Category Archives: Former Monarchies

Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven, 3rd Husband of Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Arms of Henry Stewart, 1st Lord MethvenCredit – By Sodacan  Own work, Based on: [1], CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38492949

Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven was the third of the three husbands of Margaret Tudor, the eldest daughter of King Henry VII of England and the sister of King Henry VIII of England. Margaret’s first husband was James IV, King of Scots who was killed in 1513 at the Battle of Flodden Field. Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus was Margaret’s second husband. Their marriage ended when Pope Clement VII granted Margaret a divorce on March 11, 1527,

Born circa 1495, at Avondale Castle, (now called Strathaven Castle) in Avondale (now called Strathaven) Lanarkshire, Scotland, Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven was one of the seven children of Andrew Stewart, 1st Lord Avondale and Margaret Kennedy.

Henry had six siblings:

  • Andrew Stewart, 2nd Lord Avondale (? – 1549), married Margaret Hamilton, had two sons
  • Sir James Stewart of Beath (1506 – 1547), married Margaret Lindsay, had six children
  • Anne Stewart (circa 1507 – ?), married Bartholemew Crawford of Carse, had two sons
  • Barbara Stewart ( ? ), married (2) Sir James Sinclair of Sanday, had one daughter (2) Roderick MacLeod of Lewis, had two children
  • William Stewart, 1st Laird of Dunduff (? – circa 1552), married Isobel Stewart
  • Agnes Stewart ( ? ), married John Boswell of Auchinleck, had one son

It seems likely that Henry first married The Lady Leslie and that they had a son, possibly John Stewart, Master of Methven, who died in the Battle of Pinkie on September 10, 1547, a battle that Henry also fought in.

After the death of her first husband James IV, King of Scots, Margaret Tudor married the Scottish nobleman Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus For many reasons, the marriage was ultimately unsuccessful, and Margaret Tudor transferred her affections to Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven. On March 11, 1527, Pope Clement VII granted Margaret a divorce from Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus to the consternation of her brother King Henry VIII of England who insisted that marriage was “divinely ordained” and protested against the “shameless sentence sent from Rome.” Ironically, several years later Henry VIII would seek to end his marriage with Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn.

Margaret Tudor, Dowager Queen of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 3, 1528, Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven and Margaret Tudor were married. At the end of March 1528, Margaret and Methven were besieged by Margaret’s former husband Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus and some of his Douglas relatives at  in Stirling, Scotland. This caused James V, King of Scots to issue an order that his former stepfather Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus and all the Douglases were forbidden to come within seven miles of him or his mother. Henry and Margaret had one child, Dorothea Stewart, born circa April 1528, and died in infancy.

Henry was the stepfather to Margaret Tudor’s two surviving children from her previous marriages:

Methven Castle; Credit – Credit – By Arthur Bruce, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=482685

Shortly after Henry‘s marriage to Margaret, her son James V, King of Scots granted his mother and stepfather Methven Castle in Methven, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, and raised Henry to the peerage creating him Lord Methven.

Margaret’s third husband Henry was proving himself to be even worse than Margaret’s second husband in his desire both for other women and for Margaret’s money. Henry kept a mistress in one of Margaret’s castles. When Margaret tried to divorce Henry, her son James V blocked the proceedings and Margaret felt that Henry had bribed her son. Margaret often wrote to her brother King Henry VIII about her situation but he never helped her. In 1537, Margaret tried to escape to England but was brought back to Methven Castle where she lived until her death. After suffering a stroke, Margaret died at Methven Castle on October 18, 1541, at the age of 51.

in November 1544, Henry married his mistress Lady Janet Stuart, daughter of John Stuart, 2nd Earl of Atholl, and Lady Janet Campbell. Janet had been married twice previously, to Alexander Gordon, Master of Sutherland and Hugh Kennedy of Girvanmains, and had children with both her first and second husbands who were now the stepchildren of her third husband Henry.

Henry and Janet had four children, probably all born before their marriage. If so, it is likely that they were all legitimized.

When Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven died is unknown. The last documentation that he was alive was dated October 10, 1551, when he would have been about fifty-six years old. After Henry’s death, his widow Janet married for a fourth time to Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven and they had one son.

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

  • DeLisle, Leanda. (2013) Tudor – Passion, Manipulation, Murder. New York: PublicAffairs.
  • Flantzer, S. (2016) James V, King of Scots, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/james-v-king-of-scots/ (Accessed: March 3, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2016) Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/margaret-tudor-queen-of-scotland/ (Accessed: March 3, 2023).
  • Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Stewart,_1st_Lord_Methven (Accessed: March 3, 2023).
  • Henry Stewart, 1. Lord Methven (2022) Wikipedia (German). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Stewart,_1._Lord_Methven (Accessed: March 3, 2023).
  • Стюарт, Генри, 1-й лорд Метвен (Stewart, Henry 1st Lord Methven) (2022) Wikipedia (Russian). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D1%82%D1%8E%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82,_%D0%93%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%80%D0%B8,_1-%D0%B9_%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B4_%D0%9C%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BD (Accessed: March 3, 2023)

Lady Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Lady Margaret Douglas; Credit – Wikipedia

Lady Margaret Douglas was third in the line of succession to the English throne at the time of her birth. Her elder son was Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley who married his first cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, the daughter and successor of Lady Margaret’s half-brother James V, King of Scots. Darnley and Mary’s son James VI, King of Scots succeeded as King James I of England upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Margaret and her family suffered the dangerous misfortune of being a threat to the English throne. All British monarchs from King James I onward, and many European royals are the descendants of Lady Margaret Douglas.

Margaret’s mother Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on October 7, 1515, at Harbottle Castle in Harbottle, Northumberland, England, Lady Margaret Douglas was the only child of Margaret Tudor, Dowager Queen of Scots and the second of her third husbands, Scottish noble Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. Her mother was the widow of James IV, King of Scots (who was killed at the Battle of Flodden Field in 1513), the daughter of King Henry VII, the first Tudor King of England, and the sister of King Henry VIII of England. Lady Margaret’s paternal grandparents were George Douglas, Master of Angus (who was also killed at the Battle of Flodden Field), and Elizabeth Drummond. Her maternal grandparents were King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, the eldest daughter of King Edward IV of England. Lady Margaret was christened on October 8, 1515, with Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the Lord High Chancellor of England and close advisor to the infant Margaret’s uncle King Henry VIII of England, serving as godfather, represented by a proxy.

Margaret’s half-brother James V, King of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

Lady Margaret had four half-brothers from her mother’s first marriage to James IV, King of Scots but only one survived infancy:

Lady Margaret had been born in England to an English mother and was treated as an English subject. At the time of Margaret’s birth in 1515, the first three in the line of succession to the English throne were:

  1. Margaret Tudor, Dowager Queen of Scots (born 1489), elder sister of King Henry VII
  2. James V, King of Scots (born 1512), son of Margaret Tudor, Dowager Queen of Scots from her first marriage
  3. Lady Margaret Douglas (born 1515), daughter of Margaret Tudor, Dowager Queen of Scots from her second marriage

Sometime after the birth of their daughter, Margaret Tudor and her second husband Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus went to London where they were well treated by Margaret’s brother King Henry VIII of England. They lived in Scotland Yard, the traditional residence of Scottish diplomats and Scottish kings while visiting London. During their stay in London, King Henry VIII’s first child Mary Tudor, the future Queen Mary I of England, was born to his first wife Catherine of Aragon, and Mary Tudor was now the heir presumptive to the English throne.

Margaret’s father Archibald Douglas 6th Earl of Angus; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1517, Lady Margaret and her parents returned to Scotland. Her parents became estranged and her father had a daughter with his mistress. There was an Anglophile sentiment among some Scottish nobility, supported by King Henry VIII of England. This allowed Lady Margaret’s father Archibald Douglas to carry out a coup d’état in 1525. Her thirteen-year-old half-brother James V, King of Scots was placed under Archibald’s supervision in Edinburgh. Archibald’s relatives and associates were appointed to high political offices. This caused discontent among the Scottish nobility but all attempts to rebel against Archibald were crushed.

Meanwhile, Margaret Tudor transferred her affections to Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven. On March 11, 1527, Pope Clement VII granted Margaret Tudor a divorce from Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. Margaret and Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven were married on March 3, 1528. The marriage produced a daughter, Dorothea Stewart, born circa April 1528, who died in infancy. At the end of March 1528, Margaret Tudor and Methven were besieged by Archibald and some of his Douglas relatives at Stirling Castle in Stirling, Scotland. A few weeks later, James V, King of Scots escaped from custody and took refuge at Stirling Castle. James V issued an order that his former stepfather Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, and all the Douglases were forbidden to come within seven miles of him.

Lady Margaret’s father wanted to flee Scotland and he sought refuge with brother-in-law King Henry VIII in England. Under the terms of her parents’ divorce, Lady Margaret remained legitimate and was fourth in the line of succession to the English throne. She was considered a desirable potential bride and her father used this to his advantage. Lady Margaret was taken from her mother and sent to England as a goodwill gesture to her uncle King Henry VIII who ignored his sister’s pleas to return her daughter.

Lady Margaret’s first cousin Mary Tudor; Credit – Wikipedia

Accompanied by her governess Isobel Hoppar, Lady Margaret joined the household of her godfather Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. After the death of Cardinal Wolsey in 1530, Lady Margaret joined the household of her first cousin Mary Tudor, the future Queen Mary I of England. Because of her place in the line of succession to the English throne, Lady Margaret continued to be brought up at the English court with her first cousin Mary Tudor, who was only four months younger than Margaret and remained her lifelong friend. Even though Lady Margaret’s father Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus lived in England for a period of time, Lady Margaret’s uncle King Henry VIII kept her guardianship.

In 1533, when King Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn, Lady Margaret became one of Anne’s ladies-in-waiting. While at Anne’s court, Lady Margaret met Lord Thomas Howard, a younger son of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk and his second wife Agnes Tilney. Lord Thomas was a half-brother of the well-known Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk (son of the 2nd Duke of Norfolk by his first marriage and the uncle of King Henry VIII’s beheaded wives Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard), and is often confused with his elder brother. By the end of 1535, Lord Thomas and Lady Margaret had fallen in love and become secretly engaged.

King Henry VIII was enraged when he found out about Lady Margaret and Lord Thomas because of Lady Margaret’s place in the line of succession. Lady Margaret and Thomas were sent to the Tower of London. In July 1536, an Act of Attainder was passed in Parliament against Lord Thomas Howard accusing him of interrupting and impeding the succession of the crown. Lord Thomas was sentenced to death but the execution was never carried out. While at the Tower of London, Lady Margaret became quite ill and was allowed to be moved to Syon Abbey under the supervision of the abbess. On October 29, 1537, Lady Margaret was released from Syon Abbey. Two days later, Lord Thomas Howard died at the Tower of London from an illness although there was speculation that he was poisoned.

In 1540, Lady Margaret again angered King Henry VIII when she had an affair with a gentleman at the court, Charles Howard, the son of Lord Edmund Howard (Lord Thomas Howard’s half-brother) and brother of King Henry VIII’s fifth wife Catherine Howard. In 1543, Lady Margaret was one of the few witnesses of King Henry VIII’s sixth and final marriage to Catherine Parr, at Hampton Court Palace. Lady Margaret had known Catherine Parr since they had both come to court in the 1520s, and became one of Catherine Parr’s chief ladies.

