Moniek Bloks's Blog, page 184

The Royal Wedding – Camilla Parker Bowles and The Prince of Wales

On 9 April 2005, Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales married his long-time girlfriend, Camilla Parker Bowles.

Their engagement had been announced on 10 February with the wedding date originally set at 8 April 2005 at Windsor. On 2 March 2005, the Privy council met to give effect to the Queen’s consent to the marriage in accordance with the Royal Marriages Act 1772.

As both Charles and Camilla were divorced, the Archbishop of Canterbury issued a statement that said, “These arrangements have my strong support and are consistent with Church of England guidelines concerning remarriage which the Prince of Wales fully accepts as a committed Anglican and as prospective Supreme Governor of the Church of England.”1 The remarriage of a divorced person with a former spouse still living has been possible in the Church of England since 2002 – at the discretion of the member of the clergy conducting the ceremony.

The venue was changed to Windsor Guildhall as a wedding at Windsor Castle would require opening it up for other couples to marry. On 4 April, it was announced that the wedding would be postponed for a day so that Prince Charles could attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II and the postponement also allowed for invited dignitaries to attend both events.

On Saturday 9 April, the day had finally come. The civil ceremony was attended by senior members of the family, excluding the Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Prince William, son of Prince Charles, and Tom Parker Bowles, son of Camilla, were the couple’s witnesses. Their wedding rings were made from Welsh gold. The following religious blessing – the Service of Prayer and Dedication – was televised live and was attended by the Queen and Prince Philip. It took place at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Over 800 guests attended. During this ceremony, the bride and groom joined the congregation in reading an act of penitence. After the ceremony, a reception was held in the State Apartments.

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Upon marriage, Camilla took up the feminine style of her husband’s titles, including that of Princess of Wales. However, she chooses to be known by the title of The Duchess of Cornwall.

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Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg – Mother of Tsars

Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg, or Maria Feodorovna as she would be known as Grand Duchess and later Empress of Russia1, was born on 25 October 1759 as the fourth of twelve children of Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg and Princess Frederica of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Her elder brother would later become the first King of Württemberg. She was born in Stettin in the Kingdom of Prussia, in present-day Szczecin, Poland. From the age of ten, Sophie Dorothea lived at the Castle of Montbéliard, in present-day France.

Sophie Dorothea learned to speak German, French, Italian and Latin and was known to have a sunny disposition. In 1773, she was first considered for the heir to the Russian throne, the future Tsar Paul I, but she was considered to be too young, and he married Wilhelmina Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt instead. A betrothal to Wilhelmina Louisa’s brother Prince Louis of Hesse was discussed after this, but when Wilhelmina Louisa died in childbirth 1776, she was once more considered as Paul’s bride.

Sophia Dorothea and Paul both travelled to Berlin to meet one another. Upon her departure, her mother sobbed, “My mind misgives me. All sorts of disasters happen to the Czars of Russia. Who can tell what fate is in store for my poor daughter?”2 From Berlin, Sophie Dorothea wrote of her first impression of her future husband, “The Grand Duke is as amiable as it is possible to be, and he appears to unite in his person and disposition, every good quality.”3 With both partners apparently pleased with each other, Sophie Dorothea would set out for Russia with her fiance.

Sophie Dorothea converted to the Russian Orthodox Church, taking on the name Maria Feodorovna, and was granted the title Grand Duchess of Russia, with the style of Imperial Highness. They were married on 26 September 1776, and Paul’s mother Empress Catherine (the great) was delighted with her new daughter-in-law.

Sophie Dorothea soon found herself pregnant for the first time. She gave birth to her first son – the future Emperor Alexander I – on 12 December (O.S) 1777. Catherine swooped in, stating “Your children belong to you, to me and the state.”4 Sophie Dorothea had survived the birth, but she was quite ill for a time. In May 1779, she gave birth to a second son – named Constantine. Sophie Dorothea was “loved for her high virtues and finds happiness only in children”5, and she would spend the next 20 years bearing her husband ten children. However, Catherine treated her son with disdain, calling the couple “The Seconds” and treated their son Alexander as the next Emperor.

As Paul and Sophie Dorothea waited for the throne in the shadows, they spent most of their time at Gatchina, except a European Tour in 1781/1782 where they also met King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. In 1793, Catherine arranged the marriage of their eldest son to Princess Louise of Baden (later renamed Elizabeth Alexeievna). Sophie Dorothea and Paul had no say in the matter. In 1796, she also arranged Constantine’s marriage to Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Neither marriage would produce surviving issue.

In 1796, the years of waiting finally came to an end. On 6 November (O.S), Empress Catherine died surrounded by Sophie Dorothea, Paul, Alexander, Louise, Constantine and Juliane. Sophie Dorothea was the first to drop to her knees in front of her husband, the new Emperor. Her husband’s first act was to give his father a proper burial by Catherine’s side, and he had his body exhumed. In 1798, Sophie Dorothea gave birth to her last child – a fourth son, named Michael. It had been a dangerous birth, and she was advised to abstain from intercourse from then on.

Paul’s reign as Emperor would be short. On 11 March (O.S.) 1801, he was strangled in his bedroom by several dismissed officers. His son Alexander who had been led to believe he would act as regent sobbed that people would think he had murdered his father. Sophie Dorothea had slept through the whole thing, and she was awoken by her mistress of the robes. Guards refused to let her enter her husband’s chamber to see the body. She then tried to claim that she had succeeded her husband as she had been crowned with him. She was ordered to come to the Winter Palace, but she told the guards, “Tell my son that until I see my husband dead, I shall not acknowledge him as my sovereign.”6 She was finally allowed to see her husband’s body.

She met with her son, initially telling him, “Do not come near me! I see you are covered with your father’s blood.”7 However, he managed to persuade her that he had nothing to do with the murder. Sophie Dorothea kept Paul’s bloodstained shirt and bed and made a bedroom shrine. Just a few days later, her eldest daughter Alexandra, who had married Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary, died in childbirth. She was only 17 years old. In 1803, her second daughter Elena died suddenly after becoming ill.

Sophie Dorothea spent her widowhood at Pavlovsk, where she supervised the education of her younger children. She was horrified when a proposal came for the hand of her daughter Anna from Napoleon Bonaparte. Anna herself also disagreed, and she would end up marrying King William II of the Netherlands. Constantine’s marriage to Juliane ended in divorce, and when he remarried a Polish noblewoman, Sophie Dorothea objected to him being the heir to the childless Emperor Alexander.

Sophie Dorothea would survive her eldest son and would indeed see Constantine skipped as heir and the succession taken up by her third son, Nicholas, in 1825. By then, Nicholas already had one son and two daughters by his wife Charlotte of Prussia (Alexandra Feodorovna). For a third time, she took part in a coronation.

On 5 November (O.S.) 1828, Sophie Dorothea died at the age of 69. Her last letter to her daughter Anna in the Netherlands read, “Good Annette-dear, Our dearest Nikki is here since today, and I am so happy. Unfortunately, I am sick with colic and fever, but I am doing better already. I have not been allowed to write. Goodbye, Annette-dear, dearest Willem (Anna’s husband), I embrace your children and care for you with all my heart and soul.”8

Nicholas wrote to his brother Michael after her death, “It’s all over, Michael, and we are orphans…She smiled one more time, hugging Lily, Adine, Kitty (his daughters). I can hardly write, no more strength!”9

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Review: The Crown Dissected: An Analysis of the Netflix Series The Crown Seasons 1, 2 and 3

Most of us have watched Netflix’s popular series The Crown, and if you’ve not watched it, you’ve at least heard about it from someone.

It’s a historical drama that follows Queen Elizabeth II’s life from her 1947 wedding and on. Each season covers roughly ten years, and the third season premiered on Netflix last year covering the years 1964 to 1977. Two further seasons are expected to cover The Queen’s life into the early 2000s.

Many have taken everything in the series as fact while experts like Hugo Vickers have analysed the show and pointed out discrepancies in the series with real life. I was given a copy of The Crown Dissected Seasons 1, 2, and 3 for a review, and it really changed the way I go back and watch episodes of the show.

Vickers breaks down each season, episode by episode where he literally dissects the episodes and shares his thoughts. He tells what happened in the episode and then the truth of what really happened.

For example, in season 2’s episode 6, The Queen’s interest in American evangelical Billy Graham is the focus as is the Duke of Windsor and the Marburg Papers saga. He explains the episode and then reveals the truth in that the papers existed and some extracts were published that annoyed the Duke. The extent to the drama of the show was not the reality of what really happened, however. Vickers sets the record straight on another matter, as well. The Duke of Windsor was not banished from Britain to where he could only return with The Queen’s permission. He could come and go as he pleased informally.

Vickers updated his book once season three was released. He discussed what The Crown got wrong with US President Lyndon B. Johnson and The Queen. The show claims the President was invited to Balmoral by The Queen, which there is no evidence to back up. He spoke about Princess Margaret’s trip to the US and said that The Crown was correct in saying her and Lord Snowdon’s trip was both private and public. The dinner she had at the White House was formal and not the party affair the show claimed, and she wasn’t offered the Order of Merit or Royal Victorian Chain after the trip.

I knew watching The Crown that some things had been exaggerated for dramatic effect and that there was no way writers would know private conversations the royals had with one another. After reading Vickers’ analysis, I was shocked at just how much was changed from reality for the show. Going forward, I’ll definitely be a bit more sceptical watching the show.

If you want to know what to believe in The Crown and what not to believe, this book is definitely a must-read!

We did an interview with The Crown Dissected‘s author Hugo Vickers which you can read here.

The Crown Dissected: An Analysis of the Netflix Series The Crown Seasons 1, 2 and 3 by Hugo Vickers is available now in both the UK and the US.

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Abigail Helen Kapiolani Kawānanakoa – An influential Hawaiian

Abigail Helen Kapiolani Kawānanakoa was born on 14 March 1903 as the eldest daughter of Prince David Kawānanakoa of Hawaii and Princess Abigail Wahiʻikaʻahuʻula Campbell Kawānanakoa. Her birth was announced in the newspapers with the brief words, “Born: at Waikiki, Honolulu, March 14 at 2 P.M. to the Wife of Prince David Kawānanakoa, a daughter.”1 She was joined in the nursery by a brother named David Kalākaua Kawānanakoa on 10 March 1904 and a sister named Lydia Liliuokalani Kawānanakoa on 22 July 1905. As she was born after the monarchy in Hawaii was abolished, she did not officially carry a royal title. Her father David and his younger brother Kuhio were named princes of the realm and heirs presumptive to the throne behind Princess Kaiulani before the overthrow of the monarchy.

On 8 February 1908, Kapiolani was adopted by her maternal grandmother with her name being changed to Kapiolani Campell.2 Shortly after, her father passed away from pneumonia at the age of 40, followed by the grandmother that had just adopted her on 1 November 1908. Following her grandmother’s death, her grandfather petitioned to be made her guardian, but this was granted to her mother instead.3 She and her siblings were heirs to the large Campbell estate.

In 1922, Kapiolani married her first husband, Andrew Anderson Lambert, with whom she would have three children: Edward Abnel Keli’iahonui “Dudie” Kawānanakoa II (born 2 October 1924), Virginia Poʻomaikelani Kawānanakoa (born 29 November 1926) and Esther Kapiʻolani Kawānanakoa (born 1928). They were eventually divorced, and Kapiolani remarried in 1944 to Harry Montague Field.

Kapionali was a great influence on the Hawaiians and led the Hale o na Alii o Hawaii (House of Chiefs of Hawaii). A newspaper quoted in her obituary, “The Hawaiians will do what she says.”4 When speaking of a possible restoration of the monarchy in Hawaii, Kapiolani said, “If America wanted to do something on her accord to restore the monarchy, that would be all right… but no Hawaiian would do anything to hurt America. We love America too much.”5

Kapiolani was in ill-health for the last ten years of her life, and her husband devotedly nursed her for those years. On 8 April 1961, she suffered a stroke and passed away at the age of 58. Her body lay in state in Honolulu, and she was honoured with the traditional alii rites. Several mourners maintained a guard over the body and sang and chanted for the departed soul. She was buried in the Oahu Cemetery on the Kawānanakoa family plot.

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Margaret Douglas – The legacy of Royal Tudor blood (Part three)

Read part two here.

In early 1557, Margaret lost the father she had not seen for at least three years. He left Margaret nothing in his will, and the title passed to his nephew David. Margaret, however, maintained that she was her father’s heir and from now on signed her name as “Margaret Lennox and Angus.” Then the following year, Margaret lost her friend and ally Queen Mary I, who died on 17 November 1558. In the end, she had accepted her half-sister Elizabeth as her heir.

Margaret and her husband hurried to the new Queen’s residence to congratulate her. On 13 December, Margaret was the chief mourner at Queen Mary’s funeral. The following month, she took part in the celebrations marking Elizabeth’s state entry into London, and she was present for the coronation. However, she was not offered a place at court and returned home to Yorkshire. Elizabeth strongly distrusted Margaret.  From 1558 on, Margaret and her family based themselves at Settrington, close to the coast.

Meanwhile, young Mary, Queen of Scots had married Francis, who would become King Francis II of France in 1559 at the age of 15. The 12-year-old Lord Darnley was sent to France to congratulate the new King and Queen of France, and he was invited to their coronation. There may have been another motive for sending Lord Darnley to France as many were aware that Francis was sickly and likely to die. A union between him and Mary would make him King of Scots and strengthen his claim to the English throne, and perhaps one day, those thrones would be united. On 4 December 1560, Francis indeed died, leaving Mary a widow at the age of 18. When it became clear that she would return to Scotland, Margaret saw her plan slowly unfold.

