Prince Andreas of Greece

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Prince Andreas of Greece – Photo source: The Peerage

Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark (typically known as Andrew) was born February 2, 1882, in Athens, Greece, the son of King George I of the Hellenes and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia. At his birth, he was fourth in line to the Greek throne behind his three brothers.  Andreas had seven siblings:

As a child, Andreas was considered more ‘Greek’ than most of his siblings, refusing to speak anything but Greek with his parents, despite also speaking several other languages. His education was mostly in military schools, leading to his joining the Greek forces at the age of 19.

Prince Andreas and Princess Alice, c1903.  source: Wikipedia

At the coronation of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom in August 1902, Andreas first met Princess Alice of Battenberg. She was the eldest daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (later the Marquess and Marchioness of Milford Haven). The couple married in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse, in a civil ceremony on October 6, 1903, followed by both Lutheran and Greek Orthodox ceremonies. Over the next 18 years, they had five children:

Prince Andreas’ military service was often interrupted by the political turmoil in Greece. He resigned from the army following a coup d’état in 1909. He later returned in 1912 and found in the Balkan Wars. Following the abdication of his brother King Constantine I in 1917, Andreas went into exile along with most of the Greek royal family. Upon Constantine’s return to the throne in 1920, Andreas was reinstated in the Greek Army and saw service in the Greco-Turkish War. Following another coup d’état in 1922, Andreas was arrested and court-martialled. He was found guilty and faced possible death. Through the efforts of King George V of the United Kingdom, arrangements were made for Andreas to be spared, and with his family, he went into exile again. The family settled in Saint-Cloud, on the outskirts of Paris, France.

Prince Andrew and his family in 1928

Prince Andreas and his family in 1928; Credit – Wikipedia

Andreas spent the next several years defending his actions during his military service in Greece, even writing a book in 1930 – Towards Disaster: The Greek Army in Asia Minor in 1921.  By the early 1930s, Andreas had less and less contact with his family.  His wife Alice suffered a nervous breakdown and was institutionalized, his four daughters had all married into former German royal families, and his son was attending school first in Germany and then in the United Kingdom.  Somewhat at a loss, having been forced into a life of retirement, Andreas moved to the French Riviera.  There, he enjoyed a life of leisure, spending much of his time living aboard the yacht of his mistress, Countess Andrée de La Bigne.

Andreas only returned to Greece once, in 1936, after Greece had reversed his exile, and restored assets to the Greek royal family.  The following year, tragedy brought the family together.  In November 1937, Andreas’s daughter Cecilie, along with her husband, two sons, and mother-in-law were killed in a plane crash in Belgium. Andreas attended the funeral in Darmstadt, Germany where he was reunited with his wife Alice and son Philip for the first time in six years.  However, the reunion was short-lived, and Prince Andreas soon returned to his life in France.

The onset of World War II ended the little contact Andreas had with his wife and children.  His wife had returned to Greece, his daughters, having married German princes, were all behind German lines, and his son was fighting for the British forces.  His hopes of once again seeing his children soon came to an end.  Prince Andreas died at the Metropole Hotel in Monte Carlo on December 3, 1944, at the age of 62.  It had been five years since he had seen his wife or son.  Prince Andreas was initially buried at the Russian Orthodox Church in Nice, France, and in 1946, his remains were reinterred in the royal cemetery at Tatoi Palace in Greece.

Grave of Prince Andreas; Photo: www,findagrave.com

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Princess Alice of Battenberg, Princess Andreas of Greece

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Princess Alice of Battenberg, Princess Andreas of Greece and Denmark; circa 1967

Princess Alice of Battenberg was the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She was born HSH Princess Victoria Alice Elisabeth Julia Maria on February 25, 1885, in the Tapestry Room at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. Her parents were Prince Ludwig (Louis) of Battenberg, later 1st Marquess of Milford Haven, and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, a grandchild of Queen Victoria.

Alice was the eldest child, with three younger siblings:

Alice was christened in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany, on April 25, 1885, with the following godparents:

As a child, Alice was diagnosed with congenital deafness and learned to lip-read in both English and German. Later, she also learned French and Greek. Her childhood was spent in Darmstadt and Jugenheim, both in the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse, as well as London, England, and Malta where her father was stationed. The family was very close to their British relatives, and Alice served as a bridesmaid at the 1893 wedding of the future King George V of the United Kingdom and Princess Mary of Teck. Alice’s family was also very close to their Russian relatives. Her aunt was Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia, the former Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, and the families often spent holidays together in Darmstadt.

At the 1902 coronation of her great-uncle, King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, Alice met Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark. They quickly fell in love and were married in a civil ceremony in Darmstadt on October 6, 1903. The following day, two religious ceremonies were held, one Lutheran and one Greek Orthodox. Their wedding was one of the last large gatherings of European royals before World War I. The couple settled into a wing of the Royal Palace in Athens, Greece, and had five children:

While Andreas pursued his military career, Alice raised her family and became involved in charity work in Greece. However, the political situation in Greece was often tenuous, and the family was forced into exile several times. They lived in Switzerland for several years before King Constantine II was restored to the Greek throne in 1920. Their return to Greece was short-lived. In 1922, King Constantine II was forced to abdicate and Prince Andreas was arrested and charged with treason. He was court-martialed and convicted and would have probably been executed had it not been for the intervention of Alice’s cousin, King George V of the United Kingdom. King George sent a British cruiser HMS Calypso to take Andreas, Alice, and their children into exile.

The family settled in Saint-Cloud, outside of Paris, France in a small house owned by Andreas’s sister-in-law Princess George of Greece (the former Marie Bonaparte). Alice worked in a charity shop for Greek refugees and became very religious. On October 20, 1928, she very quietly converted to the Greek Orthodox Church. Soon, Alice began to show signs of mental illness. In 1930, following a nervous breakdown, Princess Alice was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. She was institutionalized in a sanatorium in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland, under the care of Dr. Ludwig Binswanger. After two years in Kreuzlingen and a brief stay at a clinic in Merano, Italy, she was released. It would be another four years before she had contact with her children, having only maintained ties with her mother.

During her absence, all four of her daughters had married and begun their own families. Sadly, it was a tragic event that brought Alice back into contact with her children. On November 16, 1937, Alice’s daughter Cecilie, along with her husband, two children, and mother-in-law were killed in a plane crash in Belgium. Alice attended the funeral in Darmstadt, reconnecting with her surviving children, and meeting her husband for the first time in six years.

In 1938, Alice returned to Greece, continuing her work with the poor. Along with her sister-in-law Princess Nicholas of Greece (the former Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia), Alice worked with the Red Cross during World War II to organize shelters and nurses in the poor neighborhoods of Athens. Alice and Elena had been the only two members of the Greek Royal Family to remain in the country, while the rest had gone into exile in South Africa. In 1943, after the German Army occupied Athens, and while most Jews were being deported to concentration camps, Alice hid a Jewish widow Rachel Cohen and two of her children in her home. Thirty years earlier, Mrs. Cohen’s husband had come to the aid of King George I of Greece, and the King had offered to someday repay him if there was ever anything he could do for him. Mrs. Cohen remembered this promise and reached out to Princess Alice. Alice, who saw both the opportunity to repay the debt and help save their lives, took the family in, risking her own life in doing so. The following year, she was widowed when Prince Andreas died in Monte Carlo. The two had not seen each other since 1939.

