Duchess Sophie Charlotte in Bavaria

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Sophie Charlotte
Duchess of Alençon
Spouse Ferdinand d'Orléans
Issue
Louise, Princess of Bavaria
Emmanuel, Duke of Vendôme
House House of Orléans
House of Wittelsbach
Father Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria
Mother Princess Ludovika of Bavaria
Born 23 February 1847(1847-02-23)
Possenhofen Castle, Possenhofen, Germany
Died 4 May 1897 (aged 50)
Paris, France

Sophie Charlotte Augustine of Bavaria, Duchess of Alençon (23 February, 1847 &ndash 4 May, 1897). Born a Duchess in Bavaria, she married a grandson of Louis Philippe I and was the favourite sister of Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of Austria. She was the maternal aunt of German (Prussian and Saxon) and Italian Royals. Sophie Charlotte was also a cousin of most European crownheads.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Sophie Charlotte was born at the Possenhofen Castle, the residence of her paternal family, Dukes in Bavaria. She was a daughter of Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria (1808–1888) and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. The ninth of ten children born to her parents, she was known as Sopherl within the family.

She was also a sister of Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Queen Maria Sophia of the Two Sicilies. After the marraiage of her older sister, Duchess Mathilde Ludovika in Bavaria to 1861 to the Neapolitan Prince Luis of the Two Sicilies, her parents then turned to find Sophie Charlotte a suitable husband.

She was engaged to her cousin King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Their engagement was publicised on 22 January, 1867, but after having repeatedly postponed the wedding date, Ludwig finally cancelled it in October. For details of the situation see the article on Edgar Hanfstaengl.

Other proposed husbands included the renowned homosexual Archduke Ludwig Viktor of Austria, brother of Franz Josef I of Austria as well as the future Luís I of Portugal. Another candidate was Duke Philipp of Württemberg[1], the first cousin of her eventual husband.

She refused all the candidates. She was sent to stay with her aunt, Amalie Auguste of Bavaria, then the Queen of Saxony as wife of John of Saxony. It was in Saxony Sophie Charlotte met Ferdinand d'Orléans (12 July, 1844 – 29 June, 1910), Duke of Alençon and grandson of the late Louis Philippe I (d.1850). Soon after, on 28 September, 1868 she married the Duke of Alençon, son of Louis d'Orléans, at Possenhofen Castle near Starnberg.

She had a good relationship with her husband as well as sister in law Marguerite Adélaïde d'Orléans, wife of Władysław Czartoryski. Her mother in law, Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary, cousin of Queen Victoria, had died in 1857. Sophie Charlotte did not have an overly good relationship with her father in law, the widowed Duke of Nemours.

The year after their marriage, the Ducal couple moved to England, living in Teddington, London where Sophie Charlotte gave birth to her first child Louise d'Orléans at Bushy House.

Sophie died in a fire at a charity bazaar in Paris on 4 May 1897. She had refused rescue attempts, insisting that the girls working with her at the bazaar be saved first.

[edit] Issue

[edit] Ancestry

[edit] Titles, styles, honours and arms

[edit] Titles and styles

[edit] References and notes

  1. ^ Son of Marie d'Orléans, daughter of Louis Philippe I
  2. ^ Sister of Albert I of Belgium and daughter of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders who in turn was a grandson of Louis-Philippe of France

[edit] See also

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