Category Archives: Spanish Royals

Elisabeth of Valois, Queen of Spain

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Elisabeth of Valois, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth of Valois was the third of the four wives of King Philip II of Spain, son of Carlos I, King of Spain/Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Isabella of Portugal. Born on April 2, 1545, at the Château de Fontainebleau in Fontainebleau, France, Elisabeth was the eldest of the four daughters and the second of the ten children of Henri II, King of France and Catherine de’Medici.

Elisabeth had nine siblings but only six survived childhood:

Elisabeth’s brother François and sister-in-law Mary, Queen of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth grew up with her elder brother, the future François II, King of France, a year older than Elizabeth, and François’ fiancée Mary, Queen of Scots, who was three years older. In July 1548, the Scottish Parliament had approved Mary’s marriage to François and in August 1548, five-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots set sail for France where she would be raised with her future husband. She would not return to Scotland for thirteen years, after the death of François, whom she married in 1558. Elisabeth shared a bedroom with Mary and had to give precedence to Mary because she was already a crowned queen. Elisabeth and Mary remained close through their correspondence for the rest of their lives.

In 1551, when Elisabeth was six years old, her father Henri II began negotiations for a marriage to the Protestant 13-year-old King Edward VI of England. Pope Julius III said he would excommunicate Henri II and Elisabeth if the marriage occurred. Despite this, Henri II continued with the marriage negotiations and agreed upon a dowry. However, King Edward VI died in 1553.

In 1559, Elisabeth was betrothed to 14-year-old Carlos, Prince of Asturias, the only child and the heir apparent of King Philip II of Spain of the House of Habsburg. Carlos was sickly, deformed, and showed signs of mental instability. His condition was probably due to the inbreeding common among the House of Habsburg, and the royal houses of Portugal and Spain. Carlos’ parents, Philip of Spain and María Manuela of Portugal, were double first cousins which meant Carlos had only four different great-grandparents instead of the usual eight. Carlos was imprisoned in his rooms by his father Philip in early 1568 after participating in a plot to murder him. He died after six months, probably as the result of his delicate health although there were rumors of poisoning. Modern historians now think that Carlos died of natural causes.

King Philip II of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage between Elisabeth and Carlos never occurred. Instead, 14-year-old Elisabeth married Carlos’ 32-year-old father King Philip II of Spain. Philip had already been married twice: first to Carlos’ mother María Manuela of Portugal who died giving birth to Carlos and next to his first cousin once removed Queen Mary I of England who had died in 1558. In 1559, the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis was signed with France’s longtime enemies, the Habsburgs, and two marriages were stipulated by the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis: Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy marrying Henri II’s sister Marguerite of France, Duchess of Berry, and King Philip II of Spain marrying Elisabeth.

Departure of Elisabeth for Spain by Eugène Isabey depicts Elisabeth in white and her mother Catherine de’Medici in black as they part from each other; Credit – Wikipedia

The proxy marriage of Elisabeth and Philip II took place at Notre-Dame de Paris on June 22, 1559, with Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba representing King Philip II. 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 and the two marriages that occurred as a result of the Peace. During a joust with Gabriel de Lorges, Comte de Montgomery, captain of the Scotch Guard, de Montgomery’s lance struck King Henri II’s helmet, splintered, and went through the visor going through the king’s right eye and his temple into the brain. Henri II survived for more than a week, dying on July 10, 1559, at the age of 40, probably from a subdural hematoma and sepsis. Henri II’s fifteen-year-old eldest son succeeded as King François II of France. Because of her father’s death, Elisabeth’s departure for Spain was postponed until November 18, 1559. She did not meet King Philip until January 31, 1560. On February 2, 1560, Elisabeth and Philip were married in person in Guadalajara, Spain.

Queen Elisabeth in 1560; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth and Philip made the Royal Palace of Aranjuez in Madrid, Spain their primary home. Enchanted by his 14-year-old wife, Philip eventually gave up his mistresses. Despite the 18-year-age gap, Elisabeth was also quite pleased with her husband. At first, Elisabeth found it very difficult in Spain. She missed France and her family very much but worked hard to get used to her new role in the Kingdom of Spain. Elisabeth’s efforts left a good impression on the aristocrats of the Spanish royal court. Born and raised in Renaissance France, Elisabeth began to spread French customs in Spain. She was very fond of gambling, picnics, and most importantly masquerade balls and soon these customs became commonplace at the Spanish court.

Elisabeth and Philip’s two daughters Isabella Clara Eugenia and Catherine Michelle; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth continued to concentrate on her role as Queen of Spain. She considered her main duty to give birth to sons but she was unable to do so. She had five pregnancies but had only two surviving daughters:

In May 1568, Elisabeth’s health suffered. A new pregnancy caused severe vomiting and dizziness which the doctors tried to relieve by bleeding which would have further weakened her and not helped her as the doctors then believed. On October 3, 1568, at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez in Madrid, Spain, Elisabeth went into premature labor which turned out to be very complicated and so all of the doctors of the royal court were called. Elisabeth demanded that Philip be brought to her. She begged him to look after their two daughters and to help her brother Henri III to reign in France. Elisabeth also told him that she had known that she would not live a long life and had prayed constantly for her soul. She asked Philip to pray for her soul and Philip immediately fell to his knees. After much suffering, Elisabeth gave birth to a daughter of five months of gestation. The daughter was baptized Juana but only lived for ninety minutes. An hour later, 23-year-old Elisabeth died. It was said that Philip II was only seen crying once in his life, during the funeral of his wife Elisabeth.

Philip wanted to have all the kings and queens of Spain buried at the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial which was still under construction. Elisabeth and her daughter Juana were temporarily buried at the Carmelite Convent of Las Descalzas Reales in Madrid, founded by Philip’s sister Joanna of Austria. In 1573, Elisabeth’s remains were transferred to El Escorial where she was buried in the Pantheon of the Infantes (Princes) and not where her husband would be buried in the Pantheon of the Kings because she had not been the mother of a King of Spain.

Tomb of Elisabeth of Valois, Queen of Spain; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Philip II dressed in deep mourning for the rest of his life and only the lack of a male heir pushed him into a fourth marriage. In 1570, Philip married his niece Anna of Austria, daughter of first cousins Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria of Spain, who was Philip’s sister. Philip and Anna had five children and the only one who survived was Philip II’s successor King Philip III of Spain. Philip II was a widower four times, outliving all four of his wives.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elisabeth Of Valois. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_of_Valois> [Accessed 18 June 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Philip II Of Spain. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_II_of_Spain> [Accessed 18 June 2020].
  • Es.wikipedia.org. 2020. Isabel De Valois (1546-1568). [online] Available at: <https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel_de_Valois_(1546-1568)> [Accessed 18 June 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2013. King Henri II Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/june-30-daily-featured-royal-date/> [Accessed 18 June 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2019. King Philip II Of Spain. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-philip-ii-of-spain/> [Accessed 18 June 2020].
  • Ka.wikipedia.org. 2020. ელიზაბეტ დე ვალუა. [online] Available at: <https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%94%E1%83%9A%E1%83%98%E1%83%96%E1%83%90%E1%83%91%E1%83%94%E1%83%A2_%E1%83%93%E1%83%94_%E1%83%95%E1%83%90%E1%83%9A%E1%83%A3%E1%83%90> [Accessed 18 June 2020]. (Elisabeth of Valois from Georgian Wikipedia)

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.

