Category Archives: Former Monarchies

King Louis XV of France

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

King Louis XV of France by Hyacinthe Rigaud. source: Wikipedia

Louis XV reigned as King of France from 1715 until 1774, succeeding his great-grandfather, King Louis XIV. He was born on February 15, 1710, at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France, the third son of Prince Louis, Duke of Burgundy, and Princess Marie Adélaïde of Savoy. At birth, he was created Duke of Anjou. Louis had two older brothers, both also named Louis:

Louis had two older brothers, both also named Louis:

  • Louis, Duke of Brittany (1704 – 1705), died from convulsions
  • Louis, Duke of Brittany (1707 – 1712), died from measles

Shortly after his birth, his grandfather died suddenly, and his father became the direct heir to the throne. The following year, in February 1712, Louis’s mother died of measles. Within days Louis’s father also succumbed to the illness, and both Louis and his surviving brother were also infected. On February 8, 1712, his elder brother died, and Louis became the Dauphin – heir to the throne.

Three years later, on September 1, 1715, King Louis XIV died, and the young Louis took the throne as King Louis XV. His great-grandfather had stipulated in his will that a Regency Council be established until Louis reached his majority. The Regency Council was led by King Louis XIV’s nephew, Philippe, Duke of Orléans, and included several of the late King’s legitimized sons.

Louis was raised by a governess, Madame de Ventadour, splitting his time between the Château of Vincennes, and the Tuileries Palace. His education was overseen by the Duke of Maine, one of his great-grandfather’s legitimized sons. Louis was placed in the care of François de Villeroy, an old friend of King Louis XIV, and was tutored by André-Hercule de Fleury (later Cardinal de Fleury). An avid student, the young King developed a wide variety of interests, particularly in science.

King Louis XV and Infanta Mariana Victoria of Spain, painted by Alexis Simon Belle. source: Wikipedia

In 1721, Louis was betrothed to his first cousin, Infanta Mariana Victoria of Spain, who was just 3-years-old at the time. She was the daughter of Louis’s uncle, King Felipe V of Spain, and Elisabeth Farnese of Parma. However, Louis showed little interest in his young cousin or the prospect of marrying her. The marriage was later called off, and the young Spanish Infanta returned to Spain. She would later become Queen of Portugal as the wife of King José I.

King Louis XV in his coronation robes, by Hyacinthe Rigaud. source: Wikipedia

In 1722, Louis returned the court to the Palace of Versailles where it would remain through his reign. In October of that year, he was crowned at Reims Cathedral. Following his majority in February 1723, Louis retained the Duke of Orléans as his first minister, and upon his death, appointed his cousin Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon. Bourbon, concerned that the King was not in the best health, and fearing that the House of Orléans would try and take the throne should the King die, began searching for an appropriate bride for the King – preferably one who was old enough to bear children.

Maria Leszczyńska as Queen of France, painted by Carle van Loo. source: Wikipedia

Before long, the search was narrowed and a bride was selected. Maria Leszczyńska was the daughter of the deposed King Stanisław I of Poland. Although poor and considered rather plain-looking, Maria was determined to be the best choice, primarily because of her lack of alliance with any of the people involved in finding the King a wife. And the fact that she was Catholic and old enough to bear children immediately made the decision final. The couple was engaged on April 2, 1725, and married by proxy at the Cathedral of Strasbourg on August 15. Several weeks later, the couple’s wedding took place at the Château de Fontainebleau on September 5, 1725, having only met in person for the first time the night before. Initially a love match, the couple enjoyed a happy marriage for several years, and had ten children:

Madame de Pompadour, painted by Maurice de La Tour. source: Wikipedia

Louis soon began to take mistresses – beginning with Diane Adélaïde de Mailly, the first of four de Mailly sisters who would enjoy the King’s affections. Then, in February 1745, the King met Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson at a ball given in honor of the marriage of the Dauphin. Poisson, who would later become Marquise de Pompadour, was perhaps the King’s most famous mistress. Within weeks of meeting, she became the King’s chief mistress and was given apartments at the Palace of Versailles.  The King created her Marquise de Pompadour, as she could not be presented at court without holding a title.  Until her death, she remained one of the King’s closest friends and confidantes and had significant power within the court.  Of all of the King’s mistresses, Madame de Pompadour was the only one who maintained a respectful relationship with the Queen, to whom she later served as a lady-in-waiting.  Despite ending their romantic relationship in the early 1750s, she and the King remained devotedly close until she died in 1764.

Madame du Barry, painted by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun. source: Wikipedia

The King’s last chief mistress was Jeanne Bécu, comtesse du Barry, who first met the King in 1768.  After being formally presented at court in 1769, Madame du Barry remained with the King until his death.  Her extravagance would later help contribute to the downfall of the French monarchy.  King Louis was infatuated with his much younger lover, and lavished her with gifts, including many priceless jewels.  In 1772, he commissioned a jeweler to create a diamond necklace that would be grander than any other.  Although the King died before the necklace was finished, it would later become the focus of a huge scandal in which Queen Marie Antoinette would be falsely accused.  See Wikipedia: The Affair of the Diamond Necklace.

King Louis XV, painted by Louis-Michel van Loo. source: Wikipedia

Just a few years after taking the throne, with economic and social discord in France caused by the Duke of Bourbon’s policies, the King dismissed him in 1726 and replaced him with Cardinal Fleury. Fleury’s leadership brought about perhaps the most prosperous years of the King’s reign. With the support of the King, Fleury stabilized and greatly expanded the French economy. Highways were built connecting the most remote parts of the country, and trade was greatly increased throughout the world. Peace was sought with England and Spain, aided greatly by the birth of a male heir in 1729 eliminating any succession crisis.

However, the King often deviated from Fleury’s policies. He intervened in the War of the Polish Succession, hoping to help restore his father-in-law to the Polish throne and to try and gain control of the Duchy of Lorraine. While he was unsuccessful in helping his father-in-law, he was able to take Lorraine. Under the terms of the Treaty of Vienna in 1738, the duchy was granted to the former King Stanisław, with the condition that it would eventually pass to King Louis.

King Louis XV’s reign saw France’s entry into The War of the Austrian Succession in 1740, with France gaining significant territory.  However, at the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748, Louis returned the lands to their rightful owners.  For this, he was greatly praised throughout Europe but became very unpopular within his own country.  A few years later, the King would find France at war with Great Britain in the French and Indian War and soon pulled into the Seven Years’ War.

The King was a victim of an assassination attempt in 1757.  While walking to his carriage in the Marble Courtyard at the Palace of Versailles, Robert-François Damiens stabbed the king with a small knife.  Fortunately, it was a relatively minor wound and the King survived.

King Louis XV died of smallpox at the Palace of Versailles on May 10, 1774, and was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis in Paris. He was succeeded by his grandson, King Louis XVI.

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France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Hanover, Duchess of Cumberland

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Hanover, Duchess of Cumberland; Credit – Wikipedia

Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the wife of her first cousin King Ernst August I of Hanover. Through her two previous marriages, she was also a Princess of Prussia and a Princess of Solms-Braunfels. She was born on March 3, 1778, at the Altes Palais in Hanover,  Electorate of Hanover, now in the German state of Lower Saxony, where her father – the future Carl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – was serving as Governor of Hanover for his brother-in-law, King George III of the United Kingdom who was also the Elector of Hanover. Her mother was Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Friederike was christened on March 15, 1778, and given the names Friederike Caroline Sophie Alexandrine. She had nine siblings:

Friederike’s mother died in May 1782, just days after giving birth to her last child. The family left the Altes Palais and moved to Schloss Herrenhausen, also in Hanover, Friederike and her siblings were raised by a governess Frau von Wolzogen. In 1784, her father married again to Princess Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt, his first wife’s younger sister. From this marriage, Friederike had one additional half-sibling:

In 1785, Friederike lost three of the people closest to her. In September, her elder sister, Charlotte married the Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen and moved away, taking Frau von Wolzogen with her. In December, her stepmother (and aunt) died a few weeks after giving birth to her only child. Her father gave up his position in Hanover and the family moved to Darmstadt, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, now in the German state of Hesse, where the children were raised by their maternal grandmother Princess Maria Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt.  Friederike’s grandmother took charge of their education, ensuring that her grandchildren learned French and received a strong religious education. She also ensured that they traveled extensively to other royal courts, and they attended the coronations of the Holy Roman Emperors Leopold II in 1790 and Franz II in 1792.

painted by Johann Friedrich August Tischbein. source: Wikipedia

Having left Darmstadt in 1792 to avoid the advancing French army, Friederike and her sister Luise returned to Darmstadt in March 1793. On the way back, they received an invitation to visit their mother’s cousin, the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, in Frankfurt, so that he could introduce them to King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, and more specifically, to his two sons. The sisters attended the theater in Frankfurt and were presented to the King, who found them quite charming. The following day, they were introduced to the King’s sons, Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm and Prince Ludwig. Relationships quickly developed, and just a month later, on April 24, 1793, the official engagements were announced. Luise was to marry the Crown Prince, while Friederike would marry Prince Ludwig. Always very close, Friederike and Luise were overjoyed that they would remain near to each other after their marriages.

Prince Ludwig of Prussia, painted by Edward Francis Cunningham. source: Wikipedia

After making their grand entrance into Berlin, the two marriages took place at the City Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg. Friederike and Ludwig were married on December 26, 1793, just two days after her sister’s marriage. They took up residence at a townhouse in Berlin – just opposite the Crown Prince’s Palace – and had three children:

By Johann Gottfried Schadow – Till Niermann, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4359214

In 1795, sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow began work on a statue of Friederike and her sister Luise. The statue, known as the Prinzessinnengruppe, is displayed in the Friedrichswerder Church in Berlin.

The marriage between Friederike and Ludwig was not very happy, with both of them allegedly having affairs. Rumors spread that Friederike was having an affair with her husband’s cousin, Prince Ludwig Ferdinand. And the marriage was not to be long-lasting. Prince Ludwig died of diphtheria on December 28, 1796, just two days after their third wedding anniversary. Just 18 years old, and widowed with three small children, Friederike was given an income and a residence, Schönhausen Palace, by her father-in-law.

Two years later, In 1798, Friederike accepted a marriageproposal from Prince Adolphus of the United Kingdom, Duke of Cambridge, her first cousin. He was the seventh son of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Friederike’s maternal aunt. However, King George III refused to consent to the marriage until the end of the war with the French revolutionaries. The couple continued their correspondence, both hoping that the war would soon end and they could marry.

However, Friederike was not very lonely. Despite her unofficial engagement to Adolphus, she soon found herself pregnant with the child of Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels. He was the son of Ferdinand, 2nd Prince of Solms-Braunfels and Countess Sophie of Solms-Laubach. Friederike and Friedrich were quietly married in Berlin on December 10, 1798. The scandal caused a rift with her sister Luise, and enraged her aunt – and intended mother-in-law – Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom. Friederike and Friedrich left the court in Berlin and moved to Ansbach, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Bavaria, where their first child was born two months later. Together they had six children:

  • Princess Caroline of Solms-Braunfels (born and died 1799)
  • Prince Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels (1801–1868), married Countess Maria Anna Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau, had nine children
  • Princess Sophie of Solms-Braunfels (born and died 1803)
  • Princess Auguste Luise of Solms-Braunfels (1804–1865), married Prince Albert of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, had four children
  • Prince Friedrich of Solms-Braunfels (1807–1867), married Baroness Louise of Landsberg-Velen, had one child
  • Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels (1812–1875), married (1) morganatically Louise Beyrich, had three children  (2) Princess Sophie of Loewenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, had five children

Within a few years of the marriage, the couple had drifted very far apart. Friedrich resigned from his military posts, and Friederike had to support their family with her own resources. The marriage was so broken that her brother-in-law, the reigning Prince of Solms-Braunfels, advised Friederike, and gave his blessing, to divorce her husband. However, the couple remained married.

Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, painting by George Dawe, c1828. source: Wikipedia

It was in 1813 that Friederike met the man who would become her third husband, Prince Ernest Augustus of the United Kingdom, Duke of Cumberland. Another first cousin, he was also the son of King George III of the United Kingdom and Friederike’s aunt Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Finding herself in love with her British cousin, Friederike asked for, and received, permission from the Prussian king to divorce her husband. Before proceedings could move forward, Prince Friedrich died suddenly on April 13, 1814. Many believed that Friederike had poisoned her husband, to avoid the public scandal of a divorce.

The Duke of Cumberland proposed, and Friederike accepted on the condition that her aunt, Queen Charlotte, gave her approval. The Queen did consent to the marriage, and the couple married on May 29, 1815, at the parish church in Neustrelitz, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

After the wedding, her husband returned to London to try – unsuccessfully – to get an increase in his appanage from the British Parliament. Despite being turned down, he returned to Germany and brought Friederike back to London, where they were married in a Church of England ceremony at Carlton House on August 29, 1815. One very notable absentee at the wedding was Queen Charlotte. Despite having given her consent the previous year, the Queen issued a statement explaining why she should not receive her new daughter-in-law. She stated that she had received “information from many respectable quarters which induced her to accept the painful resolution upon which she has since acted”, and that her feelings toward the marriage had been “conveyed to her son, The Prince Regent, not only long before the marriage of the Duke of Cumberland was solemnized in Germany, but also before the formal sanction of the Crown was given.”

Despite this, the couple settled in London, taking up residence at St. James’s Palace, as well as a home in Kew. After several years, with the Duke still unable to get an increase in his appanage, the couple returned to Prussia, living primarily in Berlin. After two stillborn daughters, the couple had one son:

Following their son’s birth, the British Parliament finally increased the Duke’s allowance, to provide him with a suitable education. The family spent the next ten years living in Germany, not returning to Britain until August 1829.

By then, Queen Charlotte had died, and Friederike’s brother-in-law was on the throne as King George IV. For the first time, she was welcomed as a full member of the British Royal Family and returned to her homes at St. James’s Palace and Kew. The following year, upon the death of King George IV and the accession of King William IV, her husband became the heir-presumptive to the throne of Hanover, and second in line to the British throne. After an accident left their son blind, in October 1833 Friederike and her husband took their son to Germany to meet with doctors, hoping to be able to restore their son’s sight. She was still in Germany when King William IV died on June 20, 1837. He was succeeded by his niece Victoria, as Queen of the United Kingdom. But because Hanover did not allow for female succession, Friederike’s husband succeeded him as King Ernst August I of Hanover, and Friederike became Queen.

Sadly, Friederike was only Queen of Hanover for a little less than three years. In April 1841, she fell ill, and after several months, passed away at the Altes Palais in Hanover on June 29, 1841. Following her funeral, the Queen’s remains were placed in the vault of the Royal Chapel. After her husband’s death 10 years later, both of their coffins were placed in a mausoleum on the grounds of Schloss Herrenhausen, now Herrenhausen Gardens).

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Unofficial Royalty Kingdom of Hanover Resources

Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland; Credit – Wikipedia

Kingdom of Hanover: In 1714, George, Elector of Hanover, became King George I of Great Britain due to the extinction of the Protestant Stuart line. He remained Elector of Hanover as did his successors King George II and King George III. In 1814, under the terms of the Congress of Vienna, the Electorate of Hanover was raised to the Kingdom of Hanover and King George III also became King of Hanover.

George III’s sons George IV and William IV succeeded him as King of the United Kingdom and King of Hanover. However, because the Kingdom of Hanover followed the Salic Law which did not allow female succession, Queen Victoria who succeeded her uncle William IV as Queen of the United Kingdom, could not become Queen of Hanover. Therefore, Queen Victoria’s paternal eldest surviving uncle Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland became King of Hanover.

King George V, Ernest Augustus’ son, was the last King of Hanover. Hanover backed the losing side in the Austro-Prussian War and was conquered by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1866 and became a Prussian province. Since then, the senior heir of the House of Hanover has been the pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of Hanover. Today the former Kingdom of Hanover is in the German state of Lower Saxony.

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Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland was the fifth of the nine sons and the eighth of the fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He was born at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace) in London, England on  June 5, 1771. Queen Charlotte had attended an afternoon reception and then gave birth to Ernest after fifteen minutes of labor.

Ernest was christened on July 1, 1771, in the Great Council Chamber at St. James’s Palace in London, England by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury. His godparents were:

Ernest had fourteen siblings:

George III children

Queen Charlotte painted by Benjamin West in 1779 with her 13 eldest children; Credit – http://www.royalcollection.org.uk

Ernest and his siblings were raised by their governess Lady Charlotte Finch who served the Royal Family for over 30 years. Lady Charlotte supervised the royal nursery and was responsible for the princes’ education until they lived in their own households and for the princesses until they turned 21. After leaving the nursery, Ernest and his younger brothers lived in a household  near the royal residence Kew Palace, and were educated by private tutors. In 1786, Ernest, Adolphus, and Augustus were sent to the University of Göttingen in Hanover (Germany) under the supervision of Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, a mathematics and physics professor.

Prince Ernest in 1782 by Thomas Gainsborough; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1791, Ernest and Augustus joined the Hanoverian army and received military training from Field Marshal Wilhelm von Freytag.  Ernest proved to be an excellent horseman and a good shot. After only two months of training, Field Marshal von Freytag was so impressed by the progress of his pupil that he appointed him a captain in the cavalry.

In March 1792, Ernest was commissioned as Colonel of the 9th Hanoverian Light Dragoons. During the War of the First Coalition (1793-97), Ernest was stationed in Flanders and served under his older brother Frederick, Duke of York, the commander of the combined British, Hanoverian, and Austrian troops. During military action in 1793, Ernest received a saber wound to the head which left him with a disfiguring scar. In the Battle of Tourcoing (1794), Ernest was hit in the left arm by a cannonball, and his eyesight was also affected. He returned to England to recover, the first time he had been back home since 1786. Ernest returned to his military duties in 1787. He was promoted to the following military ranks:

  • 1798: Lieutenant General
  • 1803: General
  • 1813: Field Marshal
  • 1801 – 1827: Colonel of the 15th (The King’s Own) Light Dragoons
  • 1827 – 1830 Colonel of Royal Regiment of the Horseguards (Blues)

On April 24, 1799, Ernest was created Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale and Earl of Armagh. He was the least popular of his brothers and had a less-than-favorable appearance due to the facial wounds he had received in war. Ernest had a negative reputation, probably unjustifiably. He was accused of being involved in the murder of his valet Joseph Sellis, of having an incestuous affair with his sister Sophia, and of being the father of her illegitimate child. It is doubtful that there was any truth to any of those allegations.

Ernest Augustus in an 1823 miniature based on an 1802 portrait by William Beechey. The facial damage from war wounds can be seen; Credit – Wikipedia

While visiting his maternal uncle Karl II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1813, Ernest fell in love with his first cousin Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Frederica was the daughter of his mother’s brother Karl II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and his first wife, Frederica of Hesse-Darmstadt.  Ernest’s cousin Frederica had a bit of a history that disturbed Ernest’s mother, Queen Charlotte. In 1793, Frederica married Prince Ludwig Karl of Prussia, the second son of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia. The marriage was unhappy, but the couple had three children. Three years after the marriage, Ludwig Karl died from diphtheria.

In 1797, Frederica and Ernest’s younger brother Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge became unofficially engaged. It is unclear whether Frederica jilted Adolphus or if King George III, under pressure from Queen Charlotte, refused to consent to the marriage. In 1798, Frederica became pregnant and the father was Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels. The couple married to avoid a scandal, and two months later, Frederica gave birth to a daughter who lived only eight months. Frederica and her second husband had five more children who survived to adulthood. Friedrich Wilhelm was an alcoholic and had to quit the military for health reasons. He lost his income and even his brother advised Frederica to divorce. She was initially against it, but when she met Ernest in 1813, she too wanted the divorce. Before the divorce could be arranged, Friedrich Wilhelm died in April 1814. For some, Friedrich Wilhelm’s death was a little too convenient, and they suspected that Frederica had poisoned him.

Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1796 by Johann Friedrich August Tischbein; Credit – Wikipedia

Ernest’s eldest brother George, Prince of Wales had become Prince Regent in 1811 due to King George III’s incapacitation, so he gave his official permission for the marriage. Ernest and Frederica became engaged in August 1814. They were married on May 29, 1815, at the Palace of Neustrelitz.  The British Privy Council recommended that a second marriage be performed when the couple arrived in England because any children born of the marriage could eventually be close to the succession. Ernest arrived in England in June to make plans for the second marriage without Frederica, having left her in Neustrelitz. Shortly after his arrival, Ernest received a letter from his mother, Queen Charlotte. The queen regretted that she must refuse to receive Frederica because it was known in England that Frederica had broken her engagement with Adolphus and, to quote the queen, ” the unfavorable impression which the knowledge of those circumstances had made here.” Of course, Ernest was shocked that his mother would do this, but things got worse. Queen Charlotte warned the rest of the family that she would be severely displeased if they received Frederica.

Nevertheless, Ernest returned to Neustrelitz to escort Frederica to England, where the second wedding ceremony was held on August 29, 1815, at Carlton House in London, England, the Prince Regent’s residence. Ernest’s sisters decided they could not defy their mother, but his elder brothers George, Frederick, William, and Edward attended the ceremony.

Ernest and Frederica had one son and two stillborn daughters:

Ernest and Frederica’s son, Prince George of Cumberland at birth, was born amidst the race for an heir to the British throne in the third generation.  The death of Princess Charlotte of Wales in childbirth in 1817 left King George III without any legitimate grandchildren.  Prince George was born three days after the birth of the eventual heir, Alexandrina Victoria (Queen Victoria), who was ahead of her cousin in the succession by being the child of King George III’s fourth son, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.  After Queen Victoria acceded to the throne in 1837, Ernest and his son George remained first and second in the line of succession to the British throne until Queen Victoria’s first child was born.  Today their descendant Ernst August V, Prince of Hanover is the senior male-line descendant of King George III and the Head of the House of Hanover.

On June 20, 1837, Ernest’s eldest surviving brother King William IV died and the only child of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent succeeded her uncle as Queen Victoria. Upon the accession of Queen Victoria, Ernest became King of Hanover.  Hanoverian kings of the United Kingdom were also Electors or Kings of Hanover.  However, Hanover followed the Salic Law which did not allow female succession.  Ernest Augustus, the eldest surviving son of King George III, became King of Hanover, his wife became Queen Consort of Hanover, and his son George became Crown Prince of Hanover.  Ernest arrived in Hanover (now in Germany) eight days after his brother King William IV died on June 20, 1837, to take up his duties as the new King of Hanover. He only returned to England once, when he attended the wedding of his niece Princess Augusta of Cambridge on June 18, 1843.

When King Ernest Augustus of Hanover (Ernst August in German) arrived in his kingdom on June 28, 1837, he was greeted by booming cannons, church bells ringing, and cheering people who were glad to have their king in his kingdom after years of rule by viceroys. However, Ernest soon proved unpopular with his anti-liberal style of government. In November 1837, Ernest issued a patent declaring the 1833 liberal constitution void and restoring the more conservative 1819 constitution. This patent required all officeholders, including professors at the University of Göttingen, to take an oath of allegiance to the King. Seven professors, called the Göttingen Seven, including the two Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, refused to take the oath and encouraged others to protest against the King’s patent. Since they did not take the oath, the Göttingen Seven lost their positions, and the King expelled the three most responsible (including Jacob Grimm) from Hanover.

Queen Frederica died after a short illness on June 29, 1841, at the age of 63. Ernest commissioned the architect Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves to build a mausoleum for his wife and himself. The mausoleum was built from 1842 – 1847 in the garden of the chapel at Schloss Herrenhausen, which was destroyed during World War II. A decision to rebuild the palace was made in 2007, and reconstruction was completed in 2013. Today the mausoleum is in the Berggarten, part of the Herrenhausen Gardens.

