Category Archives: Former Monarchies

Amalie of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler, Queen of Saxony

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Amalie of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler, Queen of Saxony – source: Wikipedia

The first Queen of Saxony, Amalie Auguste was the wife of King Friedrich August I of Saxony. She was born Countess Maria Amalie Auguste of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler, in Mannheim, Palatinate of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler, now in Baden-Württemberg Germany, on May 10, 1752, the daughter of Count Palatine Friedrich Michael of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler and Countess Palatine Maria Francisca of Sulzbach. Amalie had four siblings:

Friedrich August, painted by Johann Heinrich Schmidt. source: Wikipedia

On January 29, 1769, Amalie married Friedrich August III, Elector of Saxony (the future King Friedrich August I). At the time of her marriage, she became the Electress of Saxony, the last to hold this title. In addition to three stillborn children, the couple had one daughter:

Amalie of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler, Queen of Saxony- source: Wikipedia

On December 20, 1806, Amalie became the first Queen of Saxony when the Electorate of Saxony was elevated to a kingdom, and her husband assumed the throne as King Friedrich August I of Saxony. She also became Duchess of Warsaw the following year when the newly created Duchy of Warsaw, a protectorate of the French Empire, was placed in personal union with the Kingdom of Saxony by the French Emperor Napoléon. She remained Duchess of Warsaw until 1815 when it was dissolved at the Congress of Vienna.

Amalie’s husband died in May 1827 and was succeeded by his younger brother Anton. Queen Amalie survived her husband by a year and a half, dying in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony, on November 15, 1828. She is buried in the Wettin Crypt at the Dresden Cathedral, formerly known as the Katholische Hofkirche (Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony).

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

Saxony Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Friedrich August I, King of Saxony

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Kingdom of Saxony: The rulers of the Electorate of Saxony of the House of Wettin had held the title of Elector for several centuries. Friedrich August III, Elector of Saxony was not involved in the establishment of the Confederation of the Rhine, which brought about the end of the Holy Roman Empire. Staying out of the politics, he was drawn in when Napoleon advanced into German territory, siding with Prussia. The Saxony forces suffered significant losses and Friedrich August soon surrendered. He was forced to join the Confederation of the Rhine and had to cede territory to the Kingdom of Westphalia. However, the trade-off was Saxony’s elevation to a kingdom. So on December 20, 1806, Friedrich August became King Friedrich August I of Saxony. On November 13, 1918, the last King of Saxony, Friedrich August III formally abdicated the Saxony throne, bringing about the end of the monarchy. . Today, the land that was once the Kingdom of Saxony is located in the German state of Saxony, in the east of Germany, bordering Poland and the Czech Republic.

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Friedrich August I, King of Saxony – source: Wikipedia

Friedrich August I was the first King of Saxony, reigning from 1806 to 1827. He was born Prince Friedrich August Josef Maria Anton Johann Nepomuk Alois Xavier on December 23, 1750, in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany, the eldest surviving child of Prince (later Elector) Friedrich Christian of Saxony and Princess Maria Antonia Walpurgis of Bavaria.

Friedrich August had six siblings:

Upon his father’s death on December 17, 1763, Friedrich August became Elector of Saxony, reigning as Friedrich August III. As he was only thirteen years old, his mother served as Regent, and his uncle, Prince Franz Xavier, served as his representative until his eighteenth birthday in 1768. During this time, his uncle relinquished the throne of Poland to Stanisław II Augustus on Friedrich August’s behalf. However, under the terms of the new Polish Constitution, he remained heir to the Polish throne which he would later refuse upon Stanisław’s death in 1798.

Amalie of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld. source: Wikipedia

On January 1769, Friedrich August married Amalie of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, the daughter of Count Palatine Friedrich Michael of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld-Bischweiler and Countess Palatine Maria Francisca of Sulzbach. She was also the sister of the future King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. In addition to three stillborn children, Friedrich August and Amalie had one daughter:

As Elector, Friedrich August was not involved in establishing the Confederation of the Rhine, which brought about the end of the Holy Roman Empire. Staying out of the politics, he was drawn in when Napoleon advanced into German territory, siding with Prussia. The Saxon forces suffered significant losses and Friedrich August soon surrendered. He was forced to join the Confederation of the Rhine and had to cede territory to the Kingdom of Westphalia. However, the trade-off was Saxony’s elevation to a kingdom. So on December 20, 1806, Friedrich August became King Friedrich August I of Saxony.

The following year, the French Emperor Napoléon established the Duchy of Warsaw as a protectorate of the French Empire. In the Duchy’s constitution, he joined it with the House of Saxony, creating King Friedrich August I the Duke of Warsaw on June 9, 1807.

Under the watchful and controlling eye of Napoleon, Friedrich August attempted to join the Sixth Coalition in 1813, starting with a clandestine pact with Austria. However, word got back to Napoleon who quickly squashed the King’s efforts. The Emperor demanded the full support of Saxony, including their forces. Despite his misgivings about Napoleon, he trusted the Prussians even less, so the Saxons fought alongside the French in the Battle of Leipzig. The Prussians had no real intent to bring Saxony into the Coalition and had already formed a separate alliance with Russia, with the agreement that Prussia would annex Saxony. Instead of any support for Friedrich August, he was arrested by the Prussians and taken into custody.

After being released from prison in February 1815, the King delayed agreeing to any of the terms set out at the Congress of Vienna. Having no choice, he soon agreed to the peace treaty presented by Prussia and Russia. On May 21, 1815, he signed the treaty which gave more than half of the Saxony territory to Prussia, and the next day abdicated as Duke of Warsaw. Polish territory was divided amongst Russia, Austria, and Prussia, with the Russian area becoming the Kingdom of Poland, with the Russian Emperor as King. Upon returning home to Saxony in July 1815, the king received a warm welcome from the people of Saxony. He would remain on the throne for another twelve years.

Dresden Castle, c1896. source: Wikipedia

King Friedrich August I died at Dresden Castle in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony, on May 5, 1827. He is buried in the Wettin Crypt at the Dresden Cathedral, formerly known as the Katholische Hofkirche (Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony). As he had no male heirs, he was succeeded by his younger brother, Anton.

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

Saxony Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Mary of Guelders, Queen of Scots

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Credit – Wikipedia

Mary of Guelders, wife of James II, King of Scots was born around 1434, the eldest of the five children of Arnold, Duke of Guelders and Catherine of Cleves. The Duchy of Guelders was located in the present Dutch province of Gelderland (in English Guelders), the present Dutch province of Limburg, and parts of the present German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Mary’s mother Catherine was the daughter of Adolph I, Duke of Cleves and Marie of Burgundy. Adolph and Marie were the great-great-grandparents of Anne of Cleves, the fourth wife of King Henry VIII of England.

Mary had four siblings:

Mary was educated in the court of her great uncle Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy and his third wife Isabella of Portugal, who was a granddaughter of John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III of England. Isabella, who had been well educated by her parents, King João I of Portugal and Philippa of Lancaster, was known for her intelligence, her patronage of the arts, and her political influence on her husband and son. She was a great influence on Mary and helped arrange Mary’s marriage to James II, King of Scots.

