Moniek Bloks's Blog, page 125

The Year of Empress Elisabeth – The Mayerling Incident

The suicide of Elisabeth and Franz Joseph’s only son Crown Prince Rudolf was preceded by years of unhappy marriage with Princess Stephanie Belgium, frustration at not being included in government affairs and severe illness. Rudolf had grown up mostly without his mother, but he worshipped her nonetheless. As his mental state deteriorated, he began to speak often of his imminent death, although it wasn’t taken seriously.

The family was thus wholly unprepared for the tragedy that struck on 30 January 1889. Sometime in the early hours of the 30th, Rudolf and his mistress, the 17-year-old Baroness Mary Vetsera, died in an apparent murder-suicide pact.

Elisabeth was the first one in the family to be told the news of her son’s death. It was Joseph Hoyos, Rudolf’s hunting companion, who broke the news to her, but he said to her that Mary had given Rudolf poison before taking the poison herself. Elisabeth was reportedly quite composed when she went to her husband to tell him the news. She took Katharina Schratt, Franz Joseph’s mistress, with her because she knew that Katharina would be able to comfort him.

Elisabeth informs her husband of Rudolf’s death in The Fall of Eagles (Screenshot/Fair Use)

Elisabeth then went on to inform her youngest daughter, Marie Valerie, who immediately assumed that he had taken his own life. Elisabeth resisted this and said, “No, no, I will not believe that, it is so likely, so certain that the girl poisoned him.”1 The next to be told was Rudolf’s widow Stephanie, who described the scene in her memoirs, “The Emperor sat at the centre of the room, the Empress, dressed in dark clothes, her face white and rigid, was with him. In my bewildered, shaken state, I believed that I was being looked at like an unfaithful wife. A crossfire of questions, some of which I could not answer, some of which I was not permitted to answer, descended on me.”2

Meanwhile, Mary’s desperate mother Helene was looking for her daughter and demanded to speak to Elisabeth. Sobbing, she exclaimed, “I have lost my child, she is the only one who can give her back to me.”3 Eventually, Elisabeth came to see the sobbing woman to tell her of her daughter’s death. Marie Valerie wrote in her journal, “Her Majesty, full of grandeur, stands before the agitated woman who demands her child, and speaks to her softly. She tells her that the girl is dead. At that, Vetsera break out in loud weeping: My child, my beautiful child! But do you know, says Her Majesty, raising her voice, that Rudolf is dead as well? Vetsera staggered, fell to her knees before Her Majesty, and clasped her knees. My unhappy child, what has she done? This is what she has done!! So she, too, saw the matter in that light and believed, as did Her Majesty, that the girl had poisoned him. A few words more, then Her Majesty leaves Vetsera with the words, “And now remember that Rudolf died of a heart attack!”4

The following day Elisabeth and Franz Joseph learned from their personal physician what had really happened to their son. Both Rudolf and Mary had been shot in the head, with Mary stretched out on the bed with a rose between her hands and Rudolf next to her with a fallen revolver on the ground. Elisabeth commented, “Great Jehova is terrible as He marches onward sowing destruction like the storm.”5

As Rudolf was laid out in state in the Hofburg, Mary Vetsera received a hasty burial. Elisabeth finally lost her composure that night at dinner and began to sob. His widow Stephanie and their five-year-old daughter Elisabeth were also present, and Stephanie would receive most of the blame. Elisabeth later said, “If one comes to know this woman properly, one must excuse Rudolf for looking elsewhere for distraction and a narcotic to ease the emptiness of the heart in his own home. It is certain: things would have been otherwise had he had a different wife, one who understood him.”6 Rudolf left a farewell note for Stephanie, which stated, “Dear Stéphanie, You are freed henceforward from the torment of my presence. Be happy, in your own way. Be good to the poor little girl who is the only thing I leave behind. Give my last greetings to all my acquaintances, especially to Bombelles, Spindler, Latour, Nowo, Gisela, Leopold, etc. etc. I face death calmly; death alone can save my good name. With warmest love, your affectionate Rudolf.”7

The longest of the goodbye letters was to his mother Elisabeth, but the full letter has not survived. It was destroyed by Ida Ferenczy after Elisabeth’s death on her instructions. We know that Rudolf wrote that he was “not worthy of writing to his father” and that Mary was “a pure angel, who accompanies him into the hereafter.” He also wished “to be buried next to her in Heiligenkreuz.”8 This wish was not honoured as Rudolf is buried with his parents in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna. With an affidavit from the doctor that Rudolf was mentally unstable at the time of his death, a church funeral could be held for him. Elisabeth later learned that her niece Countess Marie Larisch had acted as a go-between for Rudolf and Mary, and she was promptly banished from court, leading to a serious family argument.

Although Elisabeth had been quite composed in the days following her son’s death, she soon fell apart. The German ambassador reported that Elisabeth “abandons herself to incessant brooding, reproaches herself, and attributes to the inherited Wittelsbach blood the mental confusion of her poor son.”9 It was also another reason for Elisabeth to be criticized by the court circle. One Countess de Jonghe wrote, “This time, the first lady of the land bears the principal blame. If she had thought less of herself and more of her obligations, this recent catastrophe would not have occurred.”10

Just a few days after Rudolf’s internment, Elisabeth tried to make contact with his spirit down in the crypt to learn the reason for his suicide, and she continued to try and reach his spirit unsuccessfully. She later told Marie Valerie, “Rudolf’s bullet killed my faith.”11 Her attempts to reach him caused even more gossip in Vienna but she was desperate the learn the reasons for his suicide. She strayed far from the Catholic faith much to the worry of Marie Valerie, who wrote, “Mama is actually merely deistic. She prays to great Jehovah in His destructive power and greatness; but that He hears the pleas of His creatures she does not believe because – she says – from the beginning of time, everything is predestined and man is powerless against eternal predestination, which is based, simply, on Jehovah’s inscrutable will. In His sight, she is equal to the most insignificant gnat – how could He care anything about her.”12

Elisabeth later told her niece Amalie that she could not “believe according to the Church. If she did, she would have to think Rudolf was damned…”13 Her thoughts about Rudolf’s death varied from time to time. Once she said that he was “the greatest philosopher after all. He had everything, youth, riches and good health, and he gave it all up.”14 She also said that his suicide was “such a disgrace that she would have liked to hide her face from all the world.”15

The death of her sister Helene plunged Elisabeth into even more despair and she increasingly longed to die as well. Marie Valerie wrote, “Mama will probably never again be as she was at one time; she envies Rudolf his death, and day and night longes for her own.”16 Elisabeth ordered that well-wishes for her birthday and name day were to be omitted from 1889 on. By the end of the mourning period for Rudolf, Elisabeth had given away all her light-coloured gowns and other items to Gisela and Marie Valerie. She wore only plain mourning attire and did not wear colour again for the rest of her life. She also began to give away her jewellery, mostly to her two daughters and Rudolf’s daughter. From then on, she would be a mater dolorosa – a lady of sorrows.

The post The Year of Empress Elisabeth – The Mayerling Incident appeared first on History of Royal Women.

The Year of Empress Elisabeth – Sisi and her ‘evil’ mother-in-law (Part two)

Read part one here.

