The Children of Victoria, Princess Royal and German Empress

the children of Victoria Princess Royal and German empress in Victoria had earned the nickname of the grandmother of Europe for the many grandchildren she had she had a total of 42 grandchildren this eight-part series will focus on the lives of each of her grandchildren this video will focus on the children of her eldest child Victoria Princess Royal and German empress if you would like to support my Channel please like comment subscribe or even check out my patreon page it really helps me to create new content Wilhelm II was the first child of Victoria Princess Royal and German Emperors and her husband Frederick III German emperor Wilhelm was born after a difficult labor on the 27th of January 1859. he was born in the breach position and was forcibly removed from the birth canal his dramatic birth resulted in a tear of the brachial plexus of his left arm leaving him with herbs palsy he also suffered from a lack of oxygen at Birth leaving him with mild brain damage his left arm became his mother's obsession she wanted Wilhelm to be a strong Heir and felt his disability reflected badly on her in her pursuit to cure her son she damaged her relationship with him twice a week wilhelm's arm was placed inside the body of a freshly slaughtered hair the idea was that the warm blood would transfer health and vitality to the arm this did not work and was very traumatic for the child as he learned to crawl and walk wilhelm's right arm was tied behind his back it was hoped that this would force him to use his left arm and he would have to work up strength instead the toddler was unable to use his arms at all and it caused him great distress Wilhelm was also subjected to electrotherapy almost every day none of these supposed treatments worked and caused Wilhelm to despise his parents villain was tutored at home by George hins passer after this Wilhelm was educated at the friedrichs gymnasium and finished his formal education in 1877. he then spent four years at the University of Bonn studying law and politics from a young age Wilhelm was exposed to the military environment of the Prussian Court it did much to frame his ideals and relationships Wilhelm idolized his grandfather vilham the first and was ambivalent towards his father he had a distant relationship with his mother due to her treatment of him as a child after frequent attempts by his parents to education in liberalism he became alienated from them suspecting them to be putting Britain his mother's Homeland before Prussia at 21 Wilhelm joined the military being assigned to the rank of Lieutenant of the first Regiment of foot guards he reported that he found a family amongst the soldiers during this time he was influenced by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck against his parents who opposed bishmark and his policies wilhemston grew to hate Britain for supposedly killing his father Wilhelm fell in love with his first cousin Elizabeth of Hess but she turned him down he eventually married Augusta Victoria of Slash with coldstein instead on the 27th of February 1881 and they remained married until her death in 1921. during their marriage they had seven children together Friedrich adelbert August Wilhelm Oscar joaquim and Victoria Louise 1888 became known as the year of three emperors in March 1888 wilhelm's grandfather Willem the first died and his father became Frederick III he was dying from throat cancer and died in June of that year Wilhelm ascended the throne as German Emperor and King of Prussia after becoming Kaiser Wilhelm soon grew in patient with bishmark opposing his foreign policies Wilhelm wanted to expand the German Empire and was determined to rule as well as rain Wilhelm was content to allow bishmark to handle the day-to-day Administration as time went on Wilhelm became more interested in social issues of the day and argued for better treatment of workers he was in favor of pro-labor unions but bishmark opposed this opinion managing to push through anti-socialist laws bishmark resigned in 1890 and was succeeded by Leo Von capruvi and then claudevig Prince of hon low she links first hoe and lo was dismissed in 1900 and Wilhelm appointed Bernard Von Bulow to the position Willem concentrated on the creation of the German Navy it would rival that of Britain and allow Germany to declare itself a world power as Kaiser Wilhelm promoted the Arts and Sciences and sponsored the Kaiser Wilhelm Society for the promotion of scientific research Hugh also supported reform of the Prussian education system Wilhelm had a difficult relationship with many of his relatives his most difficult being with his British relatives he craved the acceptance of his British relatives and while his grandmother Queen Victoria treated him with courtesy many of his other relatives ignored him and didn't accept him Wilhelm and his uncle Percy later King Edward VII of the United Kingdom did not get along but she treated Wilhelm as a nephew not as a reigning monarch and Wilhelm would Laureate his position as Emperor over his uncle despite his poor relationship with his British relatives when he