Category Archives: Current Monarchies

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

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

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

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 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

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 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

Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands; Credit – Wikipedia

The first wife of King Willem I of the Netherlands, Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia (Friederike Luise Wilhelmine) was born in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany, on November 18, 1774. Her parents were  King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia and Frederica Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Wilhelmine had four brothers and two sisters:

Wilhelmine had one half-sister from her father’s first disastrous marriage to Elizabeth Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg:

Wilhelmine was called Mimi in the family and her sense of duty was influenced by her great-uncle King Friedrich II (the Great) of Prussia.  Her education included the ideas of the French philosopher Voltaire which were popular at the Prussian court and learning several languages. Wilhelmine was musically gifted and an excellent artist.

Wilhelmine in the 1790s; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 1, 1791, in the royal palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg,  Wilhelmine married her first cousin Prince Willem of Orange-Nassau (later King Willem I of the Netherlands), son of Willem V, Prince of Orange and Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia, the bride’s aunt. The wedding celebrations lasted seventeen days. The marriage was arranged as an alliance between Prussia and the House of Orange, but it was also a love match. After the marriage, the couple lived at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, Netherlands.

The couple had four children:

The Napoleonic Wars disrupted Wilhelmine and Willem’s family life. The French invaded the Dutch Republic in 1795 and the family went into exile first in England and then in 1796 in Prussia where they lived until 1813. In 1806, Willem’s father died and he inherited the title Prince of Orange. After Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813, the French retreated all over Europe including from the Dutch Republic. On November 13, 1813, Willem returned to his homeland, landing only a few yards from the place where he had left with his father 18 years before. The provisional government offered Willem the title of King, which he refused, instead proclaiming himself Sovereign Prince. He was also made Grand Duke of Luxembourg, receiving that territory in return for trading his hereditary German lands to Prussia and the Duke of Nassau. When Napoleon escaped from Elba, his place of exile, Willem felt threatened. Urged on by the powers who met at the Congress of Vienna, Willem proclaimed the Netherlands a monarchy on March 16, 1815. After Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo and his second exile, the Congress of Vienna formally confirmed Willem as the hereditary ruler of what was known as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.

King Willem I of the Netherlands; Credit – Wikipedia

Wilhelmine was not successful in her role as Queen. While she still contributed generously to charities, the Dutch people thought her cold and distant as she only came in contact with family and her court ladies. In the now modern-day Belgium areas, Wilhelmine was ridiculed for her old-fashioned German style of dress. Wilhelmine and her court spent the summers at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague and the winters at Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, or the Royal Palace of Laeken in Brussels (now in Belgium). Wilhelmine and Wilhelm traveled annually to Berlin, where they performed duties on behalf of Wilhelmine’s brother King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia.

Wilhelmine’s health worsened in 1820 and by 1829, she rarely appeared in public. Her condition was not helped by the tense relationship between her husband and her eldest son and by the 1830-1831 Belgian Revolution which resulted in the secession of the southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium.

Wilhelmine’s last trip was to Berlin in May-June 1837 for the christening of her grandson Prince Albert of Prussia, the son of her daughter Marianne. Despite her ill health, Wilhelmine was determined to make this trip. Beyond exhaustion upon her return, Wilhelmine spent the summer at Het Loo Palace. On October 4, 1837, Wilhelmine and her husband traveled to Noordeinde Palace in The Hague. The trip greatly weakened Wilhelmine and her condition worsened. Queen Wilhelmine died on October 12, 1837, at the age of 63, with her family at her bedside. She was buried in the Royal Vault of 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

King Willem I abdicated in 1840 due to constitutional changes he did not agree with, anger over the loss of Belgium, and his desire to make a morganatic second marriage with Henriëtte d’Oultremont after the death of Wilhelmine. He died in exile in Berlin on December 12, 1843. His remains were buried at the Royal Vault of the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.

