Category Archives: Current Monarchies

Victoria of Baden, Queen of Sweden

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Victoria of Baden, Queen of Sweden. source: Wikipedia

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

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

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

Victoria and Gustaf, 1881. source: Wikipedia

The couple married in the palace chapel in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on September 20, 1881. Victoria was now the Crown Princess of Sweden (as well as Norway until the end of the dissolution of the union in 1905). Following several days of celebrations, the couple traveled to Sweden, where Victoria was celebrated by the Swedish people. As a great-granddaughter of King Gustaf IV Adolf of Sweden, Victoria’s marriage united the former ruling house of Holstein-Gottorp with the new Bernadotte dynasty, and she was known in Sweden as the ‘Vasa Princess’. She and Gustaf soon settled into their apartments in the Royal Palace of Stockholm (the apartments would later become Princess Sibylla’s apartments, in the eastern wing) which Victoria would retain until her death. The couple had three children:

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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King Gustaf V of Sweden

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

source: Wikipedia

King Gustaf V of Sweden

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

Gustaf had three younger brothers:

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

King Gustaf V playing tennis, 1942. source: Wikipedia

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

Gustav and Victoria of Baden, 1881; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Sofia of Nassau, Queen of Sweden and Norway

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

source: Wikipedia

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

Sophia’s full siblings were:

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

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

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

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

(Crown Princess Sofia, c. 1870)

In 1859, Sofia and Oscar became the Crown Prince and Crown Princess following her father-in-law’s death. They lived at the Hereditary Prince’s Palace (Arvfurstens palats) in Stockholm and would remain there until Oscar’s accession. They also purchased, in 1864, a farm in Helsingborg where they built a small palace called Sofiero. The palace was later enlarged after Oscar’s accession and would become a favorite summer residence of the family. In 1905, Sofiero was given to Oscar’s grandson, the future King Gustaf VI Adolf, as a wedding present.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Louise of the Netherlands, Queen of Sweden and Norway

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Queen Lovisa of Sweden and Norway, photographed by Maths. Hansen, c.1865. source: Wikipedia/National Library of Norway

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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King Carl XV of Sweden/King Karl IV of Norway

By Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

source: Wikipedia

King Carl XV of Sweden

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

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

source: Wikipedia

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

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

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

source: Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Désirée Clary, Queen Desideria of Sweden and Norway

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

source: Wikipedia

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

Désirée had eight siblings:

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

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

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

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

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

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

portrait by François Gérard, c.1810. source: Wikipedia

In August 1810, Désirée’s husband was elected Crown Prince of Sweden. Not wanting to leave Paris, Désirée did not initially accompany her husband to Sweden. She finally made the trip in December of that year and was immediately unhappy. She found the Swedish weather to be very harsh, and could not adapt to the formality and responsibilities of her new role as Crown Princess. Added to that was a very difficult relationship with Queen Hedwig who complained – perhaps rightfully so – about Désirée’s constant complaints about everything that wasn’t French.

The following year, Désirée left Sweden and returned to Paris, living under the name Countess of Gotland. There, she was able to act as a go-between and mediator between her husband and Emperor Napoleon and kept her husband fully advised of the political events in Europe. After Napoleon was overthrown, Désirée often spent time with the court of King Louis XVIII of France and used her influence to prevent her sister from being exiled from the country.

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

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

Her coronation had been delayed due to potential religious issues stemming from her remaining a Roman Catholic and not converting to Lutheranism like her husband and son. Finally, on August 21, 1829, Queen Desideria (her official name although she never used it herself) was crowned Queen of Sweden. She was never crowned in Norway, however, due to her religion.

Queen Desideria attempted to fulfill her role as Queen Consort, holding parties and balls, but she soon grew tired of it and longed to return to Paris. Her lack of effort to embrace her new homeland, as well as her refusal to learn the languages of either Sweden or Norway, led to her never being fully accepted by the Swedish people. Her less-than-royal roots didn’t help either. She was better received in Norway, where she visited several times, and served as patron of the Eugenia Foundation from 1828 until 1847.