Eleanor of Austria, Queen of Portugal, Queen of France

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Eleanor of Austria, Queen of Portugal, Queen of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Eleanor, Archduchess of Austria, Infanta of Castile was the third wife of Manuel I, King of Portugal, and the second wife of François I, King of France. She was born on November 15, 1498, in Leuven, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium. Eleanor (Leonor in Spanish and Portuguese, Eléonore or Aliénor in French) was the eldest of the four daughters and the eldest of the six children of Philip (the Handsome), Duke of Burgundy and Joanna, Queen of Castile and León and Queen of Aragon.

Eleanor’s father Philip; Credit – Wikipedia

Eleanor’s mother Joanna; Credit – Wikipedia

Eleanor’s paternal grandparents were Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria and Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. Her maternal grandparents were Ferdinand II, King of Aragon and Isabella I, Queen of Castile and León. Eleanor and her siblings were nieces and nephews of Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII of England, and first cousins of Henry VIII and Catherine’s daughter Queen Mary I of England.

Ferdinand, Charles, Eleanor, Isabella, Mary, and Catherine; Credit – Wikipedia

Eleanor had five younger siblings. Her two brothers were Kings and Holy Roman Emperors and Eleanor and her three sisters were all Queen Consorts.

Eleanor’s relatives from her father’s House of Habsburg unsuccessfully tried to negotiate marriages for her to King Henry VII and King Henry VIII of England, King Louis XII of France, and King Sigismund I of Poland. When Eleanor was eighteen years old, she wanted to marry Friedrich II, Elector Palatine. Eleanor’s brother Charles, then Duke of Burgundy and King of Spain, discovered her reading love letters from Friedrich. Eleanor and Friedrich had to legally swear that they were not secretly married, after which Charles expelled Friedrich from his court.

Eleanor’s first husband, Manuel I, King of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Eventually, Charles made a political marriage for his sister Eleanor with King Manuel I of Portugal to avoid the possibility of Portuguese assistance for any rebellion in Castile, part of the Kingdom of Spain. On July 16, 1518, 19-year-old Eleanor became Queen of Portugal when she married 49-year-old Manuel I. Manuel had been married twice before to two maternal aunts of Eleanor, Isabella of Aragon and Maria of Aragon. Isabella had died in childbirth giving birth to her first child who also died. Maria also died in childbirth giving birth to her tenth child who did not survive. However, eight of Maria and Manuel’s children survived including two Kings of Portugal, King João III and Cardinal-King Henrique I, and Isabella who married her first cousin and Eleanor’s brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. The marriage of Eleanor and King Manuel I of Portugal lasted only three years. On December 13, 1521, Manuel died from the plague and was succeeded by his son with his second wife, King João III.

Eleanor and Manuel had two children:

Eleanor’s daughter, Infanta Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu; Credit – Wikipedia

After the death of King Manuel I of Portugal, Eleanor and her six-month-old daughter Maria returned to the court of her brother Charles, who had been elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1519. When Maria was nine years old, she was moved back to Lisbon, Portugal where she lived at the court of her half-brother King João III for the rest of her life. There were some considerations for her marriage but Maria never did marry.

François I, King of France and Eleanor; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1529, the Treaty of Cambrai was signed ending the Seventh Italian War, also known as the War of the League of Cognac, fought between Charles V’s Holy Roman Empire and Habsburg Spain and François I’s Kingdom of France and his allies. To seal the treaty, François I, King of France, a widower for several years, agreed to marry Eleanor, the sister of Charles V. Eleanor and François were married on July 4, 1530, and Eleanor was crowned Queen of France at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France on May 31, 1531. Eleanor was ignored by François who preferred his mistresses. Eleanor and François had no children.

Eleanor was useful as an intermediary between France and her brother’s Holy Roman Empire. She took an active role in the care and education of François’ two youngest daughters, eleven-year-old Madeleine and nine-year-old Marguerite. Their mother Claude of France had died seven years earlier, in 1524. Eleanor played her role as Queen of France on official occasions such as the marriage of François’ heir, the future King Henri II, and Catherine de’Medici in 1533. Eleanor’s second husband François I, King of France, aged 52, died on March 31, 1547, at the Château de Rambouillet. He was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris with his first wife Claude of France.

Eleanor’s brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

After being widowed, Eleanor received the Duchy of Touraine as her dower lands, and in 1548, she left France for the court in Brussels, then in the Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium, where her sister Mary served as the Governor of the Spanish Netherlands. For many years, with the help of her brother Charles, Eleanor unsuccessfully sought the King of Portugal’s permission for her daughter Maria to live with her. Physically exhausted after forty years of ruling, Eleanor’s brother Charles abdicated in 1555 and retired to the peace of the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste in Cuacos de Yuste, Spain. In 1556, Eleanor and her sister Mary decided to follow their brother Charles into retirement in Spain in Jarandilla de la Vera, close to the monastery where Charles retired so they could visit him.

Eleanor had not seen her daughter Maria since 1528. Finally, in 1558, King João III of Portugal agreed to allow his half-sister Maria to visit her mother. Both mother and daughter traveled to the town of Badajoz, Spain, close to the Portuguese border. Eleanor asked Maria to live with her but Maria refused the request and remained with her mother for three weeks before returning to Lisbon. On the return trip from Badajoz, Eleanor died at Talavera la Real, Spain on February 18, 1558, at the age of 59. Her siblings Charles and Mary soon followed her into death. Charles died on September 21, 1558, and Mary died on October 18, 1558.

Eleanor was initially buried at the Cathedral of Saint Mary Major in Mérida, Spain. In 1574, on the order of her nephew King Felipe II of Spain, Eleanor’s remains, along with the remains of other members of the Habsburg family, were transferred to a temporary crypt at the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Spain which was under construction. In 1586, the remains were transferred to the permanent crypts at El Escorial, which is now the traditional burial site of the Spanish royal family. Eleanor’s remains rest in the Pantheon of the Infantes – Chapel 9 at El Escorial.

Tomb of Eleanor of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

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

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Eleanor Of Austria. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_of_Austria> [Accessed 15 June 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Manuel I Of Portugal. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_I_of_Portugal> [Accessed 15 June 2020].
  • Es.wikipedia.org. 2020. Leonor De Austria. [online] Available at: <https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonor_de_Austria> [Accessed 15 June 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. François I, King Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/François-i-king-of-france/> [Accessed 15 June 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Éléonore De Habsbourg. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89l%C3%A9onore_de_Habsbourg> [Accessed 15 June 2020].

First Cousins: King Felipe VI of Spain

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

 

King Felipe VI of Spain (born 1968)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

King Felipe VI of Spain was born at the Nuestra Señora de Loreto Clinic in Madrid, Spain on January 30, 1968. He is the only son and the third of the three children of King Juan Carlos of Spain and his wife, Queen Sofia, born Princess Sophia of Greece. Felipe is a descendant of Queen Victoria through both of his parents. Felipe’s paternal grandparents were Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, son of Queen Victoria’s granddaughter Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, and Princess María Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. His maternal grandparents were King Paul of Greece, son of Queen Victoria’s granddaughter Princess Sophia of Prussia, and Princess Frederica of Hanover, granddaughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor who was a grandson of Queen Victoria. Felipe married Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano and had two daughters. He became King of Spain upon the abdication of his father in 2013.

King Felipe VI has eleven first cousins. He shares his first cousins with his siblings Infanta Elena of Spain, Duchess of Lugo and Infanta Cristina of Spain.

*******************

Paternal Aunts and Uncles of King Felipe VI: Children of Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona and Princess María Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

*******************

Maternal Aunts and Uncles of King Felipe VI: Children of King Paul of Greece and Princess Frederica of Hanover

*******************

PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz and Luis Gómez-Acebo y Duque de Estrada, Viscount de la Torre

  • Simoneta Gómez-Acebo y de Borbón (born 1968) married José Miguel Fernández-Sastrón, had two sons and one daughter, divorced
  • Juan Gómez-Acebo y de Borbón, Viscount de la Torre (born 1969) married Winston Holmes Carney, daughter of James Carney, had one son
  • Bruno Gómez-Acebo y de Borbón (born 1973) married (1) Laura Ponte y Martínez had one son and one daughter, divorced (2) Andrea Pascual Vicens, had one son
  • Fernando Gómez-Acebo y de Borbón (1974 – 2024) married (1) Mónica Martín Luque, no children, divorced (2) Nadia Halamandari, had one son

*******************

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Infanta Margarita, Duchess of Soria and Carlos Zurita y Delgado

  • Alfonso Zurita y de Borbón (born 1973), unmarried
  • María Zurita y de Borbón (born 1975), unmarried, had one son by artificial insemination

*******************

MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of King Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark

Princess Alexia of Greece (born 1965)

In 1967, Princess Alexia’s father King Constantine II was deposed. The family lived for two months in the Greek embassy and then for the next five years in a house in a suburb of Rome. King Constantine II remained the head of state in exile until June 1, 1973, when the monarchy was abolished. In 1973, the family moved with to England where Alexia and her siblings grew up.

Princess Alexia and her siblings attended the Hellenic College of London, a school founded by his parents. She received a Bachelor’s degree in History and Education from the University of Surrey in England and then received a post-graduate certificate in education. Alexia worked as a primary school teacher in the inner city area of Southwark in London, England, and as a teacher of children with developmental disabilities in Barcelona, Spain. She married Carlos Javier Morales Quintana, an architect and a champion yachtsman, and the couple had three daughters and one son.

*******************

Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece (born 1967)

Pavlos graduated from the United World College and then attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, followed by a three-year commission with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. Following his military career, he enrolled in Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Washington DC, earning his Bachelor’s Degree (International Relations, Law and Organization) and his Master’s Degree (Foreign Relations and Economics). While at Georgetown, his roommate was his first cousin, King Felipe VI of Spain. Pavlos married Marie-Chantal Miller, the daughter of billionaire entrepreneur Robert Warren Miller and María Clara Pesantes Becerra. They had one daughter and four sons.

*******************

Prince Nikolaos of Greece (born 1969)

Nikolaos attended Brown University in Rhode Island in the United States, graduating with a Bachelor degree in International Relations. He married Tatiana Blatnik who was born in Caracas, Venezuela and grew up in Switzerland.

*******************

Princess Theodora of Greece (born 1983)

Theodora attended Brown University in Rhode Island and received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts. She moved to Los Angeles, California in the United States to pursue an acting career under the name Theodora Greece. In 2018, Theodora’s engagement to Los Angeles based attorney Matthew Kumar was announced.

*******************

Embed from Getty Images 

Prince Philippos of Greece (born 1986)

Philippos had an impressive set of godparents: his uncle by marriage King Juan Carlos of Spain, his first cousin twice removed Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, his first cousin Infanta Elena of Spain, his maternal aunt Princess Benedikte of Denmark, and Diana, Princess of Wales. He is a graduate of United World College-USA and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. where he graduated with a Bachelor degree in foreign relations.

*******************

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

  • Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
  • Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

First Cousins of Queen Sofia of Spain and King Constantine II of Greece

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Queen Sofia of Spain (born 1938)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

Queen Sofia, the wife King Juan Carlos I of Spain, was Queen Consort of Spain from her husband’s accession in 1975 until his abdication in 2014 in favor of their son, King Felipe VI. Born Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark on November 2, 1938, at Villa Psychiko, in the suburbs of Athens, Greece, She married the future King Juan Carlos of Spain, a descendant of Queen Victoria via her youngest daughter Princess Beatrice, and had two daughters and one son.

 

King Constantine II of Greece (1940 – 2023)

King Constantine II of Greece was the King of Greece (styled King of the Hellenes) from 1964 until the monarchy was abolished in 1973. He was born on June 2, 1940, at Villa Psychiko, in the suburbs of Athens, Greece. In 1964, Constantine married Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, the youngest daughter of King Frederick IX of Denmark, and a descendant of Queen Victoria via her son Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. Constantine and Anne-Marie had five children.

Sofia was the eldest of the three children and Constantine was the second of the three children and the only son of King Paul of Greece and Princess Frederica of Hanover, both descendants of Queen Victoria’s eldest child Victoria, Princess Royal who married Friedrich III, German Emperor. Sofia and Constantine’s paternal grandparents were King Constantine I of Greece and Princess Sophie of Prussia. Their maternal grandparents were Ernst August III of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick and Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia, the only daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor. Queen Sofia of Spain and King Constantine II of Greece have fifteen first cousins. They share their first cousins with their sister Princess Irene of Greece.

********************

Paternal Aunts and Uncles of Queen Sofia of Spain, born Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark and King Constante II of Greece: Children of King Constantine I of Greece and Princess Sophie of Prussia

********************

Maternal Aunts and Uncles of Queen Sofia of Spain, born Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark and King Constante II of Greece: Children of Ernst August III of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick and Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia

********************

PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of King Alexander of Greece and Aspasia Manos

Princess Alexandra of Greece, Queen of Yugoslavia (1921 – 1993)

Princess Alexandra of Greece was the only child of King Alexander of Greece and his commoner wife Aspasia Manos, the daughter of Petros Manos, who had served as Master of the Horse to Alexander’s father King Constantine I. Aspasia would not be recognized as Queen. King Alexander died after contracting septicemia from a monkey bite. Aspasia was four months pregnant at the time, and gave birth to their daughter, Alexandra, in March 1921. Princess Alexandra married King Peter II of Yugoslavia and they had one son Crown Prince Alexander. After World War II, the Yugoslav monarchy was abolished and Alexandra and Peter separated.

********************

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Helen of Greece and King Carol of Romania

King Michael of Romania (1921 – 2017)

King Michael of Romania, also known as Mihai, was King of Romania twice, from 1927 – 1930, and then from 1940 – 1947, when the monarchy was abolished. Michael married Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma, the daughter of Prince René of Bourbon-Parma and Princess Margaret of Denmark. The couple had five daughters. Michael worked as a commercial pilot and also worked for an aircraft equipment company. It would be 43 years before he set foot on Romanian soil again. Eventually, the Romanian government restored Michael’s citizenship and returned several properties to the royal family. When Michael died in 2017, he was the second oldest living descendant of Queen Victoria. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was older by four months.

********************

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Irene of Greece and Prince Aimone, Duke of Aosta

Prince Amadeo, Duke of Aosta (1943 – 2021)

Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta was a claimant to the head of the House of Savoy, the former royal family of Italy. Amedeo married Princess Claude of Orléans, the daughter of Prince Henri of Orléans, Count of Paris, the Orléanist claimant to the French throne. The couple had two daughters and one son before divorcing. Amedeo married again to Silvia Paternò di Spedalotto but the couple had no children.

********************

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Katherine of Greece, The Lady Katherine Brandram and Major Richard Brandram

Paul Brandram’s christening: Lady Katherine Brandram and her husband with their son, held by Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent

Paul Brandram (1948 – 2020)

Paul Brandram grew up in England. He married Jennifer Steele and they had two daughters and one son before divorcing after eighteen years of marriage. He made a second marriage to Katherine Moreton.

********************

MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Ernst August IV, Prince of Hanover, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick and Princess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

Princess Marie of Hanover, Countess of Hochberg (born 1952)

Princess Marie of Hanover married Count Michael of Hochberg and had two sons.

