Imperial Requiem
Four Royal Women and
the Fall of the Age of Empires
Justin C. Vovk
iUniverse, Inc.
Bloomington
Imperial Requiem
Four Royal Women and the Fall of the Age of Empires
Copyright © 2012 by Justin C. Vovk
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
iUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:
iUniverse
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.iuniverse.com
1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.
ISBN: 978-1-4759-1749-9 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4759-1748-2 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4759-1750-5 (e)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2012907569
Also by Justin C. Vovk
In Destiny’s Hands
For my parents, without whom this book,
literally, would not exist.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Family Trees
Illustrations
Main Protagonists
Introduction
Part 1 Unlikely Empresses
1 Imperial Forge
2 “Sleeping Beauty!”
4 “Bitter Tears”
5 A Touch of Destiny
Part 2 The Age of Empires
6 “A Little Scrubby Hessian Princess”
7 “Only Give Me a Chance”
8 The Weight of the World
9 A Mother’s Heart
10 Life’s Unexpected Trials
11 “We Must Help Each Other Get to Heaven”
12 “The Little One Will Not Die”
13 The Gathering Storm
Part 3 The Great Tragedy
14 The Call to Arms
16 Apocalypse Rising
17 “May God Bless Your Majesty”
18 Imperial Endgame
19 Hated, Humbled, Rejected
20 Into the Abyss
21 The House of Special Purpose
22 The Fall of Eagles
Part 4 Twilight and Shadow
23 The Edge of Night
24 The Quest for the Crown
25 The Last Journey
26 “I Can’t Go On Much Longer”
27 Return to Grace
28 The Tinge of Sunset
29 For the Love of a Woman
30 The Last Empress
Epilogue
Endnotes
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
I must take a moment to express my deepest thanks to all those who have helped me in writing Imperial Requiem. I have learned so much since writing In Destiny’s Hands that I would like to think that I have corrected many of the mistakes I made the first time around. Once again, I would like to thank Dr. Otto von Habsburg, whose insights, recollections, and memories have proved invaluable. I was deeply saddened by his death in July 2011, and regret that he was not able to see this book completed. In addition, the interviews both he and Empress Zita conducted with the journalist and historian Gordon Brook-Shepherd were treasure troves of information that I could never have dreamed of uncovering on my own.
For sharing his experiences and insights with me regarding the Prussian royal family and the House of Hohenzollern, I would like to thank Paul Rizo-Patron. His reminiscences provided from the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Empress Augusta Victoria have proved crucial. I am also deeply indebted to the authors and historians Julia P. Gelardi and Helen Rappaport, whose expertise on Tsarina Alexandra and the Romanovs helped make Imperial Requiem what it is.
A word of heartfelt thanks goes out to my stalwart editor, Cherylyn Donaldson, whose loyalty and commitment are inspirational. Not every editor is willing to endure personal criticism for supporting authors, but she did. I am also grateful for her advice, both supportive and critical, in helping me flesh out a strong story that made sense. I am also indebted to Sara, my professional editor at the publisher’s, who provided tremendous assistance in unifying the style and voice of this book. Her attention to detail and the finer points in the book were vital. I am deeply indebted to my wonderful executive assistant, Diana Lozada, who not only made my burdens as light as possible, but also made working on this project with her a great joy and pleasure. Her professionalism, commitment, and encouragement were especially valued when this book was stalled by a family tragedy.
I owe a debt of gratitude to George Nedeff, my chief editorial consultant at iUniverse Publishing, who provided great counsel and direction, as well as tremendous patience with me when the process took much longer than expected. I also would like to thank the design and editing teams that spent so many long hours making Imperial Requiem the best it could possibly be. I would also like to thank Rebekka Potter for helping me smooth out the complex anscillary materials. To the staff of the numerous archives and university archives, a sincere thank-you for all your help. These include in Canada: the Mills Historical Library and Archives at McMaster University and the Scott Library at York University; in Germany: the Brandenburg-Preussisches Hausarchiv and the Langenburg Hausarchiv; in Austria: the Hausarchiv, Hofarchiv, and Staatsarchiv in Vienna; in the United Kingdom: the London Public Records Office and the Parliamentary Archives; and in Slovenia: the National Ethnographic Institute, the National Library, and the Kobarid War Memorial.
I would like to express my gratefulness to the staff at Indigo Books and Music. The staff at Home Office in Toronto has been crucial in getting my book into stores across Canada. Just as supportive have been my colleagues at Chapters Ancaster, whose commitment to my success has been ceaseless. The numbers of copies my colleagues have hand-sold have truly been touching. I would like to particularly thank LouAnne Disher, Kim Rochon, Lisa Belder, Michael Clemens, Laura Llewellyn, and Stephanie Seagrove.
A most heartfelt thank you goes out to my friends and family who have supported me throughout the entire writing process yet again. My friends have rallied around me with tremendous support and encouragement, especially during some of the more recent, difficult times. I am deeply grateful to Vanessa Rundle, Frank Borger, Steven LeClerc, Stefanyie Hamilton, Marc Murchison, Ryan Hashimoto, Lisa Wilson, Roberta Rayburn, Barbara Lancefield, Karen Corlis, Kim Doucette, Jeff Grivel, Christine Matthews, Cynthia Kay, Connor Prebianca, David Antunes, Beau Caza, Michael Van Arragon, and Barb Girvan. I thank my parents, Sharon and Stan Vovk, who supported me wholeheartedly the moment I told them I was writing another book. It would not be an understatement to say that Imperial Requiem would not exist without them. Many thanks belong to my brother and sister-in-law, Steven and Jolene; my aunts and uncles, Patricia and Andrew Price, Tom Vovk, Monika Vovk, and Roger and Patty West; as well as my immensely supportive cous
ins—not limited to, but including—Jessica, Caitlin, Andrea, Miha, Maja, Marko, Kristina, and Andreja. I also wish to thank my cousin Gašper, who has been one of my biggest fans since the day I put pen to paper; I suspect I owe my European following to his support. To each and every one of you who has stood by me all this time, you have my deepest thanks.
Family Trees
Illustrations
1. The Hessian children with Queen Victoria in mourning for their mother, 1879. Left to right: Ella, Victoria, Queen Victoria, Ernie, Irene, and Alix.
2. Princess May with her mother, the Duchess of Teck, and her brothers Dolly, Frank, and Alge, c. 1880.
3. Princess May of Teck, 1893.
4. Princess Alix and Tsarevitch Nicholas in a formal engagement photograph, 1894.
5. The Prussian royal family in 1896. Standing left to right: Crown Prince Willy, Victoria Louise, Dona, and Adalbert. Seated, left to right: Augustus Wilhelm, Joachim, Wilhelm II (with Oscar seated in front), and Eitel-Frederick.
6. The Hessian princesses, 1906. Left to right: Alexandra, Victoria, Ella, and Irene.
7. Dona and Wilhelm looking stately and dignified in a formal portrait, 1910.
8. Tsarina Alexandra in formal Russian court regalia.
9. Dona and her daughter, Princess Victoria Louise, riding through the streets of Berlin, 1911.
10. Zita and Charles on their wedding day, October 21, 1911.
11. The Russian imperial family in 1913. Left to right: Marie, Alexandra (with Alexei seated in front of her), Olga, Tatiana, Nicholas II, and Anastasia.
12. Mary, queen of England and empress of India, c. 1913.
13. Augusta Victoria, German empress and queen of Prussia, 1913.
14. Tsar Nicholas II and King George V, 1913.
15. Queen Mary with her daughter, Princess Mary, as a nurse during World War I.
16. Zita in her coronation robes as queen of Hungary, 1916.
17. Emperor Charles I of Austria, king of Hungary, 1917.
18. Dona in exile at Amerongen, 1921.
19. Queen Mary, c. 1930.
The author and publisher would like to thank the Library of Congress, the Deutches Bundesarchiv, and the WikiMedia Foundation for permission to reproduce the illustrations contained herein. From the Library of Congress, illustrations are taken from the George Grantham Bain Collection. All illustrations are used under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Main Protagonists
Alexandra (1872-1918). Tsarina of Russia, 1894-1917, wife of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Born on June 6, 1872, in Darmstadt, Hesse, she was the sixth child and fourth daughter of Princess Alice of Great Britain and Prince Louis of Hesse-Darmstadt (later Grand Duke Louis IV). At the time of her birth, her full name was HGDH Princess Victoria Alix Helena Louise Beatrice of Hesse-Darmstadt. She married Nicholas on November 14, 1894, in Saint Petersburg and took the Russian names Alexandra Feodorovna.
Children:
1. Olga (1895-1918)
2. Tatiana (1897-1918)
3. Marie (1899-1918)
4. Anastasia (1901-18)
5. Alexei (1904-18)
Augusta Victoria (1858-1921). Empress and queen consort, 1888-1918, of Wilhelm II, German emperor and king of Prussia. More commonly known in her family as “Dona,” she was born at Dolzig Palace, Brandenburg, on October 22, 1858, and given the names Augusta Victoria Friederike Louise Feodora Jenny. She was the second child and first daughter of Hereditary Prince Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg and Princess Adelaide of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. On February 22, 1881, she was married in Berlin to Prince Wilhelm of Prussia (Emperor Wilhelm II after 1888).
Children:
1. Wilhelm (1882-1951), German crown prince; married HH Cecilie, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1886-1954); 6 children
2. Eitel-Frederick (1883-1942); married HH Sophie-Charlotte, Duchess of Oldenburg (1879-1964); divorced, 1926
3. Adalbert (1884-1948); married HH Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (1891-1971); 2 children
4. Augustus Wilhelm (1887-1949); married HH Princess Alexandra Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1887-1957); divorced, 1920; 1 child
5. Oscar (1888-1958); married Countess Ina von Bassewitz-Levetzow (1888-1973); 4 children
6. Joachim (1890-1920); married HH Princess Marie-Augusta of Anhalt (1898-1983); divorced, 1920; 1 child
7. Victoria Louise (1892-1980), Duchess of Brunswick; married HRH Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick (1887-1953); 5 children
Charles I (1887-1922). Emperor of Austria and king of Hungary, 1916-18. The first son of Archduke Otto of Austria and Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony, he was born on August 17, 1887, at Persenbeug Castle in Lower Austria and given the names Charles Franz Joseph Louis Hubert George Otto Marie. In 1914, after the assassination of the Austrian heir apparent, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Charles was designated the new heir apparent by his great-uncle, Emperor Franz Joseph. Charles married HRH Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma on October 21, 1911, at Schwarzau Castle. He became emperor on December 16, 1916. See Zita.
George V (1865-1936). King of Great Britain and emperor of India, 1910-36. Born on June 3, 1865, at Marlborough House in London, HRH Prince George Frederick Ernest Albert was the second son of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and Alexandra of Denmark. Known from 1892-1901 as the Duke of York, he married HSH Princess May of Teck on July 6, 1893. After his father’s accession in 1901, he was styled as Prince of Wales. He ascended the throne upon the death of his father in 1910. See Mary.
Mary (1867-1953). Queen and empress consort, 1910-36, of King George V of Great Britain, emperor of India. Born at Kensington Palace, London, on May 26, 1867, she was christened Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes, although she was known simply as “May.” At the time of her birth, Mary was the eldest daughter and child of HSH Francis, Duke of Teck, and HRH Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge. She married HRH Prince George, Duke of York, on July 6, 1893, at the Chapel Royal, Saint James’s Palace, in London. Upon her husband’s accession to the throne, she formally became known as Mary.
Children:
1. Edward VIII (1894-1972), King of Great Britain (later Duke of Windsor); married Wallis Simpson (1896-1986)
2. George VI (1895-1952), King of Great Britain (1936-52); married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900-2002); 2 children
3. Mary (1897-1965), Princess Royal; married Henry Lascelles, Sixth Earl of Harewood (1882-1947); 2 children
4. Henry (1900-74), Duke of Gloucester; married Lady Alice Montagu-Douglas-Scott (1901-2004); 2 children
5. George (1902-42), Duke of Kent; married HRH Princess Marina of Greece (1906-68); 3 children
6. John (1905-19)
Nicholas II (1868-1918). Tsar of Russia, 1894-1917. Born at Tsarskoe Selo on May 6, 1868, as HIH Grand Duke Nicholas Alexandrovich, he became tsarevitch of Russia when his father ascended the throne in 1881. His parents were Tsar Alexander III and Princess Dagmar (Marie Feodorovna) of Denmark. Nicholas, commonly known as “Nicky,” ascended the throne upon his father’s death in 1894. He later married HGDH Princess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt. See Alexandra.
Wilhelm II (1859-1941). German emperor and king of Prussia, 1888-1918. HRH Prince Frederick Wilhelm Victor Albrecht of Prussia was born on January 27, 1859, in Berlin. Wilhelm was the eldest son of Crown Prince Frederick Wilhelm of Prussia (Emperor Frederick III in 1888) and Princess Vicky of Great Britain, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria. Wilhelm’s father became the German crown prince after the formation of the German Empire in 1871. On February 27, 1881, he married HSH Princess Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg in Berlin. He succeeded his father as emperor on June 15, 1888. See Augusta Victoria.
Zita (1892-1989). Empress and queen consort, 1916-18, of Emperor Charles I of Austria, king of Hungary. Born at Villa Pianore, Tuscany, on May 9, 1892, she was the ninth daughter and seventeenth child of Robert I, Duke of Parma, and Infanta Maria
Antonia of Portugal. Christened Zita Maria delle Grazie Adelgonda Micaela Raffaela Gabriella Giuseppina Antonia Luisa Agnese, she married HI and RH Archduke Charles of Austria (later Emperor Charles I) on October 21, 1911.
Children:
1. Otto (1912-2011), Crown prince of Austria; married HH Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen (1925-2010); 7 children
2. Adelhaid (1914-71)
3. Robert (1915-96), Archduke of Austria-Este; married HRH Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta (1930-); 5 children
4. Felix (1916-2011); married HSH Anna-Eugénie, princess and duchess of Arenberg (1925-97); 7 children
5. Carl Ludwig (1918-2007); married HH Princess Yolande de Ligne (1923-); 4 children
6. Rudolf (1919-2010); married [1] Countess Xenia Besobrasova (1929-68); 3 children; and [2] Princess Anna von Wrede (1940-); 1 child
7. Charlotte (1921-89), Duchess of Mecklenburg; married HH Georg, Duke of Mecklenburg (1899-1962)
8. Elisabeth (1922-93), Princess of Liechtenstein; married HSH Prince Heinrich of Liechtenstein (1916-91); 5 children
Introduction
(May 24, 1913)
The city of Berlin was alive with joyful exuberance. Thousands of people filled Unter den Linden from the Brandenburg Gate up the thoroughfare to the Stadtschloss, the imposing royal palace. In the skies above, the brightly decorated zeppelin Hansa buzzed loudly as it circled the palace, dropping large bouquets of flowers. Inside the Stadtschloss was one of the largest gatherings of royalty in the early twentieth century. They had come from the four corners of Europe to celebrate the wedding of Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia, the youngest child of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany, to Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover. At 5:00 p.m., a long line of pages, heralds, court officials, and military leaders led the bridal procession from the Electress’s Hall to the palace chapel. The procession entered the chapel, with its marble walls, Roman arches, and high-domed cupola ceiling, led by the bride and groom. Immediately behind the young couple came an unprecedented collection of kings, queens, princes, princesses, dukes, and duchesses led by the imperial rulers of Germany, Great Britain, and Russia. Noticeably absent was eighty-two-year-old Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria.
Imperial Requiem: Four Royal Women and the Fall of the Age of Empires Page 1