Yearly Archives: 2017

King Carl XIII of Sweden/King Karl II of Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

King Carl XIII of Sweden/King Karl II of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Born the second son of King Adolf Frederik of Sweden and Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, Carl was not destined to be king, but at the age of 60, he became King of Sweden and reigned for nine years. He would be the last Swedish monarch of the House of Holstein-Gottorp. Prince Carl of Sweden was born on October 7, 1748, at the Wrangel Palace on Riddarholmen islet in Gamla Stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Wrangel Palace was the official Stockholm residence of the Swedish royal family from 1697 until 1754 when the Royal Palace of Stockholm was completed. Carl was the first cousin of Empress Catherine II  of Russia (the Great) and the nephew of King Friedrich II of Prussia (the Great).

Prince Carl in 1758; Credit – Wikipedia

Carl had one older brother and a younger brother and sister:

The three sons of King Adolf Frederik: King Gustav III of Sweden, Prince Frederick Adolf, and King Carl XIII of Sweden by Alexander Roslin, 1771; Credit – Wikipedia

During the twenty-year reign of his father King Adolf Fredrik, the King had no real power. The Riksdag (Swedish Parliament) held the power. Adolf Fredrik tried to change this twice, unsuccessfully. Because Carl was second in line to the throne, he was often used as a political tool for the opposition. In 1771, King Adolf Fredrik died and Carl’s brother succeeded to the throne as King Gustav III. In 1772, Gustav arranged for a coup d’état known as the Revolution of 1772 or Coup of Gustav III. The coup d’état reinstated an absolute monarchy and ended parliamentary rule.  Gustav imprisoned opposition leaders and established a new regime with extensive power for the king. Carl cooperated with his brother during the coup and as a reward was given the title Duke of Södermanland.

In 1766, King Gustav III married Princess Sophia Magdalena of Denmark. At the time of the coup in 1772, the marriage still had not been consummated and Gustav wanted to give the task of providing an heir to his brother. On July 7, 1774, Carl married his 15-year-old first cousin Princess Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp, daughter of Duke Friedrich August I of Holstein-Gottorp and Princess Ulrike Friederike Wilhelmine of Hesse-Kassel.

Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte in 1774; Credit – Wikipedia

In July 1775, there were signs that Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte was pregnant. It was hoped that the succession problem would be solved and prayers were held in the churches. However, there was no pregnancy. The news of the false pregnancy made King Gustav III decide to consummate his marriage and provide an heir to the throne himself and the future King Gustav IV Adolf was born in 1778.

Their marriage was distant and both Carl and his wife had extramarital affairs. Carl and Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte eventually had two children – one stillborn and one who lived only six days.

  • Lovisa Hedvig (stillborn 1797)
  • Carl Adolf, Duke of Värmland (born and died 1798)

In the 1780s, King Gustav III was preoccupied with foreign policy: a growing hatred of Denmark and a desire to conquer Norway. In 1788, he began a war against Russia, the Russo-Swedish War, but had to retreat because of a mutiny in the army. In 1789, he resumed the war with varying success. The war ended in 1790 with the Treaty of Värälä. The war with Russia destroyed Sweden’s economy, and when Gustav decided to attack France, a conspiracy developed.

Carl’s brother King Gustav III, 1792; Credit – Wikipedia

The Russo-Sweden War and the implementation of the Union and Security Act in 1789, which gave the king more power and abolished many of the privileges of the nobility, contributed to the increasing hatred of King Gustav III, which had existed among the nobility since the 1772 coup. In the winter of 1791-1792, a conspiracy was formed within the nobility to kill the king and reform the government.

On March 16, 1792, King Gustav III was shot by Jacob Johan Anckarström during a masked ball at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm. Thirteen days later, on March 29, 1792, King Gustav III died of his wounds at the Royal Palace of Stockholm at the age of 46. His 13-year-old son succeeded him as King Gustav IV Adolf. Prince Carl, Duke of Södermanland, the young king’s uncle, served as regent until 1796.  Carl was not willing or not capable of managing state affairs and entrusted the power of government to his confidant Count Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm.

In 1805, King Gustav IV Adolf joined the Third Coalition against Napoleon. His campaign went poorly and the French occupied Swedish Pomerania. In 1807, Russia made peace with France. A year later, Russia invaded Finland, which was ruled by Sweden, attempting to force Gustav Adolf to join Napoleon’s Continental System. In just a few months, almost all of Finland was lost to Russia. In 1809, Sweden surrendered the eastern third of Sweden to Russia, and the autonomous Grand Principality of Finland within the Russian Empire was established.

Carl’s nephew King Gustav IV Adolf, 1809; Credit – Wikipedia

Provoked by the disaster in Finland, a group of noblemen started a coup d’état that deposed King Gustav IV Adolf. On March 13, 1809, a group of conspirators broke into the royal apartments at Gripsholm Castle and imprisoned Gustav Adolf and his family. Prince Carl, Gustav Adolf’s uncle, agreed to form a provisional government, and the Swedish parliament, the Riksdag, approved the coup. Gustav Adolf abdicated on March 29, 1809, thinking his son would become king. However, on May 10, 1809, the Riksdag proclaimed that all members of Gustav Adolf’s family had forfeited their rights to the throne. After accepting a new liberal constitution, Prince Carl was proclaimed King Carl XIII of Sweden on June 6, 1809. In December 1809, King Gustav IV Adolf and his family were sent into exile.

Carl was 60 years old and not in good health. In November 1809, he had a stroke and was not able to participate in the government while he recuperated. Since King Gustav IV Adolf’s descendants had been declared ineligible to succeed to the Swedish throne and Carl was childless, a new heir had to be found. Prince Carl August of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, the 41-year-old son of Friedrich Christian I, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg and Princess Charlotte of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön, was chosen to be the Crown Prince of Sweden. The new Crown Prince arrived in Sweden in January 1810, but he died from a stroke on May 28, 1810.

The Swedes had the idea to offer the position of Crown Prince to one of Napoleon’s Marshals. Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, appointed Marshal of France in 1804, was well-liked in Sweden, particularly because of his considerate treatment of Swedish prisoners during the recent war with Denmark. In addition, he was related to Napoleon through his wife Désirée Clary, whose sister Julie Clary was married to Napoleon’s brother Joseph Bonaparte. Désirée had previously been engaged to Napoleon. Bernadotte already had a son Oscar, born in 1799, who could continue the succession. On August 21, 1810, the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates elected Bernadotte as Crown Prince. He arrived in Stockholm in November 1810 and was formally adopted by King Carl XIII, taking the name Carl Johan, and converted from Roman Catholicism to Lutheranism.

Jean Baptiste Bernadotte (King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden) as Crown Prince of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

The new Crown Prince quickly took an active role in the Swedish government, particularly in foreign policy. He was actively involved in the events leading up to the Treaty of Kiel in 1814, in which Denmark was forced to cede Norway to Sweden. At first, Norway refused to accept the treaty, and the Crown Prince invaded, quickly suppressing the Norwegian forces. Soon, Norway became united with Sweden at the Convention of Moss. Unlike the previous union with Denmark, this was a personal union under a single sovereign, and Norway remained an independent state with its own constitution.  King Carl XIII of Sweden also reigned as King Karl II of Norway.

