Monthly Archives: March 2017

Abdication of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Emperor Nicholas II of Russia, 1912; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia was born on May 18, 1868, the eldest son of  Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and Princess Dagmar of Denmark, known as Maria Feodorovna after her marriage. He became Tsar at the age of 26 upon the death of his father on November 1, 1894. Shortly afterward, on November 26, 1894, Nicholas married Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, the youngest surviving child of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.  After her marriage, Alix was known as Alexandra Feodorovna.

Nicholas and his wife were related to many other royals. Nicholas was a grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark, the maternal nephew of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, King George I of Greece, and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom (wife of King Edward VII). Among his first cousins were King George V of the United Kingdom, King Christian X of Denmark, King Haakon VII of Norway and his wife Queen Maud (daughter of King Edward VII), King Constantine I of Greece and Prince Andrew of Greece, the father of Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.

Alexandra was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria; the niece of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom; Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress and Queen of Prussia (wife of Friedrich III, German Emperor); Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; and Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Her first cousins included Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia, Queen Sophie of Greece, King George V of the United Kingdom, Queen Maud of Norway, Queen Marie of Romania, Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden, Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain.

Nicholas and Alexandra had four daughters and one son. Their son, Alexei, the heir to the throne, was a sufferer of the blood-clotting genetic disease hemophilia. Alexandra’s grandmother Queen Victoria was a hemophilia carrier. Queen Victoria’s son Leopold suffered from hemophilia and it is assumed that a spontaneous mutation occurred in Queen Victoria. Alexandra’s brother Friedrich was a hemophilia sufferer who had died at the age of two from a brain hemorrhage after falling out a window, so therefore her mother Alice was a hemophilia carrier.

Russian Imperial Family (between circa 1913 and circa 1914); Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Nicholas mobilized the Russian troops in 1914 which led to Russia’s entrance into World War I on the side of Entente Powers (also known as the Allies of World War I or the Allies). See Unofficial Royalty: World War I: Who Was On What Side? In the midst of World War I, the February Revolution, the first of two revolutions in Russia, took place in 1917. Later in 1917, the October Revolution occurred, paving the way for the establishment of the Soviet Union.

Historian Alexander Rabinowitch in The Bolsheviks in Power: The First Year of Soviet Rule in Petrograd, summarized the reasons for the February Revolution: The February 1917 revolution “… grew out of prewar political and economic instability, technological backwardness, and fundamental social divisions, coupled with gross mismanagement of the war effort, continuing military defeats, domestic economic dislocation, and outrageous scandals surrounding the monarchy.” The revolution was confined to the capital St. Petersburg and its surrounding areas and lasted less than a week. It involved mass demonstrations and armed clashes with police and forces of the Russian army. The immediate result of the revolution was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire.

By March 12, 1917, all the remaining regiments of the Russian Imperial Army had mutinied. A Provisional Government was formed which issued a demand that Nicholas must abdicate. At this time, Nicholas was not in St. Petersburg, but at the Stavka, the headquarters of the Russian Imperial Army in Mogilev (now in Belarus), 500 miles/800km away, living on the Imperial Train. Despite many earlier warnings from many people that he should return to the capital, Nicholas remained at the Stavka.

Finally, when it was too late to take any action, Nicholas decided to return to his family at Tsarskoe Selo, 15 miles/24 km from St. Petersburg, the site of Alexander Palace, the family’s favorite residence. Aboard the train, Nicholas heard the news that the last of the regiments had mutinied and he realized he had no choice but to abdicate. On March 15, 1917, aboard the Imperial Train headed to Tsarskoe Selo, Nicholas signed the abdication manifesto. At first, he decided to abdicate in favor of his son Alexei, but he changed his mind after conferring with doctors who said the hemophiliac Alexei would not survive without his parents, who would surely be exiled. Nicholas then decided to abdicate in favor of his brother Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich. However, Michael declined to accept the throne unless the people were allowed to vote for the continuation of the monarchy or for a republic.

Nicholas issued the following statement:

“In the days of the great struggle against the foreign enemies, who for nearly three years have tried to enslave our fatherland, the Lord God has been pleased to send down on Russia a new heavy trial. Internal popular disturbances threaten to have a disastrous effect on the future conduct of this persistent war. The destiny of Russia, the honor of our heroic army, the welfare of the people and the whole future of our dear fatherland demand that the war should be brought to a victorious conclusion whatever the cost. The cruel enemy is making his last efforts, and already the hour approaches when our glorious army together with our gallant allies will crush him. In these decisive days in the life of Russia, We thought it Our duty of conscience to facilitate for Our people the closest union possible and a consolidation of all national forces for the speedy attainment of victory. In agreement with the Imperial Duma We have thought it well to renounce the Throne of the Russian Empire and to lay down the supreme power. As We do not wish to part from Our beloved son, We transmit the succession to Our brother, the Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, and give Him Our blessing to mount the Throne of the Russian Empire. We direct Our brother to conduct the affairs of state in full and inviolable union with the representatives of the people in the legislative bodies on those principles which will be established by them, and on which He will take an inviolable oath. In the name of Our dearly beloved homeland, We call on Our faithful sons of the fatherland to fulfill their sacred duty to the fatherland, to obey the Tsar in the heavy moment of national trials, and to help Him, together with the representatives of the people, to guide the Russian Empire on the road to victory, welfare, and glory. May the Lord God help Russia!”

One of the last photographs taken of Nicholas II, take Tsarskoe Selo after his abdication, Spring 1917; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Nicholas and his family were held under house arrest first at the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoe Selo, and later at the Governor’s Mansion in Tobolsk, Siberia between August 1917 – April 1918. In April 1918, they were moved to the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Siberia. It was here on the morning of July 17, 1918, that the family was brought to a room in the basement and assassinated.

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

  • “February revolution.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Feb. 2017. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.
  • Lincoln, Bruce W., and Lincoln. The Romanovs: Autocrats of All the Russias: Autocrats of All the Russias. New York, NY, Unofficialtes: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, 1983. Print.
  • “Nicholas II of Russia.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Feb. 2017. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.
  • Perry, John Curtis, and Constantine Pleshakov. The Flight of the Romanovs: A Family Saga. New York, NY, United States: William S. Konecky Associates, 1999. Print.
  • Rabinowitch, Alexander. The Bolsheviks in Power: The First Year of Soviet Rule in Petrograd. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2008. Print.
  • Scott. “Emperor Nicholas II of Russia.” Russian Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 28 Mar. 2015. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.

Princess Margarita of Greece, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.; Photo –  Private Collection

Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark was born on April 18, 1905, at the Royal Palace in Athens, Greece. She was the eldest child of Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg and was the first great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Margarita had four younger siblings:

 

During the years 1930 to 1931, Margarita and her three sisters married. Although she was the eldest, Margarita was the third to marry. Her groom was Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. He was the son of Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, a grandson of Queen Victoria’s half-sister Princess Feodora of Leiningen, and Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Margarita and Gottfried were second cousins once removed through their mutual descent from Queen Victoria, and third cousins through Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia. They married in Langenburg in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on April 20, 1931, and had five children:

  • Prince Kraft, titular Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1935 – 2004), married (1) Princess Charlotte of Croÿ, had two daughters and one son, divorced  (2) Irma Pospesch, no children
  • Princess Beatrix of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1936 – 1997), unmarried
  • Prince Georg Andreas of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (born 1938), married Princess Luise of Schönburg-Waldenburg, had two daughters
  • Prince Rupprecht of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1944 – 1978), unmarried, twin of Albrecht
  • Prince Albrecht of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1944 – 1992), married Maria-Hildegard Fischer, had one son

In 1934, Margarita and her husband traveled to New York to testify in the famous custody battle for the young Gloria Vanderbilt. In the past, Gottfried had been in a romantic relationship with her mother, Mrs. Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, and during the custody hearing, a housemaid made some rather salacious allegations about the relationship between the two. Margarita also testified as a character witness for Mrs. Vanderbilt.

