Category Archives: German Royals

Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Sophie of Württemberg was the first wife of King Willem III of the Netherlands. Sophie Friederike Mathilde was born in Ludwigsburg Palace in Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on June 17, 1818. She was the youngest of the two daughters of first cousins King Wilhelm I of Württemberg and Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia, daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia. Before Sophie reached her first birthday, her mother died. A little more than a year later, Sophie’s father married another first cousin, Duchess Pauline of Württemberg. Sophie’s aunt Catharina of Württemberg, the wife of Jerome Bonaparte, helped raise Sophie.

Sophie had one sister:

  • Princess Marie of Württemberg (1816–1887); married Alfred, Count von Neipperg (no issue)

Sophie had three half-sisters and one half-brother from her father’s second marriage to Pauline of Württemberg:

King Wilhelm and Queen Pauline (above), Crown Prince Karl (center), Princesses Sophie (center left), Marie (center right), Catherine (bottom left) and Augusta (bottom right); Credit – Wikipedia

King Otto I of Greece was an early candidate as a husband for Sophie. However, Sophie’s father had no confidence in the newly established Greek monarchy and Willem, Prince of Orange (the future King Willem III of the Netherlands), eldest son of King Willem II of the Netherlands and Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia, Sophie’s maternal aunt, was chosen. Sophie met Willem for the first time in 1838 after both fathers had already agreed upon the marriage.

Willem fell in love with Sophie, but she saw nothing in him. She tried to resist the marriage, but it was in vain. Sophie’s father thought Willem was an excellent match for his daughter and Willem’s father did not want to abandon the commitment to the marriage. Willem’s father had personal reasons to persevere with the marriage of his son and Sophie. In 1814, he experienced a similar situation when Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of the future King George IV of the United Kingdom, broke off an engagement with him. King Willem II of the Netherlands did not want the House of Orange to experience the disgrace of a broken engagement again. Willem’s mother, Anna Pavlovna, was strongly opposed to the marriage of her son to the daughter of a sister she loathed. Once Sophie was married to Wilhelm, Anna Pavlova treated her daughter-in-law (and niece) with a complete lack of respect because she did not think Sophie was good enough for her son. Sophie and Willem were married on June 18, 1839, in Stuttgart and had three sons, all of whom had no children and predeceased their father:

Prince Maurits (left) with his brother Prince Wilhelm; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Alexander; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage of Sophie and Willem was ultimately unsuccessful. Willem had numerous extramarital affairs and had numerous illegitimate children. Sophie let him know that she thought him inferior to her and unfit to serve as king. She was convinced she could do better ruling the country as the regent. Sophie tried to divorce her husband, but because of national interests, this was impossible. In 1855, an agreement was made that Sophie would have her own quarters at Noordeinde Palace and that she would spend the summers at Huis ten Bosch Palace without her husband.

Sophie’s diaries and letters reveal she was well-read, empathetic, and highly intelligent. She corresponded with European scholars and statesmen and maintained close ties with Napoleon III with whom she shared relatives via her father’s sister Catharina, the wife of Jerome Bonaparte. She published articles in the prestigious journal “Revue des Deux Mondes”. Sophie’s letters to Lady Marian Dora Malet, originally written in English, were edited by Hella Haase and published under the title A Stranger in The Hague in 1989.

Queen Sophie in 1877, the year of her death; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 3, 1877, Queen Sophie died at the age of 58 at Huis ten Bosch Palace. Per her wishes, she was not embalmed and was buried in her wedding dress because she considered that her life had ended on the day she married. Her remains were buried in the crypt at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands.

The access to the royal crypt in the foreground; Credit – By Sander van der Wel from Netherlands – Royal grave tomb and the grave of Willem van Oranje, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28146859

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Kingdom of the Netherlands Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

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

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

Wilhelmine had four brothers and two sisters:

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

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

Wilhelmine in the 1790s; Credit – Wikipedia

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

The couple had four children:

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

King Willem I of the Netherlands; Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

The access to the royal crypt in the foreground; Credit – By Sander van der Wel from Netherlands – Royal grave tomb and the grave of Willem van Oranje, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28146859

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

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

Kingdom of the Netherlands Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Louise of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

by Unknown photographer, postcard print, 1890s?

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

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

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

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

Louise had five siblings:

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

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

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

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

Christian and Louise had six children:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tomb_Christian IX_Louise

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

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Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Leopold I, King of the Belgians

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Leopold I, King of the Belgians; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold I, King of the Belgians was born a Prince of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld on December 16, 1790, at Ehrenburg Palace in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany. He was the youngest surviving son of Franz Friedrich Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf. Among his siblings was the mother of Queen Victoria and the father of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband. In 1826, during the reign of his brother Ernst I, Saxe-Coburg acquired the city of Gotha from the neighboring Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and gave up Saalfeld to Saxe-Meiningen, thereby becoming the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

Leopold had eight siblings:

Due to the marriage of his sister Juliane to Grand Duke Konstantine Pavlovich of Russia, Leopold, at the age of five, received the honorary rank of Colonel of the Izmaylovsky Regiment, part of the Imperial Guard of the Imperial Russian Army. When the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was conquered in 1806 by Napoleon’s troops, Leopold went to Paris and became part of Napoleon’s court. Emperor Napoleon offered Leopold the position of Adjutant by Emperor Napoleon, but Leopold refused. In 1812, Leopold joined the Russian Imperial Army and was assigned to the staff of his brother-in-law Grand Duke Konstantine Pavlovich. At the time, Russia was at war with France and Leopold fought against Napoleon’s army and distinguished himself at the Battle of Kulm leading the cuirassier division. In 1815, the year of Napoleon’s final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, Leopold was 25 and had reached the rank of Lieutenant General in the Imperial Russian Army.

In 1814, at a party at the Pulteney Hotel in London, England, Leopold met Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV). Charlotte was second in the line of succession to the British throne and assuredly would succeed her father on the throne. Charlotte invited Leopold to call on her, and he did, remaining for 45 minutes, and then writing a letter to Charlotte’s father apologizing for any indiscretion. This letter impressed George very much, although he did not consider the impoverished Leopold as a possible husband for his daughter.

Charlotte’s father and his advisers had selected Willem, Hereditary Prince of Orange, son and heir-apparent of Prince Willem VI of Orange, as her future husband. Charlotte was not impressed with Willem and now had in her mind that Leopold would be her husband. Her father refused to give up hope that Charlotte would agree to marry the Dutch Prince. However, Charlotte wrote, “No arguments, no threats, shall ever bend me to marry this detested Dutchman.” In January 1816, Charlotte made a desperate plea to her father to allow her to marry Leopold. Leopold came to England in February 1816 to be interviewed by the Prince of Wales, who was impressed with Leopold and agreed to the marriage. On March 14, 1816, an announcement was made in the House of Commons that Charlotte and Leopold were to marry. Parliament voted Leopold £50,000 per year, purchased Claremont House for the couple, and allowed them a generous single payment to set up house.

Charlotte and Leopold were married on May 2, 1816, in the Crimson Drawing Room at Carlton House, the Prince of Wales’ London home. Oatlands in Surrey, the country home of Charlotte’s uncle Prince Frederick, Duke of York, was the site of the honeymoon. After the honeymoon, the newlywed couple settled at Claremont House near Esher, England which the British nation had purchased by an Act of Parliament as a wedding gift for Charlotte and Leopold. Leopold was made a British citizen, received the honorary rank of Field Marshal, and was created a Knight of the Order of the Garter The marriage was deemed to be a success and the couple was blissfully happy.

Engraving of the wedding of Charlotte and Leopold in 1816; Credit – Wikipedia

Charlotte suffered two miscarriages in the early months of her first two pregnancies, but the third pregnancy in 1817 gave Charlotte and Leopold hope. Charlotte was second in the line of succession, and she would have succeeded her father, the future George IV, as the queen but on November 6, 1817, a great tragedy struck the British Royal Family. After a labor of over 50 hours, Charlotte delivered a stillborn son. Several hours later, twenty-one-year-old Princess Charlotte, the only child of George, Prince of Wales and King George III’s only legitimate grandchild, died of postpartum hemorrhage. The British people mourned Charlotte like the mourning of Diana, Princess of Wales. She was buried in the Royal Tomb House at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle with her stillborn son at her feet. Charlotte’s pregnancy and delivery had been grossly mismanaged, and the doctor in charge later died by suicide.

After Charlotte’s death, Leopold continued to live at Claremont House and was granted the British style of Royal Highness. In 1828-1829, Leopold had an affair with actress Karoline Bauer, a cousin of his adviser Baron Christian Friedrich von Stockmar. Karoline came to England with her mother and took up residence at Longwood House, a few miles from Claremont House. In 1830, after the Greeks rebelled against the Ottoman Empire, Leopold was offered the Greek throne. He refused because he considered the country too unstable, and Otto of Bavaria became King of Greece.

In August 1830, the southern provinces (modern-day Belgium) of the Netherlands rebelled against Dutch rule. International powers meeting in London agreed to support the independence of Belgium, even though the Dutch refused to recognize the new country. On April 22, 1831, Leopold was asked by the Belgian National Congress if he wanted to be King of the Belgians. Leopold swore allegiance to the new Belgian constitution on July 21, 1831, and became the first King of the Belgians. Each year July 21 is celebrated as Belgian National Day.

Leopold taking the constitutional oath by Gustaf Wappers; Credit – Wikipedia

Less than two weeks after Leopold became King of the Belgians, the Netherlands invaded Belgium. The small Belgian army was overwhelmed by the Dutch attack. Leopold appealed to the French for support and after the arrival of the French Armée du Nord in Belgium, the Dutch were forced to accept a diplomatic intervention and retreat to the pre-war border. Skirmishes continued for eight years, and finally, in 1839, Belgium and the Netherlands signed the Treaty of London establishing Belgium’s independence.

Leopold had to marry to provide for the Belgian succession. On August 9, 1832, Leopold married Princess Louise-Marie of Orléans, daughter of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French and Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies, at the Château de Compiègne, in France. Since Leopold was Protestant and Louise-Marie was Catholic, they had a Catholic and a Protestant ceremony. Although Leopold remained Protestant, his children were raised as Catholics because the majority of Belgians were Catholic. Louise-Marie died on October 11, 1850, at the age of 38 from tuberculosis. She expressed a desire to be buried in Laeken in Brussels, Belgium. Leopold had the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium built in her memory. Louise-Marie was buried there and the crypt there has become the burial site for the Belgian royal family.