In early 1858, it became apparent that Empress Elisabeth was pregnant for the third time. She suffered from morning sickness during the first three months of pregnancy, but she felt fine otherwise. Finally, on 21 August, she gave birth to a son and heir who would be named Rudolf. The family gathered in Vienna to celebrate his birth and attend his baptism. When Sophie began writing again to her son Karl Ludwig, who had to leave, most of her attention was focused on the health of the new mother rather than her grandson. She wrote, “The Emperor telegraphed me today that she was well, thank God!”1 Of being told of her grandson’s birth, she wrote, “The moment was blissful when my son called out to me with deep emotion that it is a boy and we were hugging each other in unspeakable joy!”2

Both Rudolf and Gisela became close to their grandmother, who would visit them every day. The year following Rudolf’s birth, Franz Joseph had to go away to deal with the situation in Italy. A worried Sophie wrote to him, “I am very happy, the children in Laxenburg are so well, but I am very worried poor Sisi, because she is constantly frightened and grieved, and I realised that this could harm her health, which is not strong anyway.”3 Once more, she showed her concern for Elisabeth. Not much later, Elisabeth became seriously unwell and was sent to the Mediterranean to recuperate. This was particularly upsetting for the family, and Sophie even asked her son Maximilian and his wife Charlotte to come to Vienna to cheer up Franz Joseph. Elisabeth was gone for most of the year and did not seem to improve until she was moved to Corfu after about six months. Rudolf barely recognised his mother upon her return. Elisabeth’s health remained precarious, and she was often advised to take the cure. Sophie wrote, “She (Elisabeth) will be separated from her children for five months, and she has such a good influence over them, and she brings them up really well.”4

For a time, it was believed that Elisabeth was terminally ill, and Sophie wrote, “Sad separation from our dear Sisi, perhaps for life. She cried and was extremely moved and asked my forgiveness for not being what she should have been. I cannot express the pain I felt, it tears my heart apart.”5 Luckily, whatever ailed Elisabeth, it wasn’t terminal, and Sophie was happy to report that in the autumn of 1862 Elisabeth was, “beautiful again as a bright spring day; her figure is round and rosy, her lips glowing red, her complexion wonderful.”6 Nevertheless, Sophie’s delight in Elisabeth’s health was not reciprocated by an improved relationship. Elisabeth wrote sadly, “Thank God we are still in November. December always brings unpleasant things: moving into town, Aunt Sophie…”7

In 1867, Sophie’s son Maximilian, who had become Emperor of Mexico, was executed. Sophie was devastated and bedbound for several weeks. Not much later, Elisabeth became pregnant with her fourth and last child. Archduchess Marie Valerie was born in Hungary on 22 April 1868. Sophie’s main focus became her grandchildren, and not just those from Franz Joseph. Her third son Karl Ludwig was widowed for a second time in 1871, and Sophie took his two youngest children under her wing as he travelled to combat his grief with his two eldest children. Sophie hardly ever saw Marie Valerie as Elisabeth kept her close by her side when she travelled, which she often did. However, Sophie was most concerned with the happiness of Franz Joseph, who was obviously much affected by his wife’s absences. While Elisabeth often cited her wish to avoid Sophie, Sophie only seemed concerned with how this affected Franz Joseph. In 1870, Elisabeth wrote, “To spend the entire summer with your Mama – you will understand that I would prefer to avoid it.”8 When she also wished to spend the whole winter away from Vienna, Sophie wrote, “My poor son. And Rudolf complains at having to be separated from his sisters for such a long time.”9 Elisabeth would continue to spend as much time away from Vienna as she could.

During the last winter of her life, Sophie saw Elisabeth just once, but she was there was Sophie died. On 10 May 1872, Sophie suddenly became ill. She had been to the opera the day before and had woken up with chills. With Franz Joseph, Elisabeth, Gisela, Rudolf, her husband Franz Karl, and her two other surviving sons by her side, Sophie fell into unconsciousness. She died on 28 May 1872 at the age of 67. Some expected Elisabeth to fill the gap left by her mother-in-law, but Elisabeth continued to flee from Vienna as she had done for so many years, to the disappointment of her liberal supporters.

Even Elisabeth would later recognise that Sophie’s behaviour had not been malicious. She told a lady-in-waiting, “that the Archduchess surely meant so well in everything – but that the paths were arduous and the manner harsh – that the Emperor suffered from it as well and she always wanted to control… and how from the first day she was an obstacle to her contentment and happiness and interfered in everything and how she made it harder for them to be – undisturbed – together!”10 It became pretty clear that while Sophie had meant well, she had gone about it all wrong.

The post The Year of Empress Elisabeth – Sisi and her ‘evil’ mother-in-law (Part two) appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Descendants of Italy’s last King and Queen attempt to reclaim crown jewels

Members of Italy’s former royal family have begun negotiations with the Italian authorities in an attempt to recover the crown jewels of the House of Savoy. The jewels have been in a vault in the Bank of Italy for the last 76 years.

The jewels consist of more than 6,000 diamonds and 2,000 pearls on brooches, earrings, tiaras and necklaces. They are estimated to be worth around €300 million. The jewels were placed in safekeeping at the bank on 5 June 1946 by Falcone Lucifero, the minister of the Royal House, on the orders of King Umberto II. The Italian people had voted in favour of a republic in a referendum three days earlier, and the King went into exile.

A request for the return of the jewels was submitted by Sergio Orlandi, a lawyer for the House of Savoy, last November and rejected by the Bank of Italy, which replied: “The request for restitution cannot be accepted, taking into account the responsibilities of the depositor.”

However, the family is confident that the jewels will eventually be returned, and they quote the terms of the deposit, which said they were to be held “at the disposal of those who have right” and that they represented “the so-called jewels belonging to the crown of the realm.” The jewels were never confiscated by the Italian state.

The male heirs of the House of Savoy were not allowed to re-enter Italy until 2002, and the former King lived in exile in Portugal. He died in Geneva in 1983 at the age of 78. His grandson, Emanuele Filiberto, said it was ridiculous that the jewels had been locked in a bank vault for so many years.

“It would be wonderful to show the Italian people the private treasures of the House of Savoy, which belonged to kings and queens, as happens in the Tower of London. It could also be important for the country’s income if we think of their tourism appeal,” he said.

The post Descendants of Italy’s last King and Queen attempt to reclaim crown jewels appeared first on History of Royal Women.

The Year of Empress Elisabeth – Sisi and her ‘evil’ mother-in-law (Part one)

Archduchess Sophie was born Princess Sophie of Bavaria on 27 January 1805 as one of a set of twins. Her sister was named Maria Anna, and she eventually became Queen of Saxony as the wife of King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony. She would have four surviving full sisters, two half-brothers, and two half-sisters, including Caroline Augusta, who would become her stepmother-in-law. In 1824, Sophie married Archduke Franz Karl of Austria, the younger brother of the feeble-minded Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria. They became the parents of four surviving sons, including the future Emperors Franz Joseph I of Austria and Maximilian I of Mexico. Following the Revolutions of 1848, Sophie and Caroline Augusta were instrumental in convincing their husbands to abdicate or renounce their rights to the throne to allow the 18-year-old Franz Joseph to become the new Emperor. And an Emperor needs a wife, who would be his first cousin Elisabeth.

The relationship between Archduchess Sophie and her niece and daughter-in-law Elisabeth has been massively tainted by the release of the subsequent Sissi films, which portray Elisabeth as a romantic heroine and Sophie as the classic evil mother-in-law. In reality, their relationship was quite different, and the women were more similar than one might expect. Both suffered the loss of a daughter in infancy, and both would lose a son to an unnatural death.

As Sophie and Elisabeth’s mother Ludovika were sisters, the two met frequently, and Sophie would have known Elisabeth from birth. In the summer of 1853, Sophie invited Ludovika and her two elder daughters for Franz Joseph’s birthday, and when he was (re-) introduced to them, he fell in love with Elisabeth at first sight. They became engaged on his actual birthday, and Sophie communicated the happy news to her son Maximilian, who was the only one of her sons not be present. In the letter, she described Elisabeth as “dear, lovely Sisi.”1 Ludovika even wrote, “Sophie is so very good and kind to her, and what a consolation for me to be able to hand her over to such a dear sister as a second mother.”2 During this time, as the family went to church, Sophie was noted for holding back at the door and granting precedence to Elisabeth, who, as the Emperor’s betrothed, outranked her.

Sophie was soon planning for new living arrangements as she did not want to be in the way of the newlyweds. In another letter sent just days before the wedding in April 1854, Sophie wrote, “In 8 days I will, by the grace of God, have united all four of you and then soon a fifth dear, dear child3 will join us, may her entry into our house by blessed by God!”4 As a wedding present, Sophie gifted her niece her own magnificent diamond wedding tiara with large opals, and a matching choker and earrings. Elisabeth wrote to her, “Be assured, my dear aunt, that I am keenly aware of your great goodness to me, and that it is comforting to me to know that always and in all situations of my life I will be allowed to entrust myself to your maternal affection.”5 Both Ludovika and Sophie were consistently present during the days following the wedding, and Sophie had been heavily involved in setting up Elisabeth’s new living arrangments. Although this may be seen as rather unusual these days, it wouldn’t have been back then.

Sophie was accustomed to being in charge and was often at loggerheads over trivial matters with Elisabeth. The assertion by Elisabeth that Sophie never left her and Franz Joseph alone in the early years of their marriage cannot be true as they were not even living together. Sophie lived at Schönbrunn while the newlyweds lived at Laxenburg. However, she was a frequent visitor. Their main argument seems to have been about riding as Sophie thought it unsuitable if Elisabeth went out with only a groom.6

When the 16-year-old Elisabeth became pregnant for the first time, it was Sophie who made the arrangements for the baby. Sophie’s own tragic obstetric history no doubt influenced this behaviour heavily as she had suffered several miscarriages. Although Elisabeth would later say that Sophie had taken her children from her, she later admitted to her own mother that she felt unable to deal with the small children. Sophie’s supposed disappointment at the birth of her namesake granddaughter can also be disproven. All that she wrote in her diary was that it was a shame that little Sophie was not a boy because she was so strong. During her own difficult years of failed pregnancies, Sophie had written to her mother that she did not care if it was a boy or a girl but that she wished for it to be a boy for the Emperor and her husband.7 There is also no evidence that Sophie would have stopped Elisabeth from breastfeeding as Sophie herself had happily breastfed Franz Joseph.

The idea that the child was taken from her immediately after birth, can be disproven with a letter Elisabeth wrote three weeks after little Sophie’s birth, “My little one is already very charming and gives the Emperor and me enormous joy. At first, it seemed a little strange to me to have a baby of my own; it is like an entirely new joy, and I have the little one with me all day long, except when she is carried for a walk, which happens often while the fine weather holds.”8

In August 1855, just five months after the birth of little Sophie, Elisabeth wrote to her mother-in-law, who was in Ischl at the time, “Dear mother-in-law, after the Emperor told me of your wish, I would like to give you news of us, so I am sending you these lines to tell you that we are very well, also the little one, who is always so cheerful and gets stronger and more developed each day.”9 This doesn’t seem to come from a mother who was never allowed to see her children.

After the birth of Elisabeth’s second daughter Gisela, there was apparently some sort of quarrel, and the nursery, which had been close to Sophie’s rooms, was moved to the Radetzky room. Sophie was not even in Vienna at the time and was reportedly not informed of the change. This was apparently done at Elisabeth’s request, and Franz Joseph tried to reason with his mother. Tragically, young Sophie would die not much later during a visit to Hungary. Both of their daughters had fallen ill shortly after their arrival in Hungary with diarrhoea and a fever, but while Gisela recovered, Sophie did not. The elder Sophie was in Saxony at the time with her twin sister, but she was kept informed. When told of her granddaughter’s death, she wrote a sad letter to her sister Ludovika which stated, “So we had to give back our dear child. She should have her death in Hungary, it was God’s will. We must hold fast to this belief in order not to perish in lamentation.”10 A few days later, she wrote to her son Karl Ludwig, “Sisi needs to speak of her beloved child, to surround herself with everything that reminds her of her. This way, I can bring her the consolation of God, respond to her pain, which few can understand like me.”11 Sophie had lost her own four-year-old daughter after an epileptic attack and had thus gone through the same loss, which she had never forgotten.

Part two coming soon.

The post The Year of Empress Elisabeth – Sisi and her ‘evil’ mother-in-law (Part one) appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily – The last Holy Roman Empress (Part two)

Read part one here.

Maria Theresa would be last the Holy Roman Empress as the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806  after Austrian forces suffered a defeat at Austerlitz. Francis had to agree to the Treaty of Pressburg between him and Emperor Napoleon, which brought about the final collapse of the Holy Roman Empire and mandated substantial territorial concessions. He then became known as Emperor Francis I of Austria. Napoleon had occupied Vienna in 1805, which had led to the Imperial family having to flee. Maria Theresa wrote to her mother from Olmütz, where she had taken refuge with Emperor Alexander I of Russia, “Our misfortune is very great, and it will cost me at least ten years of my life. I see myself a fugitive, driven from my house, the capital in the hands of the enemy, who advances almost at will. He is only two posts from us. Our army and the Russians are hardly an hour from here… There, beloved mother, you have our wretched situation: and we make such a sad figure before the emperor of Russia and his entire retinue, who have been here since the 18th. You cannot imagine how infinitely unpleasant the whole company is to me… The Czar is handsome and, I believe, a good man, but that is all: the rest is nothing. His troops are good looking, indeed splendid, but in their character, they are worse than the French.”1 Fortunately, they were able to return two weeks later. She wrote, “I know of – I can imagine no greater fortune than to enjoy peace and quiet, as long as this is possible without losing our lands; and my husband thinks the same. It is better to have less, but to enjoy it in peace.”2

As well as being known for being the last Holy Roman Empress, she was particularly noted for being a patron of music. As she was Empress during a particularly difficult time of wars, she tried to amuse herself and give her husband respites from government worries with plays, music, and balls. She commissioned many artists to write music, like for her husband’s birthday and name day, which she would subsequently perform. Much of her musical library has survived to this day, including letters written to her by musicians she patronised, records of the names of musicians who performed with her and the pieces they performed. She did not allow her frequent pregnancies to interfere with her love of performing. In 1802, she participated in the performance of two masses and gave birth to a son two days afterwards. She was back just one month later, taking part in a concert. Her husband also played the violin, and she referred to him as “my beloved fiddler.”3

Maria Theresa also sent music to her sisters in Naples, and they sent Neapolitan scores back to her. Her sister Maria Amalia (later Queen of the French) wrote to her, “Since you have the goodness to ask us for our commissions, I ask you for the music of D. Giovanni Tenorio of Gluck, if it is to be found in Vienna, for I have been told that it is superb, and know of no one to turn to in order to obtain it better than you, dear sister, who is so knowledgeable in this art, and who us so much affection.4

Maria Theresa’s last childbirth would lead to her death. She had become ill in the winter of 1807 with tuberculosis, and the dangerous treatment of bloodletting led to her giving birth prematurely. On 6 April 1807, she gave birth to a daughter, who died after just three days of life. Maria Theresa became dangerously ill with a high fever and died on 13 April, just 34 years old. Joseph Weigl, a composer, wrote, “Now I was struck by the greatest, most painful blow possible. Maria Theresia, my benefactor, my mother, died. With me sighed many thousands of others for whom she cared. Those who knew her personally were bound to her by her kindness, charm and virtue. With her death, I lost everything, and since then, I have never been what I had been earlier. The enthusiastic and energetic joy that she derived from her art, the great animation with which she was able to enliven her surroundings, the condescending sympathy with which she treated even the smallest domestic distress: all of that has disappeared since then. I am unfit for everything that the world offers and live only in my domestic circle with few possessions, happily separate from the whole world: for she was also the author of this domestic happiness that remains for me. May God reward her for all the good she did for us, her memory is permanently buried in my heart.”5

Francis was in Hungary when his wife had gone into labour, and he rushed home to Vienna to be with her. When he arrived, she was in such a state already that he refused to leave her side. On the 12th, she received the last sacraments, and she died early the following morning. Francis was so shocked by her death that he stayed away from the funeral and took his two eldest children to Ofen. Francis wrote to his mother-in-law, “You can imagine my condition after such a happy marriage as it was with my wife and children, a good number of whom still need a mother.”6 The eldest child was just 16, while the youngest was not even two years old. Nine months later, he remarried to Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este.

Maria Theresa and her daughter Amalie Theresa were both buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna.

The post Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily – The last Holy Roman Empress (Part two) appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily – The last Holy Roman Empress (Part one)

Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily was born on 6 June 1772 as the eldest daughter of King Ferdinand IV & III of Naples and Sicily (later King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies) and Maria Carolina of Austria. She went on to have 17 siblings, but only six of those would survive to adulthood. Most of her siblings succumbed to smallpox. There is no doubt that Maria Theresa was named after her famous grandmother.

She grew up at the court of Naples and was trained from an early age to one day perhaps become the wife of a sovereign. Her day began at 7 o’clock and included lessons in French, religion, maths, geography, music, drawing and dance. These lessons took place in half-hour units. A midday nap was included, followed by a half-hour break. Lessons then continued in the afternoon with her mother supervising personally. This gruelling schedule was only interrupted during the summer months at Caserta. Maria Theresa was known to be especially musical, and she was praised for her singing, dancing and playing the piano. She was a favourite of her mother and was known to have resembled her physically.

She was still only 14 years when plans for her marriage were already becoming very concrete. Her mother, Maria Carolina, and her uncle Leopold (the future Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor) had arranged a match between Maria Theresa and Leopold’s eldest son Francis. Leopold’s elder brother Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, had married twice, but he left no surviving children and was not likely to remarry again. Thus, it would be Leopold and his sons who would eventually succeed him. However, it would be Joseph, as the sovereign, who had a final say of any marriage, and he decided on another bride for Francis – Elisabeth of Württemberg. Elisabeth’s sister was Sophie Dorothea – the future Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia – and thus an important link to Russia. Therefore, Maria Carolina and Leopold moved their attention from Francis to his younger brother Ferdinand.

The marriage negotiations had not been concluded yet when both Elisabeth and Emperor Joseph died within days of each other in early 1790. Plans were now completely open again, and Maria Theresa was again being considered as a bride for Francis, while Ferdinand was to marry her younger sister Luisa Maria. Thirdly, the heir to the Neapolitan throne – also named Francis – was to marry one of Leopold’s daughters, Maria Clementina. Maria Theresa’s wedding to Francis took place on 19 September 1790 in a double wedding with Ferdinand and Luisa Maria in the Augustinian Church in Vienna. They were well-matched, and when they were apart, Maria Theresa wrote to him often, though he did not write quite as frequently as she would have liked.

In one instance, she wrote, “Dearest, best Francis, On some really pretty paper1 I am writing you a really thundering letter. I am angry at you, first because you sent me no news of yourself, and I fear lest something has happened to you and second, because I am told that you will remain away longer than had been anticipated. But my entire anger will vanish immediately upon your casting your first glance upon me again. Please, dearest love, come back soon.”2

On 21 December 1791, Maria Theresa gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Marie Louise, who would one day marry Emperor Napoleon I of France. Just three months later, Maria Theresa’s father-in-law Leopold died of a stroke at the age of 44. Her husband Francis now succeeded to the Habsburg lands, and in July, he was officially elected as Holy Roman Emperor. By then, Maria Theresa’s second pregnancy had ended in a miscarriage, and her mother-in-law had died suddenly as well.3 It was a strange time and the situation in France that would lead to the execution of Maria Theresa and Francis’s aunt and uncle, King Louis XVI of France and Queen Marie Antoinette, occupied their minds as well.

On 19 April 1793, Maria Theresa gave birth to a son and heir – the future Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria. At least ten more children were born to her over the following years, and a total of seven children – two sons and five daughters – would survive to adulthood. Unfortunately, she also suffered a miscarriage of twins in 1806.

Part two coming soon.

The post Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily – The last Holy Roman Empress (Part one) appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Elisabeth of Württemberg – Propriety, grace and resolution

Elisabeth of Württemberg was born on 21 April 1767 as the daughter of Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg, by his wife, Sophia Dorothea of Brandenburg-Schwedt. She was the eighth of twelve children.

When she was ten years old, her elder sister Sophie Dorothea became the bride of Catherine the Great’s son, which greatly enhanced Elisabeth’s prospects as well. In 1781, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II came looking for a bride for his nephew Francis, and he had come to Württemberg on the recommendation of Catherine the Great. Upon meeting the 14-year-old Elisabeth, Joseph wrote to his brother Leopold, “She is not beautiful and will never be pretty. She is tall for her age, slender, well-formed, has pretty enough eyes, is blond, has a large mouth and possesses a sweet and alert expression.”1

However, Frederick the Great wanted to prevent an Austro-Russian alliance by “setting heaven and earth in motion.”2 He even tried to persuade the Queen of Denmark to have her snatch up Elisabeth for her son. Catherine wrote to Joseph, “This year appears to be destined for events, with treaties and marriages of all sorts. The Queen of Denmark wants to part [her son] the Prince Royal with the younger sister of my daughter-in-law. My opinion has been asked for; I said that the youth of the Prince made it possible to think about it more than once and that I did not believe that the parents of the Princess are pressing her to marry. But I have the patience of YIM [Your Imperial Majesty]. I ask you to excuse it.”3

Frederick the Great even dispatched his own great-nephew to woo Elisabeth, but Elisabeth tearfully informed her parents that she would never marry him. Frederick finally grew tired after six months, and Elisabeth’s parents accepted Joseph’s proposal on behalf of his nephew. He wrote to Leopold, “I believe I have thus made a stroke of state and simultaneously procured for the young man [Francis] the best and most agreeable woman whose existence is known to me.”4 Leopold and his wife Maria Luisa responded, “We feel that our children are also yours and the state’s, and that consequently, it is for you to dispose of them in a manner that seems to you useful and advantageous to the Monarchy.”5

Joseph began to make arrangements for Elisabeth to come to Vienna, where she would receive an education and convert to catholicism. On 26 December 1782, Elisabeth made her confession of the Catholic faith in the court chapel. She also took communion and was confirmed by the Archbishop of Vienna. Joseph wrote to his brother Leopold, “She behaved marvellously. Propriety, grace, resolution, all were observable. She read her profession in so loud a voice that everyone was able to understand it.”6

Elisabeth finally met her future husband after two years in Vienna. They first met on 1 July 1784, and it was apparently love at first sight. Nevertheless, it would be another three years before the wedding would take place. In 1785, Joseph wrote of his astonishment at Elisabeth’s proficiency in geometry, “It is astonishing how the most abstract things seem the easiest to her, while the simplest [practical] things escape her.”7 Francis often visited Elisabeth during this time.

They were finally married on 6 January 1788, with just a few close relatives in attendance. Francis’s uncle Albert stood as best man, and another uncle, Archduke Maximilian, who was Archbishop-Elector of Cologne, performed the ceremony. Francis’s friend and tutor, Count Colloredo, walked Elisabeth down the aisle. Unfortunately, Francis’s parents were unable to attend. Elisabeth wore “a dress of silver cloth, in period, with a moderately wide hoop skirt and manifold pleats and bows. Her neckcloth and headdress glittered with diamonds. Beautifully representing roses and feathers, the headdress was said by the jeweller who made it to have weighed six pounds and a half.”8 Meanwhile, Francis was dressed in a colonel’s uniform.

The newlyweds then had supper before retiring at 8.30 p.m. to Francis’s private apartments. Emperor Joseph gave a formal ball the following evening, which they opened with a minuet. Not long after the wedding, Francis would join the war campaign against Turkey. They would not be reunited until eight months later. During his absence, Elisabeth wrote to him often, calling him her “angel” and herself his “faithful little wife.”9 In July 1789, Francis and Elisabeth joined Joseph at Laxenburg, where they announced that she was pregnant with their first child. Francis had to leave his pregnant wife behind once again, and Elisabeth immediately fell ill and had to remain in her bed. She wrote to Francis that only his return to cure her “of her greatest ailment – her sadness.”10

The following February, Emperor Joseph’s deteriorating health finally caught up with him, and it soon became apparent that he was dying. He requested the last sacraments on 13 February, and Elisabeth wanted to attend but was denied this because of the advanced stage of her pregnancy. On the morning of Wednesday the 17th, Elisabeth went into labour. It was an agonising delivery that only ended at 8.30 p.m. with forceps. It was a little girl, whom the dying Emperor named Ludovica.

Nevertheless, Elisabeth seemed to recover well enough, and she briefly fell asleep. During the night, she awoke in convulsions and was haemorrhaging. She died in the early hours of 19 February 1790. Upon hearing the news, the dying Joseph exclaimed, “Throw me on top of her!”11 He followed her to the grave two days later.

Little Ludovica survived her mother for just 16 months. She had been sickly and “mentally ill since birth.”12 She died of influenza on 24 June 1791.

The post Elisabeth of Württemberg – Propriety, grace and resolution appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Princess Caroline Monaco at 65: Acting First Lady of Monaco

Princess Grace of Monaco (née Kelly) had found out she was pregnant in July 1956 and had written to her friend Judith Kanter, “We’re preggos! Ecstatic!! Rainier will make the announcement soon…”1 The room adjoining Grace and Rainier’s bedroom was turned into a nursery with a Disney theme of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the private study was turned into a delivery room so that the child could be born at home.

Grace’s mother arrived for Christmas with American gynaecologist Dr Hervet to await the birth. Princess Caroline was born on 23 January 1957 as the rain poured down. Grace’s father reported exclaimed, “Hell! I wanted a boy!”2 Grace and Rainier were far more enthusiastic about the birth of their daughter, and for the time being, little Caroline was also the heiress presumptive. However, she was displaced in the line succession by the birth of her younger brother Albert on 14 March 1958. A younger sister named Stéphanie joined the family on 1 February 1965.

Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images

The three children were being raised in both French and English by an English nanny named Maureen King. Princess Caroline closely resembled her paternal grandmother Princess Charlotte in both character and appearance. However, due to the age gap between her and Stéphanie, she grew closest to her brother Albert. Caroline’s education had begun in Monaco, but she was later sent to St. Mary’s, a convent school near Ascot in England. She later went on to study at the Paris Institute of Political Studies and Sorbonne University.

Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images

Caroline was now living at Avenue Foch in Paris in a home acquired by her parents. She was hardly ever alone, with either a member of staff or a detective by her side. She was watched 24/7 by the paparazzi that camped outside her home. She began to feel trapped and hounded and was even known to exclaim, “Why do I have to be a Princess? I hate it!”3 Grace often spent time in Paris as well, as both Caroline and Stéphanie attended school there.

Caroline was now an adult and was often seen going out, smoking heavily and drinking. With the paparazzi forever hounding her, these photos also made their way to Monaco. Her father was alarmed and threatened lawsuits against the persistent paparazzi. He gave her more bodyguards, but this made her feel only more trapped. At the end of 1977, Caroline announced her wish to marry Philippe Junot, who was an investment broker and 17 years older than her. Her parents strongly objected to the match, but when they could not persuade her to break it off, they reluctantly agreed. Grace wrote, “This man [Junot]… doesn’t do anything. Oh, he’s in investments or something, but it doesn’t sound very real to me. Mainly what he seems to do and Caroline does with him is go to nightclubs and parties…”4

Embed from Getty Images

On 28 June 1978, Caroline and Philippe were married civilly, with a religious wedding following the next day. Their wedding was followed by an extended honeymoon of over five months. They then moved into the luxurious penthouse on the Avenue Bosquet in November. Caroline wanted to start a family, but Philippe found happiness outside of their marriage. It went downhill rather quickly, and on 8 August 1980, Caroline announced she intended to file for a divorce. Caroline commented, many years later, “When you’re young, you make mistakes, of course, but if you’re anybody else [other than a princess], you have time to sort it out for yourself… I would rather have done things differently. I would rather have lived somewhere else and been left alone… I’m fundamentally a lucky person without the littlest right to complain. But always in the back of my mind, I had plans and other ideas…”5

Embed from Getty Images

In 1982, Caroline’s mother Grace suffered a stroke as she was driving with Stéphanie in the passenger seat. The car crashed, and while Stéphanie managed to walk away from the accident, Grace died the following day in hospital surrounded by her family. Caroline, though devastated, stepped up to the mark. One observer noted, “It was incredible. Caroline seemed to carry herself differently – with undeniable regal bearing. She looked more mature. She spoke more confidently. Her sadness was evident, but it was controlled.”6 Rainier and Caroline appeared in public together, and she was soon the hostess.

Embed from Getty Images

Caroline still longed for a family of her own, and she remarried civilly to Stefano Casiraghi on 29 December 1983. Her first marriage had not been annulled, so they could not marry religiously. Caroline was by then in the early stages of her first pregnancy. The newlyweds settled in Monaco, where Stefano began to work in real estate and boat building. Their first child – Andrea – was born on 8 June 1984, followed by Charlotte in 1986 and Pierre in 1987. Caroline began to take up more of her late mother’s work.

Embed from Getty Images

However, tragedy was just around the corner. On 3 October 1990, Stefano was killed in a powerboat racing accident. He was still only 30 years old. Caroline went into deep mourning and disappeared into seclusion. However, she became close to French actor Vincent Lindon and reportedly asked for permission to marry him. On 26 February 1992, the Vatican finally granted Caroline the annulment of her first marriage.

Embed from Getty Images

Meanwhile, Stéphanie became pregnant by a former bodyguard, and she gave birth to a son named Louis on 26 November. Their daughter Pauline was born on 4 May 1994. Both were legitimized by their parents’ subsequent marriage in 1995, but their marriage ended in divorce again the following year.

However, Caroline and Victor did not appear to be heading to the altar. Instead, Caroline had picked up the tasks of Acting First Lady of the land again and spent much time reading and writing poetry. In the early 1990s, she became close friends with Prince Ernst August of Hanover and his wife, Chantal. In early 1996, her relationship with Vincent was definitely over, and she turned to Prince Ernst August for support. This soon turned into an affair, and Prince Ernst August divorced his wife in 1997. Caroline and Ernst August were married on 23 January 1999, while Caroline was pregnant with their first and only child. A daughter named Alexandra was born on 20 July 1999. Although the Kingdom of Hanover no longer exists and any titles are simply in pretence, the Princely Palace refers to Caroline as HRH The Princess of Hanover.

Embed from Getty Images

In 2005, Caroline’s father, Prince Rainier, died, and he was succeeded by her brother Albert, who was then unmarried and without issue. Caroline once again became the heiress presumptive. Albert finally married Charlene Wittstock in 2011, and their twins were born in 2014, pushing Caroline down the line of succession once again. She separated from Prince Ernst in August 2009, but they have not been officially divorced.

Embed from Getty Images

As she turns 65, Princess Caroline is once again called up to act as First Lady due to Princess Charlene’s absence and illness.

The post Princess Caroline Monaco at 65: Acting First Lady of Monaco appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Book News February 2022

The Times Queen Elizabeth II: Her 70 year reign 

Hardcover – 14 October 2021 (UK) & 1 February 2022 (US)

Discover how the reign of Britain’s longest-serving monarch unfolded, as seen through fascinating Times articles and photography.

Published to commemorate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this full-colour book is a detailed profile of Britain’s longest-serving monarch.

The story of a life dedicated to public service is told from her time as a young princess to a hugely respected head of state.

 

Mary and Philip: The Marriage of Tudor England and Habsburg Spain (Studies in Early Modern European History) 

Paperback – 5 October 2021 (UK) & 22 February 2022 (US)

Mary I, eldest daughter of Henry VIII, was Queen of England from 1553 until her death in 1558. For much of this time she ruled alongside her husband, King Philip II of Spain, forming a co-monarchy that put England at the heart of early modern Europe. In this book, Alexander Samson presents a bold reassessment of Mary and Philip’s reign, rescuing them from the neglect they have suffered at the hands of generations of historians. The co-monarchy of Mary I and Philip II put England at the heart of early modern Europe. This positive reassessment of their joint reign counters a series of parochial, misogynist and anti-Catholic assumptions, correcting the many myths that have grown up around the marriage and explaining the reasons for its persistent marginalisation in the historiography of sixteenth-century England. Using new archival discoveries and original sources, the book argues for Mary as a great Catholic queen, while fleshing out Philip’s important contributions as king of England.

La Reine Blanche: Mary Tudor, A Life in Letters 

Paperback – 15 November 2021 (UK) & 15 February 2022 (US)

Mary Tudor’s childhood was overshadowed by the men in her life: her father, Henry VII, and her brothers Arthur, heir to the Tudor throne, and Henry VIII. These men and the beliefs held about women at the time helped to shape Mary’s life. She was trained to be a dutiful wife and at the age of eighteen Mary married the French king, Louis XII, thirty-four years her senior. When her husband died three months after the marriage, Mary took charge of her life and shaped her own destiny. As a young widow, Mary blossomed. This was the opportunity to show the world the strong, self-willed, determined woman she always had been. She remarried for love and at great personal risk to herself. She loved and respected Katherine of Aragon and despised Anne Boleyn – again, a dangerous position to take. Author Sarah Bryson has returned to primary sources, state papers and letters, to unearth the truth about this intelligent and passionate woman. This is the story of Mary Tudor, told through her own words for the first time.

The Tsarina’s Lost Treasure: Catherine the Great, a Golden Age Masterpiece, and a Legendary Shipwreck

Paperback – 11 January 2022 (US) & 17 February 2022 (UK)

On October 1771, a merchant ship out of Amsterdam,  Vrouw Maria, crashed off the stormy Finnish coast, taking her historic cargo to the depths of the Baltic Sea. The vessel was delivering a dozen Dutch masterpiece paintings to Europe’s most voracious collector: Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia. Among the lost treasures was The Nursery, an oak-paneled triptych by Leiden fine painter Gerrit Dou, Rembrandt’s most brilliant student and Holland’s first international superstar artist. Dou’s triptych was long the most beloved and most coveted painting of the Dutch Golden Age, and its loss in the shipwreck was mourned throughout the art world.

The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World 

Hardcover – 22 February 2022 (US) & unknown (UK)

Brunhild was a foreign princess, raised to be married off for the sake of alliance-building. Her sister-in-law Fredegund started out as a lowly palace slave. And yet-in sixth-century Merovingian France, where women were excluded from noble succession and royal politics was a blood sport-these two iron-willed strategists reigned over vast realms, changing the face of Europe.

The two queens commanded armies and negotiated with kings and popes. They formed coalitions and broke them, mothered children and lost them. They fought a decades-long civil war-against each other. With ingenuity and skill, they battled to stay alive in the game of statecraft, and in the process laid the foundations of what would one day be Charlemagne’s empire. Yet after the queens’ deaths-one gentle, the other horrific-their stories were rewritten, their names consigned to slander and legend.

Queen Alexandra 

Paperback – 28 February 2022 (US & UK)

Queen Alexandra was a private person who destroyed or left instructions to destroy, much of her archive, but nevertheless enough remains in the form of original documents, such as engagement diaries and letters and informal information, to chart her life more completely than ever before and to attempt to rectify the negative or dismissive attitude towards her which has gained credence in some previous works. This method, rather than drawing mainly from over-salted and peppered memoirs written much later, aims to show her character, enables readers to get to know her and to appreciate what an enormous amount a senior member of the royal family has to accomplish, while still remaining the loving daughter, sister, wife and mother, and keen supporter of the arts, welfare and education, that Alexandra was.

101 Reasons Why We Love the Queen 

Hardcover – 1 February 2022 (US) & 3 September 2020 (UK)

What is it about Her Majesty that inspires such admiration and respect? This little book attempts to answer that big question.

Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared to Rule 

Hardcover – 1 February 2022 (US & UK)

The untold story of a trailblazing dynasty of royal women who ruled the Middle East and how they persevered through instability and seize greater power.

[no image yet]

The Last Queen: Elizabeth II’s Seventy-Year Battle to Save the House of Windsor 

Paperback – 1 February 2022 (UK) & unknown (US)

‘The Firm’, as the royal family styles itself, judged by real corporate standards, is a mess. Any consultants called in from outside to scrutinise the way The Firm works would find all the familiar flaws of a family business that has outgrown its original scale and design. There is no overall strategy, just a collection of warring divisions pursuing their own ends.

And this will be a profound problem when the Queen dies, because make no bones about it, the Queen’s mortality determines the mortality of the monarchy. Under Charles III the monarchy can never be the same, and its survival is in doubt. We will be bidding goodbye to a golden age and ushering in an age of uncertainty and upheaval in the realm.

Powerful Princesses 

Hardcover – 1 February 2022 (UK & US)

These princess stories are not fairytales for small children. They are true tales of real women that every young person should know.

These fast-paced, action-packed tales are stories that have been lost, stories that have remained untold. They come from every corner of the world and across history, but the single thing they share is that each is, in their own way, a powerful princess.

These princesses are: Deep minded. Courageous. Warring. Healing. Mighty. Artful. Rebellious. Wise. Sage. Stoic.

Discover the true tales of history’s boldest heroines.

The Queen: 70 Glorious Years 

Hardcover – 3 February 2022 (UK) & 15 January 2022 (US)

This official souvenir publication celebrates the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-serving monarch.

In this special selection of photographs, captured by professional and amateur photographers alike, discover Her Majesty’s early life before she acceded to the throne in 1952, the official role of the monarch, her travel at home and abroad and her support for the Commonwealth, her fondness for animals and family life, and how she gives thanks to people who have given service to the monarch and their communities, from Garden Parties to the Order of the Garter. Photographs are accompanied by resonant quotations from speeches given by The Queen over the years – including her wartime Children’s Hour radio broadcast aged 14, her first Christmas Speech in 1952 and her speech welcoming President and Mrs Obama on the occasion of their State Visit in 2011.

Through 70 photographs from Her Majesty’s reign, this book takes readers on a photographic journey of a remarkable life of service.

Elizabeth II: Princess, Queen, Icon 

Hardcover – 6 February 2022 (UK) & 29 March 2022 (US)

With just under a thousand portraits of Queen Elizabeth II, the National Portrait Gallery boasts some of the most treasured and famous official portraits of the Queen captured at key historic moments, as well as day-to-day images of the monarch at home and with family, following her journey from childhood, to princess and Queen, mother and grandmother. This publication highlights the most important portraits of Elizabeth II from the Gallery’s Collection. Paintings and photographs from the birth of Elizabeth II to the present will take readers on a visual journey through the life of Britain’s foremost icon.

Queen Victoria and The Romanovs: Sixty Years of Mutual Distrust 

Paperback – 15 February 2022 (UK) & 15 May 2022 (US)

Despite their frequent visits to England, Queen Victoria never quite trusted the Romanovs. In her letters she referred to ‘horrid Russia’ and was adamant that she did not wish her granddaughters to marry into that barbaric country. ‘Russia I could not wish for any of you,’ she said. She distrusted Tsar Nicholas I but as a young woman she was bowled over by his son, the future Alexander II, although there could be no question of a marriage. Political questions loomed large and the Crimean War did nothing to improve relations. This distrust started with the story of the Queen’s ‘Aunt Julie’, Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and her disastrous Russian marriage. Starting with this marital catastrophe, Romanov expert Coryne Hall traces sixty years of family feuding that include outright war, inter-marriages, assassination, and the Great Game in Afghanistan, when Alexander III called Victoria ‘a pampered, sentimental, selfish old woman’. In the fateful year of 1894, Victoria must come to terms with the fact that her granddaughter has become Nicholas II’s wife, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Eventually, distrust of the German Kaiser brings Victoria and the Tsar closer together. Permission has kindly been granted by the Royal Archives at Windsor to use extracts from Queen Victoria’s journals to tell this fascinating story of family relations played out on the world stage.

Tudor Roses: From Margaret Beaufort to Elizabeth I 

Hardcover – 15 February 2022 (UK) & 15 May 2022 (US)

All too often, a dynasty is defined by its men: by their personalities, their wars and reigns, their laws and decisions. Their mothers, wives, sisters and daughters are often depicted as mere foils; shadowy figures whose value lies in the inheritance they brought, or the children they produced. Yet the Tudor dynasty is full of women who are fascinating in their own right, from Margaret Beaufort, who finally emerged triumphant after years of turmoil; Elizabeth of York’s steadying influence; Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, whose rivalry was played out against the backdrop of the Reformation; to Mary I and Elizabeth, England’s first reigning Queens. Then there were all the others: Henry VIII’s fascinating sisters who became Queens of France and Scotland, and their offspring, the Brandon and Grey women, Lady Margaret Douglas and her granddaughter Arabella Stuart. Many more women still danced the Pavane under Henry’s watchful eye or helped adjusted Elizabeth’s ruff. Without exception, these were strong women, wielding remarkable power, whether that was behind the scenes or on the international stage. Their contribution took England from the medieval era into the modern. It is time for a new narrative of the Tudor women: one that prioritises their experiences and their voices.

Queen Victoria: Her Life and Legacy (In 100 Objects) 

Hardcover – 28 February 2022 (UK) & 30 April 2022 (US)

For almost 64 years, Queen Victoria reigned over Great Britain during a period which saw the country become the most powerful and prestigious in the world and one which experienced enormous social, political and industrial change. Those changes were embraced by Victoria, who became the first monarch to use the railway as a mode of transport, to use anaesthetic to alleviate pain, during childbirth, and to use a telephone.

House of Tudor: A Grisly History 

Hardcover – 28 February 2022 (UK) & 30 April 2022 (US)

Gruesome but not gratuitous, this decidedly darker take on the Tudors, from 1485 to 1603, covers some forty-five ‘events’ from the Tudor reign, taking in everything from the death of Richard III to the botched execution of Mary Queen of Scots, and a whole host of horrors in between. Particular attention is paid to the various gruesome ways in which the Tudors despatched their various villains and lawbreakers, from simple beheadings, to burnings and of course the dreaded hanging, drawing and quartering. Other chapters cover the various diseases prevalent during Tudor times, including the dreaded ‘Sweating Sickness’ – rather topical at the moment, unfortunately – as well as the cures for these sicknesses, some of which were considered worse than the actual disease itself. The day-to-day living conditions of the general populace are also examined, as well as various social taboos and the punishments that accompanied them, i.e. the stocks, as well as punishment by exile. Tudor England was not a nice place to live by 21st century standards, but the book will also serve to explain how it was still nevertheless a familiar home to our ancestors.

Women in the Medieval Court: Consorts and Concubines 

Hardcover – 28 February 2022 (UK) & 30 April 2022 (US)

While the courts of medieval Europe ate up tales of knights in shining armour and damsels in distress, the reality for the elite women who inhabited those courts could be very different. Medieval society might expect the noblewomen who decorated its courts to play the role of Queen Guinevere, but many of these women had very different ideas. In a society dominated by men, women who stood out from the crowd could experience great success -and greater failure. Great queens, who sometimes ruled in their own right, fought wars and forged empires. Noblewomen acted behind the scenes to change the course of politics. Far from cloistered off from the world, powerful abbesses played the role of kingmaker. And concubines had a role to play as well, both as political actors and as mothers of children who might change a country’s destiny. They experienced tremendous success and dramatic downfalls. Meet women from across medieval Europe, from a Danish queen who waged political war to form a Scandinavian empire, to a Tuscan countess who joined her troops on the battlefield. Whether they wielded power in battle, from a convent or throne room, or even in the bedchamber, these women were far from damsels in distress.

The post Book News February 2022 appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Zhao Feiyan – Her notorious reputation as a wanton Empress

Zhao Feiyan (also known as Empress Xiaocheng) was the second empress of Emperor Cheng of Western Han. She has been known in history for being so wanton that she has been the main protagonist in many lewd Chinese pieces of literature. For millennia, writers have depicted her as an empress whose thirsts for sensual appetites can never be quenched. Indeed, Empress Zhao Feiyan’s story has so appalled ancient chronicler Liu Xiang that he began to compose his classic, Biographies of Exemplary Women, to remind the Emperor to choose a virtuous empress.[1] Even today, Empress Zhao Feiyan’s name denotes immorality and licentiousness. Did Empress Zhao Feiyan deserve her notorious reputation?

It seems that Empress Zhao Feiyan’s early life as a dancer doomed her reputation from the start. Ancient chroniclers have always emphasized her dancing background because it meant to inform the reader to be wary of her and to dislike her immediately.[2] Yet, Empress Zhao Feiyan’s story was originally written by her enemies. Indeed, the first biography of the Empress was written by Imperial Consort Ban Jieyu‘s great-nephew Ban Gu in The History of the Han Dynasty.[3] Imperial Consort Ban Jieyu was a rival for the Emperor’s favour, and this meant that her first biographer was biased towards her.[4] Thus, while Empress Zhao Feiyan was the winner in competing for the Emperor’s favour, she ultimately lost because Ban Gu was the first to blacken her reputation.

Some empresses in Chinese history have originally been dancers (such as Wei Zifu). However, none of them has the villainous reputation that Empress Zhao Feiyan had.[5] Modern scholars believe that the reason why Empress Zhao Feiyan had the worst reputation was that she failed in her duty as an empress.[6] She was childless and did not give the Emperor a son.[7] This was seen as a serious offence by ancient chroniclers, and they believed that Empress Zhao Feiyan deserved her vile reputation.

Empress Zhao Feiyan was born in 32 B.C.E.[8] Her name was originally Feng Yizhu.[9] Her parents lived in the capital of Chang’an. They were destitute, and she was forced to roam the streets looking for food with her younger sister, Hede.[10] One day, they were adopted by Zhao Lin and were given the surname Zhao.[11] Feng Yizhu became a servant in Yang Anzhu’s household and learned to dance and sing.[12] She became a talented dancer and was known as “Feiyan” (which means “Flying Swallow”).[13]

In 18 B.C.E., Emperor Cheng visited Yang Anzhu’s mansion.[14] He watched Zhao Feiyan dance and was immediately captivated. He desired to have her and her sister, Zhao Hede, as his concubines. He brought them back with him to his palace and gave them the title of “Jieyu” (which was the third rank in the Emperor’s harem and two ranks below the Empress).[15] However, Imperial Consort Zhao Feiyan was not happy with her position and wanted more. She conspired with her sister to get rid of her rival, Imperial Consort Ban Jieyu, and accused her of witchcraft.[16] Once she was out of the way, she and her sister were the Emperor’s sole favourites. Emperor Cheng was in an unhappy relationship with Empress Xu.[17] Thus, the Zhao sisters took the opportunity to accuse her of witchcraft.[18] While Emperor Cheng realized that the charges against Empress Xu were false, he had no desire to maintain his relationship with her.[19] He demoted Empress Xu.[20] 

With the Empress position vacant, he decided to make Zhao Feiyan his Empress.[21] His mother, Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun, refused because of Zhao Feiyan’s lowly background.[22] Through the Emperor’s persistence, she began to relent and finally agreed to let Zhao Feiyan become Empress.[23] Thus, in 16 B.C.E., she was enthroned as Empress. Zhao Hede was made “Zhaoyi” (second in rank, which meant “Empress-in-Waiting”).[24] Unfortunately, when she became Empress, Emperor Cheng lost interest in her and poured his affections on her sister.[25] 

During her years as Empress, the two sisters killed all the Emperor’s children to keep their position secured.[26] Modern historians believe this to be false because it seems like a literary pattern for empresses with nefarious reputations to kill their rivals’ children.[27] Ancient chroniclers have also criticized Empress Zhao Feiyan’s lavish lifestyle.[28] However, modern scholars have said that it was a duty for the Empress to set new fashion styles and to give allies expensive gifts.[29] Ancient chroniclers have also claimed that Empress Zhao Feiyan was trying to end her childlessness by having affairs with multiple men.[30] One of her lovers was Qing Anshi, who was also featured in obscene literature for being her favourite and the source of conflict with her sister.[31] However, modern historians believe that the Empress having love affairs is false.[32] It was unlikely that an empress would have any love affairs because she was cloistered in a strict imperial harem and would be constantly watched. [33] Word would have surely reached the Emperor.

In 7 B.C.E., Emperor Cheng died of what modern historians believe to be a stroke.[34] Because Zhao Hede Zhaoyi was intimate with the Emperor right before his death, she was accused of killing him. Zhao Hede Zhaoyi was forced to commit suicide.[35] Thus, Empress Zhao Feiyan lost her beloved sister and her partner in many conspiracies. She successfully installed the reign of Emperor Ai and was made Empress Dowager.[36] He also promoted her family.[37] The newly made Zhaos were seen as rivals to the Wang family. Therefore, the Wangs decided to eliminate them.[38] The Zhao family were stripped of all their titles and were made commoners.[39] 

When Emperor Ai died in 1 B.C.E., a nine-year-old ascended the throne. He was Emperor Ping. The Wang family had complete control of the court.[40] They stripped Zhao Feiyan of her title as Empress Dowager.[41] They demoted her to a commoner and sent her to the North Palace (which was a residence for deposed empresses).[42] Zhao Feiyan was so depressed about her situation that once she entered the North Palace, she committed suicide.[43] Over time, Empress Zhao Feiyan’s reputation continued to grow worse. She has been depicted in lewd Chinese literature.[44] A few of them are The Scandalous Life of Zhao Feiyan, The Unofficial Biography of Flying Swallow, and The Sensational History of Flying Swallow.[45] It is hard to separate fact from fiction when bitter enemies spread her initial stories. It makes one wonder what she may actually have been like as an empress.

Sources:

Chi-kin, A. (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., C. William., Trans.). NY: Routledge.

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

Milburn, O.(2021). The Empress in the Pepper Chamber: Zhao Feiyan in History and Fiction. Seattle: University of Washington Press.

Xiaoming, Z. (2015). Notable Women of China: Shang Dynasty to the Early Twentieth Century. (B. B. Peterson, Ed.;H. Yucheng, Trans.). London: Routledge.

[1] Milburn, p. 59

[2] Milburn, p. 35

[3] Milburn, p. 54

[4] Milburn, p. 54

[5] Milburn, p. 170

[6] Milburn, p. 4

[7] Milburn, p. 4

[8] Xiaoming, p. 86

[9] Xiaoming, p. 86

[10] Xiaoming, pp. 86-87

[11] Chi-kin, p. 245

[12] Xiaoming, pp. 86-87

[13] Xiaoming, p. 87

[14] Xiaoming, p. 87

[15] Chi-kin, p. 245

[16]McMahon, p. 77

[17] Milburn, p. 58

[18] McMahon, p. 77

[19] Milburn, p. 58

[20] Milburn, p. 58

[21] McMahon, p. 79

[22] Chi-kin, p. 246

[23] Chi-kin, p. 246

[24] Milburn, p. 23

[25] Xiaoming, p. 88

[26] Xiaoming, p. 88

[27] Milburn, p. 83

[28] Milburn, p. 61

[29] Milburn, p. 61

[30] Xiaoming, p. 88

[31] McMahon, p. 81

[32] Milburn, p. 175

[33] Milburn, p. 175

[34] Milburn, p. 171

[35] Milburn, p. 62

[36] Chi-kin, p. 246

[37] Chi-kin, p. 246

[38] Chi-kin, p. 246

[39] Chi-kin, p. 246

[40] Chi-kin, p. 247

[41] Chi-kin, p. 247

[42] Milburn, p. 62 &171

[43] Chi-Kin, p. 247

[44] McMahon, p. 81

[45] Milburn, p. 5; McMahon, p. 81-83

The post Zhao Feiyan – Her notorious reputation as a wanton Empress appeared first on History of Royal Women.