Anne, Duchess of Brittany, Queen of France

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Anne at prayer surrounded by Saint Anne, Saint Ursula and Saint Helena by Jean Bourdichon; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne, Duchess of Brittany in her own right, is the only woman to have been Queen Consort of France twice. She was the wife of King Charles VIII of France and the second of the three wives of King Louis XII of France. Born on January 25, 1477, at the Château des ducs de Bretagne (Castle of the Dukes of Brittany) in Nantes, Duchy of Brittany, now in France, Anne was the elder of the two daughters of François II, Duke of Brittany and his second wife Margaret of Foix, Princess of Navarre.

Anne had one younger sister:

  • Isabeau of Brittany (1478 – 1490), died at age 12 from pneumonia

Anne had one half-brother from her father’s first marriage to Margaret of Brittany but he died in infancy:

  • Jean, Count of Montfort (born and died 1463)

At the age of four, Anne was on track to become Duchess of Brittany and the Queen Consort of England. In 1481, Anne had been officially engaged to Edward, Prince of Wales, the elder son and heir apparent of King Edward IV of England. When his father died in 1483, Edward was briefly King of England as Edward V. The Duke of Gloucester, the future King Richard III, had his nephew Edward V brought to the Tower of London on May 19, 1483, to await his coronation, which never happened. Edward V’s mother Elizabeth Woodville and her children sought sanctuary at Westminster Abbey, fearing the Duke of Gloucester’s further actions. Elizabeth agreed to let her second son Richard, Duke of York leave sanctuary and join his lonely brother at the Tower of London. Meanwhile, Edward and Richard’s uncle the Duke of Gloucester assumed the English throne as King Richard III. Edward and his brother Richard were seen less and less until the end of the summer of 1483 when they disappeared from public view altogether. Their fate is unknown and remains one of history’s greatest mysteries.

Location of the Duchy of Brittany; Credit – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11234869

The Duchy of Brittany was located on the northwestern peninsula of modern France, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the English Channel to the north. The inheritance of the Duchy of Brittany was determined by the 1365 Treaty of Guérande which stated that in the absence of a male heir from the House of Montfort, the heirs of Joanna of Penthièvre, Duchess of Brittany would succeed to the Duchy of Brittany. Anne’s father was the only male from the House of Montfort and the House of Blois-Penthièvre’s heir was also a female, Nicole of Blois, who sold her rights to Brittany to King Louis XI of France. To avoid having the Duchy of Brittany revert to the King of France, Anne’s father had her recognized officially as his heiress by the Estates of Brittany in 1486. This move greatly angered the powers that be in France but increased the competition among the possible husbands for Anne, now a very eligible heiress.

Among the contenders for Anne’s hand in marriage were:

  • Henry Tudor: the last male of the House of Lancaster, then in exile in Brittany, but the marriage did not interest him, became King Henry VII of England in 1485.
  • Maximilian, King of the Romans and Archduke of Austria: widower of Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right.
  • Alain d’Albret, a great-grandson of Jean V, Duke of Brittany, and therefore a possible heir, Anne found him repulsive and refused to consider him.
  • Louis, Duke of Orléans (the future King Louis XII of France): the great-grandson of King Charles V of France, the most senior claimant as the heir of King Charles VIII who had no surviving children. However, Louis was already married to Jeanne of France but would have had his loveless, childless marriage annulled to marry Anne.
  • Jean de Chalon, Prince of Orange (1443-1502), nephew of Anne’s father François II, Duke of Brittany, and next in line to the Duchy of Brittany after Anne and her sister Isabeau who would die in 1490.
  • Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham: the marriage was suggested by King Henry VII of England but Henry VII got a better deal when the executors of the will of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, paid Henry VII £4000 for Buckingham’s marriage to Percy’s eldest daughter Eleanor.

King Charles VIII of France, Anne’s first husband; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 9, 1488, Anne’s father François II, Duke of Brittany died after a fall from his horse, and Anne became the Duchess of Brittany in her own right.  Because Anne feared for the independence of her duchy against the might of France, she arranged a marriage for herself with Archduke Maximilian of Austria, the widower of Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. King Charles VIII succeeded his father as King of France in 1483.  However, he was a minor, and his elder sister Anne of France and her husband Peter II, Duke of Bourbon, served as regents. They refused to allow a marriage between Anne and Maximilian because it would put the Habsburgs, Maxililian’s family on two French borders.

A month before Anne’s father died, he had been forced to sign the Treaty of Verger, becoming a vassal of King Charles VIII of France and agreeing to seek Charles’ consent before arranging the marriage of his daughters. The Treaty of Verger was used to force Anne to renounce Archduke Maximilian of Austria, who she had married by proxy, and marry King Charles VIII of France.

Waxwork reenactment of the marriage of Anne, Duchess of Brittany and King Charles VIII of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne and King Charles VIII of France were married at the Château de Langeais on December 6, 1491. On February 8, 1492, Anne was crowned Queen of France at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France.

Anne and Charles had seven children but none survived:

  • Charles Orlando, Dauphin of France (1492 – 1495), died from measles at the age of three
  • François (stillborn 1493)
  • Stillborn daughter (1494)
  • Stillborn daughter (1495)
  • Charles, Dauphin of France (September 1496 – October 1496)
  • François, Dauphin of France (1497), died several hours after birth
  • Anne of France (1498), died several hours after birth

Anne’s second husband, King Louis XII of France; Credit – Wikipedia

King Charles VIII died unexpectedly from a head injury in 1498. Because he had no surviving children, Louis, Duke of Orléans succeeded him as King Louis XII of France. Anne returned to Brittany and began taking steps to ensure the independence of her duchy. Louis XII did not want this to happen and he had his 24-year childless marriage to Charles VIII’s sister Jeanne of France annulled. Louis XII married Anne of Brittany on January 7, 1499, in Nantes, Duchy of Brittany, now in France. They had four stillborn sons and three miscarriages but they did have two daughters who survived to adulthood:

  • Princess Claude of France (1499 – 1524), married François d’Angoulême, later King François I of France, had seven children including King Henri II of France and Madeleine of Valois, first wife of James V, King of Scots; only two of Claude’s children lived past the age of 30
  • Stillborn son (1500)
  • Stillborn son (1503)
  • Miscarriage (1503)
  • Miscarriage (1505)
  • Stillborn son (1508)
  • Miscarriage (1509)
  • Princess Renée of France (1510 – 1574), married Ercole II, Duke of Ferrara, had five children
  • Stillborn son (1512)

Anne receiving a book in praise of famous women, by Jean Perréal, circa 1506; Credit – Wikipedia

Weakened by sixteen pregnancies in twenty years, 36-year-old Anne, Queen of France, Duchess of Brittany died from a kidney stone attack on January 9, 1514, at the Château de Blois in Blois, France. Claude succeeded her mother as Duchess of Brittany. Since Claude’s husband François d’Angoulême became King of France after the death of his father-in-law King Louis XII, the Duchy of Brittany would remain united with the French crown. After Anne’s death, the 52-year-old Louis XII, still seeking a son to succeed him, married 18-year-old Mary Tudor, the younger sister of King Henry VIII of England, but Louis XIII died three months after the marriage.

Anne’s funeral services lasted forty days, becoming the tradition of French royal funerals until the 18th century. Following Anne’s request, her heart was placed in a gold reliquary, then transported to Nantes to be deposited in her parents’ tomb at Nantes Cathedral in the Duchy of Brittany, now in France. During the French Revolution, the gold reliquary containing Anne’s heart was removed from its place of rest, emptied, and sent to Paris to be melted down. Instead, the gold reliquary was kept intact at the National Library in Paris. In 1819, the reliquary was returned to Nantes where it was kept in several museums. Since 1896, the reliquary has been in the collection of the Musée Dobrée in Nantes. On April 13, 2018, the reliquary was stolen from the Musée Dobrée but was recovered undamaged later that month. The inscription on the reliquary reads: “In this little vessel of fine gold, pure and clean, rests a heart greater than any lady in the world ever had. Anne was her name, twice queen in France, Duchess of the Bretons, royal and sovereign.”

Anne’s heart reliquary on display at the Musée Dobrée; Credit – By Picture by –Jibi44 13:18, 31 March 2006 (UTC) – Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=662433

Anne and Louis XII were buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris in a magnificent tomb carved from Carrara marble by the Juste Family, a family of Italian sculptors. The tomb was commissioned in 1515, probably by Louis XII’s successor King François I of France who was married to Louis and Anne’s elder daughter Claude. Anne and Louis’ tomb has survived although it was desecrated in October 1793 during the French Revolution and their bodies were thrown into a mass grave. However, the archaeologist Alexandre Lenoir saved much of the tomb and preserved it at the Museum of French Monuments. During the Second Bourbon Restoration (1815 – 1830), the tomb was returned to the Basilica of Saint-Denis where it can be seen today.

Tomb of King Louis XII of France and his second of three wives Anne, Queen of France, Duchess of Brittany; Credit – By Photo: Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18611160

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

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anne Of Brittany. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Brittany> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2016. King Edward V Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-v-of-england/> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan and McMahon, Emily, 2013. Louis XII, King Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/june-27-daily-featured-royal-date/> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anne De Bretagne. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_de_Bretagne> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. François II De Bretagne. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_II_de_Bretagne> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louis XII. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XII> [Accessed 5 June 2020].

Baroness Mary von Vetsera, Mistress of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Baroness Mary von Vetsera; Credit – Wikipedia

Baroness Mary von Vetsera was a mistress of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, the only son of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria and Elisabeth of Bavaria. On January 30, 1889, Mary and Rudolf were found dead by suicide pact, at Rudolf’s hunting lodge Mayerling in the Vienna Woods, which this writer has visited.

Marie Alexandrine von Vetsera was born on March 19, 1871, in Vienna, Austria. Known by the English form of her name, Mary, she was the younger of the two daughters and the third of the four children of Albin von Vetsera, a diplomat in foreign service at the Austrian court, originally from Bratislava, Slovakia, and his wife Helene Baltazzi (link in German), daughter of a wealthy Greek banker. In 1870, Mary’s father was made a Baron (Freiherr in German) by Emperor Franz Joseph and his children were entitled to be styled Baron (Freiherr) and Baroness (Freiin, unmarried daughter)

Mary had three siblings:

  • Baron Ladislaus von Vetsera (1865 – 1881), died at age 16 in the Ringtheater fire
  • Baroness Johanna von Vetsera (1868 – 1901), married Graf (Count) Hendrik von Bylandt-Rheyd, had two children
  • Baron Franz Albin von Vetsera (1872 – 1915), married Gräfin (Countess) Margit Mária von Bissingen und Nippenburg, had three children

Countess Marie Larisch von Moennich (right) with Baroness Mary von Vetsera; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary’s mother Helene made the acquaintance of Countess Marie Larisch von Moennich, niece and confidante of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, and it was through Marie that Helena gained access to the Imperial Court. Countess Marie eventually became a good friend of Mary. Helena even suggested to Crown Prince Rudolf that they should have an affair. Rudolf politely declined. Helene hoped that her daughter Mary would finally enable the Vetseras to break into the high aristocracy.

In 1881, Rudolf married Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, daughter of King Leopold II of the Belgians and Archduchess Marie-Henriette of Austria. The marriage was happy at first, but shortly after the birth of their daughter in 1883, the relationship between Stéphanie and Rudolf began to deteriorate. Rudolf likely infected Stéphanie with a sexually transmitted disease, causing her to become infertile and unable to provide a male heir for the Austrian throne. Both Stéphanie and Rudolf began affairs with other people in the following years and intermittently spoke of divorce.

Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

The affair of Crown Prince Rudolf and Mary was short-lived. On October 14, 1888, Emperor Franz Joseph, Crown Prince Rudolf, and The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, attended the gala opening of the new Burgtheater in Vienna. The Prince of Wales noticed Mary von Vetsera in the audience and pointed her out to Rudolf. A meeting between Rudolf and Mary was later arranged by Countess Marie Larisch, Empress Elisabeth’s niece and Rudolf’s cousin, who had become Mary’s friend. On November 5, 1888, Countess Marie brought Mary to Rudolf’s rooms at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna and formally introduced them.

Soon many people at the court, including Rudolf’s parents Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth andRudolf’s wife Stéphanie, knew that Rudolf and Mary were having an affair. Rudolf was summoned for a meeting with his father on January 26, 1889. There is no record of the conversation between father and son but court officials reported hearing shouting. It is certainly possible that Rudolf’s affair was a topic of discussion.

Mayerling, Crown Prince Rudolf’s hunting lodge; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 30, 1889, at Mayerling, a hunting lodge in the Vienna Woods that Rudolf had purchased, 30-year-old Rudolf shot 17-year-old Mary and then shot himself in an apparent suicide pact. Rudolf wrote in his farewell letter to his wife Stéphanie: Dear Stéphanie! You are free from my presence and plague; be happy in your way. Be good for the poor little one, who is the only thing left of me.

When the bodies were found, the national security services sealed off the hunting lodge and the surrounding area. An official statement was released saying that Rudolf had died “due to a rupture of an aneurysm of the heart”. It was determined that Mary’s wounds were made by a gunshot at close range. The lethal bullet had penetrated Mary’s upper left skull area and emerged behind the right ear. Mary was right-handed and so there were considerable doubts that she fired the gun herself. Eventually, another statement was released stating that Rudolf had first shot Mary in a suicide pact and then sat by her body for several hours before shooting himself. The police closed their investigations quite quickly, in response to Emperor Franz Joseph’s wishes.

Embed from Getty Images 
Citizens of Vienna are shocked to read of the death of Crown Prince Rudolf, 31st January 1889

Mary’s body was quietly taken out of Mayerling in the middle of the night and secretly buried in the village cemetery at nearby Heiligenkreuz. Her mother had a crypt built there and Mary’s remains were put into a splendid copper coffin and reinterred on May 16, 1889. In April 1945, near the end of World War II, Mary’s grave was looted by Soviet soldiers. Initially, the damage was repaired only superficially. On July 7, 1959, Mary’s remains were transferred to a new tin coffin and placed on top of the original copper coffin.

Mary’s grave was desecrated once again. Furniture dealer Helmut Flatzelsteiner, who was obsessed with the Mayerling story, stole Mary’s remains with the help of two assistants on July 8, 1991. Flatzelsteiner arranged for a forensic examination at his own expense. He told the forensic examiners that the remains were those of a relative killed one hundred years earlier who may have been shot in the head or stabbed. When Flatzelsteiner approached a journalist to sell both the story and Mary’s remains, the police became involved. Flatzelsteiner confessed and surrendered Mary’s remains which were subjected to further forensic examination.

The forensic examination determined that the remains were those of an approximately 18-year-old woman who had been buried approximately 115 years earlier. The skull had two bullet holes, the bullet’s entry and the bullet’s exit. Gunshot residue was on the hair. The clothing corresponded to Mary’s era and came from the Viennese stores where the Vetsera family shopped. On October 28, 1993, the remains were buried in a new coffin and the burial site was reinforced to prevent another desecration of the grave.

Baroness Mary Vetsera’s current grave in Heilingenkreuz, Austria. Her remains were desecrated twice and were finally reburied here in 1993; Credit – Von Peterpol48 – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35429380

After Rudolf’s death, Emperor Franz Joseph had the Mayerling hunting lodge converted into a monastery for the nuns of the Discalced Carmelite Order, an order in which members dedicate themselves to a life of prayer. Prayers are still said daily by the nuns for the repose of Rudolf’s soul. Visitors to the monastery may visit the chapel where the position of the main cross is where Rudolf and Mary’s bed was located. This writer has visited both Mayerling and the Imperial Crypt in Vienna where Rudolf and many other Habsburgs are buried.

Mayerling, now a monastery; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

The altar in the chapel at Mayerling is on the location of Rudolf’s bedroom; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

In 2007, Mary’s original copper coffin was found by accident in the Heiligenkreuz Abbey. It was restored and has been on view in the small museum at the Mayerling monastery.

Mary’s original coffin; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

Inscription on Mary’s original coffin; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

Various Habsburgs have disputed the accepted version of events that occurred on the night of January 30, 1889. In 2013, Archduke Rudolf, the grandson of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, asserted that Crown Prince Rudolf was assassinated by the Freemasons. However, on July 31, 2015, the Austrian National Library released copies of Baroness Mary von Vetsera’s letters of farewell to her mother and other family members. These letters, previously believed to be lost or destroyed, were found in a safe deposit box in an Austrian bank, where they had been deposited in 1926. The letters state clearly that Mary was preparing to die by suicide alongside Rudolf, out of “love”. Mary’s letter to her mother translated into English: Dear Mother, Forgive me for what I did. I could not resist love. In accordance with him, I want to be buried beside him in the cemetery of Alland. I am happier in death than in life. Your Mary

Mary Vetsera’s farewell letter to her mother; 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.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Mary Vetsera. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Vetsera> [Accessed 4 April 2020].
  • DER SPIEGEL, G., 1980. „Bratfisch Hat Wundervoll Gepfiffen“-DER SPIEGEL 16/1980. [online] Spiegel.de. Available at: <https://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-14326746.html> [Accessed 4 April 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Baroness Mary Vetsera. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroness_Mary_Vetsera> [Accessed 4 April 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Mayerling Incident. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayerling_Incident> [Accessed 4 April 2020].
  • Flantzer, S., 2019. Crown Prince Rudolf Of Austria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/crown-prince-rudolf-of-austria/> [Accessed 4 April 2020].
  • Van Der Kiste, John, 2005. Emperor Francis Joseph; Life, Death And The Fall Of The Habsburg Empire. Thrupp: Sutton Publishing Limited.

Anna Nahowski, Mistress of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Anna Nahowski; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna Nahowski was the mistress of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria from 1875 – 1889. Anna never spoke publicly about the affair during her life. She did keep a diary which was released in 1976 after the death of her daughter Helene. The diary revealed the true nature of the relationship between Anna and Franz Joseph.

Embed from Getty Images 
Emperor Franz Joseph in 1875

Anna Nowak was born on June 19, 1860, in Vienna Austria. When she was 14 years old, Anna married silk manufacturer Johann Heuduck, a gambler, and an alcoholic. The couple had one child, Carola Heuduck (1877 – 1946). On May 8, 1875, in the early morning, Anna, the not-quite 15-year-old, was walking in the park of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna with her maid. In Anna’s words from her diary, she met an “officer” who “stared at me in amazement and could not see enough”. “My maid told me, this is the emperor.” Emperor Franz Joseph was 45 years old and had many affairs but mostly short-term ones. Every day during her early morning walk, Anna looked for Franz Joseph and he looked for her. Their first kiss occurred on June 26, 1875, in the rain.

Anna continued coming to the park of Schönbrunn Palace to “kiss” the emperor while Anna’s maid served as a lookout. Their encounters became more and more intense. At one point, Franz Joseph wanted their physical relationship to go further and was insulted when Anna refused. It took three years for them to consummate their relationship.

Schönbrunn Palace; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer.

In 1878, Anna divorced her husband Johann Heuduck who had no idea about her affair with Franz Joseph. From funds given to her by the emperor, Anna deposited a large amount of money in her husband’s bank account. She married again, with Emperor Franz Joseph’s permission, to Franz Nahowski, a railroad official. The money continued to flow and arrangements were made for Anna to move to a villa near Schönbrunn Palace with a secret entrance for Franz Joseph. Anna was told not to wear a bodice when he came and to be “ready in bed”. Nahowski was agreeable with his wife being Franz Joseph’s mistress and with the generous gifts to Anna.

Anna gave birth to three children during her marriage to Franz Nahowski:

  • Anna Nahowski (1883 – 1973)
  • Helene Nahowski (link in German) (1885 – 1976) married composer Alban Berg
  • Franz Joseph Nahowski (1889 – 1942)
Embed from Getty Images
Anna Nahowski in 1885

There were rumors regarding the paternity of all three children. The eldest child, also named Anna, was probably the daughter of Franz Nahowski because she closely resembled him. In 1885, when Anna gave birth to a daughter named Helene, she received 100,000 guldens (worth millions today) from Franz Joseph. In her diary, Anna wrote that Helene did not look like her husband Franz Nahowski. Helene’s photos strongly resembled Franz Joseph as a young man. In Viennese society, it was an open secret that Helene was the daughter of Emperor Franz Joseph.

The paternity of Anna’s son Franz Joseph is more questionable. According to Anna’s diary, her last meeting with the emperor occurred a year before her son was born. However, many believe he was the emperor’s son and Anna’s son himself believed he was the emperor’s son. On August 18, 1930, the hundredth anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph’s birth, the younger Franz Joseph cut off his left little finger with a razor while at the tomb of Franz Joseph in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna. He left the severed finger “as an atonement” on the emperor’s tomb. The younger Franz Joseph was diagnosed with schizophrenia and remained in the mental asylum for a long period. After his release, he retired to the country house of his sister Helene Berg, where he died in her arms in 1942.

Franz Joseph and Anna’s relationship lasted for fourteen years, overlapping Franz Joseph’s long-standing private relationship with actress Katharina Schratt. While Anna’s relationship with Franz Joseph was entirely sexual, the exact nature of Katharina Schratt’s relationship with him is unclear. Some historians believe that Katharina and Franz Joseph were lovers and others believe their relationship was platonic. Franz Joseph, whose wife was emotionally distant from him and fled from him and her duties at court by frequent traveling, needed someone to support him emotionally. Franz Joseph found the 29-year age gap and the lack of common interests between Anna and himself difficult. Although his affair with Anna lasted until 1889, Franz Joseph found Katharina Schratt a more compatible companion, and their relationship continued until he died in 1916.

In 1889, after Franz Joseph’s only son Crown Prince Rudolf killed his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera, and then killed himself, Franz Joseph broke off all contact with Anna. She was summoned to Hofburg Palace in Vienna on March 14, 1889, where she met with Baron von Mayr, General Director of the Habsburg Family Fund. Baron von Mayr informed Anna that she could determine her severance payment “for the fourteen years in the service of the emperor.” She asked for 200,000 guldens (millions of dollars today) and in return, she had to sign the following statement: “I hereby confirm that I received 200,000 guldens as a gift from His Majesty the Emperor today. I also swear that I will remain silent at all times about the relationship with His Majesty.”

Because of the payments from Emperor Franz Joseph, Anna’s children grew up in prosperity.  Anna Nahowski died in Vienna, Austria on March 23, 1931, at the age of 70. She was buried at Hietzing Cemetery (link in German) in Vienna, Austria, adjacent to Schönbrunn Palace. Katharina Schratt was buried in the same cemetery when she died in 1940.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anna Nahowski. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Nahowski> [Accessed 2 April 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Helene Berg. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helene_Berg> [Accessed 2 April 2020].
  • DER SPIEGEL, G., 1986. „Er Zog Mich Mit Gewalt Nach Meinem Bett“-DER SPIEGEL 45/1986. [online] Spiegel.de. Available at: <https://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-13520215.html> [Accessed 2 April 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anna Nahowski. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Nahowski> [Accessed 2 April 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anna Nahowski. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Nahowski> [Accessed 2 April 2020].
  • Redaktion, M., 2015. Helene Berg. [online] Mugi.hfmt-hamburg.de. Available at: <https://mugi.hfmt-hamburg.de/artikel/Helene_Berg.html> [Accessed 2 April 2020].
  • Sternenkaiserin. 2018. Kaiser Franz Joseph Und Die Frauen. [online] Available at: <https://sternenkaiserin.com/tag/uneheliche-kinder-kaiser-franz-joseph/> [Accessed 2 April 2020].
  • Van Der Kiste, John, 2005. Emperor Francis Joseph; Life, Death And The Fall Of The Habsburg Empire. Thrupp: Sutton Publishing Limited.

