Category Archives: Former Monarchies

Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia is the current pretender to the Prussian throne, and head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern. He is the direct male-line descendent of Prussia’s last King of Prussia and German Emperor Wilhelm II.

photo: By StagiaireMGIMO – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33300040

Georg Friedrich Ferdinand was born in Bremen, Germany on June 10, 1976, the only son of Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Prussia and Countess Donata of Castell-Rüdenhausen. He has one younger sister, Cornelie-Cécile, born in 1978. His father died in 1977 after suffering injuries in a military training exercise. As his father’s two elder brothers had lost their rights to succession, this made Georg Friedrich heir to his grandfather, also named Ludwig Ferdinand, as the future Head of the House of Hohenzollern.

He began his schooling in Fischerhude, before attending grammar schools in Bremen and Oldenburg. He then attended Glenalmond College in Scotland where he completed his A-levels. It was during that time, in 1994, when his grandfather died and Georg Friedrich – at just 18 years old – became Head of the House of Hohenzollern and pretender to the Prussian throne. This led to a dispute by two of his uncles – both of whom had been excluded from succession due to marriages that were deemed unequal – who challenged Georg Friedrich as being the sole heir of his grandfather. After over 10 years of legal battles and court cases, it was determined that while Georg Friedrich was indeed the heir to his grandfather and the rightful Head of the House, his uncles were also entitled to a portion of their father’s estate.

Georg Friedrich completed two years of military service with the Bundeswehr before earning a degree in Business Economics at the University of Freiburg. During that time, he took on internships at various software companies, both in Germany and abroad. Today, in addition to representing the House of Hohenzollern, he works as Managing Director of Kgl. Prussian Beer Manufacturer, based in Berlin. He is a member of the board of the Princess Kira of Prussian Foundation (founded by his grandmother) and served as Chairman for several years before handing the chairmanship over to his wife. As head of the house, he owns a ⅔ share of Hohenzollern Castle, with the other ⅓ owned by Karl Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern (the Swabian branch of the House of Hohenzollern). He also owns Princes’ Island in Plön and several other properties.

Georg Friedrich and Sophie – photo: By Rainer Halama – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79088921

In January 2011, Georg Friedrich’s engagement to Princess Sophie of Isenburg was announced. Born in March 1978, Sophie is the daughter of Franz-Alexander, Prince of Isenburg and Countess Christine von Saurma zu der Jeltsch. The couple married in a civil ceremony held in the Potsdam Town Hall on August 25, 2011. Two days later, a religious ceremony was held at the Church of Peace, followed by a reception at the Orangery Palace, both in Sanssouci Park. The couple live in the Babelsberg district of Potsdam with their four children:

  • Carl Friedrich Franz Alexander (born 2013)
  • Louis Ferdinand Christian Albrecht (born 2013)
  • Emma Marie Charlotte Sofia (born 2015)
  • Heinrich Albert Johann Georg (born 2016)

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Prussian Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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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.

Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, a grandson of Wilhelm II, King of Prussia and German Emperor, was the pretender to the Prussian throne from 1951 until his death in 1994.

Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia – source: Wikipedia

Prince Louis Ferdinand Victor Eduard Adalbert Michael Hubertus of Prussia was born November 9, 1907, at the Marble Palace in Potsdam, Germany, the second son of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia and Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. At the time, his grandfather, Wilhelm II, was the King of Prussia and German Emperor. Louis Ferdinand had five siblings:

 

Raised at the Crown Prince’s Palace in Berlin and Cecilenhof in Potsdam, Louis Ferdinand also spent some time near Danzig where his father served with the Prussian military. In keeping with family tradition, Louis Ferdinand was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the 1st Guards Regiment on his 10th birthday in 1917. The following year, the monarchy was abolished following World War I. His father went to the Netherlands with the former Emperor, while he and his siblings stayed in Germany, having been ensured of their safety.

After studying economics in Berlin, Louis Ferdinand traveled to the United States where he settled for some time in Detroit, Michigan. Upon his elder brother’s marriage and subsequent renunciation of his succession rights, Louis Ferdinand returned home to Germany, became involved in the aviation industry, and served in the German military.

 

In May 1938, Louis Ferdinand married Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia. She was the daughter of Grand Duke Kyril Vladimirovich of Russia and Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. They were second cousins, once removed, through their mutual descent from Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Two ceremonies were held, a Russian Orthodox ceremony was held at Cecilienhof in Potsdam, followed by a Lutheran ceremony held at Huis Doorn, the Dutch home of the former Emperor Wilhelm II. Louis Ferdinand and Kira had seven children:

  • Prince Friedrich Wilhelm (1939 – 2015) – married (1) Waltraud Freydag, had issue; (2) Ehrengard von Reden, had issue; (3) Sibylle Kretschmer, no issue
  • Prince Michael (1940 – 2014) – married (1) Jutta Jörn, had issue; (2) Birgitte Dallwitz-Wegner, no issue
  • Princess Marie Cécile (1942) – married Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg, had issue
  • Princess Kira (1943 – 2004) – married Thomas Liepsner, had issue
  • Prince Louis Ferdinand (1944) – married Countess Donata of Castell-Rüdenhausen, had issue
  • Prince Christian-Sigismund (1946) – married Countess Nina Reventlow, had issue
  • Princess Xenia (1949 – 1992) married Per-Edvard Lithander, had issue

Louis Ferdinand served in the German military until 1940 when his elder brother was killed in action. The outpouring of sympathy and support for the former royal family at the Prince’s funeral concerned Adolf Hitler, who saw this as a threat to his leadership. Thus, Hitler issued a decree in 1940 – the Princes Decree – which prohibited members of all of Germany’s former ruling houses from participating in any military operations. From that point, Louis Ferdinand took over the management of his grandfather’s former summer residence – Cadinen Palace – in East Prussia until the end of the war.

