Moniek Bloks's Blog, page 72

The Year of Marie Antoinette – Marie Antoinette & The Countess of Provence (Part two)

Read part one here.

After becoming Queen, Marie Antoinette had “continued to amuse herself almost childishly with the Provences and the Artois, granting them liberties ordinarily given in families, but suddenly, remembering that she was the Queen, ‘she indulged in remarks on the superiority of her rank and slightly mortifying comparisons for the other princes and princess.'” Marie Thérèse and Marie Joséphine joined forces with the so-called Mesdames (King Louis XV’s aunts) and enjoyed gossiping about all the details of Marie Antoinette’s life and even distorting those details.1

It was Marie Thérèse who provided the first heir of the next generation. On 6 August 1775, she gave birth to a son named Louis Antoine. Three more children followed, of which one – a son named Charles Ferdinand – survived to adulthood. After several years of marriage, Marie Antoinette gave birth to two daughters and two sons, of which one daughter and one son would survive to adulthood. Marie Joséphine was destined to remain childless.

The relationship between the Countess of Provence and Marie Antoinette deteriorated after Marie Antoinette became Queen. The same could be said for the King and his brother, who openly doubted the paternity of Marie Antoinette’s children.2 Marie Joséphine even claimed to be pregnant at the same time as Marie Antoinette, which turned out to be a lie.3

As the French Revolution began, even Marie Joséphine wasn’t safe from the rumours, with pamphlets declaring her supposed addiction to alcohol. Her sister was accused of bearing an illegitimate child.4 By then, the relationship with her husband was basically over as well. He had his favourites, and Marie Joséphine had found her own favourite in the form of Marguerite de Gourbillon. They would often spend their days together at the Pavillon Madame in Montreuil, which consisted of “a model village with twelve houses, dovecotes and windmills, a diary made of marble with silver vessels, as well as allegorical temples consecrated to love and friendship, a hermitage and a belvedere.”5

After the Storming of the Bastille, Marie Joséphine and her husband did not leave France, as the Count and Countess of Artois had done. They were moved to Paris along with King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, although they were lodged in the Luxembourg Palace. They often came to dine with the King and Queen and reportedly had quite some pleasant evenings together.6

In conjunction with the King and Queen’s plan to escape, the Count of Provence also mapped out an escape for him and Marie Joséphine. She knew nothing of the plan until the last minute when she was ordered to leave with one lady-in-waiting. At the end of their last evening together, the King, Queen and the Count and Countess of Provence shared a tender embrace.7

But while Marie Joséphine and her husband were reunited in Namur in Belgium, the King and Queen’s flight ended in Varennes. The Count’s reaction to being that his brother had been captured was reportedly one of indifference. The Marquis de Bouillé wrote, “There wasn’t a trace of tears in those eyes as dry as his heart.”8 The Count later wrote, “The joy I felt at seeing Madame again was poisoned by the thought of the position of the rest of my family and the comparison I made, in spite of myself, of their fate with ours.”9

After the reunion, Marie Joséphine first went to Bonn before travelling to Koblenz, where they were given the Palace of Schönbornslust as their residence in exile. This offer of refuge came from Clemens Wenceslaus of Saxony, Archbishop-Elector of Trier, who also happened to be the brother of the King and the Counts’ mother, Maria Josepha of Saxony. Marie Joséphine took up residence on the ground floor of the left wing, while her husband lived in the right wing. Slowly, life returned to relative normality, even down to the abundant spending.

However, Marie Joséphine had no intention of staying in Koblenz for long, and she intended to return home to Turin – without her husband. She left Koblenz on 11 April 1792, and her husband insisted on accompanying her to Mainz. It took her 16 days to reach Turin, where she was reunited with her sister,  the Countess of Artois.

Although they were now both in Turin, their shared exile did not bring them closer. However, Marie Thérèse did find solace with Marie Clotilde, the sister of their husbands who had married their brother. She was so “disillusioned with the attractions of the world” by “the example of the virtues of the future Queen of Sardinia” that she almost joined a convent.10Joséphine de Savoie, comtesse de Provence, 1753-1810 by Tony-Henri-Auguste Reiset p.291'>11 It was Marie Clotilde who convinced her that the convent wouldn’t be for her.

On 4 February 1793, the court of Turin learned that King Louis XVI had been executed, and a service was held for him. In November, the news of Queen Marie Antoinette’s execution reached Turin. In June 1795, it was confirmed that their son, who had been proclaimed King Louis XVII, had also died. From Verona, Marie Joséphine’s husband declared “with the deepest pain, the death of his honoured lord and nephew, Louis XVII, and his accession to the throne bloodied by the misfortunes of his family.”12Joséphine de Savoie, comtesse de Provence, 1753-1810 by Tony-Henri-Auguste Reiset p.29613 While Marie Joséphine was addressed as Queen by some, it was an empty title as there was no Kingdom anymore.

Part three coming soon.

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The Year of Marie Antoinette – Marie Antoinette & Count Axel von Fersen

The relationship between Count Axel von Fersen and Marie Antoinette has been the topic of heated debate. So, who was this Swedish count?

Count Axel von Fersen was born in Stockholm on 4 September 1755 as the son of Field Marshal Count Axel von Fersen the Elder and Countess Hedvig Catharina De la Gardie.

In 1770, Axel left Sweden for his Grand Tour of the Continent, and he would first lay eyes on Marie Antoinette, then still Dauphine of France, on 19 November 1773 during his presentation to the royal family at Versailles. He attended several of the balls Marie Antoinette had organised during the month of November. He returned on New Year’s Day 1774 and, over the month, attended three more balls. On 30 January 1774, a masked Marie Antoinette spoke with Axel for a long time during the Paris Opera Ball, where he apparently failed to recognise her. He attended another one of her balls the following day before departing for England in May.

Five years later, Just as Marie Antoinette was pregnant with her first child, Axel returned to Versailles. Marie Antoinette recognised him and exclaimed, “Ah! It’s an old acquaintance!”1 From this time, Marie Antoinette sought to add him to her circle of intimate friends. In November, he wrote to his father that she was “the most amiable princess I know.”2 On 19 December 1775, she gave birth to a daughter, Madame Royale.

Over the next year, they saw each other often at Versailles and at balls. She also helped him get a commission in the French army, and he left for his regiment on 1 July. He returned to Versailles on 23 December and secured an invitation to the Christmas Eve dinner hosted by the Princess of Lamballe for Marie Antoinette. He spent a few days at Versailles before returning to Paris. By early 1780, Axel was back in Marie Antoinette’s circle, and people were now starting to notice her fascination with the handsome Swede.

He later wrote, “Her kindness has aroused the jealousy of the younger courtiers who cannot understand a foreigner being better treated than they are,”3 Marie Antoinette then helped him secure a post as aide-de-camp to General Rochambeau, who was being sent to America. He left Versailles on 23 March 1780 and was teased by the Duchess of Saint-James about him “abandoning his conquest.” He replied, “If I had made one, I would not abandon it.”4 Axel would spend the next three years with the French army during the American War of Independence. During his absence, Marie Antoinette gave birth to her first son, Louis Joseph.

When Axel finally returned on 23 June 1783, Marie Antoinette was pregnant again, although she would lose the child in November. By then, he had visited Marie Antoinette in private at least once. On his father’s insistence, he left Versailles on 20 September and returned to Sweden. Was this private visit the start of their physical affair? If it wasn’t, he almost certainly was her lover by the following when she had recovered from the loss of her child. On 29 June 1781, Lady Elizabeth Foster wrote that Axel had been “considered as the lover and was certainly the intimate friend of the Queen for these last eight years.”5 In July 1783, Axel wrote that he would never marry because “I cannot belong to the only person I want to belong to, the only one who truly loves me.”6

We’ll never be able to determine if Axel was the father of Marie Antoinette’s younger children, Louis Charles (later King Louis XVII) and the short-lived Sophie. However, King Louis XVI never doubted the paternity of his children.7

Even as the French Revolution began to gain traction, Marie Antoinette and Axel continued to communicate through letters, which were addressed to “Josephine”, a variant of one of Marie Antoinette’s names. They were also often in code or written in invisible ink. Axel was known for his discretion, and even the letters never mention Marie Antoinette by name.

In 1792, he was involved in the planning of the Flight to Varennes, which failed to give the royal family their freedom. Shortly after, she wrote to Axel, “Our position is dreadful, but don’t worry too much. I am taking heart, and I have something inside me that tells me that we will soon be happy and saved.”8 He continued to try and think of a way to save her, but it was to no avail.

The day after Axel learned that Marie Antoinette had been executed, he wrote, “I could only think of my loss. It was dreadful to have no positive details. That she was alone in her last moments, without comfort, with no one to talk to, to give her last wishes to, is horrifying. The monsters from hell! No, without revenge, my heart will never be satisfied.”9

In March 1795, he received the end of an undated note Marie Antoinette had sent him that had never reached him. He taped it to his diary on 19 March, and it read, “Farewell, my heart is all yours.”10

Axel outlived his Josephine for 17 years, but he, too, met a brutal end. On 20 June 1810, he was killed by a mob during the funeral procession of Charles August, Crown Prince of Sweden.

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The Year of Marie Antoinette – The Execution of the Princess of Lamballe

The Princess of Lamballe was a great favourite of Queen Marie Antoinette, which was no longer a good position to be in as the French Revolution broke out. Marie Thérèse Louise of Savoy was born on 8 September 1749 as the daughter of Louis Victor of Savoy, Prince of Carignano and Princess Christine of Hesse-Rotenburg. On 17 January 1767, Marie Thérèse married the Prince of Lamballe in a proxy ceremony. He was the son of the Duke of Penthièvre, who in turn was a grandson of King Louis XIV of France and his mistress, Madame de Montespan. On 5 February 1767, the new Princess of Lamballe was presented at court to King Louis XV by her husband’s aunt, Maria Fortunata d’Este, the Countess of La Marche. Although she was initially happy in her marriage, her husband returned to his wanton ways soon enough. After just over a year of marriage, the Prince fell from his horse while his health was already weakened. His health worsened, and he was diagnosed with syphilis. On 6 May 1768, he died after an agonising struggle. His 18-year-old widow retired to the Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Antoine to recover from the shock. Just two years later, Marie Thérèse attended the wedding of Marie Antoinette of Austria and Louis Auguste, the Dauphin of France. She was formally introduced to her later that day, and despite the age difference of six years, the two quickly became close friends. She came to serve at court, and when Marie Antoinette became Queen in 1774, she was appointed Superintendent of the Queen’s Household. She did lose some of her influence when the Duchess of Polignac managed to secure the Queen’s favour. Nevertheless, Marie Thérèse secured positions for her brothers at court. As the hatred for the monarchy grew, both the Duchess of Polignac and the Princess of Lamballe were the subject of pamphlets in which they were accused of having lesbian relations with the Queen. In one, Marie Antoinette tells the Princess of Lamballe, “If men ever dropped us, we could not be pitied for we know how to do without them.”1 When the Bastille was stormed in 1789, Marie Thérèse was travelling in Switzerland. When she returned to Paris, she found that the royal family had been taken to the Tuileries Palace, where they were under guard. They tried to continue living by their routines, but the guards were always watching. Marie Thérèse left court to care for her father-in-law in August 1789, but she returned to court after the Women’s March on Versailles in October. Marie Thérèse had not been informed beforehand that the royal family intended to flee in June 1791. They had said goodbye the evening before, and Marie Thérèse retired to Passy, where she received a note the following morning. It said that the family was fleeing France and that they wanted to meet her at Montmédy. Marie Thérèse told her staff that her father-in-law had fallen ill again and set off. But while Marie Thérèse reached Montmédy, the royal family did not. She sent a note to Marie Antoinette which read, “I…wait [for] your Majesty’s command, and I will hasten back to Paris to participate in your… captivity.” She wrote back, “Remain, my friend, where you are!”2 She eventually travelled to Aachen and remained in contact with Marie Antoinette, who kept telling her not to return. In October October 1791, Marie Thérèse was formally asked to resume her service, although this was in contradiction to the private letters sent by Marie Antoinette. Marie Thérèse, knowing the danger she was in, returned to France saying, “The Queen wants me; I must live and die near her.”3 On 12 November 1791, she was admitted into the presence of the King and Queen and life resumed at the Tuileries. By then, many of the others in service had left, including the Duchess of Polignac. On 10 August 1792, the family was forced to seek refuge with the Legislative Assembly, and it was decided that a more secure location was needed. On 13 August 1792, the family was moved to the Temple, a medieval fortress used as a prison, where they could be more easily guarded. It consisted of two structures, a palace and Tower, divided into a Great Tower and Small Tower. On 19 August, the Princess of Lamballe was removed from the Temple for interrogation. Marie Antoinette pleaded to keep the Princess of Lamballe with her, claiming she was a royal relative. It was no use, and the Princess of Lamballe was taken to the La Force prison. Marie Antoinette’s daughter later wrote, “It was with difficulty [that] my mother could tear herself from the arms of the Princesse de Lamballe.”4 Marie Thérèse was interrogated by Jacques Nicolas Billaud-Varenne, as were the Marquise de Tourzel, the Dauphin’s governess, and her daughter Pauline who were removed from the Temple at the same time. The Marquise later wrote, “Se conceived a great friendship for Pauline and said the kindest things to us every day [expressing] the happiness she experienced by having us with her.”5 But while the Marquise de Tourzel and Pauline were eventually rescued, no such rescue came for the Princess. At 6 in the morning on 3 September 1792, gaolers entered the cell, demanding their names. They left as suddenly as they came, and Marie Thérèse and the Marquise began to pray out loud. Outside, an angry mob had formed. Five hours later, the two women (Pauline had been rescued first) were taken from their cell and into the courtyard. The Marquise later wrote, “We clasped each other’s hand… and I can state positively that she displayed much courage and presence of mind, replying without hesitation to all the questions put by the monsters who joined us for the sole purpose of contemplating their victims before leading them to death.”6 Eventually, the two women were separated as the Princess was sent to face the tribunal. Once again, the Princess was questioned and ordered to swear an oath stating that she hated all Kings and Queens. She refused and said, “I have nothing to answer. Whether I die sooner or later is a matter of indifference to me. I have made the sacrifice of my life.”7 The tribunal then declared, “Let madame be set at liberty”, which was actually code for the death sentence.8 As she was led outside, she was greeted by the sight of carnage. The death sentence was carried out by an angry mob. How the Princess died exactly has been the subject of many stories and rumours, saying she was gang-raped and had her breasts cut off. What we know for certain is that her dead body was stripped naked and that her head was cut off and put on a pike. The mob wanted to show Marie Antoinette the head of her favourite, and so a bloody procession headed to the Temple. Marie Antoinette could not see the crowd, but she could hear it and was told, “Well, if you want to know, it is the head of Mme. de Lamballe they wish to show you.”9 According to Marie Antoinette’s daughter, “that was the sole moment when her firmness abandoned her.”10 Her father-in-law later said, “I think I always hear her… I always think I see her sitting near the window, in the little study… with what assiduity she used to work there, from morning till night, at the labours of her sex, for the poor?… And this is the angel they have torn to pieces!”11

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Book News Week 36

*contains affiliate links*

Book News week 36: 4 September – 10 September 2023

The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown 

Paperback – 5 September 2023 (US)

Queen Elizabeth II: A Photographic Portrait

Hardcover – 5 September 2023 (US)

Queen Elizabeth II: A Celebration of Her Life and Reign in Pictures 

Hardcover – 5 September 2023 (UK)

How to be a Princess: Real-Life Fairy Tales for Modern Heroines – No Fairy Godmothers Required 

Paperback – 5 September 2023 (US)

A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women

Kindle Edition – 7 September (US & UK)

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The Year of Marie Antoinette – Marie Antoinette & The Countess of Provence (Part one)

Marie Joséphine of Savoy was born on 2 September 1753 as the third child and second daughter of the future KingVictor Amadeus III of Sardinia and Infanta Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain. Her younger sister Marie Thérèse would later join her in France as the wife of the Count of Artois. Her parents would go on to have a total of 12 children, though not all of them lived to adulthood.

Her early years were dictated by the strict protocol of the Sardinian royal court with its almost convent-like habits. Each of the children had their own household, with a squire and a lady-in-waiting. Although the family was close, this upbringing had left her wholly unprepared for the future that lay ahead.

In late 1770, her future husband’s grandfather, King Louis XV of France, wrote to her grandfather, King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, asking for her hand in marriage for his grandson. This request was received with the greatest joy and satisfaction. As they were closely related, a papal dispensation was required, which was granted.

The Count of Provence wasted no time in writing to his future bride for the first time. On 21 March 1771, he wrote, “My sister and cousin, I have received a very touching token of the esteem in which the King of Sardinia holds me, in granting you my wishes and those of the King, my Lord and grandfather, your consent to a union which adds to my happiness causes me as much as joy as gratitude. I have been waiting with the greatest impatience to be allowed to express it to you. I have asked the Baron de Choiseul, the King’s extraordinary ambassador, to present you with my portrait, and I ask you to accept it as a token of the feelings which are engraved in my heart for you and which will last as long as my life.”1

Marie Joséphine wrote an equally affectionate letter back, telling him about the “contentment I feel about our forthcoming union.”2 On 16 April 1771, the marriage contract was signed, and the proxy ceremony took place at 6 in the evening. She received a generous dowry and was provided with jewellery worth 200,000 pounds by her grandfather. From the King of France, she received 300,000 livres worth of jewellery. Her day of departure was set for 22 April, and she left very early in the morning. She was said to be “in a state capable of causing pity.”3

Upon arrival at the border, she underwent a similar handover that her future sister-in-law had undergone. On 12 May 1771, she was greeted by King Louis XV at Saint-Herem, and he was delighted by her. Two days later, Marie Joséphine married the Count of Provence in person at Versailles. Her new husband was quick to write to her mother to tell her how happy he was. Nevertheless, the King’s mistress, Madame du Barry, apparently complained that Marie Joséphine was reluctant to wash, to wear perfume or to pluck her eyebrows. Her father later wrote to her that she should spend more time at her toilette.4

The arrival of Marie Joséphine to the court of Versailles was not a happy occasion for Marie Antoinette. She had been married to the Dauphin for over a year, and the marriage had remained famously unconsummated. Marie Joséphine could theoretically produce a new heir quicker than Marie Antoinette and threaten her position at court. They certainly wasted no time in consummating the marriage, although by the following year, she sadly confirmed that she was not pregnant, “and it’s not my fault.”5

There were at least two confirmed pregnancies – in 1774 and 1781 – as a governess was appointed by the King for the expected children. However, both of these pregnancies ended in a miscarriage.6

In a letter from her mother, Marie Antoinette was advised to befriend the new Countess as “this will do you credit” and “it is said that she does not have a good figure; very shy, not of the world, but otherwise well brought up. In time, this could make a suitable liaison and friendship.”7 Marie Antoinette heeded her mother’s advice, at least on the surface, and referred to Marie Joséphine as her sister.8 In 1773, Marie Joséphine’s sister Marie Thérèse arrived to marry the youngest of the brothers, the Count of Artois. The following year, King Louis XV died, and he was succeeded by his grandson, now King Louis XVI, and Marie Antoinette. A new reign had begun.

Sarah Tytler wrote of the relationship between the sisters-in-law, “Marie Antoinette pined for fit company of her own age, and all the uncongeniality between her and her sisters-in-law did not come out in a day. The Dauphiness welcomed the Comtesse de Provence and the Comtesse d’Artois with her frank friendliness, and for a time, the increase of privileged young people brought a corresponding increase of sociality and animation in what was apt to be, to the princes and princesses the deadly liveliness of the Court of the blasé old King.”9

Part two coming soon. 

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Royal Jewels – The Duchess of Teck’s Tiara

The Duchess of Teck’s tiara is “formed as a band of 20 crescents and three pave-set wild roses on a gold framework.”1

The elements that this tiara consists of were part of the inheritance from Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, the Duchess of Teck, from her childless aunt, Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester. They were probably the “diamond bandeau for the head and three diamond roses”, as specified in the Duchess of Gloucester’s will. They were later described in an inventory of Princess Mary Adelaide’s jewellery as “Three diamond roses… a diamond chain all the diamonds from this chain made into a diadem… Twenty-one diamond crescents.”2

Margaret, Marchioness of Cambridge, wearing the tiara (public domain)

By 1871, Princess Mary Adelaide had the crescents mounted on a headband and by 1882, it had all been assembled to create a tiara with a detachable double row of diamonds. When Princess Mary Adelaide’s died in 1897, the tiara was inherited by her eldest son, Prince Adolphus of Teck. It was then worn by his wife, Margaret.

(public domain)

The tiara received a new frame in 1901, and by 1937, the tiara had been given to Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother). Once again, a new frame was made, and the two rows of diamonds were removed. Queen Elizabeth probably only wore it once – on 18 May 1939. It was inherited by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002, who gave it to the then Duchess of Cornwall as a loan.

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Queen Mariamne I – The executed wife of King Herod the Great

Queen Mariamne I was the second and most famous wife of King Herod the Great of Judea. She was a Hasmonean princess and was known to be a legendary beauty. King Herod loved her passionately. However, he was very jealous and possessive of her. It was due to his jealousy of Queen Mariamne that he sentenced her to be executed in 29 B.C.E.

Queen Mariamne I was born circa 54 B.C.E. Her parents were Princess Alexandra (daughter of King Hyrcanus II of Judea) and Prince Alexander (the son of King Aristobulus II). Both of her parents were grandparents to Queen regnant Salome Alexandra of Judea. Princess Mariamne also had a brother named Aristobulus. Both of her grandfathers brought about the downfall of the Hasmonean Dynasty by giving most of their power to Rome.[1] Princess Mariamne’s father, Prince Aristobulus, led a revolt against Rome in 55 B.C.E.[2] He was executed by the Romans in 49 B.C.E.[3]

The Deposed King Hyrcanus II sought to ally himself with the influential Herodian family.[4] He and his daughter, Princess Alexandra, betrothed Princess Mariamne to Herod.[5] In 40 B.C.E., Princess Mariamne’s uncle, Prince Antigonus, allied himself with the Parthians to invade Judea.[6] Princess Mariamne and her family sought refuge in Masada, and Herod fled to Rome.[7] Herod was made King of Judea by the Romans in 37 B.C.E.[8] After he was crowned, King Herod returned to Judea. He exiled his first wife, Queen Doris and his son, Prince Antipater, to marry Princess Mariamne.[9]

Queen Mariamne was known to be very beautiful, and King Herod loved her with great passion.[10] Despite his deep love for her, King Herod was still suspicious of the Hasmonean royals, especially his mother-in-law, Princess Alexandra.[11] He did not want to make his brother-in-law, Aristobulus, the High King of Judea. Instead, he appointed Hananel the High Priest.[12] Through Princess Alexandra’s protestations and the intervention of Mark Antony and Queen Cleopatra VII, King Herod had no choice but to make Aristobulus the High Priest in 36 B.C.E.[13] Shortly after his appointment, Aristobulus drowned under mysterious circumstances in King Herod’s winter palace at Jericho.[14] Queen Mariamne believed that King Herod had murdered her brother and fostered a secret hatred for him.[15]

Queen Mariamne bore King Herod five children. She had two sons named Alexander and Aristobulus, an unnamed son who died young, and two daughters named Salampsio and Cypros.[16] Mark Antony summoned King Herod to Laodicea to explain his side of the story of Aristobulus’s murder.[17] Before he left for Laodicea, he placed Queen Mariamne under the care of his brother-in-law, Joseph.[18] However, he was extremely jealous.[19] If King Herod was sentenced to die for the murder of Aristobulus, he did not want his wife to remarry.[20] He ordered Joseph that if he did not return to Judea, he should kill Queen Mariamne.[21] 

While King Herod was away, Joseph told Queen Mariamne of her husband’s secret decree.[22] When King Herod returned after being deemed innocent, King Herod’s sister, Queen regnant Salome of Iamnia, accused Queen Mariamne of committing adultery with Joseph.[23] Initially, King Herod did not believe the accusation.[24] However, when Queen Mariamne confronted her husband about his secret decree, King Herod believed that the accusation was true.[25] He executed Joseph and decided to execute Queen Mariamne.[26] However, he found that he could not kill her because he still loved her deeply.[27] His anger towards her dissipated.[28] Instead, he threw his mother-in-law, Princess Alexandra, in jail for believing her to be the instigator of the false accusations.[29]

In 30 B.C.E., King Herod left Judea to visit Emperor Augustus in Rhodes.[30] He placed Queen Mariamne and Princess Alexandra under the protection of an Iturean named Sohemus.[31] Again, he ordered Sohemus that if he did not return to Judea to kill Queen Mariamne and Princess Alexandra.[32] Sohemus told Queen Mariamne of his secret decree.[33] Princess Alexandra persuaded Queen Mariamne to run away since King Herod was away.[34] However, she was caught and was forced to stay in Sohemus’s protection.[35]

When King Herod returned from Judea, he expected Queen Mariamne to welcome him with love.[36] With the murder of her brother and her husband’s secret decrees, she did not give him the love he desperately sought.[37] Instead, she avoided King Herod’s advances and looked at him with hatred.[38] The rift between King Herod and Queen Mariamne was so deep that it made it easy for him to listen to his mother’s and sister’s accusations about Queen Mariamne.[39] They told him that Queen Mariamne had committed adultery with Sohemus and that Queen Mariamne even tried to poison him.[40] King Herod questioned Queen Mariamne’s eunuch, who told him that she did not poison him, but she was outraged at King Herod’s secret instructions that he left for Sohemus.[41] Therefore, King Herod believed that Queen Mariamne committed adultery with Sohemus.[42]

King Herod executed Sohemus and imprisoned Queen Mariamne.[43] However, Queen Salome was not happy that Queen Mariamne was in prison.[44] She desired her execution.[45] She persuaded her brother to kill Queen Mariamne because her imprisonment might start a revolt.[46] She also claimed that the Jewish people would make attempts to free the Queen.[47]

King Herod sentenced Queen Mariamne to death in 29 B.C.E. In order to save herself, Princess Alexandra publicly abandoned her daughter.[48] During Queen Mariamne’s route to her execution, Princess Alexandra called her daughter a “proud and vile woman” [49] as well as King Herod’s enemy.[50] Yet, Queen Mariamne did not give her mother a word or glance her way.[51] Instead, it only made the witnesses admire Queen Mariamne’s courage and revile Princess Alexandra’s actions.[52] Queen Mariamne went to her death bravely, serenely, and composed.[53] Queen Mariamne’s death won the admiration of those around her, including Josephus, the Jewish historian.[54] He remarked that Queen Mariamne had died with the dignity of a noble princess.[55] Her death caused public outrage among the Jewish people against King Herod.[56] Queen Mariamne was around twenty-five years old.

King Herod immediately regretted his decision of executing Queen Mariamne.[57] He began to grow insane and deeply mourned her loss.[58] Josephus claimed that King Herod tried to hunt and host banquets to forget about his wife.[59] However, he was so heartbroken that he fell ill in Samaria.[60] King Herod built a tower in Jerusalem and named it Mariamne in honour of her.[61] It was even said that King Herod embalmed her body in honey for seven years so that he could still gaze upon her beauty.[62] Queen Mariamne’s sons would be executed by King Herod for treason in 7 B.C.E.[63] Before their deaths, Prince Alexander married Glaphyra, a Cappadocian princess.[64] Prince Aristobulus married Princess Berenice (the daughter of Herod the Great’s sister, Queen regnant Salome of Iamnia).[65] Queen Mariamne’s grandsons, King Herod Agrippa I of Judea, King Herod V of Chalcis, and King Tigranes V of Armenia, would together reign over more territory than any Herodian or Hasmonean had ever ruled.[66]

Queen Mariamne I had a turbulent marriage with King Herod the Great of Judea. King Herod deeply loved her, but she hated him for the murder of her brother and his secret decrees of murdering her if he ever died away from Judea. When she started to shun him, King Herod’s mother and sister took the opportunity to frame her for adultery. King Herod executed her, but he instantly regretted murdering her. He mourned her for years and even embalmed her body. Thus, Queen Marianne was King Herod’s greatest passion, and it was this passion that led to her downfall. However, the dignity and grace of how she composed herself during her execution won the admiration of the Jewish people. It was because of Queen Mariamne’s death that King Herod was greatly disliked among the Jews.[67]

Sources:

Gottheil, R. & Krauss, S. (1906). “Mariamne”. The Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved on December 20, 2022 from https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/ar....

Ilan, T. (31 December 1999). “Hasmonean Women.” Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. Jewish Women’s Archive. Retrieved on December 19, 2022 from. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/....

Ilan, Tal. (31 December 1999). “Mariamme I The Hasmonean.” Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. Jewish Women’s Archive. Retrieved on December 20, 2022 from https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/....

Kasher, A., Witztum, E. (2008). King Herod: A Persecuted Persecutor: A Case Study in Psychohistory and Psychobiography. Germany: Netlibrary.

Macurdy, G. H. (1937). Vassal-queens and Some contemporary Women in the Roman Empire. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press.

Milwitzky, W. (1906). “Alexandra”. The Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved on December 19, 2022 from https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articl....

Smith, M. H. ( n.d.). “Mariamne I (ca. 57-29 BCE; executed)”. Virtual Religion Network. Retrieved on December 20 from https://virtualreligion.net/iho/maria....

[1] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Mariamne I The Hasmonean”

[2] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Mariamne I The Hasmonean”

[3] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Hasmonean Women”

[4] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Mariamne I The Hasmonean”

[5] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Mariamne I The Hasmonean”

[6] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Mariamne I The Hasmonean”

[7] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Mariamne I The Hasmonean”

[8] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Mariamne I The Hasmonean”

[9] Macurdy, 1937

[10] Macurdy, 1937

[11] Macurdy, 1937

[12] Macurdy, 1937

[13] Macurdy, 1937

[14] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Hasmonean Women”

[15] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[16] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[17] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[18] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[19] Macurdy, 1937

[20] Macurdy, 1937

[21] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[22] Macurdy, 1937

[23] Macurdy, 1937

[24] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[25] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[26] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[27] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[28] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[29] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[30] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[31] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[32] Macurdy, 1937

[33] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[34] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Hasmonean Women”

[35] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Hasmonean Women”

[36] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[37] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[38] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[39] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[40] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[41] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[42] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[43] Macurdy, 1937

[44] Macurdy, 1937

[45] Macurdy, 1937

[46] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[47] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[48] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”

[49] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”, para. 2

[50] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”

[51] Macurdy, 1937

[52] Macurdy, 1937

[53] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[54] Macurdy, 1937

[55] Macurdy, 1937

[56] Kasher and Witztum, 2008

[57] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”

[58] Milwitzky, 1906, “Alexandra”

[59] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[60] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[61] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[62] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Mariamne”

[63] Smith, n.d., “Mariamne I (ca. 57-29 BCE; executed)”

[64] Macurdy, 1937

[65] Macurdy, 1937

[66] Smith, n.d., “Mariamne I (ca. 57-29 BCE; executed)”

[67] Kasher and Witztum, 2008

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Royal Wedding Recollections – Crown Prince Harald of Norway & Sonja Haraldsen

On 29 August 1968, Crown Prince Harald of Norway finally married Sonja Haraldsen. The road to the wedding had been difficult and long.

They had first met in June 1959, but their relationship was kept a secret, and Harald later declared to his father that he would remain unmarried unless he were allowed to marry her. As he was the only male heir at the time, this would have meant extinction. Finally, the two were allowed to marry.

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On 18 March 1968, King Olav V, Harald’s father, announced their engagement. The New York Times reported, “Although most Norwegians accepted the engagement, many happily, some expressed disappointment that the Crown Prince had clung to his choice of a commoner. However, as a banker from Bergen expressed it, ‘If it was Sonja or no monarchy at all, then it is Sonja.'”1

By Glorvigen, Bjørn – Arkivet etter Billedbladet Nå i Riksarkivet, CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons

And so on that August day in 1968, commoner Sonja became Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of Norway. Dr Fridtjov Søiland Birkeli performed the ceremony at Oslo Cathedral. Sonja wore “a white silk gown in a classic A shape with a long train of the same material attached at the shoulders. The high round neck and three-quarter length full sleeves were edged with embroidery of seed pearls and small flowers. She had a long tulle veil and carried a bouquet of flowers.”2 She did not wear a tiara. She was walked down the aisle by King Olav.

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Among the royal guests were King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid of Denmark, Baudouin, King of the Belgians, and Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte of Luxembourg.3 The festivities were to last three days.

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Crown Prince Harald succeeded his father as King in 1991. He and Sonja have two children together: Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Märtha Louise. Sonja also had one miscarriage in 1970.4

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Queen Doris of Jerusalem – The banished wife of King Herod the Great

Queen Doris of Jerusalem was the first wife of King Herod the Great. She married him before he became King of Judea. However, King Herod banished her and her son in order to marry a Hasmonean princess. Later, he would recall them from exile and name his son the heir apparent. However, Queen Doris never forgave King Herod for exiling her. She plotted to have her husband murdered and place her son on the throne. However, her schemes ultimately failed, and she faced devastating consequences.

Queen Doris of Jerusalem’s early life is mostly unknown. She was born sometime during the first century B.C.E. Many historians believe that she was the daughter of Hellenized Idumean aristocrats who had settled in Jerusalem.[1] In circa 45 B.C.E., Doris married Herod while he was still the Governor of Galilee.[2] She gave birth to Herod’s first son named Antipater.

When Herod became King of Judea in 37 B.C.E., he wanted to marry the Hasmonean princess, Mariamne. He exiled Queen Doris and his son, Prince Antipater, from Jerusalem.[3] In 17 B.C.E., King Herod recalled Queen Doris and Prince Antipater from exile.[4] King Herod hoped that by bringing Prince Antipater back from exile, he would humble his arrogant sons whom he had from his second wife, Queen Mariamne.[5] King Herod also made Prince Antipater his heir apparent. As the mother of the heir apparent, Queen Doris was the most honoured woman in the Herodian court.[6] However, Queen Doris never forgave her husband for exiling her and harboured a grudge against him.[7] She also hated Queen Mariamne’s sons.[8] This was because she was jealous that Queen Mariamne was a Hasmonean princess.[9]

In 4 B.C.E., Queen Doris plotted against King Herod in order to place her son, Prince Antipater, on the throne.[10] When King Herod learned of his wife’s treachery, King Herod stripped her of all her finery, which was worth a massive fortune, and expelled her from the palace.[11] King Herod executed his heir, Prince Antipater.[12] History does not mention what happens to Queen Doris after her second exile.[13] There is no mention of how or when she died.[14]

Queen Doris of Jerusalem was the first wife of King Herod the Great of Judea, and the mother of his heir-apparent, Prince Antipater. However, Queen Doris proved to be very ruthless and vengeful.[15] She hated her husband and plotted to kill him. In the end, all of her evil schemes were in vain. Queen Doris’s ruthlessness was eventually revealed to King Herod the Great of Judea. Thus, Queen Doris’s treason against King Herod resulted in the death of her only son and her banishment. Had she been a faithful wife to King Herod, the endings of Queen Doris and Prince Antipater might have been very different.

Sources:

“Doris”. (n.d.). Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved on 20 December 2022 from https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/....

Gottheil, R. & Krauss, S. (1906). “Doris”. The Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved on December 20, 2022 from https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articl....

Ilan, T. (31 December 1999). “Hasmonean Women.” Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. Jewish Women’s Archive. Retrieved on December 20, 2022 from. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/....

Macurdy, G. H. (1937). Vassal-queens and Some contemporary Women in the Roman Empire. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press.

Smith, M. H. (n.d.). “Doris [died aft. 5 BCE]”. Virtual Religion Network. Retrieved on December 20 from https://virtualreligion.net/iho/doris....

[1] Smith, n.d., “Doris [died aft. 5 BCE]”

[2] “Doris”, n.d., Jewish Virtual Library

[3] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Herodian Women”

[4] Smith, n.d., “Doris [died aft. 5 BCE]”

[5] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Doris”

[6] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Doris”

[7] Smith, n.d., “Doris [died aft. 5 BCE]”

[8] Macurdy, 1937

[9] Macurdy, 1937

[10] “Doris”, n.d., Jewish Virtual Library

[11] Macurdy, 1937

[12] Ilan, 31 December 1999, “Herodian Women”

[13] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Doris”

[14] Gottheil and Krauss, 1906, “Doris”

[15] Macurdy, 1937; Smith, n.d., “Doris [died aft. 5 BCE]”

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No – The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not been stripped of their titles

Once again, it’s being written that Prince Harry and Meghan have been stripped of their titles. This time, because someone noticed that they were still being referred to with their HRH style on the official website.

The current website of the royal family shows the Duchess of Sussex not being referred to as Her Royal Highness1Royal.uk'>2 The link to her page also changed somewhere in between to include “the” in her title.

There are two separate things to look at: the peerage and the HRH. By birth, Harry is His Royal Highness Prince Henry (Harry) of Wales. Upon his wedding day, he was granted the Dukedom of Sussex, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, with the subsidiary titles of Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel. Upon marriage, Meghan began to share his status and rank, becoming The Duchess of Sussex with the status of a Princess. She does not carry a title in her own right, and if any titles are removed, they must be removed from Prince Harry.

Firstly, a peerage, in this case, The Dukedom of Sussex and its subsidiary titles, cannot be removed unless by Act of Parliament. This has only ever been done once before in modern times. The Titles Deprivation Act 19173 was used to remove the peerages of enemies of the United Kingdom during the First World War.

Secondly, the styling of HRH was discussed, and it was announced that the Duke and Duchess would not use the style of HRH, but they still retain the style. This is due to the 1917 Letters Patent, which limits the title and style of  HRH Prince or Princess to the children of the sovereign, the grandchildren of the sovereign in the male line, and the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales. In 2012, this was expanded to include all the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, ensuring that both Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were born Prince and Princess.

The announcement said, “The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family.”4 Nowhere here does it say the HRH was removed or “stripped”, nor were there any Letters Patent issued. I’m not sure the removal from the website of the HRH was necessary, but it was apparently made necessary when someone brought it up. After all, it wasn’t them using the style.

 

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