Royal intermarriage

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Royal intermarriage is the practice of members of ruling dynasties marrying into other reigning families. It was more commonly done in the past as part of strategic diplomacy for reasons of state. Although sometimes enforced by legal requirement on persons of royal birth, more often it has been a matter of political policy and/or tradition in monarchies.

From the medieval era until the fall of Napoleon I most European heads of state were hereditary monarchs in pursuit of national and international aggrandizement on behalf of themselves and their dynasties.[1] Thus bonds of kinship tended to promote or restrain aggression. Marriage between dynasties could serve to initiate, re-enforce or guarantee peace between nations. Alternatively, kinship by marriage could secure an alliance between two dynasties which sought to reduce the sense of threat from or to initiate aggression against the realm of a third dynasty. It could also enhance the prospect of territorial acquisition for a dynasty by procuring legal claim to a foreign throne, or portions of its realm (e.g. colonies), through inheritance from an heiress whenever a monarch failed to leave an undisputed male heir.

Also following Europe's medieval era when tribal leaders evolved into feudal suzerains, suzerains into kings and kings into absolute monarchs, they rose from primus inter pares into God's anointed sovereigns.[2] Marriages with subjects brought the king back down to the level of those he ruled, often stimulating the ambition of his consort's family and evoking jealousy—or disdain—from the nobility. The notion that monarchs should marry into the dynasties of other monarchs to end or prevent war was, at first, a policy driven by pragmatism. During the era of absolutism it came to re-enforce the notion of Divine right—i.e., the premise that monarchs and dynasties were chosen to reign by God and, ipso facto, were different, as if by caste, rather than merely by fortune from their subjects. Kings continued to marry into the families of their greatest vassals down to the 16th century in most of Europe, by which time most of the great regional principalities and duchies were annexed to the Crown in Scandinavia, Latin Europe and the British Isles through royal subjugation or inheritance. Henceforth, kings tended to marry internationally and, increasingly, to have their sons and daughters do likewise.

Contents

[edit] Royal marriage as international policy

Whereas the nobility in national monarchies often came to set great store by genealogical quarterings (a higher standard of noble ancestry, as measured by descent from four noble grandparents, eight noble great-grandparents, etc., rather than only in the male line), that standard proved less influential among reigning dynasties. Many European orders of chivalry (for men) and of canonesses (for women) imposed strict membership requirements for genealogical nobility extending back sometimes to all 64 of one's great-great-great grandparents or 300 years in a patriline. No such restrictions could apply to inter-marriage with reigning dynasties because the demand for political/military alliances and the prospect of inheritance of a foreign realm through marriage to its heiress forbade rigid adherence to standards of genealogical purity among Europe's ruling families: The Medici, Farnesi, Romanovs and Bonapartes were sought as marital partners by even Europe's oldest dynasties for these reasons.

Royal intermarriage was practised widely as a means of promoting mutually advantageous relations with neighboring or hostile nations by binding their reigning dynasties in blood kinship. As dynasties also approached absolutism and/or sought to preserve loyalty among competing members of the nobility, most eventually distanced themselves from kinship ties to local nobles by marrying abroad. In time, this practice contributed to the notion that it was socially as well as politically disadvantageous for members of ruling families to intermarry with their subjects. Queens consort selected from noble or common castes were sometimes subjected to scorn from their husbands' courtiers (e.g. Karin Mansdotter and Anna Canalis di Cumiana).

[edit] Inbreeding

Over time, due to the relatively small pool of potential consorts, the gene pool of many regional royal families grew progressively smaller, until all European royalty were related, usually to their consorts as well. This also resulted in many being descended from a certain person through many lines of descent, such as the numerous European royalty and nobility descended from the British Queen Victoria or King Christian IX of Denmark. The House of Habsburg was infamous for its inbreeding, with the Habsburg lip cited as an ill-effect, although no genetic evidence has proved the allegation. The closely related houses of Habsburg, Bourbon and Wittelsbach also engaged in first-cousin unions frequently and in double-cousin and uncle-niece marriages occasionally.

[edit] Morganatic marriage

Main article: Morganatic marriage

The entrenchment of the distinction between royalty and nobility gave rise to royal house laws among the sovereign houses of Europe and, particularly, among the semi-sovereign dynasties which reigned directly under the Holy Roman Emperor and held voting seats in his Imperial Diet. These laws either required the monarch's authorization for a dynastic marriage, or stipulated with whom a dynast must marry to comply with the principle of Ebenbürtigkeit, i.e., to contract an equal marriage, or both. Marriages which did not comply with this standard were considered non-dynastic, either being a mismarriage (inherently unequal, thus non-dynastic) or a morganatic marriage (unequal by mutual consent of the spouses or non-dynastic by monarchical decision).[3][4]

If a member of a royal family marries someone of inappropriate status, that prince or princess often loses succession rights, titles, or various other royal privileges since nearly all monarchies impose legal restrictions on marriages of dynasts.[3] A frequent occurrence in the past was for the spouse and any children to be denied any prospect of inheriting the dynasty's throne, and to be assigned lesser rank and titles than if the marriage had complied with the dynasty's norms: this was the morganatic marriage.[3][4]

Sometimes these disinherited branches were deemed suitable for marriage into other families. This happened when Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine married the lesser Countess Julia von Hauke. Julia and the morganatic children of this union were given the style of Serene Highness and title of Prince(ss) of Battenberg. The Battenberg family later married into the royal families of Sweden and Spain, and descendants into the royal families of Britain, Greece, Denmark, and other countries. Similarly, the Teck family, from which Queen Mary of the United Kingdom came, was a morganatic branch of the royal House of Württemberg.

[edit] Modern examples

[edit] Examples of multiple kinships

A well-known example of mid-20th century royal intermarriage was that of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born a Prince of Greece and Denmark). Prince Philip is the son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg, whose mother Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine and paternal grandfather, Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine, were both members of the same paternal family.

Princess Alice's paternal uncle, Prince Henry of Battenberg married Princess Beatrice (a daughter of Elizabeth II's great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria). Their daughter, Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg married King Alfonso XIII of Spain, and her grandson, the present king, Juan Carlos, married Princess Sophia of Greece & Denmark, whose father was a cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Likewise, Queen Elizabeth's great-great-grandfather, King Christian IX of Denmark, was also Prince Philip's great-grandfather. They are also related several times through Princess Sophia, Electress of Hanover.

Below is shown how each of Europe's 10 currently reigning hereditary monarchs since 1939 descends from a common ancestor, Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange.[5]

Closest Familial Relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and other European Monarchs
Title Monarch Country Cousin Removed Most Recent Common Ancestor Death of MRCA Gen. from JWF
Queen Elizabeth II United Kingdom --- ---- ------ ------ 9
King Harald V Norway 2nd none Edward VII of the United Kingdom 6-May-1910 10
" " " " " " 3rd none Christian IX of Denmark 29-Jan-1906 10
Queen Margrethe II Denmark 3rd none Christian IX of Denmark 29-Jan-1906 10
King Carl XVI Gustaf Sweden 3rd none Queen Victoria 22-Jan-1901 10
King Juan Carlos I Spain 3rd none Queen Victoria 22-Jan-1901 10
King Albert II Belgium 3rd none Christian IX of Denmark 29-Jan-1906 10
Grand Duke Henri Luxembourg 3rd once Christian IX of Denmark 29-Jan-1906 10
Queen Beatrix Netherlands 5th none Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg 25-Dec-1797 9
" " " " " " 5th once Frederick Francis I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg 1-Feb-1837 " "
Prince Hans-Adam II Liechtenstein 7th once John William Friso, Prince of Orange 14-Jul-1711 10
Prince Albert II Monaco 7th twice John William Friso, Prince of Orange 14-Jul-1711 11

Other contemporary examples include Greece-Denmark, Italy (Savoy)-Greece, Yugoslavia-Brazil, Yugoslavia-Italy, Belgium-Austria, Luxemburg-Austria, Luxemburg-Liechtenstein, Bavaria-Liechtenstein, Hanover-Monaco, Oldenburg-Austria, Orleans-Liechtenstein, Wurttemberg-Orleans and Wurttemberg-Bavaria.

[edit] Grandchildren of Queen Victoria and King Christian IX

Main article: Royal descendants of Queen Victoria and King Christian IX

In early twentieth century Europe, the grandchildren of Queen Victoria and King Christian IX were prevalent throughout most of Europe's royal courts. The British throne was occupied by King Edward VII, who was married to Princess Alexandra, the daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark. German Emperor William was the son of German Emperor Frederick III and Victoria, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria. Another of Victoria's daughters, Princess Alice, married Grand Duke Louis IV of Hesse and by Rhine, whose daughter Princess Alix became Empress of Russia as the consort of Tsar Nicholas II. Nicholas himself was the son of Tsar Alexander III and Princess Marie Sophie Frederikke Dagmar, another daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Victoria of the United Kingdom
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Christian IX of Denmark
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine
 
 Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
 
 Alexandra of Denmark
 
 George I of Greece
 
 Alice of the United Kingdom
 
 Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 George V of the United Kingdom
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine
 
 Prince Louis of Battenberg
 
 Prince Henry of Battenberg
 
 Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 George VI of the United Kingdom
 
 Constantine I of Greece
 
 Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark
 
 
 
 Princess Alice of Battenberg
 
 
 
 
 
 Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
 
 Paul I of Greece
 
 
 
 
 Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Queen Sofía of Spain
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Juan Carlos I of Spain
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Prince Felipe of Spain

[edit] Example of dynastic intra-marriage

Prince David Bagration of Mukhrani married Princess Anna Bagration-Gruzinsky on 8 February 2009 at the Tbilisi Sameba Cathedral. The marriage united the Bagration-Gruzinsky (Kakheti) and Bagration-Moukhransky (Mukhraneli) branches of the former royal family of Georgia, and drew a crowd of 3,000 spectators, officials, and foreign diplomats, as well as extensive coverage by the Georgian media.[6]

The dynastic significance of the wedding lay in the fact that, amidst the turmoil in political partisanship that has roiled Georgia since its independence in 1991, Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia publicly called for restoration of the monarchy as a path toward national unity in October 2007.[7] Although this led some politicians and parties to entertain the notion of a Georgian constitutional monarchy, competition arose among the old Bagrationi dynasty's princes and supporters, as historians and jurists debated which Bagrationi has the strongest hereditary right to a throne that has been vacant for two centuries.[6]

Aside from his unmarried elder brother, Prince David is the heir male of the Bagration family, while the bride's father, Prince Nugzar Bagration-Gruzinsky, is the most senior descendant of the last Bagrationi to reign over the united kingdom of Georgia.[8] But the marriage between the Gruzinsky heiress and the Mukhrani heir resolves their rivalry for the claim to the throne, which has recently divided Georgian monarchists.[9] The couple's first child, Prince George Bagration-Bagrationi was born on September 27, 2011.[10][11]

[edit] Royal intermarriage outside of Europe

Although the practice of royal intermarriage was most dominant in Europe, it was not unheard of nor frowned upon in other areas.

[edit] Ancient Roman client kingdoms

There were many marriages between members of the royal families of the Roman client kingdoms, including:

[edit] Africa

The reigning dynasties of Swaziland, KwaZulu-Natal and Transkei are related in the following fashion: Nelson Mandela belongs to a cadet branch of the Thembu dynasty, which reigns in the Transkeian Territories of South Africa's Cape Province.[12] His patrilineal great-grandfather Ngubengcuka, who died in 1832, ruled as the Inkosi Enkhulu, or king, of the Thembu people.[13] One of the king's sons, named Mandela, became Nelson's grandfather and the source of his surname. However, because he was only the Inkosi's child by a wife of the Ixhiba clan, the so-called "Left-Hand House",[14] the descendants of his branch of the royal family were not eligible to succeed to the Thembu throne (cf. to the so-called "left-hand marriage" or morganatic marriage of European history). Mandela's father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, served as chief of Mvezo in the Transkei.[15] Nelson Mandela's daughter, Zeni Mandela, is married to Prince Thumbumuzi Dlamini, an elder brother of both Mswati III, reigning King of Swaziland, and of Queen Mantfombi Dlamini, the Great Wife of the reigning King of KwaZulu-Natal, Goodwill Zwelithini).[16] Prince Thumbumuzi, King Mswati III and Queen Mantfombi are all children of the late King Sobhuza II of Swaziland. Queen Mantfombi's eldest son, Prince Misuzulu, is a prime candidate to inherit his father's throne.

[edit] China

Unlike in Europe, Chinese emperors were not quite as concerned about the dynastic status of their wives and concubines. Nevertheless, royal intermarriage was not uncommon in China. In times when there were several rival dynasties vying for control, Chinese rulers used royal intermarriage as a way to maintain a balance of power or to solidify alliances between states. In times when there was only one dynasty in China, emperors often married their daughters or other female members of their families to foreign leaders in order to maintain peace between their two nations.

The following Chinese royals married princes or princesses from other ruling families:

[edit] Korea

Royal intermarriage existed in Korea, but was not widespread except during the Three Kingdoms of Korea period.

The following are several examples of Korean royal intermarriage:

  • The Silla Kingdom had a practice that limited the succession to the throne to members of the seonggol, or "sacred bone", rank. To maintain their "sacred bone" rank, members of this caste often intermarried with one another in the same fashion that European royals intermarried to maintain a "pure" royal pedigree.
  • Princess Seonhwa of Silla, daughter of King Jinpyeong of Silla and sister of Queen Seondeok, is thought to have married King Mu of Baekje in a rare incident of royal intermarriage between a seonggol Silla princess and a royal from another Korean kingdom.[18]
  • Members of the Silla royal family who were not seonggol were considered jingol, or "true blood". Although not dynasts (in essence they were morganatic members of the royal clan), they were often still of pure royal or aristocratic blood, as jingol often married members of the noble Bak and Seok clans of Gyeongju, Nagan or the Kimhae Kim clan, a branch of the royal house of Geumgwan Gaya.
  • In 1920, Crown Prince Euimin of Korea was married to Princess Masako of Nashimoto. The marriage was arranged by the Japanese in an attempt to introduce Japanese blood into the Korean royal line.

[edit] Middle East

Recently there have been marriages between the royal families of the Middle East:

[edit] References

  1. ^ Thomson, David (1961). "The Institutions of Monarchy". Europe Since Napoleon. New York: Knopf. pp. 79–80. "The basic idea of monarchy was the idea that hereditary right gave the best title to political power...The dangers of disputed succession were not avoided by hereditary succession: ruling families had a natural interest in passing on to their descendants enhanced power and prestige...Frederick the Great of Prussia, Catherine the Great of Russia, Maria Theresa of Austria, were alike infatuated with the idea of strengthening their power, centralizing government in their own hands as against local and feudal privileges, and so acquiring more absolute authority in the state. Moreover, the very dynastic rivalries and conflicts between these eighteenth-century monarchs drove them to look for ever more efficient methods of government" 
  2. ^ Durant, Will. The Story of Civilzation: The Age of Faith, volume IV. Feudalism and Chivalry. Simon and Schuster, New York, 1950, pp.552-553, 564-566, 569, 571, 573, 576.
  3. ^ a b c Zoepfl, Heinrich. Grundsätze des gemeinen deutschen Staatsrechts, 5th edition. Der Fürst und sein Haus oder das Familien- und Thronerbrecht der souverainen deutschen Familien. C. F. Winter'sche Verlagshandlung, 1863, Leipzig, pp. 583-759. In German.
  4. ^ a b Rehm, Hermann. Modernes Fürstenrecht. Ebenbürtigkeit. J. Schweitzer Verlag, 1904, Munich, pp. 151-179. In German.
  5. ^ "Roglo Genealogical database". http://roglo.eu/roglo?lang=en. 
  6. ^ a b Vignanski, Misha (02/08/2009). "Primera boda real en dos siglos reagrupa dos ramas de la dinastía Bagration" (in Spanish). el confidencial. Spain. http://www.elconfidencial.com/cache/2009/02/08/93_primera_siglos_reagrupa_ramas_dinastia_bagration.html#. Retrieved 02/09/2009. 
  7. ^ "Time for a King for Georgia?". http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav101207a.shtml. 
  8. ^ Buyers, Christopher (2008). "Kakheti: The Bagration Dynasty". Royal Ark. http://www.royalark.net/Georgia/kakhet6.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-15. 
  9. ^ "Wedding of the two royal dynasties members". Georgia Times. 2009-08-02. http://www.georgiatimes.info/?lang=en&area=newsItem&id=7197. Retrieved 2009-09-02. 
  10. ^ http://www.royalhouseofgeorgia.ge/news/Offical-Events/Royal-Birth
  11. ^ http://www.czipm.org/heir-to-the-throne-e.html
  12. ^ "South Africa: Celebrating Mandela At 90". AllAfrica.com. 17 July 2008. http://allafrica.com/stories/200807180124.html. Retrieved 28 October 2008. 
  13. ^ Kopkind, Andrew (16 March 1990). "Book Review - Higher than Hope". Entertainment Weekly. Time, Inc.. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,316920,00.html. Retrieved 28 October 2008. 
  14. ^ Mafela, Munzhedzi James (October 2008). "The revelation of African culture in Long Walk to Freedom". Indigenous Biography and Autobiography. Australian National University. http://epress.anu.edu.au/aborig_history/indigenous_biog/mobile_devices/ch08.html. Retrieved 18 July 2009. 
  15. ^ Guiloineau, Jean; Rowe, Joseph (2002). Nelson Mandela: the early life of Rolihlahla Mandiba. North Atlantic Books. p. 13. ISBN 1556434170. http://books.google.com/?id=4iKSlwuya1YC&pg=PA13. 
  16. ^ Keller, Bill (1994-09-21). "Zulu King Breaks Ties To Buthelezi". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04EEDD163AF932A1575AC0A962958260. Retrieved 2008-04-29. 
  17. ^ Daughter of Yuan Huai, Prince Wumu of Guangping, granddaughter of Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei, and sister of Emperor Xiaowu of Northern Wei
  18. ^ Members of the "sacred bone rank" were often members of the Silla royal house by both birth and marriage. It was not abnormal to find a Silla king or prince with a wife (and even concubines) who were princesses of Silla in their own right (that is, by birth).
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