Wedding of Leopold and Marie Louise of Orleans in the chapel of the Château de Compiègne; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold and Louise-Marie had four children:

Drawing of King Leopold I and his family; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1840, Leopold helped arrange the marriage of his niece Queen Victoria, his sister’s daughter, to his nephew Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, his brother’s son. Even before Victoria succeeded to the throne, Leopold had been advising her by letter, and after her accession continued to influence her.

Leopold (right), with Queen Victoria and the British royal family, in an early photograph of 1859; Credit – Wikipedia

In foreign policy, Leopold’s principal objective was Belgium’s neutrality. Because of his family connections and position as the head of a neutral and non-threatening country, Leopold acted as an important intermediary in European politics during his reign. Leopold played a particularly important role in moderating relations between the Great Powers, especially between Great Britain and the French Empire under Napoleon III.

Leopold had a twenty-year relationship with Arcadie Claret (1826-1897). Arcadie was from Brussels and was the daughter of Major Charles-Joseph Claret (1789-1867), a veteran of Napoleon’s army and the treasurer of the Ministry of War’s Fund for Widows and Orphans of the Belgian Army. Leopold met Arcadie sometime between 1842-1844. She was only in her late teens, and almost immediately became his mistress. Leopold installed her in a luxurious house in Saint-Josse-ten-Node near Brussels. Because the affair did not go unnoticed and was discussed in detail in the press, Leopold arranged a marriage in 1845 between Arcadie Claret and his servant and friend Ferdinand Meyer, originally from Coburg.

Arcadie Claret; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold and Arcadie had two sons: George (1849-1904), born a few days before the death of Queen Marie-Louise, and Arthur (1852-1940). The boys were recognized as the sons of Ferdinand Meyer. After Queen Marie-Louise’s death, with financial and political support from Leopold, Arcadie bought Castle Stuyvenberg in Laeken, and she lived there with her children until Leopold died in 1865. Her second son was born there, and her mother, sisters, and brothers also lived there. In 1862, at Leopold’s request, his sons were created Freiherr von Eppinghoven (Baron of Eppinghoven) by his nephew, Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. In 1863, Arcadie was created Freifrau von Eppinghoven (Baroness of Eppinghoven).

George and Arthur had a princely upbringing and were privately taught by tutors. Leopold spent much of his afternoons, and sometimes whole days with Arcadie and their sons. Arcadie often accompanied him on his trips. In Leopold’s old age, Arcadie was his nurse and she was with him during his last illness. Before his death, Leopold secured the futures of Arcadie and their sons. After Leopold’s death, Castle Stuyvenberg was secretly sold to his son and successor King Leopold II. In 1900, the castle became part of the Royal Trust.

After Leopold’s death, his son George was placed in the protection of his first cousin Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Later he became an officer in the Prussian army. Arthur became the Grand Marshal of the Ducal Court of Coburg. As a representative of Coburg in 1909, he was present at the funeral of his half-brother King Leopold II.

King Leopold I of the Belgians; Credit – Wikipedia

King Leopold I of the Belgians died on December 10, 1865, at the age of 74 at the Royal Palace in Laeken, Belgium.  Among his last words were “Charlotte…Charlotte.”  Was he calling to his daughter or his beloved first wife Princess Charlotte of Wales? King Leopold was buried in the Royal Crypt in the Church of Our Lady in Laeken, in Brussels, Belgium with his wife Queen Marie-Louise.

Funeral of Leopold in Brussels; Credit – Wikipedia

Tomb of Leopold and Louise-Marie; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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 Belgium Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King George III of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

King George III of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

King George III is the longest-reigning British king, having reigned for 59 years, 96 days. His length of reign is surpassed only by two queens, both his descendants, his granddaughter Queen Victoria and his great-great-great-great-granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II. George III was born on June 4, 1738, at Norfolk House, St. James’ Square in London, England. He was the eldest son and the second child of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg. At the time of his birth, his grandfather King George II was the reigning monarch and baby George was second in the line of succession after his father.

George was born two months premature, so he was privately christened on the day of his birth by Thomas Secker, Bishop of Oxford, and given the name George. A month after his birth, Bishop Secker publicly christened him George William Frederick at Norfolk House. His godparents were:

George had eight siblings:

Family of Frederick, Prince of Wales painted in 1751 after the prince’s death; Credit – Wikipedia Front row: Henry, William, Frederick; Back row: Edward, George, Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales holding Caroline Matilda, Elizabeth, Louisa

Despite being premature, George turned out to be healthy but was restrained and shy. The family moved to Leicester House in Leicester Square, where George and his brother Edward were taught by a private tutor, Francis Ayscough. George was a good student, and at the age of eight, he could read and write in English and German. He was the first British monarch to receive a systematic scientific education, studying chemistry, physics, and astronomy. In addition, he was taught mathematics, history, geography, French, Latin, music, agriculture, and constitutional law. George learned how to fence, dance, and ride, and received instruction in the Anglican religion.

by Richard Wilson, oil on canvas, circa 1749

Francis Ayscough with the Prince of Wales (later King George III) and Edward Augustus, Duke of York and Albany by Richard Wilson, oil on canvas, circa 1749 NPG 1165 © National Portrait Gallery, London

On March 21, 1751, George’s father, Frederick, Prince of Wales died at the age of 44. 13-year-old George became heir to the throne and was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester by his grandfather King George II on April 20, 1751. His education was then entrusted to his governor Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt and his tutor Thomas Hayter, Bishop of Norwich.

In 1759, George fell in love with Lady Sarah Lennox, sister of Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond, and her family developed an ambition that she would be the next queen. Mainly for this reason, George was discouraged from selecting her as a wife. On October 25, 1760, King George II died and his grandson became King George III at the age of 22. George’s search for a wife intensified and his choice fell upon an obscure German princess, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.  On September 8, 1761, at 10 PM, George and Charlotte married in the Chapel Royal of St. James’ Palace in London, England.  On September 22, 1761, their coronation was held at Westminster Abbey.

George III_Charlotte_Coronation

Coronation Portraits of King George III and Queen Charlotte by Allan Ramsey; Credit: http://www.royalcollection.org.uk

George and Charlotte’s marriage was very happy and George remained faithful to Charlotte. Between 1762 – 1783, Charlotte gave birth to 15 children, all of whom survived childbirth. Only two of the children did not survive childhood. It is remarkable that in 1817 at the time of the death in childbirth of Princess Charlotte of Wales, who was second in line to the throne after her father the Prince of Wales, Princess Charlotte was the only legitimate grandchild of King George III, even though eleven of his fifteen children were still living.

The fifteen children of King George III and Queen Charlotte:

George III children

Queen Charlotte painted by Benjamin West in 1779 with her 13 eldest children; Credit – http://www.royalcollection.org.uk

In the same year as his marriage, King George III purchased Buckingham House, originally built for John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham in 1703. Originally purchased as a get-away for Charlotte who gave birth to 14 of her 15 children there, the house became known as the Queen’s House and was the architectural core of the present Buckingham Palace. George and Charlotte led a simple life with their children, residing at the Queen’s House, Windsor Castle, and Kew Palace.  The family took summer holidays at Weymouth in Dorset, England making Weymouth one of the first seaside resorts in England. The simplicity of the royal family’s life dismayed some of the courtiers. Upon hearing that the King, Queen, and the Queen’s brother went for a walk by themselves in Richmond, Lady Mary Coke said, “I am not satisfied in my mind about the propriety of a Queen walking in town unattended.”

George’s reign, which was longer than any previous British monarch, was marked by a series of military conflicts involving his kingdom, much of the rest of Europe, and parts of Africa, the Americas, and Asia. Early in his reign, Great Britain defeated France in the Seven Years’ War and became the dominant European power in North America and India. However, many of Britain’s American colonies were soon lost in the American Revolutionary War. Further wars against Napoleonic France from 1793 concluded in the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

The marriages of two of George’s brothers to women he considered unsuitable led to the passing of the Royal Marriages Act in 1772. The act stipulated that no descendant of George II under the age of 25, except descendants of princesses who married into foreign families, could marry without obtaining the consent of the sovereign. Over the age of 25, those wishing to marry without obtaining consent needed to inform the Privy Council of their intention. They would then be free to marry in a year if no objection had been raised by Parliament. The Royal Marriages Act was repealed on March 26, 2015, as a result of the 2011 Perth Agreement. The Royal Marriages Act’s provisions were replaced by less limited restrictions that apply only to the first six people in the line of succession.

The only disruption in the family’s domestic lives was George’s attacks of illness. There has been speculation that King George suffered from porphyria or perhaps bipolar disorder and dementia. The American Revolutionary War and the loss of the American colonies was a great blow to George, and in 1788, he suffered another attack. This attack was more serious and George was terribly deranged for a period of six months. Fanny Burney, a novelist, diarist, and playwright, accepted the post of Queen Charlotte’s Keeper of the Robes in 1786 and left an account of some of George’s behaviors. On one memorable occasion, George chased after her at Windsor. George would become extremely agitated and shout, “What! What! What!” Supposedly, he was found on one occasion conversing with an oak tree which he believed to be the King of Prussia. However, George made a full recovery and on April 23, St. George’s Day, in 1790, the royal family attended a thanksgiving service for his recovery.

George had established himself as one of the more popular Hanoverian kings.  He was admired for his respectable private life and gained sympathy for his illness.  He inherited the family’s love of music and was a patron of the arts and sciences.  George was very interested in agriculture and his creation of model farms at Windsor earned him the nickname “Farmer George” which he adored.

Engraving by Henry Meyer of George III in later life; Credit – Wikipedia

By 1805, George was almost completely blind. On October 25, 1809, a golden jubilee for the 50th year of his reign was held. Princess Amelia, George’s youngest child, died on November 10, 1810, and hastened his final decline. George became so ill that Parliament needed to pass the Regency Act of 1811.  The Prince of Wales acted as Regent until his father died in 1820. Queen Charlotte was her husband’s legal guardian, but could not bring herself to visit him due to his violent outbursts and erratic behavior.

George spent the rest of his life at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, blind, deaf, and in a state of dementia. He was unaware that Charlotte died in November of 1818. At Christmas of 1819, George spoke nonsense for 58 hours, and for the last few weeks of his life, he was unable to walk. Under the care of his second son Frederick, Duke of York, King George III lived on until January 29, 1820, six days after the death of his fourth son, Edward, Duke of Kent. He was buried at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in the Royal Tomb House that he had constructed under St. George’s Chapel, now under the Albert Memorial Chapel. King George III was succeeded by two of his sons King George IV and King William IV, who both died without surviving legitimate children, leaving the throne to Queen Victoria, the only legitimate child of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and the last monarch of the House of Hanover.

Royal Vault

An artist’s view inside the Royal Tomb House at St. George’s Chapel. Caskets were placed on the shelves along the sides. The bench in the middle was used as a temporary place for caskets waiting to be buried elsewhere.

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House of Hanover Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Alexandrine of Baden, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2015

Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha: In 1675, Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died. Initially, his seven sons collectively governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. In 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. One of the seven new duchies was the Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld and Johann Ernst, one of the seven sons of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg became the first Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld.  When two of his brothers died without male heirs, Johann Ernst took possession of Coburg (in 1699) and Römhild (in 1714). In 1699, Johann Ernst’s title changed to Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

In 1825, 145 years after the initial split, another line became extinct and there was another split between three surviving duchies. Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld became Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. For more information on the switch, see Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Index.

On November 9, 1918, after the German Empire lost World War I, the Workers’ and Soldiers Council of Gotha, deposed the last Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Charles Edward, a grandson of Queen Victoria.  Five days later, he signed a declaration relinquishing his rights to the throne. The territory that encompassed the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is now in the German states of Bavaria and Thuringia.

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Alexandrine of Baden, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexandrine of Baden (Alexandrine Luise Amalie Friederike Elisabeth Sophie) was born Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on December 6, 1820. She was the eldest of the eight children of Leopold I, Grand Duke of Baden and Princess Sophie of Sweden.

Alexandrine had seven siblings:

Alexandrine, standing next to her mother, with four of her siblings; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexandrine was first courted by the future Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia. He visited her in Baden and preliminary marriage negotiations took place. However, on his way home to Russia, Alexander visited Hesse-Darmstadt and met Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine who was eventually his bride. On May 13, 1842, in Karlsruhe, Baden (now in Germany) Alexandrine married the future Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Before the marriage, Ernst was suffering from a venereal disease as a result of his many affairs. He had been warned that continued promiscuity could leave him unable to father children. Ernst had at least three illegitimate children, but his marriage was childless, perhaps due to Ernst passing the venereal disease to Alexandrine causing her to become infertile. Alexandrine was loyal and devoted to her husband despite his infidelities and believed that their lack of children was her fault.

Alexandrine, Painting by Franz Winterhalter, 1842; Credit – Wikipedia

After his marriage, Ernst continued to have affairs that Alexandrine apparently accepted. At one point, Ernst had two mistresses living with him and Alexandrine. Ernst’s sister-in-law Queen Victoria could not understand how Alexandrine accepted this and wrote to one of her children, “Uncle E.’s conduct is perfectly monstrous and I must blame Aunt very much. They have not written to me yet – but when they do I shall have to write very strongly.”

On January 29, 1844, Ernst’s father died and he became Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Ernst was not well-loved by his people, but Alexandrine was. She supported many charities including the Ernst Foundation for needy students. During the Franco-German War, Alexandrine worked with the Red Cross dealing with the German wounded soldiers. For her work, she was awarded the Bavarian Order of Theresa and the Prussian Order of Louise. Alexandrine founded the Gymnasium Alexandrinum, an all-girls school that was funded by her school foundation. Upon her death, she left 620,000 marks from her personal assets for the good of the people of Coburg.

Alexandrine (in black) with the family of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; Credit – Wikipedia

Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha died after a short illness at the age of 75 at Schloss Reinhardsbrunn in Coburg on August 22, 1893. Alexandrine survived him by eleven years, dying at Schloss Callenberg in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany on December 20, 1904, at the age of 84. She was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Glockenberg Cemetery in Coburg.

Ducal Mausoleum in Glockenberg Cemetery; Credit – Wikipedia

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Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha: In 1675, Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died. Initially, his seven sons collectively governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. In 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. One of the seven new duchies was the Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld and Johann Ernst, one of the seven sons of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg became the first Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld.  When two of his brothers died without male heirs, Johann Ernst took possession of Coburg (in 1699) and Römhild (in 1714). In 1699, Johann Ernst’s title changed to Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

In 1825, 145 years after the initial split, another line became extinct and there was another split between three surviving duchies. Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld became Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. For more information on the switch, see Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Index.

On November 9, 1918, after the German Empire lost World War I, the Workers’ and Soldiers Council of Gotha, deposed the last Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Charles Edward, a grandson of Queen Victoria.  Five days later, he signed a declaration relinquishing his rights to the throne. The territory that encompassed the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is now in the German states of Bavaria and Thuringia.

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Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; Credit – Wikipedia

Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was born on June 21, 1818, at Ehrenburg Palace in Coburg, Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany. He was the elder of the two sons of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his first wife Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Ernst had one brother:

Ernst (right) with his younger brother Albert and his mother Louise; Credit – Wikipedia

Since Ernst II and Albert were close in age, they were also close companions during childhood. However, their childhood was marred by their parents’ disastrous marriage, separation, and divorce. Ernst II’s mother and father were very different and drifted apart soon after Albert’s birth. Ernst I was a notorious womanizer, and as a result, his young wife Louise (who was 17 years younger than her husband) sought consolation with Baron Alexander von Hanstein, the Duke’s equerry. Louise was exiled from court in 1824 and divorced in March 1826. Seven months later, Louise secretly married von Hanstein. She died in 1831 at the age of 30 from cancer. After Louise’s exile from the court in 1824, she probably never saw her sons again. In 1831, Ernst I married again to Duchess Marie of Württemberg, his niece, the daughter of his sister Antoinette. Ernst I and Marie had no children but Marie had a good relationship with her two stepsons who were also her first cousins.

