Transition: The Final Months of King George VI and Accession of Queen Elizabeth II

by The Laird o’ Thistle (Special Edition)
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth picnicking on the moors near Balmoral in August 1951, Princess Elizabeth behind, taken by the Earl of Dalkeith, later 9th Duke of Buccleuch; Credit – ROYAL FAMILY PICTURE ANNUAL – Volume One, The Daily Graphic by Pitkins Pictorials Ltd

One of the royal treasures I have acquired over the years is a little volume I found in a used book shop circa 1990. It is the ROYAL FAMILY PICTURE ANNUAL – Volume One, published “in association with” The Daily Graphic by Pitkins Pictorials Ltd. In 1952. The volume of photos and narrative traces the Royal Family’s activities from August 1951 to August 1952… which is to say the final six months of the life of King George VI, and the first six months of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

Over the last few months, as we have drawn ever nearer to HM the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee observance, I have found myself picking up this little volume repeatedly, to remind myself of how the story of the King’s final months unfolded, as well as the more widely familiar story of his death and the Queen’s Accession to the Throne. I have found it a poignant story… such as occurs for so many families. But in this case, it is the story of a very particular family… of the last King-Emperor and his wife, his elder daughter and heir, with her husband and two children, his younger daughter who had only just come of age and an elderly mother who was beginning to experience her own decline. (Queen Mary died in March 1953.) In what follows, from this and various other sources, I want to briefly convey the broad outlines of King George VI’s final months, culminating in the first two weeks of February 1952.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (soon to be Queen Mother) departed London for Balmoral on the Royal Train on the evening of 2 August 1951. They were accompanied on the journey by their grandchildren, Prince Charles (age 2-3/4) and Princess Anne (just turning 1), and the children’s nannies. After fulfilling some engagements in Edinburgh on 4 August, Princess Elizabeth joined the children at Birkhall, followed by Prince Philip on 10 August. Princess Margaret arrived on 13 August. The immediate family was assembled.

It was intended to be a “normal” family holiday at Balmoral, essentially as it had been from the days of Queen Victoria to the present. The King and his guests would shoot grouse. The family would attend services at Crathie Kirk. Guests would come and go. But, there were also to be a couple of very special celebrations, the first birthday of Princess Anne on 15 August, and the twenty-first birthday of Princess Margaret on 21 August. A special family group photoshoot was arranged to mark the two occasions.

The royal family at Balmoral in August 1951

This holiday was additionally intended as a recuperative time for the King. His health had been concerning since May, including an inflammation in the lung. Advised to rest and recover, the King canceled his public engagements in June and July. By early September, however, concerns were renewed. The King and Royal Family attended the Braemar Gathering on 6 September, but the next day he flew to London for an in-depth examination by medical experts. After returning briefly to Scotland, the King departed his beloved Balmoral forever in mid-September. On 18 September it was announced that “structural changes” had occurred in the King’s lung. Three days later it was announced that he would be having surgery. An operating room was quickly fitted up at Buckingham Palace, and the surgery took place on 23 September. The King’s cancerous left lung was removed. (It is believed that he was never actually told he had “cancer” – generally a taboo word in that generation – though he may have realized it.) He began an extended period of recuperation and recovery.

The Royal Family undertook to “keep calm and carry on” in the immediate aftermath of the King’s surgery. Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh were due to depart for a tour of Canada, and a brief visit to the United States, shortly afterward. The decision was made for the trip to proceed, but they would fly out from the United Kingdom on 7 October, rather than travel by sea as first planned. They departed accordingly, leaving their children in the care of the Queen and Princess Margaret… and, of course, the nannies.

Elizabeth and Philip were away from 8 October to 17 November. They crisscrossed Canada and paid a brief visit to the United States, including an official dinner with President and Mrs. Truman at Blair House in Washington DC (the White House being under renovation at the time). This was Princess Elizabeth’s first encounter with a sitting American President, although she’d met Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt on several occasions during and since World War II. At the end of the trip, they returned to the United Kingdom by sea.

The future Queen Elizabeth II with American President Harry Truman in the autumn of 1951

As the King recuperated and grew stronger he returned to a few low-key duties, audiences, meetings, and so on. This included the post-General Election meetings on 26 October to accept Clement Atlee’s resignation as Prime Minister, and to ask Winston Churchill to form a government.

Having the grandchildren staying at Buckingham Palace meant that Prince Charles celebrated his third birthday with them, on 14 November. Much in the way that the little Princess Elizabeth (age 3) bonded with her grandfather during a recuperative period at Bognor Regis in the spring of 1929, the King now had the opportunity to bond more closely with his grandson. In fact, Prince Charles spent quite a lot of time around his grandparents during the King’s final months… at Balmoral, at Buckingham Palace, and then at Sandringham. (Princess Anne, too. But she was only 1 at the time.)

King George VI with his grandson Prince Charles on Charles’ 3rd birthday

On 14 December, the Royal Family gathered at Buckingham Palace for a small luncheon to celebrate the King’s 56th birthday. Along with the Queen and Princess Margaret, the King was joined by Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Queen Mary, The Princess Royal, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and the Duchess of Kent. Also on 14 December, the King knighted his surgeon, Dr. Price Thomas, and pulmonologist Dr. Geoffrey Marshall, who had attended him.
As in more recent times, the Royal Family’s Christmas holiday began when the King and Queen, Princess Elizabeth and the children, Princess Margaret, and Queen Mary, departed for Sandringham on the Royal Train on 21 December. (Prince Philip followed on the 22nd.) It was the first public sighting of the King since his surgery. The Gloucester and Kent families joined the house party in the following days.

Christmas at Sandringham was, then, much as it continued up to 2019. There were special services at St. Mary Magdalene Church. After the large Christmas Dinner, the King and his family listened to the pre-recorded Christmas Broadcast. In listening to the King’s “last” speech, you can hear not only the lingering post-surgical hoarseness but also the remnants of the old royal stammer.

British Royal Family, Christmas 1951

As 1952 began, the King and Queen remained at Sandringham. The King attended to both his official boxes and estate business. He went out with the guns on several occasions. The big upcoming event for Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip was the Commonwealth Tour they would be undertaking in the King’s stead, beginning in February. The pace of preparations picked up quickly in January, though they still spent nearly three weeks of the month at Sandringham. The children would once again be staying with the King and Queen while their parents were away. Elizabeth and Philip returned to London on 25 January for a week of engagements, packing, and last-minute details.

King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, and Princess Margaret went to London on 28 January. Over the next couple of days, he undertook some “light duties” at Buckingham Palace, including several audiences. On the night of 30 January the King and Queen, Elizabeth and Philip, and Princess Margaret attended South Pacific at Drury Lane. The King received an ovation which he acknowledged with a wave from the Royal Box. It was King George’s first true public outing since September. On the following morning the King, Queen, and Margaret were at London Airport with the Prime Minister and other relatives to send Princess Elizabeth and Philip off to Kenya, and the Commonwealth. The King looked gaunt and frail, hatless in the late January weather. The family returned to Sandringham the next day, 1 February.

King George VI at London Airport on January 31, 1952

Upon their arrival in Kenya, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip fulfilled a series of official engagements in Nairobi before journeying to Royal Lodge, Saguna, their wedding gift from the people of Kenya. They were to spend a few quiet days at the lodge before departing on the Commonwealth Tour. Among their party was Philip’s cousin, Lady Pamela Mountbatten (Hicks), who was serving Elizabeth as a Lady-in-Waiting on the Tour. Along with the Queen, she is now… at age 93… the only surviving member of the immediate royal party.

Meanwhile, at Sandringham, the King attended to business as he could. On 3 February he attended church with the Queen and Princess Margaret, walking back to the house with them afterward. All accounts say that Tuesday, 5 February 1952, was a “good” day for King George VI. He spent the afternoon with the “Keeper’s Day” shoot on the estate, enjoying himself. He spent some time with Prince Charles and Princess Anne at Tea. After dinner, Princess Margaret played the piano. King Geroge retired to his room to do a bit of paperwork, enjoyed a cup of cocoa, and went to bed. At midnight the policeman on duty saw him latching his bedroom window, after which he turned out the light. Sometime in the night, he died. “Coronary thrombosis” is the longstanding official cause of death. More recently other possible causes have been suggested, such as an embolism or hemorrhage in his right lung.

The next morning, it is said, Prince Charles noticed one of the maids crying, and asked why. “Because your grandfather has gone away,” he was told. Charles was confused, but no further answers were forthcoming. Eventually Queen Elizabeth – the new “Queen Mother” – came to see him and told him that his parents would be coming home unexpectedly soon. As I’ve read, he then asked his grandmother where his grandfather was, at which point she broke down in tears. It was finally his mother who explained, as best one can to a 3-year-old, that his grandfather had died.

In Kenya, the royal party had spent an exciting night observing the wildlife at the Tree-Tops Hotel, Nyeri, before returning to the Saguna Royal Lodge. It was to be some hours before the news reached them, and was confirmed. Prince Philip took his wife out for a walk on the grounds to break the news. Observers remarked that he looked like the weight of the world had descended upon him. Her secretary duly asked by what name she wanted to be known? “Why, my own of course.” And so the second Elizabeth acceded to the throne.

There remained the whirlwind of arrangements to head immediately back to the U.K., a trip delayed some hours by thunderstorms en route. Messages had to be sent. Mourning clothes had to be procured. The Queen’s packed ones were in Nairobi, but they were flying more directly back. Fresh ones were rushed to the airplane when they got back to London. At her request, no photos were taken of her until she reached London. As they departed Saguna Lodge the accompanying journalists lined the road in respect, with their cameras sitting at their feet.

Dressed in black Queen Elizabeth II sets foot on British soil for the first time since her accession as she lands at London Airport following the death of her father King George VI

Reaching London on 7 February, she descended the airplane steps… discretely followed by Prince Philip… to be greeted by her Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, The Duke of Gloucester, and various officials. Arriving home at Clarence House, her first visitor was “her old Granny”, Queen Mary, who said she came to kiss her Sovereign’s hand. The next day, 8 February, was occupied by the official Accession Council and Proclamation. Then, finally, she could depart to her family at Sandringham.

It was three days later, 11 February 1952, that George VI’s body was brought to London to lie in state at Westminster Hall. Charles and Anne remained at Sandringham with the nannies. Perhaps the most striking photograph of all the solemnities emerged from the Lying-in-State, that of the three black-clad queens – Elizabeth, Mary, and Elizabeth (QM) – awaiting the arrival of the coffin at Westminster. Queen Mary looked spectral. After that, the aging Dowager (nearly 85, which was “older” then than now) did not attend any of the rest of the funeral rite, although she later watched the funeral procession pass down The Mall from her window at Marlborough House.

Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Mary, and The Queen Mother await the arrival of King George VI’s coffin at Westminster Hall in London on February 11, 1952

King George was buried at Windsor on 15 February 1952, in rites at St. George’s Chapel not unlike those we saw for Prince Philip earlier this year… except, of course, in scale. In 1969 the tiny George VI Memorial Chapel was added to St. George’s Chapel, and the King’s remains were moved there.

On 6 February 2022, ninety-five-year-old Queen Elizabeth II is expected to follow her tradition of having a small service of remembrance for her father at Sandringham, 70 years to the day after his passing. For her, the accession anniversary is a day of remembrance, not celebration.
These coming weeks will also mark the twentieth anniversary of the deaths of Princess Margaret (9 February) and the Queen Mother (30 March), followed by the first anniversary of Prince Philip’s death (9 April).

Recent months have seen increasing concern for the Queen’s health. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Princess Royal, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex have been taking most of her public engagements. In the few instances where she has been seen, shown at a private audience or glimpsed as she is being driven somewhere, she seems increasingly frail.

In the course of time, the Queen, too, will pass on. It is the “way of all flesh” as it is said. When the time comes, the plan is for her to be buried in the George VI Chapel at Windsor, along with her parents, her sister Margaret, and her beloved Philip. But, for now, she continues carrying on, day by day. May God bless and keep her, always!

Yours aye,
Ken Cuthbertson, the Laird o’ Thistle

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.

Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Johann I Josef, reigned as Prince of Liechtenstein from 1805 to 1836. Born in Vienna, Austria on June 26, 1760, Johann Baptist Josef Adam Johann Nepomuk Aloys Franz de Paula was the sixth of the eight children and the fourth but the second surviving son of Franz Josef I, Prince of Liechtenstein and Countess Marie Leopoldine von Sternberg. Since the Principality of Liechtenstein was a constituent member of the Holy Roman Empire headed by the Habsburgs, and Alois’ father had several government positions, the family spent much time in Vienna, Austria.

Johann Josef had seven siblings:

Johann Josef as a teenager, 1776; Credit – Wikipedia

Because he had an elder brother and was not expected to succeed to the throne of Liechtenstein, Johann Josef chose a military career in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire, of which Liechtenstein was a constituent state. At the age of 22, he joined the army with the rank of lieutenant. He participated in the Austro-Turkish War (1788 – 1791) and was promoted to the rank of colonel. Johann Josef gained prominence during the Napoleonic Wars. During the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, Holy Roman Emperor Franz II feared that Napoleon could take over his personal, hereditary Habsburg lands within the Holy Roman Empire, so in 1804 he proclaimed himself Emperor Franz I of Austria. As it turned out, Franz’s move was a wise one because the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806.

Holy Roman Emperor Franz I (on the left) meeting Napoleon I, Emperor of the French (on the right) after the Battle of Austerlitz. Johann Joseph is standing between the two emperors. Credit – Wikipedia

Upon the death of his childless brother Alois I, Prince of Liechtenstein, on March 24, 1805, Johan Josef became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein. However, he continued his military career. Johann Josef was promoted to the rank of field marshal, became commander in chief of the army of the Austrian Empire, and led the Austrian army, the losing side, in the 1805 Battle of Austerlitz. He was later accused of making two unfavorable peace treaties with Napoleon. Both of these agreements were favorable to Napoleon and unfavorable to Austria, and Johann Josef was accused of having little diplomatic ability. To avoid criticism, Johann Josef left the army in 1810 and shifted his activities to the administration and management of the estates.

In 1806, Napoleon accepted the Principality of Liechtenstein into the Confederation of the Rhine, which gave Liechtenstein more sovereignty than it ever had. At the Congress of Vienna (1814 – 1815), which decided the political reorganization of Europe after the Napoleonic Wars and the defeat of Napoleon, the Principality of Liechtenstein was admitted as a sovereign member of the German Confederation, a political union of all German states.

As Prince of Liechtenstein, Johann Josef carried out progressive reforms. However, in 1818, he approved a new constitution that limited the monarch’s power. He established modern practices in agriculture and forestry and reorganized the government administration to meet modern needs.

Johann Josef arranged for the extensive private art collection of the Princely House of Liechtenstein, started by Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein (reigned 1627 – 1684), to be transferred to the Liechtenstein Garden Palace in Vienna, Austria. From 1810, the art galleries at the Liechtenstein Garden Palace, eventually called the Liechtenstein Museum, were open to the public for a fee. It has not been run as a museum since 2012 and is now called Palais Liechtenstein. The Palais Liechtenstein remains home to part of the private art collection of the Princely House of Liechtenstein, one of the largest private collections in the world, and is available for visit by booked guided tours.

Josepha of Fürstenberg-Weitra, Johann Josef’s wife; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 12, 1792, in Vienna, Austria, Johann Josef married Landgravine Josefa of Fürstenberg-Weitra, daughter of Joachim Egon, Landgrave of Fürstenberg-Weitra and Countess Sophia Maria of Oettingen-Wallerstein. Johann Josef and Josefa had fourteen children who were all born in Vienna, Austria, including Alois II, Prince of Liechtenstein, who succeeded his father:

The New Crypt, which Johann Josef had built, at the Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 20, 1836, Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein, aged 75, died at Liechtenstein Palace in Vienna, Austria. His remains were transferred with military honors from the Liechtenstein Palace to the Church of St. Michael the Archangel near the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, where a funeral service was held. Johann Josef was buried in the New Crypt, which he had built, at the Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. His wife Josefa survived him by twelve years, dying at the age of 72 on February 23, 1848, and was buried with her husband.

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

  • Cs.wikipedia.org. 2021. Jan I. z Lichtenštejna. Available at: <https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_I._z_Lichten%C5%A1tejna>.
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Johann I. Josef (Liechtenstein). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_I._Josef_(Liechtenstein)
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Johann I Joseph, Prince of Liechtenstein – Wikipedia.  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_I_Joseph,_Prince_of_Liechtenstein>
  • Fuerstenhaus.li. 2021. Century: 19th century. [online] Available at: <https://fuerstenhaus.li/en/die-biographien-aller-fuersten/19-century/>.

Augustinerkirche (Augustinian Church) in Vienna, Austria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

The integration of the Augustinerkirche with the Hofburg Palace can be seen in this photo. The church is located below the church tower; Credit – By SchiDD – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37007074

The Augustinerkirche (Augustinian Church), which this writer has visited, is a Roman Catholic church located in Vienna, Austria, adjacent to the Hofburg Palace, the winter palace of the Habsburgs. Originally built as a separate building, the church became integrated with the Hofburg Palace as the palace expanded over the centuries. The church looks relatively inconspicuous from the outside but it has an impressive interior. The Augustinerkirche is most known for its Herzgruft (Heart Crypt) in the Loreto Chapel where silver urns containing the hearts of Habsburg family members are interred (see below).

Engraving of the image of the original Augustinerkirche (on the left) and the Hofburg Palace (on the right)

In 1327, Friedrich I, Duke of Austria founded a monastery with a church for the Augustinian order of monks. The church was built as a Gothic three-aisled hall church by the Bavarian builder Dietrich Ladtner of Pirna from 1330 – 1339 but it was not consecrated until 1349. In 1634, the Augustinerkirche became the imperial court parish church and remained so until the end of the monarchy in 1918. After the church was named the imperial court parish church, it was renovated in the Baroque style and a tower was added in 1652. During the reign of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, eighteen side altars were removed when the church was restored to its original Gothic style by Austrian architect Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg (link in German).

The main aisle of the Augustinerkirche; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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A Note About Two Habsburg Rulers

Empress Maria Theresa; Credit – Wikipedia

Empress Maria Theresa: Born Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, she was the second and eldest surviving child of Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI. Her only brother died several weeks before she was born and her two younger siblings were sisters. The fact that Maria Theresa’s father did not have a male heir caused many problems. Maria Theresa’s right to succeed to her father’s Habsburg territories in her own right was the cause of the eight-year-long War of the Austrian Succession. Upon her father’s death in 1740, Maria Theresa became the sovereign in her own right of all the Habsburg territories which included Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma. However, she was unable to become the sovereign of the Holy Roman Empire because she was female. The Habsburgs had been elected Holy Roman Emperors since 1438, but in 1742 Karl Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria and Prince-Elector of Bavaria from the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach was elected Holy Roman Emperor Karl VII. He died in 1745 and via a treaty, Maria Theresa arranged for her husband Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine to be elected Holy Roman Emperor. Despite the snub, the formidable Maria Theresa wielded the real power and in reality, ruled the Holy Roman Empire. She is generally referred to by historians simply as Empress Maria Theresa and that is how she is referred to in this article.

Emperor Franz I of Austria, formerly Holy Roman Emperor Franz II; Credit – Wikipedia

Holy Roman Emperor Franz II = Emperor Franz I of Austria: Upon the death of his father Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II in 1792, Franz was elected the last Holy Roman Emperor and reigned as Holy Roman Emperor Franz I. Franz feared that Napoleon Bonaparte could take over his personal Habsburg territories within the Holy Roman Empire, so in 1804 he proclaimed himself Emperor Franz I of Austria and reigned until he died in 1835. Franz’s decision proved to be a wise one. Two years later, after Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of Austerlitz, the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved and lands that had been held by the Holy Roman Emperor were given to Napoleon’s allies creating the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Kingdom of Württemberg, and the Grand Duchy of Baden. Franz is referred to as Emperor Franz I of Austria in this article.

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The High Altar

The high altar; Credit – Autor: Bwag – Vlastní dílo, CC BY-SA 3.0 at, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23347194

The current high altar was designed and made by German sculptor Andreas Halbig from 1857 – 1870. It was made from sandstone and made in the polychrome style, the decoration of architectural elements and sculpture in a variety of colors. The altar was originally made for the Votivkirche in Vienna but the architect of the Votivkirche rejected the altar because it would have prevented a view of the ambulatory, so the altar was installed in the Augustinerkirche in 1873. The altar shows Christ the King as ruler of the world, surrounded by angels and saints.

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The Altar Dedicated to Blessed Karl of Austria, the last Emperor of Austria

The altar dedicated to Blessed Karl of Austria in the Augustinerkirche; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

In 2004, a new side altar was dedicated to Blessed Karl of Austria. On October 3, 2004, Pope John Paul II beatified Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, and he is known as Blessed Karl of Austria. Beatification is the third of four steps toward sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church. On January 31, 2008, the Roman Catholic Church, after a 16-month investigation, formally recognized a second miracle attributed to Karl I which is required for his canonization as a saint. However, no word on his canonization has been forthcoming.

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The Cenotaph of Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria, Duchess of Teschen

Cenotaph of Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria (1742 – 1798), was the fifth of the sixteen children of Empress Maria Theresa and Francis I Stephen, Holy Roman Emperor. According to Empress Maria Theresa’s writings, Maria Christina was her favorite child. Allowed to marry for love, Maria Christina married Prince Albrecht of Saxony. The couple received the Duchy of Teschen, and Maria Christina and her husband were jointly appointed Governor of the Austrian Netherlands, serving from 1781 – 1789 and 1791 – 1792. Maria Christina’s last illness was a long one. The day before her death at the age of 56, she wrote a farewell letter to her husband in which she told him of her deep and lifelong love for him. After the death of his wife, her grieving husband Albrecht had an impressive cenotaph (empty tomb) built for Maria Christina, designed and sculpted by Italian neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova.

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Habsburg Weddings

The wedding of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and Princess Stéphanie of Belgium; Credit – Wikipedia

Information about the Augustinerkirche often says many Habsburg weddings took place there. In reality, many of these marriages were proxy marriages. A proxy marriage was a wedding in which one or both of the individuals being married are not physically present, usually being represented instead by other persons. It was very common during this time period for princesses to have a proxy marriage in their home country. The groom would usually be represented by one of the bride’s male relatives. Once the bride arrived in the groom’s home country, a larger religious ceremony was usually held.

For example, the proxy marriage of Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria, daughter of Empress Maria Theresa, and Louis-Auguste, Dauphin of France, the future Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI of France, was held at the Augustinerkirche in Vienna on April 19, 1770, with Maria Antonia’s brother Archduke Ferdinand of Austria standing in for Louis-Auguste, Dauphin of France. On May 16, 1770, Maria Antonia, now known by her French name Marie Antoinette, and Louis-Auguste were married in person in a grand ceremony held in the Chapel Royal at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France.

The weddings below were ceremonies where both the bride and groom were present in the Augustinerkirche. They were not proxy marriages. This is very likely an incomplete list.

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What is Separate Burial?

A separate burial is a form of partial burial in which internal organs are buried separately from the rest of the body. Separate burials of the heart, viscera (the intestines), and the body were common in the House of Habsburg starting with the death of Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans in 1654 until the death of Archduke Franz Karl in 1878. Ferdinand IV of the Romans (1633 – 1654), son of Holy Emperor Ferdinand III, had a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and requested that his heart be interred in the Loreto Chapel at the Augustinekirche in Vienna. This established the tradition of interring the hearts of members of the Habsburg family in a crypt alongside the heart of Ferdinand IV. Until then, the hearts of Habsburgs had mostly been buried with the body in the coffin at the Imperial Crypt in the nearby Capuchin Church in Vienna or in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna where the entrails of the Habsburgs were traditionally interred. With the death of Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans, it became traditional for the body to be interred in the Imperial Crypt in the Capuchin Church in Vienna, the heart to be placed in an urn in the Herzgruft, the Heart Crypt in the Loreto Chapel of the Augustinerkirche in Vienna, and the entrails to be placed in an urn in the Ducal Crypt of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna.

After the end of the monarchy in 1918, some members of the Habsburg family resumed the tradition of heart burial but not viscera burial. When Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, died in 1922, he was not allowed to be buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, and instead was buried at the Church of Our Lady of Monte on the island of Madeira in Portugal. His heart remained with his widow Empress Zita until it was interred in the Loreto Chapel of the Muri Monastery in Switzerland in 1971. When Empress Zita died in 1989, her body was buried in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna and her heart was interred with her husband’s heart in the Loreto Chapel of the Muri Monastery in Switzerland. Karl and Zita’s son Otto von Habsburg, the last Crown Prince of Austria, requested that his heart be buried in the crypt of the Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma in Hungary. His body was interred in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church. The body of Otto’s wife Regina of Saxe-Meiningen was also interred in the Imperial Crypt but she requested that her heart be interred in her family’s crypt at Veste Heldburg (link in German) in Heldburg, Germany.

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Herzgruft – Heart Crypt in the Loreto Chapel

Loreto Chapel, the metal door to the left of the altar leads to the Herzgruft (Heart Crypt; Credit – Wikipedia

The Herzgruft (Heart Crypt) in the Loreto Chapel has 54 silver urns containing the hearts of 54 members of the Habsburg family. The chapel is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Loreto. The women from the House of Habsburg prayed for the gift of children in the Loreto Chapel, and after giving birth, they offered prayers of thanksgiving in the chapel.

During the renovations of the Augustinerkirche by Austrian architect Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg (link in German), the original Loreto Chapel was demolished and a new one was built. A separate room in the new Loreto Chapel was set up for the heart urns. At the same time, the hearts of Anna of Tyrol, Holy Roman Empress, Holy Roman Emperor Matthias, and Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, originally interred in the royal monastery of the Poor Clares next to the Hofburg Palace, were transferred to the Loreto Chapel. The last Habsburg whose heart was interred at the Loreto Chapel was Archduke Franz Karl, son of Emperor Franz I of Austria and father of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, who died in 1878.

Urns with hearts in the Herzgruft (Heart Crypt); Credit – Autor: Gugerell – Vlastní dílo, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28367548

The current Loreto Chapel, located behind a wrought iron gate in the right aisle, adjacent to the high altar, was built in 1724 and is the successor to the original 1627 Loreto Chapel. Access to the heart crypt is by an iron door to the left of the altar in the Loreto Chapel. The heart crypt is a semicircular room with bare walls in which the urns are placed on two shelves side by side in the sequence of death dates. The heart urns are made of silver except for the gold urn of Holy Roman Emperor Matthias. The heart urn of Prince Napoleon II of France, son of Napoléon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French and his second wife Archduchess Maria Louise of Austria, daughter of Emperor Franz I of Austria, is usually decorated with a ribbon in the blue, white, and red colors of the French tricolor.

All but three of those whose hearts are interred in the Augustinerkirche are buried in the Imperial Crypt in the Capuchin Church in Vienna, a short distance from the Augustinekirche. The burial place of those three is noted below.

Note: Holy Roman Emperors were elected. The Habsburg Holy Roman Emperors were also the Kings of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia and sovereigns of Austria and other Habsburg territories.

The upper row of heart urns arranged in sequence of death dates, from left to right:

The lower row of heart urns arranged in sequence of death dates, from left to right:

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

  • Augustinerkirche Wien. 2021. Augustinerkirche Wien. [online] Available at: <https://augustinerkirche.augustiner.at/> [Accessed 11 December 2021].
  • Cs.wikipedia.org. 2021. Augustiniánský kostel (Vídeň) – Wikipedie. [online] Available at: <https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustini%C3%A1nsk%C3%BD_kostel_(V%C3%ADde%C5%88)> [Accessed 11 December 2021].
  • Cs.wikipedia.org. 2021. Hrobka srdcí – Wikipedie. [online] Available at: <https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hrobka_srdc%C3%AD> [Accessed 11 December 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Augustinerkirche (Wien) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustinerkirche_(Wien)> [Accessed 11 December 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Loretokapelle (Augustinerkirche Wien) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loretokapelle_(Augustinerkirche_Wien)> [Accessed 11 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Augustinian Church, Vienna – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustinian_Church,_Vienna> [Accessed 11 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Herzgruft – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herzgruft_(Vienna)> [Accessed 11 December 2021].

Royal News Recap for Saturday, January 29, 2022 and Sunday, January 30, 2022

Royal News Recaps are published Mondays – Fridays and on Sundays except for Thanksgiving in the United States, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve. The Royal News Recap for Sundays will be a weekend recap. If there is any breaking or major news, we will publish a breaking news article and/or a recap as necessary.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many royal families have curtailed and/or canceled events, both in their own countries and in foreign countries. Therefore, we expect a continued decrease in the usual number of royal news articles.

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Disclaimer: Please be advised that any media article titles or content that appear in the Royal News which identify members of royal families with their maiden names, nicknames, incorrect style or title, etc., come directly from the media source and not from Unofficial Royalty. We encourage you to contact the media sources to express your concern about their use of the incorrect name, style, title, etc. Contact information can usually be found at the bottom of each media source’s main page.

Countess Karoline von Manderscheid-Blankenheim, Princess of Liechtenstein

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Karoline von Manderscheid-Blankenheim, Princess of Liechtenstein, as Iris, Greek goddess of the rainbow by Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun,1793; Credit – Wikipedia

Countess Karoline von Manderscheid-Blankenheim was the wife of Alois I, Prince of Liechtenstein. Karoline Felicitas Engelberte was born on November 13, 1768, in Cologne, a Free Imperial City, a self-ruling state within the Holy Roman Empire, now in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. She was the second of the three daughters of Count Johann Wilhelm von Manderscheid-Blankenheim (1708 – 1772) and his third wife Countess Johanna Maximiliana Franziska von Limburg-Stirum (1744 – 1772). During this era, there were many men who were given the title Reichsgraf (Imperial Count) from the Holy Roman Emperor whether or not they reigned over a county. They were commonly styled Graf (Count). Their wives were styled Gräfin (Countess) and their children were styled Graf (Count) and Gräfin (Countess).

Karoline had one elder sister and one younger sister:

  • Countess Maria Christina von Manderscheid-Blankenheim (1767 – 1811), married Count Johann Ernst von Königsegg-Aulendorf, had one son
  • Countess Franziska Wilhelmina von Manderscheid-Blankenheim (1770 – 1789), married Prince Ludwig Aloys III of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein, had one son

Karoline’s father first married Countess Maria Franziska von Manderscheid-Kail (1723 – 1739) who died childless at the age of sixteen. Karoline had two half-sisters from her father’s second marriage to Princess Luise of Salm-Salm (1725 – 1764):

  • Countess Auguste von Manderscheid-Blankenheim (1744 – 1811), married Count Philipp Christian von Sternberg, had ten children
  • Countess Johanna Felicitas von Manderscheid-Blankenheim (1753 – 1828), married Johann Franz Joseph von Nesselrode (1755 – 1824), had eight children

Alois I, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 16, 1783, Karoline married Alois I, Prince of Liechtenstein. Their marriage was childless.

Karoline had a long-term relationship with Franz von Langendonck, a captain in the Imperial Austrian Army. Karoline and Franz had two children:

  • Daughter, no information
  • Vicomte Charles Louis de Fribert (1793 – 1874), married Almeira Maria Esterházy de Galántha; it appears they had no children but Almeira had children from a previous marriage to Sir Albert Joseph Ghislain Murray, 4th Baronet

Karoline’s husband Alois I, Prince of Liechtenstein died on March 24, 1805, aged 45, in Vienna, Austria. Because he had no male heir, Alois was succeeded by his brother Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein. Karoline spent the rest of her life mainly in Vienna, Austria. She survived her husband by twenty-six years, dying on March 1, 1831, at the age of 62 in Vienna, Austria. She was buried in the Hietzing Cemetery (link in German) in Vienna.

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. Karoline von Manderscheid-Blankenheim – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karoline_von_Manderscheid-Blankenheim> [Accessed 6 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Karoline von Manderscheid-Blankenheim – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karoline_von_Manderscheid-Blankenheim> [Accessed 6 December 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Alois I, Prince of Liechtenstein. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/alois-i-prince-of-liechtenstein/> [Accessed 6 December 2021].
  • geni_family_tree. 2021. Graf Johann Wilhelm von Manderscheid-Blankenheim, Graf. [online] Available at: <https://www.geni.com/people/Graf-Johann-Wilhelm-von-Manderscheid-Blankenheim-Graf/6000000002188461979> [Accessed 6 December 2021].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2021. Мандершейд-Бланкенхайм, Каролина — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%88%D0%B5%D0%B9%D0%B4-%D0%91%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BA%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BC,_%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0> [Accessed 6 December 2021].

Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Uppsala Cathedral; Credit – Av Andrew Friberg – Eget arbete, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62401111

Originally, a Roman Catholic church, Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden became a Lutheran church during the Protestant Reformation in Sweden. It is now a Church of Sweden, the Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. Uppsala Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Uppsala, the Primate of Sweden.

The church at Gamala Uppsala (Old Upsala) as it looks today; Credit – By Lestat (Jan Mehlich) – From Polish Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=459228

At the end of the Viking Age (circa 793 – 1066), the Viking temple at Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala) was replaced by a Christian church. The date of construction of the church at Gamala Uppsala is unknown but a Bishop of Uppsala was appointed in 1123. After the church was damaged by a fire, local church officials sought permission from Pope Alexander IV to build a larger church nearby. Permission was given with the condition that the location name of Uppsala would be preserved. A new site was chosen in nearby Östra Aros whose name was changed to Uppsala.

Construction started in 1272 on the site of an earlier stone church dedicated to the Holy Trinity. This earlier church is related to the story of Saint Erik IX of Sweden (reigned circa 1156 – 1160), Sweden’s patron saint who is buried at Uppsala Cathedral. Magnus Henriksson, a Danish lord and a claimant to the throne of Sweden, gathered an army near Östra Aros where Erik planned to attend Mass, in that earlier stone church, on the Feast of the Ascension, May 18, 1160. After Erik attended Mass, he armed himself, and with a few men, went out to meet Magnus’ troops. Erik was pulled off his horse by Magnus’ troops who stabbed him and then beheaded him. Magnus Henriksson reigned for a year as King Magnus II before he was killed.

The church was designed by unknown French architects who supervised the construction until 1281. Progress on the construction was slow because of the cold climate, the plague, and financial difficulties. In 1287, French master builder Étienne de Bonneuil and his assistants traveled to Sweden to work on the cathedral. By the end of the 14th century, the initial plans were completed. However, when the cathedral was consecrated in 1435 by Archbishop Olaus Laurentii, it still was not complete. The cathedral was dedicated to Saint Lawrence (one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome who were martyred in 258) Saint Eric IX of Sweden (the patron saint of Sweden although he was never canonized by the Roman Catholic Church), and Saint Olaf (the patron saint of Norway).

A photograph of Uppsala Cathedral circa 1860, before Zettervall’s restoration; Credit – Wikipedia

Uppsala Cathedral today; Credit – Wikipedia

Over the years, fire damage required some renovations. From 1885 – 1893, the architect Helgo Zettervall oversaw comprehensive restoration work, seeking to give the cathedral a French High Gothic appearance. He added pointed French spires to the towers and in an attempt to give the cathedral a slimmer appearance, Zettervall significantly altered large portions of the medieval outer brick walls. He has been criticized for not respecting the cathedral’s original Brick Gothic style. Further renovation work from 1963 – 1977 led by Swedish architect Åke Porne (link in Swedish) improved the building’s structure and included restoration of the walls and windows. Large portions of Zettervall’s cement additions to the exterior of the cathedral were removed.

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The Shrine of Saint Erik IX of Sweden

The shrine of Saint Erik IX of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Saint Erik IX of Sweden is said to have been buried first in the church at Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala). In 1273, his remains were transferred to the new cathedral in Uppsala which was still under construction. The gilded silver casket that we see today was made in 1574 – 1579 by King Johan III of Sweden to replace an earlier casket that was melted down when he needed money.

From 2014 – 2016, the remains in the shrine were examined. The researchers were 90% sure that the remains are those of Saint Erik IX of Sweden. Carbon-14 testing matched the date of Erik’s death and the manner of death fits the story of Erik’s death. The remains are from a person who died a violent death, probably decapitation. The remains also show that the person was about 35 years old at the time of his death, was strongly built, healthy, and physically active during his life.

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The High Altar

The high altar; By .ky – Inside the church in Uppsala, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4968508

The high altar is used for the cathedral’s most important services. It is also here that all Swedish bishops are ordained. The silver chandelier is from 1647. The large crucifix in silver and crystal was installed in 1976.

Burchard Precht’s altarpiece was in Uppsala Cathedral until Helgo Zettervall removed it during his late 19th-century restoration. The altarpiece is now in the Gustav Vasa Church in Stockholm; Credit – Wikipedia

The altarpieces have changed over the years. From 1725 – 1731, Swedish-German furniture maker and sculptor Burchard Precht worked on a large Baroque altarpiece. It remained in Uppsala Cathedral until it was removed during Helgo Zettervall’s restoration at the end of the nineteenth century. At that time, Precht’s altarpiece was replaced by a neo-Gothic oak altarpiece designed by Swedish architect Folke Zettervall, Helgo Zettervall’s son. However, Precht’s altarpiece can still be seen at the high altar in the Gustaf Vasa Church in Stockholm.

The current altarpiece, a cross in silver and crystal installed in 1976; Credit – By Bo Berggren – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25916597

Folke Zettervall’s altarpiece was removed in 1964. It was replaced for several years by the Skånelaskåpet, a late medieval altar cabinet in oak, made in Brussels during the early 16th century, purchased for the Uppsala Cathedral from Skånela Church in 1912. The current altarpiece consists of a cross in silver and crystal. It was designed by Swedish architect Åke Porne, who led the 1963 – 1977 renovation of Uppsala Cathedral, and was made by Bertil Berggren-Askenström (link in Swedish), a Swedish sculptor and silversmith.

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The Pulpit

The pulpit; Credit – By Szilas – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27571416

The ornate pulpit, the largest in Sweden, was designed by Swedish architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger and carved by Swedish-German furniture maker and sculptor Burchard Precht. It was a gift from Queen Hedwig Eleonora, the wife of King Karl X Gustav, after the fire of 1702 and completed in 1710. Helgo Zettervall had the pulpit removed during the 1885 – 1893 renovation he led. He wanted to replace the Baroque masterpiece with a pulpit in the Gothic style. However, he did not have the funds for a new pulpit and so Precht’s pulpit returned to its place.

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The Restored Frescoes

Restored frescoes; Credit – Wikipedia

During the Reformation, the medieval frescoes on the walls and ceilings had been whitewashed. Many of these beautiful frescoes were uncovered and restored during Åke Porne’s 1963 – 1977 renovations.

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Coronations

Coronation of Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden in 1719; Credit – Wikipedia

From 1441 – 1719, all but three Swedish monarchs were crowned at Uppsala Cathedral.

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Wedding

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Burials

Tomb of King Gustav I Vasa and his first two wives; Credit – Von Skippy13 – Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=726933

Except for Saint Erik IX, all the royal burials at Uppsala Cathedral are members of the family of King Gustav I Vasa. He was the first king of the House of Vasa and is considered the founding father of the modern Swedish state. During the Swedish War of Liberation (1521 – 1523), Gustav Vasa successfully deposed King Christian II from the throne of Sweden, ending the Kalmar Union between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. On June 6, 1523, Gustav Vasa was elected King of Sweden by the Swedish Riksdag (legislature) and soon all Danish troops were driven out of the country. King Gustav I Vasa ranks among Sweden’s greatest monarchs and some argue that he was the most significant ruler in Swedish history. He ended foreign domination in Sweden, centralized and reorganized the government, cut religious ties to Rome, established the Church of Sweden, and founded Sweden’s hereditary monarchy.

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. Eric IX of Sweden – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_IX_of_Sweden> [Accessed 7 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Uppsala Cathedral – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uppsala_Cathedral> [Accessed 7 December 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Svenska kröningar – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svenska_kr%C3%B6ningar> [Accessed 7 December 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Uppsala domkyrka – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uppsala_domkyrka> [Accessed 7 December 2021].

Alois I, Prince of Liechtenstein

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Alois I, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Alois I, Prince of Liechtenstein was born in Vienna, Austria on May 14, 1759. Alois Josef Johannes Nepomuk Melchior was the fifth of the eight children and the third but the eldest surviving of the five sons of Franz Josef I, Prince of Liechtenstein and Countess Leopoldine von Sternberg. Since the Principality of Liechtenstein was a constituent member of the Holy Roman Empire headed by the Habsburgs and Alois’ father had several government positions, the family spent much time in Vienna, Austria.

Alois had seven siblings:

Karoline von Manderscheid-Blankenheim, Princess of Liechtenstein, as Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbow by Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun,1793; Credit – Wikipedia

Upon the death of his father Franz Josef I, Prince of Liechtenstein on August 18, 1781, the 22-year-old Alois became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein. On November 16, 1783, Alois married 15-year-old Countess Karoline von Manderscheid-Blankenheim, daughter of Count Johann Wilhelm von Manderscheid-Blankenheim and Countess Johanna von Limburg-Stirum. Although the couple had no children, Karoline had two illegitimate children with her long-time lover Franz von Langendonck, a captain in the Imperial Austrian Army.

Lednice Castle; Credit – By Alena Tučímová – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35791237

Alois did much to improve the administration and management of his estates. He introduced modern production methods on his estates, experimented with breeding, and imported numerous useful and ornamental plants for economic reasons and botanical interests. Alois was passionate about books and continued to expand the princely library by purchasing extensive collections.

Valtice Castle; Credit – By Huhulenik – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15256136

Among the many properties owned by the House of Liechtenstein were the ones in Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. After World War II, the properties were seized by the Communist government of Czechoslovakia. During his reign, Alois engaged architect Joseph Hardtmuth (link in German) to work at Eisgrub Castle, now called Lednice Castle, and Valtice Castle. Hardmuth renovated farm buildings and castle buildings, designed landscaped gardens, and erected exotic structures such as obelisks, triumphal arches, and artificial ruins.

Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Czech Republic: Credit – Von Ojin – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6438939

Alois I, Prince of Liechtenstein died on March 24, 1805, aged 45, in Vienna, Austria. He was buried in the Old Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. Alois was succeeded by his brother Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein. Karoline, Alois’ widow, survived her husband by twenty-six years, dying at the age of 62 in Vienna, Austria. She was buried at Hietzing Cemetery (link in German) in Vienna.

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. Alois I. (Liechtenstein) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alois_I._(Liechtenstein)> [Accessed 5 December 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Joseph Hardtmuth – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Hardtmuth> [Accessed 5 December 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Schloss Lednice – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Lednice> [Accessed 5 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Aloys I, Prince of Liechtenstein – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloys_I,_Prince_of_Liechtenstein> [Accessed 5 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Valtice – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valtice> [Accessed 5 December 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Franz Josef I, Prince of Liechtenstein. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/franz-josef-i-prince-of-liechtenstein/> [Accessed 4 December 2021].
  • Fuerstenhaus.li. 2021. Century: 18th century. [online] Available at: <https://fuerstenhaus.li/en/die-biographien-aller-fuersten/18-century/> [Accessed 5 December 2021].

No Royal News Recap for Thursday, January 20, 2022

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Prince Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was located in today’s southern Italy. It included the island of Sicily and all of the Italian peninsula south of the Papal States. Ferdinando I, the first King of the Two Sicilies, had previously reigned over two kingdoms, as Ferdinando IV of the Kingdom of Naples and Ferdinando III of the Kingdom of Sicily. He had been deposed twice from the throne of Naples: once by the revolutionary Parthenopean Republic for six months in 1799 and again by Napoleon in 1805, before being restored in 1816 after the defeat of Napoleon. After the 1816 restoration, the two kingdoms were united into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia became a driving force behind the Italian unification movement along with Giuseppe Garibaldi, a general and nationalist, and Giuseppe Mazzini, a politician and journalist. Garibaldi conquered Naples and Sicily, the territories of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies. Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies was deposed, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ceased to exist, and its territory was incorporated into the Kingdom of Sardinia. Eventually, the Sardinian troops occupied the central territories of the Italian peninsula, except Rome and part of Papal States. With all the newly acquired land, Vittorio Emanuele II was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

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Prince Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta. source: Wikipedia

Prince Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta, was a younger half-brother of King Francesco II, the last reigning King of the Two Sicilies. Upon Francesco’s death in 1894, Alfonso became Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and pretender to the former throne.

Prince Alfonso Maria Giuseppe Alberto was born on March 28, 1841, in Caserta, Two Sicilies, the third child of King Ferdinando II of the Two Sicilies and his second wife, Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria. Alfonso had 11 siblings:

Alfonso also had one elder half-sibling from his father’s first marriage to Maria Cristina of Savoy:

At the time of his birth, Alfonso was fourth in line of succession to the throne of the Two Sicilies, preceded by his three elder brothers, Francesco, Luigi, and Alberto. Upon their father’s death in May 1859, his eldest brother, Francesco, became the last reigning King of the Two Sicilies. Alfonso, alongside his two surviving elder brothers, fought on the front lines in an attempt to defeat Garibaldi’s forces, but were unsuccessful, and the Kingdom was overtaken. Alfonso, along with his brothers, left the country in February 1861 and would spend the rest of his life in exile.

Upon the death of his brother Luigi in 1886, Alfonso became heir presumptive to his eldest brother, who had no male heirs. When Franceso II died on December 27, 1894, Alfonso became Pretender to the former throne of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. source: Wikipedia

On June 8, 1868, Alfonso married his cousin, Princess Maria Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. She was the daughter of Prince Francesco of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Trapani and Archduchess Maria Isabella of Austria, Princess of Tuscany. Alfonso and his wife were both grandchildren of King Franceso I of the Two Sicilies. Together they had 12 children:

Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta; source: Wikipedia

Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta, died on May 26, 1934, in Cannes, France. He is buried in the Cimetière du Grand Jas in Cannes.

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Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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

Stockholm Cathedral (Storkyrkan) in Stockholm, Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Stockholm Cathedral with the Royal Palace of Stockholm on the right; Credit – By Julian Herzog, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62714436

Stockholm Cathedral is between the Royal Palace of Stockholm and Stortorget, the old main square of Stockholm, in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm. Originally, a Roman Catholic church, Stockholm Cathedral became a Lutheran church during the Protestant Reformation in Sweden. It is now a Church of Sweden, the Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. The church has several names: Storkyrkan (in Swedish, stor = great and krykan = church, hence Great Church), Stockholms domkyrka (Stockholm Cathedral) and Sankt Nikolai kyrka (Saint Nicholas Church). In Sweden, it is most commonly called Storkyrkan.

The mail aisle of Stockholm Cathedral; Credit – By Holger.Ellgaard – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14668823

According to tradition, the first church on the site was dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra and was built in the 13th century by Birger Jarl, the founder of Stockholm A large donation to the church in 1346 by King Magnus IV of Sweden and his wife Blanche of Namur probably indicates the beginning of renovations and additions. After significant renovations and additions in the 14th and 15th centuries, the church reached its present size and shape as a five-aisled hall church in 1480. The church was originally built in the Brick Gothic style of the 13th century with a tower. From 1736 – 1742, Swedish architect Johan Eberhard Carlberg was employed to renovate the exterior and build a new tower. The exterior was transformed from a Gothic style to a Baroque style. The exterior seen today is still largely the result of Carlberg’s work.

Eustachius Erdmüller’s altarpiece; Credit – By Øyvind Holmstad – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45574353

The Baroque altarpiece over the main altar was made in silver and ebony by Hamburg goldsmith Eustachius Erdmüller and was completed in 1652. The central part is divided into three levels with each level containing a panel with a silver relief. The reliefs depict, from bottom to top, the Crucifixion, the Entombment, and Christ in the realm of the dead. Silver statuettes of Moses and John the Baptist flank the Crucifixion panel. The second and third panels are flanked by the Four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Royal Pews; Credit – By Jorge Láscar from Melbourne, Australia – Royal Pews and their crowns – Sankt Nikolai kyrka, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66006973

On either side of the nave are the two royal pews. The lower part is a seating area enclosed by a decorated wooden barrier. Originally a throne was placed in each pew. The upper part of each pew is a gilt wooden canopy in the form of an oversize royal crown carried by angels against a background of imitated drapery. The royal pews, intended for the royal family, were designed by Swedish architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger and made by Swedish-German furniture maker and sculptor Burchard Precht.

Pulpit; Credit – By Øyvind Holmstad – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45764645

The gilt wooden pulpit in the French Baroque style was also made by the sculptor Burchard Precht between 1698 and 1702.

Saint George and the Dragon; By Tuomas Vitikainen – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67092031

Perhaps the most impressive sight at Stockholm Cathedral is the wooden sculpture that depicts the legend of Saint George and the Dragon. The statue was commissioned by Sten Sture the Elder, Swedish statesman and Regent of Sweden from 1470 – 1497 and 1501 -1503, following his victory over the Danish army in the Battle of Brunkeberg in 1471. During the battle, Sten Sture had prayed to Saint George to protect his army. The sculpture is attributed to Bernt Notke, one of the foremost artists in northern Europe at that time. The 12 feet/3.75 meters high statue depicts Saint George on horseback and stands on a wooden plinth, decorated with scenes from the legend of Saint George.

Statue of Saint George and the Dragon; Credit – By BugWarp – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=87483011

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Royal Events at Stockholm Cathedral

Over the centuries, many royal events have occurred at Stockholm Cathedral. The list below does not purport to be complete.

Coronations

The Coronation of King Gustav III of Sweden (Uncompleted) by Carl Gustav Pilo; Credit – Wikipedia

Stockholm Cathedral (Storkyrkan) along with Uppsala Cathedral and a few other churches have served as sites for the coronation of Sweden’s rulers. In 1873, King Oscar II was the last Swedish monarch to have a coronation. His son King Gustav V of Sweden (reigned 1907 – 1950) chose not to be crowned and his successors King Gustaf VI Adolf and King Carl XVI Gustav followed suit.

Christenings

Christening of Crown Prince Victoria, 1977; Credit – http://www.nordstjernan.com/news/people/4354/

Weddings

Wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling, 2010

Funerals

Funeral of King Gustaf VI Adolf, 1973

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Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Sankt Nikolai kyrka – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankt_Nikolai_kyrka> [Accessed 17 January 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Saint George and the Dragon (Notke) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George_and_the_Dragon_(Notke)> [Accessed 17 January 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Storkyrkan – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storkyrkan> [Accessed 17 January 2022].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2022. Sankt Göran och draken, Gamla stan – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankt_G%C3%B6ran_och_draken,_Gamla_stan> [Accessed 17 January 2022].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2022. Storkyrkan – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storkyrkan> [Accessed 17 January 2022].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2022. Svenska kröningar – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svenska_kr%C3%B6ningar> [Accessed 17 January 2022].