Although Margarita and her sisters were not invited to their brother Philip’s wedding due to the strong anti-German sentiment so soon after World War II, she and Philip remained close. In 1950, she was named one of the godparents of Philip’s daughter, Princess Anne. In 1953, Margarita, her surviving sisters, and their mother were prominent guests at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. On April 17, 2021, Margarita’s grandson Philipp, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Head of the House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, was one of the thirty guests at the funeral of his great-uncle Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

After being widowed in 1960, Margarita maintained a quiet life in Langenburg, in the German state of  Baden-Württemberg. She visited her children and grandchildren and occasionally visits Philip and his family in the United Kingdom. At the age of 76, Princess Margarita died in Langenburg on April 24, 1981, and was buried beside her husband in the family cemetery.

Margarita’s grave; Photo – www.findagrave.com

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.

Prince Andreas of Greece

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Prince Andreas of Greece – Photo source: The Peerage

Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark (typically known as Andrew) was born February 2, 1882, in Athens, Greece, the son of King George I of the Hellenes and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia. At his birth, he was fourth in line to the Greek throne behind his three brothers.  Andreas had seven siblings:

As a child, Andreas was considered more ‘Greek’ than most of his siblings, refusing to speak anything but Greek with his parents, despite also speaking several other languages. His education was mostly in military schools, leading to his joining the Greek forces at the age of 19.

Prince Andreas and Princess Alice, c1903.  source: Wikipedia

At the coronation of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom in August 1902, Andreas first met Princess Alice of Battenberg. She was the eldest daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (later the Marquess and Marchioness of Milford Haven). The couple married in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse, in a civil ceremony on October 6, 1903, followed by both Lutheran and Greek Orthodox ceremonies. Over the next 18 years, they had five children:

Prince Andreas’ military service was often interrupted by the political turmoil in Greece. He resigned from the army following a coup d’état in 1909. He later returned in 1912 and found in the Balkan Wars. Following the abdication of his brother King Constantine I in 1917, Andreas went into exile along with most of the Greek royal family. Upon Constantine’s return to the throne in 1920, Andreas was reinstated in the Greek Army and saw service in the Greco-Turkish War. Following another coup d’état in 1922, Andreas was arrested and court-martialled. He was found guilty and faced possible death. Through the efforts of King George V of the United Kingdom, arrangements were made for Andreas to be spared, and with his family, he went into exile again. The family settled in Saint-Cloud, on the outskirts of Paris, France.

Prince Andrew and his family in 1928

Prince Andreas and his family in 1928; Credit – Wikipedia

Andreas spent the next several years defending his actions during his military service in Greece, even writing a book in 1930 – Towards Disaster: The Greek Army in Asia Minor in 1921.  By the early 1930s, Andreas had less and less contact with his family.  His wife Alice suffered a nervous breakdown and was institutionalized, his four daughters had all married into former German royal families, and his son was attending school first in Germany and then in the United Kingdom.  Somewhat at a loss, having been forced into a life of retirement, Andreas moved to the French Riviera.  There, he enjoyed a life of leisure, spending much of his time living aboard the yacht of his mistress, Countess Andrée de La Bigne.

Andreas only returned to Greece once, in 1936, after Greece had reversed his exile, and restored assets to the Greek royal family.  The following year, tragedy brought the family together.  In November 1937, Andreas’s daughter Cecilie, along with her husband, two sons, and mother-in-law were killed in a plane crash in Belgium. Andreas attended the funeral in Darmstadt, Germany where he was reunited with his wife Alice and son Philip for the first time in six years.  However, the reunion was short-lived, and Prince Andreas soon returned to his life in France.

