Category Archives: Former Monarchies

St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

St. Giles’ Cathedral; Credit – By Carlos Delgado – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35465527

Originally a Roman Catholic church, today St. Giles Cathedral, which this writer has visited, located on the Royal Mile in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, is a Presbyterian church (Church of Scotland). The founding of St. Giles is usually dated to 1124 and attributed to David I, King of Scots. Construction of the current church began in the 14th century and continued until the early 16th century. During the 19th and 20th centuries, there were major alterations including the addition of the Thistle Chapel, the chapel of the Order of the Thistle. St. Giles Cathedral is associated with many events and persons in Scottish history, notably John Knox (circa 1514 – 1572), a leader of the Scottish Reformation and the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland who as the minister of St. Giles after the Scottish Reformation, delivered fiery sermons from the pulpit.

Below are some royal connections to St. Giles Cathedral.

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1437 – A Requiem Mass for James I, King of Scots

James I, King of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

On February 20, 1437, plotters supporting the claim to the throne of Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, a son of Robert II, King of Scot’s second marriage, broke into the Blackfriars Priory in Perth, Scotland where James I, King of Scots and his wife Joan Beaufort were staying. The conspirators reached the couple’s bedroom where Joan tried to protect James but was wounded. James then tried to escape via an underground passage but was cornered and hacked to death by Sir Robert Graham. There was no strong support for the conspiracy and James’ assassins were soon captured and brutally executed. Although James I was buried in the Carthusian Charterhouse of Perth, which he had founded, a Requiem Mass was said for him at St. Giles Cathedral.

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The Royal Pew

The Royal Pew; Credit – By CPClegg – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90158521

Marie of Guise was the second wife of James V, King of Scots, and the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1548, five-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots set sail for France where she would be raised with her future husband. She would not return to Scotland for thirteen years, after a short-lived marriage due to the early death of her first husband François II, King of France. Mary’s mother Marie remained in Scotland as a member of the Council of Regency and then in 1554, she became Regent of Scotland. There has been a royal loft or royal pew in St. Giles Cathedral since the regency of Marie of Guise. The current royal pew has a tall back and with the royal arms of Scotland standing atop a canopy. It was created for the 1953 visit of Queen Elizabeth II.

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1570 – Funeral and Burial of James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray

James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, half-brother of Mary, Queen of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (circa 1531 – 1570) was the elder half-brother of Mary, Queen of Scots, the son of James V, King of Scots and his mistress Lady Margaret Erskine. James Stewart became a Protestant as had most of his mother’s family. Left a childless widow by the death of her husband, James’ Roman Catholic half-sister 18-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots returned to Scotland from France in 1561. During Mary’s thirteen-year absence, the Protestant Reformation had swept through Scotland. Despite their religious differences, James Stewart became the chief advisor to his sister and Mary created her half-brother Earl of Moray. Eventually, Mary’s behavior angered even her half-brother and he joined other Protestant lords in a rebellion. In 1567, Mary, Queen of Scots was deposed and succeeded by her infant son James VI, King of Scots. James Stewart, Earl of Moray served as Regent for his infant nephew.

John Knox preaching the funeral sermon of the Earl of Moray, depicted in a stained-glass window at St. Gile’s Cathedral; Credit – By CPClegg – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82436877

On January 23, 1570, in Linlithgow, Scotland, while still serving as Regent for his nephew James VI, King of Scots, the 39-year-old Moray was assassinated by James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, a supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots. It was the first assassination by a firearm in recorded history. James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray was buried at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland. Seven earls and lords carried his body into the church, and John Knox, the Scottish minister who was a leader of Scotland’s Reformation and the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, preached at the funeral.

Monument to James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray at St. Giles Cathedral; Credit – By CPClegg – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82436880

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1590 – Service of Thanksgiving for Anne of Denmark, Queen of Scots

Anne of Denmark, Queen of Scots, Queen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

James VI, King of Scots, the son of Mary, Queen Scots, was ready to marry to provide an heir to the throne of Scotland. In Denmark, Princess Anne, daughter of King Frederik II of Denmark, found that candidates for her hand in marriage were numerous as the Danish court was considered wealthy and a high dowry was expected. Anne’s mother Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, who conducted the marriage negotiations after the death of her husband in 1588, opted for King James VI. On August 20, 1589, Anne was married by proxy to James VI, King of Scots at Kronborg Castle in Helsingør, Denmark.

Ten days after the proxy wedding, Anne set sail for Scotland, but severe storms forced her to land in Norway. Upon hearing this, James set sail to personally bring Anne to Scotland. On November 23, 1589, the couple was formally married at the Bishop’s Palace in Oslo, Norway. After a prolonged visit to Denmark, James and Anne landed in Scotland on May 1, 1590. On May 15, 1590, Anne made her state entry into Edinburgh.

After such a long and sometimes dangerous ordeal, a service of thanksgiving was held at St. Giles Cathedral. Anne entered St. Giles under a red velvet canopy while the choir sang Psalm 19 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork.”  Robert Bruce of Kinnaird, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, preached a sermon on Psalm 107, a reflection of thanksgiving for the safe return of those on the sea: “Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters.”

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1633 – Visit of Charles I, King of England, King of Scots

Charles I, King of England, King of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1603, James VI, King of Scots succeeded Queen Elizabeth I of England and was then also King James I of England. His son and successor Charles I, King of England, King of Scots had been born at Dunfermline Palace in Fife, Scotland. Although Charles was crowned at Westminster Abbey on February 2, 1626, the Scots insisted that he should also be crowned in his northern kingdom. The coronation took place at the Palace of Holyrood in Edinburgh on June 18, 1633, during an elaborate and extravagant royal tour of Scotland. The crown, sword, and scepter used in the coronation date from the late 15th and early 16th centuries, and were first brought together for the coronation service of the nine-month-old Mary, Queen of Scots. On June 23, 1633, Charles I made an unannounced visit to St. Giles Cathedral and displaced the Church of Scotland clergy with his own clergy who conducted the service according to the rites of the Church of England.

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1822 – King George IV visits Scotland

King George IV during his 1822 trip to Scotland; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1822, King George IV of the United Kingdom’s 21-day visit to Scotland, organized by author Sir Walter Scott, was the first by a British monarch since the reign of King Charles II. On his trip to Scotland, George IV frequently wore a kilt and this helped to make the traditional garb of Highland Scotland popular during the 19th century. During his visit, King George IV attended services at St. Giles Cathedral. The publicity of his visit created the motivation for the city council to fund much-needed renovations on St. Giles Cathedral.

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1953 – Queen Elizabeth II receives the Honours of Scotland

Queen Elizabeth II returning the crown of the Honours of Scotland to the care of the Duke of Hamilton, in St. Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, during the Scottish National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication.

The Honours of Scotland, also known as the Scottish Crown Jewels, date from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and are the oldest surviving set of crown jewels of the United Kingdom. They were first used together as coronation regalia at the coronation of the nine-month-old Mary, Queen of Scots in 1543, and subsequently at the coronations of her infant son James VI in 1567 at Stirling Castle, her grandson Charles I in 1633 at Holyrood Palace, and her great-grandson Charles II in 1651 at Scone.

Embed from Getty Images 

The crown (1540), the scepter (circa 1494), and the sword of state (1507) are the three main Honours of Scotland. During her first visit to Scotland after her coronation, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom received the Honours of Scotland at a National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication at St. Giles Cathedral on June 24, 1953. During the service, the Honours of Scotland were formally presented to Queen Elizabeth II by Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton. The Queen then returned them to the Duke of Hamilton. The Duke of Hamilton is the senior dukedom in the Peerage of Scotland and the Hereditary Bearer of the Crown of Scotland. The Honours of Scotland are on display in the Crown Room at Edinburgh Castle.

