Category Archives: German Royals

King Otto of Greece

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

King Otto of Greece, 1867. Photo: Wikipedia

Prince Otto of Bavaria was born at Mirabell Palace in Salzburg, Austria on June 1, 1815, the second son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.

Otto had eight siblings:

In 1832, the Convention of London established Greece as a kingdom, and the Great Powers appointed Otto the new kingdom’s first king. He was their second choice. The throne was initially offered to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who declined, choosing instead to become the first King of the Belgians. Only 17 at the time, Otto arrived in his new country on a British warship, accompanied by 3,500 Bavarian troops and his advisors, who would form a Regency Council to rule Greece until Otto’s majority. He quickly made steps to endear himself to the Greek people, even taking on the Greek version of his name Othon.

Otto stood no chance of truly being accepted by the Greek people. Although he deemed that his heirs would be raised in the Greek Orthodox faith, Otto refused to convert from Roman Catholicism. Tasked with making Greece a viable and flourishing kingdom, heavy taxes were imposed to get the necessary funds. Neither of these situations went over well with the population.

The Greek people initially accepted Otto’s 1836 marriage to Amalia of Oldenburg. However, she quickly became involved in Greek politics and her refusal to give up her Protestant faith and the couple’s lack of an heir led to her becoming greatly disliked by the people.

Having dismissed the Regency Council in 1835, Otto ruled as an absolute monarch for a few years until there were uprisings from the Greek people, demanding a constitution. His original Bavarian troops having left Greece, Otto had no recourse but to give in to the demands and allow for a constitution and convention of a Greek National Assembly.

Throughout his reign, King Otto had the full support and backing of the Great Powers. This would begin to change in 1850. The Athens home of a British subject was vandalized and the authorities watched and did nothing to stop it. This became known as the Pacifico Affair. The British quickly responded, demanding retribution and compensation for the victim. The British Royal Navy was sent in to block off Piraeus, the primary port in Athens. This led to tension between the Great Powers, but the British held firm for several months until the Greek government finally agreed to settle the affair. Several years later, King Otto’s intent to join Russia in her battle against Turkey in the Crimean War was another significant event in Otto’s reign. Again, the British blocked off the port of Piraeus, forcing Greece to reconsider and remain neutral.

While away from Athens in 1862, a coup led to the formation of a provisional government, and Otto was deposed. Under the advice of the Great Powers, Otto accepted the situation, and he again boarded a British warship and returned to Bavaria. He would continue to wear his Greek uniforms and secretly gave most of his fortune to support the Greek troops in the Cretan Rebellion of 1866. He spent his exile living at the New Palace in Bamberg, Kingdom of Bavaria,  now in the German state of Bavaria, where he died on July 26, 1867. Otto was buried in the Wittelsbach Royal Crypt at the Theatinerkirche in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. At his specific request, he was buried in his Greek uniform.

Tomb of King Otto; Photo Credit Susan Flantzer

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Greece Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Prussia

by Emily McMahon and Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Duchess Luise of Mecklenburg, Princess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Luise Auguste Wilhelmine Amalie) was born in Hanover, Electorate of Hanover now in Lower Saxony, Germany on March 10, 1776.  She was third of the five daughters and the sixth of the ten children of Carl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and his first wife Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Luise had nine siblings:

The family was connected to the British royal family as Carl’s sister Charlotte was the wife of King George III. During her childhood, Luise spent part of her early childhood at Leineschloss, the home of the Hanoverian kings. At the time, her father was the Governor-General of Hanover.  King George III was king and never visited Hanover so the residence was made available to the family.

Following her mother’s death in childbirth in 1782, Luise and her siblings were raised mostly by their maternal grandmother, Marie Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg who married  Prince George William of Hesse-Darmstadt, the brother of the reigning Landgrave Louis IX of Hesse-Darmstadt. Maria Louise Albertine made a comfortable home for the family in Darmstadt, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt now in Hesse, Germany, and her grandchildren grew quite fond of her. In her grandmother’s care, Luise was given her lessons and religious instruction primarily in French, but she later grew very fond of German literature. She was also encouraged to devote herself to acts of charity.

Luise and her sister Frederica attracted the attention of two Prussian princes. Luise was betrothed to the future King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, while Frederica was engaged to his brother Ludwig Karl.  Luise and Friedrich Wilhelm married on December 24, 1793, and her sister married Ludwig Karl two days later. It was hoped that the double marriage would improve the bond between the two German states.

Luise and Friedrich Wilhelm in 1794; Credit – Wikipedia

Luise was very popular in Prussia from the start, and descriptions of her from this time speak of her grace, goodness, and beauty. The marriage was happy and the couple raised their family quietly at Paretz Palace west of Berlin.

Luise and Friedrich Wilhelm had nine children:

Luise with her husband and children, circa 1806; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich Wilhelm became King of Prussia in 1797. As queen, Luise traveled around Prussia with her husband, becoming more well-known and well-liked. Luise took it upon herself to stay well-versed in the country’s affairs, earning her the respect of her husband’s advisers. Friedrich Wilhelm similarly trusted his wife’s intelligence and good judgment, treating her as an unofficial adviser.

Prussia declared war on France in 1806. Following a resounding defeat by Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt, Friedrich Wilhelm and Luise fled with their family to Königsberg in eastern Prussia. When Napoleon requested a meeting with Friedrich Wilhelm to discuss peace terms, Friedrich Wilhelm brought the pregnant Luise along to garner sympathy from the French emperor. Napoleon was charmed when the pregnant queen begged him for mercy for Prussia. Napoleon did not budge in his terms for peace, but Luise was even more beloved in Prussia.  Luise and Friedrich Wilhelm were absent from Berlin for three years following the war with the French.

Luise and Friedrich Wilhelm meeting with Napoleon; Credit – Wikipedia

On July 19, 1810, while visiting her father at Schloss Hohenzieritz in Hohenzieritz, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, 34-year-old Luise died in her husband’s arms from an unidentified illness. The harshness of the French occupation may have hastened her death, as she often suffered from long bouts of ill health. Her grieving husband later instituted the Order of Louise in her name and her family mourned her death each year on July 19.  Luise was buried in the garden of Charlottenburg Palace, in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany where a mausoleum was built over her grave.  Friedrich Wilhelm  III survived his wife by thirty years and was buried by her side.

Sarcophagus of Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

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Prussia Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2013

Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Elisabeth Alexandra Louise Alice of Hesse and by Rhine was born on November 1, 1864, in Bessungen, Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany.  Ella, as she was called by her family, was the second daughter and the second of the six children of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom (a daughter of Queen Victoria) and Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, and the elder sister of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia.

Ella in 1865; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Ella had six siblings:

Ella’s family in 1876, two years before the death from diphtheria of Ella’s mother and sister May: Her brother Friedrich, who was a hemophiliac, had died in 1874 after a fall. The photo shows Ella’s father Ludwig holding May, Victoria at his side, Ernest and Irene at the front, Ella with her hand on Irene’s shoulder and leaning against her mother, and Ella’s mother Alice holding on to Alix (the future Empress Alexandra Feodorovna), Photo: Wikipedia

Ella and her siblings received a very strict education and were encouraged to be humble.  They were brought up in a modest lifestyle for royalty, sweeping the floors and cleaning their rooms, while their mother sewed clothes for her children.  The children spoke English with their mother and German with their father.

Ella was 14 years old in 1878 when her mother died, following an outbreak of diphtheria in the family which also took the life of her youngest sister, four-year-old May. Ella had been sent away to her paternal grandmother’s home at the beginning of the outbreak and was the only family member to remain unaffected. Much of the next years were spent, along with her sisters, under the supervision of their grandmother Queen Victoria. The Queen had taken a particular interest in the children following Alice’s death, overseeing almost every aspect of their lives.

Victoria, Ella, Irene, and Alix grieving for their mother, February 1879; Credit – Wikipedia

Ella was charming and considered beautiful, so it is not surprising that she had a number of suitors.  Her first cousin, the future Wilhelm II, German Emperor, proposed to Ella, but she turned him down.  Another suitor who also got a “No” from Ella was Wilhelm’s first cousin, the future Friedrich II, Grand Duke of Baden, who was favored by Ella’s grandmother Queen Victoria.