heard his grandmother was dying in January 1901 he traveled to England and was with her when she died Wilhelm was friends with Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and was shocked by his assassination in June 1914. Wilhelm offered support to Austria-Hungary in crushing the Assassins the Blackhand the perceived source of the movement was Serbia austro-hungarian ministers and general convinced the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph the first to sign the Declaration of war against Serbia Russia mobilized to defend Serbia Wilhelm saw this as a threat and thought that England France and Russia would conspire to destroy Germany Britian promised to enter the war if Germany attacked France War soon followed engulfing Europe during the war Wilhelm lost much of his power and took on more honorific duties the German Empire became a military dictatorship under the control of field Marshal Hindenburg and general ludendorff nevertheless Wilhelm still retained to the authority to handle matters of political appointment support for the Kaiser dissipated by November 1918. Wilhelm was in Belgium when he heard of the uprisings in Berlin he knew he would have to abdicate but he still hoped to retain the Prussian kingship however this was impossible under the Imperial Constitution which tied the Prussian and German crowns together Wilhelm was forced to abdicate on the 9th of November 1918. [Music] soon the rest of the German kingdoms Duke Dums and principalities would eventually abdicate as well Wilhelm left Germany and went into Exile in the Netherlands where they refused extradite villain when requested by several other countries after the teresia of Versailles in 1919. on the 28th of November 1918 after finally accepting that he had lost his crowns for good Wilhelm issued a statement of abdication in Exile Wilhelm married his second wife hermine ruse of Greece after the death of his first wife in 1921. Wilhelm hoped that the successes of the Nazi party would stimulate interest in the monarchy being restored soon Wilhelm became horrified at the actions of the Nazis but still held a degree of admiration for them Wilhelm died of a pulmonary embolism on the 4th of June 1941 and was buried on the grounds of Houston where he had lived during his exile Charlotte Duchess of sax mannequin known for her penchant for spreading gossip Charlotte Duchess of sax mannequin was the eldest daughter of Frederick III German Emperor and Victoria Princess Royal and German emperors she loved to cause trouble and mischief and was very eccentric this video will focus on the life of Charlotte Duchess of sax manigan Charlotte touches a sax mannequin was born princess Charlotte of Prussia on the 24th of July 1860 only 19 months after the birth of her older brother Willem her birth was an easy labor she was the last grandchild to be born during the life of her maternal grandfather Prince Albert of sax Coburg and gotha during winter time Charlotte and her siblings lived in Berlin and they spent their summers in Potsdam in 1863 Charlotte's parents bought a rundown property and refurbished it into a farm which allows the family to live a simple Country Life periodically due to her father's position in the Prussian Army Charlotte's father was often away from home her mother was strict with her children expecting them to exhibit moral Behavior at all times she raised her children in English style nurseries and fostered a love of her native country in several of her children by incorporating aspects of English culture into the home Victoria and Charlotte developed a strange relationship Charlotte was indifferent to education much to the dismay of Victoria was brutally honest and rarely hid her thoughts she would admonish her children when they displeased her Charlotte proved to be a disappointment to her mother being nervous and easily agitated this caused a wedge to form and the mother-daughter relationship after the deaths of Charlotte's younger brothers sigismund and Voldemort Charlotte grew resentful of her mother's treatment towards her Victoria indulged her younger children Victoria Sophia and Margaret will be in harsh to her older children Willem Charlotte and Henry Charlotte was one of her paternal grandparents favored grandchildren they spoiled her and encouraged her Rebellion against her parents Charlotte also had a close relationship with her brother Willem but they grew apart after his marriage to Augusta Victoria of Slash Rick Holstein Charlotte did not like Augusta Victoria describing her as plain slow and shy and this strained the siblings relationship as Charlotte grew into a young woman her behavior became more erratic she would flirt spread malicious gossip and cause Mischief for those around her when she was 16 she became engaged to her second cousin Prince Bernard of sax mannequin she reportedly fell in love with him while they were driving with her eldest brother Willem sped up during the drive which alarmed Charlotte and she clung to Bernard's arm after a year-long engagement the couple were wed on the 18th of February 1878. they moved into a small Villa near the news Palace in Potsdam a