Category Archives: Former Monarchies

Anna Alexandrovna Vyrubova, Lady-in-Waiting and Favorite of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Credit – Wikipedia

Favorite: a person treated with special or undue favor by a king, queen, or another royal person

Patronymics

  • In Russian, a patronymic is the second name derived from the father’s first name: the suffix -vich means “son of” and the suffixes -eva, -evna, -ova, and -ovna mean “daughter of”.

Anna Alexandrovna Taneyeva was born on July 16, 1884, in Oranienbaum, Russia, near St. Petersburg, the second of the four children and the second of the three daughters of Alexander Sergeevich Taneyev (1850 – 1918) and Nadezhda Illarionovna Tolstoyeva (1860 – 1937). Her father was a composer who had success in Russia and also was a high-ranking state official, serving for 22 years as the director of His Imperial Majesty’s Own Chancellery, the personal office of the Emperor of All Russia. Her mother was the daughter of Lieutenant-General Illarion Nikolaevich Tolstoy and a descendant of military leaders Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov and General of the Infantry Nikolai Matveevich Tolstoy.

Anna and her sister Alexandra in front of the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo in 1908; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna Alexandrovna had two younger siblings:

Because of her father’s court connections, Anna grew up around the imperial court and was a playmate of Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov, part of the conspiracy to murder Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin. She spent her childhood years in Moscow and at the family estate of Rozhdestveno near Moscow, nearby Illinskoe, the estate of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodrovna, born Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, an elder sister of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. Anna first met Empress Alexandra, born Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, at a tea party at Illinskoe.

Anna became a maid of honor at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg in 1903, serving various female members of the Romanov family. In 1905, Anna was summoned to Tsarskoye Selo, the town containing residences of the Imperial Family located 15 miles south of St. Petersburg, to fill in for a lady-in-waiting to Empress Alexandra who became ill. Thus began her longtime relationship with Empress Alexandra. The position of lady-in-waiting was rotating – one month on duty, one month at home. Anna became a close friend of Empress Alexandra, was close to the Imperial Family for many years, accompanied them on many trips, and attended private family events.

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Anna Vyrubova (sitting) with Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna (standing), circa 1908; Credit – Wikipedia

Shortly after Anna became a lady-in-waiting to Empress Alexandra, Alexandra and her husband Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia became acquainted with Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man, and naturally, Anna also became acquainted with him. Rasputin had been introduced to the Imperial Family by Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicholaievna, born Princess Anastasia of Montenegro, the wife of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia. In late 1906, Rasputin began acting as a healer for Nicholas and Alexandra’s only son Alexei who suffered from hemophilia.

At Alexandra’s urging, Anna married Alexander Vasilievich Vyrubov, a naval officer who had survived the Russo-Japanese War with what probably was post-traumatic stress disorder. A few days before her marriage, Rasputin warned Anna that the marriage would be an unhappy one. Vyrubov drank and then became violent and was unable and unwilling to consummate the marriage. The couple divorced within a year and a half of their marriage. After her divorce, Rasputin consoled her and this strengthened her religious passion. Anna became convinced that Rasputin had miraculous powers shortly thereafter and became one of Rasputin’s most influential advocates and served as a go-between for Rasputin and Empress Alexandra.

Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin; Credit – Wikipedia

Several times Rasputin appeared to have brought the hemophiliac Alexei back from the brink of death, which further cemented Empress Alexandra’s reliance on him. There were many rumors about the relationship of Rasputin with Alexandra and her children. Rasputin’s friendship with the imperial children was evident in some of the messages he sent to them. While Rasputin’s visits to the children were, by all accounts, completely innocent, the family was scandalized. Because of Anna’s connection to both Empress Alexandra and Rasputin, she also became the focus of growing public hostility.

During World War I, Anna was a nurse with the Russian Red Cross together with Empress Alexandra and her eldest daughters Olga and Tatiana. In January 1915, while traveling from Tsarskoye Selo to St. Petersburg, Anna Vyrubova was in a train accident. Her legs were crushed and her skull and spine were seriously injured. The doctors expected her to die and she received the last rites. When Rasputin heard about the accident, he immediately went to the hospital. He found Nicholas and Alexandra at Anna’s bedside. Rasputin took Anna’s hand and called out, “Annushka! Annushka! Annushka! Now wake up and rise!” Anna made an effort to get up. “Speak to me!” Rasputin then ordered. Anna spoke in a weak voice. Rasputin then proclaimed, “She will recover but she will remain a cripple.” For both Anna and Empress Alexandra, this was more proof of Rasputin’s miraculous powers. Anna remained physically disabled for the rest of her life, using a wheelchair or crutches.

Anna in a wheelchair with Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna in 1916; Credit – Wikipedia

After Rasputin was murdered on December 30, 1916, Anna received anonymous threats by mail. Fearing for Anna’s safety, Empress Alexandra had Anna moved from her cottage near Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, into the palace itself. When the imperial children became sick with measles in March 1917, Anna also became ill. After the February 1917 Revolution, Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia abdicated on March 15, 1917. Nicholas and his family were held under house arrest first at the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, and later at the Governor’s Mansion in Tobolsk, Siberia between August 1917 – April 1918. In April 1918, they were moved to the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Siberia. It was here on the morning of July 17, 1918, that the family and their servants were brought to a room in the basement and assassinated.

Still recovering from the measles, Anna was arrested on March 21, 1917, because of her closeness with the Imperial Family. Of her farewell with Empress Alexandra, Anna wrote in her memoirs, “The last thing I remember was the white hand of the Empress pointing upward and her voice saying, ‘There we will always be together.’” Anna was imprisoned for five months in the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg on suspicion of espionage and treason and underwent numerous interrogations. Anna feigned a childish innocence during her interrogations. The investigators concluded that she was too naïve and unintelligent to have had any influence over Empress Alexandra and she was released.

Anna lived in obscurity in St. Petersburg, then called Petrograd and later Leningrad (1924–1991), reverting back to St. Petersburg after the fall of the Soviet Union. However, she was re-imprisoned several times. She became friendly with the writer Maxim Gorky who encouraged her to write her memoirs. Several times Anna received letters from Empress Alexandra during the Imperial Family’s house arrest at the Governor’s Mansion in Tobolsk, Siberia.

Anna in 1957; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1920, Anna and her mother escaped to Finland, where she spent the rest of her life, first in Viipuri (now Vyborg, Russia) and later in Helsinki. In Finland, Anna did write her memoirs as Maxim Gorky had suggested, Memoirs of the Russian Court, published in 1923 and still available. When World War II broke out, Anna was forced to flee Viipuri which was near the Soviet Union border because she feared for her life at the hands of the Soviets. After World War II, Anna once again tried to live in obscurity. She took vows as a Russian Orthodox nun but was permitted to live in her home because of her physical disabilities. In memory of her beloved friend Empress Alexandra, Anna wore the ribbon of a maid of honor until her death. Anna Alexandrovna Vyrubova died in Helsinki, Finland on July 20, 1964, four days after her 80th birthday. She was buried in the Russian Orthodox section of the Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki, Finland.

Grave of Anna Alexandrovna Vyrubova; Credit – By Paasikivi – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62148938

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

Works Cited

  • Atchinson, Bob, 2021. Anna Vyrubova – Blog & Alexander Palace Time Machine. [online] Alexanderpalace.org. Available at: <https://www.alexanderpalace.org/palace/Anya.php> [Accessed 10 January 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Anna Alexandrowna Wyrubowa. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Alexandrowna_Wyrubowa> [Accessed 10 January 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Anna Vyrubova. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Vyrubova> [Accessed 10 January 2021].
  • Massie, Robert, 1967. Nicholas And Alexandra. New York: Random House.
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2021. Вырубова, Анна Александровна. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D1%8B%D1%80%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0,_%D0%90%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B0> [Accessed 10 January 2021].

Charles d’Albert, Duke of Luynes, Favorite of King Louis XIII of France

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Charles d’Albert, Duke of Luynes was a close advisor and favorite of King Louis XIII of France from childhood until his death, and held numerous top positions within the French court.

source: Wikipedia

Charles d’Albert was born August 5, 1578, the eldest son of Honoré d’Albert, Seigneur de Luynes and Anne de Rodulf. Closely connected to the French court, his father had served four French kings – François II, Charles IX, Henri III and Henri IV. Charles’s siblings included:

Raised at the French court, Charles was a companion and friend of the future King Louis XIII from a young age.  Louis became King at just nine years old, with his mother, Marie de’ Medici, serving as Regent until his majority. During this time, Charles continued to be close to King Louis XIII and would become one of his closest and most trusted advisors. Raised to numerous high positions and appointments within the royal household, Charles strongly encouraged the King to remove his mother from power and was involved in the plot which led to the death of Concino Concini, one of the dowager queen’s favorites and closest advisors. In 1619, on the King’s behalf, he negotiated the Treaty of Angoulême which ended the battle between mother and son. For his efforts, in addition to several other honorary positions, Charles was created Duke of Luynes and a Peer of France.

In 1617, Charles married Marie Aimée de Rohan, Mademoiselle de Montbazon, the daughter of Hercule de Rohan, Duke of Montbazon and his first wife, Marie de Bretagne d’Avaugour. The couple two daughters who died at early ages and one son::

In 1621, Charles led a campaign against the Protestants in southern France, despite his opposition to the decision. He was appointed Constable of France – a position for which he was far from qualified but received basically by default. The former holder was a Protestant and refused to go along with the King’s wishes. He participated in the Siege of Montauban in the fall of 1621 – gaining much criticism for the failure despite having not actually been in command. Soon after, Charles contracted what was likely scarlet fever. The Duke of Luynes just 43 years old, died of his illness on December 15, 1621, at the Chateau de Longueville.

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.

Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, Favorite of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov; Credit – Wikipedia

Favorite: a person treated with special or undue favor by a king, queen, or another royal person

Patronymics

  • In Russian, a patronymic is the second name derived from the father’s first name: the suffix -vich means “son of” and the suffixes -eva, -evna, -ova, and -ovna mean “daughter of”.

Alexander Danilovich Menshikov was a Russian statesman and military leader and a boyhood friend and favorite of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia. He was born on November 16, 1673, in Moscow, Russia and his father Danil Menshikov died in 1695. There is no definite information on Menshikov’s origin. One colorful story says his Lithuanian peasant father apprenticed him to a pastry cook in Moscow where he attracted the attention of François Jacques Le Fort, a Swiss-born Russian admiral and close associate of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia, who took him on as a servant.

However, it is almost certain that Danil Menshikov, Menshikov’s father, was a soldier who served under Alexei I, Tsar of All Russia, Peter I’s father, as a corporal-clerk stationed at Preobrazhenskoye, near Moscow, and was probably of Lithuanian origin. Alexis I partly resided at the imperial estate in Preobrazhenskoye and his son Peter I spent a good part of his childhood there. Alexander was just seventeen months younger than Peter I and spent his childhood as a stable boy at the Preobrazhenskoye imperial estate. From a young age, Alexander understood that it was advantageous to be close to Peter I. He was one of the first boys to volunteer to be in Peter I’s poteshnye voiska, the Toy Army made up of Peter’s playmates, noblemen’s sons, and attendants at his father’s court.  Alexander’s friendship with Peter I lasted until Peter I’s death in 1725.

Ten-year-old Peter I became co-tsar with his elder half-brother Ivan V in 1682. From childhood, Ivan had serious physical and mental disabilities and was never really able to participate in reigning. By the age of 27, Ivan was senile, paralyzed, and almost blind. He died February 8, 1696, at the age of 29, and his half-brother and co-ruler Peter I was left to be the sole Tsar of All Russia and after 1721, Emperor of All Russia.

Alexander painted in the Netherlands during the Grand Embassy of Peter the Great, by Michiel van Musscher,1698; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexander Menshikov joined the Preobrazhensky Regiment, formed by Peter I in 1687 from his poteshnye voiska (Toy Army), and participated in the Azov campaigns (1695 – 1696) against the Ottoman Empire. In 1697, Peter I traveled incognito to Western Europe on an 18-month tour called the Grand Embassy and Alexander accompanied him. In the Netherlands, Peter I and Alexander studied shipbuilding and those skills were later used to build the Russian navy. In England, Peter I and Alexander met with King William III, visited Greenwich and Oxford, and saw a Royal Navy Fleet Review. They traveled to Manchester, England to learn the techniques of city-building which would later be used to found the city of St. Petersburg.

Alexander married Princess Daria Mikhailovna Arsenyeva (1682 – 1728) and they had three children:

In 1702, Alexander Menshikov was created Count and Prince of the Holy Roman Empire by Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I. After an impressive defeat against the Swedish army in 1706, Peter I created Alexander a Prince of the Russian Empire. As Peter I’s close friend, Alexander had several influential positions:

  • 1st Governor-General of St. Petersburg (1702–1724)
  • Field Marshal of the Russian Imperial Army (1709–1728)
  • Member of Governing Senate (1711–1728)
  • 1st President of College of War (1717–1724)
  • Member of Supreme Privy Council (1726–1728)
  • Admiral of the Russian Imperial Navy (1726–1728)
  • Generalissimo of the Russian Imperial Army (1727–1728)

Alexander Menshikov is responsible for introducing Peter I to his second wife. Marta Skowrońska and her five siblings were orphaned when their Polish parents died of the plague. She was sent to live with an uncle. At the age of 17, Marta was married to a Swedish dragoon named Johann Raabe during the Great Northern War (1700 – 1712). A few days after the wedding, Marta’s husband left with his regiment which departed for the war and was never heard of again. After her town was invaded by the Russian army, Marta, as a maid or as the mistress of the Russian general, traveled back to the Russian court with the army. She became part of the household of Alexander Menshikov. Peter I met Marta while visiting Alexander. By 1704, Marta was well established in Peter’s household as his mistress. In 1705, she converted to Russian Orthodoxy from Roman Catholicism and took the name of Catherine (Ekaterina) Alexeievna. Peter I and Catherine married publically in 1712. Their daughters Anna Petrovna and Elizabeth Petrovna, the only ones of their twelve children who survived, were the bridal attendants. Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna (1708 – 1728), married Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, had one son Carl Peter Ulrich, the future Peter III, Emperor of All Russia, and died of childbirth complications. Her younger sister Grand Duchess Elizabeth Petrovna (1709 – 1762), who never married, reigned in Russia as Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia.

A number of times, in his various positions and situations, Alexander Menshikov abused his power even though he was well aware of the principles on which Peter I’s reforms were conducted and was Peter I’s right hand in all his endeavors. Alexander’s corrupt practices frequently brought him to the verge of ruin.

Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia by Jean-Marc Nattier, 1717; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1718, Peter I’s son from his first marriage and his heir Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich was suspected of plotting to overthrow his father. Alexei was tried, confessed under torture, convicted, and sentenced to be executed. The sentence could be carried out only with Peters’s signed authorization, but Alexei died in prison because his father hesitated in making the decision. Alexei’s death most likely resulted from injuries suffered during his torture. Alexander Menshikov was likely complicit in all the decisions regarding Alexei.

Tsarevich Alexei’s only son Peter Alexeievich, born in 1715, had been ignored by his grandfather Peter I. However, when all the sons of Peter I and his second wife Catherine died there was a succession issue and little Peter received more attention. Besides his grandfather, Peter Alexeievich was the only living male Romanov. Peter I ordered Alexander Menshikov to find tutors for Peter Alexeievich. The tutors Alexander picked were of low quality for a reason – Alexander supported Peter I’s second wife Catherine as his successor.

During the last two years of his life, Peter I suffered from urinary tract problems. During the illness of his grandfather, Peter Alexeievich met Ivan Alexeievich Dolgorukov (1708 – 1739), his future favorite. Peter Alexeievich often visited the home of Alexei Grigoryevich Dolgorukov, Ivan Alexeievich’s father, where his rights to the Russian throne were explained to him. Peter Alexeievich vowed to crush the favorite of his grandfather, Alexander Menshikov, who led the opposition to the old noble families who had not been in favor of the Westernizing reforms of Peter I. However, there was strong opposition to Peter Alexeievich succeeding his grandfather.

Catherine I, Empress of All Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

On February 8, 1725, Peter I died at the age of 52 from a bladder infection without naming a successor. A coup arranged by Alexander Menshikov proclaimed Catherine, Peter’s second wife, the ruler of Russia. During the two-year reign of Catherine I, Empress of All Russia, the real power was held by Alexander and members of the Supreme Privy Council. Catherine I’s reign was only two years and even before her death, it was clear that the inheritance of Peter I’s grandson could not be denied. Alexander began to see this during the end of Catherine I’s reign. Through his efforts, Peter Alexeievich was named Catherine’s heir apparent, even though Catherine had two daughters of her own. Catherine also gave her consent to the betrothal of Peter Alexeievich to Menshikov’s daughter Maria Alexandrovna.

On May 17, 1727, 43-year-old Catherine I, Empress of All Russia died of tuberculosis and 11-year-old Peter Alexeievich became Peter II, Emperor of All Russia. Alexander Menshikov took the young emperor into his home and had full control over all of his actions. The old nobility, represented by the Dolgorukovs and the Galitzines, united to overthrow Alexander. He was deprived of all his dignities, offices, and wealth, expelled from St. Petersburg, and banished to Siberia with his wife and children. The Senate, the Supreme Privy Council, and the emperor’s guards took an oath of allegiance to Peter II, who reigned for only three years due to his death from smallpox.

Alexander and his three children in exile by Vasily Surikov, 1888; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1728, on the way to exile in Siberia, Alexander Menshnikov’s wife Daria Mikhailovna Arsenyeva died. Alexander, his three children, and their eight faithful servants settled into exile in Beryozovo, Siberia, Russia. Alexander built himself a house and a small church, and lived out his life with the philosophy, “I began with a simple life and will finish with a simple life.” During a smallpox epidemic in Siberia, Alexander Danilovich Menshikov died on November 23, 1729, aged 56. His elder daughter Maria also died during the smallpox epidemic. Alexander and his daughter Maria were buried at the altar of the church he had built.

In 1731, during the reign of Anna, Empress of All Russia, who succeeded Peter II, Alexander’s two remaining children were called back from exile. His daughter Alexandra married but died in childbirth delivering her first child who did not survive. His son Alexander Alexandrovich Menshikov married Princess Yelizaveta Petrovna Galitzina, had two sons and two daughters. Alexander Alexandrovich joined the Preobrazhensky Regiment, received some of his father’s goods back, distinguished himself in the Turkish and Swedish Wars, and died with the rank of General-in-Chief. Alexander Danilovich’s great-grandson Alexander Sergeyevich Menshikov was the Russian Commander-in-Chief in the Crimean War.

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

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Alexander Danilowitsch Menschikow. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Danilowitsch_Menschikow> [Accessed 5 January 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Alexander Danilovich Menshikov. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Danilovich_Menshikov> [Accessed 5 January 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2018. Catherine I, Empress Of All Russia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/empress-catherine-i-of-russia/> [Accessed 5 January 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2018. Peter I (The Great), Emperor Of All Russia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/emperor-peter-i-the-great-of-russia/> [Accessed 5 January 2021].
  • Flantzer, S., 2018. Peter II, Emperor Of All Russia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/emperor-peter-ii-of-russia/> [Accessed 5 January 2021].
  • Massie, Robert K. (1980). Peter The Great: His Life and World. New York, NY.: Alfred A. Knopf
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2021. Меншиков, Александр Данилович. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%88%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2,_%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%80_%D0%94%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87> [Accessed 5 January 2021].

Sophie of Pomerania, Queen of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Sophie of Pomerania, Queen of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophie of Pomerania, Queen of Denmark and Norway was born circa 1498 in Stettin, Duchy of Pomerania, now Szczecin, Poland. Stettin was also the birthplace of Catherine II (the Great) of Russia who was born there as Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst while her father, a general in the Prussian Army, was serving as Governor of Stettin. Sophie of Pomerania was the fourth of the eight children and the second of the three daughters of Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania and his second wife Princess Anna Jagiellon of Poland, daughter of King Casimir IV of Poland and Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria. The first marriage of Sophie’s father to Margarete of Brandenburg was childless.

Sophie had seven siblings:

Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 9, 1518, in Kiel, Duchy of Holstein, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, twenty-year-old Sophie became the second wife of forty-seven-year-old Frederik of Denmark, the youngest of the four sons but the second surviving son of Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden and Dorothea of Brandenburg. Frederik was co-Duke of Schleswig and Holstein with his elder brother King Hans of Denmark and Norway. Frederik’s first wife Anna of Brandenburg had died from tuberculosis in 1514 at the age of 26.

Sophie became the stepmother of Frederik and Anna’s two children:

Sophie and Frederik had six children:

Frederik’s nephew Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden had reigned since the death of his father King Hans in 1513. However, Christian II was deposed in Sweden in 1521 and replaced by Gustav Vasa, the first monarch of the Swedish House of Vasa. By 1523, the Danes also had enough of Christian II and a rebellion started. Christian was forced to abdicate by the Danish nobles and his paternal uncle Frederik, Duke of Schleswig and Holstein was offered the crown on January 20, 1523. Frederik’s army gained control over most of Denmark during the spring, and in April 1523, Christian II and his family left Denmark to live in exile. In 1531, Christian unsuccessfully attempted to reclaim Norway and was imprisoned by his uncle Frederik in castles, albeit in comfortable circumstances, for the last twenty-seven years of his life.

Frederik and Sophie as King and Queen of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 13, 1525, at the Cathedral of Our Lady in Copenhagen, Denmark, Frederik and Sophie were crowned King and Queen of Denmark. Although Frederik was also King of Norway, he and Sophie never visited the country and were never crowned King and Queen of Norway. Frederik did occasionally visit Denmark, but he kept his main residence at Gottorp Castle in the Duchy of Schleswig. After her coronation, Sophie was granted the Danish islands Lolland and Falster, Kiel Castle and Plön Castle, and several villages in the Duchy of Holstein to provide a means for her income.

After a reign of ten years, Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway died on April 10, 1533, aged 61, at Gottrop Castle in Gottorp, Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Frederik was buried in Schleswig Cathedral in Schleswig, Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Sophie’s stepson King Christian III; Credit – Wikipedia

After her husband’s death, when the Danish Council of State was discussing whether the Danish throne should go to her Lutheran stepson the future Christian III or her Catholic twelve-year-old eldest son Johann, Sophie remained with her children at Gottorp Castle. In 1534, Christian was proclaimed King of Denmark at an assembly of Lutheran nobles in Jutland. However, the Danish Council of State, made up of mostly Catholic bishops and nobles, refused to accept Christian III as king. Sophie’s son Johann was deemed too young and the council was more amenable to restoring the deposed King Christian II to the throne because he had supported both the Catholics and Protestant Reformers at various times.

Christopher, Count of Oldenburg, the grandson of a brother of King Christian I of Denmark and the second cousin of both Christian II and Christian III, led the military alliance to restore King Christian II to the throne. What resulted was a two-year civil war, known as the Count’s Feud, from 1534 – 1536, between Protestant and Catholic forces, that led to King Frederik I’s son from his first marriage ascending the Danish throne as King Christian III.

Sophie had a long dispute with her stepson King Christian III and then his son and successor King Frederik II about her property. First, Christian III claimed Gottorp Castle for himself and forced Sophia to retire to Kiel Castle. Sophie considered the lands that her husband had bestowed upon her as her private property and she had conflicts with Christian III and his son and successor Frederik II over revenue management and the appointment of civil servants.

Schleswig Cathedral; Credit – Von Georg Denda, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39310151

Sophie survived her husband King Frederik I by thirty-five years, dying at Kiel Castle on May 13, 1568, at about the age of 70. She was buried with Frederik at Schleswig Cathedral.

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 Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Count’s Feud. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count%27s_Feud> [Accessed 28 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Sophie Of Pomerania. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_of_Pomerania> [Accessed 28 December 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2021. Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/frederik-i-king-of-denmark-and-norway/> [Accessed 27 December 2020].
  • Nl.wikipedia.org. 2020. Sophia Van Pommeren (1498-1568). [online] Available at: <https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_van_Pommeren_(1498-1568)> [Accessed 28 December 2020].
  • Pl.wikipedia.org. 2020. Zofia Pomorska (1501–1568). [online] Available at: <https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zofia_pomorska_(1501%E2%80%931568)> [Accessed 28 December 2020].

Marie Thérèse Louise of Savoy, Princesse de Lamballe, Favorite of Queen Marie Antoinette of France

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Marie Thérèse Louise of Savoy, Princess of Lamballe, was a favorite and confidante of Queen Marie Antoinette of France.

source: Wikipedia

Maria Teresa Luisa of Savoy was born on September 8, 1749 at the Palazzo Carignano in Turin. She was the sixth of nine children of Luigi Vittorio of Savoy, Prince of Carignano, and Landgravine Christine of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg. Her father was an illegitimate grandson of King Vittorio Amedeo II of Sardinia, and her mother was a niece by marriage of King Carlo Emanuele III of Sardinia.  She had eight siblings:

  • Carlotta (1742) – unmarried
  • Vittorio Amedeo II, Prince of Carignano (1743) – married Joséphine of Lorraine, had issue
  • Leopoldina (1744) – married Andrea IV Doria-Pamphili-Landi, Prince of Melfi, had issue
  • Polissena (1746) – unmarried
  • Gabriella (1748) – married Ferdinand, Prince of Lobkowicz, had issue
  • Tomasso (1751) – died in childhood
  • Eugenio, Count of Villafranca (1753) – married Elisabeth Boisgarin, had issue
  • Caterina (1762) – married Don Filippo Colonna, Prince of Paliano, had issue

On January 31, 1767, Maria Teresa was married to Louis Alexandre of Bourbon-Penthièvre, Prince of Lamballe. Heir to one of the largest fortunes in France, Louis was the son of Louis Jean Marie of Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre, and Princess Maria Teresa d’Este – both of whom were descendants of King Louis XIV of France and his morganatic wife, Madame de Montespan.

Despite their initial happiness, Louis soon returned to his philandering ways, taking several mistresses within just several months after their marriage. These affairs would be the end of him. Only sixteen months after marrying, the Prince of Lamballe died of a venereal disease on May 6, 1768 at the Château de Louveciennes.

Widowed at just 19, Marie Thérèse became a very wealthy woman, having inherited her husband’s entire estate. She was comforted by her father-in-law who took her in as his own daughter, and the two had a very close relationship. Later that year, Princess Marie Adélaïde, the daughter of King Louis XV, suggested Marie Thérèse as a possible second wife for her father who had recently been widowed as well. However, Marie Thérèse rebuffed the idea.

The Château de Rambouillet.  photo by Pline – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16338695

Marie Thérèse lived a very comfortable life, splitting her time between her father-in-law’s homes – the Hôtel de Toulouse in Paris and the Château de Rambouillet outside of the city. She served as her father-in-law’s hostess when he entertained, often hosting members of both the French, and foreign, royal families.

Due to her position, she often found herself involved with functions of the French Court, including being presented to the new Dauphine – the future Queen Marie Antoinette – upon her arrival in France in 1770. The future queen was charmed by the Princess of Lamballe, and soon the two became very close. Over the next few years, Marie Thérèse was rarely separated from Marie Antoinette, having become one of her closest friends and confidantes.

As an expression of that close friendship, Queen Marie Antoinette appointed Marie Thérèse as Superintendent of the Queen’s Household in 1775. This position, previously abolished over 30 years earlier, made Marie Thérèse the highest-ranking woman in the Royal Court and gave her immense power and influence. It also came with a very large salary of 50,000 crowns per year – an astronomical amount considering the poor financial state of the economy at the time. Considering her personal wealth, she was asked to refuse the salary, but she insisted on receiving it, and the Queen agreed.

Marie Thérèse soon began to fall from favor with the Queen, upon the arrival of the Duchess de Polignac in 1775. The two did not get along, and Marie Antoinette found herself spending more time with the Duchess. Although losing her position as “favorite”, she remained in her position in the Queen’s household.

Suffering from weak health, the Princess traveled to England for several months in 1787 to rest. Upon her return, her relationship with the Queen became closer once again. Despite everything, her loyalty to Marie Antoinette never wavered. On a trip abroad when the Bastille was stormed in 1789, Marie Thérèse rejoined the Royal Family in October of that year, where she remained by the Queen’s side.

When the Royal Family attempted to flee to Brussels in June 1791, Marie Thérèse was not made aware of the plans. The Queen simply bid her goodnight and suggested she take some time off in the country. The following day, she received a note from the Queen informing her of the plans and instructing her to join them in Brussels. Of course, the royal family never made it out of the country. They were captured in Varennes and brought back to Paris where they were confined to the Tuileries Palace.

Marie Thérèse quickly made her way to Brussels, where she found out that the escape plan had failed. She continued a correspondence with the Queen who advised her not to return to France. However, in late 1791, under new provisions of the Constitution, the Queen was instructed to reestablish her household and dismiss anyone not in service. She wrote to Marie Thérèse asking her to return or resign. Despite the Queen’s private advice to stay away, the princess decided to return, arriving in Paris in early November 1791. She continued in her role as Superintendent of the Queen’s Household, devoting herself to the Queen and to ensuring the loyalty of those surrounding her.

Despite the efforts of the King and his supporters, the call for an end to the monarchy grew louder and stronger. On August 10, 1792, the palace was stormed and the royal family and many of their court were taken into custody and imprisoned at the Temple, a small prison in Paris. Nine days later, Marie Thérèse was separated from them and moved to the La Force prison nearby.

A depiction of the death of the Princess of Lamballe. source: Wikipedia

On September 3, 1792, Marie Thérèse went before a tribunal that insisted she swear “hatred to the King and the Queen and to the monarchy”. Refusing to do so, she was released to the streets where she was quickly killed by an angry mob. Her head was placed on a pike, and numerous reports claim that it was paraded below the windows where Queen Marie Antoinette was being held. Most historians agree that the Queen never actually saw this, but she was made aware of the Princess’s death. Her body was turned over to the authorities, but their whereabouts are unknown.

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Anna of Saxony, Princess of Orange, 2nd wife of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Three years after the death of his first wife, Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange married again. On August 25, 1561, he married Anna of Saxony. However, the marriage would not end happily, and neither would Anna’s life. Anna was born on December 23, 1544, in Dresden, Duchy of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany. She was the only surviving child and heiress of Maurice, Elector of Saxony and his wife Agnes of Hesse, the eldest daughter of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse.

Anna had one younger brother who lived for only six months:

  • Albert of Saxony (1545 – 1546), died in infancy

Anna’s father died in 1553 in battle during Second Margrave War. In 1555, her mother remarried but died due to a miscarriage six months later. The eleven-year-old Anna was sent to live at the court of her uncle Augustus, Elector of Saxony in Dresden.

Since Anna was her father’s only heir, she was a wealthy young woman and attracted a number of royal suitors. The future King Eric XIV of Sweden made an unsuccessful marriage proposal, but it was Willem I, Prince of Orange who caught her attention. Anna’s dowry of 100,000 thalers was a very large amount of money. Willem was especially interested in the wealth and support he would acquire from Anna’s family in Saxony, Hesse-Kassel, and the Palatine. However, there was resistance to the marriage from Anna’s family. They thought she could get a husband with more status and they were concerned with the lack of Willem’s financial resources. Eventually, Willem’s persistent involvement in the marriage negotiations proved successful.

Willem and Anna had five children but only three survived to adulthood:

Within a few months of the marriage, the couple began quarreling. By 1565, it was common knowledge at all the courts in Germany and in the Netherlands that the marriage was unhappy. After the death of her first son Maurits in 1566, Anna suffered severe depression. She tried to drown her grief with alcohol. The situation between Anna and Willem was strained and they often lived apart.

In early 1571, Anna realized she was pregnant. Immediately, the paternity was controversial. Two possibilities were discussed: either Anna’s husband Willem, who had visited Anna and his children during Christmas 1570, was the father or the lawyer Jan Rubens (the future father of the painter Peter Paul Rubens), who spent a lot of time with Anna as her legal adviser, was the father. A daughter, Christine, was born in August 1571.

Willem knew that his non-recognition of the child as his daughter would be a pretext for divorce by accusing Anna of adultery. Wilhelm accused Rubens of having had an adulterous relationship with his wife and of being the biological father of Christina. Rubens was imprisoned and threatened with execution. He confessed to adultery under torture and was pardoned on the intercession of his wife. Anna also admitted the adultery, but she denied that Rubens was the father. On December 14, 1571, Anna was forced to agree to a divorce. Christine, who had been given Dietz as a surname, was not recognized by Willem as his child and he did not have to pay any further maintenance for her.

In 1572, Anna was sent to her family in Saxony where they imprisoned her as an adulteress. The windows of her room were walled up and fitted with additional iron bars. A square hole was made in the door through which food and drink were given to her. An iron gate was installed on the outside of the door prohibiting any attempt to escape. Anna died on December 18, 1577, at the Palace of the Elector of Saxony in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, shortly before her 33rd birthday. She was buried in Meissen Cathedral in Electorate of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany, near her ancestors in a nameless tomb.

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.

David Riccio, Favorite of Mary, Queen of Scots

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

David Riccio; Credit – Wikipedia

Favorite: a person treated with special or undue favor by a king, queen, or another royal person

David Riccio was an Italian musician and private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots, and was brutally murdered in the presence of the queen by a conspiracy of Protestant nobles, in part due to the jealousy of Mary’s husband Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. His name is sometimes spelled Rizzio but Riccio is the original Italian spelling. Riccio’s name in Italian records is David Riccio di Pancalieri, David Riccio of Pancalieri. Pancalieri, a town near Turin, then in the Duchy of Savoy, now in the Piedmont section of Italy, was probably where he was born around 1533. He was a descendant of a noble family still living in Piedmont, the Riccio Counts di San Paolo e Solbrito.

Riccio was a musician at the court of Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Savoy. He went to Scotland in 1561 with Carlo Ubertino Solaro di Moretta who was sent there as an ambassador by Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Savoy. Once in Scotland, Riccio made friends with some musicians of Mary, Queen of Scots who told him that Mary needed a bass to complete a vocal quartet, and thus Riccio was introduced to the Scots court. He was considered a very ugly-looking man but his qualities as a musician and singer caught the queen’s attention. Riccio was a good conversationalist and Mary enjoyed discussions with him about continental Europe where she had spent her childhood in the French court.

In 1564, Mary chose Riccio to replace Augustine Raulet, her confidential secretary and decipherer, and who was the only person apart from Mary to have the keys to the box containing her personal papers. The reasons for Mary’s decision remain unclear but soon unfounded rumors were flying that Riccio was a papal spy whose real role was to support Mary in her attempt to subvert the Reformation in Scotland.

Mary, Queen of Scots and her second husband and first cousin Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary had been married as a teenager to another teenager, François II, King of France. After only a 17-month reign, François, aged 16 died, and Mary returned to Scotland. She needed an heir, so a second marriage became necessary. After considering Carlos, Prince of Asturias, known as Don Carlos, eldest son and heir of King Philip II of Spain and Queen Elizabeth I’s candidate Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, Mary became infatuated with her first cousin Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. Both Mary and Darnley were grandchildren of Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England and sister of King Henry VIII of England. Mary was the daughter of James V, King of Scots, the son of Margaret Tudor and her first husband James IV, King of Scots. Darnley was the son of Lady Margaret Douglas, Margaret Tudor’s only child from her second marriage to Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. Mary and Darnley married at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland on July 29, 1565.

The marriage angered Queen Elizabeth I of England who felt that Darnley, as her first cousin once removed and an English subject, needed her permission to marry. Mary’s Protestant illegitimate half-brother James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray was also angered by his sister’s marriage to a prominent Catholic. Mary soon became disillusioned by Darnley’s uncouth behavior and his insistence upon receiving the Crown Matrimonial which would have made him co-sovereign of Scotland. Mary refused and their relationship became strained. In the autumn of 1565, Mary became pregnant. Darnley was jealous of Mary’s friendship with her private secretary David Riccio, rumored to be the father of her child, and at Darnley’s behest, some Protestant nobles formed a conspiracy to do away with Riccio.

The Protestant nobles were careful to get Darnley’s signature on the conspiracy bond so that he would be as implicated as they would be. The goals mentioned on the bond were obtaining the Crown Matrimonial for Darnley, the upholding of the Protestant religion, and the return of those exiled because of their Protestant religion. In the bond, there was no specific mention of any violence toward Riccio, except this rather open-ended statement: “So shall they not spare life or limb in setting forward all that may bend to the advancement of his [Darnley’s] honour.”

Along with Mary’s illegitimate half-brother James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, the nobles who were signed the conspiracy pact were:

Bedchamber of Mary, Queen of Scots; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

On the evening of March 9, 1566, Mary, who was six months pregnant, was in her tiny Supper Room at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland with David Riccio, Mary’s illegitimate half-sister born Lady Jean Stewart, married to Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll (one of the conspirators), and Jean’s mother Elizabeth Bethune, married to John Stewart, 4th Lord Innermeath. Mary’s chambers consisted of four rooms: the Outer Chamber where she received visitors, her Bedchamber, a Dressing Room, and the Supper Room entered via a doorway in the Bedchamber. This writer has visited Holyrood Palace and can attest that the Supper Room is indeed tiny – twelve feet square in area. The entrance to the Supper Room can be seen in the above photo taken from the Bedchamber, through open the tapestry, the room with the chair. Directly beneath Mary’s apartments were Darnley’s apartments. The apartments were connected by a narrow privy staircase that came out in Mary’s Bedchamber close to the entrance of the Supper Room.

Supper Room, Mary, Queen of Scots Chambers; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

As supper was being served, Darnley suddenly appeared from the privy staircase. After a few minutes, Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven also appeared from the privy staircase wearing a helmet and armor. Mary and her supper companions were so astounded by Ruthven with his armor that they thought he must have been ill with a fever and that in his delirium, he thought he was being attacked. However, Mary and those present were more shocked when Ruthven said, “Let it please Your Majesty that yonder man David come forth from your privy-chamber where he hath been overlong.” Mary said that Riccio was there by her royal wish and asked if Ruthven had taken leave of his senses. Ruthven then delivered a long denunciation of Mary’s supposed illicit relationship with Riccio. At the same time, Riccio, becoming more fearful, moved toward a large window in the Supper Room.

The Murder of David Rizzio by William Allan, 1833; Credit – Wikipedia

Ruthven then yelled, “Lay not hands on me, for I will not be handled” which was the signal for the other conspirators to enter the Supper Room from the privy staircase. In the confusion, the table was knocked over. Riccio was clinging to Mary’s skirts while the attackers produced pistols and knives. Riccio’s fingers were pried from Mary’s skirts and he was dragged, kicking and screaming, out of the Supper Room, through the Bedchamber, and into the Outer Chamber. Riccio screamed in French, “ Justice! Justice! Save my life, Madame, save my life!” In the Outer Chamber, Riccio was stabbed fifty-seven times and then his body was thrown down the winding main staircase and stripped of his clothes and jewels.

Ruins of Holyrood Abbey; Credit – By Kaihsu at English Wikipedia – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2777882

Within two hours of his death, David Riccio was buried in the cemetery at Holyrood Abbey. There were reports that shortly thereafter, Mary ordered Riccio’s remains to be interred in the vault of her father James V, King of Scots at Holyrood Abbey. There were other reports that Riccio was buried in the cemetery of Canongate Kirk built in Edinburgh from 1688 – 1691. However, this is unlikely since it would have required the reburial of a Catholic in a Protestant cemetery 120 years after his death. It is more likely that David Riccio rests under an anonymous gravestone in the cemetery at Holyrood Abbey which now lies in ruins.

Immediately after the murder, Mary was able to speak to Darnley and convinced him they were both in danger and needed to escape. They stayed at Dunbar Castle, the home of  John Stewart, Commendator of Coldingham, another of Mary’s illegitimate half-siblings, and his wife Jean Hepburn, the sister of James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, later Mary’s third husband. After a brief stay at Dunbar Castle, Mary entered Edinburgh on March 18, 1566, with 3,000 troops and moved into Edinburgh Castle to prepare for the birth of her baby. With the conspirators having fled England, Mary appeared to have won and had Darnley declared innocent of Riccio’s murder on March 21, 1566. On June 19, 1566, Mary gave birth to a son.

Like David Riccio, both Mary, Queen of Scots and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley died violent deaths. James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, later Mary’s third husband, entered into a conspiracy with Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll, his brother-in-law and a Riccio murder conspirator, and George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly to rid Mary of her husband Darnley. On February 10, 1567, Darnley was killed when the house he was staying at in Edinburgh was blown up. After being imprisoned in English castles for nineteen years by Queen Elizabeth I, Mary was implicated in the Babington Plot, a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I and put Mary on the English throne. Mary was convicted of treason, condemned to death, and beheaded on February 8, 1587. Mary and Darnley’s infant son succeeded his mother as James VI, King of Scots when she was forced to abdicate in 1567, and he then succeeded Queen Elizabeth I of England upon her death in 1603 as James I, King of England.

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

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. David Rizzio. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Rizzio> [Accessed 2 January 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2017. Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/henry-stuart-lord-darnley/> [Accessed 2 January 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2016. Mary, Queen Of Scots. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/mary-queen-of-scots/> [Accessed 2 January 2021].
  • Fraser, Antonia, 1969. Mary Queen Of Scots. New York: Bantam Dell.
  • Royal Collection Trust. 2021. Highlights Of The Palace Of Holyroodhouse. [online] Available at: <https://www.rct.uk/visit/palace-of-holyroodhouse/highlights-of-the-palace-of-holyroodhouse#/> [Accessed 2 January 2021].

Anna of Brandenburg, Duchess of Schleswig and Holstein, first wife of Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Anna of Brandenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna of Brandenburg was the first wife of Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway. She died before her husband became King of Denmark and Norway but she was the mother of his heir. Anna was born on August 27, 1487, in Berlin, Margraviate of Brandenburg, now in the German state of Brandenburg. She was the fourth of the six children and the second of the three daughters of Johann II, Elector of Brandenburg and Margaret of Thuringia.

Anna had five siblings but a brother and a sister died in infancy:

In 1495, Johann II, Elector of Brandenburg started marriage negotiations with the Jagiellonian family of Poland for his elder surviving son Joachim Nestor and Anna, his elder surviving daughter, but the marriage negotiations were unsuccessful. After Johann II, Elector of Brandenburg died in 1499, his half-brother Friedrich V, Margrave of Ansbach-Bayreuth, successfully negotiated with the Danish royal family for marriages for Joachim Nestor and Anna. Joachim Nestor was to marry Elisabeth of Denmark, daughter of King Hans of Denmark and Norway and Anna was to marry King Hans’ much younger brother Frederik of Denmark, who was co-Duke of Schleswig and Holstein with his elder brother King Hans. The wedding was scheduled for Anna’s 14th birthday but the death of Anna’s mother on July 13, 1501, delayed the marriage. On April 10, 1502, in Stendal, Margraviate of Brandenburg, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, fifteen-year-old Anna married thirty-one-year-old Frederik. Their marriage was a double ceremony as Anna’s brother Joachim Nestor married Elisabeth of Denmark at the same time.

The double wedding in Stendal in 1502; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna and Frederik had two children:

Anna and Frederik lived at Gottorp Castle in the Duchy of Schleswig, now in Schleswig in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Anna often accompanied her husband on his travels and she was very popular with the people of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. Apparently having two children during her teenage years weakened Anna’s health. She contracted tuberculosis and died on May 3, 1514, aged 26, while six months pregnant. Anna was buried in the  Bordesholm Monastery Church (link in German) in the Duchy of Schleswig. After Anna’s death, Frederik ordered a magnificent tomb with bronze effigies of Anna and himself which still stands in Bordesholm Monastery Church. Frederik planned to be buried there but he was buried instead at Schleswig Cathedral.

Anna’s tomb at the Bordesholm Monastery Church; Credit – By Photo: Andreas Praefcke – Self-photographed, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37913487

Frederik hired Hans Brüggemann to carve an altar for Bordesholm Monastery Church in memory of Anna. From 1514 to 1520 Brüggemann worked on the altar, known as the Brüggemann or Bordesholm Altar. The altar has over 400 carved figures and depicts biblical stories including Adam and Eve, the Passion, the Ascension, Pentecost, and the Last Judgment. In 1666, the altar was moved to Schleswig Cathedral where it still remains.

Brüggemann Altar; Credit – Von Arnoldius – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77065794

Frederik married again in 1518 to Sophie of Pomerania and they had six children. He became King of Denmark and Norway in 1523 and after a reign of ten years, he died on April 10, 1533, aged 61. Instead of being buried with his first wife Anna at the Bordesholm Monastery Church where a tomb was awaiting him, Frederik was buried at Schleswig Cathedral in Schleswig, Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Frederik’s second wife Sophie was buried with him upon her death in 1568.

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 Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anna Af Brandenburg. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_af_Brandenburg> [Accessed 27 December 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anna Von Brandenburg (1487–1514). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_von_Brandenburg_(1487%E2%80%931514)> [Accessed 27 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Anna Of Brandenburg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_of_Brandenburg> [Accessed 27 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. John Cicero, Elector Of Brandenburg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cicero,_Elector_of_Brandenburg> [Accessed 27 December 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2020. Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/frederik-i-king-of-denmark-and-norway/> [Accessed 27 December 2020].

Gabrielle de Polastron, Duchesse de Polignac, Favorite of Queen Marie Antoinette of France

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Gabrielle de Polastron, Duchesse de Polignac was a favorite of Queen Marie Antoinette of France. She is also the ancestress of Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco.

source: Wikipedia

Born in Paris on September 8, 1749, Yolande Martine Gabrielle de Polastron was the second daughter of Jean François Gabriel, Count of Polastron, Seigneur de Noueilles, Venerque and Grépiac and his first wife, Jeanne Charlotte Hérault de Vaucresson. Gabrielle (as she was known) had an elder sister Jeanne. Through her father’s second marriage to Anne-Charlotte de Noé, she also had three younger half-siblings, Denis, Adélaïde and Henriette-Nathalie.

Although her family was part of the aristocracy, they were laden with debt and lived a relatively modest lifestyle. She was initially raised at the family’s Château de Noueilles in southern France, but following her mother’s death when Gabrielle was just three years old, her upbringing was left to an aunt who sent her to a convent to receive her education.

Gabrielle was married on July 7, 1767 to Jules François Armand de Polignac, Marquis de Mancini (later created Duke of Polignac). At the time, Polignac was serving in the French military. The couple had four children:

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Queen Marie Antoinette of France. source: Wikipedia

In 1775, Gabrille and her husband were invited to visit Versailles by her sister-in-law, Diane de Polignac, who was a lady-in-waiting to Princess Elizabeth of France, the younger sister of King Louis XVI. Gabrielle was formally presented to Queen Marie Antoinette who instantly took a liking to her and soon asked her to move permanently to Versailles. Heavily in debt, this was not a move that Gabrielle and her husband could afford. Despite their aristocratic background, there was little money for extravagance. They lived on Jules’s military salary of just 4,000 livres and were heavily in debt. Becoming aware of this, The Queen quickly arranged to settle their debts and find a better position for Jules within the royal household.

From all accounts, Gabrielle was greatly welcomed by the French royal family, however, the feeling was not the same from many other members of the court who questioned her motives and were wary of her very quick accession to the highest level of the Queen’s entourage. Many also resented Marie Antoinette’s immense generosity shown to Gabrielle and her family. Not only were their debts resolved but they began to live a very lavish lifestyle – primarily funded by The Queen. Further adding to the resentment came in 1780 when Gabrielle’s husband was created Duke of Polignac, making Gabrielle a Duchess.

In 1782, Gabrielle was appointed Governess to the children of France, a move which further alienated other members of the Court who felt Gabrielle was not of a sufficient social status for such a prominent position. She took up new apartments within the Palace of Versailles – significantly larger than any of her predecessors – and was given her own small cottage at the Hameau de la Reine – the Queen’s private retreat on the grounds of the Petit Trianon.

Joseph Hyacinthe François de Paule de Rigaud, Count of Vaudreuil. source: Wikipedia

Gabrielle briefly fell out of favor with the Queen in 1785, primarily due to her friendship with the Count of Vaudreuil whom the Queen did not trust. Rumors spread that Gabrielle and the Count were having an affair and that he may have been the father of her youngest son, but this is disrupted by most historians. Sensing the Queen’s displeasure, Gabrielle left Versailles for an extended vacation in England. The two soon mended their relationship and became close once again in the months leading up to the French Revolution. However, the world would quickly change for everyone at Court, following the storming of the Bastille in July 1789. Gabrielle and her family fled France, traveling throughout Europe before eventually settling in Vienna. During this time, she remained in close contact with The Queen for the next several years.

Having developed what is believed to be cancer, her health quickly began to decline. Just two months after the Queen’s execution, Gabrielle, the Duchess of Polignac, died in Vienna on December 3, 1793, at the age of 44.

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Isabella, Archduchess of Austria, Infanta of Castile and Aragon, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella of Austria was the wife of Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. She was born an Archduchess of Austria and an Infanta of Castile and Aragon, on July 18, 1501, in Brussels, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium. Isabella was the second of the four daughters and the third of the six children of Philip, Duke of Burgundy and Juana I, Queen of Castile and Aragon. Isabella’s maternal grandparents were King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. Her paternal grandparents were Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. Isabella’s brother was the powerful Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor who was also King of Spain. Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII of England, was her maternal aunt, and Catherine and Henry VIII’s only surviving child, Queen Mary I of England was her first cousin.

Isabella on the right with her sister Eleanor and her brother Charles; Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella had five siblings:

Isabella’s father died in 1506 when she was five-years-old. In 1507, her paternal aunt Margaret of Austria became the guardian of Isabella and her siblings Eleanor, Charles, and Mary. Isabella’s mother Queen Juana I of Castile and Aragon was nicknamed “La Loca” due to a mental disability alleged by her father King Ferdinand II of Aragon and then her son Charles. In 1509, her father confined her in the Royal Palace in Tordesillas, Castile, now in Spain, until she died in 1555. Whether Juana suffered from a mental disability or whether she was the victim of a conspiracy plotted by her father and then by her son is still debated by historians.

Isabella, circa 1515; Credit – Wikipedia

On July 11, 1514, one week short of her 13th birthday, Isabella was married by proxy to 23-year-old Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden with Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, Isabella’s grandfather, standing in for Christian. Isabella remained in the Spanish Netherlands until the summer of 1515 when Erik Axelsson Valkendorf, Archbishop of Nidaros (in Norway) was sent to escort her to Copenhagen where Christian and Isabella were married in person on August 12, 1515. Around 1508, while on a visit to Norway, Christian II fell in love with Dyveke Sigbritsdatter and she became his mistress. Christian’s brother-in-law, the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, demanded that Dyveke Sigbritsdatter be sent away, but only to get a refusal from Christian. This created tension between Christian and Charles. Dyveke Sigbritsdatter remained Christian’s mistress until her death in 1517.

Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit- Wikipedia

Christian II and Isabella had five children but only three survived infancy and only their two daughters reached adulthood:

Three children of Christian II and Isabella: Dorothea, Hans, and Christina; Credit – Wikipedia

When Christian II’s mistress Dyveke Sigbritsdatter died in 1517, Christian believed she had been poisoned by Torben Oxe, a Danish nobleman. Torben Oxe was tried and acquitted by the Danish State Council. However, Christian did not accept the verdict and had Oxe indicted by a lower justice-of-the-peace court. The verdict, as directed by King Christian II, was guilty and Torben Oxe was executed. Members of the Danish State Council strongly disapproved of what Christian had done. This act precipitated the division between the king and aristocracy that ultimately led to Christian being deposed.

In Sweden, with Christian’s permission, 82 people were either hanged or beheaded for heresy from November 9 – 10, 1520, in an incident called the Stockholm Bloodbath. Instead of cementing Christian’s control of the Swedish throne, the Stockholm Bloodbath led to him losing the Swedish throne. The remaining Swedish nobility, disgusted by the bloodbath, rose against Christian. On August 23, 1521, Christian was deposed as King of Sweden with the election of Gustav Vasa as Regent of Sweden. On June 6, 1523, Gustav Vasa was elected King of Sweden, the first monarch of the Swedish House of Vasa.

By 1523, the Danes also had enough of Christian II and a rebellion started. Christian was forced to abdicate by the Danish nobles and his paternal uncle Frederik, Duke of Schleswig and Holstein became King Frederik I of Denmark and Norway. Christian would have to go into exile but King Frederik I offered Isabella a dowager queen’s pension and an offer to stay in Denmark under his protection. Isabella wrote back to Frederik in Latin, saying “ubi rex meus, ibi regnum meum” – “where my king is, there is my kingdom”. On April 13, 1523, Christian, his wife Isabella, and their children left Denmark for the Spanish Netherlands, which was the territory of Isabella’s brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

Christian, Isabella, and their children leaving Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

In the following years, Isabella and Christian tried, without success, to gain the support of their royal relatives to help recover their lost kingdom. Isabella and Christian stayed for a long time in Wittenberg with Christian’s maternal uncle Friedrich III, Elector of Saxony. Friedrich was an early defender of Martin Luther. He successfully protected Luther from the Holy Roman Emperor, the Pope, and other hostile figures. Friedrich did this not because of religious conviction but rather by his personal belief in a fair trial for any of his subjects and the rule of law. Both Christian and Isabella were interested in the teachings of Martin Luther. Isabella never converted but it appears that Christian did convert for a while before reverting to Catholicism.

At the end of 1524, Isabella, Christian, and their children settled in Lier, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium. Isabella’s aunt Margaret of Austria provided them with a home and financial support. Even with the support, they had a difficult time, with many worries, and a lack of money. In the spring of 1525, Isabella became seriously ill. Isabella traveled with her husband to Zwijnaarde Castle outside Ghent, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium, in late 1525. Isabella died there on January 19, 1526, at the age of 24.

Isabella was originally buried in St. Peter’s Abbey in Ghent. In 1883, thanks to the efforts of the Danish government, Isabella’s remains and those of her son Hans, who died when he was fourteen-years-old, were transferred to St. Canute’s Cathedral in Odense, Denmark where they were reburied next to the remains of King Christian II.

Grave of Isabella of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

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Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elisabeth Af Habsburg. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_af_Habsburg> [Accessed 24 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Isabella Of Austria. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_Austria> [Accessed 24 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Joanna Of Castile. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_of_Castile> [Accessed 24 December 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2020. Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christian-ii-king-of-denmark-norway-and-sweden/> [Accessed 24 December 2020].