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.

Jeanne of France, Queen of France, Saint Joan of Valois

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Jeanne of France, Queen of France, Saint Joan of Valois; Credit – Wikipedia

Born April 23, 1464, in Nogent-le-Roi, County of Dreux, now in France, Jeanne of France, Queen of France, known in the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Joan of Valois, was the first of the three wives of King Louis XII of France. She was the third of the three daughters and the fourth of the eight children of King Louis XI of France and his second wife Charlotte of Savoy. Jeanne’s father Louis XI decided to play her marriage card early. On May 19, 1464, shortly after Jeanne’s baptism, she was betrothed to her second cousin, two-year-old Louis of Orléans (the future King Louis XII of France), son of Charles, Duke of Orléans and Maria of Cleves.

Jeanne had seven siblings but her elder sister Anne and her younger brother Charles were her only siblings to survive childhood:

Jeanne’s sister Anne; Credit – Wikipedia

For the first five years of her life, Jeanne lived at the Chateau d’Amboise in Amboise, Indre-et-Loire, France, on the Loire River. She was often ill and probably had a spinal curvature as she had a hump on her back, and walked with a limp. In 1469, Jeanne and her sister Anne were placed in the home of François de Linières, a distant cousin of their father, and his wife Anne de Culan. The couple did not have children and became adoptive parents of the two sisters. In the home of François and his wife Anne, Jeanne and her sister learned reading, writing and mathematics, drawing and painting, embroidery tapestry, and lute playing.

François and his wife Anne were devout Catholics and instilled a deep and solid faith in the two sisters. In 1471, King Louis XI ordered the saying of the prayer Ave Maria (Hail Mary) for peace. Jeanne deeply appreciated this prayer and developed a special affection for the Blessed Virgin Mary. She would later write that during her childhood she received a prophecy from the Blessed Virgin Mary: “Before your death, you will found a religious order in my honor. In doing so, you will give me great pleasure and you will do me a service.”

King Louis XII of France, previously Duke of Orléans; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 8, 1476, twelve-year-old Jeanne married her betrothed, fourteen-year-old Louis, now Duke of Orléans, having succeeded his father in 1465. This marriage became quite political because it could secure the French succession due to the ill health of King Louis XI’s only son and heir, the future King Charles VIII of France. Although his descent from the French ruling line was somewhat distant, Louis was aware of his proximity to the throne should the main Valois line become extinct. Louis, Duke of Orléans was not pleased about marrying his second cousin, whom he considered deformed  The marriage was unhappy, the couple lived apart, and there were no children.

Jeanne’s brother King Charles VIII of France; Credit – Wikipedia

King Louis XI died in 1483, leaving his 13-year-old son to succeed him as King Charles VIII of France. Louis of Orléans was eager to annul his marriage with Jeanne as it now lacked dynastic importance due to the presumption that King Charles VIII would provide his own heirs. Louis’ request to annul his marriage to Jeanne and marry Anne of Brittany, the heiress of the Duchy of Brittany, was declined by the pope. Nevertheless, Louis of Orléans unsuccessfully attempted to join Charles VIII’s sister Anne as one of Charles’ regents in 1484, ending in Anne’s arrest of Louis. During Louis’ captivity, Charles VIII married Anne, Duchess of Brittany by force. Louis was pardoned by Charles VIII in 1491 and joined the king on his failed Italian campaigns.

King Charles VIII died unexpectedly in 1498. Although he and Anne of Brittany had had several children, none survived him, allowing Louis of Orléans’ succession as King Louis XII of France. Eager to gain control of Anne of Brittany’s funds and territories, Louis again attempted to annul his marriage to Jeanne. Unable to prove with any documented evidence his close relation to Jeanne (they were second cousins) or his young age at the time of their marriage, Louis XII claimed that the marriage was unconsummated due to witchcraft and a deformity on Jeanne’s part. Although Jeanne fought admirably to save her reputation, on December 15, 1498, Pope Alexander VI granted the annulment based on Louis and Jeanne having been forced into the marriage by Jeanne’s father. Louis XII married Anne of Brittany and although Anne had nine pregnancies, only two children survived childbirth. After Anne of Brittany’s death, Louis XII married Mary Tudor, the sister of King Henry VIII of England but Louis died three months later.

Annunciation (c. 1472–1475) is thought to be Leonardo da Vinci’s earliest complete work; Credit – Wikipedia

After the annulment ended her marriage, Jeanne was made Duchess of Berry and retired to Bourges, the capital of the Duchy of Berry, saying she would pray for her former husband. Soon, Jeanne confided to her confessor her call to the religious life. She began to make plans for the Order of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a new enclosed religious order of contemplative nuns in honor of the Annunciation – the announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would conceive a child and become the mother of Jesus.

Jeanne succeeded in founding a new religious order in honor of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Rule of Life she wrote for her new community is entitled The Ten Virtues of the Blessed Virgin, the imitation of which she proposed as the goal for the members of the order. The Order of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary was confirmed by Pope Alexander VI. On October 8, 1502, the first five members of the order received the veil. Jeanne took her solemn vows on June 4, 1503, receiving the name Sister Gabriela Maria.

Chapel in the former Convent of the Order of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bourges, France that holds the empty sarcophagus of Saint Joan of Valois; Credit – http://www.anuncjatki.pl/eng/history.php

Jeanne, aged 40, died on February 4, 1505, in Bourges, Duchy of Berry, now in France, and was buried in the chapel of the convent she founded in Bourges. On May 27, 1562, during the sack of Bourges by the Huguenots, Jeanne’s tomb was desecrated and her remains were burned.  Soon after her death, miracles and healings attributed to her were said to have occurred. The cause for her canonization was begun in 1631 and Pope Benedict XIV beatified her on April 21, 1742. Jeanne was canonized as a saint on May 28, 1950, by Pope Pius XII. Her feast day is February 4. The nuns of the Order of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary still maintain their way of life in four convents in France and convents in Belgium, Costa Rica, and Poland.

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

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Anuncjatki.pl. 2020. The Annunciade — The Order Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. [online] Available at: <http://www.anuncjatki.pl/eng/nuns.php> [Accessed 1 June 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Joan Of France, Duchess Of Berry. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_of_France,_Duchess_of_Berry> [Accessed 1 June 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louis XI Of France. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XI_of_France> [Accessed 1 June 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Order Of The Annunciation Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Annunciation_of_the_Blessed_Virgin_Mary> [Accessed 1 June 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Jeanne De France (1464-1505). [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_de_France_(1464-1505)> [Accessed 1 June 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Louis XII. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XII> [Accessed 5 June 2020].
  • McMahon, Emily and Flantzer, Susan. 2013. Louis XII, King Of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/june-27-daily-featured-royal-date/> [Accessed 1 June 2020].

Gabrielle d’Estrées, Mistress of King Henri IV of France

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Gabrielle d’Estrées.source: Wikipedia

Gabrielle d’Estrées was the mistress of King Henri IV of France from 1591 until her death in 1599. In addition to being his mistress, she was one of his closest confidantes and advisers and was instrumental in the King’s renunciation of Protestantism and conversion to Catholicism.

She was born in 1573 at the Château de Cœuvres in Picardy, France, one of 11 children of Antoine d’Estrées, Marquis de Cœuvres, and his wife Françoise Babou de La Bourdaisière.

Gabrielle was first introduced to King Henri in the fall of 1590, and he was quickly smitten with her. However, she resisted for many months before becoming his mistress the following year. The King was married to Marguerite of Valois, although the marriage was not a close or happy one. On June 8, 1592, in a marriage arranged by Henri – strictly for appearance – Gabrielle was married to Nicolas d’Amerval. She was the Henri’s constant companion, and the two were very publicly affectionate with each other.

King Henri IV of France. source: Wikipedia

Henri found Gabrielle to be quite intelligent and relied heavily on her advice, particularly on the issue of religion. A devout Catholic, Gabrielle encouraged Henri to convert to Catholicism as a way to end the religious wars and appease the Catholic League. He formally converted in July 1593, and was then finally able to be crowned in Chartres Cathedral the following February. He also arranged for Gabrielle’s marriage to be annulled.

Gabrielle and Henri had three children:

Soon after the birth of their first child, Henri formally recognized and legitimized him and made Gabrielle his official mistress. In March 1596, he purchased the Château de Montceaux as a gift for Gabrielle and gave her the title Marquise de Monceaux. The following year, he also created her Duchess de Beaufort, making her a peeress of France and solidifying her position at court. Disliked by many in the French aristocracy, Gabrielle continued to be Henri’s closest confidante and advisor and he used her connections to help ease the religious tensions that persisted at the time. Following the Edict of Nantes in 1598, Gabrielle and Henri’s sister worked to ease the objections of both the Catholics and the Huguenots to allow more religious freedom in France.

Château de Montceaux. source: Wikipedia

In March 1599, King Henri announced his intention to have his marriage to Marguerite of Valois annulled so he could marry Gabrielle. He applied to the Pope for an annulment, and so confident in the expected decision, Henri gave his Coronation Ring to Gabrielle. Sadly, a marriage would not happen. Pregnant at the time, Gabrielle suffered an attack of eclampsia on April 9, 1599, while in Paris. Henri was informed and began his return to Paris from the Château de Fontainebleau the following day. However, it was too late. Gabrielle d’Estrées, Duchess of Beaufort and Marquise of Montceaux, died in Paris on April 10, 1599.

Grief-stricken, King Henri decreed that she be given the funeral of a Queen, and wore all black while he was in mourning, something that had never been done before in the French royal family. Gabrielle’s funeral was held at the Church of Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois, with her coffin traveling in a procession that included princes, princesses, and many of the highest nobility of France. Following the funeral, her remains were interred in the Notre-Dame-La Royale church at Maubuisson Abbey on the outskirts of Paris, where her sister was serving as Abbess at the time.

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.

Katharina Schratt, Confidante of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Katharina Schratt; Credit – Wikipedia

In December 1873, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria and his wife Empress Elisabeth attended a gala performance of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew at the Stadttheater (link in German) in Vienna, Austria. No one could have foreseen that Katharina Schratt, the actress playing the female lead role, whom Franz Joseph saw for the first time that evening, would become an important person in his life.

Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria in 1885; Credit – Wikipedia

Katharina Schratt had a long-standing private relationship with Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, however, the exact nature of their relationship is unclear. Some believe that Katharina and Franz Joseph were lovers. Others believe that their relationship was platonic and that Franz Joseph, whose wife was emotionally distant from him and fled from him as well as her duties at court by frequent traveling, needed someone to support him emotionally. Franz Joseph had to deal with the violent deaths of relatives. His brother Emperor Maximilian of Mexico was executed by a firing squad, his only son Crown Prince Rudolf killed his mistress and himself, his wife Empress Elisabeth was assassinated by being stabbed, and the assassination in 1914 of his nephew Archduke Franz Ferdinand who had become his heir after his son’s suicide, sparked the beginning of World War I. Certainly, Katharina’s emotional support helped Franz Joseph to deal with all these tragedies. Katharina always maintained the strictest discretion regarding her relationship with Franz Joseph.

Born on September 11, 1853, in Baden bei Wien, Austria, Katharina Schratt was the only daughter and the second of the three children of paper and office supplies merchant Anton Schratt. Katharina’s older brother was Heinrich Schratt (1851-1940) and her younger brother was Rudolf Schratt (1860-1952). Katharina fell in love with the theater at a young age. Her parents tried to dissuade her, even sending her away to a boarding school. Nothing worked and they finally relented and allowed Katharina to attend Eduard Kirschner’s Theater Academy in Vienna.

