Ludwig II of Bavaria.
They exchanged poems with each other, Ludwig using the pseudonym of the “Eagle”, while Elisabeth styled herself the “Seagull”.
(Source: ludwig-ii)
Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, later Queen of Spain in 1904
Princess Estelle with the Ice hockey World Championship cup, and the Swedish team shirt.
Anne Boleyn didn’t exactly get a ‘happily ever after’, but neither did the men who so ruthlessly brought her down:
- Cromwell would be executed around four years after Anne, incurring Henry’s deadly disfavor, particularly, for arranging his marriage to Anne of Cleves. It would take the inexperienced executioner several strokes to behead him.
- Nicholas Carew would be executed three years after Anne, who he had worked very closely with Cromwell to bring down. He had benefited greatly from the Seymour marriage, but with Queen Jane gone, his luck was out.
- Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk jumped his own niece’s sinking ship and publicly jeered her ‘incest’ with her brother. A bit more than ten years later, he would have to watch his own son executed for treason. He would be imprisoned in the Tower of London for treason, himself, spared only by Henry VIII’s 1547 death.
- Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury had tremendous respect for Anne Boleyn, but annulled her marriage to Henry and agreed reluctantly to her sentence. Under the reign of ‘Bloody’ Mary I, he would be one of her first Protestant martyrs.
- Jane Seymour can’t exactly be blamed for Anne’s death; upon becoming Henry VIII’s next obsession she had no choice. Perhaps as more of a punishment to her very guilty husband, she would die less than two years after Anne Boleyn, in the process of giving Henry the son he had gone to such wicked lengths to have.
- Henry VIII would make his transformation into an obese, sickly old man beginning in the summer of Anne’s death. He would have but one very weak son and a broken heart from a, perhaps this time, legitimately unfaithful wife; he would be a laughingstock across Europe for his six marriages and remembered as a wife-murderer; and he would die in pain from his ailing, ulcerous leg, fat and defeated.
- On the other hand, Elizabeth I, the ‘Whore”s daughter, would shock the world upon becoming Queen of England in 1558, 22 years after her mother’s execution and, even more shockingly, being pretty damn good at it. She would lead a golden age, both feared and revered unlike her father, who had mostly just been feared. Under Elizabeth’s reign, the Protestants who had so admired her mother could now do so, openly, and Anne was hailed by John Foxe as a martyr.
Today, with the exception of some absurdly ignorant who continue to slut-shame Anne Boleyn 477 years later, she is respected and hailed as a feminist icon, and a woman great in her own right who mothered one of Europe’s all-time most brilliant monarchs. Perhaps her legacy is her ‘happily ever after’?
30 Day Romanov Challenge: Day 8- Favourite Formal Photograph
The Imperial Family with the Baby Heir, 1904.
During the time of the 1905 uprisings, the Romanov family utilized the one thing they had to their advantage; their wholesome family image. Photographs of the young, loving family were taken and distributed to show their Tsar not as the harsh, unforgiving autocrat his enemies made him out to be, but the kind and generous father and husband that could appeal to the masses.
Nicholas and Alexandra adored their children, finding their one perfect role in parenthood. Here we see the utter dedication they had to their children; the long awaited heir is fawned over by his sisters and mother, Anastasia hold her fathers hand, and Tatiana rests her head on her mother’s arm, Olga holding her father’s lovingly.
If you must fault Nicholas for his leadership roles, you will never find any shortcomings of him when it came to family.
30 Day Romanov Challenge: Day 7- Favourite Holiday Destination
The Official Visit to the Isle of Wight, 1909
In 1909, the Imperial Family payed their English cousins an official visit to Cowes, on the Isle of Wight.
They were met by the Victoria and Albert yacht which docked beside the Standart and its entourage of “body guard” vessels. On the Isle to greet the family were the current reigning king, King Edward VII, his son George, the Prince of Wales, Queen Alexandra, the Princess of Wales, Mary of Teck, and their children, albeit for Bertie who was ill at the time and was urged to keep his distance for fear of infecting the hemophiliac Tsarevich Alexei.
The King’s grandson David (the future Edward VIII) proudly showed his ‘Uncle Nicky’ round the naval college, astonished at the elaborate police precautions that surrounded his every move.
Alexander Spiridovitch, Nicholas’s head of personal guard wrote of the visit:“Their Majesties spent that day on board the royal yacht. That evening was a dinner, during which there were many proposals of official toasts. The Royal table was decorated with roses and was resplendent with gold dishes. The suite and Captains of the yachts dined separately, but were invited afterward to join with the circle around the Sovereigns.The King and the Emperor spoke in their toasts of the Anglo-Russian friendship and of world peace. The King observed that our Emperor was no stranger to England in general, nor to Cowes in particular.In his response, the Emperor admitted to having been quite struck by the spectacle of the English Navy. He recalled the past and said that he would never forget the happy days which had passed fifteen years earlier under the reign of Queen Victoria.”
The weather was lovely during their short visit; a soft breeze blew, a comforting relief from the harshness of Russian winters. In the morning they received the Lord Mayor who gave the Emperor and Empress a magnificent gold coffret. Nicholas and Alix also had picked their visit well; it was the Annual Yacht regatta, and they delighted in attending the races. The day before, the Emperor had been named an honorary member of the Royal Yacht Club and, as a sportsman, he showed a great pleasure.
The family also had the chance to visit Empress Eugenie, widow of Emperor Napoleon III, who was on board a private yacht nearby, and they had tea.
Meanwhile, the Grand Duchesses had gone down to Cowes in the morning, which had disturbed the English police, worried for their safety. They went by car to Osborne and played there on the beach.
After lunch, Olga and Tatiana went alone into the town, accompanied by several members of the suite. One had to see the joy and pleasure they expressed above all at being able to walk about without being recognized. They felt relaxed and carefree, entering into shops, buying postcards and all kinds of souvenirs for their family and retainers. They took a ferry from one part of the town to another and had the satisfaction of being able to pay the price of the ticket themselves. A small gesture, but one that delighted the otherwise isolated children.
However, the public soon learned who the young girls in pretty grey dresses were, and a crowd soon begun to form. They began to follow them and waited in front of the shops. The Cowes became nervous and the members of the suite ushered the girls back to the ship. The public adored these beautiful girls, running back and forth excitedly amongst their humble town.
OTMA also visited a local english church, where the pastor was extremely happy to show them everything about it. They visited the tomb of their uncle, Henry of Battenberg and the armchair used by Queen Victoria when she went to the church.
The visit was instrumental in maintaining English-Russian relations, and the Imperial Family delighted in the calm and relaxed ways of their Windsor cousins. Later when the Revolution and exile would come, the whole family had wished for a simple life in England, the life of private citizens.
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.”
30 Day Royal Challenge
Day 11: Post a picture of your favorite royal tiara
The Fleur de Lys Tiara of Spain
This tiara, considered the most important diadem of their collection, called “La Buena” (The Good one) and only worn by the Queens of Spain, was a wedding present from King Alfonso XIII to his bride, Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg. Made in 1906 by Ansorena with more than 500 diamonds set in platinum, it features the Fleur de Lys, the Bourbon’s emblem. (x)
19th May 1536 - Anne Boleyn is beheaded
“Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, for according to the law, and by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of that, whereof I am accused and condemned to die.”