Mary’s great uncle Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy; Credit – Wikipedia

Philip and Isabella had planned to betroth Mary to Charles, Count of Maine, but her father could not pay the dowry. Negotiations for a marriage to James II, King of Scots began in July 1447 when a Burgundian envoy went to Scotland and were concluded in September 1448. Philip promised to pay Mary’s dowry, while Isabella paid for her trousseau. Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy settled a dowry of 60,000 crowns on his great-niece and Mary’s dower (given to a wife for her support in the event that she should become widowed) of 10,000 crowns was secured on lands in Strathearn, Athole, Methven, and Linlithgow in Scotland. William Crichton, 1st Lord Crichton, Lord Chancellor of Scotland came to Burgundy to escort Mary to Scotland, where they landed at Leith on June 18, 1449. 15-year-old Mary married 19-year-old James II, King of Scots, at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland on July 3, 1449. Immediately after the marriage ceremony, Mary was dressed in purple robes and crowned queen.

James II, King of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary and James had seven children:

On August 3, 1460, 29-year-old James II, King of Scots was accidentally killed when a cannon nearby where he was standing exploded. Mary became the regent for her nine-year-old son King James III.

Mary indirectly participated in the English Wars of the Roses when she gave refuge in Scotland to  Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England and Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, the wife and son of the Lancaster King Henry VI of England, keep them out of the hands of the Yorkists. Mary even arranged to give Margaret Scottish troops and the two queens arranged a preliminary betrothal between Margaret’s son and Mary’s youngest daughter Margaret. However, any arrangements the two queens made came to naught. Mary’s uncle Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy made an alliance with the Yorkist King Edward IV of England. Edward IV even proposed a marriage with Mary which Mary rejected. Mary’s uncle pressured her to call off the betrothal of her daughter and Prince Edward, to Margaret’s disappointment. In 1462, Mary paid the Lancastrian royals to leave Scotland and made peace with Edward IV.

Before his death, James II had been involved in the planning of a new castle, Ravenscraig Castle, as a home for Mary. After her husband’s death, Mary began the construction of the castle as a memorial to him and as a dower house for herself. Mary lived in the castle until her death, when only the east tower and the basement of the central section had been built.

Ravenscraig Castle; Photo Credit – By Ian Mitchell, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9167584

Mary of Guelders survived her husband by only three years, dying on December 1, 1463, at the age of thirty. She was buried in Trinity College Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland which she had founded three years before in memory of her husband. In 1848, despite a formal protest from the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Trinity College Kirk was demolished to allow for the construction of the Waverley Railroad Station. At the time of the demolition, Mary’s remains were moved to Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh.

Vault containing the remains of Mary of Guelders at Holyrood Abbey; Photo Credit  – www.findagrave.com

Plaque on the vault containing the remains of Mary of Guelders at Holyrood Abbey; Photo Credit – Connie Nissinger – www.findagrave.com

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

Works Cited

  • Ashley, Michael, and Julian Lock. The Mammoth Book Of British Kings & Queens. London: Constable & Robinson, 2012. Print.
  • “Guelders”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 6 June 2017.
  • “James II Of Scotland”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 6 June 2017.
  • “Mary Of Guelders”. En.wikipedia.org. Web. 6 June 2017.
  • “Scottish Royal Burial Sites”. Unofficial Royalty. Web. 27 May 2017.
  • Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

James II, King of Scots

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

James II, King of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

James II, King of Scots was born on October 16, 1430, at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland. He had an elder twin brother named Alexander who died before his first birthday, making James the heir to the throne of Scotland and the holder of the titles Duke of Rothesay and Steward of Scotland. James was then the only son of James I, King of Scots and Lady Joan Beaufort, a granddaughter of John of Gaunt who was a son of King Edward III of England. James II had six sisters, three older and three younger. He was nicknamed “Fiery Face” because of a birthmark on his face.

James II had seven siblings:

During the reign of James I, there were lingering doubts about the validity of the first marriage of his grandfather Robert II, King of the Scots and this raised questions about James I’s own right to the throne of Scotland. James I faced challenges from descendants of his grandfather’s second marriage.

On February 20, 1437, plotters supporting the claim to the throne of Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, a son of Robert II’s second marriage, broke into the Carthusian Charterhouse of Perth where James I and his wife Joan were staying. The conspirators reached the couple’s bedroom where Joan tried to protect her husband. James I 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 I’s assassins were soon captured and brutally executed. Thus, James I’s six-year-old son succeeded him to the throne as James II, King of Scots. He was crowned at Holyrood Abbey on March 25, 1437, by Michael Ochiltree, Bishop of Dunblane.

 Queen Joan took custody of her 6-year-old son King James II and declared a regency. The idea of having Scotland ruled by an Englishwoman was not popular. Three months later, King James II’s first cousin Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas was proclaimed regent, a position he held until his death two years later. In 1439, Queen Joan married Sir James Stewart, known as the Black Knight of Lorne. The Stewarts of Lorne were trusted supporters of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas, the young king’s regent, and their power greatly increased while the Douglas family controlled Scotland. However, this all changed with the death of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas.

After Douglas’ death, the power of the regency was shared uneasily by William Crichton, 1st Lord Crichton, Lord Chancellor of Scotland, and Sir Alexander Livingston of Callendar, who was the custodian of the young King James II as the warden of Stirling Castle. Stewart and his Douglas allies planned to abduct the young James II from Stirling Castle. However, Livingston placed Joan and her new husband under house arrest at Stirling Castle. They were only released by making a formal agreement to relinquish custody of King James II in favor of Livingston, by giving up Joan’s dowry for her son’s maintenance, and by agreeing that Livingston’s actions were only to ensure the king’s safety. From then on, Joan had no participation in matters of state.

In 1440, in the name of James II, King of Scots, regents William Crichton and Alexander Livingston invited the two sons of the recently deceased former regent, Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas to dinner at Edinburgh Castle. While 16-year-old William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas and his 10-year-old brother David Douglas ate their dinner, a black bull’s head, the symbol of death, was brought in and placed before the young Earl. The two brothers were then dragged out to Castle Hill, given a mock trial, and beheaded in the presence of a protesting 10-year-old King James II. This brutal incident of murder and betrayal of hospitality, done to break up the power of the Black Douglases, has become known as the “Black Dinner” and was an inspiration for the infamous “Red Wedding” massacre in The Game of Thrones.

The Black Dinner; Credit – http://www.stewartsociety.org/

Negotiations for a marriage to Mary of Guelders, the eldest of the five children of Arnold, Duke of Guelders and Catherine of Cleves began in July 1447 when an envoy from  Burgundy went to Scotland and were concluded in September 1448. Mary’s great uncle Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy promised to pay Mary’s dowry, while his wife Isabella of Portugal paid for her trousseau. Mary had been educated in their court. After negotiations were concluded, Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy settled a dowry of 60,000 crowns on his great-niece and Mary’s dower (given to a wife for her support should she become widowed) of 10,000 crowns was secured on lands in Strathearn, Athole, Methven, and Linlithgow in Scotland. William Crichton, 1st Lord Crichton, Lord Chancellor of Scotland came to Burgundy to escort Mary to Scotland, where they landed at Leith on June 18, 1449. 15-year-old Mary married 19-year-old James II, King of Scots, at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh on July 3, 1449. Immediately after the marriage ceremony, Mary was dressed in purple robes and crowned queen.

James II and Mary of Guelders; Credit – Wikipedia

James and Mary had seven children:

After the murders at the “Black Dinner”, the Douglases became the sworn enemies of Lord Chancellor Crichton and James II. They formed an alliance with Sir Alexander Livingston of Callendar despite Livingston being a conspirator in the “Black Dinner” murders. During the 1440s, the nobles of Scotland battled for power. By 1449, the Livingston family held much power including holding government offices and many castles. That same year, James II came of age and assumed the full powers of the king. He arrested most of the Livingstons who held office, imprisoned them, and executed two members of the family.

William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas left Scotland to avoid capture. He returned in 1450 and had a distant, but cordial relationship with James II. However, in 1452, James II learned that Douglas had allied with John of Islay, Earl of Ross and Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Crawford.  Angry about the alliance, James II invited Douglas to dinner at Stirling Castle. He asked Douglas to break the alliance and when Douglas refused, James stabbed him as did the several men with him. According to the Auchinleck Chronicle, Sir Patrick Gray “struck out his brains with a pole ax”, and his body was thrown out of a window. The brother of the 8th Earl, the new 9th Earl of Douglas, James Douglas, attempted to continue the struggle with his brothers. However, they were defeated at the Battle of Arkinholm in 1455. Shortly after the battle the Black Douglases were attainted, the last few castles they held fell, and they ceased to be a serious force in Scotland.

James II of Scotland depicted in the diary of Jörg von Ehingen, 15th century; Credit – Wikipedia

James II supported the House of Lancaster in the English Wars of the Roses. His mother had been Lady Joan Beaufort, a granddaughter of John of Gaunt, from whom the House of Lancaster originated. The Lancaster King Henry VI of England was James II’s second cousin. In 1460, James II besieged Roxburgh Castle near the English border in support of King Henry VI. On August 3, 1460, 29-year-old James II, King of Scots was accidentally killed when a cannon nearby where he was standing exploded. Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie stated in his The Historie and Chronicles of Scotland, 1436–1565: “…as the King stood near a piece of artillery, his thigh bone was dug in two with a piece of misframed gun that brake in shooting, by which he was stricken to the ground and died hastily.” His remains were taken to Edinburgh and buried at Holyrood Abbey. His tomb, like so many others, has not survived.

As with the start of the reigns of James I and James II, Scotland once again had a child king in James III, King of Scots, the son of James II and Mary of Guelders. Mary served as the regent for her nine-year-old son until her death three years later. The rest of the Scottish Stuarts, James IV, James V, Mary, Queen of Scots, and James VI, would also be child monarchs. James II’s death also continued the violent deaths of the Scottish Stuarts which started with the assassination of his father James I and continued with the deaths in battle of James III and James IV and the beheading of Mary, Queen of Scots.

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

  • Ashley, M. and Lock, J. (2012). The mammoth book of British kings & queens. London: Constable & Robinson.
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Clan Douglas. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Douglas [Accessed 24 Jun. 2017].
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2017). James II, King of Scots. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/james-ii-king-of-scots/ [Accessed 24 Jun. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). James II of Scotland. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_II_of_Scotland [Accessed 24 Jun. 2017].
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2017). Lady Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scots. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/lady-joan-beaufort-queen-of-scots/ [Accessed 24 Jun. 2017].
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2017). Mary of Guelders, Queen of Scots. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/mary-of-guelders-queen-of-scots/ [Accessed 24 Jun. 2017].
  • Williamson, D. (1996). Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.

Lady Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scots

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Lady Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

Lady Joan Beaufort, the wife of James I, King of Scots, was born around 1404 in England. She was the third of the six children and the first of the two daughters of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and Margaret Holland. Her mother was the daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, the eldest son of Joan, 4th Countess of Kent, known as “The Fair Maid of Kent” from her first marriage to Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent, 2nd Baron Holland. Joan of Kent later married Edward, Prince of Wales (the Black Prince), the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and was the mother of King Richard II of England.

Joan Beaufort’s father John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset was the eldest of the four children of John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III, and his mistress Katherine Swynford. Their children were given the surname “Beaufort” after a former French possession of John of Gaunt. John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford married on January 13, 1396, at Lincoln Cathedral in England. After the marriage of John and Katherine, their four children were legitimized by both King Richard II of England and Pope Boniface IX. After John of Gaunt’s eldest son from his first marriage to Blanche of Lancaster deposed his first cousin King Richard II in 1399, the new King Henry IV inserted a phrase excepta regali dignitate (“except royal status”) in the documents that had legitimized his Beaufort half-siblings which barred them from the throne.

Joan had five siblings:

Joan met her husband James I, King of Scots during his long captivity in England. After the probable murder of his elder son by an uncle, Robert III, King of Scots sent his only surviving son James to France for his safety. However, the ship 12-year-old James was sailing on was captured on March 22, 1406, by English pirates who delivered James to King Henry IV of England. Robert III died a month later and James, who was nominally King of Scots, spent the first eighteen years of his reign in captivity. As Joan was related to the English royal family, she was often at court. Joan is said to be the inspiration for The Kingis Quair  (“The King’s Book”), a poem supposedly written by James after he looked out a window and saw Joan in the garden.

James I, King of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

Although there may have been an attraction between Joan and James, their marriage was political as it was a condition for James’ release from captivity. Joan was well-connected. She was a great-granddaughter of King Edward III, a first cousin once removed of King Richard II, a niece of King Henry IV, and a first cousin of King Henry V. Her paternal uncle Henry Beaufort was a Cardinal, Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of England. The English considered a marriage to a Beaufort gave the Scots an alliance with the English instead of the French. Joan’s dowry of £6,000 was subtracted from James’ ransom of £40,000. The couple was married on February 12, 1424, at St. Mary Overie Church, now known as Southwark Cathedral in Southwark, London, England. James was released from his long captivity on March 28, 1424, and the couple traveled to Scotland. On May 21, 1424, James and Joan were crowned King and Queen of Scots at Scone Abbey by Henry Wardlaw, Bishop of St. Andrews.

Joan and James I, King of Scots had eight children:

Upon returning to Scotland after an absence of 18 years, James found that Scotland was in horrible condition, with much poverty and lawlessness. He vigorously set about transforming his kingdom and made many enemies. There were still doubts about the validity of the first marriage of James’ grandfather Robert II, and this raised questions about James’ own right to the throne of Scotland. James found himself facing challenges from descendants of his grandfather’s second marriage.

On February 20, 1437, plotters supporting the claim to the throne of Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, a son of Robert II’s second marriage, broke into the Blackfriars Priory in Perth, Scotland where James and Joan 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.

Joan herself had been a target of her husband’s killers, and although wounded, she escaped, took custody of her 6-year old son King James II, and declared a regency. The idea of having Scotland ruled by an Englishwoman was not popular. Three months later, King James II’s first cousin, Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas, was proclaimed regent, a position he held until his death two years later. On September 21, 1439, Joan married Sir James Stewart, known as the Black Knight of Lorne. The Stewarts of Lorne were trusted supporters of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas, the young king’s regent, and their power greatly increased while the Douglas family controlled Scotland. However, this all changed with the death of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas.

After Douglas’ death, the power of the regency was shared uneasily by William Crichton, 1st Lord Crichton, Lord Chancellor of Scotland, and Sir Alexander Livingston of Callendar, who was the custodian of the young King James II as the warden of Stirling Castle.  As a result, Joan’s second husband Sir James Stewart and his Douglas allies planned to abduct the young James II who was being held by Livingston at Stirling Castle. However, Livingston placed Joan and her new husband under house arrest at Stirling Castle. They were only released by making a formal agreement to relinquish custody of King James II in favor of Livingston, by giving up Joan’s dowry for her son’s maintenance, and agreeing that Livingston’s actions were only to ensure the king’s safety. From then on, Joan had no participation in matters of state.