********************

Ernst August V at the wedding of his son Christian, 2018; Credit – www.zimbio.com

Prince Ernst August V of Hanover (born 1954)

Ernst August V is among the senior male-line descendants of King George III of the United Kingdom. This line is directly descended from King George III’s son, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, who became King of Hanover due to the Salic Law which forbade female succession following the death of his brother King William IV and the accession of Queen Victoria. Ernst August V is the Head of the House of Hanover and pretender to the thrones of the Kingdom of Hanover and the Duchy of Brunswick.

Ernst August first married Chantal Hochuli, the daughter of Johann Gustav Hochuli, a Swiss millionaire from his family’s chocolate company and architect. The couple had two sons and divorced. He then married Princess Caroline of Monaco and had one daughter. While initially very happy, the couple, still legally married, now leads separate lives.

********************

Embed from Getty Images 
Prince Ludwig Rudolph of Hanover, held by his mother after his christening. Also in the photo is his father and his elder brother Prince Ernst August

Prince Ludwig Rudolph of Hanover (1955 – 1988)

Prince Ludwig Rudolph married Countess Isabelle von Thurn und Valsassina-Como-Vercelli and the couple had one son. Ludwig died by suicide shortly after discovering the body of his wife, who had died from a drug overdose.

********************

Princess Olga of Hanover (born 1958), unmarried

********************

Embed from Getty Images
Princess Alexandra with her husband

Princess Alexandra of Hanover, Princess of Leiningen (born 1959)

Princess Alexandra of Hanover married another descendant of Queen Victoria, Andreas, 8th Prince of Leiningen.  The couple had two sons and one daughter.

********************

Prince Heinrich of Hanover (born 1961)

Prince Heinrich of Hanover is a historian and publisher. He writes under the name Heinrich von Hannover. He married Thyra von Westernhagen whose family is from the landed nobility of Thuringia, Germany and who studied forestry at university. The couple had two sons and one daughter.

********************

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hanover and Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark (sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh)

Prince Welf Ernst of Hanover (1947 – 1981)

Welf married Wibke van Gunsteren and they had one daughter. Welf and his wife became disciples of the Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh also known as Osho.  They took the names Vimalkirti (“Spotless Splendor”) and Wibke Prem Turiya (“Spiritual love”) and moved with their daughter to Poona, India to live in Osho’s ashram.  In 1979, the couple divorced but continued to live together in India.  Welf died at a clinic in Poona, India from a cerebral hemorrhage after collapsing during a morning karate practice session.  After Welf’s death, his daughter was brought to England by her grandparents so she could have a normal education.

Welf Ernst and his siblings Georg and Friederike are also first cousins of the children of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward.

********************

Prince Georg of Hanover (born 1949)

Prince Georg of Hanover married Victoria Anne Bee, daughter of Robert Bee and Eleonore Gräfin Fugger von Babenhausen. The couple had two daughters.

********************

Princess Friederike of Hanover, Mrs. Jerry Cyr (born 1954)

Princess Friederike of Hanover is a godchild of her aunt by marriage, Queen Elizabeth II. She attended Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada and remained in Canada. Friederike married Jerry William Cyr, son of Gordon Paul Cyr and Emma Grandbois in Vancouver, Canada. The couple had one daughter and one son.

********************

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Christian Oscar of Hanover and Mireille Dutry

********************

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

  • Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
  • Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

First Cousins: King Juan Carlos of Spain

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

King Juan Carlos of Spain (born 1938)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

King Juan Carlos of Spain was born on January 5, 1938, in Rome, Italy where his family had settled after the monarchy was overthrown in 1931 and Spain had become a Republic. He was the second of the four children and the elder of the two sons of Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona, and Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. His paternal grandparents were King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. His maternal grandparents were Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Infante of Spain, a grandson of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, and his second wife Princess Louise of Orléans, daughter of Prince Philippe, Count of Paris, a pretender to the French throne. Juan Carlos became King of Spain in 1975 upon the death of dictator Francisco Franco who had named him his successor, bypassing Juan Carlos’ father whom Franco thought would be too liberal. Juan Carlos married Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark and had two sons and one daughter. In 2014, King Juan Carlos abdicated in favor of his son King Felipe VI.

King Juan Carlos has ten paternal first cousins, six maternal first cousins and three maternal half first cousins. He shares his first cousins with his siblings Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Babajoz; Infanta Margarita, Duchess of Soria; and Infante Alfonso of Spain.

********************

Paternal Aunts and Uncles of King Juan Carlos: Children of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg

********************

Maternal Half Aunts and Uncles of King Juan Carlos: Children of Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Infante of Spain and his first wife María de las Mercedes, Princess of Asturias

********************

Maternal Full Aunts and Uncles of King Juan Carlos: Children of Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Infante of Spain and his second wife Princess Louise of Orléans

********************

PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Infante Jaime of Spain, Duke of Segovia, Duke of Anjou and his first wife Emmanuelle de Dampierre


Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz (1936 – 1989)

At one time considered as a possible heir to the Spanish throne during the rule of dictator Francisco Franco, Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz was a Legitimist claimant to the throne of France.  Alfonso married María del Carmen Martínez-Bordiú y Franco, the granddaughter of Francisco Franco, and the couple had two sons. After ten years of marriage, the couple divorced. Their elder son was killed in a car accident at the age of eleven when the car Alfonso was driving collided with a truck.  From 1977 to 1984, Alfonso was President of the Spanish Skiing Federation and from 1984 to 1987, he was President of the Spanish Olympic Committee. He died in a skiing accident in Colorado.

********************

Embed from Getty Images 

Gonzalo, Duke of Aquitaine (1937 – 2000)

In 1983, Gonzalo, Duke of Aquitaine first married María del Carmen Harto y Montealegre in Mexico but they were divorced less than three months later. The next year, Gonzalo married  María de las Mercedes Licer y García, a model, but they separated a year later and ultimately divorced. In 1992, Gonzalo married Emanuela Maria Pratolongo.  He did not have any children from his marriages but he did have an illegitimate daughter. Gonzalo died from leukemia.

********************

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Infanta Beatriz of Spain and Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince of Civitella-Cesi

Embed from Getty Images

Sandra Torlonia dei principi di Civitella-Cesi (1936–2014)

Sandra Torlonia dei principi di Civitella-Cesi married Count Clemente Lecquio di Assaba and had one son and one daughter.

********************

Credit – www.geni.com

Marco Torlonia, 6th Prince di Civitella-Cesi (1937–2014)

Marco Torlonia, 6th Prince di Civitella-Cesi married (1) Donna Orsetta Caracciolo dei principi di Castagneto who died at age 28, had one son  (2) Philippa Catherine McDonald, had one daughter, divorced  (3) Blažena Anna Helena Svitákovám, had one daughter

********************

Marino Torlonia dei Principi di Civitella-Cesi (1939–1995)

********************

Embed from Getty Images
With her husband

Olympia Torlonia dei Principi di Civitella-Cesi (born 1943)

Olympia Torlonia dei Principi di Civitella-Cesi married French millionaire Paul Weiller and had five daughters and one son including Sibilla Weiller who married Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, son of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg.