Quite popular in Germany, Louis Ferdinand was voted as the ‘most honorable person’ to become President of the Federal Republic of Germany, despite not having had any role in politics. A later poll gained him even higher results. The Prince quickly stated that while he might accept the position, he would not give up his claim to the German Imperial Crown.

Following German reunification in 1990, Louis Ferdinand led the efforts to have his ancestor, King Friedrich II (Frederick the Great) reburied on the grounds of Sanssouci. He also began efforts to reclaim many of the private properties of his family which had been seized by the Nazis and Communists without compensation. Although unsuccessful in his attempt to regain the private properties, his efforts led to changes in German law after his death. His grandson Georg Friedrich continues to pursue the return of Hohenzollern properties and assets.

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Louis Ferdinand became the pretender to the Prussian throne upon his father’s death in 1951. His elder brother had lost his succession rights upon his marriage, making Louis Ferdinand first in line. His own two elder sons’ marriages were also deemed unequal, thus excluding them from succession. It fell upon his third son, also named Louis Ferdinand. The younger Louis Ferdinand died in 1977, leaving his young son Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia as the sole heir and first in line to succeed his grandfather. This led to a legal battle among Louis Ferdinand’s older sons – both of whom had been excluded – but claimed a right to some of their father’s estate. While the young Georg Friedrich remained his grandfather’s heir as Head of the House of Hohenzollern, he was no longer the sole beneficiary of the estate, and Louis Ferdinand’s elder sons both received a portion of their father’s estate upon his death.

Just weeks before his 87th birthday, Prince Louis Ferdinand died in Bremen on September 26, 1994. He was buried in the castle cemetery at Hohenzollern Castle.

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Prussian Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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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.

Andreas, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Andreas, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – a grandson of the last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – is the pretender to the former ducal throne, and head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

photo: Frankie Fouganthinderivative work: Surtsicna – This file was derived from: Benedikte of Denmark and Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.jpg:, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26616171

Prince Andreas Michael Friedrich Hans Armin Siegfried Hubertus was born on March 21, 1943 at Schloss Casel in Lower Lusatia. He is the only child of Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his first wife Countess Viktoria-Luise of Solms-Baruth.

Andreas has three half-siblings from his father’s second marriage to Denyse Henriette de Muralt, and one half-sibling from his mother’s second marriage to Richard Whitten:

  • Marie of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1949) – married Gion Schäfter, had issue
  • Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1951) – married Friedrich-Ernst of Saxe-Meiningen, had issue
  • Adrian of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1955) – married (1) Lea Rinderknecht, had issue; (2) Gertrud Krieg, no issue
  • Victoria Whitten (1948)

Following his parents’ divorce in 1946, Andreas moved with his mother to her family home in Austria. There, she met and married her second husband, Richard Whitten, an American military officer stationed in Salzburg. Three years later, the family returned to the United States, settling in New Orleans, where Andreas attended school. Having become heir to the former ducal throne upon his grandfather’s death in 1954, a few years later he began making regular visits to Germany in preparation for his future role as head of the Ducal House. He studied Business Administration at Louisiana State University in the early 1960s, before returning permanently to Germany in 1965. There, he completed two years of military service with the Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion 6 based in Eutin, Schleswig-Holstein. Andreas then began training in the forestry industry, including an apprenticeship with Mueller & Son in Hamburg from 1969-1971. He then worked at a Japanese financial firm, learning how to run a successful business.

On July 31, 1971 in Hamburg, Prince Andreas married Carin Dabelstein, the daughter of Adolf Dabelstein and Irma Callsen. Having received formal approval from his father as Head of the House, the marriage was deemed fully legitimate and dynastic. Andreas and Carin have three children:

  • Princess Stephanie of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (born 1972) – married Dr. Jan Stahl, no issue
  • Hubertus, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (born 1975) – married Kelly Rondesvedt, had three children
  • Prince Alexander of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (born 1977) – unmarried

After the birth of their elder son, Andreas and his wife decided to leave Hamburg and move to Coburg. There, he worked to establish a presence within the city and the European community. He began to reach out to extended family, hoping to heal many of the wounds caused in the past – primarily after his grandfather had sided with Hitler during World War II. He became involved with numerous civic organizations and focused on his work as Administrator of the Coburg Family Foundation.

Callenberg Castle. photo: By Überfranke – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83970018

Following the fall of communism and the reunification of Germany, Prince Andreas worked to re-acquire former family property that had been seized after the war. In 1996 he was able to purchase back over 4,900 acres of forest in Thuringia, and in 2000, the Family Foundation negotiated with the German government and the Free State of Thuringia to acquire an additional 15,000+ and 1,900+ acres, respectively. The family – through the foundation – also own Callenberg Castle in Coburg and Greinburg Castle (link in German) in Grein, Austria.

Having firmly set his roots in Coburg, Andreas served on the Coburg City Council from 1996-2002. He became the Head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha when his father died in January 1998. He continued to serve as Administrator of the Family Foundation until retiring and handing the reins to his son, Hubertus, in January 2012.

Embed from Getty Images

Since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2011, the Prince has continued to be as active as possible. He spends much of his time with family and friends, traveling, and visiting his properties in Germany and Austria. He is a first cousin and close friend of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, and is the godfather of the King’s younger daughter, Princess Madeleine. Because of this relationship, the Prince is often seen in attendance at Swedish royal family events.

