Monthly Archives: July 2021

St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

St. George’s Chapel; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

St. George’s Chapel, which this writer has visited, is located in the Lower Ward of the precincts of Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. Calling it a chapel is a misnomer as it is more cathedral-like. St. George’s Chapel is a Royal Peculiar, a church under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch instead of a bishop, and is also the Chapel of the Order of the Garter. St. George’s Chapel seats around 800 people and has been the setting for many royal funerals since the reign of King George III and many royal weddings since the reign of Queen Victoria.

https://www.britainexpress.com/counties/berkshire/windsor-castle/st-georges-map.htm

1 – Nave
1a – Memorial to The Prince Imperial, son of Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie of France, killed in the Zulu War in 1879.
2 – Beaufort Chantry – Tomb of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester and his first wife
3 – West Nave Central
4 – Urswick Chantry – Chantry chapel for Christopher Urswick, Dean of Windsor, Memorial to Princess Charlotte of Wales is also here
5 – Tomb of King George V and his wife Queen Mary
5a – Rutland Chapel – Tomb of George Manners, 11th Baron de Roos and his wife Anne.
6 – King George VI Memorial Chapel – King George VI, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother,  Princess Margaret, The Duke of Edinburgh, and Queen Elizabeth II are buried here
7 – Hastings Chantry – Chantry chapel for William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings, executed by Richard III
8 – Tomb of King Edward IV and his wife Elizabeth Woodville
9 – Wrought Iron Gates – designed to protect the tomb of Edward IV
10 – Tudor Oriel Window – Built by King Henry VIII as a gallery for Catherine of Aragon
11 – Reredos and East Window – Built as a memorial to Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria
12 – The Garter Stalls – Stalls for the Knights of the Garter
13 – Entrance to the Royal Vault
14 – Crypt where King Henry VIII, his third wife Jane Seymour, and King Charles I are interred
15 – Roof Bosses – At the crossing are the arms of King Henry VII and the Garter Knights
16 – The Royal Stalls
17 – West Window – Stained-glass window portrays 75 royals, saints, and popes
18 – Bray Chantry – Tomb of Sir Reginald Bray
19 – Oliver King Chapel – Oliver King, Canon of Windsor, later Bishop of Bath and Wells
20 – Edward III’s battle sword measuring 6 feet 8 inches long
21 – Oxenbridge Chantry – Chantry chapel for John Oxenbridge, Canon of Windsor
22 – Tomb of King Henry VI
23 – Tomb of King Edward VII and his wife Queen Alexandra
24 – Lincoln Chapel – Tomb of Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln and his third wife
25 – East Doors – 13th-century ironwork frames the doors which were the entry to King Henry III’s Chapel
26 – Dean’s Cloister – The site of the cloister was built in 1352

Note: The Albert Memorial Chapel is not labeled.  It is at the top of the diagram, above the number 25.

In 1348, King Edward III founded the Order of the Garter and the College of St. George at Windsor Castle. St. George’s Chapel is part of the College of St. George which now also includes St. George’s School, St. George’s House, the Military Knights of Windsor, the Chapter Library and Archives, and the Choir of St. George’s Chapel. At the time of the founding of the Order of the Garter, the church at Windsor Castle was the Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor which had been constructed by King Henry III in the early thirteenth century and stood on the site of the present Albert Memorial Chapel, part of St. George’s Chapel. The Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor was rededicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Edward the Confessor, and St. George, the patron saint of England, and became the Chapel of the Order of the Garter. A new porch was built on the chapel to serve as an entrance to the new College of St. George.  From 1475 – 1528, the 13th-century Chapel of Edward the Confessor was transformed into the cathedral-like chapel that we see today.

Heraldic banners of the members of the Order of the Garter; Credit – By Josep Renalias – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3530668

The quire of the current chapel is now the place where every June a special service is held for the members of the Order of the Garter. The heraldic banners of the current members hang above the stalls of the quire where the Knights of the Garter have a seat for life. Each stall has small enameled brass plates displaying the names and arms of each Knight of the Garter who has sat in that stall. Members of the Order of the Garter meet at Windsor Castle every June for the annual Garter Service. After lunch in the State Apartments (Upper Ward of the Castle), the Knights of the Garter process on foot in their robes and insignia, down to St. George’s Chapel for the service. If new members are to be admitted, they are installed at the service.

Tomb of Henry VI at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor; Credit – findagrave.com

Before the reign of the House of Hanover, there were only a handful of royal burials at St. George’s Chapel because the primary royal burial place had been Westminster Abbey in London. King Henry VI was interred in at St. George’s Chapel in a tomb on the south side of the altar and King Edward IV and his wife Elizabeth Woodville were interred in a tomb on the north side of the altar. Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII, who died from childbirth complications after delivering his long-awaited son, King Henry VIII, and the beheaded King Charles I are all interred in the small vault in the floor of the Quire of St. George’s Chapel.

Coffins in the Royal Vault; Photo Credit – the-lothians.blogspot.com

By the time of King George II’s death in 1760, the royal burial vaults at Westminster Abbey were quite crowded. His successor, his grandson King George III, decided to build a new royal vault at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor. The new Royal Vault was constructed in 1804 under what is now the Albert Memorial Chapel. Between 1863 – 1873, Queen Victoria had the original chapel converted into a chapel in memory of her husband Prince Albert. Prince Albert is not buried there, but his son Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, and his grandson Prince Albert Victor (Prince Eddy), Duke of Clarence are buried there. Also during Queen Victoria’s reign, a set of steps was built at the west end of the chapel to create a ceremonial entrance to St. George’s Chapel.

Ceremonial entrance at the west end of St. George’s Chapel; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Memorial to Princess Charlotte of Wales, the angel on the left holds her stillborn son; Photo Credit – http://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/

Only three of the Hanovers interred at St. George’s Chapel have a tomb or memorial. Princess Charlotte of Wales, who tragically died in childbirth at age 21 and most likely would have succeeded her father King George IV on the throne has a very moving memorial. Charlotte’s body is draped as she ascends to heaven along with angels, one of which carries her stillborn son.

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Albert Memorial Chapel

In the Albert Memorial Chapel, there are tombs with effigies for Queen Victoria’s hemophiliac son Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany who died at age 31 due to hemophilia complications after a fall, and for Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence (known as Prince Eddy), second in the line of succession after his father, Queen Victoria’s eldest son, the future King Edward VII. Prince Eddy died at age 28 after becoming ill with influenza and developing pneumonia. King Edward VII and his wife Queen Alexandra and King George V and his wife Queen Mary were interred in tombs with effigies in the aisles of the chapel.

King George VI Memorial Chapel; Credit – The Royal Family Facebook page

In 1969, construction was completed on an addition to St. George’s Chapel, the King George VI Memorial Chapel. King George VI, whose coffin had been in the Royal Vault since his death in 1952, was transferred there in 1969. His wife Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and the ashes of his daughter Princess Margaret were interred there in 2002.  In 2022, King George VI’s daughter and successor Queen Elizabeth II was interred in the King George VI Memorial Chapel. The coffin of her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh who died in 2021, had been temporarily interred in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel and was moved to the King George Memorial Chapel at the time of the burial of Queen Elizabeth II.

Royal Christenings at St. George’s Chapel – Reign of Queen Victoria and Later

Christening of The Prince of Wales by George Hayter, 1842; Credit – Wikipedia

For the most part, royal christenings prior to the reign of Queen Victoria were small events, often held at home. During the reign of Queen Victoria, christenings were usually held at The Private Chapel at Windsor Castle or Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace. Christenings of members of the House of Windsor have been also held at intimate settings, mostly palace chapels, including the Private Chapel in Windsor Castle, the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace, the Music Room at Buckingham Palace, the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace, and St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham. From the reign of Queen Victoria and later, only three christenings were held at a large church, St. George’s Chapel.

Royal Weddings at St. George’s Chapel – Reign of Queen Victoria and Later

Wedding of The Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra of Denmark, painting by William Frith, circa 1865, Queen Victoria can be seen standing in the Royal Closet in the top right; Credit – Wikipedia

During the reign of Queen Victoria, we start to see royal weddings at St. George’s Chapel. In 1863, the wedding of Queen Victoria’s eldest son and heir, the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, and Princess Alexandra of Denmark would be the first royal wedding held at St. George’s Chapel, a tradition that has continued to this day for many members of the British Royal Family.

Royal Funerals at St. George’s Chapel – Reign of King George III and Later

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Funeral of King George V: His coffin has just been lowered into the Royal Vault

Since the reign of the House of Hanover, St. George’s Chapel has become the usual place for funerals of the British royal family. King George III, King George IV, King William IV, Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, King George V, King Edward VIII (as Duke of Windsor), and King George VI all had funerals at St. George’s Chapel.

Royal Burials at St. George’s Chapel

Tomb of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra on the south side of the altar; Photo Credit – https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/606282/tomb-of-king-edward-vii-and-queen-alexandra

  • 1471 – King Henry VI: interred in a tomb on the south side of the altar
  • 1479 – George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Bedford, son of King Edward IV: died in early childhood, interred on the north side of altar near his parents’ tomb
  • 1482 – Mary of York, daughter of King Edward IV: died at age 14, interred on the north side of altar near her parents’ tomb
  • 1483 – King Edward IV: interred in a tomb on the north side of the altar
  • 1492 – Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of England, wife of King Edward IV: interred with her husband
  • 1537 – Jane Seymour, Queen of England, third wife of King Henry VIII: interred in the small vault in the Quire of St. George’s Chapel
  • 1547 – King Henry VIII: interred in the small vault in the Quire of St. George’s Chapel
  • 1649 – King Charles I: interred in the small vault in the Quire of St. George’s Chapel
  • 1698 – Stillborn son of Queen Anne: interred in the small vault in the Quire of St. George’s Chapel
  • 1805 – Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, brother of King George III: interred in the Gloucester Vault on the south side of the Quire
  • 1807 – Maria, Duchess of Gloucester (born Maria Walpole), wife of Prince William, Duke of Gloucester: interred in the Gloucester Vault on the south side of the Quire
  • 1810 – Princess Amelia, daughter of King George III: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1813 – Princess Augusta, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, sister of King George III: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1817 – Princess Charlotte of Wales, daughter of The Prince of Wales, the future King George IV: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1817 – Stillborn son of Princess Charlotte of Wales: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1818 – Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of the United Kingdom, wife of King George III: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1818 – Stillborn daughter of Prince Ernest Augustus, son of King George III: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1820 – Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, son of King George III and father of Queen Victoria: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1820 – King George III: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1820 (interred) – Prince Alfred, son of King George III: died 1782 in early childhood, first interred at Westminster Abbey, transferred to the Royal Vault in 1820 at the time of his father’s death
  • 1820 (interred) – Prince Octavius, son of King George III: died 1783 in early childhood, first interred at Westminster Abbey, transferred to the Royal Vault in 1820 at the time of his father’s death
  • 1821 – Princess Elizabeth of Clarence, daughter of Prince William, Duke of Clarence (the future King William IV): died in infancy, interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1827 – Prince Frederick, Duke of York, son of King George III: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1830 – King George IV: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1832 – Princess Louise of Saxe-Weimar, 15-year-old niece of Queen Adelaide: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1834 – Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester, nephew and son-in-law of King George III: interred in the Gloucester Vault on the south side of the Quire
  • 1837 – King William IV: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1840 – Princess Sophia, daughter of King George III: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1844 – Princess Sophia of Gloucester, great-granddaughter of King George II and niece of King George III: interred in the Gloucester Vault on the south side of the Quire
  • 1849 – Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, Queen of the United Kingdom, wife of King William IV: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1857 – Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester, daughter of King George III and wife of Prince William, Duke of Gloucester: interred in the Gloucester Vault on the south side of the Quire
  • 1876 – Prince Harald of Schleswig-Holstein, son of Princess Helena and grandson of Queen Victoria: lived only eight days, interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1878 – King George V of Hanover, grandson of King George III: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1881 – Victoria von Pawel Rammingen, daughter of Princess Frederica of Hanover: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1884 – Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, son of Queen Victoria: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Albert Memorial Chapel in 1885
  • 1892 – Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence, elder son of The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to the Albert Memorial Chapel
  • 1897 – Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck, granddaughter of King George III and mother of Queen Mary: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1900 – Prince Francis, Duke of Teck, husband of Prince Mary Adelaide, father of Queen Mary: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1910 – King Edward VII: first interred in the Royal Vault, later interred in a sarcophagus on the south side of the altar
  • 1925 – Alexandra of Denmark, Queen of the United Kingdom, wife of King Edward VII: first interred in the Royal Vault, later interred in a sarcophagus on the south side of the altar
  • 1926 – Princess Frederika of Hanover, daughter of King George V of Hanover and wife of Baron Alfons von Pawel-Rammingen: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1930 (interred) – Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, son of King George III and grandfather of Queen Mary: died 1850, first interred at St. Anne’s Church in Kew, London, transferred to the Royal Vault in 1930
  • 1930 (interred) – Princess Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge, wife of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge and grandmother of Queen Mary: died 1889, first interred at St. Anne’s Church in Kew, London, transferred to the Royal Vault in 1930
  • 1936 – King George V: first interred in the Royal Vault, later interred in a sarcophagus in the North Nave Aisle in 1939
  • 1952 – King George VI: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to the King George VI Memorial Chapel in 1969
  • 1953 – Victoria Mary of Teck, Queen Mary of the United Kingdom, wife of King George V: first interred in the Royal Vault, later interred in a sarcophagus in the North Nave Aisle
  • 2002 – Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, wife of King George VI: interred in the King George VI Memorial Chapel
  • 2002 – Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, daughter of King George VI: ashes first interred in the Royal Vault February 15, 2002, transferred to the King George VI Memorial Chapel April 9, 2002, at the time of her mother’s burial
  • 2021 – Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth II: interred in the Royal Vault April 17, 2021.
  • 2022 – Queen Elizabeth II: interred September 19, 2022 in the King George VI Memorial Chapel. At the same time, the coffin of her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was transferred from the Royal Vault and also interred in the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

Temporary Royal Burials at St. George’s Chapel

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A view inside the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel – the bench in the middle was used as a temporary place for coffins waiting to be interred elsewhere

Frogmore within the grounds of the Home Park, adjacent to Windsor Castle, is the site of three burial places of the British Royal Family: the Royal Mausoleum containing the tombs of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, the Duchess of Kent’s Mausoleum where Queen Victoria’s mother Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duchess of Kent is interred and the Royal Burial Ground.

Since its consecration on October 23, 1928, most members of the British Royal Family except for monarchs and their spouses have been buried at the Royal Burial Ground. Some royal family members who had previously been interred in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle were transferred to the Royal Burial Ground shortly after its consecration, freeing up some burial space in the Royal Vault. Other royal family members were temporarily interred in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel for various reasons and then interred at a later date at the Royal Burial Ground.

  • 1861 – Princess Victoria, Duchess of Kent, mother of Queen Victoria, first interred in the entrance to the Royal Vault, transferred to her mausoleum, Frogmore later in 1861
  • 1861 – Prince Albert, The Prince Consort, husband of Queen Victoria: first interred in the entrance to the Royal Vault, transferred to the Royal Mausoleum, Frogmore in 1862
  • 1901 – Queen Victoria: placed in the Albert Memorial Chapel for two days, then transferred to Royal Mausoleum, Frogmore
  • 1910 – Prince Francis of Teck, brother of Queen Mary:  first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1928
  • 1912 – Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife, husband of Louise, Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Private Chapel, Mar Lodge Mausoleum in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland later in 1912
  • 1917 – Louise Margaret of Prussia, Duchess of Connaught, wife of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught: the first member of the Royal Family to be cremated, ashes first buried in the Royal Vault, transferred to the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1928
  • 1917 – Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, husband of Princess Helena: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1928
  • 1922 – Lord Leopold Mountbatten, son of Princess Beatrice, grandson of Queen Victoria: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1928
  • 1923 – Princess Helena, daughter of Queen Victoria: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1928
  • 1927 – Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, brother of Queen Mary: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1928
  • 1928 – Rupert Cambridge, Viscount Trematon, son of Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone (brother of Queen Mary), and Princess Alice of Albany, Countess of Athlone (daughter of Prince Leopold): first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1928
  • 1931 – Louise, Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife, daughter of King Edward VII: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Private Chapel, Mar Lodge Mausoleum in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland later in 1931
  • 1935 – Princess Victoria, daughter of King Edward VII: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1936
  • 1938 – Prince Arthur of Connaught, son of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1939
  • 1939 – Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, daughter of Queen Victoria: ashes first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1940
  • 1942 – Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, son of Queen Victoria: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1942, two months later
  • 1942 – Prince George, Duke of Kent, son of King George V: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1968, the day before the burial of his wife Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent
  • 1944 – Princess Beatrice, daughter of Queen Victoria: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Whippingham Church, Isle of Wight in 1945
  • 1948 – Princess Helena Victoria, daughter of Princess Helena, granddaughter of Queen Victoria: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore later in 1948
  • 1956 – Princess Marie Louise, daughter of Princess Helena, granddaughter of Queen Victoria: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore later in 1957
  • 1957 – Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, husband of Princess Alice of Albany and brother of Queen Mary: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore later in 1957
  • 1969 – Princess Andrew of Greece, born Princess Alice of Battenberg, great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to the Convent of Saint Mary Magdalene on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem in 1988

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

  • College of St George. 2021. College of St George – Windsor Castle – Home. [online] Available at: <https://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/> [Accessed 15 May 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_George%27s_Chapel,_Windsor_Castle> [Accessed 15 May 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. State funerals in the United Kingdom – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_funerals_in_the_United_Kingdom> [Accessed 15 May 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2018. St. George’s Chapel, Windsor: Royal Burials. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/st-georges-chapel-windsor-royal-burials/> [Accessed 15 May 2021].
  • 1989. St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. North Way: Pitkin Pictorials Ltd.

Johan III, King of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Credit – Wikipedia

Johan III, King of Sweden was born at Stegeborg Castle in Söderköping, Östergötland, Sweden on December 20, 1537. He was the eldest of the ten children and the eldest of the five sons of Gustav I Vasa, King of Sweden and his second wife Margareta Leijonhufvud.  Margareta was a member of the Leijonhufvud family, one of Sweden’s most powerful noble families. Her constant pregnancies took a toll on her health and she died from pneumonia at the age of 35 in 1551, when Johan, the eldest child, was 13-years-old.

Johan had nine younger siblings:

Johan had one elder half-brother from his father’s first marriage to Katharina of Saxe-Lauenburg:

Johan, along with his elder half-brother Erik, was well-educated by tutors. In 1557, King Gustav I wrote his will and divided his kingdom into hereditary duchies for his sons: Erik, Duke of Kalmar; Johan, Duke of Finland; Magnus, Duke of Östergötland; and Karl, Duke of Södermanland.

Johan’s half-brother Erik XIV, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Upon the death of his father, Johan’s elder half-brother succeeded to the throne as Erik XIV, King of Sweden. Erik summoned the Riksdag (parliament) at Arboga where, under Erik’s urging, the Arboga Articles were adopted which curtailed the authority of his half-brothers Johan and Karl in the dukedoms given to them by their father. As a further move against his half-brother Johan, Duke of Finland, Erik placed the city of Reval, now Tallinn, Estonia, under his protective power and led expansionist campaigns of conquest in Estonia.

Johan’s first wife Katarina Jagellonica of Poland; Credit – Wikipedia

Johan then turned to Sigismund II Augustus, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania for an alliance. He married Katarina Jagellonica of Poland, the sister of Sigismund II Augustus.

Johan and Katarina Jagellonica had three children:

In exchange for marrying Katarina Jagellonica, Johan received a substantial sum of money and land in Livonia (located in present-day Estonia and Latvia) which then hindered King Erik XIV’s expansionist policy. Erik’s response was to send 10,000 troops to besiege Johan’s home Turku Castle in Turku, Finland. On August 12, 1563, Turku Castle surrendered. Johan was tried for high treason and sentenced to death but he was pardoned and imprisoned for four years with his wife at Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, Sweden. Johan and Katarina’s two eldest children were born in captivity at Gripsholm Castle.

Johan, his wife Katarina, and his son Sigismund imprisoned at Gripsholm Castle by Jozef Simmler,1859; Credit – Wikipedia

King Erik XIV had suffered from mental health issues and from 1563 onwards these issues worsened. His decisions became more illogical and he exhibited violent behavior. Erik’s suspicion of the nobility led him to be suspicious of the Sture family, then headed by Svante Stensson Sture who was married to Märta Erikdotter Leijonhufvud, the sister of Johan’s mother Margareta Leijonhufvud. Erik lacked a legal heir and feared that the Sture family might claim his throne. These fears resulted in the 1567 Sture Murders, the murders of five Swedish nobles and Erik’s former tutor, in which Erik was an active participant and faced no immediate repercussions.

Due to King Erik XIV’s behavior and his marriage to his mistress Karin Månsdotter, his younger half-brothers led a revolt against Erik with the support of many nobles that ended in his removal as King of Sweden in September 1568 and his eldest half-brother succeeding to the throne as Johan III, King of Sweden. In January 1569, the Riksdag (parliament) legally dethroned Erik. Erik was imprisoned in various castles for nine years and died on February 26, 1577, aged 43. He was most likely murdered due to the three major conspiracies that attempted to depose his half-brother King Johan III and place Erik back on the Swedish throne. An examination of his remains in 1958 confirmed that Erik probably died of arsenic poisoning.

Tre Kronor Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

During his reign, Johan III carried out extensive building projects. He participated personally in the planning of various buildings and provided his own architectural drawings. Johan was particularly interested in the preservation of existing buildings. Some churches that had suffered damage were restored and refurbished including Uppsala Cathedral, Västerås Cathedral, Linköping Cathedral, and Skara Cathedral. In Stockholm, the Storkyrkan (Great Church) and the Riddarholmen Church both had extensive renovations. Tre Kronor Castle, which was on the site of the current Royal Palace in Stockholm, was significantly expanded and refurbished and a castle church was added.

In 1570, Johan III ended the Nordic Seven Years War with Denmark and Sweden, a war his half-brother Erik had started. During the following years, Johan successfully fought Russia in the Livonian War, concluded by the Treaty of Plussa in 1583. Johan had clear Catholic sympathies, inspired by his Catholic Polish wife, and this created issues with the Protestant Swedish clergy and nobility. His son Sigismund was raised as a Catholic to help him acquire the Polish crown and in 1587, Sigismund was elected monarch of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and became King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.

Johan’s second wife Gunilla Bielke; Credit – Wikipedia

Katarina Jagellonica fell sick in the spring of 1583 and died in Stockholm on September 16, 1583, at the age of 56. She was buried in the royal crypt of the Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden. On February 21, 1585, Johan married Gunilla Bielke at Västerås Cathedral and his new wife was crowned Queen of Sweden the following day. Gunilla, who was thirty-one years younger than her husband, was the daughter of one of Johan’s cousins and had been orphaned at an early age. She was raised at court as a playmate of Johan’s daughter Anna. In 1582, Gunilla had been made a maid of honor to Queen Katarina Jagellonica. Gunilla had a significant influence on Johan. She is credited with influencing his policy regarding religion in favor of Protestantism, similar to the way his first wife had influenced him in favor of Catholicism.

Johan III and Gunilla had one son:

After a reign of twenty-three years, Johan III, King of Sweden died on November 17, 1592, aged 54, at Tre Kronor Castle in Stockholm, Sweden. He was buried in Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden. Gunilla survived her husband by only five years, dying at the age of 29 of a fever on July 19, 1597. She was buried at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden.

Tomb of Johan III, King of Sweden; 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.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Johann III. (Schweden) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_III._(Schweden)> [Accessed 8 May 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. John III of Sweden – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_III_of_Sweden> [Accessed 8 May 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2021. Erik XIV, King of Sweden. Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/erik-xiv-king-of-sweden/> [Accessed 8 May 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Johan III – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_III> [Accessed 8 May 2021].

Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, a grandson of Wilhelm II, King of Prussia and German Emperor, was the pretender to the Prussian throne from 1951 until his death in 1994.

source: Wikipedia

Prince Louis Ferdinand Victor Eduard Adalbert Michael Hubertus of Prussia was born November 9, 1907 at the Marble Palace in Potsdam, Germany, the second son of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia and Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. At the time, his grandfather, Wilhelm II, was the King of Prussia and German Emperor. Louis Ferdinand had five siblings:

 

Raised at the Crown Prince’s Palace in Berlin and Cecilenhof in Potsdam, he also spent some time near Danzig where his father was serving with the Prussian military. In keeping with family tradition, he was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the 1st Guards Regiment on his 10th birthday in 1917. The following year, the monarchy was abolished following World War I. His father went to the Netherlands with the former Emperor, while he and his siblings stayed in Germany, having been ensured of their safety.

After studying economics in Berlin, Louis Ferdinand traveled to the United States where he settled for some time in Detroit. Upon his elder brother’s marriage and subsequent renunciation of his succession rights, Louis Ferdinand returned home to Germany and got involved in the aviation industry, and served in the German military.

 

In May 1938, Louis Ferdinand married Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia. She was the daughter of Grand Duke Kyril Vladimirovich of Russia and Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. They were second cousins, once removed, through their mutual descent from Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Two ceremonies were held – first an Orthodox ceremony was held at Cecilienhof in Potsdam, followed by a Lutheran ceremony held at Huis Doorn, the Dutch home of the former Emperor Wilhelm II. Louis Ferdinand and Kira had seven children:

  • Prince Friedrich Wilhelm (1939) – married (1) Waltraud Freydag, had issue; (2) Ehrengard von Reden, had issue; (3) Sibylle Kretschmer, no issue
  • Prince Michael (1940) – married (1) Jutta Jörn, had issue; (2) Birgitte Dallwitz-Wegner, no issue
  • Princess Marie Cécile (1942) – married Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg, had issue
  • Princess Kira (1943) – married Thomas Liepsner, had issue
  • Prince Louis Ferdinand (1944) – married Countess Donata of Castell-Rüdenhausen, had issue
  • Prince Christian-Sigismund (1946) – married Countess Nina Reventlow, had issue
  • Princess Xenia (1949) married Per-Edvard Lithander, had issue

He served in the German military until 1940 when his elder brother was killed in action. The outpouring of sympathy and support for the former royal family at the Prince’s funeral concerned Adolf Hitler, who saw this as a threat to his leadership. Thus, Hitler issued a decree in 1940 – the Princes Decree – which prohibited members of all of Germany’s former ruling houses from participating in any military operations. From that point, Louis Ferdinand took over the management of his grandfather’s former summer residence – Cadinen Palace – in East Prussia until the end of the war.

Quite popular in Germany, Louis Ferdinand was voted as the ‘most honorable person’ to become President of the Federal Republic of Germany, despite not having had any sort of role in politics. A later poll gained him even higher results. The Prince quickly stated that while he might accept the position, he would not give up his claim to the German Imperial Crown.

Following German reunification in 1990, Louis Ferdinand led the efforts to have his ancestor, King Friedrich II (Frederick the Great) reburied in the grounds of Sanssouci. He also began efforts to reclaim many of the private properties of his family which had been seized by the Nazis and Communists without compensation. Although unsuccessful in his attempts, his efforts led to changes in German law after his death. At this time, his grandson, Georg Friedrich, continues to pursue the return of Hohenzollern properties and assets.

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Louis Ferdinand became the pretender to the Prussian throne upon his father’s death in 1951. His elder brother had lost his succession rights upon his marriage, making Louis Ferdinand first in line. His own two elder sons’ marriages were also deemed unequal, thus excluding them from succession. It fell upon his third son, also named Louis Ferdinand. The younger Louis Ferdinand died in 1977, leaving his own young son, Georg Friedrich, as the sole heir and first in line to succeed his grandfather. This led to a legal battle among his older sons – both of whom had been excluded – but claimed a right to some of their father’s estate. While the young Georg Friedrich remained his grandfather’s heir as Head of the House of Hohenzollern, he was no longer the sole beneficiary of the estate, and Louis Ferdinand’s elder sons both received a portion of their father’s estate upon his death.

Just weeks before his 87th birthday, Prince Louis Ferdinand died in Bremen on September 26, 1994. He was buried in the castle cemetery at Hohenzollern Castle.

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Prussian Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor, England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

By Wilfridselsey – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56272459

The Royal Chapel of All Saints is located on the grounds of Royal Lodge in the 5,000-acre Windsor Great Park in Windsor, England. Windsor Great Park was the private hunting ground of Windsor Castle for many centuries. The chapel is a Royal Peculiar, a Church of England parish or church that is under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch rather than a bishop. It serves as an informal parish church for the residents and staff of Windsor Great Park. Services at the chapel are often attended by members of the British Royal family, and Queen Elizabeth II regularly worshiped at the Royal Chapel of All Saints for reasons of privacy.

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The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their daughter Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor attended Sunday services at the Royal Chapel of All Saints two days after the death of The Duke of Edinburgh

The decision to build a new chapel came when the small chapels at Royal Lodge and Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park could no longer accommodate the royal occupants and their growing royal household staff. The Royal Chapel of All Saints was designed by Jeffry Wyatville, an English architect and garden designer, and then built on the site of a porter’s lodge. First used on Palm Sunday in 1825, the Royal Chapel of All Saints is located less than a hundred yards from Royal Lodge. In contrast to St. George’s Chapel at Windsor, the Royal Chapel of All Saints Chapel is simpler and more intimate, with a maximum capacity of 180 people.

King George IV resided at Royal Lodge during the refurbishment of Windsor Castle in the 1820s and regularly worshipped at the Royal Chapel of All Saints. In the 1860s, Queen Victoria had the chapel remodeled in the Gothic Revival style with the design by Samuel Sanders Teulon and Anthony Salvin. The renovations included a new chancel and an east window in memory of Queen Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent. Queen Victoria often attended services at the chapel.

In 1905, a window was dedicated at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in memory of Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein, the son of Princess Helena, daughter of Queen Victoria, and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. While serving during the Boer War in 1900, Prince Christian Victor died of enteric fever in Pretoria, South African Republic, also known as the Transvaal Republic, now in South Africa. His parents lived at the nearby Cumberland Lodge

In 1931, King George V granted Royal Lodge to the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) as a country house. The Duke and Duchess of York attended services at the nearby Royal Chapel of All Saints along with their young daughters, the future Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. They continued to visit the chapel after they became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II. After the death of King George VI in 1952, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother continued to use Royal Lodge as a country house until her death. She enjoyed spending time at the chapel which was just a short distance from her home.

Recent Royal Events

The Royal Chapel, Windsor Great Park by Sir Hugh Casson, 1990; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

Resting of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s Coffin

The Queen Mother’s coffin at rest in the Royal Chapel of All Saints; Credit – https://img.17qq.com/images/gmmodpgmcpv.jpeg

The coffin of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother rested at the Royal Chapel of All Saints from March 31, 2002 until April 1, 2002 when her coffin was taken to London. The Queen Mother died on March 30, 2002, at Royal Lodge, her home in Windsor Great Park. Walking behind The Queen Mother’s coffin as it was carried the short distance from Royal Lodge to the Royal Chapel of All Saints were three members of her staff dressed in black livery. One staff member carried a potted jasmine, an Easter gift from King Charles III, then the Prince of Wales, to his grandmother. Later in the day, Queen Elizabeth II and members of the royal family attended a prayer service at the Royal Chapel of All Saints. The Queen Mother’s coffin, draped in her royal standard and adorned with a wreath of pink camellias, rested before the altar.

Wedding of Princess Beatrice of York and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

Photo Credit – https://www.instagram.com/theroyalfamily/ Photograph by Benjamin Wheeler

On Friday, July 17, 2020, Princess Beatrice of York married Mr. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a small private ceremony held at the Royal Chapel of All Saints Chapel. There were approximately twenty guests including the bride and groom’s parents and siblings, and the bride’s paternal grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The wedding took place following all relevant government COVID-19 guidelines. Originally scheduled to take place on May 29, 2020, at the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace in London, England, followed by a private reception in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, the wedding was postponed and the original plans modified because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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. 2021. Royal Chapel of All Saints – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Chapel_of_All_Saints> [Accessed 8 May 2021].
  • Heychurches.co.uk. 2021. Royal Chapel of All Saints « HEYCHURCHES.CO.UK. [online] Available at: <https://heychurches.co.uk/02169082/Royal_Chapel_of_All_Saints> [Accessed 8 May 2021].
  • Royal Lodge Chapel of All Saints, W., 2021. Royal Lodge Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, Windsor: perspective view with deer shown grazing in the foreground | RIBA. [online] RIBApix. Available at: <https://www.architecture.com/image-library/RIBApix/image-information/poster/royal-lodge-chapel-of-all-saints-windsor-great-park-windsor-perspective-view-with-deer-shown-grazing/posterid/RIBA32113.html> [Accessed 8 May 2021].
  • The Guardian. 2002. Gun salutes honour Queen Mother. [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/apr/01/queenmother.monarchy5> [Accessed 8 May 2021].
  • Town & Country. 2020. Where Did Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi Get Married?. [online] Available at: <https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a33348976/princess-beatrice-edoardo-mapelli-mozzi-wedding-venue-royal-chapel-all-saints/> [Accessed 8 May 2021].

Karin Månsdotter, Queen of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Credit – Wikipedia

Karin Månsdotter was one of several mistresses of Erik XIV, King of Sweden (1533 – 1577), and then briefly his Queen Consort. She was born on November 6, 1550, in Uppland, Sweden. Her father Måns was a mercenary and then a prison guard. Karin’s surname Månsdotter is a patronym, meaning daughter of Måns. Her mother Ingrid came from a family of peasants. It is thought that both of Karin’s parents died around 1560.

Gert Cantor was a musician at the court of Eric XIV, King of Sweden, and was also a favorite and confidant of the king. Cantor and his wife also managed an inn, which was frequented by the guests of the royal court. Karin Månsdotter was employed as a serving girl in the inn. Cantor’s wife managed the inn and introduced Karin to King Erik XIV. Erik XIV and Karin first met at the beginning of 1565. Karin then moved into Tre Kronor, a castle located in Stockholm, Sweden, on the site where the Royal Palace is today. Karin worked as a chambermaid for Elisabet Vasa, Erik IV’s half-sister from the second marriage of his father Gustav I Vasa, King of Sweden to Margareta Eriksdotter Leijonhufvud. Also, Karin took care of Virginia Eriksdotter (born 1559) one of Erik XIV’s illegitimate children by his mistress Agda Persdotter.

Erik XIV, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Erik XIV was very taken by the teenage Karin and there are indications that early on he deeply loved her and wanted to marry her. Erik suffered from occasional bouts of mental illness and those closest to him noted that Karin had a calming effect on him. Karin quickly became Erik’s favorite mistress and he dismissed his other mistresses. She was given expensive clothes, her own apartments and servants, and openly appeared with Erik at court. When Karin and Erik’s first child Sigrid was born in 1566, she was immediately treated like a real princess.

Erik and Karin had four children. The first two were born before the second official marriage in 1568 (see below) but were later legitimized. The last two died in early childhood.

  • Princess Sigrid (1566 – 1633), married (1) Henrik Klasson Tott, had three children (2) Nils Nilsson Natt och Dag
  • Prince Gustav (1568 – 1607), unmarried
  • Prince Henrik (1570 – 1574)
  • Prince Arnold (1572 – 1573)

Erik had suffered from mental health issues and from 1563 onwards these issues worsened. His decisions became more illogical and he exhibited violent behavior. Starting early on in her relationship with Erik, courtiers used Karin to intercede with Erik. In May 1567, Erik imprisoned five nobles in Uppsala Castle: Svante Stensson Sture (husband of Märta Erikdotter Leijonhufvud, the sister of Margareta Leijonhufvud, the second wife of Erik’s father) and his sons Nils Svantesson Sture and Erik Svantesson Sture, Abraham Gustafsson Stenbock (brother of Katarina Gustavsdotter Stenbock, the third wife of King Gustav I Vasa), and Ivar Ivarsson Liljeörn. Svante Stensson Sture’s wife Märta appealed to Karin to ensure that the prisoners would be protected. Karin assured Märta no one would hurt the prisoners.

Svante Stensson Sture; Credit – Wikipedia

Later the same morning, Erik XIV visited Svante Stensson Sture in prison, fell on his knees before him, and begged for his friendship. However, later that day, all five men were killed in their cells on Erik’s orders in what is known as the Sture Murders. Erik personally stabbed Nils Svantesson Sture to death. After the murders, Erik’s former tutor Dionysius Beurreus found him outside the castle in a state of agitation. Beurreus tried to calm Erik but instead, Erik issued an order to kill Beurreus and vanished into a nearby forest. The guards then stabbed Beurreus to death. Karin participated in the search for Erik. Three days after the murder, he was found in the village of Odensala, disguised as a peasant and confused, and was brought to Stockholm. Apparently, there were no immediate repercussions for Erik’s behavior.

In 1567, Erik decided to marry Karin following the agreement he made with the state council in 1561 that he could marry whomever he pleased. On December 29, 1567, Erik and Karin were married morganatically in a secret ceremony. In 1568, Karin was ennobled and a second official wedding was held in Storkyrkan (Great Church) in Stockholm, Sweden on July 4, 1568, followed the next day by Karin’s coronation as Queen of Sweden.

Due to Erik’s behavior and his marriage to Karin, his younger half-brothers led a revolt against Erik with the support of many nobles that ended in his removal as King of Sweden in September 1568 and his eldest half-brother succeeding to the throne as Johan III, King of Sweden. In January 1569, the Riksdag (parliament) legally dethroned Erik.

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Erik XIV, Karin, and one of their sons in captivity

Erik and Karin were imprisoned but their children were initially placed in the care of Queen Dowager Katherina Stenbock, the third wife and widow of Erik’s father. In 1570, the children were returned to their parents. Karin gave birth to two children in captivity in 1570 and 1572, both of whom died young. In 1573, Karin and her children were separated from Erik to prevent the birth of any more children. They were taken to Turku Castle in Finland where they remained under house arrest. In 1575, King Johan III exiled Erik and Karin’s son seven-year-old-son Gustav because he feared that the supporters of Erik would try to install Gustav on the Swedish throne. Gustav was sent to Poland, placed under the care of Jesuit priests, and converted to Roman Catholicism.

Karin Månsdotter, drawing done by King Erik XIV while in captivity; Credit – Wikipedia

Erik was imprisoned in various castles for nine years. He died on February 26, 1577, aged 43, at Örbyhus Castle in Örbyhus, Sweden. He was most likely murdered due to the three major conspiracies that attempted to depose his half-brother Johan III and place Erik back on the Swedish throne. An examination of his remains in 1958 confirmed that Erik probably died of arsenic poisoning. Erik XIV was originally buried in a crypt at Västerås Cathedral in Västerås, Västmanland, Sweden. In 1797, Erik’s remains were reburied at Västerås Cathedral in a Carrara marble sarcophagus that King Gustav III of Sweden originally ordered for himself.

After Erik died in 1577, Karin and her daughter Sigrid were released. Johan III granted Karin the royal estate Liuksiala Manor in Kangasala, Finland, where she lived comfortably for the rest of her life. In 1582, Karin and her daughter Sigrid were invited to Stockholm to meet with King Johan III, his wife Catherine Jagellonica of Poland, and Queen Dowager Katerina Stenbock at Svartsjö Castle in what was called “The Meeting of Three Queens Catherine”.

Princess Sigrid of Sweden, daughter of Erik XIV  and Karin; Credit – Wikipedia

Karin’s daughter Princess Sigrid had a good relationship with her father’s family and frequently visited her mother. In 1582, she was made lady-in-waiting to her cousin Princess Anna of Sweden, daughter of King Johan III, and traveled with her to Poland, where she was present at the coronation of Anna’s brother King Sigismund III Vasa of Sweden as King of Poland in 1587. Sigrid married twice, both times to Swedish noblemen.

Karin’s son Gustav was not allowed to return to Sweden and Karin did not see him again until 1596 when she saw him in Reval (now Tallinn), Estonia. Gustav had forgotten her and they could not speak to each other because he had forgotten the Swedish language. Karin could identify him only by his birthmarks. Gustav was poor and worked as a mercenary. Karin tried to help him financially, and for the rest of her life, unsuccessfully attempted to get permission for him to return to Sweden but never saw him again.

Tomb of Karin Månsdotter in Turku Cathedral in Turku, Finland; Credit – By Hajotthu, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41249703

Karin Månsdotter died, aged 61, at her home, Liuksiala Manor in Kangasala, Finland on September 13, 1612. She was buried at Turku Cathedral in Turku, Finland, now the Mother Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. Karin’s daughter Sigrid and Sigrid’s son Åke Henriksson Tott are also buried at Turku Cathedral. Karin was initially buried in the crypt of the Tott Chapel at Turku Cathedral. In the 1860s, her coffin was moved to the Kankas Chapel where it was interred in a sarcophagus decorated with a crown resting on a golden pillow.

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.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karin Månsdotter – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karin_M%C3%A5nsdotter> [Accessed 2 May 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Sture murders – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sture_murders> [Accessed 2 May 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Turku Cathedral – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turku_Cathedral> [Accessed 2 May 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2021. Erik XIV, King of Sweden. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/erik-xiv-king-of-sweden/> [Accessed 2 May 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karin Månsdotter – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karin_M%C3%A5nsdotter> [Accessed 2 May 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karin Månsdotter – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karin_M%C3%A5nsdotter> [Accessed 2 May 2021].

Andreas, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Andreas, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – a grandson of the last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – is the pretender to the former ducal throne, and head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

photo: Frankie Fouganthinderivative work: Surtsicna – This file was derived from: Benedikte of Denmark and Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.jpg:, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26616171

Prince Andreas Michael Friedrich Hans Armin Siegfried Hubertus was born on March 21, 1943 at Schloss Casel in Lower Lusatia. He is the only child of Friedrich Josias, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his first wife Countess Viktoria-Luise of Solms-Baruth.

Andreas has three half-siblings from father’s second marriage to Denyse Henriette de Muralt, and one half-sibling from his mother’s second marriage to Richard Whitten:

  • Marie of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1949) – married Gion Schäfter, had issue
  • Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1951) – married Friedrich-Ernst of Saxe-Meiningen, had issue
  • Adrian of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1955) – married (1) Lea Rinderknecht, had issue; (2) Gertrud Krieg, no issue
  • Victoria Whitten (1948)

Following his parents’ divorce in 1946, Andreas moved with his mother to her family home in Austria. There, she met and married her second husband, Richard Whitten, an American military officer stationed in Salzburg. Three years later, the family returned to the United States, settling in New Orleans, where Andreas attended school. Having become heir to the former ducal throne upon his grandfather’s death in 1954, a few years later he began making regular visits to Germany in preparation for his future role as head of the Ducal House. He studied Business Administration at Louisiana State University in the early 1960s, before returning permanently to Germany in 1965. There, he completed two years of military service with the Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion 6 based in Eutin, Schleswig-Holstein. Andreas then began training in the forestry industry, including an apprenticeship with Mueller & Son in Hamburg from 1969-1971. He then worked at a Japanese financial firm, learning how to run a successful business.

On July 31, 1971 in Hamburg, Prince Andreas married Carin Dabelstein, the daughter of Adolf Dabelstein and Irma Callsen. Having received formal approval from his father as Head of the House, the marriage was deemed fully legitimate and dynastic. Andreas and Carin have three children:

  • Princess Stephanie of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1972) – married Dr. Jan Stahl, no issue
  • Hubertus, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1975) – married Kelly Rondesvedt, has issue
  • Prince Alexander of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1977) – unmarried

After the birth of their elder son, Andreas and his wife decided to leave Hamburg and move to Coburg. There, he worked to establish a presence within the city and the European community as a whole. He began to reach out to extended family, hoping to heal many of the wounds caused in the past – primarily after his grandfather had sided with Hitler during World War II. He became involved with numerous civic organizations and focused on his work as Administrator of the Coburg Family Foundation.

Callenberg Castle. photo: By Überfranke – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83970018

Following the fall of communism and the reunification of Germany, Prince Andreas began working to re-acquire former family property that had been seized after the war. In 1996 he was able to purchase back over 4,900 acres of forest in Thuringia, and in 2000, the Family Foundation negotiated with the German government and the Free State of Thuringia to acquire an additional 15,000+ and 1,900+ acres, respectively. The family – through the foundation – also own Callenberg Castle in Coburg and Greinburg Castle (link in German) in Grein, Austria.

Having firmly set his roots in Coburg, Andreas served on the Coburg City Council from 1996-2002. During this time, he became the Head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha upon his father’s death in January 1998. He continued to serve as Administrator of the Family Foundation until retiring and handing the reins to his son, Hubertus, in January 2012.

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Since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2011, the Prince has continued to be as active as possible. He spends much of his time with family and friends, traveling, and visiting his properties in Germany and Austria. He is a first cousin and close friend of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, and is the godfather of the King’s younger daughter, Princess Madeleine. Because of this relationship, the Prince is often seen in attendance at Swedish royal family events.

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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.

Queen’s Chapel at St. James’s Palace in London, England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Queen’s Chapel, St James’s Palace; Credit – By Steve Cadman – https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevecadman/411794867/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50925591

The Queen’s Chapel is located on Marlborough Road which runs between The Mall and Pall Mall in London. It is across from St. James’s Palace, adjacent to Marlborough House, and a very short distance from Buckingham Palace. The Queen’s Chapel is a royal peculiar, a Church of England parish or church under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch rather than the jurisdiction of a bishop.

The Queen’s Chapel was begun in 1623, as a consequence of the proposed marriage between Charles, Prince of Wales, the future King Charles I of England and son of King James I of England, and Infanta Maria Anna of Spain, daughter of King Felipe III of Spain. In 1622, King James I received an offer of marriage from King Felipe IV of Spain, brother of Maria Anna, to strengthen the relations between England and Spain. Active marriage negotiations began but ultimately Maria Anna did not wish to marry a Protestant and Charles would not convert to Catholicism. Officially, the wedding never took place due to political reasons and because of the reluctance of King Felipe IV to make a dynastic marriage with the House of Stuart.

Inigo Jones, the architect of the Queen’s Chapel; Credit – Wikipedia

Since England was Protestant, Maria Anna would have needed a Roman Catholic chapel for worship, and so planning for a chapel accessible from St. James’s Palace in London began during the marriage negotiations. Special dispensation was given to construct the chapel as at that time the construction of Roman Catholic churches was prohibited in England. The Queen’s Chapel was designed by Inigo Jones, the first significant English architect of the early modern period. Parts of the design for the Queen’s Chapel were inspired by the Pantheon of ancient Rome and Jones intended the church to evoke the Roman temple. The foundation stone was laid on May 30, 1623.

Henrietta Maria of France, Queen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

While King Charles I did not marry Infanta Maria Anna of Spain, he did marry another Roman Catholic princess, Henrietta Maria of France, the youngest of the six children of King Henri IV of France and his second wife Marie de’ Medici, and the sister of King Louis XIII of France. In 1625, Henrietta Maria arrived in England with over 400 attendants including 29 priests and a bishop. Parliament was outraged to discover that secret terms of the marriage contract permitted the daily celebration of the Catholic Mass. Charles I insisted on the rapid completion of the Queen’s Chapel to accommodate Henrietta Maria’s religious needs.

During the English Civil War (1642–1651), Parliament passed an ordinance demanding that the Royal Chapels be “cleansed from all Popish Reliques and superstitions.” The Queen’s Chapel was looted and much of the interior suffered damage. During the Commonwealth of England (1649 – 1660), when England was governed as a republic, the Queen’s Chapel was used as a stable.

Catherine of Braganza, Queen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

in 1660, upon the Restoration of the monarchy, the son of the beheaded King Charles I returned to England to reign as King Charles II of England. The Roman Catholic Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King João IV of Portugal, had first been suggested as a bride for the future King Charles II in 1645 during the reign of Charles II’s father King Charles I of England, and again in 1660 when the monarchy was restored in England. Already there were rumors of Catherine’s inability to have children – her marriage to Charles II turned out to be childless – but the newly restored King Charles II was eager to have her £300,000 dowry. Catherine arrived in England in 1662. According to the marriage treaty, Catherine was to be provided with “a private Chapel in her residence with the right to practice her Catholic religion,” and Charles II commenced work on the restoration of the Queen’s Chapel for Catherine’s use.

Maria Beatrice of Modena, Queen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

King Charles II’s brother, James, Duke of York, the future King James II of England, had secretly converted to Catholicism sometime after his first marriage to Anne Hyde who had also converted to Catholicism. After Anne’s death in 1671, King Charles II allowed his brother James to make a second marriage with the fifteen-year-old Catholic Maria Beatrice of Modena in 1673. Maria Beatrice’s deeply pious Catholicism could be expressed within the seclusion of the Queen’s Chapel where she and her husband James could practice their Roman Catholicism without public scrutiny. When the childless Charles II died in 1685, his brother succeeded him as King James II of England.

The Queen’s Chapel in 1688; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1688, the Catholic King James II was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution. He was replaced by his Protestant daughter Mary from his first marriage and her Protestant husband and first cousin Willem III, Prince of Orange who reigned jointly as King William III and Queen Mary II. Almost immediately, the Queen’s Chapel was purged of all traces of Roman Catholicism. The interior was stripped of its statues, relics, side altars, and paintings. William and Mary were unsure what to do with the Queen’s Chapel. They may have considered its demolition or its conversion to another purpose. Ultimately, it was decided to grant the use of the Queen’s Chapel to French Protestants who had settled in London to escape religious persecution in France.

The German Chapel in 1819; Credit – Wikipedia

By 1781, there was no longer a need for a French Protestant chapel. Instead, a group of Hanoverian Lutherans whose families had come from Hanover when King George I became king was granted the use of the Queen’s Chapel. The name of the chapel changed to the German Chapel.

In 1809, a fire destroyed the royal apartments adjacent to the German Chapel. Instead of rebuilding the royal apartments, King George III decided to connect Pall Mall with The Mall by building Marlborough Road right through the site of the destroyed royal apartments. This cut off the chapel from St. James’s Palace and placed a physical barrier, Marlborough Road,  between the royal residence and the chapel. The chapel now appeared to be connected not to St. James’s Palace but rather to Marlborough House, the London townhouse of the Dukes of Marlborough.

Alexandra of Denmark, Princess of Wales, later Queen Alexandra; Credit – Wikipedia

The German Chapel continued to exist under the patronage of Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert, born a Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Germany, but this lasted only until Prince Albert died in 1861. After the death of George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough in 1817, the ownership of Marlborough House had been taken over by The Crown. After their marriage in 1861, The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) and his Danish wife Princess Alexandra made Marlborough House their home. Because the Queen’s Chapel was so close to Marlborough House, Alexandra used it as a private chapel. After 1881, the Queen’s Chapel became a Danish community church. After Queen Victoria died in 1901, the name of the chapel was changed to the Marlborough House Chapel and the Danish Church had exclusive use.

The chapel was closed in 1938 for its first major restoration since William III and Mary II had purged its Catholic past. The original name, the Queen’s Chapel, was restored in 1939. Restoration work stopped during World War II and was not fully completed until 1951. Although used regularly for weekly Sunday services for the public from Easter until October, the Queen’s Chapel no longer plays a major role in the life of the British royal family.

Recent Royal Events

Queen Elizabeth II after the funeral service for Margaret (Bobo) MacDonald

Margaret “Bobo” MacDonald, who died on September 22, 1993, was a member of the royal household since 1930 and was the nanny, dresser, and confidante of Queen Elizabeth II. From 1930 onward, Bobo was closer to Elizabeth than anyone outside her family. In her later years, Bobo held a unique position in Buckingham Palace. She had her own suite, no duties, and enjoyed a closer personal friendship with Queen Elizabeth II than nearly anyone else, including some of the members of the royal family. She was given a funeral on September 30, 1993, at the Queen’s Chapel attended by Queen Elizabeth II.

Embed from Getty Images 
The coffin of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon lying in rest at the Queen’s Chapel

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, daughter of King George VI and sister of Queen Elizabeth II: After her death at King Edward VII’s Hospital, London, on February 9, 2002, Princess Margaret’s coffin was initially taken to Kensington Palace. Her coffin then rested at the Queen’s Chapel February 12, 2002 – February 14, 2002, to enable her family and friends to pay their respects privately before the coffin was transferred to St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle for the funeral.

The Sub-Dean of the Chapels Royal, Reverend Willie Booth, kneels in prayer at the coffin of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother in the Queen’s Chapel

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, wife of King George VI and mother of Queen Elizabeth II: After her death on March 30, 2002, at her home, Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, her coffin rested in the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park until April 2, 2002, when it was taken to the Queen’s Chapel at St. James’s Palace where it rested to enable members of the royal family to their respects privately before the coffin was transferred to lie in state at Westminster Hall on April 5, 2002.

Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster and his bride leave the Queen’s Chapel after their wedding

Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster, son of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, married Claire Alexandra Booth on June 22, 2002, at the Queen’s Chapel

Lady Rose Windsor and her husband leave the Queen’s Chapel after their wedding

Lady Rose Windsor, daughter of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, married George Gilman on July 19, 2008, at the Queen’s Chapel

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Queen’s Chapel – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Chapel> [Accessed 1 May 2021].
  • Leyden, Kyle, 2015. Consorting with the Enemy: The Queen’s Chapel at St James’s Palace. [online] VITRUVIUS HIBERNICUS. Available at: <https://kyleleyden.wordpress.com/2015/01/24/consorting-with-the-enemy-the-queens-chapel-at-st-jamess-palace/> [Accessed 1 May 2021].
  • Timms, Elizabeth, 2018. The Queen’s Chapel, St James’s. [online] Royal Central. Available at: <https://royalcentral.co.uk/features/the-queens-chapel-st-jamess-102570/> [Accessed 1 May 2021].
  • Unofficial Royalty. 2021. Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/> [Accessed 1 May 2021]. (various articles)

Rosa Vercellana, Countess of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda, Mistress and Wife of Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia, King of Italy

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Credit – Wikipedia

Rosa Vercellana was the mistress and the morganatic second wife of Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia, after 1861, King of Italy. Born on June 3, 1833, in Nice, now in France, then part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, she was the daughter of career soldier Giovanni Battista Vercellana and Maria Teresa Grigli. On June 15, 1833, she was baptized at the San Giacomo Church in Nice and given the name of Maria Rosa Chiara Teresa Aloisia. Rosa’s father had been a member of the Napoleonic Imperial Guard but after Napoleon’s defeat in 1814, he joined the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Vittorio Emanuele in the 1840s; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1847, Rosa’s father became the commander of the royal garrison at the Royal Castle of Racconigi, the hunting estate of the royal family of Sardinia. While living at the estate, fourteen-year-old Rosa met 27-year-old Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Piedmont, the eldest son and heir of Carlo Alberto I, King of Sardinia, and soon became his mistress. At that time, Vittorio Emanuele had been married to his wife Adelheid of Austria for seven years and five of their eight children had been born.

Vittorio Emanuele already had some extramarital affairs and had fathered illegitimate children. However, those relationships were brief but his relationship with Rosa lasted the rest of his life. Their early meetings were very secret because Vittorio Emanuele’s father Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia was against the affair and because it was illegal to have sex with minors. Eventually, Rosa was given a home on the grounds of the Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi (the hunting residence of Stupinigi), closer to Turin, the seat of government. Vittorio Emanuele became King of Sardinia in 1849.

Rosa and Vittorio Emanuele had a daughter and a son, born when Rosa was fifteen and eighteen:

  • Vittoria Guerrieri (1848 – 1905), married (1) Giacomo Filippo Spinola, had three children (2) Luigi Domenico Spinola, brother of her first husband, had one daughter (3) Paolo de Simone, no children
  • Emanuele Alberto Guerrieri, Count of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda (1851 – 1894), married Bianca Enrichetta de Lardere, had two sons

Rosa and Vittorio Emanuele with their two children in the 1860s Credit – Wikipedia

After the death of Vittorio Emanuele’s wife Adelheid in 1855, his relationship continued, despite his numerous other lovers, and became more public. Although the relationship caused much scandal and hostility at court, Vittorio Emanuele did not yield to any pressure. In 1858, Vittorio created Rosa Countess of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda, recognized their two children, and gave them the surname Guerrieri. A year later, Vittorio Emanuele purchased the Castle of Sommariva Perno (link in Italian) for Rosa. Although Rosa was despised by the nobles, she was loved by the common people for her peasant origins.

Vittorio Emanuele became the first King of a united Italy in 1861. In 1864, when the capital of the Kingdom of Italy was moved from Turin to Florence, Rosa followed Vittorio Emanuele and settled in the Villa La Petraia.

When Vittorio Emanuele fell seriously ill in 1869 and feared he was dying, he married Rosa in a religious ceremony on October 18, 1869. However, Vittorio Emanuele did not die. The marriage was morganatic, a marriage between people of unequal social rank in which the position or privileges of the higher-ranked spouse are not passed on to the other spouse or any children. Rosa’s children had no succession rights and she did not become Queen of Italy, instead, she retained her titles Countess of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda, which the Vittorio Emanuele had given her in 1858. So that Rosa would have marriage civil rights, a civil marriage was held on October 7, 1877. Three months later, on January 9, 1878, Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Italy, aged 57, died at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, Italy, and was buried at the Pantheon in Rome.

Rosa’s original burial place, the Mausoleum of Bela Rosina; Credit -Di Uccio “Uccio2” D’Ago…, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54728753

Rosa spent the remaining years at the Palazzo Feltrinelli in Pisa, Italy which Vittorio Emanuele had bought for their daughter Vittoria. Rosa survived her husband by nearly nine years, dying at the age of 52, on December 26, 1885. The members of the Italian royal family refused to allow Rosa to be buried with her husband at the Pantheon in Rome. Instead, her children had a replica of the Pantheon built on a smaller scale in Turin called the Mausoleum of Bela Rosin (link in Italian) – beautiful Rosina, Rosa’s nickname in the Piedmontese dialect of Italian. In 1970, upon the death of Rosa’s great-granddaughter Vittoria Guerrieri Gromis di Trana, the City of Turin purchased the mausoleum from her estate. However, the mausoleum was desecrated by grave robbers hunting for jewels, and Rosa’s remains were moved to the Monumental Cemetery of Turin (link in Italian). The mausoleum has since been renovated and restored and now serves as a center for debates, exhibitions, concerts, and other temporary events.

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. 2021. Rosa Vercellana – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Vercellana> [Accessed 5 July 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Rosa Vercellana – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Vercellana> [Accessed 5 July 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Mausoleo della Bela Rosin – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleo_della_Bela_Rosin> [Accessed 5 July 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Rosa Vercellana – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Vercellana> [Accessed 5 July 2021].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2016. King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-vittorio-emanuele-ii-of-italy/> [Accessed 5 July 2021].

Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, Queen of Sardinia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Kingdom of Sardinia: The House of Savoy had been Counts and then Dukes of Savoy, since the 11th century and ruled from the city of Turin, now in northern Italy. Vittorio Amedeo II, Duke of Savoy became King of Sicily in 1713 as a result of his participation in the War of the Spanish Succession. However, in 1720, Vittorio Amedeo II was forced to exchange the Kingdom of Sicily for the less important Kingdom of Sardinia after objections from the Quadruple Alliance (Great Britain, France, Habsburg Austria, and the Dutch Republic).

Sardinia, now in Italy, is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea after Sicily, also now in Italy, but the Kings of Sardinia of the House of Savoy ruled from Turin, the capital of the Duchy of Savoy. They styled themselves as Kings of Sardinia because the title was superior to their original lesser title as Dukes of Savoy. However, they retained the regnal numerical order of the Dukes of Savoy.

Vittorio Emanuele II became the last King of Sardinia upon the abdication of his father in 1849. He then became a driving force behind the Italian unification movement along with Giuseppe Garibaldi, a general and nationalist, and Giuseppe Mazzini, a politician and journalist. Garibaldi conquered Naples and Sicily, the territories of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, while the Sardinian troops occupied the central territories of the Italian peninsula, except Rome and part of Papal States. With all the newly acquired land, Vittorio Emanuele II was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

Note: Children of Kings of Sardinia were often styled “of Savoy” as their fathers were also Dukes of Savoy from the House of Savoy.

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Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, Queen of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

Born an Archduchess of Austria and a Princess of Tuscany, Maria Theresa Franziska Josepha Johanna Benedikta was the wife of Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia. Her birth occurred on March 21, 1801, in Vienna, Austria. She was the youngest of the five children and the youngest of the three daughters of Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany and his first wife and also his double first cousin, Princess Luisa of Naples and Sicily. Maria Theresa’s paternal grandparents were Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany (reigned 1765 – 1790) (also Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, reigned 1790 – 1792) and Maria Luisa of Spain. Her maternal grandparents were Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies and Maria Carolina of Austria.

Maria Theresa had four older siblings.

  • Archduchess Carolina Ferdinanda of Austria (1793 – 1802), died in childhood
  • Francesco Leopoldo, Grand Prince of Tuscany (1794 – 1800), died in childhood after falling from a carriage
  • Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1797 – 1870), married (1) Maria Anna of Saxony, had three daughters (2) Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies, had ten children
  • Archduchess Maria Luisa of Austria (1798 – 1857), unmarried

In 1802, when Maria Theresa was just eighteen months old her mother died giving birth to a stillborn son. However, her father did not marry again until 1821 when he married the much younger Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony. Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany was hoping that his second marriage would produce another male heir but the marriage was childless.

Carlo Alberto, Maria Theresa’s husband; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1817, sixteen-year-old Maria Theresa was chosen as the bride for nineteen-year-old Carlo Alberto, 7th Prince of Carignano. Carlo Alberto was the senior male member of the House of Savoy-Carignano, a cadet branch of the House of Savoy. Neither Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia nor his younger brother and eventual successor Carlo Felice from the House of Savoy had sons. Therefore, Carlo Alberto was second in line to the throne of Sardinia after Carlo Felice. On September 30, 1817, Maria Theresa and Carlo Alberto were married in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy. A nuptial mass was held on October 2, 1817, at Florence Cathedral. After her marriage, Maria Theresa was styled as the Princess of Carignano.

Maria Theresa in the year of her marriage; Credit – Wikipedia

The couple resided at the Palazzo Carignano in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy and Carlo Alberto often invited young intellectuals who shared his liberal ideas. Maria Theresa was a very religious, shy, and immature sixteen-year-old and had a temperament quite different than her husband. She was not ready to fully take on her role as a wife. In the evening, rather than keep her husband company, she preferred to play games like blind man’s bluff with the friends she invited to the palace. After a three-year period of adjustment, Maria Theresa and Carlo Alberto began their family and had three children:

Maria Theresa and her two sons; Credit – Wikipedia

Upon the death of the childless Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia on April 27, 1831, the throne passed to Carlo Alberto of the House of Savoy-Carignano and the direct male line of the House of Savoy came to an end. Maria Theresa was then styled as Queen of Sardinia.

In 1848, Carlo Alberto attempted to rid the Italian peninsula of Austrian rule and supported states resulting in the First Italian War of Independence, part of the Italian Unification. After his forces were defeated by the Austrian forces at the Battle of Novara, Carlo Alberto immediately abdicated in favor of his son Vittorio Emanuele and went into exile in Porto, Portugal. However, by the time he reached Porto in April 1849, he was seriously ill. On July 28, 1849, Carlo Alberto suffered a third heart attack. He was given last rites, fell asleep with a crucifix on his chest, and died at 3:30 PM at the age of 50. Carlo Alberto’s remains were returned to Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy, where his funeral took place on October 13, 1849, at the Turin Cathedral. He was buried at the Basilica of Superga in Turin, the traditional burial site of the House of Savoy.

