December 27: Today in Royal History

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Christine Marie of France, Duchess of Savoy; Credit – Wikipedia

December 27, 1663 – Death of Christine Marie of France, Duchess of Savoy, daughter of King Henri IV of France and wife of Vittorio Amadeo I, Duke of Savoy, at the Palazzo Madama in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy; buried at Basilica of Sant’Andrea in Vercelli, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy, in 1802, her remains were transferred to the nearby Church of Saint Teresa of Avila
Christine was the daughter of King Henri IV of France and his second wife Marie de’ Medici. In 1619, on her 13th birthday, she married the future Vittorio Amadeo I, Duke of Savoy and they had seven children. Christine introduced French culture to the Savoy court and was quite active in the renovations of Savoy palaces and castles. Her sister Henrietta Maria had married King Charles I of England and the two sisters had a rivalry to see who had the more splendid court. Upon the death of her husband in 1637, Christine became Regent for her five-year-old son Francesco Giacinto, Duke of Savoy and when he died in 1638, she became Regent for her other son Carlo Emanuele II, Duke of Savoy. In later years, Christine had a religious conversion that radically transformed her from a life of pleasure to a life of extreme penitential practices. She died at the age of 57 and requested to be buried in the habit of a Discalced Carmelite nun.
Unofficial Royalty: Christine Marie of France, Duchess of Savoy

December 27, 1683 – Death of Maria Francisca of Savoy, Queen of Portugal, wife of King Afonso VI of Portugal and King Pedro II of Portugal, at the palace of the Count of Sarzedas in Palhavã, Portugal; first buried at the Convent of the Francesinhas, moved in 1912 to the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal
Maria Francisca of Savoy was Queen of Portugal twice, once as the wife of Afonso VI, King of Portugal, and then as the wife of his brother Pedro II, King of Portugal. In 1666, she married King Afonso VI who was debilitated mentally and physically due to the effects of a disease he contracted in childhood. Maria Francisca cooperated with her brother-in-law Pedro in a coup that led to Pedro assuming the role of Prince Regent in 1668. While Pedro never formally usurped the throne, Afonso VI was king in name only for the rest of his life. After Maria Francisca’s marriage to Afonso VI was annulled on the grounds of non-consummation, she married Pedro. In 1683, Afonso VI died and his brother succeeded him as Pedro II, King of Portugal, and Maria Francisca was Queen of Portugal for a second time. She died on December 27, 1683.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Francisca of Savoy, Queen of Portugal

December 27, 1755 – Birth of King Anton of Saxony in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany
Full name: Anton Clemens Theodor Maria Josef Johann Evangelista Johann Nepomuk Franz Xavier Aloys Januar
In 1827, Anton became King of Saxony, upon the death of his elder brother King Friedrich August I, who had only one surviving child, a daughter. Anton also had no male heirs. His first marriage was childless and the one son and three daughters from his second marriage either died at birth or died in infancy. By 1830, following the July Revolution in France, Saxony began to see some small uprisings, usually directed at the Constitution. In order to maintain peace, several changes took place. In September 1830, Anton appointed his nephew and heir, Friedrich August, as Co-Regent. And the following year, a new Constitution was put into place, establishing Saxony as a true constitutional monarchy. Anton was succeeded by his nephew King Friedrich August II.
Unofficial Royalty: King Anton of Saxony

December 27, 1849 – Birth of Alicia of Bourbon-Parma, Titular Grand Duchess of Tuscany, second wife of Ferdinando IV, then the titular Grand Duke of Tuscany in Parma, Duchy of Parma, now in Italy
Full name: Alicia Maria Carolina Ferdinanda Rachael Giovanna Filomena
Alicia was the daughter of Carlo III, Duke of Parma and Princess Louise Marie Thérèse of France, who was a granddaughter of King Charles X of France. Alice’s father was assassinated in 1854 and her six-year-old brother Roberto became Duke of Parma. Roberto lost his throne in 1859 during the Italian unification movement. In 1868, Alicia became the second wife of the former Ferdinando IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Ferdinando lost his throne due to the Italian unification and was in exile like Alicia’s family. Alicia and Ferdinando had ten children. Ferdinando and Alicia lived at the Villa Tuscany in Lindau, Austria during the summer, and during the winter they lived in a wing of the Salzburg Residenz, formerly the residence of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg. Both residences were provided by Ferdinando’s second cousin Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria.
Unofficial Royalty: Alicia of Bourbon-Parma, Grand Duchess of Tuscany

December 27, 1894 – Death of the former Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies in Arco, Austria-Hungary, now in Italy; originally buried at the Church of the Holy Spirit of the Neapolitans in Rome, in 1984, his remains were transferred to the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples, Italy
Francesco II was the last King of the Two Sicilies. In 1859, he married Maria Sophie of Bavaria. The couple had one daughter. Three months after his marriage Francesco’s father died and he became King of the Two Sicilies. During the reign of Francesco II, Giuseppe Garibaldi’s 1860-1861 invasion called the Expedition of the Thousand led to the fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which then was annexed to the new Kingdom of Italy in 1861. After losing his throne, Francesco lived in Rome but in 1870, the annexation of the Papal States to Italy, including Rome, forced Francesco and Maria Sophie to find refuge in Austria, France, and Bavaria. Maria Sophie purchased Garatshausen Castle on Lake Starnberg in the Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria from her brother Ludwig, and the castle became their home. Francesco died at the age of 58 in Arco, where he spent winters, then in Austria-Hungary, now in Italy.
Unofficial Royalty: Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies

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