Embed from Getty Images 

At the age of seventeen, Katharina made her acting debut in her hometown as a guest actress with the Vienna Theater Academy. In 1872, she obtained her first permanent position with the Königliches Hoftheater (link in German) in Berlin‎, Kingdom of Prussia where she achieved much success in a short period. She soon received an offer from the Stadttheater (link in German) in Vienna. Her performances there made her a leading lady on the Viennese stage. In the spring of 1879, Katharina married Hungarian diplomat Baron Miklós Kiss de Ittebe. The couple had a son Anton (1880–1970), and eventually separated but never divorced.

Katharina had a long and distinguished acting career and became one of the most popular actresses of her time in Austria. After appearing on the stage in New York City, she returned to Vienna in 1883 and joined the Burgtheater in Vienna, one of the most important stages in Europe. Katharina remained with the Burgtheater until 1900, when she disagreed with director Paul Schlenther (link in German), terminated her contract, and retired at the age of 47.

Katharina Schratt in her debut at the Burgtheater as Lorle in “Dorf und Stadt” on November 10, 1883; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1883, Katharina was presented to Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth after a performance at the Burgtheater. Further meetings between Katharina and Franz Joseph were arranged by Empress Elizabeth who felt remorse that her constant absence from the court deprived her husband of contact with women. Elisabeth had difficulties with the rigidity of the Austrian court and did not get along with Imperial Family members. Although Franz Joseph loved Elisabeth, she felt emotionally distant from her husband and fled from him as well as her duties at court, by frequent traveling. Elisabeth not only tolerated her husband’s relationship with Katharina but even seemed to encourage it. Except for short periods – a brief time after the assassination of Empress Elisabeth in 1898 and a disagreement between Franz Joseph and Katharina in 1900-1901, the relationship lasted until Franz Joseph died in 1916.

Katharina Schratt, circa 1900; Credit – Wikipedia

Katharina’s relationship with Franz Joseph garnered her a generous lifestyle. Her debts were paid off, she was showered with jewelry and she became the owner of a mansion on Vienna’s Gloriettegasse, near Schönbrunn Palace, and a mansion in the spa town of Bad Ischl. When her husband died in 1909, Katharina inherited the Palais Königswarter (link in German), a three-story palace on Vienna’s Ringstrasse, just across from the Vienna State Opera.

In 1902, Katharina returned to the stage at the Deutsches Volkstheater in Vienna portraying Franz Joseph’s great-great-grandmother Empress Maria Theresa. The journalist Karl Kraus wrote that Katharina portraying an Empress was the “summit of tastelessness”. Franz Joseph and Katharina had always taken care not to disclose their relationship but now she was seen to have left the limits of good taste. Even Franz Joseph was astounded. The play had a short run and Katharina never stepped on the stage again.

Katharina Schratt and Emperor Franz Joseph, circa 1910; Credit – Wikipedia

Katharina was a great support to Franz Joseph during the last years of his life which occurred amid the tumult of the assassination of his heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 and the first two years of World War I. Katharina last saw Franz Joseph two days before his death, which occurred on November 21, 1916, and she knew it would be the last time she would see him alive. Having received a phone call, informing her that Franz Joseph had died, Katharina was shocked to receive an invitation to Schönbrunn Palace from Emperor Karl I, Franz Joseph’s nephew and successor. Karl respected the three decades of his uncle’s close relationship with Katharina. The new emperor led Katharina to Franz Joseph’s deathbed where she laid two white roses on Franz Joseph’s chest.

Katharina Schratt in the silent film Der Ochsenkrieg; Credit – https://www.moviepilot.de/movies/der-ochsenkrieg/bilder/803462

After the death of Franz Joseph, Katharina lived at the Palais Königswarter, the palace she had inherited from her husband. She made one last foray into the world of acting. In 1920, she appeared in the silent film Der Ochsenkrieg (The War of the Oxen) (link in German), a German silent film directed by Franz Osten, made by Bavaria Film at the company’s Munich studios, and based on the 1914 historical novel The War of the Oxen by Ludwig Ganghofer, set against the backdrop of the War of the Oxen in the 1420s.

In the 1930s, Katharina was harassed by journalists wanting her to discuss her relationship with Franz Joseph and by book companies wanting her to write her memoirs. She always replied, “I’m an actress, no writer, and have nothing to say because I’ve never been a Pompadour or a Madame de Maintenon”, referring to two mistresses of French kings. In her later years, Katharina became deeply religious. Every day she visited the tombs of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna.

Katharina Schratt died on April 17, 1940, at the age of 86. She was buried at Hietzing Cemetery (link in German) in Vienna, Austria, adjacent to Schönbrunn Palace.

Grave of Katharina Schratt; Credit – Von Andreas Faessler – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30752834

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. 2020. Katharina Schratt. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharina_Schratt> [Accessed 1 April 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Katharina Schratt. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharina_Schratt> [Accessed 1 April 2020].
  • Pl.wikipedia.org. 2020. Katharina Schratt. [online] Available at: <https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharina_Schratt> [Accessed 1 April 2020].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2020. Шратт, Катарина. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A8%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%82,_%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0> [Accessed 1 April 2020].
  • Van Der Kiste, John, 2005. Emperor Francis Joseph; Life, Death And The Fall Of The Habsburg Empire. Thrupp: Sutton Publishing Limited.

Unusual Royal Deaths

compiled by Susan Flantzer

This does not purport to be a complete list. All images are from Wikipedia unless otherwise indicated.

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King Louis III of France

  • Born: 863/865
  • Parents: King Louis II of France and Ansgarde of Burgundy
  • Died: August 5, 882, aged circa 18, in St. Denis, near Paris, France
  • Buried: Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France
  • Wikipedia: King Louis III of France

While mounting his horse to pursue a girl who was running to seek refuge in her father’s house, Louis hit his head on the lintel of a low door and fell, fracturing his skull.

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Prince Philippe of France

Philippe’s death

  • Born: August 29, 1116
  • Parents: King Louis VI of France and Adélaide of Maurienne
  • Died: October 13, 1131, aged 15, in Paris, France
  • Buried: Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France
  • Wikipedia: Philippe of France

Philippe was riding through Paris when his horse tripped over a black pig running out of a dung heap. He was catapulted over the horse’s head. Philippe died the next day without regaining consciousness.

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King Henry I of England

  • Born: probably September 1068 in Selby, Yorkshire, England
  • Parents: William the Conqueror (King William I) and Matilda of Flanders
  • Married: (1) Matilda of Scotland in 1100, died 1118 (2) Adeliza of Louvain in 1121
  • Died: December 1, 1135, aged 66–67, in Saint-Denis-en-Lyons, Duchy of Normandy, now in France
  • Buried: Reading Abbey in Reading, England
  • Unofficial Royalty: King Henry I of England

Henry fell ill after eating a number of lampreys against his doctor’s advice and died. It is possible that the cause of death was ptomaine poisoning.

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John of Luxembourg, King of Bohemia

  • Born: August 10, 1296 in Luxembourg
  • Parents: Heinrich VII, Holy Roman Emperor and Margaret of Brabant
  • Married: (1) Elizabeth of Bohemia (2) Beatrice of Bourbon in 1334
  • Died: August 26, 1346, aged 50, at Crécy-en-Ponthieu, France
  • Buried: Kloster Altmünster in Luxembourg; in 1543 to Kloster Neumünster in Luxembourg; in 1945 moved to Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
  • Wikipedia: John of Luxembourg, King of Bohemia

John of Bohemia, after being blind for ten years, died in the Battle of Crecy when his companions tied their horses’ reins to his reins and charged.

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King Charles II of Navarre

  • Born: October 10, 1332 in Évreux, Duchy of Normandy, now in France
  • Parents: King Philip III of Navarre and Queen Joan II of Navarre
  • Married: Jeanne of France
  • Died: January 1, 1387, aged 54, in Pamplona, Kingdom of Navarre, now in Spain
  • Buried: Pamplona Cathedral in Pamplona, Kingdom of Navarre, now in Spain
  • Wikipedia: King Charles II of Navarre

Charles was suffering from illness and could not use his arms and legs. He consulted his physician who ordered the king to be tightly sewn into a linen sheet soaked in brandy. The highly flammable sheet accidentally caught fire and Charles later died of his injuries.

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King Martin of Aragon and Sicily

  • Born: July 29, 1356 in Girona, Spain
  • Parents: King Pedro IV of Aragon and Eleanor of Sicily
  • Married: (1) Maria de Luna (2) Margaret of Prades in 1409
  • Died: May 31, 1410, aged 53 at the Monastery of Valldonzella near Barcelona, Spain
  • Buried: Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poble in Catalonia, now in Spain
  • Wikipedia: King Martin of Aragon and Sicily

Martin of Aragon died from a combination of indigestion and uncontrollable laughing. According to tradition, Martin was suffering from indigestion on account of eating an entire goose when his favorite jester, Borra, entered the king’s bedroom. When Martin asked Borra where he had been, the jester replied, “Out of the next vineyard, where I saw a young deer hanging by his tail from a tree, as if someone had so punished him for stealing figs.” This joke caused the king to die from laughter.

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George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence

  • Born: October 21, 1449 at Dublin Castle in Dublin, Ireland
  • Parents: Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Lady Cecily Neville
  • Married: Lady Isabel Neville in 1469
  • Died: February 18, 1478, aged 28, at the Tower of London in London, England
  • Buried: Tewkesbury Abbey in Tewkesbury, England
  • Wikipedia: George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence

George was the brother of King Edward IV of England and King Richard III of England. He was allegedly executed by drowning in a barrel of Malmsey wine, apparently his own choice.

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King Adolf Frederik of Sweden

  • Born: May 14, 1710 at Gottorp Castle in Gottorp, Duchy of Schleswig now the city of Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
  • Parents: Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin and Albertina Friederike of Baden-Durlach
  • Married: Princess Louisa Ulrika of Prussia in 1744
  • Died: February 12, 1771, aged 60, at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden
  • Buried: Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden
  • Unofficial Royalty: King Adolf Frederik of Sweden

Adolf Frederik died after eating a meal consisting of lobster, caviar, sauerkraut, kippers, and champagne, which was followed by fourteen servings of his favorite dessert semla, served in bowls of hot milk. In Sweden, he is remembered as “the king who ate himself to death.”

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Archduke Alexander Leopold of Austria

  • Born: August 14, 1772 in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy
  • Parents: Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Luisa of Spain
  • Died: July 12, 1795, aged 22, at Laxenburg Palace in Laxenburg, Austria
  • Buried: Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria
  • Wikipedia: Archduke Alexander Leopold of Austria

Alexander Leopold was very interested in chemistry, especially pyrotechnics. He decided to create a fireworks display to surprise his sister-in-law Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, the wife of his brother Holy Roman Emperor Franz II (later Franz I, Emperor of Austria).  Alexander Leopold made all the fireworks and lit them himself, attended by a few of his servants. Right after the first rocket was lit, a draft of air threw the rocket back on the gunpowder. The gunpowder exploded and Alexander Leopold was burned all over his body.  He died immediately as did his servants.

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Royal Deaths from Typhus

compiled by Susan Flantzer

Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of bacterial infectious diseases spread by body lice, chiggers, or fleas. Symptoms include fever, headache and other flu-like symptoms, and a rash. Meningoencephalitis begins with the rash and continues into the second or third weeks. Symptoms of meningoencephalitis include sensitivity to light, delirium, and coma. Untreated cases are often fatal.

Of course, without modern medical diagnostic tools, it was impossible to accurately diagnose illnesses and so this does not purport to be a complete list. Until the development of antibiotics and other drugs, it was impossible to successfully treat many infectious diseases. Sir Alexander Fleming, a Scottish biologist, physician, microbiologist, and pharmacologist, developed Penicillin, the world’s first antibiotic in 1928. Antibiotics are only effective against diseases caused by bacteria. They are not effective against diseases caused by viruses.

All images are from Wikipedia unless otherwise indicated.

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Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia

  • Born: December 23, 1777 in St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Parents: Paul I, Emperor of All Russia and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg (Empress Maria Feodorovna)
  • Married: Princess Louise of Baden in 1793 (Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna)
  • Died: December 1, 1825, aged 47, in Taganrog, Russia
  • Buried: Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Unofficial Royalty: Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia

By 1825, Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna’s health was suffering due to lung problems and the doctors recommended getting away from the harsh climate of St. Petersburg. Alexander and Elizabeth Alexeievna relocated to the city of Taganrog, Russia by the Sea of Azov where they stayed in a modest house. In November 1825, Alexander returned to Taganrog after visiting Crimea. He had a cold and then came down with typhus. On December 1, 1825, Alexander died in Elizabeth Alexeievna’s arms in their home in Taganrog.

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Archduke Ferdinand Karl Viktor of Austria-Este, Prince of Modena

  • Born: July 20, 1821 in Modena, Duchy of Modena, now in Italy
  • Parents: Franz IV, Duke of Modena, Archduke of Austria-Este and Maria Beatrice of Savoy
  • Married: Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria in 1846
  • Died: 15 December 15, 1849, aged 28, in Brno, Austrian Empire, now in the Czech Republic
  • Buried: Church of San Vincenzo in Modena, Duchy of Modena, now in Italy
  • Wikipedia: Archduke Ferdinand Karl Viktor of Austria-Este, Prince of Modena

Ferdinand Karl Viktor had a military career and held the rank of Field Marshal Lieutenant. After there were increased deaths from typhus in the hospitals in Brno, where Ferdinand was stationed, he inspected the hospitals and contracted typhus. He was nursed by his sister Maria Theresia but died within five days of contracting typhus.

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Prince Willem of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange

  • Born: September 4, 1840 at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands
  • Parents: King Willem III of the Netherlands and Sophie of Württemberg
  • Died: June 11, 1879, aged 38, in Paris, France
  • Buried: Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands
  • Wikipedia: Willem, Prince of Orange

Willem was the eldest of the three sons of King Willem III of the Netherlands and his first wife Sophie of Württemberg. All three sons were unmarried and predeceased their father. Despite the fact that he was the heir to the throne, Willem was disillusioned with his situation in the Netherlands and went into self-exile in Paris, where he threw himself into a life of sex, drinking, and gambling. He died from a combination of typhus, liver issues from excessive drinking, and total exhaustion.

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Prince Alexander of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange

  • Born: August 25, 1851 at Noordeinde Palace, The Hague, the Netherlands
  • Parents: King Willem III of the Netherlands and Sophie of Württemberg
  • Died: June 21, 1884, aged 32, at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands
  • Buried: Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands
  • Wikipedia: Alexander, Prince of Orange

Alexander was the youngest of the three sons of King Willem III of the Netherlands and his first wife Sophie of Württemberg. The second son Prince Maurits died from meningitis at the age of seven. The eldest son Willem (see above) died from typhus in 1879. Upon the death of Willem, Alexander became the heir apparent to the Dutch throne. Like his brother Willem, Alexander also died from typhus. After his death, his half-sister, the future Queen Wilhelmina, the only child of King Willem III and his second wife Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, became heir presumptive to the Dutch throne.

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Royal Deaths from Typhoid Fever

compiled by Susan Flantzer

Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection caused by a specific type of salmonella. Symptoms are usually a gradual onset of high fever accompanied by weakness, abdominal pain, constipation, headaches, and mild vomiting. Some people develop a skin rash with rose-colored spots. In severe cases, people may experience confusion. Without treatment, symptoms may last weeks or months. Typhoid fever is spread by eating or drinking food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person. Risk factors include poor sanitation and poor hygiene. The death rate without treatment is about 20%. With treatment, it is between 1 and 4%. Often confused, typhoid fever and typhus are different diseases.

This does not purport to be a complete list. All images are from Wikipedia unless otherwise indicated.

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Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales

  • Born: February 19, 1594 at Stirling Castle in Stirling, Scotland
  • Parents: James VI, King of Scots, later also King James I of England, and Anne of Denmark
  • Died: November 6, 1612, aged 18, at St. James’s Palace in London, England
  • Buried: Westminster Abbey in London, England
  • Unofficial Royalty: Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales

Henry Frederick was the eldest son of his parents and the heir to the throne of Scotland and England. By the time Henry was 18 years old, he was physically mature, well-educated, an independent thinker, and ready to assume some government responsibility. He was on his way to making an excellent and popular king.

Except for frequent nosebleeds when he was young, Henry’s health was excellent. However, on October 12, 1612, Henry began to have fevers but continued his physical activities. Over the next two weeks, Henry did not sleep well and continued to have fevers and developed gastrointestinal symptoms. On October 25, 1612, he played tennis and then felt much worse. He dined with his father that night, but his physicians noted that he had a fast pulse, a fever, a red face, a swollen stomach, gastrointestinal symptoms, and was very thirsty.

By October 29, 1612, Henry had a continuous fever and two days later he was delirious. On November 2, 1612, he alternated between sleeping and being confused and shouting. His servants had difficulty keeping him in bed. His condition worsened on November 4. He sang in his sleep and had violent convulsive movements. On November 6, 1612, the last day of his life, Henry was delirious, clammy, cold, and sweaty. His pulse weakened and he died. It was suspected that Henry had been poisoned, but an autopsy found no evidence of poisoning. The cause of his death was said to be “a fever.” With modern medical knowledge, it is now suspected that Henry died from typhoid fever.

After Henry Frederick’s death, his younger brother, the future King Charles I who was beheaded, became the heir to the throne.

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Duke Georg of Oldenburg

  • Born: May 9, 1784 in Oldenburg, Duchy of Oldenburg, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
  • Parents: Peter I, Duke of Oldenburg and Frederica of Württemberg
  • Married: Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia in 1809
  • Died: December 27, 1812, aged 28, in Tver, Russia
  • Buried: first at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in St. Petersburg, Russia; in 1826 transferred to the family mausoleum at the Gertrude Cemetery in Oldenburg, then in the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg now in Lower Saxony, Germany
  • Wikipedia: Duke Georg of Oldenburg

While serving as Governor-General in Tver in central Russia, Georg became infected with typhoid fever during a visit to the hospital and died in December 1812.

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Prince Gustaf of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Uppland

  • Born: June 18, 1827 at Haga Palace in Solna, Sweden
  • Parents: King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway and Josephine of Leuchtenberg
  • Died: September 24, 1852, aged 25, at Christiana Palace in Oslo, Norway
  • Buried: Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden
  • Wikipedia: Prince Gustaf of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Uppland

Upon arriving via ship in Norway with his parents and his sister Princess Eugénie on September 16, 1852, Gustaf already had a fever. Soon it was obvious that he was suffering from typhoid fever and getting weaker. On September 24, he died. Other royal family members, including King Oscar I, were also affected by typhoid fever but only Prince Gustaf died.

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Princess Margaretha of Saxony, Archduchess of Austria

  • Born: May 24, 1840 in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany
  • Parents: King Johann of Saxony and Amalie Auguste of Bavaria
  • Married: Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria in 1856
  • Died: September 15, 1858, aged 18, in Monza, Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, now in Italy
  • Buried: Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Crypt in Vienna, Austria
  • Wikipedia: Margaretha of Saxony, Archduchess of Austria

On a trip to northern Italy with her husband, Margaretha became ill with typhoid fever and died. Later in life, her husband also died from typhoid fever.

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Princess Anna of Saxony, Grand Princess of Tuscany

  • Born: January 4, 1836 in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany
  • Parents: King Johann of Saxony and Amalie Auguste of Bavaria
  • Married: Ferdinand, Grand Prince of Tuscany, the future Grand Duke of Tuscany, in 1856
  • Died: February 10, 1859, aged 23, in Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
  • Buried: Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy
  • Wikipedia: Anna of Saxony, Grand Princess of Tuscany

Anna was the elder sister of Margaretha (above), who also died from typhoid fever four months earlier. While on a trip to Naples, during her second pregnancy, Anna had a miscarriage due to the effects of typhoid fever and died four days later.

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Infante Fernando of Portugal

  • Born: July 23, 1846 in Lisbon, Portugal
  • Parents: Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, King Consort of Portugal and Queen Maria II of Portugal
  • Died: November 6, 1861, aged 15 in Lisbon, Portugal
  • Buried: Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal
  • Wikipedia: Infante Fernando of Portugal

Fernando’s father was a first cousin of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Along with his brothers King Pedro V and Infante João, Duke of Beja, he died from typhoid fever November-December 1861.

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King Pedro V of Portugal

  • Born: September 15, 1837 at Necessidades Palace in Lisbon, Portugal
  • Parents: Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, King Consort of Portugal and Queen Maria II of Portugal
  • Married: Princess Stephanie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen in 1858, died 1860
  • Died: November 11, 1861, aged 24, at Necessidades Palace in Lisbon, Portugal
  • Buried: Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal
  • Unofficial Royalty: King Pedro V of Portugal

Pedro’s father was a first cousin of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Along with his brothers Infante Fernando and Infante João, Duke of Beja, he died from typhoid fever November-December 1861. As Pedro had no children from his brief marriage, he was succeeded by his brother Luís.

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Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, The Prince Consort

  • Born: August 26, 1819 at Schloss Rosenau near Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany
  • Parents: Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his first wife Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
  • Married: his first cousin Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom in 1840
  • Died: December 14, 1861 at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
  • Buried: first St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England; moved 1862 to the Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore in Windsor, England
  • Unofficial Royalty: Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Consort

Sir William Jenner, one of Prince Albert’s doctors, diagnosed his final illness as typhoid fever but Albert’s modern biographers have argued that the diagnosis is incorrect. Albert had been complaining of stomach pains for two years and this may indicate that he died of some chronic disease, perhaps Crohn’s disease, kidney failure, or cancer.

In the fall, Victoria and Albert learned that their 20-year-old eldest son Bertie (the future King Edward VII) was having an affair with an Irish actress. Devastated by this news, Albert traveled to Cambridge to discuss the matter with his son. On November 25, 1861, the two walked together in the pouring rain while Albert explained how horrified he and the Queen felt about the situation. Victoria later blamed her son for Albert’s final illness – “That boy…I never can, or ever shall look at him without a shudder.”

When Albert returned to Windsor Castle, he complained of shoulder, leg, back, and stomach pain and could not eat or sleep. He was examined by doctors who assured Victoria that Albert would be better in two or three days. Even while Albert was feeling ill, he was still working. When the Trent Affair, the forcible removal of Confederate diplomats from a British ship by Union forces during the American Civil War, threatened war between the United States and the United Kingdom, Albert intervened on November 30, 1861, to soften the British diplomatic response. His action probably prevented war between the United States and the United Kingdom.

However, Albert’s condition continued to worsen. Victoria continued to hope for a recovery, but finally, on December 11, the doctors told her the dismal prognosis. At 10:50 PM on December 14, 1861, Albert died in the presence of his wife and five of their nine children.

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Infante João of Portugal, Duke of Beja

  • Born: March 16, 1842 at Necessidades Palace in Lisbon, Portugal
  • Parents: Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, King Consort of Portugal and Queen Maria II of Portugal
  • Died: December 27, 1861, aged 19, at Necessidades Palace in Lisbon, Portugal
  • Buried: Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal
  • Wikipedia: Infante João of Portugal, Duke of Beja

João’s father was a first cousin of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Along with his brothers Infante Fernando and King Pedro V, he died from typhoid fever November-December 1861.

