Moniek Bloks's Blog, page 118

The Year of Empress Elisabeth – Sisi’s solemn entrance into Vienna

On 23 April 1854, Elisabeth made her solemn entrance into Vienna ahead of her wedding.

This began at the Favorita Palace (known as the Theresianum nowadays), which was hardly ever used. The ritual dressing for the event took several hours, and family members gathered at the palace for the ceremonial entrance. It wasn’t until the late afternoon that it was finally time to begin. Elisabeth and her mother Ludovika got into a state carriage pulled by eight Lipizzaners. Elisabeth was wearing a pink gown threaded with silver, a train, garlands of roses and a diamond tiara. She was already exhausted and wept openly.

The horses’ manes were plaited with red and gold tassels, and on their heads were tufts of white plumes. Their harnesses were embroidered with gold. Two footmen in full regalia and white wigs walked alongside each carriage door and each horse. Elisabeth’s carriage was followed by the state coaches of the chief stewards, the chamberlains, the palace ladies and the privy councillors. Each of their carriages was drawn by six horses. Then came the court trumpeters on horses, court forerunners and pages, the mounted guards, the auxiliary bodyguard, grenadiers, cuirassiers and court gillies. The list goes on. The Swiss envoy wrote that “such extraordinary splendour was never yet seen.”1

As the magnificent procession entered the city, the artillery salvo died down, and all the bells in the city began to peal. Platforms had been erected for the crowds. As Elizabeth came over the bridge, girls dressed in white welcomed her with a shower of rose petals. The procession moved at a slow pace through the city and the crowds.

For the occasion, Franz Joseph had also decided to pardon 200 “prisoners condemned to confinement as a consequence of political crimes.”2 A further 100 prisoners saw their sentences halved. Also, a general amnesty was declared for “all crimes of lèse-majesté and offences against the public order” and the “treasonable activities” of 1848 in Galicia and the uprising in Lemberg in 1848.3 Franz Joseph also donated large sums of money to the poor.

The sobbing Elisabeth arrived at her new home at the Hofburg in Vienna, but as she exited the carriage, her tiara got caught in the doorframe in front of the entire imperial family. Nevertheless, her aunt and soon-to-be mother-in-law, Archduchess Sophie, thought Elisabeth looked enchanting.4 Franz Joseph took her hand and led her into the Hofburg Palace.

Now she would prepare for the wedding the following day.

The post The Year of Empress Elisabeth – Sisi’s solemn entrance into Vienna appeared first on History of Royal Women.

The Year of Empress Elisabeth – Sisi & Marie Valerie (Part two)

Read part one here.

The family spent Christmas of 1888 together, knowing that Marie Valerie would marry. However, they could not have foreseen the tragedy that was to come the following month. On 30 January 1889, Crown Prince Rudolf shot his mistress Mary Vetsera before turning the gun on himself. Marie Valerie found her mother very pale and immediately asked, “Did he kill himself?” She wrote in her diary that she immediately knew. Elisabeth’s demeanour took a turn for the worse after Rudolf’s death and Marie Valerie constantly worried about her. She wrote, “Mama isn’t much likely to be who she once was. She envies Rudolf for his death and longs for it day and night. Her faith is also deeply devastated, and she often says eternal sleep would be better than awakening to life again because she only asks for rest.”1

Marie Valerie found solace with Franz Salvator and they were finally married on 31 July 1890 in Bad Ischl. She wrote, “I was crying, but those were tears of blissful emotion and nostalgia, of my warmest gratefulness.”2 The night before the wedding, Elisabeth had taken Marie Valerie in her arms and told her that she had been a good child. Marie Valerie described it as one of the most beautiful moments of her life.3

However, Elisabeth believed that she had lost her daughter now that she was married, as she had stated to Franz Salvator before the wedding. “You must not believe, as many people do, that I want to see Valerie married to you so as to keep her near me. When she marries, it does not matter whether she goes to China or remains in Austria – she is lost to me in any case. But I trust you, your character, your love for her, and if I were to die today, I could die in peace only because I entrust Valerie to you.”4

The newlyweds moved to the castle of Lichtenegg in Wels, where they lived with a staff of 24 people. Nevertheless, Marie Valerie visited her parents often and worried frequently about her mother. Marie Valerie and Franz Salvator also visited Elisabeth on Corfu. Soon, Marie Valerie was pregnant with her first child and a daughter named Elisabeth Franziska (Ella) was born on 27 January 1892. Elisabeth had not shared her daughter’s joy at her first pregnancy. Marie Valerie wrote, “She sighed about my condition, it was difficult for her to feel with me the happiness which, strangely, in spite of her motherlove for me, she cannot understand at all. She told me… that the birth of every new human being seemed to her a misfortune since one can fulfil one’s destiny only in suffering.”5

They would go on to have a total of ten children: Franz Karl (born 1893), Hubert (born 1894), Hedwig (born 1896), Theodor (born 1899), Gertrud (born 1900), Maria (born 1901), Clemens (born 1904), Mathilde (born 1906) and Agnes (born 1911). Her youngest daughter Agnes died the same day she was born. It had been a difficult and long labour for the 43-year old Marie Valerie. She later wrote, “My good old Franz cried at my bedside so bitterly that I still had to speak comfort to him. Perhaps it was mixed in for him with the thought that this abnormal pregnancy could have cost me my life. We felt ourselves more deeply united on the inside than we have done for a long time.”6 Little Agnes had been baptized during the few hours of her life, and she was buried in the cemetery at the Kaiservilla. Marie Valerie later wrote, “How comforting to think that this small grandchild has perhaps been brought to her at last in heaven!”7 Elisabeth had never been fond of being known as a grandmother, but Marie Valerie revelled in her role as a mother. Nevertheless, she was often present during the final days of her daughter’s pregnancies.

On 10 September 1898, Marie Valerie’s mother was assassinated in Geneva. She wrote in her diary, “Oh God! What do you want from us… I’m still not able of any coherent thought.”8 She later added, “Now it has happened as she always wished it to happen, quickly, painlessly, without medical treatment, without long, fearful days of worry for her dear ones.”9

After her mother’s tragic death, Marie Valerie took on the task of sorting through her mother’s papers. Elisabeth had burned a lot of letters but plenty were also still left. Marie Valerie also found poems, which were kept in a box until being rediscovered in 1950. She even considered publishing some of them. Marie Valerie and Gisela each inherited 2/5 of their mother’s estate. The other 1/5 went to their niece Elisabeth.

Marie Valerie would live to see the end of the Habsburg monarchy. Her father died in 1916 and was succeeded by his grandnephew Charles, who would be the last Emperor. Marie Valerie lived at Wallsee during the years of the First World War, where she spent much time on charity. Marie Valerie died on 6 September 1924 of lymphoma. Shortly before her death, her sister Gisela wrote, “I saw Valerie on August 11 in soundness of mind, fully cognizant of her condition and looking towards her end with such devout faithfulness, even joy, that I believe an unexpected recovery would have been a disappointment for her. She was quite at peace that God would work all things together for the best for her husband and children, that she was not in the least concerned. One could only envy her.”10

Her funeral was private, but around 40,000 people followed in the procession. During the procession, the steamship Marie Valerie sailed by the castle several times with its flag flown at half-mast and the crew standing to attention.

Franz Salvator later wrote to Gisela’s husband, Prince Leopold, “Many thanks for your sharing in our sorrow. What we have lost cannot be expressed in words, and it is only now when daily life gradually begins to resume its normal pace, that one becomes aware of what is missing in the house! Some very difficult times are now ahead of me, I must now bear the full responsibility for many matters, particularly ones regarding the children, alone.”11

The post The Year of Empress Elisabeth – Sisi & Marie Valerie (Part two) appeared first on History of Royal Women.

The Year of Empress Elisabeth – Sisi & Marie Valerie (Part one)

It had been nearly ten years since Empress Elisabeth had given birth to her third child. And yet, shortly after being crowned Queen of Hungary, Elisabeth let go of her reluctance to have another child and gave the Hungarians the gift of another child. She was also determined to raise this child herself.

Three months before the expected birth, Elisabeth left Vienna and settled down in Budapest. On 22 April 1868, Elisabeth gave birth to a daughter named Marie Valerie. Gossip immediately flew around the court that the father was not Elisabeth’s husband, Franz Joseph, but rather Gyula Andrássy. This only made Elisabeth more determined to avoid the Viennese court, and there is no evidence that anyone other than Franz Joseph was Marie Valerie’s father.

The christening of the newborn Archduchess took place in the castle in Budapest. Her godparents were Elisabeth’s two sisters, Marie Sophie and Mathilde. However, the celebrations in Hungary gave rise to snide comments in Vienna. Archduchess Therese wrote, “This Hungarian christening truly outrages me, but most of all because the Emperor was so coolly received at the theatre. That act shows what an ungrateful nation this is!”1 Nevertheless, Elisabeth became devoted to the little girl, perhaps excessively so. She later said, “Now I know what happiness a child brings – now that I have finally had the courage to love her and keep her with me.”2 Meanwhile, Marie Valerie’s elder siblings Gisela and Rudolf grew up mostly without their mother, and it appeared that they “belonged entirely to the father!”3

Elisabeth and Marie Valerie spent the better part of 1869 in Hungary or Bavaria, which led to criticism from the court. Elisabeth continued to miss significant events on the court calendar, with one Countess writing, “One was furious, if she had not participated this morning, a revolution surely would have broken out.”4 The significant age difference between the three siblings meant that Marie Valerie was just five years old when Gisela was married to Prince Leopold of Bavaria. It also meant that the sisters barely had a relationship at first, though Marie Valerie still cared for her. Her brother Rudolf married Princess Stéphanie of Belgium in 1881.

In 1874, Elisabeth and Marie Valerie travelled to England, for Marie Valerie required ocean bathing for her health and the Isle of Wight was most suited for that. The Empress paid a courtesy call on Queen Victoria, who professed herself disappointed with her beauty. As Elisabeth dragged her daughter along to wherever her whims took her, Marie Valerie received some education from a Hungarian bishop, and she had a governess by the name of Miss Throckmorton. She learned to speak French, German, Hungarian and English. She also had a particular interest in history. She also had some company in the form of a macaque, which became her playmate. The monkey was eventually taken from them and put in the zoo at Schönbrunn. From 1878, Marie Valerie kept a diary, which has been left to us. On the topic of Napoleon, she wrote, “Oh that Napoleon. That was a terrible man! But after that invasion in Russia, he didn’t fare well any longer; they were cheeky those Russians!!!5 She was close friends with Aglae von Auersperg, who was born the same year she was.

Despite, or perhaps due to, Elisabeth’s love for everything Hungarian, Marie Valerie developed a strong aversion to anything Hungarian. She had to ask her father if he would speak to her in German, rather than the Hungarian preferred by her mother. She was, however, afraid to share this with her mother and continued to speak to her in Hungarian. Marie Valerie deeply loved her father and was often caught between her parents. She wrote in her diary after one particular fight, “What I most wanted to do was fall at his feet and kiss his paternal imperial hands, even as I felt – God forgive me -a momentary anger at Mama, since her unbridled love and exaggerated groundless concern place me in such an embarrassing and false position.”6

The 13-year-old Marie Valerie hosted her first adolescent ball in the Hofburg Palace in 1882. Slightly panicked, she wrote, “Me – me Valerie, the clumsy teen who has hardly seen many people. I’m supposed to go to a ball. I’m supposed to dance with 16 gentlemen! To behave neatly and yet not too reserved. I’m supposed to say something to all those strange girls!!!?”7 Despite her worries, she did quite well.

Elisabeth wanted her daughter to marry for love, and Marie Valerie had quite a few admirers. Her sister Gisela tried to match her with Prince Alfons Maria of Bavaria. She found him too talkative and not manly enough. She later said, “I… felt like being looked at by Alfons like a cow at a fair.'”8 Marie Valerie would know her future husband from childhood. His name was Archduke Franz Salvator of Austria-Tuscany. She wrote in her diary, “Franz open and truly honest. He looks into your eyes, so straight-forward, so freely like few people do.”9

On 1 January 1888, Franz Salvator confessed his feelings for her most touchingly. “I believe it’s much better if we speak frankly with each other… so I’d like to tell you – that I like you so much… and… may I have any hopes?” Marie Valerie had to tell him she had promised her mother not to become engaged yet.10 She eventually promised to give him an answer in a year’s time. The fact that Franz Salvator’s resolve remained convinced her parents and brother of his true intentions, and she received their permission.

Read part two here. 

The post The Year of Empress Elisabeth – Sisi & Marie Valerie (Part one) appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Watch the official trailer for Becoming Elizabeth

STARZ has just released the official trailer of Becoming Elizabeth, about the youth of the future Queen Elizabeth I. The series is set to premiere on 12 June 2022.

The post Watch the official trailer for Becoming Elizabeth appeared first on History of Royal Women.

The Year of Empress Elisabeth – A future Empress leaves home

On 20 April 1854, the 16-year-old Elisabeth left Munich, the city where she had been born, to be married to her first cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.

The young Princess heard mass in the private chapel of the Herzog-Max-Palais before she began to say goodbye to the servants. She had brought a little gift for all of them and shook their hands in farewell. Once she was Empress, she would no longer be allowed to shake hands. Reportedly, tears flowed freely on both sides.

Following farewells in the family, they were joined by the abdicated King Ludwig I of Bavaria and his successor, King Maximillian II of Bavaria, who were wearing the uniforms of the Austrian regiments. They were joined by their wives, Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen and Marie of Prussia, and others members of the Wittelsbach family.

By then, crowds had gathered outside the palace, and the people shouted joyously at Elisabeth in her carriage. She rose to her feet, crying, and waved her handkerchief at them.

This first stage of the journey would take them by carriage to Straubing. In Straubing, a steamer lay waiting in the Danube. The reception there included speeches, girls dressed in all white, flowers, and the waving of flags.

The following day, the steamer docked in Passau, where a triumphal arch had been erected at the Bavarian border. Two decorated steamers escorted the future Empress from the border through Upper Austria. At six p.m., the steamers arrived in Linz, the first official stop on Austrian soil.

Elisabeth was welcomed in Linz by the mayor, the military, schoolchildren, clergy and the aristocracy. And even better, her future husband had come to welcome her as a surprise. He had taken the steamer early that morning from Vienna to Linz. That evening, there was a gala performance at the Linz theatre of Die Rosen der Elisabeth (The Roses of Elisabeth), followed by an illumination of the city and a torchlight parade. Franz Joseph left in the middle of the night to be able to welcome Elisabeth officially in Vienna.

At 8 a.m. on 22 April, the Franz Joseph side-wheeler set sail from Linz. It was such a magnificent ship at the time that it was all over the newspapers. Elisabeth’s cabin was reportedly decorated with crimson velvet on the walls, and the deck had been transformed into a living flower garden with a rose arbour where she could retire. Large rose garlands looped down the sides of the ship.

As she headed towards Vienna, thousands of people lined the banks of the Danube to see the bride. Although she must have been exhausted already, Elisabeth stood on deck and waved her handkerchief at them. Shortly before arriving in Nussdorf near Vienna, the party changed clothes and prepared for the grand reception awaiting them. Elisabeth wore a pink silk dress with a full crinoline, with a white lace cap and a small white hat.

As church bells announced the bride’s arrival, Franz Joseph jumped on board the ship before it had even properly docked. He embraced and kissed her in front of a large crowd. Close behind was his mother, Archduchess Sophie. The official part of the welcoming ceremony could now begin. Elisabeth was welcomed by the Imperial family and kissed the hand of her aunt and future mother-in-law. Elisabeth then disembarked the steamer on the arm of her groom.

The party headed in a carriage procession from Nussdorf to Schönbrunn. Franz Joseph sat with Elisabeth’s father, while Elisabeth sat with Franz Joseph’s mother. Upon arrival, Franz Joseph personally opened Elisabeth’s door to lead her into the summer residence. Here, Elisabeth was plunged into a complex ceremony that introduced her to the court. Sophie first introduced all the Archduchesses to Elisabeth, while Franz Joseph introduced the Archdukes. This was followed by the introduction of the high court officials.

After the introduction ceremony, Franz Joseph presented his bride with the wedding gifts. His own gift was a diamond crown with emeralds with a matching diamond waist ornament.

Elisabeth’s new household was headed by Countess Sophie Esterházy, who was a close confidant of Archduchess Sophie and a stickler for etiquette. Elisabeth disliked her from the moment she met her. She had more faith in her chief steward, Prince Lobkowitz and her two young ladies-in-waiting, Countesses Paula Bellegarde and Karoline Lamberg. The rest of her household consisted of a secretary, a lady of the bedchamber, two lady’s maids, two chambermaids, one valet de chamber, a porter, four footmen, one houseman and a chamber woman.

If all these new impressions weren’t enough to exhaust Elisabeth, a large court banquet was held in the evening. Her solemn entry into Vienna was planned for the following day – 23 April.1

The post The Year of Empress Elisabeth – A future Empress leaves home appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Empress Dowager Feng – The captive princess who married into the dynasty that destroyed her family

Grand Empress Dowager Feng’s life is a story of tenacity. She was a princess whose homeland was destroyed by the Northern Wei dynasty. She was a captive and was forced to become a servant by her enemies. She even became an empress of the dynasty that destroyed her kingdom and scattered her family. Despite her tragic beginnings, she rose to be sole regent twice. She proved to be a formidable ruler. Grand Empress Dowager Feng was a remarkable woman who proved to be a survivor.

Grand Empress Dowager Feng lived during the Northern Wei Dynasty. The dynasty was founded by the Tuoba clan. The Tuoba clan was not Han Chinese.[1] Instead, they came from a nomadic tribe that came from the steppe region north of China called the Xianbei.[2] During the first century C.E., the Xianbei had allied with the Eastern Han to help fight the Xiongnu (known in the West as the Huns).[3] In the middle of the fourth century C.E., they established the Dai kingdom (modern-day Inner Mongolia).[4] In 386 C.E., they became the rulers of North China and established the Northern Wei dynasty.[5] Their capital was Pingcheng (modern-day Taiyuan in Shanxi Province).[6] They adopted Chinese customs and merged fully into the Chinese population at the start of the Tang Dynasty in 618 C.E.[7]

Grand Empress Dowager Feng was of Xianbei origins.[8] Her grandfather was Emperor Wentong of the short-lived Northern Yan dynasty. In 442, she was born in Chang’an (modern-day city of Xi’an).[9] Yet, she grew up in Xindu (modern-day city of Chengdu in Sichuan Province).[10] Her mother was from the Wang clan of Lelang. When the Northern Wei destroyed the Northern Yan dynasty, her family was scattered.[11] Princess Feng’s father was executed sometime during the first ten years of her life.[12] The fate of her mother remains unknown.[13] Her only brother, Prince Feng Xu, had fled to the nomadic Qiang tribes (modern-day Shaanxi Province).[14] At a very young age, Princess Feng was brought to the Northern Wei palace as a servant.[15] Yet, her paternal aunt (a Princess of the Northern Yan dynasty and the concubine of Emperor Taiwan of Northern Wei) took in Princess Feng.[16] She raised her and gave her niece an excellent education.[17]

In 455, at the age of thirteen, Princess Feng was selected as a concubine to Emperor Wencheng.[18] She was made “Noble Concubine”.[19] In 456, she was appointed “Empress”.[20] Empress Feng had no children with Emperor Wenchang. In 465 C.E., Emperor Wencheng died. Empress Feng was twenty-three years old.[21] It was said that she was so upset over her husband’s death at his funeral that she threw herself into a fire and lost consciousness.[22] Emperor Xianwen (Emperor Wucheng’s son whom he had with Lady Li) ascended the throne at age eleven.[23] Feng became Empress Dowager.

In 466 C.E., Empress Dowager Feng led a palace coup, ousted, and executed Yi Hun (Emperor Xianwen’s regent). Then, she declared herself regent.[24] She was said to be a good regent. She promoted reforms in administration, taxation on land, and social customs.[25] Yet, her greatest fault was that she relied heavily on her lover, Li Yi, and his brothers.[26] In 467 C.E., she transferred her power to Emperor Xianwen.[27] It is unclear whether this was forced or voluntary.[28] In 470 C.E., Emperor Xianwen eliminated Empress Feng’s supporters.[29] He also killed Empress Feng’s lover, Li Yi, and his brothers.[30] In 471 C.E., Emperor Xianwen abdicated in favour of his three-year-old son. This was because he was tired of worldly affairs and wanted to pursue his interest in Buddhism.[31] His three-year-old son ascended the throne as Emperor Xiaowen. In 475 C.E., Empress Dowager Feng killed the retired emperor through poison and declared herself sole regent for the second time.[32] She was given the title Grand Empress Dowager.[33] This time, she was more successful. She was now the real ruler, and she would rule until her death in 490 C.E.[34]

Grand Empress Dowager Feng proved to be an excellent regent.[35] Even though she took male lovers, she found capable officials to run the empire.[36] She promoted her brother and let her nephews marry Tuoba princesses.[37] Two of her nieces would become empresses of Emperor Xiaowen. She promoted both the Chinese and the mixed ethnic groups at court. This was seen as offensive to the Chinese elite because it threatened their position within the Northern Wei court.[38] 

Grand Empress Dowager Feng died in 490 C.E. Emperor Xiaowen was so grieved by her death that he refused to eat and drink for five days.[39] He also abstained from alcohol and meat for three years out of respect for her.[40] Emperor Xiaowen gave Grand Empress Dowager Feng a simple burial as she had wished.[41] Her tomb on Mount Fang was thirty square feet, and no funeral objects were buried with her.[42] Grand Empress Dowager Feng has proven to be an extraordinary woman.

Even though Grand Empress Dowager Feng was married to a dynasty that destroyed her home and her family, she proved to be a capable regent for more than a decade.[43] She left a stable empire and had the people’s best interests at heart.[44] Because of her love for her people, she has become a popular icon in Chinese media. There are two dramas that are based upon her life. The first drama is Empress Feng of the Northern Wei Dynasty, where she is portrayed by Jacklyn Wu. The second drama is more recent and popular. It is currently on Netflix called The Princess Weiyoung, where she is portrayed by the famous Tiffany Tang. She is even featured in the hit drama Untouchable Lovers, where she is portrayed by The Story of Yanxi Palace’s star Wu Jinyan. Grand Empress Dowager story shows a woman who is able to make the best of her horrible situation.

Sources:

Caizhong, W & Aixing, S. (2015). Notable Women of China: Shang Dynasty to the Early Twentieth Century. (B. B. Peterson, Ed.; Z. Zhongliang, Trans.). London: Routledge.

McMahon, K. (2013). Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao. NY: Rowman and Littlefield.

Lau, L. M. & Ching-Chung, P. (2015). Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E. (L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed.). NY: Routledge.

[1] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 280

[2] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 280

[3] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 280

[4] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 280

[5] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 280

[6] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 280

[7] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 280

[8] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 280

[9] Lau & Ching-Chung, pp. 280-281

[10]Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 281

[11]Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 281

[12] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 281

[13]Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 281  

[14]Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 281  

[15] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 281

[16] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 281

[17] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 281

[18]Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 281  

[19] Caizhong & Aixiang, p. 160

[20] McMahon, p. 139

[21] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 281

[22] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 281

[23] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 281

[24] McMahon, p. 139

[25] McMahon, p. 139

[26] McMahon, p. 139

[27] Caizhong & Aixiang, p. 160

[28] McMahon, p. 139

[29] Lau & Ching-Chung,p p. 281-282

[30] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 282

[31]  Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 282

[32]  Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 282

[33]  Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 282

[34]  Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 282

[35]  Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 282

[36] McMahon, p. 140; Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 282  

[37]  Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 282

[38] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 282  

[39] McMahon, p. 140

[40] McMahon, p. 140

[41] Caizhong & Aixiang, p. 162

[42] Caizhong & Aixiang, p. 162

[43]  Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 283

[44] Caizhong & Aixiang, p. 162

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No – Queen Charlotte wasn’t black

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a German Princess who, at the age of 17, married King George III of the United Kingdom and thus became Queen. They would eventually have fifteen children together.

The stories of the supposed biracial heritage of Queen Charlotte came about after comments on the Allan Ramsay portrait (see above) that she had the “broad nostrils and heavy lips of the ‘blond Negroid type.'”1. Baron Stockmar, the personal physician to Queen Charlotte’s granddaughter Princess Charlotte’s husband Leopold, also wrote of the Queen that she was “small and crooked, with a real Mulatto face.”2

In 1999, Mario de Valdes y Cocom expanded on the claims by J.A. Rogers and added that the portrait showed  “conspicuously African” features.3 These features supposedly came from one of Charlotte’s distant ancestors named Madragana (born circa 1230), who was a mistress of King Afonso III of Portugal. She was described as either Moorish4 or Mozarab5, which was then taken to mean black.

Even if Madragana were black, the generational distance between her and Charlotte and subsequently the rest of the British royal family would make any notion of them being black ridiculous. It certainly wouldn’t make any difference at this point. In addition, other portraits of Charlotte by different painters show distinctly different facial features, making the whole claim based on a single portrait somewhat unreliable. Even Baron Stockmar’s description seems rather unreliable if you take into account that he also wrote unflattering words about her children’s appearance. He was also the only one to make comments like that during her lifetime. Surely, if she truly had “conspicuously African” features, we would have heard more about it?

So while Queen Charlotte’s ancestry hardly makes her black or even biracial, the story comes up from time to time. Such as when the biracial Meghan Markle married Prince Harry and became Duchess of Sussex, or when the Netflix series Bridgerton featured a black Queen Charlotte in a love story with King George that kickstarted a decidedly mixed aristocracy.

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Book Review: Royal Seals: Images of Power and Majesty by Paul Dryburgh

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*review copy*

Royal Seals: Images of Power and Majesty introduces us to the seals of the English, Scottish and British royals, and also includes some ecclesiastic and noble seals, in cooperation with The National Archives.

I was a little apprehensive when I began to read this book, simply because I thought it wouldn’t be anything for me. But I am glad to say that I was completely wrong and was pleasantly surprised by this book. Admittedly there aren’t a lot of female royal seals, if only because there simply haven’t been that many Queens regnant. However, the book is filled with wonderful high-quality images of about as many (royal) seals as could be found, it seems. And that is what makes this book truly pop. Don’t get me wrong, the text is entirely factual and interesting, but the images are by far the best part.

So, if you’re looking to go a bit out of your royal comfort zone, this is the book for you. Get lost in the images of power and symbolism.

Royal Seals: Images of Power and Majesty by Paul Dryburgh is available now in the US and the UK.

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Speyer Cathedral – Three Empresses and a Princess

Speyer Cathedral in the city of Speyer in Germany began its life in 1030 under Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor. It was consecrated in 1061, but many additions and renovations were to come over the years. Between 1030 and 1308, the Cathedral became the burial place of four Emperors, four Kings, three Empresses, and one Princess.

Pope Pius XI raised Speyer Cathedral to the rank of a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church in 1925, and the cathedral was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List of culturally significant sites in 1981. Entrance to the cathedral is free, but to enter the crypt, you must pay an admission free.

Click to view slideshow.

Once you go into the crypt, it’s like entering a different world.

Click to view slideshow.

 

Speyer Cathedral is truly a gem, and it’s quite amazing to see these old tombs. The small entrance fee is well worth it, in my opinion.

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Six things you (probably) didn’t know about Empress Elisabeth

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1 She had several tragic accidents

The 18-year-old and pregnant Empress was going to the Hofburg with a court carriage when the horses went wild and threw off the coachman. He was taken to the Imperial family’s doctor but died of his injuries. In 1887, she was onboard the Imperial yacht Greif which, on the Adriatic sea, overwhelmed a small Italian boat killing a 15-year-old boy. She compensated his family and the survivors with her own money. In 1889, the Empress and her beloved daughter Marie Valerie were travelling on a court train that derailed near Frankfurt am Main.

2 She treated her daughter’s best friend as her own child

Princess Aglaë von Auersperg was the best friend of Marie Valerie, but the Empress too had an affection for her. On several occasions, Aglaë waved to the public from the Hofburg balcony with Elisabeth and the Archduchess, and she attended family dinners (for Christmas too!) as a member of the Imperial family. After the death of Aglaë’s father, Elisabeth took her on a trip to Miramare Castle. In addition, Aglaë and Marie Valerie set up a theatrical company with which they often entertained the Empress.

3 Her dog followed her all the way to Vienna

Farkas (“Wolf” in Hungarian) was one of Elisabeth’s dogs. He was left in Hungary by mistake and reached Vienna on his own. Unfortunately, when he returned to the arms of his human friend, he died from fatigue.

4 She liked to cook

The Empress knew the art of cooking, she could prepare her meals on her own, and she loved to cook for her favourite daughter Marie Valerie. Moreover, she had a portable tool to make hot broth on the train or for her breakfast in a hotel.

5 Electricity was introduced at the Imperial residences because of her

Franz Joseph didn’t like progress, so it was his future-oriented wife who dared to “turn on the light” in her apartment in 1887.

6 She used cocaine for seasickness

At the age of 49, Elisabeth was certainly taking cocaine, as her personal doctor told the press. The substance was considered a medicine, and it was prescribed to her for seasickness. Sigmund Freud also used it for the same reason.

These items can be found in the Italian-language book “Sissi in prima pagina” by Patrick Poini, which has also just been released. It was published by MGS Press Trieste, the editor of the Italian edition of the Poetic Diary of the Empress and some of the most important publications about the Habsburg family in Italy. If you can read Italian, you can find the book here (US) and here (UK).

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