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

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

Maria Theresa had four older siblings.

  • Archduchess Carolina Ferdinanda of Austria (1793 – 1802), died in childhood
  • Francesco Leopoldo, Grand Prince of Tuscany (1794 – 1800), died in childhood after falling from a carriage
  • Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1797 – 1870), married (1) Maria Anna of Saxony, had three daughters (2) Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies, had ten children
  • Archduchess Maria Luisa of Austria (1798 – 1857), unmarried

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

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

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

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

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

Maria Theresa and her two sons; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

Maria Theresa, Dowager Queen of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

Works Cited

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

Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

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

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

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

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

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Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

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

Carlo Alberto had one younger sister:

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

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

Carlo Alberto in his youth; Credit – Wikipedia

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

Carlo Alberto’s wife Maria Theresa; Credit – Wikipedia

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

Maria Theresa and her two sons; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo Alberto and Maria Theresa had three children:

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

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

Carlo Alberto in his coronation robes; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

Carlo Alberto’s deathbed; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

Works Cited

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

Erik XIV, King of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Erik XIV, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Erik XIV, King of Sweden is known for the Sture Murders in which he and his guards killed six men. Deposed by his half-brother, Erik was imprisoned, and likely murdered by arsenic poisoning. He was born on December 13, 1533, at Tre Kronor Castle in Stockholm, Sweden, the only child of Gustav I Vasa, King of Sweden and his first wife Katharina of Saxe-Lauenburg. In September 1535, during a ball given in honor of her brother-in-law, Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway, who was visiting Sweden, the pregnant Katharina fell while dancing with Christian III. The fall confined her to bed and led to pregnancy complications, and she died on September 23, 1535, the day before her twenty-second birthday along with her unborn child. Erik was not yet two years old.

Gustav I Vasa, King of Sweden, Erik’s father; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1536, Erik’s father Gustav I married his second wife Margareta Leijonhufvud. Margareta was a member of the Leijonhufvud family, one of Sweden’s most powerful noble families. Her constant pregnancies took a toll on her health and she died from pneumonia at the age of 35 in 1551.

Erik had ten half-siblings from his father’s second marriage:

In 1552, Erik’s father Gustav I married his third wife 17-year-old Katarina Stenbock, the daughter of Gustaf Olofsson Stenbock and Brita Eriksdotter Leijonhufvud, who was the sister of King Gustav I’s second wife Margareta Leijonhufvud. They had no children. Katarina survived her husband by sixty-one years, dying on December 13, 1621, aged 86.

Erik, along with his half-brother, the future Johan III, King of Sweden, was well-educated by tutors and excelled in foreign languages, mathematics, and history. In 1557, King Gustav I wrote his will and divided his kingdom into hereditary duchies for his sons: Erik, Duke of Kalmar; Johan, Duke of Finland; Magnus, Duke of Östergötland; and Karl, Duke of Södermanland. When Erik started to make public appearances, he was referred to as the “chosen king” (Swedish: utvald konung) until the Riksdag (parliament) granted him the title of “hereditary king” (Swedish: arvkonung) in 1560.

When Erik was in his early 20s, his relationship with his father became very strained. Against his father’s wishes, Erik entered into negotiations for a marriage with the future Queen Elizabeth I of England and pursued her for several years. The death of Gustav I Vasa, King of Sweden on September 29, 1560, prevented Erik from traveling to England to press Queen Elizabeth I for her hand in marriage. His later marriage proposals to Mary, Queen of Scots, Renata of Lorraine, Anna of Saxony, and Christine of Hesse were also rejected.

Now as Erik XIV, King of Sweden, he opposed the Swedish nobility and chose as his closest advisor Göran Persson who held the same views as Erik and who had narrowly escaped execution under the reign of Erik’s father. Erik summoned the Riksdag at Arboga where, under Erik’s urging, the Arboga Articles were adopted which curtailed the authority of his half-brothers Johan and Karl in the dukedoms given to them by their father. As a further move against his half-brother Johan, Duke of Finland, Erik placed the city of Reval, now Tallinn, Estonia, under his protective power and led expansionist campaigns of conquest in Estonia.

Johann then turned to Sigismund II Augustus, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania for an alliance. He married Katarina Jagellonica of Poland, the sister of Sigismund II Augustus and in exchange received a substantial sum of money and land in Livonia (located in present-day Estonia and Latvia) which then hindered Erik’s expansionist policy. Erik’s response was to send 10,000 troops to besiege Johan’s home Turku Castle in Turku, Finland. On August 12, 1563, Turku Castle surrendered. Johan was tried for high treason and sentenced to death but he was pardoned and imprisoned with his wife at Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, Sweden.

Karin Månsdotter, Erik XIV, and Göran Persson; Credit – Wikipedia

Sometime in 1565, Erik entered into a relationship with low-born Karin Månsdotter, a maid to his half-sister Elisabet. In 1567, Erik decided to marry Karin following the agreement he made with the state council in 1561 that he could marry whomever he pleased. The marriage plans were supported by his advisor Göran Persson. On December 29, 1567, Erik and Karin were married morganatically in a secret ceremony. A second official wedding was held in Storkyrkan (Great Church) in Stockholm, Sweden on July 4, 1568, followed the next day by Karin’s coronation as Queen of Sweden.

Erik and Karin Månsdotter had four children. The first two were born before the second official marriage in 1568 (see below) but were later legitimized. The last two died in early childhood.

  • Princess Sigrid (1566 – 1633), married Henrik Klasson Tott, had three children
  • Prince Gustav (1568 – 1607), unmarried
  • Prince Henrik (1570 – 1574)
  • Prince Arnold (1572 – 1573)

Erik had suffered from mental health issues and from 1563 onwards these issues worsened. His decisions became more illogical and he exhibited violent behavior. Erik’s suspicion of the nobility led him to be suspicious of the Sture family, then headed by Svante Stensson Sture who was married to Märta Erikdotter Leijonhufvud, the sister of Margareta Leijonhufvud, the second wife of Erik’s father. Erik lacked a legal heir and feared that the Sture family might claim his throne. These fears resulted in the Sture Murders, the murders of five incarcerated Swedish nobles and Erik’s former tutor.

Svante Stensson Sture; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 24, 1567, in Uppsala Castle, Erik and his guards killed six men. Svante Stensson Sture, and his sons Nils Svantesson Sture and Erik Svantesson Sture, Abraham Gustafsson Stenbock (brother of Katarina Gustavsdotter Stenbock, the third wife of King Gustav I Vasa), and Ivar Ivarsson Liljeörn were killed in their cells inside the castle. Erik personally stabbed Nils Svantesson Sture to death. After the murders, Erik’s former tutor Dionysius Beurreus found him outside the castle in a state of agitation. Beurreus tried to calm Erik but instead, Erik issued an order to kill Beurreus and vanished into a nearby forest. The guards then stabbed Beurreus to death. Abraham Gustafsson Stenbock and Ivar Ivarsson Liljeörn already had been sentenced to death but Svante Sture and his sons were executed without trial on Erik’s order and the unfortunate Beurreus was killed on a whim.

Johan III, King of Sweden, Erik’s eldest half-brother and successor; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 27, 1567, Erik was found in the village of Odensala, disguised as a peasant and confused, and was brought to Stockholm. Eventually, he calmed down and then asked both God and the Swedish people for forgiveness. He sought reconciliation with the relatives of the murdered. For a period of time, a regency council took over the government of the country, freed Erik’s half-brother Johan from prison, and sentenced Erik’s advisor Göran Persson to death. However, this death sentence was not carried out for fear of how Erik would react when he recovered. The king’s younger half-brothers led a revolt against Erik which ended in his removal as King of Sweden in September 1568 and his eldest half-brother succeeding to the throne as Johan III, King of Sweden. In January 1569, the Riksdag legally dethroned Erik.

Erik was imprisoned in various castles for nine years. He died on February 26, 1577, aged 43, at Örbyhus Castle in Örbyhus, Sweden. He was most likely murdered due to the three major conspiracies that attempted to depose his half-brother Johan III and place Erik back on the Swedish throne. An examination of his remains in 1958 confirmed that Erik probably died of arsenic poisoning. Erik XIV, King of Sweden was originally buried in a crypt at Västerås Cathedral in Västerås, Västmanland, Sweden. In 1797, Erik’s remains were reburied at Västerås Cathedral in a Carrara marble sarcophagus that King Gustav III of Sweden originally ordered for himself.

Tomb of Erik XIV, King of Sweden; 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.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Erik XIV. – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_XIV.> [Accessed 30 April 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Eric XIV of Sweden – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_XIV_of_Sweden> [Accessed 30 April 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Erik XIV – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_XIV> [Accessed 30 April 2021].

Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily, Queen of Sardinia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Maria Cristina at the Castle of Agliè; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Works Cited

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

Crown Princess Elia of the Albanians

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

photo: Albanian Royal Court

Crown Princess Elia is the wife of Crown Prince Leka II of the Albanians, the current pretender to the former Albanian throne. She was born Elia Zaharia on February 8, 1983 in Tirana, Albania, the daughter of Gjergj Zaharia, a school teacher and principal, and Yllka Mujo, a well-known Albanian actress. Elia has one younger brother, Amos, who is also an actor and film director.

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

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

 

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

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

On January 16, 2024, it was announced that Crown Prince Leka, the current claimant to the defunct throne of Albania, and Crown Princess Elia were ending their marriage.

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Albanian Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

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

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

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

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

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Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

Carlo Felice as a child; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

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

Carlo Felice in his coronation robes; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

Death of Carlo Felice; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

Works Cited

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

Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, Queen of Sardinia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Maria Theresa of Austria-Este had nine siblings:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Theresia von Österreich-Este (1773–1832) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Theresia_von_%C3%96sterreich-Este_(1773%E2%80%931832)> [Accessed 29 June 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Ferdinand Karl, Archduke of Austria-Este – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Karl,_Archduke_of_Austria-Este> [Accessed 29 June 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Beatrice d’Este, Duchess of Massa – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Beatrice_d%27Este,_Duchess_of_Massa> [Accessed 29 June 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, Queen of Sardinia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Theresa_of_Austria-Este,_Queen_of_Sardinia> [Accessed 29 June 2021].
  • Flantzer, S., 2021. Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/vittorio-emanuele-i-king-of-sardinia-and-duke-of-savoy/> [Accessed 29 June 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Teresa d’Austria-Este – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Teresa_d%27Austria-Este> [Accessed 29 June 2021].

Private Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The original Private Chapel at Windsor Castle, lithograph by Joseph Nash, 1848; Credit – Wikipedia

The original octagonal-shaped Private Chapel at Windsor Castle was created for Queen Victoria by architect Edward Blore in the 1840s. It had previously been a music room, with an intricately carved screen separating it from St. George’s Hall. The Private Chapel had niches with marble sculptures, pews, and a large Gothic chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Some of Queen Victoria’s children were christened and confirmed there, her daughter Helena was married there, and Queen Victoria regularly worshipped there.

Windsor Castle on fire; Credit – www.windsorexpress.co.uk

On November 20, 1992, at 11:33 AM, a fire began in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle when a spotlight left too close to curtains by a painter, ignited the curtains. The location of the fire was shown on a map of the castle by an indicator light and the chief officer of the castle’s fire brigade immediately sounded the public fire alarm. The fire was initially in the Brunswick Tower, but soon many other indicator bulbs lit up, as the fire spread to neighboring rooms, including the Windsor Castle State Apartments which are the rooms the public is allowed to visit. By 12:20 PM, the fire had spread to St. George’s Hall, built in the 1360s and the largest of the State Apartments, and the roof of St. George’s Hall would later collapse.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh chaired the Restoration Committee. The restoration of the damaged areas took five years and was completed six months ahead of schedule on November 20, 1997, exactly five years after the fire and on the 50th wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh, at a cost of £37 million (US $59.2 million), £3 million below budget. Queen Elizabeth II personally contributed £2 million towards the restoration. 70% of the cost of restoration was to be met by charging the public an entry fee to the Windsor Castle precincts, and for an admission fee to Buckingham Palace. Buckingham Palace had never been open to the public. Since 1993, it has been open during August and September and on some dates throughout the year.

The original Private Chapel was irreparable, and a plaque now marks the place where the fire started. The Lantern Lobby was created in the space where the original Private Chapel had previously stood, creating a formal passageway between the State Apartments and the private apartments.

 

The area where the new Private Chapel (artist’s drawing above) was created previously was a passageway between the public and private areas of Windsor Castle. It is much smaller than the original Private Chapel and has a capacity of only thirty people. Instead of pews, red giltwood chairs, originally commissioned by King George IV for the state dining room, are used. The new altar was made by Queen Elizabeth II’s nephew David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon who is a furniture designer and maker. In a clip from the BBC documentary The Duke: In His Own Words, Prince Philip shows a camera crew around the Private Chapel in Windsor Castle where his coffin rested before his funeral. The clip can be seen in the link below.

Embed from Getty Images 
The stained glass window in the restored Private Chapel is based on an idea by the Duke of Edinburgh

Royal Events at the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle

Embed from Getty Images
The christening of Queen Victoria’s son Prince Alfred

In addition to the events listed below, there were a number of confirmations, particularly of Queen Victoria’s children and grandchildren, held at the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle. Queen Elizabeth II and her eldest two children, King Charles III and Princess Anne, were also confirmed there.

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

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan, 2019. British Royal Christenings: House of Windsor. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/house-of-windsor-christenings/> [Accessed 25 April 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2019. British Royal Christenings: Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Their Children, and Select Grandchildren. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christenings-of-queen-victoria-prince-albert-their-children-and-select-grandchildren/> [Accessed 25 April 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2013. November 20, 1992 – Fire seriously damages Windsor Castle. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/november-20-1992-fire-seriously-damages-windsor-castle/> [Accessed 28 April 2021].
  • Flood, Rebecca, 2021. Inside the private chapel at Windsor Castle where Archie Harrison is due to be christened in top-secret ceremony. [online] The Sun. Available at: <https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/9450387/archie-harrison-christening-chapel-windsor-castle-meghan-markle-prince-harry/> [Accessed 28 April 2021].
  • HELLO!. 2021. Prince Philip designed Queen’s private chapel where his coffin has been resting. [online] Available at: <https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/20210417111237/prince-philip-coffin-lying-in-rest-private-chapel-windsor-castle-he-designed/> [Accessed 28 April 2021].
  • Hill, Ben, 2021. Philip gives tour of private chapel at Windsor where he lies before funeral. [online] The US Sun. Available at: <https://www.the-sun.com/news/2697086/prince-philip-tour-private-chapel-windsor-castle/> [Accessed 28 April 2021].
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Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

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

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

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

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

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Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

Vittorio Emanuele I reigned as King of Sardinia from the abdication of his elder brother Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia in 1802 until he abdicated in 1821 in favor of his younger brother Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia. He was also the Jacobite pretender to the thrones of England and Scotland from 1819 – 1824 (see below). Born on July 24, 1759, at Royal Palace in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy, Vittorio Emanuele was the third but the second surviving of the six sons and the seventh of the twelve children of Vittorio Amedeo III, King of Sardinia and Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain. His paternal grandparents were Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia and his second wife Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg. Felipe V, King of Spain, who was born Philippe of France, Duke of Anjou, the grandson of King Louis XIV of France, and his second wife Elisabeth Farnese of Parma were his maternal grandparents.

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

Maria Theresa of Austria-Este; Credit – Wikipedia

Vittorio Emanuele had reached his late 20s and was still unmarried. Fifteen-year-old Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, named after her paternal grandmother Maria Theresa, in her own right Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia, by marriage Duchess of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany and Holy Roman Empress, was chosen to marry the 29-year-old Vittorio Emanuele. Maria Theresa was the eldest daughter of Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria-Este, Governor of the Duchy of Milan and Maria Beatrice d’Este, heir to the Duchy of Modena. The proxy wedding took place on June 29, 1788, in Milan. On April 25, 1789 in Novara, Piedmont, Duchy of Savoy, Vittorio Emanuele and Maria Theresa were married in person.

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

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

Vittorio Emanuele’s elder brother Carlo Emanuele IV succeeded to the throne upon the death of his father Vittorio Amedeo III in 1796. The new king inherited an economically damaged kingdom because of the results of the 1796 Treaty of Paris. During Napoleon‘s Italian campaign, Vittorio Amedeo III’s troops were defeated by the French at the 1796 Battle of Millessimo. Vittorio Amedeo III was forced to sign the 1796 Treaty of Paris which stipulated that he recognize the French Republic, cede the original Duchy of Savoy and the County of Nice to France, and give the French Army free passage through his territory towards the rest of Italy

Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia in his coronation robes; Credit- Wikipedia

In 1798, the French occupied Turin, the capital of the Duchy of Savoy, and forced Carlo Emanuele IV to give up all his territories on the Italian mainland. Carlo Emanuele IV withdrew to the island of Sardinia in 1799. When his beloved wife Marie Clotilde died from typhoid fever on March 7, 1802, Carlo Emanuele IV was so upset by her death that he decided to abdicate. He left the throne of Sardinia to his brother who reigned as Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia. However, Carlo Emanuele IV retained the Duchy of Savoy and settled in Rome and the nearby town of Frascati, both now in Italy.

In 1814, during the reign of Vittorio Emanuele I, two-thirds of Savoy was restored to the Kingdom of Sardinia following Napoleon’s abdication. In addition, in 1815, the Congress of Vienna annexed the territory of the Republic of Genoa to the Kingdom of Sardinia. After the death of his brother Carlo Emanuele in 1819, the Duchy of Savoy, which had been retained by Carlo Emanuele when he abdicated the Kingdom of Sardinia, was restored to Vittorio Emanuele.

Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans, Vittorio Emanuele’s great-great-grandmother; Credit – Wikipedia

As the senior surviving descendant of Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans, daughter of King Charles I of England and sister of James II, King of England/James VII, King of Scots, Vittorio Emanuele I became the Jacobite pretender to the thrones of England and Scotland after the death of his brother Carlo Emanuele in 1819. James II had been deposed by the Glorious Revolution in 1688. The goal of the Jacobites was to restore the Roman Catholic heirs of King James II of England/VII of Scotland to the thrones of England and Scotland. However, unlike the Stuart Jacobite pretenders – James II’s son James Edward Francis Stuart and James II’s grandsons Charles Edward Stuart and Cardinal Henry Benedict Stuart – none of the later Jacobite pretenders ever claimed the title.

James II’s last legitimate Stuart descendant Cardinal Henry Benedict Stuart died in 1807. There were no surviving siblings of King James II/VII, son of King Charles I of England, or their legitimate descendants, except for the descendants of his youngest sister Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans. Henrietta married Philippe I, Duke of Orléans and they had one son who died in infancy and two daughters. Only their daughter Anne Marie d’Orléans, who married Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia, had children and so the Jacobite line of succession proceeded in the House of Savoy. See how the Jacobite succession arrived in the House of Savoy via Henrietta of England below.

Charles I of England → his daughter Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans → her daughter Anne Marie d’Orléans, Queen of Sardinia → her son Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia → his son Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia → his son Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia → his brother Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia

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

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

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

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Viktor Emanuel I. – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Emanuel_I.> [Accessed 28 June 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, Queen of Sardinia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Theresa_of_Austria-Este_(1773%E2%80%931832)> [Accessed 28 June 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Emmanuel_I_of_Sardinia> [Accessed 28 June 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/the-jacobite-succession-pretenders-to-the-british-throne/> [Accessed 28 June 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia, Duke of Savoy. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/vittorio-amadeo-iii-king-of-sardinia-duke-of-savoy/> [Accessed 28 June 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Vittorio Emanuele I di Savoia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vittorio_Emanuele_I_di_Savoia> [Accessed 28 June 2021].

Marie Clotilde of France, Queen of Sardinia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

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

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

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

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

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Marie Clotilde of France, Queen of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

Marie Clotilde of France was the wife of Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia. Given the names Marie Adélaïde Clotilde Xavière, she was born at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France on September 23, 1759. She was the second but the eldest surviving of the three daughters and the seventh of the eight children of Louis, Dauphin of France and his second wife Maria Josepha of Saxony. Louis XV, King of France and Marie Leszczyńska of Poland were her paternal grandparents. Her maternal grandparents were Augustus III, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania and Maria Josepha of Austria.

Marie Clotilde and her brother Charles; Credit – Wikipedia

Marie Clotilde had seven siblings including three Kings of France:

Marie Clotilde’s father Louis, Dauphin of France was the heir to the throne of France but he never became king. He died of tuberculosis in 1765 at the age of 36. Maria Josepha, who had cared for her husband during his last illness, also contracted tuberculosis. She died on March 13, 1767, at the age of 35. By the time, Marie Clotilde was eight years old, she had lost both her parents. Upon the death of her grandfather King Louis XV in 1774, Marie Clotilde’s brother succeeded him as Louis XVI, King of France.

Marie Clotilde was raised with her younger sister Élisabeth by Marie Louise de Rohan, also known as Madame de Marsan, who held the title Governess of the Children of France. Because she tended to be overweight, Marie Clotilde was nicknamed Gros-Madame. From an early age, Marie Clotilde was very religious. She wanted to become a nun like her paternal aunt Louise-Marie of France and join the Order of the Carmelites. However, for political reasons, her brother Louis XVI arranged for her to marry Carlo Emanuele, Prince of Piedmont, the eldest son and heir of Vittorio Amedeo III, King of Sardinia and Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain. There had already been two marriages between France and Sardinia. Carlo Emanuele’s sister Maria Giuseppina had married Marie Clotilde’s older brother Louis Stanislas, Count of Provence, the future King Louis XVIII of France, and another sister Maria Teresa had married her brother Charles, Count of Artois, the future King Charles X of France.

Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia, Marie Clotilde’s husband; Credit – Wikipedia

The proxy marriage took place at the Palace of Versailles in France on August 21, 1775, with Marie Clotilde’s brother Louis Stanislas, Count of Provence, standing in for the groom. Carlo Emanuele and Marie Clotilde were married in person on September 6, 1775, at the House of Savoy’s Château de Chambéry now in France. Carlo Emanuele and Marie Clotilde were devoted to each other. They shared a strong faith in Roman Catholicism and studied religious texts together. Marie Clotilde played the guitar while Carlo Emanuele sang. However, their marriage remained childless. Concerns were raised that her difficulty to conceive was due to her weight and she was subjected to several fertility treatments of the time. In 1783, after eight years of attempting to have children, Marie Clotilde asked Carlo Emanuele to end sexual relations and live in chastity as brother and sister, and he willingly agreed. Marie Clotilde lived a very pious life. She avoided the customary pleasures at court, was reluctant to wear expensive clothing and jewelry, practiced charitable and pious works, and was the patron of charitable associations.

Marie Clotilde playing the guitar; Credit – Wikipedia

Marie Clotilde was deeply affected by the effects of the French Revolution. At the start of the French Revolution, her father-in-law Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia allowed his two daughters who had married Marie Clotilde’s brothers and their families to stay in the Kingdom of Sardinia under his protection. This act most likely saved their lives. However, Marie Clotilde’s brother King Louis XVI of France, sister-in-law Marie Antoinette and sister Élisabeth were beheaded via the guillotine. Her nephew Louis-Charles, Dauphin of France, son and heir of Louis XVI, died at the age of ten from tuberculosis while imprisoned.

Carlo Emanuele IV succeeded to the throne upon the death of his father Vittorio Amedeo III in 1796 and Marie Clotilde became Queen of Sardinia. In 1798, the French occupied Turin, the capital of the Duchy of Savoy, where Marie Clotilde and Carlo Emanuele lived. This forced Carlo Emanuele to give up all his territories on the Italian mainland and withdraw to the island of Sardinia in 1799. The couple attempted to return to Turin but were unable to because of the French military. Marie Clotilde and Carlo Emanuele lived in Florence, Rome, and finally Naples. In Naples, Marie Clotilde gave self-sacrificing support to her husband, attended church, and helped the needy and sick.

Tomb of Marie Clotilde, Queen of Sardinia; Credit – Di Miguel Hermoso Cuesta – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27091078

Marie Clotilde died from typhoid fever on March 7, 1802, aged 42, in Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, now in Italy. She was buried at the Church of Santa Caterina a Chiaia in Naples. Pope Pius VII, who had personally known Marie Clotilde, declared her The Venerable Marie Clotilde of France in 1808. In the Catholic Church, after a deceased Catholic has been declared a Servant of God by a bishop and proposed for beatification by the Pope, they may next be declared Venerable (“heroic in virtue”) during the investigation and process leading to possible canonization as a saint.

Carlo Emanuele praying as a Jesuit novice; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo Emanuele was so upset by Marie Clotilde’s death that he decided to abdicate. He left the throne of Sardinia to his brother who reigned as Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia. However, Carlo Emanuele IV retained the Duchy of Savoy and settled in Rome and the nearby town of Frascati, both now in Italy. Like his wife, Carlo Emanuele was very pious and devout. In 1815, he took simple vows in the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). He was never ordained as a priest but lived as a novice until his death on October 6, 1819, at the age of 68. Carlo Emanuele was buried in the Church of Sant’Andrea al Quirinale in Rome, built for the Jesuit seminary on the Quirinal Hill.

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.

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