Moniek Bloks's Blog, page 20

The Wolfers Tiara

The Wolfers Tiara was created by a Belgian jeweller as a wedding present for the future Queen Fabiola of Belgium on behalf of the brokers and jewellers of Antwerp.

The tiara has more than 200 diamonds, and it can also be worn as a necklace. Queen Fabiola wore the piece often.

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In 2015, Queen Mathilde wore the tiara for the very first time and so it appears that Queen Fabiola left the tiara to her as many of her other possessions were donated.

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Queen Mathilde has also worn the tiara often, both as a tiara and a necklace. In 2013, the tiara appeared on the head of The Duchess of Brabant when she wore it at the gala at Christiansborg Palace, celebrating the 18th birthday of Prince Christian of Denmark.1

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Sinaitakala Fakafanua – Crown Princess of Tonga

The future Crown Princess of Tonga, Sinaitakala Fakafanua, was born on 20 March 1987 as the daughter of Kinikinilau Tūtoatasi Fakafānua, 7th Lord Fakafānua and Princess Sinaitakala ‘Ofeina-‘e-he-Langi Fakafānua. Her father died in 2006, and her brother, Fatafehi Fakafanua, became the 8th Lord Fakafānua. She also had another brother named Fakaola mei Langi ʻItafuaʻatonga Tūtoatasi Fakafānua. Her mother is a daughter of Queen Sālote Tupou III’s youngest son, Prince Fatafehi Tuʻipelehake. This means she is distantly in the line of succession in her own right.

Sinaitakala Fakafanua worked as a teacher until 2012, when she married her double second cousin, Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala. Their wedding was the first of a Tongan Crown Prince in 65 years, but it was not without controversy. According to Tongan royal protocol, members of the royal family must marry nobles, and marriages are always arranged. Politician ’Akilisi Pohiva said, “They are too close. I do not know about the biological effects of two close bloods mixed together, but I think they need new blood from outside.”1

Even members of the royal family were critical. Princess Salote Mafile’o Pilolevu Tuita, Lady Tuita, said that the system of arranged marriages was “extremely arrogant and only perpetuated the motive behind social climbers.”2 The King’s mother and sister were reportedly absent from the wedding.3 The match was reportedly arranged by the current King’s wife, and the Crown Prince’s mother, Queen Nanasipauʻu Tukuʻaho/4

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Nevertheless, the wedding went ahead on 12 July 2012. Sinaitakala Fakafanua fell pregnant quickly, and a son and heir named Prince Taufaʻahau Manumataongo was born on 10 May 2013. Three daughters followed: Princess Halaevalu Mataʻaho (born 2014), Princess Nanasipauʻu Eliana (born 2018) and Princess Salote Mafile’o Pilolevu (born 2021).

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Damaspia Shahbanu – King Artaxerxes I of the Babylonian Empire’s elusive but powerful Persian Queen who was mentioned in the Bible

Damaspia Shahbanu was the queen consort of King Artaxerxes I of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. She was also the mother of King Xerxes II. However, very little information is known about her. Her origins are elusive. The most famous reference to Damaspia Shahbanu comes from the Bible in Nehemiah 2:6.[1] While very little known facts about her are known, it is clear that she wielded immense political influence and power in the Achaemenid Persian Empire.[2]

Damaspia Shahbanu is only mentioned by name by the Greek historian Ctesias in his work, Persians.[3] However, modern historians generally agree that she existed.[4] Damaspia Shahbanu’s origins are unknown.[5] Modern historians believe that she was from the Persian nobility.[6] They also believe that she was given to King Artaxerxes I of the Achaemenid Persian Empire (r. 465-424 B.C.E.) as part of a marriage alliance.[7] King Artaxerxes I had several minor wives, but his principal wife was Damaspia Shahbanu.[8] Therefore, she was the queen consort of the Achaemenid Persian Empire.[9] Damaspia Shahbanu had a son who would be the future King Xerxes II.[10]

Modern historians believe that Damaspia Shahbanu and King Artaxerxes I had a very close relationship.[11] One example of their close relationship is illustrated in Chapter 2 of Nehemiah in the Bible.[12] In Nehemiah 2:6, King Artaxerxes I gave Nehemiah permission to go to Jerusalem in the presence of his queen.[13] Modern historians claim that this shows how King Artaxerxes I greatly respected and trusted Damaspia Shahbanu.[14] King Artaxerxes I and Damaspia Shahbanu also travelled together throughout the Persian Empire.[15] Damaspia Shahbanu accompanied her husband on his military campaigns.[16] Thus, modern historians believe that Damaspia Shahbanu wielded immense political influence over King Artaxerxes I and his Persian court.[17]

In 424 B.C.E., King Artaxerxes I and Damaspia Shahbanu died on the same day.[18] Their bodies were brought to Persepolis and were buried at Naqsh i Rustam.[19] Their son, Xerxes II, became the next king of the Achaemenid Persian Empire.[20] King Xerxes II’s reign was brief. He ruled for only a month until he was assassinated by his half-brother, Sogdianus (King Artaxerxes I’s son by his lesser wife, Alogune).[21] King Sogdianus ruled for six months until he was assassinated by his half-brother, King Darius II (King Artaxerxes I’s son by his lesser wife, Kosmartydene).[22] He would rule the Achaemenid Persian Empire for nineteen years.[23]

Even though very little information is known about Damaspia Shahbanu, it is clear that she had a close relationship with King Artaxerxes I.[24] In Nehemiah 2:6, she was with him when King Artaxerxes I gave permission for Nehemiah to go to Jerusalem.[25] Damaspia Shahbanu also traveled with King Artaxerxes I and went with him on his military campaigns.[26] Therefore, she wielded immense influence and power as King Artaxerxes I’s queen consort and as the mother of his heir, Xerxes II.[27] Thus, she was the most powerful woman during King Artaxerxes I’s reign.[28] Hopefully, with more scholarship, more details about this little-known queen may be brought to light.

Sources:

Deal, B. L. (2007). Divine queenship and Psalm 45. Texas Christian University. Dissertation. [PDF].

Herzfeld, E. (1947). Zoroaster and His World. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

Mark, J. J. (24 April 2020). “Kings of the Ancient Achaemenid Persian Empire”. Brewminate Official Portal. Retrieved on October 15, 2024 from https://brewminate.com/kings-of-the-a....

Rabarijaona, B. (2015). Gender Agenda Matters: Papers of the “Feminist Section” of the International Meetings of The Society of Biblical Literature. (Fischer, I ed.). Cambridge: UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Scriptural Research Institute (9 April 2024). Septuagint – History, Volume 2. (n.p.): Digital Ink Productions.

[1] Rabarijaona, 2015

[2] Rabarijaona, 2015

[3] Deal, 2007

[4] Mark, April 24, 2020

[5] Deal, 2007

[6] Deal, 2007

[7] Deal, 2007

[8] Scriptural Research Institute, April 9, 2024

[9] Herzfeld, 1947

[10] Deal, 2007

[11] Scriptural Research Institute, April 9, 2024

[12] Rabarijaona, 2015

[13] Rabarijaona, 2015

[14] Scriptural Research Institute, April 9, 2024

[15] Scriptural Research Institute, April 9, 2024

[16] Scriptural Research Institute, April 9, 2024

[17] Rabarijaona, 2015

[18] Herzfeld, 1947

[19] Herzfeld, 1947

[20] Mark, April 24, 2020

[21] Mark, April 24, 2020

[22] Mark, April 24, 2020

[23] Mark, April 24, 2020

[24] Scriptural Research Institute, April 9, 2024

[25] Rabarijaona, 2015

[26] Rabarijaona, 2015

[27] Rabarijaona, 2015

[28] Rabarijaona, 2015

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Royal Wedding Recollections – Infanta Elena of Spain & Jaime de Marichalar y Sáenz de Tejada

Infanta Elena of Spain is the eldest daughter of King Juan Carlos I of Spain and Sofía of Greece and Denmark.

On 23 November 1994, her engagement to Spanish nobleman Jaime de Marichalar was announced. He gave her an engagement ring made with diamonds from a tiara belonging to his mother.

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Shortly before the wedding, Elena’s father made her a Duchess in her own right. The Royal Decree stated, “In attention to the circumstances that occur in My very dear daughter Her Royal Highness Doña Elena de Borbón, Infanta of Spain, on the occasion of her marriage and as proof of My deep affection and love, I have seen fit to grant her, for life, the power to use the title of Duchess of Lugo. This is what I provide by this Royal Decree. JUAN CARLOS R., Royal Decree n.º 323 of 3 March 1995.”1

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On 18 March 1995, Elena and Jaime were married in Seville Cathedral. It was the first Spanish royal wedding since the wedding of King Alfonso XIII and Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg in 1906.

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The bride and her father arrived at the cathedral together as Spain’s national anthem was played on the organ.

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Elena wore an “ivory silk organza dress with a heavily embroidered bodice.”2 Her tiara was the Marichalar Meander Tiara, which was a wedding gift from her future husband.

Among the foreign royal guests were then Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Paola of Belgium, Prince Rainier II of Monaco, and the then Prince of Wales, who reportedly left early as he had to attend Prince Harry’s school play.3

The streets of Seville were packed with around 100,000 people, and millions more watched the wedding on TV. Elena and Jaime were greeted by the crowds as they left the cathedral in a horse-drawn carriage.

Elena went to a nearby church to leave her bouquet of flowers on the tomb of her great-grandparents, Princess Louise of Orléans and Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.4

Upon marriage, Jaime became known as the Duke of Lugo.

The couple went on to have a son and a daughter together before they were divorced in 2010. Jaime is no longer known as Duke of Lugo.

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August Empress Dowager Fu – The Many Titled and Privileged Empress Dowager

August Empress Dowager Fu was originally an imperial concubine to Emperor Yuan of the Western Han Dynasty. She was also Emperor Yuan’s favourite.[1] She was also the grandmother of Emperor Ai of the Western Han Dynasty. August Empress Dowager Fu was influential in making her grandson the Emperor.[2] Because of her influence, she was given many titles and honours.[3]

In circa 72 B.C.E., August Empress Dowager Fu was born.[4] Her father was a soldier in the Henei Commamdary (modern-day Hebei Province). He died in her early childhood. After his death, her mother was remarried to a man who was from the Zheng clan. Her personal name is also unknown.[5] Empress Dowager Fu entered the palace when she was young.[6] She became a Cairen, which meant “Lady of Talents”[7] under Grand Empress Dowager Shangguan.