********************

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Infanta Maria Cristina of Spain and Enrico Eugenio Marone-Cinzano, 1st Conte Marone-Cinzano

  • Vittoria Marone-Cinzano (born 1941) married José Carlos Álvarez de Toledo y Gross, 6th Marquis of Casa Loring, had one daughter and three sons.
  • Giovanna Marone-Cinzano (born 1943) married (1)  Jaime Galobert y Satrustequi, had one son, divorced  (2) Luis Ángel Sánchez-Merlo y Ruiz, no children
  • María Theresa Marone-Cinzano (born 1945), married José María Ruiz de Arana y Montalvo, 17th Duke of Baena, 17th Duke of Sanlúcar La Mayor, 15th Marquess of Villamanrique, 13th Marquess of Castromonte, 5th Marquess of Brenes, 11th Count of Sevilla La Nueva and 5th Viscount of Mamblas, had three daughters, divorced
  • Anna Alessandra Marone-Cinzano (born 1948), married (1) Gian Carlo Stavro Santarosa, had two daughters, divorced (2) Fernando Schwartz y Giron, no children

********************

MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal Half First Cousins: Children of Prince Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Infante of Spain, Duke of Calabria and Princess Alicia of Bourbon-Parma

Princess Teresa of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (born 1937) married Íñigo Moreno y Arteaga, 8th Marquess of Laula, had three sons and four daughters.

********************

Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Infante of Spain, Duke of Calabria with his wife

Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Infante of Spain, Duke of Calabria (1938 – 2015)

Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Infante of Spain, Duke of Calabria was eleven days younger than his first cousin King Juan Carlos of Spain.  They were raised together and attended school together, from primary school through university, and remained very close friends. Carlos married Princess Anne of Orléans, daughter of Prince Henri, Count of Paris, Orléanist claimant to the French throne.  The couple had four daughters and one son

********************

Princess Inés María of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (born 1940)

Princess Inés María of Bourbon-Two Sicilies married Luis de Morales y Aguado, had four daughters and one son.

********************

Maternal Half First Cousins: Children of Princess Isabel Alfonsa of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and Count Jan Kanty Zamoyski

********************

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Maria de los Dolores of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and Prince Augustyn Józef Czartoryski

********************

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Maria de la Esperanza of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza

Prince Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza (born 1945)

Prince Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza is one of two claimants to the Brazilian throne.  He is a forestry engineer and founded and directed the Botanical Garden of Brasilia, which is in the capital of Brazil. Pedro Carlos has been married and widowed twice. His first wife was  Rony Kuhn de Souza, who died two days after the birth of their son. With his second wife Patrícia Alexandra Braumeyer Branscomb, Pedro Carlos had one son.

********************

Princess Maria da Gloria of Orléans-Braganza (born 1946)

The former Crown Princess of Yugoslavia, Maria da Gloria married Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia (as he was known at the time), the only child of the former King Peter II of Yugoslavia and Princess Alexandra of Greece. They had three sons and divorced after thirteen years of marriage.  Maria da Glória then married Ignacio de Medina y Fernández de Córdoba, 19th Duke of Segorbe and they had two daughters.

********************

Prince Afonso Duarte of Orléans-Braganza (born 1948)

Prince Afonso Duarte of Orléans-Braganza married (1) Maria Juana Parejo y Gurruchaga, had two daughters, divorced   (2) Silvia-Amália Hungria de Silva Machado

********************

Prince Manuel Álvaro of Orléans-Braganza (born 1949)

Prince Manuel Álvaro of Orléans-Braganza married Margarita Haffner y Lancha, had one son and one daughter, divorced

********************

Princess Cristina Maria of Orléans-Braganza (born 1950)

Princess Cristina Maria of Orléans-Braganza married Prince Jan Pawel Sapieha-Rozanski, had two daughters

********************

Prince Francisco Humberto of Orléans-Braganza (born 1956)

Prince Francisco Humberto of Orléans-Braganza  (1) married Christina Schmidt-Peçanha, had one son and one daughter, divorced  (2) Rita de Cássia Ferreira Pires, had one son and one daughter

********************

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

  • Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
  • Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

Felipe V, King of Spain

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Felipe V, King of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Born as Philippe of France, Duke of Anjou on December 19, 1683, at the Palace of Versailles in France, he was the second of the three sons of Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, the heir apparent to the throne of France, and Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria. At the time of his birth, his grandfather Louis XIV was King of France. Later Philippe was the first Bourbon King of Spain, reigning as Felipe V.

Philippe had one elder brother and one younger brother:

Philippe in the front center with his parents and two brothers; Credit – Wikipedia

Philippe and his two brothers were placed in the care of the royal governess Louise de Prie de La Mothe-Houdancourt who had also been their father’s governess. The brothers were then placed under the care of Paul de Beauvilliers as their governor and tutored by François Fénelon, Archbishop of Cambrai. When Philippe was seven years old, his mother died at the Palace of Versailles on April 20, 1690, at the age of 29.

In 1700, Carlos II, King of Spain died childless with no immediate Habsburg heir. Philippe’s father Louis, Le Grand Dauphin had the strongest genealogical claim to the throne of Spain because his mother Maria Teresa, Infanta of Spain had been the half-sister of Carlos II. However, neither Philippe’s father nor his elder brother Louis, Duke of Burgundy could be displaced from their place in the succession to the French throne. Therefore, Carlos II, King of Spain named 16-year-old Philippe of Anjou, Duke of Anjou his successor.

Proclamation of Felipe as King of Spain at the Palace of Versailles on November 16, 1700; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 16, 1700, at the Palace of Versailles, the King’s Council agreed that Philippe would become King of Spain. The Spanish ambassador was called in and was introduced to his new king, King Felipe V, the first Bourbon King of Spain. The ambassador knelt before Felipe and made a long speech in Spanish which Felipe did not understand as he had not yet learned Spanish. King Felipe V of Spain left Versailles on December 4, 1700, entered Spain on January 22, 1701, and made his triumphal entry into Madrid on February 18, 1701.

However, disputes over the separation of the Spanish and French crowns, division of territories, and commercial rights led to the War of the Spanish Succession (1701 – 1714) between the Bourbons, who now ruled in France and Spain, and the Grand Alliance (Holy Roman Empire, Great Britain, the Dutch Republic, and Habsburg Spain) whose candidate for the Spanish throne was Archduke Charles, younger son of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. Peace was finally made in 1714. In return for his confirmation as King of Spain, Felipe V renounced succession rights to the French throne for himself and his descendants. Any union of the French and Spanish crowns was forbidden. Spain retained the majority of its possessions outside Europe but its territories in Italy and the Netherlands were divided between Austria, Great Britain, and Savoy. The Dutch Republic was granted its Barrier Fortresses, creating a buffer zone between the Dutch Republic and the Kingdom of France.  France acknowledged the Protestant succession in Great Britain and agreed to end support for the Stuart exiles.

Maria Luisa of Savoy, Felipe’s first wife; Credit – Wikipedia

Soon after his arrival in Spain, Felipe’s grandfather King Louis XIV arranged a marriage for him. To strengthen Felipe’s shaky authority over Spain due to his French birth, Louis XIV decided to maintain ties with Vittorio Amadeo II, Duke of Savoy whose eldest daughter Marie Adélaïde of Savoy was already married to Felipe’s elder brother Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petit Dauphin. Felipe was betrothed to thirteen-year-old Maria Luisa of Savoy. In Turin, Duchy of Savoy, Felipe and Maria Luisa were married by proxy on September 12, 1701. Maria Luisa then left for Spain where the young couple met for the first time on November 2, 1701, and were married in person at a local parish church in Figueres, Spain.

Felipe and Maria Luisa had four sons but only two survived childhood and they both had childless marriages:

Felipe and Maria Luisa had a loving, happy marriage. She acted as Regent of Spain from 1702 until 1703 during Felipe’s absence due to the War of the Spanish Succession and had great influence over him as his adviser. Sadly, Maria Luisa died from tuberculosis at the age of 25 on February 14, 1714. She was buried in the Pantheon of Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial.

