Moniek Bloks's Blog, page 67

Maria Josepha of Saxony – “A great and dignified Princess” (Part one)

Maria Josepha of Saxony was born on 4 November 1731 as the daughter of Augustus III, King of Poland and Maria Josepha of Austria. She was their ninth child and fifth daughter.

On 22 July 1746, María Teresa Rafaela of Spain, Dauphine of France, as the first wife of Louis, Dauphin of France, died shortly after giving birth to a daughter. Knowing that he needed a male heir, attention soon turned to finding a new wife. With fertility high on the list of demands, French eyes turned to the court of King Augustus, whose wife Maria Josepha had given birth to many children. Envoys arrived to examine their daughter Maria Josepha, who was 14 years old at the time. The envoy wrote, “Her heart and generosity are highly praised; in a word, she is regarded as a great and dignified princess.”1 Negotiations for her hand in marriage were concluded shortly before Marie Josepha’s 15th birthday. Praise for the princess continued for her “ornate” mind, and she apparently loved reading, although not just for fun but also for her education.

María Teresa Rafaela of Spain (public domain)

The Dauphin’s mother, Marie Leszczyńska, whose father had been deposed as King of Poland by Maria Josepha’s father, preferred a Spanish match, but she had little influence on her husband. Ambassador Loss wrote, “Her opposition is not to be feared because of the little credit she has with the King.”2 Neither Maria Josepha nor the Dauphin had anything to say about the match. The Dauphin was still deeply affected by the death of his first wife. Still, Maria Josepha declared, “I am the happiest person in the world, but my happiness will only be real when I have succeeded in pleasing His Majesty, the Queen and Monsieur le Dauphin. That will henceforth be my sole ambition.”3 The studious princess set about learning all she could about the country where she would spend the rest of her life.

On 10 January 1747, the proxy wedding took place in Dresden with Maria Josepha’s brother Xavier standing in for the groom. Just four days later, Maria Josepha left her family and travelled to Versailles. Luckily, she was allowed the company of the Countess of Martinitz, who had raised her. On the 27th, she arrived at Strassbourg for the traditional handover. She was not stripped naked, as had previously been done, nor was she apparently bathed as the Dauphin had wanted. She reappeared dressed in the French style and with rouge on her cheeks. It was until 7 February that she finally met the King and the Dauphin. She threw herself at the King’s feet, begging for his friendship. She won him over immediately, and he introduced her to the Dauphin. He barely managed a smile.

Maria Josepha had dreaded the meeting with Queen Marie due to the difficult political situation. Maria Josepha fell into a deep curtsey upon meeting her mother-in-law. Queen Marie raised her up and kissed her, but Maria Josepha knew she would still have to win her over. She was also introduced to her sisters-in-law, Henriette and Adélaïde, and reportedly said, “I’ll take the advice of the former and amuse myself with the latter!”4

In the early hours of 8 February, the court returned to Versailles, and Maria Josepha was immediately sent to be dressed for her wedding, which would take three hours. Her wedding dress, adorned with diamonds, weighed 60 pounds. The Dauphin, dressed similarly impressive in gold embroidery, appeared to accompany her to the chapel. They were married in person as they knelt on crimson velvet cushions. After many hours of congratulations, a ball followed in the evening. However, Maria Josepha couldn’t open the ball with her new husband as she suffered from frostbite on her foot. Her new sister-in-law, Henriette, opened the ball on her behalf. Around 9, the festivities finally came to a conclusion, but then came the bedding ceremony. Maria Josepha was reportedly “completely innocent.” 5

The rigid court etiquette of Versailles decided even who could hand Maria Josepha her nightshirt, and in this case, it was her mother-in-law. Finally, they made their way to the bridal chamber, where the Bishop of Ventadour blessed the bed. Over 100 people were allowed into the room. The Dauphin, who had gone through the same thing before with his beloved first wife, wept openly. Maria Josepha told him, “Give free rein, sir, to your tears, and do not fear that I will take offence. They tell me that I have the right to hope for myself if I am lucky enough to merit your esteem.”6 However, the tears meant that he was unable to consummate the marriage that night.

It did not take very long to overcome this, and the marriage was consummated not much later. King Louis XV reported, “It’s a done deal. She is Madame la Dauphine; it happened this afternoon.”7 Not much later, she won her mother-in-law’s heart. During an event, she was required to wear a bracelet with the portrait of her father, but when Queen Marie asked to see the bracelet, Maria Josepha revealed it was actually a portrait of the Queen’s father. Her husband’s heart was a bit more challenging to win as he was still grieving his first wife. She continued to encourage him to talk about her and slowly found her way into his heart. She also found a great friend in her sister-in-law Henriette and befriended the King’s mistress, Madame de Pompadour.

The Dauphin’s daughter, with his first wife, died suddenly on 27 April 1748. With the last living link to his first wife also gone, he was again plunged in grief. Maria Josepha tried to comfort him by having a painting done of the little girl, but that painting has now disappeared.

Part two coming soon.

The post Maria Josepha of Saxony – “A great and dignified Princess” (Part one) appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Royal Wedding Recollections – Lady Louise Mountbatten & the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden

On 3 November 1923, Lady Louise Mountbatten married the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden.

Louise’s engagement to the Crown Prince of Sweden had surprised many. Louise had resigned herself to staying single after the traumatic ending of her engagement to an artist. In a panic, she wrote, “You know that Gustaf of Sweden is over here. I met him to talk to him for the 1st time three weeks ago. Before that, I had only met him just to shake hands with him the various times he has been over. I thought him awfully nice & we got on rather well together. He came to see us a few times, tea time, as he had nothing much to do. Then last Sunday, he took Mama & me for a drive to Hampton Court, it suddenly dawned on me that, naturally, everyone hoped he would marry again & that I was a suitable person. I saw he liked me & was taking a lot of trouble to get to know me. You can imagine my agitation & worry, not knowing what to do or think.”1

(public domain)

She also worried about leaving her country, marrying a future King and one who was a widower with a large family. When she finally made up her mind, she wrote, “Well, Dickie, I have accepted Gustaf. I am sure you will be delighted. I must say it is rather marvellous.”2

Then came the question of whether Louise was considered to be a member of the British royal family. She had been born Princess Louise of Battenberg as the daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg (later known as The Marquess of Milford Haven) and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. The subsequent response from the British government led the Swedish government to decide she was indeed suitable to marry the Crown Prince of Sweden.

Louise and Gustaf Adolf were married in the Chapel Royal in London in “the presence of two Kings and four Queens.” The New York Times reported, “King Gustaf of Sweden, father of the bridegroom, and the Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven, mother of the bride, sat on the right of the altar, with King George, Queen Mary, Queen Alexandra, Princess Mary and Viscount Lascelles, and in the group on the side were the Prince of Wales and his brothers, the Duchess of York, Queen Maud of Norway and the Dowager Queen Olga of Greece.

“The Crown Prince of Sweden, in a Swedish General’s uniform, was attended as he waited for his bride by his brother, Prince Wilhelm, in the blue and gold of the Swedish navy.

“The bride was driven through cheering crowds to the chapel in one of King George’s cars with her brother, the Marquis of Milford Haven. She wore a wonderful dress of Indian silver gauze given to her by the Duke of Hesse, and over her shoulder, she had thrown a short ermine cape.

“On her head was a heavy diadem and a heavy lace veil, with orange blossom sprigs used first as a wedding veil by Princess Alice, a daughter of Queen Victoria and the bride’s grandmother. Her silver train was four yards long with a border of woven gold and a waist of a plain, straight dress. Long sleeves half covered her hands, which were ungloved, and she carried a feathered posy of lilies of the valley instead of the usual bridal bouquet. On her breast shone a diamond brooch presented to her by the King and Queen.”3

Her bridesmaids were the four sisters of the future Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and the service was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London.

Credit: Nyhus, Olav, Livrustkammaren/SHM (CC BY 4.0)

The new Crown Princess of Sweden fell pregnant in 1925, but she gave birth to a stillborn daughter on 30 May, likely caused by the shrivelling of the placenta. They had no further children. She later wrote, “If possible, I appreciate all the more now what it is to have Gustaf & now how lucky I am to have him. He has my love now more than ever, all that I had for my baby, I feel I have now also given him.”4

The post Royal Wedding Recollections – Lady Louise Mountbatten & the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden appeared first on History of Royal Women.

The Year of Marie Antoinette – The early years of Marie Antoinette

On 2 November 1755, at half past eight in the evening,  the future Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, was born. She was the 15th child of Maria Theresa, Holy Roman Empress and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. It was announced that “Her Majesty has been happily delivered of a small but completely healthy Archduchess.”1 As her date of birth was considered to be rather inauspicious, she usually celebrated her birthday on its eve.

She was handed over to a wet nurse by the name of Constance Weber. Her baptism took place the day following her birth at the Church of the Augustine Friars, and she received the names Maria Antonia Josepha Joanna. She was usually called Antoine in the family and through her father, she was a great-great-granddaughter of King Louis XIII of France and his wife, Anne of Austria. When she was just six months old, the Treaty of Versailles was signed, which would have an enormous effect on the rest of Maria Antonia’s life. She was already a piece on her mother’s chessboard.

All the children began their day at 7.30 and always started with prayer. After prayer, they received instruction in grammar and handwriting before attending Mass. Afterwards, they saw their mother for an hour or so and in the afternoon, more lessons followed. Around 5, they were back in church, and they also exercised. Only the evenings were free.

Music was a central part of the children’s lives. At the age of 4, she sang a “French Vaudeville song” at the celebrations for her father’s name day while her brothers and sisters sang arias.2 The siblings performed again for the name day of their mother. Marie Antoinette was present in October 1762 when Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart visited the court. The girls’ education focussed heavily on their ability to perform and appear at court events. Marie Antoinette’s favourite instrument was the harp, and she was known to excel at dancing.3 Her formal education remained rather lacking and her writing was “inconceivably” slow as was her reading.4

Maria Antonia was particularly close to Maria Carolina, who was only three years older than she was, and the two remained close friends for the rest of their lives. The year 1767 was Maria Theresa’s annus horribilis. Smallpox struck the family hard, and even Maria Theresa herself became ill. Maria Antonia had had a mild form of smallpox at the age of 2 and was immune, but her sister Maria Josepha, destined to marry the King of Naples, died, and another sister Maria Elisabeth was scarred for life and promptly taken off the marriage market.

Maria Carolina was to take Maria Josepha’s place as a bride for the King of Naples, and while she had once been considered for a French match, that was now definitely not happening. During her journey to Naples, Maria Carolina wrote to their governess, “Write to me the smallest details of my sister Antoinette, what she says, what she does, and almost what she thinks. I beg and entreat you to love her very much, for I am terribly interested for her.”5

For the first time, Maria Antonia was the centre of her mother’s attention. Maria Antonia was to take Maria Carolina’s place for the French match. Maria Antonia’s teeth were crooked, and she was to suffer a three-month painful treatment with a system called “the Pelican” to set her teeth straight. Her one shoulder was higher than the other, and so she had to use a shoulder filling or a corset. At the time, she was rather skinny and had no bosom to speak of, but as she had not even entered puberty, it was hoped she would fill in a bit.6 Even the first day of her menstruation is recorded; 7 February 1770.7

Marie Antoinette was sequestered at Schönbrunn in an attempt to make up for her lack of education as quickly as possible. She was taught posture, curtseying, French history, language and literature. After six weeks, the abbé de Vermond wrote, “She is cleverer than she was long thought to be. Unfortunately, that ability was subjected to no direction up to the age of twelve.”8

The bride was ready, and the intended groom was 15-year-old Louis Auguste, Dauphin of France.

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Princess Mariana Leonor Moctezuma – Emperor Moctezuma II’s tenacious daughter

Princess Mariana Leonor Moctezuma was the daughter of Emperor Moctezuma II of the Aztec Empire. After the fall of the Aztec Empire, Princess Mariana Leonor Moctezuma managed to successfully transition into Spanish society. The Spanish awarded her with the towns of Tarimbaro and Ecatepec. She had two husbands and one daughter. Princess Mariana Leonor Moctezuma’s story shows how she allied herself with the Spanish conquistadors to increase her own ambitions.

Princess Mariana Leonor Moctezuma’s early life is unknown.[1] She was the daughter of Emperor Moctezuma II and his favourite lesser wife named Acatlan.[2] She was born in 1510 in Tenochtitlan. Her original name remains unrecorded.[3] Mariana Leonor was her baptised and christened name when she converted to Catholicism after the fall of the Aztec Empire.[4] She had numerous half-siblings, many of which are still unknown.[5] Among her known half-siblings are Isabel Moctezuma (the last Aztec Empress), Pedro Moctezuma, and Francisca Moctezuma. Emperor Moctezuma II died on 30 June 1520 under mysterious circumstances. There is no mention of her mother’s fate, but it is speculated that she died before 1526.[6] This is because, in 1526, Princess Mariana Leonor Moctezuma was taken into Hernan Cortes’s household in Coyoacan.[7]

In 1527, Hernan Cortes bestowed on Princess Mariana Leonor Moctezuma the town of Ecatepec.[8] Hernan Cortes then arranged for her to marry a Spanish conquistador named Juan Paez.[9] However, Juan Paez died in 1529.[10] In 1531, Princess Mariana Leonor Moctezuma married for the second time to the Spanish conquistador named Don Cristobal de Valderrama.[11] Due to this marriage, Princess Marina Leonor Moctezuma was also given the town of Tarimbaro.[12] In 1532, Princess Mariana Leonor Moctezuma gave birth to her only child, who was a daughter named Leonor de Valderrama y Moctezuma.[13] In November 1537, Don Cristobal de Valderrama died.[14] His death left Princess Mariana Leonor Moctezuma a widow to raise her only child alone.[15] 

Princess Mariana Leonor Moctezuma’s daughter, Leonor de Valderrama y Moctezuma, eventually married Diego Arias Sotelo.[16] They had four children named Fernando, Cristobal, Ana, and Petronilla.[17] Princess Mariana Leonor Moctezuma died on 9 July 1562.[18] Leonor de Valderrama y Moctezuma inherited the towns of Tarimbaro and Ecatepec from her mother.[19] However, Leonor and Diego Arias Sotelo would be involved in numerous property disputes over Ecatepec.[20]

Princess Mariana Leonor Moctezuma experienced many tragedies and hardships. However, she allied herself with the Spanish conquistadors. Her alliance with the Spanish gave her a wealthy estate.[21] She was twice widowed and raised her young daughter by herself. Thus, Princess Mariana Leonor Moctezuma’s story is one of tenacity and survival. Her descendants still reside in Mexico today.[22]

Sources:

Chipman, D. E. (2010). Moctezuma’s Children: Aztec Royalty Under Spanish Rule, 1520–1700. (n.p.): University of Texas Press.

Kalyuta, A. (January 30, 2010). “Doña Isabel de Moctezuma: the emperor’s favourite daughter?”. Aztecs at Mexicolore. Retrieved on 30 January 2023 from https://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/m....

Schmal, J. P. (September 7, 2022).  “Moctezuma’s Descendants in Aguascalientes”. Indigenous Mexico. Retrieved on 30 January 2023 from https://indigenousmexico.org/aguascal....

[1] Chipman, 2005

[2] Chipman, 2005

[3] Chipman, 2005

[4] Chipman, 2005

[5] Chipman, 2005

[6] Kalyuta, 30 January 2010, “Doña Isabel de Moctezuma: the emperor’s favourite daughter?”

[7] Kalyuta, 30 January 2010, “Doña Isabel de Moctezuma: the emperor’s favourite daughter?”

[8] Chipman, 2005

[9] Chipman, 2005

[10] Chipman, 2005

[11] Chipman, 2005

[12] Schmal, 7 September 2022, “Moctezuma’s Descendants in Aguascalientes”

[13] Chipman, 2005

[14] Chipman, 2005

[15] Chipman, 2005

[16] Chipman, 2005

[17] Schmal, 7 September 2022, “Moctezuma’s Descendants in Aguascalientes”

[18] Schmal, 7 September 2022, “Moctezuma’s Descendants in Aguascalientes”

[19] Schmal, 7 September 2022, “Moctezuma’s Descendants in Aguascalientes”

[20] Schmal, 7 September 2022, “Moctezuma’s Descendants in Aguascalientes”

[21] Chipman, 2005

[22] Kalyuta, 30 January 2010, “Doña Isabel de Moctezuma: the emperor’s favourite daughter?”

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The Women of Soestdijk Palace Exhibition

Soestdijk Palace is hosting an autumn exhibition based on the lives of the women who once were a part of its life.

A number of royal women are featured, among them: Queen Julania, Anna Pavlovna (wife of King William II), Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont (wife of King William III), Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (wife of William IV, Prince of Orange), Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel (wife of John William Friso, Prince of Orange). However, the exhibition begins with the mayor’s wife, Catharina Hooft.

Click to view slideshow.

Most of the rooms have one woman as the focus point with a large sign with information. The room then features something modern. While the rooms look lovely, I was confused as to what the aim of the exhibition is. Do you want to focus on the women’s lives? Then, where is the rest of the information or more items related to their life? Even most of the paintings were reproductions. Is the focus supposed to be on the modern art? Then why involve the women at all? I overheard several visitors asking out loud what the common thread was supposed to be.

So, unfortunately, I do not think I can recommend this exhibition, but perhaps I am missing the point. Do decide for yourself. The exhibition will run until 7 January 2024. You can find the visitor information here.

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Book News Week 44

*contains affiliate links*

Book news week 44: 30 October – 5 November 2023

 

Queens of the Age of Chivalry (England’s Medieval Queens, 3) 

Paperback – 2 November 2023 (UK)

Dethroned: The Downfall of India’s Princely States 

Hardcover – 2 November 2023 (UK)

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Royal Wedding Recollections – Catherine de’ Medici & the future King Henry II of France

On 28 October 1533, 14-year-old Catherine de’ Medici married the future King Henry II of France, also 14 years old, although his elder brother was still alive at the time, and he wasn’t expected to become King.

On 1 September 1533, the noble ladies of Florence gave a grand farewell banquet for Catherine as she prepared to leave for her new life. She then began travelling towards the coast with a huge retinue, and the wedding was set to take place in Marseilles after Nice had been vetoed by the Duke of Savoy. Shortly after her departure, an emissary of the King of France arrived with a gift of jewellery, and he ended up galloping after the party.

She arrived at La Spezia on 6 September, where she would make the sea crossing to Villefranche. It was a smooth crossing, and she waited there for a month to join her uncle, Pope Clement VII, who had been instrumental in arranging the match. Together, they set sail for Marseilles, where they arrived on 11 October. King Francis and his family entered the city on 13 October, but Catherine had to await her official entry into the city until 23 October. She rode in on a roan horse decked out in gold brocade. She wore an outfit of gold and silver silk, which impressed the crowds.1

They all met up in the audience chamber of her uncle’s temporary palace, where the King and his sons watched as Catherine curtseyed to her uncle and kissed his feet. King Francis was delighted by her and spontaneously kissed her. She also received a warm welcome from Francis’s second wife, Queen Eleanor.

On 27 October, the wedding contract was officially signed, and the couple was blessed by the Cardinal de Bourbon. This was the start of a grand ball. The religious ceremony was scheduled for the following day.

The wedding as portrayed in the Serpent Queen (Screenshot/Fair Use)

The following morning, King Francis came to collect Catherine from her chamber, and he was dressed in his finest clothes of white satin embroidered with the fleur-de-lys with a cloak of gold cloth covered with pearls and precious stones. Catherine wore “ducal robes of golden brocade with a violet corsage of velvet encrusted with gems and edged with ermine.”2 Her hair was dressed with precious stones, and she wore a golden ducal crown. The religious ceremony took place in the chapel of the Pope’s palace, and they exchanged rings and vows.

Pope Clement held a wedding banquet for the newlyweds, where Catherine sat between her husband and his brother, the Dauphin. A masked ball was held afterwards, and around midnight, the masked ball descended into an orgy.3 By then, the newlyweds had left, and Catherine was escorted to the marital bedchamber by Queen Eleanor. The bed, with its rich decorations, was said to have cost 60,000 ecus alone.4 Henry entered the room, and the ceremony of the coucher could now start.

King Francis and the Pope wanted to be sure that the marriage was consummated, and reportedly, Francis stayed in the room until he was satisfied that “each had shown valour in the joust.”5 Pope Clement came by the following morning to find the couple still in bed and blessed them.

Catherine was now a royal Duchess, and soon she would be Dauphin and later also Queen of France.

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Royal Jewels – The Duchess of Teck’s Flower Brooch

The Duchess of Teck’s Flower Brooch was probably inherited by Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck, from her aunt, Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester. When the Duchess of Teck died, it was given to her eldest son, Prince Adolphus, but by 1923, it was in the possession of his sister, Queen Mary.1

Embed from Getty Images

The brooch was “formed as a cluster of brilliant flowers and leaves in cut-down open-back settings, partly pavé-set, suspending four detachable pear-shaped drops on rose-set chains.

Embed from Getty Images

That same year, Queen Mary gave it to her future daughter-in-law, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who married the then Duke of York. Elizabeth wore it frequently, and it was inherited by her eldest daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2002.

Embed from Getty Images

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Isabel Moctezuma – The last Empress of the Aztec Empire

Isabel Moctezuma was the last Empress of the Aztec Empire. She had six husbands, and she married three of them before she reached the age of twelve. Empress Isabel Moctezuma was the eldest daughter of Emperor Moctezuma II of the Aztec Empire. After the fall of the Aztec Empire, Empress Isabel Moctezuma began to ally herself with the Spanish conquistadors. She became the wealthiest landowner in Mexico. Her descendants would become part of the Spanish nobility. Isabel Moctezuma’s story shows how an Aztec Empress managed to successfully transition herself into Spanish society.

Empress Isabel Moctezuma was born on 11 July 1509 in Tenochtitlan.[1] Her parents were Emperor Moctezuma II and Empress Teotlalco.[2] Her original name was Tecuichpo Ixcaxochitzin.[3] She was the eldest and favourite of Emperor Moctezuma II’s daughters.[4] She had full siblings and half-siblings, many of which are still unknown.[5] Among her known half-siblings were Pedro Moctezuma, Mariana Moctezuma, and Francisca Moctezuma. Before Emperor Moctezuma II’s death on 30 June 1520, he entrusted Hernan Cortes to take care of Princess Tecuichpo Ixcaxochitzin and her siblings.[6] As a young child, Princess Tecuichpo Ixcaxochitzin married the Aztec warrior named Atlixcatzin (who historians have speculated may have been Emperor Moctezuma II’s heir).[7] On 22 May 1520, Atlixcatzin was killed by the Spanish conquistadors during the Massacre of the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan. Thus, Princess Tecuichpo Ixcaxochitzin became a widow for the first time.

On 1 July 1520, Princess Tecuichpo Ixcaxochitzin tried to flee Tenochtitlan with the Spanish during the Night of Sorrows.[8] Her mother, Empress Teotlalco, and her full brothers drowned in the Lake of Texcoco.[9] Thus, Princess Tecuichpo Ixcaxochitzin became an orphan. However, she was kidnapped by the Aztec forces and brought back to Tenochtitlan.[10] She married her uncle, Cuitlahuac (who succeeded Emperor Moctezuma II as Emperor of the Aztec Empire).[11] Therefore, Princess Tecuichpo Ixcaxochitzin became Empress. Emperor Cuitlahuac died sixty days later of smallpox.[12]

The death of Emperor Cuitlahuac left the eleven-year-old Empress Tecuichpo Ixcaxochitzin free to marry her cousin, Cuauhtémoc (the last Emperor of the Aztec Empire), in 1520.[13] Tecuichpo Ixcaxochitzin became Empress for the second time and was the last Empress of the Aztec Empire. Empress Tecuichpo Ixcaxochitzin remained married to him until he was executed on 28 February 1525 by Hernan Cortes.[14] Thus, the Aztec Empire was officially no more. In order to console Empress Tecuichpo Ixcaxochitzin over the death of her husband, Hernan Cortes gave her and her future heirs the town of Tacuba in June 1526.[15]

Empress Tecuichpo Ixcaxochitzin was baptised and christened Isabel Moctezuma.[16] Shortly afterwards, in 1526, Isabel Moctezuma married the Spanish conquistador and Hernan Cortes’s friend, Alonso de Grado.[17] However, he died two years later due to unknown causes.[18] Thus, Isabel Moctezuma became a widow for the fourth time at the age of nineteen.[19] Isabel Moctezuma became Hernan Cortes’s mistress.[20] She bore him an illegitimate daughter named Leonor Cortes Moctezuma.[21] Her daughter was immediately taken from her to be raised by Juan de Altamirano on behalf of Hernan Cortes.[22]

In 1530, Hernan Cortes arranged for Isabel Moctezuma to marry for the fifth time to a Spaniard named Pedro Gallego.[23] She gave birth to her first legitimate child named Juan de Andrada Moctezuma.[24] However, their happiness was short-lived. Two months after the birth of their son, Pedro Gallego died of unknown causes.[25] This left Isabel Moctezuma a widow for the fifth time at the age of twenty-one.[26]

In 1532, Hernan Cortes arranged for Isabel Moctezuma to marry for the sixth and final time to a Spaniard named Juan Cano de Saavedra.[27] Their marriage was very happy, and the couple loved each other.[28] They remained married for eighteen years until her death.[29] They had three sons: Gonzalo Cano Moctezuma, Pedro Cano Moctezuma, and Juan Cano Moctezuma.[30] She also had two daughters named Isabel Cano Moctezuma and Catalina Cano Moctezuma.[31]

In 1550, Isabel Moctezuma began to suffer from a terminal illness.[32] She made a will in which she freed her Aztec slaves.[33] She left her personal belongings to her daughters, Isabel and Catalina.[34] She died on 9 December 1550.[35] She was forty-one years old. However, her children from her fifth and sixth marriages would fight over her wealthy estate.[36]

Empress Isabel Moctezuma’s descendants from her illegitimate daughter, Leonor Cortes Moctezuma, would become part of the Spanish nobility with the title of Duke of Moctezuma de Tultengo.[37] Her other descendants from her son, Juan de Andrada Moctezuma, would also become part of the Spanish nobility as the Count of Miraville, the Duke of Abrantes, and the Duke of Linares.[38] Thus, Empress Isabel Moctezuma’s descendants successfully integrated themselves into the Spanish nobility.[39] In the end, Isabel Moctezuma (the last Aztec Empress) managed to assimilate into Spanish society.[40] She was the last symbol of the Aztec Empire.[41 Through her alliance with the Spanish, Empress Isabel Moctezuma managed to have a very wealthy estate that would become a problem among her descendants.[42] It is also because of her royal blood that her descendants eventually became part of the Spanish nobility that still exists today.[43]

Sources:

Chipman, D. E. (2010). Moctezuma’s Children: Aztec Royalty Under Spanish Rule, 1520–1700. (n.p.): University of Texas Press.

Chuchiak, J. (2008). Moctezuma, Isabel. In The Oxford Encyclopedia Women in World History. : Oxford University Press. Retrieved 30 Jan. 2023, from https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/....

[1] Chuchiak, 2008

[2] Chipman, 2005

[3] Chuchiak, 2008

[4] Chuchiak, 2008; Chipman, 2005

[5] Chipman, 2005

[6] Chuchiak, 2008

[7] Chipman, 2005

[8] Chuchiak, 2008

[9] Chipman, 2005

[10] Chuchiak, 2008

[11] Chuchiak, 2008

[12] Chuchiak, 2008

[13] Chuchiak, 2008

[14] Chuchiak, 2008

[15] Chuchiak, 2008

[16] Chipman, 2005

[17] Chuchiak, 2008

[18] Chipman, 2005

[19] Chipman, 2005; Chuchiak, 2008

[20] Chuchiak, 2008

[21] Chuchiak, 2008

[22] Chuchiak, 2008

[23] Chuchiak, 2008

[24] Chuchiak, 2008

[25] Chipman, 2005

[26] Chipman, 2005; Chuchiak, 2008

[27] Chuchiak, 2008

[28] Chipman, 2005

[29] Chuchiak, 2008; Chipman, 2005

[30] Chuchiak, 2008

[31] Chuchiak, 2008

[32] Chuchiak, 2008

[33] Chuchiak, 2008

[34] Chuchiak, 2008

[35] Chuchiak, 2008

[36] Chuchiak, 2008

[37] Chipman, 2005

[38] Chipman, 2005

[39] Chipman, 2005

[40] Chuchiak, 2008

[41] Chuchiak, 2008

[42] Chuchiak, 2008

[43] Chipman, 2005

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The Year of Marie Antoinette – Marie Antoinette’s extravagance

Marie Antoinette’s unpopularity largely stemmed from her extravagance, and she had been largely popular when she arrived in France in 1770.

Her so-called frivolity began when she was still in a precarious relationship with her husband. As their marriage remained unconsummated and Marie Antoinette endured the taunts of the court, she only saw one way to deal with it.

As the hairdresser Leonard built her huge hairstyles, Marie Antoinette spent 100,000 livres on fashion accessories alone in 1776. To compare, her entire wardrobe budget for that year was supposed to be 120,000 livres. Every week, bills were sent for four new pairs of shoes, three yards of ribbon daily, and two new yards of green taffeta. She ordered twelve court dresses and twelve riding habits every year. Candles were replaced even if they were unused.1

Then came the diamonds, which her husband often covered for her as the cost far exceeded her allowance. The Count of Mercy wrote, “The monarch received this demand with his customary gentleness, only saying mildly he was not astonished to find the Queen penniless, considering her taste for diamonds.”2

She began to gamble and often lost huge sums of money, such as 500,000 livres in 1777.3 The Count of Mercy wrote, “The Queen now plays very high; she no longer enjoys games where the stakes are limited… Her ladies and courtiers are alarmed and dread the losses to which they are exposed in order to pay their court to the Queen.”4

In 1775, she received the Petit Trianon from her husband, which was a small palace at the end of the Gardens of Versailles. She planted a garden and built a hamlet which consisted of 12 cottages, a mill and a working farm.

As her unpopularity grew, she was accused of acting in the Austrian interests, and it was even claimed that the Petit Trianon contained a wall of diamonds. The gift of the Chateau of Saint-Cloud from her husband, who had bought it at 6 million livres, raised the disgust at her excesses.5 Her brother, Emperor Joseph, wrote, “The queen is a very beautiful and charming woman, but she thinks only of her pleasures, has no love for the king… she does not fulfil either the duties of a wife or a queen.”6

Marie Antoinette’s friends were showered with gifts, but when the Duchess of Polignac demanded an estate worth 100,000 livres a year, even she had to think about it. Although “Even the Queen was rather frightened at this unreasonable demand; but finally adopted the idea, and only thought of ways of carrying it out… in the last four years the members of the family of de Polignac, without any services to the State, and wholly as favours, have received nearly 500,000 livres a year in appointments and similar benefits.”7

There is no doubt that she spent plenty of money, although some could easily be attributed to her role as Queen. Her household consisted of around 500 people and cost 5 million livres. The government’s deficit was at 22 million livres when Marie Antoinette became Queen in 1774, and this was expected to rise by a further 78 million.8

She wasn’t the only one in the family known to spend plenty. King Louis’s aunts, the mesdames, were capable of spending 3 million livres during a six-week stay at Vichy, while the Count of Artois built up 21 million livres in debt. His other brother, the Count of Provence, had a debt of 10 million livres paid off by the King in the 1780s.9

Although she clearly wasn’t the only one guilty of massive spending, public opinion was against her, and she earned the nickname “Madame Deficit.”10 She tried to defend herself by shaping herself into the “Mother of the Children of France”, but it was no use.11 At the end of August 1787, the portrait of Marie Antoinette with her children by Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun was supposed to be unveiled, but it had to be withdrawn due to the Queen’s unpopularity. The frame remained empty, and someone took it upon themselves to pin a note to it with the words, “Behold the deficit!”12

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