The Hessian court had a special relationship with the Russian court since Ella’s great-aunt Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (Empress Maria Alexandrovna after her marriage) had married Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia.  The Empress regularly visited her homeland and was usually accompanied by her two youngest sons, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich. Ella and Sergei, who was seven years older, got to know each other and eventually fell in love.  Queen Victoria was strongly against marriage, primarily due to her strong distaste for all things Russian. Despite the misgivings of the two families, Sergei was intent on making Ella his bride. In 1883, during a visit to the Hessian family’s hunting lodge Schloss Wolfsgarten, Sergei proposed and Ella accepted. The engagement was announced publicly in February 1884 when Sergei was visiting Darmstadt.

Ella and Sergei in 1884; Credit – Wikipedia

The couple married on June 15, 1884, at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. As Ella had not yet converted to the Russian Orthodox religion, there were two ceremonies, one Lutheran and one Russian Orthodox. The wedding was attended by many royals from around Europe, with the noticeable exception of Queen Victoria. Instead, she was represented by two of her sons, The Prince of Wales, and Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh who had married Sergei’s sister. After her marriage, Ella was known as Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna.

Ella in 1885; Credit – Wikipedia

Following the wedding, the couple spent their honeymoon at Ilinskoye, Sergei’s country estate outside of Moscow, and then settled at the Sergeivsky Palace in St. Petersburg. In addition to these two homes, they also had a home on the grounds of Peterhof, and a house on the bank of the Moskva River. Serge and Ella did not have any children of their own. However, they later took in the children of Sergei’s brother Paul, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna (the younger), and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich. The children’s mother had died in 1891 in childbirth, and they spent much time with Sergei and Ella. In 1902, when Paul entered into a morganatic marriage and was banished from Russia, he was not permitted to take the children, and they were formally put under the guardianship of Sergei and Ella.

Sergei with his foster children: Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich; Credit – Wikipedia

The couple were very close with Sergei’s brother, Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia, and his wife Empress Maria Feodorovna (born Princess Dagmar of Denmark), and were often asked to represent them at royal events elsewhere in the world. In 1887, they represented the Emperor at Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, and the following year attended the consecration of the church of Saint Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem, built in memory of the brothers’ mother, the late Empress Maria Alexandrovna.  In 1894, Ella’s youngest surviving sister Alix married Sergei’s nephew Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia.  Alix and Nicholas had first met at Ella and Sergei’s wedding.

In 1891, Alexander III appointed Serge Governor-General of Moscow. In the following years, Sergei was also appointed to the Imperial State Council and made Commander of the Moscow military district.  Sergei’s nephew Nicholas became Emperor upon his father’s death in November 1894.  Over the next eleven years, Sergei would become increasingly disenchanted with his nephew’s policies and decisions. Finally, after massive losses in the Russo-Japanese War, Sergei resigned as Governor-General of Moscow on January 1, 1905.

On February 17, 1905, Grand Duke Sergei left the Nicholas Palace in Moscow in his carriage, en route to the Governor General’s mansion where he was in the process of clearing out his office. He had just come through one of the gate towers when an assassin threw a nitroglycerin bomb into the carriage from just a few feet away. The bomb landed in Sergei’s lap and exploded. The Grand Duke was killed instantly, his body literally blown to pieces. The assassin, Ivan Kalyayev, who was injured in the attack, was promptly arrested and later executed. Ella, having heard the blast from the Nicholas Palace, rushed to the scene and began to gather what was left of her husband’s body.

Four years after her husband’s assassination, Ella sold all her jewelry and with the proceeds opened the Convent of Saints Martha and Mary and became its abbess.  A hospital, pharmacy, and orphanage were opened on the convent’s grounds, and Ella and her Russian Orthodox nuns spent their time serving the poor of Moscow.

Ella in her nun’s habit; Credit – Wikipedia

After the Russian Revolution, Ella was arrested in 1918 by the Bolsheviks and was sent away to the Urals where she was later joined by five other Romanovs: Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, three sons of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich: Prince Ioann Konstantinovich, Prince Konstantin Konstantinovich, Prince Igor Konstantinovich, and a son of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich:  Prince Vladimir Pavlovich Paley. Also in the group were Varvara Yakovleva, a nun from Ella’s convent, and Feodor Remez, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich’s secretary.  On May 20, 1918, they were all taken to Alapaevsk where they were kept in the Napolnaya School.

On July 18, 1918, the day after the shooting of Emperor Nicholas II and his family,  Ella and all of the people with her were thrown down a mineshaft near Alapayevsk by the Bolsheviks. All except Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich survived the fall.  Hand grenades were thrown down after them killing Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich’s secretary, Feodor Remez.   According to the personal account of Vassili Ryabov, one of the killers, the singing of hymns was heard after the grenade explosions.  Ryabov threw another grenade into the mine shaft, but the singing continued.  Finally, wood and brush were set on fire and thrown into the mine shaft.

The Romanovs killed with Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna who was 53 years old when she died; All photos from Wikipedia

Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, 48 years old, grandson of Emperor Nicholas I.

Prince Ioann Konstantinovich, 32 years old, son of Grand Duke Konstantine Konstantinovich who was a grandson of Emperor Nicholas I. 

Prince Igor Konstantinovich, 24 years old, son of Grand Duke Konstantine Konstantinovich who was a grandson of Emperor Nicholas I.

Prince Vladimir Paley, 21 years old, son of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich, a son of Emperor Alexander II.

Three months later, White Army soldiers found the remains of the victims.  Ella’s remains eventually were interred at the St. Mary Magdalene Convent on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem along with the remains of her fellow nun Varvara Yakovleva.  Princess Alice of Battenberg, the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the niece of Ella, asked to be buried with her aunt.  Princess Alice founded a nursing order of Greek Orthodox nuns, the Christian Sisterhood of Martha and Mary, which was modeled after her aunt’s order of nuns. When Princess Alice died in 1969, she was interred at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, but her remains were transferred to St. Mary Magdalene Convent in 1988.

Tomb of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna; Photo Credit – Автор: Deror Avi – собственная работа, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6527236

Ella was canonized as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia in 1981, and in 1992 by the Moscow Patriarchate as New Martyr Elizabeth. She is one of the ten 20th-century martyrs depicted in statues above the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey in London, England. Ella’s convent was closed in 1920 during the Soviet regime, but the convent was re-opened in 1994 and the sisters there continue doing the work Ella started.

Statue of Elizabeth (far left) and other martyrs of the 20th century at Westminster Abbey in London; 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.

Recommended Books

  • Elizabeth, Grand Duchess of Russia – Hugo Mager
  • The Life and Death of Ella, Grand Duchess of Russia: A Romanov Tragedy – Christopher Warwick

Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine

by Emily McMahon  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine; Credit – Wikipedia

Scandal followed Alexander in one way or another for much of his life. Born in Darmstadt in the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany, on July 15, 1823, Alexander Ludwig Georg Friedrich Emil was the third son of Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Wilhelmina of Baden. At the time of Alexander’s birth, the couple had been living apart for some time. Alexander’s biological father may have been August Ludwig, Freiherr von Senarclens de Grancy, his mother’s chamberlain and lover. August is believed to have fathered Wilhelmina’s youngest four children. Nevertheless, Ludwig claimed all of Wilhelmina’s children as his own.

Alexander had four siblings:

In 1841, Alexander accompanied his sister Marie on her journey to Russia to marry the future Alexander II. After the wedding, Alexander stayed for a time in Russia, where he became close to his sister’s imperial in-laws. Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia was so impressed by Alexander that he considered marrying the Hessian prince to one of the daughters of his brother Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich.

However, Alexander had fallen in love with Julia Hauke, one of Marie’s ladies-in-waiting and the daughter of the former minister of war. Although forbidden by Nicholas I to marry, the couple married anyway in 1851 as Julia was already pregnant with their first child. The marriage forced the couple to leave Russia, but the two were allowed to settle in the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine. However, the marriage was viewed as morganatic and removed any future children from the Hesse and by Rhine line of succession. Julia was granted the title of Countess of Battenberg, a castle in Hesse and by Rhine. Eventually, the two regained some of their favor in Russia and Hesse and Hesse and by Rhine.

Julia and Alexander; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexander and Julia had five children.  Through their son Louis, they are the ancestors of the British Royal Family and through their son Henry, they are ancestors of the Spanish Royal Family.

Alexander’s second son, also named Alexander, was named Prince of Bulgaria in 1879, with help from his uncle, Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia. The younger Alexander ruled Bulgaria under considerable turmoil until 1886 when he was forced to resign. In the following years, Alexander was the object of affection of Victoria of Prussia, another granddaughter of Queen Victoria. A possible marriage between Alexander and Victoria was long debated in Prussia but was eventually vetoed due to Alexander’s now-sour relationship with Russia. The younger Alexander eventually made his own morganatic marriage to actress Johanna Loisinger.

Alexander died of cancer at the age of 65 on December 15, 1888, in Seeheim, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany. He was first buried in the Altes Mausoleum in the Rosenhöhe in Darmstadt.  In 1894, his remains were moved to the newly built Mausoleum on the grounds of Heiligenberg Castle, where his wife’s remains were also interred after her death in 1895.  In 1902, the mausoleum was converted to a memorial chapel, and Alexander and Julia’s remains were moved to a gravesite just outside of the mausoleum.

In the foreground, the graves of Alexander and his wife Julia; 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.

Caroline of Baden, Queen of Bavaria

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Caroline of Baden, Queen of Bavaria – source: Wikipedia

Princess Caroline of Baden was the second wife of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. She was born Friederike Caroline Wilhelmine on July 13, 1776, in Karlsruhe, Margraviate of Baden, later the Grand Duchy of Baden, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg,  the daughter of Carl Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Baden and Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt. Caroline had seven siblings, including a twin sister Amalie:

Caroline of Baden; source: Wikipedia

Caroline and her family had numerous additional ties to the Russian, German, and Swedish thrones. Caroline grew up with her family in Karlsruhe, with a deep love of and talent for painting. On March 9, 1797, in Karlsruhe, shortly before her 21st birthday, Caroline married Maximilian, Duke of Zweibrücken (the future King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria). Maximilian was twenty years older than Caroline and had been widowed the previous year. In addition to the four surviving stepchildren from Maximilian’s first marriage, Caroline and her husband had seven children including two sets of twins:

Within two years of their marriage, Maximilian became Elector of Bavaria, and in 1806, following the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, Maximilian and Caroline became the first King and Queen of the newly established Kingdom of Bavaria. Caroline had remained a Protestant when she married the Catholic Maximilian and was not required to convert when her husband became King. A deeply religious woman, she remained Lutheran and had her own chaplain. Despite this, her children were raised Catholic.

Caroline as Queen of Bavaria – source: Wikipedia

As Queen of Bavaria, Caroline had a strong sense of duty and was considered a dignified Queen and hostess. She also played a prominent role in helping her husband develop the arts and culture in Munich.

Tombs of King Maximilian I and his second wife Queen Caroline, at the Theatinerkirche in Munich. Photo: © Susan Flantzer

Widowed in 1825, Queen Caroline survived her husband by just over sixteen years. She died on November 13, 1841, in Munich. Because she had remained Protestant, her funeral and burial in the Catholic Theatinerkirche were not without their problems. The Protestant clergy was not allowed to enter the church, so the funeral service was held outside. This also prevented any ceremony when Caroline’s coffin was placed in the tomb. Meanwhile, the attending Catholic clergy wore street clothes rather than religious vestments. The undignified treatment of his stepmother even angered Ludwig I, King of Bavaria whose own vehemently pro-Catholic views were forever changed.

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Bavaria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Maria Theresia of Austria-Este, Queen of Bavaria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bavaria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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

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

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

Alice’s Early Life

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

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

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

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

Ludwig’s Early Life

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

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

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

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

The Engagement

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

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

The Wedding Site

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wedding Guests

Royal Guests – The Bride’s Family

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

Royal Guests – The Groom’s Family

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

Other Royal Guests

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

Other Guests

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

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

Her Majesty’s Household

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

Foreign Royalty Attendants

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

Bridesmaids and Supporters

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

The bridesmaids were:

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

The Wedding Attire

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

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

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

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

The Wedding Ceremony

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Children

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

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Works Cited

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

Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

Credit – Wikipedia

June 23, 1859 – Death of Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

Maria Pavlovna’s Wikipedia page

Born in St. Petersburg in 1786, Maria Pavlovna was the third daughter and fifth child of Tsar Paul of Russia and his second wife, Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. Maria Pavlovna’s siblings included two future Russian Tsars, a Queen of Württemberg, and a Queen of the Netherlands. She grew up mainly at the imperial palaces at Pavlovsk and Gatchina, the latter of which was her parents’ favorite residence. Maria Pavlovna was known by the nickname of “Masha” within the family and was particularly close to her younger brothers Nicholas and Michael.

Maria Pavlovna was close to her sisters, but was not considered as pretty as her smallpox inoculation during her childhood had caused facial scarring. Nevertheless, Maria Pavlovna received an excellent education, with lessons in literature, math, music, and foreign languages. She was a particularly talented pianist. Like Paul’s older children, her lesson plans were designed in part by Maria Pavlovna’s paternal grandmother, Catherine II.

Maria Pavlovna grew up as somewhat of a tomboy, so much so that Catherine referred to her granddaughter as the “guardsman in a skirt” and remarked that she would more fortunate if born a boy. As she matured, Maria Pavlovna’s looks improved greatly, and she was noted for her charm and intelligence.

In 1804, Maria Pavlovna married Charles Frederick, the future Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in a lavish ceremony in St. Petersburg. Charles Frederick had spent some months in Russia with the imperial family and had become very fond of his new wife, although their different personalities caused some strife in the following years. The match was an excellent one for intelligent Maria Pavlovna, as Weimar was then an important cultural center (particularly for music) in Europe. Her new husband shared her love of music and worked to keep Weimar’s musical heritage strong. Franz Liszt (who was invited to Weimar at Maria Pavlovna’s insistence) and Richard Wagner both enjoyed considerable success while in Weimar.

Maria Pavlovna maintained her intellectual pursuits during her time in Weimar, attending lectures at the University of Jena, hosting circles of local writers in her home, and serving as patroness of various literary, artistic, and scientific organizations. She also maintained correspondence with several Russian and German intellectuals of the time. Maria Pavlovna also established a horticultural school and provided funding for the establishment of several parks.

Maria Pavlovna and Charles Frederick had three surviving children. Their daughters Marie and Augusta respectively married Charles of Prussia and the future German Emperor Wilhelm I. Son Charles Alexander succeeded his father in the grand duchy. Several current European monarchs can claim descent from Maria Pavlovna, including Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Sophia of Spain.

Maria Pavlovna died of a heart attack at Schloss Belvedere, surviving her husband by six years. She is buried beside her husband at a mausoleum in Weimar. A Russian Orthodox church was erected near the mausoleum in her honor.

The Berlin City Palace (Berliner Stadtschloss)

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Berliner Stadtschloss c1920. Photo credit: Wikipedia

On Wednesday, June 12, 2013, the foundation stone was laid for the reconstruction of the Berlin City Palace, once a principal residence of the Kings of Prussia.

The Palace was first built between 1443-1451 by Friedrich II, Margrave and Elector of Brandenburg (known as Irontooth). It included a Catholic chapel, later elevated to a parish church, and consecrated by Pope Nicholas V. The original palace was torn down in 1538 by Margrave Joachim II, who had a new, larger palace built in the Italian Renaissance style, with further alterations continuing over the next 175 years.

In 1699, Friedrich I, King in Prussia, had the palace overhauled again in the Baroque style, with the building enclosing a courtyard. In 1845, the dome was finally added, during Friedrich Wilhelm IV’s reign. This would be the last major change to the exterior of the palace.

Berliner Stadschloss c1900. Photo credit: Wikipedia

The Stadtschloss became the primary palace of the newly created German Empire in 1871 and remained so until 1918 when the German Socialist Republic was announced from a balcony at the palace (following the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II).

For some years, the palace was used for museum space, as well as official functions, before sitting empty for many years leading up to World War II. It was heavily bombed by Allied forces in 1945. Being within the Soviet Union Zone after the war, the building was used as a backdrop for a Soviet movie – ‘The Battle of Berlin’. Live artillery was used during the filming of the movie, which further damaged the building. Finally, in 1950, the building was razed by the Soviets, with the open space now used as parade grounds. The only part that was saved was the balcony from which the German Socialist Republic was proclaimed. This was moved to the Council of State building, forming the main entrance.

In the 1970s, a new building was erected on the site – the Palace of the Republic (‘Palast der Republik’), however, it was later closed and torn down. After the reunification of Germany, several groups promoted the rebuilding of the original Stadtschloss, most suggesting the exteriors being recreated with more modern space inside. Finally, in 2007, the German Parliament voted to reconstruct the palace. Three of the exterior façades will be rebuilt, while the interior is a modern structure. The construction cost of approximately 590 million Euros ($786 million). The new name will be The Humboldt Forum, and the space will be used primarily to exhibit non-European artifacts from collections of other Berlin museums.

Who Knew?!