Sometime after 65 B.C.E., Lady Fu became an imperial concubine for Liu Shi (the Crown Prince and who would later become Emperor Yuan).[8] Imperial Concubine Fu performed libations at feasts to wish the guests good luck and good health.[9] She was said to be “resourceful, but she was also amenable.”[10] In 48 B.C.E., Liu Shi ascended the throne of China as Emperor Yuan. Imperial Consort Fu was promoted to Jieyu, which meant “Lady of Handsome Fairness”[11] (the second highest rank below Empress). She was Emperor Yuan’s favourite.[12] She would continue to be his favourite until his death.[13] She gave birth to a son named Liu Kang (who would be the future Prince Gong of Dingtao).[14] She also gave birth to a daughter who was the Princess of Pingdu.[15]

Imperial Consort Fu was rivals with Imperial Consort Feng Yuan for Emperor Yuan’s affections.[16] Imperial Consort Fu tried to make her son, Liu Kang, the Crown Prince.[17] However, Emperor Yuan made Liu Ao (his son whom he had with Empress Wang Zhengjun) the heir apparent instead.[18] Emperor Yuan tried to console Imperial Consort Fu by making her a Zhaoyi, which meant “Lady of Bright Deportment”[19] (the highest rank below Empress).[20]

In 33 B.C.E., Emperor Yuan died. Imperial Consort Fu was given the title of Princess Dowager of Dingtao.[21] Her son named Liu Kang became Prince Gong of Dingtao.[22] She moved with her son to his fiefdom of Dingtao (modern-day Shandong Province).[23] Historians believe that this meant that she held some rights over the fiefdom.[24] Prince Gong took Lady Ding as a concubine.[25] In 25 B.C.E., Lady Ding gave birth to Liu Xin (the future Emperor Ai). In 22 B.C.E., Prince Gong of Dingtao died and his son, Prince Liu Xin, inherited his fiefdom.[26]

Princess Dowager Fu decided to raise Prince Liu Xin rather than letting him be raised by his mother.[27] This is because Princess Dowager Fu hoped that Prince Liu Xin could become the next Emperor.[28] Emperor Cheng had no son and needed to choose a successor.[29] Therefore, Princess Dowager Fu seized the opportunity to make her grandson the Crown Prince.[30] In 9 B.C.E., Prince Liu Xin and Prince Xiao of Zhongshan (the son of her rival, Imperial Consort Feng Yuan, who had received the title of Princess Dowager of Zhongshan) visited Emperor Cheng to see who would be the heir apparent.[31] Princess Dowager Fu made use of the opportunity to make her grandson the Crown Prince.[32] She sent gifts to everyone who was close to Emperor Cheng.[33] They all recommended Prince Liu Xin to Emperor Cheng.[34] Emperor Cheng also liked Liu Xin.[35] In 8 B.C.E., Liu Xin was made the Crown Prince. Princess Dowager Fu became Empress Dowager Dingtao.[36] Only Empress Dowager Dingtao was permitted to visit Crown Prince Liu Xin.[37]

In 7 B.C.E., Emperor Cheng died. Liu Xin ascended the throne as Emperor Ai of China. Grand Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun allowed both Empress Dowager Dingtao and Lady Ding to visit him every ten days in Weiyang Palace.[38] Empress Dowager Dingtao and Lady Ding also raised their families to great prominence though they were not as esteemed as the Wang family.[39] Lady Ding became Empress Gong.[40] In 6 B.C.E., Empress Gong was promoted to Empress Dowager Ding.[41] She died two months later and was given the rites befitting an Empress Dowager.[42] In 1 B.C.E., Empress Dowager Ding was demoted to Lady Ding.[43] In 5 C.E., Wang Mang reburied Lady Ding to befit the rites of a commoner and razed her tomb.[44]

Empress Dowager Dingtao was given the title of Empress Dowager Fu.[45] When Emperor Ai died, she became Grand Empress Dowager Fu.[46] She was finally given the title of August Empress Dowager Fu.[47] She lived in Yongxin Palace.[48] She grew increasingly haughty.[49] She called Grand Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun as “that old woman.”[50] She also eliminated her longtime rival Princess Dowager Feng Yuan in 6 B.C.E.[51] August Empress Dowager Fu died on 21 February 2 B.C.E. She was buried alongside Emperor Yuan in Weiling.[52]

August Empress Dowager Fu originally started out as a “Lady of Talents.”[53] She eventually became Emperor Yuan’s favourite imperial consort.[54] In her final years, she finally rose to become the second most powerful woman in China.[55] Even though she failed in making her son the Crown Prince, she succeeded in making her grandson the Emperor.[56] Thus, August Empress Dowager Fu enjoyed many privileges and titles in her lifetime.[57]

Sources:

Milburn, O. (2016). Palace Women in the Former Han Dynasty (202 BCE–CE 23): Gender and Administrational History in the Early Imperial Era . NAN NÜ, 18(2), 195-223.

Wu, J. (2015). “Fu, Concubine of Emperor Yuan”. Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E. (L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed.). NY: Routledge. pp. 140-142.

[1] Milburn, 2016

[2] Wu, 2015

[3] Wu, 2015

[4] Wu, 2015

[5] Wu, 2015

[6] Wu, 2015

[7] Wu, 2015, p. 141

[8] Wu, 2015

[9] Wu, 2015

[10] Wu, 2015, p. 141

[11] Wu, 2015, p. 141

[12] Milburn, 2016

[13] Milburn, 2016

[14] Wu, 2015

[15] Wu, 2015

[16] Wu, 2015

[17] Wu, 2015

[18] Wu, 2015

[19] Wu, 2015, p. 141

[20] Milburn, 2016

[21] Wu, 2015

[22] Wu, 2015

[23] Milburn, 2016; Wu 2015

[24] Milburn, 2016

[25] Wu, 2015

[26] Wu, 2015

[27] Wu, 2015

[28] Wu, 2015

[29] Wu, 2015

[30] Wu, 2015

[31] Wu, 2015

[32] Wu, 2015

[33] Wu, 2015

[34] Wu, 2015

[35] Wu, 2015

[36] Wu, 2015

[37] Wu, 2015

[38] Wu, 2015

[39] Wu, 2015

[40] Wu, 2015

[41] Wu, 2015

[42] Wu, 2015

[43] Wu, 2015

[44] Wu, 2015

[45] Wu, 2015

[46] Wu, 2015

[47] Wu, 2015

[48] Wu, 2015

[49] Wu, 2015

[50] Wu, 2015, p. 142

[51] Wu, 2015

[52] Wu, 2015

[53] Wu, 2015, p. 141

[54] Milburn, 2016

[55] Wu, 2015

[56] Wu, 2015

[57] Wu, 2015

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Book News Week 12

*contains affiliate links*

Book News Week 12- 17 March – 23 March 2025

Lionessheart: The Life and Times of Joanna Plantagenet 

Hardcover – 20 March 2025 (US & UK)

The Rebel Empresses: Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France, Power and Glamour in the Struggle for Europe 

Hardcover – 20 March 2025 (UK)

The post Book News Week 12 appeared first on History of Royal Women.

The Year of Queen Sālote Tupou III – The early years of Queen Sālote (Part two)

Read part one here.

Sālote returned home to Tonga in December 1911 and immediately fell back into her role of royal princess. She regularly attended the Free Wesleyan Church and joined her father and stepmother for ceremonies and engagements. Early in the new year, Sālote’s grandfather became ill, and the family visited him on Fafa Island. He died in November 1912.

Sālote celebrated her 12th birthday with the traditional ceremony: prayers, the taumafa kava, the presentations of ‘umu with baked pig, fish, turtle and baskets of fruits.1 Her father gave her a generous allowance and then accompanied her to Vuna Wharf, where she was to board a ship bound for Auckland. It was to be her last year with the Kronfelds. ʻAnaseini Takipō was by then pregnant with her second child, and a second half-sister was born on 26 July 1912, ʻElisiva Fusipala Taukiʻonetuku.

Back in Auckland, Sālote began going to a regular school for half days. She learned of the birth of her half-sister via a telegram. She returned to Tonga for her summer holidays in December 1912, and she finally met her half-sister, who, despite being younger than her, was technically of a higher rank thanks to her mother’s lineage. However, Sālote was still first in the line of succession.

Her stay in Tonga was cut short as she was due to become a boarder at the Diocesan High School for Girls in Auckland. Sālote became a popular girl there, and she spent two carefree years there. Some of the other students also came from privileged backgrounds, and she fit right in. She returned home for the holidays at the end of 1913, and as her father was away, she spent some time with her young stepmother. Sālote missed the start of the new school year due to the arrival of one of the candidates for marriage, Tungī Mailefihi. She returned to school in March, but it would be her last year there. In August 1914, the First World War broke out. In December 1914, she returned home to Tonga.

The animosity towards her stepmother became more apparent. Sālote was annoyed at the Queen for her relaxed ways and her eating together with the servant girls on the veranda.2 She claimed that her father and ʻAnaseini Takipō were not well-suited and continued to “torment” her stepmother. The Queen’s family also insisted on treating her half-sister as the only royal princess. ʻAnaseini Takipō was from a higher female line than Sālote’s mother, Lavinia. Sālote would later claim that the women of their family had bad blood.3

In March 1915, Sālote turned 15 years old, and it had been expected that she would return to school in Auckland. Funds were made available, but Sālote never boarded the ship. Her father claimed it was due to the wartime tensions, but it was more likely that Sālote was now more clearly seen as the future Queen, and her education needed to be focused on the Tongan ways. In 1914, ʻAnaseini Takipō was one of the first recipients of the newly founded Tongan Order of the Crown, and she was appointed as Knight Grand Commander. Tonga declared neutrality despite being a British Protectorate but eventually joined the United Kingdom in the war.

Sālote lived at her father’s court until 1917, but she no longer attended school. She was surrounded by a group of girls her own age who were from an aristocratic background. They looked after her and slept with her. She received lessons in the descent lines of the chiefly lineages and tradition Tongan customs. However, she received no education on how to be a Queen and she was to become Queen sooner rather than later.

Sālote and her husband, Prince Viliami Tungī Mailefihi (public domain)

In early 1917, her father became ill and was clearly in declining health. Around this time, a suitor for Sālote was settled on, and he met with the approval of the Privy Council, the public and the royal family. It was Tungī Mailefihi. They were married on 19 September 1917. A press report stated, ” The Princess, in choosing her trousseau, showed a weakness for pastel tints, especially in blues and pinks. Lace, silver, and pearls play an important part in the adornment scheme of her bridal apparel. The wedding gown has a fashionable court train, which is 5 1/2 yards long and 3 yards wide. The elaborate gown is of Brussels lace over white silk taffeta and ninon with a pointed tunic of white crêpe de Chine. Silver and pearls edge the tunic, which is caught with silver tassels. Ivory white brocaded satin has been used for the court train, which is lined with white ninon and edged with innumerable frills of malines lace and ninon, and finished at the corners with silver leaves and orange blossoms. The bodice is of rich lace and silk with a trail of orange blossoms and silver leaves on the left shoulder. The whole is stitched with silver according to the bride’s wish, and the stitchery shows a gleam of silver through the lace mesh.”4 The Tongan tu’ uvala ceremony was celebrated two days later.

The newlyweds went to Latai, where they would spend some time living. Sālote was pregnant by October, but her husband had to leave her behind to return to his duties as governor of Vava’u. Meanwhile, her father’s health steadily declined. Sālote travelled to visit him, and shortly before his death, he returned to the Royal Palace. Sālote celebrated her 18th birthday on 13 March. Her father died of tuberculosis on 5 April 1918.

Sālote was now Queen.

The post The Year of Queen Sālote Tupou III – The early years of Queen Sālote (Part two) appeared first on History of Royal Women.

The Year of Queen Sālote Tupou III – The early years of Queen Sālote (Part one)

On 13 March 1900, Queen Lavinia gave birth to her first and only child with King George Tupou II, the future Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga.

Sālote was born in the Royal Palace by the sea in Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga. Her parents’ marriage had been quite controversial as King George had originally been meant to marry Princess ʻOfakivavaʻu, but he had chosen Lavinia instead. Due to the continued animosity of the rival factions, her parents were mostly confined to the palace.

Queen Lavinia – Public domain via Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-18990630-01-04

Sālote was baptised in the Royal Chapel on 10 June 1900 with the name Sālote Mafile‘o Pilolevu, and she was named after her great-grandmother, the only daughter of King George Tupou I. The name Sālote originated from her great-great-grandmother, Sālote Lupepauʻu, who chose the name in honour of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz following her conversion to Christianity. Her husband, Tāufaʻāhau, took the name George Tupou I in honour of King George III.

Sālote would barely know her mother as Queen Lavinia died of probably of tuberculosis on 24 April 1902. She was still only 23 years old. She had been in ill health since the birth of her daughter, and she had recently attended the deathbed of her former rival, ʻOfakivavaʻu, who had died of tuberculosis in December 1901.

The maternal bond being rather important in Tonga custom, Sālote was now without a mother. It was expected that her maternal relatives would fill this gap. Although Sālote later said that her maternal grandmother, Tokanga, looked after her, there is not much evidence of her grandmother’s support. In reality, Sālote was cared for by attendants and nurses. She was raised to be a spoiled child, encouraged to bully her playmates, and she was well aware of her superiority. She was even carried up to the age of seven so that she would not touch the earth the commoners walked on.1 Her father was loving and indulgent, but he did not shy away from corporal punishment, and once he beat her severely with a coconut-rib broom for lying.2

King George Tupou II – Public domain via Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 31-WPSCH21

Shortly after her 7th birthday, Sālote was sent to live with her great-uncle during the week, and she returned to the Palace on the weekends. She was cared for by her great-uncle but also her great-aunt, Sela (Sarah) Kata, and Sela’s widowed sister, Lesieli Tongamohenoa (also known as Rachel Tonga). Sālote became particularly close to Rachel, who became both her teacher and a sort of foster mother. This connection continued for the rest of their lives. Like many in Tonga, they lived a largely European lifestyle. They dressed in Edwardian fashion, ate at a table and had a pet pug. Sālote began her day by making her own bed, and she started learning English. She received lessons from the primary school curriculum and also learned to sew.3

When Sālote was nine years old, her father remarried to ʻAnaseini Takipō. It was widely expected that they would have a son who would displace Sālote in the line of succession. In the tradition of Tonga, children from an earlier marriage were in danger of being killed. George claimed he was sending Sālote away for her education, but she was sent on the earliest possible steamer in December 1909, and she left without the customary companions. She was brought to Auckland and left with a family called Kronfeld.4 Luckily, Rachel accompanied her to Auckland and helped her to adjust to her new family for five months.

The Kronfelds lived in a mansion in Eden Crescent, and the family consisted of father Gustav, mother Louisa, and their ten children ranging in age from 27 to 7. All except for one still lived at home. Louise was a granddaughter of the Samoan high chief Fiamē of Lotofaga and thus qualified by birth to care for a Tongan princess.5 The 22-year-old Sam wrote about her, “Sālote was a very tall child … and shy to begin with, but it wasn’t long before she was absorbed into the family. Mother warned us that Sālote was to be highly respected as a Princess and the future Monarch of Tonga. Despite all this, she entered into the family and children’s affairs and was very happy.”6

Sālote shared a room with the Kronfelds’ 13-year-old daughter Minna, and the two grew fond of each other. From Minna, Sālote learned to love books. She later wrote, “It began with Minna. She and I had the same room, and she used to read at night. When she finished a book, she used to tell me the story. I made up my mind that I would read my own.”7

The Kronfelds hired an English governess named Miss Mabel Wallers for Sālote, as well as a piano teacher named Mr Sam Jackson. Sālote had often gone to church in Tonga, and she found a new church in Auckland, St Paul’s, which was an Anglican church. She was even confirmed there without the knowledge or consent of her father.8  Sālote was happy with the Kronfelds, but she was also very homesick. She wrote home, “I am very happy that you say I shall leave (Auckland) for Tonga on 5 December… I am quite dead with homesickness, for every day I wish I was in Tonga and I long for 5 December. I have really had enough of this land.”9

ʻAnaseini Takipō gave birth to her first child, a daughter named ʻElisiva Fusipala Taukiʻonelua, on 20 March 1911. Sālote never met this half-sister as the infant tragically died just five months later on 11 August 1911.

Part two coming soon.

The post The Year of Queen Sālote Tupou III – The early years of Queen Sālote (Part one) appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Princess Dowager Feng Yuan – The Persecuted Princess

Princess Dowager Feng Yuan was originally Emperor Yuan of the Western Han Dynasty’s favourite imperial consort. [1] She was the grandmother of Emperor Ping of the Western Han Dynasty. She was known for her bravery by protecting Emperor Yuan from a bear.[2] After Emperor Yuan’s death, she was given the title of Princess Dowager of Zhongshan.[3] However, Princess Dowager Feng Yuan met a tragic end when her longtime rival for Emperor Yuan’s affections finally found the opportunity to eliminate her.[4]

In circa 60 B.C.E., Princess Dowager Feng Yuan was born.[5] Her father was Feng Fengshui. He was a soldier in the western regions.[6] When he was in his sixties, he was promoted to Chamberlain for the Imperial Insignia.[7] She had three sisters and nine brothers. In 47 B.C.E., Feng Yuan entered Emperor Yuan’s harem and became a junior palace woman.[8] 

Imperial Consort Feng Yuan quickly caught Emperor Yuan’s eye.[9] A few months after she entered the imperial harem, she was given the status of Meiren, which meant “Beauty”[10] (the third highest rank below the Empress position). In 37 B.C.E., she gave birth to a son named Liu Xing (who would later become Prince Xiao of Zhongshan). She was then promoted to the status of Jieyu, which meant “Lady of Handsome Fairness”[11] (the second highest rank below the Empress position). Her father, Feng Fengshui, was promoted to Right General and Chamberlain for Attendants.[12] One of her older brothers was promoted to Guardian of the Left.[13]

In 38 B.C.E., Emperor Yuan and all his imperial concubines were watching animals fight in a tiger fold.[14] Suddenly, a bear broke loose, climbed the railing, and charged toward the Emperor.[15] All of the imperial concubines fled, except for Imperial Consort Feng Yuan.[16] Instead, she stood in front of the Emperor and the bear as the guards struggled to kill it.[17] Emperor Yuan admired her courage and was surprised by it.[18] However, Imperial Consort Feng Yuan said that she had only been thinking of the Emperor’s safety.[19] “Therefore, I put myself in its way,”[20] she concluded. The other imperial concubines, including Imperial Consort Fu (who was Emperor Yuan’s favourite and who would later become August Empress Dowager Fu), were ashamed of their display of their own cowardice.[21] Imperial Feng Yuan’s display of courage earned Emperor Yuan’s respect, and she became his other favourite imperial consort for the rest of his life.[22] Her son was given the title of Prince of Xindu.[23] Imperial Consort Feng Yuan was promoted to the status of Zhaoyi, which meant “Lady of Bright Deportment”[24](the highest rank below the Empress position).

In 33 B.C.E., Emperor Yuan died. His son, Liu Ao, ascended the throne as Emperor Cheng. Imperial Consort Feng Yuan was given the title of Princess Dowager of Xindu (somewhere between the modern-day provinces of Shandong and Hebei).[25] She moved with her son to Chuyuan Palace.[26] About four years later, she moved with her son to his fiefdom of Xindu.[27] Historians believed that she may have held some rights over the fiefdom.[28] In 7 B.C.E., her son was given the title of Prince Xiao of Zhongshan (in modern-day Hebei Province).[29] Thus, she became Princess Dowager of Zhongshan.[30] Her son, Prince Xiao, died in that same year.[31] His infant son, Liu Kan (the future Emperor Ping), inherited his fief.[32] At the age of one, Prince Liu Kan started to suffer from a liver disease.[33] Princess Dowager Feng Yuan began to care for him.[34] She went to the temple several times to pray for his recovery.[35]

During the early years of Emperor Ai’s reign, an imperial physician named Zhang You tried to cure Prince Liu Kan.[36] However, he failed and fled to Chang’an.[37] He feared retribution for his failure to heal Prince Liu Kan if he returned to Zhongshan.[38] Thus, Zhang You laid a false accusation that Princess Dowager Feng had wished for something bad to happen to Emperor Ai and his mother, Empress Dowager Fu.[39] Empress Dowager Fu had long been rivals with Princess Dowager Feng Yuan because they were both Emperor Yuan’s favourites.[40] Empress Dowager Fu saw this as an opportunity to finally eliminate her longtime rival, Princess Dowager Feng Yuan.[41]

In 6 B.C.E., Empress Dowager Fu ordered an investigation into the incident.[42] The official in charge arrested over a hundred people, including Princess Dowager Feng Yuan’s brothers and the servants of Liu Kan.[43] They were divided into groups and were interrogated separately in the capital of Luoyang.[44] Yet, nothing happened.[45] Empress Dowager Fu was not satisfied with the inconclusive result.[46] She hired Shi Li (the Director of Palace Receptionists) to arrest and interrogate Princess Dowager Feng Yuan.[47] Shi Li accused her of conspiring to assassinate Emperor Ai.[48] Princess Dowager Feng Yuan stubbornly refused to admit guilt and maintained her innocence.[49] Shi Li taunted her by saying she no longer had the courage to admit her guilt as she had when she had protected Emperor Yuan from a bear.[50] Princess Dowager Feng Yuan realised that her situation was hopeless.[51] She committed suicide and drank poison in 6 B.C.E.[52]

Before Princess Dowager Feng Yuan’s suicide, a memorial was submitted to Emperor Ai requesting her execution.[53] However, Emperor Ai could not bear for her to be executed.[54] Instead, he planned for her to be demoted to commoner status and spend the remainder of her days in Yunyang Palace.[55] Once Emperor Ai learned that Princess Dowager Feng Yuan had committed suicide, he decided that she should be buried with the rites that befitted a Princess Dowager.[56] After the funeral, some of Princess Dowager Feng Yuan’s relatives committed suicide.[57] Those who did not were demoted from noble to commoner status and sent back to their native regions.[58] Imperial Physician Zhang You and Shi Li (the Director of Palace Receptionists) were promoted and rewarded for eliminating Princess Dowager Feng Yuan.[59]

In 1 B.C.E., Princess Dowager Feng Yuan’s grandson, Liu Kan, ascended the throne of China as Emperor Ping. Kong Guang, the Grand Minister of Education, finally revealed that Zhang You and Shi Li had falsely accused Princess Dowager Feng Yuan of plotting an assassination attempt on Emperor Ai.[60] Both Zhang You and Shi Li were removed from their offices and titles.[61] They were demoted from noble to commoner status and exiled to Hepu (modern-day Guangdong Province).[62] Princess Dowager Feng Yuan was then declared innocent of all charges.[63]

Princess Dowager Feng Yuan was Emperor Yuan’s favourite.[64] It was because of Emperor Yuan’s favour that she came to a tragic end.[65] Princess Dowager Feng Yuan was one of the many recorded cases during Emperor Ai’s reign in which someone had lost their life for being falsely accused of high treason.[66] However, she had the good fortune of having her grandson become the Emperor of China.[67] This allowed for her case to be overturned and for her to be declared innocent.[68] Thus, modern historians use her story as an example of corruption in the justice system during Emperor Ai’s reign.[69]

Sources:

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

Milburn, O. (2016). Palace Women in the Former Han Dynasty (202 BCE–CE 23): Gender and Administrational History in the Early Imperial Era. NAN NÜ, 18(2), 195-223.

Shen, L. (2015). “Feng, Concubine of Emperor Yuan”. Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E. (L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed.). NY: Routledge. pp. 136-138.

[1] Milburn, 2016

[2] McMahon, 2013

[3] Shen, 2015

[4] Shen, 2015

[5] Shen, 2015

[6] Shen, 2015

[7] Shen, 2015

[8] Shen, 2015

[9] Shen, 2015

[10] Shen, 2015, p. 137

[11] Shen, 2015, p. 137

[12] Shen, 2015

[13] Shen 2015

[14] Shen, 2015

[15] Shen, 2015

[16] Shen, 2015

[17] McMahon, 2013

[18] Shen, 2015

[19] Shen, 2015

[20] Shen, 2015, p. 137

[21] Shen, 2015

[22] Milburn, 2016; Shen, 2015

[23] Shen, 2015

[24] Milburn, 2016; Shen, 2015, p. 137

[25] Shen, 2015

[26] Shen, 2015

[27] Milburn, 2016

[28] Milburn, 2016

[29] Shen, 2015

[30] Shen, 2015

[31] Shen, 2015

[32] Shen, 2015

[33] Shen, 2015

[34] Shen, 2015

[35] Shen, 2015

[36] Shen, 2015

[37] Shen, 2015

[38] Shen, 2015

[39] Shen, 2015

[40] Shen, 2015

[41] Shen, 2015

[42] Shen, 2015

[43] Shen, 2015

[44] Shen, 2015

[45] Shen, 2015

[46] Shen, 2015

[47] Shen, 2015

[48] Shen, 2015

[49] Shen, 2015

[50] Shen, 2015

[51] Shen, 2015

[52] Shen, 2015

[53] Shen, 2015

[54] Shen, 2015

[55] Shen, 2015

[56] Shen, 2015

[57] Shen, 2015

[58] Shen, 2015

[59] Shen, 2015

[60] Shen, 2015

[61] Shen, 2015

[62] Shen, 2015

[63] Shen, 2015

[64] Milburn, 2016

[65] Shen, 2015

[66] Shen, 2015

[67] Shen, 2015

[68] Shen, 2015

[69] Shen, 2015

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Princess Hua Rong – An innocent victim of her husband’s ambitions

Princess Hua Rong is most famous for her poem “Dancing Song.”[1] However, her husband, Prince Liu Dan, was ambitious and power-hungry.[2] He would make several unsuccessful attempts to become Emperor of China. Because of her husband’s grand ambitions, Princess Hua Rong met a tragic end.

In circa 116 B.C.E., Princess Hua Rong was born.[3] Her origins are unknown.[4] She married Liu Dan, the Prince of Yanla (the third son of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty).[5] When Emperor Wu’s two eldest sons died, Prince Liu Dan believed that he should be the next in line to inherit the Crown Prince title.[6] He asked Emperor Wu to make him a member of the palace guard, which angered his father.[7] It did not help Prince Liu Dan’s case when he harboured an escaped prisoner inside his palace.[8] Thus, Emperor Wu strongly disliked his eldest surviving son, and he reduced Prince Liu Dan’s land.[9] Emperor Wu also made his youngest son, Liu Fuling, the Crown Prince (who would later become Emperor Zhao).[10]

On 27 March 87 B.C.E., Emperor Wu died. Liu Fuling ascended the throne as Emperor Zhao of China. Prince Liu Dan plotted to depose Emperor Zhao and make himself the Emperor.[11] However, the plot was unsuccessful.[12] All of the conspirators were arrested, but Prince Liu Dan was not charged with the crime.[13]

In 80 B.C.E., Prince Liu Dan plotted with the Grand Princess of Gai (Prince Liu Dan’s sister), Shangguan Jie (the Left General), and Sang Hongyang (the Censor-in-Chief) in order to eliminate Huo Guang (the General-in-Chief) and depose Emperor Zhao.[14] If the plot succeeded, he would be enthroned as the next Emperor.[15] However, the plot was exposed.[16] Shangguan Jie was executed.[17] The Grand Princess of Gai was forced to commit suicide.[18] Prince Liu Dan realized that his end was near.[19] He hosted a banquet in Wancai Palace.[20] He invited his wife (Princess Hua Rong), his imperial concubines, and his supporters.[21]

During the banquet, Prince Liu Dan sang a song.[22] It went:

“In the end an empty city,

No dogs barking,

No chickens crowing.

Angling streets broad and bare—

How well I know there’s no one left

alive in my land.”[23]

After Prince Liu Dan finished his song, Princess Hua Rong rose to dance and sang a response to her husband’s song.[24] It has been titled by many chroniclers as the “Dancing Song.”[25] It went:

“Hair knotted and tangled, clotting the moat,

Bones heaped about , nowhere to law them—

The mother seeks her dead son,

The wife seeks her dead husband,

Wandering back and forth between the two moats.

Can you alone, my lord, find a place to rest?”[26]

Emperor Zhao first sent a letter to pardon his older half-brother, Prince Liu Dan.[27] However, he sent another letter shortly afterwards that said:

“You join with men of different surnames and other clans to plot injury to the altars of the soil and grain. You draw close to those who are most distant, and behave distantly to those who should be most close. You have a heart filled with treachery and betrayal, one in which there is no thought of loyalty or love.”[28]

Prince Liu Dan felt shame and guilt after he read Emperor Zhao’s letter.[29] He then hung himself.[30] Princess Hua Rong and over twenty of his other imperial concubines also committed suicide.[31] Princess Hua Rong’s tragedy showed that she was a powerless pawn in a bitter power struggle.[32] Her husband’s ambition to become Emperor forced Princess Hua Rong to lose her own life.[33] Because Prince Liu Dan led her to a tragic end, Princess Hua Rong’s poem has continued to stir the emotions of readers for thousands of years.[34]

Sources:

Ban, G. (1974). Courtier and Commoner in Ancient China. Selections from the “History of the Former Han” by Pan Ku. (B. Watson, Trans.). NY: Columbia University Press. pp. 54-65.

Shen, L. (2015). “Hua Rong, Consort of Prince of Yanla.” Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E. (L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed.). NY: Routledge. pp. 148-149.

Theobald, U. (2000). “Emperor Han Zhaodi 漢昭帝 Liu Fuling 劉弗陵”. ChinaKnowledge.de – An Encyclopedia on Chinese History, Literature, and Art. Retrieved on 18 August 2024 from http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/....

[1] Shen, 2015, p. 149

[2] Shen, 2015

[3] Shen, 2015

[4] Shen, 2015

[5] Shen, 2015

[6] Shen, 2015

[7] Shen, 2015

[8] Shen, 2015

[9] Shen, 2015

[10] Shen, 2015

[11] Shen, 2015

[12] Shen, 2015

[13] Shen, 2015

[14] Shen, 2015

[15] Theobald, 2000, “Emperor Han Zhaodi 漢昭帝 Liu Fuling 劉弗陵”

[16] Theobald, 2000, “Emperor Han Zhaodi 漢昭帝 Liu Fuling 劉弗陵”

[17] Theobald, 2000, “Emperor Han Zhaodi 漢昭帝 Liu Fuling 劉弗陵”

[18] Theobald, 2000, “Emperor Han Zhaodi 漢昭帝 Liu Fuling 劉弗陵”

[19] Shen, 2015

[20] Shen, 2015

[21] Shen, 2015

[22] Shen, 2015

[23] Watson, 1974, p. 63; Shen, 2015, p. 149

[24] Shen, 2015

[25] Shen, 2015, p. 149

[26] Watson, 1974, p. 63; Shen, 2015, p. 149

[27] Shen, 2015

[28] Watson, 1974, p. 64; Shen, 2015, p. 149

[29] Shen, 2015

[30] Shen, 2015

[31] Shen, 2015

[32] Shen, 2015

[33] Shen, 2015

[34] Shen, 2015

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