Elisabeth of Bavaria (1876-1965)
Encyclopedia
Elisabeth of Bavaria (25 July 1876 – 23 November 1965), was the queen consort
of Albert I of Belgium
and was the mother of Leopold III of Belgium
and grandmother of Baudouin I of Belgium and Albert II of Belgium
.
, her father was Karl-Theodor, Duke in Bavaria, an ophthalmologist of recognized reputation. She was named in honor of her father's sister, Empress Elisabeth of Austria
, better known as Sisi. Her mother was Maria Josepha of Portugal, daughter of exiled Miguel I of Portugal.
An artist himself, Duke Karl-Theodor cultivated the artistic tastes of his family and Elisabeth was raised with a deep love for painting, music and sculpture. At her father's clinic, Elisabeth learned to cope with human suffering.
She was the 1,016th Dame
of the Royal Order of Queen Maria Luisa.
undertook an official visit to the United States of America. During a journey in the historic Indian pueblo of Isleta in New Mexico, the King awards the Order of Léopold to Father Anton Docher
, which offers him a turquoise cross mounted in silver made by the Indians Tiwas. 10 000 persons journeyed to Isleta for the occasion.
and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
, a sister of King Carol I of Romania
.
At birth, Albert occupied the third place in the line of succession behind his father and elder brother, Prince Baudouin
. The unexpected death of Baudouin in January 1891 immediately raised Albert to prominence within his country. A studious, quiet man, Albert was not the choice of heir that King Leopold II
would have relished. As the only living male member of his generation, Albert was guaranteed the Crown of the Belgians upon the King's death. Albert had two sisters who survived into adulthood, Princess Henriette who married Prince Emmanuel of Orléans
, and Princess Josephine who married her cousin, Prince Karl-Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
, brother of King Ferdinand I of Romania
.
In Munich
on 2 October 1900, she married Prince Albert, second-in-line to the Throne of Belgium (after his father Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders
). Upon her husband's accession to the Belgian Throne in 1909, Elisabeth became Queen. The city of Élisabethville, today Lubumbashi, in the Congo was named in her honour.
During the First World War, she and the King resided in De Panne
. The Queen made herself beloved by visiting the front lines and by sponsoring a nursing unit. Despite her German background, she was a popular Queen and she eagerly supported her adoptive country. In 1934, Albert I died in a climbing accident at Marche-les-Dames, in the Ardennes
region of Belgium, near Namur
.
. During the German
occupation of Belgium from 1940 to 1944, she used her German connections and influence to assist in the rescue of hundreds of Jewish children from deportation by the Nazis. When Brussels was liberated, she allowed her palace to be used for HQ of the British XXX Corps, and presented its commander General Horrocks
with its mascot
, a young wild boar named 'Chewing Gum'. After the war she was awarded the title Righteous Among the Nations
by the Israel
i government. During the 1950s, the Queen aggravated the Americans by visiting the Soviet Union
, China
and Poland
, trips that led her to being known as the "Red Queen."
Queen Elisabeth died in Brussels
at the age of 89 on 23 November 1965. She is interred in the Royal vault at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken
, Brussels.
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Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Albert I of Belgium
Albert I of Belgium
Albert I reigned as King of the Belgians from 1909 until 1934.-Early life:Born Albert Léopold Clément Marie Meinrad in Brussels, he was the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, and his wife, Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen...
and was the mother of Leopold III of Belgium
Leopold III of Belgium
Leopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent,...
and grandmother of Baudouin I of Belgium and Albert II of Belgium
Albert II of Belgium
Albert II is the current reigning King of the Belgians, a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
.
Family
Born in Possenhofen CastlePossenhofen Castle
Possenhofen Castle is located in the town of Possenhofen on the western shore of Lake Starnberg in Bavaria, Germany.-History:The castle was built in 1536 by Jakob Rosenbusch, was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War, then rebuilt...
, her father was Karl-Theodor, Duke in Bavaria, an ophthalmologist of recognized reputation. She was named in honor of her father's sister, Empress Elisabeth of Austria
Elisabeth of Bavaria
Elisabeth of Austria was the spouse of Franz Joseph I, and therefore both Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. She also held the titles of Queen of Bohemia and Croatia, among others...