The onset of World War II ended the little contact Andreas had with his wife and children.  His wife had returned to Greece, his daughters, having married German princes, were all behind German lines, and his son was fighting for the British forces.  His hopes of once again seeing his children soon came to an end.  Prince Andreas died at the Metropole Hotel in Monte Carlo on December 3, 1944, at the age of 62.  It had been five years since he had seen his wife or son.  Prince Andreas was initially buried at the Russian Orthodox Church in Nice, France, and in 1946, his remains were reinterred in the royal cemetery at Tatoi Palace in Greece.

Grave of Prince Andreas; Photo: www,findagrave.com

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.

Princess Alice of Battenberg, Princess Andreas of Greece

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Princess Alice of Battenberg, Princess Andreas of Greece and Denmark; circa 1967

Princess Alice of Battenberg was the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She was born HSH Princess Victoria Alice Elisabeth Julia Maria on February 25, 1885, in the Tapestry Room at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. Her parents were Prince Ludwig (Louis) of Battenberg, later 1st Marquess of Milford Haven, and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, a grandchild of Queen Victoria.

Alice was the eldest child, with three younger siblings:

Alice was christened in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany, on April 25, 1885, with the following godparents:

As a child, Alice was diagnosed with congenital deafness and learned to lip-read in both English and German. Later, she also learned French and Greek. Her childhood was spent in Darmstadt and Jugenheim, both in the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse, as well as London, England, and Malta where her father was stationed. The family was very close to their British relatives, and Alice served as a bridesmaid at the 1893 wedding of the future King George V of the United Kingdom and Princess Mary of Teck. Alice’s family was also very close to their Russian relatives. Her aunt was Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia, the former Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, and the families often spent holidays together in Darmstadt.

At the 1902 coronation of her great-uncle, King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, Alice met Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark. They quickly fell in love and were married in a civil ceremony in Darmstadt on October 6, 1903. The following day, two religious ceremonies were held, one Lutheran and one Greek Orthodox. Their wedding was one of the last large gatherings of European royals before World War I. The couple settled into a wing of the Royal Palace in Athens, Greece, and had five children:

While Andreas pursued his military career, Alice raised her family and became involved in charity work in Greece. However, the political situation in Greece was often tenuous, and the family was forced into exile several times. They lived in Switzerland for several years before King Constantine II was restored to the Greek throne in 1920. Their return to Greece was short-lived. In 1922, King Constantine II was forced to abdicate and Prince Andreas was arrested and charged with treason. He was court-martialed and convicted and would have probably been executed had it not been for the intervention of Alice’s cousin, King George V of the United Kingdom. King George sent a British cruiser HMS Calypso to take Andreas, Alice, and their children into exile.

The family settled in Saint-Cloud, outside of Paris, France in a small house owned by Andreas’s sister-in-law Princess George of Greece (the former Marie Bonaparte). Alice worked in a charity shop for Greek refugees and became very religious. On October 20, 1928, she very quietly converted to the Greek Orthodox Church. Soon, Alice began to show signs of mental illness. In 1930, following a nervous breakdown, Princess Alice was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. She was institutionalized in a sanatorium in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland, under the care of Dr. Ludwig Binswanger. After two years in Kreuzlingen and a brief stay at a clinic in Merano, Italy, she was released. It would be another four years before she had contact with her children, having only maintained ties with her mother.

During her absence, all four of her daughters had married and begun their own families. Sadly, it was a tragic event that brought Alice back into contact with her children. On November 16, 1937, Alice’s daughter Cecilie, along with her husband, two children, and mother-in-law were killed in a plane crash in Belgium. Alice attended the funeral in Darmstadt, reconnecting with her surviving children, and meeting her husband for the first time in six years.

In 1938, Alice returned to Greece, continuing her work with the poor. Along with her sister-in-law Princess Nicholas of Greece (the former Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia), Alice worked with the Red Cross during World War II to organize shelters and nurses in the poor neighborhoods of Athens. Alice and Elena had been the only two members of the Greek Royal Family to remain in the country, while the rest had gone into exile in South Africa. In 1943, after the German Army occupied Athens, and while most Jews were being deported to concentration camps, Alice hid a Jewish widow Rachel Cohen and two of her children in her home. Thirty years earlier, Mrs. Cohen’s husband had come to the aid of King George I of Greece, and the King had offered to someday repay him if there was ever anything he could do for him. Mrs. Cohen remembered this promise and reached out to Princess Alice. Alice, who saw both the opportunity to repay the debt and help save their lives, took the family in, risking her own life in doing so. The following year, she was widowed when Prince Andreas died in Monte Carlo. The two had not seen each other since 1939.

In November 1947, Alice returned to the United Kingdom for her son’s wedding. Some of her jewels were used to create Elizabeth’s engagement ring and a bracelet that Philip designed for her as a wedding gift. On November 20, 1947, Alice attended the wedding, although none of her daughters had been invited due to their marriages to Germans, and the still-strong anti-German sentiment after the war. In the group photo from the wedding above, Princess Alice is seen in the front row on the left, standing next to Queen Mary. Alice’s mother, the Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven is seen on the far right, next to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

Just over a year later, Princess Alice founded a nursing order of nuns, the Christian Sisterhood of Martha and Mary. She established a home for the order just north of Athens and trained on the Greek island of Tinos. Alice made two tours of the United States to raise funds to support the order. Many people were perplexed by this venture, none more so than Alice’s mother, the Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven, who reportedly said: “What can you say of a nun who smokes and plays canasta?” Unfortunately, the order did not last very long, due to a limited number of applicants. However, Alice continued her work supporting those in need and dressed as a nun for the rest of her life.

Alice leading her family’s procession at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, June 1953

On June 2, 1953, Princess Alice attended the coronation of her daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, at Westminster Abbey in London. Wearing a gown designed to look like a nun’s habit, she led the formal procession of Philip’s family, including his three surviving sisters and his uncle Prince George of Greece.

photo: Hello!

Alice remained in Greece, working to help the poor and those in need. However, as the political situation worsened, and with her children’s growing concern for her safety, it soon became obvious that she would need to leave the country she had grown to love so much since first arriving in 1903. She left Greece in 1967 following the Colonels’ Coup and was invited by her son and daughter-in-law to live at Buckingham Palace in London, England. She died there on December 5, 1969, at the age of 84. Following her funeral, her remains were placed in the Royal Crypt at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. Alice had previously expressed her wish to be buried near her aunt Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia, born Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, at the Convent of Saint Mary Magdalene on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. On August 3, 1988, nearly 19 years after her death, her remains were moved to Jerusalem and placed in a crypt below the church.

On October 31, 1994, Princess Alice was posthumously recognized as Righteous Among the Nations for her sheltering of persecuted Jews during World War II. In 2010, she was named a Hero of the Holocaust by the British Government.

King Charles III visiting his grandmother’s tomb in September 2016. photo: Clarence House/PA

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.

Adela of Normandy, Countess of Blois

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Adela of Normandy, Countess of Blois; Credit – Wikipedia

Adela, a daughter of King William I of England (the Conqueror) and Matilda of Flanders, was born around 1167, probably in Normandy. She was the mother of King Stephen of England who fought a long civil war known as The Anarchy for the English throne with his first cousin Empress Matilda, the only surviving legitimate child of King Henry I of England.

Adela had at least nine siblings. The birth order of her brothers is clear, but that of her sisters is not. Adela was certainly her parents’ youngest daughter. The list below is not in birth order. It lists Adela’s brothers first in their birth order and then her sisters in their probable birth order.

Despite her royal duties, Adela’s mother Matilda oversaw the upbringing of her children and all were known for being well educated. Her daughters were educated and taught to read Latin at the Abbaye-aux-Dames (Holy Trinity) in Caen, Normandy. For her sons, Matilda secured Lanfranc, later Archbishop of Canterbury, as their teacher. Adela had a close relationship with her brother, the future King Henry I of England. They were probably the youngest children in the family and probably the only ones born after their father’s conquest of England in 1066.

The chronicler Orderic Vitalis says that Adela’s father wanted an alliance with Theobald III, Count of Blois and a marriage was arranged between Adela and Theobold’s eldest son Stephen.  Adela and Stephen probably were married in 1081 in Chartres, one of the main cities in the County of Blois.

Adela and Stephen had ten children, listed below in their probable birth order:

Adela and three of her sons, William, Theobald, and Stephen; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1089, upon the death of his father Theobald, Adela’s husband Stephen became Count of Blois and inherited the counties of Blois, Chartres, Châteaudun, and Meux. Stephen left for the Holy Land in 1096 to participate in the First Crusade (1095 – 1099) along with Adela’s brother Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy. In her husband’s absence, Adela acted as regent. During the Siege of Antioch, Stephen and other Crusaders, considered their situation very weak and were sure of certain defeat, so they abandoned their comrades in arms. Stephen returned home in 1098 without fulfilling his crusade vow to make his way to Jerusalem.

Because Stephen had returned home without fulfilling his vow to get to Jerusalem, he was pressured by Adela to join the Crusade of 1101, also called the Crusade of the Faint-Hearted because of the number of participants who joined this crusade after having turned back from the First Crusade. Stephen managed to get to Jerusalem, but this time instead of returning home because he reached his goal, he chose to remain and continue fighting. On May 17, 1102, during the Second Battle of Ramla, Stephen II, Count of Blois was captured after being besieged in the tower of the city and beheaded at the age of 57.

The new Count of Blois was Adela’s eldest son William. However, Adela soon removed him from his duties because of his erratic behavior. He was nicknamed William the Simple, possibly because of a mental deficiency. When the next eldest brother Theobold came of age in 1107, Adela made him Count of Blois. William retired to his wife’s home in Sully-sur-Loire.

Around the same time, Adela sent her youngest son Henry, destined for a life in the Church, to the Abbey of Cluny in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France.  In 1126, Henry’s maternal uncle King Henry I of England appointed him the Abbot at Glastonbury Abbey in England. Three years later, Henry was made Bishop of Winchester and because he loved Glastonbury Abbey, he was allowed to remain as the Abbot. In 1139, Henry became a papal legate, a higher rank than the Archbishop of Canterbury, making him the most powerful person in the English Church. Henry was a power player during the reigns of his uncle King Henry I, his brother King Stephen, and his first cousin once removed King Henry II.

Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 25, 1120, the White Ship left Normandy, bound for England and carrying many of the heirs of the great estates of England and Normandy including William Ætheling, the only son and the heir of Adela’s brother King Henry I of England. Also on board was Adela’s daughter Lucia-Mahaut and her husband Richard d’Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester. Unfortunately, the White Ship hit a submerged rock, capsized, and sank. About 300 people drowned. The chronicler Orderic Vitalis writes that only two people survived the shipwreck by clinging to a rock all night. For more information, see Unofficial Royalty: The Sinking of the White Ship and How It Affected the English Succession.

The Sinking of the White Ship; Credit – Wikipedia

The tragedy of the White Ship left King Henry I with only one legitimate child, his daughter Matilda. Henry I’s nephews, including the sons of Adela, were the closest male heirs. In January of 1121, Henry I married his second wife Adeliza of Louvain, hoping for sons, but the marriage remained childless. On Christmas Day of 1226, King Henry I of England gathered his nobles at Westminster where they swore to recognize Matilda and any future legitimate heir she might have as his successors. That plan did not work out. Upon hearing of King Henry I’s death on December 1, 1135, Adela’s son Stephen of Blois, quickly crossed the English Channel from France, seized power, and was crowned King of England on December 22, 1135. This started the terrible civil war between Stephen and Matilda known as The Anarchy. England did not see peace for 18 years until Matilda’s son acceded to the throne as King Henry II of England in 1153.