In November 1947, Alice returned to the United Kingdom for her son’s wedding. Some of her jewels were used to create Elizabeth’s engagement ring and a bracelet that Philip designed for her as a wedding gift. On November 20, 1947, Alice attended the wedding, although none of her daughters had been invited due to their marriages to Germans, and the still-strong anti-German sentiment after the war. In the group photo from the wedding above, Princess Alice is seen in the front row on the left, standing next to Queen Mary. Alice’s mother, the Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven is seen on the far right, next to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

Just over a year later, Princess Alice founded a nursing order of nuns, the Christian Sisterhood of Martha and Mary. She established a home for the order just north of Athens and trained on the Greek island of Tinos. Alice made two tours of the United States to raise funds to support the order. Many people were perplexed by this venture, none more so than Alice’s mother, the Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven, who reportedly said: “What can you say of a nun who smokes and plays canasta?” Unfortunately, the order did not last very long, due to a limited number of applicants. However, Alice continued her work supporting those in need and dressed as a nun for the rest of her life.

Alice leading her family’s procession at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, June 1953

On June 2, 1953, Princess Alice attended the coronation of her daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, at Westminster Abbey in London. Wearing a gown designed to look like a nun’s habit, she led the formal procession of Philip’s family, including his three surviving sisters and his uncle Prince George of Greece.

photo: Hello!

Alice remained in Greece, working to help the poor and those in need. However, as the political situation worsened, and with her children’s growing concern for her safety, it soon became obvious that she would need to leave the country she had grown to love so much since first arriving in 1903. She left Greece in 1967 following the Colonels’ Coup and was invited by her son and daughter-in-law to live at Buckingham Palace in London, England. She died there on December 5, 1969, at the age of 84. Following her funeral, her remains were placed in the Royal Crypt at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. Alice had previously expressed her wish to be buried near her aunt Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia, born Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, at the Convent of Saint Mary Magdalene on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. On August 3, 1988, nearly 19 years after her death, her remains were moved to Jerusalem and placed in a crypt below the church.

On October 31, 1994, Princess Alice was posthumously recognized as Righteous Among the Nations for her sheltering of persecuted Jews during World War II. In 2010, she was named a Hero of the Holocaust by the British Government.

King Charles III visiting his grandmother’s tomb in September 2016. photo: Clarence House/PA

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Adela of Normandy, Countess of Blois

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Credit – Wikipedia

Adela, a daughter of King William I of England (the Conqueror) and Matilda of Flanders, was born around 1167, probably in Normandy. She was the mother of King Stephen of England who fought a long civil war known as The Anarchy for the English throne with his first cousin Empress Matilda, the only surviving legitimate child of King Henry I of England.

Adela had at least nine siblings The birth order of her brothers is clear, but that of her sisters is not. It is fairly certain that Adela was her parents’ youngest daughter. The list below is not in birth order. It lists Adela’s brothers first in their birth order and then her sisters in their probable birth order.

Despite her royal duties, Adela’s mother Matilda oversaw the upbringing of her children and all were known for being well educated. Her daughters were educated and taught to read Latin at the Abbaye-aux-Dames (Holy Trinity) in Caen, Normandy. For her sons, Matilda secured Lanfranc, later Archbishop of Canterbury, as their teacher. Adela had a close relationship with her brother, the future King Henry I of England. They were probably the youngest children in the family and probably the only ones born after their father’s conquest of England in 1066.

The chronicler Orderic Vitalis says that Adela’s father wanted an alliance with Theobald III, Count of Blois and so a marriage was arranged between Adela and Theobold’s eldest son Stephen.  Adela and Stephen probably were married in 1081 in Chartres, one of the main cities in the County of Blois.

Adela and Stephen had ten children, listed below in their probable birth order:

Adela and three of her sons, William, Theobald, and Stephen; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1089, upon the death of his father Theobald, Adela’s husband Stephen became Count of Blois and inherited the counties of Blois, Chartres, Châteaudun, and Meux. Stephen left for the Holy Land in 1096 to participate in the First Crusade (1095 – 1099) along with Adela’s brother Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy. In her husband’s absence, Adela acted as regent. During the Siege of Antioch, Stephen, together with other Crusaders, considered their situation very weak and were sure of certain defeat, so they abandoned his comrades in arms. Stephen returned home in 1098 without having fulfilled his crusading vow to make his way to Jerusalem.

Because Stephen had returned home without fulfilling his vow to get to Jerusalem, he was pressured by Adela to join the Crusade of 1101, also called the Crusade of the Faint-Hearted because of the number of participants who joined this crusade after having turned back from the First Crusade. Stephen did manage to get to Jerusalem, but this time instead of returning home because he reached his goal, he chose to remain and continue fighting. On May 17, 1102, during the Second Battle of Ramla, Stephen II, Count of Blois was captured after being besieged in the tower of the city and beheaded at the age of 57.

The new Count of Blois was Adela’s eldest son William. However, Adela soon removed him from a number of his duties because of his erratic behavior. He was nicknamed William the Simple, possibly because of a mental deficiency. When the next eldest brother Theobold came of age in 1107, Adela made him Count of Blois. William retired to his wife’s home in Sully-sur-Loire.

Around the same time, Adela sent her youngest son Henry, destined for a life in the Church, to the Abbey of Cluny in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France.  In 1126, Henry’s maternal uncle King Henry I of England appointed him to be the Abbot at Glastonbury Abbey in England. Three years later, Henry was made Bishop of Winchester and because he so loved Glastonbury Abbey, he was allowed to remain as the Abbot. In 1139, Henry became a papal legate, a higher rank than the Archbishop of Canterbury, making him the most powerful person in the English Church. Henry was a power player during the reigns of his uncle King Henry I, his brother King Stephen, and his first cousin once removed King Henry II.

Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 25, 1120, the White Ship left Normandy, bound for England and carrying many of the heirs of the great estates of England and Normandy including William Ætheling, the only son and the heir of Adela’s brother King Henry I of England. Also on board was Adela’s daughter Lucia-Mahaut and her husband Richard d’Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester. Unfortunately, the White Ship hit a submerged rock, capsized, and sank. About 300 people drowned. The chronicler Orderic Vitalis writes that only two people survived the shipwreck by clinging on to a rock all night. For more information, see Unofficial Royalty: The Sinking of the White Ship and How It Affected the English Succession.

The Sinking of the White Ship; Credit – Wikipedia

The tragedy of the White Ship left King Henry I with only one legitimate child, his daughter Matilda. Henry I’s nephews, including the sons of Adela, were the closest male heirs. In January of 1121, Henry I married his second wife Adeliza of Louvain, hoping for sons, but the marriage remained childless. On Christmas Day of 1226, King Henry I of England gathered his nobles at Westminster where they swore to recognize Matilda and any future legitimate heir she might have as his successors. That plan did not work out. Upon hearing of King Henry I’s death on December 1, 1135, Adela’s son Stephen of Blois, quickly crossed the English Channel from France, seized power, and was crowned King of England on December 22, 1135. This started the terrible civil war between Stephen and Matilda known as The Anarchy. England did not see peace for 18 years until Matilda’s son acceded to the throne as King Henry II of England in 1153.

King Stephen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Adela lived through the sinking of the White Ship, her son Henry becoming Bishop of Winchester, her son Stephen becoming King of England, and the beginning of the terrible civil war, The Anarchy. In 1120, Adela had retired to the Priory of the Holy Trinity of Marcigny-lès-Nonnains in Marcigny, now in the Burgundy region of France. There is some evidence that Adela served as the prioress. Although Adela was living out her life as a nun, she did not totally isolate herself. She continued to exert her influence and communicated with her children and the religious and political leaders of the lands she once ruled. Adela died on March 8, 1137, aged 69–70, at the Priory of the Holy Trinity of Marcigny-lès-Nonnains. She was buried at the Abbaye-aux-Dames in Caen, Duchy of Normandy, now in France, near the grave of her mother with these simple words on her grave, “Adele, fille du roi” (Adele, daughter of the king).

