On 29 October 1875, Marie Alexandra Victoria was born to Prince Alfred, second son of Queen Victoria, and Maria Alexandrovna, daughter of Tsar Alexander II of Russia, at Eastwell Manor, her parents residence in Kent. With her father being away often, because of his position in the Royal Navy, Marie and her siblings spent the early portion of their childhood in Eastwell Park, which was the preferred residence of their mother. Marie and her siblings were taught French at first, however, their education was eventually neglected, for their mother found them "not very bright or gifted". In 1886, the family moved to San Antonio Palace in Malta, since her father became Commander-in-Chief to the Mediteranian Fleet. In 1889, the family relocated Coburg, due to their father becoming the new heir presumptive to the Duke of Saxe-Cobourg and Gotha. Their mother was very pro- German, and therefore, she hired a German governess for her children. Their mother even went to the extent of making them wear very plain clothes and having them confirmed in the Lutheran faith. Contrary to their previous education, Marie and her siblings received a better education in Coburg; they were educated in subjects such as painting and music. As Marie matured, she grew into a beautiful lady with "sparkling blue eyes and silky fair hair". She caught the eye of many royal bachelors, including Prince George of Wales. He was second in line to the British throne and Queen Victoria and her father approved of the match, however her mother did not for many reasons. One was that she did not want Marie to live in England, and she also didn't agree with idea of first cousins marrying. Consequently, the couple ended their relationship. Marie's mother suggested that she meet Crown Prince Ferdinand, the son of King Carol I of Romannia. So they meet at a gala dinner and they became quite fond of each other. Soon after they became engaged. Marie and Fernindand were married on 10 January 1893 in first a civil ceremony, then Catholic, and lastly an Anglican Ceremony. Marie was accepted warmly by the people of Romannia, however her marriage was not advancing much. Her relationship with Ferdinand was not much more than a friendship, but they still made a good team. Marie even said that they were," the best associates, the most loyal companions, but our live intertwine only uncertain matters." They had their first son Prince Carol on 15 October 1883, and the marriage produced six children in all. At the beginning, Marie had a hard time adjusting to life at court. Her high spirits and flamboyant personality often clashed with the"austere" atmosphere at court. She wrote that "for long hours she would mope, whilst her young husband did his military service, all alone in rooms..." King Carol died on 10 October 1914 and Fernindand became King and Marie Queen. They were acclaimed King and Queen in he Chambre of Deputies. Marie had a great influence over the king, in fact it has even been written "as crown princess, she had been popular, as Queen, she was more loved". She influenced decisions such as the decision to not make any changes to the Romanian court, and the decision for Romania to enter into the Triple Entente alliance during World War I. In 1927 King Ferndnand was suffering from intestinal cancer and later died on 20 July. He died in Marie's arms. In the summer of 1937, Marie was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer, she died the next year on 18 July 1938.
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On 14 June 1870, Sophie Dorthea Ulrike Alice was born in the New Palace in Potsdam, Prussia to Crown Prince Frederick of Prussia and Victoria, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria. As a child, to match her sister who's nickname was "Mossy", Sophie was know as " Sossy" by her family. Sophie was raised with a great love for England and she made frequent visits to see her grandmother Queen Victoria, whom she loved dearly. Because of her long stays in England, her paternal grandparents usually avoided her. Sophie met Crown Prince Constantine of Greece, who was called "Tino", while in England celebrating her grandmothers Golden Jubilee on 1887. The Queen, who noticed the two, said as the relationship grew," Is there a chance of Sophie's marrying Tino? It would be vey nice for her, for he is very good." Despite this developing relationship, Sophie's family was experiencing hard times back home. Sophie's father, Emperor Frederick III, was dying slowly of throat cancer, and her eldest brother was becoming very ambitious. On 15 June 1888, her father died, and her brother, now Wilhelm II, quickly plundered through his fathers possessions looking for evidence of his liberal plots. During this turbulent time, Sophie agreed to marry Crown Prince Constantine. They were married on 27 October 1889 in Athens, Greece. The couple produced six children together. On 18 March 1913, Constantine succeeded his father to the throne of Greece, making him King Constantine I and Sophie Queen Consort of Greece. The following year, World War I broke out, and Sophie took it upon herself to get involved. She was involved in some affairs of state and she kept steady communication with her brother, Wilhelm II. Some questioned how much Sophia actually cared about Greece, for example, G. Leon said,
Although some people thought Sophie lacked affection for Greece, many others thought otherwise. During the war, Sophie carried out many charitable works to improve the life of Greek people. The uncaring image of the Sophia was favoured more. In 1916, a fire mysteriously started at Tatoi, the summer palace of the royal family, while the King and Queen were residing there. The fire destroyed most of the main residence and much of the forests surrounding it; the fire lasted for forty eight hours. It is said that Sophie grabbed her youngest child, Katherine, and she ran a mile with her in her arms. The fire was suspected as a deliberate act of arson. The King and Queen left on 11 June 1917, as Constantine was forced to abdicate because of his alleged pro-German sentiments; the couple fled to Switzerland. However they were called back to Greece after their son, Alexander, who was reigning in his fathers place, died. Dreadfully, his second reign didn't last long, for he was forced to abdicate a second time after Greece was defeated in a war with Turkey in 1922. The following year King Cnstantine died. In the last years of Queen Sophie, she was diagnosed with cancer. She died in Frankfurt, Germany in 1932. When the monarchy was restored in Greece, Sophie's remains were reburied at the royal burial ground at Tatoi Palace in 1936. She was buried next to her husband. Victoria Eugenie Julia Ena was born on 24 October 1887 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland to Princess Beatrice, the the youngest child of Queen Victoria, and Prince Henry of Battenburg, the fourth child of Prince Alexander of Hesse and his morganatic wife Julia von Hauke; for this reason Victoria Eugenie was on a lower social level than other royals. Victoria Eugenie was named firstly in honour of her grandmother Queen Victoria; the name Eugenie came from her godmother the Spanish born Empress Eugenie of France, who was living in exile in Great Brtain after the fall of the second French Empire. Victoria Eugenie grew up in the court of Queen Victoria, because of the promise Beatrice made to Queen Victoria that she would remain her full time companion and personal secretary if she was allowed to marry. Victoria Eugenie grew to become a lovey and good natured young lady, however she was also quite distant, but nevertheless, Queen Victoria was very protective of her. Her father died after contracting fever while on active military service in Africa in 1896. After the death of Queen Victoria, the Bettenburgs took up residence in Kensington Palace. In 1905 Edward VII, Victoria Eugenie's uncle, hosted a dinner in honour of the official visit of the king of Spain, Alfonso XIII, in Buckingham Palace. Alfonso sat between The Queen and Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, her aunt. He noticed Victoria Eugenie and Princess Patricia of Connaught, however Patricia had very little interest in the king, so consequently Alfonso indulged in his interest in Victoria Eugenie and their courtship began. Despite Alfonso's intrest, the couple faced much opposition, the first being the king's mother, who was not in favour because she considerd the Battenburgs non-royal because of Victoria Eugenie's paternal grandmother. Other obstacles that hinderd the couple going any farther was Victoria Eugenie's Protestantism, which clashes with Alfonso's Catholicism; also hemmophilla ran in Victoria Eugenie's family, for her own brother suffered from it. In spite of all of these obstacles, Alfonso was still taken by Victoria Eugenie. In January 1906, Alfonso's mother finally accepted her sons choice and wrote a letter to Victoria Eugenie's mother telling her of the love her son felt for her daughter and requesting an unofficial visit. During their visit, Alfonso and Victoria Eugenie had a three day chaperoned romance. After this, Victoria Eugenie and her mother went to Versailles where she would be instructed in the catholic faith, since she would have to convert. She officially became a member of the Catholic Church on 5 March 1906. After many legal dealings and obstacles, the couple we finally married on 31 May 1906 at the Royal Monastery of San Jerónimo in Madrid. After the wedding, during the procession back to the Royal Palace, there was an assassination attempt made against the King and Queen. The assassins name was Mateu Morral, an anarchist; he threw a bomb from a balcony at the royal carriage. Victoria Eugenie's life was saved when she turned her head to see St. Mary's Church which Alfonso was showing her at the moment the bomb was thrown. After the unsuccessful start to her time as Queen, Victoria Eugenie isolated herself from the Spanish people, however, despite her struggles with the public side of being Queen, her marriage was still going well. Victoria Eugenie gave birth to a son, Alfonso, Prince of Austrias, and Spain had an heir to their throne. However, while the Prince was being circumcised, he didn't stop bleeding; the inability for blood to clot properly is the first sign of hemophilia. This dreadful disease was inherited by all of her sons, and it is said that Alfonso never forgave his wife. Alfonso and Victoria Eugenie altogether had five sons and two daughters. Victoria Eugenie and Alfonso's relationship deteriorated drastically after the birth of their children, and Alfonso began to have numerous affairs. He even had six illegitimate children, With her marriage on the rocks, Victoria Eugenie devoted herself to her work for hospitals, education, and service for the poor. She also was involved in the reorganisation of the Spanish Red Cross, which resulted in her being honoured with a statue in Barcelona. Victoria Eugenie was even awarded the prestigious Golden Rose in 1923 by Pope Pius XI. The Spanish royal family went into exile on 14 April 1931 after local elections brought republicans to power in most of Spain's major cities. This led to the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic. The royal family lived in France and then Italy, however after this, Victoria Eugenie separated from Aplfonso, and she lived, most of the time, in Great Britain. She also lived on Switzerland at one point where she purchased a chateau, the Vieille Fontaine. Alfonso, sensing his death was near, transferred his rights to the Throne of Spain to his son, The Count of Barcelona. Alfonso died on 28 Febuary 1941 of a heart attack. Victoria Eugenie died in Lausanne in Switzerland on 15 April 1969 at the age of 81. Her remains were carried back to Spain and were re-interred in the Royal Vault in the Escoria outside Madrid. She is buried next to her husband Alfonso XIII, and also next to her sons. Victoria Eugenie's great-grandson Felipe VI is now the present King of Spain. Maud was born on 26 November 1869 at Marlborough House in London to the Prince And Princess of Wales, the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. She was christened Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria by The Bishop of London and had many royal godparents, including Prince Frederick William of Hesse-Kassel, Charles XV of Sweeden, and even Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia, who was also her maternal aunt. The high-spirited Maud, in comparison to her other siblings who found their upbringing oppressive and sheltered, had a happy childhood. The tomboyish Maud enjoyed riding horses and playing sports, she was even known as "Harry" by the Royal Family. Maud eventually married her first cousin Prince Carl of Denmark, who was the son of her mothers brother, Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark, on 22 July 1896 in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace, and they were given Appleton House on the Sandringham Estate for their visits to England. Maud waited until her late twenties to get married, which was quite a long wait at the time. At Appleton House, they had their son and only child, Prince Alexander, on 2 July 1903. Upon the disoultion of the 91 year old union between Norway and Sweeden in 1905, the Norwegian Parliament voted to offer the throne to Prince Carl and Princess Maud. It is believed that Maud's membership in the British Royal Family contributed heavily to Prince Carl being chosen. After a national vote, Prince Carl accepted the throne and took the name Haakon VII while his son took the name Olav. The King and Queen were crowned in Nidaros Cathedral on 22 June 1906. Britain always had a place in Queen Mauds heart, however she also conformed to Norway quickly. She played a dominant role in court and in her family; she even made an attempt to learn the language. She played her role as queen with grace, dignity, and care. Renowned for her spectacular sense of fashion, Maud used clothes and jewellery to give herself a more regal impression. She inherited this great sense of style, as well as her slender figure, from her mother Queen Alexandra. She supported many charitable causes, especially in areas concerning children and animals. She even supported and encouraged entertainers, musicians, and artistists. Maud was very much a feminist, supporting Katti Anker Moller, a great feminist of her time, and her home for unwed mothers, which was quite radical at the time. Her love for Britain never died, in fact, she visited Engalnd every year and she even had an English garden arranged at Kongsseteren, their royal lodge. She also, however, enjoyed many things about Norway, for instance, she loved the winter sports such as skiing. She was also determined to bring her son up Norwegian. Queen Maud was often described as reserved in public but very energetic and fun in