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 the Netherlands Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Louise of Sweden, Queen of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Louise of Sweden, Queen of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

The wife of King Frederik VIII of Denmark,  Princess Louise of Sweden (Lovisa Josefina Eugenia in Swedish) was born on October 31, 1851, at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. She was the only surviving child of King Carl XV of Sweden and Princess Louise of the Netherlands. Louise had one younger brother, Prince Carl Oscar, who died when he was a year old. Because of complications during the birth of her brother, Louise’s mother was unable to have any more children. Although Sweden had reigning queens in the past, female succession had been banned in the Constitution of 1809, so Louise could not become Queen. Louise’s father was succeeded by his younger brother King Oscar II. Louise has an interesting royal ancestry. Besides being descended from the Kings of Sweden, Louise is also a descendant of Empress Josephine of France via her first marriage, King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, King Willem I of the Netherlands, King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, and King George I of Great Britain.

Louise in 1861; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Because she was an only child, Louise was cherished and adored by her parents. She resembled her mother in appearance and her father in her manner. Children’s balls were arranged for Louise at the Royal Palace and were eagerly attended by children of society parents and her cousins, the sons of her uncle, the future King Oscar II. Louise was educated by her governess Hilda Elfving and received swimming lessons from Nancy Edberg, a pioneer in women’s swimming. Louise’s mother took swimming lessons along with her daughter and as a result, swimming became more accepted for women.

Louise as a young teenager; Credit – Wikipedia

The relations between Denmark and Sweden were tense because Sweden had not helped Denmark during the Second Schleswig War with Prussia and Austria. Further tension developed after Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (the future King Christian IX of Denmark) was chosen over Swedish candidates as the heir presumptive to the Danish throne due to a succession crisis. A marriage between Louise and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark was suggested as a means to improve the relations between the two countries. The couple had met for the first time in 1862 when Louise was eleven and Frederik nineteen. Frederik was aware Louise would be a popular choice in Denmark because a German bride would be unacceptable to the Danes after Denmark’s loss in the Second Schleswig War. The couple became engaged on April 15, 1868. During her engagement, Louise studied the Danish language, literature, culture, and history with Lorentz Dietrichson, a poet and professor of art history and literature.

17-year-old Louise and 26-year-old Frederik were married at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden on July 28, 1869. Frederik and Louise had eight children:

by Elfelt, vintage postcard print, (circa 1877)

Frederick VIII, King of Denmark with his family by Elfelt, bromide postcard print, (circa 1877), NPG x74398 © National Portrait Gallery, London

The family lived a secluded life, residing at Amalienborg Palace in the winter, and Charlottenlund Palace in the summer. Louise was a strict, but caring mother and ensured her children had a sense of duty. It was long an open secret that she wanted one of her daughters to marry into the Swedish royal family, and this was accomplished when her daughter Princess Ingeborg married Prince Carl of Sweden, the third son of King Oscar II of Sweden.

While Louise was popular with the Danish people, she experienced ostracism within the Danish royal family, which was dominated by her mother-in-law Queen Louise, born Louise of Hesse-Kassel. Her sisters-in-law Alexandra (the future Queen of the United Kingdom) and Dagmar (the future Empress of Russia) did not care about her and were not fond of her. Frederik was too timid to support his wife. Louise did have an ally in her sister-in-law Thyra (later Crown Princess of Hanover), who was two years younger.

Louise on the left with her sister-in-law Thyra, circa 1870; Credit – Wikipedia

During her long tenure as the Danish Crown Princess, Louise founded several charitable organizations. She was deeply religious and had a lifelong interest in the Church Association for the Inner Mission in Denmark. In her spare time, Louise did needlework, leatherwork, and painting.

In 1906, Louise’s father-in-law King Christian IX died after a reign of nearly 43 years and her husband became King Frederik VIII. She was politically well-informed, but never intervened in political situations. Louise’s period as Queen of Denmark was short as Frederik reigned for only six years. He died in Hamburg, Germany on May 14, 1912, at the age of 68. He was returning to Denmark after a trip to Nice, France, and made a stop in Hamburg. He went out for a walk on the evening of his arrival, became faint, collapsed, and died on a park bench where he was found by a policeman.

 

As a widow, Louise continued her charity work and took care of her three unmarried children. From 1915-1917, she built Egelund Castle and lived there for the remainder of her life. Upon her death, Egelund Castle passed to her youngest unmarried son, Prince Gustav. In 1922, her youngest daughter Princess Dagmar married a noble landowner despite Louise’s protestations that she was marrying beneath her station. Queen Louise died on March 20, 1926, at Amalienborg Palace and was buried next to her husband in the Glücksburger Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral.

Tomb of King Frederik VIII and Queen Louise; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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King Frederik VIII of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

King Frederik VIII of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

His Serene Highness Prince Frederik of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, the future King Frederik VIII of Denmark, was born at the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen Denmark on June 3, 1843. Frederik’s given names were Christian Frederik Vilhelm Carl and he was the eldest of the six children of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (the future King Christian IX of Denmark) and Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel. When Frederik was ten years old, his father was chosen as the heir presumptive to the Danish throne due to a succession crisis and Frederik became a Prince of Denmark. Frederik had three sisters and two brothers:

Frederik with his parents and siblings; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik grew up in his birthplace, the Yellow Palace, adjacent to the Amalienborg Palace where the Danish Royal Family lived. When Frederik’s father became the Danish heir presumptive, the family gained an additional home, Bernstorff Palace in Gentofte, Copenhagen, Denmark. After his confirmation in 1860, Frederik started his military training. He then began studying political science at Oxford University in England but returned to Denmark in November 1863, when his father succeeded to the Danish throne as King Christian IX. As Crown Prince of Denmark, Frederik served as a lieutenant in North Jutland during the Second Schleswig War against Austria and Prussia. Frederik later became Inspector General of the Danish Army and was a leading member of the Danish Masonic Order. He was given a seat on the State Council and assisted his father in government duties.

Frederik as Crown Prince; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Louise had a goal for her children: to marry well. She wanted Frederik to marry either Princess Helena or Princess Louise, two daughters of Queen Victoria. However, Queen Victoria did not want her younger daughters to marry foreign heirs as this would necessitate them leaving England. In July 1868, Frederick became engaged to Princess Louise of Sweden, the 17-year-old, the only surviving child of King Charles XV of Sweden and his wife Louise of the Netherlands. The relations between Denmark and Sweden were tense because Sweden had not helped Denmark during the Second Schleswig War. The marriage was suggested to improve the relations between the two countries.

Frederik and Louise; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik and Louise were married at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden on July 28, 1869. The couple resided at Amalienborg Palace during the winter and Charlottenlund Palace during the summer. Louise was popular with the Danish people but experienced ostracism within the royal family, dominated by her mother-in-law.

Frederik and Louise had eight children:

by Elfelt, vintage postcard print, (circa 1877)

Frederick VIII, King of Denmark with his family by Elfelt, bromide postcard print, (circa 1877), NPG x74398 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Four generations of Danish kings: Frederik IX in front; in back left to right: Christian IX, Christian X, Frederik VIII; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

After being Crown Prince for 43 years, Frederik became King of Denmark upon his father’s death in 1906. Unlike his father, Frederik VIII was a liberal ruler who supported the parliamentary system introduced in 1901.

Returning to Copenhagen after a trip to Nice, France, Frederik made a stop in Hamburg, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Germany on May 13, 1912. He registered at the Hamburger Hof Hotel using the pseudonym Count Kronborg. On May 14, 1912, Frederik left the hotel alone for an evening stroll. When he was not found in his hotel room the next morning, a discreet search revealed that the body of a well-dressed unknown gentleman had been found on a park bench. The body, which had been moved to the city morgue a little before midnight, was that of the 68-year-old King Frederik VIII who had died of a heart attack.

On May 16, 1912, Frederik’s body was placed on a special train to Travemünde, Kingdom of Prussia on the Baltic Sea. The coffin was loaded on the royal yacht and brought back to Denmark. He was buried in the Glücksburger Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral.  Queen Louise died at age 74 on March 20, 1926, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark, and was buried with her husband.

Tomb of King Frederik VIII and Queen Louise; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Louise of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

by Unknown photographer, postcard print, 1890s?

Louise, Queen of Denmark by unknown photographer, bromide postcard print, 1890s, NPG x74394 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel (Luise Wilhelmine Friederike Caroline Auguste Julie), the wife of King Christian IX of Denmark, was born on September 7, 1817, in Kassel, Electorate of Hesse-Kassel, now in Hesse, Germany, where her father was stationed with the Danish army. Her father was Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Kassel. Wilhelm’s father, Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel, a grandson of King George II of Great Britain through his daughter Mary, was the founder of a cadet branch of the House of Hesse, Hesse-Kassel-Rumpenheim. In 1781, Friedrich bought Rumpenheim Castle in Offenbach, now in Hesse, Germany, from his brother Karl, and it became the family’s seat. It became a tradition to hold family reunions at Rumpenheim Castle. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many European monarchs were descendants of the Hesse-Kassel-Rumpenheim branch of the House of Hesse, and they continued the family reunion tradition.

Louise’s mother was a Danish princess, Princess Charlotte, the daughter of Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark, the heir presumptive to the thrones of Denmark and Norway. He was the surviving son of King Frederick V of Denmark and his second wife, Juliana Maria of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel.

Louise lived in Denmark from the time she was three years old. The family first lived at the Prince Wilhelm Mansion in Copenhagen and later at the Brockdorff’s Palace, one of the four palaces of the Amalienborg in Copenhagen. Brockdorff’s Palace was later renamed Frederick VIII’s Palace and currently, it is the home of King Frederik X of Denmark and his family. Louise and her siblings received a typical royal upbringing. Louise was an accomplished painter and pianist. She received art lessons from two of the best Danish artists at the time, Martinus Rørbye and Wilhelm Marstrand, and was taught music by the composer Frederik Kuhlau.

Louise had five siblings:

The family had an important position in Denmark, and it became even more important when Princess Charlotte’s brother came to the Danish throne in 1839 as King Christian VIII. Not only was King Christian VIII Louise’s uncle, but he had only one legitimate child, the future King Frederik VII. Frederik had no children and Princess Charlotte was the only sibling of King Christian VIII to have children. This meant that it was likely that one of Princess Charlotte’s children would inherit the Danish throne.

On May 26, 1842, Louise married her second cousin Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg at Amalienborg Palace. Christian had visited Rumpenheim Castle in Hesse, where he took an interest in his future wife. After the wedding, the couple lived at the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark.

by FranÁois Deron, albumen carte-de-visite, early 1860s

Louise, Queen of Denmark; Christian IX, King of Denmark by François Deron, albumen carte-de-visite, early 1860s, NPG x74387 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Christian and Louise had six children:

by Georg Emil Hansen, albumen carte-de-visite photomontage, 1862

Christian IX, King of Denmark and his family by Georg Emil Hansen, albumen carte-de-visite photomontage, 1862, NPG x74402 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Louise was as much the “Grandmother of Europe” as Queen Victoria was. Louise had 39 grandchildren and her grandsons included Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, King Constantine I of Greece, King George V of the United Kingdom, King Christian X of Denmark, and King Haakon VII of Norway. Louise is the ancestor of six of the ten current European monarchs (King Philippe of Belgium, King Frederik X of Denmark, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, King Harald V of Norway, King Felipe VI of Spain, King Charles III of the United Kingdom) and two former monarchs (the late King Michael of Romania and the late King Constantine II of Greece).

Painting (by Laurits Tuxex) of Christian and Louise with their large family of European royalty at Fredensborg Palace; Credit – Wikipedia

Like Louise, Christian spent much of his youth in Denmark and also had a claim on the Danish succession. Through his father, he was a direct male-line descendant of King Christian III of Denmark.  Through his mother, Christian was a great-grandson of King Frederik V of Denmark. King Frederik VI of Denmark was the first cousin of Christian’s mother and was married to Christian’s maternal aunt Marie. King Christian VIII died in 1848 and was succeeded by his son King Frederik VII, who had married three times but had no children, resulting in a succession crisis. Women could inherit the Danish throne only if there were no male heirs (Semi-Salic Law), and Louise and her mother both rescinded their succession rights to Christian, Louise’s husband, in 1851.  The Act of Succession of 1853 officially made Christian the heir of King Frederik VII, and he became king in 1863 when King Frederik VII died.

Louise preferred not to take a public role as Queen of Denmark. She focused on her children and grandchildren, and her charities. Louise relished her role as matriarch of an extensive European family and enjoyed the annual family reunions. She was the patron of 26 charities including: Kronprinsesse Louises praktiske Tjenestepigeskole (The Servant Girl’s School of Crown Princess Louise), Dronning Louises Børnehospital (Queen Louise’s Children’s Hospital), Louisestiftelsen (Louise Foundation), an orphanage for girls that trained them to be domestic servants, Diakonissestiftelsen (The Deaconess Foundation) which introduced the Deaconess profession in Denmark, Foreningen til Oprettelse af Friskolebørneasyler i Kbh.s Arbejderkvarter (Foundation for the Establishment of Charter School Asylums in the Labor Quarters of Copenhagen), and Belønnings- og Forsørgelsesforeningen (The Reward- and Self-Supporting Foundation) which supported domestic servants by providing financial aid to the ill, unemployed and retired.

Like her daughter Alexandra, Louise suffered from hereditary otosclerosis, abnormal growth of bone near the middle ear that can result in hearing loss. Louise’s deafness worsened during her last years and she was cared for by two deaconesses from the Deaconess Foundation she had started. Queen Louise, aged 81, died on September 29, 1898, at Bernstorff Palace near Copenhagen, Denmark, surrounded by a large part of her family, who had come to Denmark to be at her side. King Christian IX died at age 87 on January 29, 1906, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. Both were buried in the Glücksburger Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark.

Tomb_Christian IX_Louise

Tomb of King Christian IX and Queen Louise; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Christian IX of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

by Unknown photographer, postcard print

Christian IX, King of Denmark by Unknown photographer, postcard print, NPG x28085 © National Portrait Gallery, London

The ancestor of six of the ten current European monarchs (Philippe, King of the Belgians, King Frederik X of Denmark, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, King Harald V of Norway, King Felipe VI of Spain, King Charles III of the United Kingdom, and two former monarchs (the late King Michael of Romania and the late King Constantine II of Greece), King Christian IX of Denmark was not born destined to be a king.

King Christian IX was born a German prince, the sixth child and fourth son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck and Princess Louise Caroline of Hesse-Kassel, on April 8, 1818, at Gottorp Castle near the town of Schleswig in the Duchy of Schleswig (now Germany). Through his father, Christian was a direct male-line descendant of King Christian III of Denmark.  Through his mother, Christian was a great-grandson of King Frederik V of Denmark, and also a great-great-grandson of King George II of Great Britain.  In 1825, Christian’s father became Duke of Glücksburg and changed his title to Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.

Christian had nine siblings:

Glücksburg Castle; Credit – by Wolfgang Pehlemann – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Until he was seven years old, Christian lived at his birthplace, Gottorp Castle. In 1825, when Christian’s father became Duke of Glücksburg, the family moved to Glücksburg Castle, now in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Christian’s father died in 1831 at the age of 46, and King Frederik VI of Denmark along with Prince William of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld became the guardians of Prince Christian and his nine siblings. King Frederik VI was the first cousin of Christian’s mother and was married to Christian’s maternal aunt Marie.

At the age of 14, Christian was sent to Copenhagen, Denmark for officer training at the Military Academy of Copenhagen. He lived with Colonel Linde, head of the military academy, received private lessons, and was rarely with the other cadets. King Frederik VI and Queen Marie were also involved in the upbringing of Christian and he frequently stayed with them. In 1836, he was appointed a captain of the Royal Horse Guards and lived in the barracks at Frederiksholms Channel in Copenhagen. In 1839, King Frederik VI gave Christian the Yellow Palace next to Amalienborg Palace, the home of the Danish monarchs, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Christian lived at the Yellow Palace until 1863 when he became King of Denmark.

Yellow Palace; Credit – Wikipedia

From 1839 to 1841, Christian studied constitutional law and history at the University of Bonn (now in Germany). While studying at the university, Christian received the news of the death of King Frederik VI of Denmark on December 3, 1839. Because Frederik VI only had surviving daughters, he was succeeded by his cousin King Christian VIII of Denmark.  During the holidays from his university studies, Christian traveled through various German monarchies. On one of these trips, he visited Castle Rumpenheim in Hesse, where he took an interest in his future wife, Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel.

by FranÁois Deron, albumen carte-de-visite, early 1860s

Louise, Queen of Denmark; Christian IX, King of Denmark by François Deron, albumen carte-de-visite, early 1860s, NPG x74387 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel was born in Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in the German state of Hesse on September 7, 1817. Her parents were Prince William of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Charlotte of Denmark, a granddaughter of King Frederik V of Denmark.  On May 26, 1842, Louise married her second cousin Christian at Amalienborg Palace. After the wedding, the couple lived at the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Christian and Louise had six children:

by Georg Emil Hansen, albumen carte-de-visite photomontage, 1862

Christian IX, King of Denmark and his family by Georg Emil Hansen, albumen carte-de-visite photomontage, 1862, NPG x74402 © National Portrait Gallery, London

The couple had 39 grandchildren and their grandsons included Nicholas II, Emperor of All  Russia, King Constantine I of Greece, King George V of the United Kingdom, King Christian X of Denmark and King Haakon VII of Norway. Over the years, numerous large family reunions were held at Fredensborg Palace with children, in-laws, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

A story has been told about King Christian IX. Whether it is true or not, it illustrates his relationship with other European monarchies:

Christian and his court lived simply, largely because of economics. One day, Christian and his son William (George I of Greece) and the husbands of two of his daughters went for a walk. They encountered a country gentleman who wondered who they were, thinking they were guests of some local squire. “I am your king,” explained Christian. “This is my son, the King of Greece, and this is my son-in-law, the Tsar of Russia (Alexander III of Russia), and my other son-in-law, the Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII of the United Kingdom).” The man was not impressed and said, “All right, I’ll tell you who I am. I am Jesus Christ!”

King Christian IX with his family gathered in the Garden Hall of Fredensborg Palace in 1883 by Laurits Tuxen; Credit – Wikipedia

So how did King Christian IX become King of Denmark?  When King Christian VIII died in 1848, he was succeeded by his son King Frederik VII, who had married three times but had no children, and this resulted in a succession crisis. Louise, Christian IX’s wife, had lived in Denmark from the time she was three years old. She was a niece of King Christian VIII of Denmark and a closer heir than her husband.  Women could inherit the Danish throne only if there were no male heirs (Semi-Salic Law), and Louise and her mother both rescinded their succession rights to Christian, Louise’s husband, in 1851.  The Act of Succession of 1853 officially made Christian the heir of King Frederik VII, and he became king in 1863 when King Frederik VII died.

As soon as he became king, Christian was thrust into a conflict with Prussia over the Schleswig and Holstein, two duchies just to the south of Denmark. This was known as the Schleswig-Holstein Question, a complex issue regarding the relationship of two duchies to the Danish crown and to the German Confederation. Lord Palmerston, former British Prime Minister said of it, “The Schleswig-Holstein question is so complicated, only three men in Europe have ever understood it. One was Prince Albert, who is dead. The second was a German professor who became mad. I am the third and I have forgotten all about it.” The Second Schleswig War between Denmark and a Prussian/Austrian alliance in 1864 resulted in the Danish loss of both Schleswig and Holstein to Prussia.  It was not publicly known until 2010 that King Christian IX secretly contacted the Prussians, offering that Denmark would join the German Confederation if Denmark could stay united with Schleswig and Holstein. This proposal was rejected by Otto von Bismarck, German Chancellor. The bitterness in Denmark over the loss of Schleswig and Holstein lasted a long time.

Queen Louise, aged 81, died on September 29, 1898, at Bernstorff Palace near Copenhagen and King Christian IX died at age 87 on January 29, 1906, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. Both were buried in the Glücksburger Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark.

Tomb_Christian IX_Louise

Tomb of King Christian IX and Queen Louise; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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 Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty