Monthly Archives: May 2019

Elisabeth of France, Queen of Spain, Queen of Portugal

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Elisabeth of France, Queen of Spain, Queen of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

The first wife of King Felipe IV of Spain (also King Filipe III of Portugal), Elisabeth of France, was born at the Château de Fontainebleau in France on November 22, 1602. She was the eldest of the three daughters and the second of the six children of King Henri IV of France and his second wife Marie de’ Medici. Elisabeth was known as Madame Royale, the traditional title of the eldest living unmarried daughter of a reigning French monarch.

Elisabeth had five siblings:

King Henri IV with his second wife Marie de’ Medici and their children; Credit – Wikipedia

Soon after her birth, Elisabeth was betrothed to Filippo Emanuele, Prince of Piedmont, the son and heir of Carlo Emanuele I, Duke of Savoy but Filippo Emanuele died in 1604. Elisabeth was raised with her siblings by the royal governess Françoise de Montglat at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye outside of Paris.

On May 14, 1610, when Elisabeth was eight-year-old, her father King Henri IV of France was assassinated. While traveling through Paris, Henri’s carriage was stopped on the Rue de Ferronnerie. A Catholic zealot, François Ravaillac, took the opportunity to rush up to the carriage and stab the king twice in the chest. Quickly subdued, Ravaillac was taken into custody and later executed. The king was taken to the Louvre Palace where he died. Elisabeth’s nine-year-old brother ascended the French throne as King Louis XIII. The widowed Queen, Marie de’ Medici was appointed Regent for her son.

During this time, there were struggles in France between the Catholics and the Protestants (French Huguenots). The new Regent, Marie de’ Medici promoted a strong alliance with the Spanish monarchy and favored Catholicism over Protestantism. To strengthen this bond, she arranged the marriages of her son King Louis XIII to Infanta Anna of Spain (known primarily as Anne of Austria), and her eldest daughter Elisabeth to Felipe, Prince of Asturias (the future King Felipe IV of Spain and King Felipe III of Portugal). Anna and Felipe were both the children of King Felipe III of Spain and his wife Margaret of Austria.

Infanta Anna of Spain, wife of King Louis XIII of France, and Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the future King Felipe IV of Spain, husband of Elisabeth of France in 1612; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 13, 1615, at the Louvre Palace in Paris, France, both young couples were married by proxy and soon, Elisabeth and her brother Louis XIII left Paris to meet their respective spouses. On Pheasant Island in the Bidassoa River that divides France and Spain, the two couples first met. This would be the last time Elisabeth would see her brother Louis. On November 25, 1615, at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Burgos, Spain, 13-year-old Elisabeth married 10-year-old Felipe, Prince of Asturias in a religious ceremony. Elisabeth adopted the Spanish version of her name Isabel and became the Princess of Asturias.

The exchange of the two princesses of France and Spain on the Bidassoa River by Peter Paul Rubens; Credit – Wikipedia

Because of the couple’s young age, the marriage was not consummated. The situation changed when Elisabeth’s father-in-law King Felipe III became ill. The marriage was consummated, and Elisabeth quickly became pregnant. King Felipe III died on March 31, 1621, and was succeeded by his 16-year-old son as King Felipe IV with Elisabeth becoming Queen Consort of Spain.

Elisabeth and Felipe had eight children but only their youngest child survived childhood. Besides having so many children die young, Elisabeth had three miscarriages. Her husband probably transmitted to her a venereal disease he contracted from one of his mistresses. This would explain the miscarriages and the many dead infants.

  • Maria Margarita of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1621)
  • Margarita Maria Catalina of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1623)
  • Maria Eugenia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (1625 – 1627)
  • Isabella Maria of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1627)
  • Balthasar Carlos of Austria, Infante of Spain, Prince of Asturias (1629 – 1646), died at age 16 from smallpox
  • Francisco Fernando of Austria, Infante of Spain (born and died 1634)
  • Maria Ana Antonia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1636)
  • Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain (1638 – 1683), married King Louis XIV of France, had six children but only one son survived childhood

King Felipe IV of Spain, circa 1631-1632; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth was aware of her husband’s mistresses. There were rumors about her relationship with the diplomat Juan de Tassis, 2nd Count of Villamediana who was her gentleman-in-waiting. Between 1640 and 1642, Elisabeth served as regent for her husband in his absence during the Catalan Revolt.

Throughout her marriage, Elisabeth suffered in silence over the deaths of her children and her miscarriages. The fact that her husband’s mistresses gave him children made her feel even worse. Her feelings are evident in the letters sent to her brother Louis XIII and sister-in-law Anne of Austria. Weakened by her multiple pregnancies and miscarriages, Elisabeth died at the Royal Alcazar in Madrid, Spain on October 6, 1644, at the age of forty-one, after miscarrying a son. She was buried in the Pantheon of the Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial at the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain.

The Pantheon of the Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial; 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. (2018). Élisabeth de Bourbon. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89lisabeth_de_Bourbon [Accessed 27 Oct. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Elisabeth of France (1602–1644). [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_of_France_(1602%E2%80%931644) [Accessed 27 Oct. 2018].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2018). Élisabeth de France (1602-1644). [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89lisabeth_de_France_(1602-1644) [Accessed 27 Oct. 2018].

Amélie of Leuchtenberg, Empress of Brazil

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Amélie of Leuchtenberg, Empress of Brazil; Credit – Wikipedia

Amélie Auguste Eugénie Napoléonne was the third of the five daughters and the fourth of the seven children of Eugène de Beauharnais and Princess Augusta of Bavaria. Her paternal grandparents were Joséphine Tascher de la Pagerie, Empress Jospéhine, the first wife of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, and Joséphine’s first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais, Vicomte de Beauharnais who was guillotined during the French Revolution. Amélie’s maternal grandparents were King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his first wife Princess Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt. Amélie was born on July 31, 1812, in Milan in the Kingdom of Italy while her father was serving as Viceroy of Italy.

Amélie had six siblings:

After Napoleon lost power in 1814, Amélie’s family settled at the Palais Leuchtenberg in Munich, the capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria, where her maternal grandfather reigned. In 1817, King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria created Amélie’s father Duke of Leuchtenberg and Prince of Eichstätt. Amélie’s parents downplayed their connection to the defeated Napoleon. They knew that the connection might hurt their children’s marriage prospects. Their plan worked. In 1823, their eldest child Joséphine married the future King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway, and in 1835 their son Auguste, who had become the 2nd Duke of Leuchtenberg when his father died in 1824, married Queen Maria II of Portugal. However, Auguste died two months after the marriage.

Emperor Pedro I of Brazil in 1830; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1826, Maria Leopoldina of Austria, wife of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil, died from puerperal fever (childbed fever) after the miscarriage of her eighth child. Pedro had flaunted his affair with his mistress. He was increasingly rude and disrespectful to Leopoldina, left her short of money, prohibited her from leaving the palace, and forced her to endure his mistress as her lady-in-waiting. After Leopoldina’s death, Pedro had remorse for how he had treated her, decided to become a better person, and remarry. However, eight European princesses refused his marriage proposals because of his bad reputation. Amélie’s mother knew that if she played her cards right, Amélie could be Empress of Brazil.

However, Leopoldina’s father Emperor Franz I of Austria tried to stop the search for a new bride for Pedro. Franz wanted to prevent possible sons from the second marriage of his former son-in-law from inheriting the Brazilian throne. After lengthy negotiations, the marriage contract was finally signed on May 30, 1829, in Canterbury, England, and Amélie’s guardian King Ludwig I of Bavaria ratified the marriage contract on July 25, 1829, in Munich.

A proxy wedding was held in the chapel of the Palais Leuchtenberg on August 2, 1829. The groom was represented by Amélie’s favorite uncle Prince Karl Theodor of Bavaria. Two days after the proxy wedding, Amélie left Bavaria to travel to her husband in South America. She was accompanied by her brother Auguste. During the journey, Amélie was prepared for life in Brazil by the scientist Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, an expert on Brazil. von Martius taught Amélie interesting facts about Brazil, its customs, and traditions. Ana Romana de Aragão Calmon, Countess of Itapagipe familiarized Amélie with her husband’s personality and the customs of the Brazilian court and began to teach her Portuguese. 17-year-old Amélie arrived in Rio de Janeiro on October 15, 1829. Pedro and Amélie were married in person two days later at the Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro. They had a happy marriage and Amélie’s relationship with her stepchildren was very positive.

The Emperor’s Second Marriage, painted by Jean-Baptiste Debret; Credit – Wikipedia

Amélie and Pedro had one daughter:

Amélie and her daughter Maria Amélie in 1840; Credit – Wikipedia 

On April 7, 1831, after a political crisis that ended with the resignation of his ministers and in the middle of an economic crisis, Pedro abdicated the throne of Brazil in favor of his six-year-old son who reigned as Emperor Pedro II of Brazil. Pedro and his pregnant wife Amélie left for Europe. In Portugal, Pedro’s brother Miguel had been serving as Regent for Pedro’s daughter Queen Maria II. Maria had been sent to Vienna to continue her education. It was on this journey that Maria learned her uncle Miguel had deposed her and then declared himself King of Portugal on June 23, 1828. Emperor Pedro insisted that his daughter was the rightful Queen of Portugal and demanded that she be treated as such. Maria traveled to the United Kingdom, hoping to garner the support of the British government, but they instead supported Miguel. She met up with her father in France, where they stayed with King Louis Philippe I, where Maria received her education. For several years, forces loyal to Maria and her father would try to force Miguel from the throne. Finally, on May 26, 1834, Miguel was forced to abdicate, and Maria was returned to the Portuguese throne.

On September 24, 1834, at the age of 35, Pedro died from tuberculosis at his birthplace, the Royal Palace of Queluz in Lisbon, Portugal. Amélie was left a widow at the age of twenty-two with a three-year-old daughter. Amélie never remarried. She then retreated to the Palace of Janelas Verde in Lisbon, Portugal, and devoted herself exclusively to the care and education of her daughter Maria Amélie. In the mid-1840s, with the purpose of refining her education, Maria Amélie moved with her mother to Munich in the Kingdom of Bavaria, where many of her relatives lived. In 1850, Maria Amélie and her mother returned to Portugal and again lived in the Palace of Janelas Verdes.

Princess Maria Amélia, circa 1849; Credit – Wikipedia

Amélie made arrangements to betroth her twenty-year-old daughter to Archduke Maximilian of Austria, the brother of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria. However, the official betrothal never took place. Maria Amélie was ill with tuberculosis, the same disease that had killed her father. In August 1852, Amélie and her daughter moved to the island of Madeira in Portugal because of the mild climate. Maria Amélie died on February 4, 1853, at the age of twenty-one. She was first buried in the Braganza Pantheon, located in the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal. In 1982, Maria Amélie’s remains were transferred to Brazil and buried in the Convento de Santo Antônio (Convent of Saint Anthony) in Rio de Janeiro, where other Brazilian royals are also interred.

Maria Amélie’s last moments with her mother at the bedside; Credit – Wikipedia

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

Amélie in her later years; Credit – Wikipedia

After her daughter’s death, Amélie returned to the Palace of Janelas Verdes in Lisbon, Portugal. Toward the end of her life, she was confined to the palace because of heart disease. One of the few distractions in the last years of her life was the 1871 reunion with her stepson Emperor Pedro II of Brazil who was on a European tour with his wife Teresa Maria Cristina of Naples-Sicily.

On January 26, 1873, Amélie died at the age of 60 in Lisbon, Portugal. Under the terms of her will, her sister Queen Joséphine of Sweden was her primary heir. She received, among other things, the Braganza Tiara which is still in the possession of the Swedish royal family and is often worn by Queen Silvia, wife of King Carl XVI Gustaf. Amélie arranged for documents pertaining to her husband Emperor Pedro I of Brazil to be willed to Brazil, where they are kept in the archives of the Imperial Museum of Brazil.

Amélie was first buried in the Braganza Pantheon, located in the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal. In 1982, her remains were transferred to Brazil and placed in the Brazilian Imperial Crypt and Chapel under the Monument of the Ipiranga (Monument to the Independence of Brazil) in São Paulo, Brazil next to her husband Emperor Pedro I and his first wife Maria Leopoldina of Austria.

Tombs of Pedro I and Amélia in the Imperial Chapel in São Paulo, Brazil: 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.

Portugal Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Amélie von Leuchtenberg. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Am%C3%A9lie_von_Leuchtenberg [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Amélie of Leuchtenberg. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Am%C3%A9lie_of_Leuchtenberg [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Princess Maria Amélia of Brazil. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Maria_Am%C3%A9lia_of_Brazil [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2018). Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/pedro-iv-king-of-portugal-pedro-i-emperor-of-brazil/ [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. (2018). Amélia de Leuchtenberg. [online] Available at: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Am%C3%A9lia_de_Leuchtenberg [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].

Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal: Credit – Wikipedia

Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal was born on October 12, 1798, at the Royal Palace of Queluz in Lisbon, Portugal. Named in honor of St. Peter of Alcantara, his full name was Pedro de Alcantara Francisco António João Carlos Paula Xavier Miguel Rafael Joaquim José Gonzaga Pascoal Cipriano Serafim. Pedro was the fourth of the nine children and the second but the eldest surviving son of King João VI of Portugal and Infanta Carlota Joaquina of Spain. He became the heir apparent to the throne upon the death of his six-year-old elder brother Francisco António in 1801.

Pedro had eight siblings:

Pedro around age 11; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1807, when Pedro was nine years old, the Portuguese royal family moved to Brazil to escape the Napoleonic invasion and then remained in Brazil where Rio de Janeiro became the de facto capital of the Portuguese Empire. At that time, Brazil was ruled as a kingdom united with Portugal. Pedro was instructed in mathematics, political economy, logic, history, and geography. He was fluent in Portuguese, Latin, and French, could translate from English, and understood German. As an adult, Pedro would devote at least two hours each day to studying and reading.

Archduchess Maria Leopoldina of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1816, negotiations began for a marriage between 18-year-old Pedro, Crown Prince of Portugal and Prince of Brazil, and 19-year-old Archduchess Maria Leopoldina of Austria. Known as Leopoldina, she was fifth of the twelve children and the fourth of the eight daughters of Emperor Franz I of Austria and the second of his four wives, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily. Leopoldina and Pedro were married by proxy at the Augustinian Church in Vienna, Austria on May 13, 1817, with Leopoldina’s uncle, Archduke Karl, Duke of Teschen standing in for the groom. The bride left Vienna on June 3, 1817, and arrived in Livorno, Tuscany (now in Italy) on July 24, 1817, where she was to embark on a three-month voyage to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On November 6, 1817, Leopoldina and Pedro were married in person in the chapel of the Paço de São Cristóvão (Saint Christopher’s Palace) in Rio de Janeiro where the couple lived after their marriage. Leopoldina had to adjust to Brazil’s heat and humidity, tropical rainfall, and the ever-present insects.

Pedro and Leopoldina had seven children:

Leopoldina with some of her children;  Credit – Wikipedia

In 1821, after a series of revolutions and army mutinies, Pedro’s father King João VI, under pressure from the Portuguese parliament, departed Brazil for Portugal, leaving behind Pedro as Regent. Pedro discussed all government affairs with his wife Leopoldina and usually followed her advice. In January 1822, Pedro initiated an autonomous government for Brazil, a decisive step in the history of Brazil, which was definitely due to the influence of Leopoldina. This was done because it was known that Portugal intended to recall Pedro and relegate Brazil to the status of a colony.

In August 1822, Pedro appointed Leopoldina Regent while he went on a political trip to the Province of São Paulo. While Pedro was away, Leopoldina received news that Portugal was about to take action, and without waiting for Pedro’s return, met with the Council of State on September 2, 1822, and signed the Decree of Independence, declaring Brazil independent from Portugal. Pedro I was declared Emperor of Brazil on October 12, 1822, his 24th birthday, and Leopoldina became Empress of Brazil. Pedro’s coronation was held on December 1, 1822, in what is today known as the Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro.

The coronation ceremony of Emperor Pedro I; Credit – Wikipedia

When Pedro’s father King João VI of Portugal died in March 1826, it caused a succession crisis. Pedro was his eldest living son and heir but he had declared Brazil’s independence and was ruling as Emperor Pedro I of Brazil. King João VI had appointed his daughter Isabel Maria to serve as regent until the “legitimate heir returned to the Kingdom” but he never specified who that should be. Pedro was ruling as Emperor of Brazil and King João VI’s younger son Miguel (the future King Miguel I of Portugal) had been exiled to Austria after leading several revolutions against his father and his liberal regime. While Pedro was the legitimate heir, the Brazilian people did not want the two thrones to be reunited. Pedro reigned as King of Portugal for only two months and then abdicated the Portuguese throne on May 2, 1826, in favor of his seven-year-old daughter Queen Maria II.

Domitila de Castro, Marchioness of Santos; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1822, Pedro began an affair with Brazilian noblewoman Domitila de Castro, Marchioness of Santos. He had mistresses during his marriage to Leopoldina but was always careful to conceal his affairs. This time, Pedro flaunted the affair. He was increasingly rude and disrespectful to Leopoldina, left her short of money, prohibited her from leaving the palace, and forced her to endure his mistress Domitila as her lady-in-waiting. In November 1826, while Leopoldina was pregnant with her eighth child (she had given birth to seven children in six years), Pedro arranged a farewell reception before he left for a military trip. He demanded that his wife and his mistress attend the reception along with government, diplomatic, and church officials. Leopoldina refused to attend, causing a bitter argument with Pedro which remained unresolved when he left on his trip. Shortly thereafter, 29-year-old Leopoldina died at the Palacio de São Cristovão on December 11, 1826, from puerperal fever (childbed fever) after a miscarriage.

After Leopoldina’s death, Pedro had remorse for how he had treated her and decided to become a better person. In 1828, Pedro insisted that his mistress Domitila de Castro, Marchioness of Santos leave Rio de Janeiro. However, after several European princesses refused his marriage proposals because of his bad reputation, Pedro allowed his mistress Domitila to return to court. It was not until after negotiations for a second marriage were successfully concluded that Domitila permanently left the court.

Amélie of Leuchtenberg; Credit – Wikipedia

Pedro’s second wife was 17-year-old Princess Amélie of Leuchtenberg, daughter of Eugène de Beauharnais Duke of Leuchtenberg, the only son of Napoleon’s first wife Empress Josephine and her first husband Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais, and Princess Augusta of Bavaria, daughter of King Maximilian I of Bavaria. A proxy marriage was held in the chapel of the Palais Leuchtenberg in Munich, Bavaria on August 2, 1829. Amélie arrived in Rio de Janeiro on October 15, 1829. Two days later, Pedro and Amélie were married in person at the Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro. They had a happy marriage and Amélie’s relationship with her stepchildren was very positive.

The wedding of Pedro and Amélie, next to Pedro are his children from his first marriage: Pedro, Januária, Paula and Francisca; Credit – Wikipedia

Amélie and Pedro had one daughter:

Amélie and her daughter Maria Amélia in 1840; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 7, 1831, after a political crisis that ended with the resignation of his ministers and in the middle of an economic crisis, Pedro abdicated the throne of Brazil in favor of his six-year-old son who reigned as Emperor Pedro II of Brazil. Pedro and his pregnant wife Amélie left for Europe. In Portugal, Pedro’s brother Miguel served as Regent for Pedro’s daughter Queen Maria II. Maria had been sent to Vienna to continue her education. It was on this journey that Maria learned that her uncle Miguel had deposed her and declared himself King on June 23, 1828. At that time Emperor Pedro insisted that his daughter was the rightful Queen, and demanded that she be treated as such. She traveled to the United Kingdom, hoping to garner the British government’s support, but they instead supported Miguel. Maria met up with her father in France, where they stayed with King Louis Philippe I, and Maria received her education. For several years, forces loyal to Maria and her father would try to force Miguel from the throne. Finally, on May 26, 1834, Miguel was forced to abdicate, and Maria was returned to the Portuguese throne.

Pedro on his deathbed; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 24, 1834, at the age of 35, Pedro died from tuberculosis at his birthplace, the Royal Palace of Queluz in Lisbon, Portugal. He was first buried at the Pantheon of the House of Braganza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal. In 1972, Pedro’s remains were transferred to the Brazilian Imperial Crypt and Chapel under the Monument of the Ipiranga (Monument to the Independence of Brazil) in São Paulo, Brazil.

Pedro’s tomb in Braqzil; 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.

Portugal Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Pedro I of Brazil. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_I_of_Brazil [Accessed 19 Oct. 2018].
  • Es.wikipedia.org. (2018). Pedro I de Brasil y IV de Portugal. [online] Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_I_de_Brasil_y_IV_de_Portugal [Accessed 19 Oct. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Pedro I of Brazil. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_I_of_Brazil [Accessed 19 Oct. 2018].

Funeral of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Photo – Grand-Ducal Court / Claude Piscitelli

The funeral of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg took place on May 4, 2019, at the Cathedral Notre-Dame of Luxembourg in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. A military vehicle transported Grand Duke Jean’s coffin from the Grand Ducal Palace to the cathedral. The coffin was carried into the cathedral while soldiers and Boy Scouts formed an honor guard.

Photo – Guy Wolff / Luxemburger Wort

A Pontifical Mass of Thanksgiving was celebrated by Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg. Princess Marie-Astrid, Grand Duke Jean’s eldest daughter, gave the first reading in French. A second reading was given by Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean’s youngest son, in Luxembourgish. Grand Duke Jean’s grandchildren Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, Princess Marie-Gabrielle of Nassau, Princess Marie-Anunciata of Liechtenstein, Prince Paul-Louis of Nassau, and Archduchess Marie-Christine of Austria all participated in the reading of the universal prayer, speaking in French, Luxembourgish, or English. Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg used three languages delivering his sermon, praising Grand Duke Jean for his lifelong devotion, compassion, and love for his country, his family, and nature. The funeral ended with the playing of the Luxembourg national anthem “Ons Heemecht” (“Our Homeland”).

Five grandchildren of Grand Duke Jean delivered the universal prayer; Photo – Grand Ducal Court / Sophie Margue

During World War II, Grand Duke Jean joined the British Army as a volunteer in the Irish Guards. He completed his military education at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England, was commissioned as a second lieutenant and later was promoted to lieutenant. Jean landed near Bayeux, Normandy on June 11, 1944, five days after D-Day. He took part in the Battle for Caen and the liberation of Brussels. On September 10, 1944, he took part in the liberation of Luxembourg before participating in the invasion of Germany. In a very moving part of the funeral, members of the Irish Guards played the bagpipes as Grand Duke Jean’s coffin left the cathedral which moved his son Grand Duke Henri to tears.

Irish Guards playing the bagpipes; Photo – https://today.rtl.lu

The Irish Guards continued playing as Grand Duke Jean’s coffin was slowly carried to the forecourt in front of the cathedral. The coffin was then taken to the Ducal Crypt beneath the cathedral where Grand Duke Jean was laid to rest in the presence of close family members.

Grand Duke Jean’s coffin resting in the Ducal Crypt. Memorial plaques for family members are on the wall; Photo – www.cathol.l

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Members of Grand Duke Jean’s family walk behind his coffin in the procession from the Grand Ducal Palace to the Cathedral Notre-Dame

Members of Grand Duke Jean’s family who attended his funeral:

Many members of current monarchies and former monarchies attended the funeral, including representatives from the other nine reigning European monarchies.  There was a large contingent from Belgium. King Albert II of Belgium was the brother-in-law of Grand Duke Jean, as Jean had married his sister Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium. Philippe, King of the Belgians, his siblings Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent are first cousins of Grand Duke Jean’s son, Grand Duke Henri and his other children.

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Members of the Belgian Royal Family arriving for the funeral

Grand Duke Jean’s sisters married into the Hohenberg, Henckel von Donnersmarck, Ligne, and Holstein-Ledreborg noble families, and many representatives from those families attended the funeral. Grand Duke Jean had 51 first cousins from among several royal families, such as the Bourbon-Parma, Habsburg (Austrian), Bavarian, and Bulgarian royal families, and members of those families also attended his funeral. Besides members of royal families and other dignitaries, members of the public attended the funeral. Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa expressed their wish that the public should be able to attend the funeral. The number of available places was limited and were allocated in the order of registration of the interested persons.

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Queen Sofia and King Juan Carlos of Spain
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The Princess Royal and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
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Princess Sarvath and Prince Hassan of Jordan, brother of the late King Hussein

Please note that the list below contains all the royal guests from reigning houses but it does not contain all the royal guests from non-reigning houses and other former monarchies.

REIGNING HOUSES

Belgium

Denmark

Jordan

Liechtenstein

Monaco

Morocco

Netherlands

Norway

Spain

Sweden

United Kingdom

NON-REIGNING HOUSES

Albania

Bulgaria

Greece

Portugal

Romania

Yugoslavia

OTHER FORMER MONARCHIES

Austria

Bavaria

Bourbon-Parma

Bourbon and Two Sicilies

France – Bourbon

France – Orléans

Prussia

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.

First Cousins of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg (1921 – 2019)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg was born on January 5, 1921, at Berg Castle in Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg. He was the eldest of the six children of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg and Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parma. His maternal grandparents were Grand Duke Guillaume IV of Luxembourg and Infanta Maria Ana of Portugal, daughter of the deposed King Miguel I of Portugal. His paternal grandparents were Robert I, Duke of Parma and his second wife, Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal, also a daughter of the deposed King Miguel I of Portugal. Of the 24 children born from his paternal grandfather’s two marriages, Jean’s aunts and uncles include Empress Zita of Austria, Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria, and Prince René of Bourbon-Parma, father of Queen Anne of Romania. Jean married Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium and had three sons and two daughters. In 2000, Grand Duke Jean abdicated in favor of his son Henri. Grand Duke Jean died on April 23, 2019, at the age of 98.

Jean has 11 maternal first cousins, 24 paternal first cousins, and 16 paternal half-first cousins, for a total of 51 first cousins.  He shares his first cousins with his siblings Princess Elizabeth of Luxembourg, Duchess of Hohenberg; Princess Marie-Adélaide of Luxembourg, Countess Henckel von Donnersmarck; Princess Marie Gabrielle of Luxembourg, Countess of Holstein-Ledreborg; Prince Charles of Luxembourg, and Princess Alix of Luxembourg, Princess de Ligne. Because Grand Duke Jean has so many cousins, this article is in the form of a list of his cousins with links.

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Grand Duke Jean’s Maternal Aunts (no maternal uncles): Children of Grand Duke Guillaume IV of Luxembourg and Infanta Maria Ana of Portugal

Grand Duke Jean’s grandmother Maria Ana of Portugal, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg with her six daughters – Jean’s five aunts and his mother

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Grand Duke Jean’s Half Paternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Robert I, Duke of Parma and his first wife Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

Jean’s paternal grandparents, aunts, and uncles: the family of Robert I, Duke of Parma in 1906, From left to right, first row: Immaculata, Antonia, Isabella, Duke Robert, Henrietta, Luigi, Gaetano, Duchess Maria Antonia, Renato, Zita (sitting on the far right). From left to right, second row: Francesca, Pia, Luisa, Adelaide, Teresa, Joseph, Xavier, Henry, Sixtus, Felix

Grand Duke Jean’s Full Paternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of  Duke of Parma, Robert I, Duke of Parma and his second wife Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Antonia of Luxembourg and Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Elisabeth of Luxembourg and Prince Ludwig Philipp of Thurn and Taxis

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Sophie of Luxembourg and Prince Ernst Heinrich of Saxony

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Sixtus of Bourbon-Parma and Princess Hedwige de La Rochefoucauld

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Xavier of Bourbon-Parma, Duke of Parma and Countess Magdalene of Bourbon-Busset

Prince Carlos Hugo of Bourbon-Parma, Duke of Parma, one of Jean’s paternal cousins

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma and Karl I, Emperor of Austria

Jean’s paternal first cousins: children of Zita of Bourbon-Parma and Emperor Karl of Austria: left to right – Elisabeth, Charlotte, Rudolf, Karl Ludwig, Felix, Robert, Adelheid, Otto

  • Crown Prince Otto (1912 – 2011), married Regina of Saxe-Meiningen, had five daughters and two sons
  • Archduchess Adelheid (1914 – 1971), unmarried
  • Archduke Robert (1915 – 1996), married Margherita of Savoy-Aosta, had three sons and two daughters including Archduke Lorenz who married Princess Astrid of Belgium, only daughter of King Albert II of the Belgians
  • Archduke Felix (1916 – 2011), married Anna-Eugénie of Arenberg, had four daughters and three sons
  • Archduke Karl Ludwig (1918 – 2007), married, Yolanda of Ligne, had two sons and two daughters including Archduke Carl Christian who married Princess Marie Astrid of Luxembourg, daughter of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg
  • Archduke Rudolf (1919 – 2010), married (1) Countess Xenia Tschernyschev-Besobrasoff, had three sons and one daughter; (2) Anna Gabriele of Wrede, had one daughter
  • Archduchess Charlotte (1921 – 1989), married George, Duke of Mecklenburg, no children
  • Archduchess Elisabeth (1922 – 1993), married Prince Heinrich Karl Vincenz of Liechtenstein, had four sons and one daughter

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince René of Bourbon-Parma and Princess Margaret of Denmark

Anne of Bourbon-Parma, one of Jean’s paternal cousins; photo source: Romanian Royal Family Website

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Luigi of Bourbon-Parma and Princess Maria Francesca of Savoy

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince Gaetano of Bourbon-Parma and Princess Margherita of Thurn and Taxis)

  • Princess Diane of Bourbon-Parma (born 1932) married (1) Prince Franz Joseph of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, no children, divorced; (2) Hans Joachim Oehmichen, had two sons and one daughter

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Paternal Half First Cousins: Children of Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma and Ferdinand I, Prince of Bulgaria (later Tsar)

Jean’s paternal half-cousins: Eudoxia, Kyril, Boris, and Nadejda of Bulgaria

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Paternal Half First Cousins: Children of Princess Beatrice of Bourbon-Parma and Count Pietro Lucchesi-Palli

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Paternal Half First Cousins: Children of Prince Elia of Bourbon-Parma, Duke of Parma and Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria

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Works Cited

  • Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
  • Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)