by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Charles I, King of England, King of Scots (1600 – 1649)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

Charles I was born at Dunfermline Palace in Fife, Scotland while his father was only King of Scots. He was the second son and fourth of the seven children of James VI, King of Scots (later also King James I of England) and Anne of Denmark. Charles’ paternal grandparents were Mary, Queen of Scots and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, who were both grandchildren of Margaret Tudor, elder sister of King Henry VIII of England. His maternal grandparents were King Frederik II of Denmark and Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. When Queen Elizabeth I of England died, Charles’ father also became King James I of England. Since none of the children of King Henry VIII of England had children, James was the senior heir of King Henry VII of England through his eldest daughter Margaret Tudor. The family then moved to England.

Charles was not expected to be king as he had an elder brother Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales who was named after his grandfathers. When 18-year-old Henry died from typhoid fever, Charles became heir to the thrones of England and Scotland. He married Henrietta Maria, the youngest child of King Henri IV of France and his second wife, Marie de’ Medici. They had nine children including King Charles II and King James II.

Charles had issues with Parliament, clashing with its members over financial, political and religious issues. The situation got worse when Charles committed the unprecedented act of entering the House of Commons with an armed guard and demanding the arrest of five Members of Parliament. There was a great public outcry, Charles fled London and civil war appeared inevitable. The English Civil War led to Charles being tried and convicted for treason and other high crimes. He was beheaded at the Palace of Whitehall in London where a scaffold had been built outside the Banqueting House.

King Charles I shared his first cousins with his siblings Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales; Elizabeth Stuart, Electress Palatine of the Rhine; Margaret Stuart; Robert, Duke of Kintyre; Mary Stuart; and Sophia Stuart.  Charles I had no paternal aunts and uncles because his father King James I was an only child. Therefore, Charles I had no paternal first cousins.

• Unofficial Royalty: Charles I, King of England, King of Scots

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Maternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of King Frederik II of Denmark and Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow

• Elisabeth of Denmark, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1573 – 1626), married Heinrich Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, had five sons and five daughters
• King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway (1577 – 1648), married (1) Anne Catherine of Brandenburg, had four sons and two daughters (2) morganatically Kirsten Munk, had eight daughters and two sons
• Ulrik of Denmark, Prince-Bishop of Schwerin (1578 – 1624), morganatically married Katarina Hahn-Hinrichshagen
• Hans August of Denmark (born and died 1579), died in infancy
• Augusta of Denmark, Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp (1580 – 1639), married Johann Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, had four sons and four daughters
• Hedwig of Denmark, Electress of Saxony (1581 – 1641), married Christian II, Elector of Saxony, no children
• Hans of Denmark (1583 – 1602), unmarried

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Elisabeth of Denmark, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Heinrich Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

Friedrich Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1591 – 1634)

Because of his alcoholism, Friedrich Ulrich was temporarily deposed by his mother with the help of her brother King Christian IV of Denmark. Eventually, he was allowed to regain control but his ineffective rule caused the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg to lose much territory during the Thirty Years’ War. Friedrich Ulrich married Anna Sophia of Brandenburg but their marriage was unhappy and they had no children.

• Wikipedia: Friedrich Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

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Sophia Hedwig of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Countess of Nassau-Dietz (1592 – 1642)

Sophia Hedwig married Ernst Casimir I, Count of Nassau-Dietz and had four sons and two daughters but only two sons survived childhood. After the death of her husband, Sophia Hedwig was instrumental in limiting the damage to the County of Nassau-Dietz during the Thirty Years’ War.

• Wikipedia: Sophia Hedwig of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Countess of Nassau-Dietz

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Elisabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg (1593 – 1650)

When Elisabeth was 19-years-old, she married August, Duke of Saxony. The couple had no children and August died suddenly after three years of marriage. She made a second marriage to Johann Philip, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and had one daughter. Through their daughter Elisabeth Sophie who married Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha, Elisabeth and Johann Philip are the ancestors of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

• Wikipedia: Elisabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg

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Hedwig of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Pomerania (1595 – 1650)

Hedwig married Ulrich, Duke of Pomerania but the marriage was childless. Ulrich died three years after the marriage. Hedwig never remarried. She wore mourning clothes for the rest of her life and devoted herself to charity.

• Wikipedia: Hedwig of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Pomerania

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Dorothea of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Margravine of Brandenburg (1596 – 1643)

Dorothea was the first of the three wives of Christian Wilhelm, Margrave of Brandenburg. The couple had one daughter. During their marriage, Dorothea’s husband converted to Roman Catholicism and he tried to influence their daughter Sophie Elisabeth to also convert. Dorothea sent her daughter to live with her sister Hedwig to prevent the conversion.

• Wikipedia: Dorothea of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Margravine of Brandenburg (in German)

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Heinrich Julius of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1597 – 1606), died in childhood

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Christian the Younger of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1599 – 1626)

Christian was titular Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Halberstadt, and a German Protestant military leader during the early years of the Thirty Years’ War. He never married and died on battle wounds at the age of 26.

• Wikipedia: Christian the Younger of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

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Rudolf’s tomb; Credit – Von Mogadir – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29388237

Rudolf of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1602 – 1616)

Rudolf died two days before his 14th birthday while studying at the University of Tübingen, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, and was buried in the Tübingen Collegiate Church.

• Wikipedia: Rudolf of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (in German)

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Heinrich Karl of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1609 – 1615), died in childhood

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Anna Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Countess of Nassau-Dillenburg (1612 – 1673)

Anna married Georg Ludwig, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, who was the Hereditary Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg. He never became Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg because he predeceased his father. Anna and Georg Ludwig had five daughters and one son.

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway and his first wife Anne Catherine of Brandenburg

Frederik of Denmark (born and died 1599), died in infancy

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Christian, Prince-Elect of Denmark (1603 – 1647)

Christian was appointed by the Royal Council as heir to the throne of Denmark. He was a great collector of antiques and works of art. He married Magdalene Sibylle of Saxony, daughter of the Johann Georg I, Elector of Saxony, but the couple had no children. As a result of his unhealthy lifestyle, Christian predeceased his father.

• Wikipedia: Christian, Prince-Elect of Denmark

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Sophie of Denmark (born and died 1605), died in infancy

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Elisabeth of Denmark (1606 – 1608), died in childhood

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Frederik III, King of Denmark and Norway (1609 – 1670)

During his childhood and early adulthood, Frederik had no prospect of becoming. However, when he was 38-years-old, his elder brother Christian died and Frederik was elected heir by the Royal Council. During Frederik’s reign, an absolute monarchy was established which lasted almost 150 years in Norway and over 200 years in Denmark. Frederik married Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg and had three sons and five daughters including George who married Queen Anne of Great Britain.

• Wikipedia: Frederik III, King of Denmark and Norway

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Ulrik of Denmark, Prince-Bishop of Schwerin (1611 – 1633)

When Ulrik was 13-years-old, he was appointed administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Schwerin. During the Thirty Years’ War, fought between various Protestant and Catholic states in the Holy Roman Empire, Ulrik served in the army of the Electorate of Saxony. After a dinner with imperial officers during a truce, Ulrik was fatally wounded by an unexpected shot fired an imperial knight and died the next evening.

• Wikipedia: Ulrik of Denmark, Prince-Bishop of Schwerin

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway and his morganatic second wife Kirsten Munk

Christian IV’s morganatic wife and their children were given the title Count or Countess of Schleswig-Holstein.

Countess Anna Catharine of Schleswig-Holstein (1618 – 1633)

Anna Catharine married Frands Rantzau, who had become a member of the Danish Council of State and a state governor in Copenhagen at the age of only 22. Frands drowned in the moat at Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen after a party with Anna Catharine’s father. The following year, 15-year-old Anna Catharine died.

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Countess Sophie Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein (1619 – 1657)

Sophie Elisabeth married Christian von Pentz, Governor of Glückstadt and a diplomat in the service of King Christian IV.

• Wikipedia: Countess Sophie Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein

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Countess Leonora Christina of Schleswig-Holstein (1621 – 1698)

Leonora Christina married Corfitz Ulfeldt, a Danish nobleman and statesman who is considered the worst traitor in Danish history. The couple had seven sons and three daughters and through their youngest child Austrian Field Marshal Count Leo Ulfeldt, they are the ancestors of many noble and royal families. Their descendants include Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria, King Michael of Romania, Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein, Emperor Karl I of Austria-Hungary, King Peter II of Yugoslavia, King Manuel II of Portugal, and Marie Christine, Princess Michael of Kent.

Leonora Christina’s husband was rumored to have been associated with a plot to poison her half-brother King Frederik III and his family. They both left Denmark and for several years and traveled around Europe avoiding capture. Ulfeldt offered Elector Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg to incite a revolt in Denmark in order to put him on the Danish throne. The Elector himself communicated this treason to King Frederik III and Ulfeldt was tried for treason in absentia and condemned to be beheaded and quartered. Instead of submitting himself to execution, Ulfeldt apparently drowned himself in the Rhine River near Basel, Switzerland.

Leonora Christina was eventually captured and was imprisoned for 22 years in the Blue Tower of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. She was not released until the death of Queen Dowager Sophie Amalie, the widow of King Frederik III, Leonora Christina’s half-brother. While imprisoned, Leonora Christina wrote her memoirs Jammers Minde (A Memory of Lament), considered to be Denmark’s most important 17th-century prose work.

• Wikipedia: Leonora Christina, Countess Ulfeldt

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Count Valdemar Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (1622 – 1656)

Valdemar Christian was sent to Russia to marry Irina Mikhailovna, the eldest daughter of Michael, Tsar of All Russia. After arriving in Russia, Valdemar refused to convert to the Russian Orthodox religion. Valdemar was imprisoned for a year and then was finally allowed to leave Russia. He had issues with his half-brother King Frederik III because Valdemar wanted to be elected king instead of Frederik. Because of the dispute, Valdemar decided to leave Denmark. He served in the Swedish Army and was killed in battle in Poland

• Wikipedia: Count Valdemar Christian of Schleswig-Holstein

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Countess Elisabeth Auguste of Schleswig-Holstein (1623 – 1677)

Elisabeth Auguste married Hans Hansen Lindenov, a member of the Council of State and had one daughter. She was considered vulgar and was always in debt because of her gambling habit. Even after being granted a royal pension, her problems with money continued.

• Wikipedia: Countess Elisabeth Auguste of Schleswig-Holstein

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Count Friedrich Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (1625 – 1627), died in early childhood

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Countess Christiane of Schleswig-Holstein (1626 – 1670)

Christiane was the twin sister of Hedwig. At the age of ten, she was engaged to marry Hannibal Sehested, Governor-General of Norway. The marriage took place when Christiane was 16-years-old and thereafter, she left for Norway with her husband where they lived in Akershus Fortress in Oslo. Christiane and Hannibal had one daughter. Hannibal was accused of embezzlement which resulted in him surrendering all his private property in Norway to the crown. Christiane lost her title of Countess and all her private property. Eventually, they were reconciled with the Danish court and Christiane’s title and property were returned.

• Wikipedia: Countess Christiane of Schleswig-Holstein

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Countess Hedwig of Schleswig-Holstein (1626 – 1678)

Hedwig was the twin sister of Christiane. She married Ebbe Ulfeldt, a cousin of the traitor Corfitz Ulfeldt mentioned above. Ebbe was an officer in the Danish Navy and later a landscape painter. Hedwig and Ebbe had one daughter. Their marriage was unhappy and eventually, Hedwig left her husband.

• Wikipedia: Countess Hedwig of Schleswig-Holstein

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Countess Maria Katharina of Schleswig-Holstein (born and died 1628), died in infancy

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Augusta of Denmark and Duke Johann Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp

Friedrich III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp (1597 – 1659)

Friedrich married Marie Elisabeth of Saxony and had eight daughters and eight sons. Friedrich and his wife are great-great-grandparents of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia.

Friedrich had ambitious plans concerning the development of sea trade which were, for the most part, unsuccessful. His alliance with Sweden during the Thirty Years’ War which included marrying his daughter Hedwig Eleonora to King Carl X of Sweden, ultimately weakened the Duchy of Holstein-Gottorp because Sweden failed at establishing itself as a Great Power.

• Wikipedia: Friedrich III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp

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Elisabeth Sofie of Holstein-Gottorp (1599 – 1627)

Elisabeth Sofie was the first wife of Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg. They had three daughters and three sons. Elisabeth Sofie died from childbirth complications shortly after the birth of her last child who lived for only five days.

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Adolf of Holstein-Gottorp (1600 – 1631)

Adolf fought in the Thirty Years’ War for the Catholic Holy Roman Empire against the forces of his uncle King Christian IV and other Protestant rulers. He was severely wounded at the Battle of Breitenfeld and died two days later.

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Dorothea Augusta of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp (1602 – 1682)

Dorothea Augusta married Joachim Ernest, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön. They had five sons and three daughters.

• Wikipedia: Dorothea Augusta of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp

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Hedwig of Holstein-Gottorp (1603 – 1657)

Hedwig married Augustus, Count Palatine of Sulzbach and had four sons and three daughters.

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Anna of Holstein-Gottorp (1605 – 1623)

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Johann of Holstein-Gottorp (1606 – 1655)

Johann was a Lutheran Administrator of Prince-Bishopric of Lübeck. He married Julia Felicitas of Württemberg-Weiltingen and had three sons and one daughter. The marriage was very unhappy and the couple eventually divorced.

Wikipedia: Johann of Holstein-Gottorp

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Christian of Holstein-Gottorp (born and 1609), died in infancy

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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

• • Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
  • Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Charles II, King of England, King of Scots (1630 – 1685)

James II, King of England/James VII, King of Scots (1633 – 1701)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

Charles II and James II were the two eldest surviving sons of Charles I, King of England and King of Scots and Henrietta Maria of France. Their paternal grandparents were James I, King of Scots/James VI, King of Scots (the only child of Mary, Queen of Scots and her first cousin Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley) and Anne of Denmark (daughter of King Frederik II of Denmark and Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow). Their maternal grandparents were King Henri IV of France and his second wife Marie de’ Medici.

After their father was executed during the English Civil War, Charles and James lived in France, where their mother already lived in exile with their youngest sister Henriette and where their first cousin King Louis XIV was on the French throne. They also spent time in The Hague in the Dutch Republic (now the Netherlands) their sister Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange lived. After the death of Oliver Cromwell, his son Richard Cromwell ruled only for six months and there was a real possibility for the restoration of the monarchy after ten years. Parliament formally invited Charles, as King Charles II, to be the English monarch in what has become known as the Restoration.

Charles II married Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King João IV of Portugal but their marriage remained childless. Charles had at least fourteen illegitimate children whom he ennobled and officially recognized and through these children, he is the ancestor of many British aristocrats and of several women who married into the British Royal Family – Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester; Diana, Princess of Wales; Sarah, Duchess of York; and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

Charles II was succeeded by his younger brother James who had converted to Catholicism and was unpopular. James had married twice and both his wives gave birth to quite a number of children, most who died in infancy or early childhood. From James’ first marriage to Anne Hyde, only the future Queen Mary II and Queen Anne survived. James’ second wife Maria Beatrice of Modena was childless.  She had ten pregnancies and gave birth to five live children, all of whom died young. England might very well have tolerated King James II knowing that his heirs were the Protestant daughters of his first wife Anne Hyde, Mary and Anne. However, on June 10, 1688, Maria Beatrice gave birth to a son James Francis Edward. Immediately, false rumors swirled that the infant had been smuggled into the queen’s chambers in a warming pan.

Eventually, King James II was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution and lived out the rest of his life in France. Parliament offered the throne to James’ elder daughter Mary and her first cousin and husband William III, Prince of Orange. William was the only child of James II’s sister Mary, Princess Royal and was third in the line of succession to the throne after Mary and her sister Anne. William and Mary reigned jointly as Queen Mary II and King William III.

James, his wife, and his son settled at the Palace of St. Germain-en-Laye near Paris, France where a court in exile was established. After James II lost his throne, the Jacobite (from Jacobus, the Latin for James) movement formed. The goal of the Jacobites was to restore the Roman Catholic Stuart King James II of England/VII of Scotland and his heirs to the thrones of England and Scotland. James was determined to regain the throne and landed in Ireland with a French force but he was defeated by his nephew William at the Battle of the Boyne and was forced to withdraw once again to France. James spent the rest of his life in France, planning invasions that never happened. While in exile, Maria Beatrice gave birth to a daughter Louisa Maria Teresa.

Charles II and James II shared their first cousins with their siblings: Mary, Princess Royal; Princess Elizabeth; Princess Anne; Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; and Princess Henrietta.

• Unofficial Royalty: Charles II, King of England, King of Scots
• Unofficial Royalty: James II, King of England/James VII, King of Scots

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Paternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of James I, King of England/James VI, King of Scots and Anne of Denmark

• Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales (1594 – 1612), unmarried, died of typhoid fever, aged 18
• Elizabeth Stuart (1596 – 1662), married Friedrich V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine, had seven sons and six daughters including Sophia of Hanover who became heiress presumptive to the British throne under the Act of Settlement 1701; Sophia’s son was King George I of Great Britain
• Margaret Stuart (1598 – 1600), died aged fifteen months
• Robert, Duke of Kintyre (born and died 1602), died aged four months
• Mary Stuart (1605 – 1607), died aged two
• Sophia Stuart (born and died 1606), lived only one day

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Maternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of King Henri IV of France and his second wife Marie de’ Medici

• King Louis XIII of France (1601 – 1643), married Anne of Austria, had two sons including King Louis XIV of France
• Elisabeth of France, Queen of Spain (1602 – 1644), married King Felipe IV of Spain, had six daughters and two sons
• Christine Marie of France, Duchess of Savoy (1606 – 1663), married Vittorio Amadeo I, Duke of Savoy, had three sons and four daughters
• Nicolas Henri, Duke of Orléans, (1607 – 1611), died in childhood
• Gaston of France, Duke of Orléans (1608 – 1660), married (1) Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier, had one daughter (2) Marguerite of Lorraine, had four daughters and one son

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Elizabeth Stuart, Electress Palatine of the Rhine and Friedrich V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine

Heinrich Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of the Palatinate (1614 – 1629)

When Heinrich Friedrich was 15-years-old, he was traveling with his father aboard a ship from The Hague to Amsterdam to see the treasures of the Silver Fleet. The Silver Fleet was an annual convoy of ships that brought valuables from the Spanish colonies in the Americas to Spain. In 1628, Piet Hein, a Dutch lieutenant admiral and West Indian Company commander, hijacked the Silver Fleet and brought the treasures to Amsterdam. During the voyage from The Hague to Amsterdam, there was a strong storm, the ship sank and four people died including Heinrich Friedrich.

• Wikipedia: Heinrich Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of the Palatinate

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Karl I Ludwig, Elector of the Palatinate of the Rhine (1617 – 1680)

Karl Ludwig’s father Friedrich V, Elector of the Palatinate had been elected King of Bohemia but the crown of Bohemia had been in Habsburg hands for a long time and the Habsburg heir, Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor refused to accept Friedrich as King of Bohemia. Friedrich not only lost the Kingdom of Bohemia but also the Electorate of the Palatinate. After Friedrich’s early death at the age of 36, Karl Ludwig’s mother Elizabeth decided to fight for the rights of her eldest son Karl Ludwig. She raised a small army on his behalf, and finally, the Palatinate was restored to him. Karl Ludwig married three times. With his first wife was Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel, he had two sons and one daughter including his successor Karl II and Elisabeth Charlotte nicknamed Lieselotte who was the second wife of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the younger brother of King Louis XIV of France. Karl Ludwig then made two morganatic marriages: with Marie Luise von Degenfeld, he had eight sons and five daughters and with Elisabeth Hollander von Bernau, he had one son.

• Wikipedia: Karl I Ludwig, Elector of the Palatinate of the Rhine

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Elisabeth of the Palatinate, Princess-Abbess of Herford Abbey (1618 – 1680)

Elisabeth was extremely well-educated and throughout her life, she corresponded with many intellectuals including French mathematician and philosopher René Descartes. She never married and entered the Protestant Hereford Abbey in the Duchy of Saxony. She eventually became the Abbess.

• Wikipedia: Princess Elisabeth of the Palatinate

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Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland (1619 – 1682)

Rupert had a long military career and fought in the Thirty Years War and in the English Civil War in support of first, his uncle King Charles I and then his first cousin King Charles II. After the restoration of the English monarchy, served as private secretary to King Charles II and took care of naval affairs. He held various naval commands, was appointed Admiral and eventually became, Lord High Admiral, the head of the Royal Navy. Rupert never married but he did have an illegitimate son and daughter. He died in London and was buried at Westminster Abbey.

• Wikipedia: Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland

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Prince Maurice of the Palatinate (1620 – 1652)

Maurice also served with his brother Rupert in support of their uncle King Charles I and then their first cousin King Charles II. He was created Vice Admiral of the Fleet. While sailing to the Virgin Islands in the West Indies, his fleet was caught in a hurricane and Maurice went down with his ship.

• Wikipedia: Prince Maurice of the Palatinate

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Princess Louise Hollandine of the Palatinate (1622 – 1709)

Louise Hollandine was a very talented portrait painter. During the English Civil War, she went to France to be with her aunt Henrietta Maria, the widow of her uncle, the beheaded King Charles I. There Louise Hollandine converted to Roman Catholicism, to the horror of her mother. She became a nun at the Cistercian Maubuisson Abbey, and later, became the abbess. Louise Hollandine suffered a stroke and was paralyzed for the last few years of her life.

• Wikipedia: Princess Louise Hollandine of the Palatinate

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Prince Louis of the Palatinate  (born and died 1624)

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Edward, Count Palatine of Simmern (1625 – 1663)

Due to their differences in religion, Edward married Anna Gonzaga, a French noblewoman from an Italian background, in secret. Not wanting to cause any issues, Edward converted to Roman Catholicism despite his mother’s threats to disown any of her children who converted. The couple had three daughters lived in Paris and were supported by King Louis XIV of France. Edward eventually reconciled with his mother.

• Wikipedia: Edward, Count Palatine of Simmern

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Princess Henriette Marie of the Palatinate, Countess of Mongatsch (1626 – 1651)

Henriette Marie married Sigismund Rákóczi, Count of Mongatsch, son of George I Rákóczi, Prince of Transylvania. A few months after the marriage, Henriette died suddenly at the age of 25 and her husband died a few months later.

• Wikipedia: Henriette Marie of the Palatinate

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Prince Philip Friedrich of the Palatinate (1627 – 1650)

Philip Friedrich was educated at the French court and then went to live with his mother at The Hague. During a duel or a fight, Philip killed Lieutenant Colonel Jacques de l’Epinay, a favorite of his mother, and then fled, refusing to submit to the Dutch authorities. His mother never spoke to him again and refused to recognize him as her son. Philip entered the military service of the Duke of Lorraine and was killed at the Battle of Rethel during the Fronde.

• Wikipedia: Prince Philip Friedrich of the Palatinate

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Princess Charlotte of the Palatinate (1628 – 1631), died in childhood

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Sophia of the Palatinate, Electress of Hanover (1630–1714)

If the Stuarts had been able to provide a Protestant heir to the British throne, Sophia, Electress of Hanover would not have become possibly the most famous footnote in British royal history.  Sophia married Ernst August, Elector of Hanover had six sons and one daughter including King George I of Great Britain.  Sophia’s birth family was the most junior of the Stuart lines but was the most Protestant. In 1701, Parliament passed the Act of Settlement, giving the succession to the British throne to Sophia and her non-Catholic heirs. This act ensured the Protestant succession and bypassed many Catholics who had a better hereditary claim to the throne. Sophia narrowly missed becoming queen, having died two months before Queen Anne. Sophia’s son George, Elector of Hanover became King George I.

• Unofficial Royalty: Sophia of the Palatinate, Electress of Hanover

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Gustavus with his eldest sister Elizabeth

Prince Gustavus Adolphus of the Palatinate (1632 – 1641)

Gustavus died of epilepsy at the age of eight.

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of King Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria

King Louis XIV of France (1638 – 1715)

Louis became King of France at age four and is the longest-reigning French monarch, reigning for 72 years. His first wife was his first cousin twice over, Maria Theresa of Spain. They had six children but only one survived childhood. He had several mistresses and a number of illegitimate children. After the death of Maria Theresa, Louis made a morganatic marriage with Françoise d’Aubigné, Madame Scarron (later created Marquise de Maintenon). Because the marriage was morganatic, she was never publicly acknowledged as his wife or as queen.

Louis was an ardent believer in the divine right of kings, assumed full control of the monarchy, and went on to become one of France’s most powerful sovereigns, and establishing France as one of the leading powers of Europe. Perhaps Louis’ best-known building project was the Palace of Versailles. Having inherited the hunting lodge built there by his father, Louis oversaw several building campaigns which resulted in the magnificent palace which still stands today. Louis XIV survived his surviving son and his son’s eldest son. He was succeeded by his five-year-old great-grandson who reigned as King Louis XV.

• Unofficial Royalty: King Louis XIV of France

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Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (1640 – 1701)

Philippe married his first cousin Henrietta of England, daughter of the beheaded King Charles I and Philippe’s aunt Henrietta Maria of France. Philippe had homosexual affairs but apparently, he was intent on fulfilling his dynastic responsibility of having children. Philippe and Henrietta had two daughters and one son. Henrietta died at the age of 26 amid rumors that she had been poisoned. As Philippe’s only son had died, Louis XIV wanted his brother to marry again to provide a male heir to continue the Orléans line.

Philippe married another first cousin,  the Protestant Princess Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, known as Liselotte. She was the only daughter of Karl I Ludwig, Elector Palatine and Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel. Liselotte’s paternal grandmother was Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of King James I of England and granddaughter of Mary, Queen of Scots. Liselotte converted to Roman Catholicism and produced two sons and one daughter. Through their daughter, Philippe and Liselotte were the grandparents of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. Philippe’s careful investment and management of his various estates made him a wealthy man and his wealth was greatly increased when he inherited the fortune of his extremely wealthy paternal first cousin Anne Marie Louise of Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier. Philippe is acknowledged as being not only the biological founder of the House of Orléans but as its financial founder

• Unofficial Royalty: Philippe I, Duke of Orléans

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Elisabeth of France, Queen of Spain and King Felipe IV of Spain

Maria Margarita of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1621)

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Margarita Maria Caterina of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1623)

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Maria Eugenia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (1625 – 1627)

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Isabella Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1627)

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Baltasar Carlos of Austria, Infante of Spain, Prince of Asturias (1629 – 1646)

The only son of King Felipe IV of France and his first wife Elisabeth of France, Baltasar was his father’s heir apparent until his death from smallpox at age 16. He was buried at the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Spain.

• Wikipedia: Baltasar Carlos of Austria, Infante of Spain, Prince of Asturias

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Francisco Fernando of Austria, Infante of Spain (born and died 1634)

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Infanta Maria Ana “Mariana” Antonia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1636)

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Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain, Queen of France (1638–1683)

The youngest of eight children, Maria Theresa was the only one of her siblings to reach adulthood. As Spain allowed for females to ascend the throne, Maria Theresa was heiress-presumptive to the Spanish throne between the death of her elder brother Balthasar Charles and the birth of her younger half-brother Felipe Próspero. She was again heiress-presumptive following Felipe Próspero’s death and the birth of the future King Carlos II. As part of the Treaty of the Pyrenees of which ended the Franco-Spanish War, Maria Theresa was betrothed to King Louis XIV of France. Maria Theresa and Louis were first cousins twice over – his father and her mother were siblings, and his mother and her father were siblings.) She was forced to renounce any rights to the Spanish throne and was to receive a large financial settlement in exchange. The couple They had three sons and three daughters. Only their eldest son reached adulthood but he predeceased his father.

• Unofficial Royalty: Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain, Queen of France

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Christine Marie of France, Duchess of Savoy and Vittorio Amadeo I, Duke of Savoy

Prince Luigi Amadeo of Savoy (1622 – 1628), died in childhood

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Princess Luisa Cristina of Savoy (1629 – 1692)

Due to a regency dispute when two of her brothers succeeded to the Dukedom of Savoy, 13-year-old Luisa Cristina married her 49-year-old paternal uncle Prince Maurice of Savoy as a reconciliation measure. Maurice had been a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church but received papal permission to leave the priesthood to marry his niece. Luisa Christina and Maurice had no children.

• Wikipedia: Princess Luisa Cristina of Savoy

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Francesco Giacinto, Duke of Savoy (1632 – 1638)

Francesco Giacinto became Duke of Savoy when he was five-years-old, following the death of his father. His mother acted as regent. A year later, he died from a fever.

• Wikipedia: Francesco Giacinto, Duke of Savoy

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Carlo Emanuele II, Duke of Savoy (1634 – 1675)

Four-year-old Carlo Emanuele succeeded his six-year-old brother Francesco Giacinto as Duke of Savoy. His mother served as regent and even after Carlo Emanuele reached adulthood, he allowed his mother to continue ruling. He assumed power only after the death of his mother. He married his first cousin Françoise Madeleine d’Orléans, daughter of his maternal uncle Gaston, Duke of Orléans. They had no children and Françoise Madeleine died the year after their marriage. Carlo Emanuele’s second wife was another first cousin, Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours. The couple had one son who succeeded his father as Vittorio Amadeo II, Duke of Savoy.

• Wikipedia: Carlo Emanuele II, Duke of Savoy

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Princess Margherita Violante of Savoy, Duchess of Parma (1635 – 1663)

Once considered a bride for her first cousin King Louis XIV of France, Margherita Violante married Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma. The couple had a stillborn daughter and a son who died the day of his birth as did Margherita Violante.

• Wikipedia: Princess Margherita Violante of Savoy, Duchess of Parma

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Princess Enrichetta Adelaide of Savoy, Electress of Bavaria (1636 – 1676)

Enrichetta Adelaide was the twin of Caterina Beatrice who died in infancy. She married Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria and had four daughters and three sons. Through her eldest daughter, Enrichetta  Adelaide is an ancestor of the Spanish royal family. Enrichetta Adelaide and her husband built the Nymphenburg Palace in Munich, which became the summer palace of the Bavarian royals. They also built the Theatine Church of St. Cajetan in Munich in thanksgiving for the birth of their long-awaited heir Prince Maximilan II Emanuel.

• Wikipedia: Enrichetta Adelaide of Savoy, Electress of Bavaria

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Princess Caterina Beatrice of Savoy (1636 – 1637), died in infancy

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Maternal First Cousins: Child of Gaston of France, Duke of Orléans and his first wife Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier

Anne Marie Louise of Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier, La Grande Mademoiselle (1627 – 1693)

Anne Marie Louise’s mother was the immensely wealthy Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier in her own right. Four days after Anne Marie Louise’s birth, her mother died due to childbirth complications and her infant daughter inherited her fortune and titles. Anne Marie Louise was not only the wealthiest woman in France but also the second-highest ranked woman after the queen. When Anne Marie Louise died, her fortune was handed over to her cousin Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, King Louis XIV’s only sibling.

• Wikipedia: Anne Marie Louise of Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier, The Grande Mademoiselle

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Gaston of France, Duke of Orléans and his second wife Marguerite of Lorraine

Marguerite Louise of Orléans, Grand Duchess of Tuscany (1645 – 1721)

Marguerite Louise married Cosimo III de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and had two sons and one daughter. The couple did not get along. After their first child, a son, was born they lived separately with Marguerite Louise constantly complaining to her cousin King Louis XIV of France. The couple reconciled for a period of several years. However, when her mother died, Marguerite Louise asked Louis XIV for permission to leave her husband and settle in France. Three years later, Louis XIV but confined his cousin to the Abbey of Saint Peter at Montmartre in Paris, which housed the noble ladies separated from their husbands. Previous abbesses had tolerated Marguerite Louise’s behavior but a new abbess complained to Louis XIV and Marguerite Louise was moved to a different convent. Eventually, Marguerite Louise was able to buy a house in Paris at 15 Place des Vosges, where she spent her final years.

• Wikipedia: Marguerite Louise of Orléans, Grand Duchess of Tuscany

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Élisabeth Marguerite of Orléans, Duchess of Guise (1646 – 1696)

Élisabeth Marguerite married Louis Joseph of Lorraine, Duke of Guise. Louis Joseph was only 17, four years younger than Élisabeth Marguerite who outranked him as a petite-fille de France (“Granddaughter of France”) and considered him a social inferior. Louis Joseph died from smallpox four years after their marriage. The couple did manage to produce one son but he was quite sickly. Still unable to walk unaided at age four, he was dropped by his nurse and died from a head injury. Élisabeth Marguerite never married again. She lived in her various homes, sometimes stayed at the Abbey of Saint Peter at Montmartre with her sister Marguerite Louise and was often at the court of her cousin Louis XIV.

• Wikipedia: Élisabeth Marguerite of Orléans, Duchess of Guise

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Françoise Madeleine of Orléans, Duchess of Savoy (1648 – 1664)

Françoise Madeleine was the first wife of her first cousin Carlo Emanuele II, Duke of Savoy. They married in April 1663 and nine months later 15-year-old Françoise Madeleine died. Her husband was inconsolable at her death and gave her a lavish funeral.

• Wikipedia: Françoise Madeleine of Orléans, Duchess of Savoy

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Jean Gaston of Orléans, Duke of Valois (1650 – 1652)

Jean Gaston was the only son of Gaston, Duke of Orléans. His birth was greatly celebrated by his wealthy and much older half-sister Anne Marie Louise who ordered a large fireworks display in Paris to celebrate his birth. Jean Gaston was always in frail health. He was never able to walk, could not speak, and had a leg deformity. He died when he was two-years-old.

Wikipedia: Jean Gaston of Orléans, Duke of Valois

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Marie Anne of Orléans (1652 – 1656), died in childhood

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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

• • Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
  • Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Mary II, Queen of England, Queen of Scots, Princess of Orange (1662 – 1694)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

Mary II, Queen of England, Queen of Scots and Queen Anne of Great Britain were sisters, the only surviving children of the eight children of James II, King of England/James VII, King of Scots and his first wife Lady Anne Hyde. Anne Hyde died before her husband became king and during their marriage, Anne and her husband were the Duke and Duchess of York. Charles I, King of England, King of Scots and Henrietta Maria of France, daughter of King Henri IV of France and Marie de’ Medici, were the paternal grandparents of Mary II and her sister Anne. Their maternal grandparents were Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon and his second wife Frances Aylesbury.

Mary II married her first cousin William III, Prince of Orange, the only child of her paternal aunt Mary, Princess Royal and Willem II, Prince of Orange, who had died of smallpox a few days before his son’s birth. William III, Prince of Orange was fourth in line to the English throne after his uncle James, Duke of York and his cousins Mary and Anne. Mary soon became pregnant but suffered a miscarriage which may have prevented any future successful pregnancies. It is suspected that she had at least two more miscarriages. Her inability to have children was Mary’s greatest unhappiness.

Mary and Anne’s father James succeeded his childless brother King Charles II as James II, King of England/James VII, King of Scots. Charles II’s marriage was childless but he had at least fourteen illegitimate children by his mistresses. King James II had converted to Roman Catholicism and set on a course of restoring Catholicism to England. England might very well have tolerated King James II knowing that his heirs were the Protestant daughters of his first wife Anne Hyde, Mary and Anne. However, on June 10, 1688, James II’s second wife Maria Beatrice of Modena, who had no surviving children, gave birth to a son, James Francis Edward. Immediately, false rumors swirled that the infant had been smuggled into the queen’s chambers in a warming pan.

William III, Prince of Orange, the nephew and son-in-law of King James II, landed in England vowing to safeguard the Protestant interest. He marched to London, gathering many supporters. James II panicked and sent his wife and infant son to France. He tried to flee to France about a month later but was captured. William had no desire to make his uncle a martyr, so he allowed him to escape. James was received in France by his first cousin King Louis XIV, who offered him a palace and a pension. This overthrow of King James II is known as the Glorious Revolution.

James II’s elder daughter Mary was declared Queen Mary II and she was to rule jointly with her husband and first cousin William, who would be King William III. Following the death of either William or Mary, the other was to continue to reign. Next in the line of succession would be any children of the couple, to be followed by Mary’s sister Anne and her children. Last in the line of succession stood any children William III might have had from any subsequent marriage. Sadly, in 1694, Mary II died from smallpox at the age of 32. William reigned alone until his death in 1702 when he was succeeded by Mary’s sister Anne.

Anne with her son Prince William, Duke of Gloucester

Queen Anne of Great Britain (1665 – 1714)

Anne had married the Protestant Prince George of Denmark, son of King Frederik III of Denmark and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg and brother of King Christian V of Denmark. Even though the marriage was arranged, the marriage was happy and they were faithful to each other. Anne became pregnant a few months after her wedding but she gave birth to a stillborn daughter. Anne’s obstetrical history is tragic. She had 17 pregnancies with only five children being born alive. Two died on the day of their birth, two died at less than two years old within six days of each from smallpox, and her longest surviving child Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, died at age 11. Anne suffered from what was diagnosed as gout and had pain in her limbs, stomach, and head. Based upon these symptoms and her obstetrical history, Anne may have had systemic lupus erythematosus which causes an increased rate of fetal death.

The failure of the Protestant Stuarts to produce heirs meant the end of the Protestant Stuart dynasty because the legitimate descendants of King Charles I were either childless or Roman Catholic. The Act of Settlement 1701 secured the Protestant succession to the throne. The act excluded the former King James II (who died a few months after the act received royal assent) and the Roman Catholic children from his second marriage and also excluded the descendants of King James II’s sister Henrietta, the youngest daughter of King Charles I. Parliament’s choice was limited to the Protestant descendants of Elizabeth Stuart, Electress of the Palatinate, the only other child of King James I not to have died in childhood. The senior Protestant descendant was Elizabeth Stuart’s youngest daughter Sophia, Electress of Hanover. The Act of Settlement put Sophia of Hanover and her Protestant heirs in the line of succession after Anne. Electress Sophia of Hanover, the heir to the throne according to the Act of Settlement, died just six weeks before the death of Queen Anne, and so Sophia’s eldest son became King George I and started the House of Hanover.

Mary and Anne shared their paternal cousins with Mary’s husband William and their surviving half-siblings from their father’s second marriage to Maria Beatrice of Modena: James Edward Francis Stuart, Prince of Wales, The Old Pretender and Louisa Maria Teresa Stuart.

• Unofficial Royalty: Mary II, Queen of England, Queen of Scots
• Unofficial Royalty: Queen Anne of Great Britain

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Paternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Charles I, King of England, King of Scots and Henrietta Maria of France

Children of King Charles I in 1637 – Left to right: Mary, James, Charles, Elizabeth, and Anne

• Prince Charles James of England, Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay (born and died 1629)
• Charles II, King of England, King of Scots (1630 – 1685), married Catherine of Braganza, no children, had at least 14 illegitimate children who are first cousins of Mary II and Anne
• Mary, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange (1631 – 1660), married Willem II, Prince of Orange, had one son Willem III, Prince of Orange who married his first cousin Mary II
• Princess Elizabeth of England (1635 – 1650), unmarried, died from pneumonia
• Princess Anne of England (1637 – 1640), died young from tuberculosis
• Princess Catherine of England (born and died 1639)
• Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (1640 – 1660), unmarried, died from smallpox
• Princess Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans (1644 – 1670), married her first cousin Philippe, Duke of Orléans, brother of King Louis XIV of France, had two daughters and one son

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Maternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon and his second wife Frances Aylesbury

• Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon (1638 – 1709), married (1) Theodosia Capell, had one son (2) Flower Backhouse, no issue
• Lawrence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester (1642 – 1711), married Lady Henrietta Boyle, had one son and three daughters
• Edward Hyde (1645 – 1665), unmarried
• James Hyde (died young)
• Lady Frances Hyde, married Thomas Keightley, had one daughter

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Child of Mary, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange and William II, Prince of Orange

William III, Prince of Orange, later William III, King of England and William II, King of Scots (1650 – 1702)

William was the only child of William II, Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, and Mary, Princess Royal, who was the eldest daughter of King Charles I of England. William’s father died at age 24 of smallpox eight days before William’s birth, so from birth, William was the sovereign Prince of Orange. William married his first cousin Mary, elder daughter of his maternal uncle, James II, King of England/James VII, King of Scots. The couple had no children and later reigned jointly as William III, King of England/William II, King of Scots and Mary II, Queen of England, Queen of Scots. See above for more information.

William and Mary left a legacy in the United States. In 1693, William and Mary granted a royal charter to found the College of William and Mary, now in present-day Williamsburg, Virginia. It is the second oldest university in the United States after Harvard University and the only university in the United States with a royal charter. The College of William and Mary educated American Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler and other key figures important to the development of the United States as a nation, including Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, Speaker of the House of Representatives Henry Clay, sixteen members of the Continental Congress, and four signers of the Declaration of Independence. Another alumnus of The College of William and Mary is this writer’s son.

• Unofficial Royalty: King William III of England

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans and her first cousin Philippe, Duke of Orléans

Marie Louise of Orléans, Queen of Spain (1662 – 1689)

Marie Louise was a niece of King Louis XIV of France and a granddaughter of King Louis XIII of France and King Charles I of England. Her marriage to King Carlos II of Spain was part of a plan to have better relations with Spain. Carlos suffered from physical and mental disabilities, most likely the result of inbreeding. His parents were uncle and niece and all eight of his great-grandparents were descendants of Joanna, Queen of Castile and Philip I, King of Castile. After ten years of marriage, Marie Louise and Carlos still had no children. Marie Louise died at the age of 26 after suffering from sudden, severe abdominal pains. Unconfirmed rumors said that she had been poisoned at the instigation of her mother-in-law because she had no children.

• Wikipedia: Marie Louise of Orléans, Queen of Spain

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Philippe Charles of Orléans, Duke of Valois (1664 – 1666) died in childhood

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Anne Marie of Orléans, Queen of Sardinia (1669 – 1728)

Anne Marie married Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy, the future King of Sardinia, and had three daughters and three sons including Marie Adélaïde of Savoy who was the mother of King Louis XV of France. Anne Marie and Victor Amadeus’ descendants include King Felipe VI of Spain; Philippe, King of the Belgians; Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg; Henri, Count of Paris, the Orléanist pretender to the French throne; and Victor Emmanuel of Savoy, the pretender to the Italian throne. In addition, after the death of Henry Benedict Stuart when the line King James II of England ended, the Jacobite claim to the British throne descended from Anne Marie. See Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

• Unofficial Royalty: Anne Marie of Orléans, Queen of Sardinia

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Paternal First Cousins: Illegitimate Children of Charles II, King of England, King of Scots

King Charles II is an ancestor through his mistresses of many British aristocrats and of several women who married into the British Royal Family:

• Lucy Walter: ancestor of Sarah, Duchess of York and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
• Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland: ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales and Sarah, Duchess of York
• Louise Renée de Penancoet de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth: ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Sarah, Duchess of York

by Lucy Walter

James Scott, Duke of Monmouth (1649–1685), married Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch, had four sons and two daughters, executed for treason

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by Elizabeth Killigrew

Charlotte Jemima Henrietta Maria FitzRoy, Countess of Yarmouth (1650–1684), married (1) James Howard, had one daughter (2) William Paston, 2nd Earl of Yarmouth, had two daughters and one son

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by Catherine Pegge

Charles FitzCharles, 1st Earl of Plymouth (1657–1680), married Lady Bridget Osborne, daughter of Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds, no children

Catherine FitzCharles (born 1658; she either died young or became a nun)

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by Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland (in her own right), wife of Roger Palmer, 1st Earl of Castlemaine

Lady Anne Palmer, Countess of Sussex (may have been the daughter of Roger Palmer, but Charles II accepted her as his child) (1661–1722), married Thomas Lennard, 1st Earl of Sussex, had two sons and two daughters

Charles Fitzroy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland, 1st Duke of Southampton (1662–1730), married (1) Mary Wood, no children, (2) Anne Pulteney, had three sons and three daughters

Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Grafton (1663–1690), married Isabella Bennet, 2nd Countess of Arlington, had one son

Charlotte Fitzroy, Countess of Lichfield (1664–1717), married Edward Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield, had thirteen sons and  five daughters

George Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1665–1716), married (1) Catherine Wheatley, no children, (2) Mary Dutton, no children

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by Nell Gwyn

Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans (1670–1726), married Lady Diana de Vere, had nine sons and three daughters

Lord James Beauclerk (1671–1680), died young

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by Louise Renée de Penancoet de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth (in her own right)

Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Duke of Aubigny (1672–1723), married Anne Brudenell, had two daughters and one son

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by Mary ‘Moll’ Davis

• Lady Mary Tudor (1673–1726), married (1) Edward Radclyffe, 2nd Earl of Derwentwater, had three sons and one daughter (2) Henry Graham of Levens, no children (3) Major James Rooke, no children

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Child of Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon and his first wife Theodosia Capell

Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon (1661 – 1723)

At the start of the Glorious Revolution, Edward Hyde was a supporter of his first cousin Mary and her husband William III of Orange over his uncle by marriage King James II. His support was rewarded by later appointments as Colonial Governor of New Jersey and the Colonial Governor of New York. He married Katherine O’Brien, 8th Baroness Clifton and had three daughters and one son.

• Wikipedia: Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Lawrence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester and Lady Henrietta Boyle

Henry Hyde, 4th Earl of Clarendon and 2nd Earl of Rochester (1672 – 1753)

Henry Hyde was a Member of Parliament, High Steward of the University of Oxford, and a member of the Privy Council. He succeeded his father as 2nd Earl of Rochester and his cousin as 4th Earl of Clarendon. Henry married Jane Leveson-Gower, daughter of Sir William Leveson-Gower, 4th Baronet, and had five daughters and three sons. He died six months after his last surviving son died and so both his earldoms became extinct.

• Wikipedia: Henry Hyde, 4th Earl of Clarendon and 2nd Earl of Rochester

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Credit – http://thepeerage.com/p1586.htm#i15859

Lady Anne Hyde, Duchess of Ormonde (died 1685)

Lady Anne married James FitzJames Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde and had one daughter.

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Lady Mary Hyde and Lady Henrietta Hyde; Credit – http://thepeerage.com/p31954.htm#i319536

Lady Mary Hyde, Baroness of Conway (1669 – 1709)

Lady Mary married Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Ragley, 1st Baron Conway of Killultagh and had four daughters.

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Lady Henrietta Hyde, Countess of Dalkeith (1677 – 1730)

Lady Henrietta married Sir James Scott, Earl of Dalkeith, son of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, the illegitimate son of King Charles II, and Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch. The couple had three sons, two daughters and one child whose name and gender is unknown.

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Maternal First Cousins: Child of Lady Frances Hyde and Thomas Keightley

Catherine Keightley

Catherine’s father was the Vice-Treasurer of Ireland. She married a Member of Parliament, Lucius O’Brien, son of Sir Donough O’Brien, 1st Baronet. The couple had four children.

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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

• Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
• Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
• Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

King George I of Great Britain (1660 – 1727)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

King George I of Great Britain was born His Highness Duke Georg Ludwig of Brunswick-Lüneburg on May 28, 1660, at the Leineschloss (Leine Palace) in Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany. He was the eldest of the seven children of Ernst August, Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Princess Sophia of the Palatinate, usually referred to as Electress Sophia of Hanover. George I’s paternal grandparents were Georg, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Anna Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt. His maternal grandparents were Friedrich V, Elector Palatinate of the Rhine and Elizabeth Stuart. It is through his maternal grandmother that his destiny drastically changed.

George I’s maternal grandmother Elizabeth Stuart was the second child and eldest daughter of King James VI of Scotland/King James I of England. The House of Stuart occupied the British throne but the Stuarts failed to produce a legitimate Protestant heir. George I’s mother Sophia, Electress of Hanover was the closest Protestant heir and was named the heiress presumptive to the British throne. However, Sophia of Hanover died two months before Queen Anne of Great Britain died and her son George I succeeded to the British throne upon the death of Queen Anne.

Before George I became King of Great Britain and while he was still living in Hanover, he married his paternal first cousin Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle, known as Sophia Dorothea of Celle. The couple had two children, the eventual King George II of Great Britain and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover who married King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia. Both George I and his wife Sophia Dorothea committed adultery and their marriage was dissolved. Sophia Dorothea was declared to be the guilty party and so she was confined in the Castle of Ahlden in Celle, now in Germany, for the rest of her life, 32 years. At the time Sophia Dorothea’s son was eleven-years-old and her daughter was eight-years-old. They never saw their mother again.

King George I shared his 33 first cousins with his only sibling Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, Queen of Prussia. He shared his paternal first cousins with his first cousin and wife Sophia Dorothea of Celle.

• Unofficial Royalty: King George I of Great Britain

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Paternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Georg, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Anna Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt

• Magdalene of Brunswick-Lüneburg (born and died 1620)
• Christian Ludwig, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1622 – 1665), married Sophia Dorothea of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, no children
• Georg Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1624 – 1705), married Eleonore d’Esmier d’Olbreuse, had one daughter, George I’s wife Sophia Dorothea
• Johann Friedrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1625 – 1679), married Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate who was a first cousin of King George I, had four daughters
• Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1628 – 1685), married King Frederik III of Denmark, had three sons and five daughters
• Dorothea Magdalene of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1629 – 1630), died in childhood
• Anna Marie Eleonore of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1630 – 1636), died in childhood

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Maternal Aunts and Uncles: Children of Friedrich V, Elector Palatinate of the Rhine and Elizabeth Stuart, Electress Palatinate

• Heinrich Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of the Palatinate (1614 – 1629), unmarried, drowned
• Karl I Ludwig, Elector Palatinate (1617 – 1680), married (1) Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel, had two sons and one daughter (2) morganatically, Marie Luise von Degenfeld, had eight sons and five daughters; (3) morganatically, Elisabeth Hollander von Bernau, had one son
• Elisabeth of the Palatinate (1618 – 1680), unmarried, Princess-Abbess of Herford Abbey
• Rupert, Count Palatinate of the Rhine (1619 – 1682), unmarried
• Maurice of the Palatinate (1620 – 1652), unmarried, drowned when his ship sunk in a hurricane
• Louise Hollandine of the Palatinate (1622 – 1709), unmarried, converted to Roman Catholicism, nun and then abbess at the Cistercian Maubuisson Abbey
• Louis (born and died 1624)
• Edward, Count Palatinate of Simmern (1625 – 1663), converted to Roman Catholicism, married Anna Gonzaga, had three daughters
• Henriette Marie of the Palatinate (1626 – 1651), married Sigismund Rákóczi, no issue
• Johann Philip Friedrich of the Palatinate (1627 – 1650), unmarried, killed in battle
• Charlotte of the Palatinate (1628 – 1631), died in childhood
• Gustavus Adolphus of the Palatinate (1632 – 1641), died of epilepsy in childhood

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Child of Georg Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Eleonore d’Esmier d’Olbreuse

Sophia Dorothea of Celle, Electoral Princess of Hanover (1666 – 1726)

George I’s first cousin but also his wife, Sophia Dorothea of Celle was born on September 15, 1666, in Celle, now in Germany, the only child of Georg Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and his mistress Éléonore d’Esmier d’Olbreuse. Sophia Dorothea was legitimized by Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I who granted her mother Éléonore the titles Gräfin (Countess) von Harburg and Wilhelmsburg. Éléonore and Georg Wilhelm later married morganatically. At the age of 16, in a marriage arranged by the bride and groom’s fathers (who were brothers), Sophia Dorothea was married to her first cousin, 22-year-old Georg Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg, the future King George I of Great Britain, had one son and one daughter, the future King George II of Great Britain and Sophia Dorothea, the future Queen Consort of Prussia.

The marriage was happy at first but then both George and Sophia Dorothea had affairs. Sophia Dorothea’s lover disappeared and was never seen again. It was widely believed that George ordered his death. A tribunal of judges and Lutheran Church officials declared the marriage of George and Sophia Dorothea dissolved on the grounds of Sophia Dorothea’s desertion. Because she was considered the guilty party, Sophia Dorothea was not allowed to remarry, would never again see her children, and would be kept as a prisoner at the Castle of Ahlden for the remainder of her life. Although Sophia Dorothea spent 32 years in captivity, she received an income that allowed her to live in the style of a princess and she was able to go for drives in her coach with an escort. When Sophia Dorothea died, her former husband, now King George I of Great Britain, would not allow mourning at the British court and was furious when he learned that his daughter had ordered court mourning in Prussia.

• Unofficial Royalty: Sophia Dorothea of Celle, Electoral Princess of Hanover 

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Johann Friedrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate

Anna Sophie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1670 – 1672), died in childhood

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Charlotte Felicitas of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Duchess of Modena (1671 – 1710)

Charlotte married Rinaldo d’Este who had been a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He left the church to succeed his nephew Francesco II as Duke of Modena. Charlotte and Rinaldo had three daughters and three sons. Charlotte died in childbirth delivering a fourth daughter who also died.

• Wikipedia: Charlotte Felicitas of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Duchess of Modena

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Henriette Marie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1672 – 1757), unmarried

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Wilhelmina Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia (1673 – 1742)

Although she was born into a Lutheran family, Wilhelmina received a Roman Catholic education from her great-aunt Louise Hollandine of the Palatinate who had converted to Roman Catholicism and became a nun and abbess at the Maubuisson Abbey in France. Wilhelmina was sought as a bride for the future Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, the heir of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. The couple married and had two daughters and one son, who died before his first birthday. While they were trying to produce a new heir, Joseph gave Wilhelmine a sexually transmittable disease, probably syphilis, which made her unable to have any more children. Joseph died at the age of 32 during a smallpox epidemic. Despite suffering from a sexually transmitted disease, Wilhelmina outlived her husband by 31 years.

• Wikipedia: Wilhelmina Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Holy Roman Empress

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg and King Frederik III of Denmark

King Christian V of Denmark (1646 – 1699)

As King of Denmark, Christian V tried unsuccessfully to regain territory that had been annexed by Sweden during his father’s reign. He was more successful in establishing colonies in Africa and the Caribbean as part of the Danish triangle trade. One of the Danish colonies in the Caribbean was the Virgin Islands which were held by Denmark until 1917 when Denmark and the United States ratified a treaty in which Denmark sold the Danish Virgin Islands to the United States for $25 million in gold. In 1691, the capital of the Danish Virgin Islands on the island of St. Thomas was renamed to Charlotte Amalie after Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, wife of Christian V. Today, Charlotte Amalie remains the capital of the United States territory of the Virgin Islands. Christian V and his wife Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, daughter of Wilhelm VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg, had five sons and two daughters including King Frederik IV of Denmark.

• Unofficial Royalty: King Christian V of Denmark

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Anna Sophia of Denmark, Electress of Saxony (1647 – 1717)

Anna Sophia was very well educated and spoke six languages. She married Johann Georg III, Elector of Saxony. They had two sons: Johann Georg IV who succeeded his father as Elector of Saxony and Friedrich August I who succeeded his brother as Elector of Saxony and later became King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.

• Wikipedia: Anna Sophia of Denmark, Electress of Saxony

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Frederika Amalia of Denmark, Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp (1649 – 1704)

Frederika Amalia married Christian Albrecht, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and had two sons and two daughters. Through her son Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin she was the great-grandmother of Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, better known as Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia and the maternal grandmother of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden. Through her son Friedrich IV, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, she was the great-grandmother of Peter III, Emperor of All Russia, the ill-fated husband of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia.

• Wikipedia: Frederika Amalia of Denmark, Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp

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Wilhelmina Ernestina of Denmark, Electress of the Palatinate (1650 – 1706)

Wilhelmina Ernestina married Karl II, Elector of the Palatinate in a marriage arranged by their mutual aunt Sophia, Electress of Hanover. The marriage was very unhappy. Karl had been forced by his father to marry against his will and disliked the marriage from the beginning. The couple had no children. After she was widowed, Wilhelmina Ernestina lived with her sister Anna Sophia, Electress of Saxony.

• Wikipedia: Wilhelmina Ernestina of Denmark, Electress of the Palatinate

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Frederik of Denmark (1651 – 1652), died in infancy

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George and his wife Queen Anne of the United Kingdom

George of Denmark, Duke of Cumberland (1653 – 1708)

Ironically, George of Denmark was the first cousin of King George I of Great Britain, the person who succeeded his wife Queen Anne of Great Britain on the British throne. Queen Anne’s unfortunate childbearing history was one of the reasons the House of Stuart was replaced by the House of Hanover. Anne became pregnant a few months after her marriage but she gave birth to a stillborn daughter. She had 17 pregnancies with only five children being born alive. Two died on the day of their birth, two died at less than two years old within six days of each from smallpox, and one died at age 11. Anne suffered from what was diagnosed as gout and had pain in her limbs, stomach, and head. Based upon these symptoms and her obstetrical history, Anne may have had systemic lupus erythematosus which causes an increased rate of fetal death.

• Unofficial Royalty: George of Denmark, Duke of Cumberland

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Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark, Queen of Sweden (1656 – 1693)

Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark married King Carl XI of Sweden in the hopes that the marriage would bring peace to their two countries which had recently been at war with each other. Ulrika Eleonora and Carl had two daughters and five sons including King Carl XII of Sweden, Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden, and Hedwig Sophia, Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp who was the grandmother of Peter III, Emperor of All Russia. Weakened by giving birth to seven children in as many years, Ulrike Eleonora died at the age of 36.

• Unofficial Royalty: Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark, Queen of Sweden

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Dorothea of Denmark (1657 – 1658), died in infancy

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Karl I Ludwig, Elector of the Palatinate and his first wife Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel

Karl II, Elector of the Palatinate (1651 – 1685)

Karl II married Wilhelmina Ernestina of Denmark, also George I’s first cousin, in a marriage arranged by their mutual aunt Sophia, Electress of Hanover. The marriage was very unhappy. Karl had been forced by his father to marry against his will and disliked the marriage from the beginning. The couple had no children. Karl’s reign as Elector of the Palatinate lasted only five years as he died at the age of 34.

• Wikipedia: Karl II, Elector of the Palatinate

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Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Duchess of Orléans (1652 – 1722)

Known as Liselotte, she grew up in the court of her aunt Sophia, Electress of Hanover. Liselotte wanted to marry her second cousin Willem III, Prince of Orange, who would later become King of England. However, her family felt a better marriage for her would be to become the second wife of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the younger brother of King Louis XIV of France. The recently widowed Philippe had been married to his first cousin Henrietta of England, Liselotte’s father’s first cousin. Liselotte converted to Roman Catholicism and married Philippe. She acted as a mother to Philippe’s children by Henrietta and maintained correspondence with them throughout their lives. Despite Philippe having homosexual affairs, he had been intent on fulfilling his dynastic responsibility of having children with his first wife and also did so with Liselotte. Philippe and Liselotte had three children of their own. Through their daughter Élisabeth Charlotte d’Orléans, they are the paternal grandparents of Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria, better known as Marie Antoinette, Queen of France.

• Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Duchess of Orléans

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Friedrich (born and died 1653), died in infancy

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Karl I Ludwig, Elector of the Palatinate and his morganatic second wife Marie Luise von Degenfeld

• Karl Ludwig of the Palatinate (1658 – 1688), killed in battle
• Caroline Elisabeth of the Palatinate, Duchess of Schomberg (1659 – 1696), married Meinhardt von Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg, had one son and three daughters
• Louise of the Palatinate (1661 – 1733)
• Ludwig of the Palatinate (born and died 1662)
• Amalia Elisabeth of the Palatinate (1663 – 1709)
• Georg Ludwig of the Palatinate (1664 – 1665), died in infancy
• Frederica of the Palatinate (1665 – 1674), died in childhood
• Friedrich Wilhelm of the Palatinate (1666 – 1667), died in infancy
• Karl Eduard of the Palatinate (1668 – 1690), killed in battle
• Sophie of the Palatinate (born and died 1669), died in infancy
• Karl Moritz of the Palatinate (1671 – 1702)
• Karl August of the Palatinate (1672 – 1691), killed in battle
• Karl Casimir of the Palatinate (1675 – 1691), killed in a duel

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Maternal First Cousins: Child of Karl I Ludwig, Elector of the Palatinate and his morganatic third wife Elisabeth Hollander von Bernau

Karl Ludwig of the Palatinate( 1681 – ?)

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Edward, Count Palatinate of Simmern and Anna Gonzaga

Luise Marie of the Palatinate, Princess of Salm-Salm (1647 – 1679)

Luise Marie married Karl Theodor, Prince of Salm-Salm and had three daughters and one son.

• Wikipedia: Luise Marie of the Palatinate, Princess of Salm-Salm

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Anne Henriette of the Palatinate, Princess of Condé (1648 – 1723)

Anne Henriette’s father Edward, Count Palatinate of Simmern was the son of Elizabeth Stuart, eldest daughter of King James I of England. Edward converted to Roman Catholicism and his three children were raised as Catholics. The Bill of Rights 1689 barred Catholics from the thrones of England and Scotland and the Act of Settlement 1701 gave the thrones of England and Scotland to “the most excellent princess Sophia, electress and duchess-dowager of Hanover” and “the heirs of her body, being Protestant”. Sophia, Electress of Hanover was the aunt of Anne Henriette and her surviving sister Benedicta Henrietta and the younger sister of their deceased father. Therefore, the surviving children of Edward, Count Palatinate of Simmern and his other Catholic descendants were barred from the thrones of England and Scotland.

Anne Henriette married Henri Jules de Bourbon, Prince of Condé at the Palais du Louvre in Paris with King Louis XIV of France and the rest of the French royal family attending the wedding. The couple had six daughters and four sons.

• Wikipedia: Anne Henriette of the Palatinate, Princess of Condé

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Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1652 – 1730)

Benedicta Henrietta married Johann Friedrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Johann Friedrich was 27 years older than Benedicta Henrietta and was the only member of his family to convert to Roman Catholicism. As reigning Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, he needed a male heir but he had four daughters with Benedicta Henrietta. Their four daughters are also first cousins of King George I of Great Britain through their father. When Johann Friedrich died without a male heir, his younger brother Ernst August became Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Ernst August’s succeeded to the British throne as King George I. After her husband died, Benedicta Henrietta returned to her native France and lived with her sister Anne Henriette of the Palatinate, Princess of Condé.

• Wikipedia: Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg

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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

• Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
• Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
• Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

King George II of Great Britain (1683 – 1759)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

King George II was born at Schloss Herrenhausen in Hanover, now in Germany on November 10, 1683. He was the elder of the two children of first cousins Georg Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg (later King George I of Great Britain), and Sophia Dorothea of Celle. George II’s paternal grandparents were Ernst August, Elector of Hanover and Princess Sophia of the Palatinate who is more commonly known as Sophia, Electress of Hanover. His maternal grandparents were Georg Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and his mistress Éléonore d’Esmier d’Olbreuse who later married morganatically.

George II’s parents both committed adultery and their marriage was dissolved when George was eleven-years-old. His mother was considered the guilty party and was confined in the Castle of Ahlden in Celle, now in Germany, for the rest of her life, 32 years. George and his sister Sophia Dorothea never saw their mother again. George II married Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach, usually known as Caroline of Ansbach, and the couple had eight children.

At the time of George II’s birth, the House of Stuart occupied the British throne but the Stuarts failed to produce a legitimate Protestant heir. George II’s grandmother Sophia, Electress of Hanover was the closest Protestant heir and was named the heiress presumptive to the British throne. Sophia’s mother was Elizabeth Stuart, the second child and eldest daughter of James VI and I, King of Scotland, England, and Ireland. However, Sophia of Hanover died two months before Queen Anne of Great Britain died and George I’s father succeeded to the British throne as King George I upon the death of Queen Anne. George II followed his father on the British throne, however, his eldest son and heir Frederick, Prince of Wales predeceased him. Frederick’s eldest son became the heir apparent and succeeded his grandfather as King George III.

King George II shared his two first cousins with his only sibling Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, Queen of Prussia. He had no maternal aunts, maternal uncles, or maternal first cousins because Sophia Dorothea of Celle, King George II’s mother, was an only child.

• Unofficial Royalty: King George II of Great Britain

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Paternal Aunts and Uncles of King George II: Children of Ernst August, Elector of Hanover and Princess Sophia of the Palatinate

• Friedrich August of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1661 – 1690), Major General in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire, killed in action during the Great Turkish War, unmarried
• Maximilian Wilhelm of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1666 – 1726), Field Marshal in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire, unmarried
• Sophia Charlotte of Hanover (1668 – 1705), married Friedrich I, King in Prussia, had two sons
• Karl Philip of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1669 – 1690), Colonel in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire, died in action during the Great Turkish War, unmarried
• Christian Heinrich of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1671 – 1703) Lieutenant General in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire, drowned in the Danube River during the War of Spanish Succession, unmarried
• Ernst August of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Duke of York and Albany, Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück (1674 – 1728), unmarried

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Sophia Charlotte of Hanover and Friedrich I, King in Prussia

Prince Friedrich August of Prussia (1685 – 1686), died in childhood

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Friedrich Wilhelm I, King in Prussia (1688 – 1740)

King Friedrich Wilhelm I was known as the “Soldier King” and did much to improve Prussia economically and militarily. He married his first cousin Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, George II’s sister, and the couple had seven sons and seven daughters including King Friedrich II of Prussia, known as Frederick the Great, Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, Queen of Sweden who married King Adolf Frederick of Sweden, and Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia whose son succeeded the childless King Friedrich II of Prussia (Frederick the Great) as King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia.

• Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia

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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

• Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
• Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
• Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

King George III of the United Kingdom (1738 – 1820)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

King George III, the eldest son and the second child of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, was born June 4, 1738, at Norfolk House in St. James’s Square in London, England. His paternal grandparents were King George II of Great Britain and Princess Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach, generally known as Caroline of Ansbach. His maternal grandparents were Friedrich II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Princess Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst.

When George III was thirteen-years-old, his father died at the age of 44. George became heir to the throne and was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester. Nine years later, King George II died and his grandson succeeded him as King George III.  George III married Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.  Their marriage was a very happy one and George remained faithful to Charlotte. Between 1762 – 1783, Charlotte gave birth to fifteen children, all of whom survived childbirth. Only two of the children did not survive childhood. The only disruption in the family’s domestic lives were George’s attacks of illness. There has been speculation that King George suffered from porphyria.

King George III is the longest-reigning British king, having reigned for 59 years, 96 days. His length of reign is surpassed only by two queens, his granddaughter Queen Victoria and his great-great-great-great-granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch.

King George III shared his 29 first cousins with his eight siblings: Princess Augusta, Duchess of Brunswick; Prince Edward, Duke of York; Princess Elizabeth; Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester; Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland; Princess Louisa; Prince Frederick; and Princess Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark and Norway.

• Unofficial Royalty: King George III of the United Kingdom

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Paternal Aunts and Uncles Of King George III: Children of King George II of Great Britain and Princess Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach

• Anne, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange (1709 – 1759), married Willem IV, Prince of Orange, had two daughters and one son
• Princess Amelia of Great Britain (1711 – 1786), unmarried
• Princess Caroline of Great Britain (1713 – 1757), unmarried
• Prince George William of Great Britain (1717 – 1718), died in infancy
• Prince William of Great Britain, Duke of Cumberland (1721 – 1765), unmarried
• Princess Mary of Great Britain, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel (1723 – 1772), married Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, had four sons
• Princess Louise of Great Britain, Queen of Denmark and Norway (1724 -1751), married Frederik V, King of Denmark and Norway, had two sons and three daughters

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Maternal Aunts and Uncles of King George III: Children of Friedrich II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Princess Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst

• Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1697 – 1703), died in childhood of smallpox
• Friedrich III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1699 – 1772), married Luise Dorothea of Saxe-Meiningen, had four sons and two daughters
• Wilhelm of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1701 – 1771), married Anna of Holstein-Gottorp, no children
• Karl Friedrich of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1702 – 1703), died in infancy of smallpox
• Johann August of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1704 – 1767), married Louise Reuss of Schleiz, the widow of his brother Christian Wilhelm, had two daughters
• Christian of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (born and died 1705), died in early infancy of smallpox
• Christian Wilhelm of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1706 – 1748), married Luise Reuss of Schleiz, no children
• Ludwig Ernst of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1707 – 1763), unmarried, military career
• Emanuel of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1709 – 1710), died in infancy
• Moritz of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1711 – 1777), unmarried, military career
• Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (born and died 1712), died in infancy
• Karl of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1714 – 1715), died in infancy
• Friederike of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Weissenfels  (1715 – 1775), married Johann Adolf II, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, had four sons and one daughter
• Magdalena Sibylle of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (born and died 1718), died in infancy
• Johann Adolf of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1721 – 1799), married morganatically Marie Maximiliane Elisabeth Schauer, had two sons and one daughter

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Anne, Princess Royal and Willem IV, Prince of Orange

Carolina of Orange-Nassau, Princess of Nassau-Weilburg (1743 – 1787)

Carolina married Karl Christian, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg and had six sons and five daughters. Her father had died when she was eight-years-old and her three-year-old brother succeeded as Willem V, Prince of Orange. Willem would not reach his majority for fifteen years and until then he had a series of four regents. Carolina served as the last regent.

• Wikipedia: Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau

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Anna of Orange-Nassau (born and died 1746)

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Willem V, Prince of Orange (1748 – 1806)

Willem was the only son of Anne, Princess Royal and Willem IV, Prince of Orange. His father died when he was three-years-old Willem IV. Willem would not reach his majority for fifteen years and until then he had a series of four regents. Willem married Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia, daughter of Prince Augustus William of Prussia and Luise of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Wilhelmina was the favorite niece of King Friedrich II of Prussia (Frederick the Great) and was the sister of his successor King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia. The couple had three children who survived infancy including Willem I, the first King of the Netherlands.

When the Dutch Republic which Willem ruled was replaced by the Batavian Republic, Willem and his family fled to England where they lived in exile in the part of Kew Palace known as the Dutch House with the permission of Willem’s first cousin King George III. The family later went to Germany where they lived in Nassau and Brunswick. Willem spent the rest of his life in exile and was viewed quite negatively both in England and the Netherlands.

• Unofficial Royalty: Willem V, Prince of Orange

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Mary of Great Britain and Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel

Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Kassel (1741 – 1742), died in infancy

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Wilhelm I, Prince-Elector of Hesse (1743 – 1821)

When Wilhelm was four-years-old, his father Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel deserted his family and converted to Roman Catholicism.  Along with his mother Mary of Great Britain and his two younger brothers, Wilhelm moved to Denmark where they lived with Mary’s sister, Louise of Great Britain who was Queen Consort of Denmark. Wilhelm married his first cousin Princess Caroline of Denmark, daughter of his maternal aunt Louise and her husband King Frederik V of Denmark, and had two daughters and two sons. Upon the death of his father, Wilhelm became Wilhelm IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. Later he was created Prince-Elector of Hesse.

• Wikipedia: Wilhelm I, Prince-Elector of Hesse

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Prince Karl of Hesse-Kassel (1744 – 1836)

A younger brother of Wilhelm I, Prince-Elector of Hesse, Karl was brought up with relatives at the Danish court and spent most of his life in Denmark. Like his elder brother, he married also married a Danish first cousin, Princess Louise of Denmark, the youngest daughter of his maternal aunt, Princess Louise of Great Britain, and King Frederik V of Denmark. Karl and Louise had three sons and three daughters including Marie Sophie, who became Queen of Denmark by marrying her first cousin the future King Frederik VI of Denmark. Karl had a military career in the Danish Army and served as Governor-General of Norway and Royal Governor of Schleswig-Holstein.

• Wikipedia: Prince Karl of Hesse-Kassel

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Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel (1747 – 1837)

The youngest son of Princess Mary of Great Britain and Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, Friedrich was raised in Denmark and spent most of his life there. Like his brother Karl, Friedrich had a career in the Danish Army. He married Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen and had five sons and three daughters, including Wilhelm who married Princess Louise Charlotte of Denmark and was the father of Louise of Hesse-Kassel, wife of King Christian IX of Denmark. Friedrich bought Rumpenheim Castle, now in Offenbach, Germany, from his brother Karl, and it became his family’s seat. The large extended family of Friedrich’s granddaughter Louise of Hesse-Kassel and her husband King Christian IX of Denmark had many family get-togethers at Rumpenheim Castle.

• Wikipedia: Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Louise of Great Britain and Frederik V, King of Denmark and Norway

Crown Prince Christian of Denmark (1745 – 1747), died in early childhood

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Princess Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, Queen of Sweden (1746 – 1813)

Princess Sophia Magdalena was the eldest daughter and the eldest surviving child of the four children of King Frederik V of Denmark and his first wife Princess Louisa of Great Britain. She married King Gustav III of Sweden and had two sons including King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden. On March 16, 1792, Sophia Magdalena’s husband King Gustav III was shot by Jacob Johan Anckarström during a masquerade at the Royal Opera House. King Gustav III died of his wounds at the Stockholm Royal Palace two weeks later. The event is the subject of Giuseppe Verdi’s 1859 opera Un Ballo in Maschera (The Masked Ball).

• Unofficial Royalty: Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, Queen of Sweden

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Princess Caroline of Denmark, Princess-Electress of Hesse (1747 – 1820)

Caroline of Denmark married her maternal first cousin Wilhelm I, Prince-Elector of Hesse and had two sons and two daughters. As explained above, Wilhelm grew up at the Danish court and it was decided during their childhood that they would marry each other. Shortly after their marriage, Caroline and Wilhelm left Denmark to live in Hanau, the capital of the County of Hanau-Münzenberg, which had been separated from Hesse-Kassel and given to Wilhelm. Upon the death of his father, Wilhelm became Wilhelm IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. Later he was created Prince-Elector of Hesse.

• Wikipedia: Princess Caroline of Denmark

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King Christian VII of Denmark (1749 – 1808)

King Christian VII married his maternal first cousin Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales, the youngest sibling of King George III of the United Kingdom. They had one son, King Frederik VI of Denmark, and one daughter. King Christian VII’s reign was marked by mental illness. He publicly declared that he could not love Caroline Matilda because it was “unfashionable to love one’s wife”. Caroline Matilda’s daughter Louise Augusta’s father may have been Christian’s physician Johann Friedrich Struensee. Struensee gained political power and also gained powerful enemies, including Christian VII’s stepmother Queen Dowager Juliana Maria and her son Hereditary Prince Frederik. Juliana Maria directed a plot to overthrow the lovers, which ended with the brutal execution of Struensee and Caroline Matilda’s divorce and banishment. Not quite 20-years-old, Caroline Matilda lost her title of Queen and was forcibly separated from her children whom she never saw again. She died of “a putrid fever and sore throat,” probably scarlet fever, at the age of 23. Because of his mental illness, Christian was only nominally king from 1772 onward and regents ruled for him. Christian lived in isolation with a caretaker. His only involvement with the government was when he had to sign “Christian Rex” on formal papers.

• Unofficial Royalty: King Christian VII of Denmark

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Princess Louise of Denmark, Princess of Hesse-Kassel (1750 – 1831)

Princess Louise married her maternal first cousin Prince Karl of Hesse-Kassel (see above) who had grown up with her at the Danish court. The couple had three daughters and three sons daughters including Marie Sophie, who became Queen of Denmark by marrying her first cousin the future King Frederik VI of Denmark.

• Wikipedia: Princess Louise of Denmark

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Friedrich III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Luise Dorothea of Saxe-Meiningen

Hereditary Prince Friedrich Ludwig on the right and his tutor Baron Ulrich von Thun

Friedrich Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1735 – 1756)

Friedrich Ludwig was very well-educated. Along with his tutor Baron Ulrich von Thun, he took a lengthy multi-year educational journey through Europe where he became acquainted with proponents of French Enlightenment such as Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Denis Diderot. Friedrich Ludwig was often sick as a child and he died at the age of 21 after suffering from a fever and severe gouty pains. Friedrich Ludwig’s younger brother Ernst became Hereditary Prince and later Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.

• Wikipedia: Friedrich Ludwig von Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg (in German)

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Ludwig of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (born and died 1735)

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Friederike Luise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1741 – 1776)

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Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1745 – 1804)

After the death of her eldest son, Ernst’s mother Luise Dorothea of Saxe-Meiningen was intent that her two surviving sons be well educated. They were carefully educated by select tutors and went on an educational trip to the Netherlands, England, and France where they met important people in politics, science and the arts. When he became Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Ernst continued his interest in the arts and science in his duchy. Ernst married Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen and had four sons, two of them became Dukes of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Their son August, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg married his first cousin Luise Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and their daughter Louise was the mother of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the husband of Queen Victoria and the ancestor of all British monarchs beginning with Edward VII, and of numerous other European monarchs.

• Wikipedia: Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

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Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (born and died 1746)

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August of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1747 – 1806)

August was carefully educated with his brother Ernst as explained above. He was to have a career in the military but that did not last long. August never married and was considered a prince of the Enlightenment. He was an important translator of French literature and corresponded with several important German writers including Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

• Wikipedia: Prince August of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Johann August of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Louise Reuss of Schleiz, co-Countess of Limpurg-Gaildorf

Augusta Luise Friederike of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, co-Countess of Limpurg-Gaildorf, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1752 – 1805)

Upon the death of her mother, Augusta and her sister Luise inherited the title of Co-Countess of Limpurg-Gaildorf. Later the sisters sold their shares of Limpurg-Gaildorf to Carl Eugen, Duke of Württemberg. Augusta became the second wife of Friedrich Karl, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt but the marriage was childless.

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Luise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Co-Countess of Limpurg-Gaildorf, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1756 – 1808)

As explained above, Luise became co-Countess of Limpurg-Gaildorf with her sister Augusta upon the death of their mother and the sisters later sold their portion of the County of Limpurg-Gaildorf. Luise married Friedrich Franz I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who became the first Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin after Luise’s death. Luise and Friedrich Franz had four sons and two daughters. Their daughter Charlotte Frederica was the first wife of the future King Christian VIII of Denmark and the mother of King Frederik VII of Denmark. Charlotte Frederica’s marriage was unhappy and she and her husband eventually divorced.

Luise Charlotte, another daughter of Luise and Friedrich Franz, married August, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and their daughter Luise was the mother of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the husband of Queen Victoria and the ancestor of all British monarchs beginning with King Edward VII and of numerous other European monarchs.

• Unofficial Royalty: Luise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Friederike of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Johann Adolf II, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels

All their children died in childhood.

• Karl Frederick Adolf, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Weissenfels (1736 – 1737)
• Johann Adolf, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Weissenfels (born and died 1738)
• August Adolf, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Weissenfels (1739 – 1740)
• Johann Georg Adolf, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Weissenfels (born and died 1740)
• Friederike Adolfine of Saxe-Weissenfels (1741 – 1751)

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Johann Adolf of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and his morganatic wife Marie Maximiliane Elisabeth Schauer

Marie Maximiliane Elisabeth Schauer and her two surviving children were ennobled by Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor and given permission to discard the surname Schauer and instead use the surname von Gothart

• Friedrich Adolph (born and died 1760)
• Adolph Christian Carl von Gothart (1761 – 1835)
• Johanna Adolfine Friederike von Gothart (1767 – 1804)

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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

• Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
• Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
• Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

King George IV of the United Kingdom (1762 – 1830)

King Willian IV of the United Kingdom (1765 – 1837)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

King George IV, born at St. James’ Palace in London, England on August 12, 1762, was the eldest of the fifteen children and the eldest of the nine sons of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. His marriage to his first cousin Princess Caroline of Brunswick was one of the worst ever royal marriages. It is doubtful that the couple spent more than a few nights together as husband and wife. They did manage to have one daughter Princess Charlotte of Wales who would have succeeded her father as queen if she had not died at the age of 21 in childbirth along with her son. From 1811 until his accession, George served as Prince Regent during his father’s final mental illness. George was succeeded by his parents’ third son William. George had no surviving children and the second son Prince Frederick, Duke of York had died childless.

King William IV was the third of his parents’ fifteen children and the third of their nine sons. He was born at Buckingham House (now Buckingham Palace) in London, England on August 21, 1765. William had a happy relationship with actress Dorothea Jordan that lasted over twenty years and produced ten illegitimate children. William and Dorothea’s children married into the British aristocracy and their many descendants include a number of notable people. William’s niece Princess Charlotte of Wales was second in line to the throne and was the only legitimate grandchild of King George III, despite the fact that eleven of his fifteen children were still living. Her death left no legitimate heir in the second generation and prompted the aging sons of King George III to begin a frantic search for brides to provide for the succession.

William, along with his unmarried brothers Edward, Duke of Kent and Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, all married. 52-year-old William married 25-year-old Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen. A child of William and Adelaide would have succeeded to the throne as William’s two elder brothers (George IV and Frederick, Duke of York) had no surviving children. Adelaide suffered a miscarriage, gave birth to two princesses who both died in infancy and gave birth to stillborn twin boys. William’s niece Victoria, the daughter of his parents’ fourth son, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, became his heir.

George and William’s paternal grandparents were Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Frederick was the eldest child of King George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach. However, Frederick predeceased his father and upon the death of George II, Frederick’s eldest son became King George III. George and William’s maternal grandparents were Duke Carl Ludwig Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen.

George IV and William had 12 paternal first cousins and 11 maternal cousins. They share their first cousins with their siblings Prince Frederick, Duke of York; Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg; Prince Edward, Duke of Kent; Princess Augusta; Princess Elizabeth, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg; King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland; Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex; Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge; Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester; Princess Sophia; Prince Octavius; Prince Alfred; and Princess Amelia.

• Unofficial Royalty: King George IV of the United Kingdom
• Unofficial Royalty: King William IV of the United Kingdom

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Paternal Aunts and Uncles of King George IV and King William IV: Children of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

Family of Frederick, Prince of Wales painted in 1751 after his death; Front row: Henry, William, Frederick; Back row: Edward, George, Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales holding Caroline Matilda, Elizabeth, Louisa

• Princess Augusta of Wales, Duchess of Brunswick (1737 – 1813) married Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, had four sons and three daughters
• Prince Edward of Wales, Duke of York (1739 – 1767), unmarried
• Princess Elizabeth of Wales (1740 – 1759), unmarried
• Prince William Henry of Wales, Duke of Gloucester (1743 – 1805) married Maria, Countess Waldegrave, had two daughters and one son
• Prince Henry of Wales, Duke of Cumberland (1745 – 1790) married Anne Luttrell, no issue
• Princess Louisa of Wales (1749 – 1768), unmarried
• Prince Frederick of Wales (1750 – 1765), unmarried
• Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales, Queen of Denmark and Norway (1751 – 1775) married Christian VII, King of Denmark and Norway, had one son and one daughter

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Maternal Aunts and Uncles of King George IV and King William IV: Children of Duke Carl Ludwig Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen

• Duchess Christiane of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1735-1794), unmarried
• Duchess Caroline of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (born and died 1736)
• Adolf Friedrich IV, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1738-1794), unmarried
• Duchess Elisabeth Christine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1739-1740), died in childhood
  Sophie Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1740-1741), died in childhood
• Carl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1741-1816), married (1) Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt, had six daughters and four sons (2) Princess Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt, his first wife’s sister, had one son
• Duke Ernst Gottlob of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1742-1814), unmarried
• Duke Gotthelf of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (born and died 1745)
• Duke Georg August of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1748-1785), unmarried

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PATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Augusta of Wales and Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick

Augusta of Brunswick, Princess Friedrich of Württemberg ( 1764 – 1788)

Augusta of Brunswick was the eldest of her parents’ seven children. She was the first wife of Prince Friedrich of Württemberg (later Duke of Württemberg 1797 -1803, Elector of Württemberg 1803 – 1806, King of Württemberg 1806 – 1816). Despite having a very unhappy marriage, Augusta and Friedrich had two sons and two daughters including King Wilhelm I of Württemberg.

Friedrich had impressed Empress Catherine II (the Great) while visiting Russia, and she made him Governor-General of Eastern Finland. Four years later, while they were visiting the Empress in St. Petersburg, Augusta asked Catherine for protection from her husband. She claimed that Friedrich was abusive to her, and was having affairs with several men. The Empress took Augusta in and told Friedrich to leave the country. Augusta hoped to obtain a divorce but her father would not permit it. Empress Catherine provided Augusta with a home at Koluvere Castle in Estonia, along with a custodian, Wilhelm von Pohlmann. Soon, Augusta and von Pohlmann began an affair and she became pregnant. Sadly, she went into premature labor and died of blood loss.

Unofficial Royalty: Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Princess Friedrich of Württemberg

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Karl, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1766 – 1806)

Karl was the eldest son and the heir to the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. However, he had been born blind and mentally disabled. A marriage was arranged for him with Princess Louise of Orange-Nassau but the marriage was childless and Louise was more of a nurse to him than a wife. Karl was eventually forced to renounce his position as heir to his younger brother.

• Wikipedia: Karl, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

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Caroline of Brunswick, Queen of the United Kingdom (1768 – 1821)

Caroline married her first cousin, the future King George IV of the United Kingdom. Despite being first cousins, they had never met. The marriage was very unsuccessful and they separated shortly after the birth of their only child Princess Charlotte of Wales who died at the age of 21 in childbirth.

When George became king, he insisted Caroline would never be queen and wanted a divorce. However, Caroline was popular with the British people who sympathized with her and despised the new king for his immoral behavior. The government introduced a bill in Parliament, the Pains and Penalties Bill 1820, to strip Caroline of the title of queen consort and dissolve her marriage. The reading of the bill in Parliament was effectively a trial of Caroline. The bill passed by 108–99. Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool then declared that since the vote was so close, and public tensions so high, the government was withdrawing the bill.

George had made no plans for Caroline to participate in his coronation. On the day of the coronation, Caroline went to Westminster Abbey but was barred at every entrance and finally left. She died three weeks later and had requested that she be buried in her native Brunswick. The official route of Caroline’s cortege through London was to avoid major streets. However, members of the public blocked those streets and forced a new route through the major streets. Caroline was buried at Brunswick Cathedral in Germany alongside her father. Her casket bears the inscription, “Here lies Caroline, the Injured Queen of England.”

Unofficial Royalty: Caroline of Brunswick, Queen of the United Kingdom

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Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1771 – 1815)

The fourth son of his parents, Friedrich Wilhelm succeeded his father as Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel because of the disabilities of his three elder brothers. He had an army career and participated in the Napoleonic Wars. Friedrich Wilhelm married Princess Marie of Baden and had two sons. His wife died of childbed fever (puerperal fever) four days after giving birth to a stillborn daughter. Friedrich Wilhelm was killed in action at the Battle of Quatre Bras, two days before the Battle of Waterloo where Napoleon was defeated once and for all.

• Wikipedia: Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

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• Georg of Brunswick (1769 – 1811), unmarried, mentally disabled, excluded from the line of succession of the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
• August of Brunswick (1770 – 1822), unmarried, blind, excluded from the line of succession of the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
• Amelie of Brunswick ( 1772 – 1773), died in childhood

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Prince William Henry of Wales, 1st Duke of Gloucester and Maria, Countess Waldegrave

Background on this side of the family: Prince William Henry of Wales, 1st Duke of Gloucester, a younger brother of King George III of the United Kingdom, secretly married Maria Walpole, the illegitimate daughter of Sir Edward Walpole and his mistress Dorothy Clement. Her grandfather Robert Walpole served as Prime Minister from 1721 – 1741. At the time of the marriage, Maria was the widow of James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave.

King George III’s brothers were a constant headache for him but he was especially annoyed with Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland. Prince Henry had married a commoner Anne Horton. George III considered Anne Horton inappropriate as a royal bride because she was from a lower social class and German law barred any children of the couple from the succession. George insisted on a new law that would forbid members of the royal family from legally marrying without the consent of the monarch. Although it was unpopular with both George III’s ministers and members of Parliament, the Royal Marriages Act 1772 was passed.

However, King George III did not know that his brother Prince William Henry, 1st Duke of Gloucester had secretly married Maria Walpole in 1766. For six years, King George III believed that his brother William Henry was a bachelor and that Maria was his mistress. In September 1772, five months after the Royal Marriages Act was passed, William Henry found out Maria was pregnant and confessed to his brother that he was married. King George III was quite upset not only by the marriage but also by William Henry’s deception. Because the provisions of the Royal Marriages Act could not be applied retroactively, William Henry and Maria’s marriage was considered valid. Their children were styled His/Her Highness Prince/Princess and used the territorial designation of Gloucester as great-grandchildren in the male line of King George II. However, due to the anger of King George III, Maria, now Duchess of Gloucester, was never received at court.

Princess Sophia of Gloucester (1773–1844)

Sophia was the eldest child of Prince William Henry and Maria Walpole. Her uncle King George III refused to be her godparent because of the deception of her parents’ marriage. She never married. When her brother His Highness Prince William Frederick married their first cousin Princess Mary, daughter of King George III, the king granted him the style His Royal Highness. Sophia was granted the same style the next day.

• Wikipedia: Princess Sophia of Gloucester

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Princess Caroline of Gloucester (1774–1775)

Princess Caroline’s father Prince William Henry of Wales, Duke of Gloucester became ill with smallpox in March 1775. He immediately ordered that his two daughters (his son had not yet been born) be inoculated against smallpox. At that time, 3% of those receiving the smallpox inoculation died after receiving the inoculation. Sadly, eight-month-old Princess Caroline was one of them. A few years later, Caroline’s first cousins, the two youngest sons of King George III, Prince Octavius and Prince Alfred, also died after receiving the smallpox inoculation.

Wikipedia: Princess Caroline of Gloucester
Unofficial Royalty: Smallpox knew no class boundaries

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Prince William Frederick, 2nd Duke of Gloucester (1776–1834)

William Frederick was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge and like his father, had a career in the British Army, attaining the rank of Field Marshal. He was an advocate for the abolition of slavery, served as President of the African Institution and was Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. William Frederick had been encouraged to remain unmarried so that there might be a suitable husband for his first cousin once removed, Princess Charlotte of Wales, the heir to the throne after her father the future King George IV, if no foreign prince proved a suitable match. Charlotte married Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld but within twenty months, Charlotte had died in childbirth along with her son. After Charlotte’s marriage, 40-year-old William Frederick married his first cousin 40-year-old Princess Mary, daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom. The couple had no children.

• Unofficial Royalty: Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester

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Paternal First Cousins: Children of Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales and King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway

Background on Caroline Matilda and Christian VII: Princess Caroline Matilda and King Christian VII were first cousins – both were grandchildren of King George II of Great Britain. Christian VII’s reign was marked by mental illness and for most of his reign, he was only nominally king. He publicly declared that he could not love Caroline Matilda because it was “unfashionable to love one’s wife”. Caroline Matilda’s daughter Louise Augusta’s father may have been Christian’s physician Johann Friedrich Struensee. Struensee gained political power and also gained powerful enemies, including Christian VII’s stepmother Queen Dowager Juliana Maria and her son Hereditary Prince Frederik. Juliana Maria directed a plot to overthrow the lovers, which ended with the brutal execution of Struensee and Caroline Matilda’s divorce and banishment. Not quite 20-years-old, Caroline Matilda lost her title of Queen and was forcibly separated from her children whom she never saw again. She died of “a putrid fever and sore throat,” probably scarlet fever, at the age of 23. She was buried at the Stadtkirche St. Marien in Celle next to his great-grandmother Sophie Dorothea of Celle who suffered a similar fate.

King Frederik VI of Denmark (1768 – 1839)

When Frederik came of age, he had to wrest the power from Queen Dowager Juliana Maria and her son Hereditary Prince Frederik, who was ruling as Regent for the mentally disabled King Christian VII. Frederik then ruled permanently as Crown Prince Regent until the death of his father. He married his cousin Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel, daughter of Prince Carl of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Louise of Denmark. Frederik was a great-grandchild of King George II of Great Britain and Marie was a double great-grandchild of George II. Both of Marie’s parents were children of a daughter of King George II of Great Britain. Frederik and Marie had eight children but unfortunately, six of them, including two boys, died in infancy. Only two daughters survived and both daughters had childless marriages. As he had no sons, Frederik was succeeded by King Christian VIII who was the son of King Frederik’s half-uncle Hereditary Prince Frederik.

• Unofficial Royalty: King Frederik VI of Denmark and Norway

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Princess Louise Augusta of Denmark, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg  (1771 – 1843)

Louise Augusta was officially the daughter of King Christian VII of Denmark but most likely her biological father was Johann Friedrich Struensee, Christian VII’s physician. When she was only 14-years-old, Louise Augusta married Frederik Christian II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg and had two sons and one daughter. Their daughter Caroline Amalie became Queen of Denmark by marrying the future King Christian VIII of Denmark, son of Hereditary Prince Frederik of Denmark. Louise Auguste’s son Christian August II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg was the father of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein who married Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Helena. Another of Christian August II’s sons, Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, was the father of Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein, the wife of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia.

• Wikipedia: Princess Louise Augusta of Denmark

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MATERNAL FIRST COUSINS

Maternal First Cousins: Children of Carl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and his first wife Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt who died in childbirth giving birth to her tenth child who lived only one day

Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Duchess of Saxe-Hildburghausen (1769–1818)

Charlotte and her siblings grew up in Hanover, where their father served as governor, on behalf of his brother-in-law King George III of the United Kingdom, who was also King of Hanover. She married Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (later Duke of Saxe-Altenburg) and had seven sons and five daughters, including Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen who became Queen of Bavaria by marrying King Ludwig I of Bavaria.

• Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Duchess of Saxe-Hildburghausen

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Duchess Therese of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Princess of Thurn and Taxis (1773–1839)

Therese married Karl Alexander, 5th Prince of Thurn and Taxis and had three daughters and four sons. Karl Alexander was Roman Catholic. Therese’s aunt Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom and her husband King George III helped to broker the marriage and were responsible for ensuring that Therese could remain Protestant. Therese also had an illegitimate son and daughter with Maximilian, Graf von und zu Lerchenfeld auf Köfering und Schönberg. She Therese took an active role in the administration of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis and was also devoted to art and literature.

• Wikipedia: Duchess Therese of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

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Duchess Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Prussia (1776–1810)

Following her mother’s death in childbirth in 1782, Luise and her siblings were raised mostly by their maternal grandmother, Marie Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg. Luise and her sister Friederike attracted the attention of two Prussian princes. Luise married the future King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, while Friederike married his brother Ludwig Karl. Luise and Friedrich Wilhelm III had five sons and four daughters including Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia; Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, German Emperor; and Charlotte who married Nicholas I, Emperor of Russia. Luise took it upon herself to stay well-versed in the affairs of the country, earning her the respect of her husband’s advisers. While visiting her father in Strelitz, 34-year-old Luise died in her husband’s arms from an unidentified illness.

• Unofficial Royalty: Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Prussia

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Duchess Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Hanover (1778–1841)

Friederike married three times and had a total of ten children. When her sister Luise married the future King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, Friederike married his brother Ludwig Karl and had two sons and one daughter. The marriage between Friederike and Ludwig was not very happy, with both of them allegedly having affairs. Prince Ludwig died of diphtheria just two days after their third wedding anniversary, leaving Friederike an 18-year-old widow with three children. Two years later, Friederike accepted a proposal from Prince Adolphus of the United Kingdom, Duke of Cambridge, her first cousin. Apparently, Friederike had not very lonely. Despite her unofficial engagement to Adolphus, she soon found herself pregnant with the child of Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels. The couple married and had five sons and one daughter. Within a few years of the marriage, the couple had drifted very far apart and were given permission to divorce but remained married.

Friederike fell in love with another first cousin, Prince Ernest August of the United Kingdom, Duke of Cumberland, a son of King George III of the United Kingdom and Friederike’s aunt Charlotte. Divorce proceedings were started but Friederike’s second husband Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels suddenly died and Friederike soon married Ernest August. After two stillborn daughters, the couple had one son. When Ernest Augustus’ brother King William IV died, he was succeeded by his niece, Victoria, as Queen of the United Kingdom but because Hanover did not allow for female succession, Friederike’s husband succeeded him as King Ernst August I of Hanover, and Friederike became Queen.

• Unofficial Royalty: Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Hanover

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Georg, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1779–1860)

Georg married Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel, the daughter of Landgrave Freidrich of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen and had four children including Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz who married his first cousin Princess Augusta of Cambridge and Princess Caroline Mariane who married the future King Frederik VII of Denmark. When Georg succeeded his father as Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, he found the grand duchy in great debt and in need of much rebuilding. He abolished serfdom and throughout his reign worked to raise the standards of education, building schools and instituting compulsory education. He made vast improvements to the infrastructure which would help to energize the grand duchy’s economy.

• Unofficial Royalty: Georg, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

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• Duchess Caroline Auguste of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1771–1773), died in childhood
• Duke Georg Carl of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1772–1773), died in childhood
• Duke Friedrich Georg of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (born and died 1774), died in infancy
• Duke Friedrich Karl of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1781–1783), died in childhood
• Duchess Augusta Albertine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (born and died 1782), died in infancy along with her mother

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Maternal First Cousins: Children of Carl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and his second wife Princess Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt who was the sister of Carl’s first wife. Like her sister, Charlotte died in childbirth.

Duke Karl of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1785–1837)

Karl’s mother died as a result of his birth. He had a career in the Prussian Army and never married. He fought in the Napoleonic Wars and attained the rank of a Lieutenant General. For the last ten years of his life, Karl was President of the Prussian State Council, an advisory body in the Kingdom of Prussia.

• Wikipedia: Duke Karl of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

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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

• Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
• Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
• Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)