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Princess Leopoldina of Brazil, Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

  • Born: July 13, 1847 at Paço de São Cristóvão in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Parents: Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies
  • Married: Prince Ludwig August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1864
  • Died: February 7, 1871, aged 23, at Palais Coburg in Vienna, Austria
  • Buried: St. Augustine’s Church in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany
  • Wikipedia: Leopoldina of Brazil, Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

At the beginning of 1871, Leopoldina displayed the first symptoms of typhoid fever. She developed gastrointestinal problems, fever, and the classic skin rash with rose-colored spots. Her condition worsened and she suffered from delusions and convulsions. After a month of agony, she died.

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Maria de las Mercedes of Orléans, Queen of Spain

  • Born: June 24, 1860 at the Royal Palace of Madrid in Madrid, Spain
  • Parents: Antoine of Orléans, Duke of Montpensier (son of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French) and Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain (daughter of King Ferdinand VII of Spain)
  • Married: King Alfonso XII of Spain in 1878
  • Died: June 26, 1878, aged 18, at the Royal Palace of Madrid in Madrid, Spain
  • Buried: first in the Pantheon of Infantes at the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in El Escorial, Spain; in 2000 moved to the Cathedral of Santa María la Real de La Almudena in Madrid, Spain
  • Unofficial Royalty: Maria de las Mercedes of Orléans, Queen of Spain

In June 1878, it was announced that Mercedes was pregnant and the country rejoiced. However, the joy was short-lived as Mercedes suffered a miscarriage. Shortly after the miscarriage, Mercedes became suddenly ill. Within hours, she was at death’s door with typhoid fever. Mercedes died two days after her 18th birthday.

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Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria

  • Born: July 30, 1833 at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria
  • Parents: Archduke Franz Karl of Austria and Princess Sophie of Bavaria
  • Married: (1) Margaretha of Saxony in 1856, who also died from typhoid in 1858 (2) Maria Annunciata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies in 1862, died from tuberculosis in 1871 (3) Maria Theresa of Portugal in 1873
  • Died: May 19, 1896, aged 62, at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria
  • Buried: Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria
  • Wikipedia: Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria

Karl Ludwig was the brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and the father of Archduke Franz Ferdinand whose assassination in 1914 sparked World War I. Karl Ludwig died from typhoid fever he contracted on a trip to Egypt and Palestine where he apparently drank contaminated from the River Jordan for religious reasons.

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Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein

  • Born: April 14, 1867 at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
  • Parents: Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, daughter of Queen Victoria
  • Died: October 29, 1900, aged 33, in Pretoria, South Africa
  • Buried: Church Street Cemetery in Pretoria, South Africa
  • Unofficial Royalty: Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein 

While serving with the British Army during the Boer War, Christian first became ill with malaria and then also became ill with typhoid fever which killed him. His death shocked his family and in particular his grandmother, Queen Victoria, with whom he had been very close. Although preparations were made to return his body to the United Kingdom, he was buried in a soldier’s grave in Pretoria, at the wishes of Queen Victoria.

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Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine

  • Born: March 11, 1895 in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany
  • Parents: Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, both grandchildren of Queen Victoria, in 1894, divorced 1901
  • Died: November 16, 1903, aged 8, at the Russian Imperial hunting lodge in Skierniewice, Congress Poland, Russian Empire, now in Poland
  • Buried: Rosenhöhe Park in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany
  • Wikipedia: Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine

Following a large family gathering in Darmstadt in October 1903 for the wedding of his niece Princess Alice of Battenberg, Ernst Ludwig and his daughter Elisabeth went to visit Ernst Ludwig’s sister (Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia) and her family at their hunting lodge in Poland. While there, Elisabeth fell ill. At first, it was just believed to be exhaustion from so much playing with her Romanov cousins but her condition quickly worsened. A telegram was sent to her mother, imploring her to come quickly, as it seemed the child would not survive. Unfortunately, the telegram would arrive too late. Princess Elisabeth died on November 16, 1903. Rumors at the time were that she had been poisoned by eating or drinking something which was intended for her uncle Nicholas II. However, it was discovered that she had died from typhoid fever. Ernst Ludwig, of course, was distraught. His daughter had been, in his own words, “the sunshine of my life.”

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Prince Mircea of Romania
Mircea with his sister Ileana
  • Born: January 3, 1913 in Bucharest, Romania
  • Parents: King Ferdinand I of Romania and Princess Marie of Edinburgh, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria
  • Died: November 2, 1916, aged 3, at Buftea Palace in Buftea, Romania
  • Buried: first on the grounds of Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest, Romania; moved 1941 to the chapel at Bran Castle in Bran, Romania; moved 2019 to the New Episcopal and Royal Cathedral in Curtea de Argeș, Romania
  • Wikipedia: Prince Mircea of Romania

Mircea and his sister Ileana are believed to have been fathered by Queen Marie’s lover Barbu Stirbey but were formally acknowledged by King Ferdinand as his own. Mircea died of typhoid fever during World War I when enemy troops were approaching Bucharest and many battles were taking place close to the city. The royal family had to quickly bury him on the grounds of Cotroceni Palace before they left Bucharest.

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Royal Deaths from Tuberculosis

compiled by Susan Flantzer

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by a bacteria. It usually affects the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body. Tuberculosis is spread through the air when people who have active tuberculosis cough, spit, speak, or sneeze. The classic symptoms are a chronic cough with bloody mucus, fever, night sweats, and weight loss. It was historically called consumption due to the weight loss. If left untreated, tuberculosis kills about half of those affected. In Europe, rates of tuberculosis began to rise in the early 1600s to a peak level in the 1800s, when it caused nearly 25% of all deaths.

This does not purport to be a complete list. All images are from Wikipedia unless otherwise indicated.

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Jacqueline of Bavaria, Countess of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut

  • Born: July 15, 1401 in Le Quesnoy, County of Hainaut, now in France
  • Parents: Wilhelm II, Duke of Bavaria and Margaret of Burgundy
  • Married: (1) Jean, Dauphin of France in 1415 (2) John IV, Duke of Brabant in 1418, annulled 1422 (3) Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester in 1423, annulled 1428 (4) Frank van Borssele in 1434
  • Died: October 8, 1436, aged 35, at Teylingen Castle in Voorhout, County of Holland, now in the Netherlands
  • Buried: palace church at the Binnenhof in The Hague, County of Holland, now in the Netherlands
  • Wikipedia: Jacqueline of Bavaria, Countess of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut

Also known as Jacqueline of Hainaut, she was Countess of Holland, Zeeland and Hainaut in her own right. In 1436, she became ill with tuberculosis and died after a few months.

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Isabella of Bourbon, Countess of Charolai

  • Born: 1437
  • Parents: Charles I, Duke of Bourbon and Agnes of Burgundy
  • Married: Charles the Bold, Count of Charolais and the future Duke of Burgundy, in 1454
  • Died: September 25, 1465, aged 31, at St. Michael’s Abbey in Antwerp, Flanders now in Belgium
  • Buried: Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp in Antwerp, Flanders now in Belgium
  • Wikipedia: Isabella of Bourbon, Countess of Charolai

Isabella was the mother of the great heiress Mary of Burgundy who was the Duchess of Burgundy in her own right after her father’s death. After several months of illness, Isabella died of tuberculosis.

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Filberto I, Duke of Savoy

Born: August 17, 1465 in Chambéry, Duchy of Savoy, now in France
Parents: Amadeo IX, Duke of Savoy and Yolande of Valois
Married: Bianca Maria Sforza in 1476
Died: September 22, 1482, aged 17, in Lyon, Duchy of Burgundy, now in France
Buried: Hautcombe Abbey in Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille, Duchy of Savoy, now in France
Wikipedia: Filberto I, Duke of Savoy

Filberto died of tuberculosis. His burial place, Hautecombe Abbey, has been the burial place of the House of Savoy for centuries.

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Lady Anne Neville, Queen of England

Born: June 11, 1456, at Warwick Castle in Warwickshire, England
Parents: Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick and Lady Anne Beauchamp
Married: (1) Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales (son of King Henry VI of England) in 1470 (2) King Richard III of England in 1472
Died: March 16, 1485, aged 28, at the Palace of Westminster in London, England
Buried: Westminster Abbey in London, England
Unofficial Royalty: Lady Anne Neville, Queen of England

Anne and Richard’s son Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales, died at the age of ten. Anne survived her son by less than a year, dying of tuberculosis. Her husband Richard survived her by only five months, losing his crown and his life on August 22, 1485, in the Battle of Bosworth Field, defeated by Henry Tudor, who became King Henry VII of England.

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King Henry VII of England

  • Born: January 28, 1457 at Pembroke Castle in Wales
  • Parents: Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond and Lady Margaret Beaufort
  • Married: Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV of England in 1486
  • Died: April 21, 1509, aged 52, at Richmond Palace in Surrey, England
  • Buried: Westminster Abbey in London, England
  • Unofficial Royalty: King Henry VII of England

Henry’s health began to fail in 1507, and he suffered from attacks of gout and asthma. He died two years later from tuberculosis.

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Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset

  • Born: June 15, 1519 at the Augustinian Priory of St. Lawrence in Blackmore, Essex, England
  • Parents: Henry VIII of England and his mistress Elizabeth Blount
  • Married: Lady Mary Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, in 1533
  • Died: July 23, 1536, aged 17, in Thetford, Norfolk, England
  • Buried: St. Michael’s Church in Framlingham, Suffolk, England, the burial place of the Howard family
  • Unofficial Royalty: Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset

Henry was his father’s only acknowledged illegitimate child. He became sickly sometime before he died and was reported ill with consumption, a term used for tuberculosis.

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Madeleine of Valois, Queen of Scots

  • Born: August 10, 1520 at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
  • Parents: King François I of France and Claude of France, Duchess of Brittany
  • Married: James V, King of Scots (first wife)
  • Died: July 7, 1537, aged 16, at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Buried: Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Unofficial Royalty: Madeleine of Valois, Queen of Scots

Scotland had signed a treaty with France to strengthen their alliance. One of the provisions was for James V, King of Scots to marry a French princess. When James V reached a marriageable age, talks began regarding marriage with Madeleine.  However, Madeleine apparently had tuberculosis and her ill health was an issue and another French bride, Mary of Bourbon, was offered as a substitute.  When James V came to France to meet Mary of Bourbon, he met Madeleine and decided to marry her.  Because of his daughter’s health issues, King François I of France was reluctant to agree to the marriage, but eventually, he did so.  Madeleine and James V were married on January 1, 1537, at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

The couple arrived in Scotland on May 19, 1537, after months of celebrations in France, with Madeleine’s health having further deteriorated.  Madeleine wrote a letter to her father on June 8, 1537, saying that she was feeling better and that her symptoms had subsided.  Despite this, on July 7, 1537, Madeleine died from tuberculosis in her husband’s arms, a month short of her seventeenth birthday.

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King Edward VI of England

  • Born: October 12, 1537 at Hampton Court Palace in Middlesex, England
  • Parents: King Henry VIII and Jane Seymour
  • Died: July 6, 1553, aged 15, at Greenwich Palace in Greenwich, England
  • Buried: Westminster Abbey in London, England
  • Unofficial Royalty: King Edward VI of England

In January 1553, Edward became ill with a fever and cough that gradually worsened. It is probable that he had tuberculosis. By May 1553, the royal doctors had no hope that the king would recover. After great suffering, Edward died on July 6, 1553.

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João Manuel, Prince of Portugal

  • Born: January 2, 1554, aged 16, at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal
  • Parents: King João III of Portugal and Catherine of Austria
  • Married: Joanna of Austria in 1552
  • Died: January 2, 1554, aged 16, at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal
  • Buried: Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, Portugal
  • Wikipedia: João Manuel, Prince of Portugal

João Manuel was the heir to the throne of Portugal. His seven elder brothers all predeceased him. Eighteen days after his death from tuberculosis, his wife gave birth to a son, the future King Sebastian I of Portugal.

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 Barbara of Austria, Duchess of Ferrara

  • Born: April 30, 1539 in Vienna, Austria
  • Parents: Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary
  • Married: Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara in 1565
  • Died: September 19, 1572, aged 33, in Ferrara, Duchy of Ferrara, now in Italy
  • Buried: Church of San Michele del Gesù in Ferrara, Duchy of Ferrara, now in Italy
  • Wikipedia: Barbara of Austria, Duchess of Ferrara

Barbara had suffered from tuberculosis for six years before her death.

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Cosimo II de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany

  • Born: May 12, 1590 at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy
  • Parents: Ferdinando I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Christina of Lorraine
  • Married: Maria Maddalena of Austria in 1608
  • Died: February 28, 1621, aged 30, at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy
  • Buried: Chapel of the Princes at the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy
  • Wikipedia: Cosimo II de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany

Cosimo is known for having been the patron of the astronomer Galileo Galilei, his former tutor.

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Anne Stuart

  • Born: March 17, 1637 at St. James’s Palace in London, England
  • Parents: King Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France
  • Died: November 5, 1640, aged 3, at Richmond Palace, in Surrey, England
  • Buried: Westminster Abbey in London, England
  • Wikipedia: Anne Stuart

From her birth, Anne had never been in good health. She had fevers and near-constant coughs before developing tuberculosis.

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Marie-Thérèse of France, Madame Royale

  • Born: January 2, 1667 at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
  • Parents: King Louis XIV of France and Maria Theresa of Spain
  • Died: March 1, 1672, aged 5, at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
  • Buried: Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France
  • Wikipedia: Marie-Thérèse of France, Madame Royale

Marie-Thérèse was the eldest surviving daughter of her parents and was given the honorific Madame Royale. Only one of her parents’ six children, Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, survived childhood and Louis predeceased his father.

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Maria Anna Josepha of Austria, Electoral Princess of the Palatinate

  • Born: December 30, 1654 in Regensburg, Duchy of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
  • Parents: Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleonora Gonzaga, Princess of Mantua
  • Married: the future Johann Wilhelm II, Elector Palatine in 1678
  • Died: April 14, 1689, aged 34, in Vienna, Austria
  • Buried: Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria
  • Wikipedia: Maria Anna Josepha of Austria, Electoral Princess of the Palatinate

Maria Anna died from tuberculosis during a visit to the Imperial Court in Vienna.

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Maria Luisa of Savoy, Queen of Spain

  • Born: September 17, 1688 at the Royal Palace of Turin in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy
  • Parents: Vittorio Amadeo II, Duke of Savoy and Anne Marie d’Orléans
  • Married: King Felipe V of Spain in 1701
  • Died: February 14, 1714, aged 25, at the Royal Alcazar of Madrid in Madrid, Spain
  • Buried: Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in El Escorial, Spain
  • Wikipedia: Maria Luisa of Savoy, Queen of Spain

Five months after giving birth to her last child, Maria Luisa died from tuberculosis.

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Maria Amalia of Saxony, Queen of Spain

  • Born: November 24, 1724 at Dresden Castle in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany
  • Parents: Augustus III, King of Poland, Elector of Saxony and Maria Josepha of Austria
  • Married: King Carlos III of Spain in 1738
  • Died: September 27, 1760, aged 35, at Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid, Spain
  • Buried: Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in El Escorial, Spain
  • Wikipedia: Maria Amalia of Saxony, Queen of Spain

Just thirteen months after her husband became King of Spain, Maria Amalia died from tuberculosis.

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Louis Joseph Xavier of France, Duke of Burgundy

  • Born: September 13, 1751 at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France
  • Parents: Louis, Dauphin of France (son of King Louis XV of France) and Maria Josepha of Saxony
  • Died: March 22, 1761, aged 9, at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France
  • Buried: Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France
  • Wikipedia: Louis Joseph Xavier of France, Duke of Burgundy

Louis Joseph Xavier was the eldest son of his parents. Three of his younger brothers became Kings of France: the ill-fated Louis XVI and Louis XVIII and Charles X, who were kings during the Bourbon Restoration. After a fall, Louis Joseph Xavier’s health began to deteriorate. In 1760, he had surgery on his leg to remove a “tumor.” Afterward, he was bound to his bed, unable to move his legs, and diagnosed with extrapulmonary tuberculosis of the bone. After months of agony, Louis Joseph Xavier died. His father died from tuberculosis four years later. (See below.)

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Louis, Dauphin of France

  • Born: September 4, 1729 at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France
  • Parents: King Louis XV of France and Marie Leszczyńska of Poland
  • Married: (1) Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain in 1744, died 1746 (2) Maria Josepha of Saxony in 1747
  • Died: December 20, 1765, aged 36, at the Château de Fontainebleau in Fontainebleau, France
  • Buried: Cathedral of Saint-Étienne in Sens, France (at his request)
  • Unofficial Royalty: Louis, Dauphin of France

Unfortunately, like several other Dauphins that preceded him, Louis died prematurely and never became King of France. Until the summer of 1765, Louis was healthy. He then started to constantly cough, spit blood, and breathe with increasing difficulty. Tuberculosis was diagnosed. On November 13, 1765, Louis asked to receive the last rites. He managed to survive another month.

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Sophie of France, Madame Sophie

  • Born: July 9, 1786 at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France
  • Parents: King Louis XVI of France and Maria Antonia of Austria (Marie Antoinette)
  • Died: June 19, 1787, aged 11 months, at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France
  • Buried: Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France
  • Wikipedia: Sophie of France

Sophie had fragile health since her birth and died from tuberculosis.

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Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France

  • Born: October 22, 1781 at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France
  • Parents: King Louis XVI of France and Maria Antonia of Austria (Marie Antoinette)
  • Died: June 4, 1789, aged 7, at the Château de Meudon in Meudon, France
  • Buried: Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France
  • Wikipedia: Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France

Louis Joseph was his parents’ eldest son and the heir to the French throne. He began to be in ill health from the time he was three years old. In 1786, doctors realized that he was suffering from tuberculosis. His illness progressed and became quite serious in 1788. Louis Joseph died the next year. His younger brother Louis Charles (titular King Louis XVII of France), who died during the French Revolution, at the Temple prison became Dauphin of France.

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Louis-Charles, Dauphin of France – Titular King Louis XVII of France

During the French Revolution, Louis-Charles was imprisoned at the Temple Prison with his sister Marie-Thérèse, his mother Marie Antoinette and Élisabeth, Louis XVI’s youngest sister. His mother and aunt were both executed and his sister survived the French Revolution. In 1793, three months before his mother’s execution, Louis-Charles was taken away from his family and placed in a solitary prison cell where he died two years later from tuberculosis.

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Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Zweibrücken

  • Born: April 14, 1765 in Darmstadt, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt now in Hesse, Germany
  • Parents: Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hesse-Darmstadt and Countess Maria Luise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg
  • Married: Maximilian, Duke of Zweibrücken in 1785
  • Died: March 30, 1796, aged 30, at Schloss Rohrbach near Heidelberg, then in the Palatinate, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
  • Buried: Stadtkirche Darmstadt in Darmstadt, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, now in Hesse, Germany.
  • Unofficial Royalty: Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Zweibrücken

Augusta Wilhelmine was the first wife of the future Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria. She died before her husband became King of Bavaria but she did give birth to his heir, King Ludwig I of Bavaria. Maximilian Joseph served in the French Army until the French Revolution when he joined the Austrian Army. Because of the unrest at the time, his family had to flee their homes twice. Augusta Wilhelmine, weakened from five pregnancies and the travails of war, died from pulmonary tuberculosis.

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Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily, Princess of Asturias

  • Born: December 14, 1784 at Royal Palace of Caserta in Caserta, Kingdom of Naples and Sicily, now in Italy
  • Parents: King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria
  • Married: Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias (the future King Ferdinand VII) in 1802
  • Died: May 21, 1806, ages, 21, at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez in Aranjuez, Spain
  • Buried: Monastery of San Lorenzo de Escorial in El Escorial, Spain
  • Unofficial Royalty: Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily, Princess of Asturias

After her second miscarriage, Maria Antonia’s health deteriorated severely due to tuberculosis. She suffered severe pain until her death, nearly a year later.

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Antoine Philippe of Orléans, Duke of Montpensier

  • Born: July 3, 1775 at the Palais-Royal in Paris, France
  • Parents: Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans and Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon
  • Died: May 18, 1807, aged 31, in Salthill, Berkshire, England
  • Buried: Westminster Abbey in London, England
  • Wikipedia: Antoine Philippe of Orléans, Duke of Montpensier

During the French Revolution, Antoine Philippe was arrested at the same time as the other Bourbons who had remained in France. During his imprisonment, Antoine Philippe contracted tuberculosis which eventually killed him. He survived the French Revolution and with other members of the Orléans, settled in England. In 1807, Antoine Philippe’s tuberculosis worsened. His brother Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans (the future Louis-Philippe, King of the French) decided to take him to Devonshire so that he could enjoy the fresh air there. However, Antoine Philippe died on the way to Devonshire. Through the help of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (son of King George III and father of Queen Victoria), permission was obtained to bury Antoine Philippe at Westminster Abbey.

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Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom

  • Born: August 7, 1783 at Lower Lodge (now called Royal Lodge) at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
  • Parents: King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
  • Died: November 2, 1810, aged 27, Augusta Lodge at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
  • Buried: St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
  • Unofficial Royalty: Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom

Amelia was the youngest of the fifteen children of her parents. In 1798, 15-year-old Amelia developed severe pain in her knee. This was the beginning of the poor health that would plague Amelia for the rest of her short life. Amelia’s symptoms indicated tuberculosis, which usually affects the lungs but can also affect the joints. By 1810, Amelia was fatally ill with tuberculosis. In addition to tuberculosis, Amelia was suffering from erysipelas, an acute skin infection. Before the advent of antibiotics, erysipelas frequently resulted in death. Amelia’s case of erysipelas was particularly severe with the rash literally from her head to her toes. The combination of the illnesses caused her death.

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Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, Empress of Austria

  • Born: December 14, 1787 at the Royal Villa of Monza in Lombardy, Austrian Empire, now in Italy
  • Parents: Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria-Este and Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d’Este
  • Married: Franz I, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Bohemia in 1808
  • Died: April 7, 1816, aged 28, at the Palazzo Canossa in Verona, Austrian Empire, now in Italy
  • Buried: Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria
  • Unofficial Royalty: Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, Empress of Austria

Maria Ludovika was the third of her husband’s four wives. During the years of the Napoleonic conflicts, Maria Ludovika became ill with tuberculosis. After the wars were over, she visited her former home in Modena, now liberated, and other Italian cities with her husband. Maria Ludovika was now very ill and weak and told her mother that she wanted to die. In March 1816, she was in Verona, too ill to continue her travels. Her physician who was traveling with her, called in numerous famous doctors, but to no avail. Maria Ludovika died at the Palazzo Canossa in Verona with her husband at her bedside.

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Napoléon François Charles Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon II

  • Born: March 20, 1811 at the Tuileries Palace in Paris, France
  • Parents: Napoléon I, Emperor of the French and his second wife Marie Louise of Austria
  • Died: July 22, 1832, aged 21, at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria
  • Buried: first at the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria; in 1940 moved to Les Invalides in Paris, France
  • Unofficial Royalty: Napoléon François Charles Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon II

Emperor of the French for only sixteen days in 1815, Napoléon II was the only child of
Napoléon I, Emperor of the French. After the exile of Napoléon I, Marie Louise returned to her homeland, Austria, with her son. Napoléon II had been dealing with lung problems from a very early age and eventually developed tuberculosis. He died on July 22, 1832, at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna at the age of twenty-one. He was buried in the Habsburg tradition of his mother’s family at the Imperial Crypt in Vienna. In 1940, on the orders of Adolf Hitler, Napoléon II’s sarcophagus was removed from the Imperial Crypt in Vienna and transferred by train to Paris. This transfer was done in memory of the transfer of Napoléon I’s remains from the island of St. Helena to Paris in 1840 by Louis Philippe I, King of the French. Originally, Napoléon II’s sarcophagus was placed beside his father’s tomb in Les Invalides in Paris, France. In 1969, Napoléon II’s sarcophagus was interred in the lower church at Les Invalides.

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Emperor Pedro I of Brazil

  • Born: October 12, 1798, at the Royal Palace of Queluz in Lisbon, Portugal
  • Parents: King João VI of Portugal and Infanta Carlota Joaquina of Spain
  • Married: (1) Maria Leopoldina of Austria in 1817, died 1826 (2) Amélie of Leuchtenberg in 1829
  • Died: September 24, 1834, aged 35, at Queluz Palace in Lisbon, Portugal
  • Buried: first at the Pantheon of the House of Braganza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal; in 1972 transferred to the Brazilian Imperial Crypt and Chapel under the Monument of the Ipiranga (Monument to the Independence of Brazil) in São Paulo, Brazil
  • Unofficial Royalty: Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal

Pedro was the first Emperor of Brazil and was also King of Portugal from 1825-1826. While Pedro was the legitimate heir to the throne of Portugal, the Brazilian people did not want the two thrones to be reunited so Pedro abdicated the Portuguese throne in favor of his daughter Queen Maria II. In 1831, after a political crisis, Pedro abdicated the throne of Brazil in favor of his son who reigned as Emperor Pedro II of Brazil. Pedro and his second wife returned to Portugal. Except for occasional epileptic seizures, Pedro had been in good health but in 1834, it became evident that he was suffering from tuberculosis.

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Marie of Orléans, Duchess of Württemberg

  • Born: April 12, 1813 in Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily, now in Italy
  • Parents: Louis-Philipe I, King of the French and Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies
  • Married: Duke Alexander of Württemberg in 1837
  • Died: January 6, 1839, aged 25, in Pisa, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy
  • Buried: Royal Chapel of Dreux in Dreux, France
  • Wikipedia: Marie of Orléans, Duchess of Württemberg

Already ill with tuberculosis, Marie gave birth to her only child, a son, in 1838, and then left for Pisa in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy, hoping that the warmer climate would cure her. However, she died in Pisa.

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Eugénie de Beauharnais of Leuchtenberg, Princess of Hohenzollern-Hechingen

  • Born: December 22, 1808 in Milan, Austrian Empire, now in Italy
  • Parents: Eugène de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg and Princess Augusta of Bavaria
  • Married: Constantin, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen in 1826
  • Died: September 1, 1847, aged 38, at the Hotel Post in Freudenstadt, King of Württemberg, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
  • Buried: Catholic Collegiate Church of St. Jakob in Hechingen, Principality of Hohenzollern-Hechingen, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
  • Wikipedia: Eugénie de Beauharnais of Leuchtenberg, Princess of Hohenzollern-Hechingen

Eugénie’s father was Eugénie de Beauharnais, the son of Empress Josephine, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, by her first marriage to Alexandre de Beauharnais. Her mother was the daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. Eugénie became ill with tuberculosis and from 1842 onward, became increasingly worse. Because of the risk of infection, she was only allowed to see her husband rarely and at a distance. In the summer of 1847, she went to Badenweiler, King of Württemberg, for a cure. However, she died at a hotel on the way home.

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Princess Maria Amélia of Brazil

  • Born: December 1, 1831 in Paris, France
  • Parents: Emperor Pedro I of Brazil and his second wife Amélie of Leuchtenberg
  • Died: February 4, 1853, aged 21, in Funchal, Portugal
  • Buried: first in the Braganza Pantheon, Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal’ in 1982, Maria Amélie’s remains were transferred to Brazil and buried in the Convento de Santo Antônio in Rio de Janeiro, where other Brazilian royals are also interred.
  • Wikipedia: Princess Maria Amélia of Brazil

Maria Amélia was her parents’ only child. Her mother made arrangements to betroth her twenty-year-old daughter to Archduke Maximilian of Austria, the brother of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria. However, the official betrothal never took place. Maria Amélie was ill with tuberculosis, the same disease that had killed her father. (See above.) In August 1852, Amélie and her daughter moved to the island of Madeira in Portugal because of the mild climate. Maria Amélie died the next year.

Amélie visited her daughter’s tomb on every anniversary of her death until her own death. She financed the construction of a hospital to treat patients with lung diseases in Funchal on the island of Madeira called the Hospício da Princesa Dona Maria Amélie which is still in existence. When Amélie died, the Hospício da Princesa Dona Maria Amélia was handed over to her sister Queen Joséphine of Sweden, and according to the terms of Amélie’s will, it is owned and administered by the Swedish Royal Family. King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden have visited the hospital.

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Auguste Ferdinande of Austria, Princess of Bavaria

  • Born: April 1, 1825 in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy
  • Parents: Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Archduke of Austria and Maria Anna of Saxony
  • Married: Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria in 1844
  • Died: April 26, 1864, aged 39, in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
  • Buried: Theatine Church in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
  • Unofficial Royalty: Auguste Ferdinande of Austria, Princess of Bavaria

Luitpold’s father, King Ludwig I of Bavaria, initially opposed his son’s marriage, as Auguste was already showing signs of pulmonary tuberculosis which would later take her life. However, he soon relented and allowed the couple to marry. Because of her health, Auguste found it difficult to adjust to the Bavarian climate. Twenty years after her marriage, Auguste died from the effects of tuberculosis she had suffered with for many years.

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Maria Annunciata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Archduchess of Austria

  • Born: March 24, 1843 at the Royal Palace of Caserta in Caserata, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, now in Italy
  • Parents: King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies and Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria
  • Married: Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria in 1862
  • Died: May 22, 1871, aged 28, in Vienna, Austria
  • Buried: Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria
  • Wikipedia: Maria Annunciata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Archduchess of Austria

Soon after her wedding, it became clear that Maria Annunciata was ill with tuberculosis. Despite her ill health, Maria Annunciata gave birth to four children including Archduke Franz Ferdinand whose assassination in 1914 sparked World War I.

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Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, 6th Princess of La Cisterna, Queen of Spain, Duchess of Aosta

Maria Vittoria was the elder of the two daughters of Carlo Emmanuele dal Pozzo, 5th Prince of Cisterna and upon his death, she inherited his noble titles. After Queen Isabella II of Spain was deposed, Maria Vittoria’s husband was elected King of Spain but he was forced to abdicate after three years. Maria had suffered a great deal because of her poor health and gave birth to her third of her three children only two weeks before the abdication. The recent childbirth, the stress of the abdication, and the exile from Spain exacerbated her physical condition. She became increasingly worse, dying from tuberculosis three years later.

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Princess María Cristina of Orléans, Infanta of Spain

  • Born: October 29, 1852 at the Palace of San Telmoin Seville, Spain
  • Parents: Prince Antoine of Orléans, Duke of Montpensier and Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain
  • Died: April 28, 1879, aged 26, at the Palace of San Telmo in Seville, Spain
  • Buried: Infantes Pantheon, Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain
  • Wikipedia: María Cristina of Orléans, Infanta of Spain

Maria Cristina’s father was the son of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French and her mother was the daughter of King Ferdinand VII of Spain. Her sister Maria de las Mercedes married King Alfonso XII of Spain but sadly died from typhoid fever. For a few months, Alfonso courted Maria Cristina, who was willing to replace her late sister, but it soon became clear that she was suffering from tuberculosis. She died a year after her sister’s death.

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King Alfonso XII of Spain

  • Born: November 28, 1857 at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain
  • Parents: Queen Isabella II of Spain, and Francisco, Duke of Cadiz and King Consort
  • Married: (1) Maria de las Mercedes of Orléans in 1878, died 1878 (2) Maria Christina of Austria in 1879
  • Died: November 25, 1885, aged 27, at the Royal Palace of El Pardo in Madrid, Spain
  • Buried: Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in El Escorial, Spain
  • Unofficial Royalty: King Alfonso XII of Spain

Three days before his 28th birthday, King Alfonso XII died from tuberculosis at the Royal Palace of El Pardo in Madrid, leaving two daughters and his queen pregnant with her third child. It was decided that Alfonso’s widow Maria Christina would rule as regent until the child was born. If the child were a male, he would become king and if the child were a female, Alfonso and Maria Christina’s elder daughter María Mercedes would become queen. On May 17, 1886, a son was born who immediately became King Alfonso XIII.

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Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich of Russia

  • Born: December 28, 1875 in Tiflis, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire, now in Georgia
  • Parents: Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia (son of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia) and Princess Cecilie of Baden
  • Died: March 2, 1895, aged 19, in San Remo, Italy
  • Buried: Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Wikipedia: Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich of Russia

Alexei had a desire to serve in the Russian Navy. He has almost completed his training when he became ill with tuberculosis. He was sent to San Remo, Italy for its warmer climate but died there.

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Grand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia

  • Born: May 9, 1871, at the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo outside of St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Parents: Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and Princess Dagmar of Denmark
  • Died: July 10, 1899, aged 28, in Abastumani, Georgia, Russian Empire
  • Buried: Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia

George was the brother of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. Until Nicholas has a son, George was the heir to the Russian throne. At birth, George was weak and suffered from respiratory issues and for a while, his survival was questionable. In childhood, George’s health was problematic and was a great worry to his mother. In 1890, George and Nicholas went on a nine-month-long trip to India and Japan. However, when they reached Bombay, India, George became ill with acute bronchitis and an issue with one of his legs and was sent back home. The doctors knew that George had tuberculosis but kept referring to a “weak chest” and suggested a change in the climate. George and his mother left for Cannes in the south of France but his condition did not improve.

The doctors then suggested that George should be sent to live in the dry mountain climate of Abbas Touman, a spa town, now Abastumani in the country of Georgia, then in Russia. George’s health never improved and he lived permanently in Abbas Touman. On June 28, 1899, George Alexandrovich suddenly died. He had gone out alone to ride his motorcycle and when he did not return, his staff sent out a search party. George had been found lying on the side of the road, struggling to breathe, with blood oozing from his mouth, by a peasant woman who supported him in her arms until he died.

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Mathilde of Bavaria, Princess Ludwig of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

  • Born: August 17, 1877 at the Villa Amsee in Lindau, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
  • Parents: King Ludwig III of Bavaria and Maria Theresa of Austria-Este
  • Married: Prince Ludwig of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1900
  • Died: August 6, 1906, aged 28, in Davos, Switzerland
  • Buried: St. Peter and Paul Church in Starnberg, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
  • Wikipedia: Mathilde of Bavaria, Princess Ludwig of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Mathilde died from tuberculosis.

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Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria

Born: December 27, 1868 in Vienna, Austria
Parents: Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria and Princess Maria Annunciata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
Married: Bertha Czuber in 1909, an unequal marriage
Died: March 10, 1915 in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
Buried: Untermaiser Maria-Trost-Church in Merano, Austria, now in Italy
Wikipedia: Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria

Ferdinand Karl’s mother also died from tuberculosis. (See above.) He was a brother of Archduke Franz Ferdinand whose assassination in 1914 sparked World War I. In 1911 he renounced his rights and titles as a dynast of the House of Habsburg and assumed the name of Ferdinand Burg. By that time, he was already ill with tuberculosis and died four years later,

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Yasuhito, Prince Chichibu of Japan

  • Born: June 25, 1902 at Aoyama Detached Palace in Tokyo, Japan
  • Parents: Emperor Taishō of Japan and Empress Teimei, born Lady Sadako Kujō
  • Married: Setsuko Matsudaira in 1928
  • Died: January 4, 1953, aged 50, at Kugenuma Villa in Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan
  • Wikipedia: Yasuhito, Prince Chichibu

Chichibu was a younger brother of Hirohito, Emperor Shōwa of Japan. In 1940, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He was forced to curtail his activities during and after World War II because of his illness. His condition greatly deteriorated in 1953 and he died.

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