Elisabeth of Brunswick-Lüneburg was born circa 1230 as the daughter of Otto I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Matilda of Brandenburg. On 25 January 1252, Elisabeth married William II of Holland, who had also been elected King of the Romans in 1247. A huge fire ravaged the city of Brunswick during their wedding night, including through [read more]
The site of Hampton Court Palace had belonged to the Order of St John of Jerusalem when it was taken over by Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York – and a favourite of King Henry VIII. Thomas Wolsey spent a fortune on the palace but little is now unchanged. By 1528, he was headed for his [read more]
Read part one here. The exiled Marie Sophie and Francis were given sanctuary by Pope Pius IX in the Quirinal Palace where they stayed for 18 months while the Farnese Palace was being prepared for them. Though they had some financial investments, finances were pretty strained. Francis’s stepmother and her children also settled in Rome, [read more]
Marie Sophie in Bavaria was born on 4 October 1841 as the daughter of Maximilian Joseph, Duke in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. She was the younger sister of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who was known as Sisi. She was one of ten siblings, of which eight survived to adulthood. All the siblings were [read more]
Queen Victoria’s half-brother Charles was born on 12 September 1804 as the son of Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Victoria herself married at the age of 17 to the widowed Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen who was then 40 years old and had previously been married to Victoria’s [read more]
From Queen Victoria to the Empress Frederick – Balmoral, 11 September 1898 After the assassination of Empress Elisabeth of Austria I feel numb with horror at this horrible event. Such too you must feel, having seen the poor dear Empress, whose sorrows have been great, so lately. What a fatality in her family. Her cousin [read more]
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