Maria Isabella of Spain, Queen of the Two Sicilies

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

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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Maria Isabella of Spain, Queen of the Two Sicilies; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Isabella of Spain was the second wife of Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies. María Isabel Antonia Josefa Ana Teresa Filipina was born at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain on July 6, 1789. She was the eleventh of the fourteen children and the fifth of the six daughters of Carlos IV, King of Spain and Maria Luisa of Parma. Her paternal grandparents were King Carlos III of Spain and Maria Amalia of Saxony. Felipe of Spain, Duke of Parma, who founded the House of Bourbon-Parma, and Louise Élisabeth of France, daughter of Louis XV, King of France, were her maternal grandparents.

The Family of Carlos IV by Francisco Goya, 1800. The man in the shadows in the background on the left is the artist Francisco Goya. From left to right: Carlos Maria Isidro, the future Fernando VII, Maria Josefa the sister of Carlos IV, an unknown woman, Maria Isabella, Queen Maria Luisa, Francisco de Paula, King Carlos IV, Antonio Pascual the brother of Carlos IV, Carlota Joaquina (only part of her head is visible), Luis of Parma and his wife Maria Luisa holding baby Carlos Luis the future Duke of Parma; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Isabella had thirteen siblings:

Carlos Clemente of Spain (1771 – 1774), died in infancy
Carlota Joaquina of Spain (1775 – 1830), married João VI, King of Portugal, had nine children
Maria Luisa of Spain (1777 – 1782), died in childhood
Maria Amalia of Spain (1779 – 1798), married her paternal uncle Antonio Pascual, died in childbirth with her stillborn son
Carlos Domingo of Spain (1780 -1783), died in childhood
Maria Luisa of Spain (1782 – 1824), married Luis of Parma, King of Etruria, had two children
Carlos Francisco de Paula of Spain (1783 – 1784), twin of Felipe Francisco de Paula, died in infancy
Felipe Francisco de Paula of Spain (1783 – 1784), twin of Carlos Francisco de Paula, died in infancy
Fernando VII, King of Spain (1784 – 1833), married (1) Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily, no children (2) his niece Maria Isabel of Portugal, had one child who died in infancy, died in childbirth along with her stillborn child (3) Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony, no children (4) Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, had two daughters including Queen Isabella II of Spain
Carlos María Isidro of Spain, Count of Molina (1788 – 1855), married (1) his niece Maria Francisca of Portugal, had three children (2) his niece Maria Teresa of Portugal, Princess of Beira, no children
Maria Teresa of Spain (1791 – 1794), died in childhood from smallpox
Felipe Maria of Spain (1792 – 1794), died in childhood
Francisco de Paula of Spain, Duke of Cadiz (1794 – 1865), married (1) his niece Luisa Carlotta of Naples and Sicily, had eleven children (2) morganatic marriage to Teresa de Arredondo y Ramirez de Arellano, had one son

Raised at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Maria Isabella received only a cursory education. Several possible husbands were considered for her including Napoleon Bonaparte, then the First Consul of France. Through Lucien Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother and the French ambassador to Spain, a marriage between Maria Isabella and Napoleon was proposed in April 1801. Napoleon was married to Joséphine de Beauharnais but it had been suggested that he should divorce her and marry a princess of royal blood. However, Napoleon had a low opinion of the Spanish House of Bourbon.

Maria Isabella of Spain, circa 1801; Credit – Wikipedia

Even though Maria Isabella was only twelve years old, her mother Maria Luisa was anxious to arrange her marriage. Maria Clementina of Austria, the wife of Maria Isabella’s first cousin Francesco, Duke of Calabria, the heir to the thrones of Naples and Sicily, had died in 1801 from tuberculosis. A marriage between Spain and Naples and Sicily would be politically advantageous while Europe was dealing with the expansionist policy of Napoleon. A double marriage was arranged between Spain and Naples and Sicily. Carlos IV, King of Spain was the brother of King Ferdinando IV of Naples and III of Sicily, and so these marriages were between first cousins. Maria Isabella would marry Franceso and her brother Ferdinand of Spain, Prince of Asturias, later King Ferdinand VII of Spain would marry Franceso’s sister Maria Antonia. On July 6, 1802, in Madrid Spain, 13-year-old Maria Isabella married her 25-year-old cousin Francesco by proxy with her brother Ferdinand standing in for the groom. The two couples were married in person in Barcelona, Spain on October 4, 1802. However, Maria Antonia died in 1806 from tuberculosis before her husband became King of Spain.

Although Maria Isabella did not make a good impression on her mother-in-law, born Maria Carolina of Austria, the Spanish ambassador to Naples informed the Spanish court that Maria Isabella was happy in Naples and that she attended theater performances and celebrations. Maria Isabella had a four-year-old stepdaughter from her husband’s first marriage:

Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1798 – 1870), married (1) Charles Ferdinand d’Artois, Duke of Berry, son of the future Charles X, King of France, assassinated while leaving the opera in Paris, had four children but two died soon after birth (2) Ettore Carlo Lucchesi-Palli, 8th Duke della Grazia, had five children

Maria Isabella and Francesco’s family: Left to right: Maria Isabella holding Maria Carolina, Ferdinanda Luisa, Maria Antonia, Luisa Carlotta, Maria Cristina, Ferdinando, Francesco holding Maria Amalia, Carlo, Prince of Capua and Leopoldo, Count of Syracuse; Credit – Wikipedia

As a 15-year-old, Maria Isabella gave birth to her first child, followed by eleven more children over the next twenty-three years. Unusual for the time, all twelve survived childhood.

Luisa Carlotta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1804 – 1844), married her maternal uncle Francisco de Paula of Spain, had eleven children
Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1806 – 1878), married (1) her maternal uncle Ferdinand VII, King of Spain, had two daughters including Queen Isabella II of Spain (2) Agustín Fernando Muñoz y Sánchez, 1st Duke of Riánsares, had eight children
Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies (1810 – 1859), married (1) Maria Cristina of Savoy, had one child Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies, died from childbirth complications (2) Maria Theresa of Austria, had twelve children
Carlo Ferdinando of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Prince of Capua (1811 – 1862), married morganatically Penelope Smyth, had two children, because of his marriage, Carlo Ferdinando spent the rest of his life in exile in England
Leopoldo Beniamino of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Syracuse (1813 – 1860), Maria of Savoy-Carignan, had one daughter who died in infancy
Maria Antonia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1814 – 1898), married Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, had ten children
Antonio Pasquale of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Lecce (1816 – 1843), unmarried, clubbed to death by the husband of a married woman he had tried to seduce
Maria Amalia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1818 – 1857), married Infante Sebastian of Portugal and Spain, no children
Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1820 – 1861), married Carlos of Spain, Count of Montemolin, Carlist pretender to the Spanish throne, no children
Teresa Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1822 – 1889), married Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, had four children
Luigi Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Aquila (1824 – 1897), married Januária, Princess Imperial of Brazil, had four children
Francesco di Paola of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Trapani (1827 – 1892), married his niece Maria Isabella of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, had six children

Francesco’s father Ferdinando was deposed twice from his thrones: once by the revolutionary Parthenopean Republic for six months in 1799 and again by Napoleon in 1805. In February 1806, Ferdinando, Maria Carolina, and their family, including Maria Isabella and Francesco, were forced to flee to the island of Sicily, which was still in their control, where they lived in the Royal Palace of Palermo under British protection. However, the government of Sicily was a feudal type and the British insisted on a government more similar to the British one. In 1813, Ferdinando essentially but not officially abdicated and Francesco was appointed regent. At the insistence of the British, who were becoming more and more adverse to Maria Carolina, she was forced to leave Sicily. She returned to her home in Austria where she died from a stroke in 1814.

Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1816, after Ferdinando abolished the constitution of the Kingdom of Sicily, the two kingdoms, Naples and Sicily, were united into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. For the next four years, Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies reigned as an absolute monarch and there were no constitutional reforms. In 1820, a revolt broke out in Sicily and riots occurred in Naples. Ferdinando was forced to sign a constitution and appoint his son Francesco as regent of Sicily. This only lasted until March 1821, when Austrian troops friendly to Ferdinando occupied Naples. Ferdinando was re-established as an absolute monarch and the constitution was withdrawn. Ferdinando died from a stroke on January 4, 1825, at the age of 73 and his son Francesco became King of the Two Sicilies and Maria Isabella became Queen Consort.

Maria Isabella, Queen of the Two Sicilies; Credit – Wikipedia

As Queen Consort, Maria Isabella had no interest in politics or government. After her many births, she was overweight and preferred to attend the theater, balls, and parties. She was kind and generous and was more popular than her husband. In 1829, she took over the patronage of the girls’ boarding school located in the monastery complex of Santa Maria dei Miracoli in Naples and established a girls’ boarding school at the former monastery Santi Marcellino e Festo also in Naples called Queen Isabella Secondary School.

Maria Isabella and her husband Francesco decided to travel to Spain for the wedding of their daughter Maria Christina and Maria Isabella’s brother Ferdinand VII, King of Spain. Ferdinand VII was three times a widower and had no surviving children. Although Francesco had gout and his health was declining, Maria Isabella had not been to Spain since her marriage twenty-seven years earlier and persuaded her husband to take the long trip. Leaving Naples in September 1829 on a ten-month trip, they visited Pope Pius VIII in Rome, and then in France, they visited Francesco’s daughter from his first marriage Maria Carolina. Finally, the bride Maria Christina and the groom Ferdinand VII met in Aranjuez, Spain on December 10, 1829, made their solemn entry into Madrid the next day, and were married. Maria Isabella and Francesco had an extended stay in Spain. On the return trip, Maria Isabella and Francesco met again with his daughter Maria Carolina and then traveled to Paris, France for a stay with King Charles X of France. Maria Isabella and Francesco arrived back in Naples on July 30, 1830.

Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies, 1829; Credit – Wikipedia

It had been a wonderful trip but it was exhausting for the ailing Francesco. Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies died on November 8, 1830, aged 53, in Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, now in Italy. He was buried at the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples, the traditional burial site of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

After the death of Francesco, his 20-year-old son succeeded him as Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies. Prince Vincenzo Ruffo della Scarletta and Pietro Ugo, Marchese delle Favare (link in Italian) plotted to remove the conservative Ferdinando II from the throne only for a period of several years and to install Maria Isabella as regent in his place. This conspiracy, arranged without Maria Isabella’s knowledge and intended to bring about more liberal conditions, was quickly exposed and stopped. However, Maria Isabella and her son Ferdinando had a very cool relationship until Ferdinando’s first wife Maria Christina of Savoy reconciled them.

Maria Isabella was only 41 years old when her husband died and despite being overweight, she was still attractive and had relationships with younger handsome servants. In 1835, Maria Isabella began a love affair with Baron Peter von Schmucker, a married Austrian officer. After the death of Schmucker’s wife in 1837, Maria Isabella wanted to marry him. However, Schmucker was too greedy. He wanted to be guaranteed that he would have the title and privileges of a Royal Highness if he married Maria Isabella. She refused and had her son Ferdinando II expel Schmucker from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

The Royal Palace of Capodimonte, home of Maria Isabella and her second husband Count Francesco del Balzo; Credit – By Mentnafunangann – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37000184

Maria Isabella wanted to marry again and her son Ferdinando II provided her with a list of acceptable young nobles as potential husbands. On January 15, 1839, 50-year-old Maria Isabella married 34-year-old Count Francesco del Balzo. Her second husband was an attractive, high-ranking army officer but was not allowed to be at court with Maria Isabella. The couple withdrew from court and moved to the Royal Palace of Capodimonte in Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, now in Italy.

Coat of arms of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies on the entrance to the royal crypt; Credit – Di Giuseppe Guida – Flickr: Basilica di Santa Chiara., CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20267754

Maria Isabella died on September 13, 1848, aged 59, at the Palace of Portici in Portici, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. She was buried in the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples.

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Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Isabel von Spanien – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Isabel_von_Spanien> [Accessed 7 August 2021].
En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Charles IV of Spain – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_IV_of_Spain> [Accessed 7 August 2021].
En.wikipedia.org. 2021. María Isabella of Spain – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADa_Isabella_of_Spain> [Accessed 7 August 2021].
Flantzer, S., 2021. Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/francesco-i-king-of-the-two-sicilies/> [Accessed 7 August 2021].
It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Isabella di Borbone-Spagna – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Isabella_di_Borbone-Spagna> [Accessed 7 August 2021].

Maria Clementina of Austria, Duchess of Calabria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

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Maria Clementina of Austria, Duchess of Calabria; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Clementina of Austria was the first wife of the future Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies. Maria Clementina Josepha Johanna Fidelis was born on April 24, 1777, at the Villa del Poggio Imperiale in Poggio Imperiale in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy. She was the tenth of the sixteen children and the third of the five daughters of Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany (later Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor) and Maria Luisa of Spain. Maria Clementina’s paternal grandparents were the formidable and powerful Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa, who was in her own right Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary, Queen of Croatia, and Queen of Bohemia, and Francis Stephen, Holy Roman Emperor, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Duke of Lorraine. Even though her husband was the nominal Holy Roman Emperor, Maria Theresa wielded the real power. Maria Clementina’s maternal grandparents were Carlos III, King of Spain and Maria Amalia of Saxony.

Leopold I, Grand Duke of Tuscany, his wife Maria Luisa & their children (left to right) Maria Theresa, Karl, Alexander Leopold, Maria Clementina, Maria Anna, Josef Anton, Franz, & Ferdinand; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Clementina had fifteen siblings:

Maria Theresa of Austria (1767 – 1827), married Anton, King of Saxony, had three children who died in early childhood
Franz II, Holy Roman Emperor, later Franz I, Emperor of Austria (1768 – 1835) married (1) Elisabeth of Württemberg, had one daughter who died in infancy, died in childbirth (2) Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, had twelve children, died in childbirth (3) Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, no children, died from tuberculosis (4) Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, no children
Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1769 – 1824), married (1) Luisa of Naples and Sicily, had five children, died in childbirth with her stillborn son (2) Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony, no children
Maria Anna of Austria (1770 – 1809), unmarried, Abbess at the Theresian Convent in Prague
Karl of Austria (1771 – 1847), married Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg, had seven children
Alexander Leopold of Austria (1772 – 1795), unmarried, died from burns from a fireworks display he had created
Albrecht Johann Joseph of Austria (1773 – 1774), died in infancy
Maximilian of Austria (1774 – 1778), died in childhood
Josef Anton of Austria (1776 – 1847, married (1) Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia, had one daughter who died in infancy, died from childbirth complications (2) Hermine of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, had fraternal twins, died from childbirth complications (3) Maria Dorothea of Württemberg, had five children
Anton Viktor of Austria, Grand Master of Teutonic Knights (1779 – 1835), unmarried
Maria Amalia of Austria (1780 – 1798), unmarried
Johann of Austria (1782 – 1859), married morganatically Anna Plochl, had one son
Rainer Joseph of Austria (1783 – 1853), married Elisabeth of Savoy-Carignan, had eight children
Ludwig of Austria (1784 – 1864), unmarried
Rudolf of Austria, Cardinal-Archbishop of Olomouc (1788 – 1831), unmarried

Maria Clementina’s husband Francesco, circa 1793-1797; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Clementina was raised in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany until the death of her paternal uncle, Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor in 1790. Her father became Holy Roman Emperor, and the family moved to Vienna, Austria. In that same year, Maria Clementine became engaged to her double first cousin Franceso, Duke of Calabria and heir to the throne of Naples and Sicily, the son of Ferdinando, King of Naples and King of Sicily from 1759 – 1816, and King of the Two Sicilies from 1816 – 1825, and his first wife Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria. Her father Leopold II was the brother of Francesco’s mother, and her mother Maria Luisa was the sister of Francesco’s father. The marriage was planned to strengthen the alliance between Naples and Sicily, and Austria. A proxy marriage took place in 1790 in Vienna, Austria. However, because the bride and the groom were both only thirteen years old and the French Revolution caused unrest in Europe, the actual wedding did not occur for seven years. On June 25, 1797, Francesco and Maria Clementina were married in person in Foggia, Kingdom of Naples, now in Italy. Upon her marriage, Maria Clementina was styled Duchess of Calabria, the female counterpart of her husband’s title, Duke of Calabria as the heir apparent.

Maria Clementina and Francesco had two children:

Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1798 – 1870), married (1) Charles Ferdinand d’Artois, Duke of Berry, son of the future Charles X, King of France, assassinated while leaving the opera in Paris, had four children but two died soon after birth (2) Ettore Carlo Lucchesi-Palli, 8th Duke della Grazia, had five children
Fernando Francesco of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1800 – 1801), died in infancy

Maria Clementina and Francesco had a loving and happy but short marriage. She died from tuberculosis on November 15, 1801, aged 24, in Naples, then in the Kingdom of Naples, later in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, now in Italy, before Francesco became King of the Two Sicilies. Her infant son had died four months earlier. Maria Clementina was buried at the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples with her son. Francesco married again in 1802 to another first cousin, Maria Isabella of Spain, and the couple had twelve children. Francesco reigned as King of the Two Sicilies from 1825 – 1830.

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Klementine von Österreich (1777–1801) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Klementine_von_%C3%96sterreich_(1777%E2%80%931801)> [Accessed 7 August 2021].
En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Archduchess Maria Clementina of Austria – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archduchess_Maria_Clementina_of_Austria> [Accessed 7 August 2021].
En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_II,_Holy_Roman_Emperor> [Accessed 7 August 2021].
Flantzer, S., 2021. Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/francesco-i-king-of-the-two-sicilies/> [Accessed 7 August 2021].
It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Clementina d’Asburgo-Lorena (1777-1801) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Clementina_d%27Asburgo-Lorena_(1777-1801)> [Accessed 7 August 2021].

Sigismund III Vasa, King of Sweden, King of Poland

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Sigismund III Vasa, King of Sweden, King of Poland; Credit – Wikipedia

Sigmund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 until he died in 1632 and King of Sweden and Grand Duke of Finland from his father’s death in 1592 until he was deposed by his uncle in 1599. He was born on June 20, 1566, at Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, Sweden, where his parents were being held in captivity because of a failed rebellion against Johan’s mentally ill half-brother Erik XIV, King of Sweden. Sigismund was the second of the three children and only son of Johan, Grand Duke of Finland, the future Johan III, King of Sweden, and his first wife Katarina Jagellonica of Poland. Sigismund’s mother was the daughter of Sigismund I, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1467 – 1548) and his second wife Bona Sforza of Milan (1494 – 1557). After her father’s death in 1548, Katarina’s brother Sigismund II Augustus succeeded as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.

Johan III of Sweden, his wife Katarina Jagiellon and young Sigismund imprisoned at Gripsholm Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

Sigismund III Vasa had two sisters:

Isabella Vasa of Sweden (1564 – 1566), died in early childhood
Anna Vasa of Sweden (1568 – 1625), unmarried

Due to King Erik XIV’s mental health issues, his participation in the 1567 Sture Murders, and his unpopular marriage to his mistress Karin Månsdotter, his younger half-brothers led a revolt against him with the support of many nobles that ended in Erik XIV’s removal as King of Sweden in September 1568 and his eldest half-brother succeeding to the throne as Johan III, King of Sweden. Sigismund was now the Crown Prince of Sweden.

While his father was Lutheran, Sigismund’s mother was Roman Catholic, and he was raised Catholic in the hopes that he would become King of Poland. Sigismund was made aware of his connection to the Jagiellonian dynasty, which had ruled Poland since 1386. He was tutored in Polish and Swedish and was proficient in German, Italian, and Latin. In the spring of 1583, Sigismund’s mother Katarina became seriously ill with gout, and after much suffering, she died on September 16, 1583, aged 56. After Katarina’s death, Johan III married again to Gunilla Bielke.

Sigismund had one half-brother from his father’s second marriage to Gunilla Bielke:

Johan of Sweden, Duke of Finland, Duke of Östergötland (1589 – 1618), married his first cousin, Princess Maria Elisabet of Sweden, no children

After the death of Stephen Báthory, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, who had no legitimate children, 21-year-old Sigismund was elected King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1587. He was crowned on December 27, 1587, at Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland.

Anna of Austria, Sigismund’s first wife; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 31, 1592, at Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland, Sigismund married his first wife, Anna of Austria, daughter of Archduke Karl II of Austria and Maria Anna of Bavaria. On the same day, Anna was crowned Queen of Poland.

Sigismund and Anna had five children, but only one, Ladislaus Vasa, who succeeded his father as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, survived childhood. Similarly, Ladislaus Vasa had five children from his two marriages, but none survived childhood.

Anna Marie (1593 – 1600), died in childhood
Katarina (born and died 1594), died in infancy
Ladislaus Vasa IV, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania (1595 – 1648), married (1) Cecilia Renata of Austria, had three children, none survived childhood, Cecilia Renata died due to childbirth complications (2) Marie Louise Gonzaga, had two children, neither survived infancy
Katarina (1596 – 1597), died in infancy
Christopher (born and died 1598), died shortly after birth

On November 17, 1592, Sigismund’s father, Johan III, King of Sweden, Grand Duke of Lithuania died. The Polish legislature permitted Sigismund to claim his inheritance as the rightful King of Sweden. The Catholic Sigismund promised to recognize Lutheranism as Sweden’s state religion and was crowned at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden, on February 19, 1594. However, many were suspicious of Sigismund’s promise to uphold Lutheranism when a papal nuncio was in the coronation procession.

Sigismund’s uncle Karl, who deposed him and reigned as Karl IX, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

When Sigismund returned to Poland in July 1594, Sigismund’s uncle Karl, Duke of Södermanland, and the council governed in his absence. Because of the religious differences, Sigismund did not want to give his uncle and the council full government power. He appointed some council members who favored the Roman Catholic Church and received orders directly from him. In 1595, the Riksdag (legislature) gained control of the Swedish government and appointed Karl Regent. During this long conflict, Sigismund’s first wife Anna died, aged 24, on February 10, 1598, due to birth complications during the birth of her sixth child, who also died. She was buried in the South Ambulatory Crypt at Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland. Ultimately, on February 24, 1604, the Swedish Riksdag declared that Sigismund abdicated the Swedish throne and that his uncle Karl, Duke of Södermanland was recognized as the sovereign, Karl IX, King of Sweden. Although he lost the Swedish throne, Sigismund reigned as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania until his death.

Constance of Austria, Sigismund’s second wife and the younger sister of his first wife; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 11, 1605, Sigismund married Anna’s sister Constance of Austria (1588 – 1631), who became Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania upon her marriage.

Sigismund and Constance had seven children:

Johan Kasimir (1607 – 1608), died in infancy
Johan Kasimir II, King of Poland, Duke of Lithuania (1609 – 1672), married (1) Marie Louise Gonzaga, had two children (2) Claudine Françoise Mignot (morganatic marriage), had one daughter
Cardinal Johan Albert Vasa, Bishop of Krakow (1612 – 1634), died from smallpox
Karl Ferdinand Vasa, Bishop of Wrocław (1613 – 1655)
Alexander Karl Vasa (1614 – 1634), died from smallpox
Anna Konstantia Vasa (born and died 1616), died in infancy
Anna Katarina Constance Vasa (1619 – 1651), married Philip Wilhelm, Hereditary Count Palatine of Neuburg, no children

In June 1631, on a very hot day, Constance participated in the procession on the religious Feast of Corpus Christi and suffered a severe heatstroke. She died on July 10, 1631, aged 42, from the effects of heatstroke. Sigismund was so upset that he could not attend her funeral. He never recovered from Constance’s sudden death and died just nine months later, on April 30, 1632, aged 65. Sigismund and Constance were buried in the crypt under the Vasa Chapel at Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland.

Sigismund III on his catafalque following his death; Credit – Wikipedia

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Sigismund III Vasa – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigismund_III_Vasa> [Accessed 4 June 2021].
Flantzer, Susan. Johan III, King of Sweden. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/johan-iii-king-of-sweden/> [Accessed 4 June 2021].
Pl.wikipedia.org. 2021. Zygmunt III Waza – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia. [online] Available at: <https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zygmunt_III_Waza> [Accessed 4 June 2021].
Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Sigismund – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigismund> [Accessed 4 June 2021].

Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

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Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies; Credit – Wikipedia

King of the Two Sicilies for only five years, Francesco Gennaro Giuseppe Saverio Giovanni Battista was born in the Royal Palace of Naples in the Kingdom of Naples, now in Italy, on August 19, 1777. He was the fifth of the seventeen children and the second but the eldest surviving of the seven sons of Ferdinando, who reigned as King of Naples and King of Sicily from 1759 – 1816, and then as King Ferdinando I of the Two Sicilies from 1816 – 1825, and his first wife Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria. Francesco’s paternal grandparents were Carlos III, King of Spain and Maria Amalia of Saxony. His maternal grandparents were the formidable and powerful Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa, who was in her own right Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary, Queen of Croatia, and Queen of Bohemia, and Franz, Holy Roman Emperor, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Duke of Lorraine. Even though her husband was the nominal Holy Roman Emperor, Maria Theresa wielded the real power.

Included in the portrait are Ferdinando, Maria Carolina, and their children Maria Theresa, Maria Luisa, Maria Amelia, Francesco, Maria Cristina, and Gennaro, 1783; Credit – Wikipedia

Upon the death of his three-year-old elder brother Carlo, Duke of Calabria from smallpox, Francesco became the heir-apparent to the thrones of Naples and Sicily and Duke of Calabria, the traditional title of the heir apparent to the throne of Naples. Six more of Francesco’s sixteen siblings would also die from smallpox.

Maria Teresa of Naples and Sicily (1772 – 1807), married her first cousin Franz II, Holy Roman Emperor (later Franz I, Emperor of Austria), had twelve children, died in childbirth
Luisa of Naples and Sicily (1773 – 1802), married her first cousin Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, had five children, died in childbirth
Carlo of Naples and Sicily, Duke of Calabria (1775 – 1778), died in early childhood from smallpox.
Maria Anna of Naples and Sicily (1775 – 1780), died in childhood from smallpox.
Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily (1779 – 1849), married Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia, no children
Gennaro of Naples and Sicily (1780 – 1789), died in childhood from smallpox
Giuseppe of Naples and Sicily (1781 – 1783), died in early childhood from smallpox.
Maria Amelia of Naples and Sicily (1782 – 1866), married Louis Philippe d’Orléans, Duke of Orléans, later King of the French, had ten children
Maria Carolina of Naples and Sicily (born and died 1783)
Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily (1784 – 1806), married Infante Ferdinand of Spain, Prince of Asturias, later King Ferdinand VII of Spain, no children, died from tuberculosis
Maria Clotilde of Naples and Sicily (1786 – 1792), died in childhood from smallpox
Maria Enricheta of Naples and Sicily (1787- 1792), died in childhood from smallpox
Carlo Gennaro of Naples and Sicily (1788 – 1789), died in infancy from smallpox
Leopoldo of Naples and Sicily (1790 – 1851), married his niece Clementina of Austria, had two children
Alberto of Naples and Sicily (1792 – 1798), died in childhood
Maria Isabella of Naples and Sicily (1793 – 1801), died in childhood

Francesco at the age of thirteen; Credit – Wikipedia

Unlike his father who received no comprehensive education, Francesco was well educated by highly qualified tutors such as physicist and biologist Giuseppe Saverio Poli and Cardinal Domenico Orsini d’Aragona. He showed great interest in history and the natural sciences, particularly botany. When Francesco was eighteen years old, he began to attend meetings of the state council so that he could learn about the government.

Francesco’s mother Maria Carolina of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

Francesco’s mother Maria Carolina of Austria had been extremely well educated and prepared for her role as Queen Consort. As part of her marriage contract, Maria Carolina was to have a place on the council of state after the birth of her first son. In 1775, after her first son was born, Maria Carolina took her place on the council of state. Bernardo Tanucci, the former president of her husband’s regency council, was still on the council of state and attempted to thwart her political influence, and found himself dismissed in 1777. From then on, Maria Carolina was the de facto ruler of the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily.

Maria Clementina of Austria, Francesco’s first wife; Credit – Wikipedia

Francesco accepted his mother’s plan that he marry his double first cousin Archduchess Maria Clementina of Austria, the daughter of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Luisa of Spain. Leopold II was the brother of Francesco’s mother and Maria Luisa was the sister of Francesco’s father. The marriage was planned to strengthen the alliance between Naples and Sicily and Austria. A proxy marriage took place in 1790. However, because the bride and the groom were both only thirteen years old and the French Revolution caused unrest in Europe, the actual wedding did not occur for seven years. On June 25, 1797, Francesco and Maria Clementina were married in person in Foggia, Kingdom of Naples, now in Italy.

Francesco and Maria Clementina had two children:

Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1798 – 1870), married (1) Charles Ferdinand d’Artois, Duke of Berry, had two surviving children (2) Ettore Carlo Lucchesi-Palli, 8th Duke della Grazia, had five children
Fernando Francesco of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1800 – 1801), died in infancy

Maria Isabella of Spain, Francesco’s second wife; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Clementina died from tuberculosis in Naples, Kingdom of Naples on November 15, 1801, aged 24, and was buried at the Basilica of Santa Chiara, Naples. After her death, a double marriage was arranged with Spain. Carlos IV, King of Spain was the brother of Ferdinando I, King of Naples and Sicily, and so these marriages were between first cousins. Francesco was to marry Maria Isabella of Spain and his sister Maria Antonia was to marry Ferdinand of Spain, Prince of Asturias, later King Ferdinand VII of Spain. Maria Antonia died in 1806 from tuberculosis before her husband became King of Spain. On July 6, 1802, in Madrid Spain, 13-year-old Maria Isabella married her 25-year-old cousin Francesco by proxy with her brother Ferdinand standing in for the groom. The two couples were married in person in Barcelona, Spain on October 4, 1802.

Francesco’s family: Left to right: Maria Isabella, second wife of Francesco holding Maria Carolina, Ferdinanda Luisa, Maria Antonia, Luisa Carlotta, Maria Cristina, Ferdinando, Francesco holding Maria Amalia, Carlo, Prince of Capua and Leopoldo, Count of Syracuse; Credit – Wikipedia

Francesco and Maria Isabella had twelve children over twenty-three years. Unusual for the time, all twelve survived childhood.

Luisa Carlotta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1804 – 1844), married her maternal uncle Francisco de Paula of Spain, had eleven children
Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1806 – 1878), married (1) her maternal uncle Ferdinand VII, King of Spain, had two daughters including Queen Isabella II of Spain (2) Agustín Fernando Muñoz y Sánchez, 1st Duke of Riánsares, had eight children
Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies (1810 – 1859), married (1) Maria Cristina of Savoy, had one child Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies, died from childbirth complications (2) Maria Theresa of Austria, had twelve children
Carlo Ferdinando of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Prince of Capua (1811 – 1862), married morganatically Penelope Smyth, had two children
Leopoldo Beniamino of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Syracuse (1813 – 1860), Maria of Savoy-Carignan, had one daughter who died in infancy
Maria Antonia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1814 – 1898), married Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, had ten children
Antonio Pasquale of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Lecce (1816 – 1843), unmarried, clubbed to death by the husband of a married woman he had tried to seduce
Maria Amalia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1818 – 1857), married Infante Sebastian of Portugal and Spain, no children
Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1820 – 1861), married Carlos of Spain, Count of Montemolin, Carlist pretender to the Spanish throne, no children
Teresa Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1822 – 1889), married Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, had four children
Luigi Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Aquila (1824 – 1897), married Januária, Princess Imperial of Brazil, had four children
Francesco di Paola of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Trapani (1827 – 1892), married his niece Maria Isabella of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, had six children

Francesco’s father Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies; Credit – Wikipedia

Francesco’s father Ferdinando was deposed twice from his thrones: once by the revolutionary Parthenopean Republic for six months in 1799 and again by Napoleon in 1805. In February 1806, Ferdinando, Maria Carolina, and their family were forced to flee to the island of Sicily, which was still in their control, where they lived in the Royal Palace of Palermo under British protection. However, the government of Sicily was a feudal type, and the British insisted on a government more similar to the British one. In 1813, Ferdinando essentially but not officially abdicated and Francesco was appointed regent. At the insistence of the British, who were becoming more and more adverse to Maria Carolina, she was forced to leave Sicily. She returned to her home in Austria where she died from a stroke, aged 62, on September 8, 1814.

Less than three months after the death of his mother Maria Carolina, Francesco’s father Ferdinand married again to Lucia Migliaccio, Duchess of Floridia. The marriage caused a considerable scandal. Francesco had tried to dissuade his father from marrying Lucia, and always intensely disliked her. In 1816, after Ferdinando abolished the constitution of the Kingdom of Sicily, the two kingdoms, Naples and Sicily, were united into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. For the next four years, Ferdinand reigned as an absolute monarch, and there were no constitutional reforms. In 1820, a revolt broke out in Sicily and riots occurred in Naples. Ferdinando was forced to sign a constitution and appoint his son Francesco as regent of Sicily. This only lasted until March 1821, when Austrian troops friendly to Ferdinando occupied Naples. Ferdinando was re-established as an absolute monarch and the constitution was withdrawn. Ferdinando died from a stroke on January 4, 1825, at the age of 73 and his son Francesco became King of the Two Sicilies.

Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies, 1829; Credit – Wikipedia

After his father’s death, Francesco expelled his stepmother Lucia Migliaccio, Duchess of Floridia from the royal court. When Lucia died in 1826, noticeably missing from her funeral were Francesco and members of the royal family of the Two Sicilies. Francesco wanted to demonstrate once and for all the true feelings he had for Lucia. As king, Francesco followed conservative policies. He was content to leave the government in the hands of his favorites and advisers. During Francesco’s reign, the Carbonari, an informal network of secret revolutionary societies, grew stronger especially in eastern Sicily and in the Italian mainland part of the kingdom. In Sicily, smuggling and corruption flourished. Numerous crimes were committed by private armed gangs in the service of nobles and large landowners, from which the Cosa Nostra, also known as the Sicilian Mafia, later developed. Francesco’s major success was having the Austrian occupation force withdrawn, relieving a large financial burden on the treasury.

Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies died on November 8, 1830, aged 53, in Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, now in Italy. He was buried at the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples, the traditional burial site of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. His second wife Maria Isabella survived him by eighteen years, dying on September 13, 1848, at the age of 59, at the Palace of Portici in Portici, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, now in Italy. She was buried with her husband at the Basilica di Santa Chiara.

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited:

De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Franz I. (Sizilien) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_I._(Sizilien)> [Accessed 6 August 2021].
En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Francis I of the Two Sicilies – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_I_of_the_Two_Sicilies> [Accessed 6 August 2021].
Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/ferdinando-i-king-of-the-two-sicilies/> [Accessed 6 August 2021].
It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Francesco I delle Due Sicilie – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_I_delle_Due_Sicilie> [Accessed 6 August 2021].

Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Rupprecht was Crown Prince of Bavaria from 1913 until the end of the Bavarian monarchy in 1918. From his father’s death in 1921, he became pretender to the former Bavarian throne, and Head of the House of Wittelsbach. Through his direct descent from King Charles I of England, he also became heir to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland in the Jacobite Succession.

Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria – photo: Wikipedia

Rupprecht Maria Luitpold Ferdinand, Crown Prince of Bavaria, was born in Munich, then in the Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria, on May 18, 1869, the eldest child of the future King Ludwig III of Bavaria and Archduchess Maria Theresia of Austria-Este. He had 12 younger siblings:

Princess Adelgunde (1870-1958) – married Wilhelm, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, no issue
Princess Maria (1872-1954) – married Prince Ferdinando Pio of the Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria, had issue
Prince Karl (1874-1927) – unmarried
Prince Franz (1875-1957) – married Princess Isabella of Croÿ, had issue
Princess Mathilde (1877-1906) – married Prince Ludwig Gaston of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, had issue
Prince Wolfgang (1879-1895) – died in his teens
Princess Hildegarde (1881-1948) – unmarried
Princess Notburga (born and died 1883) – died in infancy
Princess Wiltrud (1884-1975) – married Wilhelm, Duke of Urach, no issue
Princess Helmtrud (1886-1977) – unmarried
Princess Dietlinde (1888-1889) – died in infancy
Princess Gundelinde (1891-1983) – married Johann Georg, Count von Preysing-Lichtenegg-Moos

Rupprecht grew up at Schloss Leutstetten in Starnberg, and the family’s villa near Lindau, at Lake Constance. Initially educated at home, he became the first member of the Bavarian royal family to study at a public school, attending the Maximilian-Gymnasium in Munich. He began his military career serving in the Lifeguards Regiment of the Bavarian Army, quickly rising to the rank of Colonel, and was given command of the 2nd Crown Prince’s Regiment. During this time, he also studied at the Universities of Berlin and Munich.

When Rupprecht was just 17, his future changed when his father was named Regent of Bavaria for both King Ludwig II and King Otto who had been declared insane and unable to reign. From that point, it was likely that he would someday succeed to the throne himself. When his grandfather died in 1912, Rupprecht’s father assumed the regency and the following year was formally named King of Bavaria as Ludwig III. Rupprecht formally became Crown Prince at that time.

Duchess Marie Gabriele in Bavaria. photo: Wikipedia

On July 10, 1900, Rupprecht married Duchess Marie Gabriele in Bavaria, at the Residenz (the Royal Palace in Munich). Marie Gabriele was the daughter of Karl-Theodor, Duke in Bavaria, and his second wife Infanta Maria José of Portugal, and was the younger sister of the future Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, the wife of King Albert I of the Belgians. Rupprecht and his wife had four children:

Luitpold, Hereditary Prince of Bavaria (1901) – died in his youth
Princess Irmingard (1902) – died in infancy
Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria (1905) – married (1) Countess Maria Draskovich de Trakostjan, had issue; (2) Countess Marie-Jenke Keglevich de Buzin, no issue
Prince Rudolf (1909) – died in childhood

After the outbreak of World War I, Rupprecht was given command of the German Sixth Army, serving on the Western front, and rose to the rank of Field Marshal by 1916. He then took command of Army Group Rupprecht, which consisted of the 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 7th armies. Despite the losses at the end of the war, Rupprecht had proven himself to be a skilled military leader. He resigned from his military positions on November 11, 1918 – Armistice Day. The following day, the Bavarian monarchy was abolished.

The next several years saw many changes in Rupprecht’s life. Upon his mother’s death in 1919, he became heir to the Jacobite succession, although he never made any claims based upon this, and discouraged anyone from making any claims on his behalf.

Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

Princess Antonia of Luxembourg. photo: Wikipedia

In April 1921, having been widowed for nine years, Rupprecht remarried. Rupprecht became engaged in August 1918 to Princess Antonia of Luxembourg, the fourth of six daughters of the late Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Infanta Maria Ana of Portugal. At the time they were engaged, Luxembourg was occupied by German forces, and Antonia’s eldest sister, Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde was facing intense criticism for her perceived close ties with Germany. These concerns forced Marie-Adélaïde to abdicate in early 1919 in favor of her sister Charlotte, who would reign much more successfully than her elder sister as Grand Duchess for over 45 years. Finally, on April 7, 1921, Rupprecht and Antonia were married at Schloss Hohenburg in Lenggries, Bavaria.

They had six children:

Prince Heinrich (1922) – married Anne Marie de Lustrac, no issue
Princess Irmingard (1923) – married Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, had issue
Princess Editha (1924) – married (1) Tito Tmmaso Brunetti, had issue; (2) Gustav Schimert, had issue
Princess Hilda (1926) – married Juan Lockett de Loayza, had issue
Princess Gabriele (1927) – married Karl, Duke of Croy, had issue
Princess Sophie (1935) – married Jean-Engelbert, Duke of Arenberg, had issue

Five months after Rupprecht’s marriage, in October 1921, King Ludwig III died and Rupprecht became Head of the House of Wittelsbach and pretender to the former Bavarian throne. Rupprecht soon began pursuing the restitution of properties and estates the Bavarian state had seized at the end of World War I. After extensive negotiations, an agreement was reached in 1923, and the state established the Wittelsbach Compensation Fund. Properties and assets were placed into this foundation instead of being returned to any specific person. In addition, the family agreed to place numerous assets – including a large art collection – into the fund, with the provision that they be made accessible to the public. With this agreement in place, Rupprecht waived any future claims for properties or assets. Today, the fund is self-supporting, with all income used to maintain the collections and to provide financial resources for the Wittelsbach family.

For many years, Rupprecht promoted the idea of a constitutional monarchy in Bavaria, but soon Hitler came to power. Despite attempts to lure him into the Nazi party, Rupprecht refused. In 1939, he and his family were forced into exile, moving to Italy as guests of King Vittorio Emanuele III. Following the 1944 assassination attempt on Hitler, Rupprecht and his family were targeted by the Gestapo for possibly being involved. Rupprecht managed to remain in hiding and avoid capture. However, his wife and children, who had earlier moved to Hungary, were taken into custody. They spent the remainder of the war in several concentration camps, before being freed in April 1945. Such was the treatment they received that his wife refused to ever return to German soil. Following the war, he established the Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria Foundation for the Reconstruction of Würzburg that focused on rebuilding the damaged city and providing affordable housing for its residents. In addition, he continued his efforts to restore the monarchy, with no success.

Leutstetten Castle. photo: Von Gras-Ober, Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons (cc-by-sa-3.0), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14520511

Widowed in 1954, Rupprecht’s health soon began to fail. On August 8, 1955, surrounded by his family, Crown Prince Rupprecht died at Leutstetten Castle at the age of 86. He was given a state funeral with full royal honors and his coffin interred in the crypt of the Theatinerkirche in Munich.

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Bavarian Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

St. Mary Magdalene Church; Credit – By Elliott Brown – Flickr: The Church of St Mary Magdalene, Sandringham, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28380611

In 1862, the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, purchased the 8,000-acre Sandringham Estate from William Cowper-Temple, 1st Baron Mount Temple, as a country home for him and his future wife Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Like Balmoral in Scotland, the Sandringham Estate is the private property of the British Sovereign.

Embed from Getty Images
Prince Philip, Prince Edward, Prince Charles, Princess of Wales (red coat with a black hat), Peter Phillips, Prince William (holding flowers), Zara Phillips, Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth II (purple coat), Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (blue coat), Prince Harry, Princess Margaret after the Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church on December 25, 1993

St. Mary Magdalene Church, located in Sandringham, Norfolk, England, is just southwest of Sandringham House. Sandringham Estate staff regularly use the church and when in residence at Sandringham, members of the British royal family attend services at St. Mary Magdalene Church which usually includes Christmas services.

Chancel of St. Mary Magdalene Church; Credit – By Andrewrabbott – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80579847

The church dates to the 16th century and was restored by architects Samuel Sanders Teulon in 1855 and Arthur Blomfield in 1890. King Edward VII commissioned Charles Eamer Kempe, a designer and a manufacturer of stained glass, to create some of the church decorations and the stained glass in the east window.

The altar presented to Queen Alexandra by the American department store owner Rodman Wanamaker; Credit – By Andrewrabbott – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80579848

The church’s silver altar and altarpiece were created by the silversmiths Barkentin & Krall and were presented to Queen Alexandra as a memorial to King Edward VII by the American department store owner Rodman Wanamaker, a patron of many important commissions in the field of liturgical arts. Wanamaker also presented Queen Alexandra with the silver pulpit and a silver 17th-century Spanish processional cross.

The pulpit presented to Queen Alexandra by the American department store owner, Rodman Wanamaker; Credit – By Andrewrabbott – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80579846

On the walls of the church are memorials to several members of the British royal family.

Memorial to Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duke of Edinburgh; Credit – By Andrewrabbott – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80579763

Memorial to King George V; Credit – By Basher Eyre, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70591702

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Christenings

Embed from Getty Images
Christening of Princess Eugenie of York

Prince Albert (later King George VI), son of Prince George, Duke of York, later Prince of Wales and King George V – christened February 10, 1896
Princess Mary (later Princess Royal), daughter of Prince George, Duke of York, later Prince of Wales and King George V – christened June 7, 1897
Prince Alexander of Denmark (later King Olav V of Norway), son of Prince Carl of Denmark and Princess Maud of Wales, later King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway – christened August 11, 1903
Prince John, son of Prince George, Prince of Wales, later King George V – christened August 3, 1905
The Honorable Diana Spencer (later The Princess of Wales), daughter of John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer, first wife of King Charles III – christened August 30, 1961
Princess Eugenie of York, daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York – christened December 23, 1990
Princess Charlotte of Wales, daughter of Prince William, The Prince of Wales – christened July 5, 2015

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Burials

Graves of Prince John and Prince Alexander John; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Prince Alexander John (April 6, 1871 – April 7, 1871), son of The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII
Prince John (1905 – 1919), son of King George V

Relatives of Diana, Princess of Wales

St. Mary Magdalene Churchyard; Credit – By Immanuel Giel – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70288455

The family of Diana, Princess of Wales has a connection to Sandringham Estate. Park House, located on the Sandringham Estate, just to the west of Sandringham House, was the birthplace of Diana. However, the family history goes back a little further. In the 1930s, King George V leased Park House to his friend Maurice Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy. Baron Fermoy and his wife Ruth, later a Woman of the Bedchamber and close confidante to The Queen Mother, had three children, all born at Park House, including Diana’s mother The Honorable Frances Ruth Roche. When Frances married John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, the couple took over the lease on Park House from her parents. Diana was born there seven years later, and her father retained the lease on Park House until 1975 when he became the 8th Earl Spencer and the family moved to the Spencer family home Althorp.

Because of this family connection, several members of Diana’s family are buried in the churchyard at St. Mary Magdalene Church.

Maurice Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy (1885 – 1955), Diana’s maternal grandfather
The Honorable John Spencer (born and died January 12, 1960), Diana’s brother
The Honorable Elizabeth Burke Roche (March 27, 1966 – April 2, 1966), Diana’s first cousin, daughter of Edmund Roche, 5th Baron Fermoy
Edmund Roche, 5th Baron Fermoy (1939 – 1984), died by suicide, Diana’s maternal uncle
Ruth Roche, Baroness Fermoy (1908 – 1993), Diana’s maternal grandmother

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Resting of King George V’s Coffin

Embed from Getty Images

In his final years, King George V had several medical issues exacerbated by his habit of smoking including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pleurisy. On January 15, 1936, King George V went to bed at Sandringham House complaining of a cold, gradually became weaker, and drifted in and out of consciousness. On January 20, when the king was close to death, his doctors issued a bulletin with words that became famous: “The King’s life is moving peacefully towards its close.” As the king lay dying of bronchitis, Bertrand Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of Penn, Physician-in-Ordinary to King George V, gave him a lethal injection of cocaine and morphine, thereby hastening his death to ensure that the announcement of the death would appear first in the morning edition of The Times and not in some lesser publication in the afternoon. Before King George V’s coffin was taken to London to lie in state at Westminster Hall, it rested at St. Mary Magdalene Church. His funeral was held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor.

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Resting of King George VI’s Coffin

Embed from Getty Images

Suffering from lung cancer, King George VI died in his sleep on February 6, 1952, at Sandringham House. His coffin rested at St. Mary Magdalene Church until it was taken to London on February 11, 1952, to lie-in-state at Westminster Hall. His funeral was held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor.

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Works Cited

Britain Express, 2021. Sandringham, St Mary Magdalene Church | History & Photos. [online] Britain Express. Available at: <https://www.britainexpress.com/counties/norfolk/churches/sandringham.htm> [Accessed 23 May 2021].
En.wikipedia.org. 2021. St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary_Magdalene_Church,_Sandringham> [Accessed 23 May 2021].
Mehl, Scott, 2013. Park House, Sandringham Estate. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/park-house-sandringham-estate/> [Accessed 23 May 2021].
Mehl, Scott, 2015. Sandringham House. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/sandringham-house/> [Accessed 23 May 2021].
Sandringhamestate.co.uk. 2021. Sandringham. [online] Available at: <https://sandringhamestate.co.uk/attractions/sandringham-church> [Accessed 23 May 2021].

Lucia Migliaccio, Duchess of Floridia, morganatic 2nd wife of Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Lucia Migliaccio, Duchess of Floridia; Credit – Wikipedia

Lucia Migliaccio, Duchess of Floridia was born on July 19, 1770, in Syracuse, Kingdom of Sicily, now in Italy. She was the daughter of Vincenzo Migliaccio, 8th Duke of Floridia, a Sicilian nobleman, and Dorotea Borgia dei Marchesi del Casale, from a Spanish noble family. When Lucia was five years old, her father and elder brother Ignazio died, making her the sole heir to her father’s title.

On April 4, 1791, Lucia married Benedetto Grifeo, Prince of Partanna. The couple had seven children:

Girolamo Grifeo (circa 1790 – ?), died young
Vincenzo I Grifeo, Prince of Partanna (1791 – 1846), married Agata Gravina, Princess of Palagonia, had eight children
Giuseppe Grifeo (circa 1794 – circa 1857), married Agata Moncada, had four children
Dorotea Grifeo (circa 1795 – 1850), unmarried?
Leopoldo Grifeo, Prince of Pantelleria (1796 – 1871), married Antonia Reggio Requesens, had three children
Luigi Grifeo (circa 1800 – 1860), unmarried?
Marianna Grifeo (1809 – 1831), unmarried

Lucia became lady-in-waiting at the court of King Ferdinando IV of Naples and III of Sicily (later King of the Two Sicilies) and his wife, born Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria. While at court, Lucia received the Order of the Noble Ladies of Queen Maria Luisa of Spain and the Austrian Order of the Star Cross. Lucia’s husband Benedetto Grifeo, Prince of Partanna died on March 28, 1812, aged 56, in Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily, now in Italy.

King Ferdinando IV of Naples and III of Sicily, after 1815, King of the Two Sicilies; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 8, 1814, Maria Carolina, the wife of King Ferdinando IV of Naples and III of Sicily, died. Wanting to remarry, the 63-year-old Ferdinando turned his attention to the 44-year-old Lucia, whom he had met frequently at court. The rules of protocol required at least one year of mourning before remarriage. However, on November 27, 1814, less than three months after the death of his first wife, Ferdinando married Lucia. Ferdinando received a special dispensation from an archbishop to marry Lucia. The couple was married very privately by Ferdinando’s confessor in the presence of only two witnesses at the Palatine Chapel in the Royal Palace of Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily, now in Italy.

Lucia’s stepson, Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage caused a considerable scandal. Ferdinando and Maria Carolina’s eldest surviving son, the future Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies, had tried to dissuade his father from marrying Lucia, and always intensely disliked her. To protect Lucia, Ferdinando forced his son Francesco to sign a document stating that he would ensure Lucia’s high standard of living until her death. Because Lucia was not of royal blood, the marriage was morganatic, and Lucia did not receive the title of queen, and any children from the marriage would not be in the line of succession. However, the marriage remained childless. Ferdinando’s first wife Maria Carolina had been very politically involved and had been considered the de facto ruler of Naples and Sicily, but Lucia had limited influence and little interest in politics.

Villa Floridiana: ; Credit – Di Armando Mancini – Flickr: Napoli – Villa Floridiana, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16730432

In 1817, Ferdinando purchased an unfinished villa on a hill in the Vomero district of Naples, which he named the Villa Floridiana in honor of Lucia’s title Duchess of Floridia. The villa was completed in a neoclassical style, and the gardens were landscaped in the English style. Ferdinando also acquired another nearby villa, which he renamed Villa Lucia. The entire complex was given to Lucia as her own personal property.

In 1816, after Ferdinando abolished the constitution of the Kingdom of Sicily, the two kingdoms, Naples and Sicily, were united into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. For the next four years, Ferdinand reigned as an absolute monarch, and there were no constitutional reforms. In 1820, a revolt broke out in Sicily, and riots occurred in Naples. Ferdinando was forced to sign a constitution and appoint his son Francesco as regent of Sicily. This only lasted until March 1821, when Austrian troops friendly to Ferdinando occupied Naples. Ferdinando was re-established as an absolute monarch, and the constitution was withdrawn. Ferdinando died from a stroke in Naples on January 4, 1825, at the age of 73. He was buried at the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples, the traditional burial site of the Kings of Naples from the House of Anjou (1282 – 1501) and the Kings of the Two Sicilies from the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1816 – 1861).

Detail from Lucia’s tomb showing her deathbed surrounded by her children from her first marriage; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39133853

Lucia’s great emotional pain over Ferdinando’s death, combined with the many quarrels due to the substantial personal bequests made by Ferdinando to Lucia, and the insult for being expelled from the royal court by the new king, Francesco I of the Two Sicilies, undermined Lucia’s health. She survived her husband by a little more than a year, dying on April 26, 1826, aged 55, in Naples. Lucia’s funeral was held at the Church of San Ferdinando in Naples, and she was buried there by the order of her late husband, who had forbidden any other burials at that church. Lucia’s funeral was attended by the nobility of Naples, government ministers, foreign ambassadors, and Lucia’s close relatives. Noticeably missing were Lucia’s stepson Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies and members of the royal family of the Two Sicilies. Francesco I wanted to demonstrate once and for all the true feelings he had for Lucia.

Church of San Ferdinando in Naples; Credit – By Lalupa – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3551990

Works Cited

De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Lucia Migliaccio – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucia_Migliaccio>.
Di Rubbio, Lucia, 2017. LUCIA MIGLIACCIO GRIFEO: LA SPOSA DEL RE. [online] Altaterradilavoro.com. Available at: <https://www.altaterradilavoro.com/lucia-migliaccio-grifeo-la-sposa-del-re/?doing_wp_cron=1627851744.0155940055847167968750>.
En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Lucia Migliaccio – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucia_Migliaccio>.
Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/ferdinando-i-king-of-the-two-sicilies/>.
geni_family_tree. 2021. Lucia Migliaccio, duchessa di Floridia. [online] Available at: <https://www.geni.com/people/Lucia-Migliaccio-duchessa-di-Floridia/6000000004254760366>.
It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Lucia Migliaccio – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucia_Migliaccio>.

Maria Carolina of Austria, Queen of Naples and Sicily

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Maria Carolina of Austria, Queen of Naples and Sicily; Credit – Wikipedia

Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria was the first wife of King Ferdinando IV of Naples and III Sicily, after her death, Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies. Maria Carolina Louise Josepha Johanna Antonia was born on August 13, 1752, at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. She was the thirteenth of the sixteen children and the tenth of the eleven daughters of Empress Maria Theresa, who was in her own right Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary, Queen of Croatia, and Queen of Bohemia, and Francis Stephen, Holy Roman Emperor, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Duke of Lorraine. Although Maria Theresa’s husband was Holy Roman Emperor, she wielded the real power.

Empress Maria Theresa with her family in 1754; Credit – Wikipedia

Eight of Maria Carolina’s fifteen siblings died in childhood.

Archduchess Maria Elisabeth (1737 – 1740), died in childhood
Archduchess Maria Anna (1738 – 1789), died unmarried, suffered from ill health and physical disabilities
Archduchess Maria Carolina (1740 – 1741), died in infancy
Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II (1741 – 1790), married 1) Isabella of Parma, had two daughters who died young 2) Princess Marie Josephe of Bavaria, no children, died from smallpox
Archduchess Maria Christina (1742 – 1798), married Prince Albert of Saxony, Duke of Teschen, had one stillborn daughter
Archduchess Maria Elisabeth (1743 – 1808), died unmarried
Archduke Karl Joseph (1745 – 1761), died in his teens from smallpox
Archduchess Maria Amalia (1746 – 1804), married Ferdinand, Duke of Parma, had ten children
Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (1747-1792), married Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain, had sixteen children
Archduchess Maria Carolina (born and died 1748), died hours after baptism
Archduchess Maria Johanna (1750 – 1762), died in childhood from smallpox
Archduchess Maria Josepha (1751-1767), died in her teens from smallpox
Archduke Ferdinand Karl (1754 – 1806), married Maria Beatrice d’Este, Duchess of Massa, had ten children
Archduchess Maria Antonia (1755-1793), married King Louis XVI of France, became Queen Marie Antoinette of France, had four children, beheaded during the French Revolution
Archduke Maximilian Franz, Archbishop-Elector of Cologne (1756 – 1801), unmarried

Maria Carolina in the blue dress with her favorite sister Maria Antonia in the pink dress, the future Queen Marie Antoinette of France, circa 1764; Credit – Wikipedia

During childhood, Maria Carolina was very close to her younger sister Maria Antonia, better known as the ill-fated Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. All the children of Empress Maria Theresa were educated following a strict program developed by their mother. Their lesson schedule included history, political science, math, science, Latin, Italian, dance lessons, theater performances, and painting. The girls were also instructed in handicrafts and conversation. Empress Maria Theresa wrote specific rules of conduct for each of her children. One rule written for Maria Carolina was: “I cannot forget your naughtiness and I will never forgive you. Your voice and language are uncomfortable. You must never raise your voice. You have to keep your mind occupied because that will keep you from making inappropriate comments.”

Maria Carolina holding a portrait of her father, circa 1765, the year of his death; Credit – Wikipedia

Empress Maria Theresa and her foreign minister Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg planned to improve Austria’s relations with other countries and Austria’s position in Europe through family ties. Part of that plan was for Maria Theresa to develop marriage plans for her surviving children at an early age. In October 1767, a marriage was arranged as part of an alliance between Austria and Spain. Empress Maria Theresa’s sixteen-year-old daughter Maria Josepha was engaged to marry sixteen-year-old Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies, the son of King Carlos III of Spain. However, Maria Josepha died during a smallpox epidemic. Ferdinando’s father Carlos III of Spain was anxious to save the Austro-Spanish alliance, and he requested one of Maria Josepha’s sisters as a replacement bride. Empress Maria Theresa offered a choice of two of her daughters, Maria Amalia or Maria Carolina. Because Maria Amalia was five years older than his son, Carlos III of Spain chose fifteen-year-old Maria Carolina.

Maria Carolina’s husband Ferdinando; Credit – Wikipedia

To say Maria Carolina was unhappy about her future marriage would be an understatement. Despite her objections, Maria Carolina was carefully prepared for her role as Queen of Naples and Sicily. Her mother’s instructions were “Do not make comparisons between our habits and theirs. Be a German in your heart and in the righteousness of your mind. In everything that does not matter, however, but not in what is bad, you must seem Neapolitan.” Nine months after the start of her preparations to become Queen of Naples and Sicily, on April 7, 1768, at the Augustinian Church in Vienna, Austria, Maria Carolina married Ferdinando by proxy, with her brother Ferdinand representing the groom. On that afternoon, Maria Carolina left for Naples. On May 12, 1768, Maria Carolina and Ferdinando were married in person at the Royal Palace of Caserta in Caserta, near Naples. As part of the marriage contract, Maria Carolina was to have a place on the council of state after the birth of her first son.

Maria Carolina circa 1768; Credit – Wikipedia

During the early months of their marriage, serious differences arose between the newlyweds which would worsen over the years. In contrast to Maria Carolina, who had been well educated and carefully prepared for her role as a future queen, Ferdinando had never received a comprehensive education and spent his time hunting, playing pranks, and eating excessively. Following her mother’s instructions, Maria Carolina earned Ferdinando’s trust by pretending to be interested in hunting, his favorite activity.

Included in the portrait are Ferdinando, Maria Carolina, and their children Maria Theresa, Maria Luisa, Maria Amelia, Francesco, Maria Cristina, and Gennaro, 1783; Credit – Wikipedia

Despite her dislike for her husband, Maria Carolina fulfilled her most important duty – to continue the dynasty. Maria Carolina and Ferdinando had seventeen children but only seven survived childhood. Seven of their children died from smallpox. However, four of their five surviving daughters married sovereigns.

Maria Teresa of Naples and Sicily (1772 – 1807), married her first cousin Franz II, Holy Roman Emperor (later Franz I, Emperor of Austria), had twelve children, died in childbirth
Maria Luisa of Naples and Sicily (1773 – 1802), married her first cousin Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, had five children, died in childbirth
Carlo of Naples and Sicily (1775 – 1778), died in early childhood from smallpox.
Maria Anna of Naples and Sicily (1775 – 1780), died in childhood from smallpox.
Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies (1777 – 1830), married (1) Maria Clementina of Austria, had two children (2) Maria Isabella of Spain, had twelve children
Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily (1779 – 1849), married Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia, no children
Gennaro of Naples and Sicily (1780 – 1789), died in childhood from smallpox
Giuseppe of Naples and Sicily (1781 – 1783), died in early childhood from smallpox.
Maria Amelia of Naples and Sicily (1782 – 1866), married Louis Philippe d’Orléans, Duke of Orléans, later King of the French, had ten children
Maria Carolina of Naples and Sicily (born and died 1783)
Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily (1784 – 1806), married Infante Ferdinand of Spain, Prince of Asturias, later King Ferdinand VII of Spain, no children, died from tuberculosis
Maria Clotilde of Naples and Sicily (1786 – 1792), died in childhood from smallpox
Maria Enricheta of Naples and Sicily (1787- 1792), died in childhood from smallpox
Carlo Gennaro of Naples and Sicily (1788 – 1789), died in infancy from smallpox
Leopoldo of Naples and Sicily (1790 – 1851), married his niece Clementina of Austria, had two children
Alberto of Naples and Sicily (1792 – 1798), died in childhood
Maria Isabella of Naples and Sicily (1793 – 1801), died in childhood

In 1775, after her first son was born, Maria Carolina took her place on the council of state. Bernardo Tanucci, the former president of her husband’s regency council, was still on the council of state, and attempted to thwart her political influence and found himself dismissed in 1777. From then on, Maria Carolina was the de facto ruler of the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily.

Ferdinando I was deposed twice from his thrones: once by the revolutionary Parthenopean Republic for six months in 1799 and again by Napoleon, Emperor of the French in 1805. In February 1806, Ferdinando, Maria Carolina, and their family were forced to flee to the island of Sicily, still in their control, where they lived in the Royal Palace of Palermo under British protection. However, the government of Sicily was a feudal type, and the British insisted on a government more similar to the British one. In 1813, Ferdinando essentially but not officially abdicated, and his eldest surviving son Francesco was appointed regent. At the insistence of the British, who were becoming more and more adverse to Maria Carolina, she was forced to leave Sicily and return to Austria.

Maria Carolina in 1714; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Carolina arrived in Vienna, Austria in January 1814, where she began negotiations with Prince Klemens von Metternich, then the Foreign Minister of the Austrian Empire, and her nephew Franz I, Emperor of Austria for the restoration of her husband and herself to the thrones of Naples and Sicily. However, this never happened in her lifetime. On September 8, 1814, Maria Carolina, aged 62, died from a stroke at Hetzendorf Palace in Vienna, Austria without seeing Napoleon’s final defeat and the Congress of Vienna’s restoration of her husband’s rights to the thrones of Naples and Sicily. Maria Carolina was buried at the Imperial Crypt in the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria, the traditional burial site of her birth family, the House of Habsburg.

Tomb of Maria Carolina of Austria, Queen of Naples and Sicily at the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria; Credit – https://everythingieverloved.tumblr.com/post/177880600179/tiny-librarian-maria-carolina-of-austria-queen/amp

Less than three months after the death of Maria Carolina, Ferdinando married Lucia Migliaccio, Duchess of Floridia. Because Ferdinando and Lucia’s marriage was morganatic, Lucia was not Queen. In 1816, after Ferdinando abolished the constitution of the Kingdom of Sicily, the two kingdoms, Naples and Sicily, were united into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Ferdinando survived his first wife Maria Carolina by eleven years, dying from a stroke in Naples on January 4, 1825, at the age of 73. He was buried at the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples, then in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, now in Italy.

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Karolina von Österreich – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Karolina_von_%C3%96sterreich> [Accessed 1 August 2021].
En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Carolina of Austria – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Carolina_of_Austria> [Accessed 1 August 2021].
Flantzer, S., 2021. Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/ferdinando-i-king-of-the-two-sicilies/> [Accessed 1 August 2021].
Flantzer, Susan, 2013. Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/maria-theresa-archduchess-of-austria-queen-of-hungary-croatia-and-bohemia/> [Accessed 1 August 2021].
It.wikipedia.org. 2021. Maria Carolina d’Asburgo-Lorena – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Carolina_d%27Asburgo-Lorena> [Accessed 1 August 2021].

Gunilla Johansdotter Bielke, Queen of Sweden

Gunilla Johansdotter Bielke, Queen of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Gunilla Johansdotter Bielke was the second wife of Johan III, King of Sweden. Born on June 25, 1568, in Liljesta, Östergötland, Sweden, she was the eldest of the three daughters and the third of the eight children of Johan Axelsson Bielke (? – 1576) and Margareta Axelsdotter Posse (1548 – 1575). The Bielke family was an aristocratic Swedish family. Gunilla’s father was a member of the royal council and Lieutenant of Östergötland.

Gunilla had seven siblings:

Gunder Johansson Bielke (1562 – ?)
Axel Johansson Bielke (? – 1597), married Ebba Bielke
Elsa Johansdotter Bielke (1569 – 1622), married Count Claes Bielke, had three children
Brita Johansdotter Bielke (1570 – 1599), married Count Sten Gustafsson, had one son
Erik Johansson Bielke, died young
Nils Johansson Bielke, died young
Ebba Johansdotter Bielke (born 1575 – ?), died young

When Gunilla was seven years old, her mother died, possibly in childbirth giving birth to her last child. Her father died the following year. Gunilla was then raised at court as a playmate of King Johan III’s daughter Princess Anna Vasa of Sweden. In 1582, Gunilla became a maid of honor to King Johan III’s first wife Queen Katarina Jagellonica. Queen Katarina fell sick in the spring of 1583 and died on September 16, 1583.

After the death of his wife, Johan III began the search for a new wife. He wanted to marry someone he knew and his choice was Gunilla, his deceased wife’s maid of honor and the daughter of one of his cousins. There was a 32-year age difference – Johan was 48 and Gunilla was 16. Several of Johan III’s siblings protested against the marriage and said he should marry a foreign princess. Johan’s brother Karl (the future Karl IX, King of Sweden) had married a foreign princess, Anna Marie of Palatinate-Simmern.

Gunilla had promised herself to a young nobleman named Per Jonsson Liljesparre. When King Johan III informed Gunilla of his intentions to marry her, she refused to agree. Johan III was so angry that he hit her in the face with his glove and left. Gunilla’s relatives saw a connection with the royal family as an opportunity that they could not allow slipping away, and so they pleaded, cajoled, and threatened until Gunilla finally gave in.

Gunilla’s husband Johan III, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

On February 21, 1585, Johan III, King of Sweden married Gunilla Bielke at Västerås Cathedral in Västerås, Sweden. Gunilla was crowned Queen of Sweden the following day. Johan’s brother Karl was still disturbed by his brother’s choice of a wife. He refused to attend the wedding festivities which further worsened the brothers’ already strained relationship.

Johan III and Gunilla had one son:

Johan of Sweden, Duke of Finland, Duke of Östergötland (1589 – 1618), married his first cousin Princess Maria Elisabet of Sweden, no children

Gunilla and Johan III’s son Johan of Sweden, Duke of Finland, Duke of Östergötland; Credit – Wikipedia

Gunilla had two step-children, both close in age to her, from Johan III’s marriage to his first wife Katarina Jagellonica:

Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland, King of Sweden, Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania (1566 – 1632), married (1) Anne of Austria, had five children (2) Constance of Austria, had seven children
Anna Vasa of Sweden (1568 – 1625), unmarried

Gunilla had a significant influence on Johan. She had received a strict Lutheran education and is credited with influencing Johan’s policy regarding religion in favor of Protestantism, similar to the way his first wife had influenced him in favor of Catholicism. In 1590, Johan III named Gunilla to serve as regent, should their son Johan succeed to the throne as a minor. Gunilla and Johan III’s son never succeeded to the Swedish throne. First, he was put aside by his elder half-brother Sigismund III Vasa, and then by his uncle Karl IX.

After a reign of twenty-three years, Johan III, King of Sweden died on November 17, 1592, aged 54. He was succeeded by Sigismund III Vasa, his son by his first wife, the Roman Catholic Polish Princess Katarina Jagellonica. Sigismund, who had been raised Roman Catholic, had been elected King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1587. However, the Catholic Sigismund was deposed in 1599 as King of Sweden by his Protestant uncle who then reigned as King Karl IX of Sweden. Sigismund lived the remainder of his life in Poland and reigned for a total of 45 years in Poland and Lithuania, dying in 1632.

Gunilla’s home Bråborg Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

After the death of her husband, Gunilla received a generous allowance and land willed to her by her husband, as well as custody of her three-year-old son and control of his Duchy of Östergötland. She retired to Bråborg Castle in the Duchy of Östergötland, where she resided until her death. Gunilla survived her husband by only five years, dying at the age of 29 of a fever on July 19, 1597. She was buried near her husband at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden. After Gunilla’s death, her son Johan was raised by his uncle Karl IX, King of Sweden, who treated him like his own son. Johan was tutored with his first cousin, the future Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden.

Kingdom of Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

Adelsvapen.com. 2021. Bielke af Åkerö nr 8 – Adelsvapen-Wiki. [online] Available at: <https://www.adelsvapen.com/genealogi/Bielke_af_%C3%85ker%C3%B6_nr_8> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Gunilla Bielke – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunilla_Bielke> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
Fr.wikipedia.org. 2021. Gunilla Bielke — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunilla_Bielke> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
Gunilla Bielke, Q., 2021. Gunilla Bielke, Queen of Sweden. [online] geni_family_tree. Available at: <https://www.geni.com/people/Gunilla-Bielke-Queen-of-Sweden/6000000000699070330> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
Historiesajten.se. 2021. Gunilla Bielke – Historiesajten. [online] Available at: <https://historiesajten.se/visainfo.asp?id=259> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Gunilla Bielke – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunilla_Bielke> [Accessed 22 May 2021].
Tegenborg Falkdalen, K., 2018. Gunilla, drottning. [online] Skbl.se. Available at: <https://www.skbl.se/sv/artikel/GunillaBielke> [Accessed 22 May 2021].

Royal News Recap for Thursday July 29, 2021

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Jordan

Jordan Times: Crown Prince chairs follow-up meeting on implementation of Aqaba strategic plan

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Monaco

People: Princess Charlene and Prince Albert Beset by Split Rumors, but ‘She’ll Never Leave Her Kids,’ Says Source

United Kingdom

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Christenings

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Resting of King George V’s Coffin

Resting of King George VI’s Coffin

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