Elisabeth Farnese, Felipe’s second wife; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 24, 1714, ten months after the death of Maria Luisa, Felipe married again to Elisabeth Farnese of Parma, the only surviving child of Odoardo Farnese, Hereditary Prince of Parma and Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg. Because of the lack of male heirs of Elisabeth’s father, her uncle-stepfather, and her youngest uncle, who all succeeded one another as Duke of Parma, changes were legally made for the succession of the Duchy of Parma in the female line through Maria Luisa. Eventually, her second son Felipe became the Duke of Parma and founded the House of Bourbon-Parma.

Felipe and Elisabeth had six children:

Felipe V of Spain with his wife Elisabeth and some of his children from his first and second marriages – from left to right: the future Fernando VI, King Felipe V, the future Luis I; Felipe, the future Duke of Parma, Queen Elisabeth, a portrait of the Infanta Mariana Victoria, and the future Carlos III: Credit – Wikipedia

On January 14, 1724, Felipe abdicated the Spanish throne to Luis, his seventeen-year-old eldest son from his first marriage, for reasons that are still unclear. Perhaps it was because Felipe suffered from mental instability and did not wish to reign due to his increasing mental decline. Another theory is that Felipe was concerned about the succession to the French throne due to several deaths. Although the treaty that ended the War of the Spanish Succession forbade a union of the French and Spanish crowns, perhaps Felipe hoped that by abdicating the Spanish throne, he could succeed to the French throne if necessary. However, seven months later, Felipe was forced to once again ascend to the Spanish throne because King Luis I died of smallpox and Felipe’s younger son, the future King Fernando VI, was not yet of legal age.

Felipe V and Elisabeth in 1739; Credit – Wikipedia

As he grew older, Felipe’s mental issues worsened and his wife Elisabeth became the de facto ruler of Spain. Only the singing of the Italian castrato opera singer Farinelli (born Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi) brought any peace to Felipe. Farinelli would sing eight or nine arias for the king and queen every night, usually with a trio of musicians.

Felipe V, King of Spain died of a stroke at the age of 62 on July 9, 1746, in El Escorial, Spain. He requested not to be buried at the traditional burial site, the Pantheon of Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial. Instead, Felipe was buried in the Collegiate Church of the Holy Trinity at the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, known as La Granja, in the province of Segovia in central Spain. The architecture of La Granja reminded him of the longed-for French court of his childhood. His second wife Elisabeth survived him by twenty years, dying on July 11, 1766, at the age of 73, and was buried with her husband.

Tomb of Felipe V, King of Spain and his 2nd wife Elisabeth; Credit – Wikipedia

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

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Philipp V. (Spanien). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philipp_V._(Spanien) [Accessed 31 Oct. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Elisabeth Farnese. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Farnese [Accessed 31 Oct. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Maria Luisa of Savoy. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Luisa_of_Savoy [Accessed 31 Oct. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Philip V of Spain. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_V_of_Spain [Accessed 31 Oct. 2018].
  • Es.wikipedia.org. (2018). Felipe V de España. [online] Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felipe_V_de_Espa%C3%B1a [Accessed 31 Oct. 2018].
  • Fraser, A. (2006). Love and Louis XIV. New York: Nan A. Talese Doubleday.

Elisabeth of France, Queen of Spain, Queen of Portugal

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Elisabeth of France, Queen of Spain, Queen of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

The first wife of King Felipe IV of Spain (also King Filipe III of Portugal), Elisabeth of France, was born at the Château de Fontainebleau in France on November 22, 1602. She was the eldest of the three daughters and the second of the six children of King Henri IV of France and his second wife Marie de’ Medici. Elisabeth was known as Madame Royale, the traditional title of the eldest living unmarried daughter of a reigning French monarch.

Elisabeth had five siblings:

King Henri IV with his second wife Marie de’ Medici and their children; Credit – Wikipedia

Soon after her birth, Elisabeth was betrothed to Filippo Emanuele, Prince of Piedmont, the son and heir of Carlo Emanuele I, Duke of Savoy but Filippo Emanuele died in 1604. Elisabeth was raised with her siblings by the royal governess Françoise de Montglat at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye outside of Paris.

On May 14, 1610, when Elisabeth was eight-year-old, her father King Henri IV of France was assassinated. While traveling through Paris, Henri’s carriage was stopped on the Rue de Ferronnerie. A Catholic zealot, François Ravaillac, took the opportunity to rush up to the carriage and stab the king twice in the chest. Quickly subdued, Ravaillac was taken into custody and later executed. The king was taken to the Louvre Palace where he died. Elisabeth’s nine-year-old brother ascended the French throne as King Louis XIII. The widowed Queen, Marie de’ Medici was appointed Regent for her son.

During this time, there were struggles in France between the Catholics and the Protestants (French Huguenots). The new Regent, Marie de’ Medici promoted a strong alliance with the Spanish monarchy and favored Catholicism over Protestantism. To strengthen this bond, she arranged the marriages of her son King Louis XIII to Infanta Anna of Spain (known primarily as Anne of Austria), and her eldest daughter Elisabeth to Felipe, Prince of Asturias (the future King Felipe IV of Spain and King Felipe III of Portugal). Anna and Felipe were both the children of King Felipe III of Spain and his wife Margaret of Austria.

Infanta Anna of Spain, wife of King Louis XIII of France, and Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the future King Felipe IV of Spain, husband of Elisabeth of France in 1612; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 13, 1615, at the Louvre Palace in Paris, France, both young couples were married by proxy and soon, Elisabeth and her brother Louis XIII left Paris to meet their respective spouses. On Pheasant Island in the Bidassoa River that divides France and Spain, the two couples first met. This would be the last time Elisabeth would see her brother Louis. On November 25, 1615, at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Burgos, Spain, 13-year-old Elisabeth married 10-year-old Felipe, Prince of Asturias in a religious ceremony. Elisabeth adopted the Spanish version of her name Isabel and became the Princess of Asturias.

The exchange of the two princesses of France and Spain on the Bidassoa River by Peter Paul Rubens; Credit – Wikipedia

Because of the couple’s young age, the marriage was not consummated. The situation changed when Elisabeth’s father-in-law King Felipe III became ill. The marriage was consummated, and Elisabeth quickly became pregnant. King Felipe III died on March 31, 1621, and was succeeded by his 16-year-old son as King Felipe IV with Elisabeth becoming Queen Consort of Spain.

Elisabeth and Felipe had eight children but only their youngest child survived childhood. Besides having so many children die young, Elisabeth had three miscarriages. Her husband probably transmitted to her a venereal disease he contracted from one of his mistresses. This would explain the miscarriages and the many dead infants.

  • Maria Margarita of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1621)
  • Margarita Maria Catalina of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1623)
  • Maria Eugenia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (1625 – 1627)
  • Isabella Maria of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1627)
  • Balthasar Carlos of Austria, Infante of Spain, Prince of Asturias (1629 – 1646), died at age 16 from smallpox
  • Francisco Fernando of Austria, Infante of Spain (born and died 1634)
  • Maria Ana Antonia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1636)
  • Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain (1638 – 1683), married King Louis XIV of France, had six children but only one son survived childhood

King Felipe IV of Spain, circa 1631-1632; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth was aware of her husband’s mistresses. There were rumors about her relationship with the diplomat Juan de Tassis, 2nd Count of Villamediana who was her gentleman-in-waiting. Between 1640 and 1642, Elisabeth served as regent for her husband in his absence during the Catalan Revolt.

Throughout her marriage, Elisabeth suffered in silence over the deaths of her children and her miscarriages. The fact that her husband’s mistresses gave him children made her feel even worse. Her feelings are evident in the letters sent to her brother Louis XIII and sister-in-law Anne of Austria. Weakened by her multiple pregnancies and miscarriages, Elisabeth died at the Royal Alcazar in Madrid, Spain on October 6, 1644, at the age of forty-one, after miscarrying a son. She was buried in the Pantheon of the Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial at the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain.

