maria de las mercedes
Maria Christina of Austria

The Latent Queen: Maria de las Mercedes

The birth of the Monegasque twins raised an interesting succession question. Princess Gabriella was born before her brother Prince Jacques, but due to male-preference cognatic primogeniture, Prince Jacques is the Hereditary Prince of Monaco. Despite the fact that I find this a horribly outdated practice, Monaco is not the only country that still practises some [read more]

augusta brunswick
Augusta Frederica of Great Britain

Under the protection of Catherine the Great – Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was born 3 December 1764 to Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick and Princess Augusta of Great Britain. Her younger sister Caroline married George IV of the United Kingdom. To her family, Augusta was known as Zelmira. On 15 October 1780, she married Prince Frederick of Württemberg. He was heir presumptive to [read more]