King Stephen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Adela lived through the sinking of the White Ship, her son Henry becoming Bishop of Winchester, her son Stephen becoming King of England, and the beginning of the terrible civil war, The Anarchy. In 1120, Adela had retired to the Priory of the Holy Trinity of Marcigny-lès-Nonnains in Marcigny, now in the Burgundy region of France. There is some evidence that Adela served as the prioress. Although Adela lived out her life as a nun, she did not totally isolate herself. She continued to exert her influence and communicated with her children and the religious and political leaders of the lands she once ruled. Adela died on March 8, 1137, aged 69–70, at the Priory of the Holy Trinity of Marcigny-lès-Nonnains. She was buried at the Abbaye-aux-Dames in Caen, Duchy of Normandy, now in France, near the grave of her mother with these simple words on her grave, “Adele, fille du roi” (Adele, daughter of the king).

Abbaye-aux-Dames; Photo Credit – By I, Pradigue, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2441612

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
“Adele d’Inghilterra.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.
“First crusade.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Jan. 2017. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.
Online, Catholic, and St Adela. “Adela of Normandy.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Jan. 2017. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.
“Stefano II di Blois.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.
“Stephen, count of Blois.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Nov. 2016. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.
Susan. “November 25, 1120 – the sinking of the white ship and how it affected the English succession.” British Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 25 Nov. 2015. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.

Robert III Curthose, Duke of Normandy

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Robert III Curthose, Duke of Normandy; Credit – Wikipedia

Robert Curthose, the eldest son of King William I of England (the Conqueror) and Matilda of Flanders, was born in Normandy around 1051. Despite being the eldest son, Robert did not follow his father upon the English throne. Robert’s nickname Curthose comes from the Norman French courtheuse, meaning “short stockings.” The chroniclers William of Malmesbury and Orderic Vitalis reported that the insulting name came from Robert’s father who was making fun of his son’s short stature.

Robert had at least nine siblings. The birth order of the boys is clear, but that of the girls is not. The list below is not in birth order.  It lists Robert’s brothers first in their birth order and then his sisters in their probable birth order.

As a child, Robert was engaged to marry Marguerite of Maine, daughter of Hugh IV, Count of Maine, but Marguerite died in 1063 before their marriage could take place. Robert was brave and well-trained as a knight but also had a lazy and weak character.

In 1066, Robert’s father, William III, Duke of Normandy, invaded England and defeated the last Anglo-Saxon King, Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. The Duke of Normandy was now also King William I of England. Even before the division of land occurred in 1087, Robert and his brothers had a strained relationship. The contemporary chronicler Orderic Vitalis, wrote about an incident at L’Aigle in Normandy in 1077. William Rufus and Henry grew bored playing dice and decided to make mischief by emptying a chamber pot on their brother Robert from an upper gallery. Robert was infuriated, a brawl broke out and their father had to intercede to restore order. Angered because his father did not punish his brothers, Robert and his followers attempted to siege the castle at Rouen (Normandy) but were forced to flee when the Duke of Normandy attacked their camp. This led to a three-year estrangement between Robert and his family which only ended through the efforts of Robert’s mother.

In 1087, King William I divided his lands between his two eldest surviving sons. Robert Curthose was to receive the Duchy of Normandy and William Rufus was to receive the Kingdom of England. Henry was to receive 5,000 pounds of silver and his mother’s English estates. King William I of England (the Conqueror) died on September 9, 1087. Robert Curthose became Robert III Curthose, Duke of Normandy and William Rufus became King William II Rufus of England. Henry received the money, but no land.

William Rufus and Robert Curthose continued having a strained relationship. William Rufus alternated between supporting Robert against the King of France and opposing him for the control of Normandy. Henry was constantly being forced to choose between his two brothers and whichever brother he picked, he was likely to annoy the other. After William I died and his lands were divided, nobles who had land in both Normandy and England found it impossible to serve two lords. If they supported William Rufus, Robert might deprive them of their Norman land. If they supported Robert, they were in danger of losing their English land.

The only solution the nobles saw was to unite Normandy and England, and this led them to revolt against William Rufus in favor of Robert in the Rebellion of 1088, under the leadership of the Bishop Odo of Bayeux, the half-brother of William the Conqueror. The rebellion was unsuccessful partly because Robert never showed up to support the English rebels.

In 1096, Robert left for the Holy Land on the First Crusade. He mortgaged the Duchy of Normandy to his brother King William II Rufus to raise money for the crusade. The two older brothers made a pact stating that if one of them died without heirs, both Normandy and England would be reunited under the surviving brother. William Rufus then ruled Normandy as regent in Robert’s absence.

On August 2, 1100, King William II Rufus rode out from Winchester Castle on a hunting expedition to the New Forest, accompanied by his brother Henry and several nobles. According to most contemporary accounts, William Rufus was chasing after a stag followed by Walter Tirel, a noble. William Rufus shot an arrow but missed the stag. He then called out to Walter to shoot, which he did, but the arrow hit the king in his chest, puncturing his lungs, and killing him. Walter Tirel jumped on his horse and fled to France.

William Rufus’ elder brother, Robert Curthose, was still on Crusade, so the youngest brother Henry seized the crown of England for himself. Henry hurried to Winchester to secure the royal treasury. The day after William Rufus’ funeral at Winchester, the nobles elected Henry king. Henry then left for London where he was crowned three days after William’s death by the Bishop of London. King Henry I would not wait for the Archbishop of Canterbury to arrive. There is still speculation that there was a conspiracy to assassinate William Rufus.

On his way back from the Crusades, Robert married a wealthy heiress Sybilla of Conversano in 1100 at the bride’s hometown of Apulia (now in Italy). Unbeknownst to Robert, the death of his brother William Rufus removed the necessity of redeeming the Duchy of Normandy. Upon returning to Normandy, finding out that one brother was dead and the other brother had seized the English throne, Robert claimed the English crown based upon the pact he had made with William Rufus: that if one of them died without heirs, both Normandy and England would be reunited under the surviving brother. In 1101, Robert led an invasion to oust his brother Henry from the English throne. He landed at Portsmouth with his army but found there was little support for his cause. Robert was forced to renounce his claim to the English throne in the 1100 Treaty of Alton.

Robert and Sybilla had one son:

  • William Clito (1102 – 1128), heir to the Duchy of Normandy, married (1) Sibylla of Anjou, no issue, marriage annulled (2) Joanna of Montferrat, no issue

Less than six months after her son’s birth, Sybilla died on March 18, 1103, at Rouen in Normandy and was buried at Rouen Cathedral. According to chroniclers Orderic Vitalis and Robert de Torigni, Sybilla was poisoned by her husband’s mistress Agnes de Ribemont.

In 1105, King Henry I invaded Normandy and defeated Robert’s army at the Battle of Tinchebray on September 28, 1106.  Normandy remained a possession of the English crown for over a century. Robert was captured after the battle and spent the rest of his life imprisoned, first at
Devizes Castle for twenty years and then at Cardiff Castle for the remainder of his life.  Robert Curthose lived into his eighties and died at Cardiff Castle on February 10, 1134. He was buried in the abbey church of St. Peter in Gloucester which later became Gloucester Cathedral. The memorial to him which can still be seen at Gloucester Cathedral is from a much later date.

Memorial to Robert Curthose at Gloucester Cathedral; Credit – By Nilfanion – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24852186

Robert’s only child, William Clito, was unlucky all his life. His attempts to invade Normandy failed twice (1119 and 1125). His first marriage to Sibylla of Anjou was annulled by the scheming of his uncle King Henry I. His second marriage to Joanna of Montferrat, half-sister of King Louis VI of France was childless. Louis VI did help William Clito become the Count of Flanders, but William Clito was wounded in a battle and died from gangrene at the age of 25 on July 28, 1128. He was buried at the Abbey of St. Bertin, a Benedictine abbey in Saint-Omer, France. He left no children and his imprisoned father survived him by six years.

William Clito; Credit – Wikipedia

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