Joan and Sir James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorne had three sons:

In November 1444, Joan was besieged at Dunbar Castle by William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas from the Black Douglas faction, who may have had the blessing of King James II. Joan was under the protection of James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Angus from the Red Douglas faction and Sir Adam Hepburn of Hailes, the custodian of Dunbar Castle. Supplies from the nearby Red Douglas stronghold of Tantallon Castle were likely shipped in via a hidden passage to maintain the garrison at Dunbar Castle. However, after a ten-month siege, Joan died on July 15, 1445, at around 41 years of age and Dunbar Castle was turned over to the Black Douglas faction.

Joan was buried beside her first husband James I, King of Scots in the Carthusian Charterhouse of Perth, which he had founded. On May 11, 1559, following a sermon by John Knox, a leader of the Scottish Reformation and the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, the Carthusian Charterhouse in Perth was attacked by a mob of Protestant reformers. Everything was destroyed including the royal tombs and remains.

A monument marking the site of the Charterhouse; Photo Credit – By kim traynor, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29398897

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

  • Ashley, Michael, and Julian Lock. The Mammoth Book Of British Kings & Queens. London: Constable & Robinson, 2012. Print.
  • “Dunbar Castle”. En.wikipedia.org. Web. 27 May 2017.
  • “Dunbar Versus Douglas – A Story Of Conflict”. Douglashistory.co.uk. Web. 27 May 2017.
  • info@undiscoveredscotland.co.uk, Undiscovered. “Joan Beaufort, Queen Of Scotland: Biography On Undiscovered Scotland”. Undiscoveredscotland.co.uk. Web. 27 May 2017.
  • “James I Of Scotland”. En.wikipedia.org. Web. 27 May 2017.
  • “Joan Beaufort, Queen Of Scots”. En.wikipedia.org. Web. 27 May 2017.
  • “John Beaufort, 1St Earl Of Somerset”. En.wikipedia.org. Web. 27 May 2017.
  • “Margaret Holland, Duchess Of Clarence”. En.wikipedia.org.  Web. 27 May 2017.
  • “Scottish Royal Burial Sites”. Unofficial Royalty. Web. 27 May 2017.
  • Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

James I, King of Scots

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

James I, King of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

James I, King of Scots, along with his elder twin brother Robert who died in infancy, was born July 25, 1394, at Dunfermline Abbey in Fife, Scotland. He was the second surviving son of Robert III, King of Scots and Anabella Drummond. In 1388, two years before he became king, James’ father had been kicked by a horse and became an invalid. James’ grandfather Robert II, King of Scots died in 1390 and James’ father became King of Scots. At the time of his birth, James’ much older brother David was the heir to the throne of Scotland.

James had six siblings:

Several events occurred during James’ childhood that would eventually affect him. As time went by, Robert III’s disabilities worsened and he fell into a state of depression. There were disputes among the children of his two marriages as to who was the legitimate heir. Queen Anabella knew she had to take matters into her own hands to protect the rights of her elder son David, the heir to the throne. In 1398, Anabella arranged a tournament in Edinburgh at which her eldest surviving son 19-year-old David was knighted. Later that same year, he was created Duke of Rothesay and Lieutenant of the Realm. However, serious problems began to emerge between David and his uncle Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, who was the third in line to the throne after David and James.

Anabella, Queen of Scots died in October 1401. With the loss of his mother’s protection and his father too incapacitated to protect him, David, Duke of Rothesay fell prey to his uncle Robert’s machinations. David was accused unjustifiably of appropriating and confiscating funds and was arrested in 1402. He was imprisoned at Falkland Palace and died on March 26, 1402, at the age of 22, probably of starvation.

Eight-year-old James, now heir to the throne, was the only one in the way of transferring the royal line to the Albany Stewarts. In 1402 Albany and his close Black Douglas ally Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas were absolved of any involvement in David’s death, although it is surely likely that they were to blame This cleared the way for Albany’s re-appointed as the Lieutenant of the Realm. Eventually, fearing for the safety of his only surviving son James, Robert III sent him to France. However, the ship 12-year-old James was sailing on was captured on March 22, 1406, by English pirates who delivered James to King Henry IV of England. Robert III, King of Scots, aged 68, died at Rothesay Castle on April 4, 1406, after hearing of his son’s captivity.

12-year-old James was now the uncrowned King of Scots and would remain in captivity in England for eighteen years. Back in Scotland, his uncle Robert, Duke of Albany consolidated his power and ruled as regent in his nephew’s absence. Unsurprisingly, Albany made little effort to secure James’ ransom and return to Scotland, focusing instead on securing his power and interests. Albany died in 1420 and was succeeded as Duke of Albany and regent by his son Murdoch Stewart.

In England, James had a small household of Scots nobles. King Henry IV treated the young James well and provided him with a good education and James was able to observe Henry IV’s kingship and political control. During his captivity, James used personal visits from his nobles and letters to important people to maintain his connection to his kingdom. King Henry IV died in 1413 and his son King Henry V immediately ended James’s relative freedom, first holding him in the Tower of London with the other Scots prisoners. One of these prisoners was James’s cousin Murdoch Stewart, Albany’s son, who had been captured in 1402 at the Battle of Homildon Hill. Initially, they were held apart, but from 1413 until Murdoch’s release in 1415, they were together in the Tower of London and at Windsor Castle.

By 1420, 26-year-old James’ standing went from hostage to more of a guest. James accompanied Henry V to France where his presence was used against the Scots fighting on the French side during the Hundred Year’s War. He attended the coronation of Henry V’s wife Catherine of Valois in February 1421 and was honored by sitting on the queen’s left at the coronation banquet. In March 1421, James accompanied Henry V on a tour of important English towns. During this tour, James was knighted on Saint George’s Day. By July 1421, Henry V and James were back campaigning in France. Henry appointed his brother John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford and James as the joint commanders of the Siege of Dreux. After Henry V died of dysentery in France on August 31, 1422, James was part of the escort taking the king’s body back to London.

While in England, James met his future wife Lady Joan Beaufort. She was the third of the six children and the first of the two daughters of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and Margaret Holland. Her mother was the daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, the eldest son of Joan, 4th Countess of Kent, known as “The Fair Maid of Kent” from her first marriage to Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent, 2nd Baron Holland. Joan of Kent later married Edward, Prince of Wales (the Black Prince), the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and was the mother of King Richard II of England.

Joan Beaufort’s father John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset was the eldest of the four children of John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III, and his mistress Katherine Swynford. Their children were given the surname “Beaufort” after a former French possession of John of Gaunt. John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford married on January 13, 1396, at Lincoln Cathedral in England. After the marriage of John and Katherine, their four children were legitimized by both King Richard II of England and Pope Boniface IX. After John of Gaunt’s eldest son from his first marriage to Blanche of Lancaster deposed his first cousin King Richard II in 1399, the new King Henry IV inserted a phrase excepta regali dignitate (“except royal status”) in the documents which legitimized his Beaufort half-siblings which barred them from the throne.

As Joan was related to the English royal family, she was often at court. Joan is said to be the inspiration for The Kingis Quair  (“The King’s Book”), a poem supposedly written by James after he looked out a window and saw Joan in the garden. Although there may have been an attraction between Joan and James, their marriage was political as it was a condition for James’ release from captivity.

