#sophie of saxony duchess in bavaria

[archduchessofnowhere]

Princess Sophie of Saxony, Duchess in Bavaria, by H. Moritz Muller, 1865

From Fürsten-Bildnisse aus dem Hause Wettin, by Jean Louis Sponsel, 1906

[wgabry]

Duchess Amalie Maria in Bavaria

She was the only child of Duke Karl-Theodor in Bavaria and his first wife Princess Sophie of Saxony.

Source "Das Familienalbum von Kaiser Franz Joseph und Elisabeth"

[princessvictoriamelita]

Dowager Grand Duchess Marie Anne of Luxembourg and her five surviving daughters, Grand Duchess Charlotte, Princess Hilda, Crown Princess Antonia of Bavaria, Princess Elisabeth of Thurn and Taxis and Princess Sophie of Saxony, late 1920s.

[widvile-blog]

Sophie of Saxony, Duchess in Bavaria (15 March 1845 - 9 March 1867)

[venicepearl]

Princess Sophie Maria Friederike Auguste Leopoldine Alexandrine Ernestine Albertine Elisabeth of Saxony, Duchess of Saxony (15 March 1845, Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony – 9 March 1867, Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria) was the eighth and youngest child of John of Saxony and his wife Amalie Auguste of Bavaria and a younger sister of Albert of Saxony and George of Saxony. Through her marriage to Duke Karl-Theodor in Bavaria, Sophie was a member of the House of Wittelsbach and a Duchess in Bavaria.

[germanaustriannoblesandroyals]

House of Wittelsbach: Princess Alexandra of Bavaria

Alexandra was born as the eight child and fifth daughter of King Ludwig I. of Bavaria and his wife Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Alexandra’s siblings were King Maximilian II. of Bavaria, King Otto I. of Greece, Prince-Regent Luitpold of Bavaria, Grand Duchess Caroline Mathilde of Hesse and by Rhine, Duchess Adelgunde of Modena, Archduchess Hildegard of Austria and Prince Adalbert of Bavaria. But not only her siblings were of high-rank, among her aunts were Empress Caroline Augusta of Austria, Queen Elisabeth Ludovika of Prussia, Queens Amalie Auguste and Maria Anna of Saxony, Archduchess Sophie of Austria and Duchess Ludovika in Bavaria. Through the latter two, she was also a first half-cousin of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria and his wife Elisabeth “Sisi” in Bavaria.

After his divorce, Louis Lucien Bonaparte, a cousin of Napoleon III., asked for Alexandra’s hand but her father declined. He thought it impossible to marry his daughter to a Napoleon but Alexandra’s fear of touch might have been another reason for him to decline a marriage. Alexandra stayed unmarried for the rest of her life. Instead her father made her abbess of the Royal Chapter for Ladies of Saint Anne in Munich and Würzburg.

In 1852, Alexandra began her literary career as an author and French to German translator. Several of her books were dedicated to charities and their earnings donated towards their cause.

Like other members of the House of Wittelsbach, Alexandra suffered from mental health issues too. She was obsessed with cleanliness and only wore white for a time. In her early twenties, she was haunted by the delusion of having swallowed a whole glass piano as a child. When she had to throw up one day, her servants tried to trick her by throwing a miniature piano into her puke to show her that she finally got rid of it.

Despite all her troubles, Alexandra was very close with her mother and tried to be as useful and kind as possible after her father’s death. Alexandra especially took care of the poor in Aschaffenburg. In 1860, she sponsored a public kitchen for the poor and sick there.

Alexandra died on May 8th, 1877, at the age of only 49 at Nymphenburg Castle. The same day and place, her younger brother Adalbert died too. But while Adalbert is buried at St. Michael, Alexandra rests in the Wittelsbach Crypt of Theatine Church in Munich.

// Ella Hunt in Dickinson

[tiny-librarian]

Royal Birthdays for today, January 27th:

Edward of Angoulême, English Noble, 1365

Albert III, Duke of Saxony, 1443

Joachim III Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg, 1546

Abbas I, Shahanshah of Iran, 1571

Anna Petrovna, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, 1708

Maria Anna of Bavaria, Queen of Saxony, 1805

Sophie of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria, 1805

Wilhelm II, German Emperor, 1859

Carlos, Duke of Parma, 1970

[thearrangment-phff]

LXVIII.

October 2018

In late October, Archduchess Isabella left France to attend the wedding of Duchess Sophie of Württemberg and Count Maximilian d‘Andigné. While Sophie was a distant cousin, she was more so a closer friend of Isabella. To Isabella’s surprise, Sophie’s cousin Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein, second in line to the Liechtenstein principality had a familiar face as his date.

The familiar face was Countess Laura Henckel von Donnersmarck, Isabella’s second cousin through their mutually shared great-grandparents, Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg and Felix, Prince Consort of Luxembourg. Within days of the Württemberg wedding, Prince Joseph Wenzel and Countess Laura had announced their engagement with an intended wedding in the Spring of 2019. Prince Joseph Wenzel’s great-uncle, the Swedish billionaire, Count Gustaf Douglas had invited few selected friends and family to his home in Sweden for a dinner party.

The engagement came to a great shock to Isabella, as she and many others never heard of a whisper about a relationship between Joseph Wenzel and Laura. Whispers quickly went around saying Laura was being pushed into an arranged marriage. The marriages of Isabella to Harry and Princess Olga Galitzine and Grand Duke George Mikhailovich were being brought up again. Olga and George were having an unhappy marriage so far.

The last thing Isabella had heard was Olga and George were highly disappointed in the birth of a daughter, a little girl whom they named Maria-Olga. There were talks about a plan, a plan to marry royals with other royals and those with noble blood. Isabella had been the perfect Habsburg-Bourbon royal. Laura’s mother was a Princess of Hohenberg, a great-granddaughter of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, and while she had Habsburg-Bourbon blood, Laura also had much noble blood.

Prince Joseph Wenzel needed a royal or noble blooded wife and though there were better choices, Laura was the only one who had accepted his proposal. Like Isabella, Joseph Wenzel recognized that marrying for love was a choice, being born with such a family meant a royal duty that made him forget having choices. His parents and grandparents were pleased to have Laura marry into their family. For centuries the ties of the House of Liechtenstein and the Houses of Bourbon and Habsburg were prominent and this new marriage proved to just be that once again.

Not long after, Isabella and Queen Letizia of Spain attended the First World Health Organization Conference on air pollution and health at the Headquarters of the World Health Organization, in Geneva, Switzerland. The simple fact that Isabella could speak Spanish with the Spanish Queen earned her the nicknamed of ‘Diplomatic Duchess’ as she did similar tactics with other foreign royals and politicians. The next day Isabella stepped out with Kate on their first joint engagement.  

The two women went to the First World War Galleries at the Imperial War Museum. While the conversation started talking about Kate’s distant family members who died in World War One, things quickly changed to focus on Isabella. To many, why would anyone spend their time on Kate whose family were simple soldiers when Isabella was standing right next to her.  

Isabella’s great-grandfather was Emperor of Austria & King of Hungary, her great-great-grandfather was King of the Belgians,  her great-aunt was Grand Duchess of Luxembourg her great-grand-uncle was the King of Sweden, a great-great-grand-uncle was King of Denmark, another great-great-grand-uncle was King of Norway, another great-great-grand-uncle was King of Greece, another great-great-grand-uncle was Tsar of Bulgaria, and more distant relatives ruled the Kingdoms of Spain, Bavaria, and Saxony because of marriages to Archduchesses of Austria or their own Bourbon blood.

Compared to Isabella, Kate looked small and dull. A simple commoner standing next to an Archduchess of Austria could hardly compare in a historians eyes. When Isabella brought out stories told to her by her paternal grandfather Archduke Carl Christian of Austria and maternal grandmother Josephine Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg nee Princess of Belgium about World War One, nothing Kate could have said or done would take the attention off of Isabella. When Isabella shared family stories about the times of world war one in Sweden, Austria, Belgium, and Denmark Kate accepted the situation.

When the car was pulled up and both women had gotten into the car, they were treated by Isabella’s two elder ladies-in-waiting.

“Your mother won’t appreciate that,” spoke Charlotte first.

“I was simply telling stories. My grandmother would have appreciated her own grandmother being talked about,” replied Isabella.

“Her mother would have appreciated it too,” added Christine.

“Marie Astrid was just 4 when Princess Ingeborg died. I highly doubt she would remember her great-grandmother very well,” bite back Charlotte.

“Talking about family members is good, it keeps their memory alive,” said Kate.

“The history books written about Belle’s family are doing that job for her. That’s what happens when you have such a family like hers,” snarked Charlotte.

“Just because books were written doesn’t mean one should stop talking about family. What’s written can be completely different from actual experiences,” replied Kate.

“Kate is right. How we interpret book is not how we interpret family. You’ve read all those horrible things about my family over the centuries. Many of them might not even be true,” agreed Isabella.

“Really? Such the cases of Juana or Maria the Mad. What about King Charles VI of France or King Philip V of Spain? You descended from them and they all have the nickname the Mad. You don’t think what we read about them is false? What about all the atrocities they committed since the beginning of time? Belle, you tend to forget that you come from a family of inbreeding and despicable acts, what else are the Habsburgs known for and it looks like your family does not learn from their past,” argued Princess Charlotte.

“I think that’s enough bickering for today. We have a fun day ahead of us tomorrow for the centenary celebrations. We should look forward now,” interrupted Princess Christine.

Isabella turned to look over at Kate who was shocked at the way the conversation went too. Kate was trying to help but Charlotte was just as obnoxious about royal blood more so than Isabella. When the car pulled into Kensington, Kate waited until they were out of the car before talking.

“It was very nice going on this engagement with you today. Hopefully there will be more,” smiled Kate.

“Yes, of course. Thank you for dealing with my ladies, I know sometimes it seems backward to have them-”

“No, not at all. I understand that they mean a lot to you and they do more,” interrupted Kate.

“Okay, good. I didn’t want you to get the wrong impression.”

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

November 2018

Morning at Westminster then attending several services were exhausting to Isabella. Just minutes after the engagements in London ended, she was on a plane to Luxembourg. There was a mass celebrated in memory of the deceased members of the Grand Ducal Family. While Isabella and Harry had gone, other royals include Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria Theresa, Prince Guillaume, Princess Sibilla, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Leopold. It was a small gathering but the simple fact that Ferdinand von Habsburg came to another family event puzzled Isabella.

After the mass when the family was mingling around at the Grand Ducal Palace Isabella felt Harry and went immediately to Ferdinand.

She quietly dragged him away from the crowd, “Two family events, you have to tell me the truth Ferdinand.”

“Charlotte and I are dating. You know that.”

“Yes, but the simple fact that you come to two mass events is getting me suspicious. How serious is it?” asked Isabella.

“Serious enough to be here,” answered Ferdinand.

“She is just 18 Ferdinand.”

“You had someone at 18. It is not like we’re getting married.”

“But marriage is a thought in the far future, right?” asked Isabella.

“While it hates me to say this to you out of all people, but... this is none of your business.”

“She’s my little cousin. I remember holding her in my arms hours after she was born Ferdinand.”

“You’re treating me like a villain,” observed Ferdinand.

“You are 21.”

“It’s a three-year age difference. You and your husband are eight years apart. You’re being hypocritical again.”

“When have I ever been hypocritical?” asked Isabella.

Ferdinand hesitated, “We are getting off point Belle. The point is there is no secret agenda, no lies, no anything but the simple fact that I really like Charlotte and I want to be with her.”

“I just don’t want to see her hurt. She was always like another little sister to me. Charlotte was the only girl, surrounded by three boys, and I just wanted her to be happy,” confessed Isabella.

“I just want her to be happy too. Her parents and brothers are happy with our relationship. Things are going great for us.”

Isabella looked into the eyes of Ferdinand knowing she shouldn’t even have questioned Charlotte and Ferdinand’s relationship, “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry about anything. You had the right intentions but bad execution.”

“I’m sorry. It’s been a rough couple of months.”

“It’s understandable. Your name hasn’t been off the front page of the papers since your engagement. At least it feels that way,” chuckled Ferdinand at the end.

“I have to go now,” said Isabella in embarrassment.

“Okay,” smiled Ferdinand.

Before Isabella could return to Harry standing alone across the room, Isabella’s mother Marie Astrid had put her arm around Isabella’s waist pulling her in another direction.

“What is going on?”

“I wanted to ask you something.”

“What?”

“Have you called Joachim lately?” asked Marie Astrid.

“I have,” answered Isabella.

“Belle! You need to stop doing things like that. I also received a call from Alois saying you are ignoring his calls and from a Kinsky Count that are forgoing all responsibility on the trusts. You are spending far more than you are earning and you have paid barely enough attention to anything else,” explained Marie Astrid.

“What would you have me do?”

“Hand over the chateaus to someone else and put yourself on a budget. No more giving millions to charity. Form a council that has to approve every transaction over 100,000. Think logically about this or face having to sell you jewels within the next decade.”

“I’ll call a meeting with Johann and Alois. It will most likely not happen for a couple more weeks since I have a full schedule,” said Isabella.

“There is another thing I wanted to talk about.”

“What is it?” asked Isabella.

“Christine and Charlotte came to me before mass and said that they believe you might be pregnant.” There was a longed silence between the two women before Marie Astrid spoke again, “Is it true?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you want to know?”

“I don’t know,” repeated Isabella.

“I can call a doctor and we can find out tonight.”

“I have to fly back to London with Harry tonight. If I stay, he’ll think I’m running away from my responsibilities or doing something I shouldn’t.”

“Then your father and I will talk to him. Belle, you should know by now.”

“I’ve been under a lot of stress lately. I haven’t been paying much attention to many things,” replied Isabella.

“I worry for you.”

“I understand mama.”

“If you are pregnant, then you can’t be on pills or at least the ones doctors would usually recommend,” said Marie Astrid.

“Pills? You want to go on medication?” asked Isabella.

“If it helps you and everyone around you then yes, I do. Belle, you have to think about Harry, your sons, and another possible child.”

“I understand.”

“I’m only trying to look out for you. You are my only daughter that is not within driving distance of me. I worry like any other mother would,” explained Marie Astrid.

[theroyalfanzine]

Royal Brithdays: January 16-22, 2017

Monday:

Miss Isabella Alexandra May Windsor (2016)

Tuesday

Mr. Christian Louis de Massy (1949) (Monaco) (no photo)

Miss María de las Mercedes Fernández-Sastrón y Gómez-Acebo (2000)  (no photo)

Miss Mia Grace Tindall (2014) (UK)

Wednesday

Princess Claire of Belgium (1974)

Miss Mélanie-Antoinette Costello de Massy (1985) (Monaco)

Miss Marie Theresa von Lattorff (2004) (Liechtenstein) (no photo)

Thursday

Princess Birgitta of Sweden, Princess of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1937)

Princess Margriet of the Netherlands (1943)

Princess Kalina of Bulgaria, Duchess of Saxony (1972) (no photo)

Friday

Sophie, The Countess of Wessex (1965)

Queen Mathilde of Belgium (1973)

Mr. Carlos Hugo Roderik Sybren Klynstra Bourbon de Parme (1997) (The Netherlands illegitimate son of The Duke of Parma)

Prince Tassilo Preslavski of Bulgaria (2002) (no photo)

Carl Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Prussia (2013)  (no photo)

Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia (2013) (no photo) 

Saturday

Prince Max-Emanuel of Bavaria, Duke in Bavaria (1937) (no photo)

Hereditary Prince Boris Petrovic-Njegos of Montenegro, Grand Duke of Grahovo + Zeta(1980)  (no photo) 

 Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway (2004)

Sunday

Prince Nayef bin Asem of Jordan (1998) (no photo)

[archduchessofnowhere]

I came across this portrait as being Sophie Charlotte in Bavaria, but I think it's actually her sister-in-law, Sophie of Saxony. I tried to look more into it but the only thing that I could find is that this picture was originally posted in the forum Dinastias in 2008; the OP said they came across it on a gallery.

Since both Sophies were "Duchess in Bavaria" (one by birth and the other by marriage), sometimes they get mixed up when identifying their pictures. Personally I think the woman in the portrait is Sophie of Saxony solely because the sitter resembles her more, but since I don't have more information on the painting I can't make any definitive assumptions. For comparison, a picture of the two Sophies (Charlotte on the left, Saxony on the right), credits to @wgabry.

[archduchessofnowhere]

The only son of King Max I with his second wife Karoline, Max Joseph Karl Friedrich (1800-1803), did not survive infancy. Therefore, all hopes were placed in the further pregnancies of the wife. The twins in 1801 (Amalie and Elise) were still accepted with some joy. But the birth in 1805 - again female twins - caused consternation. King Max did not take it too tragically; he wrote to his brother-in-law after the birth: "After all, admit that it is praiseworthy to have a brother-in-law who produces twins twice in a row. It is the necessary consequence of having steadfastly led a well-behaved, regulated life."

But Auguste, a daughter from Max's first marriage, saw the situation quite differently: "Yesterday dear Mama came down with two girls. We are all saddened, although dear Mama is in as good a condition as one could wish for. We wanted two sons or one... I have just seen her. She looks well, but she is also sorry that she does not have a son".

Haslinger, Ingrid (2016). Erzherzogin Sophie: Eine Biografie nach den persönlichen Aufzeichnungen der Mutter Kaiser Franz Josephs (Translation done by DeepL. Please keep in mind that in a machine translation a lot of nuance may/will be lost)

ON THIS DAY, IN 1805, PRINCESSES SOPHIE AND MARIA ANNA OF BAVARIA, LATER ARCHDUCHESS OF AUSTRIA AND QUEEN OF SAXONY RESPECTIVELY, WERE BORN. The twin girls were the third and fourth daughter of King Maximilian I of Bavaria and his second wife Caroline of Baden. Sophie married Archduke Franz Karl of Austria in 1824, and they had six children, among them Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria and Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico. Maria Anna, known as Marie, married the Crown Prince of Saxony, later King Friedrich August II, in 1833; they had no children. Sophie and Marie remained close for the rest of their lives, writing and visiting each other often.

[archduchessofnowhere]

King Max I Joseph of Bavaria and his family in Kreuth, by August von Heckel, 1867. From left to right: Princesses Elisabeth and Amalie, Princess Ludovika, Queen Caroline, King Maximilian, Princesses Sophie and Maria Anna.

The family portrait was painted as a model for one of the monumental murals which once adorned the old Bayerisches Nationalmuseum on Maximilianstrasse. Today the building houses the Museum Fünf Kontinente. The historicist cycle of 143 murals depicted the most important events in the history of Bavaria and the House of Wittelsbach. Like most of them, the fresco painting after this particularly high-quality model no longer exists. The foundation of the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum dates back to the middle of the 19th century on the personal initiative of Max I's grandson, King Maximilian II Joseph. The newly erected building of the museum was inaugurated in 1867.

Via Bayerisches Nationalmuseum

[archduchessofnowhere]

"The dear little girl had no idea of the deep impression she had made on Franzi": Archduchess Sophie's reaction to her son's engagement (part 1)

After reading quoted fragments in several biographies I finally found the whole letter that Archduchess Sophie wrote to her twin sister Queen Marie of Saxony on the ocassion of her son Franz Josef's engagement to his cousin Elisabeth. The letter is LONG, so much that in fact Tumblr doesn't let me post it. So I'll be sharing it in two parts. As always, I used an automatic translator because I still don't know German, so forgive the lost nuances/mistakes that may be here:

As the luggage and entourage [of Duchess Ludovika in Bavaria] had not yet arrived, Archduchess Sophie immediately sent for one of her chambermaids "so that the girls could at least fix their hair. And I [Archduchess Sophie] watched with fervent pleasure as Sisi arranged her hair herself, with a grace and elegance in all her movements that delighted Sophie [the chambermaid] as well as me. All the more so because she was so unaware of having produced such a pleasant impression. In spite of the mourning that Luise [Duchess Ludovika] and her daughters had had to bear because of the visit to Therese [likely the Queen of Bavaria, who was mourning her brother who died earlier than month], Sisi was charming in her very simple, high, black dress, so that I persuaded Luise to take tea with her daughters at my place; and after she had decided to do so, I arranged it so that the suites who had come with us to tea in my drawing room could retire to the dining room, while we all went to my toilet room to meet Luise and her two daughters there. My Carl [Ludwig, her son], who is a very good observer, told me that the moment the Emperor saw Sisi, an expression of such great satisfaction appeared on his face that one could no longer doubt on whom his choice would fall. He beamed, and you know how his face beams when he is pleased. The dear little girl had no idea of the deep impression she had made on Franzi. Until the moment her mother told her about it, she was only filled with shyness and timidity, which the many people surrounding her instilled in her. She was so under this impression that she had not eaten anything and she said to Kadi [a chambermaid]: 'Néné [Duchess Helene, also called Lenza, Elisabeth's elder sister] has it easy, because she has already seen so many people, but I have not. I'm so scared that I can't eat at all…' At dinner on the 17th, Louis [Duke Ludwig, Elisabeth's elder brother]… sat between Sisi and me and remarked: 'So far Sisi has only eaten soup and green salad, she must have written herself a day of fasting…' But how well this embarrassment and shyness suited her! And she was so pretty and graceful about it!… Charlotte [Empress Caroline of Austria, Sophie and Ludovika's eldest sister] arrived on the 17th in the evening and appeared at the ball at ½ 9 o'clock, where Sisi looked delightful in a white and pink Tarlatan dress. She had a large comb stuck in her beautiful hair, which held the plaits backwards, she wears her hair swept out of her face according to fashion. The little girl's posture is so graceful, so modest, so irreproachable, so elegant, almost humble, when she dances with the emperor… She seemed to me so attractive, so childishly modest and yet completely at ease with him. It was only the many people who intimidated her. Because she had never appeared in the big world before, she was not able to gauge the extent of the attention… Néné, by the way, is also very successful, many gentlemen are completely enchanted by her. The whole appearance of these two graceful and beautifully grown young beings makes the most favourable impression everywhere…

PART 2

[archduchessofnowhere]

Sophie, Duchess Karl Theodor in Bavaria (neé Princess of Saxony), circa 1860s.

[archduchessofnowhere]

The daughters of King Maximilian I of Bavaria by Joseph Karl Stieler (details)

From left to right. First row: Augusta, Charlotte (later known as Caroline) and Elisabeth. Second row: Amalie and Sophie. Third row: Maria Anna, Ludovika and Maximiliane.

[princessvictoriamelita]

Wedding of Prince Ludwig Philipp of Thurn and Taxis and Princess Elisabeth of Belgium  on 14 November 1922 at Schloss Hohenburg, Bavaria, Germany.

The bridegroom (21) was the fourth child and son of Albert, 8th Prince of Thurn and Taxis and his wife Archduchess Margarethe Klementine of Austria. Through his mother, he was a distant relative of Queen Victoria.

Ludwig Philipp was a knight of the Order of Perfect Friendship, studied law at the Julius-Maximilian University in Würzburg.

The bride (21) was the the fifth-eldest daughter and child of William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and his wife, Infanta Marie Anne of Portugal.

The Royal Wedding guests

Another photo of the bride and bridegroom with the wedding guests.

Photos by Miss Mertens, Flickr. I don't own any rights!