year after their wedding Charlotte gave birth to their only child princess Theodora on the 12th of May 1879. Charlotte hated the restrictions placed on her while pregnant and decided that Theodora would be her only child enjoyed society and freedom she spent much of her time socializing skating gossiping and hosting dinner parties she would often leave her daughter in the care of her mother Victoria Charlotte's grandfather Willem the first granted Charlotte and Bernard a villa in Berlin and transferred Bernard to a regiment in the city in 1888 her grandfather and father both passed away and her brother Willem ascended the throne in June 1888. Charlotte's social influence increased as a result she surrounded herself with young officials wild Nobles and aspiring diplomats Charlotte reconciled with her mother following the death of her father but she still took her brother's side in disputes with their mother between 1891 and 1895 hundreds of scandalous letters were sent to prominent members of the Prussian Court including the emperor and empress these letters included pornographic images and accusations they were all written in the same handwriting Willem ordered an investigation but the writer was never identified many historians have speculated that it could have been Charlotte or the empress's brother Duke Ernest Gunther or slash Rick Holstein who wrote the letters Charlotte's diary was lost during this period and was eventually given to Willem in the diary she wrote both family secrets and critical thoughts of her family and Willem never forgave her for the contents of the diary after this Bernard was transferred to Breslow and this effectively exiled Charlotte and her family as Charlotte's daughter Theodore grew up several men asked for her hand in marriage in 1897 Theodora became engaged to Prince Henry the 30th of Ruth and they were wed a year later on the 24th of September 1898. donut rich nor high ranked Theodora was happy with the match Charlotte and Theodora did not have a good relationship and Charlotte disliked Henry Theodora wanted children unlike her mother but was unable to conceive this pleased Charlotte who desired no grandchildren both Charlotte and Theodore were strong-willed and for almost a decade the mother and daughter did not talk nor right to each other eventually they did after Theodora underwent a dangerous operation to help her conceive which outraged her mother in June 1914 Bernard became the Duke of sax manigan the first world war broke out and Bernard left for the front while Charlotte remained in the duchy serving as a figurehead throughout Charlotte's added life she suffered from many health issues including rheumatism joint pains headaches and insomnia during the war Charlotte's health worsened and she began to experience increasingly worse pain that became so severe that she took opium the war ended in 1918 and so did the German Empire many of the German duchy's principalities and kingdoms also came to an end sax mannequin was no different and Bernard was forced abdicate in 1919 Charlotte traveled to Baden-Baden to seek treatment for her heart and she died there from a heart attack on the 1st of October 1919 at the age of 59 she was buried at slosh Alston Stein Prince Henry of Prussia was born on the 14th of August 1863. he was the third child and Second Son of Frederick III and Victoria Princess Royal as a baby Henry was quite Restless as he grew into a toddler he would cry to be carried around and was quite attached to his mother Victoria found his behavior difficult to handle he would often throw Tantrums when he did knock out his way and would kick and scratch the maids when they didn't do what he wanted when he was only three years old Victoria sent him to spend the winter with his maternal grandmother Queen Victoria hoping she could help in 1863 Henry's parents bought a rundown property and refurbished it into a farm which allowed the family to live a simple Country Life periodically during winter time Henry and her siblings lived in Berlin and they spent their summers in Potsdam due to his father's position in the Prussian Army Henry's father was often away from home his mother was strict with her children expecting them to exhibit moral Behavior she raised her children in English style nurseries and fostered a love of her native country in several of her children by incorporating aspects of English culture in the home like his older brother Willem Henry was tutored at home by George hinspatcher Who described Henry as being intellectually slow as he Grew Older Henry became quite good-natured and most people had something good to say about him after the deaths of Henry's younger brothers sigismund and Voldemort Victoria indulged her younger children Victoria Sophia and Margaret while being harsh to her older children Willem Charlotte and Henry when Henry was 15 he entered the German Imperial Navy and over a period of two years he traveled throughout the world as part of his training he passed his Naval official examination in 1880 and attended the German Imperial Naval Academy from 1884 to 1886. over the course of his Naval career he held several high-ranking