James I, King of Scots and Joan Beaufort; Credit – Wikipedia

Joan was well-connected. She was a great-granddaughter of King Edward III, a first cousin once removed of King Richard II, a niece of King Henry IV, and a first cousin of King Henry V. Her paternal uncle Henry Beaufort was a Cardinal, Bishop of Winchester, and Chancellor of England. The English considered a marriage to a Beaufort gave the Scots an alliance with the English instead of the French. Joan’s dowry of £6,000 was subtracted from James’ ransom of £40,000. The couple was married on February 12, 1424, at St. Mary Overie Church, now known as Southwark Cathedral in Southwark, London, England. James was released from his long captivity on March 28, 1424, and the couple traveled to Scotland. On May 21, 1424, James and Joan were crowned King and Queen of Scots at Scone Abbey by Henry Wardlaw, Bishop of St. Andrews.

The entrance, the only remaining part of Scone Abbey; Photo Credit – By Patrick Gruban from Munich, Germany – IMG_3910Uploaded by Kurpfalzbilder.de, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9553070

James and Joan had eight children:

Upon returning to Scotland after an absence of 18 years, James found that Scotland was in horrible condition, with much poverty and lawlessness. He vigorously set about transforming his kingdom, and made him many enemies. In addition, there were still doubts about the validity of the first marriage of Robert II, James’ grandfather, and this raised questions about James’ right to the throne of Scotland. James found himself facing challenges from descendants of his grandfather’s two marriages. He knew he had to crush the power of his cousin Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany to strengthen the crown’s power and restrain the power of the lawless nobles. A Parliament held in Perth in 1425 issued orders for Murdoch’s arrest, and in May 1425 a trial was held at Stirling where Murdoch, his sons Alexander and Walter Stewart, and his father-in-law Duncan, Earl of Lennox were all found guilty of treason and immediately executed. Murdoch’s third son James fled to Ireland, where he would spend the rest of his life in exile.

James ruled Scotland with a strong hand and made numerous financial and legal reforms. He tried to reshape the Scottish Parliament on the English model, and in 1428 renewed the Auld Alliance with France. On this occasion, James arranged for the marriage of his eldest daughter Margaret to the French Dauphin, the future King Louis XI of France. However, Margaret died before Louis became king. Although James’ measures were effective, he created many enemies.

On February 20, 1437, plotters supporting the claim to the throne of Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, a son of Robert II’s second marriage, broke into the Blackfriars Priory in Perth, Scotland where James and Joan 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.

James was buried in the Carthusian Charterhouse of Perth, which he had founded. On May 11, 1559, following a sermon by John Knox, a leader of the Scottish Reformation and the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, a mob of Protestant reformers attacked the Carthusian Charterhouse in Perth. Everything was destroyed including the royal tombs and remains.

A monument now marks the site of the Carthusian Charterhouse in Perth; Photo Credit – By kim traynor, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29398897

James I, King of Scots was only 42 years old when he was killed and left a 7-year-old son to succeed him as King James II. James I’s wife Joan served as regent for her son for a few short months and then was forced to give up the regency and the custody of her son. Joan made a second marriage, had three more children, died in 1445, and was buried with her first husband.

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

  • Ashley, Michael, and Julian Lock. The Mammoth Book Of British Kings & Queens. London: Constable & Robinson, 2012. Print.
  • “James I Of Scotland”. En.wikipedia.org. Web. 27 May 2017.
  • “Joan Beaufort, Queen Of Scots”. En.wikipedia.org. Web. 27 May 2017.
  • “Scottish Royal Burial Sites”. Unofficial Royalty. Web. 27 May 2017.
  • Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Anabella Drummond, Queen of Scots

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Robert III, King of Scots and his wife Annabella Drummond as depicted on the 1562 Forman Armorial; Credit – Wikipedia

Anabella Drummond, born circa 1350 at Dunfermline Abbey in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, was the daughter of Sir John Drummond of Stobhall, 11th Thane of Lennox and Chief of Clan Drummond and Mary de Montfichet, daughter and co-heiress with her sisters of Sir William de Montfichet, of Stobhall, Cargill, and Auchterarder. Sir John’s sister Margaret Drummond was the second wife of David II, King of Scots.

Anabella had at least seven siblings:

  • Dougal Drummond
  • Sir Malcolm Drummond (circa 1351 – 1402), married Isabel Douglas, Countess of Mar, no issue, he was murdered by men from the Clan Stewart of Appin
  • Margaret Drummond (born circa 1354), married Sir Colin Campbell of Lochow
  • Sir John Drummond, 12th Thane of Lennox (1356 – 1428), married Elizabeth Sinclair
  • Mary Drummond (born 1357)
  • William Drummond, 1st Thane of Carnock (born 1358), married Elizabeth Airth
  • Jean Drummond (born 1362)

In 1367, Anabella married John Stewart, Earl of Carrick (the future Robert III, King of Scots), the eldest son of Robert II, King of Scots and his first wife Elizabeth Mure. The couple had seven children:

In 1388, two years before he became king, Anabella’s husband had been kicked by a horse and became an invalid. Robert II, King of Scots died in 1390 and Anabella’s husband John Stewart, Earl of Carrick became King of Scots. John decided to use Robert as his regnal name. He thought John was an unlucky name as evidenced by John Balliol, King of Scots, King John of England and Kings Jean I and II of France. Anabella was crowned with her husband Robert III, King of Scots at Scone on August 14, 1390, by William Trail, Bishop of St. Andrews.

As time went by, Robert III’s disabilities worsened and he fell into a state of depression. Supposedly, Robert told Anabella that he should be buried in a dung heap with an epitaph that read, “Here lies the worst of kings and the most miserable of men.” Anabella knew she had to take matters into her own hands to protect the rights of her son David, the heir to the throne. In 1398, Anabella arranged a tournament in Edinburgh at which her eldest surviving son 19-year-old David was knighted.  Later that same year, he was created Duke of Rothesay and Lieutenant of the Realm. Prior to David gaining more power, his paternal uncle Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany had held the power as protector of the kingdom.

In 1400, King Henry IV of England invaded Scotland and was able to reach Edinburgh where he laid siege to the castle, but eventually had to retreat because of the lack of supplies. The Scots had seemed powerless to respond to the English invasion. Anabella, Queen of Scots died in October 1401 at Scone Palace and was buried at Dunfermline Abbey. With the loss of his mother’s protection and his father too incapacitated to protect him, David, Duke of Rothesay fell prey to his uncle Robert’s machinations. David was accused unjustifiably of appropriating and confiscating funds and was arrested in 1402. He was imprisoned at Falkland Palace and died on March 26, 1402, at the age of 22, probably of starvation.

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

  • “Anabella Drummond”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
  • Ashley, Michael. British Kings & Queens. 1st ed. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1998. Print.
  • “Clan Drummond”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
  • “David Stewart, Duke Of Rothesay”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
  • “Person Page”. Thepeerage.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
  • “Robert III Of Scotland”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
  • Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Robert III, King of Scots

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Robert III, King of Scots and his wife Anabella Drummond; Credit – Wikipedia

John Stewart, later Robert III, King of Scots, was born around 1337. He was the eldest child of Robert II, King of Scots and his mistress Elizabeth Mure. The couple married in 1346, but the marriage was not in agreement with the Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church. After receiving a papal dispensation, the couple remarried. The children born before their marriage were legitimized. Despite the legitimization of Elizabeth’s children, there were family disputes over her children’s right to the crown. John’s mother Elizabeth died before May 1355 when John was between 18 and 21 years old.

John had at least nine siblings:

John had four half-siblings from his father’s second marriage in 1355 to Euphemia de Ross:

John was created Earl of Carrick by his great uncle David II, King of Scots in 1368. In 1371, John’s father succeeded his uncle David II as Robert II, King of Scots, the first king of the House of Stewart (later Stuart). John was declared heir to the crown soon after his father’s accession.  In order to dispel all conflict among the children of his two marriages, Robert II had a succession act passed in Parliament in 1373. If the heir apparent John, Earl of Carrick died without sons, the succession would pass to his brother Robert, Duke of Albany, and then to his younger brothers from Robert II’s two marriages in order of birth. As his reign progressed, Robert II delegated more power to his three eldest sons, John, Earl of Carrick and heir to the throne; Robert, Duke of Albany and Alexander, Earl of Buchan, who became his lieutenant in the north of Scotland.

In 1367, John married Anabella Drummond, daughter of Sir John Drummond of Stobhall, 11th Thane of Lennox and Chief of Clan Drummond and Mary de Montfichet, the daughter and co-heiress with her sisters of Sir William de Montfichet, of Stobhall, Cargill, and Auchterarder. Sir John’s sister Margaret Drummond was the second wife of David II, King of Scots.

The couple had seven children:

In 1388, two years before he became king, John was kicked by a horse and became an invalid. Robert II, King of Scots died in 1390 and John Stewart, Earl of Carrick became King of Scots. John decided to use Robert as his regnal name. He thought John was an unlucky name as evidenced by John Balliol, King of Scots, King John of England and Kings Jean I and Jean II of France. Robert III, King of Scots and his wife Anabella were crowned at Scone on August 14, 1390, by William Trail, Bishop of St. Andrews. Because of his disability, Robert III delegated most of his power to his brother Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany.

As time went by, Robert III’s disabilities worsened and he fell into a state of depression. Supposedly, Robert told Anabella that he should be buried in a dung heap with an epitaph that read, “Here lies the worst of kings and the most miserable of men.” Anabella knew she had to take matters into her own hands to protect the rights of her son David, the heir to the throne. In 1398, Anabella arranged a tournament in Edinburgh at which her eldest surviving son 19-year-old David was knighted. Later that same year, he was created Duke of Rothesay and Lieutenant of the Realm.

Anabella, Queen of Scots died in October 1401 at Scone Palace and was buried at Dunfermline Abbey. With the loss of his mother’s protection and his father too incapacitated to protect him, David, Duke of Rothesay fell prey to his uncle Robert’s machinations. David was accused unjustifiably of appropriating and confiscating funds and was arrested in 1402. He was imprisoned at Falkland Palace and died on March 26, 1402, at the age of 22, probably of starvation.

Fearing for the safety of his only surviving son James (the future James I, King of Scots), Robert III decided to send him to France. However, the ship 12-year-old James was sailing on was captured on March 22, 1406, by English pirates who delivered James to King Henry IV of England. Robert III, King of Scots, aged 68, died at Rothesay Castle on April 4, 1406, after hearing of his son’s captivity and was buried at Paisley Abbey.

Paisley Abbey; Photo Credit – By © User:Colin / Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28719655

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.

Wedding of Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

source: Wikipedia

Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha were married in Coburg in October 19-20, 1932. They were the parents of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

Gustaf Adolf’s Early Life

Gustaf Adolf (second from left) with his parents and siblings, 1912. source: Wikipedia

Prince Gustaf Adolf Oscar Fredrik Arthur Edmund of Sweden was the eldest son of the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught. He was born at the Royal Palace of Stockholm on April 22, 1906, and was soon joined by four younger siblings – Ingrid, Bertil, Sigvard, and Carl Johan. His education began privately at home and then he attended the Lundbergs School, a private boarding school in Värmland. After graduating in 1925, he began a military career, serving in the cavalry. He attended the Military Academy Karlberg and the War College, and later studied at Uppsala University and the Stockholm School of Economics.

In addition to his studies and military training, Gustaf Adolf (known within the family as Edmund) became quite skilled at both fencing and horse riding. He went on to become Swedish champion in saber fencing and competed in show jumping in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. He served as president of the Swedish Olympic Committee from 1933 until his death. He also was an avid steeplechase rider, although he later gave that sport up at the time of his marriage. Gustaf Adolf was also very involved with scouting, from the time he was a young boy. He remained involved his entire life, later serving as the first president of the Swedish Scouting Federation, and serving on the World Scout Committee.

Sibylla’s Early Life

Sibylla (center) with her parents and siblings, c1915. source: Wikipedia

Her Royal Highness Princess Sibylla Calma Marie Alice Bathildis Feodora of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was born at Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha on January 18, 1908. She was the second of five children of Carl Eduard, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (born Prince Charles Edward of Albany) and Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. Her father was a grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (son of Victoria’s youngest son, Leopold, Duke of Albany), and her mother was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria’s half-sister, Feodora of Leiningen. Her siblings were Johann Leopold (1906-1972), Hubertus (1909-1943), Caroline Mathilde (1912-1983), and Friedrich Josias (1918-1998). At birth, she also held the title Princess of the United Kingdom, as her father was born a British prince.

Sibylla was educated at home, and then attended the Gymnasium Alexandrinum in Coburg, and then the Kunstgewerbeschule in Weimar, Saxony. During World War I, Sibylla’s father – despite being born a British prince – sided with the Germans as the reigning Duke of one of the German states. For this, his cousin, King George V of the United Kingdom had him stripped of the Order of the Garter which he had received in 1902. He was deposed in November 1918 and formally announced that he had “ceased to rule”, although he never technically abdicated. The family retained Schloss Callenberg in Coburg, as well as several other properties in Europe, and were given the right to live at Veste Coburg. They also received significant compensation for other lost possessions and properties.

In March 1919, the family was stripped of their British titles and peerages under the British Titles Deprivation Act. Sibylla lost her style of Royal Highness (which was derived from her father’s British title) and became simply Her Highness Princess Sibylla.

The Engagement

Despite being second cousins (both were great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), Gustaf Adolf and Sibylla did not meet until November 1931 at the wedding of Lady May Cambridge in London. Lady May was a first cousin of Sibylla and a second cousin of Gustaf Adolf. Sibylla and Gustaf Adolf’s sister, Ingrid, were both bridesmaids, and it was Ingrid who introduced them. A romance quickly developed, and soon there was much public speculation over a possible engagement.

Gustaf Adolf was very coy with the press, denying any engagement but still telling the media to “wait and see”. In mid-June 1932, he traveled to Coburg along with his sister Ingrid. Two days later, on June 16, after having received the formal consent of King Gustaf V of Sweden, the couple’s engagement was announced at Schloss Callenberg in Coburg.

Pre-Wedding Festivities

The Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, The Crown Prince of Sweden, Sibylla and Gustaf Adolf, The Crown Princess of Sweden, The Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

In the days leading up to the wedding, Sibylla and Gustaf Adolf, along with her parents, hosted a reception at the Veste Coburg for the press, who were able to find out many of the details of the wedding and see the display of wedding gifts. There were also several dinners and gala events, including a gala performance at the Opera, with many of the royal guests in attendance. In addition, a select few residents of Coburg were invited to attend as well.

