Author Archives: Susan

King Ferdinand VII of Spain

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

King Ferdinand VII of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

King Ferdinand VII of Spain (Fernando Maria Francisco de Paula Domingo Vicente Ferrer Antonio Jose Joaquin Pascual Diego Juan Nepomuceno Januario Francisco Javier Rafael Miguel Gabriel Calixto Cayetano Faust) was born on October 14, 1784, at El Escorial, a royal palace in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain about 28 miles from Madrid. His parents, King Carlos IV of Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma, had fourteen children and Ferdinand was the ninth child and eldest son of the six children who survived into adulthood.

Ferdinand’s siblings:

Family of King Carlos IV of Spain in 1802; Credit – Wikipedia

Ferdinand was educated by a priest, Father Felipe Riaza Scío, a teacher and translator, who became Bishop of Segovia in 1895. While growing up, Ferdinand was denied any participation in government affairs by his parents and his mother’s favorite and possible lover, Manuel Godoy, Prime Minister. Ferdinand was encouraged by his teacher to conspire against his parents and a group of supporters of Ferdinand called fernandistas arose. King Carlos IV’s popularity declined due to economic issues, rumors about a sexual relationship between the Queen and Godoy, and the King’s incompetence. After riots and a revolt, King Carlos IV was forced to abdicate in favor of his son on March 19, 1808. However, in April 1808, Ferdinand and his father were summoned to a meeting with Napoleon I, Emperor of the French who forced them both to abdicate, declared the Bourbon dynasty of Spain deposed, and installed his brother Joseph Bonaparte as King of Spain.  Napoleon kept Ferdinand under guard in France for six years at the Château de Valençay until the Treaty of Valençay on December 11, 1813, provided for the restoration of Ferdinand as King of Spain.

Ferdinand married four times:

Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily; Credit – Wikipedia

1) Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily (1784 – 1806), Ferdinand’s cousin, married him in 1802. Maria Antonia had two miscarriages and died at age 21 of tuberculosis. There were rumors that Maria Antonia had been poisoned by Ferdinand’s mother and Manuel Godoy.

Maria Isabel of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

2) Maria Isabel of Portugal (1797 – 1818) was Ferdinand’s niece, the daughter of his older sister Carlota Joaquina and King João VI of Portugal. She married Ferdinand on September 29, 1816, had one short-lived daughter, and then died at age 21 after giving birth to a stillborn daughter.

  • Infanta María Luisa Isabel of Spain (1817 – 1818)
  • Infanta María Luisa Isabel of Spain (December 26, 1818), stillborn

Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony; Credit – Wikipedia

3) Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony (1803–1829) and Ferdinand married in 1819. There were rumors that Maria Josepha Amalia’s devout Roman Catholicism caused her to believe that sexual relations between spouses were wrong and that it took Pope Pius VII to convince her that such relations were permissible. The marriage remained childless and Maria Josepha Amalia died in 1829 at the age of 25.

Maria Christina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies; Credit – Wikipedia

4) Maria Christina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1806–1878) was another niece of Ferdinand, the daughter of his sister Maria Isabella of Spain and Francesco I of the Two Sicilies. She had two daughters and survived her husband. Shortly after his death, Maria Christina secretly married an ex-sergeant from the royal guard Agustín Fernando Muñoz and the couple had several children.

Maria Christina and Ferdinand’s two daughters:

Triumphal welcome of Ferdinand VII back to Spain in 1814; Credit – Wikipedia

When King Ferdinand VII was restored to the Spanish throne in 1813, the country had many problems and the citizens blamed the French, and at first, Ferdinand was welcomed. However, Spain was not the absolute monarchy it once was and Ferdinand was to reign under the liberal Constitution of 1812.  During the early days of Ferdinand’s restoration, he was encouraged by conservatives and leaders of the Spanish Catholic Church to reject the Constitution. On May 4, 1814, Ferdinand ordered the abolition of the Constitution of 1812 and arrested the liberal leaders responsible for the Constitution. Ferdinand ruled as an autocrat, guided by a group of his favorites. During this period, the free press disappeared, universities were closed, and confiscated properties were returned to the Catholic Church. Most of the Spanish territories in the Americas declared independence and only the Caribbean islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico, along with the Philippines, the Marianas (including Guam), and the Carolinas in the Pacific, remained under the control of Spain.

In 1820, a revolt broke out in favor of the Constitution of 1812, and Ferdinand was taken prisoner. In 1823, France invaded Spain intending to restore the throne of Spain to a descendant of King Henri IV of France, namely Ferdinand. After the Battle of Trocadero, Ferdinand was freed and once again took the reins of government. Rule by absolutism was restored and any opposition was suppressed.

Ferdinand VII and María Christina, 1823; Credit – Wikipedia

As Ferdinand had no sons, he persuaded the Spanish legislature to set aside the Salic Law, which allowed for only male succession. María Isabel Luisa, Ferdinand’s elder daughter by his fourth wife (and niece), was Princess of Asturias, the title of the heir to the Spanish throne, from birth. In Spain, even if there is no heir apparent, the title can be (but is not necessarily) given to the heir presumptive – a daughter, sibling, or matrilineal descendant of the monarch. King Ferdinand VII died on September 29, 1833, and his daughter, not quite three years old, succeeded to the throne as Queen Isabella II. This precipitated a series of wars known as the Carlist Wars in which Ferdinand’s brother Carlos, and later his descendants, fought over the succession. Even today, there are Carlist claimants to the Spanish throne. Isabella’s mother, and then Baldomero Espartero, Prince of Vergara served as regents during her minority.

