Category Archives: Current Monarchies

Marie of Lorraine, Princess of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Marie of Lorraine, Princess of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Born in Paris, France, on August 12, 1674, Marie of Lorraine was the wife of Antonio I, Prince of Monaco. She was the ninth of the fourteen children and the fifth of the seven daughters of Louis of Lorraine, Count of Armagnac and Catherine de Neufville. Marie’s father was a member of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine, and held the rank of prince étranger at the French court. He was the Grand Squire of France, one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France, and a member of the Household of King Louis XIV of France. Marie’s grandparents were all members of the French nobility. Her paternal grandparents were Henri of Lorraine, Count of Harcourt and Marguerite Philippe du Cambout. Her maternal grandparents were Nicolas de Neufville, Duke of Villeroy, a Marshal of France and the governor of King Louis XIV of France during his childhood, and Madeleine de Blanchefort de Créquy.

Marie had thirteen siblings:

  • Henri of Lorraine, Count of Brionne (1661 – 1713), married Marie Madeleine d’Épinay, had two children
  • Marguerite of Lorraine (1662 – 1730) married (third wife) Nuno Álvares Pereira de Melo, 1st Duke of Cadaval, had ten children
  • Françoise of Lorraine (born and died 1664), died in infancy
  • François Armand of Lorraine, Abbot of Royaumont. Bishop of Bayeux (1665 – 1728), Catholic priest
  • Camille of Lorraine, Count of Chamilly (1666 – 1715), unmarried
  • Armande of Lorraine (1668 – 1681), died at age 13
  • Isabelle of Lorraine (born and died 1671), died in infancy
  • Philippe of Lorraine (1673 – 1677), died in childhood
  • Louis Alphonse of Lorraine (1675 – 1704), unmarried, French naval officer died at the naval Battle of Vélez-Málaga during the War of the Spanish Succession
  • Charlotte of Lorraine, Mademoiselle d’Armagnac (1678 – 1757), unmarried
  • François of Lorraine, Abbot of the Abbey of La Chaise Dieu (1680 – 1712)
  • Marguerite of Lorraine (born and died 1681), died in infancy
  • Charles of Lorraine, Count of Armagnac, Lieutenant General of the King’s Armies (1684 – 1751), married Françoise Adélaide de Noailles, daughter of Adrien Maurice de Noailles, duc de Noailles, no children

Marie and her sister Charlotte; Credit – Wikipedia

Monaco had become a French protectorate in 1641, and the Princes of Monaco became vassals of the Kings of France while remaining sovereign princes. Many successive Princes of Monaco and their families spent most of their lives in France and intermarried with French and Italian noble families.

Marie’s husband, Antonio I, Prince of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 13, 1688, in the Chapel Royal at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France 14-year-old Marie married 27-year-old Antonio, the future Prince of Monaco, the son of Louis I, Prince of Monaco and Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, from a French noble family. Both King Louis XIV and his morganatic second wife Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon approved of the marriage. Louis XIV gave the couple a chateau just outside of Paris as a wedding gift.

Antonio and Marie had six daughters but only two survived to adulthood. The elder surviving daughter Louise-Hippolyte succeeded her father as the reigning Princess of Monaco.

  • Caterina Charlotte, Mademoiselle de Monaco (1691 – 1696), died in childhood
  • Louise-Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco (1697 – 1731), married Jacques François Goyon, Count de Matignon, later Jacques I, Prince of Monaco, had nine children including Honoré II, Prince of Monaco
  • Elisabetta Charlotte, Mademoiselle de Valentinois (1698 – 1702), died in childhood
  • Margherita Camilla, Mademoiselle de Carlades (1700 – 1758), married Louis de Gand de Mérode de Montmorency, Prince of Isenghien (his third marriage), no children
  • Maria Devota, Mademoiselle des Baux (1702 – 1703), died in childhood
  • Maria Paolina Theresa Devota, Mademoiselle de Chabreuil (1708 – 1726), unmarried, died at age 18

The marriage was not happy. In what seems to have become a Grimaldi tradition, Antonio had several illegitimate children from different affairs. Marie responded by finding lovers of her own. Louis de Rouvroy, Duke of Saint-Simon, a soldier, diplomat, and memoirist, said of Marie, that she “was a charming young thing… spoilt by her parents’ fondness for her and by the attentions of the courtiers who frequented the Lorraine household…Her husband, very sensibly, realized he hadn’t the upper hand.”

In 1692, when Antonio was serving in the French military, Marie was sent to Monaco. Upon Antonio’s discharge from the military, Marie insisted upon returning to France. She caused a great scandal when she claimed her father-in-law Louis I, Prince of Monaco had made unwanted sexual advances to her. Whether this was true or not, Marie and Antonio returned to the French court. Marie and Antonio’s relationship did not improve. They did reconcile in 1696, when their only child, five-year-old Caterina Charlotte, Mademoiselle de Monaco, died. Marie’s mother and King Louis XIV insisted that Marie and Antonio reunite to provide Monaco with an heir. From 1697 – 1712, Marie and Antonio lived in Monaco where Antonio spent most of his time in the Giardinetto, the cottage he had built for his mistress, and Marie lived in a summer house that she jokingly called Mon Desert (my desert). The couple had five daughters, but no sons, between 1697 and 1708 but only two survived to adulthood. During this period, on January 3, 1701, Antonio became Prince of Monaco upon the death of his father Louis I, Prince of Monaco.

Louise-Hippolyte, Marie and Antonio’s eldest surviving daughter and Antonio’s successor; Credit – Wikipedia

Marie and Antonio butted heads over the marriage of their elder surviving daughter and Antonio’s heir, Louise-Hippolyte. There was no disagreement over Antonio’s decision, with the permission of King Louis XIV, that Louise-Hippolyte’s husband would take the surname Grimaldi and jointly rule Monaco with her. However, there was a heated disagreement over prospective husbands. Marie, supported by her family, refused to consent to Antonio’s choice. This resulted in a conflict that lasted for two years and greatly angered King Louis XIV. Marie told Louise-Hippolyte to refuse her father’s choice which resulted in Antonio having Louise-Hippolyte confined in a convent. When Antonio discovered that his marriage plans for his daughter were not favored at the French court, he was forced to release Louise-Hippolyte from her convent confinement and forgo his marriage plans. However, Marie had another trick up her sleeve. She arranged for the Duchess de Lude to suggest Jacques Goyon, Count of Matignon as a husband for Louise-Hippolyte, and Antonio agreed. When he later found out that Marie had manipulated his choice by having the Duchess de Lude suggest Jacques Goyon, Count of Matignon, the relationship between Marie and Antonio further worsened.

The Cathedral of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Marie spent the last years of her life quietly, frequently returning to the French court. She died at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco on October 30, 1724, at the age of 50, and was buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Monaco. During the late 19th century, a new and larger church, the Cathedral of Monaco, was built on the site of the Church of Saint Nicholas. The original church was demolished in 1874 but the current cathedral was built over the areas of the previous church and the old burial site so that the sovereign princes and consorts originally buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas are now buried in the Cathedral of Monaco.

Marie’s husband Antonio did not mourn her death at all. Marie left her possessions and a sizable monetary inheritance to her elder daughter Louise-Hippolyte. Antonio, who was always in financial difficulties, contested her will. Naturally, this caused a strained relationship between Antonio and his daughter and her husband. Antonio survived his wife by a little more than six years, dying on February 20, 1731, at the age of 70. He was succeeded by Louise-Hippolyte who had a very short reign of ten months. She died from smallpox at the age of 34, on December 29, 1731.

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

Works Cited

  • Christies.com. 1997. Portrait of Marie de Lorraine (1674-1724), Duchesse de Valentinois and her younger sister Charlotte de Lorraine (1678-1757), Mademoiselle d’Armagnac by Nicolas Fouché (1653-1733). [online] Available at: <https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-314260/?intObjectID=314260> [Accessed 20 February 2022].
  • Edwards, Anne, 2017. The Grimaldis of Monaco. Blue Ridge Summit: Lyons Press.
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Marie of Lorraine – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_of_Lorraine> [Accessed 20 February 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Antonio I, Prince of Monaco. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/antonio-i-prince-of-monaco/> [Accessed 20 February 2022].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Marie de Lorraine — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_de_Lorraine> [Accessed 20 February 2022].

Antonio I, Prince of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Antonio I, Prince of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on January 25, 1661, in Paris, France, Antonio I, Prince of Monaco was the elder of the two sons and the eldest of the six children of Louis I, Prince of Monaco and Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont. Hercule Grimaldi, Marquis of Baux, who predeceased his father Honoré II, Prince of Monaco, and Maria Aurelia Spinola from the House of Spinola, a powerful and influential family from the Republic of Genoa, were his paternal grandparents. His maternal grandparents were Antoine III de Gramont, Duke of Gramont, a French military commander, diplomat, and a Marshal of France, and Françoise Marguerite du Plessis, a niece of powerful Cardinal Richelieu (Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu), who served as the First Minister of State to King Louis XIII of France from 1624 until his death in 1642.

Antonio had five younger siblings:

  • Maria Teresa Carlotta Grimaldi (1662 – 1738), twin of Jeanne Maria, a Visitandine nun in Monaco, later Abbess of the Visitandine convent in Monaco
  • Jeanne Maria Grimaldi (1662 – 1741) twin of Maria Teresa, a Visitandine nun in Monaco, later Abbess of the Abbey of Royallieu near Compiègne, France
  • Teresa Maria Aurelia Grimaldi (1663 – 1675), died in childhood
  • Anna Hippolyte Grimaldi (1664 – 1700), married Jacques de Crussol, Duc d’Uzès, no children
  • François Honoré Grimaldi, Archbishop of Besançon (1669 – 1748 – link in French)

In 1641, during the reign of Antonio’s great grandfather Honoré II, Monaco had become a French protectorate, and the Princes of Monaco became vassals of the Kings of France while remaining sovereign princes. Many successive Princes of Monaco and their families spent most of their lives in France and intermarried with French and Italian noble families, including Antonio’s father Louis. King Louis XIV of France was four years older than Louis and was his contemporary.

Marie of Lorraine, Princess of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 13, 1688, in the Chapel Royal at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France, Antonio married Marie of Lorraine, the daughter of Louis of Lorraine, Count of Armagnac and Catherine de Neufville. Marie’s father was a member of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine, and held the rank of prince étranger at the French court. Her mother was the daughter of Nicolas de Neufville, Duke of Villeroy, a Marshal of France and the governor of King Louis XIV during his childhood. Both King Louis XIV and his morganatic second wife Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon approved of the marriage. Louis XIV gave the couple a chateau just outside of Paris as a wedding gift. The marriage was not happy. Antonio had affairs and illegitimate children and Marie responded by finding lovers of her own.

Louise Hippolyte, Antonio’s eldest surviving daughter and successor; Credit – Wikipedia

Antonio and Marie had six daughters but only two survived to adulthood. The elder surviving daughter Louise Hippolyte succeeded her father as the reigning Princess of Monaco.

  • Caterina Charlotte, Mademoiselle de Monaco (1691 – 1696), died in childhood
  • Louise Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco (1697 – 1731), married Jacques François Goyon, Count de Matignon, later Jacques I, Prince of Monaco, had nine children, died from smallpox
  • Elisabetta Charlotte, Mademoiselle de Valentinois (1698 – 1702), died in childhood
  • Margherita Camilla, Mademoiselle de Carlades (1700 – 1758), married Louis de Gand de Mérode de Montmorency, Prince of Isenghien (his third marriage), no children
  • Maria Devota, Mademoiselle des Baux (1702 – 1703), died in childhood
  • Maria Paolina Theresa Devota, Mademoiselle de Chabreuil (1708 – 1726), unmarried, died at age 18

In addition, in what seems to have become a Grimaldi tradition, Antonio had several illegitimate children from different affairs. He acknowledged the following three:

with Elisabeth Dufort-Babé, a dancer at the Paris Opera:

with Victoire Vertu, a dancer at the Paris Opera:

  • Antoinette Grimaldi, Mademoiselle de Saint-Rémy

with an unidentified Provençal woman:

  • Louise Marie Therese Grimaldi (1705 – 1723)

In 1692, when Antonio was serving in the French military, his wife Marie was sent to Monaco. Upon Antonio’s discharge from the military, Marie insisted upon returning to France. She caused a great scandal when she claimed her father-in-law Louis I, Prince of Monaco made unwanted sexual advances to her. Whether this was true or not, Marie and Antonio returned to the French court. Marie and Antonio’s relationship did not improve. They did reconcile in 1696, when their only child, five-year-old Caterina Charlotte, Mademoiselle de Monaco, died. Marie’s mother and King Louis XIV insisted that Marie and Antonio reunite to provide Monaco with an heir. In 1697, Marie and Antonio returned to Monaco. For the most part, Antonio remained in Monaco for the rest of his life. The couple did have more children between 1697 and 1708, five daughters, but no sons, and only two of the daughters survived to adulthood.

In 1701, upon the death of his father, Antonio became the Sovereign Prince of Monaco. With the help of André Cardinal Destouches, a French composer and manager of the Académie Royale de Musique (the Paris Opera), Antonio brought singers, dancers, and musicians from Paris to Monaco. He had a large room in the Prince’s Palace in Monaco converted into a concert hall with a stage where he conducted musical programs.

Antonio’s greatest concern was the future of the House of Grimaldi. Because Antonio’s only legitimate children were all daughters, the heir to the throne was his only brother François Honoré Grimaldi, a Catholic priest with the title Monsieur l’Abbé de Monaco, later Archbishop of Besançon. In 1715, François Honoré renounced his claims to the throne of Monaco and Antonio’s elder daughter Louise Hippolyte became his heir. Antonio decided, with the permission of Louis XIV, that Louise Hippolyte’s husband would take the surname Grimaldi and jointly rule Monaco with her. After heated disagreements with his wife Marie and his father-in-law Louis of Lorraine, Count of Armagnac over prospective husbands for Louise Hippolyte, Antonio finally chose Jacques Goyon, Count of Matignon. When he later found out that his wife had manipulated his choice by having the Duchess de Lude suggest Jacques Goyon, Count of Matignon, the relationship between Marie and Antonio further worsened. However, Louise Hippolyte and her husband replenished the House of Grimaldi. They had nine children and five survived to adulthood.

Louise Hippolyte’s children, the grandchildren of Antonio, circa 1730; Credit – Wikipedia

When Antonio’s wife Marie died at the age of fifty on October 30, 1724, he did not mourn her death at all. Marie left her possessions and a sizable monetary inheritance to her elder daughter Louise Hippolyte. Antonio, who was always in financial difficulties, contested her will. Naturally, this caused a strained relationship between Antonio and his daughter and her husband.

Entrance to the common vault where the Grimaldi family members originally buried at the Church of St. Nicholas are buried; Credit – www.findagrave.com

By 1730, the lawsuit still had not been settled and Antonio’s health was failing. Louise Hippolyte and her second surviving son eight-year-old Charles, Count of Carlades traveled from France to visit Antonio. During a six-week visit, Antonio and Louise Hippolyte reconciled. On February 20, 1731, at the age of 70, Antonio I, Prince of Monaco died at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco. He was buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Monaco. During the late 19th century, a new and larger church, the Cathedral of Monaco, was built on the site of the Church of Saint Nicholas. The original church was demolished in 1874 but the current cathedral was built over the areas of the previous church and the old burial site so that the sovereign princes and consorts originally buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas are now buried in the Cathedral of Monaco. Antonio was succeeded by his daughter Louise Hippolyte who had a very short reign of ten months. She died from smallpox at the age of 34, on December 29, 1731.

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

Works Cited

  • Edwards, Anne, 2017. The Grimaldis of Monaco. Blue Ridge Summit: Lyons Press.
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Antonio I, Prince of Monaco – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_I,_Prince_of_Monaco> [Accessed 4 February 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Louise Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Hippolyte,_Princess_of_Monaco> [Accessed 4 February 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Marie of Lorraine – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_of_Lorraine> [Accessed 4 February 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, Princess of Monaco. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/catherine-charlotte-de-gramont-princess-of-monaco/> [Accessed 4 February 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Louis I, Prince of Monaco. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/louis-i-prince-of-monaco/> [Accessed 4 February 2022].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Antoine (prince de Monaco) — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_(prince_de_Monaco)> [Accessed 4 February 2022].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Marie de Lorraine — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_de_Lorraine> [Accessed 4 February 2022].