Abbaye-aux-Dames; Photo Credit – By I, Pradigue, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2441612

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
“Adele d’Inghilterra.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.
“First crusade.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Jan. 2017. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.
Online, Catholic, and St Adela. “Adela of Normandy.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Jan. 2017. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.
“Stefano II di Blois.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.
“Stephen, count of Blois.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Nov. 2016. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.
Susan. “November 25, 1120 – the sinking of the white ship and how it affected the English succession.” British Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 25 Nov. 2015. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.

Robert III Curthose, Duke of Normandy

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Credit – Wikipedia

Robert Curthose, the eldest son of King William I of England (the Conqueror) and Matilda of Flanders, was born in Normandy around 1051. Despite being the eldest son, Robert did not follow his father upon the English throne. Robert’s nickname Curthose comes from the Norman French courtheuse, meaning “short stockings.” The chroniclers William of Malmesbury and Orderic Vitalis reported that the insulting name came from Robert’s father who was making fun of his son’s short stature.

Robert had at least nine siblings. The birth order of the boys is clear, but that of the girls is not. The list below is not in birth order.  It lists Robert’s brothers first in their birth order and then his sisters in their probable birth order.

As a child, Robert was engaged to marry Marguerite of Maine, daughter of Hugh IV, Count of Maine, but Marguerite died in 1063 before their marriage could take place. Robert was brave and well trained as a knight but also had a lazy and weak character.

In 1066, Robert’s father, William III, Duke of Normandy, invaded England and defeated the last Anglo-Saxon King, Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. The Duke of Normandy was now also King William I of England. Even before the division of land occurred in 1087, Robert and his brothers had a strained relationship. The contemporary chronicler Orderic Vitalis, wrote about an incident that occurred at L’Aigle in Normandy in 1077. William Rufus and Henry grew bored with playing dice and decided to make mischief by emptying a chamber pot on their brother Robert from an upper gallery. Robert was infuriated, a brawl broke out and their father had to intercede to restore order. Angered because his father did not punish his brothers, Robert and his followers then attempted to siege the castle at Rouen (Normandy) but were forced to flee when the Duke of Normandy attacked their camp. This led to a three-year estrangement between Robert and his family which only ended through the efforts of Robert’s mother.

In 1087, King William I divided his lands between his two eldest surviving sons. Robert Curthose was to receive the Duchy of Normandy and William Rufus was to receive the Kingdom of England. Henry was to receive 5,000 pounds of silver and his mother’s English estates. King William I of England (the Conqueror) died on September 9, 1087. Robert Curthose became Robert III Curthose, Duke of Normandy and William Rufus became King William II Rufus of England. Henry received the money, but no land.

William Rufus and Robert Curthose continued having a strained relationship. William Rufus alternated between supporting Robert against the King of France and opposing him for the control of Normandy. Henry was constantly being forced to choose between his two brothers and whichever brother he picked, he was likely to annoy the other. After William I died and his lands were divided, nobles who had land in both Normandy and England found it impossible to serve two lords. If they supported William Rufus, then Robert might deprive them of their Norman land. If they supported Robert, then they were in danger of losing their English land.

The only solution the nobles saw was to unite Normandy and England, and this led them to revolt against William Rufus in favor of Robert in the Rebellion of 1088, under the leadership of the Bishop Odo of Bayeux, the half-brother of William the Conqueror. The rebellion was unsuccessful partly because Robert never showed up to support the English rebels.

In 1096, Robert left for the Holy Land on the First Crusade. In order to raise money for the crusade, he mortgaged the Duchy of Normandy to his brother King William II Rufus. The two older brothers made a pact stating that if one of them died without heirs, both Normandy and England would be reunited under the surviving brother. William Rufus then ruled Normandy as regent in Robert’s absence.

On August 2, 1100, King William II Rufus rode out from Winchester Castle on a hunting expedition to the New Forest, accompanied by his brother Henry and several nobles. According to most contemporary accounts, William Rufus was chasing after a stag followed by Walter Tirel, a noble. William Rufus shot an arrow but missed the stag. He then called out to Walter to shoot, which he did, but the arrow hit the king in his chest, puncturing his lungs, and killing him. Walter Tirel jumped on his horse and fled to France.

William Rufus’ elder brother, Robert Curthose, was still on Crusade, so the youngest brother Henry was able to seize the crown of England for himself. Henry hurried to Winchester to secure the royal treasury. The day after William Rufus’ funeral at Winchester, the nobles elected Henry king. Henry then left for London where he was crowned three days after William’s death by the Bishop of London. King Henry I would not wait for the Archbishop of Canterbury to arrive. There is still speculation that there was a conspiracy to assassinate William Rufus.

On his way back from the Crusades, Robert married a wealthy heiress Sybilla of Conversano in 1100 at the bride’s hometown of Apulia (now in Italy). Unbeknownst to Robert, the death of his brother William Rufus removed the necessity of redeeming the Duchy of Normandy. Upon returning to Normandy, finding out that one brother was dead and the other brother had seized the English throne, Robert claimed the English crown based upon the pact he had made with William Rufus: that if one of them died without heirs, both Normandy and England would be reunited under the surviving brother. In 1101, Robert led an invasion to oust his brother Henry from the English throne. He landed at Portsmouth with his army but found that there was little support for his cause. Robert was forced to renounce his claim to the English throne in the 1100 Treaty of Alton.

Robert and Sybilla had one son:

  • William Clito (1102 – 1128), heir to the Duchy of Normandy, married (1) Sibylla of Anjou, no issue, marriage annulled (2) Joanna of Montferrat, no issue

Less than six months after her son’s birth, Sybilla died on March 18, 1103, at Rouen in Normandy and was buried at Rouen Cathedral. According to chroniclers Orderic Vitalis and Robert de Torigni, Sybilla was poisoned by her husband’s mistress Agnes de Ribemont.

In 1105, King Henry I invaded Normandy and defeated Robert’s army at the Battle of Tinchebray on September 28, 1106.  Normandy remained a possession of the English crown for over a century. Robert was captured after the battle and spent the rest of his life imprisoned, first at
Devizes Castle for twenty years and then at Cardiff Castle for the remainder of his life.  Robert Curthose lived into his eighties and died at Cardiff Castle on February 10, 1134. He was buried in the abbey church of St. Peter in Gloucester which later became Gloucester Cathedral. The memorial to him which can still be seen at Gloucester Cathedral is from a much later date.

Memorial to Robert Curthose; Credit – By Nilfanion – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24852186

Robert’s only child, William Clito, was unlucky all his life. His attempts to invade Normandy failed twice (1119 and 1125). His first marriage to Sibylla of Anjou was annulled by the scheming of his uncle King Henry I. His second marriage to Joanna of Montferrat, half-sister of King Louis VI of France was childless. Louis VI did help William Clito become the Count of Flanders, but William Clito was wounded in a battle and died from gangrene at the age of 25 on July 28, 1128. He was buried at the Abbey of St. Bertin, a Benedictine abbey in Saint-Omer, France. He left no children and his imprisoned father survived him by six years.

William Clito; 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

  • Anglorum, Gesta Regum. “Robert II de Normandie.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 1063. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.
  • “Robert Curthose.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Jan. 2017. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.
    “Roberto II di Normandia.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.
  • Susan Flantzer. “King Henry I of England.” British Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 30 Aug. 2015. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.
  • Susan Flantzer. “King William I of England (the conqueror).” British Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 25 Aug. 2016. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.
  • Susan Flantzer. (2016). King William II Rufus of England. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-william-ii-rufus-of-england/ [Accessed 20 Oct. 2019].
  • “Sybilla of Conversano.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Oct. 2016. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.
  • “William Clito.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Oct. 2016. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.
  • Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Top Ten Articles of February 2017

The top ten viewed articles for February 2017 have five articles about Queen Victoria’s family. People in the United States watching the series about Queen Victoria on PBS must have been interested in learning more about her family. Our article What’s Wrong With “Victoria”? Why the Alternative Facts? which examines some inaccuracies in the series also appears in the top ten. We invite you to spend some time checking out our archive of over 1,000 articles about royalty, past, and present, at Unofficial Royalty: Royal Articles Index.

