Category Archives: Current Monarchies

Princess Sirivannavari of Thailand

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Princess Sirivannavari of Thailand; Credit – By NBT – https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p8BI_BJSkFs, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=113127049

Princess Sirivannavari of Thailand is the only daughter and the youngest of the five children of King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand and Sujarinee Vivacharawongse, as she is now known, a consort and then the second of the king’s four wives. Princess Sirivannavari was born Chao Busyanambejra Mahidol on January 8, 1987, in Bangkok, Thailand. At the time of her birth and the birth of her siblings, her father was Crown Prince of Thailand and was married to his first cousin Soamsawali Kitiyakaram known as Princess Soamsawali. Sirivannavari’s mother was her father’s unmarried consort. Using the stage name Yuwathida Suraswadee, Sirivannavari’s mother became an actress in 1977 when she was fifteen years old, starring in television dramas and movies. She was introduced to the then Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn and became the Crown Prince’s consort. In August 1979, Sujarinee announced her retirement from acting.

Sirivannavari (front row in the middle) with her father, the future King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, her mother Sujarinee Vivacharawongse, and her four elder brothers; Credit – https://thaipoliticalprisoners.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/prince-and-family.jpg

Sirivannavari has four elder brothers:

  • Juthavachara Vivacharawongse (born 1979)
  • Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse (born 1981)
  • Chakriwat Vivacharawongse (born 1983)
  • Vatcharawee Vivacharawongse (born 1985)

Princess Sirivannavari (on the left), with her half-sister Princess Bajrakitiyabha (on the right) and her half-brother Prince Dipangkorn (in the middle), 2019; Credit – By NBT – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKLRF8wE_nI, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=88430260

Sirivannavari has an elder half-sister from her father’s first of four marriages to his first cousin Soamsawali Kitiyakaram known as Princess Soamsawali:

Sirivannavari has a younger half-brother from her father’s third of four marriages to Srirasm Suwadi, formerly Princess Srirasm of Thailand:

Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn’s first wife Princess Soamsawali refused divorce for many years, but in 1993, the Crown Prince sued for divorce in the family court. He accused Princess Soamsawali of being completely at fault for the failed marriage. She was not able to refute any of the charges because of lèse-majesté in Thailand. It is illegal to defame, insult, or threaten the king, queen, heir-apparent, heir-presumptive, or regent of Thailand. The penalty for committing lèse-majesté is three to fifteen years in prison for each count. The divorce was finalized in July 1993.

In February 1994, Sirivannavari’s parents were married. The Crown Prince’s father King Bhumibol Adulyadej and paternal grandmother Princess Srinagarindra attended the wedding but his mother Queen Sirikit, who was also the aunt of his first wife Princess Soamsawali, did not attend. After the wedding, the bride’s name was changed to Sujarinee Mahidol na Ayudhya, signifying she was a commoner married to a royal. Sujarinee was commissioned as a major in the Royal Thai Army and took part in royal ceremonies with Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn.

In 1996, Sujarinee fled to the United Kingdom with her five children. The Crown Prince accused her of adultery and managed to retrieve his daughter Sirivannavari and bring her back to Thailand. Sujarinee and her four sons were stripped of their royal titles and her marriage to the Crown Prince was dissolved. After the end of her marriage, Sujarinee and her sons used the royal surname Vivacharawongse and lived in the United States.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, Sirivannavari’s paternal grandfather, gave her the name Sirivannavari and the style and title Her Royal Highness Princess of Thailand. She was educated at Chitralada School which was established by King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the grounds of the Dusit Palace, the residence of the King of Thailand in Bangkok. Many members of the Thai royal family attend the Chitralada School. Sirivannavari studied fashion and textile design at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. In addition, she has a Masters degree from École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne in Paris, France, a higher education institution that provides education in the field of fashion and haute couture techniques.

Sirivannavari with the models wearing her designs at Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2008

In 2007, Sirivannavari was invited by Pierre Balmain, French fashion designer and founder of the fashion house Balmain, to present a fashion show at Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2008 at the Paris Opera House. Pierre Balmain had designed outfits for Queen Sirikit of Thailand, Sirivannavari’s grandmother, for her 1960 tour of the United States. Sirivannavari’s debut Paris collection was titled Presence of the Past and was influenced by memories of her grandmother Queen Sirikit with a modern interpretation of traditional Thai costume. Princess Sirivannavari has her own clothing brand, “Sirivannavari” and has a brand of personal home decor named “Sirivannavari Maison”.

Sirivannavari competing in the badminton event of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games

Besides being interested in fashion, Sirivannavari was also an elite athlete. She represented Thailand in badminton at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, winning a team gold medal. Sirivannavari also competed as an equestrian athlete representing Thailand in the 2013 Southeast Asia Games, the 2017 Southeast Asia Games, winning a team silver medal, in the 2014 Asian Games, and in the 2019 Asian Riding Championships, winning a gold medal.

King Vajiralongkorn (2nd right), Queen Suthida (2nd left), Princess Sirivannavari (left), Princess Bajrakitiyabha (center), and the royal noble consort Sineenat Bilaskalayani (right), attend a ceremony to commemorate the birthday of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand on December 5, 2020

In 2016, Princess Sirivannavari’s father Vajiralongkorn became King of Thailand upon the death of his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Princess Sirivannavari is eligible to be the heir to the throne of Thailand but none of her brothers are. In Thailand, the Palace Law of Succession gives the sovereign the sole power and prerogative to designate any descendant of the royal family as heir to the throne. The sovereign has the sole power and prerogative to remove the heir to the throne from his or her position. However, King Vajiralongkorn has yet to name an heir to the throne. If the sovereign dies with no heir designated, there is a line of succession, and the chief state official invites the first in the line of succession to be sovereign.

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

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Sujarinee Vivacharawongse, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/sujarinee-vivacharawongse-consort-and-2nd-wife-of-king-vajiralongkorn-of-thailand/ (Accessed: February 14, 2023).
  • Mehl, Scott. (2017) King Maha Vajiralongkorn of ThailandUnofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/crown-prince-maha-vajiralongkorn-of-thailand/ (Accessed: February 14, 2023).
  • Sirivannavari (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirivannavari (Accessed: February 14, 2023).
  • สมเด็จพระเจ้าลูกเธอ เจ้าฟ้าสิริวัณณวรี นารีรัตนราชกัญญา (Princess Sirivannavari) (2023) Wikipedia (in Thai). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%94%E0%B9%87%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%88%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%B9%E0%B8%81%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%98%E0%B8%AD_%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%88%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%9F%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%93%E0%B8%93%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B5_%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%8D%E0%B8%8D%E0%B8%B2 (Accessed: February 14, 2023).

Elizabeth Stuart, Princess of England, Daughter of King Charles I of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Princess Elizabeth; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Elizabeth of England, also known as Elizabeth Stuart, was born on December 28, 1635, at St. James’s Palace in London, England. She was the fifth of the nine children and the second of the five daughters of King Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France. Elizabeth’s paternal grandparents were King James I of England and Anne of Denmark. Her maternal grandparents were King Henri IV of France and his second wife Marie de’ Medici.

King Charles I’s five eldest surviving children in 1637: Left to right: Mary, James, Charles, Elizabeth, and Anne; Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth had eight siblings:

Elizabeth was well connected to European royalty through her maternal aunts and uncles: King Louis XIII of France; Elisabeth, Queen of Spain, wife of King Felipe IV of Spain, Christine Marie, Duchess of Savoy, wife of Vittorio Amedeo I, Duke of Savoy; and Gaston, Duke of Orléans. Her only surviving paternal aunt or uncle was Elizabeth Stuart who had married Friedrich V, Elector Palatine. It was through Elizabeth and Friedrich’s daughter Sophia that the Protestant Hanovers came to the British throne in 1714 through the 1701 Act of Settlement.

Elizabeth’s father King Charles I had issues with Parliament, clashing with its members over financial, political, and religious issues. These issues eventually caused the English Civil War (1642 – 1651). During the English Civil War, of Elizabeth’s surviving siblings, her sister Mary was married and living in the Dutch Republic, her eldest brother Charles was in the Dutch Republic with their sister Mary or in France where their mother Queen Henrietta Maria and sister Henrietta were living in exile, and where their young first cousin King Louis XIV sat upon the throne of France. Elizabeth’s brother James, the second son, remained in Oxford, England, the royalist stronghold, while his father King Charles I fought against the forces of the Parliamentarians, also known as the Roundheads.

(Left to Right) Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, Princess Elizabeth and Prince James, Duke of York, the future King James II, by Sir Peter Lely, 1647; Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth and her younger brother Henry were unable to flee with their mother because they were not with her at that time. They remained in England and were placed under the care of the Parliamentarians. For several years, Elizabeth and Henry were moved from one residence to another due to the plague. They also had their governesses and guardians periodically changed. When the city of Oxford surrendered in 1646, Elizabeth and Henry’s elder brother James was arrested and placed with them in St. James’ Palace. In 1647, their father Charles I was arrested, and during the years 1647 – 1648, he was allowed to see his three children who were in England several times. In 1648, James managed to escape and fled to the Dutch Republic, where his sister Mary lived. James had wanted to take Henry with him but Elizabeth was afraid to let her younger brother go.

Elizabeth’s father King Charles I at his trial by Edward Bower, 1649; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 20, 1649, Charles I’s trial at Westminster Hall in London, England, began. He was accused of treason against England by using his power to pursue his personal interest rather than the good of England. He was declared guilty and sentenced to death on January 27, 1649. On January 29, 1649, the day before his execution, Charles was allowed to see 13-year-old Elizabeth and 8-year-old Henry at St. James’s Palace in London where he was being held. He told Elizabeth to be faithful to the “true Protestant religion” and to tell her mother that “his thoughts had never strayed from her.” He warned Henry to “not be made a king” by the Parliamentarians because he suspected they would make the boy a puppet king. Charles divided his jewels among the two children, keeping only his George, an enameled figure of St. George, worn as a part of the ceremonial dress of the Order of the Garter. He gave Elizabeth his Bible.

A 19th-century depiction of Elizabeth and Henry at Carisbooke Castle by Margaret Dicksee, circa 1895; Credit – Wikipedia

After the execution of their father, Elizabeth and Henry became unwanted charges. Parliament refused to allow them to go to the Dutch Republic. Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester and his wife Dorothy agreed to take charge of Elizabeth and Henry at their home, Penshurst Place in Penhurst, Kent, England, 32 miles/51 km from London. However, in 1650, when Elizabeth and Henry’s eldest brother, now the titular King Charles II, traveled to Scotland to be crowned King of Scots, Parliament decided that they needed to be in a more secure place, far away from London. Elizabeth and Henry were moved to Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight, England. The number of their servants was reduced to four people. Elizabeth and Henry were deprived of their prince and princess titles and Henry was additionally deprived of his Duke of Gloucester title.

On August 23, 1650, less than a week after arriving at Carisbrooke Castle, Elizabeth began to feel ill. On September 1, she went to bed and then could no longer get up. She died on September 8, 1650, aged fourteen, probably from pneumonia. Reportedly, Elizabeth was found dead with her head on her father’s Bible. She was buried in a small crypt under the altar at Saints Thomas Church in Newport, on the Isle of Wight.

Memorial to Princess Elizabeth, erected over her grave by Queen Victoria; Credit – Wikipedia

There was no marker on Elizabeth’s grave. Eventually, travelers to the Isle of Wight began to discover Elizabeth’s burial place from the initials ES – for Elizabeth Stuart – carved on the nearest wall. In 1856, Queen Victoria ordered a white marble monument designed and made by Carlo Marochetti, an Italian-born French sculptor, to be installed over Elizabeth’s grave. The effigy shows Elizabeth with her head resting on an open Bible. The Bible is opened to Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The inscription on the memorial says: “In memory of Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King Charles I, who died at Carisbrooke Castle on September 8, 1650, and was buried under the altar of this church. This monument erected in respect to her virtue and sympathy for her hardships by Queen Victoria, 1856″.

Elizabeth’s effigy; Credit – www.findagrave.com

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

Works Cited

  • Elizabeth Stuart (1635-1650) – Find a Grave… (no date) Find a Grave. Available at: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17950850/elizabeth-stuart (Accessed: February 12, 2023).
  • Elizabeth Stuart (daughter of Charles I) (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Stuart_(daughter_of_Charles_I) (Accessed: February 12, 2023).
  • Елизавета Стюарт (дочь карла I) (Elizabeth Stuart) (2022) Wikipedia (Russian). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%95%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B0_%D0%A1%D1%82%D1%8E%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82_(%D0%B4%D0%BE%D1%87%D1%8C_%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BB%D0%B0_I) (Accessed: February 12, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2020) Execution of Charles I, King of England (1649), Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/execution-of-charles-i-king-of-england-1649/ (Accessed: February 12, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2016) Henrietta Maria of France, Queen of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/henrietta-maria-of-france-queen-of-england/ (Accessed: February 12, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2016) King Charles I of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-charles-i-of-england (Accessed: February 12, 2023).
  • Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Stuart,_Duke_of_Gloucester (Accessed: February 12, 2023).
  • Weir, Alison. (1989) Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. London: Vintage Books.
  • Williamson, David. (1996) Brewer’s British Royalty: A Phrase and Fable Dictionary. London: Cassell.

Sujarinee Vivacharawongse, Consort and 2nd Wife of King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Sujarinee Vivacharawongse, the future King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, and their children; Credit – https://thaipoliticalprisoners.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/prince-and-family.jpg

Sujarinee Vivacharawongse, as she is now known, was a consort and the second of the four wives of King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, then the Crown Prince. Born Yuvadhida Polpraserth on May 26, 1962, in Bangkok, Thailand, she is the daughter of Thanit Polpraserth and Yaovalak Komarakul na Nagara. Her father was a musician and composer and her mother was a singer.

Using the stage name Yuwathida Suraswadee, Sujarinee became an actress in 1977 when she was fifteen years old, starring in television dramas and movies. She was introduced to the then Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn and became the Crown Prince’s consort. In August 1979, Sujarinee announced her retirement from acting. At this time, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn was married to his first cousin Soamsawali Kitiyakaram known as Princess Soamsawali and they had a daughter Princess Bajrakitiyabha, born in 1978.

Sujarinee and Vajiralongkorn had four sons and one daughter:

  • Juthavachara Vivacharawongse (born 1979)
  • Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse (born 1981)
  • Chakriwat Vivacharawongse (born 1983)
  • Vatcharawee Vivacharawongse (born 1985)
  • Princess Sirivannavari of Thailand (born 1987)

Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn’s first wife Princess Soamsawali refused divorce for many years, but in 1993, the Crown Prince sued for divorce in the family court. He accused Princess Soamsawali of being completely at fault for the failed marriage. She was not able to refute any of the charges because of lèse-majesté in Thailand. It is illegal to defame, insult, or threaten the king, queen, heir-apparent, heir-presumptive, or regent of Thailand. The penalty for committing lèse-majesté is three to fifteen years in prison for each count. The divorce was finalized in July 1993.

In February 1994, Sujarinee and Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn were married. The Crown Prince’s father King Bhumibol Adulyadej and paternal grandmother Princess Srinagarindra attended the wedding but his mother Queen Sirikit, who was also the aunt of his first wife Princess Soamsawali, did not attend. After the wedding, the bride’s name was changed to Sujarinee Mahidol na Ayudhya, signifying she was a commoner married to a royal. Sujarinee was commissioned as a major in the Royal Thai Army and took part in royal ceremonies with Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn.

In 1996, Sujarinee fled to the United Kingdom with her five children. The Crown Prince accused her of adultery and managed to retrieve their daughter and bring her back to Thailand. Sujarinee and the couple’s four sons were stripped of their royal titles and the couple’s marriage was dissolved. After the end of her marriage, Sujarinee and her sons used the royal surname Vivacharawongse and lived in the United States.

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

  • Mehl, Scott. (2014) King Maha Vajiralongkorn of ThailandUnofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/crown-prince-maha-vajiralongkorn-of-thailand/ (Accessed: February 11, 2023).
  • Sujarinee Vivacharawongse (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sujarinee_Vivacharawongse (Accessed: February 11, 2023).
  • สุจาริณี วิวัชรวงศ์ (Sujarinee Vivacharawongse) (2023) Wikipedia (in Thai). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%93%E0%B8%B5_%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%A8%E0%B9%8C (Accessed: February 11, 2023).

Bridget of York, Daughter of King Edward IV of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Bridget of York; Credit – Wikipedia

Destined to be a nun, Bridget of York was born on November 10, 1480, at Eltham Palace in London, England. She was the youngest of the ten children and the seventh of the seven daughters of King Edward IV of England, the first King of England from the House of York, and Elizabeth Woodville. Bridget’s paternal grandparents were Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville, both great-grandchildren of King Edward III of England. Her maternal grandparents were Sir Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg.

The name Bridget was unusual for the English royal family. It was probably chosen by her paternal grandmother Cecily Neville, Duchess of York who was interested in the Order of the Bridgettines which St. Bridget of Sweden (circa 1303 – 1373) founded. The infant princess was baptized in the chapel of Eltham Palace the day after her birth with her paternal grandmother Cecily Neville, her eldest sister Elizabeth of York, and William Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester acting as her godparents. Bridget was confirmed immediately after her baptism with her maternal aunt Margaret Woodville, Lady Maltravers acting as her sponsor.

Bridget’s father King Edward IV of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Bridget’s father King Edward IV was the eldest surviving son of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York who had a strong claim to the English throne. The social and financial troubles that followed the Hundred Years’ War, combined with the mental disability and weak rule of the Lancastrian King Henry VI had revived interest in the claim of Richard, 3rd Duke of York, and so the Wars of the Roses were fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet, the House of Lancaster and the House of York between 1455 and 1487. Richard, 3rd Duke of York was killed on December 30, 1460, at the Battle of Wakefield and his son Edward was then the leader of the House of York. After winning a decisive victory on March 2, 1461, at the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross, 19-year-old Edward proclaimed himself king. In 1464, King Edward IV married Elizabeth Woodville.

Bridget’s mother Elizabeth Woodville; Credit – Wikipedia

Bridget had nine siblings:

Bridget had two half-brothers from her mother’s first marriage to Sir John Grey of Groby:

A late-16th/early 17th-century image of Bridget’s brother King Edward V of England, one of the missing Princes in the Tower; Credit – Wikipedia

When Bridget was two-years-old, her father King Edward IV died on April 9, 1483, a few weeks before his 41st birthday. Bridget’s twelve-year-old brother succeeded their father as King Edward V, and King Edward IV’s brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was named Lord Protector of his young nephew and moved to keep the Woodvilles, the family of Edward IV’s widow Elizabeth Woodville, from exercising power. The widowed queen sought to gain political power for her family by appointing family members to key positions and rushing the coronation of her young son. The new king was being accompanied to London by his maternal uncle Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers and his half-brother Sir Richard Grey. Rivers and Grey were accused of planning to assassinate Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and were arrested, and taken to Pontefract Castle, where they were later executed without trial. Richard, Duke of Gloucester then proceeded with the new king to London where Edward V was presented to the Lord Mayor of London. For their safety, King Edward V and his nine-year-old brother Richard, Duke of York were sent to the Tower of London and were never seen again. They are the famous Princes in the Tower.

On June 22, 1483, a sermon was preached at St. Paul’s Cross in London declaring Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville invalid and his children illegitimate. This information apparently came from Robert Stillington, Bishop of Bath and Wells, who claimed a legal pre-contract of marriage to Eleanor Butler, had invalidated King Edward IV’s later marriage to Elizabeth Woodville. The citizens of London presented Richard, Duke of Gloucester with a petition urging him to assume the throne, and he was proclaimed king on June 26, 1483. King Richard III and his wife Anne Neville were crowned in Westminster Abbey on July 6, 1483, and their son Edward of Middleham was created Prince of Wales. In January 1484, Parliament issued the Titulus Regius, a statute proclaiming Richard the rightful king.

Bridget’s brother-in-law King Henry VII of England; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 22, 1485, Henry Tudor from the House of Lancaster defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field and became King Henry VII, the first Tudor king of England. On January 18, 1486, Henry VII married Bridget’s eldest sister Elizabeth of York uniting the House of Lancaster and the House of York into the new House of Tudor. Henry VII had Parliament repeal the Titulus Regius, the act that declared King Edward IV’s marriage invalid and his children illegitimate, thereby legitimizing his wife.

Bridget’s sister Elizabeth of York, wife of King Henry VII and mother of King Henry VIII; Credit – Wikipedia

It is probable that early in her life, Bridget’s parents began to consider sending her to a convent where she would lead a religious life as a nun. Her uncle King Richard III planned to marry Bridget to one of his supporters when she was old enough. Bridget’s brother-in-law King Henry VII had similar marriage plans but when Bridget expressed a strong desire to become a nun, no marriage arrangements were made for her.

Dedication of Bridget to the nunnery at Dartford, as imagined by James Northcote,1822; Credit – Wikipedia

Exactly when Bridget entered Dartford Priory in Dartford, Kent, England to become a nun is unknown. It happened after 1486, the year Bridget turned six-years-old, when marriage arrangements (the marriages never happened) for two of Bridget’s sisters were made with Scottish princes, but before 1492, the year Bridget’s mother died and the year that Bridget’s twelfth birthday occurred. Her mother Queen Dowager Elizabeth Woodville died at Bermondsey Abbey in London, England on June 8, 1492, at the age of 55. Except for her daughter Queen Elizabeth, who was awaiting the birth of her fourth child, and her daughter Cecily, her other daughters, Anne, Catherine, and Bridget attended her funeral at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle where Elizabeth Woodville was buried with her husband King Edward IV of England. It is known that twelve-year-old Bridget left Dartford Priory to attend her mother’s funeral and returned to the priory after the funeral.

Dartford Priory, founded by King Edward III and developed under his grandson and successor King Richard II, was chosen for Bridget because of its royal background and because it was common for daughters of the nobility to become nuns there. The nuns were dedicated to a contemplative life and spent their time in prayer and spiritual recreation, such as devotional reading. Dartford Priory was an enclosed or cloistered convent and the nuns there separated themselves from the outside world. Except for the funeral of her mother, there is no evidence that Bridget ever left Dartford Priory.

Very little is known about Bridget’s life once she entered Dartford Priory. She did exchange letters with her eldest sister Queen Elizabeth who provided some funds for Bridget’s expenses. Sir Thomas More (1478 – 1535), the English humanist, lawyer, philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist, wrote of Bridget, “Bridget represented the same virtue as the one whose name she bore, professing and observing the canons of religious life in Dartford.”

Bridget’s nephew King Henry VIII in 1509; Credit – Wikipedia

On February 2, 1503, Bridget’s eldest sister Queen Elizabeth gave birth to her seventh child, a daughter Katherine. Shortly after giving birth, Elizabeth became ill with puerperal fever (childbed fever) and died on February 11, 1503, her 37th birthday. Little Katherine died on February 18, 1503. In 1509, Bridget’s brother-in-law King Henry VII died and was succeeded by his son and Bridget’s nephew King Henry VIII.

Bridget died at Dartford Priory but exactly when she died is unknown. John Weever (1576 – 1632), an English antiquarian and poet, wrote in his 1631 book Ancient Funerall Monuments that Bridget died in 1517. Sir Thomas More, writing in his 1513 book History of King Richard III, does not say she is alive but mentions that her only surviving sibling Catherine was still living, so possibly Bridget died before 1513. Bridget was interred in the choir of the Dartford Priory church. However, Dartford Priory was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536 – 1541), a  set of administrative and legal processes ordered by, ironically, her nephew King Henry VIII who had a new royal manor house constructed on the property. Henry VIII’s fourth wife Anne of Cleves lived at the new manor house for four years before her death in 1557.

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

  • Bridget of York (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridget_of_York (Accessed: February 6, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2016) Elizabeth of York, Queen of EnglandUnofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/elizabeth-of-york-queen-of-england/ (Accessed: February 6, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2016) King Edward IV of EnglandUnofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-iv-of-england/ (Accessed: February 6, 2023).
  • Higginbotham, Susan. (2012) A Royal Christening: Bridget of York, November 11, 1480, Susan Higginbotham. Available at: https://www.susanhigginbotham.com/posts/a-royal-christening-bridget-of-york-november-11-1480/ (Accessed: February 6, 2023).
  • Higginbotham, Susan. (2013) Bridget of York: A Royal Nun, Susan Higginbotham. Available at: https://www.susanhigginbotham.com/posts/bridget-of-york-a-royal-nun/ (Accessed: February 6, 2023).
  • Jones, Dan. (2012) The Plantagenets. New York: Viking.
  • Weir, Alison. (1989) Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. London: Vintage Books.
  • Williamson, David. (1996) Brewer’s British Royalty: A Phrase and Fable Dictionary. London: Cassell.

Princess Soamsawali of Thailand, 1st wife of King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Princess Soamsawali of Thailand; Credit – โดย Ernst Vikne – https://www.flickr.com/photos/iboy/4846608091/sizes/o/in/photostream/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11316773

The first of the four wives of King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, Soamsawali Kitiyakara was born on July 13, 1957, at Guy’s Hospital in London, United Kingdom. She is the elder of the two children and the elder of the two daughters of Adulakit Kitiyakara (1930 – 2004) and Princess Bandhu Savali Yugala (born 1933). Soamsawali’s father was the elder brother of Queen Sirikit, the wife of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. Their paternal grandfather Prince Kitiyakara Voralaksana was the son of King Chulalongkorn who reigned in Siam, Thailand’s former name, from 1868 – 1910. Adulakit Kitiyakara was a lawyer and served as the Vice President of the Supreme Court of Thailand and a member of the Privy Council of Thailand during the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Soamsawali’s mother Princess Bandhu Savali Yugala was also a descendant of King Chulalongkorn of Siam as her paternal grandfather Prince Yugala Dighambara was also King Chulalongkorn’s son. Soamsawali was born in London while her father was studying law at the Inn of Court’s Middle Temple. Her family returned to Thailand when Soamsawali was two-years-old.

Soamsawali has one sibling, a sister:

  • Sarali Kitiyakara (born 1966) married Thiradej Chirathiwat, had two sons

Soamsawali started her schooling at Chitralada School which was established by King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the grounds of the Dusit Palace, the residence of the King of Thailand in Bangkok. Members of the Thai royal family attended the Chitralada School. Soamsawali attended the school with her first cousin Princess Chulabhorn Walailak of Thailand, the youngest child of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. In 1966, Soamsawli’s family moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand when her father was appointed to be a judge there. Soamsawli attended a girls’ school, Regina Coeli College in Chiang Mai. When the family moved back to Bangkok, Soamsawali attended two secondary schools, Chulalongkorn University Demonstration School and Rajini School (Queen’s School) founded in 1904 by Queen Saovabha Phongsri.

Crown Prince Vajiralongkornon and Soamsawali on their wedding day

On December 17, 1976, a formal engagement ceremony was held for nineteen-year-old Soamsawali and her twenty-four-year-old first cousin Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, the only son and the heir of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand and his wife, Queen Sirikit, Soamsawali’s paternal aunt, at the Dusit Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. The couple was married on January 3, 1977. After their marriage, Soamsawali’s official title became Her Royal Highness Princess Soamsawali, Royal Consort of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand.

Soamsawali and Vajiralongkorn’s daughter Princess Bajrakitiyabha of Thailand, November 2020

Soamsawali and Vajiralongkorn had one daughter:

Shortly after his first marriage, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn began living with Yuvadhida Polpraserth, a Thai actress. They had four sons and one daughter. Princess Soamsawali refused divorce for many years, but in 1993, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn sued for divorce in the family court. Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn accused Princess Soamsawali of being completely at fault for the failed marriage. She was not able to refute any of the charges because of lèse-majesté in Thailand. It is illegal to defame, insult, or threaten the king, queen, heir-apparent, heir-presumptive, or regent of Thailand. The penalty for committing lèse-majesté is three to fifteen years in prison for each count. The divorce was finalized in July 1993.

Princess Soamsawali and her former sisters-in-law on the birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2010 (left to right: Princess Soamsawali, Princess Chulabhorn Walailak, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya); Credit – By Government of Thailand – [1]Uploaded by 2T, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12247558

Despite the divorce, Vajiralongkorn and Soamsawali remain on cordial terms. After the divorce Soamsawali was allowed to keep her title of princess and remain a member of the Thai royal family. In 2016, Vajiralongkorn became King of Thailand upon the death of his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Soamsawali and her daughter continue to play a significant role in royal ceremonies and perform many duties on behalf of the Thai royal family.

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

  • Adulakit Kitiyakara (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adulakit_Kitiyakara (Accessed: February 4, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2014) Queen Sirikit of Thailand, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/queen-sirikit-of-thailand/ (Accessed: February 4, 2023).
  • Mehl, Scott. (2014) King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/crown-prince-maha-vajiralongkorn-of-thailand/ (Accessed: February 4, 2023).
  • Soamsawali (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soamsawali (Accessed: February 4, 2023).
  • พระเจ้าวรวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าโสมสวลี กรมหมื่นสุทธนารีนาถ (2023) Wikipedia (Soamsawali in Thai). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%88%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%A8%E0%B9%8C%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%98%E0%B8%AD_%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%84%E0%B9%8C%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%88%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%B2%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%B5_%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B7%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%98%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%96 (Accessed: February 4, 2023).

Catherine of York, Countess of Devon

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

The five eldest surviving daughters of King Edward IV, left to right: Elizabeth, Cecily, Anne, Catherine, and Mary. This stained glass window in Canterbury Cathedral was made by order of King Edward IV; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on August 14, 1479, at Eltham Palace in Greenwich, England, Catherine of York, Countess of Devon was the ninth of the ten children and the sixth of the seven daughters of King Edward IV of England, the first King of England from the House of York, and Elizabeth Woodville. Anne’s paternal grandparents were Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville, both great-grandchildren of King Edward III of England. Her maternal grandparents were Sir Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg.

Catherine’s father King Edward IV of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Catherine’s father King Edward IV was the eldest surviving son of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York who had a strong claim to the English throne. The social and financial troubles that followed the Hundred Years’ War, combined with the mental disability and weak rule of the Lancastrian King Henry VI had revived interest in the claim of Richard, 3rd Duke of York, and so the Wars of the Roses were fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet, the House of Lancaster and the House of York between 1455 and 1487. Richard, 3rd Duke of York was killed on December 30, 1460, at the Battle of Wakefield and his son Edward was then the leader of the House of York. After winning a decisive victory on March 2, 1461, at the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross, 19-year-old Edward proclaimed himself king. In 1464, King Edward IV married Elizabeth Woodville.

Catherine’s mother Elizabeth Woodville; Credit – Wikipedia

Catherine had nine siblings:

Catherine had two half-brothers from her mother’s first marriage to Sir John Grey of Groby:

Being the daughter of the King of England, Catherine was a desirable royal bride. Before she was even one month old, a preliminary marriage agreement was arranged. Catherine was to marry Juan of Aragon, Prince of Asturias, the eldest son and heir of both Ferdinand II, King of Aragon, King of Castile and León and Isabella I, Queen of Castile and León. However, when Catherine’s father suddenly died, the marriage negotiations were terminated.

A late-16th/early 17th-century image of Catherine’s brother King Edward V of England, one of the missing Princes in the Tower; Credit – Wikipedia

When Catherine was not quite four-years-old, her father King Edward IV died on April 9, 1483, a few weeks before his 41st birthday. Anne’s twelve-year-old brother succeeded their father as King Edward V, and King Edward IV’s brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was named Lord Protector of his young nephew and moved to keep the Woodvilles, the family of Edward IV’s widow Elizabeth Woodville, from exercising power. The widowed queen sought to gain political power for her family by appointing family members to key positions and rushing the coronation of her young son. The new king was being accompanied to London by his maternal uncle Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers and his half-brother Sir Richard Grey. Rivers and Grey were accused of planning to assassinate Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and were arrested, and taken to Pontefract Castle, where they were later executed without trial. Richard, Duke of Gloucester then proceeded with the new king to London where Edward V was presented to the Lord Mayor of London. For their safety, King Edward V and his nine-year-old brother Richard, Duke of York were sent to the Tower of London and were never seen again. They are the famous Princes in the Tower.

On June 22, 1483, a sermon was preached at St. Paul’s Cross in London declaring Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville invalid and his children illegitimate. This information apparently came from Robert Stillington, Bishop of Bath and Wells, who claimed a legal pre-contract of marriage to Eleanor Butler, had invalidated King Edward IV’s later marriage to Elizabeth Woodville. The citizens of London presented Richard, Duke of Gloucester with a petition urging him to assume the throne, and he was proclaimed king on June 26, 1483. King Richard III and his wife Anne Neville were crowned in Westminster Abbey on July 6, 1483, and their son Edward of Middleham was created Prince of Wales. In January 1484, Parliament issued the Titulus Regius, a statute proclaiming Richard the rightful king.

Catherine’s brother-in-law King Henry VII of England; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 22, 1485, Henry Tudor from the House of Lancaster defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field and became King Henry VII, the first Tudor king of England. On January 18, 1486, Henry VII married Catherine’s eldest sister Elizabeth of York uniting the House of Lancaster and the House of York into the new House of Tudor. Henry VII had Parliament repeal the Titulus Regius, the act that declared King Edward IV’s marriage invalid and his children illegitimate, thereby legitimizing his wife.

Catherine’s sister Elizabeth of York, wife of King Henry VII and mother of King Henry VIII; Credit – Wikipedia

King Henry VII wanted to establish peace with the Kingdom of Scotland, the northern neighbor of the Kingdom of England. A preliminary marriage agreement was reached in November 1487 with James III, King of Scots. Catherine’s elder sister Cecily was to marry James III’s eldest son, James Stewart, Duke of Rothesay, the heir to the throne of Scotland, the future James IV, King of Scots. Catherine was to marry James III’s second son James Stewart, Duke of Ross. However, when James III, King of Scots was killed at the Battle of Sauchieburn in June 1488, the marriage negotiations were interrupted and were never resumed.

Catherine’s mother Queen Dowager Elizabeth Woodville died at Bermondsey Abbey in London, England on June 8, 1492, at the age of 55. With the exception of her daughter Queen Elizabeth, who was awaiting the birth of her fourth child, and her daughter Cecily, her other daughters, Anne, Catherine, and Bridget attended her funeral at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle where Elizabeth Woodville was buried with her husband King Edward IV of England.

When Catherine reached a marriageable age, her sister Queen Elizabeth searched for a husband for her among the British nobility. In October 1495, sixteen-year-old Catherine married twenty-year-old William Courtenay, son and heir of Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon, a strong supporter of King Henry VII.

Catherine and William’s son Henry Courtenay, 2nd from left, wearing a mantle displaying his arms, detail from a procession of Garter Knights in the Black Book of the Garter, c.1535, Royal Collection, Windsor; Credit – Wikipedia

Catherine and William had three children:

Since none of Catherine’s brothers survived childhood and her sisters, except for Elizabeth of York, wife of King Henry VII, did not leave surviving descendants recognized by the English crown, Catherine’s children became the only grandchildren of King Edward IV who inherited the dangerous claims to the English throne from the House of York. In 1538, there was a supposed attempt to overthrow King Henry VIII and replace him with Catherine’s son Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter. Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s chief minister and Courtenay’s political rival, convinced Henry VIII that Courtenay was a part of the supposed plot. It is very likely that Cromwell exaggerated the conspiracy for political purposes. There is no evidence to suggest that Courtenay had the means to or intended to rebel against King Henry VIII. The charges brought against him were based on the correspondence he had with Cardinal Reginald Pole, a Yorkist claimant to the English throne, and the testimony of Reginald’s brother Geoffrey Pole, who was then pardoned of all wrong-doing. Henry Courtenay and his son Edward Courtenay were both arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Henry was found guilty, was executed, and his titles and lands were forfeited. His son Edward remained imprisoned for fifteen years until the accession of Queen Mary I when she ordered his release.

After her marriage, Catherine remained close to her eldest sister Queen Elizabeth, wife of King Henry VII. She attended the wedding of her eldest nephew Arthur, Prince of Wales and Catherine of Aragon in November 1501, and the betrothal of her eldest niece Margaret Tudor to James IV, King of Scots in January 1502.

In 1502, Edmund de la Pole, the son of John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk and Elizabeth of York, the second surviving daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville and therefore Catherine’s paternal aunt, assumed his former title of Duke of Suffolk and called himself the “White Rose”, a nickname for the pretender to the throne from the House of York. After being a prisoner in the Tower of London for seven years, Edmund de la Pole was beheaded. Catherine’s husband William Courtenay was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London for his supposed but unproven participation in Edmund de la Pole’s conspiracy. William was attainted – deprived of his property and rights to inherit the titles and possessions of his father, as well as the right to transfer them to his children. Catherine’s sister Queen Elizabeth financially supported her and allocated funds for the upbringing and education of Catherine’s children.

On February 2, 1503, Catherine’s eldest sister Queen Elizabeth gave birth to her seventh child, a daughter Katherine. Shortly after giving birth, Elizabeth became ill with puerperal fever (childbed fever) and died on February 11, 1503, her 37th birthday. Little Katherine died on February 18, 1503. Elizabeth’s death was a great loss to Catherine, not only as a sister but as a provider of funds that she and her children needed. Catherine turned to her father-in-law, Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon, who provided an allowance for his grandchildren but provided no funds for Catherine. Although there is no documentation, it is thought that Catherine’s nephew, the future King Henry VIII, who had become Prince of Wales and heir to the throne in 1503 upon the death of his brother Arthur, Prince of Wales, provided financial assistance to his aunt Catherine.

Catherine’s nephew King Henry VIII in 1509; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1509, Catherine’s brother-in-law King Henry VII died and was succeeded by his son and Catherine’s nephew King Henry VIII. On May 9, 1511, Catherine’s husband William Courtenay was released from the Tower of London by King Henry VIII, the title of Earl of Devon was recreated for him, and the Act of Parliament that prohibited the succession of titles to his children was repealed. King Henry VIII restored some possessions to his aunt and uncle with the right to transfer them by inheritance. William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon enjoyed his restored honors and possessions only for a month. He died at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, England on June 9, 1511, aged 36, from pleurisy, and was buried by royal warrant at Blackfriars Church in London, England with honors befitting the rank of an earl.

Tiverton Castle, one of Catherine’s residences and the place where she died; Credit – By Jack1956 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=100201369

Left a widow at the age of thirty-one, Catherine ensured a future life free from marriage by taking a vow of celibacy on July 13, 1511, in the presence of Richard FitzJames, Bishop of London. Her nephew King Henry VIII granted her the right to use for life all the possessions of her late husband in the Earldom of Devon. After the death of her husband, Catherine was rarely at court, preferring to live in Tiverton Castle or Colcombe Castle in Devon, England. One of her few appearances at court was in 1516 for the christening of her great-niece, Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon’s daughter, the future Queen Mary I of England, at which Catherine was the godmother.

Catherine of York, Countess of Devon died on November 15, 1527, at Tiverton Castle in Tiverton, Devon, England, aged 48. She was buried in St. Peter’s Church, the local church in Tiverton, England. Catherine’s son had a tomb with an effigy built for his mother but it was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536 – 1541), a  set of administrative and legal processes ironically ordered by her nephew King Henry VIII.  A memorial to Catherine (below) is displayed at St. Peter’s Church.

Memorial to Catherine at St. Peter’s Church in Tiverton, England; Credit – www.findagrave.com

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

Works Cited

  • Catherine of York (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_York (Accessed: February 4, 2023).
  • Куртене, Уильям, 1-й граф девон (2022) Wikipedia (Russian – William Courtenay). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D1%83%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B5,_%D0%A3%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%8F%D0%BC,_1-%D0%B9_%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%84_%D0%94%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BD (Accessed: February 4, 2023).
  • Екатерина Йоркская (2022) Wikipedia (Russian – Catherine of York). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%95%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%99%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F (Accessed: February 4, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2016) Elizabeth of York, Queen of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/elizabeth-of-york-queen-of-england/ (Accessed: February 4, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2019) First Cousins: King Henry VIII of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/first-cousins-king-henry-viii-of-england/ (Accessed: February 4, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2016) King Edward IV of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-iv-of-england/ (Accessed: February 4, 2023).
  • Jones, Dan. (2012) The Plantagenets. New York: Viking.
  • Weir, Alison. (1989) Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. London: Vintage Books.
  • William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Courtenay,_1st_Earl_of_Devon (Accessed: February 4, 2023).
  • Williamson, David. (1996) Brewer’s British Royalty: A Phrase and Fable Dictionary. London: Cassell.

Julie Clary Bonaparte, Queen of Spain, Queen of Naples

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Julie Clary; Credit – Wikipedia

Marie Julie Clary was the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother Joseph Bonaparte who was King of Naples from 1806 – 1808, and King of Spain from 1808 – 1813. Born on December 26, 1771, in the family mansion at 70 Roma Street in Marseille, France, Julie was the seventh of the nine children and the fifth of the six daughters of François Clary, a wealthy French merchant, and his second wife Françoise Rose Somis.

Julie had eight siblings:

  • Joseph Nicolas Clary, 1st Comte Clary et de l’Empire (1760 – 1823), married Anne Jeanne Rouyer, had three children
  • Joseph Honoré Clary (1762 – 1764), died in early childhood
  • Marie Anne Rose Clary (1764 – 1835), married Antoine-Ignace Anthoine, Baron de Saint-Joseph et de l’Empire, Mayor of Marseille, had three children
  • Marseille Clary (1764 – 1784), unmarried
  • Justinien François Clary (1766 – 1794), unmarried
  • Catherine Honorine Clary (1769 – 1843), married Henri Joseph Gabriel Blait de Villeneufve, had one daughter
  • Basile Clary (1774 – 1781), died in childhood
  • Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary, Queen Desideria of Sweden and Norway (1777 – 1860), married Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, later King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden and Norway, had one son King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway, the royal families of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden descend from this marriage

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

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

Julie and her sister Désirée by Robert Lefèvre, 1810; Credit – Wikipedia

Starting in 1789, the French Revolution brought major changes to France, and the Clary family went through periods of great insecurity. Julie and her sister Désirée had ties to the Bonaparte brothers before their ascent to power. Joseph Bonaparte, the eldest of the five Bonaparte brothers, had studied law at the University of Pisa and worked as a lawyer. The French First Republic was declared in September 1792, and Joseph was elected chairman of his local district council. The second eldest brother Napoleon joined the French army and quickly advanced.

Julie’s husband Joseph Bonaparte; Credit – Wikipedia

Julie’s younger sister Désirée met Joseph Bonaparte first, and the two became engaged. Soon after, Napoleon suggested that Joseph should instead marry Désirée’s sister Julie and that he would marry Désirée. Julie and Joseph Bonaparte were married on August 1, 1794. Napoleon and Désirée became engaged in April 1795, but Napoleon soon became involved with Joséphine de Beauharnais and the engagement ended in September 1795. Napoleon and Joséphine de Beauharnais were married in March 1796. Désirée Clary married Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, a noted French general and a Marshal of France. In 1810, Désirée’s husband was elected Crown Prince of Sweden because King Carl XIII of Sweden had no heirs. Jean Baptiste Bernadotte became Crown Prince of Sweden and in 1818, became King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden. Their descendants have reigned in Sweden ever since as the House of Bernadotte.

Julie’s family was very wealthy and her marriage to Joseph Bonaparte helped established the Bonaparte fortune and made her a favorite with her mother-in-law Letizia Bonaparte. During the latter part of the French Revolution, Napoleon rose to prominence and in 1799, at the age of 30 was the First Consul of France. Eventually, Napoleon was created First Consul for life. Joseph’s fortunes rose along with his brother’s.

Julie with her daughters Zénaïde and Charlotte by Jean-Baptiste Wicar, 1809; Credit – Wikipedia

Julie and Joseph had three daughters:

In 1804, Joseph’s brother Napoleon declared himself Emperor of the French, and Joseph, along with his siblings became Imperial Princes and Princesses. Napoleon sent Joseph to Naples in 1806 to expel the Bourbons ruling there because they had sided against him in the War of the Third Coalition. After a successful French invasion, Napoleon proclaimed Joseph as King of Naples. Julie, now Queen of Naples, remained in Paris, at the court of her brother-in-law Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. While Joseph was King of Naples, he had a son and a daughter from his affair with Maria Giulia Colonna, daughter of Andrea Colonna, 3rd Prince of Stigliano and wife of Giangirolamo Acquaviva d’Aragona, 11th Duke of Nardò. In 1808 Julie was sent to Naples to help Joseph calm riots and revolts and to help keep the Kingdom of Naples stable. However, Napoleon became increasingly dissatisfied with his brother, and later in 1808, Joseph was replaced as King of Naples by Joachim Murat, the husband of Caroline Bonaparte, the sister of Joseph and Napoleon.

Meanwhile in Spain, after riots and a revolt, King Carlos IV of Spain was forced to abdicate in favor of his son King Fernando VII on March 19, 1808. Napoleon saw the weaknesses in the Spanish monarchy and decided to make a move. Carlos IV and his son Fernando VII were summoned to a meeting with Napoleon on May 7, 1808, at the Castle of Marracq in Bayonne, France, where Napoleon forced them both to abdicate their rights to the Spanish throne, declared the Bourbon dynasty of Spain deposed, and installed his brother Joseph as King of Spain.

Joseph and Julie, circa 1811

Julie never lived in or even traveled to Spain, preferring to live in Paris or Mortefontaine Castle (link in French) in France. In Spain, she was referred to as Reina Ausent, The Absent Queen, but Julie was given all the honors of a Queen of Spain at Napoleon’s court. Through her correspondence with Joseph, Julie informed him of Napoleon’s plans for Spain. She warned Joseph that Napoleon would never allow Spain to be too independent and that he should do everything possible to control Spain, especially its finances and army.

Immediately after Joseph was proclaimed King of Spain, uprisings broke out and resistance against him spread, leading to a guerrilla war that overshadowed Joseph’s entire reign. The resistance against Joseph made it nearly impossible for him to reign. In addition, Portugal and the United Kingdom came to the aid of the Spanish guerrilla forces in the Peninsular War. Due to the defeats in the Peninsular War, Napoleon was forced to reinstate Ferdinand VII as King of Spain and to make peace via the 1813 Treaty of Valençay.

Napoleon’s quest for power led to wars throughout a large part of Europe. In 1814, Paris was captured by the coalition fighting against Napoleon and his marshals decided to mutiny. Napoleon had no choice but to abdicate. The 1814 Treaty of Fontainebleau exiled Napoleon to the Mediterranean island of Elba, 12 miles/20 km off the coast of Tuscany, Italy.

After the first fall of Napoleon in 1814, Joseph and his daughters went into exile at Prangins Castle in Switzerland, which Julie had purchased. Julie remained in Paris because of the illness of her mother, who died in 1815. While in Paris, Julie was arrested because of her relationship to the exiled Napoleon and she was brought before King Louis XVIII of France, the new king installed during the Bourbon Restoration, and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia. Only through the intervention of her brother-in-law Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, then Crown Prince Carl Johan of Sweden, was Julie freed.

Napoleon escaped from the island of Elba on February 26, 1815, and arrived in France two days later. He attempted to regain power during the Reign of the Hundred Days but was ultimately defeated at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815. Napoleon was exiled to the island of Saint Helena, a British possession, in the Atlantic Ocean, 1162 miles/1,870 km from the west coast of Africa, where he died in 1821. After Napoleon’s final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, Joseph Bonaparte emigrated to the United States, where he first lived in New York City and then in Philadelphia. He then purchased an estate, Point Breeze, in Bordentown, New Jersey, on the Delaware River. Joseph had two American daughters born at Point Breeze, by his mistress Annette Savage.

Julie in exile in Florence by Michel Ghislain Stapleaux, 1834; Credit – Wikipedia

Julie did not accompany her husband Joseph to the United States. Her sister Désirée, who was then Crown Princess of Sweden, wanted to bring Julie and her daughters to Sweden but Désirée’s husband Crown Prince Carl Johan thought it was politically unwise. Julie was a member of the Bonaparte family and her living in Sweden might be interpreted as a sign that Crown Prince Carl Johan had sided with the deposed Napoleon. Instead, Julie settled with her daughters in the Free City of Frankfurt (now in Germany), Brussels, Belgium, and then finally in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy, at the Palazzo Serristori, near the residence of her brother-in-law Camillo Borghese, 6th Prince of Sulmona, the second husband of Joseph’s sister Pauline.

Joseph Bonaparte in 1832, the year he returned to Europe; Credit – Wikipedia

Julie’s husband Joseph stayed in the United States for seventeen years before returning to Europe in 1832, where he lived in London, England. He occasionally returned to his estate in the United States. In 1840, Joseph joined Julie in Florence. Julie accepted him back despite his adultery. On July 28, 1844, Joseph died in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy, at the age of seventy-six. Julie survived him by eight months dying in Florence on April 7, 1845, aged seventy-three. They were buried next to each other at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy.

Tomb of Julie Clary Bonaparte; Credit – By Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada – Italy-1089 – Marie Julie Bonaparte, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64847474

In 1864, Joseph’s remains were brought back to France by his nephew Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, and interred in Les Invalides in Paris, France where his brother Napoleon I was interred. The remains of Julie are still at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy beside the remains of her daughter Charlotte, who died in 1839, aged 36, giving birth to a stillborn child.

Tomb of Joseph Bonaparte; Credit – By Jean-Pol GRANDMONT – Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=91124533

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

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2023) Joseph Bonaparte, King of Spain, King of Naples, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/joseph-bonaparte-king-of-spain-king-of-naples (Accessed: February 1, 2023).
  • François Clary (2022) geni_family_tree. Available at: https://www.geni.com/people/Fran%C3%A7ois-Clary/6000000003004013794 (Accessed: February 1, 2023).
  • François Clary (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Clary (Accessed: February 1, 2023).
  • Julie Clary (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Clary (Accessed: February 1, 2023).
  • Julie Clary (2022) Wikipedia (Italian). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Clary (Accessed: February 1, 2023).
  • Julia Clary (2023) Wikipedia (Spanish). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Clary (Accessed: February 1, 2023).
  • Mehl, Scott. (2015) Désirée Clary, Queen Desideria of Sweden and Norway, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/desiree-clary-queen-of-sweden/ (Accessed: February 1, 2023).

Anne of York, Lady Howard

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

The five eldest surviving daughters of King Edward IV, left to right: Elizabeth, Cecily, Anne, Catherine, and Mary. This stained glass window in Canterbury Cathedral was made by order of King Edward IV; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on November 2, 1475, at the Palace of Westminster in London, England, Anne of York, Lady Howard was the fifth of the seven daughters and the seventh of the ten children of King Edward IV of England, the first King of England from the House of York, and Elizabeth Woodville. Anne’s paternal grandparents were Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville, both great-grandchildren of King Edward III of England. Her maternal grandparents were Sir Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg.

Anne’s father KIng Edward IV of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne’s father King Edward IV was the eldest surviving son of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York who had a strong claim to the English throne. The social and financial troubles that followed the Hundred Years’ War, combined with the mental disability and weak rule of the Lancastrian King Henry VI had revived interest in the claim of Richard, 3rd Duke of York, and so the Wars of the Roses were fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet, the House of Lancaster and the House of York between 1455 and 1487. Richard, 3rd Duke of York was killed on December 30, 1460, at the Battle of Wakefield and his son Edward was then the leader of the House of York. After winning a decisive victory on March 2, 1461, at the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross, 19-year-old Edward proclaimed himself king. In 1464, King Edward IV married Elizabeth Woodville.

Anne’s mother Elizabeth Woodville; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne had nine siblings:

Anne had two half-brothers from her mother’s first marriage to Sir John Grey of Groby:

In 1479, King Edward IV began negotiations with Maximilian, Archduke of Austria, later Holy Roman Emperor, for his daughter Anne to marry Maximilian’s son Philip of Habsburg. Maximilian was married to Mary, Duchess of Burgundy, a very wealthy heiress with vast lands which Philip would inherit. There was also a York family connection: King Edward IV’s sister and Anne’s aunt, Margaret of York, was the stepmother of Mary, Duchess of Burgundy. On August 5, 1480, the marriage negotiations were completed. However, after the unexpected death of King Edward IV, the marriage contract between Anne and Philip of Habsburg was rejected by Philip’s father.

A late-16th/early 17th-century image of Anne’s brother King Edward V of England, one of the missing Princes in the Tower; Credit – Wikipedia

When Anne was seven-years-old, her father King Edward IV died on April 9, 1483, a few weeks before his 41st birthday. Anne’s twelve-year-old brother succeeded their father as King Edward V, and King Edward IV’s brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was named Lord Protector of his young nephew and moved to keep the Woodvilles, the family of Edward IV’s widow Elizabeth Woodville, from exercising power. The widowed queen sought to gain political power for her family by appointing family members to key positions and rushing the coronation of her young son. The new king was being accompanied to London by his maternal uncle Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers and his half-brother Sir Richard Grey. Rivers and Grey were accused of planning to assassinate Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and were arrested, and taken to Pontefract Castle, where they were later executed without trial. Richard, Duke of Gloucester then proceeded with the new king to London where Edward V was presented to the Lord Mayor of London. For their safety, King Edward V and his nine-year-old brother Richard, Duke of York were sent to the Tower of London and were never seen again. They are the famous Princes in the Tower.

On June 22, 1483, a sermon was preached at St. Paul’s Cross in London declaring Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville invalid and his children illegitimate. This information apparently came from Robert Stillington, Bishop of Bath and Wells, who claimed a legal pre-contract of marriage to Eleanor Butler, had invalidated King Edward IV’s later marriage to Elizabeth Woodville. The citizens of London presented Richard, Duke of Gloucester with a petition urging him to assume the throne, and he was proclaimed king on June 26, 1483. King Richard III and his wife Anne Neville were crowned in Westminster Abbey on July 6, 1483, and their son Edward of Middleham was created Prince of Wales. In January 1484, Parliament issued the Titulus Regius, a statute proclaiming Richard the rightful king.

Anne’s brother-in-law King Henry VII of England; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 22, 1485, Henry Tudor from the House of Lancaster defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field and became King Henry VII, the first Tudor king of England. On January 18, 1486, Henry VII married Anne’s eldest sister Elizabeth of York uniting the House of Lancaster and the House of York into the new House of Tudor. Henry VII had Parliament repeal the Titulus Regius, the act that declared King Edward IV’s marriage invalid and his children illegitimate, thereby legitimizing his wife.

Anne’s sister Elizabeth of York, wife of King Henry VII and mother of King Henry VIII; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne was ten years old when her eldest sister Elizabeth married King Henry VII and along with her other sisters, she came under the supervision of her eldest sister, now Queen Consort of England. Anne participated in court ceremonies including Easter, Pentecost, Christmas celebrations, and other court events. In 1486, she participated in the christening of her nephew Arthur, Prince of Wales by carrying the baptismal veil which covered the head of the prince after the christening. Anne performed the same role at the christening of her niece Margaret Tudor in 1489.

Anne’s mother Queen Dowager Elizabeth Woodville died at Bermondsey Abbey in London, England on June 8, 1492, at the age of 55. With the exception of her daughter Queen Elizabeth, who was awaiting the birth of her fourth child, and her daughter Cecily, her other daughters, Anne, Catherine, and Bridget attended her funeral at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle where Elizabeth Woodville was buried with her husband King Edward IV of England.

A later portrait of Anne’s husband, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk by Hans Holbein, circa 1539, depicting Howard as Earl Marshal of England, wearing the Order of the Garter with the St George pendant

When Anne reached a marriageable age, her sister Queen Elizabeth searched for a husband for Anne among the British nobility. King Richard III had planned to marry his niece Anne to Lord Thomas Howard, the eldest son and heir of Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Surrey (later 2nd Duke of Norfolk), and so Queen Elizabeth decided upon Thomas Howard. Anne was well acquainted with her future husband since childhood because his father served her father in his private chambers. 19-year-old Anne and 21-year-old Lord Thomas Howard were married at Greenwich Palace on February 4, 1495.

Anne and Thomas had four children but none survived childhood:

  • Thomas Howard (circa 1496 – 1508 or 1509)
  • Son (died before baptism)
  • Daughter (died before baptism)
  • Daughter (died before baptism)

On February 2, 1503, Anne’s eldest sister Queen Elizabeth gave birth to her seventh child, a daughter Katherine. Shortly after giving birth, Elizabeth became ill with puerperal fever (childbed fever) and died on February 11, 1503, her 37th birthday. Little Katherine died on February 18, 1503. Anne’s grief at the loss of her sister was so great that she could not bear to attend the entire funeral at Westminster Abbey. Her brother-in-law King Henry VII was so shaken by his wife’s death that he went into seclusion and would only see his mother.

In 1509, Anne’s brother-in-law King Henry VII died and was succeeded by his son and Anne’s nephew King Henry VIII. Anne died after November 22 or 23, 1511, but before 1513, aged 36 – 38. She was originally buried at Thetford Priory in Thetford, Norfolk, England.

In 1513, Anne’s widower Thomas Howard married Lady Elizabeth Stafford, daughter of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Lady Eleanor Percy, daughter of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland. Thomas and Eleanor had five children. In 1514, Thomas was created Earl of Surrey and when his father died in 1524, Thomas became the 3rd Duke of Norfolk.

During the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536 – 1541), when the Catholic abbeys, monasteries, priories, and convents were disbanded (many were destroyed) and their property and assets were confiscated, Anne’s widower Thomas Howard petitioned King Henry VIII to convert Thetford Priory into a parish church because Howard family members including Anne and King Henry VIII’s illegitimate son Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset who had married Lady Mary Howard, a daughter of Thomas Howard by his second wife, were interred there. Other nobles made similar petitions but King Henry VIII refused them all. However, he did allow the Dissolution of the Monasteries to be suspended for a while so that those nobles who wished to rebury the remains of their relatives could do so. Thomas Howard moved the remains of the Howard family members from Thetford Priory to the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Framlingham, Suffolk, England. He ordered an ornate tomb for Anne at the Church of St. Michael the Archangel with the figures of the twelve apostles around the four sides.

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk holds the distinction of being the uncle of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, King Henry VIII’s two beheaded wives. Anne Boleyn was the daughter of Thomas’s sister Lady Elizabeth Howard who married Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire. Catherine Howard was the daughter of Thomas’s brother Lord Edmund Howard and his first wife Joyce Culpeper. As Lord High Steward, Thomas Howard, 3d Duke of Norfolk presided at the trial that condemned to death his niece Anne Boleyn.

Tomb of Anne of York and Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk; Credit – www.findagrave.com

When Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk died on August 25, 1554, aged 81, he was buried with his first wife Anne of York at the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Framlingham, Suffolk, England. However, since Anne was of royal lineage, Thomas was buried to her left instead of on her right as was customary.

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

  • Anne of York (daughter of Edward IV) (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_York_(daughter_of_Edward_IV) (Accessed: January 30, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2016) Elizabeth of York, Queen of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/elizabeth-of-york-queen-of-england/ (Accessed: January 30, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2016) King Edward IV of England, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-iv-of-england/ (Accessed: January 30, 2023).
  • Jones, Dan. (2012) The Plantagenets. New York: Viking.
  • St. Michael the Archangel’s Church, Framlingham (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Michael_the_Archangel’s_Church,_Framlingham (Accessed: January 30, 2023).
  • Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Howard,_3rd_Duke_of_Norfolk (Accessed: January 30, 2023).
  • Weir, Alison. (1989) Britain’s Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. London: Vintage Books.
  • Williamson, David. (1996) Brewer’s British Royalty: A Phrase and Fable Dictionary. London: Cassell.

Joseph Bonaparte, King of Spain, King of Naples

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Joseph Bonaparte; Credit – Wikipedia

Joseph Bonaparte, the older brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, was King of Naples from 1806 – 1808 and King of Spain from 1808 – 1813. Born Guiseppe Buonaparte, later Frenchified to Joseph Bonaparte, on January 7, 1768, in Corte on the island of Corsica, now in France, Joseph was the third of the twelve children and the eldest of the five sons of Carlo Buonaparte, a lawyer and diplomat, and Maria Letizia Ramolino. In the year of Joseph’s birth, the island of Corsica was invaded by France and conquered the following year. Joseph’s father was originally a follower of the Corsican patriots but became a supporter of the French.

Joseph had eleven siblings and eight survived childhood. Notice the titles of the siblings, given to them by their brother Napoleon I, Emperor of the French.

Maison Bonaparte, where Joseph grew up; Credit – By Jean-Pol GRANDMONT – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4400916

Joseph spent his childhood at the Bonaparte family home Maison Bonaparte on the Rue Saint-Charles in Ajaccio, Corsica. Maison Bonaparte was continuously owned by members of the Bonaparte family from 1682 to 1923. As part of the 1768 Treaty of Versailles, the Republic of Genoa ceded the island of Corsica to France to repay its debts. Joseph and his brother Napoleon attended the College of Oratorians, a secondary school, in Autun, France through a royal grant for impoverished French nobles. Joseph was originally going to be a priest but instead studied law at the University of Pisa where his father had also studied law.

After graduating from the University of Pisa in 1788, Joseph returned to Ajaccio in Corsica and worked as a lawyer. Starting in 1789, the French Revolution brought major changes to France. The French First Republic was declared in September 1792, and Joseph was elected chairman of the district council of Ajaccio. His brother Napoleon joined the French army and quickly advanced. During the latter part of the French Revolution, Napoleon rose to prominence and in 1799, at the age of 30 was the First Consul of France. Eventually, Napoleon was created First Consul for life. Joseph’s fortunes rose along with his brother’s.

On August 1, 1794, Joseph married Julie Clary, the daughter of François Clary, a wealthy merchant. Julie’s sister Désirée Clary, once engaged to Joseph’s brother Napoleon, married Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, a noted French general and a Marshal of France. In 1810, Désirée’s husband was elected Crown Prince of Sweden, and Jean Baptiste Bernadotte eventually became King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden. Their descendants have reigned in Sweden ever since as the House of Bernadotte.

Julie with her daughters Zénaïde and Charlotte by Jean-Baptiste Wicar, 1809; Credit – Wikipedia

Joseph and Julie had three daughters:

Joseph as King of Naples by Jean-Baptiste Wicar, 1808; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1804, Joseph’s brother Napoleon declared himself Emperor of the French, and Joseph, along with his siblings became Imperial Princes and Princesses. Napoleon sent Joseph to Naples in 1806 to expel the Bourbons ruling there because they had sided against him in the War of the Third Coalition. After a successful French invasion, Napoleon proclaimed Joseph as King of Naples. However, Napoleon became increasingly dissatisfied with his brother, and in 1808, he was replaced as King of Naples by Joachim Murat, the husband of Caroline Bonaparte, Joseph and Napoleon’s sister.

While Joseph was King of Naples, he had a son and a daughter from his affair with Maria Giulia Colonna, daughter of Andrea Colonna, 3rd Prince of Stigliano and wife of Giangirolamo Acquaviva d’Aragona, 11th Duke of Nardò:

  • Giulio Acquaviva d’Aragona y Colonna (1806 – 1838)
  • Maria Teresa Acquaviva d’Aragona Colonna (born and died 1808)

Joseph as in his coronation robes as King of Spain by François Gérard, 1810; Credit – Wikipedia

Meanwhile in Spain, after riots and a revolt, King Carlos IV of Spain was forced to abdicate in favor of his son King Fernando VII on March 19, 1808. Napoleon saw the weaknesses in the Spanish monarchy and decided to make a move. Carlos IV and his son Fernando VII were summoned to a meeting with Napoleon on May 7, 1808, at the Castle of Marracq in Bayonne, France, where he forced them both to abdicate, declared the Bourbon dynasty of Spain deposed, and installed his brother Joseph as King of Spain. Immediately after Joseph was proclaimed King of Spain, uprisings broke out and resistance against him spread, leading to a guerrilla war that overshadowed Joseph’s entire reign. The resistance against Joseph made it nearly impossible for him to reign. In addition, Portugal and the United Kingdom came to the aid of the Spanish guerrilla forces in the Peninsular War. Due to the defeats in the Peninsular War, Napoleon was forced to reinstate Ferdinand VII as King of Spain and to make peace via the 1813 Treaty of Valençay.

Napoleon’s quest for power led to wars throughout a large part of Europe. In 1814, Paris was captured by the coalition fighting against Napoleon and his marshals decided to mutiny. Napoleon had no choice but to abdicate. The 1814 Treaty of Fontainebleau exiled Napoleon to the Mediterranean island of Elba, 12 miles/20 km off the coast of Tuscany, Italy. Napoleon escaped from Elba on February 26, 1815, and arrived in France two days later. He attempted to regain power during the Reign of the Hundred Days, but he was ultimately defeated at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815, by a coalition of forces from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Hanover, Nassau, Brunswick, and Prussia. Napoléon was exiled to the island of Saint Helena, a British possession, in the Atlantic Ocean, 1162 miles/1,870 km from the west coast of Africa, where he died in 1821.

After the first fall of Napoleon, Joseph went into exile at Prangins Castle in Switzerland, which his wife Julie had purchased. During the Reign of the Hundred Days, Joseph went to Paris where he conducted government affairs for his brother Napoleon. After Napoleon’s final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Joseph emigrated to the United States. His wife Julie did not accompany him. Instead, she settled with her two daughters in the Free City of Frankfurt (now in Germany), Brussels, Belgium, and then Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy. Joseph first lived in New York City and then in Philadelphia. He then purchased an estate, Point Breeze, in Bordentown, New Jersey, on the Delaware River. Joseph’s homes became meeting places for other Napoleonic exiles. At Point Breeze, Joseph entertained many of the leading American intellectuals and politicians of the time.

Point Breeze, the estate of Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte in Bordentown, New Jersey by Charles Lawrence circa 1817; Credit – Wikipedia

Joseph had two American daughters born at Point Breeze, his estate in Bordentown, New Jersey, by his mistress Annette Savage:

  • Pauline Anne Savage, died young
  • Catherine Charlotte Savage (1822 – 1890), married Colonel Zebulon Howell Benton of Jefferson County, New York, had four daughters and three sons

Joseph at Point Breeze, painted on 2 February 1832 by the French artist Innocent-Louis Goubaud, during a visit to Point Breeze in New Jersey; Credit – Wikipedia

Joseph stayed in the United States for seventeen years before returning to Europe in 1832, when he lived in London, England. He occasionally returned to his estate in the United States. In 1840, Joseph joined his wife Julie in Florence. Julie accepted him back despite his adultery. On July 28, 1844, Joseph died in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy, at the age of seventy-six. Julie survived him by eight months dying in Florence on April 7, 1845, aged seventy-three. They were buried next to each other at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence.

Tomb of Julie Clary Bonaparte; Credit – By Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada – Italy-1089 – Marie Julie Bonaparte, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64847474

In 1864, Joseph’s remains were brought back to France by his nephew Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, and interred in Les Invalides in Paris, France where his brother Napoleon I was interred. The remains of Joseph’s wife Julie are still at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy beside the remains of her daughter Charlotte, who died in 1839, aged 36, giving birth to a stillborn child.

Tomb of Joseph Bonaparte; Credit – By Jean-Pol GRANDMONT – Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=91124533

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

  • Carlo Buonaparte (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Buonaparte (Accessed: January 27, 2023).
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2016) Napoléon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/napoleon-bonaparte-emperor-of-the-french/ (Accessed: January 27, 2023).
  • Joseph Bonaparte (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Bonaparte (Accessed: January 27, 2023).
  • Joseph Bonaparte (2022) Wikipedia (French). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Bonaparte (Accessed: January 27, 2023).
  • Joseph Bonaparte (2022) Wikipedia (German). Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Bonaparte (Accessed: January 27, 2023).
  • Joseph I Bonaparte, King of Spain and Naples (2022) geni_family_tree. Available at: https://www.geni.com/people/Joseph-I-Bonaparte-king-of-Spain-and-Naples/6000000006187372389 (Accessed: January 27, 2023).
  • Julie Clary (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Clary (Accessed: January 27, 2023).

Richard, Duke of York, Son of King Edward IV of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Stained-glass depiction of Richard, Duke of York in the Royal Window of Canterbury Cathedral, Credit – Wikipedia

Sometimes called Richard of Shrewsbury after his place of birth, Richard, Duke of York has been immortalized as one of the two “Princes in the Tower” who mysteriously disappeared. He was born on August 17, 1473, at the Dominican Friary in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. Richard was the sixth of the ten children and the second of the three sons of King Edward IV of England, the first King of England from the House of York, and Elizabeth Woodville. His paternal grandparents were Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville, both great-grandchildren of King Edward III of England. His maternal grandparents were Sir Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg.

Richard had nine siblings:

Richard had two half-siblings from his mother’s first marriage to Sir John Grey of Groby:

A 19th-century painting portraying the marriage of Richard, Duke of York and Anne Mowbray. In reality, Anne was older than Richard; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 15, 1478, at St. Stephen’s Chapel in the old Palace of Westminster in London, England, four-year-old Richard, Duke of York married a wealthy heiress, five-year-old Anne Mowbray. Anne was the only child of John Mowbray, 4th Duke of Norfolk and Lady Elizabeth Talbot. When Anne was three-years-old, her father died, leaving Anne as the last of the Mowbray family. Anne inherited all her father’s estates and became the 8th Countess of Norfolk, 11th Baroness Mowbray, and 12th Baroness Segrave in her own right. She was one of the most eligible potential brides in England. King Edward IV arranged the marriage so he could control the vast possessions of the Mowbray family. However, eight-year-old Anne died circa November 19, 1481, at Greenwich Palace in London, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Anna was the last of the Mowbray family, and Richard inherited her possessions but did not survive her for long.

On April 9, 1483, Richard’s father King Edward IV died, several weeks before his 41st birthday. Richard’s twelve-year-old brother became King Edward V of England and nine-year-old Richard was now the heir presumptive to the English throne. King Edward IV had named his brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester as Edward’s Lord Protector. The new king, King Edward V, set off for London with a group that included his maternal uncle Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers and his half-brother from his mother’s first marriage, Sir Richard Grey. King Edward V and his party were intercepted by his paternal uncle and Lord Protector, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who was coming from York. The Duke of Gloucester feared that the Woodvilles would attempt to take control of the young king. Anthony Woodville and Richard Grey were arrested and executed. The Duke of Gloucester had his nephew King Edward V brought to the Tower of London on May 19, 1483, to await his coronation, which never happened. Richard’s widowed mother Elizabeth Woodville and her other children, including nine-year-old Richard, sought sanctuary at Westminster Abbey, fearing the Duke of Gloucester’s further actions after the executions of her brother and son. Cardinal Thomas Bouchier persuaded Elizabeth to let her second son Richard, Duke of York leave sanctuary and join his lonely older brother at the Tower of London. Richard joined his brother on June 16, 1483.

19th-century painting of King Edward V and Richard, Duke of York at the Tower of London by Paul Delaroche, 1830. Credit – Wikipedia

Richard, Duke of Gloucester was persuaded by an unknown clergyman, probably Robert Stillington, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, that King Edward IV’s marriage was invalid because he had previously contracted to marry Lady Eleanor Butler, who was living when the marriage to Elizabeth Woodville took place. If true, this would have made Edward IV and Elizabeth’s children illegitimate and upheld Richard’s claim to the throne. The citizens of London drew up a petition asking Richard, Duke of Gloucester to assume the throne, which he agreed to on June 26, 1483, as King Richard III. On July 6, 1483, King Richard III and his wife Anne Neville were crowned in Westminster Abbey. The Titulus Regius, enacted by Parliament in 1484 officially declared Edward IV’s children illegitimate.

Richard and his brother, the former King Edward V were seen less and less until the end of the summer of 1483 when they disappeared from public view altogether. Their fate is unknown and remains one of history’s greatest mysteries. There are a number of theories, and the most plausible lay blame on King Richard III (the former Duke of Gloucester), Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, or King Henry VII (Henry Tudor before he became king).

On August 22, 1485, at the Battle of Bosworth Field, Henry Tudor defeated King Richard III, who was killed in the battle, and became King Henry VII, the first Tudor king of England. Richard Duke of York’s sister Elizabeth of York and Henry VII were married on January 18, 1486, at the Palace of Westminster. Henry VII had Parliament repeal Titulus Regius, the act that declared King Edward IV’s marriage invalid and his children illegitimate. The Tudor Rose, a combination of the Red Rose of Lancaster and the White Rose of York, symbolized the new House of Tudor.

Workers doing some remodeling in the Tower of London in 1674 dug up a wooden box containing two small human skeletons. The bones were found buried ten feet under the staircase leading to the Chapel of St. John the Evangelist in the White Tower at the Tower of London. Presuming the remains were those of King Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, King Charles II ordered the remains placed in an urn in Westminster Abbey. In 1933, the remains were removed from the urn and examined. The conclusion was that the bones belonged to two children around the correct ages for the princes. This examination has been criticized with one of the issues being no attempt was made to determine if the remains were male or female. There has been no further examination and the remains are still in the urn in Westminster Abbey.

In 1789, workers doing repairs in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle accidentally broke into the vault where Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville were interred. Adjoining that vault was another vault, which contained the coffins of two children, and was inscribed with the names of two of Edward IV’s children who had predeceased him, George, 1st Duke of Bedford, who had died at age two, and Mary of York who had died at age 14. However, during the 1810 – 1813 construction of the Royal Tomb House in St. George’s Chapel, two other coffins clearly labeled as George Plantagenet and Mary Plantagenet were discovered and moved into Edward IV’s adjoining vault. Especially after the excavation and positive identification of King Richard III’s remains, this leads us to question exactly whose remains are in those four coffins, but the royal approval required for any testing of an interred royal has been not granted.

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Works Cited

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