The Daughters of King Christian IX of Denmark

[Music] the daughters of King Christian the ninth of Denmark Christian the ninth of Denmark is one of the most prolific patriarchs in royal history his six children inherited were elected to or married in to the most powerful monarchies of 19th century Europe and their descendants have occupied nine different European Thrones Denmark of course but also Norway Belgium the United Kingdom Greece Spain Russia Romania and Luxembourg King Christian was from a minor branch of the Danish royal family and was never expected to be king at 21 he briefly courted the 20 year old Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom whom he met while attending her coronation he spent money he didn't have to buy a new suit to impress her but she felt for a different minor royal Prince Albert of saxe-coburg and Gotha and together they established their own impressive royal dynasty Christian recovered from his disappointment and fell in love with his cousin Louisa of hesse-kassel they were Wed in 1842 and lived a happy and simple life together she raised their six children with practical skills the girls learning to cook and sew their own clothes and occasionally a family friend Hans Christian Andersen would visit to tell the children bedtime stories but their simple life was upended when the senior branch of the royal family died out and Christian became a King of Denmark Queen Luise proved to be particularly adept at dynastic politics and she got to work setting up their children now in their late teens and early 20s with impressive political marriages to the most powerful royal families of Europe thus King Christian became known as the father-in-law of Europe his three daughters shook up their new royal families with their pragmatism and practicality and despite being spread across the continent they remained close frequently visiting each other and returning home to Denmark nearly every summer let's get to know the three illustrious daughters of King Christian the night Alexandra Queen of the United Kingdom known as Alex to her family she was a capable and practical young woman who helped her mother manage the household Alex and her sister Dalmar were very close and shared an attic bedroom they had no idea that they would one day be married to the two most powerful rulers in Europe Alex and her sisters were educated by their mother in reading and writing while their father shared with them his passion for drawing and radically for the time they were taught how to swim meanwhile in the United Kingdom Queen Victoria was on the hunt for a bride for her eldest son and heir Edward Prince of Wales she struggled to find a suitable match among the family's German relations and Edward rejected several ladies as he was more keen to continue on with his playboy bachelor life Queen Victoria turned to her eldest daughter Princess Victoria who had recently been married to the future emperor of Germany the younger Victoria recommended Princess Alexandra and though she wasn't German the British Queen decided that she was the best option available Princess Victoria introduced her brother to Alexandra but his love affair with an Irish actress and the early death of his father Albert postponed the wedding for a year Edward and Alexandra eventually Wed in 1863 but as the British royal family it was still in mourning for Prince Albert all the guests but the bride were required to wear black gray lilac or mauve making for a rather drab celebration later that year Alexandra's father became King of Denmark and he went to war with Germany over the Duchy of schleswig-holstein as Alexandra and her new groom favored the Danish side in the conflict they found themselves at odds with the Queen on the rest of the germinal file royal family Alexandra and Edward had a relatively happy marriage and kept a lively court at Sandringham house away from the judgmental eyes of his mother the Princess of Wales was dignified charming affectionate and jolly she loved dancing and ice-skating and was an expert horse woman carriage driver and hunter all which scandalized the queen who begged her daughter-in-law to stop and behave more ladylike but to no avail the princess took on many royal duties in Queen Victoria's place and was particularly interested in supporting hospitals she was well loved by the people and was cheered enthusiastically wherever she went she was also a fashion icon and popularized at the choker necklace which she wore to cover up a scar on her neck from a childhood operation Alexandra might have preferred that her husband pay a bit more attention to her but they seemed to have had an understanding as he famously took at least 15 mistresses in his life and she didn't seem to be that bothered about it Alexander herself is believed to have been faithful to Edward throughout their marriage she gave birth to their first child Prince Albert Victor in 1864 and she was devoted to him she loved nothing more than spending time caring for her children she was in her glory when she could run up to the nursery put on a flannel apron wash the children and see them asleep in their little beds but this tender affection was yet another