  1. Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
  2. King Edward VIII, The Duke of Windsor
  3. Tragedy in the British Royal Family at the end of August
  4. Americans Who Married Royalty

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  5. What’s Wrong With “Victoria”? Why the Alternative Facts?
  6. Wedding of Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones and Daniel Chatto
  7. Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia
  8. Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duchess of Kent
  9. Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Consort
  10. Death of Princess Charlotte of Wales in childbirth and its impact on the British succession

March 1917: Royalty and World War I

by Susan Flantzer

  • Abdication of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia
  • Timeline: March 1, 1917 – March 31, 1917
  • A Note About German Titles
  • March 1917 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

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Abdication of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia

Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, 1912; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Tsar Nicholas II of Russia was born on May 18, 1868, the eldest son of Tsar Alexander III of Russia and Princess Dagmar of Denmark, known as Maria Feodorovna after her marriage. He became Tsar at the age of 26 upon the death of his father on November 1, 1894. Shortly afterward, on November 26, 1894, Nicholas married Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, the youngest surviving child of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.  After her marriage, Alix was known as Alexandra Feodorovna.

Nicholas and his wife were related to many other royals. Nicholas was a grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark, the maternal nephew of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, King George I of Greece, and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom (wife of King Edward VII). Among his first cousins were King George V of the United Kingdom, King Christian X of Denmark, King Haakon VII of Norway and his wife Queen Maud (daughter of King Edward VII), King Constantine I of Greece and Prince Andrew of Greece, the father of Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.

Alexandra was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria; the niece of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom; Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress and Queen of Prussia (wife of Friedrich III, German Emperor); Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; and Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Her first cousins included Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia, Queen Sophie of Greece, King George V of the United Kingdom, Queen Maud of Norway, Queen Marie of Romania, Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden, Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain.

Nicholas and Alexandra had four daughters and one son. Their son, Alexei, the heir to the throne, was a sufferer of the blood-clotting genetic disease hemophilia. Alexandra’s grandmother Queen Victoria was a hemophilia carrier. Her son Leopold suffered from hemophilia and it is assumed that a spontaneous mutation occurred in Queen Victoria. Alexandra’s brother Friedrich was a hemophilia sufferer who had died at the age of two from a brain hemorrhage after falling out a window, so, therefore, her mother Alice was a hemophilia carrier.
Unofficial Royalty: Hemophilia in Queen Victoria’s Descendants

Russian Imperial Family (between circa 1913 and circa 1914); Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Nicholas mobilized the Russian troops in 1914 which led to Russia’s entrance into World War I on the side of Entente Powers (also known as the Allies of World War I or the Allies). See Unofficial Royalty: World War I: Who Was On What Side? In the midst of World War I, the February Revolution, the first of two revolutions in Russia, took place in 1917. Later in 1917, the October Revolution occurred, paving the way for the establishment of the Soviet Union.

Historian Alexander Rabinowitch in The Bolsheviks in Power: The First Year of Soviet Rule in Petrograd, summarized the reasons for the February Revolution: The February 1917 revolution “… grew out of prewar political and economic instability, technological backwardness, and fundamental social divisions, coupled with gross mismanagement of the war effort, continuing military defeats, domestic economic dislocation, and outrageous scandals surrounding the monarchy.” The revolution was confined to the capital St. Petersburg and its surrounding areas and lasted less than a week. It involved mass demonstrations and armed clashes with police and forces of the Russian army. The immediate result of the revolution was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire.

By March 12, 1917, all the remaining regiments of the Russian Imperial Army had mutinied. A Provisional Government was formed which issued a demand that Nicholas must abdicate. At this time, Nicholas was not in St. Petersburg, but at the Stavka, the headquarters of the Russian Imperial Army in Mogilev (now in Belarus), 500 miles/800km away, living on the Imperial Train. Despite many earlier warnings from many people that he should return to the capital, Nicholas remained at the Stavka.

Finally, when it was too late to take any action, Nicholas decided to return to his family at Tsarskoe Selo, 15 miles/24 km from St. Petersburg, the site of Alexander Palace, the family’s favorite residence. Aboard the train, Nicholas heard the news that the last of the regiments had mutinied and he realized he had no choice but to abdicate. On March 15, 1917, aboard the Imperial Train headed to Tsarskoe Selo, Nicholas signed the abdication manifesto. At first, he decided to abdicate in favor of his son Alexei, but he changed his mind after conferring with doctors who said the hemophiliac Alexei would not survive without his parents, who would surely be exiled. Nicholas then decided to abdicate in favor of his brother Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich. However, Michael declined to accept the throne unless the people were allowed to vote for the continuation of the monarchy or for a republic.

Nicholas issued the following statement:

“In the days of the great struggle against the foreign enemies, who for nearly three years have tried to enslave our fatherland, the Lord God has been pleased to send down on Russia a new heavy trial. Internal popular disturbances threaten to have a disastrous effect on the future conduct of this persistent war. The destiny of Russia, the honor of our heroic army, the welfare of the people and the whole future of our dear fatherland demand that the war should be brought to a victorious conclusion whatever the cost. The cruel enemy is making his last efforts, and already the hour approaches when our glorious army together with our gallant allies will crush him. In these decisive days in the life of Russia, We thought it Our duty of conscience to facilitate for Our people the closest union possible and a consolidation of all national forces for the speedy attainment of victory. In agreement with the Imperial Duma We have thought it well to renounce the Throne of the Russian Empire and to lay down the supreme power. As We do not wish to part from Our beloved son, We transmit the succession to Our brother, the Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, and give Him Our blessing to mount the Throne of the Russian Empire. We direct Our brother to conduct the affairs of state in full and inviolable union with the representatives of the people in the legislative bodies on those principles which will be established by them, and on which He will take an inviolable oath. In the name of Our dearly beloved homeland, We call on Our faithful sons of the fatherland to fulfill their sacred duty to the fatherland, to obey the Tsar in the heavy moment of national trials, and to help Him, together with the representatives of the people, to guide the Russian Empire on the road to victory, welfare, and glory. May the Lord God help Russia!”

One of the last photographs taken of Nicholas II, take Tsarskoe Selo after his abdication, Spring 1917; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Nicholas and his family were held under house arrest first at the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoe Selo, and later at the Governor’s Mansion in Tobolsk, Siberia between August 1917 – April 1918. In April 1918, they were moved to the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Siberia. It was here on the morning of July 17, 1918, that the family was brought to a room in the basement and assassinated.
Unofficial Royalty: Execution by firing squad of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family

Works Cited

  • “February revolution.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Feb. 2017. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.
  • Lincoln, Bruce W., and Lincoln. The Romanovs: Autocrats of All the Russias: Autocrats of All the Russias. New York, NY, Unofficialtes: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, 1983. Print.
  • “Nicholas II of Russia.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Feb. 2017. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.
  • Perry, John Curtis, and Constantine Pleshakov. The Flight of the Romanovs: A Family Saga. New York, NY, United States: William S. Konecky Associates, 1999. Print.
  • Rabinowitch, Alexander. The Bolsheviks in Power: The First Year of Soviet Rule in Petrograd. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2008. Print.
  • Scott. “Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.” Russian Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 28 Mar. 2015. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.

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Timeline: March 1, 1916 – March 31, 1917

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A Note About German Titles

Many German royals and nobles died in World War I. The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent states, most of them ruled by royal families. Scroll down to German Empire here to see what constituent states made up the German Empire.  The constituent states retained their own governments, but had limited sovereignty. Some had their own armies, but the military forces of the smaller ones were put under Prussian control. In wartime, armies of all the constituent states would be controlled by the Prussian Army and the combined forces were known as the Imperial German Army.  German titles may be used in Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action below. Refer to Unofficial Royalty: Glossary of German Noble and Royal Titles.

24 British peers were also killed in World War I and they will be included in the list of those who died in action. In addition, more than 100 sons of peers also lost their lives, and those that can be verified will also be included.

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March 1917 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

The list is in chronological order and does contain some who would be considered noble instead of royal. The links in the last bullet for each person is that person’s genealogical information from Leo’s Genealogics Website or to The Peerage website.  If a person has a Wikipedia page or a website page with biographical information, their name will be linked to that page.

Captain The Honorable Eric Fox Pitt Lubbock, Photo Credit – http://www.lijssenthoek.be

Captain The Honorable Eric Fox Pitt Lubbock

  • son of John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury and Alice Lane Fox-Pitt
  • born May 16, 1893 in Westminster, London, England
  • Captain and Flight-Commander in the Royal Flying Corps
  • killed in aerial combat March 11, 1917 at Ypres, Belgium , age 23
  • his brother Lieutenant The Honorable Harold Fox Pitt Lubbock was also killed in World War I on April 4, 1918
  • buried at the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery in Poperinge, West Flanders, Belgium
  • http://www.thepeerage.com/p5626.htm#i56252

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Lieutenant The Honorable Charles Frearson Younger, Photo Credit – http://www.winchestercollegeatwar.com

Lieutenant The Honorable Charles Frearson Younger

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Captain The Honorable Lawrence Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth

  • son of Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth, 1st Baron Shuttleworth and Blanche Parish
  • born September 21, 1887
  • married 1913 Selina Bridgeman, had two sons and one daughter, both his sons were killed in action during World War II: Flying Officer Richard Kay-Shuttleworth, 2nd Baron Shuttleworth was killed in action during the Battle of Britain; Captain Ronald Kay-Shuttleworth, 3rd Baron Shuttleworth was killed in action in North Africa

‘The Kay-Shuttleworth family’ by Bassano Ltd whole-plate glass negative, 12 January 1920 NPG x120020 © National Portrait Gallery, London

  • Captain and Adjutant in the Royal Field Artillery
  • killed in action March 30, 1917 at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in France, age 29
  • buried at the Villers Station Cemetery in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France
  • his brother Captain The Honorable Edward Kay-Shuttleworth was also killed in World War I on July 10, 1017
  • http://www.thepeerage.com/p8277.htm#i82761

Empress Matilda, Lady of the English

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Empress Matilda, Lady of the English; Credit – Wikipedia

Matilda, the only daughter and the eldest of the two children of King Henry I of England and his first wife Matilda (born Edith) of Scotland, was born circa February 7, 1102, probably at the manor house at Sutton Courtenay in Oxfordshire, England.  Matilda is sometimes known as Maud or Maude which are variants of Matilda.  Matilda was the Latin or Norman form and Maud/Maude was the Saxon form.

Matilda’s paternal grandparents were King William I of England (the Conqueror) and Matilda of Flanders.  King Malcolm III of Scotland and Saint Margaret of Scotland were her maternal grandparents.

Matilda had one younger brother who was the heir to the throne:

Matilda’s father King Henry I is the British monarch who had the most illegitimate children, at least 24. The most notable of the illegitimate children was the oldest, Robert Fitzroy, 1st Earl of Gloucester, who became Matilda’s chief military supporter during the civil war known as The Anarchy.

Nothing is known of Matilda’s early childhood. In 1108 or 1109, a marriage was contracted between Matilda and Heinrich V, Holy Roman Emperor who was about 16 years older than Matilda. In February 1110, Heinrich’s envoy Burchard, later Bishop of Cambrai, came to England to bring Matilda to Germany. Also accompanying Matilda were English clerics and Norman knights including her first cousin Henry of Blois, then an archdeacon, later Bishop of Winchester.

Matilda and Heinrich first met at Liège (now in Belgium). They then traveled to Utrecht (now in the Netherlands) where they were officially betrothed on April 10, 1110. On July 25, 1110, Matilda was crowned by Friedrich I, Archbishop of Cologne.  Eight-year-old Matilda was then placed into the custody of Bruno, Archbishop of Trier, who educated her in the German language and culture and in the government of the Holy Roman Empire. On January 7, 1114, 12-year-old Matilda married 28-year-old Heinrich at Mainz Cathedral in Mainz, Archbishopric of Mainz, Holy Roman Empire, now in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Matilda, now with her own household, entered public life as the Holy Roman Empress. Matilda and Heinrich had no children.

Heinrich and Matilda; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 25, 1120, William Ætheling, King Henry I’s only legitimate son and Matilda’s brother, was returning to England from Normandy when his ship hit a submerged rock, capsized, and sank. William Ætheling and many others drowned. Although King Henry I had many illegitimate children, the tragedy of the White Ship left him with only one legitimate child, his daughter Matilda. Henry I’s nephews were his closest male heirs. Henry I’s first wife, Matilda of Scotland, had died in 1118. In 1121, 53-year-old Henry I, hoping for a male heir, married the 18-year-old Adeliza of Louvain.

The sinking of the White Ship; Credit – Wikipedia

Matilda’s husband Heinrich was suffering from cancer. He died on May 23, 1125, at the age of 44, leaving Matilda as a 23-year-old childless widow with the choice of becoming a nun or remarrying. Some marriage offers started to arrive but she chose to return to Normandy in 1125 or 1126.

Henry I’s marriage to Adeliza of Louvain remained childless and the future of the Norman dynasty was at risk, so Henry looked to his nephews as possible heirs. His sister Adela had married Stephen II, Count of Blois and Henry considered two sons from this marriage: his nephews Stephen of Blois (the future King Stephen of England) and Theobold, Count of Blois and Count of Champagne.  Somewhere around 1113 – 1115, Stephen first visited his uncle’s court in England. He soon became a favorite of his uncle who bestowed upon him lands won in battle, the County of Mortain (in France) and Alençon in southern Normandy. In 1125, King Henry I arranged for Stephen to marry Matilda of Boulogne, the only surviving child and heiress of Eustace III, Count of Boulogne.

Another option was William Clito, the only son of Henry I’s elder brother Robert Curthose, who was in open rebellion against his uncle for the Duchy of Normandy which Henry had taken from William Clito’s father. Upon Matilda’s return to her father’s court, Henry I’s preferred choice of a successor fell to his daughter and her successors. On Christmas Day 1126, King Henry I of England gathered his nobles at Westminster where they swore to recognize Matilda and any future legitimate heir she might have as his successors.

In 1126, King Henry I arranged for his daughter Matilda to marry Geoffrey of Anjou, eldest son of Fulk, Count of Anjou. Matilda was quite unhappy about the marriage. She was eleven years older than Geoffrey and marriage to a mere future Count would diminish her status as the widow of an Emperor. Nevertheless, the couple was married at the Cathedral of Saint Julian of Le Mans on June 17, 1128. Matilda and Geoffrey did not get along and their marriage was stormy with frequent, long separations. Matilda insisted on retaining her title of Empress for the rest of her life. In 1129,  her husband became Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou when his father left for the Holy Land where he was to become King of Jerusalem.