King Carl III, circa 1816; Credit – Wikipedia

King Carl XIII died on February 5, 1818, at the Royal Palace of Stockholm at the age of 69 and he was buried at Riddarholm Church in Stockholm. Jean Baptiste Bernadotte ascended the throne. His coronation in Sweden took place on May 11, 1818, and he took the name King Carl XIV Johan. In September 1818, he was crowned in Norway, as King Karl III Johan. Thus began the Bernadotte dynasty in Sweden, which continues today.

Tomb of King Carl XIII of Sweden; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

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

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Charles XIII of Sweden. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_XIII_of_Sweden [Accessed 25 Sep. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedwig_Elizabeth_Charlotte_of_Holstein-Gottorp [Accessed 25 Sep. 2017].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2017). Charles XIII. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_XIII [Accessed 25 Sep. 2017].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. (2017). Karl XIII. [online] Available at: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_XIII [Accessed 25 Sep. 2017].
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2017). King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden (Jean Baptiste Bernadotte). [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-carl-xiv-johan-of-sweden-jean-baptiste-bernadotte/ [Accessed 25 Sep. 2017].

Frederica of Baden, Queen of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Frederica of Baden, Queen of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

The wife of King Gustav IV Adolph of Sweden who was deposed after a 17-year reign, Princess Friederike (Frederica) Dorothea Wilhelmina of Baden, was born on March 12, 1781, at Karlsruhe Palace in Karlsruhe, Duchy of Baden, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Frederica was the fourth of the six daughters and the fourth of the eight children of Karl Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Baden and Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt. Her father predeceased his father so he never became Grand Duke of Baden.

Among Frederica’s seven siblings were an empress, a queen, a grand duchess, a duchess, and a grand duke. Collectively, Frederica and her siblings are ancestors of several royal families.

Gustav Adolf and Frederica, circa 1797-1800; Credit – Wikipedia

The princesses of Baden were renowned for their beauty. The marriage of Frederica’s 14-year-old sister Louise to the future Alexander I, Emperor of Russia opened the door to prized marriages for her sisters. After having issues with some prospective brides, 19-year-old King Gustav IV Adolph of Sweden, son of King Gustav III of Sweden and Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, decided to arrange his own marriage. During a 1796 visit to Russia, he met the former Louise of Baden who was married to the future Alexander I, Emperor of Russia. Gustav Adolf thought Louise was beautiful and expected the same of her sister Frederica. He visited 16-year-old Frederica and her parents in August 1797 and immediately Gustav Adolf and Frederica became engaged. On October 6, 1797, Frederica of Baden was married by proxy to King Gustav IV Adolf in Stralsund in Swedish Pomerania with Swedish Baron Evert Taube standing in for the king. Baron Taube accompanied Frederica to Sweden where a second wedding ceremony was held on October 31, 1797, in the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace of Stockholm.

The couple had five children:

Coming from a small, strict, Protestant German court, Frederica found it difficult to adapt to the pleasure-loving Swedish court. By nature, she was shy and isolated herself with her courtiers, girls the same age as her. Her mother-in-law, born Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, treated her with kindness because she remembered how poorly her mother-in-law had treated her. After the birth of her son in 1799, Frederica became more comfortable in her position as queen.

The king and queen preferred a quiet family life with a small entourage at Haga Palace or Gripsholm Castle. Frederica was a skillful clavichord player, enjoyed the company of her small circle of friends, and devoted herself to the upbringing of her children. She kept in close correspondence with her family. In 1801, her parents visited Sweden after having been in Russia to see her sister. However, the visit ended unhappily as her father died due to a coach accident during the visit.

In 1805, Gustav Adolf joined the Third Coalition against Napoleon. His campaign went poorly and the French occupied Swedish Pomerania. In 1807, Russia made peace with France. A year later, Russia invaded Finland, which was ruled by Sweden, attempting to force Gustav Adolf to join Napoleon’s Continental System. In just a few months, almost all of Finland was lost to Russia. In 1809, Sweden surrendered the eastern third of Sweden to Russia, and the autonomous Grand Principality of Finland within the Russian Empire was established.

Provoked by the disaster in Finland, a group of noblemen started a coup d’état that deposed King Gustav IV Adolf. On March 13, 1809, a group of conspirators led by Carl Johan Adlercreutz broke into the royal apartments at Gripsholm Castle and imprisoned Gustav Adolf and his family. Prince Karl, Gustav Adolf’s uncle, agreed to form a provisional government, and the Swedish parliament, the Riksdag, gave their approval for the coup. Gustav Adolf abdicated on March 29, 1809, thinking if he did so, his son would become king. However, on May 10, 1809, the Riksdag proclaimed that all members of Gustav Adolf’s family had forfeited their rights to the throne. After accepting a new liberal constitution, Prince Karl, Gustav Adolf’s uncle, was proclaimed King Karl XIII of Sweden on June 6, 1809. In December 1809, Gustav Adolf and his family were sent to the Grand Duchy of Baden.

Frederica in exile; Credit – Wikipedia

Gustav Adolf and Frederica settled in Frederica’s home country, the Grand Duchy of Baden. However, the couple became incompatible and divorced in 1812. In the divorce settlement, Gustav Adolf renounced all his assets in favor of his mother and his children. He also renounced the custody and guardianship of his children. Two years later, Frederica placed her children under the guardianship of her brother-in-law Alexander I, Emperor of Russia.

Frederica settled in Bruchsal Castle in Baden. She acquired several other residences in Baden and a country villa, Villamont, near Lausanne, Switzerland. Frederica spent most of her time at her brother’s court in Karlsruhe, but she also traveled around Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, using the name Countess Itterburg after a ruin in Hesse she had acquired. Frederica turned down two proposals of marriage, one from Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, the widower of her sister, and the other from King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia.

During her final years, Frederica was often ill. She died from heart disease in Lausanne, Switzerland on September 25, 1826, at the age of only 45. Frederica was buried at her family’s burial site, Schlosskirche St. Michael in Pforzheim, then in the Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Schlosskirche St. Michael; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2017). St. Michael (Pforzheim). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael_(Pforzheim) [Accessed 24 Sep. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Frederica of Baden. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederica_of_Baden [Accessed 24 Sep. 2017].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2017). Frédérique de Bade. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9rique_de_Bade [Accessed 24 Sep. 2017].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. (2017). Fredrika av Baden. [online] Available at: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredrika_av_Baden [Accessed 24 Sep. 2017].

King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

King Gustav IV Adolf became king at the age of 13 when his father was assassinated and his reign lasted until he was deposed 17 years later in a coup. He was born at the Royal Palace of Stockholm on November 1, 1778, the elder of the two sons of King Gustav III of Sweden and Princess Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, daughter of King Frederik V of Denmark and his first wife Princess Louise of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain.

The marriage of Gustav Adolf’s parents remained unconsummated for ten years. There were various theories regarding the cause including his mother’s strict religious upbringing and introverted character, his father’s sexuality, and the possibility that either or both Queen Sophia Magdalena and King Gustav III had some physical problem. Eventually, Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila acted as a sexual instructor for the couple. The instruction resulted in the birth of Gustav Adolf. When it became known that Munck participated in the reconciliation between the royal couple, there were rumors that he was Gustav Adolf’s father.

Gustav Adolf had one younger brother who died in infancy:

  • Prince Carl Gustav, Duke of Småland (1782–1783)

Gustav Adolf in 1785; Credit – Wikipedia

After his birth, Gustav Adolf was put under the care of Maria Aurora Uggla, a lady-in-waiting and confidant of Queen Sophia Magdalena. As Crown Prince, Gustav Adolf began his education before he was three years old with Count Fredrik Sparre. When he was ten-years-old, Gustav Adolf received the Royal Order of the Seraphim.

On March 16, 1792, King Gustav III was shot by Jacob Johan Anckarström during a masked ball at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm. Thirteen days later, on March 29, 1792, King Gustav III died of his wounds at the Royal Palace of Stockholm at the age of 46. His 13-year-old son succeeded him as King Gustav IV Adolf.  Prince Karl, Duke of Södermanland, the young king’s paternal uncle, served as regent until 1796. Karl was not willing or not capable of managing state affairs and entrusted the power of government to his confidant Count Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm.  Nils von Rosenstein, the first permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, served as Gustav Adolf’s tutor.

King Gustav IV Adolf in 1793; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1795, Gustav Adolph was betrothed to Duchess Louise Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The engagement was arranged by Count Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm, the confidant of the regent Prince Karl, who wished to keep his influence after Gustav Adolf was declared of legal majority by having a queen indebted to him for her position. Gustav Adolf was initially positive about marrying Louise Charlotte and the engagement was celebrated in the courts of Sweden and Mecklenburg-Schwerin. However, Empress Catherine the Great of Russia wanted her granddaughter Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia to be Queen of Sweden, and made her dislike of the engagement known. Because of this, many people told Gustav Adolf that Louise Charlotte, whom he had not seen, was not beautiful. When Gustav Adolf was declared of legal majority in 1796, he broke off the engagement to Louise Charlotte. Her father demanded compensation. In 1803, the matter was finally settled when the Swedish city of Wismar in Germany was turned over to Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Around the time of his betrothal to Louise Charlotte, Gustav Adolf had fallen in love with Ebba Modée, a maid of honor to Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp, the wife of Gustav Adolf’s uncle Prince Karl. He offered to call off his engagement to Louise Charlotte, abdicate, and elope with her to Bohemia. She declined and encouraged him to go on his trip to Russia in 1796, where he was to be engaged to the Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna. However, the Russian engagement fell through because Gustav Adolf refused to allow his prospective bride to continue to practice her Russian Orthodox religion.

Gustav Adolf and Frederica, circa 1797-1800; Credit – Wikipedia

After all the problems with prospective brides, Gustav Adolf arranged his own marriage. During his 1796 visit to Russia, he met the former Louise of Baden who was married to the future Alexander I, Emperor of Russia. Louise had a sister Frederica and since Gustav Adolf thought Louise was beautiful, he expected the same of her sister. He visited Frederica and her parents, Karl Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Baden and Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt, in August 1797, and  Gustav Adolf and Frederica immediately became engaged. On October 6, 1797, Frederica of Baden was married by proxy to King Gustav IV Adolf in Stralsund in Swedish Pomerania with Swedish Baron Evert Taube standing in for the king. Baron Taube accompanied Frederica to Sweden where a second wedding ceremony was held on October 31, 1797, in the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace of Stockholm.

The couple had five children:

In 1805, Gustav Adolf joined the Third Coalition against Napoleon. His campaign went poorly and the French occupied Swedish Pomerania. In 1807, Russia made peace with France. A year later, Russia invaded Finland, which was ruled by Sweden, attempting to force Gustav Adolf to join Napoleon’s Continental System. In just a few months, almost all of Finland was lost to Russia. In 1809, Sweden surrendered the eastern third of Sweden to Russia, and the autonomous Grand Principality of Finland within the Russian Empire was established.

Provoked by the disaster in Finland, a group of noblemen started a coup d’état that deposed King Gustav IV Adolf. On March 13, 1809, a group of conspirators led by Carl Johan Adlercreutz broke into the royal apartments at Gripsholm Castle and imprisoned Gustav Adolf and his family. Prince Karl, Gustav Adolf’s uncle, agreed to form a provisional government, and the Swedish parliament, the Riksdag, approved the coup. Gustav Adolf abdicated on March 29, 1809, thinking if he did so, his son would become king. However, on May 10, 1809, the Riksdag proclaimed that all members of Gustav Adolf’s family had forfeited their rights to the throne. After accepting a new liberal constitution, Prince Karl was proclaimed King Karl XIII of Sweden on June 6, 1809. In December 1809, Gustav Adolf and his family were sent into exile.

The arrest of Gustav Adolph; Credit – Wikipedia

Gustav Adolf and his family settled in Frederica’s home country, the Grand Duchy of Baden. However, the couple became incompatible and divorced in 1812. In the divorce settlement, Gustav Adolf renounced all his assets in favor of his mother and his children. He also renounced the custody and guardianship of his children. Two years later, Frederica placed her children under the guardianship of her brother-in-law, Alexander I, Emperor of Russia. Frederica settled in Bruchsal Castle in Baden. She acquired several other residences in Baden and a country villa, Villamont, near Lausanne, Switzerland, where she died in 1826.

Colonel Gustafsson, the former King Gustav IV Adolf, circa 1830; Credit – Wikipedia

Gustav Adolf ultimately settled in a small hotel in St. Gallen, Switzerland where he lived in great loneliness. He used several titles in exile: Count Gottorp, Duke of Holstein-Eutin, and Colonel Gustafsson. On February 7, 1837, Gustav Adolf suffered a stroke and died at the age of 58. He was originally buried at Eichhorn Castle in Moravia (now in the Czech Republic) where his son, the Austrian Lieutenant Field Marshal Gustav, Prince of Vasa lived.  In 1881, his great-granddaughter Princess Victoria of Baden married Crown Prince Gustaf of Sweden, the future King Gustaf V. At the suggestion of the Crown Prince’s father King Oscar II of Sweden, Gustav Adolf’s body was returned to Sweden and interred in the Riddarholm Church, the traditional burial place of the Swedish Royal Family until fairly recently.

Tomb of King Gustav IV Adolf; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

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

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2017). Gustav IV. Adolf (Schweden). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_IV._Adolf_(Schweden) [Accessed 24 Sep. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_IV_Adolf_of_Sweden [Accessed 24 Sep. 2017].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. (2017). Gustav IV Adolf. [online] Available at: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_IV_Adolf [Accessed 24 Sep. 2017].

King Gustav III of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2017

King Gustav III of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

King Gustav III of Sweden is best known for being mortally wounded during a masked ball at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm, Sweden, and dying thirteen days later. The incident was the subject of Giuseppe Verdi’s 1859 opera Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball).  Gustav was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederik of Sweden and Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, daughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, daughter of King George I of Great Britain.  He was the first cousin of Empress Catherine II (the Great) and the nephew of King Friedrich II of Prussia (the Great). Gustav was born on January 24, 1746, at the Wrangel Palace on Riddarholmen islet in Gamla Stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Wrangel Palace was the official Stockholm residence of the Swedish royal family from 1697 until 1754, when the Royal Palace of Stockholm was completed.