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2022 – The Coffin of Queen Elizabeth II lies in rest

The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II lies at rest at St. Giles Cathedral as her four children stand in vigil

Because Queen Elizabeth II died at her Scottish home Balmoral Castle, her funeral plans incorporated Operation Unicorn, the contingency plans for the death of The Queen in Scotland.  Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin rested in the ballroom at Balmoral Castle in Scotland where she died on September 8, 2022. On September 11, 2022, her coffin traveled by hearse from Balmoral Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Upon arrival at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the coffin rested in the palace’s Throne Room. On the afternoon of September 12, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin traveled by a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland, the short distance up the Royal Mile to St. Giles Cathedral, accompanied by King Charles III and members of the Royal Family. Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin rested in St. Giles Cathedral where members of the public were able to view the coffin. On the evening of September 12, 2022, King Charles III and members of the Royal Family held an evening vigil at St Giles Cathedral.  The coffin departed St. Giles Cathedral on September 13, 2022, and traveled by plane to London.

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Order of the Thistle

Insignia of a Knight of the Order of the Thistle; Credit – Wikipedia

The Order of the Thistle is Scotland’s senior order and the second-highest order within the United Kingdom. Membership is limited to the Sovereign and sixteen members. In addition, members of the Royal Family and foreign sovereigns can be appointed as Extra Knights and Ladies. Queen Elizabeth II altered the statutes of the order in 1987 allowing women to be admitted as Ladies of the Thistle. Members are appointed in recognition of their public service, contributions to national life, or personal service to the Sovereign. Like the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle is awarded at the sole discretion of the Sovereign. New members are traditionally announced on St. Andrew’s Day, November 30. During the Sovereign’s visit in June or July each year, a service for the Order is held at the Thistle Chapel at St Giles’ Church in Edinburgh, at which point any new members are installed.

Holyrood Abbey after its designation as the Chapel of the Order of the Thistle in 1687 and before the interior’s destruction in 1688; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1687, James VII, King of Scots (also James II, King of England) founded the Order of the Thistle and designated the Abbey Church at Holyrood Palace, where a Presbyterian congregation worshipped, to be the chapel of the new order. The Abbey Church was converted into a Catholic chapel, as James had converted to Roman Catholicism. A new church, the nearby Canongate Kirk, replaced the Abbey Church as the local Presbyterian parish church. In 1688, the Abbey Church was ransacked by a mob, furious with King James’ Roman Catholic allegiance. The Order of the Thistle was left without a chapel until the Thistle Chapel was added to the nearby St. Giles’ Cathedral in 1911.

Thistle Chapel; Credit – Wikipedia

Over the years, unsuccessful multiple proposals were made either to refurbish Holyrood Abbey for the Order of the Thistle or to create a new chapel at St Giles’ Cathedral. In 1906, the sons of Ronald Leslie-Melville, 11th Earl of Leven donated £24,000 from their father’s estate towards the endowment and the construction of a Thistle Chapel on the south side of St. Giles Cathedral. The Thistle Chapel was formally opened by King George V on July 19, 1911.

Swords, helms and crests of Knights of the Thistle above their stalls in the Thistle Chapel; Credit – By Philip Allfrey – Taken by the author, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=935442

This author has visited the Thistle Chapel and can verify that it is relatively small – 7.6 meters (25 feet) long and 4.3 meters (14 feet) wide. Each member, including the Sovereign, has a stall in the Thistle Chapel, above which his or her heraldic devices are displayed.

Stall plates of Knights of the Thistle; Credit – By Philip Allfrey – Taken by the author, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=935427

Enameled plates with the name, arms, and date of admission of members, living and deceased, who have sat in each stall are attached to the back of the stall. Unlike the Order of the Garter, the banners of Knights and Ladies of the Thistle are not hung in the chapel but instead in an adjacent part of St Giles Cathedral.

Banners of Knights of the Thistle, hanging in St Giles Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

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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.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stewart,_1st_Earl_of_Moray> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. St Giles’ Cathedral – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Giles%27_Cathedral> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Order of the Thistle – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Thistle> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Thistle Chapel – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thistle_Chapel> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
  • Flantzer, S., 2016. Anne of Denmark, Queen of Scots, Queen of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/anne-of-denmark-queen-of-scots-queen-of-england/> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Assassination of James I, King of Scots (1437). [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/assassination-of-james-i-king-of-scots-1437/> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2016. King Charles I of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-charles-i-of-england/> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2015. King George IV of the United Kingdom. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-george-iv-of-the-united-kingdom/> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Lady Margaret Erskine, Mistress of James V, King of Scots. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/lady-margaret-erskine-mistress-of-james-v-king-of-scots/> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2012. British Orders and Honours. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/current-monarchies/british-royals/british-orders-and-honours/> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
  • St GILES’ CATHEDRAL. 2021. St GILES’ CATHEDRAL. [online] Available at: <https://stgilescathedral.org.uk/> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
  • The Royal Family. 2021. The Honours of Scotland. [online] Available at: <https://www.royal.uk/honours-scotland> [Accessed 22 May 2021].

Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was located in today’s southern Italy. It included the island of Sicily and all of the Italian peninsula south of the Papal States. Ferdinando I, the first King of the Two Sicilies, had previously reigned over two kingdoms, as Ferdinando IV of the Kingdom of Naples and Ferdinando III of the Kingdom of Sicily. He had been deposed twice from the throne of Naples: once by the revolutionary Parthenopean Republic for six months in 1799 and again by Napoleon in 1805, before being restored in 1816 after the defeat of Napoleon. After the 1816 restoration, the two kingdoms were united into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia 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. Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies was deposed, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ceased to exist, and its territory was incorporated into the Kingdom of Sardinia. Eventually, the Sardinian troops occupied the central territories of the Italian peninsula, except Rome and part of Papal States. With all the newly acquired land, Vittorio Emanuele II was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

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Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies; Credit – Wikipedia

Ferdinando I reigned as King of Naples and Sicily from 1759 – 1816, and then as King of the Two Sicilies from 1816 – 1825. Born at the Royal Palace in Naples, now Italy, on January 12, 1751, Ferdinando was the third of the six sons and the ninth of thirteen children of Carlos IV, King of Naples and Sicily, later Carlos III, King of Spain, and Maria Amalia of Saxony. Ferdinando’s paternal grandparents were Felipe V, King of Spain and his second wife Elisabeth Farnese of Parma. Ferdinando’s paternal grandfather Felipe V was born Philippe of France, Duke of Anjou, the son of Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, the heir apparent to the throne of France, and the grandson of Louis XIV, King of France. Ferdinando’s maternal grandparents were Odoardo Farnese, Hereditary Prince of Parma and Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg.

Ferdinando I had twelve siblings:

In 1759, upon the death of his childless half-brother King Ferdinand VI of Spain, King Carlos IV of Naples and Sicily succeeded him as King Carlos III of Spain. Because of treaties, Carlos could not be the sovereign of all three kingdoms. His eldest son Felipe was excluded from the succession because of intellectual disability and his second son Carlos was the heir apparent to the Spanish throne. That left the third son Ferdinando to become King of Naples and King of Sicily. Ferdinando was only eight years old when he became King of Naples and Sicily and a regency council ruled until his sixteenth birthday. Ferdinando resisted his studies and his court commitments and this was encouraged by Bernardo Tanucci, the president of the regency council, who wanted to control the government.

Maria Carolina of Austria, Ferdinando’s first wife; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 1767, a marriage was arranged as part of an alliance between Austria and Spain between Ferdinando and Maria Josepha of Austria, the daughter of Holy Empress Maria Theresa, who was in her own right Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary, Queen of Croatia, and Queen of Bohemia, and Francis, Holy Roman Emperor, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Duke of Lorraine. However, Maria Josepha died during a smallpox epidemic. Ferdinando’s father Carlos III of Spain was anxious to save the Austro-Spanish alliance, and so he requested one of Maria Josepha’s sisters as a replacement bride. Empress Maria Theresa, who wielded the real power, offered a choice of two of her daughters. Fifteen-year-old Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria was chosen as Ferdinando’s bride. The couple was married by proxy in Vienna, Austria on April 7, 1768. On May 12, 1768, Ferdinando and Maria Carolina married in person at the Palace of Caserta in Caserta, near Naples. As part of the marriage contract, Maria Carolina was to have a place on the council of state after the birth of her first son.

During the early months of their marriage, serious differences arose between the newlyweds which would worsen over the years. In contrast to Maria Carolina, who had been carefully prepared for her role as a future queen, Ferdinando had never received a comprehensive education and spent his time hunting, playing pranks, and eating excessively.

Ferdinando, Maria Carolina, and their children  Maria Theresa, Maria Luisa, Maria Amelia, Francesco, Maria Cristina, and Gennaro, 1783; Credit – Wikipedia

Despite her dislike for her husband, Maria Carolina fulfilled her most important duty – to continue the dynasty. Ferdinando and Maria Carolina of Austria had seventeen children but only seven survived childhood. Seven of their children died from smallpox. However, four of their five surviving daughters married sovereigns.

In 1775, after her first son was born, Maria Carolina took her place on the council of state. Bernardo Tanucci, the former president of the regency council, was still on the council of state and attempted to thwart her political influence, and found himself dismissed in 1777. From then on, Maria Carolina was the de facto ruler of the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily.

Ferdinando I was deposed twice from his thrones: once by the revolutionary Parthenopean Republic for six months in 1799 and again by Napoleon in 1805. In February 1806, Ferdinando, Maria Carolina, and their family were forced to flee to the island of Sicily, which was still in their control, where they lived in the Royal Palace of Palermo under British protection. However, the government of Sicily was a feudal type, and the British insisted on a government more similar to the British one. In 1813, Ferdinando essentially but not officially abdicated, and his eldest surviving son Francesco was appointed regent. At the insistence of the British, who were becoming more and more adverse to Maria Carolina, she was forced to leave Sicily. She returned to her home in Austria where she died from a stroke, aged 62, on September 8, 1814.

Ferdinando’s morganatic second wife Lucia Migliaccio, Duchess of Florida; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 27, 1814, in Palermo, Sicily, less than three months after the death of his first wife, Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies married Lucia Migliaccio, Duchess of Floridia. She was the daughter of Vincenzo Migliaccio, 8th Duke of Floridia and Dorotea Borgia dei Marchesi del Casale, and had inherited her father’s dukedom. She had previously been married to Benedetto Grifeo, 8th Prince of Partanna, who predeceased her, and they had five children. Because Ferdinando and Lucia’s marriage was morganatic, Lucia was not Queen.

In 1815, the Congress of Vienna restored Ferdinando’s rights to the thrones of Naples and Sicily and he returned to Naples on June 17, 1815. In 1816, after Ferdinando abolished the constitution of the Kingdom of Sicily, the two kingdoms, Naples and Sicily, were united into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. For the next four years, Ferdinand reigned as an absolute monarch and there were no constitutional reforms.

Entrance to the burial vault at the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples; Credit – Credit – Di Giuseppe Guida – Flickr: Basilica di Santa Chiara., CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20267754

In 1820, a revolt broke out in Sicily and riots occurred in Naples. Ferdinando was forced to sign a constitution and appoint his son Francesco as regent of Sicily. This only lasted until March 1821, when Austrian troops friendly to Ferdinando occupied Naples. Ferdinando was re-established as an absolute monarch and the constitution was withdrawn. Ferdinando I died from a stroke in Naples on January 4, 1825, at the age of 73. He was buried at the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples.

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

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Ferdinand I. (Sizilien) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_I._(Sizilien)> [Accessed 25 July 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Karolina von Österreich – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Karolina_von_%C3%96sterreich> [Accessed 25 July 2021].
  • 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 25 July 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Lucia Migliaccio – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucia_Migliaccio> [Accessed 25 July 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Carolina of Austria – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Carolina_of_Austria> [Accessed 25 July 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Ferdinando I delle Due Sicilie – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinando_I_delle_Due_Sicilie> [Accessed 25 July 2021].

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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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 – was the pretender to the former ducal throne, and head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1998 until he died on April 3, 2025.

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 was the only child of Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his first wife Countess Viktoria-Luise of Solms-Baruth.

Andreas had 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 had three children:

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.

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

Prince Andreas died in Coburg at the age of 82 on 3 April 2025.

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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.