Monthly Archives: December 2022

Luis I, King of Spain

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Luis I, King of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

After the abdication of his father, Luis I, King of Spain had a very short reign, from January 14, 1724 to August 31, 1724. Luis Felipe was born on August 25, 1707, at the Palacio del Buen Retiro in Madrid, Spain. He was the eldest of the four sons of Felipe V, King of Spain and his first wife Maria Luisa of Savoy. Luis’s paternal grandparents were Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, the heir apparent to the throne of France, and Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria. His maternal grandparents were  Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia and Anne Marie of Orléans.

Luis’s father King Felipe V of Spain;  Credit – Wikipedia

Luis’ father had been born a French prince, Philippe, Duke of Anjou, the second son of Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, who was the son and heir apparent of King Louis XIV of France. In 1700, King Carlos II of Spain, from the House of Habsburg, died childless with no immediate Habsburg heir. Louis, Le Grand Dauphin had the strongest genealogical claim to the Spanish throne because his mother Maria Theresa, Infanta of Spain had been the half-sister of Carlos II. However, neither Louis, Le Grand Dauphin nor his elder son Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petit Dauphin could be displaced from their place in the succession to the French throne. Therefore, King Carlos II of Spain, in his will, named the second son of Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, 16-year-old Philippe, Duke of Anjou, as his successor. He reigned as Felipe V, King of Spain, the first Bourbon monarch of Spain.

Luis had three younger brothers but only one survived childhood:

Luis at age ten; Credit – Wikipedia

Luis was the heir apparent to the Spanish throne at birth but was not given the traditional title of Prince of Asturias until April 1709. When Luis was six-years-old, his mother Maria Luisa died from tuberculosis at the age of 25 on February 14, 1714. On December 24, 1714, ten months after the death of his mother, Luis’s father married again to Elisabeth Farnese of Parma, the only surviving child of Odoardo Farnese, Hereditary Prince of Parma and Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg.

Felipe V of Spain with his second wife Elisabeth and some of his children from his first and second marriages – from left to right: the future Fernando VI, King Felipe V, the future Luis I; Felipe, the future Duke of Parma, Queen Elisabeth, a portrait of the Infanta Mariana Victoria, and the future Carlos III: Credit – Wikipedia

Luis had six half-siblings from his father’s second marriage but only the eldest three were born before Luis died.

Luis was educated and prepared to be King of Spain by Baltasar Hurtado de Amézaga y Unzaga, Marqués del Riscal de Alegre, an intelligent and very capable Spanish general. Because Luis was the heir to a new Spanish dynasty, the House of Bourbon, it was decided that he would marry as soon as possible.

In 1718, the War of the Quadruple Alliance broke out between France and Spain. Two years later, in 1720, King Felipe V wanted to make a peace agreement with his first cousin once removed Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, who was the Regent for the child King of France, Louis XV. In the 1720 peace agreement between France and Spain, King Felipe V proposed double marriages: his two-year-old daughter Infanta Mariana Victoria would marry ten-year-old King Louis XV of France. King Felipe V’s thirteen-year-old son and heir Luis, Prince of Asturias would marry one of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans’ daughters.

Luis’s wife Louise Élisabeth of Orléans, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Louise Élisabeth of Orléans, daughter of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans and Françoise Marie de Bourbon, was chosen as his bride. Louise Élisabeth and Luis were second cousins once removed. She was a granddaughter of King Louis XIV of France through one of his illegitimate children and she was also a granddaughter of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the only sibling of King Louis XIV of France. In November 1721, fourteen-year-old Luis and eleven-year-old Louise Élisabeth were married by proxy, in Paris, France. On January 9, 1722, on the Isle of Pheasants in the Bidassoa River, on the border of France and Spain, the French Louise Élisabeth was exchanged for the Spanish Mariana Victoria. On January 20, 1722, Luis and Louise Élisabeth were married in person at the Ducal Palace of Lerma in Lerma, Burgos, Spain.

The marriage was not successful and resulted in no children due to the young age of Louise Élisabeth and because she became increasingly known for her erratic and impulsive behavior. She appeared in public dirty and unkempt, refused to use undergarments, and tried to provoke courtiers by showing her intimate parts in public. At meals, Louise Élisabeth would not eat but would hide the food and compulsively eat it later. She would suddenly undress in public to clean the windows and tiles with her clothes. Modern mental health professionals think she had borderline personality disorder. Her husband Luis wrote to his father, “I see no other solution but to lock her down as soon as possible, for her troubles keep increasing.” Luis had his wife confined to a convent. Louise Élisabeth cried and sent her husband letters asking for forgiveness. He later felt sorry for her and released her.

On January 14, 1724, Luis’s father King Felipe V abdicated the Spanish throne in favor of Luis for reasons that are still unclear. Perhaps it was because Felipe suffered from mental instability and did not wish to reign due to his increasing mental decline. Another theory is that Felipe was concerned about the succession to the French throne due to several deaths. Although the treaty which ended the War of the Spanish Succession forbade a union of the French and Spanish crowns, perhaps Felipe hoped that by abdicating the Spanish throne, he could succeed to the French throne if necessary. The problems with his wife dominated Luis’s short reign. His father kept tabs on him but to counter his father’s influence, Luis surrounded himself with advisers who had not served his father. Luis planned to focus more on the Spanish colonies in the New World rather than the lost Italian territories.

Luis’s tomb at the Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial; Credit – Wikipedia

King Luis I contracted smallpox in July 1724. His wife Louise Élisabeth was his only company because his parents, fearful of the illness, left the Palacio del Buen Retiro in Madrid, Spain. Luis’s smallpox was complicated by pneumonia. Fourteen-year-old Louise Élisabeth cared for and remained with her seventeen-year-old husband until his death, on August 31, 1724. She also contracted smallpox but recovered from the illness. Luis I, King of Spain was interred in the Pantheon of Kings at the Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

Luis’s father Felipe V was forced to once again ascend to the Spanish throne because his younger son, the future King Fernando VI, was not yet of legal age. Louise Élisabeth, a widow at the age of fourteen, now of no use to the Spanish court and royal family, lost all support and became totally isolated. In 1725, when France decided to send seven-year-old Mariana Victoria back to Spain so King Louis XV could marry someone else, it was decided to send Louise Élisabeth back to France. She lived at the Palais du Luxembourg in Paris, away from the court of King Louis XV, her first cousin once removed. Louise Élisabeth died seventeen years later, lonely and forgotten.

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

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2019) Felipe V, King of Spain, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/felipe-v-first-bourbon-king-of-spain/ (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
  • Lluís i d’espanya (2022) Wikipedia (Catalan). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llu%C3%ADs_I_d%27Espanya (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
  • Louis I of Spain (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_I_of_Spain (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
  • Louise Elisabeth d’Orléans (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_%C3%89lisabeth_d%27Orl%C3%A9ans (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
  • Luis I de España (2022) Wikipedia (Spanish). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_I_de_Espa%C3%B1a (Accessed: November 23, 2022).

Isabella of England, Countess of Bedford

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Philippa of Hainault, Queen of England and one of her daughters, probably Isabella, a wall painting at St Stephen’s Chapel, Palace of Westminster; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on June 16, 1332, at Woodstock Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, Isabella of England, Countess of Bedford, was the second of the fourteen children and the eldest of the five daughters of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. Her paternal grandparents were King Edward II of England and Isabella of France, for whom she was named. Isabella’s paternal grandparents were Willem I, Count of Hainault (also Count of Holland, Count of Avesnes, and Count of Zeeland) and Joan of Valois.

Isabella had thirteen siblings. Her brothers married into the English nobility and it was their descendants who later battled for the throne in the Wars of the Roses. During the reign of the House of Plantagenet, their children were often identified by their place of birth, and so some of Isabella’s siblings were called “of <their birthplace>.

The family’s main home was Woodstock Palace in Oxfordshire, England. It was the favorite residence of Isabella’s mother and the birthplace of Isabella and three of her siblings. Isabella and her siblings had their own household, with many servants. As a child, Isabella, her brother Edward, and her sister Joan, the three eldest children, were sent to live in the household of Sir William de St. Omer, Lord of Brundale. It was common for royal and noble children to be raised for a period of time in another household.

When Isabella was three-years-old, her father unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate a marriage for her with Pedro I, the future King of Castile and León. In 1345, Isabella’s sister Joan was betrothed to the same Pedro but in 1348, as fourteen-year-old Joan traveled from England to Castile, she became ill with the plague and died. Over the years, Isabella had several other possible betrothals but none came to fruition. In 1351, a marriage had been arranged with Bernard d’Albret, son of Bernard Ezi II, Lord of Albret who held land in Gascony, now in France. As the ship was about to depart for France, Isabella changed her mind, and the marriage was called off. The unmarried Isabella was actively involved in court life and enjoyed watching tournaments and taking part in hunts. King Edward III granted his unmarried daughter English land including, in 1355, the control of Burstall Priory in Yorkshire. In 1358, Eleanor was granted an annual income of a thousand marks.

At the age of thirty-three, in 1365, Isabella married for love. The French nobleman Enguerrand VII, Lord of Coucy was one of the forty hostages from the French high nobility sent to England in 1360 during the Hundred Years’ War in exchange for the release of King Jean II of France. Seven years younger than Isabella, he was the son and heir of Enguerrand VI, Lord of Coucy and Catherine of Austria. In London, Enguerrand became acquainted with King Edward III and his unmarried daughter Isabella. The couple fell in love. Edward III agreed to the marriage and granted him the titles Earl of Albemarle and Earl of Bedford.

On July 27, 1365, Isabella and Enguerrand were married at Windsor Castle amid festivity and magnificence. Isabella wore the jewels her father, mother, and brothers gave her as a wedding present. King Edward III’s wedding present to his new son-in-law Enguerrand was his release as a hostage without paying a ransom.

Ruins of the Château de Coucy; Credit – By CJ DUB – Own work, Attribution, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2699065

Four months after the wedding, Isabella and Enguerrand traveled to Enguerrand’s home, the Château de Coucy in Coucy-le-Château-Auffrique, Lordship of Coucy, now in France. In April 1366, Isabella gave birth to her first daughter in Coucy. Throughout her married life, Isabella never felt quite at home in Coucy. Whenever Enguerrand had to be away for extended periods, she would return to England. The couple’s second daughter was born in Eltham Palace in London, England in 1367.

Isabella and Enguerrand had two daughters:

Three months after the birth of their second daughter, Isabella and her husband returned to Coucy. When the Hundred Years’ War between England and France resumed in 1368, Enguerrand VII faced a dilemma as he was a vassal of the King of France and the son-in-law of the King of England. He decided not to take part in any battles of the Hundred Years’ War. However, Enguerrand continued to serve the King of France as a military commander and was often away from home.

In 1376, Isabella was created the second Lady of the Garter. Her mother Queen Philippa had been created the first Lady of the Garter in 1369. The Order of the Garter was founded in 1348 by Isabella’s father King Edward III and is the oldest and most senior order in the United Kingdom.

In April 1377, Isabella was summoned to England because of the ill health of her father King Edward III. She was at his deathbed when he died on June 21, 1377. Because Isabella’s elder brother Edward, Prince of Wales, the Black Prince had died in 1376, his ten-year-old son succeeded as King Richard II. After the coronation of Richard II, Enguerrand decided to cut all ties to England and only serve the French king, effectively ending his marriage with Isabella. Enguerrand returned to France, never to see Isabella again. Isabella remained in England with her younger daughter Philippa while her older daughter Marie continued to live in France.

Isabella died either in April 1379 or sometime between June 17 and October 5, 1382, aged 47 or 50. She was buried in Christ Church Greyfriars in London, England. Several other female family members were also buried there: her paternal aunt Joan of The Tower, Queen of Scots; her paternal grandmother Isabella of France, Queen of England; the second wife of her great grandfather King Edward I, Margaret of France, Queen of England; and her great-great-aunt, the daughter of King Henry III, Beatrice of England. The graves and the tombs at Christ Church Greyfriars have been lost or destroyed. The monastery associated with Christ Church Greyfriars was dissolved in 1538 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The buildings, including the church, suffered heavy damage. Tombs disappeared, sold for their marble and other valuable materials, and monuments were defaced. The original Christ Church Greyfriars was destroyed during the 1666 Great Fire of London. The church was rebuilt but was mostly destroyed by bombing during World War II. The decision was made not to rebuild the church, and the ruins are now a public garden.

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

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2015) King Edward III of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-iii-of-england/ (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
  • Mortimer, Ian. (2006) The Perfect King: The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation. London: Vintage Books.
  • Weir, Alison. (1989) Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. London: Vintage Books.
  • Williamson, David. (1996) Brewer’s British royalty: A Phrase and Fable dictionary. London: Cassell.

Elisabeth Farnese of Parma, Queen of Spain

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Elisabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth Farnese of Parma, the second wife of Felipe V, King of Spain, was born on October 25, 1692, at the Palazzo della Pilotta in Duchy of Parma, now in Parma, Italy. She was the second but the only surviving of the two children and the only daughter of Odoardo Farnese, Hereditary Prince of Parma and Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg. Elisabeth’s paternal grandparents were Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza and Isabella d’Este. Her maternal grandparents were Philipp Wilhelm of Neuburg, Elector Palatine and Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Elisabeth had one older brother who died in early childhood:

  • Alessandro Ignazio Farnese (1691- 1693)

Elisabeth’s father died in 1693, only a month after the death of her brother. In 1696, Elisabeth’s mother Dorothea married her father’s half-brother, Francesco Farnese, who had become Duke of Parma when his father died in 1694. Francesco married his half-brother’s widow because he did not want to give up Dorothea’s dowry should she marry someone else. Their marriage was childless. Because of the lack of male heirs of Elisabeth’s father, her uncle-stepfather, and her youngest uncle, both succeeded one another as Duke of Parma. Changes were legally made for the succession of the Duchy of Parma in the female line through Elisabeth. Eventually, her second son Felipe, Infant of Spain became the Duke of Parma and founded the House of Bourbon-Parma.

Elisabeth as a teenager, circa 1706; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth had a good relationship with her uncle and stepfather Francesco Farnese, Duke of Parma. After her marriage, Elisabeth maintained a correspondence with Francesco until his death in 1727. However, Elisabeth had a distant relationship with her mother who treated her very severely. Although Elisabeth had only a mediocre intelligence and was not interested in intellectual pursuits, she spoke German, French, Latin, and Spanish in addition to her native Italian and studied history, geography, philosophy, and religion.

In 1714, Maria Luisa of Savoy, the wife of Felipe V, King of Spain, died from tuberculosis at the age of twenty-five. Thirty-one-year-old Felipe V almost immediately sought a new wife and there was no shortage of possibilities. At this time, the key powerbroker at the Spanish court was Marie-Anne de la Trémoille, Princesse des Ursins, a French courtier and royal favorite known for her political influence. She had dominated Felipe V and his first wife Maria Luisa. The Princesse des Ursins worked with Cardinal Giulio Alberoni, the chief adviser of Felipe V, and they arranged for Felipe V to marry Elisabeth.

Elisabeth’s husband Felipe V, King of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Felipe V, King of Spain had been born Philippe of France, Duke of Anjou. He was the second of the three sons of Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, the only surviving child of King Louis XIV of France, and the heir apparent to the throne of France. In 1700, Carlos II, King of Spain died childless with no immediate Habsburg heir. Philippe’s father Louis, Le Grand Dauphin had the strongest genealogical claim to the throne of Spain because his mother Maria Teresa, Infanta of Spain had been the half-sister of Carlos II, King of Spain. However, neither Philippe’s father nor his elder brother, Louis, Duke of Burgundy, could be displaced from their place in the succession to the French throne. Therefore, Carlos II, King of Spain, in his will, named 16-year-old Philippe of Anjou, Duke of Anjou as his successor. Felipe V was the first Spanish monarch from the House of Bourbon, which is still the ruling house of Spain.

On September 16, 1714, Elisabeth and Felipe V were married by proxy in the Duchy of Parma. Elisabeth left Parma in September and traveled to Spain by land. On her way to Spain, she was the guest of Antonio I, Prince of Monaco and she visited with her maternal aunt Maria Anna of Neuburg, Dowager Queen of Spain who had settled in Bayonne, France after King Felipe V had exiled her from Spain. On December 24, 1714, ten months after the death of Felipe V’s first wife, Elisabeth and Felipe V were married in Guadalajara, Spain. Felipe V was enthusiastic about his new wife, and Elisabeth soon dominated her weak-willed and indecisive husband. She spent a great deal of time with him, often accompanying him on hunts, where she displayed her excellent riding and shooting skills.

Felipe V of Spain with his wife Elisabeth and some of his children from his first and second marriages – from left to right: the future Fernando VI, King Felipe V, the future Luis I; Felipe, the future Duke of Parma, Queen Elisabeth, a portrait of the Infanta Mariana Victoria, and the future Carlos III: Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth and Felipe V had six children:

Upon her marriage, Elisabeth became the stepmother of Felipe V’s children from his first marriage. By 1719, only two of the four children had survived. Elisabeth never showed affection toward her stepsons. She considered her stepsons to be obstacles to achieving her main objective: to provide her sons with a realm to rule.

Elisabeth’s stepsons:

King Felipe V of Spain experienced episodes of manic depression. During several periods (1717, 1722, 1728, 1731, 1732–33, and 1737), Felipe V was unable to handle government affairs and Elisabeth became the de facto ruler. Elisabeth was not interested in domestic policy and preferred foreign policy, where her goal was to enforce the Spanish presence in the Italian states, combined with her ambition for her own sons, who were initially not expected to succeed in Spain because her stepsons were ahead of them in the line of succession.

On January 14, 1724, Felipe V abdicated the Spanish throne to Luis, his seventeen-year-old eldest son from his first marriage, for reasons that are still unclear. Perhaps it was because Felipe suffered from mental instability and did not wish to reign due to his increasing mental decline. Another theory is that Felipe was concerned about the succession to the French throne due to several deaths. Although the treaty that ended the War of the Spanish Succession forbade a union of the French and Spanish crowns, perhaps Felipe hoped that by abdicating the Spanish throne, he could succeed to the French throne if necessary. However, seven months later, Felipe was forced to once again become King of Spain because King Luis I died of smallpox and Felipe’s younger son from his first marriage, the future King Fernando VI, was not yet of legal age.

Felipe V and Elisabeth in 1739; Credit – Wikipedia

As he grew older, Felipe V’s mental issues worsened and Elisabeth became the permanent de facto ruler of Spain. Only the singing of the Italian castrato opera singer Farinelli (born Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi) brought any peace to Felipe. Farinelli would sing eight or nine arias for Felipe and Elisabeth every night, usually with a trio of musicians.

On July 9, 1746, 62-year-old Felipe V had a stroke and died a few hours later in Elisabeth’s arms. Just thirteen days later, Elisabeth’s 20-year-old daughter Maria Theresa Rafaela died three days after giving birth to a daughter who died two years later. Elisabeth had long feared that when her husband died, she would lose power especially since the heir to the throne, the future King Fernando VI, was not her own son, but Felipe V’s last surviving son from his first marriage. Elisabeth was unpopular with the Spanish people, had ill-treated Fernando, and excluded him from government affairs. After Fernando became king, he allowed Elisabeth to stay in Spain. However, she had to move out of the Royal Palace in Buen Retiro and into the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, known as La Granja.

Elisabeth’s stepson Fernando VI, King of Spain reigned for thirteen years. During the last year of his reign, Fernando VI rapidly lost his mental capacity and was held at the Castle of Villaviciosa de Odón, near Madrid, until his death on August 10, 1759. Fernando VI’s marriage to Barbara of Portugal was childless and so upon his death, Elisabeth’s elder surviving son succeeded his half-brother as King Carlos III of Spain.

All subsequent monarchs of Spain from the House of Bourbon are descendants of King Carlos III of Spain. Therefore, Elisabeth is the ancestor of the House of Bourbon that still reigns in Spain. And so Elisabeth achieved the goal she set so long ago. Her elder son became King of Spain and her younger son Felipe became sovereign Duke of Parma and founder of the House of Bourbon-Parma. Although the House of Bourbon-Parma no longer reigns, the pretender to the throne of the Duchy of Parma is Elisabeth’s descendant.

Tomb of Elisabeth and Felipe V, King of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth spent the last years of her life at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez and the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso. On July 11, 1766, aged 73, Elisabeth died at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez in Aranjuez, Spain. When Elisabeth’s husband King Felipe V of Spain, born a Prince of France, died, he requested not to be buried at the traditional burial site, the Pantheon of Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain. Instead, Felipe V requested to be buried in the Collegiate Church of the Holy Trinity at the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, known as La Granja, in the province of Segovia in central Spain. The architecture of La Granja reminded him of the longed-for French court of his childhood. Elisabeth was buried at his side.

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

  • Elisabeth Farnese (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Farnese (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
  • Isabel Farnesio (2022) Wikipedia (Spanish). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel_Farnesio (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2019) Felipe V, King of Spain, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/felipe-v-first-bourbon-king-of-spain/ (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
  • Odoardo Farnese, Hereditary Prince of Parma (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odoardo_Farnese,_Hereditary_Prince_of_Parma (Accessed: November 23, 2022).

Eleanor of Woodstock, Duchess of Guelders

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Eleanor of Woodstock, Duchess of Guelders; Credit – Wikipedia

Eleanor of Woodstock, the second wife of Reinald II, Duke of Guelders, was born on June 18, 1318, at Woodstock Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. Eleanor was named after her paternal grandmother Eleanor of Castile, Queen of England. During the reign of the House of Plantagenet, their children were often identified by their place of birth, and so Eleanor was called “of Woodstock”. She was the third of the four children and the elder of the two daughters of King Edward II of England and Isabella of France. Eleanor’s paternal grandparents were King Edward I of England and his first wife Eleanor of Castile. Her maternal grandparents were King Philippe IV of France and Joan I, Queen of Navarre in her own right.

Eleanor had three siblings:

Eleanor and her siblings had a difficult childhood. Their father Edward II was a weak king and his relationship with his favorites Piers Gaveston and Hugh Despenser the Younger, whether they were friends, lovers, or sworn brothers, was problematic and caused discontent both among the nobles and the royal family. Opposition to the regime grew, and when Edward II’s wife Isabella was sent to France to negotiate a peace treaty in 1325, she turned against Edward II and refused to return. Isabella allied herself with the exiled Roger Mortimer, 3rd Baron Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, and invaded England with a small army in 1326. Edward II’s regime collapsed and he fled to Wales, where he was captured in November 1326. Edward II was forced to give up his crown in January 1327 in favor of his son 14-year-old son King Edward III, with Isabella and Mortimer acting as regents. King Edward II died in Berkeley Castle on September 21, 1327, probably murdered on the orders of Isabella and Mortimer.

In 1324, because of a war with France, Hugh le Despenser, the favorite of Eleanor’s father King Edward II, took custody of six-year-old Eleanor and her sister three-year-old Joan from their mother Queen Isabella, claiming that Isabella, who had been born in France, could possibly incite her children to betray their father. Eleanor and Joan were placed in the care of Hugh le Despenser’s sister Isabel le Despenser and her husband Ralph de Monthermer, 1st Baron Monthermer. For the next two years, Eleanor lived at Pleshey Castle and Marlborough Castle, de Monthermer’s estates. When King Edward II was deposed in 1326, Eleanor and Joan were returned to the custody of their mother.

In 1328, things changed for Eleanor, her brother King Edward III, and her sister Joan. In January 1328, Edward III married Philippa of Hainault. Soon after, Eleanor was moved to the household of her new sister-in-law who became her guardian. England and Scotland signed the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in the spring of 1328, formally ending the First War of Scottish Independence. One of the terms of the treaty was that seven-year-old Joan of England would marry four-year-old David, the son and heir of Robert I the Bruce, King of Scots. Eleanor and her mother accompanied Joan to Berwick-upon-Tweed, the northernmost town in England, 2 ½ miles from the border with Scotland, where the young couple was married in July 1328. Less than a year after the wedding, Robert the Bruce died, and Joan’s five-year-old husband became King David II of Scots and eight-year-old Joan became Queen of Scots.

There had been some negotiations for a marriage for Eleanor. In 1325, there were negotiations between England and Castile for Eleanor to be betrothed to King Alfonso XI of Castile, but the betrothal never occurred due to disagreements over the dowry. The future King Jean II of France was a prospective groom for Eleanor in 1329 and in 1330, there were negotiations for Eleanor to marry the future King Pedro IV of Aragon. Neither negotiation resulted in a marriage. Since marriages to a king or future king had failed, Eleanor had to settle for a count who was twenty-three years older than her.

Reinald II, Count of Guelders, later Duke of Guelders; Credit – Wikipedia

Eleanor’s brother King Edward III had negotiated an alliance with Reinald II, then Count of Guelders and later Duke of Guelders, in connection with the English-French conflicts, but marriage to his sister had not been one of the goals. Exactly how the marriage came about is not known. Eleanor did not have a dowry and so the initiative for the marriage may have come from Reinald. It is also possible that Willem II, Count of Hainault and/or his wife Joan of Valois, the parents of Edward III’s wife Philippa, played a role in arranging the marriage. Willem was interested in an English-Guelders alliance and Joan had a reputation as a talented mediator.

There appears to have been a proxy marriage on October 20, 1331, in England. In May 1332, 14-year-old Eleanor and 37-year-old Reinald II, Count of Guelders were married in person in Nijmegen, County of Guelders, now in the Netherlands. The County of Guelders, later the Duchy of Guelders, was located in parts of present-day the Netherlands and the present-day German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In 1339, during Reinald II’s reign, the County of Guelders was elevated to a Duchy.

Reinald had previously been married to Sophia Berthout, Lady of Mechelen who died in 1329. Reinald had four daughters from this marriage who were not much younger than their stepmother Eleanor. After Eleanor and Reinald’s two sons had no children, two of the four daughters became Duchess of Guelders in their own right.

Eleanor’s step-children, the children of Reinald and his first wife:

Eleanor and Reinald had two sons.

Eleanor and Reinald had problems in their marriage, and Reinald began to depend more upon Jan Moliart, his chaplain and chief adviser. Moliart was accused of isolating Reinald from Eleanor and spreading rumors that Eleanor was suffering from leprosy. Because of the leprosy rumors, Eleanor was banished from court. She lived in Rosendael Castle, near Arnhem, County of Guelders, now in the Netherlands, probably with her youngest son. When Reinald attempted to annul the marriage, an angry Eleanor walked from Rosendael Castle to the Valkhof, a royal palace in Nijmegen, to contest the annulment. In front of the court, Eleanor threw off her cloak and bared her arms to prove she did not have leprosy, forcing Reinald to take her back.

On October 12, 1343, 48-year-old Reinald II, Duke of Guelders died after a riding accident. The Council of State elected two guardians and regents for nine-year-old son Reinald III, Duke of Guelders, his mother Eleanor and Dirk van Valkenburg, and Dirk’s brother Jan van Valkenburg was elected stadtholder. The van Valkenburgs made the situation so difficult for Eleanor that she was forced to resign her post of regent, and in 1344, her son Reinald III, Duke of Guelders was formally declared to have reached his majority, and therefore, there was no need of a regency.

Broederenkerk, where Eleanor is buried; Credit – By Dguendel – Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68105428

In 1350, with encouragement from his mother, Eleanor’s younger son Edward began a civil war against his brother Reinald III for control of the Duchy of Guelders. When Eleanor attempted to reconcile with her son Reinald, he rejected her reconciliation attempts and confiscated her property. Eleanor was then forced to retire to the Cistercian convent in Deventer, a city that was part of the Hanseatic League, now in the Netherlands. Eleanor did not want to ask her brother King Edward III of England for help. She died in poverty at the convent on April 22, 1355, aged 36. Eleanor was buried at the Broederenkerk (link in Dutch), officially the Roman Catholic St. Lebuinus Church in Deventer that had been built on the order of Eleanor.

Eleanor was buried somewhere in front of the high altar of Broederenkerk; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Eleanor did not live long enough to see the results of the civil war fought between her two sons. In 1361 Edward gained power and became Duke of Guelders, and Reinald III was captured and imprisoned. Edward reigned until August 24, 1371, when he was killed in a battle caused by a disagreement between his brother-in-law Wilhelm II, Duke of Jülich and Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg. Upon Edward’s death, his brother Reinald III regained the Duchy of Guelders but died shortly afterward, on December 4, 1371. As neither Edward nor Reinald had children, another war of succession for Guelders began.

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

  • Aliénor d’Angleterre (1318-1355) (2022) Wikipedia (French). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali%C3%A9nor_d%27Angleterre_(1318-1355) (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
  • Eleanor of Woodstock (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_of_Woodstock (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2016) King Edward II of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-ii-of-england/ (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
  • Foley, Liam. (no date) Reginald II of Guelders, European Royal History. Available at: https://europeanroyalhistory.wordpress.com/tag/reginald-ii-of-guelders/ (Accessed: November 23, 2022).
  • Tuchman, Barbara. (1978) A Distant Mirror. The Calamitous 14th Century. New York: Random House
  • Weir, Alison. (1989) Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. London: Vintage Books.
  • Williamson, David. (1996) Brewer’s British royalty: A Phrase and Fable dictionary. London: Cassell.

Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss and the 2022 Attempted Coup d’etat in Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss; Credit – By Steffen Löwe  Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=126413465

On December 7, 2022, Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss was arrested on suspicion of being one of the ringleaders of a terrorist organization planning a coup d’etat in Germany. A total of 25 people were arrested.

Why so many Heinrichs? Why do they all have numbers?

All males of the House of Reuss were and still are named Heinrich plus a number. In the Reuss-Greiz, Elder Line, the numbering covered all male children and the numbers increased until 100 was reached and then started again at 1. In the Reuss-Gera, Younger Line, the system was similar but the numbers increased until the end of a century before starting again at 1. This tradition was seen as a way of honoring Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich VI (reigned 1191 – 1197) who had benefitted the family. Therefore, the Roman numerals seen after names are NOT regnal numbers.

Modern Use of Titles

After World War I ended in 1918, all German monarchies were abolished. In August 1919, Germany’s first democratic constitution officially abolished royalty and nobility, and any privileges previously held. However, former hereditary titles were and still are permitted as part of surnames. These surnames can then be inherited by a person’s children. Therefore, “Prince Reuss” is the surname of Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss.

The title Fürst was used for a reigning German sovereign ruler. Non-reigning descendants of a Fürst are referred to in German as Prinz (prince) or Prinzessin (princess).

Who is Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss?

Heinrich XIII and his mother in 2018; Credit – By Steffen Löwe – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=126411903

Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss was born on December 4, 1951 in Büdingen, West Germany, now in Hesse, Germany. He is the fifth of the six children and the fourth of the five sons of Prince Heinrich I Reuss of Köstritz (1910 – 1982) and Duchess Woizlawa Feodora of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1918 – 2019). Heinrich XIII comes from the Reuss-Köstritz branch of the House of Reuss, a cadet branch of the House of Reuss-Gera (Younger Line).

Heinrich XIII’s mother was the first cousin of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia, Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (wife of King Christian X of Denmark), Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (wife of Wilhelm, the last German Crown Prince and Crown Prince of Prussia), and Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. Heinrich XIII’s paternal grandparents were Prince Heinrich XXXIV Reuss of Köstritz and Princess Sophie Renate Reuss of Köstritz. His maternal grandparents were Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Princess Viktoria Feodora Reuss of Gera.

To many reading this article, the names Viktoria and Feodora may be familiar. Heinrich XIII’s maternal grandmother Viktoria Feodora Reuss of Gera was the eldest child of Heinrich XXVII, 5th and the last reigning Prince (Fürst) Reuss of Gera (reigned 1913-1918) and Princess Elise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (full name: Elise Victoria Feodora Sophie Adelheid), a granddaughter of Princess Feodora of Leiningen, the half-sister of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Therefore, Heinrich XIII is a descendant of Queen Victoria’s mother Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and her first husband Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen.

Heinrich XLV, Hereditary Prince Reuss of Gera, the son of Heinrich XXVII, 5th and the last reigning (Fürst) Prince Reuss of Gera, was the Head of the House of Reuss from 1927 until his arrest by the Soviet military and subsequent disappearance in 1945. As Heinrich XLV was unmarried and had no heirs, he named Heinrich IV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz to succeed him as the Head of the House of Reuss. However, Heinrich XLV wanted his money to stay within his family. Only two of his siblings, both sisters, survived to adulthood and only one sister had a child, Princess Viktoria Feodora Reuss of Gera who died in childbirth a day after giving birth to her only child, a daughter Woizlawa Feodora of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Heinrich XIII’s mother. Therefore, Heinrich XLV, Hereditary Prince Reuss of Gera adopted Woizlawa Feodora’s husband and Heinrich XIII’s father Prince Heinrich I Reuss of Köstritz for inheritance reasons only, and his private assets remained in the family.

Heinrich XIII has one sister and four brothers:

  • Feodora Princess Reuss (born 1942), married Gilbert Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode, had two sons
  • Heinrich VIII Prince Reuss (born 1944), married Dorit Baroness von Ruffin, had two sons
  • Heinrich IX Prince Reuss (born 1947), Amelie Besserer von Thalfingen
  • Heinrich X Prince Reuss (born 1948), married (1) Elisabeth Åkerhielm af Margrethelund, had one daughter and one son, divorced (2) Antonia von Arnim, no children
  • Heinrich XV Prince Reuss (born 1956), married Anja Charlotte Nooth-Cooper, had children

Heinrich XIII operated a company in Frankfurt, Germany called Büro Prinz Reuss which dealt in real estate and the production of sparkling wine. In 1989, Heinrich XIII married Iranian-born Susan Doukht Jalali (born 1956), who uses the name Princess Susan Reuss. She practices naturopathy, a form of alternative medicine, and served as Germany’s representative to UNESCO in support of its program Education for Children in Need. The couple, now divorced, had two children:

  • Elena Princess Reuss (born 1989), has Down’s Syndrome
  • Heinrich XXVIII Prince Reuss (born 1991)

Heinrich XIII left the House of Reuss Family Association in 2008. His great-grandfather Heinrich XXVII, was the 5th and last reigning Prince (Fürst) Reuss of Gera. However, this descent is through his mother. In his male line, Heinrich XIII would be 17th in the line of succession as Head of the House of Reuss as of the writing of this article in December 2022.

German Empire (1871 – 1918)

The Constituent States of the German Empire; Credit – Wikipedia

The Principality of Reuss-Gera and the Principality of Reuss-Greiz were two of the 26 constituent states of the German Empire. The German Empire existed from the unification of Germany in 1871 until the abdication of Wilhelm II, German Emperor (also King Wilhelm II of Prussia) in 1918 after World War I when all the constituent monarchies in the German Empire were abolished. The German Empire consisted of 26 states, most of them ruled by royal families. They included four kingdoms, six grand duchies, five duchies, seven principalities, three free Hanseatic cities, and one imperial territory.  The King of Prussia was also the German Emperor (Kaiser) and the capital of the German Empire was Berlin. The member states retained their own governments but lost some aspects of sovereignty. For example, both postage stamps and currency were issued for the German Empire as a whole.

House of Reuss-Greiz (Older Line)

The House of Reuss began its rule circa 1010. Heinrich XI, Count Reuss of Greiz, Lower-Greiz (Untergreiz) and Upper-Greiz (Obergreiz) was elevated to princely status in 1778 and then used the title of (Fürst) Prince Reuss, Older Line, or (Fürst) Prince Reuss of Greiz. Heinrich XXIV, the 6th and last (Fürst) Prince Reuss of Greiz, succeeded his father in 1902 but was unable to rule because of his physical and mental disabilities as a result of an accident in his childhood. Instead, a Regent ruled the Principality of Reuss-Greiz: Heinrich XIV, 4th (Fürst) Prince Reuss of Gera from 1901 – 1913, and then his son Heinrich XXVII, 5th and last (Fürst) Prince Reuss of Gera from 1913 – 1918.

On November 11, 1918, the Regent of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz, Heinrich XXVII, Prince Reuss of Gera (Younger Line) abdicated in the name of the disabled Heinrich XXIV, 6th (Fürst) Prince Reuss of Greiz. After the abdication, Heinrich XXIV, the last (Fürst) Prince Reuss of Greiz retained the right of residence of the Lower Castle in Greiz and lived there until his death in 1927.

House of Reuss-Gera (Younger Line)

Heinrich XLII became Count of Reuss-Schleiz in 1784, and then also became Count of Reuss-Gera in 1802. In 1806, the united county was raised to the Principality of Reuss-Gera or Reuss Younger Line, and Heinrich XLII became the 1st (Fürst) Prince of Reuss-Gera. Between 1824 and 1848, the senior line of Gera gradually combined the territory of the surviving cadet branches of Lobenstein, Köstritz, and Ebersdorf.

On November 11, 1918, Heinrich XXVII, 5th (Fürst) Prince Reuss of Gera abdicated his position as Prince Reuss of Gera. The new government of Reuss-Gera made an agreement with Heinrich XXVII and granted him some castles and land. The territory encompassing the Principality of Reuss-Gera is now located within the German state of Thuringia.

In 1927, upon the death of the disabled Heinrich XXIV, 6th (Fürst) Prince Reuss of Greiz, the House of Reuss-Greiz became extinct and the claims to its titles passed to Heinrich XXVII, the 5th and the last reigning (Fürst) Prince Reuss of Gera. When he died in 1928, the claims to the titles of the House of Reuss-Greiz and the House of Reuss-Gera passed to his son Heinrich XLV, Hereditary Prince Reuss of Gera. However, Heinrich XLV was unmarried and childless and he named Heinrich IV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz his successor as the Head of the House of Reuss. The childless Heinrich XLV, Hereditary Prince Reuss of Gera, disappeared after he had been arrested in August 1945 by the Soviet military. He was legally declared dead in 1962 and the claims to the titles of the House of Reuss-Greiz and the House of Reuss-Gera officially went to Heinrich IV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz, Head of House of Reuss-Köstritz. Upon the death of Heinrich IV in 2012, his son Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz became Head of the House of Reuss.

Why was Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss arrested?

Jagdschloss Waidmannsheil, Heinrich XIII’s ancestral hunting lodge where the plot was planned and weapons were stored

Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss and 24 others were accused of plotting to overthrow the German government, conspiring to execute Olaf Scholz, the Chancellor of Germany, and conspiring to replace the Federal Republic of Germany with an authoritarian state modeled on pre-1918 Germany with Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss as the monarch. Those arrested belonged to the right-wing terrorist group Patriotic Union. One of the other twenty-four people arrested was Vitalia B., a Russian citizen, and Heinrich XIII’s partner. She is suspected of having helped Heinrich XIII in contacting representatives of the Russian Federation.  However, there is no evidence that the Russian Federation would have cooperated with the plot.

The Patriotic Union was divided into a political arm, the “Council” under Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, and a military arm led by former German Army Lieutenant Colonel Rüdiger von Pescatore. Members of the Patriotic Union believe that the Federal Republic of Germany is not a sovereign country but a corporation set up by the Allies after World War II. The plot was planned and weapons were stored at Jagdschloss Waidmannsheil, Heinrich XIII’s ancestral hunting lodge in the spa town of Bad Lobenstein in the German state of Thuringia.

Heinrich XIV Prince Reuss, Head of the House of Reuss called Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss a “confused old man” and “a marginal figure” and noted that their last common ancestor lived in the early 19th century. He said, “We are 60 family members, 30 of them Heinrich with different numbers. It’s very confusing.” Heinrich XIV said the behavior of Heinrich XIII was a “catastrophe” for the Reuss family, who had been tolerant rulers and were now associated with “terrorists and reactionaries”. Heinrich XIV Prince Reuss, Head of the House of Reuss has had no personal contact with Heinrich XIV Prince Reuss since 2012.

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

  • 2022 German coup d’état plot (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_German_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat_plot (Accessed: December 19, 2022).
  • Duchess Woizlawa Feodora of Mecklenburg (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchess_Woizlawa_Feodora_of_Mecklenburg (Accessed: December 19, 2022).
  • Heinrich XIII. Prinz Reuß (2022) Wikipedia (German). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_XIII._Prinz_Reu%C3%9F (Accessed: December 19, 2022).
  • Heinrich XIII Reuss (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Reuss (Accessed: December 19, 2022).
  • Mdr.de (2022) Nach Razzia: Haus Reuß schockiert über vorgänge um Heinrich XIII., Nach Razzia: Haus Reuß schockiert über Vorgänge um Heinrich XIII. | MDR.DE. MDR. Available at: https://www.mdr.de/nachrichten/thueringen/ost-thueringen/saale-orla/heinrich-xiv-fuerst-reuss-interview-razzia-100.html (Accessed: December 19, 2022).
  • Principality of Reuss-Gera Index (2020) Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/current-monarchies-article-index/german-royals-index/principality-of-reuss-gera-index/ (Accessed: December 19, 2022).
  • Principality of Reuss-Greiz Index (2020) Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/former-monarchies/german-royals/principality-of-reuss-greiz-index/ (Accessed: December 19, 2022).
  • Solomon, E. and Bennhold, K. (2022) The prince, the plot and a long-lost Reich, The New York Times. The New York Times. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/11/world/europe/germany-prince-heinrich-xiii.html (Accessed: December 19, 2022).

Maria Luisa of Savoy, Queen of Spain

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Maria Luisa of Savoy, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

The first of the two wives of Felipe V, King of Spain, Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy was born on September 17, 1688, at the Royal Palace of Turin in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy. She was the third of the six children and the third of the three daughters of Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia and Anne Marie of Orléans. Maria Luisa’s paternal grandparents were Carlo Emanuele II, Duke of Savoy and his second wife Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Nemours. Her maternal grandparents were Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (son of King Louis XIII of France and the only sibling of King Louis XIV of France) and Princess Henrietta of England (daughter of King Charles I of England).

Maria Luisa had five siblings:

In 1700, Carlos II, King of Spain died childless with no immediate Habsburg heir. Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, son of King Louis XIV of France and the heir apparent to the French throne had the strongest genealogical claim to the Spanish throne because his mother Maria Theresa, Infanta of Spain had been the half-sister of Carlos II. However, neither Louis, Le Grand Dauphin nor his elder son Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petit Dauphin could be displaced from their place in the succession to the French throne. Therefore, Carlos II, King of Spain, in his will, had named the second son of Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, 16-year-old Philippe, Duke of Anjou, as his successor. He reigned as Felipe V, King of Spain, the first Bourbon monarch of Spain.

Felipe V, King of Spain, 1701; Credit – Wikipedia

Soon after his arrival in Spain, King Felipe V’s grandfather King Louis XIV arranged a marriage for him. In order to strengthen Felipe V’s shaky authority over Spain due to his French birth, King Louis XIV decided to maintain ties with Vittorio Amadeo II, then Duke of Savoy, whose eldest daughter Marie Adelaide of Savoy was already married to Felipe V’s elder brother Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petit Dauphin. Felipe V was betrothed to thirteen-year-old Maria Luisa of Savoy. In Turin, Duchy of Savoy, Felipe and Maria Luisa were married by proxy on September 12, 1701. Maria Luisa then left for Spain where the young couple met for the first time on November 2, 1701, and were married in person at a local parish church in Figueres, Spain.

Maria Luisa with her eldest child, the future King Luis I of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Luisa and Felipe V had four sons but only two survived childhood and they both had childless marriages:

The death of Maria Luisa; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Luisa and Felipe V had a loving, happy marriage. She acted as Regent of Spain from 1702 until 1703 during Felipe V’s absence due to the War of the Spanish Succession and had great influence over him as his adviser. Sadly, Maria Luisa died from tuberculosis at the age of 25 on February 14, 1714. She was buried in the Pantheon of Kings in the Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain.

Tomb of Maria Luisa of Savoy, Queen of Spain; Credit – www.findagrave.com

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

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan (2019) Felipe V, King of Spain, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/felipe-v-first-bourbon-king-of-spain/ (Accessed: November 1, 2022).
  • Flantzer, Susan (2021) Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia, Duke of Savoy, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/vittorio-amedeo-ii-king-of-sardinia/ (Accessed: November 1, 2022).
  • Maria Luisa di Savoia (2022) Wikipedia (Italian). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Luisa_di_Savoia (Accessed: November 1, 2022).
  • María Luisa Gabriela de Saboya (2022) Wikipedia (Spanish). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADa_Luisa_Gabriela_de_Saboya (Accessed: November 1, 2022).
  • Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Luisa_Gabriella_of_Savoy (Accessed: November 1, 2022).

Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz and his wife at the 2011 of Otto von Habsburg; Credit – Wikipedia

IMPORTANT: All males of the House of Reuss were named Heinrich plus a number. In the Reuss-Greiz (Older Line), the numbering covered all male children and the numbers increased until 100 was reached and then started again at 1. In the Reuss-Gera (Younger Line), the system was similar but the numbers increased until the end of the century before starting again at 1. Reuss-Köstritz was a cadet branch of the House of Reuss-Gera. This tradition was seen as a way of honoring Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich VI (reigned 1191 – 1197) who had benefitted the family. Therefore, the Roman numerals seen after names are NOT regnal numbers.

In August 1919, Germany’s first democratic constitution officially abolished royalty and nobility, and any privileges previously held.  However, former hereditary titles were and still are permitted as part of the surname. These surnames can then be inherited by a person’s children. Therefore, “Prince Reuss” is used as a surname.

Fürst/Prince was used for a reigning sovereign ruler or monarch. Non-reigning descendants of a Fürst are referred to in German as Prinz (prince) or Prinzessin (princess).

***********

Born on July 14, 1955, in Vienna, Austria, Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz has been Head of the House of Reuss since 2012. He is the only son and the eldest of the four children of Heinrich IV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz (1919 – 2012) and Marie Luise, Princess of Salm-Horstmar (1918 – 2015).

Henirich XIV has three younger sisters:

  • Anna Princess Reuss of Köstritz (born 1957), married Phillip Baron von Hohenbuhl Ansitz Gleifheim
  • Karoline Princess Reuss of Köstritz (born 1959), married Carl Philipp Baron von Hohenbuhel gennant Heufler zu Rasen
  • Esperance Princess Reuss of Köstritz (born 1962), married Johannes Ferdinand Count of Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau

On April 30, 1995, in Regensburg, Germany, Heinrich IV married Johanna Baroness Raitz von Frentz (born 1971), daughter of Jan Baron Raitz von Frentz and Kunigunde Baroness von Hoenning O’Carroll. The couple had two sons and two daughters:

  • Heinrich XXIX Hereditary Prince Reuss (born 1997)
  • Tatiana Princess Reuss (born 2001)
  • Luise Princess Reuss (born 2005)
  • Heinrich V Prince Reuss (born 2012)

Ernstbrunn Palace in Austria which the family still owns; Credit – Von Henry Kellner – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42911625

Heinrich IV and his family live in the Reuss-Köstritz family home, Ernstbrunn Palace (link in German) in Ernstbrunn, Austria. They have another home in Bad Köstritz in the German state of Thuringia, but previously a part of the Principality of Reuss-Gera.

Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz became Head of the House of Reuss upon the death of his 92-year-old father Heinrich IV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz on June 20, 2012. Originally, there were two Reuss principalities, both constituent states of the German Empire, the Principality of Reuss-Greiz and the Principality of Reuss-Gera. Both ceased to be monarchies in 1918, at the end of World War I. In 1927, upon the death of Heinrich XXIV, the 6th and last reigning Prince Reuss of Greiz, the House of Reuss-Greiz became extinct and the claims to its titles passed to Heinrich XXVII, the 5th and the last reigning Prince Reuss of Gera. When Heinrich XXVII died in 1928, the claims to the titles of the House of Reuss-Greiz and the House of Reuss-Gera passed to his son Heinrich XLV, Hereditary Prince Reuss of Gera.

In August 1945, the childless Heinrich XLV, Hereditary Prince Reuss of Gera was arrested by the Soviet military and has been missing ever since. He was likely imprisoned and killed at NKVD special camp Nr. 2, the former German concentration camp Buchenwald, which had been transformed into one of the post–World War II internment camps in the Soviet-occupied parts of Germany. The childless Heinrich XLV, Hereditary Prince Reuss of Gera had named Heinrich IV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz his successor as the Head of the House of Reuss. Heinrich IV unofficially became Head of the House of Reuss in 1945 when Heinrich XLV went missing. In 1962, when Heinrich XLV, Hereditary Prince Reuss of Gera was legally declared dead, the claims to the titles of the House of Reuss-Greiz and the House of Reuss-Gera went to Heinrich XIV’s father Heinrich IV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz who officially became Head of House of Reuss.

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

  • Heinrich lV Reuß zu Köstritz, Fürst (2022) Geni. Available at: https://www.geni.com/people/Heinrich-lV-Reu%C3%9F-zu-K%C3%B6stritz-F%C3%BCrst-G1/6000000014594770830 (Accessed: December 16, 2022).
  • Heinrich XIV Prinz Reuss zu Köstrit (2004) The Peerage. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/p11136.htm (Accessed: December 16, 2022).
  • Obituary – Fürst Heinrich IV Reuß (1919-2012) (2012) Eurohistory. Available at: http://erhj.blogspot.com/2012/07/furst-heinrich-iv-reu-1919-2012.html (Accessed: December 16, 2022)

Heinrich IV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Heinrich IV in 2011 at the funeral of Otto von Habsburg in Vienna, Austria Credit – By János Korom Dr. from Wien, Austria – Kondukt in Wien (305), CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24604547

IMPORTANT: All males of the House of Reuss were named Heinrich plus a number. In the Reuss-Greiz (Older Line), the numbering covered all male children and the numbers increased until 100 was reached and then started again at 1. In the Reuss-Gera (Younger Line), the system was similar but the numbers increased until the end of the century before starting again at 1. Reuss-Köstritz was a cadet branch of the House of Reuss-Gera. This tradition was seen as a way of honoring Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich VI (reigned 1191 – 1197) who had benefitted the family. Therefore, the Roman numerals seen after names are NOT regnal numbers.

In August 1919, Germany’s first democratic constitution officially abolished royalty and nobility, and any privileges previously held.  However, former hereditary titles were and still are permitted as part of the surname. These surnames can then be inherited by a person’s children. Therefore, “Prince Reuss” is used as a surname.

Fürst/Prince was used for a reigning sovereign ruler or monarch. Non-reigning descendants of a Fürst are referred to in German as Prinz (prince) or Prinzessin (princess).

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Born at Ernstbrunn Palace (link in German) in Ernstbrunn, Austria on October 26, 1919, Heinrich IV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz was unofficially Head of the House of Reuss after 1945, and then officially in 1962 until his death in 2012. He was the eldest of the six children and the eldest of the three sons of Prince Heinrich XXXIX Reuss of Köstritz (link in German) and Countess Antonia of Castell-Castell.

Heinrich IV had five younger siblings:

  • Heinrich VI, Prince Reuss of Köstritz (1922 – 1942), unmarried, killed in action in the Siege of Leningrad during World War II
  • Amadea Caroline, Princess Reuss of Köstritz (1923 – 2015), married Dr. Reinhold Sachs, had ? children
  • Gertrud Renata, Princess Reuss of Köstritz (1924 – 2011), married Baron Henri-Charles-Alexandre Grand d’Esnon, had five children
  • Heinrich VII, Prince Reuss of Köstritz (1927 – 2002), married Baroness Brigitte van Tuyll van Serooskerken, had three children
  • Elisabeth-Donata, Princess Reuss of Köstritz (1932 – 2022), married Peter Coleman, Bishop of Crediton (UK), had four children

During World War II, Heinrich served as a 1st Lieutenant in the 24th Panzer Division (tanks) of the German Army. He was a Commander of the Order of Saint John (German: Johanniterorden), the German Protestant branch of the Knights Hospitaller, the oldest surviving chivalric order.

Originally, there were two Reuss principalities, both constituent states of the German Empire, the Principality of Reuss-Greiz and the Principality of Reuss-Gera. Both ceased to be monarchies in 1918, at the end of World War I. In 1927, upon the death of Heinrich XXIV, the 6th and last reigning Prince Reuss of Greiz, the House of Reuss-Greiz became extinct and the claims to its titles passed to Heinrich XXVII, the 5th and the last reigning Prince Reuss of Gera. When Heinrich XXVII died in 1928, the claims to the titles of the House of Reuss-Greiz and the House of Reuss-Gera passed to his son Heinrich XLV, Hereditary Prince Reuss of Gera.

In August 1945, the childless Heinrich XLV, Hereditary Prince Reuss of Gera was arrested by the Soviet military and has been missing ever since. He was likely imprisoned and killed at NKVD special camp Nr. 2, the former German concentration camp Buchenwald, which had been transformed into one of the post–World War II internment camps in the Soviet-occupied parts of Germany. The childless Heinrich XLV, Hereditary Prince Reuss of Gera had named Heinrich IV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz his successor as the Head of the House of Reuss. Heinrich IV unofficially became Head of the House of Reuss in 1945 when Heinrich XLV went missing. In 1962, when Heinrich XLV, Hereditary Prince Reuss of Gera was legally declared dead, the claims to the titles of the House of Reuss-Greiz and the House of Reuss-Gera went to Heinrich IV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz who officially became Head of House of Reuss.

Ernstbrunn Palace in Austria which the family still owns; Credit – Von Henry Kellner – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42911625

After World War II, Heinrich IV’s family estates in the state of Thuringia in Germany were now in Communist-controlled East Germany and the estates were confiscated. However, Ernstbrunn Palace, the summer estate in Austria remained under family control. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the reunification of Germany, the family regained some of the confiscated lands in Thuringia. In 1990, the family began a forestry operation on their regained land.

On June 10, 1954, Heinrich IV married Marie Luise, Princess of Salm-Horstmar (1918 – 2015). The couple had one son and three daughters:

  • Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz (born 1955), current Head of the House of Reuss, married Johanna Raitz, Baroness von Frentz, had two sons and two daughters
  • Anna, Princess Reuss of Köstritz (born 1957), married Phillip Baron von Hohenbuhl Ansitz Gleifheim
  • Karoline, Princess Reuss of Köstritz (born 1959), married Carl Philipp, Baron von Hohenbuhel gennant Heufler zu Rasen
  • Esperance, Princess Reuss of Köstritz (born 1962), married Johannes Ferdinand Count of Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau

On June 20, 2012, Heinrich IV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz died at Ernstbrunn Palace in Ernstbrunn, Austria at the age of 92, and was buried in the park of Ernstbrunn Palace. His only son Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz became Head of the House of Reuss.

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

  • Heinrich IV, Prince Reuss of Köstritz (2022) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_IV,_Prince_Reuss_of_K%C3%B6stritz (Accessed: December 16, 2022).
  • Heinrich lV Reuß zu Köstritz, Fürst (2022) Geni. Available at: https://www.geni.com/people/Heinrich-lV-Reu%C3%9F-zu-K%C3%B6stritz-F%C3%BCrst-G1/6000000014594770830 (Accessed: December 16, 2022).
  • Obituary – Fürst Heinrich IV Reuß (1919-2012) (2012) Eurohistory. Available at: http://erhj.blogspot.com/2012/07/furst-heinrich-iv-reu-1919-2012.html (Accessed: December 16, 2022)

John of Eltham, 1st Earl of Cornwall

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

John of Eltham, 1st Earl of Cornwall, from the Genealogical roll of the kings of England; family tree of Edward I; Credit – Wikipedia

John of Eltham, 1st Earl of Cornwall was born on August 15, 1316, at Eltham Palace in Eltham, southeast London, England. During the reign of the House of Plantagenet, their children were often identified by their place of birth, and so John was called “of Eltham”. He was the second of the four children and the second of the two sons of King Edward II of England and Isabella of France. John’s paternal grandparents were King Edward I of England and his first wife Eleanor of Castile. His maternal grandparents were King Philippe IV of France and Joan I, Queen of Navarre in her own right.

John had three siblings:

A 15th-century depiction of John’s mother Isabella capturing King Edward II, John’s father; Credit – Wikipedia

John and his siblings had a difficult childhood. His father Edward II was a weak king and his relationship with his favorites Piers Gaveston and Hugh Despenser the Younger, whether they were friends, lovers, or sworn brothers, was problematic and caused discontent both among the nobles and the royal family. Opposition to the regime grew, and when Edward II’s wife Isabella was sent to France to negotiate a peace treaty in 1325, she turned against Edward II and refused to return. Isabella allied herself with the exiled Roger Mortimer, 3rd Baron Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, and invaded England with a small army in 1326. Edward II’s regime collapsed and he fled to Wales, where he was captured in November 1326. Edward II was forced to give up his crown in January 1327 in favor of his son 14-year-old son King Edward III, with Isabella and Mortimer acting as regents. King Edward II died in Berkeley Castle on September 21, 1327, probably murdered on the orders of Isabella and Mortimer.

John was the heir to the English throne until 1330, when his nephew Edward, Prince of Wales, the first child of King Edward III, was born. Edward III was theoretically King of England, but the true ruler was Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March. After the birth of Edward III’s first son, Mortimer realized that his situation had deteriorated. Many nobles were jealous and angry because of Mortimer’s abuse of power. In March 1330, Mortimer ordered the execution of Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent, the half-brother of Edward II. After this execution, the nobles begged the young King Edward III to assert his independence, which he did shortly before his 18th birthday. In October 1330, a Parliament was summoned to Nottingham Castle, and Mortimer and Isabella were seized by Edward III and the nobles. Isabella begged for mercy for Mortimer, but he was accused of assuming royal power and of various other crimes and was condemned without a trial and hanged. Isabella was initially held at Berkhamsted Castle and then held under house arrest at Windsor Castle until 1332, when she moved back to her own home Castle Rising Castle in Norfolk where she died on August 22, 1358.

King Edward III began marriage negotiations for his brother several times – in 1328 with María Díaz de Haro, heiress of the Lordship of Biscay, in 1334 with Marie de la Cerda, a descendant of King Alfonso X of Castile, and in 1335 with Jeanne de Penthièvre, the niece and heiress of Jean III, Duke of Brittany. However, none of the negotiations led to a betrothal.

John participated in the Second Scottish War of Independence. He was one of the commanders at the 1333 Battle of Halidon Hill, a great victory for the English. In January 1335, John defeated the Scots when they raided Redesdale in Northumberland, England. King Edward III was impressed by his brother’s bravery in battle, and in 1335, he appointed John the Warden of the Scottish Marches – Scottish Marches was the term used for the Anglo-Scottish border.

John’s brilliant military career was similar to the later career of his nephew Edward, Prince of Wales, known as The Black Prince, who predeceased his father, and ended just as suddenly. John of Eltham, 1st Earl of Cornwall died on September 13, 1336, in Perth, Scotland at the age of 20. The cause of his death is uncertain. There are references to John dying from a fever and dying in a skirmish with the Scots.

Tomb of John of Eltham, 1st Earl of Cornwall; Credit – Wikipedia (Click on the link below, white alabaster tomb, to see photos of the tomb from the Westminster Abbey website.)

King Edward III was devastated by his brother’s death and ordered 900 masses to be said for John’s soul. John was given a magnificent funeral at Westminster Abbey in London. He was buried in St. Edmund’s Chapel at Westminster Abbey in a white alabaster tomb with a recumbent effigy wearing armor with a sword and a shield with John’s coat of arms carved on it. King Edward III is buried just to the north of John’s tomb, in the Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor.

The effigy on John’s tomb; Credit – Wikipedia

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

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2016) Isabella of France, Queen of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/isabella-of-france-queen-of-england/ (Accessed: November 2, 2022).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2016) King Edward II of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-ii-of-england/ (Accessed: November 2, 2022).
  • Jean d’Eltham (2021) Wikipedia (French). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_d%27Eltham (Accessed: November 2, 2022).
  • John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall, Westminster Abbey. Available at: https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/royals/john-of-eltham-earl-of-cornwall (Accessed: November 2, 2022).
  • John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall (2022) Wikipedia (German). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Eltham,_Earl_of_Cornwall (Accessed: November 2, 2022).
  • John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Eltham,_Earl_of_Cornwall (Accessed: November 2, 2022).
  • Jones, Dan, 2012. The Plantagenets. New York: Viking.
  • Williamson, David, 1996. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.

Maria Anna of Neuburg, Queen of Spain

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Maria Anna of Neuburg, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Anna of Neuburg, the second wife of Carlos II, King of Spain was born on October 28, 1667, at Schloss Benrath in Düsseldorf, Duchy of Berg, now in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. She was the twelfth of the seventeen children and the fifth of the eight daughters of Philipp Wilhelm, Elector of the Palatinate, Count Palatine of Neuburg, Duke of Jülich and Berg and his second wife Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt. Maria Sophie’s paternal grandparents were Wolfgang Wilhelm, Count Palatine of Neuburg, Duke of Jülich and Berg and Magdalene of Bavaria. Her maternal grandparents were Georg II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Sophia Eleonore of Saxony.

Maria Anna’s mother had 23 pregnancies and 17 live births and the family gained the reputation as a fertile family. Maria Anna had sixteen siblings:

Neuburg Castle; Credit – By User: Bbb at wikivoyage shared, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22660132

Maria Anna was raised with her many siblings at Neuburg Castle, the seat of the Electors of the Palatinate in Neuburg an der Donau in Palatinate-Neuburg, now in Bavaria, Germany. With her sisters, Maria Anna received a comprehensive education that included languages, science, and music, supervised by their governess Frau von Klau. Jesuit priests instructed the sisters in religion.

Maria Anna’s husband Carlos II, King of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1679, 18-year-old Carlos II, King of Spain had married 17-year-old Marie Louise of Orléans, the eldest niece of King Louis XIV of France and daughter of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans and his first wife Henrietta of England. Ten years later, in 1689, the marriage was childless and Marie Louise of Orléans died, probably from appendicitis. The lack of an heir to the Spanish throne and concerns over King Carlos II’s health made a second marriage an urgent matter. Carlos’ mother Mariana of Austria selected twenty-two-year-old Maria Anna of Neuburg based on the family’s history of fertility. Maria Anna’s eldest sister Eleonor Magdalene had married Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, strengthening her ties to the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg.

The House of Habsburg, which ruled over Austria, Spain, and their many territories, was notorious for its inbreeding. The Habsburgs had built their empire by marriage and they wanted to keep the land they amassed all in the family, so they began to intermarry more and more frequently among themselves. Seven of King Carlos II of Spain’s eight great-grandparents were descended from Juana I, Queen of Castile and León and Aragon and her husband Philip of Habsburg, Duke of Burgundy. While a person in the fifth generation normally has thirty-two different ancestors, Carlos II had only ten different ancestors in the fifth generation.

King Carlos II of Spain had a severe type of mandibular prognathism (Habsburg jaw) which can be seen in this painting; Credit – Wikipedia

Carlos was a weak, sick child from birth. He did not learn to talk until he was four years old and could not walk until he was eight years old. Like many members of the Habsburg family, Carlos had the Habsburg jaw (mandibular prognathism), a disfiguring genetic disorder in which the lower jaw outgrows the upper jaw. However, Carlos’ very pronounced Habsburg jaw was so severe that he swallowed his food without thoroughly chewing. Carlos was educated by the Jesuit priests, however, because of his developmental disability, both physically and mentally, he only received a basic education. Carlos’ conditions showed clear signs of the long-time inbreeding of the House of Habsburg.

Maria Anna in 1689, the year of her marriage; Credit – Wikipedia

The proxy wedding was held on August 28, 1689, in Ingolstadt, Duchy of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. Among the many distinguished guests at the ceremony were Maria Anna’s brother-in-law Leopold I and her sister Eleonor Magdalene, the Holy Roman Emperor and Empress. Maria Anna arrived in Spain in the spring of 1690. 28-year-old King Carlos II of Spain and 22-year-old Maria Anna of Neuberg were married in person on May 14, 1690, in the Church of the Convent of San Diego, within the complex of the Royal Palace of Valladolid in Spain. During the celebration after the wedding, Carlos II, who was still mourning his first wife, did not pay attention to Maria Anna. It seemed that he was present only to eat cakes. On their wedding night, Carlos and Maria Anna slept in separate quarters, and this practice continued throughout their marriage. Likely, the marriage was never consummated.

The grand entrance of Maria Anna of Neuburg, Queen of Spain into Madrid following her marriage; Credit – Wikipedia

During her marriage, under pressure to provide an heir, Maria Anna faked several pregnancies and encouraged Carlos to undergo treatments to increase his fertility, making it clear the failure to produce an heir was not her fault. Maria Anna attempted to influence the decision of the successor to the Spanish throne. In succession disputes, Maria Anna always supported the claims of her nephew Archduke Karl of Austria, the future Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor, the son of her older sister, Eleonor Magdalene and Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. As the years passed, it became increasingly clear that King Carlos II would never have an heir. It seemed that Carlos was almost certainly infertile and his autopsy did reveal he had only one atrophied testicle.

Felipe V, King of France, grandson of King Louis XIV of France and the successor of the childless King Carlos II of Spain, 1701; Credit – Wikipedia

In September 1700, Carlos became ill, and by September 28, 1700, he was no longer able to eat. Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, the only surviving child of King Louis XIV of France and Maria Teresa, Infanta of Spain, Carlos’ half-sister, had the strongest genealogical claim to the throne of Spain. However, neither Louis, Le Grand Dauphin nor his elder son, Louis, Duke of Burgundy, could be displaced from their place in the succession to the French throne. Therefore, in his will, Carlos II, King of Spain named 16-year-old Philippe of France, Duke of Anjou, the second son of Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, and the grandson of Carlos’ half-sister Maria Teresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain and her husband King Louis XIV of France, as his successor. Carlos II, King of Spain died on November 1, 1700, five days before his thirty-ninth birthday, and was succeeded by his half-sister’s grandson Philippe of France, Duke of Anjou who reigned as Felipe V, King of Spain, the first monarch of the House of Bourbon which still reigns in the Kingdom of Spain today.

Although Philippe of France, Duke of Anjou succeeded to the Spanish throne as Felipe V, King of Spain, the political struggle over the Spanish throne between the French faction, which supported Felipe V, and the Austrian faction, which supported Maria Anna’s nephew Archduke Karl of Austria, the future Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor, resulted in the 1701 – 1714 War of the Spanish Succession that involved the Great Powers of Europe. Ultimately, the War of the Spanish Succession resulted in the recognition of Felipe V as King of Spain, and the renouncing of the rights of Felipe V, formerly Philippe of France, Duke of Anjou, and his descendants to inherit the French throne.

Miniature portrait of Maria Anna of Neuburg, Queen of Spain as a widow, 1600; Credit – Wikipedia

In his will, King Carlos II had stipulated that Maria Anna be given a good annual pension and that she be treated with respect by his successors. However, King Felipe V ordered Maria Anna to leave Madrid before he entered the capital. Maria Anna had no choice but to reside in the Alcazar of Toledo in Toledo, Spain. Having limited funds, Maria Anna wrote to her relatives asking for financial help. In 1701, her brother Johann Wilhelm, Elector of the Palatinate wrote to their sister Eleonor Magdalene, Holy Roman Empress: “About the Queen of Spain, I sincerely sympathize with this unfortunate lady, but, in truth, everything that she had to face was her own fault, as a result of her terrible behavior. And I think what she’s asking Your Majesty is more unrealistic than feasible. But, if you could help this poor woman and console her in such a difficult situation, I would consider this a personal service to me .”

Maria Anna’s 1704 letter to her mother reveals her desperate situation: “I am abandoned by everyone. They do not pay me a full pension, they do not even pay a third…Therefore, I do not always have servants – I simply have nothing to pay them. Sometimes I don’t even have enough food…I became pathetic because I can’t trust anyone, but at the same time, I’m afraid that everyone will leave me.” In 1706, Maria Anna’s situation improved when forces of the Holy Roman Empire led by her nephew Archduke Karl of Austria occupied Toledo. Maria Anna was overjoyed and warmly welcomed her nephew and his army. Because of this, two years later, King Felipe V exiled Maria Anna from Spain. She settled in Bayonne, France where she lived from 1708 – 1739.

Palacio del Infantado in Guadalajara, Spain, Maria Anna’s last home, where she died; Credit – By tiger rus, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58620784

In 1739, elderly and in ill health, Maria Anna was allowed to return to Spain. This was probably due to the influence of her niece Elisabeth Farnese, the daughter of Maria Anna’s sister Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg and Francesco Farnese, Duke of Parma, who had become the second wife of King Felipe V of Spain in 1714. Because of Felipe V’s mental condition, Elisabeth Farnese was the de facto ruler of Spain and later the Regent of Spain. Maria Anna was given a home at the Palacio del Infantado in Guadalajara, Spain, where she died on July 16, 1740, at the age of 72. She was interred in Chapel IX of the Pantheon of the Infantes at the Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain. The Pantheon of the Infantes is the burial place for Infantes and Infantas (corresponding to Prince and Princess) of Spain and for Queen Consorts of Spain who were not mothers of Kings of Spain.

Maria Anna’s tomb is the first tomb on the right; Credit – By José Luis Filpo Cabana – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26540368

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

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2022) Carlos II, King of Spain, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/carlos-ii-king-of-spain/ (Accessed: October 24, 2022).
  • Maria Anna of Neuburg (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Anna_of_Neuburg (Accessed: October 24, 2022).
  • Philip William, Elector Palatine (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_William,_Elector_Palatine (Accessed: October 24, 2022).
  • Marie-Anne de Neubourg (2022) Wikipedia (French). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Anne_de_Neubourg (Accessed: October 24, 2022).
  • Maria Anna von der Pfalz (1667–1740) (2022) Wikipedia (German). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Anna_von_der_Pfalz_(1667%E2%80%931740) (Accessed: October 24, 2022).
  • Мария Анна пфальц-нейбургская (2022) Wikipedia (Russian). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D0%90%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%9F%D1%84%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%86-%D0%9D%D0%B5%D0%B9%D0%B1%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B3%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F (Accessed: October 24, 2022).
  • Mariana de Neoburgo (2022) Wikipedia (Spanish). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariana_de_Neoburgo (Accessed: October 24, 2022).
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew (1995). The Habsburgs. London: Viking.