Queen Margrethe II of Denmark – Fifty Years on the Throne

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 14, 2022, Queen Margrethe II marked fifty years on the Danish throne. She is the second longest-reigning Danish monarch after King Christian IV who reigned for 59 years, 330 days, from April 4, 1588 until February 28, 1648. As of January 14, 2022, the only current monarchs who reigned longer than Queen Margrethe II were Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (reigned since February 6, 1952) and Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei (reigned since October 5, 1967). Queen Margrethe II stated several times that she had no intention of abdicating as several other European monarchs had done. She viewed her position as a job for life and recognized Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom as a source of inspiration for her devotion to duty.

In January 1972, shortly after King Frederik IX of Denmark had given his New Year speech, he became ill with flu-like symptoms. On January 3, 1972, he had a cardiac arrest and was rushed to Copenhagen Municipal Hospital. The king improved for a time but then took a turn for the worse, and on January 14, 1972, King Frederik IX died at the age of 72. His eldest daughter succeeded him as Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. She became the first female monarch in Denmark since Margrethe I, Queen of Denmark (reigned 1387 – 1412), Norway (reigned 1388 – 1412), and Sweden (reigned 1389 – 1412).

Margrethe and her family in 1956: left to right Princess Benedikte, Princess Anne-Marie, Queen Ingrid, Princess Margrethe, and King Frederik IX 

In 1947, King Frederik IX succeeded to the Danish throne upon the death of his father King Christian X. At that time, women were excluded from the line of succession. Having only three daughters, and unlikely that there would be more children, King Frederik IX’s heir presumptive was his younger brother Prince Knud. Frederik soon began to work toward changing the succession laws in Denmark. Finally, in 1953, a new Act of Succession was passed, changing the succession to male-preference cognatic primogeniture – meaning that sons would come before daughters. (A 2009 succession law now allows for the succession of the firstborn child regardless of gender.) The 1953 Act of Succession meant that in the absence of a son, King Frederik IX’s daughters could succeed to the throne, and Frederik’s eldest daughter Margrethe became the heiress-presumptive. Her uncle Prince Knud, who had held the title of Hereditary Prince of Denmark, was not very happy with the new laws, as he and his two sons were now pushed further down the line. In somewhat of a consolation, Knud was given the title Hereditary Prince Knud even though he was no longer the direct heir to the throne. However, Margrethe, as heiress-presumptive, was never given the title of Crown Princess.

Prime Minister Jens Otto Krag proclaiming Margrethe Queen of Denmark on January 15, 1972; Credit – photo: Radical Royalist

On January 15, 1972, in keeping with tradition, Margrethe was formally proclaimed Queen of Denmark by Prime Minister Jens Otto Krag from the balcony at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. To the crowds gathered below, she gave a brief speech: “My beloved father, our King, is dead. The task that my father had carried for nearly 25 years is now resting on my shoulders. I pray to God to give me help and strength to carry the heavy heritage. May the trust that was given to my father also be granted to me.” After being joined briefly on the balcony by her husband Prince Henrik, the couple traveled back to Amalienborg where they again appeared on the balcony, this time with their two young sons, three-and-a-half-year-old Crown Prince Frederik and two-and-a-half-year-old Prince Joachim.

Queen Margrethe II with her husband Prince Henrik and their sons Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim on the balcony at Amalienborg on January 15, 1972

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The first official photograph of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, 1972

Due to COVID-19, a number of the events that had been scheduled in mid-January 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary were rescheduled for September 2022. These include a celebration at the Copenhagen City Hall, a command performance at the Royal Danish Theatre’s Old Stage, a celebratory church service in Copenhagen Cathedral, and a gala banquet at Christiansborg Palace.

Queen Margrethe’s youngest sister Queen Anne-Marie of Greece was unable to participate in the limited number of events on January 14, 2022. Her husband former King Constantine II of Greece was ill with COVID-19 and because she had been exposed to COVID-19, Anne-Marie was not allowed to travel to Denmark.

The program for January 14, 2022 was as follows.

  • 9:30 AM – Queen Margrethe II began the day with a Council of State at Christiansborg Palace together with her son Crown Prince Frederik
  • 10:00 AM – Queen Margrethe II, her son Crown Prince Frederik and his wife Crown Princess Mary, her son Prince Joachim and his wife Princess Marie, and her sister Princess Benedikte attended the Danish Parliament’s official celebration of the anniversary of Her Majesty’s accession to the throne.
  • 12:00 PM – Queen Margrethe II, her son Crown Prince Frederik and his wife Crown Princess Mary, her son Prince Joachim and his wife Princess Marie, and her sister Princess Benedikte participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid’s grave outside Roskilde Cathedral.

For more information see:

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

  • Flantzer, Susan, 2015. King Frederik IX of Denmark. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-frederik-ix-of-denmark/> [Accessed 14 January 2022].
  • Kongehuset.dk. 2022. The 50 years anniversary of HM The Queen’s accession to the throne. [online] Available at: <https://www.kongehuset.dk/en/news/the-50-years-anniversary-of-hm-the-queens-accession-to-the-throne> [Accessed 14 January 2022].
  • Kongehuset.dk. 2022. The 50th anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen’s accession to the throne. [online] Available at: <https://www.kongehuset.dk/en/news/the-50th-jubilee-of-her-majesty-the-queens-accession-to-the-throne> [Accessed 14 January 2022].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2014. Accession of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/january-14-1972-accession-of-queen-margrethe-ii-of-denmark/> [Accessed 14 January 2022].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2014. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/queen-margrethe-ii-of-denmark/> [Accessed 14 January 2022].

Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

The Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace in Stockholm looking toward the entrance; Credit – By Holger.Ellgaard – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14663353

The Royal Palace is located in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. It is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch although the actual residence of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia is Drottningholm Palace in Ekerö municipality on the island of Lovön in Lake Mälaren, west of Stockholm, Sweden. However, the offices of the Swedish monarch, other members of the Swedish royal family, and the Royal Court of Sweden are located at the Royal Palace.

The Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden; Credit – By Grishasergei – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16370245

The current palace was built on the site of the former Tre Kroner Castle (Three Crowns Castle), built in the 13th century, which was destroyed by fire in 1697. Construction began in 1697 and was completed in 1760. The Royal Palace was designed by Swedish architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger. After Tessin the Younger died in 1728, the Royal Palace was completed by Swedish architect Carl Hårleman who also designed a large part of its interior.

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The Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, looking toward the altar; Credit – By Holger.Ellgaard – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14663324

The Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, which this writer has visited, is a church of the Church of Sweden, an Evangelical Lutheran church. It is the parish church for the members of the Royal Parish which comprises the Swedish royal family, employees at the court, and their relatives. Services are held every Sunday and on holy days, and the royal family uses the church for other ceremonies.

Ceiling painting and decorations of the Royal Chapel; Credit – By Ad Meskens – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72492390

Built during the 18th century along with the rest of the Royal Palace, the Royal Chapel was consecrated in 1754. The ceiling paintings and decorations have the theme of the Ascension of Jesus Christ and were the collaborative work of Swedish architect Carl Hårleman, French painter Guillaume Taraval and Swedish decorative artist Johan Pasch and French sculptors Jacques Philippe Bouchardon (link in French) and Charles Guillaume Cousin (link in Swedish).

Thanksgiving service in 2013 marking the 40th anniversary of King Carl XVI Gustaf’s accession to the throne. There is a good view of the pulpit on the right.

A close-up view of the pulpit; Credit – By Holger.Ellgaard – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14663388

The pulpit was created in the years 1748 -1751 mainly by French sculptor Jacques-Philippe Bouchardon.

The magnificent altarpiece; Credit – By Steven Lek – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61789914

Jacques-Philippe Bouchardon had been working on an altarpiece but he died before it was completed. His replacement Swedish sculptor Pierre Hubert L’Archevêque damaged Bouchardon’s incomplete work out of rivalry and began his own altarpiece. L’Archevêque eventually tired of working on the altarpiece and it was completed in 1779 by Johan Tobias Sergel, one of Sweden’s greatest sculptors. The magnificent altarpiece depicts Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. Above the altar is a banner carried by two angels with the Latin words Pro Mundi Vita, “For the world to live” from the Gospel of John.

This short video of video clips from the christening of Princess Estelle, daughter of Crown Princess Victoria, provides some views of the Royal Chapel.

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The Duke of Småland’s baptism at the Royal Chapel in 1782, oil painting by Elias Martin; Credit – Wikipedia

It can be assumed that after the completion of the Royal Palace in 1754, christenings and other religious events occurred at the Royal Chapel. It is a tradition in the Swedish royal family to attend a Te Deum at the Royal Chapel to give thanks for the birth of a new royal baby within days of the birth. Some recent Te Deums are listed below.

Some royal events at the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden include:

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

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Stockholm Palace – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Palace> [Accessed 3 December 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2019. Swedish Royal Christenings. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/swedish-royal-christenings/> [Accessed 3 December 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Stockholms slott – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholms_slott> [Accessed 3 December 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Slottskyrkan – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slottskyrkan> [Accessed 3 December 2021].

Royal Cases of COVID-19

compiled by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden has had COVID-19 twice

During the 14th century, the bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death, the Pestilence, and the Plague, is estimated to have killed 30% to 60% of Europe’s population. Smallpox was a leading cause of death in the 18th century. It killed an estimated 400,000 Europeans each year in the 18th century. Just as epidemics of smallpox and the plague in the past knew no class boundaries, the same holds true for COVID-19. Except for two deaths of minor royals from the African Kingdom of Eswatini, we are unaware of any royal deaths from COVID-19.

Read more at Unofficial Royalty: Royal Deaths and Illnesses

This does not purport to be a complete list and will be updated as needed.

Current Monarchies

Kingdom of Belgium

  • Princess Claire, wife of Prince Laurent: May 2020
  • Prince Joachim, son of Princess Astrid: May 2020
  • An unidentified member of the Belgian royal family: September 2021
  • Princess Delphine, daughter of King Albert II: October 2021
  • Prince Laurent, son of King Albert II: November 2021

Kingdom of Denmark

Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)

  • Prince Tshekedi Dlamini, grandson of King Sobhuza II: died August 2020
  • Princess Ngabisa Dlamini, granddaughter of King Sobhuza II: died August 2020
  • King Mswati III: January 2021

State of Japan

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Principality of Monaco

Kingdom of Morocco

Kingdom of the Netherlands

Kingdom of Norway

State of Qatar

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

  • Prince Waleed bin Sadr Al Saud: September 2020
  • About 150 members of the Saudi royal family had COVID-19 during April 2020. Prince Faisal bin Bandar was in intensive care.

Kingdom of Spain

Kingdom of Sweden

Kingdom of Thailand

United Kingdom

Former Monarchies

Austria

Brazil

In March 2020, the family attended an engagement party where several people appear to have been infected.

  • Prince Antonio of Orleans-Braganza, son of the late Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza, disputed Head of the Imperial House of Brazil: March 2020
  • Prince Francisco of Orleans-Braganza, son of the late Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza, disputed Head of the Imperial House of Brazil: March 2020
  • Prince Alberto of Orleans-Braganza, son of the late Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza, disputed Head of the Imperial House of Brazil: March 2020
  • Prince Pedro of Orléans-Braganza, son of the late Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza, disputed Head of the Imperial House of Brazil: April 2020
  • Maria de Fátima Lacerda Rocha, wife of Prince Pedro de Orléans-Braganza: April 2020
  • Maritza Ribas Bockel, wife of Prince Alberto of Orleans-Braganza – April 2020

France

  • Béatrice, Princess d’Orléans, Countess of Evreux, wife of Prince Michel d’Orléans, Count of Évreux, son of Prince Henri d’Orléans, Count of Paris, the Orleanist pretender to the French throne: June 2020

Greece

Nepal

Russia

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.

Franz Josef I, Prince of Liechtenstein

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Credit – Wikipedia

The nephew of Joseph Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein, Franz Josef I reigned as Prince of Liechtenstein from 1772 – 1781. Franz de Paula Josef Johann Nepomuk Andreas was born on November 19, 1726, in Milan, Duchy of Milan, now in Italy. He was the eldest of the thirteen children and the eldest of the eight sons of Prince Emanuel of Liechtenstein (1700 – 1771) and Countess Maria Anna Antonia of Dietrichstein-Weichselstädt, Baroness of Hollenburg and Finkenstein (1706 – 1777).

Franz Josef had twelve younger siblings:

  • Prince Karl Borromeo of Liechtenstein (1730 – 1789), married Princess Maria Eleonore of Oettingen-Spielberg, had seven children
  • Prince Philipp Josef of Liechtenstein (1731 – 1757), unmarried, died in battle
  • Prince Emanuel Josef of Liechtenstein (1732 – 1738), died in childhood
  • Prince Johann Josef of Liechtenstein (1734 – 1781), unmarried
  • Prince Anton Josef of Liechtenstein (1735 – 1737), died in childhood
  • Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein (1736 – 1739), died in childhood
  • Princess Maria Amalia of Liechtenstein (1737 – 1787), married Johannes Siegmund Friedrich, 2nd Prince of Khevenhüller-Metsch, had seven children
  • Princess Maria Anna of Liechtenstein (1738 – 1814), married Count Emanuel Philibert von Waldstein, had eleven children
  • Princess Franziska Xaveria of Liechtenstein (1739 – 1821), Charles-Joseph, 7th Prince of Ligne, had seven children
  • Princess Maria Christina of Liechtenstein (1741 – 1819), married Count Franz Ferdinand Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau, had four children
  • Princess Maria Theresia of Liechtenstein (1741 – 1766), married Count Karl Joseph Pálffy ab Erdöd, Chancellor of Hungary, had two children
  • Prince Josef Leopold of Liechtenstein (1743 – 1771), unmarried

Franz Josef’s father was the younger brother of Joseph Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein who reigned from 1712 – 1718, was Regent from 1732 – 1745, and then reigned again from 1748 until his death in 1772. Joseph Wenzel had five children, including three sons, and all five died in early childhood. Noting that his nephew Franz Josef might be a future Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein, Joseph Wenzel took him under his wing.

Franz Josef’s uncle Joseph Wenzel; Credit – Wikipedia

From the age of 20, Franz Josef accompanied his uncle Joseph Wenzel on military campaigns during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740 – 1748). He fought in the Battle of Piacenza where his uncle led the troops of the Holy Roman Empire to victory. Liechtenstein was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire. The Wars of the Austrian Succession ensured that Maria Theresa, the only surviving child of Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI, would be the sovereign ruler of the Habsburg territories. However, because only males could be elected Holy Roman Emperors, Maria Theresa arranged for her husband Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany to be elected Holy Roman Emperor. Despite the snub, Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia wielded the real power. Maria Theresa was the sovereign ruler of the Habsburg territories from 1740 until her death in 1780, which coincides with the years of Franz Josef’s adulthood and his reign as Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein.

Franz Josef’s wife Leopoldine; Credit – Wikipedia

On July 6, 1750, Franz Josef married Countess Leopoldine von Sternberg, the daughter of Count Franz Philipp of Sternberg and Countess Leopoldine of Starhemberg.

Franz Josef and Leopoldine had eight children:

Franz Josef participated in a number of diplomatic missions on behalf of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1760, Franz Josef accompanied his uncle Joseph Wenzel on a trip to the Duchy of Parma, now in Italy, where they accompanied Princess Isabella of Parma to Vienna, Austria where she married Archduke Joseph of Austria, the future Holy Roman Emperor. In 1761, Franz Josef accompanied Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, brother of Holy Roman Emperor Francis Stephen, who was a Field Marsal of the Imperial Army, and Governor of the Austrian Netherlands to Mergentheim Palace, the administrative seat of the Teutonic Order, then in Bad Mergentheim, Fraconia, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. There Prince Charles Alexander was unanimously elected the 52nd Grand Master of the Teutonic Order.

In 1763, Franz Josef traveled to Spain during the marriage negotiations for Archduke Leopold of Austria, the future Holy Roman Emperor, to give his potential (and future) bride Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain a portrait of Archduke Leopold. In 1767, Franz Josef was made a member of the Imperial Privy Council and in 1771 he became the 802nd Commander of the Order of the Golden Fleece. In 1778, Franz Joseph was appointed president of the Lower Austrian nobility assembly.

When Franz Josef’s uncle Josef Wenzel, Prince of Liechtenstein died on February 10, 1772, with no surviving sons, he was succeeded by his nephew as Franz Josef I, Prince of Liechtenstein. Franz Josef immediately resigned from all his government duties of the Holy Roman Empire. Instead, he devoted himself to the administration of his estates. Franz Josef’s wealth significantly increased in 1772 when he received an inheritance from Maria Theresia, Duchess of Savoy-Carignano who had been born Princess Maria Theresia of Liechtenstein, the only surviving child of Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein. Maria Theresia’s only child predeceased her and Franz Josef was her distant, but nearest, relative.

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

Franz Josef I, Prince of Liechtenstein, died August 18, 1781, aged 54, in Metz, France. He was buried in the Old Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. After Franz Josef’s death, his widow Leopoldine lived with one of her daughters in Vienna, Austria. She survived her husband by twenty-eight years, dying at the age of 75 on June 27, 1809, and was buried at St. Andrew’s Church in Vienna-Hütteldorf, Austria.

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

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Franz Josef I. (Liechtenstein) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Josef_I._(Liechtenstein)> [Accessed 4 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Franz Joseph I, Prince of Liechtenstein – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Joseph_I,_Prince_of_Liechtenstein> [Accessed 4 December 2021].
  • Fuerstenhaus.li. 2021. Century: 18th century. [online] Available at: <https://fuerstenhaus.li/en/die-biographien-aller-fuersten/18-century/> [Accessed 4 December 2021].
  • geni_family_tree. 2021. Emanuel, Fürst von und zu Liechtenstein. [online] Available at: <https://www.geni.com/people/Emanuel-F%C3%BCrst-von-und-zu-Liechtenstein/5062354675600102553> [Accessed 4 December 2021].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2021. Франц Иосиф I фон Лихтенштейн — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A4%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%86_%D0%98%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%84_I_%D1%84%D0%BE%D0%BD_%D0%9B%D0%B8%D1%85%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%88%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%B9%D0%BD> [Accessed 4 December 2021].

Royal Chapel at Drottningholm Palace in Ekerö Municipality, Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

The Royal Chapel on the left at Drottningholm Palace; Credit – Av Arild Vågen – Eget arbete, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26866832

Drottningholm Palace is located in Ekerö municipality on the island of Lovön in Lake Mälaren, west of Stockholm, Sweden. It is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. Drottningholm Palace was designed by Swedish architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder. When he died, his son Nicodemus Tessin the Younger continued his work and completed the interior designs. Construction began in 1696 and was completed in 1728. The palace grounds include a beautiful baroque garden and other gardens featuring numerous sculptures and statues, along with several fountains and water features.

The Royal Chapel; Credit – Wikipedia

The Royal Chapel, which this writer has visited, is on the northern end of Drottningholm Palace with an entrance leading directly into the palace. It is a church of the Church of Sweden, an Evangelical Lutheran Church. The building is completely round with three slightly protruding middle sections and is covered by a copper dome with windows topped by a lantern. The main entrance is located on the west side facing the gardens. The construction of the Royal Chapel was completed in 1728 and during the following years, Swedish architect Carl Hårleman oversaw the interior decoration work. The altarpiece depicting The Last Supper was done by the court painter Georg Engelhard Schröder. In 1730, the church was consecrated and it has been in continuous use since then. The altar is facing north, opposite the royal pew. The pews in the side aisles in the east-west direction were installed from 1910 – 1912.

The christening of Princess Leonore, granddaughter of King Carl XVI Gustaf, in 2014

The local Lovön Parish conducts services in the chapel on the last weekend of each month. The Royal Chapel has been used over the years for regular worship and events by members of the Swedish royal family. Below is a list of some royal events that have occurred at the Royal Chapel at Drottningholm Palace.

  • August 29, 1744 – Wedding of the future King Adolf Frederik of Sweden and Princess Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
  • December 7, 1976 – Wedding of Prince Bertil of Sweden, Duke of Halland (son of King Gustav VI Adolf) and Lilian Craig
  • September 9, 2016 – Christening of Prince Alexander, Duke of Södermanland (son of Prince Carl Philip, grandson of King Carl XVI Gustaf)
  • December 1, 2017 – Christening of Prince Gabriel, Duke of Dalarna (son of Prince Carl Philip, grandson of King Carl XVI Gustaf)
  • June 8, 2014 – Christening of Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland (daughter of Princess Madeleine, granddaughter of King Carl XVI Gustaf)
  • October 11, 2015 – Christening of Prince Nicolas, Duke of Ångermanland (son of Princess Madeleine, granddaughter of King Carl XVI Gustaf)
  • June 8, 2018 – Christening of Princess Adrienne, Duchess of Blekinge )daughter of Princess Madeleine, granddaughter of King Carl XVI Gustaf)
  • August 14, 2021 – Christening of Prince Julian, Duke of Halland (son of Prince Carl Philip, grandson of King Carl XVI Gustaf)

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

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Drottningholm Palace – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drottningholm_Palace> [Accessed 2 December 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2019. Swedish Royal Christenings. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/swedish-royal-christenings/> [Accessed 2 December 2021].
  • Kungligaslotten.se. 2021. Gift dig i Drottningholms slottskyrka. [online] Available at: <https://www.kungligaslotten.se/vara-besoksmal/drottningholms-slott/drottningholms-slottskyrka/gift-dig-i-drottningholms-slottskyrka.html> [Accessed 2 December 2021].
  • Kungligaslotten.se. 2021. The Royal Chapel at Drottningholm. [online] Available at: <https://www.kungligaslotten.se/english/royal-palaces-and-sites/drottningholm-palace/the-royal-chapel-drottningholm.html> [Accessed 2 December 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Drottningholms slott – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drottningholms_slott> [Accessed 2 December 2021].
  • https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drottningholms_slottskyrka

Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – https://fuerstenhaus.li/en/die-biographien-aller-fuersten/18-century/

Johann Nepomuk Karl Borromäus Josef Franz de Paula was born on July 8, 1724, in Vienna, Austria. He was the second but the only surviving son of the two sons and the fourth of the five children of Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein and his third wife Maria Anna Katharina, Countess of Oettingen-Spielberg (1693 – 1729).

Johann Nepomuk Karl had had three half-siblings from two of his father’s three other marriages but they all died in infancy. He had four siblings but only his sister Maria Theresia survived childhood:

  • Princess Maria Eleonore of Liechtenstein (1717 – 1718), died in infancy
  • Prince Joseph Anton of Liechtenstein (1720 – 1723), died in childhood
  • Princess Maria Theresia of Liechtenstein (1721 – 1753), married Joseph I Adam, 4th Prince of Schwarzenberg, had nine children
  • Princess Maria Elisabeth of Liechtenstein (born and died 1728), died on the day of her birth

Johann Nepomuk Karl as a boy; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 17, 1732, eight-year-old Johann Nepomuk Karl became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein upon the death of his father at the age of 42. The former reigning Prince of Liechtenstein Josef Wenzel I served as regent and guardian for Johann Nepomuk Karl until he reached his majority in 1745. He carefully prepared Johann Nepomuk Karl to take over the business of government. However, when Johann Nepomuk Karl reached the age of 21 and took over the government, it appeared as if he had not learned anything. He was soon neglecting his government duties.

On March 19, 1744, in Vienna, Austria, Johann Nepomuk Karl married his first cousin Countess Maria Josefa von Harrach-Rohrau, daughter of Count Friedrich August von Harrach-Rohrau and Princess Maria Eleonore of Liechtenstein, daughter of Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein.

Johann Nepomuk Karl and Maria Josefa had three children:

  • Princess Maria Anna of Liechtenstein (1745 – 1752), died in childhood
  • Prince Joseph Johannes Nepomuk of Liechtenstein (born and died 1747), died in infancy
  • Princess Maria Antonia of Liechtenstein (1749 – 1813), born after her father’s death, married Prince Wenzel Chrisostumus von Paar, had ten children

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

On December 22, 1748, Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein died at the age of 24 in Wischau, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic. He was buried in the Old Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. Because Johann Nepomuk Karl had no male heir, the former reigning Prince of Liechtenstein Josef Wenzel I once again became the reigning Prince. Maria Josefa survived her husband by forty years dying at the age of 61 on February 15, 1788. She was buried at the Capuchin Church in  Roudnice nad Laberm, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic, but her tomb has not survived.

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

  • “Century: 18th Century.” Das Fürstenhaus Von Liechtenstein, https://fuerstenhaus.li/en/die-biographien-aller-fuersten/18-century/.
  • “Johann Nepomuk, Fürst Von Liechtenstein.” geni_family_tree, 24 May 2018, https://www.geni.com/people/Johann-Nepomuk-Fürst-von-Liechtenstein/5062396647720020024.
  • “Johann Nepomuk Karl (Liechtenstein).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 July 2020, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Nepomuk_Karl_(Liechtenstein).
  • “Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Oct. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Nepomuk_Karl,_Prince_of_Liechtenstein.

Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Riddarholmen Church; CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=200571

Riddarholmen Church, which this writer has visited, is located on the islet of Riddarholmen, a short distance from the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. It is Stockholm’s oldest preserved building and was originally the monastery church for the Greyfriars Monastery, Stockholm founded in 1270 and built with funds donated by King Magnus III Ladulås who is interred in the church. After the Protestant Reformation, Riddarholmen Church became a Lutheran church. A spire was added during the reign of King Johan III of Sweden (reigned 1569 – 1592) but it was destroyed by a lightning strike in 1835 and was replaced with the present cast-iron spire.

Since 1807, Riddarholmen Church has functioned solely as a burial and memorial church. It is maintained by the Office of the Marshal of the Realm and the National Property Board (SFV). The only regular services are a Christmas Day carol service organized by the Stockholm Scout Association and a Catholic Mass organized by the St. Eugenia Roman Catholic Church on June 7, the anniversary of Queen Josefina’s death in 1876. Born Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, Queen Josefina was a granddaughter of Empress Joséphine (Napoleon Bonaparte‘s first wife) from her first marriage to Alexandrede de Beauharnais, Vicomte de Beauharnais, who was guillotined during the French Revolution. Josefina remained Roman Catholic and was given a Catholic funeral.

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The Order of the Seraphim

The coats of arms of deceased members of the Order of the Seraphim along the walls with the tombs of King Karl II Knutsson Bonde (on the left) and King Magnus III s Ladulås (on the right) in the foreground; Credit – By Alexandru Baboş Albabos – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6891868

The Order of the Seraphim, established by King Fredrik I in 1748, is the senior order in Sweden. Awarded in only one class, Knight, it is almost exclusively given to members of the Swedish Royal Family and foreign heads of state. When a Knight of the Order of the Seraphim dies, his or her coat of arms is hung in Riddarholmen Chruch. On the day of the funeral, the bells of Riddarholmen Church are rung continuously from 12:00 noon until 1:00 PM. This bell ringing is called Serafimerringningen (Seraphim Ringing).

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Royal Burials

Interior of Riddarholmen Church – Photo © Susan Flantzer

Two medieval Swedish kings were buried at Riddarholmen Church, as well as the fifteen Swedish monarchs and their spouses from King Gustavus II Adolphus the Great (died 1632) to King Gustaf V (died 1950). The only exception is Queen Christina (reigned 1632 – 1654) who abdicated, then converted to Roman Catholicism and was buried at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Riddarholmen Church also has five non-royal burial chapels, built during the 17th century by various Swedish noble families.

Due to the lack of space, Riddarholmen Church is no longer used as a burial site for the Swedish royal family. The burial place of the Swedish royal family is now the Royal Cemetery in Haga Park in Solna Municipality just north of Stockholm, Sweden, near Haga Palace. In 1922, Margaret of Connaught, Crown Princess of Sweden, first wife of the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, was the first person buried in the Royal Cemetery in Haga Park.  King Gustaf V (died in 1950) and his wife Queen Victoria (died in 1930) were the last burials at Riddarholmen Church.

Plan of Riddarholm Church; Credit – Av Eget arbete – File:Riddarholmskyrkan planritning.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17632975

1) Tombs of King Magnus III Ladulås and King Karl Knutsson Bonde
2) Gustavian Chapel
3) Karolinska Chapel
4) Bernadotte Chapel
5) Torstensonska Chapel – Built in 1651 for Swedish Field Marshal and military engineer Lennart Torstenson (1603 – 1651)
6) Wachtmeister Chapel – Built in 1654 for Count Hans Wachtmeister of Björkö, Major General and councilor (1609 – 1652). His wife and other members of the Wachtmeister family are also buried in the Wachtmeister Chapel.
7) Armory
8a) Västra Lewenhaupt Chapel and 8b) Östra Lewenhaupt Chapel – Built in 1654 by Gustaf Adolf Lewenhaupt and Carl Mauritz Lewenhaupt who were brothers and both Field Marshals. Other family members are also buried in the chapels.
9) Banér Chapel – Built for Johan Gustafsson Banér (1596 – 1641), a Swedish Field Marshal and councilor
10) Vasaborg Chapel – Built in 1647 by King Gustavus II Adolphus the Great’s illegitimate son Gustaf Gustafsson of Vasaborg (1616 – 1653) who is buried there along with several Swedish military leaders.
11) Sacristy

Royal Burials in the Chancel

Tombs of King Magnus III Ladulås and King Karl Knutsson Bonde in front of the altar – Photo © Susan Flantzer

The first king to be buried at Riddarholmen Church was King Magnus III Ladulås who donated the funds to build the church. His tomb is in the chancel in front of the altar on the left and on his right side is the tomb of King Karl Knutsson Bonde.

Tombs of King Magnus III Ladulås and King Karl Knutsson Bonde – Photo © Susan Flantzer

Royal Burials in the Gustavian Chapel

Tomb of King Gustavus II Adolphus the Great – Photo © Susan Flantzer

The Gustavian Chapel was built from 1629 – 1643. Before King Gustavus II Adolphus the Great left to fight in the Thirty Years’ War, he designated a burial place for himself in Riddarholmen Church. After he was killed in the Battle of Lützen in 1632, construction began on the tomb, which was completed in 1634. His tomb was made of dark veined Italian marble from Italy and bears the Latin inscription GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS MAGNUS, Gustav Adolf the Great. Close family members were also interred in the Gustavian Chapel.

The coffin of Princess Christina, infant daughter of King Gustavus II Adolphus the Great Photo © Susan Flantzer

  • King Gustavus II Adolphus the Great of Sweden (1594 – 1632)
  • Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, Queen of Sweden (1599 – 1655), wife of King Gustavus II Adolphus the Great
  • A stillborn daughter (1621), daughter of King Gustavus II Adolphus the Great
  • Princess Christina of Sweden (1623 – 1624), daughter of King Gustavus II Adolphus the Great
  • Princess Agnes of Holstein-Gottorp (1578 – 1627), unmarried maternal aunt of King Gustavus II Adolphus the Great

Royal Burials in the Gustavian Crypt

Tomb of King Gustaf III in the Gustavian Crypt: Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

The Gustavian Crypt is not open to the public. Those who died in the 17th century were interred in tin coffins and most of the others were interred in oak coffins covered by velvet embroidered with crowns.

Royal Burials in the Karolinska Chapel

Tomb of King Karl XII; Credit – Wikipedia

The Karolinska Chapel was built from 1671 -1743. In 1718, King Karl XII invaded Norway by laying siege to Fredriksten Fortress. On December 11, 1718, while in the trenches close to the perimeter of Fredriksten Fortress, 36-year-old Karl was hit in the head by a projectile that entered the left side of his skull and exited on the right side of his skull, instantly killing him. He was interred in a black marble sarcophagus topped with a crown, a scepter, and a sword, along with the lion skin and the sword of Hercules, all in gilded brass, as symbols of power and strength.

Sarcophagus of Queen Ulrika Eleonora and her husband and successor King Fredrik I; Photo © Susan Flantzer

Also interred in the Karolinska Chapel in a green coal marble sarcophagus, are King Karl XII’s sister and successor Queen Ulrika Eleonora and her husband King Frederik I. Queen Ulrika Eleonora reigned for two years before abdicating in favor of her husband Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel who reigned as King Frederik I.

Royal Burials in the Karolinska Crypt

Sarcophagus of King Karl X Gustav in the Karolinska Crypt; Credit – Wikipedia

Interred in the Karolinska Crypt are two Kings of Sweden and their wives and six children of King Karl XI, five of whom died in infancy. The Karolinska Crypt is not open to the public.

Royal Burials in the Bernadotte Chapel

Bernadotte Chapel – Photo © Susan Flantzer

The founder of the current Swedish royal house, the House of Bernadotte, King Carl XIV Johan, born Jean Baptiste Bernadotte in France, distinguished himself in Napoleon Bonaparte’s army and served as Minister of War. When Napoleon became Emperor of the French, he created Bernadotte a Marshal of France. In 1810, just as he was about to start a new position as governor of Rome, the Swedish Riksdag elected him heir to the childless King Carl XIII. The Riksdag wanted a soldier to be king because of their worries over Russia. In addition, Bernadotte was popular in Sweden because of his considerate treatment of Swedish prisoners during the recent war with Denmark. Bernadotte became king on February 5, 1818, upon the death of King Carl XIII and reigned as King Carl XIV Johan.

Tombs of King Carl XIV Johann and his wife Queen Desideria – Photo by Susan Flantzer

King Carl XIV Johan is interred in the large sarcophagus in the back of the chapel. The sarcophagus is made out of red Swedish porphyry. It measures 10 feet/3.04 meters × 7.5 feet/2.29 meters × 7.9 feet/2.4 meters and weighs 16 tons. In front of King Carl XIV Johann’s sarcophagus is the green marble sarcophagus of his wife Queen Desideria.

Tombs of King Oscar II and his wife Queen Victoria; Credit – Wikipedia

In the walls of the Bernadotte Chapel are niches with brown limestone sarcophagi in which later Swedish kings and queens of the House of Bernadotte were interred.

Royal Burials in the Bernadotte Crypt

An early photo of the Bernadotte Crypt; Credit – Wikipedia

The Bernadotte Crypt, located,  below the Bernadotte Chapel, is not open to the public. Several members of the Swedish royal family are interred there.

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

Works Cited

  • The Riddarholmen Church. De Kungliga Slotten. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://www.kungligaslotten.se/english/royal-palaces-and-sites/the-riddarholmen-church.html.
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, October 19). Riddarholmen Church. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riddarholmen_Church.
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, November 3). Riddarholmskyrkan. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riddarholmskyrkan.
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (n.d.). Svenska Kungligheters Gravplatser. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svenska_kungligheters_gravplatser#Riddarholmskyrkan_i_Stockholm.

Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein was born in Vienna, Austria on May 27, 1690. He was the third but the only surviving son of the five sons and the fifth of the eleven children of Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein and Countess Eleonore Barbara von Thun-Hohenstein.

Josef had ten siblings but six of his siblings did not survive childhood:

  • Franz Augustin of Liechtenstein (1680 – 1681), died in infancy
  • Eleonore of Liechtenstein (1681 -1682), died in infancy
  • Antonia Maria Eleonore of Liechtenstein (1683 -1715), married (1) Count Johann Adam von Lamberg, no children (2) Count Maximilian von Kuefstein, had four children
  • Karl Josef Florian of Liechtenstein (born and died 1685), died in infancy
  • Anton Ignaz Josef of Liechtenstein (1689 – 1690), died in infancy
  • Innocent Franz Anton of Liechtenstein (1693 – 1707), died in his teens
  • Maria Karoline Anna of Liechtenstein (1694 – 1735), married Count Franz Wilhelm von Salm-Reifferscheidt, had one son
  • Karl Josef (1697 – 1704), died in childhood
  • Anna Maria Antonie of Liechtenstein (1699 – 1753), married her first cousin Josef Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein, had five children who all died in childhood
  • Maria Eleonore of Liechtenstein (1703 – 1757), married Friedrich August von Harrach-Rohrau, had ten children

Josef Johann Adam was married four times. See Unofficial Royalty: The Four Wives of Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein.

(1) Princess Maria Gabriele of Liechtenstein was born July 12, 1692, daughter of Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein and Princess Edmunda Maria Theresia of Dietrichstein-Nikolsburg. She married her third cousin Josef Johann Adam on December 1, 1712. Gabrielle, aged 21, died due to childbirth complications on November 7, 1713. She was buried in the Old Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic.

Josef Johann Adam and Gabrielle had one child who died in early childhood:

  • Prince Karl Anton of Liechtenstein (1713 – 1715)

(2) Countess Marianne of Thun-Hohenstein was born on November 27, 1698. She was the daughter of Johann Maximilian Graf von Thun and Hohenstein and Maria Theresia Countess von Sternberg. On February 3, 1716, Marianne married Josef Johann Adam. Just three weeks after the marriage, on February 23, 1716, Marianne died in Vienna, Austria at the age of 17. She was buried in the Old Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic.

(3) Countess Maria Anna Katharina of Oettingen-Spielberg was born September 21, 1693, in Vienna, Austria. She was the eldest of sixteen children of Count Franz Albrecht zu Oettingen-Spielberg and his wife Johanna Margaretha von Schwendt. Maria Anna Katharina married Josef Johann Adam on August 3, 1716, in Vienna, Austria. She died on April 15, 1729, at the age of 35, and was buried at the Parish Church of St. Nicholas at Glogów, in Silesia, now in Poland. The church was destroyed in 1945 and the tomb was not preserved.

Josef Johann Adam and Maria Anna Katharina had five children:

(4) Born on May 12, 1707, Countess Maria Anna Kottulinska von Kottulin was the daughter of Franz Karl Kottulinsky, Baron von Kottulin and Krzizkowitz and Countess Maria Antonia von Rottal. Maria Anna and Josef Johann Adam were married on August 22, 1729, in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. After Josef Johann Adam died in 1732, Maria Anna married Count Ludwig Ferdinand von Schulenburg-Oeynhausen. Maria Anna, aged 80, died on February 6, 1788, in Vienna, Austria. She was buried at the Parish and Pilgrimage Church of the Visitation of Mary in Vienna, Austria but her tomb has not been preserved.

Josef Johann Adam and Maria Anna had two children who died in infancy:

  • Prince Anton Thomas of Liechtenstein (1730 – 1731)
  • Princess Maria Anna of Liechtenstein (1733 – 1734), born after her father’s death, died in infancy

Josef Johann Adam, circa 1710; Credit – Wikipedia

Josef Johann Adam served for a brief time in the army of the Holy Roman Empire under his father during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701 – 1714) and later fought against the French under John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. After the Treaty of Utrecht which ended the War of the Spanish Succession, Josef Johann Adam moved to Vienna and was appointed the imperial representative to the parliament of Moravia. He became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein upon the death of his father Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein on October 11, 1721. From 1723 he served as a member of the Imperial Privy Council, and in 1729, he chaired a meeting of the princely council of Silesia as a special representative of Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI.

Eventually, Josef Johann Adam retired from active politics to devote himself to the administration of his vast estates and the Principality of Liechtenstein which had been devastated by the debts left by his father. Despite pressure from within Liechtenstein, Josef Johann Adam refused to establish a more liberal government and continued with the absolutism of his father’s reign.

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

Josef Johann Adam died, aged 42, on December 17, 1732, in Valtice, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic, and was buried in the Old Crypt at Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. He was succeeded by his eight-year-old son Johann Nepomuk Karl. The former reigning Prince of Liechtenstein Josef Wenzel I served as regent and guardian for Johann Nepomuk Karl until he reached his majority in 1745. However, Johann Nepomuk Karl died without an heir three years later, and Josef Wenzel once again became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein.

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

  • Century: 18th century. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://fuerstenhaus.li/en/die-biographien-aller-fuersten/18-century/
  • Giuseppe Giovanni Adamo del Liechtenstein. (2021, November 05). Retrieved from https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Giovanni_Adamo_del_Liechtenstein
  • Joseph Johann Adam. (2021, August 14). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Johann_Adam

Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, Duchess of Nassau

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, Duchess of Nassau; Credit – Wikipedia

Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia was the first wife of the future Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg. Born on May 26, 1826, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Elizabeth was the second of the five daughters of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia and Princess Charlotte of Württemberg (Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna). Her paternal grandparents were Paul I, Emperor of All Russia and his second wife Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg (Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia). Elizabeth’s maternal grandparents were Prince Paul of Württemberg and Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Elizabeth was named in honor of Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna of Russia (born Louise of Baden), the wife of her uncle Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia. Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna had died ten days before Elizabeth’s birth and was a close friend of Elizabeth’s mother.

Elizabeth had four sisters:

Mikhailovsky Palace in the nineteenth century with Mikhailovsky Square in the foreground; Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth grew up at the Mikhailovsky Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. Her mother closely supervised the education of her three surviving daughters. Their father Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich had a military career and he taught his daughters parade and military maneuvers, claiming that any of them would have been able to command a cavalry regiment.

In 1843, Adolphe, then the sovereign duke of the Duchy of Nassau, visited St. Petersburg, Russia for the first time and met Elizabeth. Adolphe’s stepmother Princess Pauline of Württemberg was Elizabeth’s maternal aunt. It was love at first sight and Adolphe and Elizabeth became betrothed. On January 31, 1844, 17-year-old Elizabeth married 26-year-old Adolphe in St. Petersburg. The newlyweds remained in Russia for a while before traveling to the Duchy of Nassau where they lived at Biebrich Castle in Wiesbaden, now in the German state of Hesse.

Elizabeth, now Duchess of Nassau, was happily married and very popular with the people of the Duchy of Nassau. The couple was delighted when Elizabeth soon became pregnant with their first child, but the happiness did not last. On January 28, 1845, at Biebrich Castle, after a very difficult labor, 18-year-old Elizabeth died giving birth to a daughter who did not survive the birth.

Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth; Credit – By Velvet – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=92972063

With the blessing of Elizabeth’s uncle Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, the grief-stricken Adolphe used Elizabeth’s dowry to build the Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth in Wiesbaden. Adolphe sent his court architect Philipp Hoffmann to Russia to study the architecture of Russian Orthodox churches. The location of the church on a hill was chosen by Adolphe himself so that he could always have a view of the church from his residence. The church was built from 1847 – 1855, and on May 25, 1855, it was dedicated to Saint Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist and Elizabeth’s patron saint. Shortly afterward, the coffin containing the remains of Elizabeth and her daughter was taken in a procession from St. Bonifatius Roman Catholic Church, its temporary burial place, to the Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth where it was interred in the crypt.

Tomb of Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, Duchess of Nassau; Credit – By Altera levatur – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69833581

The Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth in Wiesbaden, now in the German state of Hesse, has two other royal burials. Two of the four children of Elizabeth’s first cousin Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia and his mistress and later his morganatic second wife Catherine Dolgorukov, Princess Yurievskaya are buried there: Prince George Alexandrovich Yurievsky (1872 – 1913) and Princess Olga Alexandrovna Yurievskaya (1874 – 1925).

In 1851, Adolphe married for a second time to Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau. They had five children, but only two lived to adulthood including his successor Wilhelm (Guillaume) IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg.  Since 1839. the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg had been united with the Netherlands and the King of the Netherlands was also the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. This rule continued until the death of King Willem III of the Netherlands in 1890. His successor was his daughter Wilhelmina, who could not inherit the throne of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg due to the Salic Law which prevented female succession. Through the Nassau Family Pact,  Adolph became the Grand Duke of Luxembourg on 1890.

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

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Elisabeth Michailowna Romanowa – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Michailowna_Romanowa> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchess_Elizabeth_Mikhailovna_of_Russia> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. St. Elizabeth’s Church, Wiesbaden – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Elizabeth%27s_Church_(Wiesbaden)> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2015. Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/grand-duke-adolphe-of-luxembourg/> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2021. Élisabeth Mikhaïlovna de Russie — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89lisabeth_Mikha%C3%AFlovna_de_Russie> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2021. Елизавета Михайловна — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%95%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B0_%D0%9C%D0%B8%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B0> [Accessed 23 December 2021].