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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.

Rosa Vercellana, Countess of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda, Mistress and Wife of Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia, King of Italy

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Credit – Wikipedia

Rosa Vercellana was the mistress and the morganatic second wife of Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia, after 1861, King of Italy. Born on June 3, 1833, in Nice, now in France, then part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, she was the daughter of career soldier Giovanni Battista Vercellana and Maria Teresa Grigli. On June 15, 1833, she was baptized at the San Giacomo Church in Nice and given the name of Maria Rosa Chiara Teresa Aloisia. Rosa’s father had been a member of the Napoleonic Imperial Guard but after Napoleon’s defeat in 1814, he joined the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Vittorio Emanuele in the 1840s; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1847, Rosa’s father became the commander of the royal garrison at the Royal Castle of Racconigi, the hunting estate of the royal family of Sardinia. While living at the estate, fourteen-year-old Rosa met 27-year-old Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Piedmont, the eldest son and heir of Carlo Alberto I, King of Sardinia, and soon became his mistress. At that time, Vittorio Emanuele had been married to his wife Adelheid of Austria for seven years and five of their eight children had been born.

Vittorio Emanuele already had some extramarital affairs and had fathered illegitimate children. However, those relationships were brief but his relationship with Rosa lasted the rest of his life. Their early meetings were very secret because Vittorio Emanuele’s father Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia was against the affair and because it was illegal to have sex with minors. Eventually, Rosa was given a home on the grounds of the Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi (the hunting residence of Stupinigi), closer to Turin, the seat of government. Vittorio Emanuele became King of Sardinia in 1849.

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

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

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

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

Vittorio Emanuele became the first King of a united Italy in 1861. In 1864, when the capital of the Kingdom of Italy was moved from Turin to Florence, Rosa followed Vittorio Emanuele and settled in the Villa La Petraia.

When Vittorio Emanuele fell seriously ill in 1869 and feared he was dying, he married Rosa in a religious ceremony on October 18, 1869. However, Vittorio Emanuele did not die. The marriage was morganatic, a marriage between people of unequal social rank in which the position or privileges of the higher-ranked spouse are not passed on to the other spouse or any children. Rosa’s children had no succession rights and she did not become Queen of Italy, instead, she retained her titles Countess of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda, which the Vittorio Emanuele had given her in 1858. So that Rosa would have marriage civil rights, a civil marriage was held on October 7, 1877. Three months later, on January 9, 1878, Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Italy, aged 57, died at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, Italy, and was buried at the Pantheon in Rome.

Rosa’s original burial place, the Mausoleum of Bela Rosina; Credit -Di Uccio “Uccio2” D’Ago…, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54728753

Rosa spent the remaining years at the Palazzo Feltrinelli in Pisa, Italy which Vittorio Emanuele had bought for their daughter Vittoria. Rosa survived her husband by nearly nine years, dying at the age of 52, on December 26, 1885. The members of the Italian royal family refused to allow Rosa to be buried with her husband at the Pantheon in Rome. Instead, her children had a replica of the Pantheon built on a smaller scale in Turin called the Mausoleum of Bela Rosin (link in Italian) – beautiful Rosina, Rosa’s nickname in the Piedmontese dialect of Italian. In 1970, upon the death of Rosa’s great-granddaughter Vittoria Guerrieri Gromis di Trana, the City of Turin purchased the mausoleum from her estate. However, the mausoleum was desecrated by grave robbers hunting for jewels, and Rosa’s remains were moved to the Monumental Cemetery of Turin (link in Italian). The mausoleum has since been renovated and restored and now serves as a center for debates, exhibitions, concerts, and other temporary events.

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

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Rosa Vercellana – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Vercellana> [Accessed 5 July 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Rosa Vercellana – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Vercellana> [Accessed 5 July 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Mausoleo della Bela Rosin – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleo_della_Bela_Rosin> [Accessed 5 July 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Rosa Vercellana – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Vercellana> [Accessed 5 July 2021].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2016. King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-vittorio-emanuele-ii-of-italy/> [Accessed 5 July 2021].

Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, Queen of Sardinia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

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

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

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

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

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Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, Queen of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

Born an Archduchess of Austria and a Princess of Tuscany, Maria Theresa Franziska Josepha Johanna Benedikta was the wife of Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia. Her birth occurred on March 21, 1801, in Vienna, Austria. She was the youngest of the five children and the youngest of the three daughters of Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany and his first wife and also his double first cousin, Princess Luisa of Naples and Sicily. Maria Theresa’s paternal grandparents were Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany (reigned 1765 – 1790) (also Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, reigned 1790 – 1792) and Maria Luisa of Spain. Her maternal grandparents were Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies and Maria Carolina of Austria.

Maria Theresa had four older siblings.

In 1802, when Maria Theresa was just eighteen months old her mother died giving birth to a stillborn son. However, her father did not marry again until 1821 when he married the much younger Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony. Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany was hoping that his second marriage would produce another male heir but the marriage was childless.

Carlo Alberto, Maria Theresa’s husband; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1817, sixteen-year-old Maria Theresa was chosen as the bride for nineteen-year-old Carlo Alberto, 7th Prince of Carignano. Carlo Alberto was the senior male member of the House of Savoy-Carignano, a cadet branch of the House of Savoy. Neither Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia nor his younger brother and eventual successor Carlo Felice from the House of Savoy had sons. Therefore, Carlo Alberto was second in line to the throne of Sardinia after Carlo Felice. On September 30, 1817, Maria Theresa and Carlo Alberto were married in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy. A nuptial mass was held on October 2, 1817, at Florence Cathedral. After her marriage, Maria Theresa was styled as the Princess of Carignano.

Maria Theresa in the year of her marriage; Credit – Wikipedia

The couple resided at the Palazzo Carignano in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy and Carlo Alberto often invited young intellectuals who shared his liberal ideas. Maria Theresa was a very religious, shy, and immature sixteen-year-old and had a temperament quite different from her husband. She was not ready to fully take on her role as a wife. In the evening, rather than keep her husband company, she preferred to play games like blind man’s bluff with the friends she invited to the palace. After a three-year period of adjustment, Maria Theresa and Carlo Alberto began their family and had three children:

Maria Theresa and her two sons; Credit – Wikipedia

Upon the death of the childless Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia on April 27, 1831, the throne passed to Carlo Alberto of the House of Savoy-Carignano and the direct male line of the House of Savoy came to an end. Maria Theresa was then styled as Queen of Sardinia.

In 1848, Carlo Alberto attempted to rid the Italian peninsula of Austrian rule and supported states resulting in the First Italian War of Independence, part of the Italian Unification. After the Austrian forces defeated his forces at the Battle of Novara, Carlo Alberto immediately abdicated in favor of his son Vittorio Emanuele and went into exile in Porto, Portugal. By the time he reached Porto in April 1849, he was seriously ill. On July 28, 1849, Carlo Alberto suffered a third heart attack. He was given last rites, fell asleep with a crucifix on his chest, and died at 3:30 PM at the age of 50. Carlo Alberto’s remains were returned to Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy, where his funeral took place on October 13, 1849, at the Turin Cathedral. He was buried at the Basilica of Superga in Turin, the traditional burial site of the House of Savoy.

Maria Theresa, Dowager Queen of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

After the death of her husband, Maria Theresa no longer appeared in public. However, she was a great influence on her son Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia. Maria Theresa was a fervent Catholic, an Italian nationalist, and a conservative who believed in checks and balances on royal power. Her son became a driving force behind the Italian unification movement along with Giuseppe Garibaldi, a general and nationalist, and Giuseppe Mazzini, a politician and journalist. Garibaldi conquered Naples and Sicily, the territories of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, while the Sardinian troops occupied the central territories of the Italian peninsula, except Rome and part of Papal States. With all the newly acquired land, Vittorio Emanuele II was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

Basilica of Superga; Credit – By Paris Orlando – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74180727

However, Maria Theresa did not live long enough to see her son become King of a united Italy. On January 12, 1855, in Turin, Maria Theresa died at the age of 53, just eight days before the death of daughter-in-law Adelheid of Austria, Queen of Sardinia, and a month before the death of her younger son Ferdinando of Savoy, Duke of Genoa. Maria Theresa was buried with her husband at the Basilica of Superga in Turin.

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

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Theresia von Österreich-Toskana (1801–1855) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Theresia_von_%C3%96sterreich-Toskana_(1801%E2%80%931855)> [Accessed 5 July 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Theresa of Austria (1801–1855) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Theresa_of_Austria_(1801%E2%80%931855)> [Accessed 5 July 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/carlo-alberto-king-of-sardinia-and-duke-of-savoy/> [Accessed 5 July 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Teresa d’Asburgo-Lorena – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Teresa_d%27Asburgo-Lorena> [Accessed 5 July 2021].

Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

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

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

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

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

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Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo Alberto, the senior male member of the House of Savoy-Carignano, a cadet branch of the House of Savoy, became King of Sardinia upon the death of Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia when the male line of the House of Savoy became extinct. Born on October 2, 1798, as the Palazzo Carignano in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy, he was the only son and the eldest of the two children of Carlo Emanuele of Savoy, 6th Prince of Carignano and Maria Christina of Saxony. Vittorio Amedeo of Savoy, 5th Prince of Carignano and Joséphine of Lorraine were his paternal grandparents. Carlo Alberto’s maternal grandparents were Prince Karl of Saxony, Duke of Courland, son of King Augustus III of Poland, and Countess Franciszka Krasińska.

Carlo Alberto had one younger sister:

Carlo Alberto’s father Carlo Emanuele of Savoy, 6th Prince of Carignano had liberal French sympathies. In 1798, the French occupied Turin, the capital of the Duchy of Savoy, and the seat of power for the Kings of Sardinia. The royal family retreated to the island of Sardinia. However, Carlo Emanuele of Savoy, 6th Prince of Carignano went to Turin and became part of the Piedmont Republic set up by the French. The French became suspicious of Carlo Emanuele and confined him at the citadel in Turin. Eventually, he was sent to Paris where he lived in the home of a police officer who was in charge of monitoring him. On August 16, 1800, Carlo Emanuele of Savoy, 6th Prince of Carignano, aged 29, died of sudden paralysis. His son Carlo Alberto, not yet two years old, became the 7th Prince of Carignano.

The French had no intention of recognizing the family’s rights, titles, or property. However, Carlo Alberto’s mother Maria Christina of Saxony refused to send her son to the Savoy family in Sardinia. Instead, he received a liberal education at the Collège Stanislas in Paris, and after his mother moved to Geneva, Switzerland from Jean-Pierre Etienne Vaucher, a follower of Jean-Jacques Rousseau whose political philosophy influenced the progress of the Enlightenment throughout Europe.

