Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily, Queen of the July Monarchy

Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily (Maria Amalia Teresa; Caserta, Italy, 26th April 1782 - Surrey, England, 24th March 1866)

Maria Amalia with her children Henry of Orleans, Duke of Aumale and Antoine of Orléans, Duke of Montpensier by Louis Hersent, 1835

Noble ladies are always popular visitors to the salon and our guest today is certainly one of those! Born to a king and married to a future king of France, Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily lived a turbulent and unsettled life that saw her crossing Europe in search of a place to settle.

Maria Amalia was born into European royalty as the daughter of King Ferdinand I of Two Sicilies and Maria Carolina of Austria. Her grandparents were our old friends, Francis I and Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and of course, she could number a most iconic queen of France amongst her aunties. An exceptionally studious and pious girl, in her infancy the young princess was betrothed to her cousin, Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France. this would have been an illustrious match for Maria Amalia but it was not to be, as her future husband passed away aged just seven.

Louis Philippe by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1841

Within a few short years the landscape of France changed forever as the revolution swept through the land and the Neapolitan court stood against France as part of the First Coalition. Eventually, as the revolutionary wars spread across the continent, the royal family fled their home bound for Sicily, just the first of several new homes that the itinerant nobles would occupy as they tried to remain one step ahead of the fighting.

Of course, the Neapolitan family were not the only people fleeing the fighting and when Maria Amalia was 24 she encountered the exiled Louis Philippe d'Orléans. the stage was soon set for marriage and in 1809 the couple were wed; in total they would have ten children, all but two of whom survived to adulthood. Their relationship was plagued by constant financial tribulations, though these did little to deter their spending, and the family struggled to settle with their return to France in 1814 cut short by Napoleon's reemergence onto the political scene.

Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily by Louis Hersent, 1828

Although Maria Amalia had no interest in politics and no wish to serve as a political wife, she had no choice in 1830 when the July monarchy saw the Duke and Duchess installed as King and Queen Consort of France in 1830. Like others before them, they did not hold onto the French throne and were forced to fell for England once more in the wake of the 1848 revolution. This time, they would not return to France before their deaths.

Widowed that same year, Maria Amalia remained in residence in England and devoted herself to philanthropy and her faith. She lived out a private and secluded old age and at her death aged 83 was finally returned to France, where she was laid to rest in Chapelle Royale de Dreux.

Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.

Pen and Sword
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Book Depository (free worldwide shipping)

The Scandalous Life of Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

Princess Juliane Henriette Ulrike of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (Coburg, Germany, 23rd September 1781 – Elfenau, Switzerland, 15th August 1860)

Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, 1795

The most dashing Edinburgh doctor I have previously mentioned is nothing if not well-travelled and one place he knows very well is Russia; indeed, he is on medically intimate terms with many of the royals of that vast land but that is a story for another time. It was the always-welcome presence of Doctor Dillingham in my salon this weekend that set me thinking of Russia and Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg, who was to become known as Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna, wife of Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich, a marriage that was destined to be considerably less happy than the devoted union between the good doctor and his lady. 

Juliane was born to Franz Frederick Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and his wife, Countess Augusta Caroline Reuss of Ebersdorf. With illustrious family connections throughout Europe, Juliane's parents were determined that their daughter would continue to increase their dynastic influence and began searching for a husband for the girl, known for her beauty and her musical acumen. As they cast their eye over the royal houses of Europe, Empress Catherine II of Russia was likewise looking for a match for her grandson, Grand Duke Constantine. She was searching for a very particular sort of girl and dispatched General Andrei Budberg to compile a shortlist, the matter of marrying the second in line to the Russian empire a very serious one indeed.

Taken ill whilst passing through Coburg, Budberg immediately added Juliane and her sisters, Sophie and Antoinette, to the list of likely candidates, much to the delight of their parents. However, not everybody shared their enthusiasm. For some there was disappointment that their own daughters had not been chosen whilst for others, the concept of a German princess marrying a Russian Duke was unthinkable, the young women viewed almost as lambs to the imperial slaughter.

Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of Russia by George Dawe, 1834

The three girls travelled to Russia with Countess Augusta and found themselves welcomed by Catherine, whilst Constantine was somewhat cooler in his reception. Far from keen on the idea of marriage to anybody, he eventually took his grandmother's advice and agreed to marry Juliane, the 14 year old girl taking the name Anna Feodorovna in preparation for her new life. Baptised in a Russian Orthodox ceremony, the young Princess married the Duke on 26th February 1796, securing the strength of the Saxe-Coburg dynasty.

