Category Archives: Current Monarchies

King George I of Great Britain

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

King George I of Great Britain; Credit – Wikipedia

His Highness Duke Georg Ludwig of Brunswick-Lüneburg was born on May 28, 1660, at Leineschloss in Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany. He was the eldest of the seven children of Ernst August, Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Sophia of the Palatinate (commonly referred to as Electress Sophia of Hanover).   Sophia’s mother was Elizabeth Stuart, the second child and eldest daughter of King James VI of Scotland/King James I of England. At the time of his birth, it was expected that Georg Ludwig would succeed to his father’s titles. However, his destiny changed when the British House of Stuart failed to provide a legitimate Protestant heir.

George had five brothers and one sister:

  • Friedrich August of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1661–90), Major General in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire, died in action during the Great Turkish War, unmarried
  • Maximilian Wilhelm of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1666–1726), Field Marshal in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire, unmarried
  • Sophia Charlotte (1668–1705), married Friedrich I, King in Prussia, had issue
  • Karl Philip of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1669–90), Colonel in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire, died in action during the Great Turkish War, unmarried
  • Christian Heinrich of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1671–1703) Lieutenant General in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire, drowned in the Danube River during the War of Spanish Succession
  • Ernst August of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Duke of York and Albany (1674–1728), became Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück as Ernst Augustus II

George in 1680; Credit – Wikipedia

George’s mother had an unhappy childhood and took much care in ensuring that her children had a happy home and a good education. George loved to ride, hunt, and participate in military exercises. In December 1680, George made a three-month visit to his future kingdom of Great Britain and rumors were flying that he would become the husband of his second cousin Princess Anne, the future Queen Anne, whom he later succeeded.

In 1675, George first saw military service. He was involved in the Dutch and Turkish wars and exhibited distinguished service at the Battle of Neerwinden. During the War of the Spanish Succession, George commanded the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire on the Upper Rhine.

When George returned home after his three-month visit to Great Britain, his father chose Princess Sophia Dorothea of Celle as his son’s bride. The bride-to-be was the only child of Georg Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and his long-time mistress, Eleonore d’Esmier d’Olbreuse. Sophia Dorothea and George were first cousins as their fathers were brothers. The marriage ensured an income from Celle of 100,000 thalers a year and the eventual unification of Hanover and Celle. At first, George’s mother was against the marriage because of Sophia Dorothea’s non-royal mother. However, the financial and political advantages of the marriage eventually swayed her to agree to the match. On November 22, 1682, in Celle, 16-year-old Sophia Dorothea married 22-year-old George.

The couple had two children:

Sophia Dorothea with her two children; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage was happy at first, but soon both George and Sophia Dorothea found affection elsewhere. George fell in love with one of his mother’s ladies-in-waiting, Melusine von der Schulenburg.  Sophia Dorothea fell in love with a Swedish Count, Philip Christoph von Königsmarck, an officer in the Hanoverian army. Despite warnings from her mother and friends, Sophia Dorothea and her lover wrote letters to each other, met secretly, and planned to escape Hanover together. On the morning of July 2, 1694, after a meeting with Sophia Dorothea, von Königsmarck disappeared from Leineschloss Castle and was never seen again. It was widely believed that George ordered von Königsmarck’s death. There is some speculation that the letters were forgeries, and the question of Sophia Dorothea’s guilt is still debated.

On December 28, 1694, a tribunal of judges and Lutheran Church officials declared the marriage of George and Sophia Dorothea dissolved on the grounds of Sophia Dorothea’s desertion. George was not satisfied with punishing his former wife with just a marriage dissolution.  He had his 27-year-old former wife imprisoned in the Castle of Ahlden until she died 32 years later. Sophia Dorothea was never allowed to see her children again. Because her son George resembled his mother, his father despised him, the beginning of the father-son problems that plagued the Hanovers for four generations.

George’s father died on January 23, 1698, and George succeeded him as the Elector of Hanover and the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.  George’s court encouraged culture and learning and among those who frequented his court were the mathematician and philosopher Gottfried Leibniz and the composer George Frederick Handel.  Handel later settled in England, and in 1727 wrote four coronation anthems for the coronation of King George II. One of the anthems, Zadok the Priest, has been played at every British coronation since then.

George as Elector of Hanover, 1707; Credit – Wikipedia

On July 30, 1700, a death occurred in the British Royal Family that would drastically affect George’s life. Less than a week after his 11th birthday, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester died. William’s mother, the future Queen Anne, had 17 pregnancies and tragically only three of the pregnancies resulted in children who lived longer than a few days. The promise of the Stuart succession had been with Anne’s only surviving child William. William’s death caused a succession crisis as his mother was the only person remaining in the Protestant line to the throne established by the Bill of Rights of 1689. This caused Parliament to enact the 1701 Act of Settlement which made George’s mother Sophia of Hanover, a granddaughter of King James I and the nearest Protestant in the line of succession, heiress presumptive to the British throne. The British throne would go to Sophia and her Protestant heirs if King William III or Princess Anne, the sister of William III’s deceased wife and co-ruler Queen Mary II, had no children. The Act of Settlement bypassed 56 Catholics who had a better hereditary claim to the throne than Sophia.

George was created a Knight of the Garter in August of 1701. On March 8, 1702, King William III died and the sister of his deceased wife and co-ruler Queen Mary II became Queen Anne. In 1705, George became a British citizen via the Sophia Naturalization Act. Sophia died on June 8, 1714, at the age of 83.  She narrowly missed becoming queen, having died two months before Queen Anne. Queen Anne died on August 1, 1714, and George became King George I of Great Britain, the first of the Hanover monarchs.

George made his state entry into London on September 20, 1714, accompanied by his mistress, Melusine von der Schulenburg, who was nicknamed “the Maypole” by the English because of her tall thin appearance. Melusine became a naturalized British citizen in 1716 and in the same year was created Baroness of Dundalk, Countess, Marchioness of Dungannon, and Duchess of Munster. In 1719, she was further created Baroness of Glastonbury and Somerset, Countess of Feversham, and Duchess of Kendal.

Melusine von der Schulenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

At George’s request, Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI created Melusine, Princess of Eberstein. This gives some credence to the belief that George and Melusine had secretly married. British Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole said of Melusine, “She was as much Queen of England as ever any was.” Melusine and George had three children, two were officially recognized as the children of Melusine’s sister Gertrud and her husband Friedrich Achaz von der Schulenburg, and one was officially recognized as the child of her other sister Sophia Juliane von Oeynhausen.

Less than a year after George’s accession, the first uprising of the Jacobites, who supported the Catholic Stuart line, broke out. The rebels aimed to overthrow George and replace him with Queen Anne’s Catholic half-brother James Francis Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) as King James III. The uprising culminated in the Battle of Preston on November 9-14, 1715.  The Jacobites won the first day of the battle, but government reinforcements arrived the next day and the Jacobites eventually surrendered. Many Jacobite prisoners were executed or sent to British colonies as slaves, and numerous Scottish noble families lost their lands.

Even though he was the King of Great Britain, George never lost sight that he was also the Elector of Hanover. He lived mainly in Great Britain but did make several visits to Hanover and spent about 20% of his reign there. George remained Lutheran but was the head of the Church of England (Anglican Church) and the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian Church). Although George spoke four languages fairly well (Latin, French, Italian, and English) in addition to his native German, the notion persists that he only spoke German and hardly understood a word of English.

George was happy to leave the affairs of Great Britain in the hands of his ministers. In choosing his ministers from the Whig Party, George laid the foundation for the 50-year dominance of the Whigs. Cabinet government began during King George I’s reign and Robert Walpole, the head of the majority party in the House of Commons, became the first British Prime Minister.

King George I; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 3, 1727, King George I set out for another visit to Hanover. During the journey, George became ill and lost consciousness. It was noticed that his face had become distorted and his right hand hung limply at his side, a sign that he had suffered a stroke. The courtiers decided to continue with the journey to Hanover, where George died in the Prince-Bishop’s Palace in the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück, now in Lower Saxony, Germany, on June 11, 1727, at the age of 67. Following the instructions of George’s son, now King George II, George was buried in the chapel at Leineschloss in the Electorate of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany. He was the first British monarch since King Richard I in 1199 to be buried outside Britain. The castle and the chapel were severely damaged during World War II, and in 1957, King George I’s remains were re-interred at the Berggarten Mausoleum at Schloss Herrenhausen in Hanover, Germany, near his mother’s burial site.

Berggarten Mausoleum at Schloss Herrenhausen in Hanover, Germany; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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

House of Hanover Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Salman of Saudi Arabia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

King Salman of Saudi Arabia; Credit – Wikipedia

Arabic Naming Conventions

  • Al – family/clan of…
  • bin or ibn – son of…
  • bint – daughter of…

Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and Head of the House of Saud, was born on December 31, 1935, to King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia and one of his wives, Hassa bint Ahmad Al Sudairi. Salman and his six full brothers were known as the ‘Sudairi Seven’. Raised at the Murabba Palace, Salman received his early education at the Princes’ School in Riyadh.

Salman’s father King Abdulaziz had a polygamous household comprising several wives at a time and numerous concubines. It is thought he had a total of 22-24 wives. Abdulaziz was the father of almost a hundred children, including 45 sons of whom 36 survived to adulthood. The six Kings of Saudi Arabia who followed King Abdulaziz were all his sons.

Salman in his youth, date unknown. Source: Wikipedia

At the age of 19, Salman was appointed Deputy Governor of Riyadh and served as Governor of Riyadh from 1963 until 2011. From November 2011, he served as Defense Minister under his half-brother King Abdullah. He was also appointed Second Deputy Prime Minister replacing his brother Crown Prince Sultan. In 2012, following the death of another brother Crown Prince Nayef, Salman was named Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister.

Salman became King of Saudi Arabia on January 23, 2015, following the death of his half-brother King Abdullah. He named his younger half-brother Muqrin as Crown Prince. However, in April 2015, he removed Muqrin and named his nephew Muhammad bin Nayef as Crown Prince.  In June 2017, King Salman removed his nephew Muhammad bin Nayef from all positions and named his son Mohammad bin Salman as Crown Prince. Previously, he had been Deputy Crown Prince.

After taking the throne, Salman streamlined the government, consolidating several different areas into two main organizations – The Council of Political and Security Affairs, and the Council for Economic and Development Affairs.

King Salman has made headlines for his extravagant trips to the United States and the southern coast of France, traveling with an entourage numbering in the hundreds. There has been much media speculation about his health. Some media reports have suggested that King Salman is suffering from some form of dementia, possibly Alzheimer’s Disease. There has been no formal statement from the Royal Court regarding these claims. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is considered the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia and has led many reforms within the country, as well as creating a number of controversies, including the 2017 arrest of members of the Saudi royal family and the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

King Salman has married three times. His first wife was his first cousin, Sultana bint Turki Al Sudairi (died 2011) with whom he had six children:

His second wife was Sarah bint Faisal Al Subai’ai (divorced), with whom he had one son:

His third wife was Fahda bint Falah bin Sultan Al Hithalayn, with whom he had six sons:

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.

Victoria of Baden, Queen of Sweden

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Victoria of Baden, Queen of Sweden. source: Wikipedia

Queen Victoria of Sweden was the wife of King Gustaf V of Sweden. She was born Princess Sophie Marie Viktoria of Baden on August 7, 1862, in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, to Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden and Princess Louise of Prussia (daughter of Wilhelm I, German Emperor and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach). Through her mother, she was a niece of Friedrich III, German Emperor and his wife, Victoria, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom, and a first cousin of Wilhelm II, German Emperor. She had two siblings:

Viktoria was educated privately at home in Karlsruhe and Mainau, learning to speak French and English, studying art and music, and taking a great interest in photography. With their close ties to the German Imperial Family, they often visited the Kaiser’s court. It would later be on one of these visits that Viktoria would meet her future husband.

Viktoria was deeply in love with her first cousin Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich of Russia but Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia would not allow a marriage between cousins. Later, her mother tried to arrange for her to marry the future Wilhelm II, German Emperor, another first cousin. This was also refused because of their close familial tie. However, while in Prussia to attend Wilhelm’s wedding to Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein in February 1881, Viktoria met Crown Prince Gustaf of Sweden, the eldest son of King Oscar II of Sweden and Sophia of Nassau. He was quickly taken with Viktoria, and within just a week of their first meeting, he proposed and she accepted. The engagement was announced on March 12, 1881. Over the next several months, Viktoria learned to read and write Swedish and studied Swedish politics and constitutional history.

Victoria and Gustaf, 1881. source: Wikipedia

The couple married in the palace chapel in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on September 20, 1881. As a great-granddaughter of King Gustaf IV Adolf of Sweden, Victoria’s marriage united the former ruling house of Holstein-Gottorp with the new Bernadotte dynasty, and she was known in Sweden as the ‘Vasa Princess’. She and Gustaf soon settled into their apartments in the Royal Palace of Stockholm which Victoria would retain until her death. The couple had three children:

From her youth, Victoria had always suffered from ill health and found the winters in Sweden too harsh to handle. Beginning in 1882, she spent every winter away from her new land, which led to unpopularity with the Swedish people. Victoria and Gustaf’s marriage grew strained due to her frequent absences, and the couple took a trip to Egypt in 1890-1891 to try and fix their relationship. Instead, during their six months in Egypt, Victoria began a relationship with her husband’s aide Baron Gustaf von Blixen-Finecke. Victoria returned to Egypt the following winter without her husband or his aide. Another prominent relationship developed from that first trip to Egypt with Dr. Axel Munthe. Victoria met Munthe while visiting Capri on her way back to Sweden, and the two struck up a fast friendship. He would become her personal physician for the remainder of her life. From several letters between the two, which have been preserved, it appears this was much more than a doctor-patient relationship. What is certain is that Victoria came to depend greatly on Dr. Munthe for her physical and emotional well-being.

Victoria and her husband in Baden-Baden, 1890. source: Wikipedia

Victoria and her family typically spent their summers at Tullgarn Palace which they had taken on in 1881 after their marriage. However, because of the humidity, she found it less-than-pleasant, and her parents offered to finance the building of a new summer residence in an area better suited for Victoria’s health. In 1903, construction began on Solliden Palace on the island of Öland, and Victoria and her family first took up residence in 1906. Personally owned by Victoria, Solliden was later left to King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, who owns it today.

 

On December 8, 1907, King Oscar II died and Victoria became Queen of Sweden. Although still traveling south during the winters, Queen Victoria took part in all the court festivities and responsibilities of her new role. She traveled extensively with her husband and entertained visiting royalty from around Europe. She spent much time working with several charities, including taking the helm of Sophiahammet after Queen Sofia’s death in 1913. During World War I, Queen Victoria’s German roots often led to unpopularity amongst the Swedes. Despite Sweden’s neutrality, Victoria had a close relationship with Wilhelm II, German Emperor, often visiting the German court during the war. At the end of the war, following the defeat of the German empire, she found that her political ‘power’ in Sweden was gone.

Her remaining years were spent primarily in southern Europe. She lived in Capri for several years before moving to Rome where she purchased a home – Villa Svezia. She made one final trip to Sweden in 1928 for her husband’s 70th birthday celebrations.

Queen Victoria, painted by Victor Roikjer, 1928. source: Wikipedia

In declining health, Queen Victoria of Sweden died of a heart attack on April 4, 1930, at Villa Sveziain Rome, Italy. At her bedside were her husband King Gustaf V, her son Wilhelm, Dr. Munthe, and her devoted maid and companion Agnes Bergman. Her body was returned to Sweden on HMS Drottning Victoria, and a state funeral took place on April 12. She is buried at the Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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

King Gustaf V of Sweden

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

King Gustaf V of Sweden – source: Wikipedia

King Gustaf V of Sweden was born Prince Oscar Gustaf Adolf of Sweden and Norway on June 16, 1858, at Drottningholm Palace in Drottningholm, Sweden. He was the eldest of four sons of King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway and Sophia of Nassau. Born during the reign of his grandfather, King Oscar I, he was created Duke of Värmland at birth.

Gustaf had three younger brothers:

In 1869, Gustaf began attending the Beskow School in Stockholm. However, when he became Crown Prince of Sweden and Norway upon his father’s accession in 1872, his education continued privately at the Royal Palace. He served with the Life Guards and several other regiments before enrolling at the University of Uppsala in 1877, where he studied Latin, economics, Nordic history, art history, procedural law, and political science. In addition, he undertook military training with units in both Sweden and Norway as well as the War College. Over the next 21 years, he continued to progress in rank, eventually becoming General in 1898.

King Gustaf V playing tennis, 1942. source: Wikipedia

On a trip to England in 1878, Gustaf learned to play tennis, which would become a lifelong passion. Upon returning home, he founded Sweden’s first tennis club and promoted the sport in Sweden. He played privately and competitively, usually under a pseudonym, for much of his adult life. In his 80s he stopped playing because his eyesight was failing. In the 1930s, Gustaf established the King’s Cup, a team tennis competition within Europe (similar to the Davis Cup which is international), which was held for nearly 50 years. For his efforts in promoting tennis within Sweden and throughout Europe, King Gustaf was posthumously inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1980. To date, he is the only royal inductee.

Gustav and Victoria of Baden, 1881; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 20, 1881, Gustaf married Princess Viktoria of Baden, the daughter of Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden and Princess Luise of Prussia. As Viktoria was a great-granddaughter of King Gustaf IV Adolf of Sweden, the marriage joined the current Bernadotte dynasty with the former ruling House of Holstein-Gottorp. The couple had three children:

On December 8, 1907, Gustaf became King of Sweden upon his father’s death. The union with Norway had ended two years earlier, so he was not King of Norway. In a break with a tradition going back nearly 700 years, Gustaf V chose not to have a formal coronation.

Gustaf’s reign saw the rise of parliamentary rule and the establishment of a government that stripped the monarchy of its power, although this would not formally change until the 1974 Constitution. During World War I, while Sweden remained neutral, Gustaf faced criticism due to the perceived German sympathy of Gustaf’s wife. Gustaf joined with his Norwegian and Danish counterparts to show their unity and resolve to remain neutral. This neutrality benefited Sweden greatly due to increased trade during the war.

During World War II, Sweden again remained neutral. King Gustaf tried to appeal to Adolf Hitler to end his anti-Jewish policies but also thanked him for invading Russia. In June 1941, Gustaf threatened to abdicate if the Swedish government did not allow Germany to move troops through Sweden into Finland. It is believed that this was to appease Germany and avoid conflict within Sweden. The whole situation became known as the Midsummer Crisis of 1941. In contrast, King Gustaf also tried to help the Allies. He wanted to allow Allies forces to pass through Sweden, but this time the government refused out of fear of offending the Nazi regime.

Tombs of King Gustaf V and Queen Victoria. photo © Susan Flantzer

In 1948, King Gustaf celebrated his 90th birthday, but his health soon declined. Already spending the spring months on the French Riviera, he began to have the Crown Prince represent him at official functions. He made his last official appearance at a Cabinet meeting held on October 27, 1950. Two days later, as a result of complications from influenza, King Gustaf V died at Drottningholm Palace. He is buried at the Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden.

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

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Sofia of Nassau, Queen of Sweden and Norway

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Sofia of Nassau, Queen of Sweden and Norway – source: Wikipedia

Queen Sofia of Sweden and Norway was the wife of King Oscar II of Sweden. She was born Princess Sophia Wilhelmine Marianne Henriette of Nassau on July 9, 1836, at the Biebrich Palace in Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau, now in Hesse, Germany, the youngest of three children of Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau and his second wife, Pauline of Württemberg.

Sophia’s full siblings were:

Sophia also had eight half-siblings from her father’s first marriage to Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen:

Sophia was an intelligent child and was educated privately by tutors. She was most interested in languages, history, and religion, three subjects that would serve her well later in life. She spent some time at the Russian court to learn about life in a grand court. Having lost her father at the age of three, and her mother at the age of 20, Sophia lived with her elder half-sister, Princess Marie of Wied.

In July 1856 Sophia met her future husband, Prince Oscar of Sweden, Duke of Östergötland. He was the third son of King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway and Josephine of Leuchtenberg. The two fell in love and were engaged just two months later. Between their engagement and marriage, Sophia learned the Swedish and Norwegian languages and studied the history of both countries.

Sophia and Oscar married on June 6, 1857, at Biebrich Palace in the Duchy of Nassau, now in Hesse, Germany, and made their entrance into Stockholm several weeks later. Sofia, who had now taken the Swedish spelling of her name, was quickly embraced by the Swedish people who nicknamed her The Blue Duchess, because of the blue dress she wore when she arrived. They had four sons:

(Crown Princess Sofia, c. 1870)

In 1859, Sofia and Oscar became the Crown Prince and Crown Princess as Oscar was the heir of his elder brother King Carl XV who had no living male heirs. They lived at the Hereditary Prince’s Palace (Arvfurstens palats) in Stockholm and would remain there until Oscar’s accession. In 1864, they purchased a farm in Helsingborg where they built a small palace called Sofiero. The palace was later enlarged after Oscar’s accession and became a favorite summer residence of the family. In 1905, Sofiero was given to Oscar’s grandson, the future King Gustaf VI Adolf, as a wedding present.

Following the death of King Carl XV of Sweden and Norway on September 18, 1872, Sofia and Oscar became King and Queen of Sweden and Norway. They were crowned in Stockholm, Sweden on May 12, 1873, and in Trondheim, Norway on June 18, 1873. Sofia embraced her role as Queen of both countries and was seen as an insightful advisor to her husband, who was not initially very popular. She often spent her summers in Norway, where she was well-loved by the Norwegian people and admired for her simple lifestyle.

In the late 1870s, Sofia became a follower of the teachings of Lord Radstock, a noted British missionary, and often spent much of her day in prayer. She withdrew significantly from court life, attending functions only when necessary. Her health was also a factor in her reduced activities. She spent several years abroad for various cures and spas, avoiding the harsh winters in Scandinavia.

Queen Sofia was instrumental in establishing organized nursing schools in Sweden. A follower of Florence Nightingale, she learned much from a visit to the United Kingdom in 1881 and began her project upon returning to Sweden. In 1882, Sofia arranged formal classes for nurses at the Sabbatsberg hospital. Two years later, she opened the Sophiahemmet University College, and in 1889 it became the Sophiahemmet, a combined school for nurses and hospitals. Along with her efforts in this area, Queen Sofia also lent her name and her efforts, to nearly 50 other patronages both in Sweden and Norway.

In 1905, she ceased to be Queen of Norway following the dissolution of the union between the two countries. The situation had taken its toll on her husband, and his health soon began to decline.

Queen Dowager Sofia, painted by Anders Zorn, 1909. source: Wikipedia

Following her husband’s death in December 1907, Queen Sofia lived primarily at Ulriksdal Palace. She kept up to date on politics, despite no longer having the influence she had enjoyed during her husband’s reign. She continued to travel extensively and remained very involved with her charitable work, especially Sophiahemmet. Queen Sofia made her last public appearance at the exam celebrations for new nurses at Sophiahemmet, on December 3, 1913.