Wedding Guests

Over sixty members of royal and noble families from Europe attended the wedding. One very prominent absentee was the groom’s grandfather, King Gustaf V, who refused to attend due to Coburg’s Nazi connections. He was instead officially represented by the Swedish Ambassador to Berlin. Some of the notable guests were:

The Groom’s Family
Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf and Crown Princess Louise
Prince Sigvard, Duke of Uppland
Princess Ingrid
Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland
Prince Carl Johan, Duke of Dalarna

The Bride’s Family
The Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Prince Johann Leopold
Prince Hubertus
Princess Caroline Mathilde
Prince Friedrich Josias

Royal Guests
Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria
King Ferdinand of Bulgaria
Prince Harald of Denmark and Princess Helena Adelaide
Princess Feodora of Denmark
Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark
Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Märtha of Norway
Grand Duchess Victoria Melita of Russia
Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia
The Duke of Connaught
The Earl and Countess of Athlone

The Wedding Attire

For the church ceremony, the bride wore a simple gown of white silk satin with a long train. The train had belonged to Sibylla’s paternal grandmother, The Duchess of Albany, who had received it from Queen Victoria. Made of white satin, embroidered with silver and ostrich feathers, it was nine feet in length.

Another heirloom was her veil of Brussels lace. It had originally belonged to Queen Sofia, the consort of King Oscar II of Sweden (the great-grandparents of the groom), and has since become a traditional wedding bride for several Swedish brides. Instead of a tiara, Sibylla wore a crown of myrtle and flowers. She carried a bouquet of large white lilies.

The groom wore his uniform as a Lieutenant in the Swedish Guards, adorned with the sash and star of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order (of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) and the star and insignia of the Swedish Order of the Seraphim and Order of the Sword.

The attendants wore simple white dresses, with pale blue shoes and white floral headdresses with blue ribbon. The blue matched the color of the groom’s regiment.

The Civil Ceremony

The civil ceremony took place on October 19, 1932, at the Coburg Castle. The brief ceremony was officiated by the Nazi Mayor of Coburg, Herr Franz Schwede. The groom wore a morning suit, while the bride wore a red wine dress. The Mayor gave a short speech, in which he recognized the joint effort of the Coburgers and the Swedes in defending the Coburg Castle during the Thirty Years’ War. He concluded that this must surely be a good omen for the success of the couple’s marriage.

Following the mayor’s speech, the marriage register was signed. Gustaf Adolf and Sibylla chose their fathers to serve as witnesses. The register was signed on a table that had originally belonged to Duke Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the older brother of the couple’s mutual great-grandfather, Prince Albert. After the ceremony, the couple drove to St. Moritz’s Church for the rehearsal of their religious wedding the following day.

That evening, Gustaf Adolf and Sibylla, along with their parents and royal guests, viewed a torchlight procession of members of various civil organizations dancers and musicians, as well as Nazi stormtroopers. This was followed by a private dinner at the castle.

The Religious Ceremony

The religious ceremony was held on October 20, 1932, at the St. Moritz Church in Coburg. In the very traditional Lutheran service, the bride was escorted down the aisle by her father, to Handle’s “Prelude”.

The bride and groom had the following attendants:

  • Princess Ingrid of Sweden
  • Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia
  • Princess Feodora of Denmark
  • Princess Caroline of Denmark
  • Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein
  • Countess Dagmar Bernadotte (trainbearer)
  • Prince Wilhelm of Prussia
  • Prince Alexander of Prussia
  • Prince Bertil of Sweden
  • Prince Sigvard of Sweden
  • Prince Carl Johan of Sweden
  • Prince Friedrich Josias of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (trainbearer)

The Wedding Banquet

Processing back to the castle (note the swastika displayed in the background). source: Wikipedia

Following the ceremony, the couple greeted the crowds gathered outside the church and then processed by car back to the Castle – with the roads lined with well-wishers – where a banquet was held in the Congress Hall. The guests dined on:

Wildsuppe von Fasan
(wild pheasant soup)

Seezungenfilet, gebacken, Rémouladensauce
(baked filet of sole with Rémoulade sauce)

Tarteletten mit Gänseleberpastete
(Tartelettes with goose liver pate)

Poularden, gebraten, Erbsengemüse, Kompott, Salat
(fried poulard with peas, compote and salad)

Wallsee Pudding

Käsegebäck
(Cheese pastry)

Return to Sweden

Haga Palace. photo By Holger.Ellgaard – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4389507

Gustaf Adolf and Sibylla spent a month honeymooning in Italy before returning to Sweden. They sailed into Trelleborg on November 24 and took the train to Stockholm, arriving the next day and being greeted by the Prime Minister and members of the Royal Family. They traveled by motorcade to the Royal Palace, where a Te Deum was held in the Royal Chapel. The following day, a reception was held in the Apartments of the Orders of Chivalry in the palace, followed by a musical performance in the Hall of State and then dinner in the White Sea Ballroom. The next day, a gala performance was held at the Royal Opera.

Tragically, Gustaf Adolf was killed in a plane crash in 1947, leaving Sibylla widowed with five young children. She continued to take a very active role in the Swedish Royal Family, and after the death of Queen Louise in 1965, she served as the first lady for her father-in-law. Sibylla died in November 1972, just ten months before her son succeeded to the throne as King Carl XVI Gustaf.

Children

Gustaf Adolf and Sibylla with their five children in 1946; Credit – Wikipedia

Gustaf Adolf and Sibylla had four daughters and one son:

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

Wedding of King Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

source: Zimbio

King Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark were married on September 18, 1964, in the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation in Athens.

Constantine’s Early Life

Constantine was born on June 2, 1940, at Villa Psychiko in Athens to Crown Prince Paul of Greece and Princess Friederike of Hanover. He has one older sister – Queen Sofia of Spain, and one younger sister – Princess Irene of Greece. During World War II, the Greek Royal Family was forced to flee Greece, settling in Alexandria, Egypt, and then Cape Town, South Africa. They returned to Greece in 1946, and the following year, his uncle, King George II died. Constantine’s father became King, and Constantine became Crown Prince.

He attended school in Athens from 1949-1955, followed by all three Greek military academies. He then went to the National University of Athens to study law. An avid athlete, Tino (as he was known in the family) participated in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, winning a gold medal in sailing (Dragon Glass). This was Greece’s first gold medal in 48 years. He became a member of the International Olympic Committee in 1963.

He became King of the Hellenes following his father’s death in March 1964. Just three years after the wedding, following a coup in 1967, the Greek royal family went into exile, living in Rome for several years before moving to Denmark and then finally settling in the United Kingdom. While in exile, King Constantine was deposed and the monarchy was formally abolished in 1974.

For more information about Constantine see:

Anne-Marie’s Early Life

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Princess Anne-Marie Dagmar Ingrid of Denmark was born on August 30, 1946, at Amalienborg in Copenhagen. She is the third and youngest daughter of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Princess Ingrid of Sweden. Her two older sisters are Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Princess Benedikte of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. A year after her birth, her grandfather died, and her father became King Frederik IX. Several years later, the King had the succession laws changed to allow for female succession, putting Anne-Marie third in line to succeed her father.

After attending a private school in Copenhagen from 1952-1961, Anne-Marie was enrolled at the Chatelard School for Girls, a boarding school in Switzerland, from 1961-1963. She then attended the Institut Le Mesnil, a Swiss finishing school.