Matilda and Geoffrey had three sons:

Geoffrey of Anjou; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 1, 1135, King Henry I of England died. His nephew Stephen of Blois quickly crossed from Boulogne (France) to England, accompanied by his military household. With the help of his brother Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester, Stephen seized power in England and was crowned King Stephen of England on December 22, 1135. Empress Matilda did not give up her claim to England and Normandy, leading to the long civil war known as The Anarchy between 1135 and 1153.

King Stephen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Matilda’s illegitimate half-brother Robert FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Gloucester rebelled against Stephen, starting the beginnings of civil war in England. Meanwhile, Matilda’s husband Geoffrey took advantage of the situation by invading Normandy. Matilda’s maternal uncle King David I of Scotland invaded the north of England and announced that he was supporting the claim of Matilda to the throne. Matilda gathered an invasion army and landed in England in September 1139 with the support of her half-brother Robert and several powerful barons.

In 1141, at the Battle of Lincoln, King Stephen was captured, imprisoned, and deposed while Matilda ruled for a short time. Stephen’s brother Henry, Bishop of Winchester turned against his brother and a church council at Winchester declared that Stephen was deposed and declared Empress Matilda “Lady of the English.” Stephen’s queen, Matilda of Boulogne, rallied Stephen’s supporters and raised an army with the help of William of Ypres, Stephen’s chief lieutenant. Matilda of Boulogne recaptured London for Stephen and forced Empress Matilda to withdraw from the siege of Winchester, leading to Stephen’s release in 1141 in exchange for the Empress’ illegitimate brother Robert of Gloucester who had also been captured.

Battle of Lincoln; Credit – Wikipedia

After the Battle of Lincoln, Empress Matilda established her base at Oxford Castle. In December 1141, Stephen unexpectedly marched upon Oxford. He attacked and seized the town and then besieged Matilda at Oxford Castle. Matilda responded by escaping from the castle. The popular version of the story has Matilda dressed in white as camouflage in the snow, being lowered down the wall with several knights, and escaping into the night. However, the chronicler William of Malmesbury suggests Matilda was not lowered down the walls but instead sneaked out of one of the gates. Matilda safely reached Abingdon-on-Thames and Oxford Castle surrendered to Stephen the next day.

Oxford Castle; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer, July 2015

By the mid-1140s, the fighting had slowed down, there was a stalemate and the succession began to be the focus. Empress Matilda returned to Normandy in 1147. In the same year, Matilda’s husband and her eldest son Henry FitzEmpress, the future King Henry II, mounted a small, unsuccessful mercenary invasion of England. Matilda remained in Normandy where she focused on stabilizing the Duchy of Normandy and promoting her son’s rights to the English throne.

Stephen unsuccessfully attempted to have his son Eustace recognized by the Church as the next King of England. By the early 1150s, most of the barons and the Church wanted long-term peace. Ironically, Stephen’s son Eustace died on the same day that Henry FitzEmpress’ eldest son William was born. Although William died when he was three years old, the irony of the birth and the death on the same day must have been noticed at the time.

When Henry FitzEmpress re-invaded England in 1153, neither side’s forces were eager to fight. After limited campaigning and the siege of Wallingford, Stephen and Henry agreed upon a negotiated peace, the Treaty of Winchester, in which Stephen recognized Henry as his heir. Stephen died on October 25, 1154, and Henry ascended the throne as King Henry II, the first Angevin King of England.

Empress Matilda lived long enough to see her son Henry firmly established on the English throne. She spent the rest of her life in Normandy, often acting as Henry’s representative and presiding over the government of the Duchy of Normandy. Matilda helped Henry deal with several diplomatic issues and was involved in attempts to mediate between Henry and his Chancellor Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury in the 1160s. As she grew older, Matilda paid increasing attention to church affairs and her personal faith, although she continued to remain involved in governing Normandy.

Matilda, aged about 65, died on September 10, 1167, in Rouen, Duchy of Normandy, now in France. She was buried before the high altar of Bec Abbey in Bec-Hellouin, Duchy of Normandy, now in France. Her epitaph read: “Great by birth, greater by marriage, greatest in her offspring: here lies Matilda, the daughter, wife, and mother of Henry”. Her tomb was damaged in a fire in 1263 and later restored in 1282, before being destroyed in 1421 by English mercenaries during the Hundred Years War between England and France. In 1684, some of her remains were found and reburied in a new coffin. Matilda’s remains were lost again after the destruction of the abbey church by Napoleon’s army but were found once more in 1846, and then reburied at Rouen Cathedral in Normandy, France.

Matilda is one of the main characters in Sharon Kay Penman‘s excellent historical fiction novel When Christ and His Saints Slept. The years of the civil war fought by Matilda and Stephen serve as a backdrop for Ellis Peters‘s historical detective series about Brother Cadfael, set between 1137 and 1145.

Rouen Cathedral; By Daniel Vorndran / DXR, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31189606

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
“Empress Matilda.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Dec. 2016. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.
“Mathilde l’Emperesse.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Jan. 1114. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.
“Matilda (England).” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.
Susan. “King Henry II of England.” British Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 7 Aug. 2016. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on October 13, 1161, at Domfront Castle in the Duchy of Normandy, now in France, Eleanor was the second of the three daughters and the sixth of the eight children of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. She was named for her mother and was baptized by Henry of Marcy, Abbot of Hautecombe Abbey in France at the time, and later Cardinal Bishop of Albano in Italy. Her godfathers were Robert of Torigni, a Norman monk, prior, abbot, and an important chronicler, and Achard of St. Victor, Bishop of Avranches.

Eleanor had seven siblings:

13th-century depiction of Henry and his legitimate children: (l to r) William, Young Henry, Richard, Matilda, Geoffrey, Eleanor, Joan, and John; Credit – Wikipedia

It is possible that Eleanor and her younger sister Joan were brought up at Fontevrault Abbey near Chinon, in Anjou, France, however, neither was to become nuns as their marriages would be used for their father’s alliances. In 1165, envoys from the Holy Roman Empire came to Rouen, Normandy to negotiate two marriages with King Henry II, one between Eleanor and a son of Friedrich I (Barbarossa), Holy Roman Emperor, and the other between his eldest daughter Matilda and Heinrich the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, a cousin of Friedrich I (Barbarossa), Holy Roman Emperor. The marriage plans for Eleanor fell through, however, her sister Matilda did marry Heinrich the Lion. Instead, Henry decided to use Eleanor’s marriage to cement an alliance with the Kingdom of Castile and prevent Castile from allying with France.

In 1170, Raoul de Faye, the Seneschal of Poitou and a trusted adviser of Eleanor of Aquitaine, negotiated a marriage for nine-year-old Eleanor with the 15-year-old King Alfonso VIII of Castile, who had succeeded to the throne at the age of three. The marriage treaty provided Alfonso with a powerful ally against his uncle, King Sancho VI of Navarre, who had seized some of Alfonso’s land along the Castile-Navarre border. The treaty also reinforces the border along the Pyrenees Mountains between Henry II’s French territory and the Spanish kingdoms. Eleanor was to receive the County of Gascony, directly north of the Pyrenees Mountains, as a dowry but only when her mother as it was one of her mother’s territories. Due to the bride’s young age, the marriage was postponed. In September 1177, Eleanor was sent to Castile where she married Alfonso VIII at the Romanesque-style Burgos Cathedral. After her marriage, she was known as Leonor, the Spanish version of Eleanor. The marriage was happy and successful.

