Crathie Kirk in Crathie, Scotland near Balmoral Castle

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Crathie Kirk; Credit – By The original uploader was DanMS at English Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23328669

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert made several visits to Scotland beginning in 1842 and quickly fell in love with the Highlands. Prince Albert arranged to acquire the lease on Balmoral Castle despite never having seen the castle or property before, and eventually purchased the property. Victoria and Albert first stayed at Balmoral in September 1848. The surrounding hilly landscape reminded them of Albert’s German homeland. Almost immediately, they realized the existing castle was too small for their large and growing family and household, and plans were made to expand the building. However, instead of making any additions, Victoria and Albert decided to build a new castle next to the existing one. In September 1853, Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone for the new castle, which was completed in 1856. At that point, the original building was torn down. Queen Victoria and her family began the tradition of spending time at Balmoral each year. Balmoral Castle remains the private property of the monarch and is used by the British royal family for their summer holidays.

Balmoral Castle; Credit – By Stuart Yeates from Oxford, UK – Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=728182

In 1848, Queen Victoria and her family began worshipping at nearby Crathie Kirk located only one-half mile (800 meters) east of Balmoral Castle. Crathie Kirk is a small Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) parish church in Crathie, a small village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This began the custom, which continues to this day, of members of the royal family and their guests worshipping with local people at Crathie Kirk.

Crathie has been a place of Christian worship since the 9th-century when a church was founded on the banks of the River Dee by St. Manire, Bishop of Aberdeenshire and Banff, and a follower of Saint Columba, an Irish abbot credited with spreading Christianity in Scotland. A single standing stone at Rinabaich is all that remains of Manire’s church.

A church dedicated to St. Manire was built in the 14th-century and was used until the 18th-century when it became too small for the growing population of the parish. A simple church typical of Scottish Presbyterian churches of the time was built on the site of the present church in 1805. This was the church that Queen Victoria and her family first attended.

The present Crathie Kirk in 1895; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1893, construction began on the present church designed by Alexander Marshall MacKenzie, a Scottish architect, and Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone. Funds for the new church were raised by subscription and gifts from parishioners and members of the public. A gift of £2,000 was made by Queen VIctoria’s daughters Princess Louise and Princess Beatrice who raised the money at a bazaar held on the grounds of Balmoral Castle. The present church was completed and dedicated in 1895. The granite church overlooks the River Dee and the ruins of the 14th-century church.

Interior of Crathie Kirk; Credit – By Drow69 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33432629

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Queen Elizabeth II attends a service of commemoration at Crathie Kirk on August 4, 2014, marking the 100th anniversary of the United Kingdom declaring war on Germany

The south transept is reserved for the royal family and their guests and has a small porched entrance doorway exclusively for the royal family. In the south transept, there is a private wood-paneled reception area with a carved wooden royal coat of arms on the top. The front pew has finely-carved panels and the center of the front pew bears the royal and imperial monogram of Queen Victoria. There are memorials to members of the royal family on the walls in the south transept.

Gifts from members of the royal family:

John Brown’s grave; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

Many of the local people who served Queen Victoria are buried in the Crathie Kirk churchyard and some have headstones with personal epitaphs from Queen Victoria. The most famous of the burials is that of John Brown who served Queen Victoria as a ghillie at Balmoral (Scottish outdoor servant) from 1849 – 1861 and a personal attendant from 1861 – 1883. On March 27, 1883, at Windsor Castle, 56-year-old John Brown fell into a coma and died. The cause of death was erysipelas, a streptococcal infection. Queen Victoria wrote in her diary that she was “terribly moved by the loss that robs me of a person who has served me with so much devotion and loyalty and has done so much for my personal well-being. With him, I lose not only one Servant, but a real friend. ” John Brown was buried in the churchyard at Crathie Kirk next to his parents and some of his siblings. The inscription on his gravestone shows the affection between him and Queen Victoria:

This stone is erected in affectionate and grateful remembrance of John Brown the devoted and faithful personal attendant and beloved friend of Queen Victoria in whose service he had been for 34 years. Born at Crathienaird 8th Decr. 1826 died at Windsor Castle 27th March 1883. That Friend on whose fidelity you count/that Friend given to you by circumstances/over which you have no control/was God’s own gift. Well done good and faithful servant/Thou hast been faithful over a few things,/I will make thee ruler over many things/Enter through into the joy of the Lord.

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On December 12, 1992, the first and the only royal wedding was held at Crathie Kirk when Anne, Princess Royal, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, married Timothy Laurence. Anne and her first husband Mark Phillips separated in 1989 and their divorce was finalized on April 23, 1992. Anne and Timothy chose to marry in Scotland as the Church of England did not at that time allow divorced persons whose former spouses were still living to remarry in its churches. The Church of Scotland does not consider marriage to be a sacrament and has no objection to the remarriage of divorced persons.

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

  • Explore Churches. 2021. Ballater Crathie Kirk. [online] Available at: <https://www.explorechurches.org/church/crathie-kirk-crathie> [Accessed 16 March 2021].
  • Braemarandcrathieparish.org.uk. 2021. Braemar and Crathie Parish Church | Crathie Kirk. [online] Available at: <https://braemarandcrathieparish.org.uk/crathie-kirk/> [Accessed 16 March 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Crathie Kirk. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crathie_Kirk> [Accessed 16 March 2021].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2015. Balmoral Castle. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/balmoral-castle/> [Accessed 16 March 2021].
  • Scottishchurches.org.uk. 2021. Crathie Parish Church – Crathie and Braemar, Grampian – Places of Worship in Scotland | SCHR. [online] Available at: <http://www.scottishchurches.org.uk/sites/site/id/3836/name/Crathie+Parish+Church+Crathie+and+Braemar+Grampian INSIDE CHURCH> [Accessed 16 March 2021].

Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Queen of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg was born on March 24, 1628, at Herzberg Castle, in Herzberg am Harz, Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, now in the German state of Lower Saxony. She was the second but the only surviving of the four daughters and the fifth of the eight children of Georg, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1582 – 1641) and Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt (1601 – 1659), daughter of  Ludwig V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Magdalene of Brandenburg.

Sophie Amalie’s parents are ancestors of the British royal family and other European royal families through their sons Ernst August and Georg Wilhelm – the fathers of King George I of Great Britain and his wife Sophia Dorothea of Celle. Sophia Amalie’s youngest brother Ernst August married Sophia of the Palatinate, daughter of Elizabeth Stuart, eldest daughter of King James I of England, and Friedrich V, Elector of the Palatinate. Sophia of the Palatinate was a granddaughter of King James I of England and first cousin of King Charles II of England and King James II of England. I

n 1692, Ernst August was appointed Prince-Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg (which eventually became the Electorate of Hanover). Over in Great Britain, due to the lack of heirs in the House of Stuart, and not wanting the throne to go to a Roman Catholic, Parliament passed the 1701 Act of Settlement, giving the British throne to Sophia of the Palatinate, Electress of Hanover and her Protestant descendants. Sophia of the Palatinate died on June 8, 1714. Her son George was now the heir to the British throne. Queen Anne of Great Britain died on August 1, 1714, which was only 54 days after Sophia died. Sophie Amalie’s nephew, King George I of Great Britain, was only 56th in line to the throne according to primogeniture, but the nearest Protestant according to the 1701 Act of Settlement.

Sophie Amalie had four brothers and three sisters. Her sisters all died young.

Frederik III and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, circa 1643; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophie Amalie’s family lived at her birthplace Herzberg Castle until 1636 when her father moved his residence to Hanover. There he built the Leineschloss, a palace situated by the Leine River, that became the residence of the Hanoverian dukes, electors, and kings. In March 1640, 12-year-old Sophia Amalie was betrothed to 31-year-old Prince Frederik of Denmark, the third but the second surviving of the four sons of Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway and his first wife Anna Katharina of Brandenburg. Frederik had an elder brother Christian, Prince-Elect of Denmark who had been elected heir apparent in 1608 (Denmark was an elected monarchy at that time) and was expected to succeed their father. Because of the bride’s young age, the marriage was delayed for three years. On October 1, 1643, at Glücksborg Castle in Glücksborg, Duchy of Schleswig, then a Danish possession, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, Frederik and Sophie Amalie were married.

Sophie Amalie’s five eldest children: left to right: Wilhelmina Ernestina, Anna Sophia, Frederika Amalia holding Frederik, and Christian; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophie Amalie and Frederik had eight children including Jørgen who married Queen Anne of Great Britain and had his name anglicized to George and Ulrika Eleonora married King Karl XI of Sweden.:

Before Frederik’s marriage, his father King Christian IV sought to provide him with a pathway to his future and also to use Frederik to gain influence in the northern German areas of the Holy Roman Empire. Despite being christened a Protestant, Frederik became the administrator of the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen and the Prince-Bishopric of Verden. In 1647, Friedrich was appointed governor of the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. Sophie Amalie and Frederik lived in the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen and the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein until a sudden event changed their lives. On June 2, 1647, Frederik’s 44-year-old childless elder brother Christian, Prince-Elect of Denmark and heir apparent to the Norwegian throne, died and his death opened up the possibility for Frederik to be elected heir apparent to the Danish throne. However, when King Christian IV died less than nine months later, on February 28, 1648, Frederik had not yet been elected heir apparent to the Danish throne. After long deliberations between the Danish Estates and the Rigsraadet (royal council), he was finally elected King of Denmark. King Frederik III and Queen Sophie Amalie were crowned on November 23, 1648, at the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Sophie Amalie as Queen of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

As Queen of Denmark, Sophie Amalie became the center of court life. She replaced the old medieval court entertainments with opera and ballet. She enjoyed fashion, parties, theatre, and masquerades, and made the French taste fashionable in Denmark. Sophie Amalie was ambitious, participated in state affairs, with her husband’s blessing of her husband, and influenced policy as his adviser.

From the start of King Frederik III’s reign, Sophie Amalie was involved in the power struggle between the crown and the Danish nobility, symbolized by the Sons-In-Law Party composed of the Danish nobles who married Frederik III’s half-sisters, the daughters of King Christian IV and his morganatic second wife Kirsten Munk. Count Corfitz Ulfeldt, married to Frederik’s half-sister Leonora Christina, Countess of Schleswig-Holstein, was the leading member. There were rumors that Count Corfitz Ulfeldt was associated with a plot to poison Frederik III and Ulfeldt and his wife left Denmark and settled in Sweden. The plot was proven to be false but Ulfeldt agreed to accept the offer of King Karl X Gustav of Sweden to enter his service because he wanted to humiliate King Frederik III. Ulfeldt participated in the Swedish invasion of Denmark in the Danish-Swedish War of 1657 – 1658  and is considered the most notorious traitor in Danish history. He was tried in absentia for high treason, his property was confiscated, and his children were banished. Ulfeldt, who was seriously ill, died in 1664 while on the run. Because of her alleged involvement in the intrigues of her husband Count Corfitz Ulfeldt, Leonora Christina was imprisoned for 22 years as a political prisoner. Only after the death of Sophie Amalie did Leonora Christina gain her freedom.

Sophie Amalie, circa 1670; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik III, King of Denmark and Norway died at the age of 60, after three days of a painful illness, on February 9, 1670, at Copenhagen Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark. During the reign of her son King Christian V, Sophie Amalie remained a player in state affairs despite her son’s dislike of her interference. Sophie Amalie’s relationship with her daughter-in-law Charlotte Amalie was not positive. She refused to give up her position as queen and her precedence as the first lady of the court to her daughter-in-law. King Christian V frequently resorted to moving to another palace with his wife so that Queen Charlotte Amalie and Queen Dowager Sophie Amalie would not be present in the same palace at the same time.

The Death of Queen Sophie Amalie by Kristian Zahrtmann; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophie Amalie survived her husband King Frederik II by fifteen years, dying on February 20, 1685, aged 56. They were interred with Frederik’s parents in the crypt of Roskilde Cathedral, the traditional burial site of the Danish royal family in Roskilde, Denmark. In 1613, a year after the death of his first wife and Frederik’s mother Anna Katharina of Brandenburg, King Christian IV ordered the construction of a new burial chapel because the space inside Roskilde Cathedral for burials was running out. However, the interior of the Christian IV Chapel was not completed until 1866. At that time, the caskets of Christian IV (died 1648), his first wife Anna Katharina of Brandenburg (died 1612), his eldest son and heir apparent Christian who predeceased him (died 1647), his second son who succeeded him as King Frederik III (died 1670); and Frederik III’s wife Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneberg (died 1685) were placed in the completed Christian IV Chapel.

Christian IV Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral: Caskets front row left to right: Anna Katharina, Christian IV,  Christian, Prince-Elect; back row left to right: Sophie Amalie, Frederik III; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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 Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Sophie Amalie af Braunschweig-Lüneburg. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Amalie_af_Braunschweig-L%C3%BCneburg> [Accessed 13 March 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Georg (Braunschweig-Calenberg). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_(Braunschweig-Calenberg)> [Accessed 13 March 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Sophie Amalie von Braunschweig-Calenberg. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Amalie_von_Braunschweig-Calenberg> [Accessed 13 March 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Calenberg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Amalie_of_Brunswick-Calenberg> [Accessed 13 March 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan. Unofficial Royalty. Frederik III, King of Denmark and Norway. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/frederik-iii-king-of-denmark-and-norway/> [Accessed 13 March 2021].

King Zog I of the Albanians

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

King Zog I of the Albanians; photo: Albanian Royal Court

King Zog I was born Ahmed Muhtar Zogolli on October 8, 1895 at Burgajet Castle in Burrel, the Ottoman Empire, now in Albania. He was the second child and only son of Xhemal Pasha Zogolli and his second wife Sadije Toptani. His father was the Hereditary Governor of Mati (one of Albania’s former districts), a position Zog himself would inherit upon his father’s death in 1908. His mother was from the Toptani family, one of the leading noble families in Ottoman Albania, and one of the largest landowners in the country. Zog had six sisters:

He also had one older half-brother from his father’s first marriage:

  • Xhelal Bey Zogolli (1881) – married 4 times, had issue including a son, Skënder Zogu, born 1933, who would be second in line to the Albanian throne today, following Crown Prince Leka II

The future King was educated at the Galatasaray Lyceum in Istanbul, and succeeded his father as Governor of Mati in 1908. He returned to Albania in 1912, and led a revolt against the Young Turks, and gained fame as a military leader for his victory over invading Montenegrin forces. Later that year, he participated in Albania’s Declaration of Independence and continued to gain attention for his military successes.

Prince Wilhelm of Wied; Prince of Albania. source: Wikipedia

Upon Albania’s independence, the Great Powers created Albania as a Principality, and Prince Wilhelm of Wied was selected as its Prince. However, due to intense in-fighting, Wilhelm would last only six months in Albania before being forced into exile. Zogolli went on to serve with the Austrian-Hungarian forces during World War before returning to Albania and becoming involved in politics. Rising quickly through the ranks, he held numerous positions within the government, including Minister of the Interior, and Chief of the Albanian Military. In 1922, he formally changed his surname from Zogolli to Zogu which sounded more Albanian and would help to gain further support from the Albanian people.

Zogu became Prime Minister of Albania in December 1922 and served until February 25, 1924 – just two days after being shot and wounded in an assassination attempt in Parliament. Several months later, a coup d’etat forced Zog into exile for several months. Returning and restoring the legitimate government in December 1924, formally ending the Principality and declaring Albania a Republic. A month later, he was elected President.

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Just three years later, several Albanian politicians suggested that Albania should become a monarchy once again. A commission was quickly established and on August 30, 1928, the Constitutional Assembly overwhelmingly approved the vote. The Kingdom of Albania was established, and President Zogu was offered the throne. The following day, September 1, 1928, Ahmet Zogu took the oath, becoming King Zog I of the Albanians – the country’s first and only reigning King. One of his first official acts – fully supported by the National Assembly – was to give titles to his mother and sisters. His mother became Her Majesty The Queen Mother of the Albanians, and his sisters were all created Princesses, with the style of Royal Highness.

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On April 27, 1938, the Muslim King Zog married the Catholic Geraldine Apponyi de Nagy-Appony in a civil ceremony held at the Royal Palace in Tirana.  Despite their different religions, religious leaders, including the Pope, blessed their marriage.  The couple had one son, Crown Prince Leka I, born in April 1939.

