Ancestors of Prince William, The Prince of Wales

compiled by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Prince William, The Prince of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince William, like his father King Charles III, is descended from two children of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom – King Edward VII, through his paternal grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, and Princess Alice, the second daughter and third child of Queen Victoria, through his paternal grandfather Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Though his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, William is a descendant of both King Charles II of England by two illegitimate sons – Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, and Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton – and King Charles II’s brother King James II of England by his illegitimate daughter Henrietta FitzJames.

Parents, Grandparents, Great-Grandparents, Great-Great-Grandparents, and Great-Great-Great-Grandparents of Prince William, The Prince of Wales (born June 21, 1982)

The links below are from Unofficial Royalty, Wikipedia, or The Peerage.

Parents

Prince William’s parents; Credit – Wikipedia

Grandparents

Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II, paternal grandparents; Credit – Wikipedia

Great-Grand-Parents

Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg, great-grandparents; Credit – Wikipedia

Great-Great-Grandparents

Prince Louis of Battenberg (later Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven) and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, great-great-grandparents; Credit – Wikipedia

Great-Great-Great-Grandparents

Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaievich of Russia and Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg, great-great-great-grandparents; Credit – Wikipedia

Sources:

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.

Maria Josefa von Harrach-Rohrau, Princess of Liechtenstein

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Arms of the Counts of Harrach zu Rohrau und Thannhausen; Credit – Wikipedia

Countess Maria Josefa von Harrach-Rohrau was the wife of her first cousin Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein. Born on November 20, 1727, in Vienna, then in the Archduchy of Austria, Maria Josefa was the seventh of the sixteen children and the fourth of six daughters of Count Friedrich August von Harrach zu Rohrau und Thannhausen and Maria Eleonore of Liechtenstein.

Maria Josefa’s father Count Friedrich August von Harrach zu Rohrau und Thannhausen; Credit – Wikipedia

The House of Harrach was an old and influential Austro-German noble family which was also part of Bohemian nobility. The Counts of Harrach (the German Graf/Gräfin = Count(ess) were among the most prominent families in the Holy Roman Empire.  A confidant of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, Maria Josefa’s father served the House of Habsburg as Plenipotentiary Minister of the Habsburg Netherlands (1732 – 1741), Governor-General of the Habsburg Netherlands (1741 – 1744), and High Chancellor of Bohemia (1745 until his death in 1749). Maria Josefa’s paternal grandparents were Count Aloys von Harrach and his second wife Anna Cäcilia von Thannhausen. Her maternal grandparents were Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein and Countess Eleonore Barbara von Thun-Hohenstein.

Maria Josefa had fifteen siblings:

  • Franz Anton von Harrach-Rohrau (1720 – 1724), died in childhood
  • Maria Rosa von Harrach-Rohrau (1721 – 1785), married her paternal uncle Ferdinand
  • Bonaventura II, Count of Harrach, had one daughter
  • Johann Josef von Harrach-Rohrau (1722 – 1746), unmarried
  • Ernst Guido, Count von Harrach, zu Rohrau and Thannhausen (link in German) (1723 – 1783), married Maria Josefa von Dietrichstein-Proskau, had four children
  • Maria Anna von Harrach-Rohrau (1725 – 1780), married Nikolaus Sebastian Graf von Lodron-Laterano und Castelromano, had ten children
  • Anna Viktoria von Harrach-Rohrau (1726 – 1746), died unmarried at age 19
  • Maximilian Josef von Harrach-Rohrau (1729 – 1730), died in infancy
  • Bonaventura Maria von Harrach-Rohrau (1731 – 1794), unmarried
  • Ignaz Ludwig von Harrach-Rohrau (1732 – 1753), died unmarried at age 20
  • Franz Xaver von Harrach-Rohrau (1732 – 1781), married Maria Rebecca von Hohenems, had one daughter
  • Johann Leopold von Harrach-Rohrau (1733 – 1734), died in infancy
  • Maria Elisabeth von Harrach-Rohrau (born and died 1735)
  • Ferdinand von Harrach-Rohrau (1737 – 1748), died in childhood
  • Johann Nepomuk Ernst von Harrach-Rohrau (1738 – 1739), died in infancy
  • Maria Christina von Harrach-Rohrau (1740 – 1791), unmarried

Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – https://fuerstenhaus.li/en/die-biographien-aller-fuersten/18-century/

On March 19, 1744, in Vienna, Austria, seventeen-year-old Maria Josefa married her first cousin, twenty-year-old Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein, the son of her maternal uncle Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein and his third wife Maria Anna Katharina of Oettingen-Spielberg.

Maria Josefa and Johann Nepomuk Karl had three children:

  • Princess Maria Anna of Liechtenstein (1745 – 1752), died in childhood
  • Prince Joseph Johannes Nepomuk of Liechtenstein (born and died 1747), died in infancy
  • Princess Maria Antonia of Liechtenstein (1749 – 1813), born after her father’s death, married Prince Wenzel Chrisostumus von Paar, had ten children

Four years after his marriage to Maria Josefa, Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein died at the age of 24, on December 22, 1748, in Wischau, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic. He was buried in the Old Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic.

On November 28, 1752, Maria Josefa made a second marriage to Prince Joseph Maria von Lobkowicz (1724 – 1802), a Field Marshal in the Imperial Austrian Army. The von Lobkowicz family is one of the oldest Bohemian noble families and dates back to the 14th century.