The Revolutions of 1848, which led to the fall of King Louis Philippe I of the French, encouraged the citizens of Hanover and citizens of other German kingdoms, principalities, and duchies to demand German national unity, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly. Ernest was initially reluctant to make concessions, but the citizens’ demands threatened to spark a revolution against the monarchy. To prevent a revolution, Ernest agreed to reforms. He appointed liberal politician Johann Carl Bertram Stüve, the deputy of the national assembly in the Kingdom of Hanover and liberal interior minister to create a modern constitution for the Kingdom of Hanover. The new constitution became effective on September 5, 1848, and guaranteed freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, the separation of the judiciary and administration, and the equality of all religions. Because of the freedoms granted in the 1848 constitution, Ernest’s popularity greatly increased.

Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover;  Credit – Wikipedia

Ernest Augustus died on November 18, 1851, after a short illness. Of his fifteen siblings, only Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester survived him. 30,000 people passed by his coffin as he lay in state in the throne room of Schloss Herrenhausen. On November 25, 1851, his funeral was held in the Schloss Herrenhausen chapel. Ernest was then buried in the mausoleum he had built when his wife died.

Mausoleum in the Berggarten, part of the Herrenhausen Gardens; Credit – Wikipedia

Interior of the Mausoleum in the Berggarten with the tombs of Queen Frederica and King Ernest Augustus, about 1861; Credit – Wikipedia

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

Unofficial Royalty Kingdom of Hanover Resources

Works Cited
“Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 21 July 2016. Web. 9 Aug. 2016.
“Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 28 May 2016. Web. 11 Aug. 2016.
Van Der Kiste, John. George III’s Children. Trowbridge: Alan Sutton Publishing Limited, 1999. Print.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg; Credit – Wikipedia

The eldest daughter and the fourth of the fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Charlotte, Princess Royal, was born at The Queen’s House (now known as Buckingham Palace) in London, England on September 29, 1766. She was christened Charlotte Augusta Matilda on October 27, 1766, at St. James’s Palace in London by Thomas Secker, Archbishop of Canterbury. Her godparents were:

Queen Charlotte_Pss Charlotte baby

Queen Charlotte with Charlotte, Princess Royal; Credit – Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2016

Charlotte had fourteen siblings:

George III children

Queen Charlotte painted by Benjamin West in 1779 with her 13 eldest children; Credit – http://www.royalcollection.org.uk

Charlotte and her sisters were raised by their governess Lady Charlotte Finch who served the Royal Family for over 30 years. Lady Charlotte supervised the royal nursery and was responsible for the princes’ education until they lived in their own households. She was responsible for the princesses until they turned 21. Charlotte and her sisters studied geography, English, grammar, music, needlework, dancing, and art. They were taught French by a tutor, Julie Krohme. The princesses had art lessons from famous artists Thomas Gainsborough and Benjamin West. Charlotte had an excellent memory, loved history, and had a talent for languages. On June 22, 1789, Charlotte was created Princess Royal, the third to bear the title reserved for the monarch’s eldest daughter, but the style had been used since Charlotte’s birth.

The Three Eldest Princesses, Charlotte, Princess Royal, Augusta and Elizabeth by Thomas Gainsborough 1784; Credit – Wikipedia

Charlotte’s childhood was very sheltered and she spent most of her time with her parents and sisters.  The living conditions of King George’s daughters came to be known as “the Nunnery.” None of the daughters were allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry. Perhaps this over-protection of King George III’s daughters was due to what happened to his sister Caroline Matilda when she married King Christian VII of Denmark.  Christian’s mental illness led to Caroline Matilda having an affair, being caught, the execution of her lover, her exile, and her early death from scarlet fever at age 23.  The story was told in several novels including Per Olov Enquist’s The Visit of the Royal Physician (1999) and in the Danish film A Royal Affair (2012). Stella Tillyard also covers Caroline Matilda’s affair in her nonfiction book A Royal Affair: George III and His Scandalous Siblings (2006). Despite what happened to their aunt, the sisters longed to escape from “the Nunnery.”

Charlotte’s unfortunate aunt Caroline Matilda; Credit – Wikipedia

Before King George’s first bout with what may have been porphyria in 1788, he had told his daughters that he would take them to Hanover and find husbands for them.  Further bouts occurred in 1801 and 1804 and prevented talk of marriage for his daughters. Queen Charlotte feared that the subject of marriage, which had always bothered her husband, would push him back into insanity.  She was stressed by her husband’s illness and wanted her daughters to remain close to her.  The sisters – Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia – continued to be over-protected and isolated which restricted them from meeting eligible suitors of their own age.

Starved for male companionship, Sophia got pregnant by her father’s 56-year-old equerry and secretly gave birth to a boy who was placed in a foster home. Amelia had an affair with another equerry.  There have been suggestions that both Elizabeth and Augusta also had affairs.  Three of the six daughters would eventually marry, all later than was the norm for the time.  Mary married her cousin Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester at the age of 40 and had no children. Elizabeth was the last daughter to finally escape from “the Nunnery” when she married Friedrich VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg when she was 48. But Charlotte, Princess Royal escaped “the Nunnery” first.

Charlotte was the least attractive of the daughters, but she was the eldest daughter of a king and that held some weight in the marriage market. In 1795, the Prince of Wales tried to help Charlotte by asking their maternal uncle Prince Ernst of Mecklenburg-Strelitz to help arrange a marriage between Charlotte and the Duke of Oldenburg. Charlotte was delighted and her sister Elizabeth started to refer to Charlotte as the Duchess of Oldenburg in letters, but nothing ever came of the proposed match.

Finally, a possible husband was found for Charlotte. Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Württemberg was the eldest son and heir of Friedrich II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg and Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Friedrich, eight years older than Charlotte, was a huge man: 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) and about 200 kg (440 lb). He was also a widower with three children. His first wife had been Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, niece of King George III and some issues with this marriage concerned King George. Only after persistent requests and pleadings from Russian and Brunswick royals and British officials did the king consent to the marriage.

The marriage treaty had some interesting clauses. Any children from the marriage were to be brought up in Württemberg. The children could not marry without the consent of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. If Charlotte’s husband predeceased her, she could return to the United Kingdom with all her jewelry, including jewelry obtained during the marriage. Charlotte would be free to worship using the Church of England rites. Charlotte and Friedrich were married at St. James Palace in London on May 18, 1797. The bride wore a dress of white satin with a crimson velvet train with fur trimming. The groom wore a silk suit embroidered in gold and silver with German and Russian insignia.

published by Robert Laurie, published by James Whittle, mezzotint, published 7 August 1797

The Marriage of his Serene Highness the Prince of Württemberg, to the Princess Royal of England published by Robert Laurie, published by James Whittle, mezzotint, published 7 August 1797 NPG D8015 © National Portrait Gallery, London

By August 1797, Charlotte was pregnant. Friedrich became the reigning Duke of Württemberg in December of 1797 upon the death of his father. On April 27, 1798, Charlotte delivered a stillborn daughter. At first, she was not told of her child’s death because her labor had been difficult and she had developed a fever after the delivery. Charlotte and Friedrich’s marriage remained childless.

Despite having a domineering husband, Charlotte respected and admired him. She was pious and warm-hearted, stayed out of politics, and concentrated on household and family. Charlotte was a loving stepmother to the children from Friedrich’s first marriage. She was especially close to her stepdaughter Princess Catharina of Württemberg whose education she took over.

Charlotte’s stepchildren, from Friedrich’s first marriage to Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel:

Ludwigsburg Palace in Ludwigburg, Germany, Friedrich and Charlotte’s home; Wikipedia

Charlotte had loved art in childhood and continued with artistic pursuits as an adult. She painted and embroidered, and some of her paintings and embroidered upholstery can still be seen in Ludwigsburg Palace and in English castles and palaces as she sent some of her creations to her father.

In 1800, Napoleon‘s French troops invaded Württemberg, and Friedrich and Charlotte took refuge in Vienna. The following year Napoleon and Friedrich concluded a secret treaty with provisions that included a trade of land.  Württemberg became a puppet state of Napoleon. In 1803, Friedrich became the Elector of Württemberg. In 1805, in exchange for providing France with military aid, Napoleon recognized Friedrich as King of Württemberg. Friedrich and Charlotte were crowned King and Queen of Württemberg in Stuttgart on January 1, 1806. Friedrich’s alliance with France turned him into the enemy of his father-in-law King George III. George III was Infuriated by what he considered a betrayal and refused to call his daughter Queen of Württemberg.

Coronation Portrait of King Friedrich I of Württemberg; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1813, King Friedrich changed sides and went over again to the British side. After Napoleon’s fall, Friedrich attended the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815), whose goal was to provide a long-term peace plan for Europe by settling critical issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. At the Congress of Vienna, Friedrich was confirmed as King of Württemberg.  Shortly thereafter, Friedrich died of pneumonia on October 30, 1816, at Ludwigsburg Palace in Stuttgart, Kingdom of  Württemberg, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, at the age of 61, and was buried in the Royal Crypt in the Castle Chapel at Ludwigsburg Palace. Friedrich’s son from his first marriage succeeded him as King Wilhelm I of Württemberg.

As Queen Dowager, Charlotte continued to live in Ludwigsburg Palace. She was always pleased to have visits from any of her siblings. In 1819, Charlotte was godmother by proxy of her niece, the future Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. In 1827, Charlotte returned to England for the first time since their wedding in 1797, for the treatment of pulmonary edema, called dropsy at that time. She enjoyed returning to her home country and seeing her relatives, especially her goddaughter Princess Victoria. Forty-five years later, Queen Victoria recalled meeting her aunt: “She had adopted all the German fashions and spoke broken English – and had not been in England for many years. She was very kind and good-humored but very large and unwieldy.”

by William Skelton, after Paul Fischer, line engraving, published 1828

Charlotte Augusta Matilda, Princess Royal by William Skelton, after Johann Paul Georg Fischer, line engraving, published 1828 NPG D10839 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Soon after her return to Württemberg, Charlotte fell ill. Visits from her brother Adolphus and her sister Elizabeth lifted her spirits but it was evident that she was dying. On October 5, 1828, Charlotte asked that her stepson King Wilhelm I of Württemberg and his family come to her bedside. The next day, Charlotte died peacefully in the arms of her stepson surrounded by his family, her friends, and her faithful servants. She was buried next to her husband in the Royal Crypt in the Castle Chapel at Ludwigsburg Palace in Ludwigsburg, Kingdom of Württemberg, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.

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.

Württemberg Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Recommended books that deal with Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg
George III’s Children by John Van Der Kiste (1992)
The Georgian Princesses by John Van Der Kiste (2000)
Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III by Flora Fraser (2004)

Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon, 2nd wife of King Louis XIV of France

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon, by Pierre Mignard, c1694.  source: Wikipedia

Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon, was the second – and morganatic – wife of King Louis XIV of France. She was born in Niort, France, to Constant d’Aubigné and Jeanne de Cardilhac on November 27, 1635. At the time she was born, her father was imprisoned for having conspired against Cardinal Richelieu. Françoise was baptized in the Catholic Church, with Suzanne de Baudéan (daughter of the Comtesse de Neuillant) and the Duc de la Rochefoucauld serving as her godparents.

When her father was released from prison in 1639, the family traveled to Martinique, where they spent the next several years. After the deaths of both of her parents, Françoise was raised by her father’s sister Louise, Madame de Villette, who continued her Protestant education. When her godmother (by then in the service of Queen Anne) found out about this, she quickly ordered that Françoise be moved to a convent to receive a Catholic education. Although she hated the convent, she became close to one of the nuns, who persuaded her to take her first communion.

Paul Scarron, Françoise’s first husband. source: Wikipedia

On a trip to Paris, she met Paul Scarron, who would become her first husband. Scarron, a noted poet and novelist, was significantly older than Françoise and suffered from severe paralysis and deformity, probably a result of polio. The two began to correspond and soon Scarron offered to marry her or to pay her dowry to enter a convent. Françoise accepted his proposal and after marrying in 1652, she quickly found herself at the highest levels of Parisian society.

After her husband died in 1660, Françoise continued to receive the pension he had been granted from Queen Anne. The Queen had even increased it so that Françoise would be able to maintain her position in society. However, after Queen Anne’s death in 1666, her son, King Louis XIV discontinued the pension. With no source of income, she prepared to leave France to serve as a lady-in-waiting for the new Queen of Portugal, Marie-Françoise de Nemours, who was married to King Afonso VI (and later to his brother, King Pedro II). However, before leaving, she met Madame de Montespan, the clandestine lover of King Louis XIV. The two became close friends, and Madame de Montespan persuaded the King to reinstate Françoise’s pension, thus allowing her to remain in Paris.

In March 1669, Madame Montespan had her first child with King Louis XIV. Because of the secrecy of their relationship – and the fact that he was very much married to Queen Marie-Thérèse – Montespan placed the baby in the care of Françoise and endowed her with a substantial income and a full staff of servants. It was Françoise’s care of the couple’s second child that got her noticed by the King. In 1673, she was appointed as Royal Governess. In 1674, King Louis XIV provided her with the funds to purchase an estate – Château de Maintenon – and the following year created her Marquise de Maintenon. Within a few years, she and the King had become very close, and she soon replaced Madame de Montespan in his affections. Even the Queen was pleased, having been treated quite rudely by Montespan, but receiving great respect and admiration from Françoise.

King Louis XIV, painted by Pierre Mignard. source: Wikipedia

Several months after Queen Marie-Thérèse died, Françoise and King Louis were married in a private ceremony conducted by the Archbishop of Paris. As the marriage was morganatic, she was never formally acknowledged as his wife, or as Queen. Still known as Madame de Maintenon, Françoise held considerable political influence, and the King often consulted with her when making decisions. She also held great influence over the King in more personal matters. Despite his earlier penchant for numerous mistresses, he remained faithful to Françoise for the remainder of his life and supported many of her religious views. Devoutly religious, she was granted the right of visitation over all the convents in France in 1692 by Pope Innocent XII.

In 1684, she founded the Maison royale de Saint-Louis in Saint-Cyr, just west of Versailles, France. At her request, the King endowed the school, and Françoise herself oversaw every detail of its establishment. The Maison Royale was designed to be a school for girls from poorer noble families, much as Françoise had been in her childhood.

Françoise, painted by Louis Elle (the elder). source: Wikipedia

Following King Louis’s death in 1715, Françoise retired to Saint-Cyr and was granted a large pension for the rest of her life. Such was her influence within the monarchy, that she often received visitors from all around Europe. One of these visitors was Peter I, Emperor of All Russia, who made a notable visit shortly before her death. Françoise died at Saint-Cyr on April 15, 1719, and was buried in the school’s chapel.

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Maria Theresia of Austria, Queen of France

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

,Maria Theresia of Austria, Queen of France –  source: Wikipedia

Maria Theresia was the first wife of King Louis XIV of France. She was born on September 10, 1638, at the Royal Monastery of El Escorial in Madrid, Spain to King Felipe IV of Spain and his first wife Elisabeth of France, daughter of King Henri IV of France. As the Spanish monarchs at the time were part of the House of Habsburg, she was styled as Archduchess of Austria, as well as Infanta of Spain and Portugal.

The youngest of eight children, Maria Theresia was the only one of her siblings to reach adulthood:

  • Maria Margaret of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1621)
  • Margaret Maria Catherine of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1623)
  • Maria Eugenia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (1625 – 1627)
  • Isabella Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1627)
  • Balthasar Charles of Austria, Infante of Spain, Prince of Asturias (1629 – 1646)
  • Francis Ferdinand of Austria, Infante of Spain (born and died 1634)
  • Infanta Maria Anna  Antonia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1636)

She also had five younger half-siblings from her father’s second marriage to Mariana of Austria:

As Spain allowed for females to ascend the throne, Maria Theresia was heiress-presumptive to the Spanish throne from 1646 until 1657, between the death of her elder brother Balthasar Charles in 1646 and the birth of her younger half-brother Felipe Próspero in 1657. For five days in 1661, she was again heiress-presumptive following Felipe Próspero’s death and the birth of King Carlos II.

Maria Theresia of Austria, painted c1684 by Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo. source: Wikipedia

Maria Theresia was brought up in a very strict Catholic household. Her mother died when she was six, and two years later, her only surviving sibling Balthasar Charles also died. The following year, her father married Mariana of Austria who had been her brother’s fiancée, as well as his first cousin. Mariana was just four years older than Maria Theresia, and the two were very close.

As part of the Treaty of the Pyrenees of 1659, which ended the Franco-Spanish War, Maria Theresia was betrothed to King Louis XIV of France, son of King Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria. Maria Theresia and Louis were first cousins twice over – his father and her mother were siblings, and his mother and her father were siblings. She was forced to renounce any rights to the Spanish throne and was to receive a large financial settlement in exchange. This money was never paid, and became a major factor that led to the War of Devolution in 1668.

The marriage of Louis XIV of France and Maria Theresia of Austria. source: Wikipedia

The couple was married on June 9, 1660, at the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France. Taking the French version of her name, Marie-Thérèse, the new Queen and her husband made their Joyous Entry into Paris on August 26, 1660. They had six children, only one of whom lived to adulthood:

Louis and Marie-Thérèse had six children:

Queen Marie-Thérèse with her mother-in-law (and aunt) Queen Anne, painted by Simon Renard de Saint André. source: Wikipedia

As Queen, Marie-Thérèse was groomed by her mother-in-law, and aunt, Queen Anne. However, she had little interest in taking on the role, preferring to spend time with her court of Spanish ladies, playing cards, and gambling. She remained very devout, often inviting members of the King’s court to pray with her. Intensely private, she was humiliated by her husband’s numerous, and very public affairs and his countless illegitimate children. She took a great interest in caring for the sick and disadvantaged in France. She often visited hospitals and provided dowries for girls from the poorer noble families. She also served as Regent several times when the King was away.

By 1680, King Louis XIV had taken Madame de Maintenon as his mistress, and this brought about a change in the King’s relationship with Marie-Thérèse. He became more attentive and caring of his wife, much to her delight. She was also treated with great respect and reverence by Madame de Maintenon – something she had not seen with any of his prior mistresses and returned that respect. Sadly, those happier times would be relatively short-lived.

At the end of July 1683, Queen Marie-Thérèse fell ill, the result of an abscess in her left arm which was not treated correctly. Septicemia quickly set in, and the Queen died at the Palace of Versailles on July 30, 1683. She is buried at the Basilica of St. Denis near Paris.

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.

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Louis XIV of France

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

King Louis XIV of France; Credit – Wikipedia

King Louis XIV of France, often known as Louis the Great or the Sun King, was the longest-reigning French monarch, reigning from 1643 until he died in 1715. He was born on September 5, 1638, at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, the elder son of King Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria.

Louis had one younger brother:

Louis as Dauphin, painted by Claude Deruet in 1643. source: Wikipedia

At just four years old, he became King following his father’s death on May 14, 1643. His father had decreed that a Regency Council should be established, led by the Queen. However, Queen Anne had that overturned and served as the sole Regent for her young son. Despite coming of age in 1654, King Louis XIV didn’t fully assume his role as King until 1661, following the death of his chief minister, Cardinal Mazarin. An ardent believer in the divine right of kings, King Louis XIV quickly assumed full control of the monarchy. He was one of France’s most powerful sovereigns and established France as one of the leading powers of Europe.

When Louis assumed his role as King, France was nearly bankrupt, having endured several foreign wars and years of civil unrest. The King brought in a new finance minister who worked to reduce the country’s debt and increase its coffers, through more efficient taxation. Within several years, the country’s finances were restored. The King also boosted commerce and trade in France and invited many foreign businesses and artisans to France. He worked to improve and modernize the military and focused on the physical and mental well-being of the soldiers. His reign saw France become the primary power in Europe, and three major wars took place – the Franco-Dutch War, the War of the League of Augsburg, and the War of the Spanish Succession.

Queen Marie-Thérèse with their only surviving child, Louis, le Grand Dauphin, c1665. source: Wikipedia

Louis XIV married for the first time on June 9, 1660, at the Church of Saint-Jean the Baptist in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France. His bride, Maria Theresia of Austria, was the daughter of King Felipe IV of Spain and Elisabeth of France. The couple was double first cousins.

Louis and Marie-Thérèse had six children:

Louise de La Baume Le Blanc, Duchess de La Vallière et de Vaujours. source: Wikipedia

In addition, the King had several mistresses and illegitimate children. With Louise de La Baume Le Blanc, Duchess de La Vallière et de Vaujours, he had five children:

Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan; Credit – Wikipedia

And with Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan, he had seven children:

His children with Madame de Montespan were raised by Françoise d’Aubigné, Madame Scarron (later created Marquise de Maintenon). Soon, she replaced Madame Montespan in the King’s affection. After the death of Queen Marie-Thérèse in 1683, King Louis XIV married Madame de Maintenon in a private ceremony conducted by the Archbishop of Paris. Because the marriage was morganatic, she was never publicly acknowledged as his wife or as Queen.

Louis XIV’s reign saw the monarchy assume authority over the aristocracy and the church, becoming a true absolute monarchy. While the Pope remained in control of ecclesiastical law, the King invalidated all papal regulations and made himself the authority within France under the Declaration of the Clergy of France in 1681.

King Louis XIV receiving Louis de Bourbon, Grand Condé at Versailles following his victory in the Battle of Seneffe. Painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme, source: Wikipedia

The King took complete control of the aristocracy, providing residences at Versailles for those who paid court to him. Having them close allowed the king to determine who was loyal to him and who was not. His constant entertaining of the aristocracy helped to determine public opinion while keeping them under a very watchful eye. He also banned the private armies, often established by the nobility to plot against the monarchy.

In 1685, King Louis XIV issued the Edict of Fontainebleau. This formally revoked the Edict of Nantes of 1598, which had granted religious and political freedom to the Huguenots. Many believe this was at the urging of Madame de Maintenon, a very staunch Catholic. The Edict of Fontainebleau ordered the destruction of Huguenot churches and the closing of all Protestant schools. Many Huguenots converted to avoid persecution for which they were financially rewarded, while many others fled the country.

King Louis XIV was a huge supporter of the arts. He supported and protected numerous writers and artists, and commissioned over 300 formal portraits and over 20 statues of himself during his lifetime. A lover of dance, particularly ballet, he founded the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661, and the Académie d’Opéra in 1669. He also assumed the patronage of the Académie Française.

Hôtel des Invalides. source: Wikipedia

King Louis XIV built the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris and made many renovations to some of the royal palaces, including the Palais du Louvre, also in Paris. Perhaps his best-known building project was the Palace of Versailles. Having inherited the hunting lodge built there by his father, Louis oversaw several building campaigns resulting in the magnificent palace that still stands today. In 1682, he officially made Versailles the home of the Royal Court.

After reigning for 72 years and 100 days, King Louis XIV died on September 1, 1715, at the Palace of Versailles, and was buried at the Basilica of St. Denis in Paris. Louis XIV outlived most of his immediate legitimate family. His last surviving legitimate son Louis, Le Grand Dauphin died in 1711. Barely a year later, Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petite Dauphin, the eldest of the Dauphin’s three sons and then heir to Louis XIV, followed his father in death. Burgundy’s elder surviving son Louis, Duke of Brittany joined them a few weeks later. Thus, on his deathbed, Louis XIV’s heir was his five-year-old great-grandson, Louis, Duke of Anjou, Burgundy’s younger son, who succeeded his great-grandfather as King Louis XV.

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France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Matilda of Scotland, Queen of England

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Matilda of Scotland, Queen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Matilda of Scotland, the first wife of King Henry I of England, was born around 1080 at Dunfermline in Scotland. Christened with the Anglo-Saxon name Edith, she was one of the eight children of King Malcolm III of Scotland and his second wife Saint Margaret of Scotland.  At her christening was her godfather Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, the eldest son of King William I of England (the Conqueror), and her godmother, Matilda of Flanders, the wife of King William I of England (the Conqueror). The infant Matilda pulled at Queen Matilda’s headdress, which was seen as an omen that the younger Matilda would be a queen one day. In fact, she would marry Queen Matilda’s son and Robert Curthose’s brother, King Henry I of England.

Matilda’s father is the Malcolm character in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth.  Her mother Saint Margaret of Scotland was born an Anglo-Saxon princess. Margaret’s father was Edward the Exile (also called Edward Ætheling), the son of Edmund Ironside, King of the English, and had the best hereditary claim to the English throne during the reign of the childless Edward the Confessor. In 1057, Edward the Confessor, the childless King of England, discovered that his nephew Edward the Exile, believed to have been killed, was still alive and summoned him to England in 1057 as a potential successor. However, Edward died within two days of his arrival in England and the cause of his death has never been determined. Murder is a possibility, as he had many powerful enemies. His three children, Margaret, her brother Edgar the Ætheling, and her sister Cristina, were then raised in the court of Edward the Confessor, who died in January of 1066.

Saint Margaret of Scotland and King Malcolm III of Scotland depicted on a frieze by the Victorian painter William Hole; Credit – Wikipedia

Following the death of Edward the Confessor’s successor Harold Godwinson, King of England at the Battle of Hastings, Margaret’s brother Edgar the Ætheling, who was the last of the Anglo-Saxon House of Wessex, was elected King of England. As William of Normandy’s (King William I of England the Conqueror) position grew stronger, it became evident to those in power that King Edgar should be abandoned and that they should submit to William. In 1068, Edgar, along with his mother Agatha and sisters Margaret and Cristina, fled to Northumbria. Supposedly, Agatha wanted to return to her native Hungary, but their ship was blown off course by a storm and they sought refuge from King Malcolm III of Scotland. Malcolm’s first wife Ingebjorg Finnsdotter died around 1069, and shortly thereafter he married Margaret. Margaret and Malcolm’s children had a strong genetic connection to the Anglo-Saxon kings. Bearing in mind that William the Conqueror’s new dynasty in England was not secure, Margaret and Malcolm gave four of their sons Anglo-Saxon royal names, and named the other two sons after Alexander the Great and the biblical King David.

Matilda’s seven siblings:

Matilda had three half-brothers from her father’s first marriage to Ingibiorg Finnsdottir.

At about the age of six, Matilda, then still called Edith, and her sister Mary were sent to be educated at Romsey Abbey in Hampshire, England where their maternal aunt Cristina was the Abbess. The girls also were educated for a time at Wilton Abbey in Wiltshire, England which had a connection to their ancestors from the House of Wessex.  Both girls learned English, French, and some Latin, and were literate enough to read the Bible. As the daughter of the King of Scots, Matilda had several suitors including William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey, and Alan Rufus, 1st Lord of Richmond, and possibly even King William II Rufus of England.

On November 13, 1093, Matilda’s father King Malcolm III of Scotland and her eldest brother Edward were killed at the Battle of Alnwick. Malcolm was succeeded by his eldest son from his first marriage King Donald II of Scotland who was killed in battle in 1094. Thereafter, three brothers of Matilda succeeded to the Scottish throne. Weakened from her constant fasting and austere life, Matilda’s mother Margaret was already ill when her husband and eldest son went off to battle. She died at Dunfermline just three days after her husband and son’s death. Margaret was canonized as a saint in 1250 by Pope Innocent IV.

Sometime in 1093, Matilda left Wilton Abbey. This is known because Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote to Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury ordering that Matilda should return to Wilton Abbey. The Archbishop of Canterbury mistakenly thought that Matilda had taken vows as a nun. There is no mention of Matilda in any chronicle from 1093-1100. Her whereabouts during that time period are unknown.

On August 2, 1100, King William II Rufus of England was killed in a hunting accident, and his younger brother succeeded as King Henry I. Henry was about 32 years old and needed a bride, and his choice fell upon Matilda of Scotland, basically motivated for one reason. Through her mother, Matilda would merge the bloodline of the Anglo-Saxon kings with Henry’s Norman bloodline. However, Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury still had that problem thinking Matilda had taken vows as a nun, so he called a council of bishops to determine if Matilda and Henry could marry. Matilda testified that her parents had sent her to the abbeys to be educated and that she had never taken vows. Her aunt Cristina, Abbess of Romsey Abbey had insisted she wear a nun’s habit to protect her from unruly Norman lords and unwanted marriages. The council of bishops determined that Matilda had never been a nun and gave their permission for Matilda and King Henry I to marry. Matilda and Henry were married on November 11, 1100, at Westminster Abbey by Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury. Afterward, she was crowned with the Norman name Matilda in honor of Henry’s deceased mother Matilda of Flanders.

Statues of King Henry I and Matilda of Scotland from the west front of Rochester Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

Matilda and Henry had four children, but only two survived childhood. Their son William Ætheling died on November 25, 1120, as he was returning to England from Normandy when his ship hit a submerged rock, capsized, and sank. William Ætheling and many others drowned. See Unofficial Royalty: The Sinking of the White Ship and How It Affected the English Succession. Henry was not faithful to Matilda. He holds the record for the British monarch with the most illegitimate children, 25 or so illegitimate children, but the tragedy of the White Ship left him with only one legitimate child, his daughter Matilda, known as Empress Matilda from her first marriage to Holy Roman Emperor Henry V.

Matilda and Henry’s children:

Matilda accompanied her husband in his travels throughout England and Normandy. She was a patron of music and poetry and commissioned a biography of her mother, The Life of Saint Margaret, attributed to Turgot of Durham.  Influenced by her abbey upbringing and her mother Saint Margaret of Scotland, Matilda was pious and generous to the poor. She built a leper hospital at St. Giles-in-the-Fields in London and founded Holy Trinity Priory at Aldgate in London.  Like her saintly mother, Matilda wore a hair shirt, walked barefoot during Lent, gave food and clothing to the poor, and washed the feet of lepers and poor people.

Matilda died when she was about the age of 38 on May 1, 1118, at the Palace of Westminster in London. The place of her burial is uncertain. One tradition says that she was buried at Winchester Cathedral in the old monastery and that around 1158 Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester had her remains placed in a mortuary chest which is now lost. Another tradition says Matilda was buried in Westminster Abbey at the entrance of the chapter house and then later reburied to the south of Edward the Confessor’s shrine by King Henry III.

After Matilda’s death, her husband King Henry I married Adeliza of Louvain, hoping for sons to prevent a succession crisis, but the marriage remained childless. On Christmas Day of 1226, King Henry I of England gathered his nobles at Westminster where they swore to recognize his daughter Empress Matilda and any future legitimate heir she might have as his successors. That plan did not work out. Henry died on December 1, 1135. Upon hearing of Henry’s death, Stephen of Blois, one of Henry’s nephews, quickly crossed the English Channel from France, seized power, and was crowned King of England on December 22, 1135. This started the terrible civil war between Stephen and Empress Matilda known as The Anarchy.  England did not see peace for 18 years until Empress Matilda’s son acceded to the throne as King Henry II of England in 1153.

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England: House of Normandy Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Anne of Austria, Queen of France

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Anne of Austria, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne of Austria was the wife of King Louis XIII of France and served as Regent from 1643-1651. She was born Ana María Mauricia, Infanta of Spain and Portugal, on September 22, 1601, at Benavente Palace in Valladolid, Spain. Although a Spanish Infanta, she was known as Ana of Austria, as the Spanish monarchs at the time were members of the House of Habsburg. The eldest daughter of King Felipe III of Spain and Margaret of Austria, Ana had seven younger siblings:

Ana was raised at the Royal Alcazar of Madrid in Spain in a very close and loving family. She was given a very strong religious upbringing, and often visited convents and churches. After her mother’s death in childbirth in 1611, Ana became a surrogate mother to her younger siblings and maintained a very close relationship with her father.

Anne of Austria, circa 1607. source: Wikipedia

At just ten years old, Ana was betrothed to King Louis XIII of France, the son of King Henri IV of France and Marie de’ Medici, and given a large dowry and an extensive collection of jewels. The marriage contract required her to give up her rights to the Spanish throne but provided them to be restored if she were to become a childless widow. It also stipulated that if that happened, she would return to Spain with her entire dowry, as well as her jewels and wardrobe.