Carlo Alberto in his youth; Credit – Wikipedia

After the defeat of Napoleon in 1814, the re-establishment of peace in Europe meant that the King and the royal family of the Kingdom of Sardina could return to Turin, and so did Carlo Alberto. When sixteen-year-old Carlo Alberto arrived in Turin on May 24, 1814, he was warmly greeted by Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardina and his wife Maria Theresa of Austria-Este. The property and lands of Carlo Alberto’s family were restored to him and he was granted the Palazzo Carignano as a residence. Because neither Vittorio Emanuele I nor his younger brother and eventual successor Carlo Felice had sons, Carlo Alberto was second in line to the throne of Sardinia after Carlo Felice. He was given tutors to try to counter the liberal ideas that he had been taught in Paris and Geneva.

Carlo Alberto’s wife Maria Theresa; Credit – Wikipedia

A bride was chosen for Carlo Alberto, Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, the daughter of Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Luisa of Naples and Sicily. On September 30, 1817, Carlo Alberto and Maria Theresa were married in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy. A nuptial blessing was held on October 2, 1817, at Florence Cathedral.

Maria Theresa and her two sons; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo Alberto and Maria Theresa had three children:

In March 1821, liberal revolutions were occurring throughout Italy. However, Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia was not willing to grant a liberal constitution so he abdicated the throne of Sardinia in favor of his brother Carlo Felice on March 13, 1821, but remained Duke of Savoy until his death. Because Carlo Felice was then in the Duchy of Modena, Vittorio Emanuele temporarily appointed Carlo Alberto as regent. Carlo Alberto made concessions to the rebels and put a liberal constitution into effect. However, when Carlo Felice returned, he abolished the new constitution and ruled as an absolute monarch.

In 1830, Carlo Felice’s health began to suffer. On April 24, 1831, he summoned Carlo Alberto and the entire government to his sickbed and officially declared Carlo Alberto to be his successor. Three days later, Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia died and Carlo Alberto succeeded him. The throne passed to the House of Savoy-Carignano and the direct male line of the House of Savoy came to an end.

Carlo Alberto in his coronation robes; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo Alberto initially continued Carlo Felice’s conservative policies. He entered into a military alliance with Austria and suppressed liberal movements. However, he did institute reform projects early in his reign including creating a code of law based on the Napoleonic Code, reorganizing the military, and supporting the arts and science. By 1840, his political philosophy had become moderately liberal and he began to turn against Austria. On March 4, 1848, Carlo Alberto approved a constitution, the Albertine Statute, that established a constitutional monarchy. The Albertine Statute later became the constitution of the unified Kingdom of Italy and remained enforced, with changes, until 1948.

Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia signing the Albertine Statute; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1848, Carlo Alberto attempted to rid the Italian peninsula of Austrian rule resulting in the First Italian War of Independence, part of the Italian Unification. In 1849, Carlo Alberto abdicated in favor of his son Vittorio Emanuele II after his forces were defeated. Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia then became a driving force behind the Italian unification movement along with Giuseppe Garibaldi, a general and nationalist, and Giuseppe Mazzini, a politician and journalist. Garibaldi conquered Naples and Sicily, the territories of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, while the Sardinian troops occupied the central territories of the Italian peninsula, except Rome and part of Papal States. With all the newly acquired land, Vittorio Emanuele II was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

On March 24, 1849, the day after his defeat at the Battle of Novara, Carlo Alberto left the Italian peninsula and wound up in Porto, Portugal on April 19, 1849. During his travels to Portugal, he became ill with a liver condition. He stayed for two weeks at the Hotel do Peixe in Porto and his condition worsened. Carlo Alberto accepted the offer from a private individual of a home on the Rua de Entre Quintas in Porto with an ocean view.

Carlo Alberto’s deathbed; Credit – Wikipedia

Although Carlo Alberto had coughing fits and two heart attacks, his doctors considered the liver condition more serious. By early July 1849, his coughing fits were more frequent and he could no longer get out of bed. After being in quite a serious condition on July 27, Carlo Alberto seemed to improve on July 28, 1849, but then his condition seriously deteriorated after a third heart attack. He was given last rites, fell asleep with a crucifix on his chest, and died at 3:30 PM at the age of 50.

Tomb of Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo Alberto’s remains were returned to Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy, where his funeral took place on October 13, 1849, at the Turin Cathedral. He was buried at the Basilica of Superga in Turin, the traditional burial site of the House of Savoy.

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

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karl Albert (Sardinien-Piemont) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Albert_(Sardinien-Piemont)> [Accessed 4 July 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Charles Albert of Sardinia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Albert_of_Sardinia> [Accessed 4 July 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Carlo Alberto di Savoia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Alberto_di_Savoia> [Accessed 4 July 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Carlo Emanuele di Savoia-Carignano – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Emanuele_di_Savoia-Carignano> [Accessed 4 July 2021].

Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily, Queen of Sardinia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

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

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

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

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

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Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily, Queen of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on January 17, 1779, at the Royal Palace of Caserta in Caserta, Kingdom of Naples and Sicily, now in Italy, Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily was the wife of Carlo Felice, King of Sardina. She was the fifth of the seventeen children and the fourth of the ten daughters of Ferdinando IV, King of Naples and Sicily (later Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies) and Maria Carolina of Austria. Maria Cristina’s paternal grandparents were Carlos III, King of Spain (reigned 1759 – 1788), King of Naples and Sicily (1734 – 1759), and Duke of Parma and Piacenza (reigned 1731 – 1735) and his wife Maria Amalia of Saxony. Her maternal grandmother was Maria Theresa, the sovereign ruler of the Habsburg territories from 1740 until she died in 1780, and was the only female to hold the position. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma. Maria Theresa of Austria-Este’s paternal grandfather was Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Holy Roman Emperor.

The Royal Family of Naples and Sicily in 1783 (L-R) Maria Theresa; the future King Francesco I; King Ferdinando IV; Queen Maria Carolina with Maria Cristina; Gennaro; Maria Amelia in the arms of Maria Luisa; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Cristina had sixteen siblings, but only six survived childhood. Eight of her siblings died from smallpox.

Carlo Felice, Maria Cristina’s husband; Credit – Wikipedia

In the Kingdom of Sardinia, there was a succession crisis. Carlo Emanuele IV who had been King of Sardinia but abdicated because he was despondent after the sudden death of his wife, was childless. His brother, the current King of Sardinia, Vittorio Emanuele I, had five surviving daughters who could not succeed to the throne and his only son had died at the age of three from smallpox. Three other brothers had all died unmarried. It was up to the unmarried Carlo Felice to provide an heir. On March 7, 1807, in the Palatine Chapel at the Royal Palace in Palermo, Sicily, Maria Cristina married Carlo Felice. However, the marriage of Maria Cristina and Carlo Felice remained childless.

In March 1821, liberal revolutions were occurring throughout Italy. However, Vittorio Emanuele I was not willing to grant a liberal constitution so he abdicated the throne of Sardinia in favor of his brother Carlo Felice on March 13, 1821, but remained Duke of Savoy until his death. Because Carlo Felice was in the Duchy of Modena at the time, Vittorio Emanuel I temporarily appointed Carlo Alberto, Prince of Carignano, the senior male member of the House of Savoy-Carignano, a cadet branch of the House of Savoy, as regent. Carlo Alberto made concessions to the rebels and put a liberal constitution into effect. However, when Carlo Felice returned, he abolished the new constitution and ruled as an absolute monarch.

Maria Cristina at the Castle of Agliè; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Cristina and Carlo Felice spent their time between the Castle of Agliè and the Castle of Govone, both in Piedmont, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy, and at the Villa Tuscolana in Frascati, a district in Rome, now in Italy. In 1820, Maria Cristina received the Villa Tuscolana as a bequest from her sister-in-law Maria Anna of Savoy, Duchess of Chablais.

The Roman theater at Tusculum – Maria Cristina financed its excavation; Credit – Wikipedia

From 1825 – 1840, Maria Cristina financed and followed with great interest the archaeological excavations of Tusculum, a ruined Roman city famous for luxurious patrician country villas. She first engaged the archaeologist Luigi Biondi, whose excavation work initially uncovered Tusculum. From 1839 – 1840, the architect and archaeologist Luigi Canina was engaged to excavate the theater area of Tusculum.

In 1824, Carlo Felice purchased Hautecombe Abbey, a former Cistercian monastery, then in the Duchy of Savoy, now in Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille, France, where many of his ancestors were buried, and began a restoration project. Hautecombe Abbey had been sold in 1792 after the French had invaded the Duchy of Savoy and it was turned into a china factory. After Hautecombe Abbey was re-constructed, it was given back to the Cistercian Order. When Carlo Felice died, aged 66, on April 27, 1831, he was buried at Hautecombe Abbey. Upon the death of Carlo Felice, the main line of the House of Savoy became extinct. He was succeeded by the senior male member of the House of Savoy-Carignano who reigned as Carlo Alberto I, King of Sardinia.

Sculpture of Maria Cristina on her tomb; Credit – By Zairon – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=105536979

After her husband died, Maria Cristina spent a long period with her family in Naples. She then returned to Turin, alternating stays between Agliè, Frascati, Naples, and Hautecombe Abbey where she supervised further the restoration work. Maria Cristina survived her husband by eighteen years, dying on March 11, 1849, aged 70, in Savona, Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy. She was buried with her husband at Hautecombe Abbey.

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

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_I_of_the_Two_Sicilies> [Accessed 1 July 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Cristina_of_Naples_and_Sicily> [Accessed 1 July 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/carlo-felice-king-of-sardinia-and-duke-of-savoy/> [Accessed 1 July 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Cristina di Borbone-Napoli – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Cristina_di_Borbone-Napoli> [Accessed 1 July 2021].

Elia Zaharia, former wife of Crown Prince Leka II of the Albanians

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

photo: Albanian Royal Court

Elia Zaharia is the former wife of Crown Prince Leka II of the Albanians, the current pretender to the former Albanian throne. On January 16, 2024, it was announced that Crown Prince Leka and Crown Princess Elia were ending their marriage. The couple divorced on April  5, 2024.

Elia Zaharia on February 8, 1983 in Tirana, Albania, the daughter of Gjergj Zaharia, a school teacher and principal, and Yllka Mujo, a well-known Albanian actress. Elia has one younger brother, Amos, who is also an actor and film director.

Elia attended the Arts Lyceum in Tirana and launched her music career, joining Spirit Voice, the country’s first “girl band” which became very successful. After graduating in 2002, she moved to France where she studied drama at the National Conservatory in Bordeaux from 2003-2005. She then studied at a prestigious private drama school – Cours Florent – in Paris from 2005- 2007, before attending the University of Vincennes in Saint-Denis where she graduated in 2010 with a degree in theater. A successful actress, Elia has performed numerous times with the Albanian National Theatre and in various film and commercial productions.

During her time in Paris, Elia first met Crown Prince Leka, and a relationship quickly developed. Their engagement was announced in May 2010. During her time as Crown Princess, Elia took a very active role in the work of the royal court, accompanying the Crown Prince on visits around the world to other royalty and world leaders. In May 2012, she founded The Queen Geraldine Foundation, named in honor of Queen Geraldine of the Albanians, who worked tirelessly to improve conditions for the Albanian people. The foundation works to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need, and toward a peaceful and equal society in Albania.

 

Elia and Crown Prince Leka II were married in a civil ceremony held at the Royal Palace in Tirana on October 8, 2016. A religious blessing from all the country’s religious leaders followed. Numerous members of foreign noble and royal families attended the wedding. Guests included:

On October 22, 2020, the Crown Princess gave birth to the couple’s only child, a daughter, named Geraldine, in honor of the late Queen Geraldine. The baby was born on the 18th anniversary of Queen Geraldine’s death in 2002.

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Albanian Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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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.

Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

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

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

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

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

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Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy was the son of Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia and Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain to become King of Sardinia. Born on April 6, 1765, at the Royal Palace in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy, he was the fifth but the third surviving of the six sons and the eleventh of the twelve children. His paternal grandparents were Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia and his second wife Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg. Felipe V, King of Spain, who was born Philippe of France, Duke of Anjou, the grandson of King Louis XIV of France, and his second wife Elisabeth Farnese of Parma were his maternal grandparents.

Carlo Felice had eleven siblings including two brothers who were also Kings of Sardinia. Two of his sisters were married to younger brothers of King Louis XVI of France and later were also Kings of France.

Carlo Felice as a child; Credit – Wikipedia

As the third son, Carlo Felice was not expected to succeed to the throne. The three youngest children in the family, Carlo Felice, his elder sister Maria Carolina, and his younger brother Giuseppe were raised together at the Castle of Moncalieri in Moncalieri, Piedmont, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy.

In the years between the French Revolution and the Napoleonic campaign in Italy, Carlo Felice, his brother Vittorio Emanuele and his wife Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, and his brothers Maurizio and Giuseppe formed a parallel court in opposition to the court of the eldest brother Carlo Emanuele who succeeded to the throne of Sardinia in 1796. During this period, Carlo Felice began to keep a personal diary which has become an important primary source of the events and conflicts within the Savoy court.

When Napoleon‘s troops invaded the Duchy of Savoy in 1798, the entire royal family fled first to Tuscany, and then to the island of Sardinia. In 1802, Carlo Felice’s brother Vittorio Emanuele became King of Sardinia upon the abdication of his brother Carlo Emanuele who was despondent after the death of his wife. Carlo Felice served as Viceroy of Sardinia from 1799 – 1806 and 1817 – 1821. During his time as Viceroy, Carlo Felice successfully took action against crime and poverty. An office for the administration of crown mines and forests was established. The farming of olives was encouraged and commercial contracts were granted to encourage local production.

Carlo Felice’s wife Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily; Credit – Wikipedia

There was a succession crisis in the Kingdom of Sardinia. The abdicated Carlo Emanuele was childless. The current king Vittorio Emanuele I had five surviving daughters who could not succeed to the throne and his only son had died at the age of three from smallpox. The three other brothers of Carlo Felice, Vittorio Emanuele, and Carlo Emanuele had all died unmarried. It was up to Carlo Felice to provide an heir. On March 7, 1807, in the Palatine Chapel at the Royal Palace in Palermo, Sicily, Carlo Felice was married to Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily, daughter of Ferdinando IV, King of Naples and Sicily (later Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies) and Maria Carolina of Austria. However, their marriage was childless.

Carlo Felice in his coronation robes; Credit – Wikipedia

In March 1821, liberal revolutions were occurring throughout Italy. However, Vittorio Emanuele I was not willing to grant a liberal constitution so he abdicated the throne of Sardinia in favor of his brother Carlo Felice on March 13, 1821, but remained Duke of Savoy until his death.

Because Carlo Felice was in the Duchy of Modena at the time, Vittorio Emanuele temporarily appointed Carlo Alberto, 7th Prince of Carignano, the senior male member of the House of Savoy-Carignano, a cadet branch of the House of Savoy, as regent. Carlo Alberto made concessions to the rebels and put a liberal constitution into effect. However, when Carlo Felice returned, he abolished the new constitution and ruled as an absolute monarch.

Hautcombe Abbey; Credit – By Martin Leveneur – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21171623

In 1824, Carlo Felice purchased the Hautecombe Abbey, a former Cistercian monastery, then in the Duchy of Savoy, now in Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille, France, where many of his ancestors were buried, and began a restoration project. Hautecombe Abbey was sold in 1792 after the French invaded the Duchy of Savoy and converted into a china factory. The abbey was re-constructed by Ernesto Melano, (link in French) an architect from the Duchy of Savoy, in a Gothic-Romantic style and then given back to the Cistercian Order.

Death of Carlo Felice; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo Felice died, aged 66, on April 27, 1831, at the Palazzo Chablais in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy, which had been given to him by his sister Maria Anna, Duchess of Chablais. He was buried at Hautecombe Abbey where his wife was also buried when she died in 1849. Upon the death of Carlo Felice, the main line of the House of Savoy became extinct. He was succeeded by the senior male member of the House of Savoy-Carignano who reigned as Carlo Alberto I, King of Sardinia.

Tomb of Carlo Felice, King of Sardina at Hautcombe Abbey; Credit – Von krischnig – selbst fotografiert, Bild-frei, https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3354520

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

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karl Felix (Sardinien-Piemont) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Felix_(Sardinien-Piemont)> [Accessed 30 June 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Charles Felix of Sardinia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Felix_of_Sardinia> [Accessed 30 June 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Hautecombe Abbey – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hautecombe_Abbey> [Accessed 30 June 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia, Duke of Savoy. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/vittorio-amadeo-iii-king-of-sardinia-duke-of-savoy/> [Accessed 28 June 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/vittorio-emanuele-i-king-of-sardinia-and-duke-of-savoy/> [Accessed 30 June 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Carlo Felice di Savoia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Felice_di_Savoia> [Accessed 30 June 2021].

Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, Queen of Sardinia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

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

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

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

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

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Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, Queen of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Theresa of Austria-Este was the wife of Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy. Born on November 1, 1773, at the Royal Palace of Milan in the Duchy of Milan, now in Italy, she was given the names Maria Theresa Josefa Johanna. Maria Theresa was the eldest of the four daughters and the second but the eldest surviving of the ten children of Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria-Este and Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d’Este. At the time of Maria Theresa’s birth, the Duchy of Milan was under Austrian Habsburg rule, and Maria Theresa’s father was the Governor of Milan.

Maria Theresa of Austria-Este’s paternal grandmother and her namesake was Maria Theresa, the sovereign ruler of the Habsburg territories, the only female to hold the position, from 1740 until she died in 1780. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma. Maria Theresa of Austria-Este’s paternal grandfather was Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Holy Roman Emperor. The maternal grandparents of Maria Theresa of Austria-Este were also two sovereigns, Ercole III d’Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio and Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, reigning Duchess of Massa and Princess of Carrara.

Maria Theresa’s parents, Ferdinand Karl of Austria and Maria Beatrice d’Este, her sister Maria Leopoldine on her mother’s lap, and Maria Theresa standing; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Theresa of Austria-Este had nine siblings:

Vittorio Emanuele, Maria Theresa’s husband; Credit – Wikipedia

In the Kingdom of Sardinia, Vittorio Emanuele, Duke of Aosta, the second son of Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia and the next brother of the childless heir to the throne Carlo Emanuele, Prince of Piedmont, had reached the age of 29 and was still unmarried. Fifteen-year-old Maria Theresa of Austria-Este was chosen as his bride. She successfully demonstrated that she had met all the prerequisites. Information had been collected on her appearance, health, teeth, character, culture, piety, manners, and lifestyle. Most important was that she had already either contracted the deadly disease smallpox or had been vaccinated. The proxy wedding took place on June 29, 1788, in Milan. On April 25, 1789, in Novara, Piedmont, Duchy of Savoy, Vittorio Emanuele and Maria Theresa were married in person.

Maria Theresa at the time of her marriage; Credit – Wikipedia

At the time of the marriage, Vittorio Emanuele was the Duke of Aosta, and Maria Theresa was styled as Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Aosta until she became Queen of Sardinia. Maria Theresa and Vittorio Emanuele had a happy marriage. She became good friends with her sisters-in-law: Maria Clotilde of France, the childless wife of her husband’s brother Carlo Emanuele, and her husband’s sister Maria Anna of Savoy, who married her uncle Prince Benedetto of Savoy, Duke of Chablais, and therefore remained in her homeland.

Vittorio Emanuele, Maria Theresa, and their daughters: twins Maria Teresa and Maria Anna and Maria Cristina; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Theresa and Vittorio Emanuele had six daughters and one son:

When Napoleon‘s troops invaded the Duchy of Savoy in 1798, the royal family fled first to Tuscany, and then to the island of Sardinia. On June 4, 1802, Maria Theresa’s husband Vittorio Emanuele became King of Sardinia upon the abdication of his brother Carlo Emanuele, who was despondent after the death of his wife. Maria Theresa and Vittorio Emanuele stayed in Sardinia until the fall of Napoleon and did not return to Turin until 1814.

Castle of Moncalieri, the main home of Maria Theresa and Vittorio Emanuele during the latter part of their lives; Credit – By Vinzseventyfive – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39788820

In March 1821, liberal revolutions were occurring throughout Italy. However, Vittorio Emanuele I was not willing to grant a liberal constitution, so he abdicated the throne of Sardinia in favor of his brother Carlo Felice on March 13, 1821, but remained Duke of Savoy until his death. Vittorio Emanuele and Maria Theresa lived for a while in Nice, now in France, then in the Duchy of Savoy. They then moved to Lucca in the Duchy of Parma, now in Italy, and then to the Duchy of Modena, also now in Italy. In 1822, Vittorio Emanuele and Maria Theresa returned permanently to Piedmont in the Duchy of Savoy, where they lived at the Castle of Moncalieri. Vittorio Emanuele died on January 10, 1824, aged 64, at the Castle of Moncalieri.

Maria Theresa was accused of trying to convince her childless brother-in-law Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia to name her brother Francesco IV of Austria-Este, Duke of Modena, the husband of her eldest daughter Maria Beatrice, as the heir to the throne of Sardinia. However, Carlo Felice named Carlo Alberto, Prince of Carignano, the senior male member of the House of Savoy-Carignano, a cadet branch of the House of Savoy, as his heir. Tensions arose because of this incident, forcing Maria Theresa to live in Genoa at the Palazzo Doria-Tursi. In 1831, she was allowed to return to Turin for the proxy marriage of her daughter Maria Anna to the future Ferdinand I, Emperor of Austria.

Basilica of Superga, the traditional burial site of the House of Savoy; Credit – By Konstantin Dacosta – Imported from 500px (archived version) by the Archive Team. (detail page), CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71467776

Maria Theresa survived her husband by eight years. She died unexpectedly, aged 58, on March 29, 1832, in Geneva, Switzerland, and was buried next to her husband at the Basilica of Superga, the traditional burial site of the House of Savoy in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy.

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