Although the marriage may have been politically astute, it was utterly miserable. Bad-tempered and disinterested in his wife, Constantine grew resentful of the young lady's popularity at court and he exercised a tight control over his bride. She was confined to her rooms, denied friends other than Elizabeth Alexeievna, and rarely appeared at court. Desperately unhappy, when Juliane fell ill in 1799, she seized the chance for escape with both hands.

Juliana travelled to Coburg, ostensibly for medical care, and initially intended to remain there but she found her family utterly unsupportive. Horrified at the damage a marital breakdown might do to the reputation and influence of the family, they pressured the Grand Duchess to return to her unhappy life in Russia. Once again she was confined to her rooms, utterly in the control of her husband and almost immediately, her health declined again.

Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld by Franz Xavier Winterhalter, 1848

By 1801 it became apparent that Juliane was in desperate need of a change of air and her mother finally consented to a trip back to Coburg. This time Juliane flatly refused to leave her native land and began divorce proceedings against Constantine. With the divorce hampered by legal and constitutional considerations, Juliane found unexpected support from the royal houses of Europe, their sympathies gained by the conduct of Constantine and his intransigent family. Trapped in a web of legality, the unhappy Grand Duchess indulged in extra-marital affairs and in 1808 gave birth to a son, Eduard Edgar Schmidt-Löwe. Four years later she had a daughter, Louise Hilda Agnes d'Aubert with Rodolphe Abraham de Schiferli, a Swiss surgeon.

Though Constantine's family constantly pursued a reconciliation between the estranged couple, Juliane utterly refused to even countenance it, the memory of her unhappy years in Russia too keen. Instead she made a life and home of her own in Switzerland, her house on the Aare River becoming a beacon of art and music. She and Rodolphe maintained a lifelong friendship, though their daughter was adopted by a French family in order to protect Juliane's already somewhat tarnished reputation.

Nearly two decades after she fled to Coburg, Emperor Alexander I finally dissolved the marriage of Juliane and Constantine, allowing the Grand Duke to remarry. This small victory was followed by years of unhappiness as Juliane's life was beset by tragedy. One after the other she was plunged into mourning for her parents and siblings, her illegitimate daughter and Rodolphe, her devoted friend and former lover. Juliane never quite recovered from these losses and lived on in quiet solitude, throwing herself into charitable works. Loved and respected by those who knew her, the princess passed away peacefully at home at the age of 79. She lived a life beset by scandal and unhappiness yet one cannot underestimate the strength it took to leave the powerful Russian court and strike out alone, resisting all efforts to force her back to the life she hated. 

Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.

Pen and Sword
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Book Depository (free worldwide shipping)

Family Feuds and Rumours of Scandal: Princess Victoria, Duchess of Kent

Princess Marie Luise Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Princess of Leiningen, Duchess of Kent and Strathearn (Marie Luise Victoire, Coburg, Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield, 17th August 1786 – Windsor, England, 16th March 1861) 

Princess Victoria by Richard Rothwell, 1832

Well, we've been getting a bit caught up in the gents again of late, haven't we? Looking through my bureau in search of gossip about Queen Adelaide, I was reminded of the bitter feud between King William and his sister-in-law, Princess Victoria, the woman who would one day be mother to the ruler of an Empire. From Germany to England by way of a couple of shrewd marriages, it's time to say happy birthday to Princess Victoria, Duchess of Kent.

Born as the seventh child of Franz Frederick Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and Countess Augusta of Reuss-Ebersdorf, Victoria enjoyed a privileged upbringing. Bright, charming and attractive she was a cultured young woman with one eye set on making a good match. In fact, that match would come in the shape of Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Emich, Prince of Leiningen, the husband of Victoria's aunt, Henriette of Reuss-Ebersdorf. More than twenty years the young woman's senior, the Prince married Victoria two years after Henriette's death. The couple had two children and little more than a decade after the wedding Victoria was both a widow and Regent of Leiningen. Not content with the lot that fate had dealt her, the social-climbing Victoria would not be single for long.

Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn by Sir William Beechey, 1814

In England, something of a monarchial storm was brewing; the Prince Regent's only child, Charlotte, was dead, his brothers either unmarried or estranged from their wives and his sisters apparently past childbearing age. With no legitimate heir to the throne on the horizon it was left to the Duke of Kent, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Clarence (later King William IV) to find suitable wives as quickly as possible. Victoria already had links to the Hanover family as her brother had been married to Charlotte until her death and the young princess had actively encouraged the Duke of Kent to take an interest in her sister in law. Now, with the throne at stake, he redoubled that interest and the courtship became a more formal affair.

Still in her early thirties, the Regent of Leiningen was something of a safely respectable prospect and on 29th May 1818, Edward, Duke of Kent and Victoria were married in Amorbach, Bavaria, the union sealed once more on 11th July at Kew Palace. Their only child, Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent, was born in May the following year, destined to become better known to history as Queen Victoria. Edward doted on his daughter but he would not live to see her grow and before the girl was one year old, her father was dead of pneumonia.

The Duchess of Kent and Victoria by Henry Bone, 1824

The newly-widowed Victoria took stock of her situation at this point, considering the options that now lay before her; unable to speak English and no great fan of the country, she seriously considered returning home to Coburg where life would be comfortable, respectable but utterly unremarkable. Saddled with her husband's debt and with her daughter's claim to the throne far from assured, the Duchess instead chose to remain in England, pinning all her hopes on the lack of other suitable heirs. With Parliament refusing to either increase her allowance or settle the debt, Victoria and her daughter took up residence in the somewhat dilapidated surroundings of Kensington Palace, occupying a small suit of rooms there. However, her brother, Prince Leopold, could not see his sister struggle and he supported her from the £50,000 annual allowance he had been granted on his marriage to the late Princess Charlotte. Later to be King of the Belgians, Leopold would remain a strongly supportive figure, eventually introducing the young Queen Victoria to his nephew, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha,

Sir John Conroy by Henry William Pickersgill

Another source of support to the widowed Duchess was her private secretary, John Conroy. As ambitious as Victoria herself, Conroy allied himself strongly to the widow in the hopes that her daughter would be crowned Queen whilst still a child, ensuring that her mother would become Regent and rely on his guidance. Under the influence of the charming Conroy, the Duchess prevailed upon her daughter to appoint him as her own private secretary, a decision that would later cause friction between the two women. Conroy created an idealised public image for the Duchess of Kent whilst behind closed doors he and his patroness imposed strict rules and systems on the young Princess Victoria that saw her isolated and increasingly unhappy. Rumours swirled that the Duchess and the Welsh officer were more than friends and though Queen Victoria's very paternity has been questioned, she utterly rejected any suggestion that her mother and Conroy were lovers.

For all the scheming and manoeuvring, King William IV seemed determined not to die. Well aware of the plans for a Regency, his fraught relationship with the Duchess deteriorated further into a full blown feud. Once her daughter's succession was assured, Victoria decided that she deserved grander quarters and moved into the refurbished State Apartments of Kensington Palace.  William was furious and made no effort to hide his dislike of his sister in law, though both he and Queen Adelaide were devoted to the young heiress to the throne. The King and the Duchess would never be reconciled and at his final birthday banquet he railed against Victoria, making it clear that his one wish was that she would never be Regent.

Princess Victoria by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1857

In fact, William was to get his wish and by the time of his death, the heiress to the throne was a young woman and the ambitious Duchess and her private secretary's plans for a Regency lay in tatters. Finally emerging from their shadow, the new Queen exiled the debt-ridden pair to Buckingham Palace where they remained until 1839, when Conroy left England for the continent at the urging of the Duke of Wellington. The Queen distanced herself from the mother she saw as scheming and domineering and this discord would persist until the birth of Queen Victoria's first child, Victoria, Princess Royal, when the Duchess was finally welcomed back into the bosom of the family. Her debts were settled and the she embraced life as a grandmother, remaining devoted to her daughter and grandchildren until her death.

Despite their fractious early relationship, Queen Victoria was devastated by her mother's passing; she clung to her husband amid her grief yet the year was to bring even more devastation and by the end of 1861, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was also dead, the Queen plunged into a deep mourning from which she would never fully recover.

Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.

Pen and Sword
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Book Depository (free worldwide shipping)