The couple was married by proxy on October 18, 1615, in Burgos, Spain. The same day, her brother and Louis’s sister were married by proxy in Bordeaux, France. This followed the tradition of marriages between the French and Austrian royal families. Upon her arrival in France, Ana and Louis were married on November 24, 1615, at the Bordeaux Cathedral. Just 14 at the time, it was allegedly several years before the marriage was consummated.

The marriage was strained from the onset. Taking up her apartments in the Louvre Palace in Paris, France, Ana was more or less ignored by her new husband. Her mother-in-law, Marie de’ Medici, refused to give any deference to Ana, who was the new Queen of France. Ana herself didn’t do much to ingratiate herself with her new family and country. She surrounded herself with nearly 100 Spanish ladies, and continued to abide by Spanish etiquette, and made little effort to learn the French language. It would several years before the relationship between Ana and Louis would begin to thaw.

In 1617, King Louis took full control of the monarchy from his mother (who had been serving as Regent) and sent her into exile. His advisor, Charles d’Albert, Duke of Luynes, made it his mission to bring Louis and Ana closer together. He replaced her Spanish entourage with French ladies-in-waiting and arranged for various court functions that would have both of them in attendance. Through his influence, as well as Anne’s new French ladies, she started to dress and carry herself in more of a French style. Reportedly, it was Luynes who then encouraged Louis to consummate their marriage, resulting in the birth of a stillborn child, the first of four stillborn births over the next 12 years.

Anne with her two sons; Credit – Wikipedia

Finally, after nearly 23 years of marriage, Queen gave birth to the first of two healthy sons:

In 1625, when Louis’s sister Henriette married King Charles I of England, Anne and her mother-in-law accompanied Henriette to the French border where they were met by George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, who was to accompany Henriette back to England. Supposedly, Buckingham made advances to Queen Anne, causing quite a scandal throughout the courts of Europe. He was subsequently forbidden from setting foot on French soil. The truth of this story is questionable.

Continuing to visit convents and churches in her new country just as she had done in Spain, Queen Anne found a friend in Marguerite de Veny d’Arbouse, a prioress at the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce de-la-Ville-d’Evêque. Anne arranged for the establishment of an abbey with Marguerite as Abbess, and in 1621, the Queen herself purchased land in Paris and had the convent moved there. She had a small church built, as well as an apartment for herself. This would become her refuge several times during her marriage, as well as in her later years. Years later, after her husband’s death, Queen Anne commissioned the building of the Church of the Val-de-Grâce.

More strain came to Anne’s relationship with her husband when France declared war on Spain in 1635. Very close with her brother, King Felipe IV of Spain, Anne kept up a secret correspondence that put her under great suspicion. Two years later, Cardinal Richelieu, her husband’s senior minister, forced Anne to allow her correspondence to be inspected, and she was kept under close watch.

King Louis XIII died in 1643, leaving his five-year-old son as the new King Louis XIV. In his will, the late King sought to limit any power that Queen Anne might have had, including becoming Regent. He instructed that a regency council be established instead. However, just days after his death, Queen Anne was able to convene the Parliament of Paris and had that part of his will overturned. Anne was named sole Regent for her young son. She then took her two sons and moved from the Louvre Palace to the Palais-Royal in Paris, formerly the Palais-Cardinal, home of Cardinal Richelieu.

Queen Anne in her later years – source: Wikipedia

Queen Anne appointed Cardinal Jules Mazarin as her chief minister and relied on him to maintain the government. The two were rumored to be lovers, or perhaps even secretly married, although nothing has ever been proven. Anne retained much of her power even after her son came of age in 1651. She oversaw his marriage to her own niece, Maria Teresa of Spain in 1660, and the following year, after Mazarin’s death, Queen Anne stepped aside and retired to the Covent of Val-de-Grâce in Paris, France. Five years later, on January 20, 1666, she died there of breast cancer. She is buried in the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris.

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King Louis XIII of France

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

King Louis XIII of France; Credit – Wikipedia

King Louis XIII of France was born September 27, 1601, at the Château de Fontainebleau in Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne, France. He was the eldest son of King Henri IV of France and Marie de’ Medici, and had five younger siblings:

At just two months old, Louis was brought to the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, where he was raised with his father’s illegitimate children, and later his own siblings. He was nearly five years old when his christening occurred at Fontainebleau in September 1606. His godparents were Pope Paul V, and his maternal aunt, Eleonora de’ Medici, Duchess of Mantua.

From a young age, Louis showed a great interest in music and learned to play the lute at just three years old. This love of music continued for his entire life, and in 1635 he wrote The Ballet de la Merlaison which was first performed that year at the Château de Chantilly. Louis is credited with writing the story, composing the music and lyrics, and choreographing the dancing. He also danced in several performances of the show.

King Louis XIII, c1613. source: Wikipedia

Louis also developed an early love of horses and the military. Once his education began, he did not show much interest in languages, math, or science, but excelled in history and the arts. Growing up, he was much closer to his father King Henri IV than his mother, even though his father would often mistreat him. Sadly, Louis was only eight years old when his father King Henri IV was assassinated on May 14, 1610, and he became King Louis XIII of France. Due to his youth, his mother Marie de’ Medici was appointed Regent, to serve until he came of age. Despite reaching his majority in 1614, his mother continued to exert her influence as Regent, deeming her son “too weak in body and spirit” to assume his rightful position.

It would be several years before Louis asserted his authority. In April 1617, he organized a coup d’état, ousting his mother’s primary minister Concino Concini, and sending his mother into exile. He replaced Concini with his favorite advisor, Charles d’Albert, Duke of Luynes. One of the first challenges in his reign was the Thirty Years’ War which began in 1618, in which there was much disagreement on which side the French should support. There was also growing disagreement with Luynes and his actions. These all led to a rebellion against the King, led by his mother who had escaped from exile. Through the influence of the Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu, better known as Cardinal Richelieu, Louis and his mother were reconciled, and within a few years, Louis permitted her to return to the French court. By 1624, Louis was now ruled by council and Cardinal Richelieu took a more prominent role in the King’s reign.

“The Marriage of Louis XIII, King of France and of Navarre, and Anna of Austria” by Jean Chalette. source: Wikipedia

In 1612, at just eleven years old, Louis became betrothed to Anna of Austria, keeping with the tradition of inter-marriages between the French and Spanish monarchies. She was the daughter of King Felipe III of Spain and Margaret of Austria. The couple was married by proxy on October 18, 1615, in Burgos, Spain. The same day, Louis’s sister Elisabeth married Anna’s brother, the future King Felipe IV of Spain. Following Anna’s arrival in France, the couple was married in a religious ceremony at the Bordeaux Cathedral in France on November 24, 1615.  After four stillborn children, and 23 years after their marriage, the couple had two sons:

The hunting lodge at Versailles, c1630-1640. source: Wikipedia

Although best associated with later generations of French monarchs, the Palace of Versailles has its origins with Louis XIII. Having gone on several hunting trips in the area, King Louis XIII ordered the construction of a hunting lodge in 1624. Several years later, he acquired the surrounding land and began to enlarge the building. Under his son’s reign, the small hunting lodge was transformed into a grand palace and became the seat of the French monarchy.

King Louis XIII and Queen Anne with their eldest son, the future King Louis XIV. Cardinal Richelieu is pictured behind the King. source: Wikipedia

After several weeks of intense illness, King Louis XIII died in Paris on May 14, 1643. Ironically, it was 33 years earlier on the same day that his own father had died.  Just like his father, Louis left behind a very young son – not yet five years old – to succeed him on the French throne. He was interred at the Basilica of St. Denis near Paris, France with very little pomp or ceremony, per his wishes that the French people not be subjected to any excessive or unnecessary expense due to his death. Knowing his death was near, the King had revised his will, limiting the powers of his wife who would go on to serve as Regent for their young son.

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France Resources at Unofficial Royalty