, better known as Sisi. Her mother was Maria Josepha of Portugal, daughter of exiled Miguel I of Portugal.
An artist himself, Duke Karl-Theodor cultivated the artistic tastes of his family and Elisabeth was raised with a deep love for painting, music and sculpture. At her father's clinic, Elisabeth learned to cope with human suffering.
She was the 1,016th Dame
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
of the Royal Order of Queen Maria Luisa.
Post-War trip to the United States of America
From September 23rd till November 13th, 1919, the Queen together with the King and Prince LéopoldLeopold III of Belgium
Leopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent,...
undertook an official visit to the United States of America. During a journey in the historic Indian pueblo of Isleta in New Mexico, the King awards the Order of Léopold to Father Anton Docher
Anton Docher
Anton Docher was a French Roman Catholic priest, missionary and defender of the Indians. He was born in 1852 in Le Crest, a small wine growing village of Puy de Dôme in Auvergne. He lived in the pueblo of Isleta in the state of New Mexico for 34 years...
, which offers him a turquoise cross mounted in silver made by the Indians Tiwas. 10 000 persons journeyed to Isleta for the occasion.
Married life
At the time that Albert and Elisabeth met, Prince Albert was the heir to his uncle Leopold II of the Belgians. Albert was the second son of Prince Philippe, Count of FlandersPrince Philippe, Count of Flanders
align="right"|Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders was the third born son of King Leopold I of the Belgians and his wife Louise d'Orléans . He was born at the Château de Laeken, near Brussels, Belgium...
and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was a Princess of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, later simply of Hohenzollern, and mother of King Albert I of Belgium.-Family:...
, a sister of King Carol I of Romania
Carol I of Romania
Carol I , born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was reigning prince and then King of Romania from 1866 to 1914. He was elected prince of Romania on 20 April 1866 following the overthrow of Alexandru Ioan Cuza by a palace coup...
.
At birth, Albert occupied the third place in the line of succession behind his father and elder brother, Prince Baudouin
Prince Baudouin of Belgium
Prince Baudouin of Belgium , born in Brussels, was the first child and eldest son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and his wife, Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.Baudouin was the nephew of Leopold II of Belgium...
. The unexpected death of Baudouin in January 1891 immediately raised Albert to prominence within his country. A studious, quiet man, Albert was not the choice of heir that King Leopold II
Leopold II of Belgium
Leopold II was the second king of the Belgians. Born in Brussels the second son of Leopold I and Louise-Marie of Orléans, he succeeded his father to the throne on 17 December 1865 and remained king until his death.Leopold is chiefly remembered as the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free...
would have relished. As the only living male member of his generation, Albert was guaranteed the Crown of the Belgians upon the King's death. Albert had two sisters who survived into adulthood, Princess Henriette who married Prince Emmanuel of Orléans
Emmanuel d'Orléans
Emmanuel d'Orléans, Duke of Vendôme was a French noble from the House of Orléans.-Biography:...
, and Princess Josephine who married her cousin, Prince Karl-Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern
Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was a member of the Princely House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Karl Anton was the third and youngest son of Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern and his wife Infanta Antónia of Portugal...
, brother of King Ferdinand I of Romania
Ferdinand I of Romania
Ferdinand was the King of Romania from 10 October 1914 until his death.-Early life:Born in Sigmaringen in southwestern Germany, the Roman Catholic Prince Ferdinand Viktor Albert Meinrad of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, later simply of Hohenzollern, was a son of Leopold, Prince of...
.
In Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
on 2 October 1900, she married Prince Albert, second-in-line to the Throne of Belgium (after his father Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders
Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders
align="right"|Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders was the third born son of King Leopold I of the Belgians and his wife Louise d'Orléans . He was born at the Château de Laeken, near Brussels, Belgium...
). Upon her husband's accession to the Belgian Throne in 1909, Elisabeth became Queen. The city of Élisabethville, today Lubumbashi, in the Congo was named in her honour.
During the First World War, she and the King resided in De Panne
De Panne
De Panne is a municipality located along the North Sea coast of the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Adinkerke and De Panne proper. On 1 January 2006 De Panne had a total population of 10,060. The total area is 23.90 km² which gives a population...
. The Queen made herself beloved by visiting the front lines and by sponsoring a nursing unit. Despite her German background, she was a popular Queen and she eagerly supported her adoptive country. In 1934, Albert I died in a climbing accident at Marche-les-Dames, in the Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
region of Belgium, near Namur
Namur (city)
Namur is a city and municipality in Wallonia, in southern Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia....
.
Later years
In her later years, she became a patron of the arts and was known for her friendship with notable scientists like Albert EinsteinAlbert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
. During the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
occupation of Belgium from 1940 to 1944, she used her German connections and influence to assist in the rescue of hundreds of Jewish children from deportation by the Nazis. When Brussels was liberated, she allowed her palace to be used for HQ of the British XXX Corps, and presented its commander General Horrocks
Brian Horrocks
Lieutenant-General Sir Brian Gwynne Horrocks, KCB, KBE, DSO, MC was a British Army officer. He is chiefly remembered as the commander of XXX Corps in Operation Market Garden and other operations during the Second World War...
with its mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
, a young wild boar named 'Chewing Gum'. After the war she was awarded the title Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous among the Nations of the world's nations"), also translated as Righteous Gentiles is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis....
by the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i government. During the 1950s, the Queen aggravated the Americans by visiting the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
, trips that led her to being known as the "Red Queen."
Queen Elisabeth died in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
at the age of 89 on 23 November 1965. She is interred in the Royal vault at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken
Church of Our Lady of Laeken
The Church of Our Lady of Laeken is a neo-Gothic Roman Catholic church in Laeken, Brussels. It was originally built in memory of Queen Louise-Marie, wife of King Leopold I to the design of architect Joseph Poelaert....
, Brussels.
Children
- Léopold Philippe Charles Albert Meinrad Hubertus Marie MiguelLeopold III of BelgiumLeopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent,...
, Duke of BrabantDuke of BrabantThe Duchy of Brabant was formally erected in 1183/1184. The title "Duke of Brabant" was created by the German Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in favor of Henry I, son of Godfrey III of Leuven . The Duchy of Brabant was a feudal elevation of the since 1085/1086 existing title of Landgrave of Brabant...
, Prince of Belgium, who became later the fourth king of the Belgians (as Leopold IIILeopold III of BelgiumLeopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent,...
), born 3 November 1901, and died at Woluwe-Saint-LambertWoluwe-Saint-LambertWoluwe-Saint-Lambert or Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium...
on 25 September 1983.
- Charles-Théodore Henri Antoine Meinrad, Count of FlandersCount of FlandersThe Count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders from the 9th century until the abolition of the position by the French revolutionaries in 1790....
, Prince of Belgium, RegentRegentA regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of Belgium, born Brussels 10 October 1903, and died at OstendOstendOstend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
on 1 June 1983.
- Marie-José Charlotte Sophie Amélie Henriette GabrielleMarie-José of BelgiumMarie José of Belgium was the last Queen of Italy...
, Princess of Belgium, born OstendOstendOstend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
4 August 1906. She was married at RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, on 8 January 1930 to Prince Umberto Nicola Tomasso Giovanni Maria, Prince of PiedmontPiedmontPiedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, born on 15 September 1904, and died on 18 March 1983, at GenevaGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He became King Umberto IIUmberto II of ItalyUmberto II, occasionally anglicized as Humbert II was the last King of Italy for slightly over a month, from 9 May 1946 to 12 June 1946. He was nicknamed the King of May -Biography:...
of ItalyKingdom of Italy (1861–1946)The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
on 9 May 1946. Marie-José died 27 January 2001.
Titles and styles
- 25 July 1876 – 2 October 1900: Her Royal Highness Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria
- 2 October 1900 – 17 December 1909: Her Royal Highness Princess Elisabeth of Belgium
- 17 December 1909 – 17 February 1934: Her Majesty The Queen of the Belgians
- 17 February 1934 – 23 November 1965: Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth of Belgium
Ancestry
External links
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