positions including commander of the Baltic Sea Naval Station commander of the high seas Fleet and Grand admiral of the German Imperial Navy though Henry and Willem had been close growing up after Henry joined the Navy their paths and life diverged and they were never as close as they were as children growing up Henry fell in love with his first cousin Irene of Hess and she fell in love with him as well Irene was a grandchild of Queen Victoria like Henry on the 24th of May 1888 Henry married Irene by this point Henry's father Frederick had become the German emperor but he was dying from cancer the marriage was a loving one and they had three sons together Voldemort sigismund and Henry named after Henry and his deceased Brothers unfortunately Irene had the hemophilia Gene she and her the gene from her mother Princess Alice of the United Kingdom valdemar and Henry were both hemophiliacs and both would succumb to their condition Voldemort died in 1945 during the second world war after being unable to get a blood transfusion and Henry died after hitting his head at the age of four in 1904. during the first world war Henry was appointed to commander-in-chief of the Baltic Fleet he successfully prevented the Russian Navy from attacking the German Coast at the end of the war Henry's brother Willem emperor of Germany abdicated as German Emperor and King of Prussia Henry left the Army following this like many members of his family Henry was forced to flee Germany and he spent the rest of his life on his family farm near schleswig like his father Henry died of throat cancer on the 20th of April 1929 at the age of 66. Henry was similar to his father in many ways both were good-natured humble and trusted easily Henry also appeared physically similar to Frederick ultimately Henry lived the life that his brother the former Kaiser secretly desired a happy marriage with an intelligent supportive wife a fulfilling career and a loving relationship with his English relatives [Music] Prince sigismund of Prussia second month was the third son and fourth child of Frederick the third German Emperor and Victoria Princess Royal and German Empress he was a grandchild of both Queen Victoria and Willem the first he was the first grandchild of his grandparents to pass away born on the 15th of September 1864 in Potsdam Prussia sigismund had a close relationship with his mother Victoria singhusman's older siblings Willem Charlotte and Henry had difficult relationships with Victoria and Victoria was much more intimate with her five younger children sigismund's older siblings were not allowed to be breastfed on the orders of his paternal grandmother Queen Augusta of Prussia they were fed by wet nurses by the time circus Mund was born Victoria had enough self-confidence to defy Augusta and breastfeed sigismund herself perhaps it was this experience of finally having some say in the care of her children that fostered a special closeness between the mother and son in a letter Victoria wrote to one of her mother's ladies and waiting she wrote about how happy she was with sigismund and that she truly loved him much more than she did for her eldest three children as he became a toddler Victoria thought he would grow up to be clever and more intelligent than her other children however sigismund would never grow old on the 4th of June 1866 during the austrooppression war sigismund's father was fighting on the front lines [Music] most of the doctors were taken to the front lines as well to heal wounded and Ill soldiers the day after Frederick left sigismund became quite fretful more so than usual and soon he was unable to eat or sleep after one day he could no longer stand nor walk because the usual doctors that cared for the family were not available Victoria was forced to consult doctors unknown to her they gave her the terrible news that her son had meningitis at the time there was no Curative treatment or any kind of treatment really for meningitis and death was almost guaranteed sigismund began to convulse and he died on the 18th of June 1866 at only 21 months of age [Music] his death had a profound effect on Victoria and she never recovered she wrote of the pain of seeing her son suffer a faith so cruel and how much it haunted her Frederick was informed of sigismund's death by his mother Queen Augusta who personally went to the front line to deliver the bad news he was given permission to return home for the funeral but refused to do so stating that it was his duty to serve his homeland and that he could not be absent from his job understandably Victoria could not comprehend this and was inconsolable at the loss of her son and the lack of support from her husband Victoria also received little support from her mother Queen Victoria wrote to her telling her that the death of a child is not as bad as losing a husband Victoria prepared a small room in their home for the small coffin accompanied with carpets cushions pictures and flowers funeral there were few dry faces Victoria was born on the 12th of April 1866 in Potsdam Victoria's mother chose to raise her younger children herself instead of leaving them in the care of tutors and governesses as she had done for Victoria's older siblings Willem Charlotte and Henry for this reason Victoria and her younger siblings Voldemort Sophia and Margaret were very close to their parents in 1879 when Victoria was 13 her younger brother valdemar died from diphtheria bringing the younger Three Sisters closer together growing up Victoria and her siblings lived in Potsdam and Berlin in 1871 her grandfather Willem the first became German Emperor and her parents became the crown prince and princess of Germany her parents raised their children away from the Berlin Court who disliked the crown princely couple for their liberal beliefs they hoped to instill these beliefs in their children through an education system similar to the one Victoria's mother had been raised in herself much of Victoria's childhood was based on an English upbringing she was raised in a warmer less strict environment to that of her older siblings and Victoria became an active and enthusiastic child as Victoria Grew Older the question of a husband was raised her grandmother Queen Victoria and her mother Victoria both suggested Prince Alexander of baschenberg a brother of Prince Henry of battenberg who was married to Victorious and Princess Beatrice Alexander had been chosen as the reigning Prince of Bulgaria in 1879. Alexander visited the Prussian Court in 1881 and Victoria fell head over heels in love with him Victoria's parents were eager for the marriage but Willem the first Victorious grandfather and Chancellor Archer Von vishmark were against the match they felt that the tsar of Russia Alexander III would be offended by the marriage because Russia and Bulgaria were not on good terms Victoria's father became the German emperor in 1888 and it was hoped that Victoria and Alexander would be allowed to marry but Victoria's father died only three months later Victoria's brother Willem became the emperor and on advice from the chancellor he refused to give permission for the marriage the princess was forced to give up on the possibility of marriage to Alexander as time went on Victoria became convinced she would never marry she was not considered to be conventionally beautiful and she took matters into her own hands to improve her appearance she developed an eating disorder starving herself and a greatly concerned her relatives especially her mother her mother sent her to Britain to recover and spend time with her English relatives in June 1890 when Victoria Her Sister Margaret and their mother Victoria visited princess Marie of Viet Victoria met Prince Adolf of Schoenberg LIPA due to bad weather Victoria and the other guests spent much time indoors and during this time Victoria and Adolf got to know each other they became close and eventually married on the 19th of November 1890. Victoria did not love him and only married him so that she would not end up alone they had a long honeymoon traveling throughout Europe and the Mediterranean after suffering a miscarriage early in their marriage they never went on to have any children they had a peaceful marriage and were respectful to each other Adolf and Victoria moved into a neoclassical Palace bought by Adolf called Palais Schoenberg in bomb Victoria was often lone there as Adolf was busy with his military duties she took up Hobbies of decorating tennis and gardening to pass the time however the excessive loneliness caused Victoria to fall into depression and against some control over her circumstances she resumed her drastic dieting from 1895 to 1897 Adolf was Regent of Lipa for Alexander Prince of Lipa who had an intellectual disability Victoria greatly enjoyed her public responsibilities as the wife of the Regent and her mental health improved during this time despite being told he was next in line Adolf was passed over it as Regent and Prince in 1898 Victoria's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and she succumbed to the disease in August 1901. Victoria's grandmother Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom also passed away that year the first world war greatly distressed Victoria she adored Britain and was sympathetic to the British cause during the war her husband died in 1916. her brother-in-law the king of the Highlands was deposed in 1918 and she along with other German Nobles and Royals lost their titles under the new Weimar Republic her finances began to dwindle and she wrote A Memoir in 1929 to generate some income in 1927 Victoria met Alexander zubkov a Russian immigrant studying law at the University of Bonn Victoria became infatuated with the young man 35 years her Junior and spent lavishly on him he proposed to her only two months after meeting her and without asking permission Victoria married him she renounced her titles in order to do so and they wed on the 19th of November 1927. it was a royal and Society scandal soon Alexander spent large amounts of Victoria's fortune and combined with his public misconduct and financial troubles led to his deportation from Germany he moved to Luxembourg and worked as wager though Victoria had supported him a first by 1928 she separated from him her own Financial struggles caught up to her and she was forced to auction off nearly everything she owned she moved into a single rented room in the suburbs sabon and filed for divorce causing yet another scandal soon after Victoria fell ill with pneumonia her brother Willem and her sister Margaret attempted to contact her but both were unsuccessful and she passed away on the 13th of November 1929. Prince valdemar of Prussia was the youngest son of Frederick III German Emperor and Victoria Princess Royal and German empress known for his fun-loving character and born on the 28th wedding anniversary of his maternal grandparents Prince valdemar passed away from diphtheria at the age of 11. Prince valdemar of Prussia was born in the crown Prince's Palace in Berlin on the 10th of February 1868. his birth came 20 months after the tragic death of his older brother sigismund Voldemort's mother Victoria was overjoyed by his birth and wrote to her husband to tell him of how happy she was to have such a dear little creature to hold a nurse Voldemort quickly took sigismund's place as Victoria's favorite son and Victoria hoped he would be everything his older brothers and Henry were not valdemar had seven siblings Willem Charlotte Henry sigismund Victoria Sophia and Margaret Voldemort loved to visit his maternal grandmother Queen Victoria at her home Osborne house on the Isle of Wight off the coast of the United Kingdom Voldemort collected rocks and minerals that his mother labeled for him and placed in the Swiss Cottage where she had played and learned to cook as the child Voldemort reminded Queen Victoria of her deceased husband Prince Albert due to Voldemort's love of Natural Science voldemar was a spirited young boy during one visit to the Osborne house Voldemort placed his pet Bob in his grandmother's study Bob was a small crocodile and he gave the queen quite the scare was well after valdemar retrieved his crocodile in February 1879 Voldemort celebrated his 11th birthday little over a month later Voldemort complained of a sore throat he was diagnosed with diphtheria diphtheria is a bacterial infection which affects the mucous membranes of the nose and throat it typically presents with a sore throat fever swelling glands and malaise the mucus can block the throat and cause the person to struggle to breathe diphtheria is rare in today's world due to vaccinations and if contracted there are treatments available however in 1879 diphtheria was not curable and many patients succumbed to the disease this was the case in December 1878 when Voldemort's Aunt Alice Grand Duchess of Hess and her daughter Marie both died of diphtheria Victoria took all precautions known to help at the time she washed valdemar daily in a bath of hot vinegar and water and changed to sheets and clothes daily she would wash his clothes in carbolic acid Victoria also covers her own clothing and sprayed herself with carbolic acid after tending to her son though he appeared to be improving Voldemort deteriorated on the 26th of March 1879 and passed away shortly after midnight on the 27th of March 1879. Victoria was devastated by Voldemort's death she wrote of how she would grieve for the rest of her life for him and that she could not comprehend how Voldemort was no longer around aldamar was buried with one of his mother's nightgowns covering him and one of his father Frederick's handkerchiefs covering his face the funeral service was held in New Palace which was attended by household staff valdemar's teachers and family friends Victoria did not attend the funeral was buried beside his brother sigismund Sophia Queen of the Helens born Princess Sofia of Prussia her parents were Frederick III German Emperor and Victoria Princess Royal and German empress as Queen of the Helens she found it difficult to adapt to her new country but found solace in helping the poor and Ill Sophia was a granddaughter of both Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and King Willem the first of Prussia German emperor she was born on the 14th of June 1870 and was the seventh child of eight children born to the then Crown prince and princess of Prussia Sophia had seven siblings one of whom passed away before she was born Willem Charlotte Henry sigismund Victoria valdemar and Margaret Sophia and her sisters Victoria and Margaret were particularly close to their mother Victoria their mother had a difficult relationship with her eldest three children Sophia grew up in a loving and warm home in two main residences New Palace and the Crown Prince Palace as her parents were liberals they lived away from the Prussian court with their children due to the very conservative nature of course shortly after Sophia's birth the Spanish succession was revealed which damaged franco-prussian relations the relationship between the two countries worsened further when Chancellor Otto von Bismarck the Prussian Chancellor published the humiliating Ms Telegram and six days later Napoleon III emperor of the French declared war on Prussia the German Confederation offered support to Prussia around this time Sophia was baptized and the vent was sad and serious due to all the men present wearing full uniforms the War lasted only a few months but led to Sophia's grandfather Willem the first being installed as the first German Emperor on the 18th of January 1871. Sophia's childhood was mostly happy she was nicknamed Saucy due to Big age gaps between the older and younger Children of the crown princely couple their parents grouped them into two different groups Willem Charlotte and Henry were grouped into one group and were favorites of their paternal grandparents while Victoria valdemar Sophia and Margaret were grouped together and were favored by their parents in 1879 Sophia's older brother Voldemort died of diphtheria on this event drew the crown princess and her three younger daughters clustered together Victoria believed in English superiority and had her children's nurseries modeled on her childhood Sophia was raised with a great love for England and had frequent trips to visit Queen Victoria her grandmother whom she loved the children spent long periods of time in England Sophia and the younger Children of the crown princely couple were largely ignored by the paternal grandparents and Sophia's early years were shaped by her parents and grandmother Queen Victoria Sophia grew attached to her grandmother and Victoria the Crown Princess did not hesitate to leave her daughter in her grandmother's care for extended periods of time in 1887 Queen Victoria celebrated her golden jubilee at this event many members of European royalty arrived in England Sophia met Crown Prince Constantine of Grace and grew close to him the not right Queen Victoria wrote to her daughter saying that a good heart and a good character went far beyond that of cleverness nine months later Sophia's grandfather passed away and her father became the German emperor however he passed away one day after Sophia's 18th birthday in June 1888. her older brother Willem became the emperor shortly after her father's death Sophia and Constantine became engaged they had the approval of Willem but Victoria dreaded sending her daughter so far away and believed that the Greek Throne was unstable nevertheless the couple were wed on the 27th of October 1889 in Athens they had both Greek Orthodox and Lutheran services they settled into a small Villa while their new home the Crown Prince Palace was being built Sophia and Constantine had six children together George Alexander Helen Paul Irene and Catherine Catherine was born nine years after Irene the Greek Romanian Serbian and Spanish royal families all descend from their marriage they lived a simple life as the Greek courseh was fire removed from protocol however Sophia found life monotonous and had difficulty adjusting to her new life foreign in Greece she learned modern Greek although it took her many years to become completely fluent and after the birth of their eldest son Sophia converted to the Orthodox faith this move was popular among the Greeks and the Greek royal family though she had support from her grandmother and mother the German royal family were largely outraged and against the conversion Sophia and Willem were never on good terms from then on as Crown Princess and Laser Queen Sophia took an interest in healthcare hygiene improvements and the school system of Greece she was actively involved in social work and led various initiatives to improve the welfare of her new country in 1896 she founded the union of Greek women which was very active in assisting refugees from the Ottoman Empire during a 30 Days War Sophia and other female members of the Greek Rua family actively worked with the Greek Red Cross to help wounded soldiers she founded field hospitals visited the wounded and administered care to the victims of the fighting the act of participation of Sophia and her mother-in-law Queen Olga in aiding victims through admiration from other European courts as a reward for their efforts Queen Victoria bestowed them with the Royal Red Cross after the war a powerful anti-monarchist movement developed in Greece several weeks after the pastry she was signed between Greece and the Ottoman Empire the King George the first was almost assassinated he was mostly unharmed as the situation became more tense Constantine and Sophia moved abroad and lived in Prussia they later returned in 1899 to Greece in 1901 both Sophia's grandmother Queen Victoria and her mother died Sophia was deeply affected by the death of both of her closest relatives on March 18 1913 Sophia's father-in-law George the first was assassinated and Constantine became the king as Constantine the first though popular at first because of his successes in the war against turkey and Bulgaria after World War one broke out the tide turned against him Greece had signed a treaty with Serbia in 1913 which stated that Greece would help Serbia if attacked by Bulgaria which happened this led to disagreements between the king and the government as a result Constantine was forced to abdicate his throne in 1917 and his second son Alexander was installed as king Constantine and his family went into Exile in Switzerland the Crown Prince and Prince Alexander were both suspected of collaborating with the Germans Alexander ruled as king from 1917 until 1920 after dying from a monkey bite Sophia's third son Paul was asked to be king but he declined said Constantine was brought back after government change and a referendum was held Greece was defeated by turkey in 1922 and Constantine was forced to abdicate again the following year Constantine died from a brain hemorrhage George then reigned from 1925 when he was forced to abdicate and again in 1936 when the monarchy was restored he reigned until his death in 1947. Paul was then installed as king all three of Sophia's sons became Kings of Greece Sophia spent her last years in Florence Italy she passed away at the age of 61 on the 13th of January 1932 in Germany where she had been undergoing treatment for cancer she was buried alongside her husband in Florence after the monarchy was restored Sophia and Constantine's remains were transferred to Greece and buried in the Royal Cemetery at tatawi Palace Margaret land gravine of Hess born Princess Margaret of Prussia she was the last child born to Frederick III German Emperor and Victoria Princess Royal and German empress she was nicknamed Marcy for her mask like hair as a child Margaret was a granddaughter of both Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Kaiser Willem the first German emperor she was born on the 22nd of April 1872 in New Palace in Potsdam she was closest to her older sisters Victoria and Sophia and had seven siblings two of whom died young Willem Charlotte Henry sigismund Victoria voldemar and Sophia Margaret grew up in a loving home and was deeply attached to both of her parents she was one of the most popular members of her family and had good relations with many of her International family members as she matured into an adult she was said to have resembled her deceased Aunt Alice Grand Duchess of Hassan by Rhine when Margaret was 16 her father died of throat cancer and her brother Willem became the German emperor as a young woman Margaret was attracted to Prince maximilium a badon but he did not reciprocate her reflection she turned her attention to Prince Frederick Charles of Hess the future head of the Hess Castle Dynasty and future elected king of Finland they were married on the 25th of January 1893. when they wed Frederick was not the head of the House of Hess Castle his brother was but he relinquished it in the mid-1920s in order to enter a more organatic marriage Frederick was addressed as His Highness while his wife was addressed as her Royal Highness disparity came to an end in 1925 when Frederick became the land grave of Hess at first Margaret's brother refused to give permission for the marriage as he felt the Frederick was too minor of a royal for a Kaiser's sister but Leisure gave his Blessing as he saw Margaret as unimportant too the marriage was happy and they lived in slosh rompenheim in 1901 Margaret's mother died and she inherited her mother's house the family moved into the home during their marriage they had six Sons including two sets of twins Friedrich William Maximilian Philip Wolfgang Richard and Kristoff in 1918 Margaret's husband accepted the position of king of Finland but due to the outcome of world war one he renounced it during both the world wars three of Margaret's sons died Friedrich Wilhelm and Maximilian died in the first World War two of our other Sons Philip and Kristoff became Nazis and Margaret even invited Adolf Hitler to tea and flew swastikas from her home Philip married Princess mafalda the daughter of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and due to his close relations to the king of Italy Philip was appointed to Hitler's personal staff when Philip realized the true reality of Nazism he attempted to resign he was not allowed to do so so he used his position to provide passports for Jewish people fleeing Germany after discovering this Hitler had him imprisoned in a concentration camp along with his wife his wife died while in a concentration camp Margaret's fifth son Christoph was married to princess Sophie of Greece Prince Philip Duke of edinburgh's sister and he died during a plane crash in 1943. Margaret also lost a daughter-in-law during the war Princess Mary Alexandra the wife of Wolfgang was killed in a bomb attack along with seven other eight women in 1944. during the second world war Margaret took care of her grandchildren and tried to preserve her home at friedrichshof after the war many more difficulties would occur in 1945 over 2 billion pounds worth of jewelry was stolen from her home and her home was used as an officer's club by the military authorities during the American occupation the theft was discovered when Princess Sophie wanted to use it for her wedding the theft was reported and the culprits imprisoned in 1951 but only 10 of the jewelry was eventually recovered Margaret was the last child of her parents to pass away she died on the 22nd of January 1954 14 years after her husband and 53 years to the day after her British grandmother Queen Victoria she was 81 years old thank you

Channel: History with Maria

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Length: 55min 41sec (3341 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 29 2022