Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

Known for ending his life in a suicide pact with his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera at the Mayerling hunting lodge, which this writer has visited, His Imperial and Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia, Rudolf Franz Karl Joseph, was the only son of Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria and his wife Elisabeth of Bavaria (Sisi). He was born at Schloss Laxenburg, the summer retreat of the Habsburgs near Vienna, on August 21, 1858.

Rudolf had three sisters, one who was born and died before his birth, an elder sister, and a younger sister:

Crown Prince Rudolf on his fourth birthday; Credit – Wikipedia

Rudolf was first educated by Count Leopold Gondrecourt. His grandmother Archduchess Sophie had chosen the best tutors for Rudolf but instead, Emperor Franz Joseph chose a military tutor. Gondrecourt’s methods of turning the small boy into a brave man included waking up Rudolf by shooting a pistol in his bedroom, locking him in a game preserve, and then telling him a wild boar was coming. One day, Empress Elisabeth woke up to the sound of shouting. Looking out her window, she saw Gondrecourt drilling Rudolf in the snow. Elisabeth was determined to have Rudolf’s tutor removed and eventually, she was successful but the mental damage that Gondrecourt inflicted on Rudolf could not be undone.

Colonel Joseph Latour von Thurnberg, a gentler tutor, was hired and Rudolf’s educational regime was much more relaxed. Rudolf’s new tutor understood the importance of mental stimulation. Rudolf enjoyed science, particularly ornithology, the study of birds. When he was 20 years old, zoologist Alfred Brehm took Rudolf on a trip to observe the animal and birdlife along the Danube River. With the assistance of Brehm, Rudolf wrote and published “ Fünfzehn Tage auf der Donau” (Fifteen Days on the Danube).

In 1878, when Rudolf finished his studies, he moved to Prague where he served in an infantry regiment. Rudolf hated military discipline and considered the military appointments of Imperial Family members to be meaningless. Nevertheless, he progressed through the military ranks: 1878 Colonel, 1880 Major, 1882 Field Marshal, and 1888 General Infantry Inspector.

Rudolf and Stéphanie’s official engagement photograph; Credit – Wikipedia

The royal courts of Belgium and Austria planned Rudolf’s marriage. As the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph I, he was under pressure to marry. Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, daughter of King Leopold II of the Belgians and Archduchess Marie-Henriette of Austria, still a teenager and Roman Catholic, met the criteria of the Emperor.  However, the Empress thought Stéphanie was not good enough for her son because the Belgian monarchy had existed only since 1830. Nevertheless, during a trip to Belgium in March 1880 at the invitation of King Leopold II, Rudolf proposed to Stéphanie to the great joy of her parents. Stéphanie was sent to Vienna to learn the etiquette of the imperial court, but within the month, her ladies-in-waiting realized that she had not yet reached puberty. Stéphanie suffered great humiliation as the wedding was postponed and she was sent back to Belgium. Eventually, the couple married on May 10, 1881, at the Augustinerkirche, the parish church of the Imperial Court of the Habsburgs, a short walk from Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. Stéphanie was not quite 17-years-old and Rudolf was 22-years-old.

Stéphanie and Rudolf had one child:

Stéphanie and her daughter Elisabeth Marie; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage was happy at first, but shortly after the birth of their daughter, the relationship between Stéphanie and Rudolf began to deteriorate. Rudolf likely infected Stéphanie with a sexually transmitted disease, causing her to be infertile and unable to provide a male heir for the Austrian throne. Both Stéphanie and Rudolf began affairs with other people in the following years and intermittently spoke of divorce.

Baroness Mary Vetsera, Rudolf’s mistress; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 30, 1889, at Mayerling, a hunting lodge in the Vienna Woods that Rudolf had purchased, 30-year-old Rudolf shot his 17-year-old mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera, and then shot himself in an apparent suicide plot. Rudolf wrote in his farewell letter to his wife Stéphanie: Dear Stéphanie! You are free from my presence and plague; be happy in your way. Be good for the poor little one, who is the only thing left of me.

When the bodies were found, the national security services sealed off the hunting lodge and the surrounding area. The body of Baroness Mary Vetsera was quietly taken out of Mayerling in the middle of the night and secretly buried in the village cemetery at nearby Heiligenkreuz. An official statement was released saying that Rudolf had died “due to a rupture of an aneurysm of the heart”. Eventually, another statement was released stating that Rudolf had first shot the baroness in a suicide pact and sat by her body for several hours before shooting himself. The police closed their investigations quite quickly, in response to Emperor Franz Joseph’s wishes.

Baroness Mary Vetsera’s current grave in Heilingenkreuz, Austria. Her remains were disinterred twice and were finally reburied here in 1993; Credit – Von Peterpol48 – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35429380

Suicide would have prevented Rudolf from being given a Roman Catholic burial. A special dispensation was obtained from the Vatican that declared Rudolf to have been in a state of “mental imbalance” so he could be buried in the Imperial Crypt under the Capuchin Church in Vienna. The possibility of a state funeral was out of the question and Emperor Franz Joseph requested that no foreign royalty come to Vienna. King Leopold II and Queen Marie-Henriette of Belgium, the widowed Stéphanie’s parents, were the only foreign royalty to ignore this request.

Crown Prince Rudolf in a bed for private viewing by his family at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna. His head had to be bandaged to cover gunshot wounds; Credit – Wikipedia

Empress Elisabeth, Crown Princess Stéphanie, and Archduchess Marie Valerie (Rudolf’s younger sister) did not attend the funeral. Six family members were chosen to accompany Emperor Franz Joseph into the crypt where Rudolf would be buried: Rudolf’s paternal uncles Archduke Karl Ludwig and Archduke Ludwig Viktor, Rudolf’s brother-in-law Prince Leopold of Bavaria, Rudolf’s future brother-in-law Archduke Franz Salvator, Rudolf’s cousin Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Prince Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Crown Princess Stéphanie’s brother-in-law and a close friend of Rudolf who was one of the people to discover the bodies. There, in the crypt, they witnessed the Emperor become the grieving father, breaking down and sobbing uncontrollably. Rudolf’s parents would eventually be buried in the same crypt.

Empress Elisabeth’s tomb is to the left of Emperor Franz Joseph’s tomb and Crown Prince Rudolf’s tomb is on the right; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

Rudolf had no sons, so the succession would pass to Emperor Franz Joseph’s brother Archduke Karl Ludwig and his eldest son, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. In a matter of days, Archduke Karl Ludwig renounced his succession rights in favor of his son Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination in 1914 sparked World War I. The custody of Rudolf’s daughter Elisabeth Marie was taken over by her grandfather Emperor Franz Joseph. Elisabeth Marie remained close to her grandfather until he died in 1916. Following her mother’s remarriage to a Hungarian count in 1900, Elisabeth broke off all contact with her mother. Upon Franz Joseph’s death, his great-nephew reigned as Karl I until November 1918 when World War I’s end put an end to many monarchies in Europe.

Various Habsburgs have disputed the accepted version of events that occurred on the night of January 30, 1889. In 2013, another Archduke Rudolf, the grandson of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, asserted that the Freemasons had assassinated Rudolf. However, on July 31, 2015, the Austrian National Library issued copies of Baroness Mary Vetsera’s farewell letters to her mother and other family members. These letters, previously believed to be lost or destroyed, were found in a safe deposit box in an Austrian bank, where they had been deposited in 1926. The letters state clearly that Vetsera was preparing to die by suicide with Rudolf, out of “love”. Mary’s letter below translated into English: Dear Mother, Forgive me for what I did. I could not resist love. In accordance with him, I want to be buried beside him in the cemetery of Alland. I am happier in death than in life. Your Mary

Mary Vetsera’s farewell letter to her mother; Credit – Wikipedia

After Rudolf’s death, Emperor Franz Joseph had the Mayerling hunting lodge changed into a monastery for the nuns of the Discalced Carmelite Order, an order in which members dedicate themselves to a life of prayer. Prayers are still said daily by the nuns for the repose of Rudolf’s soul. Visitors to the monastery may visit the chapel where the altar’s position marks where Rudolf and Vetsera’s bed was located. This writer has visited both Mayerling and the Imperial Crypt in Vienna where Rudolf and many other Habsburgs are buried.

Mayerling, now a monastery; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

The altar in the chapel at Mayerling is on the location of Rudolf’s bedroom; Credit – Susan Flantzer

Below are some suicide prevention resources.

In the United States, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 988. Anyone in the United States can text or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to reach trained counselors who can help them cope with a mental health emergency. National Institute of Mental Health: Suicide Prevention is also a United States resource.

Other countries also have similar resources. Please check the resources below.

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. (2018). Rudolf von Österreich-Ungarn. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_von_%C3%96sterreich-Ungarn [Accessed 3 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Mayerling incident. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayerling_incident [Accessed 3 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf,_Crown_Prince_of_Austria [Accessed 3 Sep. 2018].
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2017). Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, Crown Princess of Austria. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-stephanie-crown-princess-of-austria/ [Accessed 3 Sep. 2018].
  • Van Der Kiste, J. (2005). Emperor Francis Joseph: Life, Death and the Fall of the Habsburg Empire. Stroud: Sutton Publishing.
  • Wheatcroft, A. (1995). The Habsburgs. London: Viking.

Archduchess Gisela of Austria, Princess of Bavaria

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Archduchess Gisela of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

The eldest surviving child of Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria and Elisabeth of Bavaria (Sisi), Archduchess Gisela was born in Laxenburg, Austria, the summer retreat of the Habsburgs, on July 12, 1856. The infant archduchess was baptized Gisella Luise Marie – Gisella with a double L – but she always wrote her name with only one L.  Gisela had an older sister Sophie, born in 1855, and the birth of another girl was a disappointment to the family who was anxiously awaiting the birth of a boy to succeed to the throne.

In 1857, on a trip to Hungary, part of the Habsburg empire, Sophie and Gisela became ill with diarrhea and a very high fever. Gisela survived but Sophie died in her mother’s arms.

Gisela had three siblings:

Empress Elisabeth with her two eldest surviving children, Gisela and Rudolf  with a portrait of the deceased Sophie on the wall in 1858; Credit – Wikipedia

Gisela was never close to her mother. Empress Elisabeth’s mother-in-law Archduchess Sophie, born Princess Sophie of Bavaria, was also Elisabeth’s aunt and deemed the teenage mother too young to care for her first two children. After their baptisms, Sophie and Gisela were taken away from their mother and raised by their grandmother.

Gisela with her brother Rudolf in 1861; Credit – Wikipedia

Gisela was two years old when her brother Rudolf, the Crown Prince and heir to the throne, was born. Gisela had a close relationship with her brother even after she married and moved to Bavaria. She never got over Rudolf’s suicide. On January 30, 1889, at Mayerling, a hunting lodge in the Vienna Woods which Rudolf had purchased, in an apparent suicide plot, Rudolf shot his 17-year-old mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera, and then shot himself.

Gisela and Prince Leopold of Bavaria in 1872; Credit – Wikipedia

In April 1872, Gisela was betrothed to her second cousin Prince Leopold of Bavaria, son of Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria and Archduchess Augusta of Austria.  Leopold’s father Prince Luitpold served as Prince Regent from 1886 until he died in 1912 due to the mental incompetence of his nephews King Ludwig II and King Otto. On April 20, 1873, 16-year-old Gisela and 27-year-old Leopold were married at the Augustinerkirche, the parish church of the Habsburgs, near Hofburg Palace in Vienna. The bride was overshadowed by her radiant and youthful-looking mother. Wedding festivities included a special performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and a gala ball given by the city of Vienna at the Musikverein, a concert hall. Gisela was warmly welcomed by Leopold’s family in Munich. The couple had a happy marriage and lived in the Palais Leopold in the Schwabing section of Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria.

Gisela and Leopold had four children:

Gisela and Leopold with their four children, circa 1885; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 10, 1898, Gisela’s mother Empress Elisabeth was assassinated when she was stabbed in the heart by the Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni in Geneva, Switzerland. After her mother’s death, Gisela received 40% of her mother’s monetary assets and Achilleion Palace which her mother had built on the Greek island of Corfu to escape life at court.

Achilleion Palace in Corfu, Greece; By Marc Ryckaert (MJJR) – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23107846

During World War I, Leopold was given the command of the German 9th Army and quickly proved himself to be an able commander. Gisela set up a military hospital in her Munich palace. Gisela’s father Emperor Franz Joseph died on November 21, 1916, in the middle of World War I, at the age of 86. As he had no son to succeed him, his great-nephew succeeded him as Emperor Karl I of Austria but only reigned for two years as the monarchy was abolished at the end of World War I.

Golden Wedding of Leopold and Gisela by Hermann Eißfeldt, 1923; The bishop presiding is Papal Nuncio Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pope Pius XII. To his right is Leopold and Gisela’s son George who became a priest

In 1923, Gisela and Leopold celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Leopold died on September 28, 1930, at the age of 84. Two years later, Gisela died on July 27, 1932, aged 76. She was buried with her husband in the Wittelsbach crypt at St. Michael’s Church in Munich, Germany.

Wittelsbach crypt at St. Michael’s Church; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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. (2018). Gisela von Österreich. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gisela_von_%C3%96sterreich [Accessed 1 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Archduchess Gisela of Austria. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archduchess_Gisela_of_Austria [Accessed 1 Sep. 2018].
  • Van Der Kiste, J. (2005). Emperor Francis Joseph: Life, Death and the Fall of the Habsburg Empire. Stroud: Sutton Publishing.
  • Wheatcroft, A. (1995). The Habsburgs. London: Viking.

Archduke Maximilian of Austria, Emperor of Mexico

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Archduke Maximilian of Austria, Emperor of Mexico; Credit Wikipedia

A younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, Maximilian was one of the two Emperors of Mexico. Both were deposed by force and then executed. The other, Agustín de Iturbide, reigned as Emperor Agustín I from May 19, 1822 – March 19, 1823.

Maximilian was born an Archduke of Austria on July 6, 1832, in Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. He was the second of the five children and the second of the four sons of Archduke Franz Karl of Austria, son of Emperor Franz I of Austria, and Princess Sophie of Bavaria, daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria.

Maximilian had four siblings:

Maximilian with his brothers: From left to right: Archduke Ludwig Viktor, Emperor Franz Joseph,  Archduke Karl Ludwig, Archduke Maximilian; Credit – Wikipedia

Maximilian was educated with his elder brother Franz Joseph. They were first taught by their governess Baroness Louise von Sturmfeder. In 1836, Count Heinrich Bombelles became responsible for the education of the young archdukes and created a rigorous course of study. The archdukes were expected to study 18 hours a week when they were just six years old. Their study hours each week increased to 36 hours at age eight and 46 hours at age 11. Franz Joseph became seriously ill at the age of 13 due to the stress of his studies. However, the archdukes’ rigorous education continued until they were studying 56 hours a week. It was important for Franz Joseph and Maximilian to learn the languages of the Austrian empire, and so they studied not only French, Latin, and Greek, but also Hungarian, Czech, Italian, and Polish. They also studied mathematics, physics, history, geography, jurisprudence, political science, and physical education.

Maximilian, circa 1850: Credit – Wikipedia

In 1852, Maximilian, then serving in the Austrian navy, made a stopover in Portugal, where he became reacquainted with Princess Maria Amélia of Brazil, daughter of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil and his second wife Amélie of Leuchtenberg. Their mothers were both members of the Bavarian royal family and Maximilian and Maria Amélia had met as children at a family reunion in Munich. Maximilian and Maria Amélia fell in love and were betrothed. However, their engagement was never made official due to Maria Amélia’s death from tuberculosis in February 1853.

Charlotte and Maximilian during their first year of marriage; Credit – Wikipedia

In May 1856, Maximilian met Princess Charlotte of Belgium, daughter of Leopold I, King of the Belgians, and a first cousin to both Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert. Maximilian and Charlotte fell in love and the couple married at the Royal Palace of Brussels in Belgium on July 27, 1857. Unfortunately, Charlotte and Maximilian had no children.

Emperor Franz Joseph appointed his brother Maximilian Viceroy of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, now part of Italy, but then part of the Austrian Empire. There the couple built Miramare Castle in Trieste.  In 1859, Emperor Franz Joseph, angered by his brother’s liberal policies, dismissed him as Viceroy. Shortly afterward, Austria lost control of most of its Italian possessions, and Maximilian and Charlotte then retired to Miramare Castle.

Miramare Castle; Photo Credit – By Valleo61 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22924475

In 1859, Mexican monarchists approached Maximilian with a proposal to become Emperor of Mexico which Maximilian did not accept. After the French intervention in Mexico in 1861, Maximilian changed his mind. At the invitation of Napoleon III, after the French capture of Mexico City and a French-staged referendum that supposedly confirmed the will of the people, Maximilian agreed to accept the crown. On April 10, 1864, in the great salon of Miramare Castle, a Mexican delegation officially informed Maximilian of the referendum’s results, without telling him that the French army had intimidated the voters. Maximilian declared to the Mexican delegation that he accepted the crown from the hands of the Mexican nation and swore to ensure by all means the well-being, prosperity, independence, and integrity of the Mexican nation.

Mexican Delegation appoints Maximilian of Austria Emperor of Mexico; Credit – Wikipedia

Emperor Maximilian and Empress Carlota, as Charlotte was now called, landed at Veracruz, Mexico on May 21, 1864, and received a cold reception from the townspeople. Veracruz was a liberal town and the liberal voters were opposed to having Maximilian being their Emperor. He had the backing of Mexican conservatives and Napoleon III, but from the beginning, he was involved in serious difficulties. The liberal forces led by Benito Juárez, the former president deposed by the French, refused to recognize his rule. There was continuous warfare between the French troops and the forces of Juárez who wanted a republic.

Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, circa 1865; Credit – Wikipedia

After the American Civil War ended, the French withdrew their troops from Mexico under pressure from the United States. After that, Maximilian could not hold out against the popular Juárez as his request for help from Europe remained unanswered. Charlotte traveled to Europe to ask for help from Napoleon III and Pope Pius IX, but the only hope she got was a promise from the Pope to pray for her and her husband. Maximilian then wanted to leave Mexico but changed his mind after receiving a letter from his mother, which prompted him to stay.

Maximilian and his last troops barricaded themselves in the city of Queretaro, which fell after a siege on May 14, 1867. 34-year-old Maximilian was condemned to death by a court of war and on June 19, 1867, he was executed by a firing squad along with two of his faithful Mexican generals. Before the shooting, Maximilian assured the soldiers that they were only doing their duty, gave them gold coins, and asked them to aim precisely and spare his face, so that his mother could identify his body.

Édouard Manet’s Execution of Emperor Maximilian (wearing the hat) (1868–1869); Credit – Wikipedia

Eventually, Maximilian’s remains were returned to Austria, where seven months after his execution, on January 18, 1868, they were buried in the Kaisergruft (Imperial Crypt) in the Capuchin Church in Vienna.

Tomb of Maximilian; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

Charlotte survived Maximilian by 60 years but fell into a state of insanity after his death.  Today, it is impossible to determine the exact nature of her mental illness. Charlotte spent the rest of her life at Bouchout Castle in Meise, Belgium where her brother King Leopold II oversaw her care. She died from pneumonia at Bouchout Castle on January 19, 1927, at the age of 86, and was buried in the Royal Crypt at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken, the burial place of the Belgian Royal Family.

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. (2017). Charlotte von Belgien. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_von_Belgien [Accessed 12 Sep. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Carlota of Mexico. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlota_of_Mexico [Accessed 12 Sep. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Maximilian I of Mexico. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_I_of_Mexico [Accessed 12 Sep. 2017].
  • Flantzer, S. (2017). Princess Charlotte of Belgium, Empress Carlota of Mexico. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-charlotte-empress-carlota-of-mexico/ [Accessed 6 Aug. 2018].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2017). Charlotte de Belgique. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_de_Belgique [Accessed 12 Sep. 2017].

Sophie Friederike of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Sophie Friederike of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

The mother of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria and the ill-fated Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, the grandmother of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria whose assassination sparked World War I, and the great-grandmother of  Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, Sophie Friederike Dorothea Wilhelmine was born January 27, 1805, in Munich, then in the Electorate of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany, along with her identical twin sister Maria Anna Leopoldine Elisabeth Wilhelmine. At the time of Sophie’s birth, her father Maximilian Joseph was Duke of Zweibrücken, Elector of Bavaria, Duke of Berg, and Elector Palatine. Due to his loyal service to Napoleon, Emperor of the French, Maximilian Joseph’s Electorate of Bavaria was created a kingdom and he became the first King of Bavaria on January 1, 1806. Maximilian Joseph’s first wife Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt died in 1796 and he married Sophie’s mother Caroline of Baden in 1797.

Maximilian Joseph was an adherent of The Enlightenment, the intellectual and philosophical movement that dominated the world of ideas in Europe during the 18th century, and his children were educated to think in modern ways. Now that Bavaria was a kingdom, King Maximilian I Joseph and later his son King Ludwig I ensured that the females of the family made good marriages.

Sophie had five half-siblings from her father’s first marriage:

Sophie had six siblings including a twin sister and another set of twin siblings:

Sophie with her twin sister Maria Anna and their youngest surviving sister Ludovika by Joseph Karl Stieler; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1816, Sophie’s half-sister Caroline Augusta became the fourth wife of Franz I, Emperor of Austria. Franz’s only surviving children were by his second wife Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, who had died in childbirth along with her twelfth child. His eldest son and heir Ferdinand was developmentally delayed and suffered from epilepsy, hydrocephalus, neurological problems, and a speech impediment. Ferdinand learned to walk and talk late, and his condition and behavior caused great concern. Because of his frail constitution, he did not receive the education appropriate for the heir to the throne.

Perhaps it was through the influence of Caroline Augusta, Emperor Franz’s fourth wife and Sophie’s half-sister, that the idea developed of Franz’s second son Franz Karl being a good match for Sophie. At a family gathering of the Habsburgs and the Wittelsbachs (the Bavarian royal family), Franz Karl, who was clumsy and shy, became attracted to Sophie, who was strong-willed and authoritarian. Franz Karl sent Sophie letters and gifts and regularly traveled to Munich to see her. Eventually, he found the courage to ask her to marry him. Some thought the eldest son Ferdinand was incapable of reigning and his father considered removing him from the succession. Franz Karl was somewhat feeble-minded but Sophie’s family agreed to the marriage because they thought that the disabilities of Franz Karl’s brother might cause Franz Karl to succeed to the throne.

Family of Franz I, Emperor of Austria: From left to right: Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, Empress of Austria; Franz I, Emperor of Austria; Napoleon II of France, Duke of Reichstadt (Franz’s grandson); Princess Sophie of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria; Marie-Louise of Austria, Duchess of Parma (Franz’s daughter and Napoleon II’s mother); the future Ferdinand I, Emperor of Austria; and Archduke Franz Karl of Austria in 1826 by Leopold Fertbauer; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 4, 1824, Sophie married Archduke Franz. In 1831, Franz’s elder brother
Ferdinand married Maria Anna of Savoy, the daughter of King Vittorio Emanuele I of Sardinia. The marriage was childless and probably never consummated, but the couple remained devoted to each other.

After five miscarriages, Sophie and Franz Karl had five children and so they provided the heirs to the throne:

Sophie and her family: Sophie, Franz Joseph with his wife Elisabeth and their two eldest children Rudolf and Gisela, Maximilian with his wife Charlotte, Karl Ludwig, Ludwig Viktor, Photograph by Ludwig Angerer, 1860; Credit – Wikipedia

Franz Karl’s brother Ferdinand succeeded to the throne in 1835 upon the death of his father. His epilepsy caused him to have as many as twenty seizures per day, and this severely restricted his ability to rule with any effectiveness. His father’s will stipulated that Ferdinand’s uncle Archduke Ludwig be consulted on government matters and during Ferdinand’s reign a council called the Secret State Conference controlled the government.

The biggest ambition of Franz Joseph’s mother Sophie was to place her oldest son on the Austrian throne. During the Revolutions of 1848, she persuaded her husband to give up his rights to the throne in favor of their son Franz Joseph. On December 2, 1848, Emperor Ferdinand abdicated the throne in favor of his 18-year-old nephew. Franz Joseph was now Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, and King of Bohemia. During the early years of her son’s reign, Sophie was the power behind the throne, and she fulfilled the duties of an Empress.

Sophie’s four sons left to right: Karl Ludwig, Franz Joseph, Maximilian & Ludwig Viktor, circa 1860; Credit – Wikipedia

The feeling in the Imperial Court was that the young emperor should marry and produce heirs as soon as possible. Franz Joseph’s domineering mother considered several princesses as the future empress but Sophie wanted to forge a relationship with her familial House of Wittelsbach of Bavaria and the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. She arranged for a match between Franz Joseph and Helene, Duchess in Bavaria, the eldest daughter of her sister Ludovika of Bavaria and her husband Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria.

In 1853, Helene traveled with her mother and her younger sister Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria (Sisi) to the resort of Bad Ischl, Upper Austria to meet her cousin Franz Joseph, hoping she would become his bride. Instead, Franz Joseph fell in love with the 15-year-old Elisabeth. Franz Joseph told his mother that if he could not marry Elisabeth, he would not marry at all. Five days later their engagement was officially announced. Franz Joseph and Sisi were married on April 24, 1854, at the Augustinerkirche, the parish church of the imperial court of the Habsburgs, a short walk from Hofburg Palace in Vienna.

Sophie’s niece and daughter-in-law Elisabeth of Bavaria; Credit – Wikipedia

Sisi was young, naïve, and shy. Sophie was the stereotype of a nagging mother-in-law, always correcting her daughter-in-law but she was not the monster her niece Sisi made her out to be. Although Sophie was tactless and indiscreet, this was not unusual for a royal matriarch. She had spent her married life with a husband who probably was somewhat mentally disabled and had to deal with many family issues herself. Sophie devoted herself to her four sons and their futures, especially Franz Joseph. She felt it was her duty to school Sisi in her role as Empress.

In 1855, Sisi gave birth to her first child, a daughter, named Sophie Friederike, after her grandmother without any input from Sisi. Sophie did not feel that the teenage mother was capable of caring for her child. She had chosen the nursery staff and set up the nursery next to her own rooms. This practice continued for Sisi’s next two children. In 1857, on a trip to Hungary which was a part of the Habsburg Empire, Franz Joseph and Sisi took their two young children along despite the misgivings of their grandmother Sophie. Two-year-old Sophie and her one-year-old sister Gisela both became ill with diarrhea and a very high fever. Gisela survived but Sophie died in her mother’s arms. The death of her oldest child would haunt Sisi for her entire life and she was held responsible for Sophie’s death by her mother-in-law.

In 1859, Mexican monarchists approached Sophie’s son Maximilian with a proposal to become Emperor of Mexico which Maximilian did not accept. After the French intervention in Mexico in 1861, Maximilian changed his mind. In 1864, Maximilian accepted the crown of Mexico. His mother Sophie considered this a hazardous move and was strongly opposed. She thought Maximilian had a duty to stay in Austria and provide additional heirs for the Austrian throne. Sophie’s fears turn out to be true. On May 14, 1867, 34-year-old Maximilian was condemned to death by a court of war, and on June 19, 1867, he was executed by a firing squad along with two of his faithful Mexican generals. Before the shooting, Maximilian assured the soldiers that they were only doing their duty, gave them gold coins, and asked them to aim precisely and spare his face, so that his mother could identify his body.

Sophie and Franz Karl in 1872; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophie never recovered after the death of Maximilian and she withdrew from public life. In May 1872, ill with pneumonia, she took to her bed and fell into a coma. Franz Joseph placed the rosary of his great-great-grandmother Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia into his mother’s hands. Neither he nor Sisi left Sophie’s bedside for four days. On May 28, 1872, 67-year-old Sophie of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria, died. Franz Joseph sobbed like a child and Sisi had to be carried from the room. Sophie was buried at the Imperial Crypt beneath the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria. From 1960 – 1962, the New Vault was added to the Imperial Crypt to relieve overcrowding. Sophie’s remains and those of her husband Franz Karl, who survived her by six years, were transferred to the West Wall of the New Vault.

The New Vault in the Imperial Crypt; Credit – Susan Flantzer

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. (2018). Sophie Friederike von Bayern. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Friederike_von_Bayern [Accessed 3 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Princess Sophie of Bavaria. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Sophie_of_Bavaria [Accessed 3 Sep. 2018].
  • Van Der Kiste, J. (2005). Emperor Francis Joseph: Life, Death and the Fall of the Habsburg Empire. Stroud: Sutton Publishing.
  • Wheatcroft, A. (1995). The Habsburgs. London: Viking.

Archduke Franz Karl of Austria

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Archduke Franz Karl of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

Archduke Franz Karl of Austria was the father of two emperors: Franz Joseph I of Austria and Maximilian I of Mexico, the grandfather of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria whose assassination sparked World War I, and the great-grandfather of  Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria.  Born in Vienna on December 17, 1802, Franz Karl was the ninth of the twelve children and the third of the four sons of Emperor Franz I of Austria and the second of his four wives, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily.

Franz Karl had eleven siblings:

While pregnant with her twelfth child, Franz Karl’s mother Maria Theresa fell ill with the lung infection pleurisy. Her doctor bled her and this caused premature labor. Maria Theresa gave birth to her twelfth child who lived only three days. On April 13, 1807, a week after giving birth, Maria Theresa died at the age of 34. Franz Karl was only 4 ½ years old when his mother died.

Maria Ludovica, Empress of Austria, with three of her stepchildren: Ferdinand, Maria Leopoldina and Franz Karl; Credit – Wikipedia

Emperor Franz I consoled his grief with visits to his uncle and aunt, Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria-Este and Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d’Este, and fell in love with their beautiful and literate daughter and his first cousin Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este who was 19-years-old, twenty years younger than Franz. Maria Ludovika and Franz were married on January 6, 1808. Their marriage was childless but Maria Ludovika adopted a very maternal attitude toward her stepchildren, Sadly, Maria Ludovica died of tuberculosis just eight years later. Franz Karl’s father married for the fourth time to Caroline Augusta of Bavaria and that marriage was also childless.

With the deaths of two of his three brothers in childhood, Franz Karl and his elder brother Ferdinand were the heirs to the throne. Franz Karl was somewhat feeble-minded but Ferdinand was developmentally delayed and suffered from epilepsy, hydrocephalus, neurological problems, and a speech impediment. Some thought he was incapable of reigning and his father Emperor Franz I considered removing him from the succession.

Sophie of Bavaria; Credit – Wikipedia

On 4 November 1824, Franz Karl married Princess Sophie of Bavaria, daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. Despite Franz Karl’s issues, Sophie’s family agreed to the marriage because they thought that the disabilities of Franz Karl’s brother might cause Franz Karl to succeed to the throne. In 1831, Ferdinand married Maria Anna of Savoy, the daughter of King Vittorio Emanuele I of Sardinia. The marriage was childless and probably never consummated, but the couple remained devoted to each other.

Luckily, Franz Karl and Sophie had five children and so they provided the heirs to the throne:

Family of Franz I, Emperor of Austria: From left to right: Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, Empress of Austria; Franz I, Emperor of Austria; Napoleon II of France, Duke of Reichstadt (Franz’s grandson); Princess Sophie of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria; Marie-Louise of Austria, Duchess of Parma (Franz’s daughter and Napoleon II’s mother); the future Ferdinand I, Emperor of Austria; and Archduke Franz Karl of Austria in 1826 by Leopold Fertbauer; Credit – Wikipedia

Franz Karl’s brother Ferdinand did succeed to the throne in 1835 upon the death of his father. His epilepsy caused him to have as many as twenty seizures per day, and this severely restricted his ability to rule effectively. His father’s will stipulated that Ferdinand’s uncle Archduke Ludwig be consulted on government matters and during Ferdinand’s reign a council called the Secret State Conference controlled the government.

The young Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

Franz Karl had no ambitions of power and had never been interested in politics, the exact opposite of his wife Sophie. Sophie’s biggest ambition was to place her oldest son Franz Joseph on the Austrian throne. During the Revolutions of 1848, she persuaded her husband to give up his rights to the throne in favor of their son Franz Joseph, and on December 2, 1848, Emperor Ferdinand abdicated the throne in favor of his 18-year-old nephew. Franz Joseph was now Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, and King of Bohemia.

Sophie and Franz Karl in 1872; Credit – Wikipedia

After his son Franz Joseph became Emperor of Austria, Franz Karl rarely participated in court life, appearing only on a few formal occasions. He preferred to live as a private person, enjoying carriage rides, long walks, and hunting. He spent his summers at the Kaiservilla (Imperial Villa) in the spa town of Bad Ischl, Austria, and became very interested in the local theater which was in ruins.  He arranged for it to be restored and used as a theater for himself and his friends, which made him extremely popular in Bad Ischl.

Franz Karl at 75; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 8, 1878, in Vienna, Archduke Franz Karl died at the age of 75. He was buried at the Imperial Crypt beneath the Capuchin Church in Vienna. Franz Karl was the last Habsburg whose viscera were entombed at the Ducal Crypt of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna and whose heart was placed in the Herzgruft of the Augustinian Church in Vienna. From 1960 – 1962, the New Vault was added to the Imperial Crypt to relieve overcrowding. Franz Karl’s remains and those of his wife Sophie were transferred to the West Wall of the New Vault.

The New Vault in the Imperial Crypt; Credit – Susan Flantzer

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. (2018). Franz Karl von Österreich. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Karl_von_%C3%96sterreich [Accessed 6 Aug. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Archduke Franz Karl of Austria. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archduke_Franz_Karl_of_Austria [Accessed 6 Aug. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2016). Ferdinand I, Emperor of Austria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/emperor-ferdinand-i-of-austria/ [Accessed 6 Aug. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2016). Franz I, Emperor of Austria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/franz-i-emperor-of-austria/ [Accessed 5 Aug. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2013). Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, Empress of Austria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/june-6-daily-featured-royal-date/ [Accessed 5 Aug. 2018].
  • It.wikipedia.org. (2018). Francesco Carlo d’Asburgo-Lorena. [online] Available at: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Carlo_d%27Asburgo-Lorena [Accessed 6 Aug. 2018].

Maria Leopoldina of Austria, Empress of Brazil, Queen of Portugal

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Maria Leopoldina of Austria, Empress of Brazil, Queen of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Karoline Josepha Leopoldina Franziska Ferdinanda was born as an Archduchess of Austria on January 22, 1797, at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. Known as Leopoldina, she was fifth of the twelve children and the fourth of the eight daughters of Emperor Franz I of Austria and the second of his four wives, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily.

Leopoldina had eleven siblings:

Franz, Maria Theresa, and their older children, Leopoldina is the youngest daughter in the portrait; Credit – Wikipedia 

Leopoldina was educated with her sisters Marie Ludovica, Marie Clementina, and Marie Karoline. As a child Leopoldina was interested in botany, lepidopterology (the study of butterflies), and mineralogy. Leopoldina showed a talent for drawing and some of her pictures are preserved in the picture archive of the Austrian National Library. She was fluent in German, French, Italian, and Latin.

While pregnant with her twelfth child, Leopoldina’s mother Maria Theresa fell ill with the lung infection pleurisy. Her doctor bled her and this caused premature labor. Maria Theresa gave birth to her twelfth child, who lived only one day, and then she died on April 13, 1807, at the age of 34. Leopoldina’s father Franz was inconsolable and had to be forcibly removed from his wife’s body. The death of her mother greatly affected ten-year-old Leopoldina.

Maria Ludovica, Empress of Austria, with three of her stepchildren: Ferdinand, Maria Leopoldina, and Franz Karl; Credit – Wikipedia

Emperor Franz I consoled his grief with visits to his uncle and aunt, Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria-Este and Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d’Este, and fell in love with their beautiful and literate daughter and his first cousin Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este who was 19 years old, twenty years younger than Franz. Maria Ludovika and Franz were married on January 6, 1808. Their marriage was childless but Leopoldina dearly loved her stepmother and considered Maria Ludovica to be her “spiritual mother.” Sadly, Maria Ludovica died of tuberculosis just eight years later. Leopoldina’s father married for the fourth time to Caroline Augusta of Bavaria and that marriage was also childless.

Around the time of Maria Ludovica’s death, negotiations began for a marriage between 19-year-old Leopoldina and 18-year-old Pedro, Crown Prince of Portugal and Prince of Brazil. Pedro was the son of King João VI of Portugal and Infanta Carlota Joaquina of Spain, daughter of King Carlos IV of Spain. At that time, Brazil was ruled as a kingdom united with Portugal. In 1807, when Pedro was nine years old, the Portuguese royal family moved to Brazil to escape the Napoleonic invasion and remained in Brazil where Rio de Janeiro became the de facto capital of the Portuguese Empire. Emperor Franz was not a great supporter of this marriage because he knew about the immoral lifestyle and the epilepsy of the proposed groom. At the insistence of Prince Klemens von Metternich, Foreign Minister of the Austrian Empire at that time, later Chancellor, Franz eventually gave his approval to the marriage.

Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil by Simplício Rodrigues de Sá, 1822; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopoldina and Pedro were married by proxy at the Augustinian Church in Vienna on May 13, 1817, with Leopoldina’s uncle, Archduke Karl, Duke of Teschen standing in for the groom. The bride left Vienna on June 3, 1817, and arrived in Livorno, Tuscany (now in Italy) on July 24, 1817, where she was to embark on a three-month voyage to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On November 6, 1817, Leopoldina and Pedro were married in person in the chapel of the Paço de São Cristóvão (Saint Christopher’s Palace) in Rio de Janeiro where the couple lived after their marriage. Leopoldina had to adjust to Brazil’s heat and humidity, tropical rainfall, and the ever-present insects.

Leopoldina and Pedro had seven children:

Leopoldina with some of her children by Domenico Failutti; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1821, after a series of revolutions and army mutinies, King João VI, under pressure from the Portuguese parliament, departed Brazil for Portugal, leaving behind Leopoldina and Pedro as Regent. Pedro was quite uneducated and the intelligent and well-educated Leopoldina quickly gained influence over her husband. Pedro discussed all government affairs with her and usually followed her advice. In January 1822, Pedro initiated an autonomous government for Brazil, a decisive step in the history of Brazil, which was definitely due to the influence of Leopoldina. This was done because it was known that Portugal intended to recall Pedro and relegate Brazil to the status of a colony.

In August 1822, Pedro appointed Leopoldina Regent while he went on a political trip to the Province of São Paulo. While Pedro was away, Leopoldina received news that Portugal was about to take action, and without waiting for Pedro’s return, met with the Council of State on September 2, 1822, and signed the Decree of Independence, declaring Brazil independent from Portugal. Pedro I was declared Emperor of Brazil on October 12, 1822, his 24th birthday, and Leopoldina became Empress of Brazil. Pedro’s coronation was held on December 1, 1822, in what is today known as the Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro.

Maria Leopoldina acting as regent on behalf of her husband during the September 2, 1822 meeting with the Council of Ministers by Georgina de Albuquerque; Credit – Wikipedia

When Pedro’s father King João VI of Portugal died in March 1826, it caused a succession crisis. Pedro was his eldest living son and heir but he had declared Brazil’s independence and was ruling as Emperor Pedro I of Brazil. King João VI had appointed his daughter Isabel Maria to serve as regent until the “legitimate heir returned to the Kingdom” but he never specified who that should be. Pedro was ruling as Emperor of Brazil, and King João VI’s younger son Miguel (the future King Miguel I of Portugal) had been exiled to Austria after leading several revolutions against his father and his liberal regime. While Pedro was the legitimate heir, the Brazilian people did not want the two thrones to be reunited. Pedro reigned as King of Portugal for only two months and then abdicated the Portuguese throne on May 2, 1826, in favor of his seven-year-old daughter Maria.

Maria Leopoldina, Empress of Brazil by Luís Schlappriz; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1822, Pedro had begun an affair with Brazilian noblewoman Domitila de Castro, Marchioness of Santos. He had mistresses during his marriage to Leopoldina but was always careful to conceal his affairs. This time, Pedro flaunted the affair. He was increasingly rude and disrespectful to Leopoldina, left her short of money, prohibited her from leaving the palace, and forced her to endure his mistress Domitila as her lady-in-waiting.) In November 1826, Leopoldina was pregnant with her eighth child (she had given birth to seven children in six years). Pedro arranged a farewell reception before he left for a military trip. He demanded that his wife and his mistress attend the reception along with government, diplomatic, and church officials. Leopoldina refused to attend, causing a bitter argument with Pedro which remained unresolved when he left on his trip.

Shortly thereafter, 29-year-old Leopoldina died at the Palacio de São Cristovão on December 11, 1826, from puerperal fever (childbed fever) after a miscarriage. She was buried in the Ajuda Convent in Cinelândia Square in the center of Rio de Janeiro. When the convent was demolished in 1911, Leopoldina’s remains were transferred to the Convent of St. Anthony in Rio de Janeiro where a mausoleum was built for her and some other members of the Brazilian Imperial Family. Eventually, Leopoldina’s remains were transferred to the Brazilian Imperial Crypt and Chapel under the Monument of the Ipiranga (Monument to the Independence of Brazil) in São Paulo, Brazil.

Tomb of Maria Leopoldina, Empress of Brazil; Credit – By Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64026646

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.

Portugal Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Maria Leopoldine von Österreich. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Leopoldine_von_%C3%96sterreich [Accessed 5 Aug. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Maria Leopoldina of Austria. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Leopoldina_of_Austria [Accessed 5 Aug. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2016). Franz I, Emperor of Austria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/franz-i-emperor-of-austria/ [Accessed 5 Aug. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2013). Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, Empress of Austria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/june-6-daily-featured-royal-date/ [Accessed 5 Aug. 2018].
  • Mehl, S. (2016). Queen Maria II of Portugal. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/queen-maria-ii-of-portugal/ [Accessed 5 Aug. 2018].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. (2018). Maria Leopoldina de Áustria. [online] Available at: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Leopoldina_de_%C3%81ustria [Accessed 5 Aug. 2018].

Princess Irene of Greece

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia By Javier Gayá

Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark is the youngest child of King Paul of the Hellenes and Princess Frederica of Hanover. She was born on May 11, 1942, in Cape Town, South Africa, and has two older siblings:

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Irene was born in Cape Town, where her family lived in exile during World War II. They returned to Greece in 1946, and the following year, Irene’s father became King of the Hellenes. Irene was given a diverse education, studying philosophy and archeology, and became fluent in several languages. She also developed a remarkable talent as a pianist, training with the famed concert pianist Gina Bachauer, and later performing for charitable causes in Europe and the United States. From the time of her father’s death, and brother’s accession to the throne, in March 1964, until the birth of Constantine’s daughter Alexia in July 1965, Irene was the heiress presumptive to the Greek throne. Her elder sister Sophia had relinquished her succession rights upon her marriage to the future King Juan Carlos of Spain in 1962.

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Following the overthrow of the Greek monarchy in 1967, Irene and her mother lived for several years in Rome before moving to India in 1969. In India, Irene studied Vedanta philosophy and religion. By the time of her mother’s death in 1981, Irene had spent much time in Spain, which soon became her permanent residence. She lives in an apartment at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid, the home of her sister Sophia.

In the mid-1980s, she became involved in several philanthropic ventures. In 1985, when the European Community planned to slaughter several million cattle to artificially reduce milk production, the Princess organized for thousands of cows to be shipped to India, where they would be protected. The following year, she established Mundo en Armonía (World in Harmony Foundation), a non-profit foundation that promotes compassion for animals and harmony between people. She continues to serve as the organization’s president.

In 1994, Irene joined her brother in filing a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights over properties and assets confiscated by the Greek Republic. In 2002, Princess Irene received a share of the compensation made to the Greek Royal Family for these properties and assets. She used the money to establish a Greek branch of the World in Harmony to promote causes in Greece.  In 2018, Princess Irene was granted Spanish citizenship by Royal Decree.

In addition to her work with World in Harmony, the Princess has been involved with numerous organizations, including:

  • Patron, African Cultural Organization of South Africa (ACOSA)
  • Patron, Ashram International
  • Patron, Banco Santander Central Hispano Foundation
  • Honorary President – Spanish Chapter, European String Professors Association (ESTA)
  • Vice President, Dr. T.M.P. Mahadevan Foundation
  • Patron – Spanish Chapter, Yehudi Menuhin Foundation
  • Vice Chair, Sarvodaya International Trust
  • Member of the Honorary Council, The Peres Center for Peace Association in Spain

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Princess Katherine of Greece, The Lady Katherine Brandram

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Princess Katherine of Greece, Lady Katherine Brandram; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Katherine of Greece was the youngest child of King Constantine I of the Hellenes and Princess Sophie of Prussia. She was born at the New Royal Palace in Athens, Greece (formerly known as the Crown Prince’s Palace) on May 4, 1913. Through her mother, Katherine was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

Katherine had five older siblings:

Katherine’s christening took place on June 14, 1913, with the following godparents:

Princess Katherine was born into a life of upheaval. At just three years old, she survived a fire at Tatoi Palace, with her mother running two kilometers carrying the young princess. At four years old, her father was forced from the throne, replaced by his younger son, King Alexander, and the family went into exile in Switzerland. Her father returned to the Greek throne in 1920 but was forced to abdicate two years later in favor of his eldest son King George II. The family again went into exile, settling in Palermo, Sicily, where her father would die in January 1923. The family moved to Villa Sparta in Florence, where Katherine continued her education, supervised by an English governess.

Princess Katherine (on her father’s knee) with her family, c1919. (standing – Princess Helen, Prince Paul, Princess Irene; sitting – Prince George, Queen Sophie, King Constantine I). source: Wikipedia

Katherine was then sent to England to attend the North Foreland Lodge in Kent to continue her studies. Following her education, she returned to Florence, living with her mother and sisters, and becoming close to the Italian Royal Family. She also maintained close contact with her Greek relations, and in 1934, served as a bridesmaid at the wedding of her cousin, Princess Marina of Greece, to Prince George of the United Kingdom, Duke of Kent, in London. Katherine returned to Greece in 1935 when her brother George was restored to the throne and worked as a nurse with the Greek Red Cross at the outbreak of World War II. Once again forced to flee, the family left Greece in April 1941, traveling to Crete and then to Alexandria, Egypt, before settling in Cape Town, South Africa in July 1941. There, Katherine returned to nursing at a hospital in Cape Town, particularly caring for soldiers suffering from blindness.

The family left South Africa and returned to Egypt in 1944, and in May 1946, Katherine decided to join her brother George, who was living in exile in the United Kingdom. While traveling onboard the RMS Ascania, she met Major Richard Campbell Andrew Brandram, an officer in the British Royal Artillery, who was traveling home on leave from his position at the British Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. The two quickly fell in love and were engaged three weeks after returning to Britain. Despite Brandram being a commoner, the engagement was met with approval and great happiness by the Greek royal family. King George II, however, asked them to keep the engagement private due to the unstable political situation in Greece at the time. In September 1946, the monarchy was again restored, and Katherine accompanied her brother back to Athens.

The engagement was formally announced in February 1947, and the family was looking forward to the wedding as a time of celebration for the Greek people. Sadly, King George II died on April 1, 1947, just three weeks before the wedding. His successor, his younger brother Paul, insisted that the wedding should take place as scheduled, and Katherine and Richard were married on April 21, 1947. Two ceremonies, Church of England and Greek Orthodox, took place in the ballroom of the Royal Palace in Athens.

King George VI of the United Kingdom issued a decree on August 25, 1947, granting Katherine the “style, title, place and pre-eminence as the daughter of a Duke”, and she became styled as Lady Katherine Brandram. Later that year, Katherine and her husband attended the wedding of her first cousin, Philip Mountbatten, and the future Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

Following a honeymoon in Greece, the couple returned to Baghdad, and upon returning to England, they settled in Eaton Square, Belgravia, London. They later moved to Marlow in Buckinghamshire, England.

The Brandrams had one son:

  • Richard Paul George Andrew Brandram (1948 – 2020), married  (1) Jennifer Diane Steele, had two daughters and one son, divorced  (2) Kate Moreton, no children

Lady Brandram and her husband with their son (held by Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent). Photo: Wikipedia Par Queen Luisa — Collection particulière

Katherine lived a relatively quiet life in England, mostly out of the public eye, other than an occasional royal event. She retained close ties to her Greek relatives and often joined them for family functions such as christenings and memorial services. One of her last public appearances was at a Service of Thanksgiving at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, England for the Duke of Edinburgh’s 80th birthday in 2001.

In her later years, Katherine joined her nephew King Constantine II and her niece Princess Irene in a legal battle against the Greek Republic over properties that had been confiscated. The Greek monarchy was abolished in 1974, and the royal family’s properties and assets were confiscated. Five years later, the confiscation decree was abolished, and the properties were returned. These included Tatoi Palace, Mon Repos on the Island of Corfu, and the Royal Estate at Polydendri, of which Katherine was a co-owner. However, the properties were again confiscated in 1994. At that time, Katherine, Constantine, and Irene filed a complaint before the European Court of Human Rights. In 2001, after a long legal battle, the Court ordered the Greek government to compensate the Greek Royal Family. The decision was confirmed upon appeal in 2002, and Katherine received 300,000 Euros.

Tomb of Princess Katherine, Lady Brandram at Tatoi Palace. Credit: Wikipedia by Kostisl – Own work 

Lady Brandram died in London on October 2, 2007. She is buried with her husband in the Royal Cemetery at the Tatoi Palace in Greece. From 2002 until her death, she was the last surviving great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

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Prince Michael of Greece

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Prince Michael of Greece – photo: Yorgos Papadakis. source: Prince Michael’s Chronicles

Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark was the son of Prince Christopher of Greece and Princess Françoise of Orléans. Born in Rome on January 7, 1939, Michael was an only child. His godparents included two of his first cousins – Princess Helen of Greece, Queen Mother of Romania, and King George II of the Hellenes. Some of his other first cousins include The Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, King Alexander of Greece and King Paul of Greece.

Michael’s father died when he was just a year old, and with the onset of World War II, he and his mother left Italy and moved to Morocco to live with his maternal grandmother. In 1948, they moved to Paris where Michael began his education. In 1953, Michael’s mother died, and he was then raised by his uncle, Henri, Comte de Paris. Michael graduated from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris in 1960, with a degree in Political Science. He returned to Greece in 1959 and served four years in the Greek Army.

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On February 7, 1965, in the ballroom at the Royal Palace in Athens, Prince Michael married Greek artist Marina Karella, the daughter of Theodore Karella and Elly Chalikiopoulos. Although he was third in line for the Greek throne at the time, Michael’s marriage was considered unequal and he was forced to relinquish his succession rights to receive the consent of King Constantine II. Marina did not receive the title Princess of Greece and Denmark nor the style of Royal Highness. She was instead styled as Marina, Consort of Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark. Their wedding was attended by many members of the Greek royal family, as well as members of several foreign royal and noble families, and King Constantine II served as Michael’s best man.

Michael and Marina has two daughters, neither of whom have dynastic rights but are styled as Princesses of Greece:

After the overthrow of the Greek monarchy in 1967, Michael and his wife were the only members of the royal family permitted to remain in the country. However, they decided to leave in 1972 and settled in Paris. By then an established author, Michael continued his writing. The family later moved to New York in 1980 where they lived for 13 years before returning to Paris, and eventually to Greece.

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Prince Michael wrote over 30 books, biographies, and historical novels as well as fine arts and photography books, and was a contributing writer to Architectural Digest. He maintained his own website filled with stories and recollections from his life, and many of the people, and events, in it. A listing of his works can be found here.

In 2008, Michael and his wife founded the ELIZA Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, in Greece. The society’s purpose is to protect children suffering from abuse and neglect. For Michael and Marina, the motivation to get involved went back to their time in New York in the early 1990s. Prince Michael met a young girl, named Elisa Izquierdo, at a preschool. The two quickly developed a bond, and the Prince offered to pay her school tuition through high school. In 1995, at just 6 years old, Elisa was murdered by her mother. Her death led to public outrage and demands for better treatment and advocacy for children. Elisa’s Law was passed in New York State the following year, redefining the responsibilities of the state and social services, and increasing the accountability of all involved in child protection. Prince Michael and his wife were devastated by what happened to Elisa and decided to use their resources and recognition to help bring awareness.

Prince Michael of Greece died on July 28, 2024, at the age of 85, in a hospital in Athens, Greece.

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Princess Françoise of Orléans, Princess of Greece and Denmark

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Princess Françoise of Orléans; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Françoise Isabelle Louise Marie d’Orléans was the second wife of Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark. She was born in Paris, France on December 25, 1902, the second child of Prince Jean of Orléans, Duke of Guise, an Orléanist pretender to the throne of France, and Princess Isabelle of Orléans. Françoise had three siblings:

Françoise was a great-great-granddaughter of Louis Philippe I, King of the French, four times over. All four of her grandparents were grandchildren of Louis Philippe. She was also the great-granddaughter of   Emperor Pedro I of Brazil and King Ferdinand VII of Spain.

Françoise spent her early years at the family home in Le Nouvion-en-Thiérache in northern France before the family moved to Morocco in 1909. Settling in the small town of Larache, they lived in relatively spartan conditions for several years, before finally moving to a more comfortable villa in 1918. During this time, Morocco was split between France and Spain. The family found themselves on both sides – their home was in the Spanish zone while their farm was in the French zone. Françoise and her siblings were given a strict education by their mother, learning several languages, and she also became a proficient horsewoman. She was so skilled that she was later the only woman permitted to train at the Roman Military Cavalry School at Tor di Quinto in Rome.

On holiday in France when World War I began, the family returned to Morocco but quickly returned to France. Her father joined the Red Cross and her mother Françoise and her siblings took care of wounded soldiers at a military hospital set up at the Chateau de Randan – the home of her grandmother, The Countess of Paris. Several months later, Françoise, her mother, and her siblings returned to Morocco, this time settling in the French zone. Following the war, they returned to Larache and resumed their regular visits to France.

In 1921, Françoise was proposed as a potential bride for King Alexander I of Yugoslavia. Despite the agreement of the French government, nothing came of the idea, and Alexander went on to marry Princess Maria of Romania. A few years later, however, Françoise would meet the man who would become her husband.

Prince Christopher of Greece. source: Wikipedia

In 1925, at the wedding of Princess Mafalda of Italy and Prince Philipp of Hesse-Kassel, Françoise met her future husband, Prince Christopher of Greece. He was the youngest son of King George I of the Hellenes and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia. Several years later, at the encouragement of her aunt, the Duchess of Aosta, the two meet again and soon a romance begins. Although Christopher was 13 years older and widowed, Françoise was attracted to his sense of humor and artistic abilities. A few weeks later, the couple decided to become engaged but first, they had to address the issue of religion. Christopher was Greek Orthodox, and Françoise was Catholic, which meant they would need a dispensation from the Pope, who was greatly opposed to the idea. Finally, after lengthy negotiations, they received permission and were able to marry.

A civil ceremony was held on February 10, 1929, followed by a religious ceremony the following day in the Palatine Chapel at the Royal Palace of Palermo. Their witnesses were King Manuel II of Portugal, The Duke of Aosta, King George II of the Hellenes, and The Prince of Piedmont (later King Umberto II of Italy). The couple settled at Villa Anastasia in Rome, and several years later, had their only child:

Following their marriage, the couple soon found themselves in dire financial circumstances. The administrator of her husband’s finances absconded with the money, and Françoise was forced to borrow money from her father. She also posed for several advertising photos, which was considered very scandalous at the time. Their financial situation improved somewhat after the Greek monarchy was restored in 1935. Françoise and her husband returned to Greece occasionally for important ceremonies and events, including the burials of King Constantine I, Queen Sophie, and Queen Olga at Tatoi Palace (all of whom had died while in exile). They also returned in 1838 for the marriage of the future King Paul of the Hellenes and Princess Friederike of Hanover. The following year, they welcomed their only child, Prince Michael.

Just a year after the birth of their son, tragedy struck. Prince Christopher traveled to Athens to meet with his nephew, King George II, about the events happening in Europe and the onset of World War II. While there, he developed an abscess in his lungs, which quickly took his life. Françoise rushed to get to Greece but could not get there before Christopher’s death on January 21, 1940.

Now very much in financial straits, Françoise traveled to Paris where she sold some of the jewels she’d received from her mother-in-law on her wedding day. She also decided to leave Italy and the fascist regime. After being advised against settling in Athens because of the war, she and her son ended up at her parents’ home in Larache, Morocco, along with her sister and her children. She later moved to Tangiers after her father’s death, but soon returned to Larache. By the fall of 1944, Françoise’s mother could no longer afford to support all of the family at Larache, so Françoise took her son and moved to Malaga, Spain, where they lived at the Miramar Hotel. In 1948, they left Spain and returned to Paris, where they lived with her sister, Isabelle, and her second husband, Prince Pierre Murat.

Grave of Prince Christopher and Princess Françoise. photo: By Catlemur – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65380068

Over the next few years, Françoise became very introverted and greatly limited her social interactions. Riddled with depression, her health quickly declined. She died in Paris, France on February 25, 1953, two months after her 50th birthday. Her funeral was held at the Saint-Louis Chapel in Dreux and was attended by many European royals. Several weeks later, her remains were buried alongside her husband in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace in Greece.

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