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King George V of Hanover

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2012

King George V of Hanover, Credit – Wikipedia

Kingdom of Hanover: In 1714, George, Elector of Hanover, became King George I of Great Britain due to the extinction of the Protestant Stuart line. He remained Elector of Hanover as did his successors King George II and King George III. In 1814, under the terms of the Congress of Vienna, the Electorate of Hanover was raised to the Kingdom of Hanover and King George III also became King of Hanover.

George III’s sons George IV and William IV succeeded him as King of the United Kingdom and King of Hanover. However, because the Kingdom of Hanover followed the Salic Law which did not allow female succession, Queen Victoria who succeeded her uncle William IV as Queen of the United Kingdom, could not become Queen of Hanover. Therefore, Queen Victoria’s paternal eldest surviving uncle Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland became King of Hanover.

King George V, Ernest Augustus’ son, was the last King of Hanover. Hanover backed the losing side in the Austro-Prussian War and was conquered by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1866 and became a Prussian province. Since then, the senior heir of the House of Hanover has been the pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of Hanover. Today the former Kingdom of Hanover is in the German state of Lower Saxony.

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

The last King of Hanover was born Prince George of Cumberland on May 27, 1819, in a hotel in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany.  His parents were Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, the fifth son of King George III, and Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.  Prince George was born amidst the race for an heir to the British throne in the third generation.  The death of Princess Charlotte of Wales in childbirth in 1817 left King George III without any legitimate grandchildren.  Prince George was born three days after the eventual heir, Alexandrina Victoria (Queen Victoria), who was ahead of her cousin in the succession by being the child of King George III’s fourth son.  After Queen Victoria succeeded to the throne in 1837, Prince George remained second in the line of succession after his father until Queen Victoria’s first child was born.  Today his descendant Prince Ernst August of Hanover is the senior male-line descendant of King George III and the Head of the House of Hanover.

While George had no full siblings, he did have half-siblings from his mother’s first two marriages:

From his mother’s first marriage to Prince Ludwig of Prussia, George had three half-siblings:

From his mother’s second marriage to Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels, George had six half-siblings:

  • Princess Caroline of Solms-Braunfels (born and died 1799)
  • Prince Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels (1801–1868), married Countess Maria Anna Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau, had nine children
  • Princess Sophie of Solms-Braunfels (born and died 1803)
  • Princess Auguste Luise of Solms-Braunfels (1804–1865), married Prince Albert of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, had four children
  • Prince Friedrich of Solms-Braunfels (1807–1867), married Baroness Louise of Landsberg-Velen, had one child
  • Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels (1812–1875), married (1) morganatically Louise Beyrich, had three children  (2) Princess Sophie of Loewenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, had five children

Prince George was christened George Frederick Alexander Charles Ernest Augustus on July 8, 1819, at a hotel in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia with what might be a record number of godparents:

Prince George spent his childhood in England and Prussia. In 1828, an accident with a swinging set of keys resulted in the loss of some vision.  By 1835, George was completely blind.  In 1837, upon the accession of Queen Victoria, George’s father became King of Hanover.  Up until this point, Hanoverian kings of the United Kingdom were also Electors or Kings of Hanover.  However, Hanover followed the Salic Law which did not allow female succession.  Ernest Augustus, the eldest surviving son of King George III, became King of Hanover and his son George became the Crown Prince.

In 1839, Crown Prince George met Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg at Schloss Monbrillant, a summer palace of the Hanovers.  George and Marie were married on February 18, 1843, and had three children:

George and his family; Credit – Wikipedia

George succeeded his father as King of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, as well as Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, in the Peerage of Great Britain, and Earl of Armagh, in the Peerage of Ireland, on November 18, 1851. King George V of Hanover reigned for only 15 years, being exiled from Hanover in 1866 because of his support for Austria in the Austro-Prussian War.  On September 20, 1866, Hanover was annexed by Prussia.  George never abdicated from the throne of Hanover and he and his wife Marie lived in exile in Gmunden, Austria, and in Paris, France where George died on June 12, 1878, at the age of 59.  After a funeral service was held at the Lutheran Church in the Rue Chacat in Paris and George’s remains were transported to England and buried in the Royal Tomb House under St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England.

An artist’s view inside the Royal Tomb House at St. George’s Chapel. Caskets were placed on the shelves along the sides. The bench in the middle was used as a temporary place for caskets waiting to be buried elsewhere.

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