Maria Josefa and her second husband had four children:

  • Joseph Bernard von Lobkowicz (1754 – 1768), died in his early teens
  • Marie Eleonore von Lobkowicz (1753 – 1802), unmarried, a nun in Vienna
  • Maria Josepha von Lobkowicz (1756 – 1823)
  • Ferdinand von Lobkowicz (1759 – 1761), died in early childhood

The Capuchin Church of St. Wenceslas in Roudnice nad Laberm where Maria Josefa was buried; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Josefa predeceased her second husband and survived her first husband by forty years,  dying at the age of 61 on February 15, 1788, in Roudnice nad Laberm, then in the Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic, which was owned by the Lobkowicz family and remained under their control until 1945. She was buried in the Lobkowicz family crypt (link in Czech) at the Capuchin Church of St. Wenceslas (link in Czech) in Roudnice nad Laberm, but her tomb has not survived.

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

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2021) Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/johann-nepomuk-karl-prince-of-liechtenstein/ (Accessed: 05 July 2023).
  • Friedrich August, Graf von Harrach zu Rohrau (2023) geni_family_tree. Available at: https://www.geni.com/people/Friedrich-August-Graf-von-Harrach-zu-Rohrau/6000000015491455371 (Accessed: 05 July 2023).
  • Friedrich August von Harrach-Rohrau (2023) Wikipedia (German). Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_August_von_Harrach-Rohrau (Accessed: 05 July 2023).
  • Harrach (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrach (Accessed: 05 July 2023).
  • Kostel Svatého Václava (Roudnice nad Labem) (2023) Wikipedia (Czech). Available at: https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kostel_svat%C3%A9ho_V%C3%A1clava_(Roudnice_nad_Labem) (Accessed: 05 July 2023).
  • Lobkovická hrobka (Roudnice nad Labem) (2023) Wikipedia (Czech). Available at: https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobkovick%C3%A1_hrobka_(Roudnice_nad_Labem) (Accessed: 05 July 2023).
  • Lobkowicz Family (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobkowicz_family (Accessed: 05 July 2023).
  • Maria Josefa von Harrach (2023) Wikipedia (German). Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Josefa_von_Harrach (Accessed: 05 July 2023).

Prince Giuseppe of Bourbon-Parma, Titular Duke of Parma

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Prince Giuseppe of Bourbon-Parma was the titular Duke of Parma from 1939 until his death in 1950. As he was mentally disabled, his younger brother Elia served as regent.

Prince Giuseppe of Bourbon-Parma, Titular Duke of Parma source: Wikipedia

Prince Giuseppe was the third son of Roberto I, the last reigning Duke of Parma, and his first wife, Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. He was born in Biarritz, France on June 30, 1875. He had 11 siblings:

  • Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma (1870 – 1899), married Ferdinand I, Prince of Bulgaria (later Tsar), had four children including Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria,
  • Ferdinando, Prince of Piacenza (born and died 1871 ), died in infancy
  • Princess Luisa Maria of Bourbon-Parma (1872 – 1943), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Enrico, Titular Duke of Parma (1873 – 1939), unmarried, mentally disabled, his brother Elias took up the role as regent and Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma
  • Princess Maria Immacolata of Bourbon-Parma (1874 – 1914), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Parma (1876 – 1959), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Parma (1877 – 1915), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Princess Beatrice of Bourbon-Parma (1879 – 1946), married Count Pietro Lucchesi-Palli, had four children
  • Elias, Titular Duke of Parma (1880 – 1959), married Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, had eight children, from 1907 to 1950, he served as regent for the claims of his two older disabled brothers, Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma
  • Princess Maria Anastasia of Bourbon-Parma (born and died 1881), died in infancy
  • Prince Augusto of Bourbon-Parma (stillborn 1882)

He also had 12 siblings from his father’s second marriage to Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal:

Giuseppe succeeded his elder brother, Enrico, as titular Duke of Parma and head of the house. However, a few months after their father’s death in 1907, Giuseppe and five of his siblings were all declared legally incompetent due to their mental disabilities. His younger brother, Elia, became guardian of the six siblings, and served as regent during the tenure of both Enrico and Giuseppe.

Unmarried and childless, Giuseppe died on January 7, 1950 in Pianore, near Lucca, Italy. As he was unmarried and had no children, he was succeeded as titular Duke of Parma by his brother Elia.

* * * * * * * * * *

Duchy of Parma Resources at Unofficial Royalty

* * * * * * * * * *

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.

Eleonora Gonzaga of Mantua, Holy Roman Empress, 3rd wife of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Eleonora Gonzaga, Holy Roman Empress; Credit – Wikipedia

The Holy Roman Empire was a limited elective monarchy composed of hundreds of kingdoms, principalities, duchies, counties, prince-bishoprics, and Free Imperial Cities in central Europe. The Holy Roman Empire was not really holy since, after Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1530, no emperors were crowned by the pope or a bishop. It was not Roman but rather German because it was mainly in the regions of present-day Germany and Austria. It was an empire in name only – the territories it covered were mostly independent each with its own rulers. The Holy Roman Emperor directly ruled over only his family territories, and could not issue decrees and rule autonomously over the Holy Roman Empire. A Holy Roman Emperor was only as strong as his army and alliances, including marriage alliances, made him, and his power was severely restricted by the many sovereigns of the constituent monarchies of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century, prince-electors, or electors for short, elected the Holy Roman Emperor from among the sovereigns of the constituent states.

Frequently but not always, it was common practice to elect the deceased Holy Roman Emperor’s heir. The Holy Roman Empire was an elective monarchy. No person had a legal right to the succession simply because he was related to the current Holy Roman Emperor. However, the Holy Roman Emperor could and often did, while still alive, have a relative (usually a son) elected to succeed him after his death. This elected heir apparent used the title King of the Romans.

********************

Eleonora Gonzaga of Mantua was the third of the three wives of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor. Born on November 18, 1630, in Mantua, Duchy of Mantua, now in Lombardy, Italy, Eleonora was the younger of the two children and the only daughter of Carlo II Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers and his first cousin Maria Gonzaga, Duchess of Montferrat in her own right. Her paternal grandparents were Carlo I, Duke of Mantua and Catherine de Lorraine-Guise. Eleonora’s maternal grandparents were Francesco IV Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Margherita of Savoy. Eleonora was the great-niece and namesake of Ferdinand III’s stepmother, also named Eleonora Gonzaga, the second wife of his father Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II.

Eleonora had one older brother:

Eleonora’s father Carlo never became Duke of Mantua since he died from tuberculosis on August 30, 1631, six years before the death of his father Carlo I, Duke of Mantua, when Eleonora was only nine months old. When Carlo I died in 1637, his grandson, Eleonora’s eight-year-old brother became Carlos II, Duke of Mantua, with his mother Maria acting as regent.

Eleonora received an excellent education. She was fluent in French, Spanish, and Italian, studied literature, music, and art, and had expert skills in dancing and embroidery. In her teens, Eleonora showed talent in poetry, writing philosophical and religious poems.

Archduchess Maria Leopoldine of Austria, the second wife and first cousin of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, died in childbirth in 1649. Ferdinand III’s stepmother, the Dowager Holy Roman Empress, also named Eleonora Gonzaga, was the second wife of his father Ferdinand II and Eleonora’s great aunt. Dowager Holy Roman Empress Eleonora arranged the marriage between her stepson Ferdinand III and grand niece and goddaughter Eleonora.

Eleonora’s husband Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 2, 1651, at Palatina Basilica of St. Barbara, the family church of the House of Gonzaga in the Duchy of Mantua, now in Italy, twenty-year-old Eleonora and forty-two-year-old Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor were married by proxy with Count Johann Maximilian von Lamberg, an Austrian nobleman, diplomat and courtier in the service of the Habsburgs, representing the groom. On March 22, 1651, Eleonora, accompanied by her great-aunt Dowager Holy Roman Empress Eleonora, began her journey from Mantua to Vienna. On April 30, 1651, the in-person wedding ceremony took place.

Eleonora became stepmother to Ferdinand III’s three surviving children from his first marriage to his first cousin Maria Anna of Spain who died in 1646:

Eleonora also became the stepmother of Ferdinand III’s only child from his second marriage to Maria Leopoldine of Austria who died in childbirth in 1649:

Eleonora and Ferdinand III had four children but only two survived childhood.

Although there was a twenty-two-year difference, Eleonora and Ferdinand III had a happy marriage and she developed a close relationship with her stepchildren. Eleonora learned German, and Ferdinand III learned Italian. The couple were patrons of literature and music, attended the theater, and went hunting. Eleonora and Ferdinand’s marriage lasted only six years. Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Lower and Inner Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary and Croatia, died, aged forty-eight, on April 2, 1657, in Vienna, Archduchy of Austria. He was buried in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna.

Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, Eleonora’s brother-in-law, considered marrying Eleonora to strengthen his position as a candidate to be Holy Roman Emperor. However, Eleonora did all she could to ensure that her seventeen-year-old surviving stepson would become Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. Eleonora was highly respected by Leopold who consulted with her on many political and personal issues.

Eleonora as a widow; Credit – Wikipedia

Ferdinand III’s will gave Eleonora the guardianship of his children. She was granted castles in Graz and Linz and a generous annual pension. Eleonora spent summers at the Favorita Palace, which along with Schönbrunn and Laxenburg palaces, had been bequeathed to her by her great-aunt Dowager Empress Eleonora when she died in 1655. Eleonora was responsible for the expansion of Hofburg Palace, the main palace in Vienna, and the restoration of the palace when it was damaged in a fire.

Eleonora spent much time on works of charity and piety. She was a patron of the Italian Capuchin friar Marcus d’Aviano, beatified in 2003 by Pope John Paul II. When Marcus d’Aviano died, he was interred at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, the burial place of the House of Habsburg. Even to this day, it is very common for members of the Habsburg family to be given Marcus d’Aviano as one of their middle names. Eleonora gave special patronage to the Order of the Discalced Carmelites and contributed financially to the building of their monastery in Wiener Neustadt. To raise the education level of girls, Eleonora invited the Ursuline nuns, known for their role in education, to Vienna and helped them build a complex that included a monastery, a church, and a school.

Eleonora’s tomb; Credit – Wikipedia

Eleonora survived her husband by twenty-nine years, dying on December 6, 1686, in Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, now the capital of Austria, at the age of fifty-six. She was buried in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna.

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

  • Charles Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers (2019) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Gonzaga,_Duke_of_Nevers (Accessed: 08 July 2023).
  • Eleonora Gonzaga (1630–1686) (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleonora_Gonzaga_%281630%E2%80%931686%29 (Accessed: 08 July 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/ferdinand-iii-holy-roman-emperor-archduke-of-lower-and-inner-austria-king-of-bohemia-king-of-hungary-and-croatia/ (Accessed: 08 July 2023).
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew. (1995) The Habsburgs. London: Viking.
  • Wilson, Peter H. (2016) Heart of Europe – A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

The Four Wives of Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein, who reigned 1721-1732, had four wives.

  • Princess Maria Gabriele of Liechtenstein (1692 – 1713) – third cousin and 1st wife of Josef Johann Adam, had one son who died in childhood
  • Countess Marianne of Thun-Hohenstein (1698 – 1716) – 2nd wife of Josef Johann Adam, died twenty days after the wedding
  • Countess Maria Anna Katharina of Oettingen-Spielberg (1693 – 1729) – 3rd wife of Josef Johann Adam, had five children but only two survived childhood including Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein, Josef Johann Adam’s successor
  • Countess Maria Anna Kottulinska von Kottulin (1707 – 1788) – 4th wife of Josef Johann Adam, had two children who died in childhood

*********************

Princess Maria Gabriele of Liechtenstein was the third cousin of Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein. Born on July 12, 1692, in Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, now in Austria, she was the seventh of the eleven children and the fourth of the seven daughters of Hans-Adam I, the sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein who reigned 1684 – 1712 and his first cousin Princess Erdmuthe Maria Theresia of Dietrichstein-Nikolsburg. Maria Gabriele’s paternal grandparents were Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein and Johanna Beatrix of Dietrichstein. Her maternal grandparents were Ferdinand Joseph, 3rd Prince of Dietrichstein and Princess Marie Elisabeth of Eggenberg.

Maria Gabriele had ten siblings:

  • A son (born and died 1682)
  • Princess Maria Elisabeth of Liechtenstein (1683 – 1744), Leopold, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Wiesenburg, had five children
  • Karl Josef Wenzel, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein (1684 – 1704), died at age 20
  • Princess Maria Antonia of Liechtenstein (1687 – 1750), married (1) Markus Anton Adam, Count Czobor de Czoborszentmihály, had two children (2) Karl, Count Hrzán of Harras
  • Princess Maria Anna of Liechtenstein (1687 – 1750)
  • Franz Dominik, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein (1689 – 1711), died at age 22
  • Princess Maria Theresia of Liechtenstein (1694 – 1772), married Emmanuele Tomasso of Savoy-Carignano, Count of Soissons, had one son
  • Princess Maria Margaretha of Liechtenstein (1697 – 1702), died in childhood
  • Princess Maria Dominika of Liechtenstein (1698 – 1724), married Heinrich Joseph Johann, Prince of Auersperg, had three children
  • Prince Johann Baptist of Liechtenstein (born and died 1700)

On December 1, 1712, in Vienna, twenty-year-old Maria Gabriele married twenty-two-year-old Josef Johann Adam, who became the sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein in 1721, after Maria Gabriele’s death. Sadly, after only eleven months of marriage, Maria Gabriele, aged twenty-one, died due to childbirth complications on November 7, 1713, while giving birth to her only child Prince Karl Anton of Liechtenstein who died in 1715. She was buried in the Old Crypt at the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic.

*********************

Born on November 27, 1698, Countess Marianne von Thun-Hohenstein was the only child of Johann Maximilian, Count von Thun-Hohenstein and Countess Maria Theresia Countess of Sternberg. On February 3, 1716, seventeen-year-old Marianne married the widowed Prince Josef Johann Adam. The marriage did not even last a month. Three weeks after the marriage, on February 23, 1716, Marianne died in Vienna and was buried in the Old Crypt at the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic.

*********************

Maria Anna Katharina of Oettingen-Spielberg; Credit – Wikipedia

Countess Maria Anna Katharina of Oettingen-Spielberg was born on September 21, 1693 in Vienna. She was the eldest of seven children and the eldest of the five daughters of Count Franz Albrecht zu Oettingen-Spielberg and Johanna Margaretha von Schwendt.

Maria Anna had six younger siblings:

  • Maria Josepha von Oettingen-Spielberg (1694 – 1738), married Herman Frederik, Count von Hohenzollern-Hechingen, had twelve children
  • Marie Friederike von Oettingen-Spielberg (1699 – 1759), married Karl Seyfried, Count von Königsegg-Aulendorf, had three children
  • Maria Franziska Luise von Oettingen-Spielberg (1703 – ?), married Joseph Franz von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, had one son
  • Johann Aloys von Oettingen-Spielberg (1707 – 1780), married Theresia Maria Anna von Holstein-Sonderburg, had three children
  • Anton Ernst von Oettingen-Spielberg (1712 – 1768), married Maria Theresia von Waldburg zu Trauchburg, had eleven children
  • Maria Gertrud von Oettingen-Spielberg (1714 – 1777), married Joseph Maria Wilczek, Baron von Hultschin und Gutenland, had eleven children

On August 3, 1716, in Vienna, Maria Anna married Josef Johann Adam. During his marriage to Maria Anna, on October 11, 1721,  Josef Johann Adam became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein.

Josef Johann Adam and Maria Anna had five children:

  • Princess Maria Eleonore (1717 – 1718), died in infancy
    Prince Joseph Anton of Liechtenstein (1720 – 1723), died in childhood
  • Princess Maria Theresia of Liechtenstein (1721 – 1753), married Joseph I Adam, 4th Prince of Schwarzenberg, had nine children
  • Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein (1724 – 1748), married Maria Josepha, Countess of Harrach-Rohrau, had three children
  • Princess Maria Elisabeth Eleonore (born and died 1728), died on the day of her birth

Maria Anna died on April 15, 1729, at the age of 35, and was buried at the Parish Church of St. Nicholas at Glogów, in Silesia, now in Poland. The church was destroyed in 1945 and the tomb was not preserved.

*********************

Born on May 12, 1707, Countess Maria Anna Kottulinska von Kottulin was the second of the six children and the second of the four daughters of Franz Karl Kottulinsky, Baron von Kottulin and Krzizkowitz and Countess Maria Antonia von Rottal.

Maria Anna had older siblings:

  • Maria Josepha Kottulinsky von Kottulin (1709 – 1752), a Carmelite nun in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic
  • Anna Maria Theresie Kottulinsky von Kottulin (1711 – 1798), married (1) Johann Carl von Chotek, had one son (2) Joseph de Broune, Count von Hautois, no children
  • Count Franz Karl Kottulinsky von Kottulin und Kržizkowitz, Baron auf Krzischkowitz (1712 – 1772), married (1) Maria Theresia von und zu Trauttmansdorff-Weinsberg, had one son (2) Marie Eleonore von Mansfeld, had two children
  • Maria Angelica Kottulinsky von Kottulin (1714 – 1786), married Johann Joseph David Graf von Lodron zu Fürth, no children
  • Maria Antonia Constance Kottulinsky von Kotulina (1715 -1787), married Johann Maria Graf von Wilczek, had three children
  • Johann Christoph Kottulinsky von Kotulin und Kržizkowitz (1718 – ?)

Maria Anna and Josef Johann Adam were married on August 22, 1729, in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. They had two children who died in infancy:

  • Prince Anton Thomas of Liechtenstein (1730 – 1731)
  • Princess Maria Anna of Liechtenstein (1733 – 1734), born after her father’s death, died in infancy

Josef Johann Adam died, aged 42, on December 17, 1732, in Valtice, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic, and was buried in the Old Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. After Josef Johann Adam died in 1732, Maria Anna married Count Ludwig Ferdinand von Schulenburg-Oeynhausen. Maria Anna, aged 80, died on February 6, 1788, in Vienna, Austria. She was buried at the Mariabrunn Pilgrimage Church (link in German) in Vienna, Austria but her tomb has not been preserved.

*********************

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

  • Anna Katharina Reichsgräfin zu Oettingen-Spielberg, Fürstin V. U. Z. Liechtenstein (2018) geni_family_tree. Available at: https://www.geni.com/people/Anna-Katharina-Reichsgr%C3%A4fin-zu-Oettingen-Spielberg-F%C3%BCrstin-v-u-z-Liechtenstein/6000000017244058524 (Accessed: 28 June 2023).
  • Century: 18th century. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://fuerstenhaus.li/en/die-biographien-aller-fuersten/18-century/
  • Flantzer, S. (2021) Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/josef-johann-adam-prince-of-liechtenstein/ (Accessed: 28 June 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2021) Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/karl-eusebius-prince-of-liechtenstein/ (Accessed: 28 June 2023).
  • Gabriele von Liechtenstein (2021) Wikipedia (German). Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriele_von_Liechtenstein (Accessed: 28 June 2023).
  • Gabriela Z lichtenštejna (2022) Wikipedia (Czech). Available at: https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriela_z_Lichten%C5%A1tejna (Accessed: 28 June 2023).
  • Maria Anna (Marianna*) Gräfin von Schulenburg-Oeynhausen (2018) geni_family_tree. Available at: https://www.geni.com/people/Maria-Anna-Marianna-Gr%C3%A4fin-von-Schulenburg-Oeynhausen/6000000016223167180 (Accessed: 28 June 2023).
  • Maria Anna von Kottulinsky (2021) Wikipedia (German). Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Anna_von_Kottulinsky (Accessed: 28 June 2023).
  • Maria Anna von Oettingen-Spielberg (2023) Wikipedia (German). Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Anna_von_Oettingen-Spielberg (Accessed: 28 June 2023).
  • Maria Anna von Thun und Hohenstein (2022) Wikipedia (German). Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Anna_von_Thun_und_Hohenstein (Accessed: 28 June 2023).
  • Marie Anna Z Thun-Hohensteinu (2022) Wikipedia (Czech). Available at: https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Anna_z_Thun-Hohensteinu (Accessed: 28 June 2023).

A View from a DKM: Looking Back One Year

I was home on vacation.  I was relaxing and sleeping in and enjoying not being at work.  However, on Wednesday night I had not slept well.  I woke up on and off all night because I was dreaming about the Queen and her health.  It wasn’t the first time, but it was the most vivid. Unable to sleep I grabbed my phone and looked at my messages and email.  There it was, Susan and Scott talking about the announcement regarding HM The Queen’s health.

“The Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision. The Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral.”

It was this generations “The King’s life is moving peacefully to its close” used for her grandfather, King George V, over 87 years before hand.

I got out of bed and turned-on BBC World to watch the news.  All the coverage was about the announcement and it early enough that nobody had changed clothes yet.  I texted a friend to give her the news.  I grabbed my laptop and checked a couple of online but “hidden” sources I knew about.  The news there wasn’t good.  I continued to watch BBC as I did a few things around the house, took care of the dogs, and ate a little.  I kept an eye on Unofficial Royalty to make sure it didn’t go down and messaged friends about the situation.  I watched the crowds gather and the talking heads on TV talk.  On my phone I would rotate between the UK Telegraph and the Times of London.  It still didn’t seem real.  I was watching history.  Then I saw it.

The helicopter over Buckingham Palace showed the flag at half-staff.  Just as it was registering in my mind what that meant, Huw Edwards announced The Queen had passed then read the official announcement:

“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”

It hit me a lot harder than I thought it would.  It was 12:30 my time and quite honestly the rest of the day was a blur.  I watched BBC into the night; it would be my pattern over the next few days as I came to grip with what was going on.

A year later and I’m not sure I have fully come to grips with it yet.  Rest-in-Peace Your Majesty, you certainly earned it.

Prince Enrico of Bourbon-Parma, Titular Duke of Parma

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Prince Enrico of Bourbon-Parma was the titular Duke of Parma from 1907 until his death in 1939. As he was mentally disabled, his younger brother Elia served as regent.

Prince Enrico of Bourbon-Parma, Titular Duke of Parma – source: Wikipedia

Prince Enrico was the second son of Roberto I, the last reigning Duke of Parma, and his first wife, Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. He was born at Wartegg Castle in Rorschach, Switzerland on June 13, 1873. He had 11 siblings:

  • Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma (1870 – 1899), married Ferdinand I, Prince of Bulgaria (later Tsar), had four children including Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria,
  • Ferdinando, Prince of Piacenza (born and died 1871 ), died in infancy
  • Princess Luisa Maria of Bourbon-Parma (1872 – 1943), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Princess Maria Immacolata of Bourbon-Parma (1874 – 1914), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Giuseppe, Titular Duke of Parma (1875 – 1950), unmarried, mentally disabled, his brother Elias continued his role as regent and Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma
  • Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Parma (1876 – 1959), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Parma (1877 – 1915), unmarried, mentally disabled
  • Princess Beatrice of Bourbon-Parma (1879 – 1946), married Count Pietro Lucchesi-Palli, had four children
  • Elias, Titular Duke of Parma (1880 – 1959), married Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, had eight children, from 1907 to 1950, he served as regent for the claims of his two older disabled brothers, Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma
  • Princess Maria Anastasia of Bourbon-Parma (born and died 1881), died in infancy
  • Prince Augusto of Bourbon-Parma (stillborn 1882)

He also had 12 siblings from his father’s second marriage to Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal:

Enrico, as the oldest surviving son, succeeded his father Roberto I as titular Duke of Parma and Head of the House of Bourbon-Parma. Just a few months later, at the request of Roberto’s second wife, Enrico and several of his full siblings were declared legally incompetent due to their mental disabilities. Enrico’s younger brother, Elia, became guardian of the six siblings, and took on the role of Head of House and served as regent during Enrico’s tenure.

Unmarried and childless, Enrico died on November 16, 1939, at the Villa Borbone (link in Italian) in Viareggio, Kingdom of Italy. He was buried in the chapel at the Villa Borbone in Viareggio, Italy. He was succeeded as titular Duke of Parma by his brother Giuseppe, who was also mentally disabled. Their younger brother Elia once again served as regent.

* * * * * * * * * *

Duchy of Parma Resources at Unofficial Royalty

* * * * * * * * * *

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.

Maria Leopoldine of Austria, Holy Roman Empress, 2nd wife of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Maria Leopoldine of Austria, Holy Roman Empress; Credit – Wikipedia

The Holy Roman Empire was a limited elective monarchy composed of hundreds of kingdoms, principalities, duchies, counties, prince-bishoprics, and Free Imperial Cities in central Europe. The Holy Roman Empire was not really holy since, after Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1530, no emperors were crowned by the pope or a bishop. It was not Roman but rather German because it was mainly in the regions of present-day Germany and Austria. It was an empire in name only – the territories it covered were mostly independent each with its own rulers. The Holy Roman Emperor directly ruled over only his family territories, and could not issue decrees and rule autonomously over the Holy Roman Empire. A Holy Roman Emperor was only as strong as his army and alliances, including marriage alliances, made him, and his power was severely restricted by the many sovereigns of the constituent monarchies of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century, prince-electors, or electors for short, elected the Holy Roman Emperor from among the sovereigns of the constituent states.

Frequently but not always, it was common practice to elect the deceased Holy Roman Emperor’s heir. The Holy Roman Empire was an elective monarchy. No person had a legal right to the succession simply because he was related to the current Holy Roman Emperor. However, the Holy Roman Emperor could and often did, while still alive, have a relative (usually a son) elected to succeed him after his death. This elected heir apparent used the title King of the Romans.

********************

Archduchess Maria Leopoldine of Austria was the second wife of her first cousin Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Lower and Inner Austria. King of Bohemia, and King of Hungary and Croatia. Born in Innsbruck, Archduchy of Austria, now in Austria on April 6, 1632, she was the fifth of the five children and the third of the three daughters of Leopold V, Archduke of Further Austria and Claudia de’ Medici. Maria Leopoldine’s father died on September 13, 1632, when she was five months old. Her paternal grandparents were Karl II, Archduke of Inner Austria and his niece Princess Maria Anna of Bavaria. Maria Leopoldine’s maternal grandparents were Ferdinando I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Princess Christina of Lorraine.

Maria Leopoldine had four elder siblings:

Maria Leopoldine had one older half-sister from her mother’s first marriage to Federico Ubaldo della Rover, Duke of Urbino:

Maria Leopoldine’s husband, Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 13, 1646, Maria Anna of Austria, Infanta of Spain and Portugal, the first wife and first cousin of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor died. Two years later, forty-year-old Ferdinand III married again, on July 2, 1648, to sixteen-year-old Maria Leopoldine, another first cousin. The young Maria Leopoldine became Holy Roman Empress and the stepmother of Ferdinand III’s three surviving children from his first wife:

  • Ferdinand, King of the Romans (1633 – 1654), unmarried, died from smallpox
  • Archduchess Mariana of Austria (1634 – 1696), married (second wife) her maternal uncle Felipe IV, King of Spain, had five children
  • Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (1640 – 1705), married (1) his first cousin Margaret Theresa of Spain, had four children, only one survived childhood (2) his first cousin and Maria Leopoldine’s niece Claudia Felicitas of Austria, had two children, both died in childhood (3) Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg, had ten children, five survived childhood

Maria Leopoldine and Ferdinand III’s son Karl Josef; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Leopoldine and Ferdinand III had one son, Archduke Karl Josef of Austria (1649 – 1664), who died in his teens. Sadly, the childbirth was very difficult and 17-year-old Maria Leopoldine died on the day her son was born, August 19, 1649. She was interred in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria.

Maria Leopoldine’s tomb: 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

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Lower and Inner Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary and Croatia, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/ferdinand-iii-holy-roman-emperor-archduke-of-lower-and-inner-austria-king-of-bohemia-king-of-hungary-and-croatia/ (Accessed: 27 June 2023).
  • Leopold V, Archduke of Austria (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_V,_Archduke_of_Austria (Accessed: 27 June 2023).
  • Maria Leopoldine of Austria (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Leopoldine_of_Austria (Accessed: 27 June 2023).
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew. (1995) The Habsburgs. London: Viking.
  • Wilson, Peter H. (2016) Heart of Europe – A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Countess Eleonore Barbara von Thun-Hohenstein, Princess of Liechtenstein

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Eleonore Barbara Catharina von Thun-Hohenstein, Princess of Liechtestein; Credit – Wikipedia

Countess Eleonore Barbara Catharina von Thun-Hohenstein was the wife of Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein. Born on May 4, 1661, in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic, she was the elder of the two children, both daughters, of Count Michael Oswald von Thun-Hohenstein, a chamberlain and advisor at the imperial court of the Holy Roman Empire, and Countess Elisabeth von Lodron. Eleonore Barbara’s paternal grandparents were Count Johann Sigmund von Thun-Hohenstein and Anna Margaretha von Wolkenstein. Her maternal grandparents were Christoph von Lodron and Katharina von Spaur-Flavon.

Eleonore Barbara had one sister:

  • Maria Magdalena von Thun-Hohenstein (? – 1708), married Ferenc Joszef Serényi de Kisserény, no children

Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 15, 1679, Eleonore Barbara married Anton Florian, the future sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein, the second of the three sons of Prince Hartmann of Liechtenstein and Countess Sidonie Elisabeth of Salm-Reifferscheidt. Anton Florian was the grandson of Prince Gundakar of Liechtenstein, the brother of Karl I, the first Prince of Liechtenstein. In 1676, at the age of twenty, Anton Florian began his career at the imperial court of the Holy Roman Empire in Vienna, Austria by being appointed a chamberlain of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Eleonore Barbara and Anton Florian had eleven children:

  • Franz Augustin of Liechtenstein (1680 – 1681), died in infancy
  • Eleonore of Liechtenstein (1681 -1682), died in infancy
  • Antonia Maria Eleonore of Liechtenstein (1683 -1715), married (1) Count Johann Adam von Lamberg, no children (2) Count Maximilian von Kuefstein, had four children
  • Karl Josef Florian of Liechtenstein (born and died 1685), died in infancy
  • Anton Ignaz Josef of Liechtenstein (1689 – 1690), died in infancy
  • Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein (1690 – 1732),  The Four Wives of Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein married (1) Princess Maria Gabriele of Liechtenstein, his first cousin, daughter of Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein, had one son who died in childhood (2) Countess Marianne of Thun-Hohenstein, died twenty days after the wedding (3) Countess Maria Anna Katharina of Oettingen-Spielberg, had five children including Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein (4) Countess Maria Anna Kottulinska von Kottulin, had two children who died in childhood
  • Innocent Franz Anton of Liechtenstein (1693 – 1707), died in his teens
  • Maria Karoline Anna of Liechtenstein (1694 – 1735), married Count Franz Wilhelm von Salm-Reifferscheidt, had one son
  • Karl Josef (1697 – 1704), died in childhood
  • Anna Maria Antonie of Liechtenstein (1699 – 1753), married her first cousin Josef Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein, had five children who all died in childhood
  • Maria Eleonore of Liechtenstein (1703 – 1757), married Friedrich August von Harrach-Rohrau, had ten children

Eleonore Barbara accompanied her husband Anton Florian on his diplomatic and political missions throughout the Holy Roman Empire and Western Europe. In 1689, Anton Florian became a member of the Imperial Privy Council and in 1691, he became ambassador to the papal court in Rome. Due to his extensive knowledge, in 1693, Anton Florian became responsible for the education of Archduke Karl, son of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I. In 1711, upon the sudden death of his elder brother Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke Karl was elected to succeed him as Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor. Anton Florian headed the imperial government as Chairman of the Council of State and served as Karl VI’s Chief Chamberlain for the rest of his life.

On June 16, 1712, Anton Florian’s nephew Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein, died without a male heir. Anton Florian was the heir according to primogeniture but he was not very popular with the family, so Hans-Adam I had named his second cousin once removed Josef Wenzel as his heir. In 1718, after negotiations, Josef Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein swapped the County of Vaduz and the Lordship of Schellenberg in exchange for the Dominion of Rumburk. Anton Florian became reigning Prince of Liechtenstein making Eleonore Barbara the Princess Consort.

The Pauline Church in Vienna, where Eleonore Barbara was buried; Credit – Di Ricardalovesmonuments – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69117322

After a reign of only three years, Eleonore Barbara’s husband Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein, aged 65, died in Vienna, Austria, on October 11, 1721, and was buried in the Old Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. Eleonore Barbara survived him by less than two years, dying at the age of 62 on February 10, 1723, in Vienna, Austria. She was buried in a crypt under the Pauline Church (link in German) in Vienna, Austria where her daughter Anna Maria who married her first cousin Josef Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein, would later be buried. The crypt no longer exists and the tombs were not preserved.

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

  • “Century: 18. Jahrhundert.” Das Fürstenhaus Von Liechtenstein, https://fuerstenhaus.li/die-biographien-aller-fuersten/18-jahrhundert/.
  • Eleonore Barbara von Thun und Hohenstein (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleonore_Barbara_von_Thun_und_Hohenstein (Accessed: 26 June 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2021) Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/anton-florian-prince-of-liechtenstein/ (Accessed: 26 June 2023).
  • Michael Oswald, Graf von Thun und Hohenstein (2016) geni_family_tree. Available at: https://www.geni.com/people/Michael-Oswald-Graf-von-Thun-und-Hohenstein/6000000015494997120 (Accessed: 26 June 2023).
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Anton Florian (Liechtenstein). Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Florian_(Liechtenstein)
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein. Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Florian,_Prince_of_Liechtenstein.

Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was located in today’s southern Italy. It included the island of Sicily and all of the Italian peninsula south of the Papal States. Ferdinando I, the first King of the Two Sicilies, had previously reigned over two kingdoms, as Ferdinando IV of the Kingdom of Naples and Ferdinando III of the Kingdom of Sicily. He had been deposed twice from the throne of Naples: once by the revolutionary Parthenopean Republic for six months in 1799 and again by Napoleon in 1805, before being restored in 1816 after the defeat of Napoleon. After the 1816 restoration, the two kingdoms were united into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia became a driving force behind the Italian unification movement along with Giuseppe Garibaldi, a general and nationalist, and Giuseppe Mazzini, a politician and journalist. Garibaldi conquered Naples and Sicily, the territories of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies. Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies was deposed, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ceased to exist, and its territory was incorporated into the Kingdom of Sardinia. Eventually, the Sardinian troops occupied the central territories of the Italian peninsula, except Rome and part of Papal States. With all the newly acquired land, Vittorio Emanuele II was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

********************

Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro is one of the current claimants to the headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and pretender to the throne of the former kingdom. He succeeded his father in 2008.

photo: By Rereader1996 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84255835

Prince Carlo Maria Bernardo Gennaro was born on February 24, 1963 in Saint-Raphaël, Var, France, the only son of Prince Ferdinando of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro and Chantal de Chevron-Villette. He has two older sisters:

Prince Carlo undertook his education in France – at the Institute of the Marist Fathers in Toulon, the College Stanislas in Nice, and the Universite Internationale Libre in Paris. Following university, he worked for several years managing a public relations firm in New York City. Upon returning to Europe, he worked with several large Italian companies.

photo: Par ImperialArchivesRU — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=113754227

On October 13, 1998 in Monaco, Prince Carlo married Camilla Crociani, daughter of Camillo Crociani and Edy Vessel, an Italian actress. The couple have two daughters:

  • Princess Maria Carolina, Duchess of Palermo (2003)
  • Princess Maria Chiara, Duchess of Capri (2005)

Upon his father’s death in 2008, Carlo succeeded him as one of the claimants to the former throne and headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, along with his distant cousin, Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria.

Six years later, in January 2014, the two branches of the house signed an Act of Reconciliation, ending over 50 years of feuding. Both agreed to work toward overcoming the “obstacles which stand in the way of peace and family harmony.” There was no mention of which branch was the rightful claimant to the headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Prince Carlo and Prince Pedro (who succeeded his father Infante Carlos in 2015), continued to work toward reconciliation, but an announcement by Prince Carlo in 2016 put an end to their efforts.

On May 14, 2016, Prince Carlo announced that, as he had no male heirs, he was changing the rules of succession to allow his elder daughter to succeed him. Prince Pedro objected as it was in direct conflict with the laws and rules of the former Kingdom of Two Sicilies. This declaration seems to have ended any attempts at reconciliation between the two branches of the family,

* * * * * * * * * *

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Resources at Unofficial Royalty

* * * * * * * * * *

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.