Maria Theresa, Dowager Queen of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

After the death of her husband, Maria Theresa no longer appeared in public. However, she was a great influence on her son Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia. Maria Theresa was a fervent Catholic, an Italian nationalist, and a conservative who believed in checks and balances on royal power. Her son became a driving force behind the Italian unification movement along with Giuseppe Garibaldi, a general and nationalist, and Giuseppe Mazzini, a politician and journalist. Garibaldi conquered Naples and Sicily, the territories of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, while the Sardinian troops occupied the central territories of the Italian peninsula, except Rome and part of Papal States. With all the newly acquired land, Vittorio Emanuele II was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

Basilica of Superga; Credit – By Paris Orlando – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74180727

However, Maria Theresa did not live long enough to see her son become King of a united Italy. On January 12, 1855, in Turin, Maria Theresa died at the age of 53, just eight days before the death of daughter-in-law Adelheid of Austria, Queen of Sardinia, and a month before the death of her younger son Ferdinando of Savoy, Duke of Genoa. Maria Theresa was buried with her husband at the Basilica of Superga in Turin.

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. 2021. Maria Theresia von Österreich-Toskana (1801–1855) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Theresia_von_%C3%96sterreich-Toskana_(1801%E2%80%931855)> [Accessed 5 July 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Theresa of Austria (1801–1855) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Theresa_of_Austria_(1801%E2%80%931855)> [Accessed 5 July 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/carlo-alberto-king-of-sardinia-and-duke-of-savoy/> [Accessed 5 July 2021].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Teresa d’Asburgo-Lorena – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Teresa_d%27Asburgo-Lorena> [Accessed 5 July 2021].

Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Kingdom of Sardinia: The House of Savoy had been Counts and then Dukes of Savoy, since the 11th century and ruled from the city of Turin, now in northern Italy. Vittorio Amedeo II, Duke of Savoy became King of Sicily in 1713 as a result of his participation in the War of the Spanish Succession. However, in 1720, Vittorio Amedeo II was forced to exchange the Kingdom of Sicily for the less important Kingdom of Sardinia after objections from the Quadruple Alliance (Great Britain, France, Habsburg Austria, and the Dutch Republic).

Sardinia, now in Italy, is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea after Sicily, also now in Italy, but the Kings of Sardinia of the House of Savoy ruled from Turin, the capital of the Duchy of Savoy. They styled themselves as Kings of Sardinia because the title was superior to their original lesser title as Dukes of Savoy. However, they retained the regnal numerical order of the Dukes of Savoy.

Vittorio Emanuele II became the last King of Sardinia upon the abdication of his father in 1849. He then became a driving force behind the Italian unification movement along with Giuseppe Garibaldi, a general and nationalist, and Giuseppe Mazzini, a politician and journalist. Garibaldi conquered Naples and Sicily, the territories of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, while the Sardinian troops occupied the central territories of the Italian peninsula, except Rome and part of Papal States. With all the newly acquired land, Vittorio Emanuele II was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

Note: Children of Kings of Sardinia were often styled “of Savoy” as their fathers were also Dukes of Savoy from the House of Savoy.

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Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo Alberto, the senior male member of the House of Savoy-Carignano, a cadet branch of the House of Savoy, became King of Sardinia upon the death of Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia when the male line of the House of Savoy became extinct. Born on October 2, 1798, as the Palazzo Carignano in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy, he was the only son and the eldest of the two children of Carlo Emanuele of Savoy, 6th Prince of Carignano and Maria Christina of Saxony. Vittorio Amedeo of Savoy, 5th Prince of Carignano and Joséphine of Lorraine were his paternal grandparents. Carlo Alberto’s maternal grandparents were Prince Karl of Saxony, Duke of Courland, son of King Augustus III of Poland, and Countess Franciszka Krasińska.

Carlo Alberto had one younger sister:

Carlo Alberto’s father Carlo Emanuele of Savoy, 6th Prince of Carignano had liberal French sympathies. In 1798, the French occupied Turin, the capital of the Duchy of Savoy, and the seat of power for the Kings of Sardinia. The royal family retreated to the island of Sardinia. However, Carlo Emanuele of Savoy, 6th Prince of Carignano went to Turin and became part of the Piedmont Republic set up by the French. The French became suspicious of Carlo Emanuele and confined him at the citadel in Turin. Eventually, he was sent to Paris where he lived in the home of a police officer who was in charge of monitoring him. On August 16, 1800, Carlo Emanuele of Savoy, 6th Prince of Carignano, aged 29, died of sudden paralysis. His son Carlo Alberto, not yet two years old, became the 7th Prince of Carignano.

The French had no intention of recognizing the family’s rights, titles, or property. However, Carlo Alberto’s mother Maria Christina of Saxony refused to send her son to the Savoy family in Sardinia. Instead, he received a liberal education at the Collège Stanislas in Paris, and after his mother moved to Geneva, Switzerland from Jean-Pierre Etienne Vaucher, a follower of Jean-Jacques Rousseau whose political philosophy influenced the progress of the Enlightenment throughout Europe.

Carlo Alberto in his youth; Credit – Wikipedia

After the defeat of Napoleon in 1814, the re-establishment of peace in Europe meant that the King and the royal family of the Kingdom of Sardina could return to Turin, and so did Carlo Alberto. Sixteen-year-old Carlo Alberto arrived in Turin on May 24, 1814, and was warmly greeted by Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardina and his wife Maria Theresa of Austria-Este. The property and lands of Carlo Alberto’s family were restored to him and he was granted the Palazzo Carignano as a residence. Because neither Vittorio Emanuele I nor his younger brother and eventual successor Carlo Felice had sons, Carlo Alberto was second in line to the throne of Sardinia after Carlo Felice. He was given tutors to try to counter the liberal ideas that he had been taught in Paris and Geneva.

Carlo Alberto’s wife Maria Theresa in the year of her marriage; Credit – Wikipedia

A bride was chosen for Carlo Alberto, Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, the daughter of Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Maria Luisa of Naples and Sicily. On September 30, 1817, Carlo Alberto and Maria Theresa were married in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy. A nuptial blessing was held on October 2, 1817, at Florence Cathedral.

Maria Theresa and her two sons; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo Alberto and Maria Theresa had three children:

In March 1821, liberal revolutions were occurring throughout Italy. However, Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia was not willing to grant a liberal constitution so he abdicated the throne of Sardinia in favor of his brother Carlo Felice on March 13, 1821, but remained Duke of Savoy until his death. Because Carlo Felice was in the Duchy of Modena at the time, Vittorio Emanuele temporarily appointed Carlo Alberto as regent. Carlo Alberto made concessions to the rebels and put a liberal constitution into effect. However, when Carlo Felice returned, he abolished the new constitution and ruled as an absolute monarch.

In 1830, Carlo Felice’s health began to suffer. On April 24, 1831, he summoned Carlo Alberto and the entire government to his sickbed and officially declared Carlo Alberto to be his successor. Three days later, Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia died and Carlo Alberto succeeded him. The throne passed to the House of Savoy-Carignano and the direct male line of the House of Savoy came to an end.

Carlo Alberto in his coronation robes; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo Alberto initially continued Carlo Felice’s conservative policies. He entered into a military alliance with Austria and suppressed liberal movements. However, he did institute reform projects early in his reign including creating a code of law based on the Napoleonic Code, reorganizing the military, and supporting the arts and science. By 1840, his political philosophy had become moderately liberal and he began to turn against Austria. On March 4, 1848, Carlo Alberto approved a constitution, the Albertine Statute, that established a constitutional monarchy. The Albertine Statute later became the constitution of the unified Kingdom of Italy and remained enforced, with changes, until 1948.

Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia signing the Albertine Statute; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1848, Carlo Alberto attempted to rid the Italian peninsula of Austria ruled and supported states resulting in the First Italian War of Independence, part of the Italian Unification. After his forces were defeated by the Austrian forces at the Battle of Novara, Carlo Alberto immediately abdicated in favor of his son Vittorio Emanuele. Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia then became a driving force behind the Italian unification movement along with Giuseppe Garibaldi, a general and nationalist, and Giuseppe Mazzini, a politician and journalist. Garibaldi conquered Naples and Sicily, the territories of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, while the Sardinian troops occupied the central territories of the Italian peninsula, except Rome and part of Papal States. With all the newly acquired land, Vittorio Emanuele II was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

On March 24, 1849, the day after his defeat at the Battle of Novara, Carlo Alberto left the Italian peninsula and wound up in Porto, Portugal on April 19, 1849. During his travels to Portugal, he became ill with a liver condition. He stayed for two weeks at the Hotel do Peixe in Porto and his condition worsened. Carlo Alberto accepted the offer from a private individual of a home on the Rua de Entre Quintas in Porto with an ocean view.

Carlo Alberto’s deathbed; Credit – Wikipedia

Although Carlo Alberto had coughing fits and two heart attacks, his doctors considered the liver condition more serious. By early July 1849, his coughing fits were more frequent and he could no longer get out of bed. After being in quite a serious condition on July 27, Carlo Alberto seemed to improve on July 28, 1849, but then his condition seriously deteriorated after a third heart attack. He was given last rites, fell asleep with a crucifix on his chest, and died at 3:30 PM at the age of 50.

Tomb of Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlo Alberto’s remains were returned to Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy, where his funeral took place on October 13, 1849, at the Turin Cathedral. He was buried at the Basilica of Superga in Turin, the traditional burial site of the House of Savoy.

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. 2021. Karl Albert (Sardinien-Piemont) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Albert_(Sardinien-Piemont)> [Accessed 4 July 2021].
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