Queen Isabella II of Spain as a child; Credit – Wikipedia

King Ferdinand VII was interred in the Pantheon of Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial at the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain.

Ferdinand VII of Spain_tomb

Tomb of King Ferdinand VII; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

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

Kingdom of Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty

November 1915: Royalty and World War I

by Susan Flantzer

11th Earl of Seafield

James Ogilvy-Grant, 11th Earl of Seafield; Photo Credit – http://www.lijssenthoek.be/en/address/2749/-james-alias-earl-of-seafield-ogilvie-grant.html

James Ogilvy-Grant, 11th Earl of Seafield was one of the 24 British peers who died in World War I. The Earl of Seafield is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1701 for James Ogilvy, who in 1711 succeeded his father as 4th Earl of Findlater. The first Earl of Seafield’s branch of the Ogilvy family descended from the 15th century Sir John Ogilvy, whose brother Sir Walter Ogilvy was the ancestor of the Earls of Airlie.  The name Ogilvy may sound familiar to those acquainted with the British royal family.  The Right Honorable Sir Angus Ogilvy, the late husband of Princess Alexandra of Kent, Queen Elizabeth II’s first cousin, was the second son of the 12th Earl of Airlie.

James’ father, Francis William Ogilvy-Grant (10th Earl), was the son of The Honorable James Ogilvy-Grant (9th Earl), the fourth son of Francis William Ogilvy-Grant, 6th Earl of Seafield. In 1870, James’ father Francis (10th Earl) went to New Zealand where he bought a farm which soon failed. For about ten years, Francis (10th Earl) had a hard life as a laborer. In 1874, Francis (10th Earl) married his first cousin Ann Trevor Corry Evans, who was called by her nickname Nina, and they made their home in Oamaru, New Zealand. It was in Oamaru, on April 18, 1876, that James (11th Earl), the first of Francis (10th Earl) and Nina’s seven children was born. James (11th Earl) was educated in New Zealand at Warwick House Preparatory School in Christchurch, New Zealand; Christ’s College in Christchurch, New Zealand and Lincoln University in Lincoln, New Zealand.

In 1884, The Honorable James Ogilvy-Grant, the fourth son of Francis William Ogilvy-Grant, 6th Earl of Seafield succeeded his nephew as 9th Earl of Seafield. When the 9th Earl died in June of 1888, his son, James’ father, became the 10th Earl of Seafield and James (11th Earl) now used the courtesy title Viscount Reidhaven as the heir apparent to the Earl of Seafield title. Unfortunately, the 10th Earl lived for only six more months, dying on December 3, 1888. His son James then became the 11th Earl of Seafield and Chief of the Clan Grant at the age of 12.

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

On June 22, 1898 at St. Barnabas Church in Fendalton, Christchurch, New Zealand, 22 year old James Ogilvy-Grant, 11th Earl of Seafield married 22 year old Mary Elizabeth Nina Townend, who was called Nina like James’ mother. Their only child, a daughter, Nina Caroline Ogilvy-Grant was born on April 17, 1906.

In 1903, when the third wife of James’ grandfather the 9th Earl of Seafield died, James and his wife Nina took up residence at the ancestral homes in Scotland: Castle Grant in Grantown-on-Spey, Morayshire and Cullen House in Moray, Banffshire. James, 11th Earl of Seafield and Nina, Countess of Seafield became very popular and highly regarded. James devoted much time in activities that would benefit his tenants and gained a reputation for his knowledge of estate problems. He took a special interest in afforestation, the establishment of a forest or stand of trees in an area where there was no forest.

11th Earl of Seafield_2

Photo Credit – http://www.lijssenthoek.be/en/address/2749/-james-alias-earl-of-seafield-ogilvie-grant.html

During World War I, James served as a Captain in the 3rd Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, and was attached to the 5th Battalion Cameron Highlanders. He started serving at the outbreak of the war, was with the reserves at the Battle of Loos, took part in the Hohenzollern Redoubt charge and helped to reorganize the 5th Battalion Cameron Highlanders after the battles.

In early November of 1915, James expected to soon be on leave in London. However, on Tuesday, November 8, 1915, several days before he was supposed to go on leave, he sent a letter to his sister saying, “My leave is cancelled until a later date. We have just come in from the trenches, and occupy others tomorrow. The trenches are very wet and swampy…Sunday last we had a very bad day, and lost eighteen men from shells.”

On Friday, November 11, 1915, Captain James Ogilvy-Grant, 11 Earl of Seafield was making his rounds in the trenches as commanding officer. A bullet passed through a sergeant’s arm and hit James in the head. On the morning of Saturday, November 12, 1915, the family received a telegram from the chaplain of the casualty clearing station stating that James was “dangerously wounded” and “not recovering.” Later on the same day, a telegram from the Secretary of State for War informed the family that James, age 39, had died. At the time of his death, he was the eighth British peer to have died in World War I. James was buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery near Poperinge, West Flanders, Belgium.

11th Earl of Seafield_grave

Photo Credit – http://www.lijssenthoek.be/en/address/2749/-james-alias-earl-of-seafield-ogilvie-grant.html

Trevor Ogilvie-Grant, James’ younger brother succeeded him as 4th Baron Strathspey and Chief of Clan Grant. The Earldom of Seafield and the other subsidiary Scottish peerages could be passed on to female heirs. James’ daughter Nina became the 12th Countess of Seafield in her own right. At the time of her death in 1969, she was the second richest British woman, after Queen Elizabeth II.

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Timeline: November 1, 1915 – November 30, 1915

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A Note About German Titles

Many German royals and nobles died in World War I. The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent states, most of them ruled by royal families. Scroll down to German Empire here to see what constituent states made up the German Empire.  The constituent states retained their own governments, but had limited sovereignty. Some had their own armies, but the military forces of the smaller ones were put under Prussian control. In wartime, armies of all the constituent states would be controlled by the Prussian Army and the combined forces were known as the Imperial German Army.  German titles may be used in Royals Who Died In Action below. Refer to Unofficial Royalty: Glossary of German Noble and Royal Titles.

24 British peers were also killed in World War I and they will be included in the list of those who died in action. In addition, more than 100 sons of peers also lost their lives, and those that can be verified will also be included.

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November 1915 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

The list is in chronological order and does contain some who would be considered noble instead of royal. The links in the last bullet for each person is that person’s genealogical information from Leo’s Genealogics Website or to The Peerage website.  If a person has a Wikipedia page, their name will be linked to that page.

by Sir (John) Benjamin Stone, platinum print in card window mount, 1903

Photo Credit- by Sir (John) Benjamin Stone platinum print, 1903 NPG x45001© National Portrait Gallery, London

Lieutenant The Honorable William Lionel Charles Walrond

  • son of William Walrond, 1st Baron Waleran and Elizabeth Katharine Pitman
  • born May 5, 1876
  • Member of Parliament
  • married 1904 The Honorable Charlotte Margaret Lothian Coats, had two sons, the younger son became the 2nd and last Baron Walrond
  • died on November 2, 1915 at Aboyne Castle in Craigendinnie, Scotland after contracting tubercular laryngitis on active service in France, probably from the effects of gas warfare, age 39
  • http://thepeerage.com/p23081.htm#i230804

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thomas-carew-trollope

Photo Credit – http://www.carewcheritoncontroltower.co.uk

Captain Thomas Trollope, 3rd Baron Kesteven

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(see article above)
James Ogilvy-Grant, 11th Earl of Seafield

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Schomberg McDonnell

Photo Credit – www.illustratedfirstworldwar.com

Major The Honorable Sir Schomberg Kerr McDonnell

  • son of Mark McDonnell, 5th Earl of Antrim and Jane Emma Hannah Macan
  • born March 22, 1861 at Glenarm Castle in County Antrim, Ireland
  • Principal Private Secretary to Lord Salisbury,Prime Minister, 1888 – 1902
  • Secretary to the Commissioner of Works, 1902 – 1912
  • Chief Intelligence Officer of the London District, 1914 – 1915
  • Knight Commander, Order of the Bath
  • Knight Grand Cross, Royal Victorian Order
  • married 1913 Ethel Henry Davis
  • died November 23, 1915 from wounds received in action on November 21, 1915, age 54
  • http://www.thepeerage.com/p866.htm#i8660
Schomberg McDonnell_grave

Grave of Major The Honorable Sir Schomberg Kerr McDonnell at the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery in West Flanders, Belgium; Photo Credit – findagrave.com

Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg; Credit – Wikipedia

Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg was born as His Highness The Hereditary Prince of Nassau on April 22, 1852, at Biebrich Palace in Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau, now in Hesse,  Germany, and was given the name Wilhelm. He was the eldest child and the eldest son of Adolphe, Duke of Nassau (later Grand Duke of Luxembourg) and his second wife Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau.  Wilhelm had four siblings, but only his sister Hilda reached adulthood:

The Duchy of Nassau supported the Austrian Empire in the Austro-Prussian War (1866). After Austria lost the war, the Duchy of Nassau was annexed to Prussia, and Wilhelm’s father Adolphe lost his duchy. Adolphe made an agreement with Prussia for a severance payment and was also able to keep several of his palaces.

In September 1867, Wilhelm entered the Royal Cadet School of Saxony in Dresden. After a stay in Switzerland, he passed the examination required to be an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army in 1871. In 1888, Wilhelm ended his military career with the rank of Major General.

During its history, Luxembourg has been a part of several different countries. At the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Luxembourg was made a Grand Duchy and united with The Netherlands. In 1839, following the Belgian Revolution, the Treaty of London partitioned territories and created the new Kingdom of Belgium and the new Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was still united with the Netherlands, and King Willem I of the Netherlands was still the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. This rule continued until King Willem III of the Netherlands died in 1890. His successor was his daughter Wilhelmina, who could not inherit the throne of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg due to the Salic Law, which prevented female succession. Through the Nassau Family Pact, Wilhelm’s father Adolph became the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Wilhelm became His Royal Highness The Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg on November 23, 1890.

Wilhelm on the right with his father; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1884, Wilhelm fell in love with Infanta Maria Ana of Portugal, daughter of former King Miguel I of Portugal and Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg.  Maria Ana grew up mostly in Austria and Germany due to her father’s exile from Portugal. Wilhelm’s father opposed the marriage because his family was Lutheran, and Maria Ana’s family was Roman Catholic. In 1890, when Wilhelm’s father Adolphe became the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, he became the sovereign of a Catholic country, and he revised his opinion and gave his permission for the marriage in 1893.

Wilhelm and Maria Ana were married on June 21, 1893, in Schloss Fischhorn in Zell am See, Austria. On July 22, 1893, the young couple arrived in Luxembourg. They chose Berg Castle  as their residence, and it is there that five of their six children, all princesses brought up as Catholics, were born:

Maria Ana with her six daughters;  Credit – Wikipedia

On April 4, 1902, Grand Duke Adolphe appointed his son Lieutenant-Representative, and Wilhelm took over some duties for his father. Adolphe died on November 22, 1905, and his son succeeded him. Usually, Wilhelm is styled using the French for Wilhelm, Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. At that time, the succession in Luxembourg was Salic, meaning a woman could not become the sovereign, and the new Grand Duke only had daughters. When it became clear that Maria Ana would not have further children, Wilhelm named his would-be successors the Counts of Merenburg, products of a morganatic marriage, ineligible for the throne. His eldest daughter Marie-Adélaïde, became her father’s heir.

In 1898, Wilhelm suffered a minor stroke, and by 1906, his health was deteriorating. On March 19, 1908, Wilhelm informed the government that his condition was deteriorating and he appointed his wife, Grand Duchess Maria Ana, his Lieutenant Representative. Eight months later, Wilhelm was too ill to participate in any duties. On the proposal of the State Council, the Chamber of Deputies named Grand Duchess Maria Ana Regent. On September 15, 1911, Wilhelm returned to Berg Castle, whose renovations had just been completed. There, Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, died on February 25, 1912, at the age of 59. He was buried at the burial chapel (link in German) at Schloss Weilburg,  the former residence of the House of Nassau and Dukes of Nassau-Weilburg, in Weilburg, Germany.

Schloss Weilburg, burial place of Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg; Photo Credit – Wikipedia, by Oliver Abels

His successor, Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïd,e was 17 at the time of her father’s death, so her mother, Grand Duchess Maria Ana remained Regent until her daughter reached her 18th birthday. Marie-Adélaïde abdicated in 1919 in favor of her sister Charlotte, from whom the current Luxembourg grand ducal family descends.

Maria Ana and her daughters in 1920; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Grand Duchess Maria Ana survived her husband for 30 years. After fleeing Luxembourg when the German Army invaded during World War II, Maria Ana went to live in New York City, where she died in 1942 at the age of 81. She was temporarily interred at Calvary Cemetery in Queens, in New York City. Her remains were later repatriated and buried at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.

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.

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg; Credit – Wikipedia

The second wife of Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg, Princess Adelheid-Marie was born on December 25, 1833, in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. She was the eldest of the three daughters of Prince Friedrich Augustus of Anhalt-Dessau and Princess Marie Luise Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel.  Her mother Princess Marie Luise Charlotte was the elder sister of Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel, the wife of King Christian IX of Denmark. Therefore, Adelheid-Marie was the first cousin of Princess Louise and King Christian IX’s children: King Frederick VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, King George I of Greece, Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia, Thyra, Crown Princess of Hanover, and Prince Valdemar.

Adelheid-Marie’s sisters:

On 23 April 1851, Princess Adelheid-Marie married Adolphe, then Duke of Nassau. Six years earlier, Adolphe’s first wife Grand Duchess Elisabeth Mikhailovna of Russia had died in childbirth along with her daughter. Adolphe and Adelheid-Marie had five children, but only two lived to adulthood:

The Duchy of Nassau supported the Austrian Empire in the Austro-Prussian War (1866). After Austria lost the war, the Duchy of Nassau was annexed to Prussia and Adolph lost his duchy. Adolph made an agreement with Prussia for a severance payment and was also able to keep several of his palaces.

During its history, Luxembourg has been a part of a number of countries. At the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Luxembourg was made a Grand Duchy and united with The Netherlands. In 1839, following the Belgian Revolution, the Treaty of London partitioned territories and created the new Kingdom of Belgium and the new Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was still united with the Netherlands and King Willem I of the Netherlands was still the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. This rule continued until King Willem III of the Netherlands died in 1890. His successor was his daughter Wilhelmina, who could not inherit the throne of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg due to the Salic Law which prevented female succession. Through the Nassau Family Pact, Adolph became the Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Adelheid-Marie became the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg on November 23, 1890.

Adolphe and Adelheid-Marie; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Adolphe died on November 17, 1905, at the age of 88. Adelheid-Marie survived him by 11 years dying on November 24, 1916, at the age of 82 in Königstein im Taunus, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Hesse, Germany. She was buried with her husband at the burial chapel of Schloss Weilburg, the former residence of the House of Nassau and Dukes of Nassau-Weilburg.

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.

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on July 24, 1817, in Biebrich Palace in Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau, now in Hesse, Germany, as Adolf Wilhelm August Karl Friedrich, His Highness The Hereditary Duke of Nassau. Adolphe was the eldest son and the third of the eight children of Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau and his first wife Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen.

Adolphe had three brothers and four sisters:

From his father’s second marriage to Princess Pauline of Württemberg, Adolphe had four half-siblings:

Adolphe before 1830; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 20, 1839, Adolph’s father died and he began a 27-year reign of the Duchy of Nassau. Adolph married Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich of Russia and granddaughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, on January 31, 1844. The couple was very happy and delighted when Elizabeth soon became pregnant with their first child, but the happiness did not last. On January 28, 1845, 18-year-old Elizabeth died while giving birth to a daughter who also died. With the blessing of Elisabeth’s uncle Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, the grief-stricken Adolphe used Elisabeth’s dowry to build the Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth in Wiesbaden where Elisabeth’s remains were buried.

Grand Duchess Elisabeth Mikhailovna of Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

On 23 April 1851, Adolphe married for a second time to Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau. They had five children, but only two lived to adulthood:

Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau; Credit – Wikipedia

The Duchy of Nassau supported the Austrian Empire in the Austro-Prussian War (1866). After Austria lost the war, the Duchy of Nassau was annexed to Prussia and Adolph lost his duchy. Adolph made an agreement with Prussia for a severance payment and was also able to keep several of his palaces.

During its history, Luxembourg has been a part of a number of countries. At the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Luxembourg was made a Grand Duchy and united with The Netherlands. In 1839, following the Belgian Revolution, the Treaty of London partitioned territories and created the new Kingdom of Belgium and the new Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was still united with the Netherlands and King Willem I of the Netherlands was still the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. This rule continued until the death of King Willem III of the Netherlands in 1890. His successor was his daughter Wilhelmina, who could not inherit the throne of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg due to the Salic Law which prevented female succession. Through the Nassau Family Pact,  Adolph became the Grand Duke of Luxembourg on November 23, 1890.

Grand Duke Adolphe and Grand Duchess Adelheid-Marie of Luxembourg; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

73-year-old Adolphe was a Protestant in a Catholic country and knew little about Luxembourg, so he left the governing to his prime minister. On November 17, 1905, at the age of 88, Adolphe died at his summer home Schloss Hohenburg in Lenggries, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. Grand Duke Adolphe was buried at the burial chapel of Schloss Weilburg, a former residence of the House of Nassau and Dukes of Nassau-Weilburg, now in the German state of Hesse.

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.

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Countess Georgina von Wilczek, Princess of Liechtenstein

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Georgina von Wilczek, Princess of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

The wife of Franz Josef II, Prince of Liechtenstein, Georgina Norberta Jane Marie Antonie Raphaela, called Gina, was born on October 24, 1921, in Graz, Austria. She was the daughter of Count Ferdinand von Wilczek and Countess Norbertine (Nora) Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau. Her mother Nora founded a hospital in Austria at the outbreak of World War I. She then became a Red Cross nurse working in a Russian prisoner-of-war camp that held captured soldiers from the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and the German Empire. In 1916, Nora traveled to Siberia with a Russian officer visiting sixteen prisoner-of-war camps and fifteen labor camps to check on human rights violations. In the midst of the Russian Revolution, Nora made a dramatic escape and returned home to Austria in the summer of 1918. She married Count Ferdinand von Wilczek in 1921 and gave birth to Gina two years later. Sadly, Nora died in 1923 during the birth of her second child, who also died.

In 1942, Gina became engaged to Franz Josef II, Prince of Liechtenstein. On March 7, 1943, the wedding took place at St. Florian Cathedral in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. It was the first royal wedding in Liechtenstein’s history that took place in the principality.

 

The couple had five children:

Franz Josef II Liechtenstein family

Franz and Gina with their four eldest children; Credit – lux-arazzi.blogspot.com

During World War II, Princess Gina, like her mother, had concerns for prisoners of war. On June 22, 1945, she founded the Liechtenstein Red Cross, and was president from 1945 to 1984, when she handed over the position to her daughter-in-law Princess Marie, wife of her eldest son Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein. Princess Marie has since handed over the position of president to her daughter-in-law Hereditary Princess Sophie, wife of her eldest son Hereditary Prince Alois.

 

Princess Gina died on October 18, 1989, in a hospital in Grabs, Switzerland, six days before her 68th birthday after a long battle with cancer. Her husband Franz Josef died 26 days later. The couple was buried in the Princely Crypt at St. Florian Cathedral in Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

GeorginavonWilczek

Tomb of Princess Gina; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

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

Principality of Liechtenstein Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Franz Josef II, Prince of Liechtenstein

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Franz Josef II, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Franz Josef II, Prince of Liechtenstein (Franz Josef Maria Aloys Alfred Karl Johannes Heinrich Michael Georg Ignatius Benediktus Gerhardus Majella) was born August 16, 1906, at Schloss Frauenthal in Steiermark, Austria. He was the eldest of the eight children of Prince Aloys of Liechtenstein and Archduchess Elisabeth Amalie of Austria, the half-sister of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, whose assassination was one of the factors that led to World War I.

Franz Josef had five brothers and two sisters:

  • Princess Maria Theresia (1908 – 1973), married Count Arthur Strachwitz von Gross-Zauche und Camminetz, had issue
  • Prince Karl Alfred (1910 – 1985), married Archduchess Agnes Christina of Austria, had issue
  • Prince Georg Hartmann (1911 – 1998), married Duchess Marie Christine of Württemberg, had issue
  • Prince Ulrich Dietmar (1913 – 1978), unmarried
  • Princess Marie Henriette (1914 – 2011), married Count Peter von Eltz genannt Faust von Stromberg, had issue
  • Prince Aloys Heinrich (1917 – 1967), unmarried
  • Prince Heinrich Hartneid (1920 – 1993), married Countess Amalie von Podstatzky-Lichtenstein, had issue

Franz Josef was named after Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, his mother’s paternal uncle and his godfather. He grew up in the Austrian castles of the Princely House of Liechtenstein where he developed his love of nature which influenced his future studies. Franz Josef’s father, Prince Aloys of Liechtenstein was the son of Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein and Princess Henriette of Liechtenstein, daughter of Alois II, Prince of Liechtenstein. On February 26, 1923, Prince Aloys renounced his rights to the succession in favor of his son Franz Josef. At the time, Prince Aloys was the second in the line of succession behind his childless uncle Franz who succeeded to the throne in 1929 as Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein.

In 1925, Franz Josef graduated from the Schottengymnasium in Vienna, Austria. He then enrolled at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, Austria where he studied forestry. In 1930, Franz Josef graduated with distinction from the university as a forest engineer. He used his forestry skills on the family-owned farms, then in Czechoslovakia, now part of the Czech Republic.

Franz Josef took on various official roles on behalf of the elderly Prince Franz I. On March 30, 1938, Franz I named Franz Josef regent. Although he cited old age as his reason for the regency, it is widely believed that it was because he had no desire to be ruling if Nazi Germany invaded his small principality. Franz I died on July 25, 1938, and was succeeded by his grandnephew, Franz Josef II.

During World War II, Liechtenstein remained officially neutral. Family treasures from Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia were taken to Liechtenstein for safekeeping. At the end of World War II, Czechoslovakia and Poland seized all of Liechtenstein’s property in Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia, including large areas of farms and forests and several family castles and palaces. The family burial place was the Princely Mausoleum in Vranov, Moravia, but in Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) after the war. The burial property was seized after World War II by the Communist government of Czechoslovakia. Since then, both Czechoslovakia and the current Czech Republic have refused to return the property to the Princely Family of Liechtenstein. Despite this, Franz Josef’s son Prince Hans-Adam II had the crypts extensively renovated from 2012 to 2015.

Franz Josef was the first sovereign prince to live full-time in the principality and made his home at Vaduz Castle.

Vaduz Castle; Photo Credit – Wikipedia, photo by Michael Gredenberg

On March 7, 1943, Franz Joseph married Countess Georgina von Wilczek (Gina) at St. Florian Cathedral in Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

 

The couple had five children:

Franz Josef II Liechtenstein family

Franz and Gina with their four eldest children; Credit – lux-arazzi.blogspot.com

After World War II, the economic, social, and cultural progress of Liechtenstein was Franz Josef’s chief concern. The family often resorted to selling family art treasures, including the portrait “Ginevra de’ Benci” by Leonardo da Vinci, which was purchased by the National Gallery of Art of the United States in 1967 for $5 million ($35 million in 2015 dollars), then a record price for a painting. By the late 1970s, Liechtenstein used its low corporate tax rates to draw many companies to the country and became one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Today, Liechtenstein has the second-highest per capita income in the world.

 

In 1984, Franz Josef II handed over most of his powers to his son Hans-Adam. After 46 years of marriage, Princess Gina died on October 18, 1989, at the age of 68 after a long battle with cancer. She had once said. “My husband and I have become one. Everyone believes we are not able to exist without the other.” Only 26 days after the death of his wife, Prince Franz Josef II died on November 13, 1989, in a hospital in Grabs, Switzerland at the age of 83. The couple was buried in the Princely Crypt at St. Florian Cathedral in Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

Franz Josef II Liechtenstein tomb

Tomb of Franz Josef; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

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Principality of Liechtenstein Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont, Queen of the Netherlands, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont, Queen of the Netherlands, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg; Credit – Wikipedia

Her Serene Highness Princess Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont (Adelheid Emma Wilhelmina Theresia) was born on August 2, 1858, at Arolsen Castle in the town of Arolsen, the capital of the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Today the town is known as Bad Arolsen and is located in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district of Hesse in Germany. Her parents were George Victor, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont and Princess Helena of Nassau. Through both of her parents, Helena was a descendant of Anne, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain.

Helena, the fourth of seven children, had five sisters and one brother. Her brother Friedrich was the last reigning Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont. One of her sisters married a future king and another married Queen Victoria’s youngest son. Emma’s father married again after her mother died in 1888, and the only child of that marriage, Emma’s half-brother Wolrad, was killed in action during World War I.

Emma’s siblings:

Emma had one half-brother from her father’s second marriage to Princess Louise of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg:

Emma at 12 years old (1870);  Credit – Wikipedia

Emma’s family lived mostly at Arolsen Castle, a Baroque-style home built during 1713-1728. The Scottish philosopher, historian, and writer Thomas Carlyle was a great friend of Emma’s mother and a frequent visitor to Arolsen Castle. Carlyle described life at Arolsen Castle as a “pumpernickel court.” Emma had a Lutheran education from a very liberal-minded pastor. Emma studied crafts, drawing, and French literature with her English governess. She traveled with her family to France, England, Italy, and Scandinavia. In an interview in 1929, Emma said that her mother was at the center of the family life and very active in her children’s education.

In 1877, Queen Sophie, the first wife of King Willem III of the Netherlands died, and Willem was eager to marry again to ensure the future of the House of Orange. One of his three children (all sons), Prince Maurits, had died in 1850 and neither of the other two sons was married. King Willem’s reputation was not a good one. He had many mistresses and many illegitimate children. Queen Sophie had lived apart from him from 1855 until her death. Willem’s ministers had decisively rejected a marriage with a French opera singer and then two eligible princesses refused to marry him. At the suggestion of his only sister, he got in touch with the royal couple of Waldeck and Pyrmont, who had several marriageable daughters. In July 1878, Willem visited the family at their summer home where he met 23-year-old Princess Pauline and 20-year-old Princess Emma. His eyes first fell on Pauline, but soon he chose Emma and proposed to her. Willem was 61 years old, 41 years older than Emma. Emma had lessons in the Dutch language and history before her marriage because she wanted to come to her new country Dutch. The couple was married on January 7, 1879, in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in Hesse, Germany. Emma had a positive influence on Willem and the marriage was extremely happy. The last decade of Willem’s life was the best years of his reign.

Willem and Emma; Credit – Wikipedia

In September 1879, Willem’s eldest son Prince Willem died, leaving only one son.  A year later Emma and Willem’s only child, a daughter, was born:

The Netherlands followed the Sem-Salic Law which allowed for female succession only if no male dynasts were alive. At the time of Wilhelmina’s birth, her half-brother Prince Alexander and the King’s uncle Prince Frederik were alive, so Wilhelmina was third in the line of succession. Prince Frederik died in 1881 and upon the death of Prince Alexander in 1884, Wilhelmina became the heir presumptive to the Dutch throne, and Emma was appointed to be Regent if Wilhelmina came to the throne before her majority.

Queen Emma and Princess Wilhelmina in 1885; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1888, King Willem’s health began to decline. When it became apparent that Willem could no longer reign, Emma was sworn in as Regent on November 20, 1890. Three days later King Willem III died and ten-year-old Wilhelmina became Queen. Emma took over as Regent for her daughter until Wilhelmina’s eighteenth birthday in 1898. Because a woman could not inherit by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg at that time, it passed to a distant cousin Adolphe, Duke of Nassau who was also Queen Emma’s maternal uncle.

Emma and Wilhelmina in 1890; Credit – Wikipedia

Emma took her position of Regent seriously. She met personally with every government minister at least once every two weeks and strictly adhered to the rules of the constitutional monarchy. She was open to anyone who wanted to talk to her and insisted that she personally open and handle as much mail as possible. In addition to her administrative duties, Emma paid great attention to her daughter’s education. When Wilhelmina reached the age of 16, Emma considered her childhood over and Wilhelmina spent the next two years being prepped for her job as a reigning queen.

Emma and Wilhelmina in 1897; Credit – Wikipedia

As a reigning queen, the young Queen Wilhelmina insisted on making her own way and tried to resist any pressures from her mother. Occasionally, Wilhelmina had to rely on Emma’s extensive knowledge of protocol matters. Initially, the two queens lived together in Noordeinde Palace, but when Wilhelmina married, Emma retired to the Palace Lange Voorhout. Emma was active in the fight against tuberculosis, then the number one disease. She had lost her sister Sophie to tuberculosis.

In 1909, when Wilhelmina’s only child Juliana was born, planning for an unexpected regency during the minority of Juliana occurred. Wilhelmina’s husband Prince Hendrik (born Prince Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin) was found unsuitable by the government to act as Regent. Those in the government had fond memories of Emma as Regent and Wilhelmina agreed. If Queen Wilhelmina died while her daughter was still in her minority, Emma would be Regent.

The royal family of the Netherlands in 1930. From left to right: Queen Mother Emma, Princess Juliana, Prince Hendrik, and Queen Wilhelmina; Credit – Wikipedia

Emma died on March 20, 1934, at the age of 75 from pneumonia. She first had a cold which developed into bronchitis and then because there were no antibiotics yet, the bronchitis developed into fatal pneumonia. Her remains were buried in the crypt at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands.

The access to the royal crypt in the foreground; Credit – By Sander van der Wel from Netherlands – Royal grave tomb and the grave of Willem van Oranje, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28146859

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Kingdom of the Netherlands Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Sophie of Württemberg was the first wife of King Willem III of the Netherlands. Sophie Friederike Mathilde was born in Ludwigsburg Palace in Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on June 17, 1818. She was the youngest of the two daughters of first cousins King Wilhelm I of Württemberg and Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia, daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia. Before Sophie reached her first birthday, her mother died. A little more than a year later, Sophie’s father married another first cousin, Duchess Pauline of Württemberg. Sophie’s aunt Catharina of Württemberg, the wife of Jerome Bonaparte, helped raise Sophie.

Sophie had one sister:

  • Princess Marie of Württemberg (1816–1887); married Alfred, Count von Neipperg (no issue)

Sophie had three half-sisters and one half-brother from her father’s second marriage to Pauline of Württemberg:

King Wilhelm and Queen Pauline (above), Crown Prince Karl (center), Princesses Sophie (center left), Marie (center right), Catherine (bottom left) and Augusta (bottom right); Credit – Wikipedia

King Otto I of Greece was an early candidate as a husband for Sophie. However, Sophie’s father had no confidence in the newly established Greek monarchy and Willem, Prince of Orange (the future King Willem III of the Netherlands), eldest son of King Willem II of the Netherlands and Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia, Sophie’s maternal aunt, was chosen. Sophie met Willem for the first time in 1838 after both fathers had already agreed upon the marriage.

Willem fell in love with Sophie, but she saw nothing in him. She tried to resist the marriage, but it was in vain. Sophie’s father thought Willem was an excellent match for his daughter and Willem’s father did not want to abandon the commitment to the marriage. Willem’s father had personal reasons to persevere with the marriage of his son and Sophie. In 1814, he experienced a similar situation when Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of the future King George IV of the United Kingdom, broke off an engagement with him. King Willem II of the Netherlands did not want the House of Orange to experience the disgrace of a broken engagement again. Willem’s mother, Anna Pavlovna, was strongly opposed to the marriage of her son to the daughter of a sister she loathed. Once Sophie was married to Wilhelm, Anna Pavlova treated her daughter-in-law (and niece) with a complete lack of respect because she did not think Sophie was good enough for her son. Sophie and Willem were married on June 18, 1839, in Stuttgart and had three sons, all of whom had no children and predeceased their father:

Prince Maurits (left) with his brother Prince Wilhelm; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Alexander; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage of Sophie and Willem was ultimately unsuccessful. Willem had numerous extramarital affairs and had numerous illegitimate children. Sophie let him know that she thought him inferior to her and unfit to serve as king. She was convinced she could do better ruling the country as the regent. Sophie tried to divorce her husband, but because of national interests, this was impossible. In 1855, an agreement was made that Sophie would have her own quarters at Noordeinde Palace and that she would spend the summers at Huis ten Bosch Palace without her husband.

Sophie’s diaries and letters reveal she was well-read, empathetic, and highly intelligent. She corresponded with European scholars and statesmen and maintained close ties with Napoleon III with whom she shared relatives via her father’s sister Catharina, the wife of Jerome Bonaparte. She published articles in the prestigious journal “Revue des Deux Mondes”. Sophie’s letters to Lady Marian Dora Malet, originally written in English, were edited by Hella Haase and published under the title A Stranger in The Hague in 1989.

Queen Sophie in 1877, the year of her death; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 3, 1877, Queen Sophie died at the age of 58 at Huis ten Bosch Palace. Per her wishes, she was not embalmed and was buried in her wedding dress because she considered that her life had ended on the day she married. Her remains were buried in the crypt at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands.

The access to the royal crypt in the foreground; Credit – By Sander van der Wel from Netherlands – Royal grave tomb and the grave of Willem van Oranje, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28146859

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Kingdom of the Netherlands Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Willem II of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2015

King Willem II of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem II, King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (Willem Frederik George Lodewijk) was the eldest child of Willem I, King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia. He was born on December 6, 1792, at Noordeinde Palace, The Hague, Dutch Republic.

Willem had one brother and two sisters:

Willem in 1815; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem was the only one of his siblings to be born in their homeland. When he was two years old, his family was forced into exile when the French invaded and occupied the Dutch Republic during the Napoleonic Wars. Willem spent his childhood at the Prussian court where he received military training, and served in the Prussian Army. He then attended Oxford University in England. In 1811, he entered the British Army and was an aide-de-camp to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.  He was popular with the British troops who nicknamed him “Slender Billy.” Willem returned with his father to the Netherlands in 1813 after the French retreated following their defeat in the Battle of Leipzig. He served in the Allied Army after Napoleon escaped his exile in Elba. Willem took part in the Battle of Quatre Bras (June 16, 1815) and the Battle of Waterloo (June 18, 1815), where he was wounded. In 1815, he became the heir apparent to the Dutch throne with the title Prince of Orange when his father was proclaimed King of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The injury to the Prince of Orange at Waterloo (1815); Credit – Wikipedia

From December 1813 – May 1814, Willem was engaged to Princess Charlotte of Wales, daughter of the future King George IV of the United Kingdom. Charlotte broke off the engagement, married Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, later King Leopold I of Belgium, and tragically died, along with her son, due to childbirth complications. Willem married Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia, youngest sister of Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia, on February 21, 1816, at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. The bride’s brother had arranged the marriage to foster good relations between Imperial Russia and the Netherlands.

Willem and Anna had five children:

Willem II and Anna Pavlovna with their family. From left to right: the future Willem III, Alexander, Willem II, Anna Paulovna, Sophie and Hendrik; Credit – Wikipedia

While Willem was heir to the throne, he was the defense minister in his father’s government. He stayed in the southern provinces in Brussels for six months of the year and in The Hague, the seat of government, for the other six months.  In 1829, Willem was appointed Vice President of the Council of State and Chairman of the Council of Ministers. In these positions, he was formally the chief adviser to his father. In 1830-1831, the Belgian Revolution resulted in the secession of the southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. Willem came to the Dutch throne on October 7, 1840, when his father King Willem I abdicated due to constitutional changes he disagreed with, his anger over the loss of Belgium, and his desire to make a morganatic second marriage with Henriëtte d’Oultremont after the death of his wife Wilhelmine. King Willem II’s inauguration ceremony took place on November 28, 1840, in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam.

The inauguration of William II on 28 November 1840 by Nicolaas Pieneman; Credit – Wikipedia

During Willem II’s reign, the power of many monarchs diminished. The revolutions of 1848 and 1849, in which Louis-Philippe of France was deposed and other European monarchs were forced by violence to make concessions, made him fear for his throne. Willem decided to institute a more liberal government, believing it was better to grant reforms instead of having them imposed on him on less favorable terms later. Jokingly, Willem said he turned from conservative to liberal in one night. He chose a committee headed by the prominent liberal Johan Rudolf Thorbecke to create a new constitution that resulted in a constitutional monarchy.

On February 13, 1849, King Willem II addressed the new parliament for the first time. It was noted that he looked ill and his voice was weak. Willem decided to spend some time in his favorite town, Tilburg. He said of Tilburg, “Here I can breathe freely and I feel happy” and he commissioned the construction of a palace, which would function as his country residence. On March 13, 1849, Willem said goodbye to his wife and drove in a carriage to Rotterdam to visit a steam yacht under construction. At the top of some stairs, he became confused, his boot became stuck in his cloak, and he fell.

Once Willem reached Tilburg, his health problems got worse. Willem was no longer able to concentrate on state papers. For two days, he was seriously short of breath. On March 17, 1849, Willem’s condition was very critical. Around three o’clock in the afternoon, Willem had such a severe attack of breathlessness that he jumped into his doctor’s arms. The king was put back into his chair, and then he died.

The access to the royal crypt in the foreground; Credit – By Sander van der Wel from Netherlands – Royal grave tomb and the grave of Willem van Oranje, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28146859

King Willem II was buried at the Royal Crypt of the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands. In February 1865, Queen Anna became seriously ill and subsequently died at The Hague on March 1, 1865. She remained Russian Orthodox her entire life and her funeral service was conducted according to Russian Orthodox rites. She was buried at the Royal Vault of the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands.

Queen Anna Pavlovna as a widow, next to the bust of her husband King Willem II; Credit – Wikipedia

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Kingdom of the Netherlands Resources at Unofficial Royalty