private; she was a lover of practical jokes. Her last public appearance in England was at the coronation of her nephew King George VI in 1937. On a visit to England in 1938, Maud stayed at her home on the Sadrigham Estate, however she became ill and was soon moved to a nursing home in London where an abdominal surgery was performed. Immediately following the surgery, her husband travelled to London to be with his wife. Despite the success of the surgery, Maud died unexpectedly of heart failure at Appleton House on 20 November 1938, six days before her 69 birthday. She was the last surviving child of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and she is buried in the Royal Moseleum at Akershus Castle in Oslo. The next topic to be discussed on La Cour Royale will be the granddaughters of Queen Victoria who became consorts to European Kings! These three Queens are: Maud, Queen Consort of Norway, Sophia, Queen Consort of Prussia, and Victoria Eugenie, Queen Consort of Spain. P.S. If any of would like to suggest a topic to be discussed in the future just comment below any post! On 23 August 1754, Louis Auguste was born to his father Louis, the Daupin of France and his mother Marie-Joséphe of Saxony, daughter of Prince-Elector of Saxony. Louis-Auguste was very shy as a child, most of this could be due to his parents neglecting if him in favour of his older brother, the bright and handsome Louis, duc de Bourgogne, who died at the age of nine. Although Louis-Auguste was quite bashful, he was still absolutley strong, healthy, and quite intelligent. He excelled in most of his studies, being the strongest in subjects such as: Latin, history, geography, and astronomy; he was also fluent in Itallian and English. Louis-Auguste's intilect strength was matched by his physical strength. He enjoyed physical activities such as rough playing with his younger brothers and hunting with his granddaughter. Louis-Auguste became the Dauphin of France when his father died 20 December 1765; his grief stricken mother died two years after. From that moment on Louis received a strict and conservative education, in an attempt to prepare him for the throne, from the Duc de La Vauguyon, "governeur des Efants de France" ( govoner of the Children of France). Throughout this education, he studied religion, morality, and humanities. His instructor, Abbé Berthier, taught Louis-Auguste many strange lessons, such as timidity was a value in strong monarchs, that may have turned Louis-Auguste into the indicisive King he became. His confessor, Abbé Soldini instructed Louis not to let the people read his mind. On the 16 May 1770, at the age of 15, Louis-Auguste married the fourteen year old Maria Antonia, which is Marie Antoinette in French. She was the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and his wife, the formidable Empress Maria Theresa. The marriage was arranged in order to create an alliance with France and the Habsburgs, however it was meet with skepticism by members of the French court, as they rememberd a previous alliance with the Habsburgs that got France involved in the Seven Years War. At first the people of France were charmed by Marie Abroinette's personality, however, eventually they came to despise her, accusing her of being promiscuous and too sympathetic to the enemies of France. From the start, the marriage was cordial but distant; this was due to Louis-Auguste's shyness and this issue also resulted in his failing to consulate his marriage. This caused Marie Antoinette much stress because the nonconsumated marriage threatened the alliance. Although the marriage started out tough, the couple gradually became closer and closer and they finally consummated their marriage in 1777. Nevertheless the couple still failed to produce an heir, and of course, the court noticed. The infertility of the couple was mocked by obscene pamphlets, for instance, one questioned "Can the King do it? Can't the King do it?" However, after all the problems and complications, Louis-Auguste and Marie Antoinette finally had their first child on 19 December 1778. Louis-Auguste succeeded to the throne of France, at the age of nineteen, as Louis XVI. With France's government deeply in debt, and resentment towards an"tyrannical" monarchy on the rise, Louis XVI felt unprepared for his role as King. He lacked the strength of character and decisiveness needed to combat the influence of court factions and support reformers on their attempts to improve France's government. During the early years of his reign, Louis XVI focused on religious uniformity and foreign policy, for example, he invoked an edict granting Franch non-Catholics legal right to openly practice their faith. Louis also successfully supported the American colonies fight for independence from Fance's long time enemy Great Britain. The policy of not raising taxes and taking out international loans, however, increased the debt and drove France close to bankruptcy by the mid 1780s. Consequently, the king was forced to support radical fiscal reforms, which was neither favoured by the nobles or the people. When the pressure on Louis increased, he reverted back to his earlier teaching of being uncommunicative and not responding to others who offerd help. Because of his failure in responding to France's problems, the Revolution sparked and would eventually grow uncontrollably. In 1789, Louis XVI was quickly deteriorating. In May of that year, in an attempt to fix the fiscal crisis in France, he gathered the Estates General, which was an assembly of the three social classes ( the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners). However, this assembly had the opposite effect and the the Third Estate, the commoners, declared itself the National Assembly; they also had plans to develop a constitution. In response, Louis XVI declared the Assembly null and void and he sent in the army to restore order, however, the people formed a National Gaurd and resisted the King; consequently, the king was forced to acknowledge the National Assembly's authority. Louis pacified the tension for a little while by saying he would acquiesce to their demands, however, as a result of the bad advice from the nobility, he resisted the demands. On 6 October 1789, the royal family was forced to move from Verailles to Paris, and Louis was advised to abdicate all his rsponsibilities as king, but nevertheless, Lohis refused and agreed with an attempt to escape to the eastern frontier in June 1791; this plan failed and Louis and his family were brought back to Paris, and Louis lost all his credibility as a monarch. Louis hoped that a war with Austria would pave his way back to authority; during this time many had suspicions of treason against the king and his powers were suspended. On 21 September 1792, the Legislative Assembly proclaimed the First French Republic. Louis XVI had now been given the name " Citizen Louis Capet". In November of that same year, proof of Louis secret dealings were found and he and his family were found guilty of treason and were condemned to death. On 21 January 1793, Louis XVI was guillotined at the Palace de la Revolution…nine months later Marie Antorinette suffered the same fate. "They saw in the arms of this princess whom they had watched suffer great persecutions with so much staunchness, their child-king, like a gift given by Heaven in answer to their prayers." -Madame de Motteville On the 5 September 1638, something special happend in France; Queen Anne had given birth to the longed for heir to the throne of France. Christened Louis-Dieudonné, "Gift of God", he proved to be one of France's greatest kings, however, he also faced many hardships during his early life. Louis was barely four years of age when his father Louis XIII died and he succeeded to the throne, and to make matters worse, Louis inherited an incredibly ridiculously unstable government that would later revolt. From the moment of his succession, he was educated like a future king, on more practical subjects rather than scholarly ones. Louis was tutored in Politics, History, and in The Arts by his godfather Cardinal Jules Mazaria who also served a his chief minister and would serve as a mentor to him. Many times during his childhood, Louis experienced neglect, by both his mother and also his governer Nicolas de Neufville, who once left Louis unattended, and consequently, Louis almost drowned in a nearby pond. When Louis was 9, members of Parliament rebelled against his godfather with the intention of overthrowing the crown; it grew into a civil war, called The Fronde. During this lengthy and turbulent period of conflict, Louis experienced many gruesome hardships, which left him so impoverished he was on the verge of starvation. However, miraculously, his godfather and chief minister victored over the rebels of parliament, and furthermore, began to rebuild a intricate administration and government; this very much influenced Louis's views on government and politics. At this time, Louis was thought to be of age to take on his position of king completely, however, afraid to question his godfather's authority he stood down in the background. While Cardianal Mazarin was busy being Louis's chief minister, it was Mazarin's niece, Marie Mancini, who caught his eye and they were together for several years. However, his duty to France made this love affair unable to contenue further, Louis was made to marry Marie-Thérèse of Austria, the daughter of the King of Spain. Although this was only a marriage of convienience, not of love; this marriage was the seal to a peace treaty between France and Hapsburg Spain. From the time Louis succeeded to the throne his mother Anne, served as his regent, yet Cardinal Mazarin possessed much of the real power in the early reign of the king. In 1661, Mazarin died and Louis, who was now in his early 20s, finally took full control of his Kingdom; he quickly went to work reshaping Fance to fit his aspirations. His first order of business was to centralize and stableize France's government by promoting industrial growth and declaring the members of the nobility exempt from paying taxes, thus, making them more dependant on the crown. When Louis took full political control, he made radical changes in France, however, when it came to the world stage, he planned to make a even bigger impact. Louis XIV is very well known for his radical approach to foreign policy; in 1667, launched the invasion of the Spanish Netherlands; Louis believes t was his wife's rightful inheritance. The War of Devolution, ended shamefully when the French surrenderd the land back to Spain. In response to this defeat, Louis then got France involved in the France-Dutch War that lasted from 1672 to 1678. After this victory, Frane acquired the status of a dominant power, however Louis still hungerd for more, and as a result, Louis launched campaigns to expand France's territorial claims through military force, thus making France a great threat to other European countries. When Louis wasn't waging war, he was a romantic lover. Louis was never in love with his wife, thus, he was never faithful. He took many mistresses, both official and unofficial, and he even had children by some. To name a few there was: Louise de La Valliére, with which he had six children, Bonne de Pons d'Heudicourt, and there was Françoise-Athénais, marquise de Montespon, with whom he had seven children. Louis married his second wife, Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon, whom he met while she was caring for his child by Madame de Montespon. They were secretly married at Versallies on 10 October 1683 or in January 1684. The date is not known for a fact, for the marriage was never public ally announced or discussed however it remained an open secret until Louis death. The end of Louis XIV life was just S tragic at the beginning; all but two of his direct descendants died, the public began to dislike him as a result of him attempting to establish religious uniformity, and the war against the Grand Alliance drained France's resources drastically. Just five days before Louis XIV 77th birthday, he died of gangrene on Versailles, France. His five year old great-grandson inherited the throne and became Louis XV. In the court of King Louis XIV extravagance and opulence filled the atmosphere; the grandiose Château de Versailles was the grand stage on which the magnificent court rituals were performed, all of which revolved around the King,in the same way the heavenly bodies revolve around the sun. Court life for Louis XIV was so extravagant, that even the King waking up was a performance in a large and elaborate ceremony. The first levee, which is what the Kings rising was called, commenced at 7:30 as the first Valet de Cahmbre awakens the King with the words "Sire, it is time." Not long after, doctors and the Kings favourites piled into the bedroom for the Kings washing and shaving. Next was the Grand Levee, the most prestigious and exclusive ceremony that took place at Versailles, for only the most important courtesans were allowed inside. During this time, the officers of the wardrobe would enter and dress the king. After the Levee, The King in all his regal majesty, processed down the glorious Hall of Mirrors followed by his courtesians. Eager crowds gathered on each side of the Hall, hoping for atleast a glimpse of the King; a select few had the opportunity of a brief word with him. At 11 am The King held council in his cabinet, where he was in full control, consequently the ministers did more listening than speaking. Louis famous declared L'État, c'est moi, I am the State, taking full political control. At 2 the King announced the planned activities for that evening, weather it was a hunt, a carriage ride, or a promenade in the gardens. At 10pm, once again, large crowds gathered into the antechamber of the Kings apartments. The Gand Public Super would take place, where the King would eat surrounded by members of the royal family. Afterwards he went into the salon to converse more freely with his guests, family, and close friends. The Kings day ended just as it started, with a slightly less elaborate ceremony called the Couchée. Hello members of La Cour Royale, In a few days I am about to release a series about the French Royal Court. This will include the many ceremonies that took place at Versailles, profiles of the last three French Kings, and French Consorts and mistresses. This is gonna be very fun for me, for this is one of my favourite time periods in royal history to study. Keep your eyes out for it the first one will be released in the next few days! Blake |
AuthorHello All! My name is Blake Johnson and I am a passionate royalist and Monarchist. It would be my pleasure to entertain and inform you with all things royal, weather it be history or royal news. I now invite you all to be members of La Cour Royale. Categories
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