Margaret’s husband, Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox; Credit – Wikipedia

By 1544, it seemed as if 29-year-old Lady Margaret would never be married. Instead of invading Scotland, King Henry VIII decided to build Scottish support for a marriage between his only son and heir, the future but short-reigned King Edward VI, and the year-old Mary, Queen of Scots which would unite the crowns of England and Scotland. The marriage never happened and the possibility of the marriage caused a war called the Rough Wooing. Lady Margaret was to be a pawn in her uncle’s plan. King Henry VIII offered his niece as a bride to Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, one of Scotland’s leading noblemen and a descendant of James I, King of Scots.

King Henry VIII generously allowed Lady Margaret and Lennox to accept or reject the marriage once they met. Lady Margaret and Lennox were equally delighted with each other. They were married on June 29, 1544, in the presence of King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine Parr.

Margaret’s two surviving children Charles Stuart, 5th Earl of Lennox and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley; Credit – Wikipedia

Lady Margaret, now Countess of Lennox and Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox had eight or nine children, probably four sons and four (unnamed daughters) but only two sons survived childhood:

During the reign of her first cousin Queen Mary I of England, Margaret had rooms at the Palace of Westminster in London. While Margaret had been removed from the line of succession in the wills of her uncle King Henry VIII and first cousin King Edward VI, Queen Mary I thought that Margaret was best suited to succeed her but was ultimately convinced that it would be problematic. Margaret was the chief mourner at Queen Mary’s funeral in December 1558. After her first cousin Queen Elizabeth I succeeded to the throne, Margaret spent much more time at her home Temple Newsam in Leeds Yorkshire, England. Margaret had remained Roman Catholic and her home became a center for Roman Catholics.

Meanwhile, in France in 1560, where 18-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots had lived since she was five years old, her husband of two years, 16-year-old King François II of France died after a reign of only seventeen months. Left a childless widow, Mary decided to return to Scotland. She needed a husband to provide an heir to the throne of Scotland. Margaret Douglas, calculating her political possibilities, realized that her elder surviving son 15-year-old Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, was a potential groom for his first cousin Mary, Queen of Scots. Darnley and Mary had already met in 1559 when Margaret had sent her son to congratulate King François II of France on his accession to the French throne. Margaret wrote to Mary about a possible marriage, and the Queen of Scots was intrigued. Mary and Darnley were married at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland on July 29, 1565. The marriage angered Queen Elizabeth I who felt that Darnley, as her cousin and an English subject, needed her permission to marry. Because of her involvement in the marriage, Margaret was sent to the Tower of London.

Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and Mary, Queen of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

Darnley and Mary, Queen of Scots had one son:

Mary, Queen of Scots soon became disillusioned by Darnley’s uncouth behavior and his insistence upon receiving the Crown Matrimonial which would make him co-sovereign of Scotland. Mary refused and their relationship became strained. At the end of 1565, Mary became pregnant. Darnley was jealous of Mary’s friendship with her private secretary David Riccio, rumored to be the father of her child, and formed a conspiracy to do away with Riccio. On March 9, 1566, Riccio was at supper with Mary and her ladies at Holyrood Palace. The conspirators, led by Darnley, burst into the room, dragged Riccio away, and killed him in an adjoining room. Mary was roughly pushed and shoved and although the conspirators hoped she would miscarry, she did not. All the conspirators were banished except for Darnley who was forgiven.

Mary’s marriage was all but over and she began to be drawn to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell. Bothwell entered into a conspiracy with  Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll and George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly to rid Mary of her husband. On February 10, 1567, Darnley was killed when the house he was staying at was blown up.

Margaret and her husband with their son Charles and grandson James VI of Scotland mourning Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley; Credit – Wikipedia

After the murder of her son, Margaret was released from the Tower of London. Margaret’s husband Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox pursued justice against the Scottish lords who had conspired in the murder of their son Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. He also became the main witness against Mary, Queen of Scots due to her possible involvement in Darnley’s murder. On July 24, 1567, Mary, Queen of Scots was forced to abdicate in favor of her one-year-old son James VI, King of Scots. James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, the illegitimate brother of Mary, Queen of Scots, served as Regent for his young nephew until his assassination in 1570. After Moray’s assassination, King James VI’s paternal grandfather Margaret’s husband Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox served as his grandson’s Regent. However, on September 3, 1571, supporters of Mary, Queen of Scots broke into the Regent’s residence in Stirling, Scotland, and killed Lennox. Margaret was now a widow.

In 1574, Margaret’s son Charles Stuart, 5th Earl of Lennox married Elizabeth Cavendish, daughter of Elizabeth Hardwick (known as Bess of Hardwick), a notable figure of Elizabethan society, and her first husband Sir William Cavendish. At the time of the marriage, Bess of Hardwick was married to her second husband George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury. The marriage took place without Shrewsbury’s knowledge, who was aware of the suggested match but declined to accept any responsibility. Because Margaret’s son Charles Stuart, 5th Earl of Lennox had a claim to the English throne, the marriage was considered potentially treasonous because Queen Elizabeth I’s consent had not been obtained. Margaret was again sent to the Tower of London. She was released after the death of her son Charles Stuart, 5th Earl of Lennox in April 1576 from tuberculosis.

Tomb of Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox in Westminster Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

Lady Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox died, aged 62, in London, England on March 7, 1578. A few days before her death, Margaret dined with Queen Elizabeth I’s favorite Robert Dudley. After her death, rumors swirled that Dudley had poisoned her, although there is no evidence for this. Margaret’s first cousin Queen Elizabeth I arranged a magnificent funeral at Westminster Abbey where Margaret was buried with her son Charles in the Henry VII Chapel. A monument was commissioned by her executor and former servant Thomas Fowler. Her alabaster effigy wears a French cap and ruff and a red fur-lined cloak, over a dress of blue and gold. On either side of the tomb chest are weepers of her four sons and four daughters.

Margaret’s unfortunate granddaughter Lady Arabella Stuart; Credit – Wikipedia

The potentially deadly problems for heirs to the throne followed Margaret’s granddaughter Lady Arabella Stuart, the only child of her son Charles. Arabella was then fourth in line to the succession to her second cousin to James VI, King of Scots (later King James I of England), through their great-grandmother Margaret Tudor. Arabella had been considered a possible successor to the childless Queen Elizabeth I. During the reign of King James VI and I, Arabella was married on June 22, 1610, without the King’s permission, to William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset. Seymour was another claimant to the English throne, sixth in the line of succession. Seymour was the grandson of Lady Katherine Grey, a sister of Lady Jane Grey, giving him a claim to the throne through Katherine’s descent from Mary Tudor, younger sister of King Henry VIII.

King James I considered Arabella’s marriage a threat to the ruling dynasty. William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset was condemned to life imprisonment in the Tower of London and Arabella was placed under house arrest. In June 1611, Seymour escaped from the Tower of London and planned to meet Arabella who had escaped her house arrest, and then flee together to continental Europe. However, Arabella was captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Seymour managed to make it to Ostend, Flanders, now in Belgium. Arabella was kept in the Tower of London where she died, aged 40, on September 25, 1615, from illnesses caused by her refusal to eat.

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

  • Дуглас, Маргарита (Margaret Douglas) (2023) Wikipedia – Russian. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D1%83%D0%B3%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%81,_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B0 (Accessed: April 20, 2023).
  • DeLisle, Leanda. (2013) Tudor – Passion, Manipulation, Murder. New York: PublicAffairs.
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2017) Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, King Consort of Scots, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/henry-stuart-lord-darnley/ (Accessed: April 20, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2016) James V, King of Scots, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/james-v-king-of-scots/ (Accessed: April 20, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2015) King James VI of Scotland/King James I of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-james-vi-of-scotlandking-james-i-of-englan/ (Accessed: April 20, 2023).
  • Flanzter, Susan. (2017) Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/margaret-tudor-queen-of-scotland/ (Accessed: April 20, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2016) Mary, Queen of Scots, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/mary-queen-of-scots/ (Accessed: April 20, 2023).
  • Lady Arbella Stuart (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Arbella_Stuart (Accessed: April 20, 2023).
  • Margaret Douglas (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Douglas (Accessed: April 20, 2023).
  • Margaret Douglas: Life Story (2015) Tudor Times. Available at: https://tudortimes.co.uk/people/margaret-douglas-life-story (Accessed: April 20, 2023).
  • Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Stewart,_4th_Earl_of_Lennox (Accessed: April 20, 2023).
  • William Seymour, 2. Duke of Somerset (2023) Wikipedia – German. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Seymour,_2._Duke_of_Somerset (Accessed: April 20, 2023).

Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, 2nd Husband of Margaret Tudor

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus; Credit – Wikipedia

Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, a Scottish nobleman active during the reigns of James V, King of Scots and Mary, Queen of Scots, was a leader of the Anglophile faction in Scotland in the early decades of the 16th century, seizing power several times. However, by the later part of his life, Archibald was once again a Scottish patriot. He was the second of the three husbands of Margaret Tudor, Dowager Queen of Scots, daughter of King Henry VII of England, sister of King Henry VIII of England, and the widow of James IV, King of Scots. Through their daughter Margaret Douglas, Archibald and Margaret are the grandparents of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, the first cousin and second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, the great-grandparents of James VI, King of Scots, later also James I, King of England, and the ancestors of the British royal family and most other European royal families.

Ruins of Douglas Castle, the birthplace of Archibald Douglas; Credit – By User:Supergolden – Taken by User:Supergolden, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1082856

Born November 29, 1489, at Douglas Castle in Douglasdale, Lanarkshire, Scotland, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus was the eldest of the seven children and the eldest of the three sons of George Douglas, Master of Angus, who was killed at the Battle of Flodden Field, and Elizabeth Drummond. His paternal grandparents were Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus and Elizabeth Boyd. Archibald’s maternal grandparents were John Drummond, 1st Lord Drummond and Elizabeth Lindsay.

Archibald had six younger siblings:

  • Sir George Douglas of Pittendreich (circa 1493 – 1552), married Elizabeth Douglas, had three children
  • William Douglas, Prior of Coldingham and Abbot of Holyrood (circa 1493 – 1528)
  • Elizabeth Douglas, married John Hay, 3rd Lord Yester, had two children
  • Alison Douglas (1480 – 1530), married (1) Robert Blackadder, had one daughter, killed at the Battle of Flodden Field (2) David Home, 4th Baron Wedderburn, had four children
  • Janet Douglas (circa 1498 – 1537), married (1) John Lyon, 6th Lord Glamis, had four children (2), Archibald Campbell of Skipnish, had one son, Janet was executed by burning for witchcraft during the reign of James V, King of Scots
  • Margaret Douglas married Sir James Douglas, 7th of Drumlanrig, had three children, divorced

In 1509, when he was about 20-years-old, Archibald married Margaret Hepburn, daughter of Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell and his second wife Margaret Gordon. The marriage was childless and Margaret died four years later.