For more information about Anne-Marie see:

The Engagement

Constantine and Anne-Marie are third cousins, several times over, through their mutual descent from both King Christian IX of Denmark and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. They first met in 1959, when Constantine accompanied his parents on a State Visit to Denmark. Constantine was 19, and Anne-Marie was just 13. They met again in Denmark in 1961, but it was in 1962 that the romance truly began to blossom. Anne-Marie was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Constantine’s sister, Sophia, to Juan Carlos of Spain. By that time, Tino was clearly smitten and the two spent much of the night dancing together. After that, Tino made many visits to Denmark to see Anne-Marie, and the media began to speculate about a romance with Anne-Marie’s older sister Benedikte. In the summer of 1962, Anne-Marie was on holiday in Norway with her governess, and Tino was also there competing in yacht racing. They spent a lot of time together, and soon he proposed, and Anne-Marie accepted. His parents were delighted with the news, but the Danish King was hesitant to give his blessing. Soon, however, he realized that the two were in love and he relented, giving his consent. However, several conditions had to be met. He insisted that the wedding could not take place until Anne-Marie had finished her education and reached her eighteenth birthday and that the engagement could not be made public until the beginning of the next year.

For the next six months, the couple kept their engagement a secret, while Constantine made many trips to Denmark, often using sailing events as an excuse for his visits. Finally, on January 23, 1963, the Danish Royal Court announced the couple’s engagement. Several days later, Constantine, Anne-Marie, and their parents appeared at a press conference and then greeted the crowds from the balcony at Amalienborg.

Once the excitement had died down, Anne-Marie returned to School in Switzerland and Tino returned to his official duties in Greece. The wedding was planned for January 1965. However, this would soon change due to the death of King Paul. In early 1964, King Paul was diagnosed with cancer. After undergoing surgery, he suffered from a pulmonary embolism and died on March 6, 1964. Tino assumed the Greek throne as King Constantine II. The wedding plans were moved forward and scheduled for September 18, 1964. This would be just weeks after Anne-Marie’s eighteenth birthday, and days after the end of the official court mourning.

Pre-Wedding Festivities

The celebrations began on September 7, 1964, when Constantine arrived in Denmark. That evening, a private dinner and dance were held at Fredensborg Castle, and the following day they returned to Amalienborg for the official display of the wedding gifts. That evening, they attended a gala performance at the Royal Theatre, followed by a lavish banquet held at Christiansborg Palace, with over 1,000 guests. The next morning, Anne-Marie and Tino were guests at a reception held by the City of Copenhagen and rode in a carriage procession through the streets to greet the thousands of Danes who had come out to wish them well.

The festivities then moved to Greece. Constantine, Anne-Marie, and her family sailed to Greece aboard the Danish Royal Yacht, Dannebrog, where they were greeted by Queen Frederica, Princess Irene, and Prince Michael.

King Constantine hosted three large receptions at Tatoi Palace, with more than 6,000 guests invited. A special committee had been formed in Athens to select people from around the country to come – at the Government’s expense – to meet the King and his future Queen. A reception was also held at the Hotel Grande Bretagne, in Athens, in honor of the Danish royal family.

On September 16, most of the royal guests began to arrive, and King Constantine personally greeted most of them as their planes landed in Athens. That evening, a gala ball was held in the gardens of the Royal Palace of Athens, with 1,600 invited guests. The royal guests were resplendent in their gowns and uniforms, with their best jewels on show. The bride wore a light blue gown with the Greek Emerald Parure, which was among the jewels given to her by Queen Frederica.

Wedding Guests

More than 1,200 guests attended the wedding, including many members of royal and noble families from around the world. According to the New York Times, the guest list included “eight reigning monarchs and their consorts, two former kings, more than 55 princes and princesses, and heads of state and representatives from more than 87 countries”. The royal guests included:

Constantine’s Immediate Family

  • Dowager Queen Frederica
  • Princess Sofia and Prince Juan Carlos of Spain
  • Princess Irene
  • Princess Viktoria Luise, Dowager Duchess of Brunswick

Anne-Marie’s Immediate Family

  • King Frederik and Queen Ingrid
  • Princess Margrethe
  • Princess Benedikte

Royal Guests

  • King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola of Belgium
  • Prince Ingolf of Denmark
  • Prince Michael of Greece
  • Princess Eugenie of Greece, Duchess of Castel Duino
  • Princess Tatiana Radziwill
  • Prince George Radziwill
  • Princess Irene of Greece, Dowager Duchess of Aosta
  • The Duke and Duchess of Aosta
  • Princess Katherine of Greece, Lady Brandram and Sir Richard Brandram
  • Princess Alice of Greece
  • King Hussein and Princess Muna of Jordan
  • Hereditary Grand Duke Jean and Hereditary Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg
  • Prince Rainier of Monaco
  • Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands
  • Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands
  • King Olav of Norway
  • Crown Prince Harald of Norway
  • The Count and Countess of Barcelona
  • King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden
  • Crown Prince Carl Gustaf of Sweden
  • Princess Christina of Sweden
  • King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand
  • The Duke of Edinburgh
  • The Prince of Wales
  • Princess Anne of the United Kingdom
  • Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent
  • Prince Michael of Kent
  • Earl Mountbatten of Burma
  • Tsar Simeon and Tsaritsa Margarita of Bulgaria
  • Prince Georg Wilhelm and Princess Sophie of Hanover
  • Prince Karl of Hesse
  • Princess Clarissa of Hesse
  • King Umberto and Queen Marie-José of Italy
  • King Mihai and Queen Anne of Romania
  • Queen Mother Helen of Romania
  • Princess Margareta of Romania
  • Count Michael Bernadotte
  • Princess Olga of Yugoslavia
  • Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia

Wedding Attire

The bride wore a gown made by a Danish designer, Jørgen Bender. The simple, yet elegant dress featured a wide neckline, empire waist, and three-quarter sleeves, with a split-front skirt with a detailed edge, extending out into a 20-foot train.

Her veil of Irish lace was a family heirloom. It was originally a gift to her grandmother, Princess Margaret of Connaught, for her wedding to the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden in 1905. Holding the veil in place, Anne-Marie wore the Khedive of Egypt Tiara, another piece that goes back to her grandmother’s wedding, having been a wedding gift from the Khedive of Egypt. You can read more about the tiara here. Keeping with tradition, both the veil and the tiara have been worn by all of Queen Ingrid’s female descendants.

The groom wore his white Field Marshal’s uniform, adorned with several Greek and Danish orders and medals.

The bride’s attendants (listed below) wore simple gowns of white organza, with white flowers in their hair.

  • Princess Anne of the United Kingdom
  • Princess Christina of Sweden
  • Princess Irene of Greece
  • Princess Margareta of Romania
  • Princess Tatiana Radziwill
  • Princess Clarissa of Hesse

Wedding Ceremony

On the morning of September 18, 1964, with all of the guests already assembled at the Cathedral, King Constantine, accompanied by his mother, left the Royal Palace in an open carriage. Soon, he was followed by Princess Anne-Marie and her father. The bride’s attendants were waiting outside the cathedral to help her with her gown and train, and then the procession began.

The traditional Greek Orthodox ceremony was conducted by Archbishop Chrysostomos, the Primate of Greece. After hearing the sacraments of marriage, the two exchanged rings and took communion. Part of the service involved crowns being held over their heads. This was done first by Queen Frederica, and then by a succession of princes – Crown Prince Harald of Norway, Crown Prince Carl Gustaf of Sweden, The Prince of Wales, Prince Michael of Greece, Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia, Prince Ingolf of Denmark, Prince Michael of Kent, Prince Karl of Hesse and Count Michael Bernadotte.

At the end of the service, red and white rose petals fluttered down into the cathedral, as the couple embraced her parents, and the Dowager Queen Frederica curtsied to Greece’s new Queen.

Following the ceremony, the King and his new Queen led a carriage procession back to the Royal Palace where a wedding breakfast was held for 80 guests. Constantine and Anne-Marie then left for Corfu to begin their honeymoon.

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