Service of Thanksgiving for Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Prince Philip accompanying Queen Elizabeth II at the 2015 Trooping the Colour; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 29, 2022, a Service of Thanksgiving for His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was held at Westminster Abbey in London, England. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh died at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England on April 9, 2021, at the age of 99, just two months short of his 100th birthday. The funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh took place on Saturday, April 17, 2021, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor England. The Thanksgiving Service was organized because due to COVID-19 restrictions, there could be only 30 guests at the funeral.

Westminster Abbey; Photo Credit – By Σπάρτακος – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26334184

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Guests

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive at Westminster Abbey with their two eldest children Prince George and Princess Charlotte

1,800 invited guests attended the Service of Thanksgiving including members of the British Royal Family, representatives from current and former royal families, representatives from Prince Philip’s birth family, political leaders, and representatives of many of Prince Philip’s charities.

Many guests wore Edinburgh green, a color closely associated with Prince Philip. The color was used in many official capacities relating to his position, including the uniforms of his staff and his cars. The Land Rover which was used to carry his coffin to his funeral in 2021 was Edinburgh green and the Order of Service for the Service of Thanksgiving was printed in Edinburgh green.

British royal family in the front rows, followed by foreign royalty and other important guests

Guests included:

British Royal Family

Some members of the British royal family

Relatives of Prince Philip 

Prince Philip’s great-nephew Philipp, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

Prince Philip’s four sisters were represented by members of the House of Baden, the House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, and the House of Hesse, all former monarchies. The Mountbatten family was represented by Penelope Knatchbull, the wife of the current Earl Mountbatten of Burma, and India Hicks, the granddaughter of Prince Philip’s maternal uncle Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma.

  • Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, a close friend of Prince Philip and the wife of Norton Louis Philip Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma, son of Prince Philip’s first cousin Patricia Mountbatten, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma and grandson of Prince Philip’s uncle Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
  • India Hicks, daughter of Prince Philip’s first cousin Lady Pamela Mountbatten and granddaughter of Prince Philip’s uncle Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, and her husband David Flint Wood
  • Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden: Heir to the Head of the House of Baden, great-nephew of Prince Philip, son of Maximilian, Margrave of Baden who is the son of Prince Philip’s sister Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark and Berthold, Margrave of Baden
  • Stephanie Anne Kaul, Hereditary Princess of Baden, wife of Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden
  • Philipp, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg: Head of the House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, great-nephew of Prince Philip, son of Kraft, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg who is the son of Prince Philip’s sister Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark and Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
  • Saskia Binder, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, wife of Philipp, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
  • Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse: Head of the House of Hesse, into which Prince Philip’s sisters Princess Cecile of Greece and Denmark and Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark married.
  • Countess Floria Franziska Marie-Luisa Erika von Faber-Castell, Princess of Hesse, wife of Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse

Foreign Royalty

Queen Máxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, King Felipe VI of Spain, Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, Prince Albert II of Monaco, and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

Prince Philip was born a Prince of Greece and Denmark and his Greek and Danish family background was represented by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes (born a Princess of Denmark, Queen Margrethe II’s sister), Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, and Prince Philippos and Princess Nina of Greece

King Harald V of Norway, the closest current monarch relative of Queen Elizabeth II (they are both great-grandchildren of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom), and his wife Queen Sonja were invited but were unable to attend because King Harald was recovering from COVID-19.

Current Monarchies

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands (formerly Queen Beatrix) leave Westminster Abbey after the Service of Thanksgiving

Former Monarchies

Prince Philip’s granddaughter Zara Tindall has a word with Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, the wife of former King Constantine II of Greece, Prince Philip’s first cousin once removed

Government Officials

Prime Minister Boris Johnson talks to clergy at Westminster Abbey as he arrives for the Service of Thanksgiving

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The Service of Thanksgiving

 

The arrangements for Prince Philip’s funeral had been planned over many years, with his involvement and The Queen signing off on the funeral plans. However, when Prince Philip died, last-minute changes were necessary to ensure compliance with COVID-19 restrictions. Some of the original arrangements that had to be omitted from the funeral on April 17, 2021, were included in the Service of Thanksgiving. The Queen was also actively involved in the planning of the Service of Thanksgiving.

It was Prince Philip’s wish that clergy from Crathie Kirk near Balmoral in Scotland, St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, England, and the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor, England should play a role in his funeral. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, this was impossible and so they were included in the Service of Thanksgiving. In line with COVID-19 government guidelines at the time of Prince Philip’s funeral, there was no congregational singing. Some of the hymns used during the Service of Thanksgiving had been chosen by Prince Philip for his funeral.

Queen Elizabeth II during the Service of Thanksgiving

Because of the recent mobility issues of the nearly 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth II, she entered Westminster Abbey by a side door which allowed her to walk a shorter distance from Poets’ Corner to her seat. For her comfort, the length of the service was limited to forty-five minutes.

The service was led by David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, James Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Dame Sarah Mullally, Dean of Her Majesty’s Chapels Royal, Mark Birch, Minor Canon and Precentor, Kenneth MacKenzie, Minister of Crathie Kirk, Jonathan Riviere, Rector of Sandringham, Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Great Park, Paul Wright, Sub-Dean of Her Majesty’s Chapels Royal, and James Hawkey, Canon in Residence also participated in the Service of Thanksgiving.

The choir and congregation sang the hymn He Who Would Valiant Be, adapted from an English folk song, arranged by James O’Donnell (born 1961), words from The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan (1628 – 1688).

David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster said The Bidding.

Doyin Sonibare gives her tribute to Prince Philip

Doyin Sonibare, who holds the Gold Level of a Duke of Edinburgh Award, gave a tribute, speaking of her experience working towards the award when she was 18-years-old.

James Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland read The First Lesson, Isaiah 40:25-31 and Dame Sarah Mullally, Dean of Her Majesty’s Chapels Royal read The Second Lesson, Philippians 4:4-9.

The choir and the congregation sang the hymn All Creatures of Our God and King, music by Ralph Vaughan Williams after a melody in 1623 Geistliche Kirchengesäng Cologne, arranged by James O’Donnell, words by St Francis of Assisi (1182 – 1226), translated by William Draper (1855 – 1933).

David Conner, Dean of Windsor gives The Address

David Conner, Dean of Windsor, gave The Address, paying tribute to Prince Philip.

The choir sang Te Deum in C by Benjamin Britten (1913 – 1976)

Prayers were offered giving thanks for Prince Philip’s service as Consort, for his devotion to Family, to Nation, and to Commonwealth, for his energy and spirit of adventure, for his work with the young to discover new skills and serve their communities, for his work in conservation and the good stewardship of the environment, for his gifts of character, for his humor and resilience, and for his fortitude and devotion to duty by Mark Birch, Minor Canon and Precentor, Kenneth MacKenzie, Minister of Crathie Church, Jonathan Riviere, Rector of Sandringham, Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, Paul Wright, Sub-Dean of Her Majesty’s Chapels Royal, and James Hawkey, Canon in Residence.

Members of the congregation sing a hymn during the Service of Thanksgiving

The choir and congregation sang the hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, music by John Hughes (1873 – 1932), arranged by James O’Donnell, words from Arglwydd, arwain trwy’r anialwch by William Williams (1717 – 1791), translated from Welsh by Peter Williams (1727 – 1796) and others

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury gave The Blessing

The Service of Thanksgiving ended with the singing of The National Anthem, God Save The Queen.

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

Works Cited

  • BBC News. 2022. As it happened: Prince Philip Queen joins royals for memorial service – BBC News. [online] Available at: <https://www.bbc.com/news/live/uk-60904990> [Accessed 1 April 2022].
  • BBC News. 2022. Queen attends Prince Philip memorial service at Westminster Abbey. [online] Available at: <https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60902088> [Accessed 1 April 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/funeral-of-prince-philip-duke-of-edinburgh/> [Accessed 1 April 2022].
  • Howard, Harry, 2022. The day the Queen got to say goodbye to Philip the way she wanted. [online] Mail Online. Available at: <https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10663357/The-day-Majesty-finally-got-say-goodbye-Philip-way-wanted.html> [Accessed 1 April 2022].
  • Pearson-Jones, Bridie, 2022. Prince Philip’s family at Westminster Abbey for memorial service. [online] Mail Online. Available at: <https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10663319/Prince-Philips-family-arrive-Westminster-Abbey-Duke-Edinburghs-memorial-service.html> [Accessed 1 April 2022].
  • Royal.uk. 2022. Order of Service – A Service of Thanksgiving for HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. [online] Available at: <https://www.royal.uk/sites/default/files/media/order_of_service_-_a_service_of_thanksgiving_for_hrh_the_prince_philip_duke_of_edinburgh.pdf> [Accessed 1 April 2022].
  • The Royal Family. 2022. Service of Thanksgiving for the life of The Duke of Edinburgh. [online] Available at: <https://www.royal.uk/service-thanksgiving-life-duke-edinburgh> [Accessed 1 April 2022].

Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, Princess of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, Princess of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont was the wife of Louis I, Prince of Monaco, and had many affairs at the French court including one with King Louis XIV. In 1641, during the reign of Louis’ grandfather Honoré II, Monaco had become a French protectorate, and the Princes of Monaco became vassals of the Kings of France while remaining sovereign princes. Many successive Princes of Monaco and their families spent most of their lives in France and intermarried with French and Italian noble families, and Louis I, Prince of Monaco was no exception.

Born in 1639, Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, Princess of Monaco was the second of the four children and the elder of the two daughters of Antoine de Gramont, Duke of Gramont, a French military commander, diplomat, and a Marshal of France (1604 – 1678), and Françoise Marguerite du Plessis (1608 – 1689), a niece of the powerful late Cardinal Richelieu (Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu), who served as the First Minister of State to King Louis XIII of France from 1624 until his death in 1642. Both Catherine-Charlotte’s parents came from French noble families.

Catherine-Charlotte had three siblings:

Like many other aristocratic girls, Catherine-Charlotte was educated at the Convent of the Visitation of Faubourg-Saint Jacques in Paris. When Catherine-Charlotte and her cousin Antonin Nompar de Caumont, Marquis de Puyguilhem, later Duke of Lauzun, fell in love and her father refused his permission for them to marry, they became lovers.

Catherine-Charlotte’s cousin and lover, Antonin Nompar de Caumont, Marquis de Puyguilhem; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1651, when Hercule Grimaldi, Marquis of Baux, the only child and heir of Honoré II, Prince of Monaco, was killed in a firearms accident, Hercule’s only son, nine-year-old Louis, became the heir to his grandfather’s throne. Louis’ godparents were King Louis XIII of France, after whom he was named, and Louis XIII’s wife Anne of Austria. The current King of France, Louis XIV, was four years older than Louis and was his contemporary. When Louis reached a marriageable age, his grandfather Honoré II set out to find him a wife who was the daughter of a high noble at the French court.

Via a marriage to a member of the French nobility, Louis’ grandfather Honoré II, Prince of Monaco hoped to strengthen the alliance between Monaco and France against Spain and obtain valuable connections to the French court. However, such a marriage would also benefit the family of Louis’ bride. Seven foreign princes, of which the Prince of Monaco was one, were recognized by the French Crown to owe a special loyalty to France. Called ducs et pairs étrangers (foreign dukes and peers), they were given extra privileges and took precedence over the French nobility. These foreign princes walked behind the princes of the blood royal in processions. Their wives also had privileges such as sitting on tabourets (stools) in the presence of the Queen. By marrying Louis, a future Prince of Monaco, the daughter of French noble would be assured of social, economic, and court preeminence.

Louis I, Prince of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Honoré II and his advisers went through a list of French nobles with marriageable daughters, and Catherine-Charlotte was chosen. Catherine-Charlotte was twenty, three years older than her prospective groom, but it was understood that she was unmarried because her father had refused to allow her to marry her cousin. Honoré II was assured that the affair between the cousins was over and that Catherine-Charlotte’s father would agree to the marriage. Only one of those statements turned out to be true.

The Chateau de Pau where Catherine-Charlotte and Louis were married; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 30, 1660, 21-year-old Catherine-Charlotte married 18-year-old Louis at the Gramont family’s Chateau de Pau located in the Pyrenees Mountains in Pau, France. The newlyweds spent the month of April at the Chateau de Pau. They then traveled to Paris where they lived on the second floor of the Gramonts’ magnificent townhouse on the Rue de l’Autriche and regularly attended the French court. Despite being married and Honoré II being assured the affair was over, Catherine-Charlotte continued her affair with her cousin Antoine Nompar de Caumont.

Antonio I, Prince of Monaco, Catherine-Charlotte and Louis’ eldest child and Louis’ successor; Credit – Wikipedia

Louis and Catherine-Charlotte had six children. In 1663, they founded a convent of the Order of the Visitation of the Holy Mary (also known as the Visitandines) in Monaco. Their twin daughters became nuns at the convent.

  • Antonio I, Prince of Monaco (1661 – 1731), married Marie of Lorraine, had six daughters including his successor Louise Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco
  • Maria Teresa Carlotta Grimaldi (1662 – 1738), twin of Jeanne Maria, a Visitandine nun in Monaco, later Abbess of the Visitandine convent in Monaco
  • Jeanne Maria Grimaldi (1662 – 1741) twin of Maria Teresa, a Visitandine nun in Monaco, later Abbess of the Abbey of Royallieu near Compiègne, France
  • Teresa Maria Aurelia Grimaldi (1663 – 1675), died in childhood
  • Anna Hippolyte Grimaldi (1664 – 1700), married Jacques de Crussol, Duc d’Uzès, no children
  • François Honoré Grimaldi, Archbishop of Besançon (1669 – 1748 – link in French)

After a reign of fifty-eight years, Honoré II, Prince of Monaco, Louis’ grandfather, died in 1662, and 20-year-old Louis became Prince of Monaco. Louis needed to return to Monaco and Catherine-Charlotte was forced to accompany him against her will. In 1665, Catherine-Charlotte left her husband and children in Monaco and returned to the French court because she found life at the Monaco court boring. Upon returning to the French court, Catherine-Charlotte was appointed a lady-in-waiting to Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans, the first wife of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the only sibling of King Louis XIV. Catherine-Charlotte resumed her affair with her cousin Antonin Nompar de Caumont, Marquis de Puyguilhem.

King Louis XIV of France; Credit – Wikipedia

King Louis XIV, who was beginning to lose interest in his mistress Louise de la Vallière, began a relationship with Catherine-Charlotte in 1665. This was actually a plot by Henrietta, Duchess of Orléans to distract the king from Louise in the hopes that he would return her. King Louis XIV ordered Catherine-Charlotte’s cousin and lover, the Marquis de Puyguilhem, to leave Paris. When Puyguilhem refused to obey, he was sent to the Bastille for six months. When Puyguilhem was released from the Bastille, Catherine-Charlotte’s affair with King Louis XIV was already over. Apparently, one night Louis XIV did not find the key to Catherine-Charlotte’s room in its usual place because it had been taken by another. Louis XIV did not return to Henrietta but began his long-time affair with Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, also known as Madame de Montespan.

Because of all the rumors swirling around his wife regarding her affairs, Louis I, Prince of Monaco decided to join his brother-in-law Armand de Gramont, Count of Guiche in the Anglo-Dutch Wars fighting for the Dutch. While Louis was at war, Catherine-Charlotte remained at court and her affairs were scandalous. Among her affairs was one with Philippe, Chevalier de Lorraine, the lover of King Louis XIV’s brother and Henrietta’s husband, Philippe I, Duke of Orléans.

In 1672, Louis and Catherine-Charlotte separated. Catherine-Charlotte obtained a position as a lady-in-waiting to Louis XIV’s mistress Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, but the position lasted for only one year. In the following years, she became seriously ill, probably with cancer. Catherine-Charlotte died at the Palais Royal in Paris, France on June 4, 1678, at the age of 39. She was buried at the now destroyed Convent of the Capuchins in Paris, France. Catherine-Charlotte had not seen her husband Louis I, Prince of Monaco during the last six years of her life, and Louis showed no grief over her death. Louis survived Catherine-Charlotte by twenty-three years, dying from a stroke on January 3, 1701, aged 58, in Rome, then part of the Papal States, where he was serving as King Louis XIV’s ambassador to the Holy See in Rome.

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

Works Cited

  • Edwards, Anne, 2017. The Grimaldis of Monaco. Blue Ridge Summit: Lyons Press.
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Antoine III de Gramont – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_III_de_Gramont> [Accessed 25 January 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Catherine Charlotte de Gramont – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Charlotte_de_Gramont> [Accessed 25 January 2022].
  • Flantzer, S., 2022. Louis I, Prince of Monaco. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/louis-i-prince-of-monaco/> [Accessed 25 January 2022].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Catherine Charlotte de Gramont — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Charlotte_de_Gramont> [Accessed 25 January 2022].
  • Historyandwomen.com. 2011. Catherine Charlotte de Gramont. [online] Available at: <https://www.historyandwomen.com/2011/11/catherine-charlotte-de-gramont.html> [Accessed 15 January 2022].

Louis I, Prince of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Louis I, Prince of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Born at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco on July 25, 1642, Louis I, Prince of Monaco was the eldest of the four children and the only son of Hercule Grimaldi, Marquis of Baux and Maria Aurelia Spinola. Louis’ paternal grandparents were Honoré II, Prince of Monaco and Ippolita Trivulzio who came from a noble Italian family. His maternal grandparents were Luca Spinola, Prince of Molfetta and Pellina Spinola who were both members of the House of Spinola, a powerful and influential family from the Republic of Genoa. Louis’ godparents were King Louis XIII of France, after whom he was named, and Louis XIII’s wife Anne of Austria.

Louis had three younger sisters:

  • Maria Ippolita Grimaldi (1644 – 1694), married Carlo Emaneule Filiberto de Simiane, 3rd Marchese di Pianezzo, Prince de Montafia, had one daughter
  • Giovanna Maria Grimaldi (1645 – ?), married Andrea Imperiali, 2nd Principe di Francavilla, had three children
  • Teresa Maria Grimaldi (1648 – 1723), married Sigismondo III d’Este, 4th Marchese di San Martino, had seven children

On August 1, 1651, Louis’ father, twenty-seven-year-old Hercule Grimaldi, Marquis of Baux, the only child and the heir of Honoré II, Prince of Monaco, went on a visit to the Convent of Carnoles in Mentone, then in Monaco but now in France. After the visit, he engaged in recreational shooting with some guards in the garden of the convent. Hercule was interested in how the gun worked and asked one of the guards to show him. The guard mishandled the gun and accidentally shot it towards Hercule and two other guards. All three were wounded. Fatally wounded in the spine, Hercule died the next day, and nine-year-old Louis became heir apparent to the throne of Monaco and would succeed his grandfather Honoré II in 1662.

Louis’ grandfather Honoré II, Prince of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1641, during the reign of Louis’ grandfather Honoré II, Monaco had become a French protectorate, and the Princes of Monaco became vassals of the Kings of France while remaining sovereign princes. Many successive Princes of Monaco and their families spent most of their lives in France and intermarried with French and Italian noble families, including Louis. King Louis XIV of France was four years older than Louis and was his contemporary.

When Louis reached a marriageable age, his grandfather Honoré II set out to find him a wife who was the daughter of a high noble at the French court. Via a marriage to a member of the French nobility, Louis’ grandfather hoped to strengthen the alliance between Monaco and France against Spain and obtain valuable connections to the French court. However, such a marriage would also benefit the family of Louis’ bride. Seven foreign princes, of which the Prince of Monaco was one, were recognized by the French Crown to owe a special loyalty to France. Called ducs et pairs étrangers (foreign dukes and peers), they were given extra privileges and took precedence over the French ducs et pairs. These foreign princes walked behind the princes of the blood royal in processions. Their wives also had privileges such as sitting on tabourets (stools) in the presence of the Queen. By marrying Louis, a future Prince of Monaco, the daughter of French noble would be assured of social, economic, and court preeminence.

Honoré II and his advisers went through a list of French nobles with marriageable daughters, and Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont was chosen. Catherine-Charlotte was the daughter of Antoine III de Gramont, Duke of Gramont, a French military commander, diplomat, and a Marshal of France, and Françoise Marguerite du Plessis, a niece of the late powerful Cardinal Richelieu (Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu), who served as the First Minister of State to King Louis XIII of France from 1624 until his death in 1642. Catherine-Charlotte and her cousin Antonin Nompar de Caumont, Marquis de Puyguilhem,  later Duke of Lauzun, fell in love, and her father refused his permission for them to marry, they became lovers. Catherine-Charlotte was twenty, three years older than her prospective groom, but it was understood that she was unmarried because her father had refused to allow her to marry her cousin. Honoré II was assured that the affair between the cousins was over and that Catherine-Charlotte’s father would agree to the marriage. Only one of those statements turned out to be true.

Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 30, 1660, 18-year-old Louis married 21-year-old Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont at the Gramont family’s Chateau de Pau located in the Pyrenees Mountains in Pau, France. The newlyweds spent the month of April at the Chateau de Pau. They then traveled to Paris where they lived on the second floor of the Gramonts’ townhouse on the Rue de l’Autriche and regularly attended the French court. Despite being married and Honoré II being assured the affair was over, Catherine-Charlotte continued her affair with her cousin Antoine Nompar de Caumont. Louis had difficulty adjusting to the change in his social position and life at the French court.

Louis and Catherine-Charlotte had six children. In 1663, they founded a convent of the Order of the Visitation of the Holy Mary (also known as the Visitandines) in Monaco. Their twin daughters became nuns at the convent.

  • Antonio I, Prince of Monaco (1661 – 1731), married Marie of Lorraine, had six daughters including his successor Louise Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco
  • Maria Teresa Carlotta Grimaldi (1662 – 1738), twin of Jeanne Maria, a Visitandine nun in Monaco, later Abbess of the Visitandine convent in Monaco
  • Jeanne Maria Grimaldi (1662 – 1741) twin of Maria Teresa, a Visitandine nun in Monaco, later Abbess of the Abbey of Royallieu near Compiègne, France
  • Teresa Maria Aurelia Grimaldi (1663 – 1675), died in childhood
  • Anna Hippolyte Grimaldi (1664 – 1700), married Jacques de Crussol, Duc d’Uzès, no children
  • François Honoré Grimaldi, Archbishop of Besançon (1669 – 1748 – link in French)

After a reign of fifty-eight years, Honoré II, Prince of Monaco, Louis’ grandfather, died in 1662, and 20-year-old Louis became Prince of Monaco. Louis needed to return to Monaco and Catherine-Charlotte was forced to accompany him against her will. In 1665, Catherine-Charlotte left her husband and children in Monaco and returned to the French court because she found life at the Monaco court boring.

Upon returning to the French court, Catherine-Charlotte was appointed a lady-in-waiting to Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans, the first wife of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the only sibling of King Louis XIV. Catherine-Charlotte resumed her affair with her cousin and had affairs with many others including a brief affair with King Louis XIV. Because of all the rumors swirling around his wife regarding her affairs, Louis I decided to join his brother-in-law Armand de Gramont, Count of Guiche in the Anglo-Dutch Wars fighting for the Dutch. Louis distinguished himself at the 1666 Four Days’ Battle between the English and Dutch fleets.

In 1672, Louis and Catherine-Charlotte separated. Catherine-Charlotte obtained a position as a lady-in-waiting to Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, mistress of King Louis XIV, but the position lasted for only one year. In the following years, she became seriously ill, probably with cancer. Catherine-Charlotte died at the Palais Royal in Paris, France on June 4, 1678, at the age of 39. She was buried at the now destroyed Convent of the Capuchins in Paris, France. Catherine-Charlotte had not seen her husband Louis during the last six years of her life and Louis showed no grief over her death.

In 1674, Louis commanded the military campaign that led to the reconquest from Spain of the Franche-Comté, a cultural and historical region of eastern France. Following the example of King Louis XIV’s legal codification efforts in France, Louis I issued the Principality of Monaco’s first legal code, known as the Code Louis, in 1678. In 1699, King Louis XIV of France named Louis the ambassador of the King of France to the Holy See in Rome.

Entrance to the common vault where the Grimaldi family members originally buried at the Church of St. Nicholas are buried; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Louis I, Prince of Monaco, aged 58, died on January 3, 1701, in Rome, then part of the Papal States, from apoplexy, the term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. He was buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Monaco. During the late 19th century, a new and larger church, the Cathedral of Monaco, was built on the site of the Church of Saint Nicholas. The original church was demolished in 1874 but the current cathedral was built over the areas of the previous church and the old burial site so that the sovereign princes and consorts originally buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas are now buried in the Cathedral of Monaco.

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

Works Cited

  • Edwards, Anne, 2017. The Grimaldis of Monaco. Blue Ridge Summit: Lyons Press.
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Louis I, Prince of Monaco – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_I,_Prince_of_Monaco> [Accessed 15 January 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Honoré II, Prince of Monaco. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/honore-ii-prince-of-monaco/> [Accessed 14 January 2022].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Louis Ier (prince de Monaco) — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Ier_(prince_de_Monaco)> [Accessed 15 January 2022].
  • Genealogics.org. 2022. Ercole II de Monaco, Marquis des Baux : Genealogics. [online] Available at: <https://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00047483&tree=LEO> [Accessed 15 January 2022].
  • geni_family_tree. 2022. Louis I Grimaldi, II. prince de Monaco. [online] Available at: <https://www.geni.com/people/Louis-I-Grimaldi-II-prince-de-Monaco/5294756233670132138> [Accessed 15 January 2022].
  • Historyandwomen.com. 2011. Catherine Charlotte de Gramont. [online] Available at: <https://www.historyandwomen.com/2011/11/catherine-charlotte-de-gramont.html> [Accessed 15 January 2022].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2022. Luigi I di Monaco – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luigi_I_di_Monaco> [Accessed 15 January 2022].

Ippolita Trivulzio, Princess of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Ippolita Trivulzio, Princess of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Ippolita Trivulzio was the wife of Honoré II, the first Prince of Monaco, and therefore she was the first Princess Consort of Monaco. From 1331 – 1612, the rulers of Monaco were styled Lord of Monaco. In 1612, Honoré II began to style himself as Prince of Monaco. Born circa 1600 in the Duchy of Milan, now in Italy, Ippolita was the only daughter and the third of the four children of Carlo Emanuele Teodoro Trivulzio, Count of Melzo (1565 – 1605) and Caterina Gonzaga (1574 – 1615).

Ippolita had three brothers:

  • Gian Giacomo Teodoro Trivulzio, 1st Prince of Musocco (1597 – 1656), married Jeanne Marie Grimaldi (sister of Honoré II) had two children, after the death of his wife in 1620, he became a priest and was created a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in 1629
  • Girolamo Trivulzio (died young)
  • Alfonso Trivulzio (1600 – 1621), unmarried

Ippolita’s father Carlo Emanuele Teodoro Trivulzio was in the service of the Spanish army and fought in the Eighty Years’ War (1568 – 1648), initially a revolt of the Seventeen Provinces, today’s Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, against King Felipe II of Spain, who was also the sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands. Carlo Emanuele died in battle in 1605 when his children were very young. The education and upbringing of Ippolita and her siblings depended solely on their widowed mother and Ippolita, the only daughter, received her education from nuns in a convent.

Ippolita’s husband Honoré II, Prince of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

When Honoré II, Prince of Monaco reached the age of majority, a marriage to provide an heir was one of the first issues to be solved. Honore’s sister Jeanne Marie was married to Ippolita’s brother and marriage to Ippolita was a simple and suitable solution. Fifteen-year-old Ippolita and nineteen-year-old Honoré were married on February 13, 1616.

Hercule Grimaldi, Marquis of Baux; Credit – Wikipedia

Ippolita and Honoré’s marriage was happy and they had one son:

Honoré II spent much time extending, rebuilding, and transforming what was originally the 1191 fortress of his Grimaldi ancestors into what is today’s Prince’s Palace of Monaco. Court customs and religious ceremonies were devised to create a connection between the monarchy and the people of Monaco. Ippolita was given a bigger role than her predecessors and participated in the decision-making.

Ippolita died on June 20, 1638, at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco at the age of thirty-seven. She was buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Monaco. During the late 19th century, a new and larger church, the Cathedral of Monaco, was built on the site of the Church of Saint Nicholas. The original church was demolished in 1874 but the current cathedral was built over the areas of the previous church and the old burial site so that the sovereign princes and consorts originally buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas are now buried in the Cathedral of Monaco.

Entrance to the common vault where the Grimaldi family members originally buried at the Church of St. Nicholas are buried; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Sadly, Ippolita’s son Hercule had an early death. On August 1, 1651, twenty-seven-year-old Hercule went on a visit to the Convent of Carnoles in Mentone, then in Monaco but now in France. After the visit, he engaged in some recreational shooting with some guards in the garden of the convent. Hercule was interested in how the gun worked and asked one of the guards to show him. The guard mishandled the gun and accidentally shot it towards Hercule and two other guards. All three were wounded. Fatally wounded in the spine, Hercule died the next day. He was buried at the Church of St. Nicholas.

Honoré survived his wife Ippolita by twenty-four years, dying on January 10, 1662, after a reign of fifty-eight years, at the age of 64, and was buried with his wife at the Church of St. Nicholas. He was succeeded by his twenty-year-old grandson Louis I, Prince of Monaco.

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

Works Cited

  • Edwards, Anne, 2017. The Grimaldis of Monaco. Blue Ridge Summit: Lyons Press.
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Ippolita Trivulzio – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ippolita_Trivulzio> [Accessed 5 January 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Honoré II, Prince of Monaco. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/honore-ii-prince-of-monaco/> [Accessed 5 January 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Deaths from Firearms Accidents. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-deaths-from-firearms-accidents/> [Accessed 5 January 2022].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2022. Carlo Emanuele Teodoro Trivulzio – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Emanuele_Teodoro_Trivulzio> [Accessed 5 January 2022].
  • It.wikipedia.org. 2022. Ippolita Trivulzio – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ippolita_Trivulzio> [Accessed 5 January 2022].

Honoré II, Prince of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Honoré II, Prince of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

From 1331 – 1612, the rulers of Monaco were styled Lord of Monaco. Honoré II was the first Prince of Monaco. Born in Monaco on December 24, 1597, Honoré II, Prince of Monaco was the only son and the second of the three children of Hercule, Lord of Monaco (1562 – 1604) and Maria Landi (? – 1599), a member of a noble family from Piacenza, now in northern Italy. Honoré II’s paternal grandparents were Honoré I, Lord of Monaco (1522 – 1581) and Isabella Grimaldi (? – 1583). His maternal grandparents were Italian noble Claudio Landi, 3rd Prince of Val di Taro (? – 1589) and Juana Fernández de Córdoba y Milá de Aragón, a descendant of the Royal House of Aragon through her mother.

Honoré had two sisters:

Honoré lost both his parents in childhood. When he was two years old, his mother died on January 19, 1599, due to childbirth complications after the birth of her third child. On November 29, 1604, Honoré’s father Hercule, Lord of Monaco was stabbed to death while walking through the streets of Monaco at night. His body was dumped into the sea by the murderer(s) and was later found washed up on the shore. The cause of his murder remains unclear. A month short of his seventh birthday, Honoré succeeded his father as Lord of Monaco. For their protection, Honoré and his two sisters were hidden until their maternal uncle Feredico Landi, 4th Prince of Val di Taro (? – 1630), arrived to rule as regent, a position he held until 1616. Feredico Landi was a loyal ally of Spain and he allowed the occupation of Monaco by Spanish troops in 1605.

In 1612, Honoré II started using the title of Prince, becoming the first Prince of Monaco. Monaco was recognized as a sovereign principality by King Felipe IV of Spain in 1633 and by King Louis XIII of France in the Treaty of Péronne of 1641. Under the Treaty of Péronne, the Principality of Monaco became a French protectorate and the Spanish troops in Monaco were finally removed. The Princes of Monaco became vassals of the Kings of France while remaining sovereign princes. Many successive Princes of Monaco and their families spent most of their lives in France and intermarried with French and Italian noble families.

Because of the treaty with France, Honoré lost his Spanish lands and their income. To make up for the loss, King Louis XIII gave Honoré the Duchy of Valentinois, the Marquisate of Baux, the County of Carladès, the City of Chabeuil, the Baronies of Calvinet, Buis, and the Lordship of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Although the lands connected to these titles eventually reverted to France, some of these titles have been bestowed upon members of the Princely Family of Monaco over the years. The Marquis of Baux has become the traditional title of the heir apparent to the throne of Monaco. Albert I, Prince of Monaco gave his granddaughter Charlotte the title Duchess of Valentinois in 1919. In 2014, upon the birth of his twins Princess Gabriella and Hereditary Prince Jacques, Albert II, Prince of Monaco created them the Countess of Carladès and the Marquis of Baux. Albert II had also held the title Marquis of Baux while he was the heir apparent.

Honoré’s wife Ippolita Trivulzio, Princess of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

On February 13, 1616, Honoré married Ippolita Trivulzio, the daughter of the Italian nobles Carlo Emanuele Teodoro Trivulzio, Count of Melzo and Caterina Gonzaga. Ippolita’s brother Gian Giacomo Teodoro Trivulzio had married Honoré’s sister Jeanne Marie in 1615. Ippolita predeceased her husband, dying on June 20, 1638, at the age of 37.