Margaret Tudor and her first husband James IV, King of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 24, 1502, England and Scotland concluded the Treaty of Perpetual Peace, agreeing to end the warfare between England and Scotland which had occurred over the previous two hundred years. As part of the treaty, a marriage was arranged between 28-year-old James IV, King of Scots and twelve-year-old Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England. A proxy marriage was held on January 25, 1503, at Richmond Palace in England with Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell, Archibald’s future father-in-law, standing in for James IV. In June 1503, Margaret left London to make the journey to Scotland. Margaret and James IV, King of Scots were married in person on August 8, 1503, at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Margaret Tudor and James IV had two stillborn daughters and four sons, but only one of their sons survived infancy, the future James V, King of Scots. In 1509, Margaret’s father King Henry VII died and her brother King Henry VIII came to the throne. Henry VIII did not have his father’s diplomatic patience and was heading toward a war with France. James IV was committed to his alliance with France and invaded England. Ultimately, the Scots were defeated at the Battle of Flodden Field near Branxton, Northumberland, England on September 9, 1513, and Margaret’s husband, 30-year-old James IV, King of Scots was killed in the battle. Margaret’s seventeen-month-old son succeeded his father as James V, King of Scots. James V was the father of Mary, Queen of Scots and therefore, Margaret Tudor was her grandmother.

Margaret Tudor; Credit – Wikipedia

Under the terms of James IV’s will, Margaret was the Regent of Scotland for her son as long as she did not remarry. Margaret sought an ally with the pro-English Clan Douglas. On August 6, 1514, Margaret secretly married Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. The marriage stirred up the jealousy of the nobles and the opposition of the faction supporting French influence in Scotland. Civil war broke out, and Margaret lost the regency to John Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany, grandson of James II, King of Scots. Margaret and Douglas escaped to England where she gave birth to their only child at Harbottle Castle in Northumberland, England:

Sometime after the birth of their daughter, Margaret and her second husband Archibald went to London where they were well treated by her brother King Henry VIII of England, and lived in Scotland Yard, the traditional residence of the Scottish diplomats and Scottish kings when they visited London. After returning to Scotland in 1517, Archibald and Margaret became estranged. Archibald began a relationship with Lady Jane de Truquare. They had one daughter:

Newark Castle, now in ruins; Credit – By Walter Baxter, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13836998

Archibald took over Margaret’s dower estate Newark Castle near Selkirk, Selkirkshire, Scotland, and settled there with his mistress and illegitimate daughter. It greatly angered Margaret that Archibald had confiscated her property and used her dowry income as Dowager Queen of Scots. Archibald tried to seize power, causing a conflict with James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran. This escalated to armed skirmishes over the control of Edinburgh and threatened to escalate into civil war. John Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany, Regent of Scotland regained power, and Archibald was charged with treason and sent to France as a prisoner. However, within two years, he managed to escape to England.

There was an Anglophile sentiment among some of the Scottish nobility, supported by King Henry VIII of England. This allowed Archibald Douglas to carry out a coup d’état in 1525. Thirteen-year-old James V, King of Scots was placed under Archibald’s supervision in Edinburgh. Archibald’s relatives and associates were appointed to high political offices. This caused discontent among the Scottish nobility but all attempts to rebel against Archibald were crushed.

Meanwhile, Margaret Tudor transferred her affections to Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven. On March 11, 1527, Pope Clement VII granted Margaret a divorce from Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus to the consternation of her brother King Henry VIII of England who insisted that marriage was “divinely ordained” and protested against the “shameless sentence sent from Rome.” Ironically, several years later Henry VIII would seek to end his marriage with Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn.

Margaret and Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven were married on March 3, 1528. The marriage produced a daughter, Dorothea Stewart, born circa April 1528, who died in infancy. At the end of March 1528, Margaret and Methven were besieged by Archibald and some of his Douglas relatives at Stirling Castle in Stirling, Scotland. A few weeks later, James V, King of Scots managed to escape from custody and took refuge at Stirling Castle. James V issued an order that his former stepfather Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus and all the Douglases were forbidden to come within seven miles of him.

The ruins of Tantallon Castle; Credit -By Stephencdickson – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=95033608

Archibald was attainted (lost his titles) and his lands were confiscated. He surrendered Tantallon Castle near North Berwick, in East Lothian, Scotland, his family’s 14th-century fortress, as a condition of a truce between England and Scotland. In May 1529, Archibald sought refuge with King Henry VIII in England. He obtained an allowance and took an oath of allegiance, and a promise that Henry VIII would work on restoring his title and lands.

James V, King of Scots took revenge against many Douglases remaining in Scotland. Archibald’s sister Janet, Lady Glamis, was summoned to answer a charge of communicating with her brothers, and when she failed to appear, her estates were forfeited. In 1537, James V had Janet accused of witchcraft against him, although it was clear that the accusations were false. To gain “evidence”, James V had Janet’s family and servants tortured. Janet was convicted and burned at the stake on July 17, 1537, outside of Edinburgh Castle.

When on her deathbed in 1541, Archibald’s divorced wife Margaret Tudor asked Archibald Douglas to forgive her for having divorced him, telling him that he was her lawful husband and that their marriage was valid. It is not clear whether her motivation was regret or an attempt to ensure the legitimacy of her daughter Margaret Douglas to preserve her position in the line of succession to the English throne.

Archibald remained in England, joining in attacks upon the Scots at the border. James V refused Henry VIII’s demands to restore Archibald’s titles and land and continued to suppress the Douglas faction. Despite Archibald living in England, Henry VIII kept the guardianship of his daughter Margaret Douglas who was raised in the English royal household with her first cousin, the future Queen Mary I of England. Margaret and Mary remained lifelong friends.

In 1542, upon the death of thirty-year-old James V, King of Scots, Archibald returned to Scotland, his titles and lands restored, with instructions from King Henry VIII of England to negotiate a marriage between James V’s successor, the infant Mary, Queen of Scots, and Henry VIII’s five-year-old son and heir, the future King Edward VI of England. The marriage was negotiated but because of the English hostilities, Scotland eventually abandoned the possibility of an English marriage.

In 1543, Archibald married Margaret Maxwell, daughter of Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell. They had one son James Douglas, Master of Angus who died when he was three years old. In the same year, Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset’s Burning of Edinburgh during the Rough Wooing damaged Archibald’s land and this caused him to give up any allegiance to England and join the anti-English faction. Archibald allied with James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran, Regent of Scotland, during the early part of Mary, Queen of Scots’ reign. Archibald gave his support to the diplomatic mission sent to France to offer a marriage between Mary, Queen of Scots (the first on Mary’s three marriages) and François, Dauphin of France (the future King François II), the son and heir of King Henri II of France. In July 1544, Archibald was appointed commander of the Scottish troops on the border with England, and his troops defeated the English at the Battle of Ancrum Moor in 1545.

Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus died, aged 67, on January 22, 1557, at Tantallon Castle near North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland. He may have been buried in Abernethy, Perthshire, Scotland but his burial information is uncertain.

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

  • Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus (2022) geni_family_tree. Available at: https://www.geni.com/people/Archibald-Douglas-6th-Earl-of-Angus/6000000003232538566 (Accessed: February 23, 2023).
  • Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archibald_Douglas,_6th_Earl_of_Angus (Accessed: February 23, 2023).
  • DeLisle, Leanda. (2013) Tudor – Passion, Manipulation, Murder. New York: PublicAffairs.
  • Flantzer, S. (2016) James V, King of Scots, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/james-v-king-of-scots/ (Accessed: February 23, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2016) Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/margaret-tudor-queen-of-scotland/ (Accessed: February 23, 2023).

Julie Clary Bonaparte, Queen of Spain, Queen of Naples

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Julie Clary; Credit – Wikipedia

Marie Julie Clary was the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother Joseph Bonaparte who was King of Naples from 1806 – 1808, and King of Spain from 1808 – 1813. Born on December 26, 1771, in the family mansion at 70 Roma Street in Marseille, France, Julie was the seventh of the nine children and the fifth of the six daughters of François Clary, a wealthy French merchant, and his second wife Françoise Rose Somis.

Julie had eight siblings:

  • Joseph Nicolas Clary, 1st Comte Clary et de l’Empire (1760 – 1823), married Anne Jeanne Rouyer, had three children
  • Joseph Honoré Clary (1762 – 1764), died in early childhood
  • Marie Anne Rose Clary (1764 – 1835), married Antoine-Ignace Anthoine, Baron de Saint-Joseph et de l’Empire, Mayor of Marseille, had three children
  • Marseille Clary (1764 – 1784), unmarried
  • Justinien François Clary (1766 – 1794), unmarried
  • Catherine Honorine Clary (1769 – 1843), married Henri Joseph Gabriel Blait de Villeneufve, had one daughter
  • Basile Clary (1774 – 1781), died in childhood
  • Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary, Queen Desideria of Sweden and Norway (1777 – 1860), married Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, later King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden and Norway, had one son King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway, the royal families of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden descend from this marriage

Julie had four half-siblings from her father’s first marriage to Gabrielle Fléchon (1732 – 1758):

  • François-Joseph Clary (1752 – 1753), died in infancy
  • Marie-Jeanne Clary (1754 – 1815), married (1) Louis Honoré Lejeans (2) Emmanuel Mathieu Pézenas, Baron de Pluvinal
  • Marie Thérèse Catherine Clary (1755 – 1818), married Lazare Lejeans
  • Étienne François Clary (1757 – 1823), married Marcelle Guey, had two children

Julie and her sister Désirée by Robert Lefèvre, 1810; Credit – Wikipedia

Starting in 1789, the French Revolution brought major changes to France, and the Clary family went through periods of great insecurity. Julie and her sister Désirée had ties to the Bonaparte brothers before their ascent to power. Joseph Bonaparte, the eldest of the five Bonaparte brothers, had studied law at the University of Pisa and worked as a lawyer. The French First Republic was declared in September 1792, and Joseph was elected chairman of his local district council. The second eldest brother Napoleon joined the French army and quickly advanced.

Julie’s husband Joseph Bonaparte; Credit – Wikipedia

Julie’s younger sister Désirée met Joseph Bonaparte first, and the two became engaged. Soon after, Napoleon suggested that Joseph should instead marry Désirée’s sister Julie and that he would marry Désirée. Julie and Joseph Bonaparte were married on August 1, 1794. Napoleon and Désirée became engaged in April 1795, but Napoleon soon became involved with Joséphine de Beauharnais and the engagement ended in September 1795. Napoleon and Joséphine de Beauharnais were married in March 1796. Désirée Clary married Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, a noted French general and a Marshal of France. In 1810, Désirée’s husband was elected Crown Prince of Sweden because King Carl XIII of Sweden had no heirs. Jean Baptiste Bernadotte became Crown Prince of Sweden and in 1818, became King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden. Their descendants have reigned in Sweden ever since as the House of Bernadotte.

Julie’s family was very wealthy and her marriage to Joseph Bonaparte helped established the Bonaparte fortune and made her a favorite with her mother-in-law Letizia Bonaparte. During the latter part of the French Revolution, Napoleon rose to prominence and in 1799, at the age of 30 was the First Consul of France. Eventually, Napoleon was created First Consul for life. Joseph’s fortunes rose along with his brother’s.

Julie with her daughters Zénaïde and Charlotte by Jean-Baptiste Wicar, 1809; Credit – Wikipedia

Julie and Joseph had three daughters:

In 1804, Joseph’s brother Napoleon declared himself Emperor of the French, and Joseph, along with his siblings became Imperial Princes and Princesses. Napoleon sent Joseph to Naples in 1806 to expel the Bourbons ruling there because they had sided against him in the War of the Third Coalition. After a successful French invasion, Napoleon proclaimed Joseph as King of Naples. Julie, now Queen of Naples, remained in Paris, at the court of her brother-in-law Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. While Joseph was King of Naples, he had a son and a daughter from his affair with Maria Giulia Colonna, daughter of Andrea Colonna, 3rd Prince of Stigliano and wife of Giangirolamo Acquaviva d’Aragona, 11th Duke of Nardò. In 1808 Julie was sent to Naples to help Joseph calm riots and revolts and to help keep the Kingdom of Naples stable. However, Napoleon became increasingly dissatisfied with his brother, and later in 1808, Joseph was replaced as King of Naples by Joachim Murat, the husband of Caroline Bonaparte, the sister of Joseph and Napoleon.