The Pantheon of the Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial; Credit – Wikipedia

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

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Élisabeth de Bourbon. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89lisabeth_de_Bourbon [Accessed 27 Oct. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Elisabeth of France (1602–1644). [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_of_France_(1602%E2%80%931644) [Accessed 27 Oct. 2018].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2018). Élisabeth de France (1602-1644). [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89lisabeth_de_France_(1602-1644) [Accessed 27 Oct. 2018].

Felipe II, King of Spain, Filipe I, King of Portugal

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Felipe II, King of Spain, Filipe I, King of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Besides being King of Spain (1555 – 1598), Philp (Felipe in Spanish) was also King of Portugal (1581 – 1598), King of Naples and Sicily (1554 – 1598), Duke of Milan (1540 – 1598), Lord of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands (1555 – 1598) and jure uxoris (by right of his wife) King of England and Ireland during his marriage to Queen Mary I of England from 1554 until Mary died in 1558.

Philip’s parents, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Isabella of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Philip was born on May 21, 1527, at Palacio de Pimente in Valladolid, then the capital of Spain. He was the oldest child of King Carlos I of Spain, who was also Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King Manuel I of Portugal and his second wife Maria of Aragon. Philip’s father Charles was the heir to three of Europe’s leading dynasties: Valois of Burgundy, Habsburg of Austria, and Trastámara of Spain. He was the first to rule a unified Spain. As a Habsburg, he inherited Austria and other lands in central Europe and was also elected to succeed his grandfather, Maximilian I, as Holy Roman Emperor.

The Baptism of Phillip II, ceiling preserved in Palacio de Pimentel in Valladolid; Credit – Wikipedia

Philip was a descendant of King Ferdinand I of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile (Trastámara dynasty of Spain):
King Ferdinand I of Aragon married Queen Isabella I of Castile → Queen Juana I of Castile married Philip of Habsburg, Duke of Burgundy → Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor married Isabella of Portugal → Philip II of Spain

He was also a descendant of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy (Valois dynasty of Burgundy):
Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy married Isabella of Bourbon → Mary, Duchess of Burgundy married Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor → Philip, Duke of Burgundy married Juana I, Queen of Castile and León, Queen of Aragon → Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor married Isabella of Portugal → Philip II of Spain

And he was a descendant of Friedrich III, the first Holy Roman Emperor of the House of Habsburg (Habsburg dynasty of Austria): Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor married Eleanor of Portugal → Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor married Mary, Duchess of Burgundy → Philip, Duke of Burgundy married Juana I, Queen of Castile and León, Queen of Aragon → Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor married Isabella of Portugal → Philip II of Spain

Philip had four siblings:

Philip was well-educated and received an academic education that reflected the spirit of the Renaissance. He studied the works of the humanist movement, mathematics, science, and religion. In addition to his native Spanish, Philip was fluent in Portuguese and Latin but had difficulty learning German and French. He also received instruction in hunting, jousting, dance, and music. Throughout his life, Philip had a passion for collecting works of art, relics, mechanical instruments, and especially books. His private library was considered the largest in the Western world. His collection had more than 13,500 volumes including manuscripts in Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic. As an adult, Philip developed great interests in geography, cartography, architecture, and nature.

Philip married four times, was a widower four times, and had children with three of his wives.

Maria Manuela; Credit – Wikipedia

(1) Maria Manuela, Princess of Portugal (1527 – 1545), Philip’s double first cousin, daughter of Philip’s maternal uncle King João III of Portugal and his paternal aunt Catherine of Austria. They were married in Salamanca, Spain on November 12, 1543. Philip and Maria Manuela had one son and Maria died four days later due to childbirth complications. She was initially buried in the Royal Chapel of Granada but in 1549 but her remains were transferred to the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial.

  • Carlos, Prince of Asturias (1545 – 1568), died unmarried, Carlos was mentally unstable and was imprisoned in his rooms by Philip in early 1568 after participating in a plot to murder Philip.

Philip and Mary, Bedford Collection, Woburn Abbey; Credit – Wikipedia

(2) Queen Mary I of England (1516 – 1558), Philip’s first cousin once removed, daughter of King Henry VIII of England and Catherine of Aragon

In 1554, Philip made a political marriage with his first cousin once removed, Queen Mary I of England. Roman Catholic Mary was 37, and it was vital that she marry and produce a Catholic heir to supplant her Protestant sister Elizabeth.  Edward Courtney, 1st Earl of Devon, a Plantagenet descendant, was suggested. However, Mary had her heart set on marrying Philip, the only son of Mary’s first cousin Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Philip was a widower and was eleven years younger than Mary. Parliament begged her to reconsider fearing the threat of a marriage to a foreign royal might have for English independence. When Mary insisted on marrying Philip, a rebellion broke out, led by Thomas Wyatt, to depose Mary in favor of her half-sister Elizabeth. Wyatt marched on London but was defeated and executed.

Mary and Philip were married at Winchester Cathedral on July 25, 1554. Mary insisted that Philip receive the title of King and that all official documents be in both their names. The marriage was not successful. Although Mary was in love with Philip, he found her repugnant. In September 1554, Mary thought she was pregnant and continued to exhibit signs of pregnancy until July 1555, when her abdomen returned to normal. There was no baby. After fourteen months of marriage, Philip returned to Spain in August 1555. Mary was heartbroken and went into a deep depression. Philip did return to England in 1557 and was happily received by Mary. Philip wanted England to join Spain in a war against France. Mary agreed and the result was the loss of Calais, England’s last remaining possession in continental Europe. Philip left England in July 1557, never to return. Mary said of these losses, “When I am dead, you will find the words ‘Philip’ and ‘Calais’ engraved upon my heart.” Mary died in 1558 and was buried in Westminster Abbey in London, England.

Elisabeth of Valois; Credit – Wikipedia

(3) Elisabeth of Valois (1545 – 1568), daughter of King Henri II of France and Catherine de’ Medici. They were married by proxy in 1559 at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France and then in person in Guadalajara, Spain. Philip and Elisabeth conceived five daughters and a son but only two of the daughters survived. Elisabeth died on October 3, 1568, a few hours after giving birth to a premature daughter who also died and was buried at the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial.

Anna of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

(4) Anna of Austria (1549 – 1580), Philip’s niece, daughter of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, and Maria of Spain, who was Philip’s sister. They were married by proxy on May 4, 1570, at Prague Cathedral and in person at the Chapel of the Alcázar de Segovia in Spain on November 14, 1570. This was a happy marriage and Philip and Anna had five children. Anna died from influenza at the age of 30, on October 26, 1580, eight months after giving birth to her youngest child, and was buried at the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial.

Philip and Anna banqueting with family and courtiers by Alonso Sánchez Coello; Credit – Wikipedia

Physically exhausted after 40 years of ruling, Philip’s father Charles abdicated in 1555 and retired to the peace of a monastery, where he died three years later. Upon Charles’s abdications, the Holy Roman Empire was inherited by his younger brother Ferdinand, who had already been given the Austrian lands in 1521. The Spanish Empire, including the possessions in the Netherlands and Italy, was inherited by Philip. The two empires would remain allies until the 18th century when the Spanish branch of the House of Habsburg became extinct.

The Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial; Credit – By Turismo Madrid Consorcio Turístico from Madrid, España – Monasterio EscorialUploaded by Ecemaml, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6581920

Philip II was a devout Catholic and was vehemently against the Protestant Reformation. He felt the need to enforce Catholicism in the countries he governed and to forcibly repudiate the ever-increasing Protestantism via the Spanish Inquisition. This led to numerous military conflicts with the Netherlands and with England, against which he sent the Spanish Armada on its unsuccessful mission in 1588. Due to the enormous gold and silver received from his American possessions, the Spanish Empire under Philip reached the height of its global supremacy including a flourishing of art and culture. Philip built The Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (known as El Escorial) near Madrid, which served as a monastery, basilica, royal palace, burial pantheon, library, museum, university, school, and hospital. Today, it is still the traditional burial site of the Spanish royal family. Due to the many military conflicts, the power of the Spanish Empire was already declining towards the end of Philip’s reign.

In 1578, King Sebastian of Portugal from the House of Aviz was killed in battle without any heirs, causing a succession crisis. He was succeeded by his elderly great-uncle Henrique, a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who had no descendants because he had taken a vow of chastity as a priest. When Cardinal-King Enrique died two years later, three grandchildren of Manuel I, King of Portugal (1469 – 1521) claimed the Portuguese throne. Ultimately, the grandchild who was successful in his claim was Felipe II, King of Spain. The Iberian Union was the union of the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal that existed between 1580 and 1640, under the Spanish Habsburg kings Felipe II, Felipe III, and Felipe IV who reigned in Portugal under the names Filipe I, Filipe II, and Filipe III.

King Philip II of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Toward the end of his life, Philip’s health suffered. In 1595, gout was causing him severe pain, making him nearly immobile, and a special wheelchair was made for him. He also suffered from recurring episodes of malaria. Philip’s daughter Isabella Clara Eugenia was a great comfort to him. She helped her father with government business, arranged his documents, read important messages, and translated Italian reports into Spanish. During the last three months of his life, Philip was bedridden and in great agony. He died at the age of 71 on September 13, 1598, in his chambers at the El Escorial. Philip was buried in the Pantheon of the Kings, the mausoleum of the Spanish kings in the crypt of the palace church of the El Escorial.

The Pantheon of the Kings at El Escorial; Credit – Wikipedia

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

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Philipp II. (Spanien). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philipp_II._(Spanien) [Accessed 8 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_V,_Holy_Roman_Emperor [Accessed 8 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Philip II of Spain. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_II_of_Spain [Accessed 8 Sep. 2018].
  • Es.wikipedia.org. (2018). Felipe II de España. [online] Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felipe_II_de_Espa%C3%B1a [Accessed 8 Sep. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2016). Queen Mary I of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/queen-mary-i-of-england/ [Accessed 8 Sep. 2018]
  • Wheatcroft, A. (1995). The Habsburgs. London: Viking.

Spanish Royal Christenings

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Members of the Spanish royal family are Roman Catholic. Having only two godparents, a man and a woman, is the usual practice in the Roman Catholic Church. The Spanish royal family’s christening gown was first used for King Juan Carlos’ christening in 1938. It has since been used by his children and grandchildren.  The same Romanesque baptismal font has been used in the christenings of members of the Spanish Royal Family since the seventeenth century.

King Alfonso XIII of Spain

Embed from Getty Images 

*********************

Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain (Ena), born Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg

Princess Victoria of Prussia holding her first cousin Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg by Alexander Bassano, half-plate glass negative, 1888, NPG x95917 © National Portrait Gallery, London

********************

Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona

Juan, in the arms of his mother, with his sister Maria Cristina; Credit – Wikipedia

*********************

King Juan Carlos I of Spain

Embed from Getty Images
Christening of Juan Carlos: Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain holds her grandson

*********************

Queen Sofía of Spain, born Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark

Embed from Getty Images
Sofia with her mother

*********************

Infanta Elena of Spain, Duchess of Lugo

Embed from Getty Images
Elena with her parents at her christening

*********************

Infanta Cristina of Spain

Embed from Getty Images

*********************

King Felipe VI of Spain

Queen Victoria Eugenie holding Felipe at his baptism, his other godparent Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona is in the middle of the photo; Credit – www.casareal.es

*********************

Queen Letizia of Spain, born Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano

  • Unofficial Royalty: Queen Letizia of Spain
  • Parents: Jesús José Ortiz Álvarez and his first wife María de la Paloma Rocasolano Rodríguez
  • Born: September 15, 1972, in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
  • Christened: September 29, 1972, at the San Francisco de Asís Church in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
  • Names: Letizia
  • Godparents:
    • Francisco Rocasolano Rodríguez, her maternal uncle
    • Cristina Ortiz Álvarez, her paternal aunt

*********************

Infanta Leonor, Princess of Asturias

Embed from Getty Images

*********************

Infanta Sofía of Spain

Embed from Getty Images

*********************

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.

Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, Queen of Spain, Duchess of Aosta

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, Queen of Spain, Duchess of Aosta; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo (Maria Vittoria Carlotta Enrichetta) was born in Paris, France on August 9, 1847, the elder of the two daughters of Italian noble Carlo Emmanuele dal Pozzo, 5th Prince of Cisterna and his wife Countess Louise de Merode. Maria Vittoria’s father’s family was one of the few aristocratic families in the Kingdom of Sardinia to bear the title of “prince” as a noble title. Her father was a politician in the Kingdom of Sardinia. Her mother was a member of the de Merode family, an important Belgian noble family. Her mother’s younger sister, Antoinette de Merode, was the wife of Charles III, Prince of Monaco.

Maria Vittoria had one younger sister who died at the age of 13:

  • Beatrice Giuseppa Antonia Luisa dal Pozzo (1851–1864)

Maria Vittoria spent most of her childhood at the Palazzo della Cisterna in Turin in the Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy. Upon her father’s death in 1864, Maria Vittoria inherited her father’s noble titles and became Princess della Cisterna, Princess di Belriguardo, Marchioness di Voghera, and Countess di Ponderano in her own right. Maria Vittoria’s sister died from typhus one month after her father’s death.

On May 30, 1867, Maria Vittoria married Prince Amedeo of Savoy, Duke of Aosta at the chapel of the Royal Palace of Turin. Amedeo was the second son of King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy (formerly King of Piedmont, Savoy, and Sardinia) and Archduchess Adelheid of Austria.

Maria Vittoria and Amedeo; Credit – Wikipedia

Amedeo and Maria Vittoria had three children. Their descendants through their eldest son have been the disputed claimants to the headship of the House of Savoy along with descendants of Amedeo’s brother King Umberto I of Italy.

After Queen Isabella II of Spain was deposed, Amedeo was elected King of Spain and Maria Vittoria was Queen Consort. In Madrid, she suffered a great deal because of her poor health and difficulties with Spanish politics. Maria Vittoria stayed away from politics and devoted her time to charitable works. One of the charities she founded was a nursery where children of washerwomen who worked on the banks of the Manzanares River in Madrid could be cared for by nuns while their mothers worked. Attached to the nursery was a hospital for the washerwomen.

During Amedeo’s reign, there were many republican uprisings. Without popular support, Amedeo abdicated the Spanish throne on February 11, 1873, and left Spain. Maria Vittoria had given birth to her last child only two weeks before the abdication. The recent childbirth, the stress of the abdication, and the exile from Spain exacerbated her physical condition. On November 8, 1876, at the Villa Dufour in San Remo, Italy, 29-year-old Maria Vittoria died from tuberculosis. She was buried in the Basilica of Superga near Turin. The Spanish and American Enlightenment newspaper wrote of her: “Madrid cannot forget that angel of virtue and charity, to whom the people granted the simple title of Mother of the Poor.”

Basilica of Superga; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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.

Kingdom of Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty