Princess Charlotte (1796-1817), by George Dawe, 1818

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@catherinethewriter
Princess Charlotte (1796-1817), by George Dawe, 1818
203 years ago today, On November 6th of 1817, Princess Charlotte Augusta died shortly after delivering a stillborn son. She was the only child of George IV and Caroline of Brunswick, and at the time was the only legitimate grandchild of George III. She was second in line to the throne after her father, and the nation had invested a great deal of hope in the popular young princess everyone expected would be their next Queen.
She had been married to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld in 1816 and, after a miscarriage early in their marriage it was announced she was pregnant again in April of the following year.
Charlotte’s contractions began on November 3rd and after a long and agonizing labour lasting she gave birth to a large stillborn boy on November 5th. She survived the birth, and was able to eat a little, but woke up shortly after midnight and became violently ill. She was found to be suffering from severe postpartum bleeding and despite the best efforts of the physicians she died early in the morning on November 6th, 1817.
Charlotte was greatly mourned by the people of England; she had been seen as the hope of the monarchy, since her grandfather was considered to be mad and her father was extremely unpopular. She was buried inside the Royal Vault of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, with her son at her feet. A large monument depicting them ascending to heaven together was subsequently erected there.
June 26th 2020 marks the 121st birthday of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia.
“A happy day: the Lord sent us a third daughter - Maria, who was safely born at 12.10! Alix hardly slept all night, and towards morning the pains got stronger. Thank God it was all over quite quickly! My darling felt well all day and fed the baby herself…the evening was marvellous.” - Emperor Nicholas II of Russia, June 26th 1899
“Marie Nicolaievna was a fine girl, tall for her age, and a picture of glowing health and colour. She had large and beautiful grey eyes. Her tastes were very simple, and with her warm heart she was kindness itself. Her sisters took advantage somewhat of her good nature, and called her “fat little bow-wow.” She certainly had the benevolent and somewhat gauche devotion of a dog.” - Pierre Gillard
“Time flies by with a horrible quickness. Soon it will be a year since we saw our friends. Well, it’s nothing, God will grant us all to meet again.” - Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia
“ The second bright happy day in our family: at 10:40 in the morning the Lord blessed us with a daughter - Tatiana. Poor Alix suffered all night without shutting her eyes for a moment, and at 8 o’clock went downstairs to Amama’s bedroom. Thank God this time it all went quickly and safely, and I did not feel nervously exhausted. Towards one o’clock the little one was bathed and Yanyshev read some prayers. Mama arrived with Xenia; we lunched together. At 4 o’clock there was a Te Deum. Tatiana weighs 8 ¾ pounds and is 54 centimeters long. Our eldest is very funny with her.“ Nicholas II, 10 June 1897.
10th June (O.S. 29th May) 1897
Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna, the second daughter of Emperor Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna was born on this day in the Farm Palace, Peterhof, Saint Petersburg.
According to the diary entry of her father, “the second bright happy day in our family: at 10.40 in the morning the Lord blessed us with a daughter - Tatiana. Poor Alix suffered all night without shutting her eyes for a moment, and at 8 o’clock went downstairs to Amama’s bedroom. Thank God this time it all went quickly and safely, and I did not feel nervously exhausted. Towards one o’clock the little one was bathed and Yanyshev read some prayers. Mama arrived with Xenia; we had lunch together. At 4 o’clock there was a Te Deum. Tatiana weighs 8 3/4 pounds and is 54 centimetres long. Our eldest is very funny with her. Read and wrote telegrams...”
Tatiana was calm, balanced with auburn hair and a large wide-set grey eyes. In many aspects, she resembled her mother the Empress, and was considered the most elegant of the four sisters. She was direct, honest, practical with a highly developed sense of duty. For which she became known amongst her siblings as “The Governess”. She was the closest to her mother, and was considered her favourite, often spending many hours reading to her. During World War I, her practical talents became of use. She trained as a nurse, tending to wounded officers in the ground of the Tsarskoe Selo, while chairing many committees. The Tatiana Committee was a war-refugee relief organisation during the war, and was one of the committees that stayed on after the Revolution (although it was renamed).
“God will surely help us and we will meet again in better times.” Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna.
How do you solve a problem like [naming all your daughters] “Maria”? or: Please stop referring casually to Marie Antoinette as “Marie”
I’ve noticed that a lot of people on forums, in comments sections, and in historical fiction refer to Marie Antoinette as simply “Marie,” as if “Antoinette” was some kind of title or label. But “Marie” by itself…wasn’t her name, not really. While the names of all Empress Maria Theresa’s daughters did begin with “Maria,” they were called either by their second name or by a family nickname. Maria Elisabeth, for instance, was known as “Liesl,” a German nickname for Elisabeth, and Maria Carolina went by “Charlotte.”
Marie Antoinette was, as a child, called Antonia or “Antoine,” and she would have been referred as “Antoinette,” the French version of this name, upon her arrival in France. Many of her female in-laws also bore the name “Marie,” including her sisters-in-law Princess Clotilde (Marie Adélaïde Clotilde), the countesses of Provence (Marie Joséphine of Savoy) and d’Artois (Maria Theresa of Savoy), and of course her own daughter (Marie-Thérèse Charlotte). It would therefore have been no more practical to call her just “Marie” in France than it would’ve been to call her only “Maria” in Austria!
Above, you can see portraits of Antionette and all of her sisters who survived infancy as well as what names their family used for them. (See the full, unedited Liotard portraits here.)
18 May 1878 - Birth of Tsar Nicholas II
On may 18 1868 Tsesarevitch Alexander Alexandrovitch (Alexander III) wrote in his diary, underlining the heading for emphasis : “The birth of our son Nikolai”
“… The pangs were stronger and stronger, and Minnie suffered a lot. Papa… helped me to hold my darling all the time. At last, at half past two, came the last minute and all the suffering stopped at once. God sent us a son whom we gave the name of Nikolai. What a joy it was, it is not to be described. I rushed to embrace my darling wife who cheered up at once and was terrifically happy. I was crying like a baby… We embraced with Papa and Mama wholeheartedly… We drank tea and talked with Minnie till 11, and I went several times to admire our little angel, and they took him to Minnie, too.”
Details in Purple
The New Bracelet, 19th century, by Frans Verhas.
Countess Alexander Nikolaevitch Lamsdorff, 1859, by Franz Xaver Winterhalter.
Summer Idleness: Day Dreams, 1909, by John William Godward.
Lady in Violet, 1874, by Pál Szinyei Merse.
Portrait of a Lady, c. 1570, by Alessandro Allori.
A Lady in a Lilac Dress, 19th century, by Władysław Czachórski.
That Was a Piedmontese, 1862, by Arthur Hughes.
A Gust of Wind, by Gaetano Bellei.
Painting's details by Théodore Gudin
HISTORY MEME | nine rulers: Catherine II of Russia
“She was a majestic figure in the age of monarchy; the only woman to equal her on a European throne was Elizabeth I of England. In the history of Russia, she and Peter the Great tower in ability and achievement over the other fourteen tsars and empresses of the three-hundred-year Romanov dynasty. Catherine carried Peter’s legacy forward. He had given Russia a “window on the West” on the Baltic coast, building there a city that he made his capital. Catherine opened another window, this one on the Black Sea; Sebastopol and Odessa were its jewels. Peter imported technology and governing institutions to Russia; Catherine brought European moral, political, and judicial philosophy, literature, art, architecture, sculpture, medicine, and education. Peter created a Russian navy and organized an army that defeated one of the finest soldiers in Europe; Catherine assembled the greatest art gallery in Europe, hospitals, schools, and orphanages. Peter shaved off the beards and truncated the long robes of his leading noblemen; Catherine persuaded them to be inoculated against smallpox. Peter made Russia a great power; Catherine magnified this power.” – Robert K. Massie, Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman // Marina Aleksandrova and Helen Mirren as Catherine II
Friedrich and Victoria, Crown Prince and Princess of Prussia, c.1862. (x)
“I have a terrible longing for you, and I think I would hug you to death if I had you here now.” Victoria to Friedrich.
“You know exactly what it takes to make me happy through good times and bad, and you know exactly what is best for me… you accept me the way that I am; you have taught me how to gain confidence and see the world in a better way than I did before.” Friedrich to Victoria.
Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.
EMMA. (2020) dir. Autumn de Wilde
All the Grand Duchesses were innocent children in their souls. Nothing impure was ever allowed to come into their lives, the Empress was very strict over the books that they read, which were mostly by English authors. They had no idea of the ugly side of life, although, poor girls, they were destined to see the worst side of it and to come in contact with the most debased passions of humanity.
- Lili Dehn
Members of the House of Saxe-Coburg [3/?] - Princess Maria Antonia Koháry (later Princess Maria Antonia of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha)
Titled Countess Maria Antonia Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya at birth, Maria Antonia was born in Buda on 2 July 1797, the only daughter and second child of Ferenc József, Count Koháry, and his wife, Countess Maria Antoinetta of Waldstein-Wartenberg. Her only sibling, a brother named Ferenc, had died two years before she was born and her parents had no further children, so Maria Antonia was recognised from birth as her father's heir. Though she was born in the Kingdom of Hungary, Maria Antonia was primarily raised in Vienna. She appears to have been quite close to her mother, who she maintained a relationship with as an adult; Maria Antoinetta had an active role in the lives of Maria Antonia's children, who deeply respected her.
In 1815, when she was eighteen, Maria Antonia became engaged to Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Ferdinand, who was twelve years her senior, was a general in the Austrian Imperial Army, noteworthy for his service during the Napoleonic Wars. The match was arranged by Ferdinand's ambitious mother, the Dowager Duchess Augusta. Maria Antonia's father, Ferenc József, was one of the richest landowners in Europe, meaning Maria Antonia was destined to become an extremely wealthy lady. Augusta knew Maria Antonia's immense fortune would be invaluable to the comparatively impoverished Saxe-Coburg family.
On 15 November 1815, Emperor Francis I of Austria elevated Maria Antonia's father from a Count to a Prince, meaning Maria Antonia, as a Princess, would be equal to her future husband. The wedding took place in Vienna on 30 November. Maria Antonia was nicknamed "Tony" by her husband's family, but it's unclear whether her in-laws were the ones who came up with the name or if she already used it at the time of her marriage.
Although it hadn't started as a love match, Ferdinand and Maria Antonia were a happy couple who, with time, became devoted to each other, and Maria Antonia gave birth to four children: Ferdinand in 1816, August in 1818, Victoria in 1822, and Leopold in 1824. The children were raised as Catholics, Maria Antonia's religion; Ferdinand was a Lutheran and remained so for the early years of their marriage, but voluntarily converted to Catholicism in 1818, around the time their second child was born. The couple seem to have been attentive parents, who both had close relationships with their children. Interestingly, it appears that Maria Antonia breastfed her son Ferdinand herself, an unusual decision for such a wealthy woman during the time period, and was extremely involved in his upbringing during his infancy, but her three younger children were primarily cared for by nurses.
In 1826, Ferenc József died and Maria Antonia inherited his fortune of two million francs, several palaces and manor houses dotted throughout Austria, mansions in Hungary and modern-day Solvakia (which was part of the Kingdom of Hungary at the time), and large pieces of land that included mines, forests, and factories. The family's wealth was immense. Until World War I, the Koháry branch of the House of Saxe-Coburg was one of the three largest landowners in Hungary.
After almost thirty six years of happy, if largely uneventful, marriage, Ferdinand suffered a stroke around late May or early June 1851, and afterwards was described as, "being in a very weak state, though but slightly paralysed & able to speak." He became increasingly weak over the next few months, and it reached a point where it was difficult for him to eat or drink. On 27 August 1851, Ferdinand died. Ferdinand's niece Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (whose mother was Ferdinand's sister) wrote of the sad event in her diary:
On getting up Albert received a letter from Uncle Leopold [...] announcing the death of poor dear Uncle Ferdinand, which took place that morning at 6. How very sad! [...] Cannot imagine how poor dear Aunt Tony, who so adored him, will exist without him.
Queen Victoria never met Maria Antonia; Ferdinand made all of his visits to England alone, or sometimes with just his children. Regardless, Queen Victoria seems to have held her in high regard, as did her other relatives. Another niece of Ferdinand's, Princess Feodora of Leiningen, described Maria Antonia as "quite lovely".
Maria Antonia's mother, who also lived in Vienna, died in 1854, and in October 1857, her daughter Victoria died from complications in childbirth. Her son Ferdinand had married Maria II of Portugal, and never left the country after his marriage in 1836, however, it seems she had regular contact with August. Nothing, or at least very little, is known of her relationship with her youngest child, Leopold, especially during Leopold's adulthood, but he also lived in Vienna and there's nothing to suggest they were estranged, so it's conceivable that they also maintained correspondence.
Maria Antonia died in Vienna on 25 September 1862, aged sixty five. She was survived by her three sons and fourteen of her grandchildren. Her brother-in-law Leopold I of Belgium (Ferdinand's younger brother) wrote, upon hearing of her death, "I was grieved to hear that poor Tony had closed her lonely existence. The life she led was truly dull enough but her warm heart caused her to be much interested in every thing connected with the family. She had been a most devoted wife to your Uncle, always ready for every sacrifice that should have been wished – a very honest and generous character."
Maria Antonia, Duchess Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha by William Essex, 1842 (x)
You are determined, I see, to have no curiosity. You are wise, but I cannot be wise. I must tell you, Emma, what you will not ask, though I may wish it unsaid the next moment.
EMMA. (2020), dir. Autumn de Wilde
Interior of the Esterházy Palace, Fertőd