Meanwhile in Spain, after riots and a revolt, King Carlos IV of Spain was forced to abdicate in favor of his son King Fernando VII on March 19, 1808. Napoleon saw the weaknesses in the Spanish monarchy and decided to make a move. Carlos IV and his son Fernando VII were summoned to a meeting with Napoleon on May 7, 1808, at the Castle of Marracq in Bayonne, France, where Napoleon forced them both to abdicate their rights to the Spanish throne, declared the Bourbon dynasty of Spain deposed, and installed his brother Joseph as King of Spain.

Joseph and Julie, circa 1811

Julie never lived in or even traveled to Spain, preferring to live in Paris or Mortefontaine Castle (link in French) in France. In Spain, she was referred to as Reina Ausent, The Absent Queen, but Julie was given all the honors of a Queen of Spain at Napoleon’s court. Through her correspondence with Joseph, Julie informed him of Napoleon’s plans for Spain. She warned Joseph that Napoleon would never allow Spain to be too independent and that he should do everything possible to control Spain, especially its finances and army.

Immediately after Joseph was proclaimed King of Spain, uprisings broke out and resistance against him spread, leading to a guerrilla war that overshadowed Joseph’s entire reign. The resistance against Joseph made it nearly impossible for him to reign. In addition, Portugal and the United Kingdom came to the aid of the Spanish guerrilla forces in the Peninsular War. Due to the defeats in the Peninsular War, Napoleon was forced to reinstate Ferdinand VII as King of Spain and to make peace via the 1813 Treaty of Valençay.

Napoleon’s quest for power led to wars throughout a large part of Europe. In 1814, Paris was captured by the coalition fighting against Napoleon and his marshals decided to mutiny. Napoleon had no choice but to abdicate. The 1814 Treaty of Fontainebleau exiled Napoleon to the Mediterranean island of Elba, 12 miles/20 km off the coast of Tuscany, Italy.

After the first fall of Napoleon in 1814, Joseph and his daughters went into exile at Prangins Castle in Switzerland, which Julie had purchased. Julie remained in Paris because of the illness of her mother, who died in 1815. While in Paris, Julie was arrested because of her relationship to the exiled Napoleon and was brought before King Louis XVIII of France, the new king installed during the Bourbon Restoration, and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia. Only through the intervention of her brother-in-law Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, then Crown Prince Carl Johan of Sweden, was Julie freed.

Napoleon escaped from the island of Elba on February 26, 1815, and arrived in France two days later. He attempted to regain power during the Reign of the Hundred Days but was ultimately defeated at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815. Napoleon was exiled to the island of Saint Helena, a British possession, in the Atlantic Ocean, 1162 miles/1,870 km from the west coast of Africa, where he died in 1821. After Napoleon’s final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, Joseph Bonaparte emigrated to the United States, where he first lived in New York City and then in Philadelphia. He then purchased an estate, Point Breeze, in Bordentown, New Jersey, on the Delaware River. Joseph had two American daughters born at Point Breeze, by his mistress Annette Savage.

Julie in exile in Florence by Michel Ghislain Stapleaux, 1834; Credit – Wikipedia

Julie did not accompany her husband Joseph to the United States. Her sister Désirée, who was then Crown Princess of Sweden, wanted to bring Julie and her daughters to Sweden but Désirée’s husband Crown Prince Carl Johan thought it was politically unwise. Julie was a member of the Bonaparte family and her living in Sweden might be interpreted as a sign that Crown Prince Carl Johan had sided with the deposed Napoleon. Instead, Julie settled with her daughters in the Free City of Frankfurt (now in Germany), Brussels, Belgium, and then finally in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy, at the Palazzo Serristori, near the residence of her brother-in-law Camillo Borghese, 6th Prince of Sulmona, the second husband of Joseph’s sister Pauline.

Joseph Bonaparte in 1832, the year he returned to Europe; Credit – Wikipedia

Julie’s husband Joseph stayed in the United States for seventeen years before returning to Europe in 1832, where he lived in London, England. He occasionally returned to his estate in the United States. In 1840, Joseph joined Julie in Florence. Julie accepted him back despite his adultery. On July 28, 1844, Joseph died in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy, at the age of seventy-six. Julie survived him by eight months dying in Florence on April 7, 1845, aged seventy-three. They were buried next to each other at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy.

Tomb of Julie Clary Bonaparte; Credit – By Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada – Italy-1089 – Marie Julie Bonaparte, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64847474

In 1864, Joseph’s remains were brought back to France by his nephew Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, and interred in Les Invalides in Paris, France where his brother Napoleon I was interred. The remains of Julie are still at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy beside the remains of her daughter Charlotte, who died in 1839, aged 36, giving birth to a stillborn child.

Tomb of Joseph Bonaparte; Credit – By Jean-Pol GRANDMONT – Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=91124533

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

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Joseph Bonaparte, King of Spain, King of Naples, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/joseph-bonaparte-king-of-spain-king-of-naples (Accessed: February 1, 2023).
  • François Clary (2022) geni_family_tree. Available at: https://www.geni.com/people/Fran%C3%A7ois-Clary/6000000003004013794 (Accessed: February 1, 2023).
  • François Clary (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Clary (Accessed: February 1, 2023).
  • Julie Clary (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Clary (Accessed: February 1, 2023).
  • Julie Clary (2022) Wikipedia (Italian). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Clary (Accessed: February 1, 2023).
  • Julia Clary (2023) Wikipedia (Spanish). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Clary (Accessed: February 1, 2023).
  • Mehl, Scott. (2015) Désirée Clary, Queen Desideria of Sweden and Norway, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/desiree-clary-queen-of-sweden/ (Accessed: February 1, 2023).

Joseph Bonaparte, King of Spain, King of Naples

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Joseph Bonaparte; Credit – Wikipedia

Joseph Bonaparte, the older brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, was King of Naples from 1806 – 1808 and King of Spain from 1808 – 1813. Born Guiseppe Buonaparte, later Frenchified to Joseph Bonaparte, on January 7, 1768, in Corte on the island of Corsica, now in France, Joseph was the third of the twelve children and the eldest of the five sons of Carlo Buonaparte, a lawyer and diplomat, and Maria Letizia Ramolino. In the year of Joseph’s birth, the island of Corsica was invaded by France and conquered the following year. Joseph’s father was originally a follower of the Corsican patriots but became a supporter of the French.

Joseph had eleven siblings and eight survived childhood. Notice the titles of the siblings, given to them by their brother Napoleon I, Emperor of the French.

Maison Bonaparte, where Joseph grew up; Credit – By Jean-Pol GRANDMONT – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4400916

Joseph spent his childhood at the Bonaparte family home Maison Bonaparte on the Rue Saint-Charles in Ajaccio, Corsica. Maison Bonaparte was continuously owned by members of the Bonaparte family from 1682 to 1923. As part of the 1768 Treaty of Versailles, the Republic of Genoa ceded the island of Corsica to France to repay its debts. Joseph and his brother Napoleon attended the College of Oratorians, a secondary school, in Autun, France through a royal grant for impoverished French nobles. Joseph was originally going to be a priest but instead studied law at the University of Pisa where his father had also studied law.

After graduating from the University of Pisa in 1788, Joseph returned to Ajaccio in Corsica and worked as a lawyer. Starting in 1789, the French Revolution brought major changes to France. The French First Republic was declared in September 1792, and Joseph was elected chairman of the district council of Ajaccio. His brother Napoleon joined the French army and quickly advanced. During the latter part of the French Revolution, Napoleon rose to prominence and in 1799, at the age of 30 was the First Consul of France. Eventually, Napoleon was created First Consul for life. Joseph’s fortunes rose along with his brother’s.

On August 1, 1794, Joseph married Julie Clary, the daughter of François Clary, a wealthy merchant. Julie’s sister Désirée Clary, once engaged to Joseph’s brother Napoleon, married Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, a noted French general and a Marshal of France. In 1810, Désirée’s husband was elected Crown Prince of Sweden, and Jean Baptiste Bernadotte eventually became King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden. Their descendants have reigned in Sweden ever since as the House of Bernadotte.

Julie with her daughters Zénaïde and Charlotte; Credit – Wikipedia

Joseph and Julie had three daughters:

Joseph as King of Naples; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1804, when Joseph’s brother Napoleon declared himself Emperor of the French, Joseph and his siblings became Imperial Princes and Princesses. Napoleon sent Joseph to Naples in 1806 to expel the Bourbons ruling there because they had sided against him in the War of the Third Coalition. After a successful French invasion, Napoleon proclaimed Joseph as King of Naples. However, Napoleon became increasingly dissatisfied with his brother, and in 1808, he was replaced as King of Naples by Joachim Murat, the husband of Caroline Bonaparte, Joseph and Napoleon’s sister.

While Joseph was King of Naples, he had a son and a daughter from his affair with Maria Giulia Colonna, daughter of Andrea Colonna, 3rd Prince of Stigliano and wife of Giangirolamo Acquaviva d’Aragona, 11th Duke of Nardò:

  • Giulio Acquaviva d’Aragona y Colonna (1806 – 1838)
  • Maria Teresa Acquaviva d’Aragona Colonna (born and died 1808)

Joseph as in his coronation robes as King of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Meanwhile in Spain, after riots and a revolt, King Carlos IV of Spain was forced to abdicate in favor of his son King Fernando VII on March 19, 1808. Napoleon saw the weaknesses in the Spanish monarchy and decided to make a move. Carlos IV and his son Fernando VII were summoned to a meeting with Napoleon on May 7, 1808, at the Castle of Marracq in Bayonne, France. Napoleon forced them both to abdicate, then he declared the Bourbon dynasty of Spain deposed and installed his brother Joseph as King of Spain. Immediately after Joseph was proclaimed King of Spain, uprisings broke out and resistance against him spread, leading to a guerrilla war that overshadowed Joseph’s entire reign. The resistance against Joseph made it nearly impossible for him to reign. In addition, Portugal and the United Kingdom came to the aid of the Spanish guerrilla forces in the Peninsular War. Due to the defeats in the Peninsular War, Napoleon was forced to reinstate Ferdinand VII as King of Spain and to make peace via the 1813 Treaty of Valençay.

Napoleon’s quest for power led to wars throughout a large part of Europe. In 1814, Paris was captured by the coalition fighting against Napoleon and his marshals decided to mutiny. Napoleon had no choice but to abdicate. The 1814 Treaty of Fontainebleau exiled Napoleon to the Mediterranean island of Elba, 12 miles/20 km off the coast of Tuscany, Italy. Napoleon escaped from Elba on February 26, 1815, and arrived in France two days later. He attempted to regain power during the Reign of the Hundred Days, but he was ultimately defeated at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815, by a coalition of forces from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Hanover, Nassau, Brunswick, and Prussia. Napoléon was exiled to the island of Saint Helena, a British possession, in the Atlantic Ocean, 1162 miles/1,870 km from the west coast of Africa, where he died in 1821.