bone of contention between the princess and her mother-in-law Queen Victoria was a famously icy formal and controlling mother and she often criticized Alexandra's tolerant and affectionate parenting all six of Alexandra's children were born prematurely though it is suspected that she misled Victoria as to their actual due dates so that the Queen would not be present when she was in labor the princess had a difficult delivery with her third child Louisa which was complicated by a bout of rheumatic fever she nearly died and was left with a permanent limp but her status as a fashion icon was such that many society ladies began to emulate her distinctive new walk in 1868 The Prince and Princess of Wales embarked on an official tour of Austria Egypt and Greece where they visited her brother now King George the first of Greece in Turkey Alexandra was the first woman to sit down to dinner with the Sultan by her late twenties Alexandra began to accept and deafness which made her increasingly uncomfortable in social situations she preferred to spend time at home with her children and pets as it was well known that she doted on animals she was often gifted dogs and other more exotic animals from foreign royals and ended up keeping quite a menagerie at Sandringham her 6th and final child a son named Alexander John died within a day of his birth Alexandra and Edward wished to grieve in private but Queen Victoria ever the fan of misery insisted on dragging the grieving parents out in public for a period of official court morning Edward put his foot down and refused to bury his son in a state funeral instead placing the baby in his coffin himself and burying him on the Sandringham Estate when Alexandra's two eldest sons or 12 and 13 they were sent away for a three-year cruise around the world as part of their naval education Alexandra was deeply saddened to be parted from the boys and wrote them often upon their return she took Albert Victor with her to st. Petersburg to attend her sister's coronation as Serena of Russia Prince Albert Victor died of influenza at the age of 28 and Alexandra was devastated she wrote to her parents I have buried my angel and with him my happiness in 1901 queen victoria died and Edward and Alexandra became a king and queen of the United Kingdom Edward became seriously ill with appendicitis and Alexandra kept up her public engagements so as not to cause alarm but eventually the new king recovered and the couple were crowned together in Westminster Abbey as Queen Alexandra was politically outspoken she continued to be anti-german and was deeply distrustful of her nephew kaiser wilhelm ii of germany and his growing power she wrote a memorandum warning British ministers against a planned trade of the British North Sea island of heligoland for the German colony of Zanzibar but was unheated and just as she predicted Heligoland a Maki launching point for Germany's naval attacks on the UK during World War one nine years into his reign King Edward fell seriously ill Alexandra nursed him even allowing his mistress Alice Keppel to bid him farewell and she remained by his side until he died at the age of 68 Alexandra now the Queen Mother to her son King George the fifth was also a grandmother and doted on her grandchildren often caring for them while her son and his wife left on royal tours she was renowned for her youthful beauty and slim waist into her senior years but the outbreak of World War one took a toll on her health and she began to wear heavy makeup which some described as making her face look enameled Alexandra died in 1925 at the age of 80 and was buried next to her husband and son Alexander John on the sand ring in the state her great-granddaughter is the current queen of the United Kingdom elizabeth ii and her great grandson via her daughter Maud is King Harald v of Norway Domar Maria Feodorovna czarina of Russia Christian and Louise's second daughter was baptised Marie Sophie federic Delmar but was known as Dalmar or Minnie within the family she loved to read and taught herself several languages after her elder sister Alexandra was married to Edward Prince of Wales their mother began to look for an equally brilliant match for her second daughter and the only groom who could possibly equal the future monarch of Great Britain was the future monarch of the other great power of Europe Russia Czar Alexander the second eldest son twenty-year-old czarevitch Nikolai was handsome charming intelligent and enjoyed writing poetry he had been sent photographs of the beautiful princess dama for years and had become quite enchanted by her and when the pair first met in person the feeling was mutual they became engaged and used a diamond to scratch their initial into a window in the Russian summer palace as was tradition she utilized her gift for languages to quickly learn her fiance's native tongue and the couple wrote letters to each other daily while Nikolai was on tour in southern Europe but suddenly Nikolai's letters stopped and Dalmar was distraught she received a telegram from the Tsar that his son was in nice and terribly ill with meningitis he had already been given the last rites Dalma and thus our race to Nikolai's