Four centuries of retracing European history are vividly brought to life through portraits, sculptures, art objects, furniture, porcelain, gold, silverwork, jewellery, lavish costumes and other personal possessions. The exhibits are on loan from palaces of reigning sovereigns and royal collections in Europe's great national museums.
Europe's borders constantly changed between the 17th and 20th Centuries as destinies of these royal families were intertwined through marriages, alliances and family ties.
Victor Amadeus II
Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia married Louis XIV's niece, Anne Marie d'Orléans, whose mother was Charles II of England's youngest sister. He also indulged his love of building and commissioned famous architect Juvarra who built several palaces around Turin. As King of Sicily and Sardinia, he granted the Savoy states their independence and they were ranked first in Italy. He abdicated in 1730 in favour of his son Charles Emanuel III, much to everyone's surprise, but he soon changed his mind as he disapproved of his son's policies. He was imprisoned until his death in 1732.
Napoleon and Josephine
The Empress Josephine, through her children by her first marriage, was the grandmother of Napoleon III, a Queen of Sweden, a Brazilian empress and a Russian grand duke. She became First Lady of France when her second husband, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor.
Christian IX of Denmark's children married into the Swedish, English and Russian royal families. One grandson, Prince Carl, was offered the Norwegian throne in 1905 and reigned as Haakon VII. His eldest daughter Alexandra married Queen Victoria of England's son, Edward VII, and her sister Dagmar married Alexander III of Russia.
Grandmother of Europe
Queen Victoria was considered the first modern British monarch. She married her cousin, Prince Albert, in 1840, and they produced nine children who also married into Europe's royal families and earned the title “Grandmother of Europe.” Prince Albert was a very important and influential adviser until his untimely death in 1861. Britain became a world power during her sixty-three year reign with the industrial revolution and technological, economic and social progress.
Leopold I of Belgium
In turn, Victoria's uncle, Leopold of Saxe-Coburg married her cousin Charlotte Augusta, the future George IV's daughter. Unfortunately, Charlotte Augusta died in childbirth in 1817, aged 21. He was offered the Greek throne, which he declined, before he was invited to become king of the newly independent Belgium. He married Louise of Orléans, daughter of Louis Philippe after the French assisted in defending Belgium against an invasion by the Dutch. He built the first continental railway line from Brussels to Malines.
The Russian Imperial Family and Monaco
Tsar Alexander II of Russia started the trend of spending holidays in Nice and Monaco, especially when his mother visited the French Riviera during the winter months for health reasons. His heir-apparent, Nicholas Alexandrovich, died from meningitis in Nice on 24 April 1865. Prince Charles III created Monaco as a modern state and developed tourism during his reign from 1856-1889.
The Exhibition also features other royal couples, including Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace.
Royal Courts Brought To Life
Each court is brought to life in one room, with its identity, history, culture, palace architecture and décor with audio-visual supports including documentaries, archival films and historic photographs.
Must-see parts of the exhibition include the Tortoise Sleigh, the Esterhazy princes' gala coupe, portraits of Philip V of Spain and his family, Empress Elizabeth of Austria's portrait, Prussian gold, Alexander II's lapis lazuli furnishings; and the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg's diadem and the jewels which belonged to the Princes of Saxony.
Phone the Grimaldi Forum on +377 99 99 3000 or e-mail ticket@grimaldiforum.mc for more informaton.
This exhibition coincides with the History of the Royal Wedding Exhibition at Monaco's Oceanographic Museum, after His Serene Highness married Charlene Wittstock in July 2011.
The engaged couple visited the Exhibition in April, accompanied by curators Catherine Arminjon and Patricia Bouchenot, to discover the 700 masterpieces.
Sources
- Charlotte Zeepvat, Romanov Autumn: The Last Century of Imperial Russia, Sutton Publishing Limited, Stroud, 2000 (2nd Edition 2006), pp 44-60
- Nordisk Film - A Royal Family (DVD)
- Princely Visit for the Exhibition Magnificence and Grandeur of the Royal Houses in Europe
Carolyn M Cash - Carolyn M Cash is a freelance writer residing in the Sutherland Shire (aka God's Own Country), Sydney, Australia, whilst studying ...