After the first fall of Napoleon, Joseph went into exile at Prangins Castle in Switzerland, which his wife Julie had purchased. During the Reign of the Hundred Days, Joseph went to Paris where he conducted government affairs for his brother Napoleon. After Napoleon’s final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Joseph emigrated to the United States. His wife Julie did not accompany him. Instead, she settled with her two daughters in the Free City of Frankfurt (now in Germany), Brussels, Belgium, and then Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy. Joseph first lived in New York City and then in Philadelphia. He then purchased an estate, Point Breeze, in Bordentown, New Jersey, on the Delaware River. Joseph’s homes became meeting places for other Napoleonic exiles. At Point Breeze, Joseph entertained many of the leading American intellectuals and politicians of the time.

Point Breeze, the estate of Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte in Bordentown, New Jersey; Credit – Wikipedia

Joseph had two American daughters born at Point Breeze, his estate in Bordentown, New Jersey, by his mistress Annette Savage:

  • Pauline Anne Savage, died young
  • Catherine Charlotte Savage (1822 – 1890), married Colonel Zebulon Howell Benton of Jefferson County, New York, had four daughters and three sons

Joseph at Point Breeze, painted during a visit to Point Breeze in New Jersey; Credit – Wikipedia

Joseph stayed in the United States for seventeen years before returning to Europe in 1832, when he lived in London, England. He occasionally returned to his estate in the United States. In 1840, Joseph joined his wife Julie in Florence. Julie accepted him back despite his adultery. On July 28, 1844, Joseph died in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy, at the age of seventy-six. Julie survived him by eight months dying in Florence on April 7, 1845, aged seventy-three. They were buried next to each other at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence.

Tomb of Julie Clary Bonaparte; Credit – By Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada – Italy-1089 – Marie Julie Bonaparte, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64847474

In 1864, Joseph’s remains were brought back to France by his nephew Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, and interred in Les Invalides in Paris, France where his brother Napoleon I was interred. The remains of Joseph’s wife Julie are still at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy beside the remains of her daughter Charlotte, who died in 1839, aged 36, giving birth to a stillborn child.

Tomb of Joseph Bonaparte; Credit – By Jean-Pol GRANDMONT – Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=91124533

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

  • Carlo Buonaparte (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Buonaparte (Accessed: January 27, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2016) Napoléon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/napoleon-bonaparte-emperor-of-the-french/ (Accessed: January 27, 2023).
  • Joseph Bonaparte (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Bonaparte (Accessed: January 27, 2023).
  • Joseph Bonaparte (2022) Wikipedia (French). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Bonaparte (Accessed: January 27, 2023).
  • Joseph Bonaparte (2022) Wikipedia (German). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Bonaparte (Accessed: January 27, 2023).
  • Joseph I Bonaparte, King of Spain and Naples (2022) geni_family_tree. Available at: https://www.geni.com/people/Joseph-I-Bonaparte-king-of-Spain-and-Naples/6000000006187372389 (Accessed: January 27, 2023).
  • Julie Clary (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Clary (Accessed: January 27, 2023).

Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia in 1938

Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia was the pretender to the throne of Russia from 1938 – 1992.

About the Russian Succession

Russian Imperial Coat of Arms; Credit – Wikipedia

The succession to the former Russian throne has been in dispute, mainly due to disagreements over the validity of marriages. In 1924, after Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich (son of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and brother of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia) was declared legally dead, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, a male-line grandson of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, declared himself Guardian of the Throne and later assumed the title Emperor of All Russia. In 1938, upon the death of Kirill Vladimirovich, his son Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich assumed the Headship of the Russian Imperial Family.

Vladimir Kirillovich’s only child, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna (born 1953), claims to have succeeded her father upon his death in 1992. Her claim to the Headship of the Russian Imperial Family is based on a claim that all male lines of the Romanov family are either extinct, illegitimate, or morganatic, triggering semi-salic succession, and that she is the closest female to the last dynast. The claim of Maria Vladimirovna as Head of the Russian Imperial Family is disputed by the Romanov Family Association made up of the majority of the male-line descendants of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna and father Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich, male-line descendants of Nicholas I, never joined.

Pre-revolutionary Romanov house law allowed only those born of an equal marriage between a Romanov dynast and a member of a royal or sovereign house to be in the line of succession to the Russian throne. The throne could only pass to a female and through the female line upon the extinction of all legitimately-born, male dynasts.

Maria Vladimiovna’s mother Princess Leonida of Bagration belonged to a family that had been kings in Georgia from medieval times until the early 19th century. However, no male line ancestor of Leonida had reigned as a king in Georgia since 1505 and her branch of the Bagrations, the House of Mukhrani, had been naturalized as non-ruling nobility of Russia after Georgia was annexed to the Russian empire in 1801. Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen, another pretender, and his supporters, the Monarchist Party of Russia, argue that there is a precedent for a marriage with the House of Bagration-Mukhrani being an unequal marriage. They argue that the House of Bragation-Mukhrani, the house of Leonida Bagration-Mukhrani, Maria Vladimirovna’s mother, did not possess sovereign status and was not recognized as an equal marriage by Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia for the purpose of dynastic marriages at the time of the marriage of Princess Tatiana Konstantinovna of Russia and Prince Konstantine Bragation-Mukhrani in 1911, thirty-seven years before the marriage of Princess Leonida of Bragation-Mukhrani and Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich. The couple married but Princess Tatiana Konstantinovna was required to renounce her rights to the Russian throne and she was no longer a member of the House of Romanov.

Therefore, after the death of Vladimir Kirillovich in 1992, Prince Nicholas Romanov claimed that he was the Head of the Imperial Family of Russia. Except for Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, who said that the marriage of Nicholas’ parents was not in conformity with the house laws, Nicholas was recognized by the rest of the family as head of the Romanov family. However, Maria Vladimirovna seems to be more accepted by European royalty and she is sometimes invited to royal events. She attended the 2023 funeral of former King Constantine II of Greece.

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Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia was born on August 30, 1917, in Porvoo, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire, now in Finland. He was the third of the three children and the only son of first cousins Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia and Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a granddaughter of both Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Alexander, Emperor II of All Russia. Vladimir’s paternal grandparents were Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia (son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia) and Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. His maternal grandparents were Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (son of Queen Victoria) and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (daughter of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia).

Vladimir’s family: (left to right) Maria Kirillovna, Victoria Melita, Kirill Vladimirovich holding Vladimir Kirillovich, and Kira Kirillovna; Credit – Wikipedia

Vladimir had two older sisters:

Vladimir had one half-sister from his mother’s first marriage, which ended in divorce, to her first cousin Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine:

Soon after the abdication of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia in March 1917, Vladimir’s parents Kirill and Victoria Melita, known in Russia as Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna, decided it was best to leave Russia. Victoria Melita was pregnant with Vladimir. They traveled to Finland, then part of Russia, where Vladimir was born on August 30, 1917. In the fall of 1919, they moved to Germany where they reunited with Vladimir’s maternal grandmother Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia who was the widow of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

After the death of Victoria Melita’s mother in 1920, Kirill and Victoria Melita now had two homes at their disposal, a villa in Nice, France and the Villa Edinburg, which later became known as the Kirill Palace, in Coburg, formerly in the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany. For the next several years, the family split their time between the two homes. In 1924, when Kirill assumed the title Emperor of All Russia, he granted Vladimir the style Imperial Highness and the titles Grand Duke and Tsesarevich (heir apparent). In 1926, the family moved for the last time, purchasing a villa in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer on the coast of Brittany in France. Here the family settled into a quiet life, while Victoria Melita put her energies into raising her son Vladimir and ensuring her two daughters made significant marriages.

Vladimir’s family in 1926: (left to right) Vladimir Kirillovich, Victoria Melita, Kira Kirillovna, Kirill Vladimirovich; Credit – Wikipedia

Vladimir was educated privately and was fluent in Russian, English, French, German, and Spanish. He lived in London, England for a period of time, studying at the University of London. Vladimir’s mother Victoria Melita suffered a stroke in February 1936, while attending the christening of her fifth grandchild, and died on March 1, 1936.

Vladimir (in the center) in Paris, France in 1938

Upon the death of his father Kirill on October 12, 1938, the 21-year-old Vladimir was recognized as the Head of the Russian Imperial House by the Grand Dukes and Princes of Imperial Blood behind him in order of dynastic seniority and by the majority of the reigning houses of Europe. Unlike his father, Vladimir did not proclaim himself Emperor of All Russia. Instead, he used the style and title His Imperial Highness The Sovereign Grand Duke for the rest of his life.

During World War II, Vladimir lived in the family villa in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer on the coast of Brittany in France. However, in 1944, the Germans, who had occupied the area, feared the Allies might invade the Brittany coast, Vladimir and other family members were moved to the interior of France. When the interior of France was deemed unsafe, Vladimir and family members were allowed to move to Amorbach Castle in Amorbach, Bavaria, Germany which had long belonged to the family of Vladimir’s brother-in-law Karl, 6th Prince of Leiningen.

After Germany’s defeat in World War II, Vladimir feared that he might be captured by the Soviet army. For his safety from the Soviets, Vladimir wanted to settle in Liechtenstein or Switzerland. However, neither country would give him an entrance visa. Vladimir’s maternal aunt Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha had married Infante Alfonso of Spain, Duke of Galliera, the first cousin of King Alfonso XIII of Spain. Beatrice was able to obtain a Spanish visa for Vladimir. After living with his aunt at her estate El Botánico in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain, Vladimir settled in Madrid, Spain, but frequently visited the family villa in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer, Brittany France, and Paris, France.

Princess Leonida Georgievna Bagration-Mukhrani; Credit – Wikipedia

Vladimir first met his future wife Princess Leonida Georgievna Bagration-Mukhrani at a restaurant in Paris, France during World War II. They did not meet again until they were both staying in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain. Leonida was the daughter of Prince George Alexandrovich Bagration-Mukhrani, a Georgian nobleman, and Elena Sigismundovna Zlotnitskaya, the daughter of a Russian nobleman of Polish origin. Leonida had been married to Sumner Moore Kirby, a wealthy American in 1934. They had one daughter Helen Louise Kirby and divorced after three years of marriage. Vladimir and Leonida were married on August 13, 1948, at St. Gerasimus Orthodox Church in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Vladimir and Leonida had one daughter:

Pre-revolutionary Romanov house law allowed only those born of an equal marriage between a Romanov dynast and a member of a royal or sovereign house to be in the line of succession to the Russian throne. Princess Leonida of Bagration belonged to a family that had been kings in Georgia from medieval times until the early 19th century. However, no male line ancestor of Leonida had reigned as a king in Georgia since 1505 and her branch of the Bagrations, the House of Mukhrani, had been naturalized as non-ruling nobility of Russia after Georgia was annexed to the Russian empire in 1801. There is controversy as to whether Vladimir’s marriage to Leonida was equal or morganatic.

By the end of Vladimir’s life, there were no longer members of the Russian Imperial House in the male line who were not in unequal, dynastic marriages. Children from such marriages, according to the laws of the Russian Empire and the Institution of the Russian Imperial Family, are not members of the Russian Imperial House. Vladimir declared his daughter Maria Vladimirovna was born from an equal marriage and that she was his heiress.

Vladimir and his wife Leonida visiting St. Petersburg, Russia in 1991

After the Soviet Union fell in 1991, Vladimir was the first member of the Russian Imperial Family to visit Russia. Upon arriving, as he set foot on the land of his ancestors, where he had never been, he was moved to tears.

Funeral of Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich

Vladimir frequently traveled to the United States. On April 21, 1992, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich died from a heart attack at the age of 74 while addressing a gathering of Spanish-speaking bankers and investors at Northern Trust Bank in Miami, Florida. Vladimir was buried in the Grand Ducal Mausoleum at the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, Russia, the first Romanov to be buried in Russia since the Russian Revolution. At that time, it was noted in the Russian press, that the funeral “was regarded by civic and Russian authorities as an obligation to the Romanov family rather than a step toward restoration of the monarchy.”

Grave of Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia; Credit – www.findagrave.com The inscription reads: Reads: His Imperial Highness the Blessed Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich Born in Borgo, 1917 August 30th Died in Miami, 1992 April 21st Interred 1993 May 29th

After the death of Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich, his only child, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna claims to have succeeded her father. Her claim to the Headship of the Russian Imperial Family is based on a claim that all male lines of the Romanov family are either extinct, illegitimate, or morganatic, triggering semi-salic succession, and that she is the closest female to the last dynast. Maria Vladimirovna’s claim is disputed by the Romanov Family Association, a private organization of living male-line descendants of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia (except Maria Vladimirovna and her son). Prince Nicholas Romanov claimed that he was the Head of the Russian Imperial Family. Except for Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, who said that the marriage of Nicholas’ parents was not in conformity with the house laws, Nicholas was recognized by the rest of the Romanov family as the Head of the Russian Imperial Family.

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

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2012) Romanovs Who Survived the Russian Revolution, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/former-monarchies/the-romanovs/romanov-survivors/ (Accessed: February 18, 2023).
  • Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duke_Vladimir_Kirillovich_of_Russia (Accessed: February 18, 2023).
  • Романов, Владимир Кириллович (Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia) (2022) Wikipedia (Russian). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2,_%D0%92%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80_%D0%9A%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87 (Accessed: February 18, 2023).
  • Leonida Bagration of Mukhrani (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonida_Bagration_of_Mukhrani (Accessed: February 18, 2023).
  • Багратион-Мухранская, Леонида Георгиевна (Bagration-Mukhranskaya, Leonida Georgievna) (2023) Wikipedia (Russian). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B0%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BD-%D0%9C%D1%83%D1%85%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F,_%D0%9B%D0%B5%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B0_%D0%93%D0%B5%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B3%D0%B8%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B0 (Accessed: February 18, 2023).
  • Mehl, Scott. (2015) Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/grand-duke-kirill-vladimirovich-of-russia/ (Accessed: February 18, 2023).
  • Mehl, Scott. (2015) Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna of Russia, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-victoria-melita-of-edinburgh-and-saxe-coburg-and-gotha-grand-duchess-victoria-feodorovna-of-russia/ (Accessed: February 18, 2023).
  • Perry, John Curtis and Pleshakov, Constantine. (2001) The flight of the Romanovs: A Family Saga. New York: Basic Books.
  • Vladimir Kirillovitch de Russie (2023) Wikipedia (French). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Kirillovitch_de_Russie (Accessed: February 18, 2023).

Maria Luisa of Parma, Queen of Spain

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Maria Luisa of Parma, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Luisa of Parma, the wife of King Carlos IV of Spain, was born on December 9, 1751, in Parma, Duchy of Parma, now in Italy. She was the youngest of the three children and the second of the two daughters of Felipe, Infante of Spain, Duke of Parma (founder of the House of Bourbon-Parma) and Louise Élisabeth of France. Maria Luisa’s paternal grandparents were King Felipe V of Spain and his second wife Elisabeth Farnese of Parma. King Felipe V, the founder of the Spanish House of Bourbon, was born a French prince, Philippe, Duke of Anjou, the second son of Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, who was the son and heir apparent of King Louis XIV of France. Her maternal grandparents were King Louis XV of France and Maria Leszczyńska. Maria Luisa was given the names Luisa Maria Teresa Anna for her maternal grandparents and her mother’s twin sister Anne Henriette of France. Called Luisa by her family, she is known in history as Maria Luisa.

Left to Right: Maria Luisa’s brother Ferdinando, Maria Luisa, her mother Louise Élisabeth of France, her father Felipe, Duke of Parma, her older sister Isabella of Parma, and the children’s governess Marie Catherine de Bassecourt, Marchioness of Borghetto (on the right); Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Luisa had two older siblings:

Maria Luisa of Parma, circa 1765; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Luisa’s French mother wanted to arrange a betrothal between Maria Luisa and her first cousin Louis Joseph, Duke of Burgundy. Louis Joseph was the same age as Maria Luisa, was also a grandchild of King Louis XV of France, and was second in the line of the French succession after his father Louis, Dauphin of France. However, neither of them became King of France. Ten-year-old Louis Joseph died from tuberculosis in 1761 and four years later, his father Louis, Dauphin of France also died from tuberculosis.

Maria Luisa’s husband, the future King Carlos IV of Spain, circa 1765; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1762, Maria Luisa was betrothed to her first cousin, the future King Carlos IV of Spain, the son of King Carlos III of Spain and Maria Amalia of Saxony. The marriage was intended to strengthen the relationships between the Bourbons ruling in Spain and Parma. When Maria Luisa’s older sister Isabella died in 1763 from smallpox, it was suggested that Maria Luisa should marry her sister’s widower, the future Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II. However, the match was eventually rejected and the betrothal of Maria Luisa and Carlos was confirmed. The not-quite-seventeen-year-old Carlos and the not-quite fourteen-year-old Maria Luisa were married on September 4, 1765, at the La Granja Palace in San Ildefonso, Spain.

The Family of Carlos IV by Francisco de Goya, circa 1800. L to R: Infante Carlos, Count of Molina; the artist Francisco de Goya at the easel; the future King Fernando VII, Infanta Maria Josepha (sister of Carlos IV); a young woman whose face cannot be seen who is representing the future wife of King Fernando VII; Infanta Maria Isabel; Maria Luisa of Parma, Queen of Portugal; Infante Francisco de Paula; King Carlos IV; Infante Antonio Pascual (brother of Carlos IV); Carlota Joaquina or her sister Infanta Maria Amalia; Carlo Ludovico of Parma (husband of Maria Luisa); Infanta Maria Luisa; child in the arms of Maria Luisa, her son, the future Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Luisa had twenty-three pregnancies. Thirteen of the pregnancies resulted in live births, including a set of twins. The other ten pregnancies ended in miscarriages. Of the fourteen children who were born alive, only seven survived childhood:

Upon her arrival at the Spanish court, Maria Luisa immediately became the first lady of the court. Maria Amalia of Saxony, Queen of Spain, the mother of her husband, had died from tuberculosis in 1760, and Maria Luisa’s father-in-law King Carlos III never remarried. It was obvious that Maria Luisa was intelligent and ambitious, and had a dominant personality, and her father-in-law attempted to control her and limit her personal freedom, but with little success. Maria Luisa was strong and intellectual and she completely controlled her husband. During the reign of her father-in-law King Carlos III, Maria Luisa led her husband into all sorts of court intrigues.

Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy who ran the Spanish government with Queen Maria Luisa; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 14, 1788, King Carlos III of Spain died and was succeeded by his son as King Carlos IV of Spain. Carlos IV would rather hunt than deal with government affairs and the running of the government was left mostly to Queen Maria Luisa and Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy. It is probable that de Godoy had a long-term relationship with Maria Luisa and that he was the father of her youngest son Francisco de Paula.

King Carlos IV and Queen Maria Luisa, circa 1802; Credit – Wikipedia

The view of the Spanish monarchy among the Spanish people took a rapid decline due to economic troubles, rumors about a relationship between Queen Maria Luisa and de Godoy, and King Carlos IV’s incompetence. Carlos IV’s eldest son and heir Fernando, Prince of Asturias
was anxious to take over from his father and jealous of Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy. He unsuccessfully attempted to overthrow his father in 1807. After riots and a revolt, King Carlos IV was forced to abdicate in favor of his son King Fernando VII on March 19, 1808. However, less than two months later, Carlos IV and his son Fernando VII were summoned to a meeting with Napoleon I, Emperor of the French on May 7, 1808, at the Castle of Marracq in Bayonne, France, where he forced them both to abdicate, declared the Bourbon dynasty of Spain deposed, and installed his brother Joseph Bonaparte as King of Spain.

Carlos IV’s eldest son and heir Fernando as Prince of Asturias, later King Fernando VII of Spain by Francisco de Goya, 1800; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Luisa, her husband the former King Carlos IV, some of their children, and former Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy were held captive first in France, at Compiègne and Fontainebleau, and then in Marseilles and Nice, and finally in Rome, then in the Papal States, now in Italy. Napoleon kept Carlos and Maria Luisa’s son Fernando VII under guard in France for more than five years at the Château de Valençay in France until the Treaty of Valençay on December 11, 1813, provided for the restoration of Fernando VII as King of Spain.

Even after the final defeat of Napoleon in 1815, King Fernando VII refused to allow his parents to return to Spain. Maria Luisa and Carlos IV settled in Rome at the Palazzo Barberini. On January 2, 1819, at the age of sixty-seven, Maria Luisa died from pneumonia. Her husband Carlos IV died just eighteen days later, on January 20, 1819, aged seventy. Their son King Fernando VII allowed them to return to Spain in death. They were both interred in the Pantheon of Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial in El Escorial, Spain.

Tomb of Maria Luisa of Parka, Queen of Spain; Credit – www.findagrave.com

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

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Carlos IV, King of Spain. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/carlos-iv-king-of-spain/ (Accessed: January 27, 2023).
  • Maria Luisa of Parma (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Luisa_of_Parma (Accessed: January 27, 2023).
  • María Luisa de Parma (2023) Wikipedia (Spanish). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADa_Luisa_de_Parma (Accessed: January 27, 2023).
  • Philip, Duke of Parma (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip,_Duke_of_Parma (Accessed: January 27, 2023).

Maria Amalia of Saxony, Queen of Spain, Queen of Naples and Sicily

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Maria Amalia of Saxony, Queen of Spain, Queen of Naples & Sicily; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Amalia of Saxony was the wife of King Carlos III of Spain who also was King Carlo VII of Naples from 1735 – 1759 and King Carlo V of Sicily from 1734 – 1759. Born on November 24, 1724, at Dresden Castle, in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony, Maria Amalia Christina Franziska Xaveria Flora Walburga was a Princess of Poland and a Princess of Saxony. She was the fourth of the fourteen children and the eldest of the seven daughters of Augustus III, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, who was also Friedrich August II, Elector of Saxony, and Archduchess Maria Josepha of Austria. Maria Amalia’s paternal grandparents were Augustus II, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, who was also Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony, and Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth. Her maternal grandparents were Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I and Wilhelmine Amalie of Brunswick -Lüneburg.

Maria Amalia had thirteen siblings:

Dresden Castle where Maria Amalia was born and raised; Credit – By X-Weinzar – Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7530258

Maria Amalia was raised at her father’s court at Dresden Castle in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony. She received instruction in foreign languages, mathematics, foreign cultures, theater, and dancing. Maria Amalia was also an excellent musician and sang and played the piano from an early age.

Maria Amalia’s husband Carlos as King of Naples and Sicily; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1738, a marriage was arranged for fourteen-year-old Maria Amalia and twenty-two-year-old Carlos of Spain, then sovereign of two Italian kingdoms as King Carlo VII of Naples and King Carlo V of Sicily. Carlos was the eldest son of Felipe V, the first Bourbon King of Spain and his second wife ​Elisabeth Farnese of Parma, who had arranged the marriage. Carlos was not expected to become King of Spain because he had two elder surviving brothers from his father’s first marriage to Maria Luisa of Savoy.

On May 8, 1738, a proxy marriage was held in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, now in Germany with the bride’s brother Friedrich Christian of Saxony standing in for Carlos. Shortly afterward, Maria Amalia traveled to the Kingdom of Naples, and on June 19, 1738, at Portella, a village on the border of the Kingdom of Naples, Carlos and Maria Amalia met for the first time and were married.

Three children of Maria Amalia and Carlos: Francisco Javier, Maria Luisa, and Carlos III’s successor, the future King Carlos IV; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Amalia and Carlos had thirteen children but only seven survived childhood. Their children who were born before Carlos became King of Spain were Princes and Princesses of Naples and Sicily. Their children who survived until Carlos became King of Spain were then Infantes and Infantas of Spain.

Royal Palace of Caserta in Caserta, Italy; Credit – By Carlo Pelagalli, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52612424

As Queen of Naples and Sicily, Maria Amalia had great influence and actively participated in state affairs. After the birth of her first son in 1747, she was given a seat on the council of state. Maria Amalia ended the careers of several politicians she disliked. She played an important role in the planning and construction of the Royal Palace of Caserta.

Maria Amalia’s in-laws: King Felipe V of Spain and Elisabeth Farnese of Parma, Queen of Spain in 1739

Carlos’ father Felipe V, King of Spain died of a stroke at the age of 62 on July 9, 1746, and Carlos’ only surviving elder half-brother Fernando succeeded to the Spanish throne as Fernando VI, King of Spain, and reigned for thirteen years. However, Fernando’s marriage to Barbara of Portugal produced no children, and so upon his death in 1759, his elder surviving half-brother, Maria Amalia’s husband Carlos, succeeded him as King Carlos III of Spain. With great sadness, by both Carlos and the people of Naples and Sicily, Carlos abdicated the thrones of Naples and Sicily in favor of his eight-year-old third son Ferdinando with a regency council ruling until his sixteenth birthday.

Maria Amalia, her husband, and their surviving children moved from Naples to Madrid, Spain in the autumn of 1759. Besides leaving their third son Ferdinando who was now King of Naples and Sicily, they left their eldest son Felipe who was excluded from the succession due to learning disabilities and epilepsy. Felipe lived hidden away at the Palace of Portici in the Kingdom of Naples, occasionally being visited by his brother King Ferdinando. Felipe died, aged 30, in 1777, from smallpox.

Maria Amalia had lived in her husband’s Italian kingdoms for twenty-one years and did not like Spain. She complained about the food, the language, which she refused to learn, the climate, the Spaniards, whom she regarded as passive, and the Spanish courtiers, whom she regarded as ignorant and uneducated. She planned reforms for the Spanish court but did not have time to complete them.

A posthumous portrait of Maria Amalia, circa 1761; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 27, 1760, a year after arriving in Spain, 35-year-old Maria Amalia died from tuberculosis at the Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid, Spain. She was buried in the Pantheon of Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial. Upon Maria Amalia’s death, her husband Carlos said, “In twenty-two years of marriage, this is the first serious upset that Amalia has given me.” After Maria Amalia’s death, Carlos remained unmarried. He survived his wife by twenty-eight years, dying, aged 72, on December 14, 1788, at the Royal Palace of Madrid in Spain. He was buried in the Pantheon of Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial.

Tomb of Maria Amalia of Saxony, Queen of Spain; Credit – www.findagrave.com

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

Works Cited

  • Augustus III of Poland (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_III_of_Poland (Accessed: January 2, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Carlos III, King of Spain, Duke of Parma and Piacenza, King of Naples, King of Sicily, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/carlos-iii-king-of-spain-duke-of-parma-and-piacenza-king-of-naples-king-of-sicily/ (Accessed: January 2, 2023).
  • María Amalia de Sajonia (2022) Wikipedia (Spanish). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADa_Amalia_de_Sajonia (Accessed: January 2, 2023).
  • Maria Amalia di Sassonia (2022) Wikipedia (Italian). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Amalia_di_Sassonia (Accessed: January 2, 2023).
  • Maria Amalia of Saxony (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Amalia_of_Saxony (Accessed: January 2, 2023).
  • Maria Amalia von Sachsen (1724–1760) (2023) Wikipedia (German). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Amalia_von_Sachsen_(1724%E2%80%931760) (Accessed: January 2, 2023).

Blanche of England, Countess Palatine

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Painting of Blanche in the chancel of the Church of St. Aegidius in Neustadt, Germany where she is buried; Credit – Wikipedia

Blanche of England was born in the spring of 1392 at Peterborough Castle in Peterborough, England. She was the fifth of the six children and the elder of the two daughters of King Henry IV of England and his first wife the wealthy heiress Mary de Bohun, Countess of Northampton, Countess of Derby. Blanche’s paternal grandparents were John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, (the third surviving son of King Edward III of England) and Blanche of Lancaster, Duchess of Lancaster, her namesake and the heiress of England’s wealthiest and most powerful peer, Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster. It was through Blanche of Lancaster that the Duchy of Lancaster came into the royal family. Since the reign of King Henry IV, the Duchy of Lancaster has provided a source of independent income to the British sovereign. Blanche’s maternal grandparents were Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford, and Joan FitzAlan, daughter of Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel and 8th Earl of Surrey.  When Blanche was two years old, her mother died while giving birth to her last child Philippa.

Blanche had five siblings:

In 1398, Blanche’s father, then known as Henry of Bolingbroke because he was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, England, quarreled with Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, who accused him of treason. The two men planned to duel, but instead, Henry’s first cousin King Richard II banished them from England. John of Gaunt died on February 3, 1399, and Richard II confiscated the estates of his uncle and stipulated that his cousin Henry would have to ask him to restore the estates. Henry returned to England while his cousin Richard II was on a military campaign in Ireland and began a military campaign of his own, confiscating the land of those who had opposed him. King Richard II eventually was abandoned by his supporters and was forced by Parliament on September 29, 1399, to abdicate the crown to his cousin Henry.  King Henry IV was crowned in Westminster Abbey on October 13, 1399.  Richard was imprisoned at Pontefract Castle in Yorkshire where he died on or around February 14, 1400. The exact cause of his death, thought to have been starvation, is unknown.

In 1403, Blanche’s father King Henry IV married again to Joan of Navarre, the widow of Jean IV, Duke of Brittany, and the daughter of Charles II, King of Navarre and Jeanne of Valois. Henry IV and Joan had no children but Joan got along well with her stepchildren.

After King Henry IV deposed his first cousin King Richard II, it was important for him to legitimize his rule. Ruprecht III, Elector Palatine and King of the Romans was a needed ally. A marriage between Ruprecht’s eldest surviving son and heir Ludwig, Count Palatine, the future Ludwig III, Elector Palatine, and Henry IV’s eldest daughter Blanche was arranged. The marriage contract was signed on March 7, 1401. Ten-year-old Blanche married twenty-four-year Ludwig on July 6, 1402, at Cologne Cathedral in the Free Imperial City of Cologne, now in Germany.

The Crown of Princess Blanche; Credit – By Allie Caulfield –  https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65073992

Blanche’s dowry included a crown thought to have originally belonged to Anne of Bohemia, the first wife of King Richard II of England, whom she married in 1382. Known as the Crown of Princess Blanche, the Palatine Crown, and the Bohemian Crown, Blanche wore it at her wedding. Made of gold with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, enamel, and pearls, the crown has been the property of the House of Wittelsbach since 1402, and is displayed in the treasury of the Munich Residenz, where it has been kept since 1782. This writer has been fortunate to have seen the crown and can verify that it is spectacular.

Blanche and Ludwig had one child:

  • Ruprecht, Count Palatine (1406 – 1426), unmarried, nicknamed Ruprecht the Englishman

Ludwig III, Elector Palatine with his two wives: his first wife Blanche of England in the middle and his second wife Matilda of Savoy on the right; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 22, 1409, Blanche, aged seventeen, died while pregnant with her second child, possibly from the plague, at Neustadt, Electorate of the Palatinate, now in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. She was buried in the Church of St. Aegidius (link in German) in Neustadt.

Blanche’s tomb at the Church of St. Aegidius in Neustadt.; Credit – Wikipedia

A year after her death, Blanche’s widower succeeded his father as Ludwig III, Elector Palatine. In 1417, Ludwig married Matilda of Savoy, and the couple had five children. However, Ruprecht, Ludwig’s son from his first marriage, remained the heir presumptive to the Electorate of Palatinate and Ludwig allowed Ruprecht to participate in the affairs of state.

On May 20, 1426, Blanche and Ludwig’s son Ruprecht died two days before his 20th birthday. Ludwig suffered immense grief and decided to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Upon his return from the pilgrimage, Ludwig became seriously ill, and he entered into a period of religious fervor that lasted the rest of his life. By 1430, Ludwig was nearly blind. Five years later, his wife Matilda and the Palatine councilors decided Ludwig could no longer rule and removed him from power. Ludwig’s younger brother Otto I, Count Palatine of Mosbach became Regent, and took over the affairs of state and the education of Ludwig’s sons from his second marriage. Twenty-seven years after Blanche’s death, Ludwig III, Elector Palatine died on December 30, 1436, in Heidelberg, Electorate of Palatinate, now in Germany.

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

  • Blanche of England (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanche_of_England (Accessed: January 30, 2023).
  • Blanca von England (2022) Wikipedia (German). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanca_von_England (Accessed: January 30, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2013) King Henry IV of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/march-20-daily-featured-royal-date/ (Accessed: January 30, 2023).
  • Jones, Dan. (2012) The Plantagenets. New York: Viking.
  • Weir, Alison. (1989) Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. London: Vintage Books.
  • Williamson, David. (1996) Brewer’s British royalty: A Phrase and Fable dictionary. London: Cassell.

Funeral of King Constantine II of Greece

by Susan Flantzer and Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

King Constantine II of Greece; Credit – Wikipedia

King Constantine II, the former King of Greece, died at Hygeia Hospital in Athens, Greece on January 10, 2023, at the age of 82. He had been admitted to the intensive care unit at the hospital a couple of days earlier. King Constantine II was survived by his wife, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece (born a Princess of Denmark), his elder sister Queen Sofia of Spain, his younger sister Princess Irene of Greece, his five children Princess Alexia, Crown Prince Pavlos, Prince Nikolaos, Princess Theodora, and Prince Philippos, and nine grandchildren. King Constantine II was the only son of King Paul of Greece (reigned 1947 – 1964) and Princess Frederica of Hanover.

On March 6, 1964, King Paul died and twenty-three-year-old Constantine became king. On April 21, 1967, a coup d’état led by a group of army colonels took over Greece. A military junta ruled Greece from 1967 – 1974. For more information see Wikipedia: Greek military junta of 1967–74  On December 13, 1967, King Constantine attempted a counter-coup against the military junta which failed, and King Constantine and his family had to flee to Italy. The family lived for two months in the Greek embassy and then for the next five years in a house in a suburb of Rome. King Constantine remained the head of state in exile until June 1, 1973, when the junta abolished the monarchy.  In 1974, after the fall of the junta, a referendum by the Greek people confirmed the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of the Third Hellenic Republic.