Following her husband’s death in 1844, she became Queen Dowager. Despite plans to return to her home in Paris, in 1853, her fear of sea travel kept her from making the trip. She spent her remaining years in Sweden, splitting her time between her apartments at the Royal Palace of Stockholm, Drottningholm Palace, and Haga Palace.

source: Wikipedia

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

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Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2015

The White Ship sinking, Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Captain and Crew

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

Family of King Henry I of England

D’Avranches Family

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

Seigneurs de l’Aigle

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

Royal Household

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

Nobles of England

  • 140 knights or noblemen and 18 noblewomen

Nobles of Normandy

Clergy

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

Family of Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich V

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

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

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King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden/King Karl III Johan of Norway

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2015

source: Wikipedia

King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden (Jean Baptiste Bernadotte)

King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden was born Jean Baptiste Bernadotte on January 26, 1763, in Pau, France. He was the youngest of five children of Jean Henri Bernadotte and Jeanne de Saint-Jean. He was educated to follow his father in the law profession but seems to have had no interest. Following his father’s death, Jean ended his studies and joined the military, where he quickly stood out for his courage and leadership. During the French Revolution, he rose quickly through the ranks, attaining the rank of Brigadier General in 1794.

Désirée Clary, 1807 portrait by Robert Lefèvre. source: Wikipedia

On August 16, 1798, he married Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary, whose sister Julie Clary was married to Napoleon’s brother, Joseph Bonaparte. Désirée had previously been engaged to Napoleon. They had one son:

In 1804, Napoleon was proclaimed Emperor of France and appointed Bernadotte as Marshal of France. He served for several months as Governor of the recently-occupied Hanover, and in December 1805, took part in the battle of Austerlitz. In recognition of his efforts at Austerlitz, Napoleon created him Prince of Pontecorvo, a small principality in Italy.

Bernadotte’s relationship with Napoleon was often strained, but the Emperor respected Bernadotte greatly. Bernadotte often went against the Emperor’s orders during battle, at least once being stripped of his command. Despite this, he was later appointed Governor of Rome but never took up the position. Instead, he would find himself heading north to Sweden.

In 1809, King Carl XIII ascended the throne of Sweden. He had no living children, and his adopted son and heir had died the following year. The Swedes had the idea to offer the position of Crown Prince to one of Napoleon’s Marshals. Bernadotte was well-liked in Sweden, particularly because of his considerate treatment of Swedish prisoners during the recent war with Denmark. In addition, he was related to Napoleon through his wife, and already had a son who could continue the succession. On August 21, 1810, the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates elected Bernadotte as Crown Prince. He arrived in Stockholm in November 1810 and was formally adopted by the King, taking the name Carl Johan, and converting from Roman Catholicism to Lutheranism.

The new Crown Prince quickly took an active role in the Swedish government, particularly in the area of foreign policy. He was actively involved in the events leading up to the Treaty of Kiel in 1814, in which Denmark was forced to cede Norway to Sweden. Norway refused to accept the treaty at first, and the Crown Prince invaded, quickly suppressing the Norwegian forces. Soon, Norway became united with Sweden at the Convention of Moss. Unlike the previous union with Denmark, this was a personal union under a single sovereign, and Norway remained an independent state with its own constitution.

Coronation in Norway, painting by Jacob Munch. source: Wikipedia

King Carl XIII died on February 5, 1818, and Bernadotte ascended the throne. His coronation in Sweden took place on May 11, 1818, and he took the name Carl XIV Johan. In September, he was crowned in Norway, as King Karl III Johan at the Stockholm Cathedral (Storkyrkan) in Stockholm, Sweden. Thus began the Bernadotte dynasty in Sweden, which continues today.

Following his accession, the King soon lost much of his popularity with the Swedish and Norwegian people. In Norway, his role in the events of 1814 and his constant attempts to change the constitution to allow him great powers, caused him to be viewed skeptically by the people. His attempts to squash the celebrations of Norway’s National Day (May 17th) – going so far as making it illegal – further cemented the negative views of the Norwegians.

In Sweden, where he enjoyed much more power and control, his conservative almost autocratic views caused significant dissent among the population. By the 1830s, there were calls for his abdication, however, he held onto his throne and seems to have regained the respect of many of his subjects.

Tomb of King Carl XIV John and his wife Desiree Clary. photo © Susan Flantzer

On his 81st birthday in January 1844, King Carl XIV Johan suffered a stroke, from which he never recovered. He died on March 8, 1844, at the Royal Palace of Stockholm. Following his funeral, he was interred at the Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm.

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

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Maria Christina of Austria, Queen of Spain

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

The second wife of King Alfonso XII of Spain, Her Imperial and Royal Highness Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria, Princess of Hungary and Bohemia, was born on July 21, 1858, at Židlochovice Castle near Brno, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. She was given the names Maria Christina Henriette Desideria Felicitas Raineria but was called Christa in her family. Maria Christina was the third of the six children of first cousins Archduke Karl Ferdinand of Austria-Teschen and Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria.

Maria Christina had one half-sister from her mother’s first marriage to Archduke Ferdinand Karl Viktor of Austria-Este:

Maria Christina had five siblings, but two died in infancy:

Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska and her children – standing: Friedrich, his wife Isabella; sitting left to right – Maria Theresia, Maria Christina, and Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Christina grew up in Vienna at the court of her second cousin Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria. She was well-educated and excelled in languages, literature, and history. In 1868, Queen Isabella II of Spain was deposed and her family went into exile in Paris, France. Isabella’s eldest son Alfonso later attended the Theresianum, an elite secondary school in Vienna. It was during his time in Vienna that Alfonso first met Maria Christina. The Spanish monarchy was restored in 1874 and Alfonso became King Alfonso XII at the age of 17. He married his first cousin Princess Maria de las Mercedes of Orléans, but tragically she died five months later from typhoid fever. A year later, Alfonso agreed to marry Mercedes’ sister Maria Cristina, but she developed tuberculosis and died during their engagement.

Alfonso’s choice of a bride then fell upon Maria Christina, and the couple married on November 29, 1879, at the Royal Basilica of Our Lady of Atocha in Madrid, Spain. Maria Christina and Alfonso had three children:

King Alfonso XII and his second wife Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Alfonso was not faithful to Maria Christina and at the beginning of their marriage, she endured these infidelities. Alfonso had an affair with Italian opera singer Adela Borghi, but the affair with Spanish opera singer Elena Sanz, with whom Alfonso had two children, Alfonso Sanz (1880 – 1970) and Fernand Sanz  (1881-1925), was the final straw. Maria Christina was finally able to prevail and Elena Sanz was sent into exile in Paris. Competing for the French Olympic Team, Fernand Sanz won a silver medal in cycling at the 1900 Olympics in Paris.

On November 25, 1885, three days before his 28th birthday, King Alfonso XII died from tuberculosis at the Royal Palace of El Pardo in Madrid, Spain, leaving two daughters and Maria Christina pregnant with their third child. It was decided that Maria Christina would rule as regent until the child was born. If the child were a male, he would become king and if the child were a female, Alfonso and Maria Christina’s elder daughter María Mercedes would become queen. On May 17, 1886, a son was born who immediately became King Alfonso XIII.

“The Death of Alfonso XII” or “The Last Kiss” by Juan Antonio Benlliure, 1887; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Christina continued as regent until Alfonso XIII reached the age of 16 and took control of the monarchy in 1902. After 1902, she was styled Su Majestad la Reina Madre, Her Majesty The Queen Mother. Despite her political responsibilities, Maria Christina was an exemplary mother and spent much time dealing with her children’s education. She developed interests in many aspects of Spanish culture and even grew to tolerate bullfighting.

Maria Christina with her three children in 1897; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

In 1905, on a state visit to the United Kingdom, King Alfonso XIII met Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (known as Ena), the only daughter of Queen Victoria’s youngest child Princess Beatrice, and the two developed a strong interest in each other. However, there were several issues that would need to be resolved before they could consider marriage. The first issue was religion. Alfonso was Catholic while Ena was Protestant. The second issue was the potential of Ena bringing hemophilia into the Spanish royal family. As Ena’s brother suffered from the disease, there was a possibility that Ena herself was a carrier. The third obstacle was Alfonso’s mother, Maria Christina. She did not feel the Battenbergs were royal enough (due to the morganatic marriage that started that family), and wanted her son to marry a member of the Habsburg dynasty of Austria. Eventually, all three obstacles were overcome, and the couple married on May 31, 1906, at the Royal Monastery of San Jerónimo in Madrid, Spain in a wedding attended by many royals from around the world. Alfonso and Ena had seven children and their oldest and youngest sons had hemophilia. See Unofficial Royalty: Hemophilia.

Maria Christina and her grandchildren around 1911; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

On February 5, 1929, Maria Christina attended the theater with Queen Ena and her daughters. The family dined as usual at the Royal Palace of Madrid, at nine in the evening. Following the meal, the family moved to the living room, where each night they viewed a film. Then they retired to their rooms for the night just after midnight. Shortly after going to bed, Maria Christina felt a sharp pain in the chest and could barely breathe. Her maid, seeing her pain, asked if she wanted to call her son the king, but Maria Christina said no. Soon, Maria Christina had another very strong pain, a fatal heart attack.

Maria Christina in the 1920s; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Christina was buried in the Pantheon of Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain. Two years later, in 1931, in the face of overwhelming popular rejection, King Alfonso XIII fled the country as the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed, followed by Francoist Spain after the Spanish Civil War. The monarchy was restored in 1975 when Maria Christina’s great-grandson Juan Carlos became king.

Maria Christina tomb

Tomb of Maria Christina; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

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

Kingdom of Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty