Category Archives: Italian Royals

King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy; source: Wikipedia

Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia, King of Italy

King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy reigned from 1861 until 1878. He was born Prince Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso of Savoy on March 14, 1820, in Turin, the eldest son of Carlo Alberto, 7th Prince of Carignano, the future King of Sardinia, and Maria Theresa of Austria, Archduchess of Austria, Princess of Tuscany. He had two younger siblings:

In 1831, his father succeeded a distant cousin, becoming King of Sardinia. Vittorio Emanuele accompanied his father to Turin, where he underwent a very strict regimen of education and physical activities. Soon, he began his military career, attaining the rank of Colonel and commanding his own regiment. He later was elevated to the rank of General.

Vittorio Emanuele and his family, c1854. source: Wikipedia

On April 12, 1842, at the Palazzina de caccia di Stupinigi, Vittorio was married to Archduchess Adelheid of Austria. She was the daughter of Archduke Rainer Joseph of Austria and Princess Elisabeth of Savoy. Vittorio and Adelheid were first cousins, as his father and her mother were siblings. They were also first cousins once removed through their mutual descent from Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor. Adelheid died on January 20, 1855, just twelve days after giving birth to their youngest child.

The couple had eight children:

In 1847,  27-year-old Vittorio Emanuele met 14-year-old Rose Vercellana when her father became the commander of the royal garrison at the Royal Castle of Racconigi, the hunting estate of the royal family of Sardinia. She soon became his mistress. At that time, Vittorio Emanuele had been married to his wife Adelheid of Austria for seven years and five of their eight children had been born.

Vittorio Emanuele’s many other relationships were brief but his relationship with Rosa lasted the rest of his life. Their early meetings were very secret because Vittorio Emanuele’s father Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia was against the affair and because it was illegal to have sex with minors. Eventually, Rosa was given a home on the grounds of the Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi (the hunting residence of Stupinigi), closer to Turin, the seat of government.

Rosa and Vittorio Emanuele had a daughter and a son, born when Rosa was fifteen and eighteen:

  • Vittoria Guerrieri (1848 – 1905), married (1) Giacomo Filippo Spinola, had three children (2) Luigi Domenico Spinola, brother of her first husband, had one daughter (3) Paolo de Simone, no children
  • Emanuele Alberto Guerrieri, Count of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda (1851 – 1894), married Bianca Enrichetta de Lardere, had two sons

Rosa and Vittorio Emanuele with their two children in the 1860s Credit – Wikipedia

Following a massive defeat by the Austrian forces, Vittorio Emanuele’s father abdicated on March 23, 1849, and he became King of Sardinia as Vittorio Emanuele II. He became a driving force behind the “Risorgimento”, the Italian unification movement.

Over the next twelve years, Vittorio Emanuele led the drive toward a unified kingdom. Under the leadership of Giuseppe Garibaldi, a noted general and politician, the Sardinian forces soon gained Sicily and Naples. He then led his forces against the Papal army, driving the Pope into Vatican City. This resulted in the Pope excommunicating Vittorio Emanuele from the Roman Catholic church. Garibaldi soon conquered the Kingdom of Two Sicilies but was stopped from attacking Rome as it was under protection from the French. With all the newly acquired lands, on March 17, 1861, Vittorio Emanuele was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy.

After the death of Vittorio Emanuele’s wife Adelheid in 1855, his relationship with Rosa Vercellana continued, despite his numerous other lovers, and became more public. Although the relationship caused much scandal and hostility at court, Vittorio Emanuele did not yield to any pressure. In 1858, Vittorio created Rosa Countess of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda, recognized their two children, and gave them the surname Guerrieri. A year later, Vittorio Emanuele purchased the Castle of Sommariva Perno (link in Italian) for Rosa. Although Rosa was despised by the nobles, she was loved by the common people for her peasant origins.

When Vittorio Emanuele fell seriously ill in 1869 and feared he was dying, he married Rosa in a religious ceremony on October 18, 1869. However, Vittorio Emanuele did not die. The marriage was morganatic, a marriage between people of unequal social rank in which the position or privileges of the higher-ranked spouse are not passed on to the other spouse or any children. Rosa’s children had no succession rights and she did not become Queen of Italy, instead, she retained her titles Countess of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda, which the Vittorio Emanuele had given her in 1858. So that Rosa would have marriage civil rights, a civil marriage was held on October 7, 1877, just three months before Vittorio Emanuele’s death.

The Quirinal Palace. source: Wikipedia

In 1870, allied with Prussia, the King capitalized on Prussia’s victory over France in the Franco-Prussian War and captured Rome after the French forces withdrew. On September 20, 1870, Vittorio Emanuele entered Rome, established the city as the new capital of Italy, and took up residence at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, Italy.

The remainder of his reign was more peaceful. The King focused on building up the new Kingdom, both financially and culturally, further cementing his legacy as ‘Father of the Fatherland’ (Padre Della Patria), a title given to him by the Italian people. King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy died at the Quirinal Palace on January 8, 1878. He is buried in the Pantheon in Rome.

Tomb of Vittorio Emmanuele II; Credit – By Fczarnowski – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10594487

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Princess Giovanna of Italy, Tsaritsa of Bulgaria

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Giovanna of Italy, Tsaritsa of Bulgaria; Credit –  Wikipedia

Giovanna of Italy was the wife of Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria. She was born Princess Giovanna Elisabetta Antonia Romana Maria of Italy on November 13, 1907, in Rome, Italy the daughter of King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy and Princess Elena of Montenegro.

Giovanna had four siblings:

Princess Giovanna, c.1909. source: Wikipedia

As was typical at the time, Giovanna was educated privately at home. In 1923, she and her sister Mafalda fell ill with typhoid fever and were both very ill. After being nursed back to health by two Franciscan nuns, Giovanna pledged her devotion to St. Francis of Assisi which would remain with her for the rest of her life.

Wedding of Giovanna and Boris, 1930. source: Wikipedia

In 1927, Giovanna met her future husband, Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria, and the two quickly fell in love. They married on October 25, 1930, in Assisi, Italy. After the civil ceremony, a Catholic ceremony took place at the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Assisi, Italy, followed by a large reception at Villa Fidelia in nearby Spello. Later, an Orthodox ceremony was held in Sofia, Bulgaria, and Giovanna was also crowned Tsaritsa of Bulgaria. Upon her marriage, she took the Bulgarian version of her name, Ioanna. The couple had two children:

In her role as Tsaritsa, Ioanna became well-loved by the Bulgarian people, in part because of her charitable work, including the establishment of a children’s hospital in Sofia. During World War II, she also helped to arrange travel visas, enabling many Jews to escape the country. In August 1943, her husband died, and their young son Simeon became Tsar, under a Regency Council led by Boris’s brother Prince Kyril of Bulgaria.

Tsaritsa Ioanna, c.1932. source: Wikipedia

Following the Soviet invasion of Bulgaria in September 1944, Ioanna and her family were placed under house arrest at Vrana Palace. Two years later, the Soviet regime held a referendum which resulted in the abolition of the monarchy, and on September 16, 1946, the family was forced to flee the country. They went first to Egypt, where Ioanna’s father was living in exile, and then in 1951, settled in Madrid. After her son’s marriage in 1962, she moved to Estoril, Portugal, where she remained for the rest of her life. In 1993, following the fall of the communist regime, Ioanna made a memorable visit to Bulgaria, on the 50th anniversary of her husband’s death.

 

Tsaritsa Ioanna died in Estoril, Portugal on February 26, 2000. In accordance with her wishes to be buried in Italy, she was buried at the Chapel of the Friars at the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Assisi, Italy.

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Bulgaria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Princess Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Parma, Princess of Bulgaria

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

source: Wikipedia

Princess Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Parma, Princess of Bulgaria

Princess Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Parma was the first wife of the future Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria. She was born Princess Maria Luisa Pia Teresa Anna Ferdinanda Francesca Antonietta Margherita Giuseppina Caroline Bianca Lucia Apollonia of Bourbon-Parma on January 17, 1870 in Rome, Italy. Maria Luisa was the eldest child of Robert I, Duke of Parma and his first wife, Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and had eleven younger siblings. Six of her eleven siblings were mentally disabled.

  • Ferdinando (born and died 1871) died in infancy
  • Luisa Maria (1872 – 1943), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Enrico, Duke of Parma (1873 – 1939), unmarried, mentally disabled, Titular Duke of Parma 1907-1939, his brother Elias took up the role as regent and head of the family
  • Maria Immacolata (1874 – 1914), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Giuseppe, Duke of Parma (1875 – 1950), unmarried, mentally disabled, Titular Duke of Parma 1939-1950, his brother Elias continued the role as regent and head of the family
  • Maria Teresa (1876 – 1959), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Maria Pia (1877 – 1915), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Beatrice (1879 – 1946), married Pietro Lucchesi-Palli, had issue
  • Elias, Duke of Parma (1880- 1959), married Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, had issue; Head of the Ducal Family of Parma (1950–1959)
  • Maria Anastasia (born and died 1881), died in infancy
  • Stillborn child (September 22, 1882), Maria Pia died in childbirth

Two years after her mother died in childbirth in 1882, Maria Luisa’s father married Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal and had another twelve children, Maria Luisa’s half-siblings:

  • Maria della Neve Adelaide (1885 – 1959), a Benedictine nun at the Monastery of Solesmes, France
  • Sixtus (1886 – 1934), married Hedwige de La Rochefoucauld, had issue
  • Xavier, Duke of Parma (1889 – 1977), married Madeleine de Bourbon-Busset, had issue, the Carlist claimants to the Spanish throne descend through this line
  • Zita (1892 – 1989) – married Emperor Karl of Austria, had issue
  • Francesca (1890 – 1978), a Benedictine nun at the Monastery of Solesmes, France
  • Felix (1893 – 1970), married Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, had issue
  • René (1894 – 1962), married Princess Margrethe of Denmark, had issue including Anne who married King Michael I of Romania
  • Maria Antonia (1895 – 1937), a Benedictine nun at the Monastery of Solesmes, France
  • Isabella (1898 – 1984), nun
  • Luigi (1899 – 1967), married Princess Maria Francesca of Savoy, had issue
  • Henrietta Anna (1903 – 1987), unmarried, was deaf
  • Gaetano (1905 – 1958), married and divorced Princess Margarete of Thurn and Taxis, had issue

Princess Maria Luisa was raised primarily in Switzerland, in the care of English governesses. Artistically gifted, she became fluent in five languages and enjoyed painting and music.

In 1892, her father began to arrange a marriage for Maria Luisa to the reigning Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria. He and Ferdinand’s mother went through extensive negotiations in order to make the match possible. One of the biggest obstacles was religion. Maria Luisa’s family was staunchly Catholic and insisted that any children would be raised in the Catholic Church. Ferdinand was also Catholic and had been permitted to remain so when elected Prince of Bulgaria. However, the Bulgarian constitution required that any future Prince be a member of the Orthodox Church. This would mean that Ferdinand’s heir could not be raised Catholic. Capitalizing on the exceptions that had been given to both Ferdinand and his predecessor, Alexander of Battenberg, Prime Minister Stefan Stambolov quickly had the constitution amended to provide another exception for Ferdinand’s heir.

Maria Luisa and Ferdinand, 1893. source: Wikipedia

With this final issue resolved, the engagement was announced in August 1892. Being a truly arranged marriage, it would be on their engagement day that Maria Luisa and Ferdinand met for the first time. They married on April 20, 1893, at Villa Pianore, the Duke of Parma’s residence in Lucca, Italy. They had four children:

Maria Luisa with her sons, Boris and Kiril, 1896. source: Wikipedia

Less than two years after the birth of their first son, Boris, Ferdinand decided that he would have his son baptized in the Orthodox church, despite the agreements made at the time of their marriage. This was part of his efforts to be recognized as sovereign of Bulgaria by the new Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II. Maria Luisa, supported by both her family and her mother-in-law, argued strongly against the conversion but Ferdinand insisted. Prince Boris was received into the Orthodox Church, with Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia as his godparent. Maria Luisa left the country in protest, not returning until the late spring of 1896. The rest of their children were raised Catholic.

source: Wikipedia

Maria Luisa’s marriage, which had been strictly for political and dynastic reasons, was not a happy one. Having given birth to three children, and expecting a fourth within five years had taken a toll on her already frail health. She developed pneumonia while pregnant with her youngest child, and died on January 31, 1899, just a day after giving birth. She was just 29 years old. Princess Maria Luisa was buried in the Cathedral of Saint Louis of France, in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Tomb of Marie Luisa; Credit – By Бирдас – Собствена творба, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22874195

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Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, Queen of Spain

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

The fourth wife of King Ferdinand VII of Spain and the wife who finally gave him an heir, Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies (Italian: Maria Cristina Ferdinanda) was born in Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily, now in Italy, on April 27, 1806. She was the second of the twelve children of King Francesco I of the Two Sicilies and his second wife Infanta María Isabella of Spain, sister of King Ferdinand VII of Spain.

Maria Christina had two half-siblings from her father’s first marriage to Maria Clementina of Austria:

Maria Christina had five sisters and six brothers:

Included in the portrait are Ferdinando, Maria Carolina, and their children Maria Theresa, Maria Luisa, Maria Amelia, Francesco, Maria Cristina, and Gennaro, 1783; Credit – Wikipedia

Irish novelist and journalist Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington, who met Maria Christina on her Grand Tour of Europe, described her as having flawless facial features, beautiful teeth, expressive eyes, and a charming smile. Maria Christina was lively and cheerful, showed an early fondness for hunting, and a talent for painting. In 1829, the thrice-widowed King Ferdinand VII of Spain was asked by the government to marry again to provide an heir to the throne. Luisa Carlotta of the Two Sicilies, Maria Christina’s elder sister, was married to her maternal uncle and Ferdinand’s brother Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain, and she suggested Maria Christina as a marriage candidate. It did not take long for the 45-year-old Spanish king, Maria Christina’s maternal uncle, to decide that Luisa Carlota’s 23-year-old sister was an ideal choice. The court of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies agreed and Maria Christina traveled to Madrid. On December 11, 1829, the wedding took place at the Royal Basilica of Our Lady of Atocha in Madrid, Spain, and the celebrations continued until the new year.

Ferdinand and Maria Christina, 1831; Credit – Wikipedia

Ferdinand was delighted with his young wife, who soon had a great influence on him. Until his marriage to Maria Christina, he had fathered no surviving child. While the moderate and liberal parties now pinned their hopes on an heir from the new queen, the absolutists (Carlists) favored Ferdinand’s younger brother, Infante Carlos, Count of Molina as the heir apparent.  Maria Francisca of Portugal, first wife of Infante Carlos, and her sister, Maria Teresa, Princess of Beira, second wife of Infante Carlos, competed with Maria Christina and her sister Luisa Carlota for influence at the Spanish court. Soon after her marriage, Maria Christina became pregnant. On March 29, 1830, Ferdinand VII issued the Pragmatic Sanction, allowing daughters to succeed to the Spanish throne as well as sons. This meant that Infante Carlos would be displaced in the line of succession by Ferdinand’s children of both genders. Infante Carlos and the Carlists fiercely resisted this decision.

Ferdinand and Maria Christina had two daughters:

María Isabel Luisa, Ferdinand’s elder daughter was Princess of Asturias, the title of the heir to the Spanish throne, from birth. In Spain, even if there is no heir apparent, the title can be (but is not necessarily) given to the heir presumptive – a daughter, sibling, or matrilineal descendant of the monarch. King Ferdinand VII died on September 29, 1833, and his daughter, not quite three years old, succeeded to the throne as Queen Isabella II with Maria Christina acting as Regent. This precipitated a series of wars known as the Carlist Wars in which Ferdinand’s brother Carlos, and later his descendants, fought over the succession. Ultimately, the army’s loyalty to Isabella II proved the decisive issue in the war.

Two months after Ferdinand died, on December 28, 1833, Maria Christina secretly married an ex-sergeant of the royal guard, Agustín Fernández Muñoz (1808-1873). The couple had eight children.

Maria Christina painted by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, circa 1841; Credit – Wikipedia

Eventually, the news of the marriage became public and it made Maria Christina very unpopular. In addition, doubts about her support of the Liberal ministers and their policies added to her unpopularity. Finally, the army, which had been the stalwart supporter of Queen Isabella II, and the Liberal leaders of the legislature, the Cortes Generales, demanded an end to Maria Christina’s regency. On October 12, 1840, she resigned as regent and then left Spain with her husband. General Baldomero Espartero became regent.

Maria Christina and Agustín spent a brief time in Rome where Pope Gregory XVI gave them a dispensation for their morganatic marriage. Next, Maria Christina visited her parents in Naples and then settled in Paris, where King Louis Philippe received her with military honors and gave her apartments in the Palais-Royal.  In 1842, Maria Christina purchased the Château de Malmaison, formerly the home of Empress Josephine after Napoleon I divorced her.

In 1843, after General Baldomero Espartero was overthrown as regent, Maria Christina and Agustín returned to Spain. In 1844, Queen Isabella II bestowed the title Duke of Riánsares upon Agustín and gave official consent to Agustín’s marriage to her mother. In 1854, when there was a change in political leadership, Maria Christina was again exiled. She returned to France with her husband where they spent the rest of their lives. In 1868, Isabella II was deposed during the Glorious Revolution and lived the rest of her life in exile in France.

Maria Christina in later life; Credit – Wikipedia

Agustín died in 1873, at the home he shared with his wife, Villa Mon Désir in Sainte-Adresse, near Le Havre, France. Maria Christina survived him by five years, dying at the age of 72 on July 22, 1878, in their home near Le Havre, France. As the widow of Ferdinand VII and mother of Isabella II, Maria Cristina was buried in the Pantheon of Kings in Royal Crypt at the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain.

Maria Christina of Spain_tomb

Tomb of Maria Christina; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

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Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily, Princess of Asturias

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily, Princess of Asturias; Credit – Wikipedia

The first of the four wives of King Ferdinand VII of Spain, Princess Maria Antonietta of Naples and Sicily (Maria Antonietta Teresa Amelia Giovanna Battista Francesca Gaetana Maria Anna Lucia), known as Maria Antonia, was named after her mother’s favorite sister Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, born Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria.  Princess Maria Antonia was the eleventh of the seventeen children of King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (before 1816, Ferdinand IV of the Kingdom of Naples and Ferdinand III of the Kingdom of Sicily) and Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria, daughter of Franz I, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia.  Maria Antonia was born on December 14, 1784, at the Royal Palace of Caserta in Caserta, Kingdom of Naples and Sicily, now in Italy

Maria Antonia had sixteen siblings, sadly, eight of them died in childhood from smallpox:

Ferdinand IV, King of Naples, and his family (1783); Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Antonia married her first cousin Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias, heir to the Spanish throne, on October 10, 1802, in Barcelona, Spain. At the same time, Maria Antonia’s eldest brother Francesco of Naples and Sicily (later King of the Two Sicilies) married Ferdinand’s sister Maria Isabella of Spain.

Maria Antonia’s two pregnancies in 1804 and 1805 ended in miscarriages. Guided by her mother from Naples, Maria Antonia encouraged her husband to confront his mother Queen Maria Luisa, with whom she had a bad relationship, and the Queen’s possible lover Manuel Godoy, the Prime Minister of Spain. At the same time, Maria Antonia sought support for the cause of Ferdinand in the Spanish court.

Maria Antonia, aged 21, died on May 21, 1806, at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez from tuberculosis. There were rumors that Maria Antonia had been poisoned by Manuel Godoy and Queen Maria Luisa, but there is no evidence that this is true. However, Maria Antonia’s mother, Queen Maria Carolina of Naples, was convinced that her daughter had been poisoned. Maria Antonia was buried in the Pantheon of Infantes in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial in Spain. The inscription on her tomb reads: ” Who God has loved, He has quickly freed from life.” Her husband succeeded to the Spanish throne as King Ferdinand VII and went on to have three additional marriages.

Maria Antonia of Spain_tomb

Tomb of Maria Antonia, Princess of Asturias; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

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Kingdom of Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parma, Prince of Luxembourg

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parma, Prince of Luxembourg; Credit: Wikipedia

Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parma was the husband of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg. He was born Prince Félix Marie Vincent of Bourbon-Parma on September 28, 1893, at Schwarzau Castle, in Schwarzau am Steinfeld, Austria. His parents were Roberto I, Duke of Parma and his second wife, Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal.

Felix had had eleven siblings:

  • Maria della Neve Adelaide (1885 – 1959), a Benedictine nun at the Monastery of Solesmes, France
  • Sixtus (1886 – 1934), married Hedwige de La Rochefoucauld, had issue
  • Xavier, Duke of Parma (1889 – 1977), married Madeleine de Bourbon-Busset, had issue, the Carlist claimants to the Spanish throne descend through this line
  • Francesca (1890 – 1978), Benedictine nun at the Monastery of Solesmes, France
  • Zita, Empress of Austria (1892 – 1989), married Karl I, Emperor of Austria, had issue
  • René (1894 – 1962), married Princess Margrethe of Denmark, had issue including Anne who married King Michael I of Romania
  • Maria Antonia (1895 – 1937), Benedictine nun at the Monastery of Solesmes, France
  • Isabella (1898 – 1984), nun
  • Luigi (1899 – 1967), married Princess Maria Francesca of Savoy, had issue
  • Henrietta Anna (1903 – 1987), unmarried, was deaf
  • Gaetano (1905 – 1958), married and divorced Princess Margarete of Thurn and Taxis, had issue

From his father’s first marriage to Maria Pia of the Two Sicilies, Felix had twelve half-siblings. Six of the siblings were mentally disabled and two died in infancy. The twelfth child was stillborn and Maria Pia died in childbirth at the age of 33.