Just weeks later, Queen Sofia died on December 30, 1913, at Ulriksdal Palace. At the time, she was the longest-serving Queen of Sweden (until surpassed in 2011 by Queen Silvia, wife of King Carl XVI Gustaf). Following her funeral in the Stockholm Cathedral, she was buried with her husband in the Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden. Queen Sofia is the ancestress of the current sovereigns of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

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

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway was born Prince Oscar Fredrik, Duke of Östergötland, on January 21, 1829, at the Royal Palace of Stockholm in Sweden. He was the third of the five children and the third of the four sons of King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway and Princess Josephine of Leuchtenberg, and had four siblings:

Oscar was educated privately for several years and then began a military career with the Swedish Navy at the age of 11 in 1840. By 1845 he had become an officer, and would later rise to the rank of Rear Admiral. He studied at Uppsala University and published several works of poetry and military manuals.

King Oscar II and Queen Sofia, date unknown. source: Wikipedia

Following a tour of Europe to find a bride, in October 1856 Oscar’s engagement to Princess Sophia of Nassau was announced. She was the daughter of Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau and Princess Pauline of Württemberg. The couple married on June 6, 1857, at Biebrich Palace in Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau, now in the German state of Hesse. They had four children:

Upon his father’s death in 1859, Oscar became Crown Prince and heir of his elder brother King Karl XV, who had no living male heirs. The second brother Gustaf had died in 1852. Oscar and Sofia (as she was then known) moved to the Hereditary Prince’s Palace (Arvfurstens palats) in Stockholm.

King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway, by Emil Osterman. source: Wikipedia

Oscar became King of Sweden and Norway on September 18, 1872, upon his brother’s death. He was crowned in Sweden on May 12, 1873, and in Norway on July 18, 1873. While living primarily in Sweden, Oscar spent more time in Norway than his predecessors. He also learned to speak and write the language fluently. Also, unlike his predecessors, Oscar recognized the difficulties in trying to maintain the union between Sweden and Norway.

In Sweden, King Oscar II’s reign saw the establishment of the office of Prime Minister in 1876, and a subsequent move to a more constitutional monarchy with Sweden’s power being held by the parliament. Often referred to as “Europe’s most enlightened monarch”, Oscar put great focus and efforts into artistic ventures. He commissioned a new opera house for the Royal Swedish Opera in the 1890s and established the world’s first open-air museum near his summer residence in Oslo. Along with his earlier writings, he also wrote the memoirs of King Karl XII and his own memoirs.

King Oscar would later oversee the end of the union between Sweden and Norway. For many years, Norway had felt it was the “lesser” party in the union, being subordinate to Sweden. This led to increased calls for independence. After becoming King, Oscar gave in to the Norwegian parliament’s decision to eliminate the position of Vice Regent which had often been held by the heir or another son of the Swedish sovereign. After years of disagreements between the two governments, the Norwegian government voted for independence in the Spring of 1905. Following a public vote garnered over 99% in favor of dissolution, negotiations began between the two countries to formally end the union.

On October 26, 1905, King Oscar II formally renounced his claim to the Norwegian throne, with Sweden finally recognizing Norway as an independent constitutional monarchy. At one point during the negotiations, it was suggested that Oscar’s third son Prince Carl be appointed King of a newly independent Norway. However, King Oscar mandated that no prince from his royal house would replace him on the throne. Instead, just weeks after the formal end of the union, Oscar’s great-nephew Prince Carl of Denmark, a grandson of Oscar’s elder brother King Karl XV, was elected King of Norway, taking the name Haakon VII. Ironically, Haakon’s son Olav married the daughter of Prince Carl of Sweden, and in 1991, Oscar’s great-grandson King Harald V became King of Norway. Through his children, Oscar’s descendants currently occupy the thrones of Sweden, Norway, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

King Oscar II with his son, King Gustaf V; grandson, King Gustaf VI Adolf; and great-grandson, Prince Gustav Adolf (father of the current King Carl XVI Gustaf). photo taken June 15, 1906. source: Wikipedia

Soon after the end of the union with Norway, King Oscar’s health began to decline. He died at the Royal Palace of Stockholm on December 8, 1907, and was buried at the Riddarholmen Church. He was succeeded by his eldest son King Gustaf V.

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

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Louise of the Netherlands, Queen of Sweden and Norway

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Queen Lovisa of Sweden and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Lovisa of Sweden was the wife of King Carl XV of Sweden (also King Karl IV of Norway). She was born Princess Wilhelmina Frederika Alexandrine Anna Louise of the Netherlands on August 5, 1828, in The Hague, the Netherlands. Her father, Prince Frederik of the Netherlands, was a son of King Willem I of the Netherlands, and her mother, Princess Luise of Prussia, was a daughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. She had three younger siblings:

  • Prince Frederik (1833 – 1834) – died at 16 months old
  • Prince Willem (1836 – 1846) – died at 9 years old
  • Princess Marie (1845 – 1910) – married Wilhelm, Prince of Wied, had issue

Princess Louise was educated by a governess, studying French, German, English, Russian, and piano. Following her confirmation in 1845, a hunt began to find a suitable husband for the young princess. In 1849, she met Prince Carl of Sweden, the son and heir of King Oscar I, and negotiations were soon underway to arrange a marriage between the two. While Louise was enamored of her future husband from their first meeting, he found her unattractive. However, King Oscar wanted to create familial ties between the relatively new Bernadotte dynasty and the other long-established European dynasties. With Louise’s Dutch and Prussian families and the promise of a large dowry, she was an ideal candidate. Prince Carl eventually conceded to his father’s wishes, and the couple’s engagement was announced in February 1850. Louise quickly learned to speak Swedish, although she never studied Norwegian.

Louise and Carl were married on June 19, 1850, at the Storkyrkan in Stockholm, Sweden, and the couple had two children:

Lovisa with her husband and daughter, late 1850s. source: Wikipedia

The marriage was an unhappy one. Lovisa (as she was now known) was desperately in love with her husband, but he was consistently unfaithful to her. Having had complications in her second pregnancy, Louise was unable to bear any more children. Following their son’s death in 1854, leaving no male heir to inherit the throne, Lovisa offered her husband a divorce, which he declined.

Upon her father-in-law’s death on July 8, 1859, her husband ascended the thrones of Sweden and Norway, and Lovisa became Queen. She was crowned with her husband in Sweden on May 3, 1860, and in Norway on August 5, 1860. She was the first Queen in the union of Sweden and Norway to be crowned in both countries, as the previous two consorts had been Catholic and could not be crowned in Norway.

Unlike her predecessors, Lovisa took little interest in politics. Instead, she put her efforts into philanthropic work, founding and supporting numerous charities in both Sweden and Norway. She preferred these activities to those of the formal court functions she was required to attend as Queen and often feigned illness to avoid attending. However, she did suffer from ill health, often experiencing fainting spells, and at least once having what may have been an epileptic seizure. The cause of these maladies was typically attributed to her husband’s affairs.

Tombs of King Carl XV and Queen Lovisa. photo © Susan Flantzer

Lovisa traveled to the Netherlands to be at her mother’s deathbed in late 1870. Upon returning, her husband fell ill and she nursed him back to health. Physically drained, Lovisa contracted pneumonia and died on March 30, 1871, at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. She was buried at the Riddarholm Church in Stockholm, Sweden. Despite their strained relationship, King Carl XV was reportedly distraught at Lovisa’s death and died a year and a half later.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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

King Carl XV of Sweden/King Karl IV of Norway

By Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

King Carl XV of Sweden/King Karl IV of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

King Carl XV of Sweden (and King Karl IV of Norway) was the third monarch of the Bernadotte dynasty which has reigned in Sweden since 1818. He was born Prince Carl Ludwig Eugen of Sweden, Duke of Skåne, on May 3, 1826, at the Royal Palace of Stockholm, the eldest child of King Oscar I of Sweden and Josephine of Leuchtenberg. He had four younger siblings:

Carl was educated privately, earning his baccalaureate in December 1843, and then studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Christiania (Oslo) and the University of Uppsala. From a young age, he was drawn to the arts. He served as an officer in the Swedish army, having been given his first officer’s commission in 1841 by his grandfather, King Carl XIV Johan. Following his father’s accession to the throne in 1844, and following a tradition dating back to the 1700s, Carl was appointed chancellor of the Universities of Uppland and Lund in 1844.

Wedding of Carl and Louise of the Netherlands- source: Wikipedia

On June 19, 1850, Carl married Princess Louise of the Netherlands at the Storkyrkan (Great Church) in Stockholm. She was the daughter of Prince Fredrik of the Netherlands (a son of King Willem I) and Princess Luise of Prussia (a daughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm III). The marriage had been arranged by Carl’s father who wanted to establish familial relationships between the relatively new Bernadotte dynasty and some of the much older ruling dynasties in Europe. They had two children:

The marriage was never happy. While Louise was smitten with her husband, he was rather indifferent to her and took many mistresses and fathered several illegitimate children. After the death of their son in 1854, and discovering that she could no longer bear children, Louise offered Carl a divorce but he refused.

In February 1856, Carl was appointed Viceroy of Norway and spent a year and a half in his father’s “other land”. While in Norway, Carl indulged his interest in drawing and painting, along with his desire to be involved in politics. He developed a strong friendship with King Frederik VII of Denmark, which led to improved relations between the Scandinavian countries. In September 1857, Carl returned to Sweden where he served as Regent for his ailing father for nearly two years.

King Carl XV of Sweden/King Karl IV of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Upon his father’s death on July 8, 1859, Carl ascended to the thrones of Sweden – as King Karl XV – and Norway – as King Karl IV. He was crowned in Sweden on May 3, 1860, and in Norway on August 5, 1860. Despite his abrupt manner, he is noted as one of the most successful sovereigns in Sweden. During his reign, he oversaw the enactment of communal law, ecclesiastical law, and criminal law, and in 1858, passed the law of legal majority for unmarried women. He is also noted for helping Louis De Geer reform the Swedish Parliament in 1866.

Tombs of King Carl XV and Queen Louise on the right; Photo © Susan Flantzer

After becoming ill the previous year, King Karl XV died from tuberculosis on September 18, 1872, in Malmö, Sweden.  He is buried in the Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm. As he had no surviving son, the Swedish and Norwegian thrones passed to his younger brother King Oscar II. However, through his daughter, King Karl XV’s descendants occupy the thrones of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, and Norway, along with the former throne of Greece.

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

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Désirée Clary, Queen Desideria of Sweden and Norway

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Désirée Clary, Queen Desideria of Sweden and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Desideria of Sweden and Norway was the wife of King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden/King Karl III Johan of Norway, born Jean Baptiste Bernadotte. She was born Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary, on November 8, 1777, in Marseille, France, the youngest of the nine children of François Clary, a wealthy French merchant, and his second wife Françoise Rose Somis. Through Désirée, her parents are the ancestors of the royal families of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Désirée had eight siblings:

  • Joseph Nicolas Clary, 1st Comte Clary et de l’Empire, (1760 – 1823), married Anne Jeanne Rouyer
  • Joseph Honoré Clary (1762 – 1764), died in childhood
  • Marie Anne Rose Clary (1764 – 1835), married Antoine-Ignace Anthoine, baron de Saint-Joseph et de l’Empire, Mayor of Marseille
  • Marseille Clary (1764 – 1784), unmarried
  • Justinien François Clary (1766 – 1794), unmarried
  • Catherine Honorine Clary (1769 – 1843), married Henri Joseph Gabriel Blait de Villeneufve
  • Julie Clary (1771 – 1845), married Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples and Sicily, King of Spain and the Indies, elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte
  • Basile Clary (1774 – 1781), died in childhood

Désirée had four half-siblings from her father’s first marriage to Gabrielle Fléchon (1732–1758):

  • François-Joseph Clary (1752 – 1753), died in infancy
  • Marie-Jeanne Clary (1754 – 1815), married (1) Louis Honoré Lejeans (2) Emmanuel Mathieu Pézenas, Baron de Pluvinal
  • Marie Thérèse Catherine Clary (1755 – 1818), married Lazare Lejeans
  • Étienne François Clary (1757 – 1823), married Marcelle Guey, had two children

Désirée was educated at a convent in her early years, before returning home to her family during the French Revolution. Several years later, she met Joseph Bonaparte, the elder brother of Napoleon, and the two became engaged. Soon after, Napoleon suggested that Joseph should instead marry Désirée’s sister Julie and that he would marry Désirée. They became engaged in April 1795, but Napoleon soon became involved with Joséphine de Beauharnais, and the engagement ended in September 1795. Désirée spent the next several years living with her sister and brother-in-law in Genoa and Rome. While in Rome in 1797, she became engaged to a French general Mathurin-Léonard Duphot, allegedly arranged by Napoleon. They were to marry on December 31, 1797, but Duphot was shot and killed in a riot the previous day.

Désirée’s husband Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, the future King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Returning to Paris, Désirée soon met Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, a noted French general and future King of Sweden. The couple married on August 17, 1798, and had one son:

In 1804, Bernadotte was made Marshal of France, and Désirée was given an allowance by Napoleon, as well as a house on the Rue d’Anjou Saint-Honoré in Paris, France. Désirée maintained this house for the rest of her life, living there whenever she was in Paris. With her husband often gone, Désirée installed herself in the ranks of Parisian high society, spending her time with both the Bonaparte and Clary families. She occasionally traveled to see her husband but quickly returned to Paris, the only place she felt at home.

Désirée Clary, Queen Desideria of Sweden and Norway. portrait by François Gérard, c.1810. source: Wikipedia

In 1809, King Carl XIII of Sweden ascended the throne of Sweden. He had no living children, and his adopted son and heir died the following year. The Swedes had the idea to offer the position of Crown Prince to one of Napoleon’s Marshals. On August 21, 1810, the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates elected Désirée’s husband Jean Baptiste Bernadotte as Crown Prince of Sweden. He arrived in Stockholm in November 1810 and was formally adopted by the King Carl III of Sweden, taking the name Carl Johan, and converting from Roman Catholicism to Lutheranism.

The new Crown Prince of Sweden was actively involved in the events leading up to the Treaty of Kiel in 1814, in which Denmark was forced to cede Norway to Sweden. Unlike the previous union with Denmark, this was a personal union under a single sovereign, and Norway remained an independent state with its own constitution. King Carl XIII of Sweden also reigned as King Karl II of Norway. The separate kingdoms of Sweden and Norway were under a common monarch from 1814 until its dissolution in 1905.

Not wanting to leave Paris, Désirée did not initially accompany her husband to Sweden. She finally made the trip in December 1810 and was immediately unhappy. She found the Swedish weather very harsh, and could not adapt to the formality and responsibilities of her new role as Crown Princess. Added to that was a very difficult relationship with the wife of King Carl XIII of Sweden, Queen Hedwig, who complained, perhaps rightfully so, about Désirée’s constant complaints about everything that was not French.  The following year, Désirée left Sweden and returned to Paris, where, she acted as a go-between and mediator between her husband and Emperor Napoleon and kept her husband fully advised of the political events in Europe. After Napoleon was overthrown, Désirée often spent time with the court of King Louis XVIII of France.

King Carl XIII of Sweden/King Karl II of Norway died on February 5, 1818, and Bernadotte ascended the thrones of Sweden and Norway as King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden/King Karl III Johan of Norway. However, Désirée, the new Queen of Sweden and Norway, remained in Paris. It would be several years before she made her return to Sweden. In 1822, her son, now Crown Prince Oscar of Sweden and Norway, toured Europe to find a bride and met with his mother twice. The following year, in June 1823, Désirée returned to Sweden, accompanying her future daughter-in-law Princess Josephine of Leuchtenberg, the granddaughter of Napoleons’s first wife Joséphine de Beauharnais from her first marriage to Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais, who had been guillotined during the French Revolution. Although Désirée planned to make just a temporary visit, she remained in Sweden for the rest of her life.

Coronation of Queen Desideria in Sweden, August 1829, by Fredric Westin. source: Wikipedia

Désirée’s coronation was delayed due to the long time she remained in France and the potential religious issues stemming from her remaining a Roman Catholic and not converting to Lutheranism like her husband and son. Finally, on August 21, 1829, Queen Desideria, her official name although she never used it herself, was crowned Queen of Sweden. She was never crowned in Norway due to her religion.

Désirée attempted to fulfill her role as Queen Consort, holding parties and balls, but she soon grew tired of it and longed to return to Paris. Her lack of effort to embrace her new homeland, and her refusal to learn the languages of either Sweden or Norway, led to her never being fully accepted by the Swedish or Norwegian people. Her less-than-royal roots did not help either. She was better received in Norway, where she visited several times, and served as patron of the Eugenia Foundation from 1828 until 1847. Despite plans to return to her home in Paris in 1853, Désirée’s fear of sea travel prevented her from making the trip. She spent her remaining years in Sweden, splitting her time between her apartments at the Royal Palace of Stockholm, Drottningholm Palace, and Haga Palace.

Queen Desideria’s tomb; source: Wikipedia

Désirée died on December 17, 1860, at the Royal Palace of Stockholm. Following her funeral in January 1861, she was interred in the Bernadotte Chapel at the Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, in front of her husband’s tomb.

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

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

The Sinking of the White Ship and How It Affected the English Succession

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2015

The White Ship sinking, Credit – Wikipedia

November 25, 1120, was one of those days that changed the fate of British royal history.

In 1120, the third of the Norman kings, King Henry I, had been on the English throne for twenty years.  Still uneasy about the fate of the Norman dynasty his father William the Conqueror had started in 1066 with the defeat of the Anglo-Saxon King of England, Harold Godwinson, at the Battle of Hastings, King Henry I had made a strategic dynastic marriage in the year of his accession. His choice of a bride was Matilda of Scotland (originally known as Edith), the daughter of King Malcolm III of Scotland and Saint Margaret of Scotland.  Margaret was born an Anglo-Saxon princess and through her, Matilda was the niece of Edgar the Ætheling, the great-granddaughter of Edmund Ironside, and a descendant of Alfred the Great.  The blood of the Anglo-Saxon kings would flow in the veins of Matilda’s children.  By marrying Matilda of Scotland, King Henry I increased the legitimacy of the Norman dynasty.  King Henry I and Matilda had two children who survived childhood: a daughter Matilda, sometimes called Maud, born in 1102 and a son William Ætheling, born in 1103.  In Anglo-Saxon England, Ætheling was used to designate males of the royal dynasty who were eligible for the throne and by using Ætheling as part of his only son’s name, Henry made a further connection to the Anglo-Saxon kings.

Because the Kings of England still held Normandy (in France) and were Dukes of Normandy, they were often in Normandy, and this was the case in November 1120.  After the successful military campaign in which King Henry I of England had defeated King Louis VI of France at the Battle of Brémule, the English were finally preparing to return to England.   King Henry I was offered the White Ship for his return to England, but he had already made other arrangements.  Instead, Henry suggested that his son William sail on the White Ship along with his retinue which included William’s half-brother Richard of Lincoln, his half-sister Matilda FitzRoy, Countess of Perch, Richard d’Avranches the 2nd Earl of Chester and many of the heirs of the great estates of England and Normandy.

William Ætheling and his retinue boarded the ship in a festive mood and barrels of wine were brought on board to celebrate the return to England.  Soon both passengers and crew were inebriated.   By the time the ship was ready to set sail, there were about 300 people on board.  William and his retinue ordered the captain of the White Ship to overtake the ship of King Henry I so that the White Ship would be the first ship to return to England.  Unfortunately, the White Ship hit a submerged rock and capsized.  William’s bodyguard quickly got the heir to the throne into the safety of a dinghy.

An 1866 watercolor by Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Louise showing a scene from the sinking of the Blanche Nef or White Ship. A male figure, probably William Ætheling, is shown in a lifeboat to the lower left. He is shown full-length, standing with his hands clasped together and looking up towards his half-sister Matilda, Countess of Perche who is still on board the ship. Drowning men are shown trying to climb into the small boat which is soon to capsize; Credit – Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023

However, William Ætheling heard the screams of his half-sister Matilda and ordered the dinghy to turn back to rescue her.  At this point, the White Ship began to sink and the many people in the water desperately sought the safety of William’s dinghy. The chaos and the weight were too much causing William Ætheling’s dinghy to capsize and sink without a trace.  The chronicler Orderic Vitalis claimed that only two people survived the shipwreck by clinging to a rock all night.

King Henry I mourning the loss of three children in the sinking of the White Ship; Credit – Wikipedia

Among those who died in the tragic sinking of the White Ship were:

Captain and Crew

  • Thomas FitzStephen, Captain of the White Ship
  • Helmsman, apparently drunk
  • Approximately 50 oarsmen and sailors

Family of King Henry I of England

D’Avranches Family

  • Richard d’Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester
  • Lucia-Mahaut of Blois, Countess of Chester, wife of Richard d’Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester, sister of Stephen of Blois, the future King Stephen of England, and niece of King Henry I
  • Ottuel d’Avranches, the illegitimate half-brother of Richard d’Avranches, Governor of King Henry I’s sons
  • Geoffrey Ridel, royal justice and brother-in-law of Richard d’Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester

Seigneurs de l’Aigle

  • Gilbert d’Aigle, Viscount of Exmes, first cousin of Richard d’Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester
  • Geoffroy de l’Aigle, son of Gilbertd’Aigle, Viscount of Exmes, survived clinging to a rock, but then died of exhaustion
  • Engenulf d’Aigle, son of Gilbertd’Aigle, Viscount of Exmes

Royal Household

  • William Bigod, Steward of King Henry I’s household
  • Gisulf, King Henry I’s Secretary
  • Robert I of Mauduit, King Henry I’s Chamberlain
  • Stewards, chamberlains, cupbearers, and other household members
  • An armed marine force, who were very disorderly and drunk

Nobles of England

  • 140 knights or noblemen and 18 noblewomen

Nobles of Normandy

Clergy

  • Geoffrey, Archdeacon of Hereford
  • William, son of Roger, Bishop of Coutances, his brother and three nephews

Family of Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich V

King Henry I holds the record for the British monarch with the most illegitimate children, 25 or so illegitimate children, but the tragedy of the White Ship left him with only one legitimate child, his daughter Matilda.  Henry’s nephews were the closest male heirs.  In January 1121, Henry married Adeliza of Louvain, hoping for sons, but the marriage remained childless.  On Christmas Day of 1226, King Henry I of England gathered his nobles at Westminster where they swore to recognize Matilda and any future legitimate heir she might have as his successors.  That plan did not work out.  Upon hearing of Henry’s death on December 1, 1135, Stephen of Blois, one of Henry’s nephews, quickly crossed the English Channel from France, seized power, and was crowned King of England on December 22, 1135.  This started the terrible civil war between Stephen and Matilda known as The Anarchy.  England did not see peace for 18 years until Matilda’s son acceded to the throne as King Henry II of England in 1153.

Recommended Book: The White Ship: Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I’s Dream
by Charles Spencer

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.