In 1973, the family moved to England, living first in Chobham, Surrey, and later in the London suburb of Hampstead. The Greek government did not permit King Constantine to return to Greece until 1981 when he was allowed to enter Greece for several hours to attend the funeral of his mother Queen Frederica. King Constantine and his family paid a private visit to Greece in 1993. After 2003, when a property dispute between Constantine and the Greek government was settled, Constantine and his family were able to make visits to Greece and purchase a summer home there. In 2013, former King Constantine II permanently returned to reside in Greece.

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Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation in Athens, Greece

Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation; Credit – By C messier – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51359657

The funeral for King Constantine II of Greece was held on January 16, 2023, at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation in Athens, Greece, followed by the burial at the Royal Cemetery on the grounds of Tatoi Palace, the former summer palace of the Greek royal family, near Athens, Greece. Ieronymos II, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Athens presided over the ceremonies.

The Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation has been the site of important ceremonies including weddings and funerals of notable personalities including Greek royalty. It is likely that there would have been more royal events at the Metropolitan Cathedral had the Greek royals not been in exile from 1924 – 1935 during the Second Hellenic Republic and from 1967 – 2003, after the monarchy was abolished and until former King Constantine II was allowed to once again to enter Greece. The most recent royal event prior to King Constantine II’s funeral was the religious wedding of Prince Philippos, the youngest child of former King Constantine II, and Nina Nastassja Flohr, held at the Metropolitan Cathedral on October 23, 2021.

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Funeral Controversy

After the death of former King Constantine II, the Greek government held a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and the following decisions were made:

  • The former King would not receive a state funeral and would be buried as a private citizen.
  • The burial would take place near his ancestors at the Royal Cemetery on the grounds of Tatoi Palace.
  • There would be no lying-in-state.
  • In consultation between the government and the family, the church would be designated in which the funeral will take place,
  • The government would be represented at the funeral by the Minister of Culture and Sports, Lina Mendoni.
  • All the procedures provided by the protocol for the officials from abroad attending the funeral would be observed.

There was backlash over the Greek government’s decisions regarding King Constantine II’s funeral. As a result, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis agreed to allow an unofficial lying-in-state and the honors of a state leader in a private funeral. King Constantine II would lie in state at the Agios Eleftherios Chapel in Athens, Greece, next to the Metropolitan Cathedral, from 6:00 AM – 11:00 AM on January 16, 2023, the day of the funeral, to allow members of the public to pay their respects. At 12:00 PM, there would be a procession to the nearby Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation. Two hundred guests were expected at the funeral including seven current monarchs who are also heads of state, which is why it was decided that Deputy Prime Minister Panagiotis Pikrammenos would represent the Greek government. Prime Minister Mitsotakis allowed any member of the Greek government to attend the funeral. After the funeral, King Constantine’s body would be taken to the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace for a private burial.

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The Lying-in-State at the Agios Eleftherios Chapel in Athens, Greece

Agios Eleftherios Chapel; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 16, 2023, from 6:00 AM to 11:00 AM, King Constantine’s coffin lay in state in the Agios Eleftherios Chapel, next to the Metropolitan Cathedral in Athens, Greece. Thousands of mourners filed past the coffin.

Members of the public pay their respects in the Agios Eleftherios Chapel

Afterward, there was a procession to the Metropolitan Cathedral, headed by a crucifer, followed by two priests and Ieronymos II, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Athens, then the coffin draped in the flag of Greece, and finally King Constantine’s three sons.

The procession leaving Agios Eleftherios Chapel, heading to the Metropolitan Cathedral

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The Funeral at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation in Athens, Greece

Embed from Getty Images
The coffin was carried into the nave of the Metropolitan Cathedral with King Constantine’s three sons following

After the procession from the Agios Eleftherios Chapel, King Constantine’s coffin was carried through the nave of the Metropolitan Cathedral and placed in the center of the chancel.

Crown Prince Pavlos pays his respects to his father with his brothers waiting for their turns. King Constantine’s honors can be seen beside the coffin.

Floral wreaths, icons, King Constantine’s honors, and his Olympic gold medal were placed beside the coffin. In the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, the then Crown Prince Constantine won a Gold Medal in Sailing Mixed Three Person Keel. The wreaths beside the coffin were made from lilies of the valley, the same flowers used for Queen Anne-Marie’s bridal bouquet.

Crown Prince Pavlos greets his first cousin King Felipe VI of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia on the steps of the Metropolitan Cathedral

Before the funeral started, Crown Prince Pavlos stood at the top of the cathedral’s steps and greeted the royal guests as they arrived.

 

The funeral was the traditional Greek Orthodox funeral, chanted by Archbishop Ieronymos II  and twenty other priests. To their right and left were two Byzantine choirs who also chanted part of the funeral service.

Crown Prince Pavlos gave a speech eulogizing his father

Crown Prince Pavlos, King Constantine II’s eldest son, gave a very moving eulogy, first in Greek and then in English, directly addressing his father. Pavlos made a poignant reference to his father as an Olympic gold medal winner.

Dear Papa, Constantine, Your Majesty, Grandfather, Olympic Champion,

For your dear Queen, our Mother, for us the children, your grandchildren, and for all those who come together on this day to say farewell to you for the last time, and for all those who honor your memory, and for all those for whom it is not possible to be here today.

My father, this is not the end. You shall always live in our minds and hearts, as it happens in every Greek family when they lost the dearest and most precious figure in their life.

At a very young age, you lost your father, King Pavlos, my grandfather, however, you always remained loyal to the legacy that he conveyed to you. When at the age of eighteen, you became Crown Prince of Greece and received your commission as an officer in the glorified Greek armed forces, his advice to you, and this was very dear to you, and I quote: “Devote your life to the happiness of the Motherland for it is the most noble, remarkable mission. Always remember that it is better for the king to suffer and not for the people or the country. You are the guardian and protector of your Church.” This is the legacy my grandfather left to you, that has now passed to myself, my brothers, your grandchildren, and we will protect it and honour it for the rest of our lives.

As an Olympian, you honoured your country by winning the gold medal for the 1960 Olympic Games. You brought honour to the blue and white flag of Greece and to our homeland. Your victory was a feat of tactical and physical endurance on the sea that you and your close crew navigated toward an ultimate victory.

It was a truly challenging era when you ascended the throne, dear Father. Hard conflicts, opposite passions, and the results that no one wished for. From the very first moment, you tried to overthrow the coup, your efforts did not come to a successful result. Yet you did not wish that your presence in Greece would provoke bloodshed. Always loyal to the legacy your father had given to you, you respectfully accepted the decision of the Greek people.

Your love for youth, education, and international sport has been constant. You formed the Hellenic College of London, the international school organisation of Round Square, as well as active participation in the International Olympic Committee and the World Sailing Federation. Your relationship with the International Olympic Committee led to our 2004 Olympics being here in Greece which was one of your greatest feats.

Family was a core value to you and our mother. It has always been our strong belief that it is the foundation of society. Together, you created a large family, inseparably united by love for each other and a sense of duty for the country. By the grace of God, you drew your last breath in our country, which you always loved above all else throughout your life.

On this day, we, your children, your grandchildren, we are the future of your family here in our land and around the world, are ready, as you have always been, to offer to Greece whatever the country asks of us.

My strength is in the love of the people. This has always been the motto and guiding light of our family. For us, and for all Greeks, the strength of the country lies in the love of the Greek people for their homeland. We, as you dear Papa, always love Hellas and its people.

Safe journey!

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The Burial at the Royal Cemetery on the grounds of Tatoi Palace

The burial of King Constantine

With the exception of King Otto, originally a Prince of Bavaria, and his wife, who returned to the Kingdom of Bavaria after Otto was deposed in 1862, and are buried in Munich, now in Germany, all other Greek kings and their wives, along with other family members, are buried at the Royal Cemetery on the grounds of Tatoi Palace, the former summer palace of the Greek royal family, near Athens, Greece. Tatoi Palace has not been used by the Greek royal family since 1967 and is now the property of the Greek government.

Some of the land surrounding Tatoi Palace was damaged in the 2021 wildfire season and there had not been any clean-up. After the announcement that King Constantine would be buried there, clean-up crews arrived. Burnt trees were removed, new trees were planted, new gravel paths were installed and the Church of the Resurrection near the Royal Cemetery was repaired. On January 12, 2023, Constantine’s sisters Queen Sofía of Spain and Princess Irene of Greece, his daughter-in-law Princess Nina of Greece, and Matthew Kumar, the fiancé of his daughter Princess Theodora of Greece, visited the Royal Cemetery to check on the clean-up effort.

After the funeral, King Constantine’s coffin was driven 18 miles/29 kilometers to Tatoi Palace in a convoy of forty cars carrying family and guests and accompanied by a police escort and two helicopters. Family, close friends, and some foreign royalty attended the burial. After a short ceremony at the Church of the Resurrection near the Royal Cemetery, King Constantine was buried next to his parents King Paul who died in 1964, and Queen Frederica who died in 1981.

King Constantine’s coffin is carried from the Church of the Resurrection to his grave

Constantine’s sons Crown Prince Pavlos, Prince Nikolaos, and Prince Philippos and his grandsons carried the coffin from the Church of the Resurrection to the grave. No press or photographers were allowed at the burial although the Private Office of HM King Constantine of Greece later provided photos of the burial.

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Family Background

Left to right: Constantine, his mother Queen Frederica, his elder sister Sofia, his younger sister Irene, and his father King Paul I in 1947; Photo Credit – www.britannica.com

King Constantine II was well-connected to many current and former royal families of Europe. King Constantine II’s parents were King Paul of Greece and Princess Frederica of Hanover, both descendants of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom‘s eldest daughter Victoria, Princess Royal who married Friedrich III, German Emperor. Through his father, King Constantine II was also a descendant of King Christian IX of Denmark.

The descendants of Queen Victoria sit upon the thrones of Denmark, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and, the United Kingdom. King Christian IX’s descendants sit upon the thrones of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Their descendants also sat upon many former European thrones including Greece, Romania, and Serbia. Therefore, a large contingent of foreign royalty attended the funeral. Because King Constantine’s funeral was a private funeral and not a state funeral, many of the approximately 200 guests who attended the funeral were close or extended family members and other people close to the Greek royal family.

Royal Guests with Their Relationship to King Constantine II

King Constantine’s family

Family Members

Current Monarchies

Foreign royalty attending the funeral: In the front row are the monarchs of Denmark, Sweden, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain, sitting in precedence according to the length of reign from right to left. Other members of royal families are behind them

Former Monarchies

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, Empress Farah Pahlavi of Iran, Stephanie, Margravine of Baden and Bernhard, Margrave of Baden

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

  • Athens Bureau. (2023) Former King Constantine was buried in Tatoi next to his parents, Greek City Times. Available at: https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/01/17/former-king-constantine-parents/ (Accessed: January 19, 2023).
  • Becatoros, Elena and Tongas, Theodora. (2023) Thousands turn out to bid farewell to Greece’s former king, The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. Available at: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/thousands-turn-out-to-bid-farewell-to-greeces-former-king/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all (Accessed: January 16, 2023).
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