  • Marie Louise (1870 – 1899), married Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria, had issue including Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria
  • Ferdinando (born and died 1871) died in infancy
  • Luisa Maria (1872 – 1943), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Enrico, Duke of Parma (1873 – 1939), unmarried, mentally disabled, Titular Duke of Parma 1907-1939, his brother Elias took up the role as regent and head of the family
  • Maria Immacolata (1874 – 1914), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Giuseppe, Duke of Parma (1875 – 1950), unmarried, mentally disabled, Titular Duke of Parma 1939-1950, his brother Elias continued the role as regent and head of the family
  • Maria Teresa (1876 – 1959), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Maria Pia (1877 – 1915), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Beatrice (1879 – 1946), married Pietro Lucchesi-Palli, had issue
  • Elia, Duke of Parma (1880- 1959), married Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, had issue; Head of the Ducal Family of Parma (1950–1959)
  • Maria Anastasia (born and died 1881), died in infancy
  • Stillborn child (September 22, 1882), Maria Pia died in childbirth

Felix served in the Austrian Army while his elder brothers fought with the Belgians, but resigned in November 1918 after the war had ended. Following his marriage, he served as President of the Luxembourg Red Cross from 1923-1932, and from 1947-1969. Felix served as Colonel of the Luxembourg Volunteers Company from 1920, and during World War II, served as Inspector-General of the Luxembourg Army.

 

On November 6, 1919, Prince Félix married his first cousin, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, first in a private civil ceremony held at the Grand Ducal Palace, followed by a religious ceremony held at the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Felix retained his title as Prince of Bourbon-Parma and was also created a Prince of Luxembourg in his own right. The couple settled at Berg Castle in Berg, Luxembourg, and had six children:

 

When the Germans invaded Luxembourg in 1940, Félix and his family fled the country, traveling to France, and Portugal before he sailed with his children to the United States. They settled temporarily at the Long Island, New York estate of Marjorie Merriweather Post, who had become a family friend during the time her husband served as US Ambassador to Luxembourg and Belgium. After several months, they were reunited with the Grand Duchess in Montreal, Canada. The Prince spent much of the war with his children, while his wife traveled to London where her government-in-exile had been established. They were all reunited in 1945 upon the family’s return to Luxembourg.

Félix spent the remainder of his life supporting his wife and helping to bring more prominence to the small Grand Duchy. In 1964, Charlotte decided to abdicate, and their son Jean became the new Grand Duke. Félix and Charlotte spent their remaining years at Fischbach Castle, devoted to their grandchildren and extended family.

 

Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parma, Prince of Luxembourg, passed away at Fischbach Castle in Fischbach, Luxembourg on April 8, 1970. He was buried in the Royal Crypt at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.

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Princess Marie José of Belgium, Queen of Italy

by Scott Mehl   © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Marie José of Belgium, Queen of Italy – photo: Wikipedia

Princess Marie José of Belgium, Queen of Italy

Princess Marie José Charlotte Sophie Amélie Henriette Gabrielle of Belgium was born on August 4, 1906, in Ostend, Belgium, the youngest child and only daughter of the future King Albert I of Belgium and Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria. She had two elder brothers:

 

Marie José was initially educated at home and developed an early passion for music and the arts. She studied piano, and violin under the direction of the famed violinist and close friend and her mother, Eugène Ysaÿe. After the outbreak of World War I, she was sent to the Convent of the Ursulines of Brentwood, in Essex, England. In 1917, she studied at the College of the Santissima Annunziata in Italy for two years, before returning to Belgium, attending the College of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart, in Linthout, until 1924.

Embed from Getty Images

During her time in Italy, Marie José first met her future husband, Crown Prince Umberto of Italy, Prince of Piedmont, the son of King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy and Princess Elena of Montenegro. Despite being their first meeting, a marriage between the two had been discussed between the two families since their early childhood. Finally, on January 8, 1930, the couple married in the Pauline Chapel at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, Italy. Now styled HRH The Princess of Piedmont, Marie José and her husband settled briefly at the Royal Palace of Turin before settling in Naples. They had four children:

Distraught when the Germans invaded her homeland, Marie José quickly developed an aversion to all things German. For some time, she attempted to negotiate some sort of peace treaty between Italy and the United States, without the knowledge of her husband or father-in-law. When this was discovered, King Victor Emmanuel sent Marie José and her children to Sarre, in northern Italy. Following the armistice in September 1943, she and her children were told to leave the country. Fearing for their safety, particularly that of her son, they settled in Switzerland where they would remain until the end of the war. Her return to Rome in June 1945 came amid turmoil within the House of Savoy.

Her father-in-law, King Victor Emmanuel III, had transferred much of his authority to Umberto in April 1944. After Rome was liberated, Umberto assumed all the rest of his father’s constitutional powers, becoming Lieutenant General of the Realm, while his father retained the title of King. Finally, in hopes of garnering support for an upcoming referendum on the monarchy, King Victor Emmanuel III abdicated on May 9, 1946. Marie José and her husband became the new King and Queen of Italy.

Sadly, their reign was short-lived. The referendum was held on June 2, with the majority voting to abolish the monarchy. Accepting the will of the people, Umberto and Marie José left Italy on June 13 and were barred under the terms of the new constitution from returning to Italian soil. They settled in Portugal, but soon separated, with Marie José and her children eventually living once again in Switzerland. Both deeply religious, the couple never divorced, and continued to appear together at family events and occasionally went on holiday together. Years later, Queen Marie José would state in an interview that the couple was never happy and that she “should have run away the night of the wedding.”

In her 55 years in exile, Queen Marie José traveled extensively and continued her interest in music and the arts. She wrote several books about her family and the history of the House of Savoy, receiving the French Order of the Legion of Honor in recognition of her work. She also instituted a music competition,  as her mother had done years earlier.

1983 would be a year of great loss for the Queen. In March, her estranged husband King Umberto II died in Portugal. And in June and December, she lost her two brothers – Prince Charles, Count of Flanders, and King Leopold III. After her husband’s death, she was finally permitted to make several visits to Italy.

photo source: La Repubblica

photo source: La Repubblica

In 1992, she sold her home in Switzerland and spent the next few years living with her daughter Marie-Béatrice in Mexico. She returned to Switzerland in 1996, and on January 27, 2001, 94-year-old Queen Marie José of Italy passed away in Geneva, Switzerland. Per her wishes, she was buried beside her late husband at Hautecombe Abbey in Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille, France, the traditional burial site of the House of Savoy. The tremendous outpouring of grief within Italy at the Queen’s death led the Italian government to repeal the ban on members of the House of Savoy from entering the country.

Tomb of King Umberto II and Queen Marie José, Hautecombe Abbey. photo: Wikipedia

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Maria de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Countess of Barcelona

by Emily McMahon
© Unofficial Royalty 2013

Maria de las Mercedes, Countess of Barcelona at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Source: Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor

Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies was born in Madrid, Spain on December 23, 1910, the daughter of Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and his second wife, Princess Louise of Orléans. Maria Mercedes had a very impressive royal lineage – on her father’s side, she was descended from multiple branches of the Bourbon-Two Sicilies family who ruled in Italy until the late 19th century. On her mother’s side, Maria Mercedes was descended from both recent Spanish and French royalty. Maria Mercedes’ father had previously been married to Mercedes, Princess of Asturias (a sister of King Alfonso XIII of Spain), giving the family a further tie to the Spanish monarchy. These connections made Maria Mercedes a very desirable potential royal bride, particularly to the Spanish royalty.

Maria Mercedes had four siblings:

Maria Mercedes spent a large part of her childhood in Seville, Spain and she remained fond of the city for the rest of her life. However, like her future husband Maria Mercedes and her family were exiled from Spain at the start of the Second Spanish Republic. During her time in exile in France, Maria Mercedes studied art and nursing.

Maria Mercedes attended the wedding of her second cousin, Infanta Beatriz of Spain (a daughter of Alfonso XIII of Spain) to Italian Count Alessandro Torlonia of Civitella-Cesi in January 1935. It was there that she became reacquainted with Beatriz’s brother Juan, Count of Barcelona, also the heir to the defunct Spanish throne. The two quickly began a romance and married the following October, settling initially in Cannes and later in Italy, Switzerland, and Portugal.  Maria Mercedes and Juan had four children:

Maria Mercedes’ adult life was dominated by the actions of Francisco Franco, the Spanish dictator. It was Franco who kept the family from living in Spain, Franco who was constantly at odds with Don Juan, and Franco alternately named Juan Carlos his successor and refused to consider the monarchy restored. In 1949, when Maria Mercedes’ father was terminally ill in Seville, Franco denied her entrance into Spain. Maria Mercedes’ father died before she could visit, and she was said to have never forgiven Franco for this action.

 

Still, the family lived in relative comfort in Estoril, Portugal, alongside other deposed royalty. Maria Mercedes represented the Spanish royal family at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Maria Mercedes and her family were among the royals who sailed on the 1954 Agamemnon cruise through Greece, where her son Juan Carlos first met his future wife Sofia. It was also Maria Mercedes’ nursing training that saved Juan Carlos who, while sailing home after the trip, developed appendicitis. While the crew wanted to keep Juan Carlos warm, Maria Mercedes knew that an inflamed lower right quadrant should be iced until medical help could be sought. Juan Carlos had his appendix removed during an emergency stop in Algeria.

In 1969, Franco ultimately decided that the Spanish monarchy should be restored following his death. As suspected, Franco passed over the Count of Barcelona for his successor in favor of Juan Carlos. The Count was furious and cut off all communication with his son. It was up to Maria Mercedes to enable communication between her husband and son for several years. The two finally reconciled in 1976, the year in which Maria Mercedes and her husband finally returned to live in Spain.  In 1977, the Count of Barcelona formally renounced his rights to the Spanish throne.

The last twenty years of Maria Mercedes’ life were spent in relatively ill health due to a broken hip and femur. Her husband Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, died of laryngeal cancer on April 1, 1993. Maria Mercedes still attended family events whenever possible, including the marriages of her grandchildren and baptisms of her great-grandchildren. Maria Mercedes died at La Mareta at Lanzarote in the Canary Islands of a heart attack on January 2, 2000. In accordance with her son’s wishes, Maria Mercedes was buried at the Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial in El Escorial, Spain with the rites of a Queen of Spain.

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Maria Beatrice of Modena, Queen of England

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Maria Beatrice of Modena, Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Beatrice of Modena was an Italian princess who had intentions of becoming a nun, but instead, she was thrust into religious and political turmoil in England. Born at the Ducal Palace in Modena, Duchy of Modena, now in Italy on October 5, 1658, Maria Beatrice Eleanor Anna Margherita Isabella d’Este, generally known as Mary of Modena, was the elder of the two children of Alfonso IV d’Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio, and Laura Martinozzi, the niece of the powerful Cardinal Mazarin, who served as King Louis XIV’s chief minister at the French court from 1642 until he died in 1661.  Maria Beatrice’s father died when she was four-years-old and her two-year-old brother, her only sibling, became Duke of Modena under his mother’s regency.  Her brother Francesco II d’Este, Duke of Modena (1660 – 1694), married his first cousin Margherita Maria Farnese. The couple had no children and Francesco died two years after the marriage.

Maria Beatrice had a strict religious upbringing and wanted to be a nun, but those plans changed when she was suggested as a second wife for England’s James, Duke of York, the younger brother of King Charles II.  Her priest told her that this marriage would be an offering to the Roman Catholic Church as she would play a role in converting England to Catholicism.  Fifteen-year-old Maria Beatrice was married by proxy to the forty-year-old Duke of York on September 30, 1673, in Modena.  Maria Beatrice arrived in England on November 21, 1673, and first saw her husband two days later at their second wedding ceremony.

Maria Beatrice’s husband, King James II; Credit – Wikipedia

James had been a widower for two years and had two surviving children from his first marriage: eleven-year-old Mary and eight-year-old Anne, both future reigning Queens of England. Maria Beatrice was more of a playmate to James’ daughters than a stepmother.  Mary and Maria Beatrice got along well, but Anne was resentful of her young stepmother.  James secretly converted to Catholicism around 1668, but his brother King Charles II insisted that Mary and Anne be raised in the Church of England.  James’ marriage to the Catholic Maria Beatrice was not popular with the English people who regarded her as an agent of the pope.

Even though Maria Beatrice had a secluded, strict upbringing, her charm, poise, and intelligence helped her transition into the wild English court.  Middle-aged James who was used to his mistresses treated his young bride with great consideration and in time the differences in their ages did not seem to matter.  Between 1675 and 1684, Maria Beatrice had ten pregnancies and gave birth to five live children, all of whom died young.  To James, this seemed a repeat of his first marriage to Anne Hyde when six of their eight children died young.

Maria Beatrice’s pregnancies:

  • Unnamed child (March 1674), miscarriage
  • Catherine Laura (1675 – 1676): Born at St. James’ Palace in London, England, Catherine Laura was named after Catherine of Braganza, the wife of her uncle King Charles II of England, and her maternal grandmother Laura Martinozzi, Duchess of Modena.  Catherine Laura’s Catholic mother had her baptized in a Catholic rite but her uncle Charles II carried her off to the Chapel Royal and had her christened in a Church of England rite. Catherine Laura died at the age of nine months and was buried at Westminster Abbey.
  • Unnamed child (October 1675), stillborn
  • Isabel (1676 – 1681): Isabella was born at St. James’ Palace. She was the first of her parents’ children to survive infancy but died at the age of four. She was buried at Westminster Abbey.
  • Charles, Duke of Cambridge (born and died 1677): Charles was born at St. James’ Palace and was styled Duke of Cambridge but was never formally created Duke of Cambridge. He died 35 days after his birth and was buried at Westminster Abbey.
  • Elizabeth (born and died 1678)
  • Unnamed child (February 1681), stillborn
  • Charlotte Maria (born and died 1682): Charlotte Maria was born at St. James’ Palace in London, England. She died of convulsions at the age of two months and was buried at Westminster Abbey.
  • Unnamed child (October 1683), stillborn
  • Unnamed child (May 1684) miscarriage
  • James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales “the Old Pretender” (1688 – 1766), married Maria Clementina Sobieski, had issue
  • Louisa Maria Teresa (1692 – 1712), died of smallpox

James’ brother Charles had been married to Catherine of Braganza since 1662, but the marriage remained childless. However, Charles had quite many illegitimate children with his mistresses.  With the monarch and the heir married to Catholics, waves of anti-Catholic hysteria swept England.  There was even talk of a Catholic plot to kill Charles and put James on the throne.

On February 6, 1685, King Charles II died, converting to Catholicism on his deathbed, and his brother succeeded him as King James II.  James and Maria Beatrice were crowned at Westminster Abbey on April 23, 1685, two Catholics participating in an Anglican ceremony.  Soon after his accession, James faced a rebellion led by his nephew, James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, King Charles II’s eldest illegitimate child.  Monmouth declared himself king, but the rebellion ultimately failed and Monmouth was beheaded.

In 1687, five years after her last pregnancy, Maria Beatrice was again pregnant.  Catholics rejoiced at the prospect of a Catholic heir.  Protestants who had tolerated James because he had no Catholic heir, were worried.  If the baby was a boy, he would supplant James’ Protestant daughters from his first marriage, Mary and Anne, in the line of succession. On June 10, 1688, Maria Beatrice gave birth to a boy, James Francis Edward.   Rumors soon swirled that Maria Beatrice had had a stillbirth and the dead baby was replaced with one smuggled into her bed even though many (both Catholic and Protestant) had witnessed the birth including James’ younger daughter Anne.

Maria Beatrice and her son James Francis Edward, Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Fearful of a return to Catholicism, some members of Parliament began what is called the Glorious Revolution and King James II was overthrown and succession rights for his son James Francis Edward were denied.  Parliament invited James’ elder daughter Mary and her husband William III, Prince of Orange to reign jointly as King William III and Queen Mary II.  William was the only child of Mary, Princess Royal who was the daughter of King Charles I and thus was the third in the line of succession after his first cousin and wife Mary and her sister and his first cousin Anne. As William and Mary’s marriage was childless, Anne ultimately succeeded to the throne, the last of the Stuarts.  Despite seventeen pregnancies, Anne had no living children and through the Act of Settlement, upon Anne’s death, the throne went to the nearest Protestant in the line of succession, thus bringing the Hanovers to the throne.

James and Maria Beatrice were forced to flee to France where King Louis XIV, James’ first cousin, gave them refuge.  Louis allowed James and Maria Beatrice to use Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, where a court in exile was established.  In 1692, Maria Beatrice gave birth to her last child Louise Maria Teresa.  Plans to restore James failed and in 1700 he suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed.  He died on September 16, 1701, and was buried at the Chapel of Saint Edmund in the Church of the English Benedictines in the Rue St. Jacques in Paris.  His tomb and remains were destroyed during the French Revolution.

Maria Beatrice’s two surviving children, James Francis Edward and Louisa Maria Teresa; Credit – Wikipedia

After James’ death, Maria Beatrice began to periodically stay at the Convent of the Visitations in Chaillot, where she befriended Louise de La Vallière, one of Louis XIV’s mistresses who had become a nun.  In 1712, due to the Treaty of Utrecht, Louis XIV was forced to withdraw his support of James Francis Edward who was then expelled from France and settled in Rome, Italy.  The same year, Maria Beatrice’s daughter Louise Maria Teresa died of smallpox.

On May 7, 1718, Maria Beatrice died of breast cancer at the age of 59. She was buried at the Convent of the Visitations in Chaillot, a place she greatly loved.  Her remains were lost in 1793 when the convent was looted and destroyed during the French Revolution. However, her viscera were found and were reburied at the Chapel of the College of the Scots in Paris.

Viscera tomb of Maria Beatrice, Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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House of Stuart Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Anne of Bourbon-Parma, Queen of Romania

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

photo: Romanian Royal Family Website

Anne of Bourbon-Parma, Queen of Romania – photo source: Romanian Royal Family Website

Princess Anne Antoinette Françoise Charlotte of Bourbon-Parma was born in Paris, France on September 18, 1923, the second child and only daughter of Prince René of Bourbon-Parma and  Princess Margrethe of Denmark. On her father’s side, she is the niece of Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma (husband of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg) and Empress Zita of Austria. On her mother’s side, she is the great-granddaughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and therefore closely related to the royal families of Denmark, Greece, Russia, and the United Kingdom.

Anne had three brothers:

  • Prince Jacques of Bourbon-Parma (1922 – 1964), married Countess Birgitte Alexandra Maria af Holstein-Ledreborg, had children
  • Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma (1926 – 2018), married (1) Princess Yolande de Broglie-Revel, five children  (2) Princess Maria Pia of Savoy, no children
  • Prince André of Bourbon-Parma (1928 – 2011), married Marina Gacry, had children

Anne spent her early years in France before the family fled the Nazis in 1939. They traveled to Spain and Portugal, eventually settling in the United States. Anne attended the famed Parsons School of Design in New York City, working as a salesperson at Macy’s. She later joined as a volunteer with the French Army, serving as an ambulance driver in a number of European countries. For her service, she was awarded the French War Cross.

Attending the wedding in London of Princess Elizabeth to Philip Mountbatten in 1947, Anne first met her future husband, and second cousin once removed, King Michael of Romania. Some matchmaking was occurring, with the King’s mother trying to get the couple together. The King was also interested in meeting her. Wanting to avoid a first meeting during official events, Anne did not plan to attend the wedding but was persuaded to attend by her cousin, the future Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg. Upon arriving, she met Michael, and the two spent much time together. According to the King, a week later he proposed and the couple was engaged. Wanting to inform his government before making an official announcement, the King returned to Romania. However, just weeks later, on December 30, 1947, he was deposed and left the country a few days later.

Meanwhile, plans were underway for the wedding. The biggest obstacle was the religious differences – Anne was Roman Catholic and Michael was Orthodox. A dispensation was sought from the Pope, who insisted that Michael promise any children would be raised Catholic. The King would not, and could not, make this promise as it would go against the Romanian constitution. Therefore, the Pope refused to sanction the marriage. But the couple, with the support of most of their families, vowed to marry anyway. Years later, in 1966, the couple held a second wedding in a Roman Catholic church in Monaco.

On June 10, 1948, Anne and Michael were married in an Orthodox ceremony held in the throne room of the Royal Palace in Athens. Attendants included Michael’s cousin Sophia (later Queen Sofia of Spain) and his uncle King Paul of the Hellenes. Noticeably missing were the bride’s parents. Because of the religious differences, Anne’s uncle Prince Xavier of Bourbon-Parma had issued a statement refusing to condone a wedding that went against the wishes of the Pope. He also forbade her parents from attending. However, her maternal side of the family attended and her mother’s brother Prince Eric of Denmark gave her away. Upon the marriage, and despite Michael having lost his throne, Anne took the title of Her Majesty The Queen of Romania. The couple first lived at his mother’s home, Villa Sparta, in San Domenico, Italy before moving to Switzerland in 1949. Two years later they moved to England where they remained until returning to Switzerland in 1956.

They had five daughters:

It was not until 1992 that Queen Anne first set foot on Romanian soil. Her husband was banned from the country, but the Queen made several visits on his behalf. In 1997, the restrictions were lifted and some of the royal properties were returned to the Royal Family, including the Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest, which served as their primary residence when in Romania.

Queen Anne of Romania died on August 1, 2016, at a hospital in Morges, Switzerland. She was 92 years old. She is buried in the new Archdiocesan and Royal Cathedral at Curtea de Argeș.

Queen Anne and King Michael on their 60th Wedding Anniversary in 2008, with Crown Princess Margareta and her husband Prince Radu. photo: Romanian Royal Family Website

Queen Anne and King Michael on their 60th Wedding Anniversary in 2008, with Crown Princess Margareta and her husband Prince Radu.  photo source: Romanian Royal Family Website

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