Moniek Bloks's Blog, page 74

The Year of Marie Antoinette – The move to the Temple

After the storming of the Tuileries, Marie Antoinette and her family sought refuge with the Legislative Assembly. After a terrifying day, they were given lodgings at a nearby convent. However, they would not be allowed to stay there.

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. Marie Antoinette had always feared the Tower and prophesized in the convent that they would be sent there, saying, “You will see that they will put us in the Tower. They will make that a real prison for us.”1

Their arrival at the Temple took place in the palace, where they were served dinner. They were so exhausted that the Dauphin fell asleep at the table. For now, the family would be housed in the Small Tower while lodgings were prepared for them in the Great Tower. King Louis XVI received a bedroom on the third floor and a study in the turret. Marie Antoinette, Elisabeth, Marie Thérèse, the Dauphin Louis Charles, the Princess of Lamballe, the Marquise de Tourzel, her daughter Pauline and the waiting-woman Madame Navarre slept on the floor below him. On the first floor, they had an antechamber, a dining room and a turret lined with books. They arrived with very little but were able to order some items.

On 19 August, the Princess of Lamballe, the Marquise de Tourzel, Pauline and the waiting woman were 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, the Marquise de Tourzel and Pauline were taken to the La Force prison. By some miracle, the Tourzels were rescued during the September Massacres, where prisoners were targetted. The Princess of Lamballe was not so fortunate. She was hastily brought before a tribunal, where she refused to denounce the King and Queen and stated, “I have nothing to reply, dying a little earlier or a little later is a matter of indifference to me. I am prepared to make the sacrifice of my life.”2 She was then ordered to the exit for the Abbaye Prison, which was code for execution. She was taken outside, where she was lynched by a mob.

Varying stories survive regarding the brutality, but what is certain is that her head was cut off and put on a pike. Her naked body was also ripped open and put on another pike. These were then paraded through Paris, and taken to the Temple, where it was paraded in front of the window of the dining room. By some mercy, Marie Antoinette did not see the head of her friend.

Following the horrors, the family tried to keep a routine in the Temple. The Dauphin received lessons from his father, while Marie Thérèse received lessons from her mother. They were permitted to take walks in the compound and exercised there as well. Nevertheless, Louis Charles suffered from nightmares and was often visibly distressed and nervous. Finally, in September 1792, the monarchy was abolished, and France was proclaimed a republic. In October, the family was moved to the other Tower. The King and the Dauphin were on the second floor, while Marie Antoinette, Marie Thérèse and Elisabeth were on the third floor.

On 11 December, Louis Charles was taken from his father to his mother, and he certainly sensed that something was wrong. The King’s trial had begun, and he was told he could see his children, but only if they did not see their mother or aunt as long as the trial lasted. Thus, he refused. The trial continued throughout December and early January. The vote for his execution ended with 361 in favour – a majority of just one. Due to this close majority, another motion for a reprieve was made, which was rejected with a majority of 70. 20 January 1793, he was informed that he would be executed within 24 hours. Later that day, he was finally reunited with his family.

He gave them their blessing but refused to spend the night with them. He promised to see them in the morning, but their sobs still echoed as they left him. He was executed the following day without seeing his family again to spare them the agony. Shouts of joy” reached the ears of Marie Antoinette and Madame Elisabeth, the latter of whom exclaimed, “The monsters! They are satisfied now!”3 Marie Antoinette was unable to speak, but she, Elisabeth and Marie Thérèse curtsied deeply for the new – titular – King – the seven-year-old King Louis XVII. 

On 3 July 1793, Louis Charles was forcibly separated from his family. He “flung himself into my mother’s arms, imploring not to be taken from her”, wrote Marie Thérèse.4 Marie Antoinette refused to give him up, telling the guards they would have to kill her first. After being threatened that all would be killed, Marie Antoinette dressed him and handed him over. Louis Charles “kissed us all very tenderly and went away with the guards, crying his heart out.”5

Marie Antoinette became obsessed with seeing just as glimpse of Louis Charles as he passed on the way to exercise. There was just one place in the cell from where she could just see him, and spent entire days there as a result.

On 2 August 1793, Marie Antoinette was removed from the Temple to the horror of Elisabeth and Marie Thérèse.6 Marie Antoinette was guillotined on 16 October 1793.

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The Year of Marie Antoinette – Marie Antoinette & Maria Elisabeth

Maria Elisabeth of Austria was born on 13 August 1743 as the sixth but fourth surviving child of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor and Empress Maria Theresa. Her youngest sister would be the tragic Queen of France, Marie Antoinette.

As a child, her day was strictly structured. 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.

She was known to have been a great beauty, but her mother thought this had made her terribly vain. She said, “It mattered not if the look of admiration came from a prince or a Swiss guard, as long as someone was doing homage to her beauty, Elisabeth was satisfied.”1 Maria Elisabeth was 12 years old when Marie Antoinette was born.

Maria Elisabeth was forced to say goodbye to her beauty when she became ill with smallpox in 1768. After seeing the first spots appear on her face, she reportedly took “leave of those features she had so often heard praised, and which she believed would be greatly changed before she should see them again.”2 As she feared, she was left horribly scarred by the disease. The marriage negotiations with the Sardinian court were promptly stopped. Further marriage negotiations with the widowed King Louis XV of France also ended. Instead, the alliance between France and Austria would be between King Louis XV’s grandson and Maria Elisabeth’s younger sister Marie Antoinette. It was said that Maria Elisabeth had been quite pleased with the prospect of becoming Queen of France, despite the 33-year age difference with the groom.3

Maria Elisabeth was not only scarred from smallpox, but she was also quickly becoming too old to be a royal bride. It seemed unlikely that she would ever wed. She broke down in tears, and her mother later wrote, “She began to sob…[saying] that all [the others] were established and she alone was left behind and destined to remain alone with the Emperor [Joseph], which is what she will never do. We had great difficulty in silencing her.”4

Elisabeth was appointed as canoness of the Convent for Noble Ladies, but she remained with her mother for now, just like her elder sister Maria Anna, who had been vetoed for the marriage market due to a crooked spine.5 One traveller wrote that “they lead a gloomy, tedious life… immured in the Imperial Palace, almost destitute of society, obliged to attend their mother wherever she moved, and compelled to assist at ceremonies or exercises of devotion, as if they were nuns, rather than Princesses; scarcely rate they know to exist by any of the foreign nations of Europe, and never were any persons less objects of envy”6

She finally received some freedom upon the death of her mother in 1780 when she was appointed abbess in Innsbruck. A few years into her stay there, she developed an infection which left a hole in her cheek. She told the English ambassador, “Believe me, for an unmarried forty-year-old Archduchess, a hole in the cheek is fun. No event which breaks the monotony and ennui of my life can be looked upon as misfortune.”7

The literature does not speak much of the relationship between Marie Antoinette and Maria Elisabeth. The age difference meant that they grew up in separate “groups.” Marie Antoinette’s daughter Marie Thérèse would later write to Maria Carolina, another of the sisters, that “She loved you more than all of her other sisters.”8 Marie Thérèse would eventually meet her aunt Maria Elisabeth in 1796 as she passed through Innsbruck. She found her aunt “difficult” and “repulsive” but kept up a polite correspondence with her.9 Not even her response to her sister’s execution has been left to us.

Maria Elisabeth was twice forced to flee Innsbruck following the Revolutionary Wars, and the monastery suffered from debts. In 1805, Emperor Francis II (Maria Elisabeth’s nephew) had to cede Tyrol, where Innsbruck is located, to Bavaria in the Peace of Pressburg. Maria Elisabeth hurriedly packed her bags and fled to Vienna, where she officially renounced her office on 20 March 1806.

She did not wish to stay in Vienna and asked her nephew to be appointed an accommodation befitting her rank and status. She eventually found a home in Linz and would spend the last two years of her life there. She frequently attended performances in the nearby theatre and was known to be charitable.

She died on 22 September 1808 at the age of 65. She was buried in the Old Cathedral in Linz, where she still rests today.

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The Year of Marie Antoinette – Marie Antoinette & Maria Carolina

Maria Carolina of Austria was born on 13 August 1752 as the 13th child of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor and Empress Maria Theresa. She was just three years older than her younger sister Marie Antoinette, the tragic Queen of France.

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.

Maria Carolina did not stand out from her siblings, although she was known to be clever, but she failed to apply herself. Instead, she preferred to have fun with Marie Antoinette. When their elder sister Maria Christina married in 1766, they were still deemed too young to join in celebrations. The eldest of the sisters, Maria Anna, suffered from ill health and remained unmarried. One by one, the sisters were considered for marriage, but the year 1767 would change everything.

Her mother was planning the wedding of her sixteen-year-old sister Maria Josepha to Ferdinand, King of Naples, although he had originally been betrothed to their sister Maria Johanna, who had died of smallpox in 1762. Ferdinand’s behaviour apparently left much to be desired, and Maria Theresa wrote, “The young King shows no taste for anything but hunting and the theatre; he is unusually childish, learns nothing, and knows nothing except bad provincial Italian, and has on several occasions given proof of harshness and arbitrariness. He is accustomed to have his own way, and there is no one with him who can or will give him a good education.”1 She later added, “I look upon poor Josepha as a sacrifice to politics.”2 For Maria Carolina, Maria Theresa seemed to have settled on another Ferdinand, the Duke of Parma.

Then smallpox struck once more. Both Maria Theresa and her daughter-in-law, coincidentally also named Maria Josepha, fell ill and the latter fatally so. Maria Theresa survived the illness, but it was not done with the family yet. On 4 October, to prepare for the journey to Naples, Maria Theresa took Maria Josepha down to the crypt to pray at the tomb of her father. Soon afterwards, smallpox returned and took the life of the would-be Queen of Naples. Her elder sister Maria Elisabeth also fell ill and was left horribly scarred, which also ruled her out as a royal bride.

Maria Carolina was chosen to be the new Queen of Naples, while another sister, Maria Amalia, would marry the Duke of Parma. A new alliance between France and Austria determined that Marie Antoinette would marry the future King Louis XVI. Maria Carolina was horrified and pleaded with her mother. It was no use. On 17 April 1768, Maria Carolina married the King of Naples by proxy, and she was sent off the very same day. She tearfully clung to her little sister Marie Antoinette until they were finally pried apart. Even then, she jumped from the carriage at the last moment for another embrace.3

Almost immediately during the journey, Maria Carolina wrote to her former 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.”4 Upon arrival, Maria Carolina was disappointed in her husband’s appearance, but “one gets used to that.”5 Her character was much better than she had been told, and she became resolved to win him over. Eventually, she managed to influence him, and she gave birth to 18 children.

When Marie Antoinette married the future King Louis XVI of France in 1770, Maria Carolina wrote to their former governess, “When I reflect that her fate will, perhaps, be like mine, I wish I could write volumes to her about it. I desire greatly that she may have someone with her like me at the beginning, otherwise, I frankly own that it is desperation.”6 Once married, Marie Antoinette kept up a steady correspondence with Maria Carolina. In 1785, Maria Carolina was asked to be the godmother of Marie Antoinette’s third child, Louis Charles, Duke of Normandy.7

As the French Revolution hit, Maria Carolina was appalled and wanted to send an army to put it down. However, their brother Leopold could only be prevailed upon to threaten with an invasion, but he did not want to actually do it. After the failed flight to Varennes, Maria Carolina wrote, “I am tormented by the continual fears for the unhappy fate of my sister in France.”8

When news reached Naples that Marie Antoinette had been executed on 16 October 1793, Maria Carolina – heavily pregnant with her 17th child – was so distraught that it was feared that she would lose the baby. She cried, “Good God! Did you ever think the French would have treated my sister and her husband in so horrible a way?”9 She gave birth to a healthy daughter two months later, but she did not rally quickly. She wrote, “I am so excessively ill that I can barely hold my pen and spend only the briefest time out of bed. The torments I have endured have ruined my health.”10

Maria Carolina lived through the troubles caused by Napoleon, although they would be exiled from Naples for a time. She was in Vienna when she probably suffered a stroke during the night. She was found dead on the morning of 8 September 1814. She was buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, far away from her beloved sister. Nine months after her death, her husband was restored to the throne. Her daughter, Maria Amalia, became Queen of the French in 1830.

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Royal Jewels – Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Earrings

Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Earrings were part of a parure given to the then Princess Alexandra of Denmark by the future King Edward VII as a gift for their wedding.

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The earrings consist of a “large pearl encircled by ten brilliant in fancy claw setting.”1 The entire parure by Garrard consisted of a tiara, a necklace, a brooch and these earrings. She wore the entire parure except for the tiara on her wedding day.

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They were bequeathed by Queen Mary to Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

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The Year of Marie Antoinette – The storming of the Tuileries

From the flight to Varennes in June 1791 until the storming of the Tuileries on 10 August 1792, Marie Antoinette and her family were held at the Tuileries Palace guarded by the National Guard.

At the end of June 1791, Marie Antoinette wrote assuringly to Count Axel von Fersen, “Be reassured about us; we are alive.”1 She later wrote, “We are in view of our guards day and night; I’m indifferent to it… Be calm, nothing will happen to me…”2 Her hair had turned almost completely white throughout all the ordeals she had withstood so far, even though she was still only 36 years old. She even sent a lock of her hair to the Princess of Lamballe in a ring with the description “blanchis par malheur.”3

While under guard in the Tuileries Palace, King Louis XVI accepted the new Constitution that turned him into a constitutional monarch with limited powers. A visitor to the Tuileries gardens later noted that they had seen two soldiers keeping their hats on and seeing disgusting songs in the presence of Marie Antoinette as there was no mention of her in the new Constitution, and thus “she was owed no respect as the King’s wife.”4 Privately, Marie Antoinette had denounced the new Constitution as “monstrous.”5

She continued to believe that a foreign power would come in and save the day and wrote in the middle of August that “the foreign powers are the only ones that can save us.”6 At the end of August 1791, the Declaration of Pillnitz was issued, calling on the European powers to intervene. This eventually led to the French Revolutionary Wars and the events of August 1792.

But for now, Marie Antoinette wrote many letters – some in code, some written with lemon juice – to, among others, the Kings of Spain and Sweden. She hoped for their support but was eventually exhausted by her letter writing. She had even been convinced to recall the Princess of Lamballe, who was still officially the Superintendent of her Household, as “a pledge of her intentions”7 even though she desperately wrote to her, “No, once again, don’t come back, my dear heart; don’t throw yourself in the mouth of the tiger; I’ve already got too many worries with my husband and my poor little children.”8 The Princess of Lamballe dutifully returned and carried with her a little red and white spaniel as a gift.

On 13 February 1792, Marie Antoinette was briefly reunited with Count Axel von Fersen, whom she had not seen since the flight to Varennes. He had slipped in through a side door and spent the night there, hoping to convince King Louis XVI to attempt another escape. It would be the last time they would meet, though letters between them continued until the following year.

The Tuileries 20 June 1792 (public domain)

On 20 June 1792, a terrifying mob was allowed into the gardens of the palace by the National Guard. They carried pikes and hatchets and eventually broke into the palace itself. They made their way to the King’s apartments and confronted Louis, who was being protected by the Duke de Mouchy, Marshal of France. The 72-year-old Duke had placed himself firmly between the King and the mob. King Louis reportedly behaved himself admirably in the face of the mob and accepted the small bonnet rouge offered to him on the end of a butcher’s pike. It was too small for him. He also toasted to the health of the people with the mob.

The King’s sister, Madame Elisabeth, also acted quite bravely. The mob had mistaken her for Marie Antoinette, and she wished to keep up that pretence, saying, “Don’t undeceive them, let them think that I am the Queen…”9

Marie Antoinette was helped to safety, even though she had wished to remain by her husband’s side. After being reminded that she was also a mother, she took refuge with her children after escaping. When she was later asked if she had been afraid, she replied, “No, but I suffered from being separated from Louis XVI at a moment when his life was in danger.”10

In the following weeks, the quality of their life at the Tuileries went down considerably. The family no longer walked in the gardens as the insults were so terrible. Calls for the end of the monarchy were growing strong with each passing day. An assault was to be expected, and it came on 10 August 1792.

A mob of an estimated 10,000 men were headed towards the Tuileries Palace, and King Louis XVI was sent to inspect the defences to boost morale. Once outside, the King was subjected to insults and jeers. As the situation deteriorated, the question arose if the National Guards could be trusted to defend them or whether they would need to flee to the Legislative Assembly. However, Marie Antoinette preferred to stay where they were. She was eventually convinced to leave when she was prevailed upon for the safety of her children. As she left, she told the National Guards and aristocrats fighting with them, “Gentlemen, we all have the same interests… These generous servitors will share your dangers, fight with you and for you to the last extremity.”11

Despite the crowd gathering around them, the small group made their way to the Assembly. Once there, they were met by deputies who formally offered the King asylum. They were penned into the reporters’ box with its grating exposed to the sun. For the entirety of the hot day, they were left there. Meanwhile, in the palace, hundreds were massacred, and the palace was ransacked.

(public domain)

Later that night, the family was offered accommodation in a convent. However, they could not stay there, and after a debate about what place could provide the best security, they settled on the Temple, a medieval fortress used as a prison. Conditions were considerably harsher than they had been before, and just a short while later, the monarchy fell.

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Princess Beatrice – A York Princess

On 8 August 1988, Princess Beatrice of York was born as the daughter of The Duke and Duchess of York. When she was born, she was fifth in the line of succession. Her names were announced two weeks after her birth as Beatrice Elizabeth Mary.

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She was baptised on 20 December 1988 in the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace. Her godparents were the now Earl of Snowdon, the now Lady Jane Dawnay, Peter Palumbo, Gabrielle Greenall and Carolyn Cotterell.1 On 23 March 1990, she gained a sibling when Princess Eugenie was born. Her parents separated in 19922 and officially divorced in 1996.3

In 1991, Princess Beatrice started her schooling at the Upton House School in Windsor, and both she and her sister attended the Cowarth Park School. From 2000 until 2008, she attended St George’s School. During this time, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with dyslexia. In 2006, she celebrated her 18th birthday with a masked ball at Windsor Castle.

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In 2008, she began a BA in history and history of ideas at Goldsmiths, University of London. She graduated in 2011 with a 2:1 degree. During her time at university, she made a cameo in the film The Young Victoria, which is about her great-great-great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.

Since 2017, Beatrice works full-time and splits her time between London and New York. She dated Dave Clark for around ten years, but they split up in 2016. She became engaged to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, a descendant of the Italian nobility, in 2019.4 His title of “Count” is not recognised in Italy or the United Kingdom.

The wedding had originally been scheduled for 29 May 2020, but it was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was eventually held privately on 17 July 2020 at the Royal Chapel of All Saints. She wore the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara and a dress previously worn by her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. Since her wedding, she is referred to as Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

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Beatrice has a stepson from her husband’s previous relationship, and together they have a daughter named Sienna, who was born on 18 September 2021.

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Although she is not considered to be a working royal, she is a patron of several charities.

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Marie Louise of Bulgaria – An exiled Princess

Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria was born on 13 January 1933 as the eldest child of Boris III, Tsar of Bulgaria, and Princess Giovanna of Italy.

According to the New York Times, the “whole nation rejoices.” She was born at 9.30 in the morning, and a 21-gun salute welcomed the arrival of the princess. Her proud father addressed the crowds that gathered at the palace with the words, “With all my heart and in the name of my wife, I think you in infinity. Long live the Bulgarian people! Long live Bulgaria! Her star will shine through centuries.”1

The marriage of the Orthodox Boris and the Catholic Giovanna was only approved by Pope Pius XI if Boris agreed to raise their children Catholic. Marie Louise was hurriedly baptised in the Orthodox church the day after her birth, and they did not even wait for the arrival of Giovanna’s mother, Elena. She arrived in the evening to find “her grandchild already an Orthodox Princess.” A papal representative officially protested against the Orthodox baptism.2 The Pope eventually absolved Giovanna of all blame and blamed it purely on Boris.3 In any case, Marie Louise’s younger brother Simeon, who was born in 1937, was also baptised in the Orthodox Church. Among Marie Louise’s godparents was statesman Aleksandar Malinov.4

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During a visit by King Edward VIII, the precocious four-year-old Marie Louise told him in German, “I must go now. I have to go to work.” He reportedly found this hilarious and responded in German, “Me too, unfortunately!” That simple phrase later became the code phrase for the British royal family during the Second World War.5 Marie Louise was particularly close to her father, with whom she developed a ritual which they did every time he returned from abroad. Upon his arrival at the airport, he told his companions, ‘Now I have to go and report to my daughter.”6 She then happily reported the news of his return to her mother, who pretended that she hadn’t already heard.

Then the unthinkable happened. Her father had just returned from a meeting with Adolf Hitler, who had been pressuring him to send Bulgarian Jews to death camps. On 22 August 1943, Marie Louise joined her parents and brother at Samokov and spent the day together. After a great day together, they returned to Tzarska, where he received his war ministers. He had been suffering from chest pains for the last few days but did not mention this to his wife or children. The following morning, he was set to return to Sofia, and he told Marie Louise, “Be a good girl, and while I am away, listen to Uncle Kiki!”7 Once in Sofia, he consulted a doctor about his chest pains, although he continued with his day as usual. In the evening, he spoke with his sister Princess Eudoxia on the phone and told her he had not been feeling well. Shortly after the phone call, he became seriously ill and vomited violently. He was taken to bed but continued to deteriorate. Princess Eudoxia arrived at his bedside, but no one informed Queen Giovanna. Even when she telephoned to inquire after him, she was told he was too busy and a bit ill. She was told not to worry. The following day, she was again told that there was no need for her to come.

It wasn’t until Wednesday night, the 25th, that Giovanna was told of the seriousness of the situation, and she ordered a car to Sofia as Marie Louise and Boris slept in their beds. She was told that the doctors suspected coronary thrombosis, which had caused double pneumonia and oedema in the lungs and brain. The end came on 28 August, at 4.22 PM. He was 49 years old. Six-year-old Simeon was now the new Tsar, under a Regency Council headed by Boris’s brother Prince Kiril. Giovanna, Marie Louise and Simeon continued to live at Vrana Palace until 1946, when the monarchy was abolished.

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The family was given just 48 hours to leave the country, and they left for Egypt. In Egypt, they joined their grandparents King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and Queen Elena, who also lived in exile. In Alexandria, Marie Louise attended a Roman Catholic school. Then, in 1951, they were given asylum by Francisco Franco. Marie Louise enrolled at the Medical Nurse College of the Spanish Royal Cross Society and graduated with honours.

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On 20 February 1957, Marie Louise married Prince Karl of Leiningen at the Russian Orthodox Church in Nice. They moved to Toronto, where Karl had a business. They went on to have two sons, Boris and Herman, before divorcing on 4 December 1968. After the divorce, she and her sons moved to the United States. She remarried the following year to Bronislaw Chrobok and had two children with him, Alexandra and Pawel-Alistair.8

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Following the death of Prince Johannes Heinrich of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Kohary, her brother ceded the Kohary title to Marie Louise and the children from her second marriage. Marie Louise was able to return to Bulgaria in 1991, and she continues to spend part of the year in Bulgaria. She recently celebrated her 90th birthday.

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Schloss Wolfenbüttel – Birthplace of a Duchess

Schloss Wolfenbüttel is a palace in Wolfenbüttel in Germany, which served as the residence of the rulers of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel from 1432 to 1753. It was, for example, the home of Sophia Hedwig of Brunswick-Lüneburg, later Countess of Nassau-Dietz.

Perhaps one of the most notable royal women to be born here was Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, later Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach by marriage. Anna Amalia was born there on 24 October 1739, but her relationship with her parents, especially with her mother, was reportedly not good. Her aunt Friederike Luise later wrote, “The Prince her husband is handsome, but stern and disagreeable, and it said regarded his children, and especially his daughters as mere household appendages.”1

Anna Amalia later wrote of her childhood, “I was not loved by my parents, who on every occasion kept me in the background, my brothers and sisters being always considered first.”2 Even her governess could not provide the love she desperately craved, and Anna Amalia wrote, “She, who was to form my mind and discipline my young heart, gave way to every ignoble passion, and vented all her ill-humour on me.”3

When Anna Amalia finally escaped this home where she was so unloved, she wrote she was like “a sick person rising from a sick bed, breathes the fresh air of heaven.”4 She went on to become a famous patron of the arts, founder of the Duchess Anna Amalia Library, a composer and regent of Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach.

The court she had left behind moved to Brunswick in 1753, and the palace was left empty.

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The building was first used as a school in 1866, and since 1969, the Gymnasium im Schloss (GiS) has operated from the palace. The Museum Wolfenbüttel also occupies several rooms of the palace, and some of the rooms have been decorated to show what they would have looked like when the palace was in use.

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The rooms are quite well done, and the paintings are absolutely lovely. I especially liked the portrait of Queen Christina of Sweden. The rooms have books with information, although this is only in German. The museum does offer guided tours in English, which have to be booked in advance. I was the only visitor at the time, which meant I had the full attention of the staff, which also made it a little bit awkward.

Overall, the museum is quite nice, but it’s small, so I am not sure I would have gone here just for the museum. The outside is absolutely gorgeous, though.

Plan your visit here.

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Royal Jewels – Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara

Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara is “formed of 61 graduated bars, rising to the centre and pavé -set with 488 brilliants.”1

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The Kokoshnik Tiara was modelled after the traditional form of a Russian girl’s headdress, and this version was given to the then Princess of Wales for her 25th wedding anniversary in 1888 by the “Ladies of Society”, organised by the Marchioness of Salisbury together with Countess Spencer and the Countess of Cork.2

The tiara, which can also be worn as a necklace, was a favourite of Alexandra. For example, she wore it to the wedding of the future King George V and Queen Mary in 1893. Mary inherited the tiara upon Alexandra’s death in 1925. She also wore it frequently. The tiara was bequeathed to Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.3

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The Year of Marie Antoinette – Marie Antoinette is moved to the Conciergerie

Marie Antoinette had been separated from her son in early July 1793 while the family was still imprisoned in the Temple. She remained with her sister-in-law Madame Élisabeth and her daughter Marie Thérèse until she was moved to the Conciergerie in the early hours of 2 August 1793.

The security around the move had been meticulously checked. Guards had checked all the doors during the day and were told to regard themselves as being in a state of siege. At 8 in the evening, the artillery was instructed to hold itself in readiness. They came for her at 2 in the morning when she had been sleeping.

Marie Thérèse later wrote, “My aunt and I asked at once to go with my mother, but this mercy was not granted to us. While she was making up a parcel of her clothes, the municipals never left her; she was obliged to even dress herself before them. They asked for her pockets, which she gave them; they searched them and took all that was in them, although there was nothing of importance. They made a packet of these articles and said they would send it to the revolutionary tribunal, where it would be opened before her. They left her only a handkerchief and a smelling bottle, in the fear that she might be taken faint.”

She added, “My mother, after tenderly embracing me and telling me to have courage, to take good care of my aunt, and to obey her as a second mother, repeated to me the same instructions that my father had given me; then throwing herself into my aunt’s arms she commended her children to her. I answered nothing, so terrified was I at the idea that I saw her for the last time; my aunt said a few words to her in a low voice. Then my mother went away without casting her eyes upon us, fearing no doubt that her firmness might abandon her.”1

Marie Antoinette banged her head on a beam as they went down the steps, but when asked if she was alright, she answered that she felt no pain at all.2 Three hackney carriages and a body of soldiers awaited her, and they her through the dark city to the Conciergerie. “Prisoner no 280” arrived just as dawn began to break. When asked upon entry what her name was, she replied, “Look at me.”3

A replica of the cell (not in the original location) – Photo by Moniek Bloks

After she arrived in her own cell, Marie Antoinette undressed herself. A maid named Rosalie offered to help, but Marie Antoinette told her, “Thank you, my child. But since I no longer have anyone [of my household] with me, I will look after myself.”4

On 11 September, Marie Antoinette was moved to another cell after the Carnation Plot, a plan to help her escape, and she was interrogated for two long days. Still, she remained at the Conciergerie until the start of her trial in October.

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