Hercule Grimaldi, Marquis of Baux; Credit – Wikipedia

Honoré and Ippolita had one son:

On August 1, 1651, Honoré’s son and heir, twenty-seven-year-old Hercule, Marquis of Baux, went on a visit to the Convent of Carnoles in Mentone, then in Monaco but now in France. After the visit, he engaged in some recreational shooting with some guards in the garden of the convent. Hercule was interested in how the gun worked and asked one of the guards to show him. The guard mishandled the gun and accidentally shot it towards Hercule and two other guards. All three were wounded. Fatally wounded in the spine, Hercule died the next day. Hercule’s nine-year-old son Louis became heir apparent and succeeded his grandfather Honoré II as Louis I, Prince of Monaco.

The palace of Honoré I, Lord of Monaco, the grandfather of Honoré II (on the left) and the palace of Honoré II with some additions by Louis I, Honoré II’s grandson and successor (on the right)

During his reign, Honoré II did much to extend, rebuild, and transform what was originally the  1191 fortress of his Grimaldi ancestors into what is today’s Prince’s Palace of Monaco. Honoré I, Lord of Monaco, the grandfather of Honoré II, had done some renovations but his palace still had a grim, fortress-like appearance. Over a 30-year period, Honoré II transformed his grandfather’s palace into a palace suitable for a prince. Well-educated and a patron of the arts, Honoré II began collecting artworks by Albrecht Dürer, Michelangelo, Raphael, Peter Paul Rubens, and Titian which formed the basis of the art collection at the palace.

Today’s Prince’s Palace in the right foreground; Credit – By Nathanaël Martel – nat.fam-martel.eu, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6296088

After a reign of fifty-eight years, Honoré II, Prince of Monaco died in Monaco on January 10, 1662, at the age of 64. He was buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Monaco. During the late 19th century, a new and larger church, the Cathedral of Monaco, was built on the site of the Church of Saint Nicholas. The original church was demolished in 1874 but the current cathedral was built over the areas of the previous church and the old burial site so that the sovereign princes and consorts originally buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas are now buried in the Cathedral of Monaco.

Entrance to the common vault where the Grimaldi family members originally buried at the Church of St. Nicholas are buried; Credit – www.findagrave.com

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

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Honoré II. (Monaco) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor%C3%A9_II._(Monaco)> [Accessed 3 January 2022].
  • Edwards, Anne, 2017. The Grimaldis of Monaco. Blue Ridge Summit: Lyons Press.
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Honoré II, Prince of Monaco – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor%C3%A9_II,_Prince_of_Monaco> [Accessed 3 January 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Prince’s Palace of Monaco – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince%27s_Palace_of_Monaco> [Accessed 3 January 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Deaths from Firearms Accidents. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-deaths-from-firearms-accidents/> [Accessed 3 January 2022].
  • Hello Monaco. 2021. Hercule I, Doctor of Law and Father of The First Prince of Monaco. [online] Available at: <https://www.hellomonaco.com/sightseeing/grimaldi-family/hercule-i-doctor-of-law-and-father-of-the-first-prince-of-monaco-en/> [Accessed 3 January 2022].
  • Palais.mc. 2022. Prince’s Palace of Monaco. [online] Available at: <https://www.palais.mc/en/the-institution/the-prince-s-palace-of-monaco-1-16.html> [Accessed 3 January 2022].

Countess Franziska Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau, Princess of Liechtenstein

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Franziska Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau, Princess of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Countess Franziska Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau was the wife of Alois II, Prince of Liectenstein who reigned from 1836 – 1858. Born Franziska de Paula Barbara Romana Bernharda on August 8, 1813, in Vienna, Austria, she was the second of the two daugters and the third of the five children of Count Franz de Paula Kinsky of Wchinitz und Tettau (1784 – 1823) and Countess Therese of Wrbna and Freudenthal (1789 – 1874).

Franziska had four siblings:

  • Countess Maria Anna Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau (1809 – 1892), married Friedrich Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels, had seven children
  • Count Dominik Kinsky of Wchinitz und Tettau (1810 – 1875), unmarried
  • Count Rudolf Kinsky of Wchinitz und Tettau, (1815 – 1889), unmarried
  • Count Eugene Kinsky of Wchinitz und Tettau, married Maria Zauner (1818 – 1885), had eight children

The Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau family was a prominent noble family from the Kingdom of Bohemia, then part of the Austria Empire, now part of the Czech Republic. The family served the Habsburgs during the Holy Roman Empire and the Austrian Empire. Like many of the aristocratic families, the Kinskys were great landowners and patrons of the arts. They resided in the Palais Kinsky in Vienna, Austria, the Kinsky Palace in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, the Karlova Koruna Chateau in the Kingdom of Bohemia, and the Burg Heidenreichstein in Lower Austria, Austrian Empire. Franziska’s paternal uncle Ferdinand, 5th Prince Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau was an important patron of composer Ludwig van Beethoven and provided him with an annual salary until Beethoven’s death.

Alois II, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 8, 1831, in Vienna, Austria, 18-year-old Franziska married 35-year-old Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein. Upon the death of his father Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein on April 20, 1836, Alois became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein and Franziska became the Princess Consort.

Franziska and Alois had eleven children:

Alois II, Prince of Liechtenstein, aged 62, died on November 12, 1858, and was succeeded by his 18-year-old son Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein. From 1859 – 1860, Johann’s mother Franziska served as regent while her son traveled through Europe, expanding the Liechtenstein art collection and learning about botany, archeology, and geography. Johann, Prince II of Liechtenstein is one of the world’s longest-reigning monarchs – he reigned for 70 years, 91 days. He never married and was succeeded by his brother Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein.

Haus Gutenberg, the school founded by Franziska is still in existence; Credit – Von HausGutenberg – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72672336

Franziska founded the first charitable fund for orphans in Liechtenstein and also founded a secondary school for girls, the Haus Gutenberg (link in German) in Balzers, Liechtenstein, which is still in existence. In 1870, she bought the Wartenstein Castle in Raach am Hochgebirge, Austria, and renovated it in the Romantic style. The castle remained in the family until 1957.

The New Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic; Credit – Wikipedia

Franziska survived her husband by twenty-three years, dying on February 5, 1881, aged 67, in Vienna, Austria. She was buried with her husband in the New Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic.

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

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Franziska Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franziska_Kinsky_von_Wchinitz_und_Tettau> [Accessed 17 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Countess Franziska Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countess_Franziska_Kinsky_of_Wchinitz_and_Tettau> [Accessed 17 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Kinsky – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinsky> [Accessed 17 December 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Countess Franziska Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau, Princess of Liechtenstein. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/alois-ii-prince-of-liechtenstein/> [Accessed 17 December 2021].
  • geni_family_tree. 2021. Franz de Paula Joseph Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau. [online] Available at: <https://www.geni.com/people/Franz-de-Paula-Joseph-Kinsky-von-Wchinitz-und-Tettau/6000000013492930469> [Accessed 17 December 2021].

Alois II, Prince of Liechtenstein

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Alois II, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Alois II, Prince of Liechtenstein reigned from 1836 – 1858. Born Alois Maria Josef Johann Baptista Joachim Philipp Nerius on May 26, 1796, the feast day of St. Philip Neri, whose name he bears, in Vienna, Austria, he was the third of the fourteen children and the eldest of the seven sons of Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein and Landgravine Josefa of Fürstenberg-Weitra. Since Alois’ father Johann Josef was a high-ranking officer of the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire and then the Imperial Army Austrian Empire, the family spent much time in Vienna, Austria.

Alois had thirteen siblings:

  • Princess Maria Leopoldine of Liechtenstein (1793 – 1808), died in her teens
  • Princess Karoline of Liechtenstein (born and died 1795), died in infancy
  • Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein (1798 – 1869), married Count Vincenz Esterházy von Galántha, no children
  • Princess Maria Josepha of Liechtenstein (1800 – 1884), unmarried
  • Prince Franz de Paula of Liechtenstein (1802 – 1887), married Countess Julia Potocka, had four children. Their great-grandson was Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein
  • Prince Karl Johann of Liechtenstein (1803 – 1871), married Countess Rosalie d’Hemricourt von Grünne, had three children
  • Princess Klothilda of Liechtenstein (1804 – 1807), died in childhood
  • Princess Henriette of Liechtenstein (1806 – 1886), married Count Joseph Hunyady von Kethély (link in German), had six children
  • Prince Friedrich of Liechtenstein (link in German) (1807 – 1885), married famous German opera singer Sophie Löwe who left the opera to marry Friedrich, no children
  • Prince Eduard Franz of Liechtenstein (1809 – 1864), married Countess Honoria Choloniowa-Choloniewska, had two children
  • Prince Ludwig of Liechtenstein (1810 – 1824), died in his teens
  • Princess Ida Leopoldine of Liechtenstein (1811 – 1884), married Karl 4th Fürst Paar, Baron auf Hartberg und Krottenstein, had seven children
  • Prince Rudolf of Liechtenstein (1816 – 1848), unmarried

Alois’ early education was supervised by the French priest Abbe Werner. As he grew older, specialist tutors instructed him in various disciplines including Leopold Trautmann, professor of agriculture at the University of Vienna, and Friedrich von Schlegel, German literary critic and philosopher. In 1818, Alois took an educational trip to Italy, where he visited famous museums, art galleries, and churches. Two years later, he took another educational trip to England and Scotland.

Countess Franziska Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 8, 1831, in Vienna, Austria, Alois married Countess Franziska Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau, the daughter of Count Franz de Paula Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau and Countess Therese of Wrbna and Freudenthal.

Alois and Franziska had eleven children:

Alois II, Prince of Liechtenstein in the ceremonial robes of the Order of the Golden Fleece; Credit – Wikipedia

Upon the death of his father Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein on April 20, 1836, Alois became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein. In 1837, Alois went to the United Kingdom on a diplomatic mission and attended the coronation of Queen Victoria. Like his father and grandfather, Alois continued to modernize his estates and reorganize their administration. Prince Alois II was the first reigning prince to visit the Principality of Liechtenstein, as we know it today, but he did not live there. Previously and at that time, the Princes of Liechtenstein lived in their palaces in Vienna, Austria and on their estates in Moravia, then in the Kingdom of Bohemia, part of the Austrian Empire, now in the Czech Republic. Alois’ son Franz I (reigned 1929 – 1938) was the first Prince of Liechtenstein to spend a substantial amount of time in the actual Principality of Liechtenstein.

Alois was politically conservative. In the aftermath of the Revolutions of 1848, and at the insistence of the citizens of the Principality of Liechtenstein, Alois gave the principality a more liberal constitution but suspended it in 1852 and returned to a more absolutist government. Alois was active in the Imperial Agricultural Society in Vienna and served as its president from 1849 – 1858. He belonged to a total of 74 humanitarian, scientific, and industrial associations and was extremely generous in his charitable donations.

The New Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic; Credit – Wikipedia

Alois II, Prince of Liechtenstein, aged 62, died on November 12, 1858, at Lednice Castle in Eisgrub, Moravia, Kingdom of Bohemia, part of the Austrian Empire, now Lednice, Czech Republic. He was buried in the New Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic.

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

Works Cited

  • Cs.wikipedia.org. 2021. Alois II. z Lichtenštejna – Wikipedie. [online] Available at: <https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alois_II._z_Lichten%C5%A1tejna> [Accessed 16 December 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Alois II. (Liechtenstein) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alois_II._(Liechtenstein)> [Accessed 16 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Aloys II, Prince of Liechtenstein – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloys_II,_Prince_of_Liechtenstein> [Accessed 16 December 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/johann-i-josef-prince-of-liechtenstein/> [Accessed 14 December 2021].
  • Fuerstenhaus.li. 2021. Century: 19th century. [online] Available at: <https://fuerstenhaus.li/en/die-biographien-aller-fuersten/19-century/> [Accessed 16 December 2021].

Landgravine Josefa of Fürstenberg-Weitra, Princess of Liechtenstein

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Josefa of Fürstenberg-Weitra, Princess of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Landgravine Josefa of Fürstenberg-Weitra was the wife of Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein who reigned in Liechtenstein from 1805 – 1836. Born on June 21, 1776, in Vienna, Austria, Maria Josefa Sophie was the eldest of the five daughters and the fourth of the eight children of Joachim Egon, Landgrave of Fürstenberg-Weitra (1749 – 1828) and Countess Sophia Maria of Oettingen-Wallerstein (1751 – 1835). The House of Fürstenberg-Weitra was a cadet branch of the Princely House of Fürstenberg, originally from Donaueschingen in Swabia, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. After 1744, the Landgraves of Fürstenberg-Weitra resided at Weitra Castle (link in German) in Weitra, Austria, a Renaissance castle close to the border with the Kingdom of Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Josefa’s father Joachim Egon, Landgrave of Fürstenberg-Weitra held several positions at the imperial court in Vienna, eventually serving as the Hofmarschall, the chief administrative official in charge of the imperial court, supervising all its activities. Because of her father’s positions at the imperial court, Josefa’s family spent much of their time in Vienna.

Josefa had seven siblings:

  • Friedrich Karl, Landgrave of Fürstenberg-Weitra (1774 – 1856), married Princess Maria Theresa of Walburg von Schwarzenberg, had ten children
  • Philip Carl of Fürstenberg-Weitra (1775 – 1807), a canon at St. Gereon’s Basilica in the Free Imperial City of Cologne
  • Franz Ludwig of Fürstenberg-Weitra (1783 – 1800), died in his teens
  • Carolina Sophia of Fürstenberg-Weitra (1777 – 1846), married Prince Karl Joachim of Fürstenberg, no childrem
  • Eleanor Sophia of Fürstenberg-Weitra (1779 – 1849), became a nun
  • Maria Sophia of Fürstenberg-Weitra (1781 – 1800), became a nun
  • Elizabeth Maria of Fürstenberg-Weitra (1784 – 1865, Vienna), married Prince Johann Josef Norbert of Trautmansdorf-Weinsberg, had four children

Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 12, 1792, in Vienna, Austria, Josefa married the future Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein, son of Franz Josef I, Prince of Liechtenstein and Countess Marie Leopoldine von Sternberg. Josefa and Johann Josef had fourteen children who were all born in Vienna, Austria including Alois II, Prince of Liechtenstein who succeeded his father. Since the Principality of Liechtenstein was a constituent member of the Holy Roman Empire headed by the Habsburgs and Johann Josef was a high-ranking officer of the Imperial Army, the family spent much time in Vienna, Austria. Upon the death of his childless brother Alois I, Prince of Liechtenstein on March 24, 1805, Johan Josef became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein and Josefa became the Princess Consort of Liechtenstein.

Josefa and Johann Josef’s children:

Josefa was a supporter of composer Ludwig van Beethoven, who dedicated his 1801 Piano Sonata No. 13 in E-flat major, Op. 27 No. 1 “Quasi una fantasia” to her. Josefa received the honors Dame of the Imperial Court and Dame of the Order of the Starry Cross, an imperial Austrian dynastic order for Catholic noble ladies, founded in 1668. The order still exists under the House of Habsburg even though the Austrian Empire no longer exists.

The New Crypt, which Johann Josef had built, at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 20, 1836, Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein, aged 75, died at Liechtenstein Palace in Vienna, Austria. He was buried in the New Crypt, which he had built, at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. Josefa survived her husband by twelve years dying at the age of 72 on February 23, 1848. She was buried with her husband.

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

Works Cited

  • Bg.wikipedia.org. 2021. Йоахим Егон фон Фюрстенберг-Вайтра – Уикипедия. [online] Available at: <https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%99%D0%BE%D0%B0%D1%85%D0%B8%D0%BC_%D0%95%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%BD_%D1%84%D0%BE%D0%BD_%D0%A4%D1%8E%D1%80%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B1%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B3-%D0%92%D0%B0%D0%B9%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0> [Accessed 14 December 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Josefa zu Fürstenberg-Weitra – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josefa_zu_F%C3%BCrstenberg-Weitra> [Accessed 14 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Landgravine Josepha of Fürstenberg-Weitra – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landgravine_Josepha_of_F%C3%BCrstenberg-Weitra> [Accessed 14 December 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/johann-i-josef-prince-of-liechtenstein/> [Accessed 14 December 2021].
  • geni_family_tree. 2021. Landgraf Joachim Egon von Fürstenberg-Weitra. [online] Available at: <https://www.geni.com/people/Landgraf-Joachim-von-F%C3%BCrstenberg-Weitra/6000000007416697920> [Accessed 14 December 2021].