Wrangel Palace in the 1600s. The palace was rebuilt in 1802 after a fire. Credit – Wikipedia

Gustav had three younger siblings:

King Gustav III and his brothers (left to right): King Gustav III of Sweden, Prince Frederick Adolf, and King Carl XIII of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Until he was five years old, Gustav was under the care of a governess, Hedvig Elisabet Strömfelt. During the reign of his father, the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament) held all the power, and they appointed Gustav’s governors. King Adolf Frederik often expressed his dissatisfaction with this arrangement, sometimes even in the presence of his son. Despite this, Gustav’s governors Carl Gustaf Tessin and Carl Fredrik Scheffer were among the most important Swedish statesmen of the time.

Past wars and the result of the 1743 election caused tension between Denmark and Sweden. To foster friendship between the two countries, a betrothal was arranged in 1751 between two five-year-olds, Crown Prince Gustav of Sweden and Princess Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, the eldest daughter of King Frederik V of Denmark and his first wife Princess Louisa of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain. The Swedish parliament arranged the betrothal, not the Danish and Swedish royal families. Both mothers disliked the proposed match. Gustav’s mother, Queen Louisa Ulrika had long been in conflict with the Swedish parliament and would have preferred a marriage with her niece Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Sophia Magdalena’s mother Queen Louise of Denmark feared her daughter would be mistreated by her mother-in-law Queen Louisa Ulrika.

Sophia Magdalena of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

King Gustav III of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 1, 1766, Gustav and Sophia Magdalena were married by proxy at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark, with the bride’s half-brother Frederik representing the groom. Sophia Magdalena then traveled to Sweden, where she married Crown Prince Gustav in person on November 4, 1766, at the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace of Stockholm.

The wedding attire of Gustav and Sophia Magdalena at the Royal Armory, a museum in the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage was not a happy one. Sophia Magdalena was quiet and serious and had difficulties adapting to the pleasure-loving Swedish court. The interference of Gustav’s jealous mother, Queen Louisa Ulrika, did not help the situation. Sophia Magdalena dutifully performed her ceremonial duties, but she did not care about social life and would rather exist in peace and quiet with a few friends.

In 1771, King Adolf Frederick of Sweden died, and Gustav succeeded his father as King Gustav III of Sweden. Gustav and Sophia Magdalena’s coronation was held on May 29, 1772, at the Storkyrkan (The Great Church) in Stockholm.

Unfinished painting of Gustav III’s coronation by Carl Gustaf Pilo (Sophia Magdalena can be seen sitting on the right); Credit – Wikipedia

In 1772, Gustav arranged for a coup d’état known as the Revolution of 1772 or Coup of Gustav III. The coup d’état reinstated an absolute monarchy and ended parliamentary rule.  Gustav imprisoned opposition leaders and established a new regime with extensive power for the king.

Gustav III (center right) at the Revolution of 1772 by Pehr Hilleström; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage of Sophia Magdalena and Gustav remained unconsummated for ten years. There were various theories regarding the cause, including Sophia Magdalena’s strict religious upbringing and introverted character, Gustav’s sexuality, and the possibility that either or both Sophia Magdalena and Gustav had a physical problem. Eventually, Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila acted as a sexual instructor for the couple. The instruction resulted in the birth of a son. When it became known that Munck participated in the reconciliation between the royal couple, there were rumors that he was the father of Sophia Magdalena’s son. The couple eventually had another son, but he did not survive childhood:

Gustav III, Sophia Magdalena, and Crown Prince Gustav Adolf in Haga Park by Cornelius Høyer, 1784–1785; Credit – Wikipedia

Like many 18th-century monarchs, Gustav III was influenced by the French Age of Enlightenment philosophers. He was well-acquainted with Voltaire‘s philosophy, known for advocating freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and separation of church and state. Gustav was determined to reconcile his strengthened royal power with the ideas of tolerance and freedom of the Enlightenment. He regarded himself as a true friend of the freedom of the press and encouraged publications on socially useful subjects. However, when the opposition to him grew stronger, Gustav restricted what could be written about him. In 1774, a new freedom of the press regulation was issued, containing many restrictions compared to the previous regulation of 1766.

In the 1780s, Gustav III was preoccupied with foreign policy: a growing hatred of Denmark and a desire to conquer Norway. In 1788, he began a war against Russia, the Russo-Swedish War, but had to retreat because of a mutiny in the army. In 1789, he resumed the war with varying success. The war ended in 1790 with the Treaty of Värälä. The war with Russia had destroyed Sweden’s economy, and a conspiracy developed when Gustav decided to attack France.

The Russo-Swedish War and the implementation of the Union and Security Act in 1789, which gave the king more power and abolished many of the privileges of the nobility, contributed to the increasing hatred of Gustav III, which had existed among the nobility since the 1772 coup. In the winter of 1791-1792, a conspiracy was formed within the nobility to kill the king and reform the government. Among the conspirators were Jacob Johan Anckarström, a Swedish military officer, Carl Pontus Lilliehorn, colonel of the Svea Life Guards,  Count Adolph Ribbing, Count Claes Fredrik Horn, and Baron Carl Fredrik Pechlin, a former major general in the Swedish army and a member of the Riksdag.

The murder was to take place on the evening of March 16, 1792, at a masked ball held at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm. Gustav and his friends ate a light supper at the opera house before joining the masked ball. Towards the end of the supper, a letter arrived for Gustav. At the last moment, Carl Pontus Lilliehorn regretted his part in the conspiracy and sent an anonymous letter to Gustav warning him of the murder plans. Gustav’s friend Count Hans Henric von Essen begged him not to go to the masked ball. However, Gustav had received many threatening letters and ignored the warning.

Gustav’s masquerade dress; Credit – Wikipedia

Gustav, wearing a mask, a triangular hat, a Venetian cape, and the star of the Royal Order of the Seraphim, walked arm in arm with von Essen to the masked ball. Gustav was easily recognized because of the Royal Order of the Seraphim and was surrounded by conspirators Jacob Johan Anckarström, Count Claes Fredrik Horn, and Count Adolf Ludvig Ribbing. One of the conspirators said to him in French: “Bonjour, beau masque” (“Good-day, fine masked man”). Anckarström then shot Gustav in the back. von Essen ordered the doors to be closed, and all guests were questioned, leading to the arrest of several of the conspirators. It was decided that a limited number of the conspirators would be charged and that Jacob Johan Anckarström would be the scapegoat. He was beaten for three days before he was beheaded, mutilated, and dismembered. Carl Pontus Lilliehorn, who wrote the anonymous warning letter, was released and exiled. Other conspirators were either imprisoned or exiled.

King Gustav III had not been shot dead as the conspirators had hoped, and continued functioning as the head of state while he recovered. However, suddenly he weakened and, as often happened in the days before antibiotics, his wound became infected. Gustav developed sepsis, a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. On March 29, 1792, thirteen days after being shot, King Gustav III of Sweden died at the age of 46. He was succeeded by his 13-year-old son, King Gustav IV Adolf. King Gustav III was given a magnificent funeral at Riddarholm Church in Stockholm, where he was also buried.