Ernst II and his brother Albert were first educated at home by a caring tutor, Johann Christoph Florschütz. Florschütz supervised the brothers over the next 15 years and was their primary caregiver. The brothers had lessons in German, Latin, English, French, history, science, philosophy, and geography. Their father often took lunch with his sons and occasionally took them hunting, but played only a minor role in their education. From June 1836 – April 1837, Ernst II studied mathematics, philosophy, foreign languages, and public and constitutional doctrine with private tutors in Brussels, Belgium, where his paternal uncle was King Leopold I of the Belgians. He then studied at the University of Bonn, which many German princes attended. While at the University of Bonn, Ernst II studied law and philosophy. In Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, Ernst II received a military education with the Royal Saxon Guards Cavalry.

Ernst II in 1842; Credit – Wikipedia

At the urging of his brother Albert, who had married Queen Victoria in 1840, Ernst II began his search for a bride. He was suffering from a venereal disease as a result of his many affairs and had been warned that continued promiscuity could leave him unable to father children.  However, he did not have an affair with Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland as depicted in the television series Victoria. The real Harriet was twelve years older than Ernst II and her husband George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 2nd Duke of Sutherland did not die until 1861. Harriet and her husband had a successful, loving marriage and had eleven children.

On May 13, 1842, in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, Ernst II married Princess Alexandrine of Baden, the daughter of Leopold I, Grand Duke of Baden and Princess Sophie of Sweden.  Ernst II had at least three illegitimate children, but his marriage was childless, perhaps due to his passing the venereal disease to Alexandrine causing her to become infertile. Alexandrine was loyal and devoted to her husband despite his infidelities and believed their lack of children was her fault.

Alexandrine in 1842, painted by Franz Winterhalter; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 29, 1844, Ernst II’s father died and he became Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Ernst II had financial difficulties throughout his reign due to his extravagance. In 1852, the constitutions of Coburg and Gotha merged into one constitution, converting the personal union of the two duchies into a real union. Ernst II was against his nephew Edward, Prince of Wales (Bertie) marrying Princess Alexandra of Denmark due to the Schleswig-Holstein Question, the relation of two duchies, Schleswig and Holstein to the Danish crown and the German Confederation. He had a reputation for being a strong friend of the United States. However, Ernst II was the only European sovereign to appoint an ambassador to the Confederate States of America. In 1862, after Otto of Bavaria, King of Greece was deposed, Ernst II was considered as Otto’s replacement. Eventually, the Princess of Wales’ younger brother Prince William of Denmark would become King George I of Greece. Ernst II was in favor of a German unified, federal state and supported Prussia in the Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian Wars. In 1871, he was on the podium in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles when King Wilhelm I of Prussia was proclaimed German Emperor.

The Proclamation of the German Emperor by Anton von Werner, Ernst II in the white uniform on the podium on the far left; Credit – Wikipedia

Ernst II was an excellent musician, an amateur composer, and a great patron of the arts and sciences in Coburg. He was the friend and patron of the German writer Gustav Freytag and the “Waltz King” Johann Strauss. From February to May 1862, Ernst II took a trip to Africa with travel writer Friedrich Gerstäcker and the zoologist Alfred Brehm and described his experiences in a book. Ernst II enriched the art collection at the Veste Coburg and Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha and the collection became part of the Ducal Museum in Gotha.

Although Queen Victoria loved Ernst II because he was her dear Albert’s brother, he annoyed her. In 1891, when Victoria and Ernst II met in France, one of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting wrote “…the old Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha has been here today with his wife. He is the Prince Consort’s only brother and an awful looking man, the Queen dislikes him particularly. He is always writing anonymous pamphlets against the Queen and Empress Frederick, which naturally creates a great deal of annoyance in the family…” Queen Marie of Romania, born Princess Marie of Edinburgh, said of her great uncle, he is “… an old beau, squeezed into a frock-coat too tight for his bulk and uncomfortably pinched in at the waist’, sporting a top hat, lemon coloured gloves, and a rosebud in his lapel.”

The Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1893; Credit – Wikipedia

Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha died after a short illness at the age of 75 at Schloss Reinhardsbrunn in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany, on August 22, 1893. Thousands of people came to view the funeral procession. He was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Glockenberg Cemetery in Coburg. Ernst was succeeded by his nephew Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh.

Ducal Mausoleum in Glockenberg Cemetery; Credit – Wikipedia

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.

Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Marie of Württemberg, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2015

Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha: In 1675, Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died. Initially, his seven sons collectively governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. In 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. One of the seven new duchies was the Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld and Johann Ernst, one of the seven sons of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg became the first Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld.  When two of his brothers died without male heirs, Johann Ernst took possession of Coburg (in 1699) and Römhild (in 1714). In 1699, Johann Ernst’s title changed to Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

In 1825, 145 years after the initial split, another line became extinct and there was another split between three surviving duchies. Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld became Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. For more information on the switch, see Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Index.

On November 9, 1918, after the German Empire lost World War I, the Workers’ and Soldiers Council of Gotha, deposed the last Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Charles Edward, a grandson of Queen Victoria.  Five days later, he signed a declaration relinquishing his rights to the throne. The territory that encompassed the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is now in the German states of Bavaria and Thuringia.

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Marie of Württemberg, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; Credit – Wikipedia

Marie of Württemberg (Antoinette Friederike Auguste Marie Ann) was the second wife and the niece of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Born on September 17, 1799, in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany, she was the eldest child and the only daughter of Duke Alexander of Württemberg and Antoinette of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.  Marie had four brothers, but only two survived childhood. Marie and her brothers were first cousins of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

  • Paul of Württemberg (1800–1801)
  • Alexander of Württemberg (1804-1881), married (1) Marie d’Orléans, daughter of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French, had one son; (2) Katharine Amalie Pfennigkaüfer, no issue
  • Ernest of Württemberg (1807–1868), married Nathalie Eschborn, had one daughter
  • Friedrich Wilhelm Ferdinand of Württemberg (1810 – 1815)

Marie’s first three years were spent at Schloss Fantaisie in Bayreuth, Bavaria (Germany). Her paternal aunt Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg (known as Maria Feodorovna after her marriage) was the second wife of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia. After serving in the Württemberg and Austrian armies, Marie’s father joined the Imperial Russian Army as a Lieutenant General and commander of the Riga Cuirassier Regiment. As a result, Marie lived on an estate at Mitau in present-day Latvia and in a palace in St. Petersburg, Russia from 1802-1832.

On December 23, 1832, Marie married her uncle Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha at Schloss Ehrenburg in Coburg. The groom was 48 and the bride was 33. Ernst had been anxious to find a new bride after the death of his first, estranged wife, Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. However, Ernst’s age and his negative reputation left him with limited choices for a bride. His mother Augusta, Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha arranged the marriage between her son and her granddaughter. After her marriage, Marie was not only the first cousin but also the stepmother of her husband’s sons from his first marriage, Ernst (later Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) and Albert (later husband of Queen Victoria). Marie and Ernst had no children, but Marie had a good relationship with her stepsons and maintained a correspondence with Albert throughout their lives.

Marie was interested in literature, music, theater, art, and education. The newly built Landestheater Coburg opened on her 41st birthday. The composer Franz Liszt frequently visited her. In 1836, Marie took over the management of the Gothaer Marien-Institut, a private school for girls. The Marienschulstiftung (Marie School Foundation) opened in 1842 and still runs the kindergarten and nursery school that Marie started.

After Ernst died in 1844, Marie lived in her three dower castles in Gotha, Schloss Reinhardsbrunn, Schloss Friedrichsthal, and Schloss Friedenstein. She returned to Coburg whenever her English relatives visited. Marie died at Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Thuringia, Germany on September 24, 1860, at the age of 61 and was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Glockenberg Cemetery in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany.

The Ducal Mausoleum in the Glockenberg Cemetery. photo: by Störfix – Selbst fotografiert, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4010189

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.

Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2015

Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld; Credit – Wikipedia

The mother of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (Luise Pauline Charlotte Friederike Auguste) was born on December 21, 1800, at Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha, Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, now in Thuringia, Germany. Louise was the only child of Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and his first wife Louise Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Louise’s mother never recovered from childbirth and died eleven days later at the age of 21.

Louise’s father Augustus married again in 1802 to Princess Karoline Amalie of Hesse-Kassel.  The marriage was childless, but Karoline Amalie was a devoted stepmother to Louise. Karoline Amalie and Augustus became estranged after a few years of marriage and Karoline Amalie withdrew from court life.

On December 20, 1816, the engagement of Louise and Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (later Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) was announced. The couple married on July 3, 1817, at Louise’s birthplace Schloss Friedenstein. The bride was 16 and the groom was 33. There is some indication that Louise had heard about Ernst’s womanizing before her marriage and his several illegitimate children, but she was optimistic about a happy life with him.

The couple had two sons:

Albert (left) and Ernst (right) with their mother Louise; Credit – Wikipedia

Although the marriage was initially happy, the couple soon grew apart due to Ernst’s infidelities. In 1823, Louise had an affair with Gottfried von Bülow, the court chamberlain. The following year, she had an affair with Alexander von Hanstein, one of her husband’s equerries. At midnight on September 2, 1824, Louise was forced into exile and permanently cut off from her children. She was given a home in St. Wendel in the Principality of Lichtenberg, now in the German state of Saarland, which Ernst had received as a reward for his participation in the Napoleonic Wars. Louise suffered greatly due to her separation from her two sons. Images of her sons and visitation rights were denied to her. Ernst and Louise were divorced on March 31, 1826.

Louise’s lover, Freiherr (Baron) Alexander von Hanstein followed her to St. Wendel, and the couple planned to marry. In preparation for the marriage, Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg created Alexander Graf (Count) von Pölzig and Beiersdorf on July 19, 1826. On October 18, 1826, Alexander and Louise were married in St. Wendel. They resided in the Schlösschen (Little Palace) there and spent some happy years, but the marriage was childless. Louise had a great interest in the social life of the Principality of Lichtenberg and was revered as its Landesmutter (mother of the country).

