Marie-Henriette of Austria, Queen of the Belgians.
At 17, Marie-Henriette married Prince Leopold, eldest son and heir of King Leopold I of the Belgians. It was a political match, intended to shield Belgium from possible French aggression. In addition, it was hoped, the Hapsburg connection would securely establish the new Belgian dynasty among the prestigious Catholic monarchies of Europe. The spouses' temperaments, however, clashed from the start. Only weeks after her wedding, the bride wrote to her painting master:
...I am an unhappy woman. God is my only support. My poor mother begins to perceive what she did when she arranged my marriage. She only sought my happiness, but now she sees the opposite is the case. If God will hear my prayer, I will not live longer...
Despite her wish, this was only the beginning of nearly 50 years of grief. Pragmatic necessity (chiefly, the quest for an heir) united the couple during the early years of their marriage, but the death of their only son, at age 10, bitterly disappointed the King and strained the royal couple's fragile bond. When a further attempt at producing an heir merely resulted in the birth of their (third) daughter, Clementine, all hopes of marital harmony were shattered. Selfish, cynical, and cruel, Leopold was notoriously unfaithful, and Marie-Henriette was the first to suffer from his long series of scandals, which outraged Belgian public opinion and seriously damaged the royal family's reputation.
Share
Marie-Henriette of Austria, Queen of the Belgians.
7 comments:
Hello,
What a sad story, she seemed beautiful.
~ Gabriela ~
I feel so sorry for this royal lady...it seems that no matter what she did, it could never please..
A real disaster, wasn't it? It seems so strange to me that her husband did not make more of an effort to be faithful and kind to her. She had so many attractive qualities- beauty, accomplishment, and most importantly upright character. Even if it was not love at first sight, you would think that with a little good will, it could have been made to work.
Yes, goodwill and plain old human charity goes a long way in making any relationship work.
Thank you for linking, it is always a great honor.
For a long time, the story of Leopold II and his family seemed so depressing to me that I never felt like posting on it. But I knew that I had to discuss it at some point, because it was such an important part of the Belgian monarchy's history, and when I finally started writing on the topic this week, I actually really enjoyed it (despite all the tragedy)! Such a strange experience.
Thank you, Matterhorn, I am glad you are writing of them; they are very interesting. Wasn't Leopold II the brother of Empress Carlota?
Yes, he was, but they seem to have been very different characters! From what I've heard, Carlota was a kind, devoted woman and a good spouse, one can hardly say (unfortunately) the same for her brother.
Post a Comment