Tomb of King Gustav III; Credit – www.findagrave.com

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

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Gustav III of Sweden. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_III_of_Sweden [Accessed 23 Sep. 2017].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. (2017). Gustav III. [online] Available at: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_III [Accessed 23 Sep. 2017].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. (2017). Mordet på Gustav III. [online] Available at: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordet_p%C3%A5_Gustav_III [Accessed 23 Sep. 2017].
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2017). Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, Queen of Sweden. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/sophia-magdalena-of-denmark-queen-of-sweden/ [Accessed 23 Sep. 2017].

A British Royal Christmas

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

The article details how the Royal Family spent the Christmas holidays during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

Royal Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom began in mid-December when The Queen hosted a luncheon at Buckingham Palace for the entire extended Royal Family. This gave The Queen a chance to celebrate with her cousins and their families before she traveled to Sandringham for Christmas itself.

The Queen en route to Sandringham in 2015. source: The Daily Mail

Soon after the luncheon, The Queen traveled to Sandringham, her private home in Norfolk, where she stayed through the anniversary of her accession, in early February. In the later years of her reign, Her Majesty traveled by train, departing from London’s King Cross Station on a scheduled route – in a first-class car, of course. Less than two hours later, she arrives at King’s Lynn Station and was driven the few miles to her Sandringham Estate. Prior to 1901, Christmas was traditionally celebrated at Windsor Castle. It was King Edward VII who began celebrating at Sandringham, which was purchased for him as a country home in the early 1860s. His son and grandson, Kings George V and George VI, continued the tradition. Today, Queen Elizabeth II  also spent the holidays there, along with her family.

The rest of the family arrived on Christmas Eve. Guests include The Queen’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, as well as the families of her niece and nephew, Lady Sarah Chatto and The Earl of Snowdon, the children of the late Princess Margaret. They arrived in very precise order, based on precedence, with The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (now The King and Queen Consort) the last to make their appearance.  Despite its size, Sandringham House is rather small when it comes to accommodations.  Often, members of the staff were moved elsewhere on the estate, and their rooms were used to house members of the Royal Family.

Sandringham House. photo: By Elwyn Thomas Roddick, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6200717

Once all arrived and got settled in their rooms, the family met for tea in the White Drawing Room at 4:00 pm. There, the younger members of the family helped to put the last of the decorations on the large spruce tree, brought in from the estate. The tradition of a Christmas Tree first began in the late 18th century when Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III, had a yew tree brought in and decorated. This continued for many years, but it was not until the reign of Queen Victoria that it became popular. In 1848, the London Illustrated News published an image of the Royal Family gathered around their Christmas Tree at Windsor Castle. In 1850, Queen Victoria commissioned James Roberts to paint a watercolor of The Queen’s Tree in the State Apartments at Windsor Castle. The painting shows the tree decorated with candles, and placed on a table surrounded by gifts from The Queen’s family. (See the painting here!) A second painting shows the trees of Queen Victoria’s children and her mother, The Duchess of Kent. (See the painting here!)

The White Drawing Room, Sandringham

Following tea, the family proceeded into the Red Drawing Room to exchange gifts. Tables were set up with each person’s gifts placed on them. And the gifts were not quite what one would expect! Apparently, gag gifts were the presents of choice, and the family went out of their way to find the silliest things. One year, Prince Harry reportedly gave The Queen a bathing cap with “Ain’t life a bitch?” printed on it, and a light-up pepper mill was apparently one of the Duke of Edinburgh’s favorite gifts!

That evening, a formal dinner was held in the Dining Room, with the men in black-tie and the women in evening gowns and their best jewels. Following dinner, the women adjourned to the drawing-room for coffee or tea, while the men enjoyed some brandy in the Dining Room.

Church of Saint Mary Magdalene. photo: By Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6200708

Christmas Day began with a full English breakfast followed by a private service at 9:00 am at St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham Estate, at which the Queen received communion privately.

photo: AP/Matt Dunham, source: The Telegraph

A second service was held at 11:00 am.  Traditionally members of the family walked the brief distance from the house to the church, while The Queen arrived by car, often accompanied by her daughter-in-law, The Countess of Wessex. Both before and after this service, members of the family greeted the crowds of people who have gathered. The family then returned to Sandringham House, where lunch was served in the Dining Room. Once the meal was done, The Queen invited the head chef to join the family in the dining room and raised a toast to him.

Her Majesty photographed during her Christmas Broadcast in 2016. photo: AP/The Independent

At 3 pm, the family gathered around the television to watch The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast. The tradition of the Christmas Message began with a radio broadcast given by King George V in 1932. The King spoke live to the people of the British Empire from a small office at Sandringham. Impressed with the response, as well as the new technology which allowed him to reach the far corners of the Empire, King George V continued giving a Christmas Message each year until his death in early 1936. In 1939, after the outbreak of war, the Christmas Broadcast became firmly cemented as an annual tradition for the British sovereign. King George VI broadcast a message from Sandringham to the people of the Empire, offering them reassurances in the uncertain times they were all facing. The Queen gave her first broadcast from Sandringham in 1952, using the same desk and chair used by her father and grandfather. Since 1957, the Christmas Broadcast has been televised, with the exceptions of 1963 (a radio broadcast was done instead, as The Queen was pregnant with Prince Edward), and 1969 (the documentary Royal Family was re-aired in place of the Christmas message).

The day ended with a cold buffet dinner that evening, followed by a round of Charades, reportedly a favorite of The Queen, and puzzles and other games.

Boxing Day – December 26th – began with a big breakfast before the men went off on a shoot.  They were often joined by the women for lunch out on the moors.  Others enjoyed hiking through the grounds of the estate.  Another dinner rounded out the evening, and the guests began to leave the following day.

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.

King Adolf Frederik of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

King Adolf Frederik of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

The first Swedish king of the House of Holstein-Gottorp, King Adolf Frederik was born Prince Adolf Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp on May 14, 1710, at Gottorp Castle in Gottorp, Duchy of Schleswig now the city of Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. He was the second of the six sons and the fifth of the ten children of Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin and Albertina Friederike of Baden-Durlach.

Adolf Frederik had nine siblings including the mother of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia:

In 1727, the seventeen-year-old Adolf Friedrich was elected Prince-Bishop of Lübeck, then a state of the Holy Roman Empire, succeeding his brother Karl August. After the death of his first cousin Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp in 1739, Adolf Friedrich became the administrator of the duchy for his cousin’s 11-year-old son Karl Peter Ulrich. Karl Peter Ulrich’s mother was Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia, the elder surviving daughter of Peter the Great. When his mother’s sister Elizabeth succeeded as Empress of Russia, she named her nephew her successor. Now called Peter, he married Adolf Friedrich’s niece Princess Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst. Emperor Peter III of Russia reigned briefly until he was deposed by his wife who reigned as Empress Catherine II (the Great.)

In 1743, after the Russo-Swedish War (1741-1743) ended in Sweden’s defeat, negotiations were held with Empress Elizabeth of Russia. She agreed to restore part of Finland to Sweden if her heir’s uncle, Adolf Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp, was made heir to the childless King Frederik I of Sweden. Thereafter, Adolf Friedrich was known by the Swedish version of his name, Adolf Frederik.