bedside they arrived just in time to wish Nikolai a tearful farewell the dying Tsarevich asked his younger brother Alexander who was about to become heir to the throne to also take doll Mars hand in marriage the nude Tsarevich was not nearly as handsome or intelligent as his brother had been he was awkward socially and physically and at 6-3 was remarkably tall and broad for his time but he was kind and good-natured and Alma agreed to the match now 18 she said a tearful farewell to her family and traveled to st. Petersburg to be married daaamn are converted to the Russian Orthodox religion and took the Russian name maria feodorovna derived from her own first name of Marie and the traditional patronymic second name given to foreign royal brides Thea drove na from fyodor meaning gift of God the couple married in extravagant style at the Winter Palace but Maria's parents didn't have enough money to make a big show to the other grand European Royals and attendants so they stayed away from their daughter's wedding the young bride found the Russian court to be very formal and stiff compared to her relaxed upbringing in Denmark but she had an easy nature and soon adapted alexander doted on his new wife and she became quite content attending at grand balls and dressing in the finest clothes and jewels a year into their marriage she gave birth to their first child nikolai five more children followed their second son alexander died of meningitis in infancy the Tsarevich a famously stern man in most situations was gentle and loving with his wife and children he enjoyed playing games and ice skating with them but outside of the palace walls all was not well in Russia serfdom and social injustice plagues the people and the luxurious lifestyle of the Romanov family incited fury dissidents believes that they could spark a revolution by killing the Tsar a bomb was detonated in a dining room of the Winter Palace and had the royal family had not been late coming to dinner they all would have been killed in 1881 Tsar Alexander was bombed while driving in his carriage Maria and the family did the dying Tsar farewell and Maria was horrified to see that her father-in-law's legs had been blown to pieces in these terrifying circumstances Alexander and Maria were crowned Tsar and Tsarina of Russia ironically the dead Tsar had been liberally minded and wanted to improve the lives of the poor people of his country he had been working with his brother Konstantin on a democratic constitution which was about to be made public when he was killed but his son now Tsar Alexander the third was much more conservative and narrow-minded he ripped up his father's constitution and banished his uncle Konstantin to Serbia the secret police feared for the life of the new Tsar and his family so they moved out of the sumptuous Winter Palace and into the more secure but much more dreary and cramped bachchan palace ball and social gatherings were also greatly reduced maria was not particularly happy in her new drab lifestyle six years into Alexander's reign another attempt was made on the Tsar's life a group of students filled hollowed-out books with dynamite and planned to bomb the family while they were visiting the pier and Paul Cathedral the conspirators were discovered by the police and hanged but among their number was a young man whose brother Wladimir swore revenge on the Romanov family he would get it 30 years later after becoming known as Lenin in another horrifying incident the family's train was derailed and the youngest child six-year-old olga was thrown out of a window the Tsar used his immense strength to hold up the roof of the Train so his family could escape they all survived but it was never known if this was a mere accident or yet another assassination attempt the best respite the family had from their incessant fear was their annual summer trip back to Denmark which they all enjoyed immensely and every year alexander commissioned a new egg to be created by artist carl fabergé for his wife at 49 the Tsar fell ill with kidney failure and died in his wife's arms maria was desolate and her older sister Alexandra made haste to Russia to be by her side she remained with Maria day and night for two weeks during the whirlwind of the funeral and her son Nikolai's wedding to Alexandra Feodorovna at first the Dowager Empress maintained her place as the first lady of Russia she insisted on walking next to her son during formal occasions while his new wife stood in the back she saw her son as weak and advised him to rule much as his father had rejecting new ideas or modernization Marija was unimpressed with her daughter-in-laws difficulty learning Russian lack of social grace and that she gave birth to four daughters before bearing a son and heir 10 years into the marriage but once the Tsarevich was born alexandra was raised up in the eyes of the people and her husband and she began to exercise more influence over him displacing her mother-in-law feeling her prominence and the royal family fading Marija began to spend more time abroad in Denmark she and her sister Alexandra bought a villa together north of Copenhagen where they spent many happy summers in 1914 Russia entered World War one but tsar nicolai was a poor military commander and led the army to disaster and the deaths of over two million soldiers this was just the opportunity flat Amir Lenin and his followers needed to finally incite a revolution take over the country and depose the Tsar Maria fled the capital with her daughters and escaped to the Crimea while there she was informed that her son and his family had been murdered by the revolutionaries Bolshevik soldiers began to advance on the Crimea and Maria's sister Alexandra sent a British warship to rescue her she had no choice but to leave Russia the country she had spent nearly her entire life forever she spent her final years in Denmark and died at the age of 80 in 1928 to de crown princess of Hanover and Duchess of Cumberland Torah was the first child for an after her father was named heir to the Danish throne and was 10 when he became King she was beautiful and gentle with striking dark blue eyes and had a passion for painting she made her social debut at 17 but was lonely without her two older sisters who had both left in mark to be married while her mother was on the hunt for an equally illustrious husband for Torah she fell in love with an army officer lieutenant Vilhelm marcher Queen Louisa was aware of the romance but thought it was a harmless youthful sortation that is until Torah became pregnant at 18 the princess went to stay in Greece officially to visit her brother who was now King bear but in reality to give birth to her child away from Denmark to avoid a scandal to die give birth to a daughter who was adopted by a Danish family and named Kate heartbroken lieutenant marcher killed himself upon learning the news Torah suffered a breakdown and about of typhoid fever she came near to death but recovered upon returning home she received a marriage proposal from King Wilhelm the third of the Netherlands but as he was 36 nearly twice her age she turned him down she was more interested in Ernst August the Crown Prince of Hanover his father King George the fifth of Hanover had lost his throne during the unification of Germany but there was hope that his son might gain it back in the meantime he went by his British title Duke of Cumberland ansed was an awkward man and uh notoriously a bad dresser but his jovial personality it made him well loved by all who knew him Queen Louisa and Princess Alexandra were particularly fond of Ernst and arranged a meeting between him and tutor the pair got on so well that she proposed to him and he happily accepted the couple married at Christmas in Copenhagen and then moved to Austria they had a happy marriage and preferred a quiet life at home with each other and their six children rather than a glittering social life in 1912 their eldest son George 31 was on his way to attend the funeral of his uncle King Frederick the eighth of Denmark when he was killed in an automobile accident as the crash had occurred in Germany Kaiser Wilhelm organized a guard of honor to escort George's body home to DES and Ernst sent their younger son and stylist to Berlin to pay their respects to the Kaiser and while he was there he fell in love with Lil Helm's daughter Victoria the parents were unhappy to see their son join the family that had forced them off the throne of Hanover but they didn't stand in the way of his happiness the wedding in 1913 was the last time that cousins Kaiser Vilhelm of Germany king george v of the UK and tsar nicolai of russia ever met before they went to war during World War one tora and Ernst supported Austria and Germany and were the stripped of their British title of Duke and Duchess of Cumberland much to their dismay and spied at the age of 78 after 45 years of marriage and toilet was left rather lonely but she filled her final years by spending time with her children and grandchildren and returned home to Denmark often she died in 1933 at the age of 79 in the next video we'll meet King Christians three distinguished sons Frederick the eighth of Denmark George the first king of Greece and Prince Valdemar who was twice offered crowns of his own but turned them down to be a sailor and in a future video we'll also meet Christians 39 grandchildren and his other descendants who went on to occupy Thrones throughout Europe if you enjoyed this video please like subscribe comment your thoughts and check out my other royal history videos if you really want to help please consider supporting me on patreon a link is in the description thank you for watching [Music]

Channel: Lindsay Holiday

Views: 591,101

Rating: 4.9232016 out of 5

Keywords: history, game of thrones, documentary, royal family, royalty, sex, bbc, the crown, british history, england, scandal, royal wedding, women, incest, europe, historic costumes, feminist, victorian era, Queen victoria, inbreeding, wwi, world war 1, 1800s, princess, duchess, bride, denmark, danish, russia, russian revolution, Scandinavia, nordic, scandinavian, Queen Alexandra of Denmark, Edward vii, queen elizabeth ii, tsar alexander, tsarina maria feodrovna, princess Thyra, love, tiara, christian ix

Id: 6mQjgKOLiwY

Length: 22min 40sec (1360 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 18 2020