The marriage of Eleanor and Alfonso; Credit – Wikipedia

Eleanor and Alfonso had twelve children:

Eleanor was particularly interested in supporting religious institutions. In 1179, she had a shrine built at Toledo Cathedral in honor of St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury who had been murdered at Canterbury Cathedral by four of her father’s knights. In 1187, Eleanor and Alfonso founded the Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas, a monastery of Cistercian nuns located near the city of Burgos now in Spain. The monastery became the burial place of the Castilian royal family. A hospital was also created at the abbey to feed and care for the pilgrims who were traveling along the Camino de Santiago, the road leading to the shrine of the apostle St. James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. Eleanor and Alfonso’s youngest daughter Constanza became a nun at the Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas.

Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas; Photo Credit – By Lourdes Cardenal – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2939362

King Alfonso VIII of Castile died from a fever on October 5, 1214, at the age of 58. Eleanor was so distraught over his death that she was unable to attend his funeral. Instead, her eldest daughter Berengaria stood in for her. Eleanor then became ill and died on October 31, 1214, at the age of 53, less than a month after the death of her husband. Eleanor and Alfonso were buried at the abbey they founded, the Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas. The tombs containing the remains of Alfonso VIII, King of Castile and Eleanor, Queen of Castile were placed next to each other in the nave of the abbey church at the beginning of the choir.

Tombs of Alfonso (left) and Eleanor (right); Photo Credit – De Javi Guerra Hernando – Trabajo propio, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35701304

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
“Alfonso VIII de Castilla.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, Mar. 2007. Web. 11 Jan. 2017.
Cawley, et al. “Alfonso VIII of Castile.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Jan. 2017. Web. 11 Jan. 2017.
“Eleanor of England, queen of Castile.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Jan. 2017. Web. 11 Jan. 2017.
Kelly, Amy. Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings. New York: Book-of-the-Month-Club, 1950. Print.
“Leonor Plantagenet.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, Mar. 2007. Web. 11 Jan. 2017.
“Sepulcro de Alfonso VIII de Castilla y de Leonor de Plantagenet.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 1080. Web. 11 Jan. 2017.
Weir, Alison. Eleanor of Aquitaine By the Wrath of God, Queen of England. London: Jonathan Cape, 1999. Print.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on September 23, 1158, Geoffrey was the fourth of the five sons and the fifth of the eight children of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was named after Henry II’s brother Geoffrey, Count of Nantes who had died two months before his nephew’s birth.

Geoffrey’s parents, Henry II and Eleanor holding court; Credit – Wikipedia

Geoffrey had seven siblings:

13th-century depiction of Henry and his legitimate children: (l to r) William, Young Henry, Richard, Matilda, Geoffrey, Eleanor, Joan and John; Credit – Wikipedia

Geoffrey’s father King Henry II of England was determined to expand and maintain his French territory. Henry II’s brother Geoffrey had been Count of Nantes and Nantes was one of the two traditional capitals of Brittany. Upon the death of Geoffrey in 1158, Conan IV, Duke of Brittany attempted to reclaim Nantes. However, Henry II annexed it for himself and steadily increased his power in Brittany. Henry II considered himself overlord of Brittany and Conan IV, Duke of Brittany as his vassal.

In 1166, Henry II invaded Brittany to punish a local barons’ revolt. To gain complete control over the duchy, Henry II forced Conan IV to abdicate in favor of his five-year-old daughter Constance and then betrothed his eight-year-old son Geoffrey to Constance. Henry II never claimed the Duchy of Brittany. After Conan IV abdicated, Henry II held guardianship over Brittany for Conan’s daughter Constance, and then for his son Geoffrey to rule by the right of his wife. Henry II had now provided his three surviving sons with territory of their own: Henry would become King of England and have control of Anjou, Maine, and Normandy; Richard would inherit Aquitaine and Poitiers from his mother and Geoffrey would become Duke of Brittany. Henry II’s youngest son John would be born later in 1166 but would have no land, hence his nickname John Lackland.

Henry’s claims over lands in France (in dark orange, orange and yellow) at their peak; Credit – By France_blank.svg: Eric Gaba (Sting – fr:Sting)derivative work: Hchc2009 (talk) – France_blank.svg, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12603376

In May 1169, Geoffrey was enthroned and invested as Duke of Brittany at Rennes Cathedral and received the homage of the Breton nobles at Christmas 1169. Geoffrey and Constance were finally married in July 1181.

Geoffrey and Constance had three children:

As the sons of King Henry II grew up, tensions over the future inheritance of the empire began to emerge, encouraged by King Louis VII of France and then his son King Philippe II of France. In 1173, Henry the Young King rebelled in protest and was joined by his brothers Richard and Geoffrey and their mother Eleanor of Aquitaine (The Revolt of 1173-1174). France, Scotland, Flanders, and Boulogne allied themselves with the rebels. King Henry II eventually defeated the revolt and had Eleanor imprisoned for the next sixteen years for her part in inciting their sons. In 1182–83, Henry the Young King had a falling out with his brother Richard when Richard refused to pay homage to him on the orders of King Henry II, Geoffrey supported his brother Henry. As Henry the Young King was preparing to fight Richard, he became ill with dysentery (also called the bloody flux), the scourge of armies for centuries, and died.

Seal of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany; Credit – Wikipedia

With the death of his eldest son, King Henry II had to make plans for the disposition of his empire, but he kept his thoughts secret. This caused more ill feelings between him and his remaining three sons, Richard, Geoffrey, and John. King Philippe II of France was determined to exploit the situation. Geoffrey spent a lot of time at Philippe’s court in Paris and the two were close friends. Dissatisfied with having just the Duchy of Brittany, Geoffrey also wanted the County of Anjou and Philippe encouraged him in his plans to once again rebel against his father.

Geoffrey remained in Paris through the summer of 1186, but his plans came to naught because on August 19, 1186, Geoffrey died at the age of 27. One contemporary source says Geoffrey died of a fever. However, several other sources say he was thrown from his horse during a tournament and trampled to death. Geoffrey was buried in the choir of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. King Philippe II of France was so overcome with grief for his friend that he had to be restrained from throwing himself upon Geoffrey’s coffin in the open tomb. Geoffrey’s half-sister from his mother’s first marriage to King Louis VII of France, Marie, Countess of Champagne, attended his funeral and contributed funds to pay for masses for his soul.

Geoffrey’s death left Constance a widow at the age of 25 with two young daughters (little Matilda died three years later) and pregnant with another child. On March 29, 1187, in Nantes, Brittany, Constance gave birth to Geoffrey’s posthumous son.  King Henry II wanted his grandson to be named Henry, but in defiance of Henry II, the infant was named Arthur after the legendary King Arthur. King Philippe II of France claimed the guardianship of Arthur, but King Henry II refused because he did not want Philippe II to gain a stronghold in Brittany. Constance was to act as a regent for her son, but Henry II did not trust her. In 1188, Henry II arranged for Constance to marry Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, one of the most powerful earls in England. The marriage was unhappy, the couple became estranged, and there were no children.

In 1189, King Henry II died and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son King Richard I. As Richard’s marriage was childless, in 1191, he officially proclaimed his nephew Arthur as his heir. Then in 1196, Constance had nine-year-old Arthur proclaimed Duke of Brittany and her co-ruler. Because of this, King Richard I had Constance abducted and imprisoned by her estranged husband. Arthur was secretly taken away by his tutor to the French court to be brought up with the future King Louis VIII, the son of King Philippe II.

In 1199, Constance was released and her second marriage was annulled. That same year, Constance married Guy of Thouars and the couple had two daughters including Alix of Thouars who succeeded her half-brother Arthur as Duchess of Brittany. Constance died at the age of 40 on September 5, 1201, at Nantes. The cause of her death is suspected to be leprosy and/or childbirth complications after giving birth to twin girls who also died. Constance was buried at the Abbey of Villeneuve in Sorinières, south of Nantes, which she had founded. Her third husband Guy of Thouars and their daughter Alix are buried with her.

Geoffrey and Constance’s surviving children Arthur, Duke of Brittany, and Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany had unhappy endings. In 1199, as King Richard I of England lay dying of a gangrenous arrow wound, he named his brother John his successor fearing his 12-year-old nephew Arthur was too young to be able to successfully reign. This decision bypassed the children of his deceased brother Geoffrey who had better claims to the throne based upon the laws of primogeniture.

Arthur I, Duke of Brittany paying homage to King Philip II of France; Credit – Wikipedia

Many members of the French nobility refused to recognize John upon his accession to the English throne and his French lands. They were of the opinion that Arthur had a better claim because his father was an older brother of John. In 1202, 15-year-old Arthur started a campaign against his uncle John in Normandy with the support of King Philip II of France. John’s territory of Poitou revolted in support of Arthur. Arthur besieged his grandmother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, John’s mother, in the Château de Mirebeau in Poitou.   John marched on Mirebeau, taking Arthur by surprise on July 31, 1202. Arthur was captured and imprisoned in the Château de Falaise in Falaise, Normandy. By 1203, Arthur had disappeared. His fate is unknown, but presumably, he was murdered on the orders of his uncle John.

Eleanor of Brittany; Credit – Wikipedia

Arthur’s sister Eleanor was also King John’s prisoner because she and any children she had would pose a threat to John’s throne. She remained imprisoned for her entire life, into the reign of John’s son King Henry III of England, dying in 1241 at the age of 57. Her imprisonment in England made it impossible for her to claim her inheritance as Duchess of Brittany. During her 39-year imprisonment, Eleanor, who was apparently innocent of any crime, was never tried or sentenced. She was considered a state prisoner, was forbidden to marry, and guarded closely even after her childbearing years.

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
Bretagne, Histoire de. “Geoffroy II de Bretagne.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 1181. Web. 10 Jan. 2017.
“Constance, Duchess of Brittany.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Nov. 2016. Web. 10 Jan. 2017.
“Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Jan. 2017. Web. 10 Jan. 2017.
“Henry II, King of England.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Jan. 2017. Web. 10 Jan.
Kelly, Amy. Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings. New York: Book-of-the-Month-Club, 1950. Print.
Susan. “King Henry II of England.” British Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 7 Aug. 2016. Web. 10 Jan. 2017.
Susan. “King John of England.” British Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 21 Aug. 2016. Web. 10 Jan. 2017.
Weir, Alison. Eleanor of Aquitaine By the Wrath of God, Queen of England. London: Jonathan Cape, 1999. Print.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony and Bavaria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony and Bavaria; Credit – Wikipedia

Matilda of England was born on January 6, 1156, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. Named after her paternal grandmother Empress Matilda, Lady of the English, she was the eldest daughter and the third of the eight children of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Through her youngest son Wilhelm of Winchester, she is an ancestor of the House of Hanover which ascended the British throne in 1714.

Matilda’s parents, King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine; Credit – Wikipedia

Matilda was baptized by Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury in the Priory Church of the Holy Trinity in Aldgate, London.  She was brought up in both England and Normandy.

Matilda had seven siblings:

13th-century depiction of Henry and his legitimate children: (l to r) William, Young Henry, Richard, Matilda, Geoffrey, Eleanor, Joan, and John; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1165, Rainald of Dassel, Archbishop of Cologne came to Rouen, Normandy to negotiate two marriages with King Henry II, one between Henry II’s second daughter Eleanor and a son of Friedrich I (Barbarossa), Holy Roman Emperor, and the other between his eldest daughter Matilda and Heinrich the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, a cousin of Friedrich I (Barbarossa), Holy Roman Emperor. The marriage plans for Eleanor fell through, however, her sister Matilda did marry Heinrich the Lion.

Heinrich the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Duke of Bavaria was one of the most powerful princes of his time, one of the most important allies of his cousin Friedrich I (Barbarossa), Holy Roman Emperor, and was the founder of several German cities including Munich and Brunswick, which was his capital. He was born circa 1129, so he was about 27 years older than Matilda. He was a member of the House of Welf (also Guelf or Guelph) which has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th centuries. Heinrich’s first marriage to Clementia of Zähringen had been annulled due to political reasons.

At the end of September of 1167, Matilda left England with her mother Eleanor of Aquitaine bound for Normandy with three ships carrying a large entourage, her trousseau, and a large dowry totaling £4500, worth nearly one-quarter of England’s annual revenue. From Normandy, Matilda traveled with her future husband’s envoys to Germany. On February 1, 1168, at Minden Cathedral in the Duchy of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany, 11-year-old Matilda married 38-year-old Heinrich. Despite the age difference, the marriage was a happy one and led to an increase in trade between England and the Holy Roman Empire.

Wedding of Matilda and Heinrich from a portrait on their tomb; Credit – Wikipedia

Matilda and Heinrich had five children:

Matilda’s effigy: Credit – By de:Benutzer:Brunswyk – de:Benutzer:Brunswyk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69965062

In 1172, Heinrich went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and Matilda served as regent during his absence. Matilda was a strong supporter of the 1173 canonization as a saint of Thomas Becket who had been murdered in Canterbury Cathedral by four of her father’s knights in 1170. Brunswick Cathedral where Matilda and Heinrich are buried had been dedicated to St. Thomas Becket, St. Blaise, and John the Baptist upon its consecration.

Heinrich governed his lands independently of the Holy Roman Empire and his independent government and expansion efforts caused conflict with clergy and other nobles as well as Friedrich I (Barbarossa), Holy Roman Emperor. Eventually, Heinrich was overthrown in 1180. After fighting a losing war, he was forced into exile in 1182 and sought refuge with his father-in-law King Henry II of England. Matilda accompanied her husband into exile with their daughter Richenza and their sons Heinrich and Otto. Their son Lothar remained in the Holy Roman Empire. Until June 1184, the family lived at Henry II’s court in Normandy (Henry II was also Duke of Normandy). The family then moved to England for about a year where Matilda and Heinrich’s youngest child was born in Winchester and where they spent Christmas 1184 at Windsor Castle.

Through diplomatic efforts with Friedrich I (Barbarossa), Holy Roman Emperor, King Henry II of England, and the Pope, Heinrich was allowed to return to his lands after three years of exile. In the spring of 1185, Heinrich and his family traveled from England to Normandy where his children Richenza (who had changed her name to Matilda while in exile), Otto, and Wilhelm were left to be raised in their grandfather’s court. At the end of September 1185, Heinrich the Lion returned to Brunswick with Matilda and their eldest son Heinrich.

Early in 1189, the Holy Roman Emperor again ordered Heinrich to go into exile, but this time Matilda remained in Brunswick to protect her husband’s interests. Heinrich would not make peace with the Holy Roman Emperor, this time Heinrich VI, Holy Roman Emperor, the son of Friedrich I (Barbarossa), until 1190, nor would he ever see his wife Matilda again. On June 28, 1189, Matilda died at Brunswick at the age of 33, about a week before the death of her father King Henry II of England. She was buried at the still incomplete Brunswick Cathedral where her husband Heinrich was buried upon his death in 1195.

Tomb of Matilda and Heinrich; Photo Credit – Von Brunswyk – DE:Wiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4217450

Crypt of Heinrich the Lion, Sarcophagus of Heinrich on left and Matilda on right; Photo Credit – Von Brunswyk, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18904214

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

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Kelly, Amy. Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings. New York: Book-of-the-Month-Club, 1950. Print.
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Weir, Alison. Eleanor of Aquitaine By the Wrath of God, Queen of England. London: Jonathan Cape, 1999. Print.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.