Bronze statue of Louise at the St. Wendel town hall; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

On February 16, 1831, Louise traveled with her husband to see doctors in Paris, France because of the deterioration of her health. Unfortunately, incurable cervical cancer was diagnosed. Louise died on August 30, 1831, in Paris at the age of 30. Louise’s embalmed body had been kept at the Schlösschen (Little Palace) in St. Wendel, but then, as a result of intrigues within the House of Saxe-Coburg, it somehow disappeared. First, the coffin found its way to a legal assistant’s house, and then in 1833 to the church in the village of Pfeffelbach in the Principality of Lichtenberg, where it lay in a simple crypt under the pulpit and was almost forgotten. On June 9, 1846, Louise’s coffin was taken to Coburg, where it stayed at the Church of St. Moritz, before being moved to the Ducal Mausoleum in Glockenberg Cemetery in 1860.

Louise’s widower Alexander remarried and had three children. In 1845, Alexander contacted his stepson Prince Albert, who in the meantime had married Queen Victoria, and Albert granted him a pension.

The Ducal Mausoleum in the Glockenberg Cemetery. photo: by Störfix – Selbst fotografiert, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4010189

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.

Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2015

Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha: In 1675, Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died. Initially, his seven sons collectively governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. In 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. One of the seven new duchies was the Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld and Johann Ernst, one of the seven sons of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg became the first Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld.  When two of his brothers died without male heirs, Johann Ernst took possession of Coburg (in 1699) and Römhild (in 1714). In 1699, Johann Ernst’s title changed to Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

In 1825, 145 years after the initial split, another line became extinct and there was another split between three surviving duchies. Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld became Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. For more information on the switch, see Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Index.

On November 9, 1918, after the German Empire lost World War I, the Workers’ and Soldiers Council of Gotha, deposed the last Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Charles Edward, a grandson of Queen Victoria.  Five days later, he signed a declaration relinquishing his rights to the throne. The territory that encompassed the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is now in the German states of Bavaria and Thuringia.

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Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; Credit – Wikipedia

Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Ernst Anton Karl Ludwig) was born January 2, 1784, in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany. He was the eldest son of Franz Friedrich Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Augusta of Reuss-Ebersdorf.

Ernst had eight siblings:

Because his sister had married into the Russian Imperial Family, Ernst received commissions as colonel and general of Russian army regiments. On May 10, 1803, Ernst was legally declared an adult so he could participate in the duchy’s government as his father was seriously ill. In October of 1806, Ernst fought on the Prussian side in the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt which pitted the forces of Emperor Napoleon I of France and King Frederick William III of Prussia against each other. The loss suffered by the Prussian army subjugated the Kingdom of Prussia to the French Empire for six years.

Ernst’s father died on December 9, 1806, and Ernst succeeded him as Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. However, as Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was occupied by Napoleon’s troops and under French administration, Ernst could not gain control of the government. In 1807, with the help of Russia, the Treaties of Tilsit restored control of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld to Ernst.

Ernst served as a general in the Prussian Army and participated in campaigns against Napoleon. After the Napoleonic Wars, Ernst worked on rebuilding the duchy. In 1821, he gave the country a new constitution. He promoted science and the arts and built theaters in Coburg and Gotha. Ernst oversaw romantic neo-Gothic renovations to the castles Rosenau, Ehrenburg, Callenberg, and Reinhardsbrunn and established the English-style landscape park at the castles.

Ernst was long content with bachelorhood until his mother insisted he marry to provide the duchy with heirs. Ernst considered several candidates for marriage, including some of the daughters of Paul, Emperor of All Russia, but settled on Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, the only child and heiress of Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Louise Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. She was a lively, romantic, and well-educated girl who was excited at the prospect of marrying Ernst, whom she thought was handsome and kind. There is some indication that Louise had heard about Ernst’s womanizing (and his several illegitimate children) before her marriage, she was optimistic about a happy life with him.

Ernst was her distant cousin and 33 years old to Louise’s 16 at the time of the wedding. The match was arranged by Ernst’s mother to bring Louise’s territory of Gotha to the duchy. Due to the Salic Law in force in the duchy, Louise could not rule the territories herself, but a husband or son could claim them on her behalf. Louise also brought a healthy dowry to the marriage, which could be used to restore Saxe-Coburg’s long-faltering finances.

The wedding was held in Gotha on July 3, 1817. The couple had two sons:

Albert (left) and Ernst (right) with their mother Louise; Credit – Wikipedia

Although the marriage was initially happy, the couple soon grew apart due to Ernst’s infidelities. After discovering Louise’s affair with her chamberlain in 1824, Ernst forced Louise out of the duchy. She was exiled and permanently cut off from her children. The couple was officially divorced on March 31, 1826. Louise died of cancer in 1831 at the age of 30.

In 1825, while Ernst and Louise’s divorce proceedings were occurring, Friedrich IV, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Louise’s uncle, died without an heir. This necessitated a rearrangement of the Ernestine duchies. Ernst received Gotha and ceded Saalfeld to Saxe-Meiningen. He subsequently became Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

On December 23, 1832, Ernst married his niece Marie of Württemberg, the daughter of his sister Antoinette. The couple had no children and had little in common, but Marie had a loving relationship with her stepsons.

Marie of Württemberg; Credit – Wikipedia

Ernst died on January 29, 1844, at Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Thuringia, Germany. He was initially buried in the crypt of the Church of St. Moritz in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany. In 1860, his remains were re-interred in the Ducal Mausoleum in Glockenberg Cemetery in Coburg

Ducal Mausoleum in Glockenberg Cemetery; Credit – Wikipedia

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