Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland; Credit – Wikipedia

Kingdom of Hanover: In 1714, George, Elector of Hanover, became King George I of Great Britain due to the extinction of the Protestant Stuart line. He remained Elector of Hanover as did his successors King George II and King George III. In 1814, under the terms of the Congress of Vienna, the Electorate of Hanover was raised to the Kingdom of Hanover and King George III also became King of Hanover.

George III’s sons George IV and William IV succeeded him as King of the United Kingdom and King of Hanover. However, because the Kingdom of Hanover followed the Salic Law which did not allow female succession, Queen Victoria who succeeded her uncle William IV as Queen of the United Kingdom, could not become Queen of Hanover. Therefore, Queen Victoria’s paternal eldest surviving uncle Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland became King of Hanover.

King George V, Ernest Augustus’ son, was the last King of Hanover. Hanover backed the losing side in the Austro-Prussian War and was conquered by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1866 and became a Prussian province. Since then, the senior heir of the House of Hanover has been the pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of Hanover. Today the former Kingdom of Hanover is in the German state of Lower Saxony.

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Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland was the fifth of the nine sons and the eighth of the fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He was born at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace) in London, England on  June 5, 1771. Queen Charlotte had attended an afternoon reception and then gave birth to Ernest after fifteen minutes of labor.

Ernest was christened on July 1, 1771, in the Great Council Chamber at St. James’s Palace in London, England by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury. His godparents were:

Ernest had fourteen siblings:

George III children

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

Ernest and his siblings were raised by their governess Lady Charlotte Finch who served the Royal Family for over 30 years. Lady Charlotte supervised the royal nursery and was responsible for the princes’ education until they lived in their own households and for the princesses until they turned 21. After leaving the nursery, Ernest and his younger brothers lived in a household  near the royal residence Kew Palace, and were educated by private tutors. In 1786, Ernest, Adolphus, and Augustus were sent to the University of Göttingen in Hanover (Germany) under the supervision of Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, a mathematics and physics professor.

Prince Ernest in 1782 by Thomas Gainsborough; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1791, Ernest and Augustus joined the Hanoverian army and received military training from Field Marshal Wilhelm von Freytag.  Ernest proved to be an excellent horseman and a good shot. After only two months of training, Field Marshal von Freytag was so impressed by the progress of his pupil that he appointed him a captain in the cavalry.

In March 1792, Ernest was commissioned as Colonel of the 9th Hanoverian Light Dragoons. During the War of the First Coalition (1793-97), Ernest was stationed in Flanders and served under his older brother Frederick, Duke of York, the commander of the combined British, Hanoverian, and Austrian troops. During military action in 1793, Ernest received a saber wound to the head which left him with a disfiguring scar. In the Battle of Tourcoing (1794), Ernest was hit in the left arm by a cannonball, and his eyesight was also affected. He returned to England to recover, the first time he had been back home since 1786. Ernest returned to his military duties in 1787. He was promoted to the following military ranks:

  • 1798: Lieutenant General
  • 1803: General
  • 1813: Field Marshal
  • 1801 – 1827: Colonel of the 15th (The King’s Own) Light Dragoons
  • 1827 – 1830 Colonel of Royal Regiment of the Horseguards (Blues)

On April 24, 1799, Ernest was created Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale and Earl of Armagh. He was the least popular of his brothers and had a less-than-favorable appearance due to the facial wounds he had received in war. Ernest had a negative reputation, probably unjustifiably. He was accused of being involved in the murder of his valet Joseph Sellis, of having an incestuous affair with his sister Sophia, and of being the father of her illegitimate child. It is doubtful that there was any truth to any of those allegations.

Ernest Augustus in an 1823 miniature based on an 1802 portrait by William Beechey. The facial damage from war wounds can be seen; Credit – Wikipedia

While visiting his maternal uncle Karl II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1813, Ernest fell in love with his first cousin Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Frederica was the daughter of his mother’s brother Karl II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and his first wife, Frederica of Hesse-Darmstadt.  Ernest’s cousin Frederica had a bit of a history that disturbed Ernest’s mother, Queen Charlotte. In 1793, Frederica married Prince Ludwig Karl of Prussia, the second son of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia. The marriage was unhappy, but the couple had three children. Three years after the marriage, Ludwig Karl died from diphtheria.

In 1797, Frederica and Ernest’s younger brother Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge became unofficially engaged. It is unclear whether Frederica jilted Adolphus or if King George III, under pressure from Queen Charlotte, refused to consent to the marriage. In 1798, Frederica became pregnant and the father was Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels. The couple married to avoid a scandal, and two months later, Frederica gave birth to a daughter who lived only eight months. Frederica and her second husband had five more children who survived to adulthood. Friedrich Wilhelm was an alcoholic and had to quit the military for health reasons. He lost his income and even his brother advised Frederica to divorce. She was initially against it, but when she met Ernest in 1813, she too wanted the divorce. Before the divorce could be arranged, Friedrich Wilhelm died in April 1814. For some, Friedrich Wilhelm’s death was a little too convenient, and they suspected that Frederica had poisoned him.

Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1796 by Johann Friedrich August Tischbein; Credit – Wikipedia

Ernest’s eldest brother George, Prince of Wales had become Prince Regent in 1811 due to King George III’s incapacitation, so he gave his official permission for the marriage. Ernest and Frederica became engaged in August 1814. They were married on May 29, 1815, at the Palace of Neustrelitz.  The British Privy Council recommended that a second marriage be performed when the couple arrived in England because any children born of the marriage could eventually be close to the succession. Ernest arrived in England in June to make plans for the second marriage without Frederica, having left her in Neustrelitz. Shortly after his arrival, Ernest received a letter from his mother, Queen Charlotte. The queen regretted that she must refuse to receive Frederica because it was known in England that Frederica had broken her engagement with Adolphus and, to quote the queen, ” the unfavorable impression which the knowledge of those circumstances had made here.” Of course, Ernest was shocked that his mother would do this, but things got worse. Queen Charlotte warned the rest of the family that she would be severely displeased if they received Frederica.

Nevertheless, Ernest returned to Neustrelitz to escort Frederica to England, where the second wedding ceremony was held on August 29, 1815, at Carlton House in London, England, the Prince Regent’s residence. Ernest’s sisters decided they could not defy their mother, but his elder brothers George, Frederick, William, and Edward attended the ceremony.

Ernest and Frederica had one son and two stillborn daughters:

Ernest and Frederica’s son, Prince George of Cumberland at birth, was born amidst the race for an heir to the British throne in the third generation.  The death of Princess Charlotte of Wales in childbirth in 1817 left King George III without any legitimate grandchildren.  Prince George was born three days after the birth of the eventual heir, Alexandrina Victoria (Queen Victoria), who was ahead of her cousin in the succession by being the child of King George III’s fourth son, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.  After Queen Victoria acceded to the throne in 1837, Ernest and his son George remained first and second in the line of succession to the British throne until Queen Victoria’s first child was born.  Today their descendant Ernst August V, Prince of Hanover is the senior male-line descendant of King George III and the Head of the House of Hanover.

On June 20, 1837, Ernest’s eldest surviving brother King William IV died and the only child of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent succeeded her uncle as Queen Victoria. Upon the accession of Queen Victoria, Ernest became King of Hanover.  Hanoverian kings of the United Kingdom were also Electors or Kings of Hanover.  However, Hanover followed the Salic Law which did not allow female succession.  Ernest Augustus, the eldest surviving son of King George III, became King of Hanover, his wife became Queen Consort of Hanover, and his son George became Crown Prince of Hanover.  Ernest arrived in Hanover (now in Germany) eight days after his brother King William IV died on June 20, 1837, to take up his duties as the new King of Hanover. He only returned to England once, when he attended the wedding of his niece Princess Augusta of Cambridge on June 18, 1843.

When King Ernest Augustus of Hanover (Ernst August in German) arrived in his kingdom on June 28, 1837, he was greeted by booming cannons, church bells ringing, and cheering people who were glad to have their king in his kingdom after years of rule by viceroys. However, Ernest soon proved unpopular with his anti-liberal style of government. In November 1837, Ernest issued a patent declaring the 1833 liberal constitution void and restoring the more conservative 1819 constitution. This patent required all officeholders, including professors at the University of Göttingen, to take an oath of allegiance to the King. Seven professors, called the Göttingen Seven, including the two Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, refused to take the oath and encouraged others to protest against the King’s patent. Since they did not take the oath, the Göttingen Seven lost their positions, and the King expelled the three most responsible (including Jacob Grimm) from Hanover.

Queen Frederica died after a short illness on June 29, 1841, at the age of 63. Ernest commissioned the architect Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves to build a mausoleum for his wife and himself. The mausoleum was built from 1842 – 1847 in the garden of the chapel at Schloss Herrenhausen, which was destroyed during World War II. A decision to rebuild the palace was made in 2007, and reconstruction was completed in 2013. Today the mausoleum is in the Berggarten, part of the Herrenhausen Gardens.

The Revolutions of 1848, which led to the fall of King Louis Philippe I of the French, encouraged the citizens of Hanover and citizens of other German kingdoms, principalities, and duchies to demand German national unity, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly. Ernest was initially reluctant to make concessions, but the citizens’ demands threatened to spark a revolution against the monarchy. To prevent a revolution, Ernest agreed to reforms. He appointed liberal politician Johann Carl Bertram Stüve, the deputy of the national assembly in the Kingdom of Hanover and liberal interior minister to create a modern constitution for the Kingdom of Hanover. The new constitution became effective on September 5, 1848, and guaranteed freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, the separation of the judiciary and administration, and the equality of all religions. Because of the freedoms granted in the 1848 constitution, Ernest’s popularity greatly increased.

Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover;  Credit – Wikipedia

Ernest Augustus died on November 18, 1851, after a short illness. Of his fifteen siblings, only Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester survived him. 30,000 people passed by his coffin as he lay in state in the throne room of Schloss Herrenhausen. On November 25, 1851, his funeral was held in the Schloss Herrenhausen chapel. Ernest was then buried in the mausoleum he had built when his wife died.

Mausoleum in the Berggarten, part of the Herrenhausen Gardens; Credit – Wikipedia

Interior of the Mausoleum in the Berggarten with the tombs of Queen Frederica and King Ernest Augustus, about 1861; Credit – Wikipedia

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

Unofficial Royalty Kingdom of Hanover Resources

Works Cited
“Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 21 July 2016. Web. 9 Aug. 2016.
“Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 28 May 2016. Web. 11 Aug. 2016.
Van Der Kiste, John. George III’s Children. Trowbridge: Alan Sutton Publishing Limited, 1999. Print.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Princess Augusta Sophia of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Princess Augusta Sophia of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Augusta Sophia was the second of the six daughters and the sixth of the fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. She was born at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace) in London, England on November 8, 1768. A month later, on December 6, 1768, the infant princess was christened by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury in the Great Council Room at St. James’ Palace. Her godparents were:

Princess Augusta had fourteen siblings:

George III children

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

Augusta and her sisters were raised by their governess Lady Charlotte Finch who served the Royal Family for over 30 years. Lady Charlotte supervised the royal nursery and was responsible for the princes’ education until they lived in their own households. She was responsible for the princesses until they turned 21. Augusta and her sisters studied geography, German, English, grammar, music, needlework, dancing, and art. They were taught French by a tutor, Julie Krohme. The princesses had art lessons from famous artists Thomas Gainsborough and Benjamin West. Augusta was considered the most attractive of her sisters, however, she was quite shy.

The Three Eldest Princesses, Charlotte, Princess Royal, Augusta and Elizabeth by Thomas Gainsborough 1784; Credit – Wikipedia

Augusta’s childhood was very sheltered and she spent most of her time with her parents and sisters.  The living conditions of King George’s daughters came to be known as “the Nunnery.” None of the daughters was allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry. Perhaps this over-protection of King George III’s daughters was due to what happened to his sister Caroline Matilda when she married King Christian VII of Denmark.  Christian’s mental illness led to Caroline Matilda having an affair, being caught, the execution of her lover, her exile, and her early death from scarlet fever at age 23.  The story was told in several novels including Per Olov Enquist’s The Visit of the Royal Physician (1999) and in the Danish film A Royal Affair (2012). Stella Tillyard also covers Caroline Matilda’s affair in her nonfiction book A Royal Affair: George III and His Scandalous Siblings (2006). Despite what happened to their aunt, the sisters longed to escape from “the Nunnery.”

Augusta’s unfortunate aunt Caroline Matilda; Credit – Wikipedia

Before King George’s first bout with what could have been porphyria in 1788, he had told his daughters that he would take them to Hanover to find husbands.  Further bouts occurred in 1801 and 1804 and prevented the discussion of marriage for his daughters. Queen Charlotte feared that the subject of marriage, which always bothered her husband, would push him back into insanity.  She was stressed by her husband’s illness and wanted her daughters to remain close to her.  The sisters – Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia – continued to be over-protected and isolated, restricting them from meeting eligible suitors of their own age.

Starved for male companionship, Sophia got pregnant by her father’s 56-year-old equerry and secretly gave birth to a boy who was placed in a foster home. Amelia had an affair with another equerry. Three of the six daughters would eventually marry, all later than was the norm for the time. Charlotte, Princess Royal married the future King of Württemberg, Friedrich I, at the age of 31, and had one stillborn daughter. Mary married her cousin Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester at the age of 40 and had no children. Elizabeth was the last of the daughters to finally escape from “the Nunnery” when she married the future Landgrave Friedrich of Hesse-Homburg at the age of 48.

Augusta at age 13, portrait by Thomas Gainsborough; Credit – Wikipedia

Being the second daughter, Augusta could not marry until her elder sister Charlotte married. Although Charlotte married at the age of 31, Augusta never did marry. There seemed to be a possibility that a marriage could be arranged with her first cousin, the future King Frederick VI of Denmark. However, King George III rejected any possible marriage alliances with Denmark because of the fate of his sister Caroline Matilda. In 1797, Augusta received a proposal from Prince Frederick Adolf of Sweden, a proposal given without the approval of the King of Sweden. Around 1799, Augusta became enamored with Major General Sir Brent Spencer. She even wrote a letter to her brother George after he had become Prince Regent begging for his permission for a secret marriage. There was court gossip that Augusta and Spencer had secretly married, but nothing definite could be confirmed. Apparently, Augusta and Spencer had a long relationship.

Princess Augusta by William Beechey, 1802; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Augusta became her mother’s companion. Queen Charlotte kept Augusta at her side, isolating her from society, and turning her into a kind of chaperone. This continued until the Queen’s death, ten days after Augusta’s 50th birthday. After the death of her father King George III, Augusta lived at Frogmore House near Windsor Castle and an apartment at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace) in London. The new king, King George IV, made it clear that his brothers and sisters would only be welcome at Windsor Castle when he had invited them to be his guests.

In 1837, Augusta’s niece Victoria became Queen upon the death of her brother King William IV. All of Victoria’s aunts considered their duty to Victoria to be sacred. She was the child of their brother Edward and now their sovereign. Victoria invited her aunts to dine with her at Buckingham Palace and spent time with her aunts although she was busy with her new position. King William IV’s widow Queen Adelaide moved out of Clarence House and Augusta moved in. It was to be her London home for the rest of her life. Augusta attended Queen Victoria’s coronation in 1838 and her wedding in 1840.

Princess Augusta Sophia, signed, dated and fully inscribed on the counter-enamel ‘H.R H. The late Princess Augusta London Oct. 1840. Painted by Command of Her Majesty by Henry Pierce Bone Enamel Painter to Her Majesty & H. R H. Prince Albert

Following Queen Victoria’s wedding in 1840, Augusta’s health deteriorated. On July 2, 1840, a Windsor newspaper reported “the serious and alarming illness of the Princess Augusta.” Three days later, Queen Victoria ordered the gates of Green Park, which borders Clarence House, closed so that traffic would not bother Princess Augusta. With her sister-in-law Queen Adelaide, her surviving sisters Mary and Sophia, and her brother Adolphus at her bedside, Princess Augusta died at the age of 71 on September 22, 1840, at Clarence House in London. Her remains lay in state at Frogmore House and then were taken to St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle where they were buried in the Royal Vault on October 2, 1840.

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.

Recommended books that deal with Princess Augusta Sophia of the United Kingdom
George III’s Children by John Van Der Kiste (1992)
The Georgian Princesses by John Van Der Kiste (2000)
Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III by Flora Fraser (2004)

The Princess Royal cancels trip to Mozambique and Botswana

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Earlier this month on September 9, 2016, The Princess Royal was briefly admitted to the hospital for tests.  She was diagnosed with a severe chest infection, was told to rest, and her engagements were cancelled.  However, it appears she is recovering slower than anticipated. On September 27-30, 2016, The Princess Royal was scheduled to visit Mozambique and then Botswana to attend Botswana’s 50th anniversary of independence celebrations.

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The Princess Royal will still attend her engagements in the United Kingdom beginning next week.

Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg; Credit – Wikipedia

The eldest daughter and the fourth of the fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Charlotte, Princess Royal, was born at The Queen’s House (now known as Buckingham Palace) in London, England on September 29, 1766. She was christened Charlotte Augusta Matilda on October 27, 1766, at St. James’s Palace in London by Thomas Secker, Archbishop of Canterbury. Her godparents were:

Queen Charlotte_Pss Charlotte baby

Queen Charlotte with Charlotte, Princess Royal; Credit – Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2016

Charlotte had fourteen siblings:

George III children

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

Charlotte and her sisters were raised by their governess Lady Charlotte Finch who served the Royal Family for over 30 years. Lady Charlotte supervised the royal nursery and was responsible for the princes’ education until they lived in their own households. She was responsible for the princesses until they turned 21. Charlotte and her sisters studied geography, English, grammar, music, needlework, dancing, and art. They were taught French by a tutor, Julie Krohme. The princesses had art lessons from famous artists Thomas Gainsborough and Benjamin West. Charlotte had an excellent memory, loved history, and had a talent for languages. On June 22, 1789, Charlotte was created Princess Royal, the third to bear the title reserved for the monarch’s eldest daughter, but the style had been used since Charlotte’s birth.

The Three Eldest Princesses, Charlotte, Princess Royal, Augusta and Elizabeth by Thomas Gainsborough 1784; Credit – Wikipedia

Charlotte’s childhood was very sheltered and she spent most of her time with her parents and sisters.  The living conditions of King George’s daughters came to be known as “the Nunnery.” None of the daughters were allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry. Perhaps this over-protection of King George III’s daughters was due to what happened to his sister Caroline Matilda when she married King Christian VII of Denmark.  Christian’s mental illness led to Caroline Matilda having an affair, being caught, the execution of her lover, her exile, and her early death from scarlet fever at age 23.  The story was told in several novels including Per Olov Enquist’s The Visit of the Royal Physician (1999) and in the Danish film A Royal Affair (2012). Stella Tillyard also covers Caroline Matilda’s affair in her nonfiction book A Royal Affair: George III and His Scandalous Siblings (2006). Despite what happened to their aunt, the sisters longed to escape from “the Nunnery.”

Charlotte’s unfortunate aunt Caroline Matilda; Credit – Wikipedia

Before King George’s first bout with what may have been porphyria in 1788, he had told his daughters that he would take them to Hanover and find husbands for them.  Further bouts occurred in 1801 and 1804 and prevented talk of marriage for his daughters. Queen Charlotte feared that the subject of marriage, which had always bothered her husband, would push him back into insanity.  She was stressed by her husband’s illness and wanted her daughters to remain close to her.  The sisters – Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia – continued to be over-protected and isolated which restricted them from meeting eligible suitors of their own age.

Starved for male companionship, Sophia got pregnant by her father’s 56-year-old equerry and secretly gave birth to a boy who was placed in a foster home. Amelia had an affair with another equerry.  There have been suggestions that both Elizabeth and Augusta also had affairs.  Three of the six daughters would eventually marry, all later than was the norm for the time.  Mary married her cousin Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester at the age of 40 and had no children. Elizabeth was the last daughter to finally escape from “the Nunnery” when she married Friedrich VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg when she was 48. But Charlotte, Princess Royal escaped “the Nunnery” first.

Charlotte was the least attractive of the daughters, but she was the eldest daughter of a king and that held some weight in the marriage market. In 1795, the Prince of Wales tried to help Charlotte by asking their maternal uncle Prince Ernst of Mecklenburg-Strelitz to help arrange a marriage between Charlotte and the Duke of Oldenburg. Charlotte was delighted and her sister Elizabeth started to refer to Charlotte as the Duchess of Oldenburg in letters, but nothing ever came of the proposed match.

Finally, a possible husband was found for Charlotte. Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Württemberg was the eldest son and heir of Friedrich II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg and Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Friedrich, eight years older than Charlotte, was a huge man: 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) and about 200 kg (440 lb). He was also a widower with three children. His first wife had been Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, niece of King George III and some issues with this marriage concerned King George. Only after persistent requests and pleadings from Russian and Brunswick royals and British officials did the king consent to the marriage.

The marriage treaty had some interesting clauses. Any children from the marriage were to be brought up in Württemberg. The children could not marry without the consent of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. If Charlotte’s husband predeceased her, she could return to the United Kingdom with all her jewelry, including jewelry obtained during the marriage. Charlotte would be free to worship using the Church of England rites. Charlotte and Friedrich were married at St. James Palace in London on May 18, 1797. The bride wore a dress of white satin with a crimson velvet train with fur trimming. The groom wore a silk suit embroidered in gold and silver with German and Russian insignia.

published by Robert Laurie, published by James Whittle, mezzotint, published 7 August 1797

The Marriage of his Serene Highness the Prince of Württemberg, to the Princess Royal of England published by Robert Laurie, published by James Whittle, mezzotint, published 7 August 1797 NPG D8015 © National Portrait Gallery, London

By August 1797, Charlotte was pregnant. Friedrich became the reigning Duke of Württemberg in December of 1797 upon the death of his father. On April 27, 1798, Charlotte delivered a stillborn daughter. At first, she was not told of her child’s death because her labor had been difficult and she had developed a fever after the delivery. Charlotte and Friedrich’s marriage remained childless.

Despite having a domineering husband, Charlotte respected and admired him. She was pious and warm-hearted, stayed out of politics, and concentrated on household and family. Charlotte was a loving stepmother to the children from Friedrich’s first marriage. She was especially close to her stepdaughter Princess Catharina of Württemberg whose education she took over.

Charlotte’s stepchildren, from Friedrich’s first marriage to Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel:

Ludwigsburg Palace in Ludwigburg, Germany, Friedrich and Charlotte’s home; Wikipedia

Charlotte had loved art in childhood and continued with artistic pursuits as an adult. She painted and embroidered, and some of her paintings and embroidered upholstery can still be seen in Ludwigsburg Palace and in English castles and palaces as she sent some of her creations to her father.

In 1800, Napoleon‘s French troops invaded Württemberg, and Friedrich and Charlotte took refuge in Vienna. The following year Napoleon and Friedrich concluded a secret treaty with provisions that included a trade of land.  Württemberg became a puppet state of Napoleon. In 1803, Friedrich became the Elector of Württemberg. In 1805, in exchange for providing France with military aid, Napoleon recognized Friedrich as King of Württemberg. Friedrich and Charlotte were crowned King and Queen of Württemberg in Stuttgart on January 1, 1806. Friedrich’s alliance with France turned him into the enemy of his father-in-law King George III. George III was Infuriated by what he considered a betrayal and refused to call his daughter Queen of Württemberg.

Coronation Portrait of King Friedrich I of Württemberg; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1813, King Friedrich changed sides and went over again to the British side. After Napoleon’s fall, Friedrich attended the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815), whose goal was to provide a long-term peace plan for Europe by settling critical issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. At the Congress of Vienna, Friedrich was confirmed as King of Württemberg.  Shortly thereafter, Friedrich died of pneumonia on October 30, 1816, at Ludwigsburg Palace in Stuttgart, Kingdom of  Württemberg, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, at the age of 61, and was buried in the Royal Crypt in the Castle Chapel at Ludwigsburg Palace. Friedrich’s son from his first marriage succeeded him as King Wilhelm I of Württemberg.

As Queen Dowager, Charlotte continued to live in Ludwigsburg Palace. She was always pleased to have visits from any of her siblings. In 1819, Charlotte was godmother by proxy of her niece, the future Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. In 1827, Charlotte returned to England for the first time since their wedding in 1797, for the treatment of pulmonary edema, called dropsy at that time. She enjoyed returning to her home country and seeing her relatives, especially her goddaughter Princess Victoria. Forty-five years later, Queen Victoria recalled meeting her aunt: “She had adopted all the German fashions and spoke broken English – and had not been in England for many years. She was very kind and good-humored but very large and unwieldy.”

by William Skelton, after Paul Fischer, line engraving, published 1828

Charlotte Augusta Matilda, Princess Royal by William Skelton, after Johann Paul Georg Fischer, line engraving, published 1828 NPG D10839 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Soon after her return to Württemberg, Charlotte fell ill. Visits from her brother Adolphus and her sister Elizabeth lifted her spirits but it was evident that she was dying. On October 5, 1828, Charlotte asked that her stepson King Wilhelm I of Württemberg and his family come to her bedside. The next day, Charlotte died peacefully in the arms of her stepson surrounded by his family, her friends, and her faithful servants. She was buried next to her husband in the Royal Crypt in the Palace Chapel at Ludwigsburg Palace in Ludwigsburg, Kingdom of Württemberg, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.

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.

Württemberg Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Recommended books that deal with Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg
George III’s Children by John Van Der Kiste (1992)
The Georgian Princesses by John Van Der Kiste (2000)
Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III by Flora Fraser (2004)

Prince Frederick, Duke of York

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Prince Frederick, Duke of York; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Frederick, Duke of York was born on August 16, 1763, at St. James Palace in London, England. He was the second son and the second of the fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. At the time of his birth, his father King George III was the reigning monarch and baby Frederick was second in the line of succession after his elder brother George.

The infant prince was christened Frederick Augustus on September 14, 1763, in the Presence Chamber at St James’s Palace by Thomas Secker, Archbishop of Canterbury. His godparents were:

Frederick with his mother Queen Charlotte and his older brother George (left), painted by Allan Ramsay in 1764; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederick had 14 siblings:

George III children

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

When Frederick was six months old, he was elected Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück in Lower Saxony. The Bishopric of Osnabrück was ruled alternately by a Catholic bishop and a Protestant bishop from the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg under the provisions of the Peace of Westphalia. King George III as Elector of Hanover alternated the selection of the bishopric with the Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. Frederick was created Knight of the Order of the Bath in 1767 and a Knight of the Order of the Garter in 1771.

Frederick was raised and educated with his elder brother George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV) at Kew Palace. Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness was their governor and William Markham, Bishop of Chester was their chief tutor. After Markham became Archbishop of York, Richard Hurd, Bishop of Worcester became the princes’ chief tutor. The young princes spent eight hours a day with their tutors and learned to ride and fence.

George, Prince of Wales and Frederick, Duke of York; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1780, King George III decided that Frederick would have a career in the army and made the 17-year-old a colonel. Shortly after Christmas 1780, Frederick was sent off to Hanover for military training under the supervision of Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Fulke Greville. The people of Hanover had not seen their Elector since the reign of King George II, so they enthusiastically welcomed their Elector’s second son.

From 1781 to 1787, Frederick lived in Hanover, where he participated in maneuvers with the Austrian and Prussian armies and attended the University of Göttingen with his brothers Edward, Ernest, Augustus, and Adolphus. While in Hanover, Frederick was swiftly promoted in the army.

  • March 26, 1782: Colonel of the 2nd Horse Grenadier Guards (now 2nd Life Guards)
  • November 20, 1782: Major General
  • October 27, 1784: Lieutenant General
  • October 28, 1784: Colonel of the Coldstream Guards

Frederick was created Duke of York and Albany and Earl of Ulster on November 27, 1784, and became a member of the Privy Council. On his return to England in 1787, Frederick, as Duke of York, took his seat in the House of Lords. In the summer of 1788, King George III’s mental health deteriorated, possibly as the result of the hereditary disease porphyria, and Parliament began debating a regency. On December 15, 1788, in the House of Lords, Frederick strongly opposed the Regency Bill proposed by William Pitt in a speech supposedly inspired by George, Prince of Wales.

On September 29, 1791, in the Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia now in the German state of Brandenburg, Frederick married Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia, daughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia and his first wife Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg.  When the new Duchess of York arrived in London, she received an enthusiastic welcome. A second marriage was held on November 23, 1791, at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace) because the Archbishop of Canterbury was not authorized to grant a license for a ceremony held in Prussia. The marriage was unsuccessful. Frederick was unfaithful and the couple was unable to have children. In 1794, the couple separated and Frederica lived out her life at Oatlands Park in Weybridge, Surrey England. Frederick and Frederica remained on good terms and the couple never caused any scandal. Frederica did not like London and did not get involved in the quarrels of her in-laws, instead, she spent her time in Weybridge helping the needy.

Frederica Charlotte of Prussia; Credit -Wikipedia

In 1793, Frederick was promoted to full general. In that same year, the Flanders Campaign began and lasted until 1795. It was a coalition of military forces along the French borders, with the goal to invade France and end Napoleon’s French First Republic. Frederick was the commander of the British forces and took part in the successful Siege of Valencienne in July of 1793. After a few more successes and several defeats, Frederick was recalled to England in 1795. Ultimately, the coalition was unable to advance beyond the French border fortresses and was eventually forced to withdraw.

A well-known nursery rhyme is supposedly about Frederick’s defeat at the Battle of Tourcoing during the Flanders Campaign.

The grand old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men.
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again.
And when they were up, they were up.
And when they were down, they were down.
And when they were only halfway up,
They were neither up nor down

Frederick was promoted to Field Marshal and made Commander-in-Chief of the Forces of Great Britain and Ireland in 1795. As Commander-in-Chief, Frederick instituted several reforms in the British Army. In 1801, he supported the founding of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst for training infantry and cavalry officers. He was also in charge of the preparations against Napoleon’s planned invasion of the United Kingdom in 1803. Frederick’s program of reforms enabled a stronger British Army to serve with the armies of other countries in the Peninsular War that finally defeated Napoleon.

In 1803, Frederick started an affair with Mary Anne Clarke.  In 1809 charges were brought up against Frederick in the House of Commons by Gwyllym Wardle, Member of Parliament for Okehampton, that Frederick allowed Clarke to influence him in the granting of commissions in the army. A national scandal arose when Clarke testified before the House of Commons that she had sold army commissions with Frederick’s knowledge.

“The modern Circe or a sequel to the petticoat” by Isaac Cruikshank, March 15, 1809; Credit – Wikipedia

The scandal was the subject of much humor and mockery, especially by caricaturists such as Isaac Cruikshank who created cartoons making fun of the scandal. Isaac Cruikshank’s cartoon above shows Mary Anne Clarke, wearing the Duke of York’s military cloak, extending it to cover a crowd of miniature soldiers, civilians, and clergymen clustering around her with outstretched arms. Gwyllym Wardle is standing to the right side, gazing at her and declaring his fascination. Frederick was acquitted of any implications, but ten days after the cartoon’s publication, he resigned as Commander-in-Chief of the British Army. Two years later, it was revealed that Clarke had received payment from Frederick’s chief accuser, Gwyllym Wardle. Frederick’s brother George, who had become Prince Regent in 1811 when his father was deemed unfit to reign, reappointed Frederick as Commander-in-Chief on May 29, 1811. Frederick held the position until his death and thereafter exercised strict impartiality with officer commissions and promotions.

In 1817, there was a succession crisis. King George III was still living but not reigning due to his mental incapacity. Eleven of the king’s fifteen children were living, but only four of them had married and only one had managed to produce a legitimate grandchild: Princess Charlotte of Wales, the daughter of George, Prince of Wales. On November 6, 1817, a great tragedy struck the British Royal Family. Twenty-one-year-old Princess Charlotte died after delivering a stillborn son. Frederick was now second in line to the throne. Unless his brother George had another child, Frederick would be the heir presumptive upon the death of King George III. Frederick’s unmarried brothers rushed to find brides, but any children born to them would be behind Frederick in the line of succession.

In 1819, Frederick was entrusted with the care of King George III, blind, deaf, and in a state of dementia, living at Windsor Castle. Under the care of Frederick, King George III lived on until January 29, 1820, six days after the death of his fourth son, Edward, Duke of Kent, the father of the infant Princess Victoria. Frederick’s brother succeeded as King George IV and Frederick became heir presumptive to the throne. Frederica, Frederick’s wife, died on August 6, 1820, and requested to be buried at her Weybridge church.

Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, by John Jackson; Credit – Wikipedia

During January 1827, Frederick was staying at Rutland House, Arlington Street in London, England, the home of his friend, John Manners, 5th Duke of Rutland, while his home was redecorated. It was there that Frederick, Duke of York died on January 5, 1827, at the age of 63. He was buried in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England.

With Frederick’s death, King George III’s third childless son William, Duke of Clarence (the future King William III) became the heir to the throne and Frederick’s seven-year-old niece, the only child of King George III’s fourth son Edward, Duke of Kent, moved a step closer to the throne she would inherit as Queen Victoria.

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
Hibbert, Christopher. George III. New York: Basic Books, 1998. Print.
“Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 21 July 2016. Web. 2 Aug. 2016.
“Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 28 May 2016. Web. 2 Aug. 2016.
Van Der Kiste, John. George III’s Children. Trowbridge: Alan Sutton Publishing Limited, 1999. Print.
Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

King Stephen of England

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

King Stephen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

King Stephen of England, born Stephen of Blois, was born in Blois (now in France) in either 1092 or 1096. The County of Blois was in northern France and bordered the Duchy of Normandy, the County of Anjou, the County of Poitou, and the Ile de France, the area controlled by the King of France.

Northern France around the time of Stephen’s birth; Credit – Wikipedia

Stephen was the fourth of the eleven children of Stephen II, Count of Blois and Adela of Normandy and England, a daughter of King William I of England (the Conqueror).

Stephen’s family tree, with his mother Adela at the top, and, left to right, William, Theobald, and Stephen; Credit – Wikipedia

Stephen’s father died in 1102 during the Crusade of 1101 fighting in the Second Battle of Ramla. After his father’s death, Stephen and his siblings were brought up by their capable mother who served as regent during the minority of her eldest son. Stephen was raised in his mother’s household rather than being sent to a close relative as was the common practice. He was taught Latin, history, and Biblical stories by his tutor William the Norman.

Stephen’s uncle. King Henry I of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Stephen’s maternal uncle was King Henry I of England. Even though Stephen’s family had regional power, as the third surviving son in the family, he could use the support of a powerful patron such as King Henry I of England. Around 1113 – 1115, Stephen first visited his uncle’s court in England. He soon became a favorite of his uncle who bestowed upon him lands won in battle, the County of Mortain (in France) and Alençon in southern Normandy. In 1125, King Henry I arranged for Stephen to marry Matilda of Boulogne, the only surviving child and heiress of Eustace III, Count of Boulogne and Mary of Scotland, daughter of King Malcolm III of Scotland and Saint Margaret of Scotland.  Matilda would be the Countess of Boulogne in her own right. Boulogne was a county within the Kingdom of France from 896 – 1501, centered on the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer, a coastal city in Northern France.

Stephen and Matilda had three sons and two daughters:

Five years before the marriage of Stephen and Matilda, a terrible tragedy caused a succession crisis in England.  The White Ship, carrying King Henry I of England’s only legitimate son William Ætheling, sank as it left France to sail to England, and William Ætheling drowned.  Empress Matilda was King Henry I’s only legitimate child, and on Christmas Day of 1126, Henry had his barons swear to recognize Empress Matilda and any future legitimate heirs she might have as his successors.

The sinking of the White Ship; Credit – Wikipedia

After the sinking of the White Ship, Stephen and his wife Matilda stayed close to King Henry I and lived most of the time in England realizing that Stephen was very close to the throne.  Henry’s daughter Empress Matilda had left England as a child to marry Holy Roman Emperor Henry V.  The marriage was childless and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V died in 1125.  After her husband’s death, Empress Matilda went to the royal court in Normandy (Kings of England were also Dukes of Normandy). Eventually, King Henry I made arrangements for his daughter to marry Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou in 1128.  The marriage was not a happy one.  The couple often lived apart and failed to produce a child until 1133.

Stephen’s first cousin, Empress Matilda; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 1, 1135, King Henry I of England died.  Stephen quickly crossed the English Channel from Boulogne to England, accompanied by his military household.  With the help of his brother, Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester, Stephen seized power in England and was crowned king on December 22, 1135.  Matilda of Boulogne was unable to accompany her husband because she was pregnant, so she was crowned on Easter Day, March 22, 1136.  Empress Matilda did not give up her claim to England and Normandy, leading to the long civil war known as The Anarchy between 1135 and 1153.

Coronation of King Stephen; Credit – Wikipedia

During the civil war, Matilda of Boulogne proved to be her husband’s strongest supporter.  Matilda was as strong and resourceful as Stephen was weak and indecisive. When England was invaded in 1138, Matilda rallied troops from Boulogne and its ally Flanders, and successfully besieged Dover Castle.  She then went north to Durham, where she made a treaty with King David I of Scotland in 1139.  After Stephen was captured at the Battle of Lincoln in 1141, she rallied Stephen’s supporters and raised an army with the help of William of Ypres, Stephen’s chief lieutenant.  It was Matilda of Boulogne who recaptured London for Stephen and forced Empress Matilda to withdraw from the siege of Winchester, leading to Stephen’s release in 1141 in exchange for the Empress’ illegitimate brother and chief supporter Robert FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Gloucester.

Battle of Lincoln; Credit – Wikipedia

By the mid-1140s, the fighting had slowed down and there was a stalemate and the succession began to be the focus.  Empress Matilda returned to Normandy in 1147.  In the same year, the Empress’ husband and her eldest son Henry FitzEmpress, the future King Henry II,  mounted a small, unsuccessful mercenary invasion of England.  Empress Matilda remained in Normandy where she focused on stabilizing the Duchy of Normandy and promoting her son’s rights to the English throne.

Matilda of Boulogne died of a fever on May 3, 1152, at Hedingham Castle in Essex, England.  She was buried at Faversham Abbey in Kent, England which she and her husband had established.  Perhaps if she had not died and her husband had not lost his strongest supporter, the result of the civil war would have turned out differently.

On August 17, 1153, Stephen and Matilda’s eldest surviving son Eustace died.  Ironically, this was the same day that the first child of Henry FitzEmpress, the future King Henry II, and Eleanor of Aquitaine was born.  The child, William IX, Count of Poitiers, survived for only two years, but he was followed by seven siblings, two of whom became Kings of England.

King Stephen standing with a falcon, and King Henry II seated on his throne; Credit – Wikipedia

Shortly after Eustace died in 1153, Stephen and Henry FitzEmpress reached a formal agreement known as the Treaty of Wallingford (or Winchester or Westminster).  The treaty allowed Stephen to keep the throne until his death but forced him to recognize Empress Matilda’s son Henry FitzEmpress, as his heir.

The supposed tomb of King Stephen, his wife Matilda, and their son Eustace at St. Mary of Charity Church; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Stephen survived his wife by a little more than two years.  He died apparently of appendicitis at Dover Castle on October 25, 1154, and a line of 14 Plantagenet kings who ruled until 1485 started.  Stephen was buried with his wife Matilda and his son Eustace at Faversham Abbey which Stephen and Matilda had founded. All three tombs were lost when Faversham Abbey was demolished during the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the reign of King Henry VIII. Their remains were reportedly thrown into the nearby Faversham Creek. Their empty tombs were unearthed in 1964 near what had been the center of the choir. At St. Mary of Charity Church, the parish church in Faversham, there is a tomb where it is said that the remains of King Stephen, his wife Matilda, and his son Eustace were reinterred after the destruction of Faversham Abbey.

Sharon Kay Penman’s excellent historical fiction novel When Christ and His Saints Slept deals with The Anarchy and most of the historical figures mentioned here are characters.

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.

England: House of Normandy Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon, 2nd wife of King Louis XIV of France

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon, source: Wikipedia

Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon, was the second and morganatic wife of King Louis XIV of France. She was born in Niort, France, on November 27, 1635, to Constant d’Aubigné and Jeanne de Cardilhac. When she was born, her father was imprisoned for conspiring against Cardinal Richelieu. Françoise was baptized in the Catholic Church, with Suzanne de Baudéan (daughter of the Comtesse de Neuillant) and the Duc de la Rochefoucauld serving as her godparents.

When her father was released from prison in 1639, the family traveled to Martinique, an island in the Caribbean, where they spent the next several years. After the deaths of both of her parents, the sister of Françoise’s father, Louise, Madame de Villette, raised her as a Protestant. When Françoise’s godmother Suzanne de Baudéan, then in the service of Queen Anne, the wife of King Louis XIII of France, found out about this, she quickly ordered that Françoise be moved to a convent to receive a Catholic education. Although she hated the convent, Françoise became close to one of the nuns, who persuaded her to take her first communion.

Paul Scarron, Françoise’s first husband. source: Wikipedia

On a trip to Paris, she met Paul Scarron, who would become her first husband. Scarron, a noted poet and novelist, was significantly older than Françoise and suffered from severe paralysis and deformity, probably a result of polio. The two began to correspond, and soon Scarron offered to marry her or to pay her dowry to enter a convent. Françoise accepted his proposal and, after marrying in 1652, she quickly found herself at the highest levels of Parisian society.

After her husband died in 1660, Françoise continued to receive the pension he had been granted from Queen Anne. The Queen increased the pension so Françoise could maintain her position in society. However, after Queen Anne died in 1666, her son, King Louis XIV, discontinued the pension. With no source of income, Françoise prepared to leave France to serve as a lady-in-waiting for the new Queen of Portugal, Maria Francisca of Savoy, who was married to King Afonso VI of Portugal, and later to his brother, King Pedro II of Portugal. However, before leaving, she met Madame de Montespan, the clandestine lover of King Louis XIV. The two became close friends, and Madame de Montespan persuaded the King to reinstate Françoise’s pension, thus allowing her to remain in Paris.

In March 1669, Madame Montespan had her first child with King Louis XIV. Because of the secrecy of their relationship, and the fact that he was very much married to Queen Marie-Thérèse, Montespan placed the baby in the care of Françoise, and endowed her with a substantial income and a full staff of servants. Françoise’s care of the couple’s second child got her noticed by King Louis XIV. In 1673, she was appointed as Royal Governess. In 1674, King Louis XIV provided her with the funds to purchase an estate, Château de Maintenon, and the following year, he created her Marquise de Maintenon. Within a few years, Françoise and King Louis XIV had become very close, and she soon replaced Madame de Montespan in his affections. Even the Queen was pleased, having been treated rudely by Montespan, but receiving great respect and admiration from Françoise.

King Louis XIV, painted by Pierre Mignard. source: Wikipedia

Several months after Queen Marie-Thérèse died, Françoise and King Louis XIV were married in a private ceremony conducted by the Archbishop of Paris. As the marriage was morganatic, she was never formally acknowledged as his wife or Queen of France. Still known as Madame de Maintenon, Françoise held considerable political influence, and the King often consulted with her when making decisions. She also held great influence over the King in more personal matters. Despite his earlier penchant for numerous mistresses, he remained faithful to Françoise for the remainder of his life and supported many of her religious views. Devoutly religious, she was granted the right of visitation over all the convents in France in 1692 by Pope Innocent XII.

In 1684, she founded a school, the Maison Royale de Saint-Louis in Saint-Cyr, just west of Versailles, France. At her request, King Louis XIV endowed the school, and Françoise herself oversaw every detail of its establishment. The Maison Royale was designed to be a school for girls from poorer noble families, much as Françoise had been in her childhood.

Françoise, painted by Louis Elle (the elder). source: Wikipedia

Following King Louis’s death in 1715, Françoise retired to Saint-Cyr and was granted a large pension for the rest of her life. Because of her influence, she often received visitors from all around Europe. One of these visitors was Peter I, Emperor of All Russia, who made a notable visit shortly before her death. Françoise died at Saint-Cyr on April 15, 1719, and was buried in the school’s chapel.

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.

Maria Theresia of Austria, Queen of France

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

,Maria Theresia of Austria, Queen of France –  source: Wikipedia

Maria Theresia was the first wife of King Louis XIV of France. She was born on September 10, 1638, at the Royal Monastery of El Escorial in Madrid, Spain to King Felipe IV of Spain and his first wife Elisabeth of France, daughter of King Henri IV of France. As the Spanish monarchs at the time were part of the House of Habsburg, she was styled as Archduchess of Austria, as well as Infanta of Spain and Portugal.

The youngest of eight children, Maria Theresia was the only one of her siblings to reach adulthood:

  • Maria Margaret of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1621)
  • Margaret Maria Catherine of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1623)
  • Maria Eugenia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (1625 – 1627)
  • Isabella Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1627)
  • Balthasar Charles of Austria, Infante of Spain, Prince of Asturias (1629 – 1646)
  • Francis Ferdinand of Austria, Infante of Spain (born and died 1634)
  • Infanta Maria Anna  Antonia of Austria, Infanta of Spain (born and died 1636)

She also had five younger half-siblings from her father’s second marriage to Mariana of Austria:

As Spain allowed for females to ascend the throne, Maria Theresia was heiress-presumptive to the Spanish throne from 1646 until 1657, between the death of her elder brother Balthasar Charles in 1646 and the birth of her younger half-brother Felipe Próspero in 1657. For five days in 1661, she was again heiress-presumptive following Felipe Próspero’s death and the birth of King Carlos II.

Maria Theresia of Austria, painted c1684 by Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo. source: Wikipedia

Maria Theresia was brought up in a very strict Catholic household. Her mother died when she was six, and two years later, her only surviving sibling Balthasar Charles also died. The following year, her father married Mariana of Austria who had been her brother’s fiancée, as well as his first cousin. Mariana was just four years older than Maria Theresia, and the two were very close.

As part of the Treaty of the Pyrenees of 1659, which ended the Franco-Spanish War, Maria Theresia was betrothed to King Louis XIV of France, son of King Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria. Maria Theresia and Louis were first cousins twice over – his father and her mother were siblings, and his mother and her father were siblings. She was forced to renounce any rights to the Spanish throne and was to receive a large financial settlement in exchange. This money was never paid, and became a major factor that led to the War of Devolution in 1668.

The marriage of Louis XIV of France and Maria Theresia of Austria. source: Wikipedia

The couple was married on June 9, 1660, at the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France. Taking the French version of her name, Marie-Thérèse, the new Queen and her husband made their Joyous Entry into Paris on August 26, 1660. They had six children, only one of whom lived to adulthood:

Louis and Marie-Thérèse had six children:

Queen Marie-Thérèse with her mother-in-law (and aunt) Queen Anne, painted by Simon Renard de Saint André. source: Wikipedia

As Queen, Marie-Thérèse was groomed by her mother-in-law, and aunt, Queen Anne. However, she had little interest in taking on the role, preferring to spend time with her court of Spanish ladies, playing cards, and gambling. She remained very devout, often inviting members of the King’s court to pray with her. Intensely private, she was humiliated by her husband’s numerous, and very public affairs and his countless illegitimate children. She took a great interest in caring for the sick and disadvantaged in France. She often visited hospitals and provided dowries for girls from the poorer noble families. She also served as Regent several times when the King was away.

By 1680, King Louis XIV had taken Madame de Maintenon as his mistress, and this brought about a change in the King’s relationship with Marie-Thérèse. He became more attentive and caring of his wife, much to her delight. She was also treated with great respect and reverence by Madame de Maintenon – something she had not seen with any of his prior mistresses and returned that respect. Sadly, those happier times would be relatively short-lived.

At the end of July 1683, Queen Marie-Thérèse fell ill, the result of an abscess in her left arm which was not treated correctly. Septicemia quickly set in, and the Queen died at the Palace of Versailles on July 30, 1683. She is buried at the Basilica of St. Denis near Paris.

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.

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Louis XIV of France

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

King Louis XIV of France; Credit – Wikipedia

King Louis XIV of France, often known as Louis the Great or the Sun King, was the longest-reigning French monarch, reigning from 1643 until he died in 1715. He was born on September 5, 1638, at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, the elder son of King Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria.

Louis had one younger brother:

Louis as Dauphin, painted by Claude Deruet in 1643. source: Wikipedia

At just four years old, he became King following his father’s death on May 14, 1643. His father had decreed that a Regency Council should be established, led by the Queen. However, Queen Anne had that overturned and served as the sole Regent for her young son. Despite coming of age in 1654, King Louis XIV didn’t fully assume his role as King until 1661, following the death of his chief minister, Cardinal Mazarin. An ardent believer in the divine right of kings, King Louis XIV quickly assumed full control of the monarchy. He was one of France’s most powerful sovereigns and established France as one of the leading powers of Europe.

When Louis assumed his role as King, France was nearly bankrupt, having endured several foreign wars and years of civil unrest. The King brought in a new finance minister who worked to reduce the country’s debt and increase its coffers, through more efficient taxation. Within several years, the country’s finances were restored. The King also boosted commerce and trade in France and invited many foreign businesses and artisans to France. He worked to improve and modernize the military and focused on the physical and mental well-being of the soldiers. His reign saw France become the primary power in Europe, and three major wars took place – the Franco-Dutch War, the War of the League of Augsburg, and the War of the Spanish Succession.

Queen Marie-Thérèse with their only surviving child, Louis, le Grand Dauphin, c1665. source: Wikipedia

Louis XIV married for the first time on June 9, 1660, at the Church of Saint-Jean the Baptist in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France. His bride, Maria Theresia of Austria, was the daughter of King Felipe IV of Spain and Elisabeth of France. The couple was double first cousins.

Louis and Marie-Thérèse had six children:

Louise de La Baume Le Blanc, Duchess de La Vallière et de Vaujours. source: Wikipedia

In addition, the King had several mistresses and illegitimate children. With Louise de La Baume Le Blanc, Duchess de La Vallière et de Vaujours, he had five children:

Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan; Credit – Wikipedia

And with Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan, he had seven children:

His children with Madame de Montespan were raised by Françoise d’Aubigné, Madame Scarron (later created Marquise de Maintenon). Soon, she replaced Madame Montespan in the King’s affection. After the death of Queen Marie-Thérèse in 1683, King Louis XIV married Madame de Maintenon in a private ceremony conducted by the Archbishop of Paris. Because the marriage was morganatic, she was never publicly acknowledged as his wife or as Queen.

Louis XIV’s reign saw the monarchy assume authority over the aristocracy and the church, becoming a true absolute monarchy. While the Pope remained in control of ecclesiastical law, the King invalidated all papal regulations and made himself the authority within France under the Declaration of the Clergy of France in 1681.

King Louis XIV receiving Louis de Bourbon, Grand Condé at Versailles following his victory in the Battle of Seneffe. Painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme, source: Wikipedia

The King took complete control of the aristocracy, providing residences at Versailles for those who paid court to him. Having them close allowed the king to determine who was loyal to him and who was not. His constant entertaining of the aristocracy helped to determine public opinion while keeping them under a very watchful eye. He also banned the private armies, often established by the nobility to plot against the monarchy.

In 1685, King Louis XIV issued the Edict of Fontainebleau. This formally revoked the Edict of Nantes of 1598, which had granted religious and political freedom to the Huguenots. Many believe this was at the urging of Madame de Maintenon, a very staunch Catholic. The Edict of Fontainebleau ordered the destruction of Huguenot churches and the closing of all Protestant schools. Many Huguenots converted to avoid persecution for which they were financially rewarded, while many others fled the country.

King Louis XIV was a huge supporter of the arts. He supported and protected numerous writers and artists, and commissioned over 300 formal portraits and over 20 statues of himself during his lifetime. A lover of dance, particularly ballet, he founded the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661, and the Académie d’Opéra in 1669. He also assumed the patronage of the Académie Française.

Hôtel des Invalides. source: Wikipedia

King Louis XIV built the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris and made many renovations to some of the royal palaces, including the Palais du Louvre, also in Paris. Perhaps his best-known building project was the Palace of Versailles. Having inherited the hunting lodge built there by his father, Louis oversaw several building campaigns resulting in the magnificent palace that still stands today. In 1682, he officially made Versailles the home of the Royal Court.

After reigning for 72 years and 100 days, King Louis XIV died on September 1, 1715, at the Palace of Versailles, and was buried at the Basilica of St. Denis in Paris. Louis XIV outlived most of his immediate legitimate family. His last surviving legitimate son Louis, Le Grand Dauphin died in 1711. Barely a year later, Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petite Dauphin, the eldest of the Dauphin’s three sons and then heir to Louis XIV, followed his father in death. Burgundy’s elder surviving son Louis, Duke of Brittany joined them a few weeks later. Thus, on his deathbed, Louis XIV’s heir was his five-year-old great-grandson, Louis, Duke of Anjou, Burgundy’s younger son, who succeeded his great-grandfather as King Louis XV.

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Matilda of Scotland, Queen of England

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Matilda of Scotland, Queen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Matilda of Scotland, the first wife of King Henry I of England, was born around 1080 at Dunfermline in Scotland. Christened with the Anglo-Saxon name Edith, she was one of the eight children of King Malcolm III of Scotland and his second wife, Saint Margaret of Scotland.  Her godfather was Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, the eldest son of King William I of England (the Conqueror), and her godmother was Matilda of Flanders, the wife of King William I of England (the Conqueror). The infant Matilda pulled at Queen Matilda’s headdress, which was seen as an omen that the younger Matilda would be a queen one day. In fact, she would marry Queen Matilda’s son and Robert Curthose’s brother, King Henry I of England.

Matilda’s father is the Malcolm character in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth.  Her mother, Saint Margaret of Scotland, was born an Anglo-Saxon princess. Margaret’s father was Edward the Exile (also called Edward Ætheling), the son of Edmund Ironside, King of the English, and had the best hereditary claim to the English throne during the reign of the childless Edward the Confessor. In 1057, Edward the Confessor, the childless King of England, discovered that his nephew Edward the Exile, believed to have been killed, was still alive and summoned him to England in 1057 as a potential successor. However, Edward died within two days of his arrival in England, and the cause of his death has never been determined. Murder is a possibility, as he had many powerful enemies. His three children, Margaret, her brother Edgar the Ætheling, and her sister Cristina, were then raised in the court of Edward the Confessor, who died in January of 1066.

Saint Margaret of Scotland and King Malcolm III of Scotland depicted on a frieze by the Victorian painter William Hole; Credit – Wikipedia

Following the death of Edward the Confessor’s successor Harold Godwinson, King of England at the Battle of Hastings, Margaret’s brother Edgar the Ætheling, who was the last of the Anglo-Saxon House of Wessex, was elected King of England. As William of Normandy’s (the future King William I of England, the Conqueror) position grew stronger, it became evident to those in power that King Edgar should be abandoned and that they should submit to William. In 1068, Edgar, along with his mother Agatha and sisters Margaret and Cristina, fled to Northumbria. Supposedly, Agatha wanted to return to her native Hungary. However, a storm blew their ship off course, and they sought refuge from King Malcolm III of Scotland. Malcolm’s first wife Ingebjorg Finnsdotter died around 1069, and shortly thereafter, he married Margaret. Margaret and Malcolm’s children had a strong genetic connection to the Anglo-Saxon kings. Bearing in mind that William the Conqueror’s new dynasty in England was not secure, Margaret and Malcolm gave four of their sons Anglo-Saxon royal names, and named the other two sons after Alexander the Great and the biblical King David.

Matilda’s seven siblings:

Matilda had three half-brothers from her father’s first marriage to Ingibiorg Finnsdottir.

At about the age of six, Matilda, then still called Edith, and her sister Mary were sent to be educated at Romsey Abbey in Hampshire, England, where their maternal aunt Cristina was the Abbess. The girls also were educated for a time at Wilton Abbey in Wiltshire, England, which had a connection to their ancestors from the House of Wessex.  Both girls learned English, French, and some Latin, and were literate enough to read the Bible. As the daughter of the King of Scots, Matilda had several suitors, including William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey, and Alan Rufus, 1st Lord of Richmond, and possibly even King William II Rufus of England.

On November 13, 1093, Matilda’s father King Malcolm III of Scotland and her eldest brother Edward were killed at the Battle of Alnwick. Malcolm was succeeded by King Donald II of Scotland, his eldest son from his first marriage, but he was killed in battle in 1094. Thereafter, three brothers of Matilda succeeded to the Scottish throne. Weakened from her constant fasting and austere life, Matilda’s mother Margaret was already ill when her husband and eldest son went off to battle. She died at Dunfermline just three days after her husband and son’s deaths. Margaret was canonized as a saint in 1250 by Pope Innocent IV.

Sometime in 1093, Matilda left Wilton Abbey. This is known because Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote to Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury, ordering that Matilda return to Wilton Abbey. The Archbishop of Canterbury mistakenly thought that Matilda had taken vows as a nun. There is no mention of Matilda in any chronicle from 1093 to 1100. Her whereabouts during that period are unknown.

On August 2, 1100, King William II Rufus of England was killed in a hunting accident, and his younger brother succeeded as King Henry I. Henry was about 32 years old and needed a bride, and his choice fell upon Matilda of Scotland, motivated by one reason. Through her mother, Matilda would merge the bloodline of the Anglo-Saxon kings with Henry’s Norman bloodline. However, Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury still had that problem thinking Matilda had taken vows as a nun, so he called a council of bishops to determine if Matilda and Henry could marry. Matilda testified that her parents had sent her to the abbeys to be educated and that she had never taken vows. Her aunt Cristina, Abbess of Romsey Abbey, had insisted she wear a nun’s habit to protect her from unruly Norman lords and unwanted marriages. The council of bishops determined that Matilda had never been a nun and gave their permission for Matilda and King Henry I to marry. Matilda and Henry were married on November 11, 1100, at Westminster Abbey by Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury. Afterward, she was crowned with the Norman name Matilda in honor of Henry’s deceased mother Matilda of Flanders.

Statues of King Henry I and Matilda of Scotland from the front of Rochester Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

Matilda and Henry had four children, but only two survived childhood. Their son William Ætheling died on November 25, 1120, as he was returning to England from Normandy when his ship hit a submerged rock, capsized, and sank. William Ætheling and many others drowned. See Unofficial Royalty: The Sinking of the White Ship and How It Affected the English Succession. Henry was not faithful to Matilda. He holds the record for the British monarch with the most illegitimate children, 25 or so illegitimate children, but the tragedy of the White Ship left him with only one legitimate child, his daughter Matilda, known as Empress Matilda from her first marriage to Holy Roman Emperor Henry V.

Matilda and Henry’s children:

Matilda accompanied her husband in his travels throughout England and Normandy. She was a patron of music and poetry and commissioned a biography of her mother, The Life of Saint Margaret, attributed to Turgot of Durham.  Influenced by her abbey upbringing and her mother, Saint Margaret of Scotland, Matilda was pious and generous to the poor. She built a leper hospital at St. Giles-in-the-Fields in London and founded Holy Trinity Priory at Aldgate in London.  Like her saintly mother, Matilda wore a hair shirt, walked barefoot during Lent, gave food and clothing to the poor, and washed the feet of lepers and poor people.

Matilda died when she was about the age of 38 on May 1, 1118, at the Palace of Westminster in London. The place of her burial is uncertain. One tradition says that she was buried at Winchester Cathedral in the old monastery and that around 1158, Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester had her remains placed in a mortuary chest, which is now lost. Another tradition says Matilda was buried in Westminster Abbey at the entrance of the chapter house and then later reburied to the south of Edward the Confessor’s shrine by King Henry III.

After Matilda’s death, her husband King Henry I married Adeliza of Louvain, hoping for sons to prevent a succession crisis, but the marriage remained childless. On Christmas Day of 1226, King Henry I of England gathered his nobles at Westminster, where they swore to recognize his daughter, Empress Matilda and any future legitimate heir she might have as his successors. That plan did not work out. Henry died on December 1, 1135. Upon hearing of Henry’s death, Stephen of Blois, one of Henry’s nephews, quickly crossed the English Channel from France, seized power, and was crowned King of England on December 22, 1135. This started the terrible civil war between Stephen and Empress Matilda known as The Anarchy.  England did not see peace for 18 years until Empress Matilda’s son acceded to the throne as King Henry II of England in 1153.

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