Category Archives: Italian Royals

Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia, Duke of Savoy

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Kingdom of Sardinia: The House of Savoy had been Counts and then Dukes of Savoy, since the 11th century and ruled from the city of Turin in the Duchy of Savoy, now in northern Italy. Vittorio Amedeo II, Duke of Savoy became King of Sicily in 1713 as a result of his participation in the War of the Spanish Succession. However, in 1720, Vittoria Amedeo II was forced to exchange the Kingdom of Sicily for the less important Kingdom of Sardinia after objections from the Quadruple Alliance (Great Britain, France, Habsburg Austria, and the Dutch Republic).

Sardinia, now in Italy, is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea after Sicily, also now in Italy, but the Kings of Sardinia of the House of Savoy ruled from Turin, the capital of the Duchy of Savoy. They styled themselves as Kings of Sardinia because the title was superior to their original lesser title as Dukes of Savoy. However, they retained the regnal numerical order of the Dukes of Savoy.

Vittorio Emanuele II became the last King of Sardinia upon the abdication of his father in 1849. He then became a driving force behind the Italian unification movement along with Giuseppe Garibaldi, a general and nationalist, and Giuseppe Mazzini, a politician and journalist. Garibaldi conquered Naples and Sicily, the territories of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, while the Sardinian troops occupied the central territories of the Italian peninsula, except Rome and part of Papal States. With all the newly acquired land, Vittorio Emanuele II was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

Note: Children of Kings of Sardinia were often styled “of Savoy” as their fathers were also Dukes of Savoy from the House of Savoy.

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Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo Emanuele III was the King of Sardinia from 1730 until his death in 1773. Born on April 27, 1701, at the Royal Palace in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy, he was the fifth of the six children and the second of the three sons of Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia and his first wife Anne Marie d’Orléans. His paternal grandparents were Carlo Emanuele II, Duke of Savoy and Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours and his maternal grandparents were King Louis XIV of France’s only sibling Philippe, Duke of Orléans and his first wife Princess Henrietta of England, the daughter of King Charles I of England. At birth, he was given the title Duke of Aosta, which came to be the traditional title of the second son of the reigning monarch of the House of Savoy.

Carlo Emanuele had five siblings:

Carlo Emanuele’s elder brother Vittorio Amedeo was the heir to the throne and bore the title Prince of Piedmont, the traditional title of the heir of the House of Savoy. Vittorio Amedeo II favored his eldest son and neglected Carlo Emanuele’s education except on the military field, where he sometimes accompanied the father. On March 22, 1715, fifteen-year-old Vittorio Amedeo died from smallpox and his younger brother Carlo Emanuele became the heir to the throne and the Prince of Piedmont.

Carlo Emanuele married three times but all three wives died young.

Anna Christine of Sulzbach, Princess of Piedmont; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 15, 1722, in Vercelli, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy, Carlo Emanuele married Anna Christine of Sulzbach, daughter of Theodor Eustach, Count Palatine of Sulzbach and Eleonore of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg. They had one child and a few days later, on March 12, 1723, Anna Christine died of childbirth complications, aged nineteen. Anna Christine died before her husband became King of Sardinia and so she was titled Princess of Piedmont.

Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg, Queen of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo Emanuele’s second wife was Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg, daughter of Ernst Leopold, Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg and Eleonore of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort. Polyxena was the first cousin of Carlo Emanuele’s first wife and belonged to the only Roman Catholic branch of the reigning House of Hesse. After a proxy marriage on July 23, 1724, in Rotenburg, Landgraviate of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg, now in Hesse, Germany, the couple was married in person on August 20, 1724, in Thonon, Chablais, then a province of the Duchy of Savoy, now in France. When her husband became King of Sardinia in 1730, Polyxena became Queen of Sardinia. She died on January 13, 1735, aged 28, having been ill since June 1734. Carlo Emanuele and Polyxena had six children.

The children of Carlo Emanuele and his second wife Polyxena; (L-R) Eleonora; Vittorio Amedeo; Maria Felicita and Luisa; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine, Queen of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine was the third wife of Carlo Emanuele. She was the daughter of Leopold Joseph, Duke of Lorraine and Élisabeth Charlotte d’Orléans the daughter of King Louis XIV of France’s only sibling Philippe I, Duke of Orléans and his second wife Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, known as Liselotte. Carlo Emanuele and Elisabeth Therese were half-first cousins as their mothers were half-sisters. After a proxy marriage on March 5, 1737, at the Château de Lunéville in the Duchy of Lorraine, now in France, Carlo Emanuele and Elisabeth Therese married in person on April 1, 1737, in Lyon, France. The couple had three children but only the third child Benedetto survived childhood. Sadly, Elisabeth Therese died on July 3, 1741, aged 29, from puerperal fever (childbed fever), thirteen days after giving birth to Benedetto.

Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia in his coronation robes; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 26, 1728, Carlo Emanuele’s mother Queen Anne Marie died after a series of heart attacks the day before her 59th birthday. Two years later, Carlo Emanuele’s father Vittorio Amedeo II secretly married Anna Canalis di Cumiana, a former mistress. To the surprise and dismay of the court, Vittorio Amedeo II and Anna Canalis di Cumiana made their marriage public on September 3, 1730. At the same time as the marriage announcement, Vittorio Amedeo II abdicated and retired from the royal court. His son succeeded him as Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia. However, in 1731, Vittorio Amedeo attempted to reclaim the throne, accusing his son of incompetence. Carlo Emanuele III thwarted this power play by having his father arrested and confined for the remainder of his life. Anna Canalis di Cumiana was also separately confined for the rest of her life.

Carlo Emanuele was a soldier-king who gained territory for his kingdom by fighting on the French side in the War of the Polish Succession and then on the Austrian side in the War of the Austrian Succession. His ancestors were avid art collectors and Carlo Emanuele was no different. He added many new paintings to the collection of the House of Savoy.

Tomb of Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia; https://www.wga.hu/html_m/c/collino/filippo/carloem3.html

On February 20, 1773, at the Royal Palace in Turin, Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia died at the age of 71. He is buried in the Royal Crypt of the Basilica of Superga in Turin in a monumental tomb, the work of the sculptor Ignazio Collino. He survived his three wives, his five siblings, and six of his ten children.

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

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Anne Christine of Sulzbach, Princess of Piedmont – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Christine_of_Sulzbach,_Princess_of_Piedmont> [Accessed 17 June 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Emmanuel_III_of_Sardinia> [Accessed 17 June 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Therese_of_Lorraine> [Accessed 17 June 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Polyxena of Hesse-Rotenburg – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyxena_of_Hesse-Rotenburg> [Accessed 17 June 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/vittorio-amedeo-ii-king-of-sardinia/> [Accessed 17 June 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Carlo Emanuele III di Savoia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Emanuele_III_di_Savoia> [Accessed 17 June 2021].

Anne Marie d’Orléans, Queen of Sardinia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Kingdom of Sardinia: The House of Savoy had been Counts and then Dukes of Savoy, since the 11th century and ruled from the city of Turin, now in northern Italy. Vittorio Amedeo II, Duke of Savoy became King of Sicily in 1713 as a result of his participation in the War of the Spanish Succession. However, in 1720, Vittoria Amedeo II was forced to exchange the Kingdom of Sicily for the less important Kingdom of Sardinia after objections from the Quadruple Alliance (Great Britain, France, Habsburg Austria, and the Dutch Republic).

Sardinia, now in Italy, is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea after Sicily, also now in Italy, but the Kings of Sardinia of the House of Savoy ruled from Turin, the capital of the Duchy of Savoy. They styled themselves as Kings of Sardinia because the title was superior to their original lesser title as Dukes of Savoy. However, they retained the regnal numerical order of the Dukes of Savoy.

Vittorio Emanuele II became the last King of Sardinia upon the abdication of his father in 1849. He then became a driving force behind the Italian unification movement along with Giuseppe Garibaldi, a general and nationalist, and Giuseppe Mazzini, a politician and journalist. Garibaldi conquered Naples and Sicily, the territories of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, while the Sardinian troops occupied the central territories of the Italian peninsula, except Rome and part of Papal States. With all the newly acquired land, Vittorio Emanuele II was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

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Anne Marie d’Orléans, Queen of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne Marie d’Orléans was the first wife of Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia. She was born on August 27, 1669, at the Château de Saint-Cloud in Hauts-de-Seine, France, near Paris, France. Anne Marie had an impeccable royal genealogy. Her parents were first cousins. Her father was Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the younger of the two sons of Louis XIII, King of France and Anne of Austria, and the only sibling of Louis XIV, King of France. Her mother was Princess Henrietta of England, the youngest child of Charles I, King of England and Henrietta Maria of France. Philippe’s father Louis XIII and Henrietta’s mother Henrietta Maria were siblings, the children of Henri IV, King of France and Marie de Medici from the famous House of Medici. As the granddaughter of Louis XIII, King of France, Anne Marie was entitled to the style and title Her Royal Highness Petite-fille de France (Granddaughter of France).

Anne Marie had two siblings:

On June 30, 1670, when Anne Marie was only ten months old, her mother died at the age of 26. King Louis XIV wanted a male heir to continue the Orléans line and looked for a second wife for his brother Philippe himself. King Louis XIV rejected many potential second brides for his brother before settling on the Protestant Princess Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, known as Liselotte. She was the only daughter of Karl I Ludwig, Elector Palatine and Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel. Liselotte’s paternal grandmother was Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of King James I of England and granddaughter of Mary, Queen of Scots. Liselotte converted to Roman Catholicism and married Philippe on November 19, 1671.

Anne Marie’s father Philippe I, Duke of Orléans; Credit – Wikipedia

Due to the attitude of the court, as well as the homosexual relations of her husband Philippe, which he did not hide, Liselotte devoted much attention to Philippe’s daughters. Liselotte acted as a mother to Anne Marie and her elder sister Marie Louise and maintained correspondence with them throughout their lives. As with his first marriage, Philippe had homosexual affairs but was intent on fulfilling his dynastic responsibility of having children. Philippe and Liselotte had three children who were the half-siblings of Anne Marie:

Anne Marie’s husband Vittorio Amdedeo II, King of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

Always eager to maintain his influence in the Duchy of Savoy which bordered France, King Louis XIV of France offered his niece Anne Marie as a bride to Vittorio Amedeo II, Duke of Savoy, the future King of Sardinia, and he agreed to the match. The proxy marriage of Vittorio Amedeus and Anne Marie took place at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France on April 10, 1684. Anne Marie’s cousin Louis Auguste, Duke of Maine stood in for the groom and King Louis XIV gave Anne Marie a huge dowry of 900,000 livres. Philippe, Duke of Orléans accompanied his daughter as far as Juvisy-sur-Orge, 18 kilometers south of Paris, and then Christine d’Estrées, Comtesse de Lillebonne accompanied Anne Marie to Savoy. Anne Marie and Vittorio Amedeo met at the House of Savoy’s Château de Chambéry where the marriage ceremony was performed by Étienne Le Camus, Archbishop of Grenoble on May 6, 1684. Two days later, the newlyweds made their “Joyous Entry” into Turin.

Anne Marie and Vittoria Amedeo had six children:

Upon arrival at the court of Savoy, Anne Marie fell under the influence of her pro-French mother-in-law Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours who had been born at the Hôtel de Nemours in Paris and was a half-first cousin once removed of King Louis XIV of France. Vittorio Amadeus did not appreciate the close relationship between his wife and his mother. When Vittorio Amedus severed ties with France in 1690, Anne Marie, her children, and her mother-in-law left Turin, the capital of Savoy, for a period of time in protest. Vittorio Amedeo had extramarital affairs which Anne Marie quietly accepted. His longest affair, eleven years, was with Jeanne Baptiste d’Albert de Luynes with whom he had two children.

Vittorio Amadeo II and Anne Marie, King and Queen of Sardinia, circa 1723-1728; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 26, 1728, the day before her 59th birthday, at the Villa della Regina in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy, Anne Marie died after a series of heart attacks. She was buried at the Basilica of Superga in Turin.

Anne Marie is an important link in the Jacobite succession to the thrones of England and Scotland, and now to the United Kingdom.  In 1688, Anne Marie’s maternal uncle James II, King of England/James VII, King of Scots was deposed. After James II lost his throne, 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 the deposed King James II of England died out the Jacobite claims to the British throne descended from the line of Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans, James II’s sister and Anne Marie’s mother. Since Anne Marie’s elder sister had died and had no children and her brother died in childhood, the Jacobite claims descended through Anne Marie. Her great-grandson Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia was the first Jacobite heir from the House of Savoy. All subsequent Jacobite heirs have been descendants of Anne Marie. Although no Jacobite heirs after James II’s son and grandsons made a claim on the British throne, the Jacobite line of succession has proceeded over the years from the House of Savoy to the House of Austria-Este, and to the House of Wittelsbach (Bavaria). It appears in the future, that it will proceed to the House of Liechtenstein.

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

Kingdom of Sardinia Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Anne Marie d’Orléans – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Marie_d%27Orl%C3%A9ans> [Accessed 17 June 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2019. Philippe I, Duke of Orléans. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/philippe-i-duke-of-orleans/> [Accessed 17 June 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/vittorio-amedeo-ii-king-of-sardinia/> [Accessed 17 June 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Anna Maria di Borbone-Orléans – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Maria_di_Borbone-Orl%C3%A9ans> [Accessed 17 June 2021].
  • Jacobite.ca. 2021. The Jacobite Heritage. [online] Available at: <http://www.jacobite.ca/> [Accessed 17 June 2021].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2021. Анна Мария Орлеанская — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D0%9E%D1%80%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F> [Accessed 17 June 2021].

Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia, Duke of Savoy

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Kingdom of Sardinia: The House of Savoy had been Counts and then Dukes of Savoy, since the 11th century and ruled from the city of Turin, now in northern Italy. Vittorio Amedeo II, Duke of Savoy became King of Sicily in 1713 as a result of his participation in the War of the Spanish Succession. However, in 1720, Vittoria Amedeo II was forced to exchange the Kingdom of Sicily for the less important Kingdom of Sardinia after objections from the Quadruple Alliance (Great Britain, France, Habsburg Austria, and the Dutch Republic).

Sardinia, now in Italy, is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea after Sicily, also now in Italy, but the Kings of Sardinia of the House of Savoy ruled from Turin, the capital of the Duchy of Savoy. They styled themselves as Kings of Sardinia because the title was superior to their original lesser title as Dukes of Savoy. However, they retained the regnal numerical order of the Dukes of Savoy.

Vittorio Emanuele II became the last King of Sardinia upon the abdication of his father in 1849. He then became a driving force behind the Italian unification movement along with Giuseppe Garibaldi, a general and nationalist, and Giuseppe Mazzini, a politician and journalist. Garibaldi conquered Naples and Sicily, the territories of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, while the Sardinian troops occupied the central territories of the Italian peninsula, except Rome and part of Papal States. With all the newly acquired land, Vittorio Emanuele II was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

Note: Children of Kings of Sardinia were often styled “of Savoy” as their fathers were also Dukes of Savoy from the House of Savoy.

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Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

Vittorio Amedeo II reigned as King of Sardinia from 1720 – 1730 but he had also reigned as King of Sicily from 1713 – 1720, and was Duke of Savoy from the death of his father in 1675 until his abdication in 1730. Vittorio Amedeo Francesco was born on May 14, 1666, at the Royal Palace in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Piedmont in northern Italy. He was the only child of Carlo Emanuele II, Duke of Savoy and Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours. His father’s maternal grandparents were Henri IV, King of France and his second wife Marie de’ Medici. His mother’s maternal great-grandparents were Henri IV, King of France and his mistress Gabrielle d’Estrées. From birth, Vittorio Amedeo was styled as Prince of Piedmont, the traditional title of the heir apparent to the Duchy of Savoy.

The infant Vittoria Amedeo with his parents; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo Emanuele II, Duke of Savoy died on June 12, 1675, at the age of 40 and nine-year-old Vittorio Amedeo became Duke of Savoy. Marie Jeanne Baptiste served as regent during her son’s minority. She did a capable job, continuing the policies and projects of her husband. Because of her French background – she had been born at the Hôtel de Nemours in Paris and was a half-first cousin once removed of King Louis XIV of France – Marie Jeanne Baptiste promoted French interests.

In 1677, Marie Jeanne Baptiste began the search for a wife for Vittorio Amedeo who would reach his majority on his 14th birthday in 1680. There were several possibilities, but Marie Jeanne Baptiste pushed for her sister’s daughter Infanta Isabel Luísa of Portugal, the only daughter of King Pedro II of Portugal. The marriage was opposed by most of the Savoy court as it meant that Vittorio Amedeo would live in Portugal and his mother would remain in power after his majority. Openly disliking the possible marriage and approaching his majority, Vittorio Amedeo decided to postpone the marriage for two years.

Anne Marie d’Orléans, first wife of Vittoria Amedeo II; Credit – Wikipedia

Always eager to maintain his influence in the Duchy of Savoy which bordered France, King Louis XIV of France offered his niece Anne Marie d’Orléans as a bride. Anne Marie was the daughter of Louis XIV’s only sibling Philippe, Duke of Orléans and his first wife Henrietta of England, the daughter of King Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria, daughter of King Henri IV of France. Vittorio Amedeo agreed to the match. Marie Jeanne Baptiste had not given up her position of regent when her son reached his majority. Now that Vittorio Amedeo was to marry, he gained more power and enacted a kind of coup d’état, forcing his mother to yield her power to him.

The proxy marriage of Vittorio Amedeus and Anne Marie d’Orléans took place at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France on April 10, 1684. Anne Marie’s cousin Louis Auguste, Duke of Maine stood in for the groom and King Louis XIV gave Anne Marie a huge dowry of 900,000 livres. Philippe, Duke of Orléans accompanied his daughter as far as Juvisy-sur-Orge, 18 kilometers south of Paris, and then Christine d’Estrées, Comtesse de Lillebonne accompanied Anne Marie to Savoy. Anne Marie and Vittorio Amedeo met at the House of Savoy’s Château de Chambéry where the marriage ceremony was performed by Étienne Le Camus, Archbishop of Grenoble on May 6, 1684. Two days later, the newlyweds made their “Joyous Entry” into Turin.

Vittorio Amedeo and Anne Marie had six children:

The Duchy of Savoy was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. However, when Vittorio Amedeo’s mother Marie Jeanne Baptiste, who was French, was Regent, the Duchy of Savoy became closely linked with and heavily dependent upon France, more or less becoming a French satellite. Vittorio Amedeo severed this link by joining alliances against France in both the Nine Years War and the War of the Spanish Succession. The Duchy of Savoy was considered a valuable ally in both wars due to its geographical position – a border with southern France – enabling a second front to be opened against France in the south. The Duchy of Savoy relied heavily on foreign subsidies, particularly from England and the Dutch Republic, in both wars to maintain its armies.

As a reward for his aid in the War of the Spanish Succession, Vittorio Amadeo II received the Kingdom of Sicily in 1713 under the Peace of Utrecht which ended the war. In October 1713, Vittorio Amedeo and his wife Anne Marie traveled with a British squadron from Nice to Palermo to take personal possession of their new kingdom. They were crowned King and Queen of Sicily on December 24, 1713, at the Cathedral of Palermo in Sicily. After an eleven-month stay in Sicily, Vittoria Amedeo returned to Turin, in the Duchy of Savoy, leaving a viceroy to represent him and maintain the government in his place.

Coronation of Vittorio Amedeo II as King of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

The Spanish invaded Sicily in 1718 during the War of the Quadruple Alliance (1718 – 1720) in which Spain attempted to recover territories lost due to the 1713 Peace of Utrecht. The Quadruple Alliance (Great Britain, France, Austria, and the Dutch Republic) won the war. Under the conditions of the 1720 Treaty of The Hague, Vittorio Amedeo II was forced to exchange with Austria his Kingdom of Sicily for the less important Kingdom of Sardinia. The island Sardinia was closer to Turin in the Duchy of Savoy than the island of Sicily but it was less rich and less populated.

On August 26, 1728, at the Villa della Regina in Turin, Queen Anne Marie died after a series of heart attacks at the age of 58. She was buried at the Basilica of Superga in Turin. Vittorio Amedeo II had extramarital affairs which his wife quietly accepted. His longest affair, eleven years, was with Jeanne Baptiste d’Albert de Luynes with whom he had two children:

Anna Canalis di Cumiana, second wife of Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardina; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 12, 1730, in a private ceremony at the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace in Turin, Vittorio Amedeo morganatically married Anna Canalis di Cumiana (1680 – 1769), after obtaining the permission of Pope Clement XII. Because the marriage was morganatic, Anna did not become Queen of Sardina but rather was created Marchioness of Spigno. Anna had been his mistress when she was a lady-in-waiting to Vittoria Amedeo’s mother. It is widely believed that Anna’s first child Paola Novarina, born in 1708, was Vittorio Amedeo’s child although Anna’s husband recognized the child as his. After her husband died in 1724, Anna was called back to court and became a lady-in-waiting to Polyxena, Princess of Piedmont, wife of Carlo Emanuele Prince of Piedmont, the son and heir apparent of Victor Amedeo II. To the surprise and dismay of the court, Vittorio Amedeo II and Anna Canalis di Cumiana made their marriage public on September 3, 1730.

At the same time as the marriage announcement, Vittorio Amedeo abdicated and retired from the royal court. His son succeeded him as Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia. Vittorio Amedeo favored his eldest son, also named Vittorio Amadeo, who died from smallpox at the age of sixteen. Vittorio Amedeo neglected Carlo Emanuele’s education except on the military field, where he sometimes accompanied the father. Vittorio Amadeo II and Anna moved into the Château de Chambéry in Chambéry, Duchy of Savoy, now in France. The couple had a small retinue of servants, and Vittorio Amdeo was kept informed of matters of state.

In 1731, Vittorio Amedeo attempted to reclaim the throne, accusing his son of incompetence. Carlo Emanuele III had his father arrested and confined to the Castle of Rivoli in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy. However, Anna Canalis di Cumiana was brought to the Fortress of Ceva, which was extremely humiliating because the fortress was used as a reformatory for prostitutes. Eventually, Anna received permission to leave the Fortress of Ceva and go to the Castle of Rivoli to be with her husband.

Basilica of Superga in Turin, Italy, the traditional burial site of the House of Savoy; Credit – Di Paris Orlando – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74180727

On February 5, 1732, Vittorio Amedeo II suffered a stroke, and his health drastically deteriorated. He asked to move to the Castle of Moncalieri near Turin and was transported there on a litter guarded by a company of soldiers. Former King Vittorio Amedeo II of Sardinia died at the Castle of Moncalieri on October 31, 1732, aged 66, and was buried at the Basilica of Superga in Turin with his first wife Anne Marie d’Orléans. After her husband’s death, Anna Canalis di Cumiana was confined at the Convent of San Giuseppe di Carignano. She was later moved to the Convent of the Visitation in Pinerolo where she died, aged 88, on April 13, 1769, thirty-seven years after Vittorio Amedeo died. Anna Canalis di Cumiana was buried in a grave without a headstone at the Convent of the Visitation in Pinerolo.

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

Kingdom of Sardinia Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Viktor Amadeus II. – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Amadeus_II.> [Accessed 14 June 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Emmanuel_II,_Duke_of_Savoy> [Accessed 14 June 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Amadeus_II_of_Sardinia> [Accessed 14 June 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Vittorio Amedeo II di Savoia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vittorio_Amedeo_II_di_Savoia> [Accessed 14 June 2021].

Maria Annunciata of the Two Sicilies, Archduchess of Austria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Annunciata of the Two Sicilies was the second of the three wives of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, brother of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, and the mother of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria whose assassination in 1914 sparked World War I.

Maria Annunciata Isabella Filomena Sabasia was born on March 24, 1843, at the Royal Palace of Caserta in Caserta, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, now in Italy. She was the eldest of the four daughters and the fourth of the twelve children of Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies (1810 – 1859) and his second wife Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria (1816 – 1867), daughter of Archduke Karl of Austria, Duke of Teschen and Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg. Maria Annunciata’s paternal grandparents were Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies and his second wife and first cousin Infanta Maria Isabella of Spain.

Maria Annunciata’s birth family in 1861; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Annunciata had eleven siblings:

Maria Annunciata, on the right with her three sisters, circa 1862; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Annunciata had one-half-brother from her father’s first marriage to Maria Cristina of Savoy:

Maria Annunciata’s half-brother Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Annunciata’s father died in 1859 and her half-brother Francesco II became King of the Two Sicilies. However, his reign was short. He was the last King of the Two Sicilies, as invasions by Giuseppe Garibaldi and Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia brought an end to his rule, as part of Italian unification. After Francesco II was deposed, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies became part of the newly formed Kingdom of Italy, ruled by Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia as Vittorio Emanuele I, the first King of Italy. Maria Annunciata’s mother moved the family to Rome where they were guests of Pope Pius IX at the Quirinal Palace. Soon the family moved to the Farnese Palace which was owned by Maria Annuciata’s family.

Maria Annunciata and Karl Ludwig; Credit – Wikipedia

A year after her family moved to Rome, Maria Annunciata was married to Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, the third son of Archduke Franz Karl of Austria and Princess Sophie of Bavaria, and the brother of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria. Nineteen-year-old Maria Annunciata married twenty-nine-year-old Karl Ludwig by proxy in Rome on October 16, 1862, and then in person in Venice on October 21, 1862. This was the second marriage for Karl Ludwig. His first marriage was happy but childless. His wife and first cousin Margaretha of Saxony died from typhoid fever while on a trip to Italy after less than two years of marriage.

One day after the wedding, Maria Annunciata suffered an epileptic seizure during mass, which caused quite a concern because it occurred in front of the members of the House of Habsburg. Soon Maria Annunciata’s domineering mother-in-law Sophie realized her daughter-in-law was ill with tuberculosis.

Karl Ludwig with his children after the death of Maria Annunciata, 1873; Credit – Wikipedia

Despite her poor health, Maria Annunciata gave birth to four children including Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the eventual heir to the Austrian throne whose assassination in 1914 sparked World War II:

Karl Ludwig bought a palace on Favoritenstrasse in Vienna, Austria, now called Palais Archduke Karl Ludwig (link in German) and it became the family home. After the birth of her third child, Maria Annuciata’s health worsened and she was not expected to recover. However, because of her strong will to live, she somehow overcame her illness and she attended balls, the theater, and the opera.

Maria Annunciata on her deathbed; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Annunciata became seriously ill after the birth of her fourth child in 1870. For the last year of her life, she was in agony, and died May 4, 1871, at the age of 28, from tuberculosis. She was buried in the New Crypt in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria, the traditional burial site of the House of Habsburg.

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

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Princess Maria Annunciata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Maria_Annunciata_of_Bourbon-Two_Sicilies> [Accessed 11 June 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Annunziata di Borbone-Due Sicilie – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Annunziata_di_Borbone-Due_Sicilie> [Accessed 11 June 2021].
  • Van der Kiste., John, 2005. Emperor Francis Joseph: Life, Death and the Fall of the Habsburg Empire. London: Sutton Publishing.
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew, 1997. The Habsburgs. London: Penguin Books.

Assassination of Umberto I, King of Italy (1900)

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

On July 29, 1900, while visiting Monza, Italy, King Umberto I of Italy was shot and killed by Gaetano Bresci, an Italian anarchist claiming to avenge the deaths of people in Milan during the riots of May 1898.

Umberto I, King of Italy

Umberto I, King of Italy – source: Wikipedia

King Umberto I was born in Turin on March 14, 1844, the eldest son of the future King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy and Archduchess Adelheid of Austria. He married his first cousin, Princess Margherita of Savoy and had one son, later King Vittorio Emanuele II. Umberto became King of Italy upon his father’s death in January 1878 and reigned until his assassination in 1900.

For more information, see Unofficial Royalty: King Umberto I of Italy

The Assassin – Gaetano Bresci

Gaetano Bresci. source: Wikipedia

Gaetano Bresci was born in Prato, Tuscany, in 1869, and later emigrated to the United States. Bresci had been exposed to an anarchist group in Prato and his views continued to evolve while living in the United States. Following the Bava-Beccaris massacre, Bresci became determined to return to Italy and avenge the deaths of so many innocent people. He arrived back in Italy in May 1900, eventually making his way to Monza, where he tracked the movements of King Umberto I of Italy who typically spent his summers at the Royal Villa in Monza, Italy

The Assassination

source: Wikipedia

King Umberto I had already survived two previous assassination attempts, in November 1878 and again in April 1897. Unharmed in both, he would not be so lucky the third time.

In May 1898, workers organized a strike in Milan, protesting the rising food costs in Italy. A peaceful strike turned violent and riots broke out around the city. Umberto’s government brought General Fiorenzo Bava-Beccaris in to help restore order. However, the General ordered his troops to fire on the demonstrators on May 7, 1898, resulting in nearly 100 deaths and several hundred injuries. Further uproar came when King Umberto I honored General Bava-Beccaris the following month, presenting him with the Great Cross of the Order of Savoy.

On the evening of July 29, 1900, King Umberto attended an athletic competition in Monza. Having been the target of previous assassination attempts, he usually wore a protective vest under this coat, but because of the extreme heat, and against the advice of his security team,  he chose not to wear it that evening. In the crowd was Gaetano Bresci, an anarchist who was out to avenge the deaths in the Bava-Beccaris massacre. Leaving the athletic competition at around 10:30 pm, King Umberto returned to his carriage for the brief trip back to the Royal Villa of Monza. While he acknowledged the crowd who had come to see him, Bresci came forward and fired four shots. King Umberto was hit three times, in his shoulder, his lung, and his heart. He slumped forward in the carriage, allegedly saying “I think I’m hurt” and lost consciousness. The carriage quickly rushed back to the Royal Villa, where, despite the doctors’ efforts to save his life, King Umberto I died at 11:30 pm.

Tomb of Umberto I at the Pantheon in Rome. photo: By Jastrow – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1820580

King Umberto’s body was returned to Rome where his funeral and burial took place on August 9. His remains were interred in the Pantheon in Rome, Italy beside his father. King Umberto I would be the last Italian King to be buried in Italy until his son’s remains were later returned to the country in 2017.

photo: By MarkusMark – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4365063

In honor of his father, Umberto’s son Vittorio Emanuele III, King of Italy had a chapel monument,  the Expiatory Chapel of Monza, built on the site where King Umberto was killed. It sits near the entrance to the Royal Villa of Monza and was inaugurated on July 29, 1910, the 10th anniversary of the King’s assassination.

What happened to Gaetano Bresci?

Remains of the Santo Stefano prison. source: Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=447753

Following the assassination, Gaetano Bresci was quickly subdued and taken into custody by the local police, who likely saved him from being killed by the crowds. He was tried for regicide and as the death penalty had been abolished in Italy years earlier, was sentenced to life in prison.

On May 22, 1901, Bresci was found dead, his lifeless body hanging from the railing in his cell in the Santo Stefano prison. Reportedly, the guard watching him had stepped away for a few minutes and found the body upon his return. Some reports state that he was beaten to death by the guards. The doctor who performed the autopsy wrote that the body was in a state of decomposition, suggesting that he had been dead for more than 48 hours, disputing the official suggestion that he had hanged himself. Bresci’s remains were buried in the prison cemetery.

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.

Christine of France, Duchess of Savoy

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Christine of France was the second of the three daughters and the third of the sixth children of King Henri IV of France and his second wife Marie de’ Medici. She was born at the Palais du Louvre in Paris, France on February 10, 1606, and was raised with her siblings by the royal governess Françoise de Montglat at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye outside of Paris.

Christine had five siblings:

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

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

Christine’s husband Vittoria Amadeo I, Duke of Savoy; Credit – Wikipedia

To strengthen the connection between France and the Duchy of Savoy, 12-year-old Christine was betrothed to Vittorio Amedeo, Prince of Piedmont, the heir of Carlo Emanuele I, Duke of Savoy. Vittorio Amadeo’s mother was Infanta Catherine Michelle of Spain, daughter of King Felipe II of Spain. On February 10, 1619, her thirteenth birthday, Christine married Vittorio Amadeo at the Palais du Louvre in Paris, France.

Christine and Vittorio Amedeo had seven children:

Christine of France, Duchess of Savoy; Credit – Wikipedia

Christine was a beautiful, sensual, and frivolous woman who was fond of parties and dances. Her faithfulness to her husband was openly questioned. When she gave birth to her first daughter, court gossip said that the father was a French courtier named Pommeuse. Christine made no secret of her affair with the artist Filippo de San Martino, Conte d’Agliè.

Vittorio Amadeo became Duke of Savoy upon the death of his father on July 26, 1630. Christine introduced French culture to the Savoy court and was quite active in the renovations of Savoy palaces and castles. She rebuilt Palazzo Madama in Turin and later made it her residence. She was also the driving force for the reconstruction of the Castello del Valentino in Turin as well as the additions to the Royal Palace of Turin. Her sister Henrietta Maria had married King Charles I of England and the two sisters had a rivalry to see who had the more splendid court.

The widowed Christine with three of her children Henriette Adelaide, Margherita Violante, and Carlo Emanuele; Credit – Wikipedia

Upon the death of her husband on October 7, 1637, Christine became Regent for her five-year-old son Francesco Giacinto, Duke of Savoy and when he died in 1638, she became Regent for her other son Carlo Emanuele II, Duke of Savoy. During the time she served as Regent, Christine had to deal with her brothers-in-law Tommaso, Prince of Carignano and Cardinal Maurice, Prince of Savoy who both wanted to be Regent, and with the prime minister of her brother King Louis XIII of France, Cardinal Richelieu, who tried to annex the Duchy of Savoy to the Kingdom of France. However, Christine kept firm control of the Duchy of Savoy. When her son Carlo Emanuele came of age, he invited her to continue to rule which she did until her death.

Christine of France, Duchess of Savoy in 1663; Credit – Wikipedia

In later years, Christine had a religious conversion that radically transformed her from a life of pleasure to a life of extreme penitential practices. On December 27, 1663, Christine died at the Palazzo Madama in Turin at the age of 57. Dressed as a Discalced Carmelite nun, Christine was buried at the Basilica of Sant’Andrea in Turin. In 1802, her remains were transferred to the nearby Church of Saint Teresa of Avila.

The Church of Saint Teresa of Ávila in Turin, Italy where Christine is buried; Credit – Di Georgius LXXXIX – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17623511

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

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Christina von Frankreich. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_von_Frankreich [Accessed 28 Oct. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Christine of France. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_of_France [Accessed 28 Oct. 2018].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2018). Christine de France. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_de_France [Accessed 28 Oct. 2018].
  • It.wikipedia.org. (2018). Cristina di Borbone-Francia. [online] Available at: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristina_di_Borbone-Francia [Accessed 28 Oct. 2018].

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

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

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

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

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

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

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

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

Maria Vittoria and Amedeo; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

Basilica of Superga; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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

Kingdom of Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Amedeo I of Spain, Duke of Aosta

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2018

King Amedeo I of Spain, Duke of Aosta; Credit – Wikipedia

Born an Italian prince, Amedeo briefly reigned Spain as the only King of Spain from the House of Savoy. Born on May 30, 1845, at the Royal Palace in Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy, he was the second of the three surviving sons and the third of the eight children of King Vittorio Emanuele II (King of Piedmont-Sardinia and later first King of Italy) and Archduchess Adelheid of Austria. Soon after his birth, Amedeo was given the title Duke of Aosta, which he was known as for most of his life.

Amedeo had seven siblings but only four survived to adulthood:

Amedeo with his parents and siblings, 1854; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1859, Amedeo entered the Royal Italian Army with the rank of captain. By 1866, he had risen to the rank of major-general and took part in the Third Italian War of Independence of 1866 and was wounded at the Battle of Custoza.

On May 30, 1867, Amedeo married Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, the elder of the two daughters of Italian noble Carlo Emmanuele dal Pozzo, 5th Prince of Cisterna and his wife Countess Louise de Merode. Upon her father’s death in 1864, Maria Vittoria inherited her father’s titles in her own right.

Maria Vittoria and Amedeo; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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

In Spain, Queen Isabella II had reigned since 1833, when she was not quite three years old. Isabella’s authoritarianism, her religious fanaticism, her alliance with the military, and the chaos of her reign — sixty different governments — helped bring about the Revolution of 1868 that eventually exiled her to Paris. On November 16, 1870, the Spanish Cortes (Parliament) elected Amedeo the new King of Spain. He swore to uphold the constitution and was proclaimed King in Madrid on January 2, 1871.

King Amedeo I of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

During Amedeo’s reign, there were many republican uprisings. After an attempt to assassinate him on July 19, 1872, Amedeo I declared his frustration with the complications of Spanish politics: “I do not understand anything. We’re in a mad cage.” Lacking popular support, Amedeo abdicated the Spanish throne on February 11, 1873. The First Spanish Republic was declared but it lasted a little less than two years. After the First Spanish Republic collapsed, Queen Isabella’s 17-year-old son became King Alfonso XII.

Completely disgusted, Amedeo returned to Turin where he assumed the title Duke of Aosta. On November 8, 1876, Amedeo’s wife Maria Vittoria died from tuberculosis at the age of 29. Amedeo again became active in the Royal Italian Army and held various positions during the reign of his brother who succeeded as King Umberto I of Italy in 1878.

In 1888, twelve years after the death of his first wife, Amedeo married again. His second wife was Princess Maria Letizia Bonaparte, his niece, the daughter of his sister Marie Clotilde and Prince Napoléon Joseph Bonaparte. The betrothal announcement caused a great scandal in the Italian court because Amedeo was twenty-two years older than Maria Letizia and was also her uncle. Nevertheless, the necessary papal dispensation for the marriage was obtained.

Maria Letizia in 1888; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Amedeo and Maria Letizia had one child:

  • Prince Umberto of Savoy-Aosta, Count of Salemi (1889 – 1918), unmarried, served in the Royal Italian Army during World War I; the official court bulletin recorded that he was killed in action, but apparently, he died from influenza

Amedeo was married to his second wife for less than two years. He died from pneumonia in Turin, Italy on January 18, 1890, at the age of 44. He was buried at the Basilica of Superga near Turin, the traditional burial site of the House of Savoy.

Basilica of Superga; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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

Kingdom of Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Luise of Austria, Crown Princess of Saxony

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Luise of Austria, Crown Princess of Saxony. source: Wikipedia

Luise of Austria, Crown Princess of Saxony

Archduchess Luise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, was the wife of King Friedrich August III, the last King of Saxony. She was born in Salzburg, Austria on September 2, 1870, and given the following names – Luise Antoinette Maria Theresia Josepha Johanna Leopoldine Caroline Ferdinande Alice Ernestine. Luise was the second child of Ferdinando IV, the last Grand Duke of Tuscany, and his second wife, Princess Alicia of Bourbon-Parma.

Luise had one half-sister from her father’s first marriage to  Princess Anna of Saxony, who died in 1859:

Luise had nine siblings:

  • Archduke Leopold Ferdinand (1868-1935) – married (1) Wilhelmine Adamovicz, no issue; (2) Maria Magdalena Ritter, no issue; (3) Clara Hedwig Pawlowski, no issue
  • Archduke Josef Ferdinand (1872-1942) – married (1) Rosa Kaltenbrunner, no issue; (2) Gertrud Tomanek, had issue
  • Archduke Peter Ferdinand, Prince of Tuscany (1874-1948) – married Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, had issue
  • Archduke Heinrich Ferdinand (1878-1969) – married Maria Ludescher, had issue
  • Archduchess Anna Maria Theresia (1879-1961) – married Johannes, Prince of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein, had issue
  • Archduchess Margareta (1881-1965) – unmarried
  • Archduchess Germana (1884-1955) – unmarried
  • Archduke Robert (1885-1895) – died in childhood
  • Archduchess Agnes (1891-1945) – unmarried

Friedrich August. source: Wikipedia

In her youth, Luise was seen as a potential bride by several foreign royals, including the future King Ferdinand I of Bulgaria, and Prince Pedro Augusto of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a grandson of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, but the spoiled young Luise found no attraction to any of them. Then, in the summer of 1887, she met Prince Friedrich August of Saxony at Pillnitz Castle. in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony. He was the son of the future King Georg of Saxony and Infanta Maria Ana of Portugal. The two fell in love and married in Vienna, Austria on November 21, 1891. They went on to have six children:

Luise and Friedrich August with some of their children, c1901. source: Wikipedia

From the beginning of her marriage, Luise was unhappy. She was unwilling to conform to the strict Saxon court which often caused conflicts with her father-in-law and others in the royal family. However, she was immensely popular with the people of Saxony and often overshadowed other members of the family which further added to their frustration with her. She sought refuge in several affairs, including her children’s French tutor, André Giron. Her affair with Giron was discovered when a telegram she sent him was intercepted.

This was the last straw for her father-in-law, who threatened to have her committed to a mental asylum. With the help of two of her maids, Luise – pregnant with her youngest child – fled Dresden and headed toward Lake Geneva where she met up with her brother, Leopold Ferdinand, before reconnecting with Giron. As news of the scandal reached Saxony, Luise’s in-laws were hurt and embarrassed… and most of all, mad. Almost immediately, King Georg established a special court to end the marriage between Luise and Friedrich August. Meanwhile, Luise and Giron stayed in Geneva, and were often seen in public. Their relationship ended just a few days before her divorce was announced on February 11, 1903.

When her daughter Anna Monika Pia was born several months later, the child’s paternity was questioned. After an examination by a maternity doctor from Dresden, he stated that the baby was, in fact, the child of the Crown Prince. Friedrich August willingly acknowledged the child as his own. In July 1903, King Georg granted Luise an allowance and the title Countess of Montignoso. In exchange, he demanded that the child be brought back to Dresden to be raised with the other children. Luise, of course, refused.

Over the next year, Luise moved frequently, living in France, England, Switzerland, and Italy. She soon tried to negotiate an increase in her allowance in exchange for returning her daughter. However, at the last minute, she changed her mind.

In September 1907, Luise married for a second time. Her new husband was Enrico Toselli, an Italian musician 12 years younger. They had a son, Carlo, born in May 1908. Soon after this marriage, her first husband found their daughter and had her brought back to Dresden. She also separated from her second husband, and they were divorced four years later.

Luise caused even more of a scandal in 1911 when her memoirs were published, detailing her time in Saxony, her marriage, and her fall from grace. She cast the blame primarily on her father-in-law and the Saxon courtiers who feared her influence when she became Queen. She claimed that the royal family was jealous of her popularity – a fact that is without question. As Crown Princess, Luise was immensely popular with the Saxon people, partially because she refused to conform to the strict etiquette and protocol of the Court. While her book brought her much sympathy and support, it also brought her further rejection. Many – particularly amongst royal circles – felt that she brought disgrace to the monarchy by airing her dirty laundry in such a manner.

After World War I, Luise found herself virtually penniless. She had lost all of her Austrian titles and assets upon her second marriage, and with the end of the Austrian Empire, lost the little financial support that she had continued to receive from a few relatives. She spent some time living in Spain with an uncle before moving to Belgium where she spent the remainder of her life.

Church of the Redeemer, Hedinger Monastery, Sigmaringen. photo by Andrzej Otrębski – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38409030

The former Crown Princess Luise of Saxony, Archduchess of Austria and Princess of Tuscany died in Brussels, Belgium on March 23, 1947. At the time, she was working as a flower seller to survive. Her urn was placed in the Hedingen monastery in Sigmaringen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, the traditional burial place of the House of Hohenzollern.

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.

Saxony Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily, Queen of the French

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2016

painting by Louis Hersent. source: Wikipedia

Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily, Queen of the French. Credit – WIkipedia

Princess Maria Amalia Teresa of Naples and Sicily was the wife of Louis Philippe I, King of the French. She was born on April 26, 1782, at the Caserta Palace in Caserta, Kingdom of Naples, now in Italy, to King Ferdinand IV of Naples (also King Ferdinand III of Sicily) and Maria Carolina of Austria. At the time, Naples and Sicily were two independent kingdoms. Years later, Ferdinand joined them together as the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, becoming Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies. This made him the founder of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon. Maria Amalia had 17 siblings:

Maria Amalia had 17 siblings:

While still very young, Maria Amalia was engaged to her first cousin, the Dauphin of France. His mother, Queen Marie Antoinette was Maria Amalia’s maternal aunt. However, this ended upon his death in 1789. Her youth was spent in upheaval – the events in France – particularly the execution of her aunt – and subsequent conflict during the First Coalition soon found the family fleeing Sicily for the safety of Naples. After spending two years in Austria, she returned to Naples in 1802 but four years later, when Napoleon invaded, the family again fled, this time settling in Palermo where British forces protected them.

It was in Palermo, in 1806, that she met her future husband, who had also been forced from his home in France. The relationship was not without controversy, primarily because of Louis Philippe’s father’s role in the downfall and eventual execution of Maria Amalia’s aunt, Marie Antoinette. Finally winning over Maria Amalia’s mother, the couple were married in Palermo on November 25, 1809. The bride took the French version of her name – Marie Amélie. They had ten children:

Marie Amélie with her eldest son, c1818. source: Wikipedia

Marie Amélie with her eldest son, c1818. source: Wikipedia

For the first several years of their marriage, they lived in Palermo at the Palazzo Orléans, a palace given to them by her father, where they raised their growing family. Following the Bourbon Restoration, the family was permitted to return to France, taking up residence at the Palais-Royal in Paris. Despite their limited financial resources, they spent millions of francs restoring the palace and turning it into one of the centers of Parisian high society.

In 1830, King Charles X was overthrown during the July Revolution and forced to abdicate. The King named Louis Philippe as Lieutenant-General of the Kingdom, entrusting him to name the King’s grandson as his successor and to serve as regent. Instead, the Chamber of Deputies named Louis Philippe as King, swearing him as King of the French on August 9, 1830. Marie Amélie found herself, very reluctantly, as Queen of the French. She was strongly against her husband accepting the throne and tried to refuse it on his behalf. She saw the throne as nothing but a means of destroying her peaceful family life and putting all of their lives in constant jeopardy.

She avoided politics at all costs and did everything in her power to remain quietly in the background. Her time was spent primarily raising her large family and taking part in the charity work that had been a part of her life for many years. During her husband’s reign, she became known for her simple life, shying away from formal functions, and giving most of her large allowance to the poor.

However strongly she had been against her husband accepting the throne, she was just as strongly in support of his retaining it. When he was forced to abdicate on February 24, 1848, the Queen was heartbroken that he had not taken her advice to take control of the troops and defend his crown. Two days later, the National Assembly declared the Second Republic, once again ending the French monarchy. The family left Paris and were eventually welcomed in England by Queen Victoria, who gave them the use of Claremont House in Surrey, England.

Queen Marie Amélie, c1865. source: Wikipedia

Queen Marie Amélie, c1865. source: Wikipedia

After her husband’s death two years later, Queen Marie Amélie lived a very private life, spending time with much of her family and enjoying a close relationship with the British Royal Family.

At the age of 83, Queen Marie Amélie died at Claremont House on March 24, 1866. She was buried at the St. Charles Borromeo Chapel in Weybridge, England, and per her request, her gravestone identified her as Duchess of Orléans instead of Queen of the French. Ten years later, her remains, along with those of her husband, were moved to the Chapelle royale de Dreux in Dreux, France.

Memorial to Louis Philippe and Maria Amalia at the Royal Chapel of Dreux; Credit – By Real politik – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6656193

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