On April 7, 1939, just two days after Queen Geraldine gave birth to the couple’s only child, Italian forces invaded Albania. Despite attempts to hold them off, the Albanian military was unsuccessful. The National Assembly quickly voted to allow the King and his family to leave the country, thus allowing him to retain sovereignty in exile. Two days later, on April 9th, King Zog and the entire royal family crossed into Greece. The Italians, under the leadership of Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, took control of Albania, declaring it a Protectorate of Italy under King Vittorio Emanuele III.

With the entire government forced into exile, King  Zog established his base in France, hoping to coordinate support with the Allies. He arrived in Paris on August 8, 1939, and settled at the Chateau de la Maye in Versailles, previously used as a temporary residence by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor just two years earlier.

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However, with German forces approaching, the family fled once again in June 1940 and made their way to England. One of the British officers who helped organize their escape was Commander Ian Fleming, later a successful writer, creating the character of James Bond.

The family initially stayed at the Ritz Hotel in London before settling at Parmoor House in Buckinghamshire. Due to the bombings, however, they continued to move around quite often. While in England, King Zog developed friendships with numerous other royals in exile and continued to work toward Albania’s liberation.

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Another move in 1946 took the family to Egypt, where they lived at the invitation of King Farouk. On a trip to the United States in 1951, King Zog purchased the Knollwood Estate in Muttontown, New York. He intended to settle there in the coming years but never occupied the house.

An attempt to stage a coup d’etat and regain control of Albania was organized in 1954 with the support of British and American intelligence. However, the plans failed when they were revealed to the Soviets by Kim Philby, a British spy working as a double agent. The next year, Zog and his family returned to France, settling in Cannes. By then, his health was deteriorating, and King Zog abandoned his hope of moving to the United States and sold the Knollwood Estate.

The former grave of King Zog I at the Thiais Cemetery near Paris. photo: By Martin Ottmann – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4602279

Following several years of ill health, King Zog I of the Albanians passed away on April 9, 1961, at the Foch Hospital in Suresnes, Hauts-de-Seine, on the outskirts of Paris. He was buried in the Thiais Cemetery in Paris.

photo: Albanian Royal Court

In November 2012, the King’s remains were exhumed and returned to Albania where they were reinterred in the newly rebuilt Royal Mausoleum in Tirana, Albania. At the same time, the remains of Queen Geraldine, Crown Prince Leka I, and Crown Princess Susan were also moved to the new mausoleum.

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Albanian Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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

Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace in London, England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The north gatehouse, the main entrance of St James’s Palace on Pall Mall. The large window to the right of the gatehouse is the stained glass window of the Chapel Royal; Credit – Wikipedia

The Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace is a royal peculiar which means it is under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch. It is also a chapel royal, an establishment in the royal household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign. It is located in the main block of St. James’s Palace in London, England, less than a half-mile from Buckingham Palace. St. James’s Palace was built in the 1530s during the reign of King Henry VIII on the site of a leper hospital dedicated to St. James the Less, hence the name St. James’s Palace. St. James’s Palace was displaced in the late-18th and early-19th centuries as a residence by Buckingham Palace.

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St. James’s Palace is still a working palace, and the Royal Court is still formally based there, despite the monarch residing elsewhere. Ambassadors from foreign countries to the United Kingdom are still accredited to the Court of St. James’s. St. James’s Palace is the home of several members of the British royal family and their household offices, and it hosts many receptions each year for charities associated with members of the royal family. The State Apartments are sometimes used for entertaining during state visits, as well as for other ceremonial and formal occasions. For instance, the Accession Council meets in St. James’s Palace following the death of a monarch, and the accession of a new monarch is proclaimed by Garter King of Arms from the Proclamation Gallery overlooking Friary Court of St. James’s Palace.

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The Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace, with its oak paneling, marble floors, and green lamps on the pews, is small and seats only 150 people. Old tapestries hang from the cream-colored walls and the ceiling is decorated with golden swirls of royal initials and coats of arms. A beautiful stained glass window over the altar floods the chapel with natural light.

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The chapel ceiling was copied from the mosaics in the ambulatory vault at Santa Costanza, a 4th-century church in Rome, Italy. The honeycomb-like ceiling panels were painted by Hans Holbein the Younger with royal cyphers and coats of arms in honor of King Henry VIII’s (short-lived) marriage to his fourth wife Anne of Cleves.

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The current stained glass window over the altar, designed by artist John Napper, was installed to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee in 2002. A tree in the center panel is occupied by birds, red and white flowers that resemble Tudor roses, and plaques with names of countries affiliated with Queen Elizabeth II. ‘ER’ (Elizabeth Regina, Elizabeth the Queen in Latin) is written on the trunk of the tree. The two side panels show the Gospel writers Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Click on the photo below to see an enlargement.

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The stained glass window commemorating Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee

In 1836, alterations to the chapel were carried out by architect Sir Robert Smirke. Smirke enlarged the chapel, installed oak paneling, and added a new ceiling at the south end, decorated with the names and royal cyphers of King William IV, the king at that time, and his wife Queen Adelaide to match the earlier ceiling painted by Holbein. During World War II, the chapel was damaged by a bomb but was fully restored.

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Interior view of the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace, 1816

The Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace has been used since the time of King Henry VIII and is still used by the British royal family. Both Prince George of Wales and Prince Louis of Wales, sons of Prince William, The Prince of Wales, were christened there. When St. James’s Palace was a royal residence, the royal family and their courtiers worshipped at the Chapel Royal. Queen Mary I’s heart is buried beneath the choir stalls. In 1588, Queen Elizabeth I said prayers in the Chapel Royal as she waited to receive messages of the progress of the Spanish Armada. In 1649, after being convicted of treason and other high crimes and sentenced to death during the English Civil War, King Charles I was held at St. James’s Palace. On the day of his execution, King Charles I received Holy Communion in the Chapel Royal and then walked the short distance from St. James’s Palace to the Palace of Whitehall where a scaffold for his beheading had been built outside the Banqueting House.

Christenings at the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace

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Christening of Princess Beatrice of York

Weddings at the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace

Wedding of the future King George V and Princess Victoria Mary of Teck; Credit- By Laurits Regner Tuxen (1853-1927) – Royal Collection [1] Identification key [2], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8759360

Other Royal Events at the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace

  • The coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales rested in the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace from August 31 – September 5, 1997. On September 5, 1997, the coffin was moved to Kensington Palace where it would remain until the funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 6, 1997.
  • Meghan Markle, the future wife of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, was baptized and confirmed into the Church of England at the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace on March 6, 2018.

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

  • Bull, M., 2020. St James’s Palace: Photos inside Princess Anne’s official London residence. [online] Express.co.uk. Available at: <https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/property/1400245/princess-anne-royal-family-inside-st-James-palace-chapel-pictures-Beatrice> [Accessed 15 March 2021].
  • Colinburns.com. 2021. The British Monarchy. [online] Available at: <http://www.colinburns.com/di/www.royal.gov.uk/palaces/chapel.htm> [Accessed 15 March 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Chapel Royal. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapel_Royal#St_James’ss_Palace> [Accessed 15 March 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. St James’s Palace. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_James%27s_Palace> [Accessed 15 March 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2019. British Royal Christenings: House of Hanover. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/house-of-hanover-christenings/> [Accessed 15 March 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2019. British Royal Christenings – House of Stuart. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/british-royal-christenings-house-of-stuart/ 2019> [Accessed 15 March 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2012. Weddings of British Monarchs’ Children: Tudors – Windsors. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-weddings/british-royal-weddings/weddings-of-british-monarchs-children/> [Accessed 15 March 2021].
  • The Royal Family. 2021. The Chapel Royal. [online] Available at: <https://www.royal.uk/chapelroyal> [Accessed 15 March 2021].

Frederik III, King of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Frederik III, King of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik III, King of Denmark and Norway was born on March 18, 1609, at Haderslevhus Castle in Haderslev, Denmark. He was the third but the second surviving of the four sons and the fifth but the fourth surviving of the six children of Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway and his first wife Anna Katharina of Brandenburg. Frederik had an elder brother who had been elected heir apparent in 1608 (Denmark was an elected monarchy at that time) and was expected to succeed their father.

Frederik has five siblings:

Frederik III as a child; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik III was raised by Beate Huitfeldt, the royal governess of the household of the royal princes, previously maid of honor to Frederik’s grandmother Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and principal lady-in-waiting to queen Anna Katharina of Brandenburg, Frederik’s mother. He was then educated from 1624 – 1626 at Sorø Academy in Sorø, Denmark, founded by his father, and then studied in France and the Netherlands from 1629 – 1630.

Frederik III’s mother Anna Katharina died on April 8, 1612, when Frederik was only three-years-old. His father King Christian IV had several mistresses and several illegitimate children who were Frederik’s half-siblings.

With Kirsten Madsdatter, the chambermaid of Christian IV’s first wife Anna Katharina:

With Karen Andersdatter, mistress from 1613-1616:

  • Dorothea Elisabeth Gyldenløve (1613–1615), died in childhood
  • Hans Ulrik Gyldenløve (link in Danish) (1615–1645), married Regitze Grubbe, no children

With Vibeke Kruse, the chambermaid of Christian IV’s second wife Kirsten Munk and Chrisitan IV’s official mistress from 1629 until his death in 1648:

In 1615, when Frederik was six-years-old, his father Christian IV married 18-year-old Kirsten Munk, from a wealthy, untitled noble Danish family. Their marriage would be morganatic, but legal, Kirsten would receive properties in her name and would be assured of a widow’s pension. Kirsten was not the Queen due to the morganatic marriage and was given the title Countess of Schleswig-Holstein. Christian IV and Kirsten’s ten children married into the Danish nobility, were styled Count and Countess of Schleswig-Holstein, and did not have succession rights.

Frederik III had ten half-siblings from his father’s second marriage to Kirsten Munk:

Because Frederik III had an elder brother who was the heir to the throne, his father King Christian IV sought to provide him with a pathway to his future and also to use Frederik to gain influence in the northern German areas of the Holy Roman Empire. Despite being christened a Protestant, Frederik became the administrator of the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen and the Prince-Bishopric of Verden. In 1647, Friedrich was appointed governor of the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. He gained considerable experience as an administrator through these positions.

Before his marriage, Frederik III had one illegitimate son with his mistress Margrethe Pape, who later married county administrator and state councilor Daniel Hausmann and had three children. In 1683, Frederik III’s son Christian V granted Margrethe Pape the title Baroness of Løvendal. Frederik and Margrethe’s son Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve was Governor-General of Norway (1664 – 1699) and was the commanding general in Norway during the Scanian War (1675 – 1679). The surname Gyldenløve (Golden Love) was used by illegitimate children of Danish kings.

  • Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, Count of Laurvig (1638 – 1704), married (1) Sophie Urne, had two sons, divorced (2) Marie Grubbe, no children, divorced (3) Countess Antoinette Augusta von Aldenburg, had three daughters and one son

Frederik III and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, circa 1643; Credit – Wikipedia

In the 1630s, there had been unsuccessful negotiations for a marriage between Frederik III and Queen Christina of Sweden. Finally, in March 1640, 31-year-old Frederik was betrothed 12-year-old Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, daughter of Georg, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Anna Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt. Because of the young age of the bride, the marriage was delayed. On October 1, 1643, at Glücksborg Castle in Glücksborg, Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, Frederik III and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg were married.

Frederik III’s five eldest children: left to right: Wilhelmina Ernestina, Anna Sophia, Frederika Amalia holding Frederik, and Christian; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik III and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg had eight children:

Frederik III and Sophie Amalie lived in the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen and the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein until a sudden event changed their lives. On June 2, 1647, Frederik’s 44-year-old childless elder brother Christian, Prince-Elect of Denmark and heir apparent to the Norwegian throne, died and his death opened up the possibility for Frederik to be elected heir apparent to the Danish throne. However, when King Christian IV died less than nine months later, on February 28, 1648, Frederik had not yet been elected heir apparent to the Danish throne. After long deliberations between the Danish Estates and the Rigsraadet (royal council), he was finally elected King of Denmark. King Frederik III and Queen Sophie Amalie were crowned on November 23, 1648.

Five of Frederik III’s half-sisters, the daughters of Christian IV and Kirsten Munk, had married powerful Danish noblemen, collectively called the Party of the Sons-in-Law, and played important roles in the Danish government from 1648 – 1651. Frederik had a particular problem with his brother-in-law Count Corfitz Ulfeldt, husband of his half-sister Countess Leonora Christina of Schleswig-Holstein. There were rumors that Count Corfitz Ulfeldt was associated with a plot to poison Frederik III and Ulfeldt and his wife left Denmark and settled in Sweden. The plot was proven to be false but Ulfeldt agreed to accept the offer of King Karl X Gustav of Sweden to enter his service because he wanted to humiliate King Frederik III, his wife’s half-brother. Ulfeldt participated in the Swedish invasion of Denmark in the Danish-Swedish War of 1657 – 1658. Kirsten allegedly financially supported the invasion of Denmark by King Karl X Gustav of Sweden. Because of this, the Danish government withdrew the title of Count/Countess of Schleswig-Holstein from Kirsten Munk and her children. Frederik III’s brother-in-law Count Corfitz Ulfeldt is considered the most notorious traitor in Danish history. He was tried in absentia for high treason, his property was confiscated, and his children were banished. Ulfeldt, who was seriously ill, died in 1664 while on the run. Because of her alleged involvement in intrigues of her husband Count Corfitz Ulfeldt, Frederik III’s half-sister Leonora Christina was imprisoned for 22 years as a political prisoner. Only after the death of Frederik III’s wife Queen Sophie Amalie did Leonora Christina gain her freedom.

Homage to King Frederik III in front of Copenhagen Castle on October 18, 1660, after being declared an absolute monarch; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1660, Frederik III used his popularity to end the elective monarchy in favor of a hereditary, absolute monarchy in which the legislature was dissolved and the monarch ruled by decree. This lasted until 1849 when Denmark-Norway became a hereditary, constitutional monarchy. Frederik maintained a life-long interest in interest in theology, the natural sciences, and Scandinavian history. He was an enthusiastic collector of books and his collection became the foundation for the Royal Library in Copenhagen which he founded in 1648.

Frederik III, King of Denmark and Norway died at the age of 60, after three days of a painful illness, on February 9, 1670, at Copenhagen Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark. His wife Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneberg survived him by fifteen years, dying on February 20, 1685, aged 56. They were interred with Frederik’s parents in the crypt of Roskilde Cathedral, the traditional burial site of the Danish royal family in Roskilde, Denmark. In 1613, a year after the death of his first wife and Frederik’s mother Anna Katharina of Brandenburg, Christian IV ordered the construction of a new burial chapel because the space inside Roskilde Cathedral for burials was running out. However, the interior of the Christian IV Chapel was not completed until 1866. At that time, the caskets of Christian IV (died 1648), his first wife Anna Katharina of Brandenburg (died 1612), his eldest son and heir apparent Christian who predeceased him (died 1647), his second son who succeeded him as King Frederik III (died 1670); and Frederik III’s wife Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneberg (died 1685) were placed in the completed Christian IV Chapel.

Christian IV Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral: Caskets front row left to right: Anna Katharina, Christian IV,  Christian, Prince-Elect; back row left to right: Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneberg, Frederik III; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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 Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Frederik 3.. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederik_3.> [Accessed 11 March 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Friedrich III. (Dänemark und Norwegen). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_III._(D%C3%A4nemark_und_Norwegen)> [Accessed 11 March 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Frederick III of Denmark. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_III_of_Denmark> [Accessed 11 March 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2021. Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christian-iv-king-of-denmark-and-norway/> [Accessed 11 March 2021].

Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace in London, England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Credit – Michael Coppins – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=94298291

The Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace, which this writer has visited, is a royal peculiar which means it is under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch. It is also a chapel royal, an establishment in the royal household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign. It is located in Hampton Court Palace on the River Thames in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, upstream of central London. Hampton Court Palace was built from 1515 to 1517 by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York and Lord High Chancellor of England. When Cardinal Wolsey fell out of favor in 1529, he unsuccessfully attempted to reinstate himself in King Henry VIII’s good graces by giving Hampton Court Palace and its contents to the king. Cardinal Wolsey died in 1531 while traveling from northern England to London to face charges of high treason.

Hampton Court Palace became one of King Henry VIII’s most favored residences and he enlarged it so it could accommodate his many courtiers. During the joint reign of King William III and Queen Mary II, Hampton Court Palace saw massive rebuilding and expansion work, intending it to rival the French Palace of Versailles. King George II was the last monarch to reside in the palace. After the death of King George II in 1760, Hampton Court Palace was used to house grace and favor residents but there have been no new grace and favor residents since the 1960s and the last one died in 2017. Queen Victoria opened Hampton Court Palace to the public in 1838 and it has continued to be a major tourist site. Hampton Court Palace is the headquarters of Historic Royal Palaces, a self-funding charitable foundation, that is responsible for the care and the running, on behalf of The Crown, of Hampton Court Palace, along with the Tower of London, Kensington Palace (State Apartments and Orangery), the Banqueting House at Whitehall, Kew Palace with Queen Charlotte’s Cottage, and Hillsborough Castle.

Construction of the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace began with Cardinal Wolsey and continued with King Henry VIII. The chapel was the place of worship for the Tudor, Stuart, the first two Hanover monarchs, and their many courtiers while in residence at Hampton Court Palace. The royal family sat in the royal pew, also called the Holy Day Closet, opposite the altar and a floor above the other people in the congregation.

Above the altar was a huge stained glass window designed for Cardinal Wolsey by German woodcut designer and painter Erhard Schön. Originally depicted on the huge stained glass window were St. Heinrich II, Holy Roman Emperor (Henry VIII’s patron saint), St. Catherine of Alexandria (patron saint of Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII), St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury (Cardinal Thomas Wolsey’s patron saint) and the figures of Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon and Cardinal Wolsey, at prayer beside their patron saints. It is thought that Henry VIII made some changes to the stained glass window after the fall of Cardinal Wolsey and Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn. It is probable that St. Anne (mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary) replaced St. Catherine of Alexandria and that Anne Boleyn replaced Catherine of Aragon. In addition, St. Thomas Becket and Cardinal Thomas Wolsey were probably removed from the stained glass window.

The ceiling of the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace; Credit – By Jody Bowie – Flickr: CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26185178

The beautiful blue and gold timber and plaster ceiling was begun by Henry VIII in 1535. Tudor dynastic images are represented in the ceiling. Along the top of the walls are Henry VIII’s arms, the rose combining the red and white of the Houses of York and Lancaster, and the heraldic badge of the portcullis, inherited from Henry VIII’s paternal grandmother Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby. The pendants down the center of the ceiling again reflect the red and white roses, and the main pendants are in the green and white livery colors of the House of Tudor. The motto of the Order of the Garter, “Honi soit qui mal y pense” (Shame on him who thinks evil of it) is on the crossbeams.

During the Commonwealth of England (1649 – 1660), after the English Civil War and the trial and execution of King Charles I, there was much destruction in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace. The stained glass window was destroyed and bricked up. Decorations with religious or royal symbols were destroyed. Henry VIII’s beautiful blue and gold ceiling still remains only because it was too high for the soldiers to strip off the carvings.

The oak reredos, an ornamental screen covering the wall at the back of an altar, was originally carved for the Palace of Whitehall in London by master carver Grinling Gibbons. In 1696, a decision was made to bring it to Hampton Court. Gibbons was in charge of dismantling it, supervising its transportation on the River Thames, and re-erecting it in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace. This turned out to be a rather lucky decision because, in 1698, the Palace of Whitehall was almost completely destroyed by a fire.

By Thomas Sutherland – W.H. Pyne (1819), The History of the Royal Residences, vol. 2: plate 33.This scan from Panteek, of Spokane WA, from whom a copy of the original print was available. Description page, Image, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19212376

In 1710, Queen Anne commissioned architect Sir Christopher Wren to remodel the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace. The present royal pew, pews, oak paneling, marble floor, and wall paintings all date from Wren’s remodeling. The pews, the paneling, and the pillars supporting the royal pew are made of Norwegian oak, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, and carved by Grinling Gibbons. The reredos above the altar replacing the destroyed Tudor stained glass windows was designed by Wren and carved by Gibbons. Wren also added an organ and a staircase leading down from the royal pew.

Henry VIII worshipped in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace with all six of his wives. On October 13, 1537, Henry VIII’s longed-for son, the future but short-lived King Edward VI, was born to Henry VIII’s third wife Jane Seymour at Hampton Court Palace. The infant prince was christened two days later in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace by Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury who was his godparent along with his eldest half-sister Princess Mary, the future Queen Mary I. Jane Seymour died from childbirth complications on October 24, 1537. She lay in state in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace for three weeks and her viscera were buried beneath the altar there. Her body was buried at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and Henry VIII was buried with her when he died in 1547.

Haunted Gallery at Hampton Court Palace. The door on the left leads to the royal pew in the Chapel Royal, a floor above the main floor of the chapel; Credit – www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace

On All Saints’ Day, November 1, 1541, when Henry VIII went to pray in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace, he found a letter on his pew from Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury describing the accusations of adulterous behavior made about his fifth wife Catherine Howard. Leading to the entrance of the royal pew at the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace is a passage called the Haunted Gallery because legend has it that the ghost of Catherine Howard has been seen and heard there. After Catherine Howard had been accused of adultery by her husband, she was kept prisoner in her apartments at Hampton Court Palace. However, one day, Catherine evaded her guards and ran towards the chapel, where Henry VIII was at prayer in the royal pew, to make a last plea for mercy. Her way was barred by more guards, who dragged her, shrieking, back through the gallery. Three months later, Catherine Howard was beheaded at the Tower of London. In 1543, Henry VIII married his sixth and final wife Catherine Parr in the Holy Day Closet, also called the royal pew.

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Father Anthony Howe, Chaplain of the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court, shows Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, around the Chapel Royal prior to the vesper service

Following Henry VIII’s break with the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic services in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace were briefly restored during the reign of his Catholic daughter Queen Mary I (reigned 1553 – 1558). On February 9, 2016, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, celebrated Vespers at the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace, the first Catholic service in the chapel for more than 450 years. In a symbolic gesture of reconciliation, Richard Chartres, the Church of England Bishop of London and Dean of the Chapel Royal, also participated in the service. About 300 people attended the service, which was largely conducted in Latin and featured beautiful choral music from the 15th and 16th centuries and concluded with the national anthem.

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Queen Elizabeth II meeting the choirboys of the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace during the 400th anniversary of the Hampton Court Conference

Since Hampton Court Palace ceased to be a royal residence during the reign of King George II, the Chapel Royal there rarely has had royal visits. In May 2004, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh celebrated the 400th anniversary of the Hampton Court Conference, meetings with King James I and representatives of the Church of England and leading English Puritans, at a service in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace. The 2004 service was probably the first time the British monarch attended a service in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace since George II withdrew the court from Hampton Court Palace after the death of his wife Queen Caroline in 1737.

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Lord Frederick Windsor and Sophie Winkleman after their wedding in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace

The first royal wedding for centuries was held at the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace on September 12, 2009, when Lord Frederick Windsor, son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and a great-grandson of King George V, married actress Sophie Winkleman. Royal guests included Princess Eugenie, Princess Alexandra, and the Duke and Duchess of Kent.

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Queen Elizabeth II during the recording of her Christmas Day Speech in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace

In December 2010, to mark the upcoming 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, Queen Elizabeth II gave her annual Christmas message from the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace.

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Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh leave the service in celebration of the centenary of the Order of the Companions of Honour at the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace

On June 13, 2017, the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court became the Chapel of the Order of the Companions of Honour. That new honor for the chapel and the centenary of the founding of the Order of the Companions of Honour were celebrated with a Choral Evensong attended by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and many members of the Order of the Companions of Honour.

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

  • British Heritage. 2021. The Tudors at the Palace of Hampton Court. [online] Available at: <https://britishheritage.com/travel/tudors-hampton-court> [Accessed 10 March 2021].
  • Chapelroyalhamptoncourt.org.uk. 2021. The Chapel Royal – Hampton Court Palace. [online] Available at: <https://www.chapelroyalhamptoncourt.org.uk/> [Accessed 10 March 2021].
  • Guardian. 2016. Hampton Court’s Chapel Royal Stages First Catholic Service for 450 Years. [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/09/hampton-courts-chapel-royal-stages-first-catholic-service-for-450-years some history> [Accessed 10 March 2021].
  • Historic Royal Palaces. 2021. Chapel Royal – Hampton Court Palace. [online] Available at: <https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/whats-on/the-chapel-royal/#gs.uyupzb> [Accessed 10 March 2021].
  • Worsley, Lucy and Souden, David. 2015. The Story of Hampton Court Palace. London: Merrell Publishers Limited

Kirsten Munk, Countess of Schleswig-Holstein, second wife of Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Kirsten Munk; Credit – Wikipedia

Kirsten Munk was the morganatic, second wife of Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway. A morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal rank in which inherited titles and privileges cannot be passed on to the spouse or children of the marriage.

Kirsten Munk was born on July 6, 1598, at Nørlund Castle (link in Danish) in Nørager, Denmark. She was the only child of Ludvig Munk (1537 – 1602) and Ellen Marsvin (1572 – 1649). Her father had married late in life, at the age of 52, to the 17-year-old Ellen Marsvin. The family was untitled Danish nobility and Kirsten’s father served as Governor-General of Norway (1577 – 1583) and District Governor and feudal overlord of Hedmark (1587), Lister (1588 – 1589) and Trøndelag (1589 – 1599). Ellen Marsvin’s father Jørgen Marsvin was also of untitled Danish nobility who had served at the Danish royal court and as a District Governor.

Kirsten’s father died in 1602 when she was only four-years-old. In 1607, her mother Ellen married Knud Rud but he died in 1611. With the inheritances from her father and her two husbands, along with her natural business sense, Ellen increased her wealth and became the richest landowner in Denmark.

Kirsten Munk and Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1612, Anna Katharina of Brandenburg, wife of Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway, died. Christian IV had affairs during his marriage and continued having affairs that resulted in several illegitimate children. In 1616, 39-year-old Christian IV became attracted to 18-year-old Kirsten. Kirsten’s astute mother did not want her daughter to become Christian’s mistress and instead negotiated a morganatic marriage between Christian and her daughter due to Kirsten’s status as a noble. Kirsten received properties in her name and was assured of a widow’s pension. Christian and Kirsten were married on December 31, 1615, and Kirsten was not the Queen due to the morganatic marriage and was given the title Countess of Schleswig-Holstein. Despite Christian IV having affairs, he had a close relationship with Kristen, who was described as intelligent and independent, and accompanied the king on his travels.

Kirsten and her four eldest children in 1623; Credit – Wikipedia

Christian IV and Kirsten’s children were styled Count and Countess of Schleswig-Holstein and did not have succession rights. Their maternal grandmother Ellen was made their guardian along with their father Christian IV. Ellen was also the trustee for her grandchildren’s allowances and was made responsible for their finances. The children of Christian IV and Kirsten married into the Danish nobility. Through their daughter Leonora Christine, Christian IV and Kirsten are the ancestors of Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein and Princess Michael of Kent (born Baroness Marie Christine von Reibnitz) and past monarchs King Simeon II of the Bulgarians, King Michael of Romania, King Peter II of Yugoslavia, King Manuel II of Portugal, Emperor Karl I of Austria-Hungary, King Friedrich August III of Saxony.

In 1627 or 1628, Kirsten, who often accompanied her husband on military campaigns during the Thirty Years War, began a relationship with Count Otto Ludwig von Salm-Kyrburg-Mörchingen, one of King Christian IV’s military leaders. The relationship between Kirsten and Christian IV grew further apart and in November 1628, Kirsten denied Christian IV access to her bedroom. When Kirsten gave birth to her daughter Dorothea Elisabeth ten months later, Christian IV refused to recognize the child as his daughter. In 1630, Christian IV divorced Kirsten. He never remarried but Vibeke Kruse, who had been Kirsten’s chambermaid and then joined the household of Kirsten’s mother after Kirsten’s exile from the court, became his official mistress until he died in 1648.

For the rest of Christian IV’s reign, Kirsten lived under house arrest on her Jutland estates Boller Castle (link in Danish) and Rosenvold (link in Danish). During the last years of Christian IV’s life, Kirsten’s repeated requests to him for mercy were rejected. Finally, when Christian IV was on his deathbed in 1648, he sent for Kirsten but she arrived in Copenhagen after his death.

Five of Christian IV and Kirsten’s daughters had married powerful Danish noblemen, collectively called the Party of the Sons-in-Law, and played important roles in the Danish government from 1648 – 1651. Shortly after Christian IV’s death, the status of Kirsten’s marriage to the late king and the birth of all of her children, including the youngest, were declared legitimate. Vibeke Kruse, whom Kirsten’s children and sons-in-law had long opposed, was immediately removed from the court and died two months after Christian IV. An unnatural death cannot be ruled out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kirsten’s daughter Leonora Christina and her husband Count Corfitz Ulfeldt; Credit – Wikipedia

After the fall of Kirsten’s son-in-law Count Corfitz Ulfeldt, husband of her daughter Leonora Christina, due to rumors that he was associated with a plot to poison King Frederik III of Denmark and Norway, the couple left Denmark and settled in Sweden. The plot was proven to be false but Ulfeldt agreed to accept the offer of King Karl X Gustav of Sweden to enter his service because he wanted to humiliate King Frederik III, who was his wife’s half-brother. Ulfeldt participated in the Swedish invasion of Denmark in the Danish-Swedish War of 1657 – 1658. Kirsten allegedly financially supported the invasion of Denmark by King Karl X Gustav of Sweden. Because of this, the Danish government withdrew the title of Count/Countess of Schleswig-Holstein from Kirsten and her children. Count Corfitz Ulfeldt is considered the most notorious traitor in Danish history.

When Kirsten became ill in early 1658, her daughter Leonora Christina Ulfeldt, the wife of the traitor, was not allowed to visit her. On April 19, 1658, Kirsten died, aged 60, at Boller Castle, her estate near Horsens on Jutland in Denmark  Her remains were brought to the city of Odense, now in Denmark but then occupied by Kirsten’s son-in-law Count Corfitz Ulfeldt and the Swedish army. There Kirsten was given a splendid funeral at St. Canute’s Cathedral where she was also buried.

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

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Kirsten Munk. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirsten_Munk> [Accessed 8 March 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Kirsten Munk. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirsten_Munk> [Accessed 8 March 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Ellen Marsvin. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Marsvin> [Accessed 8 March 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Kirsten Munk. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirsten_Munk> [Accessed 8 March 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2021. Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christian-iv-king-of-denmark-and-norway/> [Accessed 8 March 2021].

Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London in London, England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula; Credit – Von Samuel Taylor Geer – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36712795

The Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula, which this writer has visited, is in the Inner Ward of the Tower of London in London, England. St. Peter ad Vincula is Latin for St. Peter in chains and refers to St. Peter being chained and imprisoned in Jerusalem by King Herod Agrippa. St. Peter ad Vincula is a royal peculiar which means it is under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch. It is also a chapel royal, an establishment in the royal household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign.

The Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula was in existence before the 12th-century and has been demolished and rebuilt a few times. The original chapel was built outside the walls of the Tower of London so that the king could be seen worshiping in public. The king also had a private chapel, the Chapel of St. John the Evangelist within the White Tower in the Tower of London. Eventually, the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula was rebuilt within the walls of the Tower of London and became the place of worship for the inhabitants of the Tower. In 1286, King Edward I, demolished the entire chapel and rebuilt it. Edward I’s chapel was severely damaged by a fire in 1512. The current chapel, built from 1519 – 1520, during the reign of King Henry VIII, replaced the fire-damaged chapel, and it remains a place of worship for the approximately 150 residents who live at the Tower of London.

During the 19th-century, there were extensive renovations of the interior of the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula. In particular, the floor was badly damaged and had started to collapse because of the number of burials during the 16th-century. Many of the remains that were found were moved to the newly-built crypt. The remains of Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, and others were identified and markers on the new floor were installed indicating their burial places. In 2014, there were further renovations. New furniture and lighting were installed, the crypt was improved, and office space and facilities were provided for the choir of the Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula.

19th-century marker in the floor identifying the burial place of Anne Boleyn; Credit – Von AloeVera95 – Fotografia scattata personalmente, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48304717

Although there are other burials at the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula, it is most associated with the burials of executed people, and visitors cannot help but be reminded of those burials walking over the 19th-century burial markers on the floor and seeing the brass plate listing those “buried in this chapel between” 1534 and 1747 on a chapel wall. Historian Thomas Babington Macaulay wrote of the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula in his 1848 History of England:

“In truth there is no sadder spot on the earth than that little cemetery. Death is there associated, not, as in Westminster Abbey and Saint Paul’s, with genius and virtue, with public veneration and with imperishable renown; not, as in our humblest churches and churchyards, with everything that is most endearing in social and domestic charities; but with whatever is darkest in human nature and in human destiny, with the savage triumph of implacable enemies, with the inconstancy, the ingratitude, the cowardice of friends, with all the miseries of fallen greatness and of blighted fame.”

Site of the scaffold at Tower Hill; Credit – By Bryan MacKinnon – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11456738

The Tower of London had two sites for executions. Tower Hill is outside the walls of the Tower of London, on high ground just north of the Tower of London moat, where public executions of high-profile traitors and criminals were often carried out. Today there is a memorial at the site of the scaffold which can be seen in the photo below.

Credit – By Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10687427

Site of the scaffold on Tower Green; Credit – Wikipedia

Tower Green is an open space located near the Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula where Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey, and several other British nobles were executed as a privilege, to maintain their privacy. In 2006, a new permanent memorial was unveiled on Tower Green to remember all those executed at the Tower of London. Designed by British artist Brian Catling. The memorial has a glass-sculpted pillow at its center. The larger circle of dark stone is engraved with a poem written by the artist and the glass circle is engraved with the names of those executed in front of the Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula on Tower Green.

Execution block and axe at an exhibit in the Tower of London; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Those executed either at Tower Hill or Tower Green and buried at the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula:

  • Sir Thomas Arundell of Wardour Castle (circa 1502  -February 26, 1552), beheaded on Tower Hill for conspiring to overthrow the government and murder John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, Lord Protector
  • Christopher Blount (1556 – March 18, 1601), beheaded on Tower Hill for high treason for participating in the rebellion of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I
  • Anne Boleyn (circa 1501- May 19, 1536), second wife of King Henry VIII, beheaded on Tower Green within the Tower of London on charges of adultery, incest, and high treason, some historians think her fall and execution were engineered by Thomas Cromwell
  • George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford (1504 – May 17, 1536), brother of Anne Boleyn, beheaded on Tower Hill on charges of incest with his sister and high treason with four other men who were charged with adultery with Anne Boleyn and treason
  • Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford (circa 1505 – February 13, 1542), wife of George Boleyn, lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine Howard, fifth wife of King Henry VIII, beheaded for treason on Tower Green within the Tower of London on charges of treason for arranging meetings between Queen Catherine Howard and her lover Thomas Culpeper
  • William Boyd, 4th Earl of Kilmarnock (1705 – August 18, 1746), Scottish peer who joined the 1745 Jacobite Rising, was captured at the Battle of Culloden, beheaded at Tower Hill for treason
  • Thomas Cromwell (circa 1485 – July 28, 1540), chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534-1540, beheaded on Tower Hill on charges of treason and heresy
  • Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (1565 – February 25, 1601), a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, beheaded on Tower Green on charges of high treason for an unsuccessful rebellion to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I
  • Lord Guildford Dudley (circa 1535 – February 12, 1554), son of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland and husband of Lady Jane Grey, beheaded at Tower Hill on charges of high treason for his probably unwilling participation in his father’s scheme to put his wife Lady Jane Grey on the English throne
  • John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1504 – August 22, 1553), father of Lord Guildford Dudley and father-in-law of Lady Jane Grey, beheaded on Tower Hill on charges of high treason for his scheme to put his daughter-in-law Lady Jane Grey on the English throne
  • Arthur Elphinstone, 6th Lord Balmerino (1688 – 18 August 1746), Scottish peer who joined the 1745 Jacobite Rising, was captured at the Battle of Culloden, beheaded at Tower Hill for treason
  • Cardinal John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester (1469 – June 22, 1535), beheaded at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII during the English Reformation for refusing to accept him as the supreme head of the Church of England, honored as a martyr and saint by the Catholic Church
  • Scottish Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat (circa 1667 – April 9, 1747), Scottish peer who joined the 1745 Jacobite Rising, was captured at the Battle of Culloden, beheaded at Tower Hill for treason
  • Sir John Gates (1504 – August 22, 1553), beheaded on Tower Hill on charges of high treason for his participation in the scheme to put Lady Jane Grey on the English throne
  • Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 3rd Marquess of Dorset (1517 – February 23, 1554), father of Lady Jane Grey, beheaded at Tower Hill for his participation in the scheme to put his daughter Lady Jane Grey on the English throne
  • Lady Jane Grey (circa 1537 – February 12, 1554), the “Nine Days’ Queen”, great-granddaughter of King Henry VII, wife of Lord Guildford Dudley, and daughter-in-law of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, beheaded at Tower Green for her probably unwilling participation in her father-in-law’s scheme to put her on the English throne
  • Catherine Howard (circa 1523 – February 13, 1542), fifth wife of King Henry VIII, beheaded for treason at Tower Green on charges of high treason for committing adultery with her distant cousin Thomas Culpeper
  • Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk (1536 – June 2, 1572), beheaded at Tower Hill for treason for his participation in the Ridolfi plot with King Philip II of Spain to put Mary, Queen of Scots on the English throne and restore Catholicism in England
  • William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford (1614 – December 29, 1680), beheaded at Tower Hill for his participation in the Popish plot which was later discredited, beatified as a Catholic martyr and is known as Blessed William Howard
  • Sir Thomas More (1478 – July 6, 1535), lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist, served Henry VIII as Lord High Chancellor of England from 1529 – 1532, beheaded at Tower Hill by order of Henry VIII during the English Reformation for refusing to accept him as the supreme head of the Church of England, honored as a martyr and saint by the Catholic Church
  • Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (1473 – May 27, 1541), daughter of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence (brother of King Edward IV and King Richard III), one of the few surviving members of the Plantagenet dynasty after the Wars of the Roses
  • James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, 1st Duke of Buccleuch (1649 – July 15, 1685), illegitimate son of King Charles II and his mistress Lucy Walter, beheaded for treason at Tower Hill for the unsuccessful Monmouth Rebellion, an attempt to depose his uncle King James II
  • Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (1500 – January 22, 1552), brother King Henry VIII’s third wife Jane Seymour and Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, uncle of King Edward VI and Lord of Protector England from 1547 to 1549, beheaded at Tower Hill on charges of felony after scheming to overthrow the government of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, Lord Protector of England
  • Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley (circa 1508 – 20 March 1549) ), brother King Henry VIII’s third wife Jane Seymour and Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, uncle of King Edward VI, second husband of King Henry VIII’s sixth wife and widow Catherine Parr, beheaded on Tower Hill on charges of treason for a failed plot against his brother Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
  • Sir Ralph Vane (? – February 26, 1552), hanged at Tower Hill for conspiring to overthrow the government and murder John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, Lord Protector of England

Works Cited

  • Borman, Tracy, 2015. The Story of The Tower of London. London: Merrell Publishers Limited and Historical Royal Palaces.
  • Chapels Royal, H., 2021. Chapels Royal, H M Tower of London | The Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula. [online] Thechapelsroyalhmtoweroflondon.org.uk. Available at: <https://www.thechapelsroyalhmtoweroflondon.org.uk/welcome/the-chapel-of-st-peter-ad-vincula/> [Accessed 10 March 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Church of St Peter ad Vincula. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St_Peter_ad_Vincula> [Accessed 10 March 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Tower Hill. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Hill#Executions> [Accessed 10 March 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Tower of London. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_London> [Accessed 26 February 2021].
  • Findagrave.com. 2021. Memorials in Chapel of Saint Peter-ad-Vincula – Find A Grave. [online] Available at: <https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/658439/memorial-search?page=4#sr-173777848> [Accessed 10 March 2021].
  • Thurley, Simon, Impey, Edward and Hammond, Peter, 2005. The Tower of London – The Official Guidebook. London: Historical Royal Palaces.

Anna Katharina of Brandenburg, Queen of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Anna Katharina of Brandenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

The first wife of Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway, Anna Katharina of Brandenburg was born on June 26, 1575, in Halle, Archbishopric of Magdeburg, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. She was the second of the nine children and the eldest of the two daughters of Joachim Friedrich, Margrave of Brandenburg and his first wife Katharina of Brandenburg-Küstrin.

Anna Katharina had eight siblings:

Anna Katharina had one much younger half-sister from her father’s second marriage to Princess Eleonore of Prussia:

Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

In the autumn of 1595, eighteen-year-old Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway made a trip through some of the German monarchies. He met twenty-year-old Anna Katharina and decided to marry her. After a life-threatening crossing over the Baltic Sea to Denmark, Anna Katharina and her parents attended Christian’s coronation in Copenhagen in 1596. Christian and Anna Katharina met again in January 1597 and later that year, the marriage contract was signed. The wedding took place on November 27, 1597, at Haderslevhus Castle in Denmark. Anna Katharina was crowned Queen of Denmark on June 11, 1598, at the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Anna Katharina with her eldest son Christian who predeceased his father; Credit – Wikipedia

Christian IV and Anna Katharina had six children:

Beate Huitfeldt, a Danish noble who had served as maid of honor to Christian IV’s mother, was appointed as principal lady-in-waiting to Anna Katharina and remained in that position until Anna Katharina’s death. After Anna Katharina died in 1612, Beate Huitfeldt then served as the royal governess of the household of Anna Katharina’s sons. Anna Katharina was praised for her modesty and piety. She often accompanied Christian IV on his trips but had no influence on the politics of Denmark. Christian IV had affairs during his marriage and Anna Katharina was certainly aware of them. Her maid of honor Kirsten Madsdatter gave birth to Christian’s son the day after Anna Katharina gave birth to her last child.

A little more than a year after the birth of her last child, Anna Katharina died on April 8, 1612, at the age of 36, and was buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark. After the Christian IV Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral, was completed, Anna Katharina’s casket was moved to the chapel along with the caskets of her husband King Christian IV (died 1648, the silver-plated casket in the photo below), her eldest son Christian (died 1647) who predeceased his father, her second son who succeeded his father as King Frederik III (died 1670) and Frederik III’s wife Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneberg (died 1685).

Sarcophagus of Anna Katharina of Brandenburg in the foreground – Photo Credit © Susan Flantzer

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 Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Anna Cathrine af Brandenburg. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Cathrine_af_Brandenburg> [Accessed 26 February 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Anna Katharina von Brandenburg. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Katharina_von_Brandenburg> [Accessed 26 February 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Anne Catherine of Brandenburg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Catherine_of_Brandenburg> [Accessed 26 February 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Joachim Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joachim_Frederick,_Elector_of_Brandenburg> [Accessed 26 February 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2021. Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christian-iv-king-of-denmark-and-norway/> [Accessed 26 February 2021].

Chapel of St. John the Evangelist, Tower of London in London, England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Chapel of St. John the Evangelist; Credit – Par Bernard Gagnon — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3675338

View the short video linked below to see a brief tour of the Chapel of St. John the Evangelist.

The Chapel of St. John the Evangelist, which this writer has visited, is located in the White Tower at the Tower of London in London, England. Originally a Roman Catholic chapel, it is a Church of England chapel (also known as Anglican and in the United States, Episcopal). The Chapel of St. John the Evangelist is a royal peculiar which means it is under the direct jurisdiction of the British monarch. It is also a chapel royal, an establishment in the royal household serving the spiritual needs of the British monarch. However, members of the royal family rarely attend services there but services continue to be held periodically. King Charles III received communion at the chapel on his twenty-first birthday.

The White Tower; Credit – By Bernard Gagnon – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3675330

The building of the White Tower (1077 – 1097) began in the reign of King William I (the Conqueror), the first monarch of the House of Normandy, and continued into the reign of his son King William II Rufus. The White Tower is the central tower of the Tower of London. It was the Tower of London’s strongest point militarily and also provided residential and ceremonial apartments for the king and his family. The Chapel of St. John the Evangelist, constructed with Caen stone imported from Normandy, was built in the Norman architecture style, Romanesque architecture developed by the Normans in the lands under their rule during the eleventh and twelfth centuries.

A 15th-century depiction of the Tower of London and its keep, the White Tower; Credit – Wikipedia

The Chapel of St. John the Evangelist dates from 1080 and was used by the royal family while in residence at the Tower of London. By the reign of King Charles II (1660 – 1685), the Tower of London was barely used as a royal residence and the Chapel of St. John the Evangelist became a storeroom for state documents. In 1857, the documents were removed to the new Public Records Office, and the Chapel of St. John the Evangelist was restored to its original splendor.

Tower of London with the White Tower in the middle; Credit – By [Duncan] from Nottingham, UK – Tower of London from the Shard, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32007084

Some royalty-related events that occurred at the Chapel of St. John the Evangelist:

  • During the Peasants Revolt of 1381, early in the reign of King Richard II, Simon Sudbury, Archbishop of Canterbury and Chancellor of England took refuge in the Chapel of St. John the Evangelist from an angry mob who had broken into the Tower of London along with Sir Robert Hales, Lord High Treasurer, William Appleton, the physician of John of Gaunt (a son of King Edward III), and John Legge, a royal sergeant. All four men were dragged from the chapel and taken to nearby Tower Hill where they were beheaded by the rebels.
  • Starting with the coronation of King Henry IV in 1399, the Knights of the Bath held all-night vigils in the Chapel of St. John the Evangelist, on the eves of coronations. This ceremony continued to be held in the Chapel of St. John the Evangelist until the coronation of Elizabeth I in 1559, when it was moved to the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula, also at the Tower of London.
  • In 1503, Elizabeth of York, wife of King Henry VII, died from childbirth complications at the Tower of London, most likely in the White Tower, after the birth of her last child who also died. After her death, the remains of Elizabeth of York temporarily rested in the Chapel of St. John the Evangelist.
  • In 1674, during the reign of King Charles II, workers doing some remodeling in the White Tower dug up a wooden box containing two small human skeletons. The bones were found buried ten feet under the staircase leading to the Chapel of St. John the Evangelist. Presuming the remains were those of King Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, the young sons of King Edward IV, known as the Princes in the Tower, who went missing in 1483, King Charles II ordered the remains placed in an urn in Westminster Abbey. In 1933, the remains were removed from the urn and examined. The conclusion was that the bones belonged to two children around the correct ages for the princes. This examination has been criticized with one of the issues being no attempt was made to determine if the remains were male or female. There has been no further examination and the remains are still in the urn in Westminster 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

  • Borman, Tracy, 2015. The Story of The Tower of London. London: Merrell Publishers Limited and Historical Royal Palaces.
  • Camelotintl.com. 2021. Camelot International: Tower of London. [online] Available at: <http://www.camelotintl.com/tower_site/tower/white_frame.html> [Accessed 26 February 2021].
  • Chapels Royal, H., 2021. Chapels Royal, H M Tower of London | The Chapel of St John the Evangelist. [online] Thechapelsroyalhmtoweroflondon.org.uk. Available at: <https://www.thechapelsroyalhmtoweroflondon.org.uk/welcome/the-chapel-of-st-john-the-evangelist/> [Accessed 26 February 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. St John’s Chapel, London. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_John%27s_Chapel,_London> [Accessed 26 February 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Tower of London. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_London> [Accessed 26 February 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. White Tower (Tower of London). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Tower_(Tower_of_London)> [Accessed 26 February 2021].
  • Englishmonarchs.co.uk. 2021. The Chapel of St. John, White Tower .. [online] Available at: <http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/tower_london_17.html> [Accessed 26 February 2021].
  • Thurley, Simon, Impey, Edward and Hammond, Peter, 2005. The Tower of London – The Official Guidebook. London: Historical Royal Palaces.