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg and their three children, Princess Sophie; Maximilian, Duke of Hohenburg; and Prince Ernst von Hohenberg, Credit – Wikipedia

For many people, the name Archduke Franz Ferdinand immediately evokes his assassination in 1914 which led to a diplomatic crisis when Austria-Hungary delivered an ultimatum to Serbia.  In turn, this caused several alliances formed over the previous decades to come into play, and within weeks, the major powers were at war and the conflict soon spread around the world becoming World War I.

Franz Ferdinand was born on December 18, 1863, in Graz, Austria, the eldest son of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria and his second wife Princess Maria Annunciata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Archduke Karl Ludwig’s elder brothers were Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria and Maximilian, the executed Emperor of Mexico. As his father’s first marriage to Margaretha of Saxony did not produce children, Franz Ferdinand was his father’s eldest son.

Franz Ferdinand had three younger siblings:

Franz Ferdinand had two younger half-siblings via his father’s third marriage to Infanta Maria Theresa of Portugal:

Franz Ferdinand’s life changed when his cousin Crown Prince Rudolf died by suicide in 1889 at his hunting lodge Mayerling.  Crown Prince Rudolf, the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph, had no sons so that the succession would pass to Emperor Franz Joseph’s brother Archduke Karl Ludwig and his eldest son Archduke Franz Ferdinand. There have been suggestions that Karl Ludwig renounced his succession rights in favor of his son Franz Ferdinand. However, an act of renunciation was never formally signed and Karl Ludwig was never officially designated heir to the throne. He was only three years younger than Franz Joseph and not a realistic choice. When Karl Ludwig died in 1896, Franz Ferdinand became the heir to his uncle’s throne.

In 1894, Franz Ferdinand fell in love with Countess Sophie Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin, the daughter of Count Bohuslaw Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin and Countess Wilhelmine Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau.  Because Sophie was not a member of a reigning or formerly reigning family, she could not marry a member of the Imperial Family.  Franz Ferdinand refused to give Sophie up and he was helped in his efforts to marry her by Archduchess Maria Theresa (born Infanta Maria Theresa of Portugal), Emperor Franz Joseph’s sister-in-law and Franz Ferdinand’s stepmother.

The emperor finally agreed to the marriage, but there were some catches.  Franz Ferdinand would keep his place in the succession, but Sophie could never be empress and their children would never have succession rights.  Before the marriage, Franz Ferdinand had to sign an agreement in front of the whole court declaring that Sophie would be his morganatic wife, would never bear the titles of empress, queen, or archduchess, and acknowledged that their descendants would not be in the line of succession.

Sophie and Franz Ferdinand were married on July 1, 1900, at Reichstadt (now Zákupy in the Czech Republic).  The only members of the Imperial Family to attend the wedding were Franz Ferdinand’s stepmother Archduchess Maria Theresa and her two daughters Archduchess Maria Annunciata and Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie.  Upon marriage, Sophie was given the style and title Her Serene Highness Princess of Hohenberg and in 1909, she was given the higher style and title Her Highness Duchess of Hohenberg.  Sophie never had the precedence of her husband, and at functions, she was forced to stand or sit far away from her husband.

Franz Ferdinand and Sophie had three children, two sons and a daughter.

There was one loophole in which Sophie could share her husband’s precedence and that was when he was acting in a military capacity.  Emperor Franz Joseph sent Franz Ferdinand to Sarajevo, Bosnia to observe military maneuvers and Sophie accompanied him out of fear for his safety.  After the military maneuvers, the couple was to open a state museum in Sarajevo. The Black Hand, a secret military society formed by members of the Serbian Army, conspired to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand on his visit to Sarajevo.  Seven conspirators were in the crowds lining the streets of Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, each ready to assassinate the Archduke should there be an opportunity.  One attempt, a bomb thrown at the archduke’s car, failed.  Later, after a reception at the Town Hall, 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip saw his chance and fired two shots at the couple as they rode in their car.  The first shot hit Sophie in the abdomen and the second shot hit Franz Ferdinand in the neck.  Sophie died soon after being shot and Franz Ferdinand died about 10 minutes later.

Five minutes before the assassination, Photo Credit – Wikipedia

The bodies of the Archduke and his wife were transported to Trieste, Italy by the battleship SMS Viribus Unitis, the same ship that the couple used to travel to Sarajevo.  From Trieste, a special train took the bodies back to Vienna.  Because Sophie was not a member of the Imperial Family, she could not be interred at the Imperial Crypt in Vienna.  Instead, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Sophie, Duchess of Hohenburg were buried at Artstetten Castle in Artstetten-Pöbring, Austria with only immediate family in attendance.

The death of Franz Ferdinand was very difficult for the 84-year-old Emperor Franz Joseph to deal. He had suffered the tragedies of the execution of his brother Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico in 1867, the suicide of his son Crown Prince Rudolf in 1889, and the assassination of his wife Empress Elisabeth in 1898.  Emperor Franz Josef died in 1916 and was succeeded by his grandnephew Karl, the last ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Tombs of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg at Artstetten Castle in Artstetten-Pöbring, Austria, Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Memorial Plaque of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Louis XII, King of France

by Emily McMahon and Susan Flantzer 
© Unofficial Royalty 2013

Louis XII, King of France; Credit – Wikipedia

King Louis XII of France was born on June 27, 1462, at the Chateau de Blois in Touraine, France, the only son and the second of the three children of Charles, Duke of Orléans and his third wife Marie of Cleves.  King Louis XII was the great-grandson of King Charles V of France through his second surviving son Louis I, Duke of Orléans after the line of Charles V’s eldest son and successor King Charles VI of France died out.

Louis had one half-sister from his father’s first marriage to Isabella of Valois, daughter of King Charles VI of France and widow of King Richard II of England.  Isabella died in childbirth at the age of 19.

Louis had one full elder sister and one full younger sister:

Louis succeeded his father as Duke of Orléans at the age of three. Although his descent from the French ruling line was somewhat distant, Louis was aware of his proximity to the throne should the main Valois line become extinct.

On September 8, 1476, 14-year-old Louis married 12-year-old Jeanne of France, daughter of King Louis XI of France. This was a political union arranged by King Louis XI, possibly to secure the succession due to the ill health of his heir, the future King Charles VIII of France. The marriage was unhappy, the couple lived apart, and there were no children.

King Louis XI died in 1483, leaving his 13-year-old son Charles VIII as King of France. Louis of Orléans was eager to dissolve his marriage with Jeanne as it now lacked importance due to the presumption that Charles would provide heirs. Nevertheless, Louis unsuccessfully attempted to join Charles’ sister Anne de Beaujeu as regent in 1484, ending in Anne’s arrest of Louis. Louis’ request to divorce Jeanne (Anne de Beaujeu’s sister) and marry Anne of Brittany, the heiress of the Duchy of Brittany, was declined by the Pope.

Louis escaped and joined several nobles against royal forces. His comrades included Francis II, Duke of Brittany (his intended fiancee’s father), Prince Jean of Orange, and Rene, Duke of Lorraine. The nobles held on for three years, after which Francis died and Louis was captured. During Louis’ captivity, Charles VIII married Francis’ daughter Anne, the new Duchess of Brittany, by force. Louis was pardoned by Charles in 1491 and joined the King on his failed Italian campaigns.

King Charles VIII died unexpectedly in 1498. Although he and Anne had had several children, none survived him, allowing Louis’ succession as King Louis XII of France. Eager to gain control of Anne’s funds and territories, Louis again attempted to annul his marriage to Jeanne. Unable to prove with any documented evidence his close relation to Jeanne (they were distant cousins) or his young age at the time of their marriage, Louis claimed that the marriage was unconsummated due to witchcraft and a deformity on Jeanne’s part. Although Jeanne fought admirably to save her reputation, Pope Alexander VI ruled in favor of Louis and granted the annulment.  After her marriage was annulled, Jeanne founded the monastic Order of the Sisters of the Annunciation of Mary and was canonized as a saint in 1950.

Anne of Brittany, Queen of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Louis XII married Anne, Duchess of Brittany on January 7, 1499, in Nantes, France. They had four stillborn sons and three miscarriages.  They did have two daughters who survived to adulthood:

Louis proved an able ruler, repairing the French treasury left in shambles by his predecessor through a more efficient tax collection. He also pursued a claim to the Duchy of Milan (which he claimed through his Italian grandmother, Valentina Visconti), holding the territory for twelve years. Louis also worked successfully with the French nobility, possibly because he understood the importance of their cooperation after his past as a rebel.

Louis XII and Anne of Brittany; Credit – Wikipedia

Although Queen Anne bore Louis several children, only daughters Claude and Renee were alive at the time of her death in 1514. Eager to provide himself a male heir, 52-year-old Louis quickly arranged a third marriage to Mary Tudor, the beautiful eighteen-year-old younger sister of King Henry VIII of England. There was a proxy marriage on August 19, 1514, at Greenwich Palace with Claude d’Orléans, Duke of Longueville standing in for Louis XII. Mary left for France on October 2, 1514.  They married in person at Abbeville on October 9, 1514. However, the marriage did not last long. Louis XII died on January 1, 1515, at the Hôtel des Tournelles in Paris, France, just three months after the wedding. As he had no sons, he was succeeded by his son-in-law François d’Angoulême from the House of Valois-Angoulême as King François I of France.

Louis did become the ancestor of the new line of French rulers. Although his daughter Claude could not succeed him due to the Salic Law of the Kingdom, she was married to his successor. Their second son became King of France in 1547 as Henri II. King Louis XII is buried with his second wife Anne of Brittany in the Basilica of St. Denis, the traditional burial place for French monarchs.  Their tomb has survived although it was desecrated in October 1793 and their bodies were thrown into a mass grave. However, the archaeologist Alexandre Lenoir saved much of the tomb and preserved it at the Museum of French Monuments. During the Second Bourbon Restoration (1815 – 1830), the tomb was returned to the Basilica of Saint-Denis. Read more about it at Wikipedia: Tomb of Louis XII and Anne of Brittany.

Tomb of Louis XII and Anne of Brittany; Photo Credit – By Photo: Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18611160

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France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Prince Albert I of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Prince Albert I of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Besides being the Sovereign Prince of Monaco, Albert I left an interesting legacy.  He was a pioneer of oceanography and founded the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco.  His interest in the origins of man caused him to found the Institute for Human Paleontology in Paris, which conducted many archeological digs. Because of his quest for world peace, the prince founded the International Institute for Peace, a predecessor of the League of Nations and the United Nations.

Albert Honoré Charles was born in Paris, France on November 13, 1848.  His father was Prince Charles III of Monaco and his mother was Antoinette de Merode, daughter of Count Werner de Merode and Countess Victoire de Spangen d’Uyternesse. Albert was his parents’ only child.

Albert’s first marriage was to Scottish Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton, daughter of William Alexander Anthony Archibald Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton and  Princess Marie Amélie of Baden. The couple was married on September 21, 1869, a month after their first meeting, at the Château de Marchais in Champagne, France.

The couple had one child:

Having been more or less forced into marriage, Mary Victoria and Albert were less than compatible.   Albert thought that his new wife was empty-headed and although Mary Victoria thought her husband to be handsome, she did not particularly like him.  Additionally, Mary Victoria did not like Monaco and the Mediterranean, so unlike her native Scotland.  19-year-old, pregnant Mary Victoria left Monaco with her mother and headed to her mother’s family home in the Grand Duchy of Baden now in Germany.

It was in Baden that Mary Victoria gave birth to the future Prince Louis II of Monaco on July 12, 1870.  Mary Victoria and Albert never reconciled.  Their marriage was annulled by the Roman Catholic Church in 1880 and civilly dissolved the same year by Prince Charles III of Monaco.  Their son Louis was raised in Baden by his maternal grandmother and did not see his father until he was 11 years old when he returned to Monaco to be trained for his future royal duties.

On September 10, 1889, upon the death of his father Prince Charles III, Albert became the Sovereign Prince of Monaco. The following month, on October 30, Albert married the Dowager Duchess de Richelieu, born Marie Alice Heine in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Alice’s family was a German Berlin and Paris banking family and she was a cousin of the German poet Heinrich Heine.   Alice had married Marie Odet Armand Aimable Chapelle de Jumilhac, Marquis of Jumilhac, 7th Duke of Richelieu and Fronsac while a teenager, was widowed at age 21, and was left with a son and a daughter.  Alice and Charles did not have children, but Alice did much to make Monaco a cultural center with world-class opera, theater, and ballet.  Both Albert and Alice had affairs and the couple legally separated in 1902 but remained married.

Albert’s great interest for much of his life was the ocean.  In his younger days, he had served in the Spanish and French navies, and by the age of 22, he began to study the new science of oceanography.  He devised several techniques and instruments used for oceanographic measurement and exploration and participated in 28 scientific expeditions.  Albert was nicknamed “The Prince of the Seas” and his four research yachts, Hirondelle, Princesse Alice, Princesse Alice II, and Hirondelle II, took him all over the Mediterranean Sea, the Azores, and the Arctic.  Albert made four scientific voyages to Svalbard, an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean in the northernmost part of Norway for oceanographic and zoological study. In honor of his Arctic journeys, the northwestern part of Spitsbergen, Svalbard was named Albert I Land.  The Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, which he founded, has a world-class aquarium, museum, library, and research facilities in Paris.

Statue of Prince Albert I in Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Albert I of Monaco died in Paris, France on June 26, 1922, at the age of 73.  He was buried at the Cathedral of Monaco.  His second wife Alice died in Paris, France on December 22, 1925, and was buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France.

Grave of Prince Albert I in Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco, Photo Credit – findagrave.com

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Principality of Monaco Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Abdication of the Emir of Qatar

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani with his wife Sheikha Mozan bint Nasser Al-Misnad.  Photo credit: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images.

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani abdicated in favor of his 33-year old son, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on June 25, 2013.  Hamad had been Emir since 1995 when he overthrew his father.

The new Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Photo credit: Fadi Al-Assaad/Reuters.

The new Emir is the son of Hamad and his second wife Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Misnad.  He has two wives – Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim al-Thani (his second cousin), and Sheikha Anoud bint Mana Al-Hajri – and seven children.  Sheikh Tamim was named Crown Prince of Qatar in 2003 after his elder brother renounced his claim to the throne.

BBC: Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad hands power to son Tamim
Guardian: Emir of Qatar hands power to his son in peaceful transition

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Maria Clotilde of Savoy, Princess Napoleon

by Emily McMahon  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Maria Clotilde of Savoy, Princess Napoleon;  Credit – Wikipedia

Born on March 2, 1843, at the Royal Palace of Turin in Savoy, now part of Italy, Ludovica Teresa Maria Clotilde was the eldest of the eight children of Vittorio Emanuele II, Duke of Savoy, the future first King of Italy, and Archduchess Adelheid of Austria. The princess was known from birth by her last two names, Maria Clotilde.

Maria Clotilde had seven younger siblings:

Maria Clotilde’s parents and siblings; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1849, a few weeks after Maria Clotilde’s sixth birthday, Vittorio Emanuele became King of Sardinia. Just days after giving birth to her last child, Maria Clotilde’s mother Adelheid fell ill after attending the funeral of her mother-in-law. Adelheid died four days later, on January 20, 1855, leaving 11-year-old Maria Clotilde, the eldest of her six surviving children.

Despite her early death, Adelheid’s actions and character had a great deal of influence on her eldest daughter. Dutiful and deeply religious, Maria Clotilde tried to serve as a second mother to her brothers and sister. Vittorio Emanuele had only occasional contact with his children in the following years due to his work toward the unification of Italy and the attention he gave to his numerous mistresses.

Vittorio Emanuele was eager to gain the support of the United Kingdom and France against Austria during the Wars of Italian Independence. To seal a French-Italian alliance, a marriage between Maria Clotilde and a Bonaparte prince was arranged in 1858. Emperor Napoleon III’s only son was a toddler so his cousin Napoléon-Jérôme was selected as the Bonaparte groom. Napoléon-Jérôme Bonaparte  was the son of Jérôme Bonaparte, the brother of Emperor Napoleon I, and Princess Catherine of Württemberg.  Maria Clotilde was fifteen at the time and Napoléon-Jérôme was 37.

Maria Clotilde was not impressed by her portly, anti-clerical liberal fiancé. Her innocence, piety, and sense of duty clashed with Napoléon-Jérôme’s love of wine, women, and food. The two were married at Turin on January 30, 1859. The differences between the bride and groom did not go without notice. The wedding was described as being between an elephant (Napoléon-Jérôme) and a gazelle (Maria Clotilde). The couple settled in Paris.

Maria Clotilde and her husband in 1859; Credit – Wikipedia

The couple had two sons and one daughter:

Maria Clotilda with one of her children, probably Napoléon Victor; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Clotilde devoted her life to prayer, charity, and her family. She was well-respected in France for her sense of duty and grace, while her husband had long been disliked for his devotion to pleasure and his supposed avoidance of service during the Crimean War. Napoléon-Jérôme was a notorious womanizer both before and after his marriage.

Maria Clotilde was urged by her father to leave Paris just before the fall of the Second French Empire in 1870. At first, she refused to leave, sending her father a cold letter about her duties to the Houses of Savoy and Bonaparte. As the dangers increased and the remaining members of the Bonaparte family fled, Maria Clotilde and her husband eventually abandoned Paris for Switzerland. After a few years, Maria Clotilde and her husband quietly separated and she returned to Turin with her daughter.

After returning to Italy, Maria Clotilde continued her life of devotion and charity. She spent her final years at the traditional summer residence of the Savoy family, the Castle of Moncalieri in Montcalieri, a town located just outside of Turin. Maria Clotilde died there on June 25, 1911, at the age of 68, surviving her husband by twenty years.  She was buried at the Basilica of Superga near Turin, the traditional burial site of the House of Savoy.

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“I Name This Ship…”

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2013

In 2013, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge (now The Princess of Wales) launched Royal Princess, an ocean liner for Princess Cruises.  It was rather special in that the previous Royal Princess was launched by her late mother-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales.  The naming or christening of ships has long been a royal tradition in most European monarchies, especially in the United Kingdom. Traditionally these were Navy ships, however, with the advent of the ocean liner, we now see a lot more private vessels being sponsored by Queens and Princesses.

The United Kingdom likely has the most vessels launched by royalty, going back hundreds of years.  There are records of The Prince of Wales launching HMS Prince Royal for the English Navy in 1610.  Queen Victoria launched several British Royal Navy ships, including two launched together in 1891 – HMS Royal Arthur and HMS Royal Sovereign.  Prince Albert launched one of the first non-Navy ships – The Great Western Steamship Company’s SS Great Britain in 1843.

And the tradition continues to the present.  As of this date, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has launched 21 ships and a few lifeboats – including 5 Cunard ocean liners, several oil tankers, a Royal Yacht, and a vast array of British Royal Navy crafts.  Her first was in November 1944 – British Royal Navy’s HMS Vanguard.  Her most recent was in October 2010 – Cunard Line’s RMS Queen Elizabeth.

Amongst many shipping lines, two have maintained very close ties with Royalty – Cunard Line and Holland America Line.

Cunard Line
The Cunard Line has had 8 ships launched by British royals.  The first was RMS Queen Mary, launched in 1934 by Queen Mary herself.  This was the first merchant ship launched by a member of the British royal family.  According to many sources, thanks to radio and Newsreels, this was the first opportunity that many Britons had to hear The Queen speak.  This video includes a speech by King George V and then the naming of the ship by Queen Mary.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8BLqFAR3dw

A few years later – in 1938 – Queen Elizabeth (later The Queen Mother) launched RMS Queen Elizabeth, named in her honor.  After a brief speech, she was presented with a gift by the Cunard Line and then named the ship.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE1PHonSW68

In 1947, just a few weeks before her marriage, the then-Princess Elizabeth, accompanied by Lt. Philip Mountbatten, launched RMS Caronia.
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/princess-elizabeth-launches-the-coronia-1/query/Clydebank

Princess Margaret launched RMS Carinthia in 1955.
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/carinthia-launched/query/Countess

Queen Elizabeth II launched the new Queen Elizabeth 2 in 1967.  Traditionally, ships didn’t take on a number.  The ship was intended to be called Queen Elizabeth.  However, during the naming ceremony, Her Majesty called her “Queen Elizabeth the second”, thus giving the ship her famous nickname – QE2.  Despite the name, it isn’t actually named for her.  It is named after the previous RMS Queen Elizabeth.

HM The Queen at the launch of RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (photo credit: The Guardian)

The Queen launched the RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2004.  It was decided to keep with the new tradition of adding the 2 to the ship’s name.

HM The Queen at the launch of RMS Queen Mary 2 (photo credit BBC)

In somewhat of a break from tradition, RMS Queen Victoria was christened by The Duchess of Cornwall, now Queen Camilla, in 2007.  Up until this point, all of Cunard’s ‘Queen’ ships had been launched by the actual Queen at the time.  This was seen as a nod toward The Duchess’ future role as Queen Consort.

HRH The Duchess of Cornwall at the launch of RMS Queen Victoria  credit: Hello)

The last of the Cunard ships – the RMS Queen Elizabeth – was launched by The Queen in 2010. Again, the ship is named after the original RMS Queen Elizabeth, this time without the addition of a 2 or 3.  Incidentally, Her Majesty was in attendance for the launches of all three of the Queen Elizabeth ships, having accompanied her mother when the first was launched in 1938, and herself launching the other two.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIeUAQmKZek

Holland America Line
Holland America Line has the largest number of royal sponsors.  Eleven of their ocean liners have been named by Dutch royals, beginning with the SS Statendam(III) in 1929 by Prince Hendrik and the latest being MS Nieuw Amsterdam(IV) in 2010 by Princess Máxima.

SS Statendam(III) – christened 1929 by HRH Prince Henrik, The Prince Consort
SS Nieuw Amsterdam(II) – christened 1937 by HM Queen Wilhelmina
SS Statendam(IV) – christened 1957 by HRH Princess Beatrix
SS Princes Margriet – christened 1964 by HRH Princess Beatrix
SS Rotterdam(V) – christened 1958 by HM Queen Juliana
MS Prinsendam(II) – christened 1973 by HRH Princess Margriet
MS Nieuw Amsterdam(III) – christened 1983 by HRH Princess Margriet
MS Rotterdam(VI) – christened 1997 by HRH Princess Margriet
MS Oosterdam – christened 2003 by HRH Princess Margriet
MS Eurodam – christened 2008 by HM Queen Beatrix
MS Nieuw Amsterdam(IV) – christened 2010 by HRH Princess Máxima

As mentioned at the top of this article, Princess Cruises has had two royal sponsors – The Duchess of Cambridge and Diana, Princess of Wales – both of whom christened ships named Royal Princess.

Princess Grace of Monaco is the only non-British royal involved with a Cunard Line christening.  In 1977, The Princess christened MS Cunard Princess.  The ship had previously been named MS Conquest.  She also participated in another re-christening ceremony in 1982.  Back in 1956, the then-Grace Kelly sailed to Monaco on the SS Constitution, for her wedding to Prince Rainier.  Years later, after a complete overhaul for its new owner, The Princess was asked to re-christen this ship, which she did in Taiwan, accompanied by Prince Rainier.

And one last tidbit which I find rather ironic.  Despite its name, the Royal Caribbean Line has only one Royal sponsor.  In 1992, MS Majesty of the Seas was launched by Queen Sonja of Norway.

Who Knew?!

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