Adolf Frederik; Credit – Wikipedia

The powers that be decided that Adolf Frederik should marry either Princess Louisa Ulrika of Prussia or her youngest sister Anna Amalia. The princesses were the daughters of King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia and his wife Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, daughter of King George I of Great Britain and the only sibling of King George II of Great Britain. The Swedish ambassador to Prussia inspected both sisters and recommended Louisa Ulrika. The sisters’ brother King Friedrich II (the Great) of Prussia, who had succeeded to the Prussia throne in 1740, described Louisa Ulrika as arrogant and divisive and recommended Anna Amalia, described as kind-hearted and more suitable. Friedrich’s real reason for recommending Anna Amalia is that he wanted a sister who would gain influence in Sweden and he considered his youngest sister more manageable. After getting the opinion of the groom Adolf Fredrik, the Swedish government insisted on Louisa Ulrika and King Friedrich II of Prussia gave his approval. Louisa Ulrika was taught about Sweden, converted to Lutheranism, and was advised to refrain from any involvement in politics.

On July 17, 1744, Louisa Ulrika and Adolf Fredrik were married by proxy in Berlin with the bride’s brother August Wilhelm standing in for the groom. Louisa Ulrika was escorted to Sweden by the Swedish ambassador and his wife. On August 18, 1744, she was welcomed by King Frederik I at Drottningholm Palace, where the second wedding ceremony was held the same day, followed by a ball and a court reception.

Louisa Ulrika by Antoine Pesne, circa 1744; Credit – Wikipedia

King Adolf Fredrik of Sweden by Antoine Pesne; Credit – Wikipedia

Following a stillbirth, Louisa Ulrika and Adolf Fredrik had four children:

The three sons of King Adolf Frederik: King Gustav III of Sweden, Prince Frederick Adolf and King Carl XIII of Sweden by Alexander Roslin, 1771; Credit – Wikipedia

Adolf Fredrik was introverted, gentle, and submissive, and Louisa Ulrika was pleased with him because she immediately felt secure that she was his superior. Already during their first day together, she was meddling in politics, informing Adolf Fredrik that her brother Friedrich had plans for an alliance between Sweden, Russia, and Prussia, and asked Adolf Fredrik to raise the subject with the Prussian envoy, which he agreed to do. Upon the death of King Frederik I of Sweden on March 25, 1751, Adolf Frederik succeeded to the Swedish throne. At the time of her wedding in 1744, King Fredrik I gave Louisa Ulrika the ownership of Drottningholm Palace, not too far from the Swedish capital of Stockholm. Louisa Ulrika and Adolf Fredrik continued to reside at the palace during their reign (1751–1771). In 1777, Louisa Ulrika sold Drottningholm Palace to the Swedish state. Currently, it is the home of the Swedish Royal Family.

Adolf Frederik in coronation robes; Credit – Wikipedia

During his twenty-year reign, Adolf Fredrik had no real power. The Riksdag (Swedish Parliament) held the power. Adolf Fredrik tried to change this twice, unsuccessfully. In the Coup of 1756, Queen Louisa Ulrika and her confidants planned to abolish the rule of the Riksdag and reinstate an absolute monarchy in Sweden. The attempted coup was exposed and several confidants of the royal family were executed.

During the December Crisis (1768), King Adolf Frederik refused to sign state documents and formally resigned from the throne. It was thought that this action would assemble a new Riksdag, during which reform to increase the king’s powers could be introduced. On December 20, 1768, the Riksdag was assembled and promised new reforms. King Adolf Frederik agreed to retake the throne, the crisis was averted, and the government could function again. However, the Riksdag did not assemble until 1769, and the only action it took regarding the royal house was to give it an increased allowance.

At the age of 60, King Adolf Fredrik died on February 12, 1771, at the Royal Palace in Stockholm after eating an extremely large meal and then suffering a stroke. In Sweden, he is remembered as “the king who ate himself to death.” He was buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm.

Tomb of King Adolf Frederik; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

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

Works Cited:

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2017). Adolf Friedrich (Schweden). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Friedrich_(Schweden) [Accessed 17 Sep. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Frederick,_King_of_Sweden [Accessed 17 Sep. 2017].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. (2017). Adolf Fredrik. [online] Available at: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Fredrik [Accessed 17 Sep. 2017].
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2017). Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, Queen of Sweden. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/louisa-ulrika-of-prussia-queen-of-sweden/ [Accessed 17 Sep. 2017].

Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Countess of Flanders

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Countess of Flanders; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was one-half of the couple who secured the future of the Belgian royal dynasty.  Marie Luise Alexandrine Karoline was born on November 17, 1845, at Schloss Sigmaringen, the seat of the Principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen now located in Sigmaringen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.  She was the younger of the two daughters and the youngest of the six children of Sovereign Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, head of the Princely House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Prime Minister of Prussia, and Princess Josephine of Baden, daughter of Grand Duke Karl of Baden.  In 1869, the Sovereign Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen also became the Sovereign Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and assumed the title Prince of Hohenzollern.

Marie had five older siblings:

Marie, seated on the left, and her sister Stephanie, standing, 1858: Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Unlike the Hohenzollerns who ruled in Prussia, Marie’s family was Roman Catholic. She was considered as a wife for the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom but her religion barred any possibility of marriage as she would not convert to the Church of England.  On April 25, 1867, at St. Hedwig’s Cathedral in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, Marie married Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders,  the third son but second surviving son of Leopold I of the Belgians and Marie-Louise of Orléans.

Marie on her wedding day; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Philippe and Marie had five children:

Philippe and Marie settled in the Palace of the Count of Flanders in Brussels, which Philippe bought and renovated. During the first several years of the couple’s married life, there were several family tragedies. In 1867, Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, the husband of Philippe’s sister Charlotte, was deposed and executed by a firing squad. Charlotte descended into a mental illness that would plague her for the rest of her life. In 1869, ten-year-old Leopold, Duke of Brabant, the only son and heir of Philippe’s brother King Leopold II, fell into a pond, caught pneumonia, and died. Hoping for a crown prince because only males could inherit the throne, Leopold II and his wife had another child, but the long-awaited crown prince did not materialize as the child was a girl.

It was Philippe and Marie who secured the future of the Belgian dynasty. Philippe was the heir presumptive to the Belgian throne until he died in 1905. Philippe’s elder son Baudouin was second in line to the throne until he died in 1891 from influenza. Then Marie and Philippe’s younger son Albert became second in line to the throne. Eventually, Albert succeeded his uncle King Leopold II upon his death in 1909 as King Albert I.

Marie and Philippe, 1880; Credit – Wikipedia

Marie was an accomplished artist and her artwork was exhibited at the Brussels Fair and the World Exhibition of 1893 in Chicago. Her literary salon attracted many authors and was a popular part of Brussels’ social life for forty years.  She was also well known for her charitable work.  Marie gradually took on the role of the first lady of the court after her sister-in-law Queen Marie-Henriette left the court due to marriage problems and her sisters-in-law married. Her husband Philippe died on November 17, 1905, at the age of 68. He was buried at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium

Marie lived to see her son become King Albert I of Belgium in 1909.  She died in Brussels, Belgium on November 26, 1912, from pneumonia and was buried with her husband at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken.

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.

Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Philippe of Belgium (Philippe Eugène Ferdinand Marie Clément Baudouin Léopold Georges) was born on March 24, 1837, at the Royal Castle of Laeken near Brussels, Belgium. He was the third of the three sons and the third of the four children of Leopold I, King of the Belgians and his second wife Louise-Marie of Orléans. Prince Philippe is the ancestor of the current Belgian royal family as his son succeeded to the Belgian throne as King Albert I.

Philippe had two elder brothers and one younger sister:

Philippe (in the middle) with his brother Leopold and his sister Charlotte; Credit – Wikipedia

Philippe’s father was born Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and first married Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of the future King George IV of the United Kingdom and the second in the line of succession to the British throne. Sadly, 21-year-old Princess Charlotte of Wales died in childbirth along with her son. In 1831, Leopold became King of the Belgians after Belgium became independent from the Netherlands. King Leopold I was the uncle of both Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, and therefore his son Philippe, Victoria, and Albert were first cousins. Philippe’s mother was the daughter of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French and Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies.

Philippe in 1863; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

When he was three-years-old, Philippe was created Count of Flanders and on his 18th birthday, he received the Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold. In 1866, Philippe refused the offer of the throne of Romania which was later accepted by his future brother-in-law Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen who reigned as King Carol I of Romania.

Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen on her wedding day; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 25, 1867, at St. Hedwig’s Cathedral in Berlin, Philippe married Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, daughter of Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, head of the Princely House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Prime Minister of Prussia, and his wife Princess Josephine of Baden.

Philippe and Marie had five children:

Philippe and Marie settled in the Palace of the Count of Flanders in Brussels, which Philippe bought and renovated. During the first several years of the couple’s married life, there were several family tragedies. In 1867, Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, the husband of Philippe’s sister Charlotte, was deposed and executed by a firing squad. Charlotte descended into the mental illness which would plague her for the rest of her life. In 1869, ten-year-old Leopold, Duke of Brabant, the only son and heir of Philippe’s brother King Leopold II, fell into a pond, caught pneumonia, and died. Hoping for a crown prince because only males could inherit the throne, Leopold II and his wife had another child, but the long-awaited crown prince did not materialize as the child was a girl.

It was Philippe and Marie who secured the future of the Belgian dynasty. Philippe was the heir presumptive to the Belgian throne until he died in 1905. Philippe’s elder son Baudouin was second in line to the throne until he died in 1891 from influenza. Then Philippe’s younger son Albert became second in line to the throne. Eventually, Albert succeeded his uncle, King Leopold II, upon his death in 1909 as King Albert I.

Marie and Philippe, 1880; Credit – Wikipedia

Philippe led a comfortable life in the intimacy of his Brussels palace surrounded by his objets d’art, his superb horses, and his precious library of 30,000 books. Philippe, age 68, died on November 17, 1905, at his palace in Brussels. He was buried at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium

Church of Our Lady of Laeken; 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

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Philippe,_Count_of_Flanders [Accessed 15 Sep. 2017].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2017). Philippe de Belgique (1837-1905). [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_de_Belgique_(1837-1905) [Accessed 15 Sep. 2017].
  • It.wikipedia.org. (2017). Filippo del Belgio (1837-1905). [online] Available at: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filippo_del_Belgio_(1837-1905) [Accessed 15 Sep. 2017].

Princess Clémentine of Belgium, Princess Napoléon

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Princess Clémentine of Belgium, Princess Napoléon; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Clémentine of Belgium (Clémentine Albertine Marie Léopoldine) was born at the Royal Castle of Laeken in Belgium on July 30, 1872. She was the third of the three daughters and the youngest of the four children of Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Archduchess Marie-Henriette of Austria. In 1869, when Leopold and Marie-Henriette’s only son Leopold died, King Leopold blamed Queen Marie-Henriette for their son’s death. Little Leopold had fallen into a pond, caught pneumonia, and died. Hoping for a crown prince because only males could inherit the throne, Queen Marie-Henriette became pregnant again, but the long-awaited crown prince did not materialize as the child was a girl, Clémentine. Clémentine’s parents completely separated after her birth.

Clémentine had three older siblings:

Even before the death of their brother, Clémentine’s siblings had a difficult childhood. The marriage of their parents started unhappy, remained unhappy, and the couple lived mostly separate lives. King Leopold had many mistresses and he made no real attempt to have a successful marriage. Queen Marie-Henriette was cold and inaccessible. Their mother showed no interest in the children and their father, who was only interested in his business in the Belgian Congo, did not spend time with his daughters.

By the time Clémentine was eight years old, both her sisters had married and she was the only child left at home. She grew up alone under the guidance of governesses who taught her French, German, music, history, and literature. Clémentine had a close relationship with her sister Stéphanie. The two sisters maintained a faithful correspondence and considered each other their best friend. Clémentine’s relationship with her father improved. In 1894, she got her own coach and could come and go without her mother’s permission. By 1895, Queen Marie-Henriette moved to Spa, Belgium where she lived out the rest of her life at Hôtel du Midi, the home she had bought there. Clémentine replaced her as the first lady of the Belgian court.

Clémentine fell in love with her first cousin Prince Baudouin of Belgium. Baudouin was the elder son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, brother of King Leopold II who had become heir to the Belgian throne after the death of Leopold’s only son. Therefore, Baudouin was second in the line of succession. It appears that Clémentine and Baudouin were informally betrothed. Although accounts differ as to whether or not Baudouin was in favor of this arrangement, it was generally seen as the best way of uniting the cadet and main branches of the Belgian Royal Family. However, Baudouin died of influenza in January 1891 at the age of 21.

Clémentine first met Prince Victor Bonaparte in 1888, when the prince visited Brussels. The prince had become head of the House of Bonaparte upon the death in 1879 of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, the only child of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French. Clémentine confided to one of her sisters that she was attracted to Victor but her father opposed the match because it could compromise the relations between the Kingdom of Belgium and the Republic of France. King Leopold’s refusal caused many arguments between father and daughter. In 1903, Clémentine once again asked permission to marry Victor and her father again refused. Clémentine persisted but was threatened with disinheritance by her father.

In 1909, after her father had died, Clémentine received permission to marry Victor from the new Belgian monarch King Albert I, her first cousin and Prince Baudouin’s younger brother. On November 14, 1910, at the Castle of Moncalieri in the Kingdom of Italy, 38-year-old Clémentine married 48-year-old Victor. Clémentine later wrote to her sister Stephanie: “My good husband, gentle, adoring, tender, loving, intelligent, connoisseur of people and things. He is beautiful, this Prince. Napoleon is a love, I adore him.”

Victor and Clementine; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Clémentine and Victor had two children:

Clémentine and Victor initially settled in Brussels because the Republic of France did not allow pretenders to the throne to live in France. During World War I, Clémentine, Victor, and their children lived with the former Empress of the French, Eugenie, the widow of Emperor Napoleon III, at her home Farnborough Hill in Farnborough, Hampshire, England. Following the end of the war, the family returned to Brussels. Prince Victor died on May 3, 1926, in Brussels, Belgium.

Clémentine initially remained in Belgium after her husband’s death. She was greatly saddened by a major political crisis in Belgium, The Royal Question, and lived the majority of the rest of her life in France. The Royal Question (1945 to 1951) concerned whether King Leopold III could resume his royal powers and duties as King of the Belgians despite allegations that his actions during World War II were contrary to the Belgian Constitution. The crisis was eventually resolved in 1951 by the abdication of Leopold in favor of his elder son King Baudouin I.

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The last ten years of Clémentine’s life were happy and peaceful. She enjoyed her many grandchildren and received the Legion of Honor for her 80th birthday. On March 8, 1955, Clémentine died at the age of 82, at her home in Nice, France, the Villa Clairvallou. She was buried with her husband at the Imperial Chapel of Ajaccio in Ajaccio, Corsica, the birthplace of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. The Imperial Chapel was built by Cardinal Joseph Fesch, the half-brother of Napoleon Bonaparte’s mother Letizia, so that Letizia and any other members of the Bonaparte who desired so, could be buried there.

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

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2017). Clementine von Belgien. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clementine_von_Belgien [Accessed 14 Sep. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Princess Clémentine of Belgium. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Cl%C3%A9mentine_of_Belgium [Accessed 14 Sep. 2017].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2017). Clémentine de Belgique. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cl%C3%A9mentine_de_Belgique [Accessed 14 Sep. 2017].
  • Nl.wikipedia.org. (2017). Clementine van België. [online] Available at: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clementine_van_Belgi%C3%AB [Accessed 14 Sep. 2017].

Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, Crown Princess of Austria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, Crown Princess of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

The wife of the heir to the Austrian throne who died in a suicide pact with his mistress, Princess Stéphanie of Belgium was born on May 21, 1864, at the Royal Palace of Laeken in Belgium.  Stéphanie Clotilde Louise Herminie Marie Charlotte was the second of the three daughters and the third of the four children of Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Archduchess Marie-Henriette of Austria.

Stéphanie had three siblings:

The marriage of Stéphanie’s parents started out unhappy, remained unhappy, and the couple lived mostly separate lives. King Leopold had many mistresses and made no real attempt to have a successful marriage. Queen Marie-Henriette was cold and inaccessible. Stéphanie and her siblings had a difficult childhood. Their mother showed no interest in the children and their father, who was only interested in his business in the Belgian Congo, did not spend time with his daughters. In 1869, when Stéphanie’s only brother Leopold died, King Leopold blamed Queen Marie-Henriette for their son’s death. Little Leopold had fallen into a pond, caught pneumonia, and died. Hoping for a crown prince because only males could inherit the throne, Queen Marie-Henriette became pregnant again, but the long-awaited crown prince did not materialize as the child was a girl, Clémentine. Stéphanie’s parents completely separated after the birth of Clémentine.

Rudolf and Stéphanie  – official engagement photograph, 1881; Credit – Wikipedia

Stéphanie’s marriage was planned by the royal courts of Belgium and Austria. Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth (Sissi), was under pressure to marry. Stéphanie who was still a teenager and Roman Catholic, met the criteria of the Emperor although the Empress did not think Stéphanie was good enough for her son because the Belgian monarchy had existed only since 1830. Nevertheless, during a trip to Belgium in March 1880 at the invitation of King Leopold II, Rudolf proposed to Stéphanie to the great joy of her parents. Stéphanie was sent to Vienna to learn the etiquette of the imperial court, but within the month, her ladies-in-waiting realized that she had not yet reached puberty. Stéphanie suffered great humiliation as the wedding was postponed and she was sent back to Belgium. Eventually, the couple married on May 10, 1881, at the Augustinerkirche, the parish church of the Imperial Court of the Habsburgs, a short walk from Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. Stéphanie was not quite 17-years-old and Rudolf was 22-years-old.

Augustinerkirche in Vienna; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

Stéphanie and Rudolf had one child:

Stéphanie and her daughter Elisabeth Marie; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage was happy at first, but shortly after the birth of their daughter, the relationship between Stéphanie and Rudolf began to deteriorate. Rudolf likely infected Stéphanie with a sexually transmitted disease, causing her to be infertile and unable to provide a male heir for the Austrian throne. Both Stéphanie and Rudolf began affairs with other people in the following years and intermittently spoke of divorce.

On January 30, 1889, at Mayerling, a hunting lodge in the Vienna Woods Rudolf had purchased, Rudolf shot his 17-year-old mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera, and then shot himself in an apparent suicide plot. Stéphanie was widowed at the age of 24. Rudolf wrote in his farewell letter to Stéphanie: Dear Stéphanie! You are free from my presence and plague; be happy in your way. Be good for the poor little one, who is the only thing left of me. The custody of Stéphanie’s daughter Elisabeth Marie was taken over by her grandfather, Emperor Franz Joseph. Elisabeth Marie remained close to her grandfather until he died in 1916.

Stéphanie in 1890; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

After the shock of Rudolf’s death, Stéphanie traveled and spent a great deal of time with her sisters Louise and Clémentine. She avoided Vienna as much as possible and when at court, she was unable to completely fulfill her duties. Stéphanie’s father and Emperor Franz Joseph tried in vain to marry Stéphanie to Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the Emperor’s nephew and the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne, to disrupt Franz Ferdinand’s relationship with Countess Sophie Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin. Because Sophie was not a member of a reigning or formerly reigning family, she could not marry a member of the Imperial Family. Franz Ferdinand refused to give Sophie up and eventually, the Emperor allowed the morganatic marriage. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie in June 1914 was one of the causes of World War I.

Stéphanie and Count Elemér Lónyay, her second husband; Credit – www.findagrave.com

After an unhappy first marriage, Stéphanie married for love. On March 22, 1900, she married Hungarian Count Elemér Lónyay de Nagy-Lónya et Vásáros-Namény. Following the marriage, Stéphanie’s daughter Elisabeth broke off all contact with her mother. Stéphanie lost her imperial and royal titles because the marriage was unequal and incurred the wrath of her father.

When her mother Queen Marie-Henriette died in 1902, Stéphanie traveled to Brussels to attend the funeral, but when she tried to say goodbye to the coffin, her father King Leopold II had her removed from the chapel. After the death of her father King Leopold II in 1909, Stéphanie and her sister Louise tried to claim their share of the billions their father had earned in the Belgian Congo, initially his private property, but they lost their case in court. In 1934, Stéphanie disinherited her daughter, who had divorced Prince Otto zu Windisch-Graetz and was living with (and later married) a Socialist, Leopold Petznek. Stéphanie published her memoirs “I was to be an Empress” in 1937.

Stéphanie in 1911; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Until the end of World War II, Stéphanie and her second husband lived peacefully at Oroszvar Castle now in present-day Slovakia. After the arrival of the Soviet Army in 1945, the couple left their castle to take refuge in the Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma in Hungary, where on August 23, 1945, Stéphanie died at the age of 81. Her husband Count Elemér Lónyay died in Budapest, Hungary on July 20, 1946. The couple was buried together at the Abbey of Pannonhalma.

Stéphanie’s tomb; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

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Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2017). Stephanie von Belgien. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephanie_von_Belgien [Accessed 12 Sep. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Princess Stéphanie of Belgium. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_St%C3%A9phanie_of_Belgium [Accessed 12 Sep. 2017].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2017). Stéphanie de Belgique. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/St%C3%A9phanie_de_Belgique [Accessed 12 Sep. 2017].