When Elizabeth found out, Margaret’s husband was arrested and sent to the Tower, and Margaret and her sons were requested to come to London. In March 1562, Margaret was arrested at Settrington. She took her sons, and probably some of her daughters though they are unnamed and unknown, with her. She left her sons at York where they would be safe, and it was from here that Lord Darnley would escape. Margaret and her daughters were confined to apartments in Whitehall Palace. Here she was charged with treason and witchcraft and conveyed – with her daughters – to the former Charterhouse at Sheen where she remained under house arrest. The charges against her were serious, and she was now in mortal danger. She would remain in confinement for many months and eventually her younger son was brought to her.

Her husband was eventually released from the Tower, and they were reunited in November at Sheen. They were not officially both released until February, and Elizabeth wrote to them, “that she had forgiven and forgotten their offence, yet she would not see them.” Margaret was forced to swear an oath that she would not allow her son to marry without the Queen’s consent. Margaret tried to get back into the Queen’s good graces, and she found herself welcomed back to court. However, she had not given up her ambition to marry her son to Mary, Queen of Scots.

It soon became clear that Mary was also seriously interested in Lord Darnley and Elizabeth was perhaps willing to accept it as well. She may have foreseen that allowing the marriage to go ahead would lead to ruin, knowing Lord Darnley to be weak and arrogant. In January 1565, permission was finally granted to Lord Darnley and his father to go to Scotland, but as it became clear that marriage was coming a lot sooner than anticipated, Elizabeth commanded his return. Margaret was once more arrested – having broken her oath. On 16 June 1565, Margaret was taken to the Tower.

On 29 July 1565, Mary and Lord Darnley were married between five and six in the morning and the marriage was consummated that night. He was proclaimed King Henry by heralds the following day, without ratification by Parliament. Margaret had achieved her dream, but she had paid dearly for it. By September, she was still in the Tower and very ill. On 7 October, she turned fifty years old, but it would be a sad birthday. Within a matter of months, the marriage of Mary and Lord Darnley had broken down, but Mary was pregnant. Mary did feel sympathy for her mother-in-law and even wrote to Elizabeth to ask her to move her somewhere else. On 19 June 1566, Mary gave birth to a son – the future James VI and I. The following year, Lord Darnley was murdered at Kirk o’ Field. Margaret was informed of her son’s death on 19 February – and was also erroneously informed of her husband’s death. She was “so grieved that it was necessary for the Queen to send her doctors to her.” Two days later, she moved from the Tower to Sackville Place, and Elizabeth arranged for her son Charles to be brought to her. On 12 June, Margaret was reunited with her husband – who had not been killed alongside his son.

By then Mary had already remarried to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell and the following month, she would be forced to abdicate in favour of her infant son. The next year, Mary fled south to England, expecting Elizabeth to help her regain her Crown. It would lead to years of imprisonment and her eventual execution. Margaret and her husband were eventually allowed back to court. Matthew briefly became regent for his grandson, but he was assassinated on 4 September 1571. Elizabeth broke the news to Margaret herself, and Margaret later wrote, “My anguish was such as to bear was too great, yet to God, by prayer, I still made my way. Thus treason bereft me of my son and mate.”

Margaret would find herself in the Tower once more for arranging the marriage between her surviving son Charles and Elizabeth Cavendish in 1574. Their only child – a daughter, named Arbella Stuart – was born the following year. Margaret was in the Tower for several months, but she was released sometime in 1575. Until early 1576, Margaret lived with her son and his new family at Hackney. More tragedy was to come when Charles died of tuberculosis in April 1576. Margaret had outlived her children and her husband.

She now focussed her energy on her grandson James, writing to him that he was her chief hope for the future. For Arbella, she envisioned the Earldom of Lennox. She never did succeed in reclaiming the Earldom and its revenues along with it. Margaret spent the last years of her life in penury.

On 26 February 1578, Margaret made her will. Her last illness was fast and sudden. On 7 March, she entertained the Earl of Leicester, and when he left, she became seriously ill. On 10 March 1578, she died at the age of 62. Her greatest wish was fulfilled in 1603 when her grandson also became King of England.1

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Margaret Douglas – The legacy of Royal Tudor blood (Part two)

Read part one here.

By the late 1530s, Margaret was back in London and a frequent guest of Anne Stanhope, Lady Hertford, who was the wife of Jane Seymour’s brother Edward. With Jane now dead and a new Queen soon arriving in England, the Queen’s household needed to be reestablished. In November 1539, Margaret was appointed chief of the six “great ladies of the household” for Anne of Cleves. Margaret and the other ladies spent Christmas at court, awaiting the new Queen. When she finally did arrive, Henry was not pleased. The marriage was soon annulled and Anne was given a rich settlement.

On 28 July 1540, Henry married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, and once again Margaret joined the new Queen’s household. The following year, Margaret received the news that her mother had died at Methven Castle. They had not seen each other for at least 13 years. Then, as Catherine Howard fell from grace and faced the executioner, Margaret herself was embroiled in another love affair. Charles Howard – a nephew of her former betrothed Lord Thomas Howard – and Margaret probably began their love affair during an earlier progress. When the news came out, Charles was “forbidden the King’s chamber” and banished from court. He fled to Flanders to escape his uncle’s fate. King Henry was remarkably lenient this time as he was probably too busy with the Catherine Howard situation. Margaret was confined to her rooms at Kenninghall for about 17 months, but this was the extent of it.

At the end of 1542, Margaret’s half-brother King James V of Scots died, leaving behind his infant daughter Mary as Queen of Scots. The following year, Margaret was summoned back to court to serve the new Queen, Catherine Parr. She was present when Henry and Catherine were married and went on to serve her as one of the chief ladies-in-waiting. They became good friends despite the differences in religion.

During the summer of 1543, Margaret had a suitor of her own. His name was Matthew Stuart, 4th Earl of Lennox – a descendant of King James II of Scots, through his daughter Mary Stewart, Countess of Arran. Fortunately, Matthew took the necessary precautions, and he appealed to King Henry for his consent to the match. Henry was unsure if he could trust Matthew and the negotiations dragged on. In 1544, Henry gave assent to a new Act of Succession which excluded Margaret and the Scottish heirs of her mother – meaning Mary, Queen of Scots. Yet, he needed a powerful noble as an ally in Scotland.

In June 1544, Margaret finally met the man who had been wishing to marry her and she was pleased with her appearance. King Henry was now determined to let the wedding go ahead. They were married on 29 June 1544 at St. James’s Palace with King Henry and Queen Catherine present. The marriage was immediately consummated, and Margaret was soon pregnant with her first child. She later wrote, “He was in my power and I his true bride.” The following month, Matthew became a naturalised Englishman, but he soon left her as he was given command of 16 ships and 600 soldiers. Margaret remained in the service of Queen Catherine. When she became aware that she was pregnant, she retired to Stepney Palace. At the end of February 1545, Margaret gave birth to a premature son, and he was given the name Henry. He would die on 28 November that same year.

On 7 December 1546, Margaret gave birth to her second son, who was also named Henry Stuart and he carried the title of Lord Darnley, as his father’s heir. Margaret went on to give birth to at least four daughters, but their names have not been recorded, and they did not survive infancy. One other son named Charles was born in 1557, and he survived infancy. Another son did not, and so six of Margaret’s eight children did not survive. She later wrote, “But Death unto life found daily a foe; six of our children away from us bent; in tender youth, he laid them down low, whose loss with tears we did much lament; but yet with God’s will we stood well content, Whose divine working we could not withstand, Who maketh and killeth in turning a hand.”

On 28 January 1547, Margaret’s uncle King Henry VIII died at Whitehall Palace, leaving the throne to his young son, now King Edward VI. Margaret brought her own young son to court but her reception there was much cooler than expected. Margaret was still a Catholic, and her nephew did not approve of her beliefs. She would spend the six years of Edward’s reign in Yorkshire, running her household and bearing children. In 1553, she ventured to Scotland, with the approval of Mary, Queen of Scots’ mother Mary of Guise, to see her father at Tantallon. She was probably still there when King Edward VI died on 6 July 1553. She, therefore, missed the dramatic nine-day reign of Lady Jane Grey and the subsequent accession of her friend as Queen Mary I.

Margaret was now free to practise her religion openly, and she was in high favour with Queen Mary. She may have been present at Mary’s coronation, but her presence was confirmed at a banquet hosted by the new Queen on 17 October 1553. Queen Mary apparently favoured Margaret as her successor if she should not have children, but it would be difficult. When Mary married Philip of Spain in 1554, Margaret bore the train of her wedding gown. She would continue to serve Mary as her chief gentlewoman and keeper of her privy purse. She probably named a son, who was born around this time, Philip after Mary’s husband, but this son did not survive. Margaret vested her hopes for the future firmly in her eldest son Henry. One ambassador later wrote of him that “it was not possible to see a more beautiful prince.”1

Part three coming soon.

The post Margaret Douglas – The legacy of Royal Tudor blood (Part two) appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Biography of The Duchess of Windsor to be adapted into a movie

Anna Pasternak’s biography The American Duchess about the Duchess of Windsor is being adapted for the big screen by the Gotham Group’s Lee Stollman and Ellen Goldsmith-Vein.

“Now that our American duchess, Meghan, has moved back to Hollywood, never has it been timelier to consider the fate of the original American duchess, Wallis Simpson,” Anna Pasternak told Deadline. “As both could attest, life has always been difficult for women marrying into Britain’s royal family.”

It isn’t the first time her story has been brought to life. The most recent depiction comes from The Crown, while other films and series include W.E. (2011), The King’s Speech (2010), Upstairs, Downstairs (2010), Any Human Heart (2010), Wallis & Edward (2005), Bertie and Elizabeth (2002), The Woman He Loved (1988), To Catch a King (1983), Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1978) and The Woman I Love (1972).

There is currently no information about a release date.

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Margaret Douglas – The legacy of Royal Tudor blood (Part one)

On 7 October 1515 Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots, gave birth to her seventh child, though the first (and as it would turn out only) child by her second marriage to Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. She had previously been married to King James IV of Scotland, but he had died at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. Of their six children, only one – King James V – would survive to adulthood. Her mother had been briefly regent for the young King, but her subsequent remarriage saw her lose that position and she fled to England where she gave birth to her daughter.

Margaret was christened the day after her birth, probably at the chapel at Harbottle Castle and she was named for her mother. Meanwhile, her mother lay dangerously ill, and it wasn’t until the end of November that she was even well enough to travel back to the court of King Henry VIII, her brother. From the following May, mother and daughter joined the court at Greenwich Palace. Henry’s wife Catherine of Aragon had just given birth to the future Queen Mary I in February. The young cousins probably only lived in the same nursery for a little while before Margaret and her mother moved to lodgings appropriately named Scotland for visiting Scottish monarchs. They stayed there for a year while her father refused to join them there.

On 18 May 1517, Margaret and her mother headed home to Scotland where her mother had been reassured of the restoration of her revenues. Upon her return, she found that she still had no say in the government, and she could not obtain payment of her dower revenues. It was a difficult time for mother and daughter. Young Margaret remained in the care of her mother until the age of 10 or so, but we don’t know how much she actually saw of her mother. Margaret learned to speak Scots as her mother tongue, only learning English later in life. On 11 March 1527, the marriage between Margaret’s mother and father was annulled with a special clause declaring Margaret legitimate and the following year, her mother remarried to Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven.

Around this time, Margaret was taken from her mother’s care by her father, an event that probably traumatised her. She had spent her entire life with her mother so far. Margaret was taken to Tantallon Castle by her father, and there is no evidence that Margaret ever saw her mother again. In the spring of 1530, Margaret returned to the English court in the midst of King Henry VIII’s Great Matter – his divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Margaret initially went to live with her aunt Mary Tudor, Queen of France and Duchess of Suffolk who lived mainly away from court. Margaret had the company of her cousins Frances, Eleanor and Henry. By the end of 1530, Margaret was sent to live with her cousin Princess Mary as the chief lady of her privy chamber and King Henry paid to have her dress according to her status. The two would become close friends.

As Anne Boleyn rose to the role of Queen, Mary was declared a bastard and Margaret moved up in the line of succession. Margaret was initially allowed to stay with Mary until her household was disbanded in December 1533. While Mary was sent off to serve the infant Princess Elizabeth, Margaret was sent to serve in Queen Anne’s household. It must have been a difficult time for Margaret – being so close to Mary and having to serve the woman that caused Mary so much trouble. It shows Mary’s true character that she understood Margaret’s difficulties and did not hold the situation against her. Margaret lived in the splendour of the court, and until now she had behaved herself admirably.

Margaret fell in love with Lord Thomas Howard, Anne Boleyn’s uncle. He was, however, a younger son with no fortune or prospects and certainly not suitable for someone third in the line of succession (behind Princess Elizabeth and her mother). Margaret met with him secretly and gave him a portrait and a diamond, while he gave her a ring. They were engaged around this time, without the consent of the King. These were volatile times, Anne Boleyn had only recently been executed and replaced by Jane Seymour as Queen. While the engagement remained a secret, Margaret went on to serve the new Queen. With Princess Elizabeth now also declared a bastard, Margaret was now second in the line of succession.

Sometime in July, the secret engagement came out, and King Henry was furious. Lord Thomas, as the uncle of the recently executed Queen, was seen as aspiring to the Crown and he was arrested for treason. Margaret too was arrested and taken to the Tower. She was held in some comfort and had privileges, but she was in serious danger and could face death. Her mother wrote King Henry begging for leniency, beseeching him to “have compassion and pity of us and of our natural daughter.” Margaret would be spared death, and by the end of the year, King Henry wrote back to his sister that he would “be good to her.” For now, both she and Thomas remained imprisoned. In October 1537, Queen Jane gave birth to a son – the future King Edward VI and Margaret safely moved a place down in the succession. Tragically, Jane died not much later.

Both Margaret and Thomas fell ill while in the Tower. Thomas died on 31 October 1537 and Margaret took the news “very heavily.” Margaret herself was pardoned around this time and sent to Syon Abbey to rest and recuperate. It took a long time for her to recover as she was still there the following Easter.1

Part two is coming soon.

 

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Njinga of Angola – Master of Arms and Great Warrior

Queen Njinga was born around 1583 as the daughter of Ngola Kiluanji Kia Samba, while her mother was of a Mbundu royal lineage, who passed their status through the matrilineal line and so she was doubly privileged. She would go on to rule the Ndongo and Matamba Kingdoms, in an area that is now known as Angola (which derives its name from ngola, the title of the ruler of Ndongo). She was born in a breech position, with the cord wrapped around her neck. Her name Njinga after the word kujinga, means “to twist, to turn, to wrap.”

During her childhood, she apparently already displayed her intellectual nature that distinguished her from her brother, while forming a special bond with her father. She spent the first decade of her life living through the many battles her country faced. Throughout this, she learned political and military lessons usually reserved for sons. She was often present when her father presided over councils. She was known for her skill with the battle-axe. In her household were a large number of female attendants and slaves and she is reported to have kept many male consorts and lovers, though she never had a principal husband. One man who commented on Njinga living freely like a man had his son murdered before his eyes, and he was then killed himself. Njinga would have absolute deference. Njinga had a son by one of her concubines who was murdered by her brother Mbande just days after his birth. Her brother then ordered her and some of her sisters to be sterilized and a mixture with herbs was thrown “while boiling onto the bellies of his sisters, so that, from the shock, fear & pain, they should forever be unable to give birth.” Njinga never did have another child.

Sometime during young adulthood, Njinga became active in the war effort against the Portuguese colonial power. Her brother Mbande became the ruler after their father, but Njinga became increasingly disappointed in his war efforts, and she began to build her own power base – proving herself to be a viable alternative to her brother. She publicly taunted him when he agreed to a public baptism to make peace with the Portuguese. He eventually indicated that she should rule after his death and when he died in 1624, she was first styled as “Lady of Angola”, and she may have also given her a chief male concubine, Kia Ituxi, a title.

To consolidate her power, her first order of business was to kill her brother’s seven-year-old son who had been sent to Imbangala Kasa for safekeeping. By 1625, Njinga convinced Kasa that she in love with him and wanted to marry him. The wedding ceremony wasn’t even over yet before Njinga seized her nephew and murdered him. She had gotten revenge for her own son. The Portuguese offered up a second candidate to the throne that seriously threatened Njinga’s reign. She was eventually forced to flee but returned just two years later to regain her throne. Her sisters were captured by the Portuguese, but Njinga remained on the run.

After asking for the help of Imbangala Kasanje, he demanded that she marry him and surprisingly, she accepted. During the year’s with him, she underwent several ceremonies to become a warrior, such as the cuia – a blood oath ceremony that required her to take a drink of human blood. To attain the status of an Imbangala leader, the first requirement was to kill one’s own child and to make an oil with which to anoint oneself. Since Njinga did not have any children of her own anymore, she took a child belonging to one of her female concubines, crushed him in the mortar and made oil from the tissue, which was then pasted on her body. She then took on a new name: Ngola Njinga Ngombe e Nga  – Queen Njinga, Master of Arms and Great Warrior.” The year was probably 1631, and shortly after, she began assembling an army that would soon ravish the region. She captured Queen Muango of Matamba and her daughter – branding the Queen a common slave. However, their lives were spared.

Her conquest of Matamba gave her the new base she needed, and she could now set about reconquering Ndongo where her rival still reigned. She decided that she should be regarded as a man, not a woman. She married another man, Ngola Ntombo, and insisted that he dress as a woman. The number of her male concubines increased, and she ordered them to dress the same as the female bodyguards. Her transformation into the ultimate warrior was complete. She made a surprising alliance with the Dutch who had arrived to counter the Portuguese, and their combined forces were soon unstoppable until the Portuguese sent an armada – eventually forcing Njinga’s retreat.

By 1648, Njinga was in her mid-sixties and she no longer focussed on getting the Portuguese out entirely, but she wanted to ensure that they could do nothing without her. She had firm control over the areas that provided the primary source of slaves, forcing the Portuguese to have to deal with her. However, this did not stop Njinga from sometimes using her armies. During this time, one writer noted “I have seen Njinga dressed like a man, armed with a bow, arrows, and already old and of small stature. Her speech is very effeminate.” In 1657, she personally led a battle for the last time. With a newfound (if not returned) devotion to the Christian faith – Njinga saw the return of one of her captured sisters, Barbara, and planned to leave her her Kingdom. When she became ill, she invoked the name of the Virgin Mary as often as she could. She recovered a few days later.

There was one problem with Njinga becoming a Christian. The people refused to give up their concubines if the nobles did not do so, and the nobles pointed to Njinga, who still kept “more husbands and more lovers than we have wives.” During her years with the Imbangala, she would often publicly humiliate men and had them killed in ritual sacrifices. Was it a reaction to the fate of her son and her sterilization? In any case, she still yearned to have a son, despite her age. The missionaries saw an opportunity to propose a Christian marriage for her, telling her that she would have to give up her concubines if she wanted such a gift from God. Njinga then selected a young boy named Sebastiāo to be her husband. They were married on 4 February 1657, and he was given the title “husband of Njinga.” Her sister Barbara also married.

Her Kingdom transformed into a Christian society, and human sacrifice no longer had a place in war rituals. Njinga became devout in her final years and in 1660, she received Holy Communion for the first time. In March 1662, Njinga fell ill, and she remained in poor health throughout the year. By October 1663, Njinga was bedridden with a high fever. An abscess on her throat burst, leading to an infection in her lungs. She regretted that she “did not leave a son because she desired someone of her lineage inherit her Kingdom.”

She died in her sleep on 17 December 1663.1

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Keahikuni Kekauʻōnohi – The fifth wife of King Kamehameha II of Hawaii

Keahikuni Kekauʻōnohi was born circa 1805 as the daughter of Kahōʻanokū Kīnaʻu and Kahakuhaʻakoi Wahinepio. Her father was a son of a King Kamehameha I, the founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Her Christian name was either Mikahela or Miriam.

She married her uncle, King Kamehameha II, becoming one of his five wives. King Kamehameha was also married to Kamāmalu (his half-sister), Kīnaʻu (his half-sister), Kekāuluohi (his cousin) and Kalanipauahi (his niece). He was the last Hawaiian King to practise polygamy, and he would never convert to Christianity. His favourite wife was reportedly his half-sister Kamāmalu. King Kamehameha II died in 1824, leaving behind no issue and five young widows. Kekauʻōnohi was still only around 19 years old.

Kekauʻōnohi went to the island of Kaua’i to live with her half-brother Kahalaiʻa Luanuʻu who was serving as governor of the island. She was probably married to him around this time but was widowed for a second time when he died in 1826. In 1832, she married for a third time to Kealiʻiahonui, a member of the nobility of the Kingdom of Kauaʻi and the Kingdom of Hawaii, and the widower of Queen Kaʻahumanu. After his death in 1849, she remarried to Levi Haʻalelea, another member of the Hawaiian nobility. He had served as private secretary and land agent to her third husband. She had one short-lived son, William Pitt Kīnaʻu II, though it seems unlikely that he was the son of her fourth husband, considering she was in her 40s when they married.

Kekauʻōnohi also followed the tradition of hānai adoptions and had three adopted daughters. They were her nieces, Abigail Maheha, Mary Ann Kiliwehi and Anna Kaiʻulani. Between 1842 and 1845, Kekauʻōnohi served as Royal Governor of Kauaʻi. After a significant reshuffle of land in 1848, Kekauʻōnohi was given the second-largest land allotment, making her the greatest landholder after the King and subsequently also inherited property from relatives. She was by then one of the most powerful women in Hawaii and was known to be benevolent, liberal and generous.

She died of unknown causes on 2 June 1851 in Honolulu at the age of 46. She was buried on 30 June 1851, first on the tiny island of Mokuʻula before being moved to Waineʻe Cemetery. She was survived by her fourth husband, who remarried in 1858 to Anaderia Amoe Ululani Kapukalakala Ena.

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