Clementine of Orleans
Encyclopedia
Clémentine of Orléans (6 March 1817 – 16 February 1907), princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
and duchess in Saxony, was the sixth child of ten and youngest daughter of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French, and his wife Marie Amalie of the Two Sicilies. She was the mother of Ferdinand I
, Tsar
of Bulgaria
.
, in Neuilly-sur-Seine
, France, soon after the Bourbon Restoration
. She became a royal princess, Princess of Orléans, following her father's ascension to the French throne
in 1830.
As a young woman, it was written that she "is represented to possess great beauty and accomplishments." Clémentine was taught history by the radical historian Jules Michelet
, who would spend lessons glorifying the French Revolution
to his young student.
As a princess, Clémentine was sought after as a bride by royal families throughout Europe. In 1836, it was rumoured that Clémentine would marry her cousin, Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies
, when the period of his widowhood expired.
King Leopold I of Belgium
organised the marriage of Clémentine and Prince August of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary
, who was closely connected to the royal houses of Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico and Austria-Hungary. August's cousin Albert married Queen Victoria
and was Prince Consort
in the United Kingdom.
The contract of marriage between Clémentine and August was signed in Vienna on 24 February 1843 by the French Ambassador Charles Joseph, Comte de Flahaut
, representing Clémentine and the Belgium Ambassador Baron O'Sullivan, representing August.
Prior to the wedding, the couple sought to reside in Austria, and an application was made to Prince Metternich, to know on what footing the husband of Princess Clémentine would be received at the Court of Vienna. The answer was that Princess Clémentine would be received as Princess of the Royal Family of the Bourbons but the Austrian Court would not recognise August as a Royal Highness. In consequence, it was decided that Prince Augustus would reside in France, and that he would quit the Austrian service and enter that of France, although he was an Austrian subject.
On 20 April 1843, Princess Clémentine married Prince August at the Château de Saint-Cloud
, with much "of European royalty in attendance." The couple had five children:
during the abdication before leisurely travelling to Versailles
by train.
She then accompanied her father to the French Embassy in London before heading to Coburg, and then onto Vienna, where her husband was an officer with the Austro-Hungarian army
.
Clémentine campaigned to regain the assets taken by decree from the Orléans by Louis Napoleon, seeking the return of the ancestral inheritance by, amongst other things, a letter writing campaign to the French media. She publicly refused the offer from Emperor Napoleon of 200,000 franc
s, demanding instead the heritage of her father.
While staying with Queen Victoria in July 1851, Clémentine had to cut short her visit to return to Spain when news arrived that her sons' tutor "had gone off his head". Victoria fretted that she would share Clémentine's fate and revolution would end the British monarchy, and feared what would happen to her children.
August died in 1881 and Clémentine did not remarry.
, he deserved to be a king, of which country was not an important matter.
Clémentine ensured that Ferdinand was widely educated; fluent in several languages, Ferdinand also gained a great interest in the natural sciences and nature, all of which, Clémentine believed, would make Ferdinand an excellent king.
As it turned out, that country was Bulgaria
and Clémentine actively lobbied for Ferdinand's election as Prince of Bulgaria.
Clémentine then worked to ensure European recognition of Ferdinand, lobbying other heads of state, including Kaiser Wilhelm II and Ferdinand's suzerain, Sultan Abdul Hamid II
of the Ottoman Empire
. She was said to "cast a beneficent and civilizing glow around [Ferdinand], smoothing away many difficulties by her womanly tact and philanthropic activity."
Clémentine also found time to design a royal crown for Ferdinand, which included a "requisite number of jewels from her own dressing case". Unfortunately, Ferdinand made a number of alterations to the design but decided not to pay the painter for painting a portrait of the new crown, leading him to be sued by the painter in a Munich
court.
She is considered have had a positive impact on Bulgarian society, and created good will for Ferdinand among the Bulgarian public by large donation to charitable and public causes: she financed the connection of several buildings and institutions, such as a school for the Blind and the Klimentinskata Hospital, and she was also one of the founders of the Bulgarian Red Cross.
Clémentine also gained a reputation for haughtiness and disdain for anyone not of royal blood, although she surprised many observers with her charm and good humour at times. At official dinners, it is said she "smiled at the small incongruities committed during these meals by the uncouth Bulgarian notabilities of those days, and she contrived somehow by her tact, and without ever wounding any one among them, to teach them that peas are not to be eaten with one's knife, and that it is not altogether the thing to drink from the finger-bowl."
A friend of Queen Victoria
, Clémentine would lunch with Victoria, particularly at Coburg when Victoria would visit her German relatives.
Said to be "one of the cleverest royal ladies in Europe", Clémentine was known for her "shrewd mind and a remarkable understanding of European politics and diplomacy", and was often sent by Ferdinand as his representative on diplomatic missions around Europe.
Clémentine also sought a suitable bride for Ferdinand and was said to be "anxious" to arrange a marriage between Ferdinand and Princess Hélène of Orléans, the Comte de Paris's
daughter, but Princess Hélène demurred.
In February 1896, Clémentine was reported to have "broken off relations" with Ferdinand following Ferdinand's consent to have his son Boris
baptised into the Bulgarian Orthodox Church
. They reconciled, however, and one of the highlights of her life was seeing Prince Ferdinand hailed as a recognized head of state during an official visit to Paris later that year. This was particularly poignant, as it recalled her father's forced abdication and flight from Paris in 1848.
In 1899, her daughter-in-law Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma
died following complications from the birth of daughter Nadezhda
(who was privately christened Clémentine in honour of her grandmother) and Clémentine assumed responsibility for the education of the children.
Following the Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising of 1903 and the resultant increase in refugees, Clémentine co-ordinated the humanitarian response, gathering donations throughout Europe, including 2000 Francs from Kaiser Wilhelm II.
In October 1903, Clémentine, along with Prince Boris, was on the Orient Express
when it collided with a goods train near the Serbian border. Although shaken, they were not hurt.
Increasingly deaf as she aged, Clémentine became dependent on an enormous ear trumpet
and on people obligingly raising their voices for her. It became an occupational hazard of the Bulgarian court to be caught in long, loud conversations with Clémentine that she was reluctant to end. However, even well into her eighties, Clémentine often traveled to Paris to study the latest fashions.
of the Ottoman
Sultan), Clémentine died the year before the dream of seeing her son installed as an independent monarch was realized.
Clémentine suffered from inflammation of the right lung in February 1898 and, while there were fears for her health, she was able to recover satisfactorily.
In early February 1907, Clémentine was struck with a bout of influenza
, which, considering her age, was feared to be terminal. Clémentine was reported to have recovered from this bout "so that all danger has passed" but remained weak.
Clémentine died in Vienna
on 16 February 1907, at the age of eighty-nine. Her influence on Ferdinand
was so pronounced that people began to predict his downfall. She was buried in Coburg, with an inscription on her memorial, composed by Ferdinand after his installation as tsar in 1908, reading "King's daughter, no Queen herself, yet King's mother."
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Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha served as the collective name of two duchies, Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Gotha, in Germany. They were located in what today are the states of Bavaria and Thuringia, respectively, and the two were in personal union between 1826 and 1918...
and duchess in Saxony, was the sixth child of ten and youngest daughter of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French, and his wife Marie Amalie of the Two Sicilies. She was the mother of Ferdinand I
Ferdinand I of Bulgaria
Ferdinand , born Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry, was the ruler of Bulgaria from 1887 to 1918, first as knyaz and later as tsar...
, Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
of Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
.
Early life
Marie Clémentine Léopoldine Caroline Clotilde of Orléans, styled Mademoiselle de Beaujolais, was born on 6 March 1817 at the Château de NeuillyChâteau de Neuilly
The château de Neuilly is a former château in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Its estate covered a vast 170 hectare park called "parc de Neuilly" which comprised all of Neuilly that is today to be found between avenue du Roule and the town of Levallois-Perret. The castle was built in 1751, and was...
, in Neuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.Although Neuilly is technically a suburb of Paris, it is immediately adjacent to the city and directly extends it. The area is composed of mostly wealthy, select residential...
, France, soon after the Bourbon Restoration
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
. She became a royal princess, Princess of Orléans, following her father's ascension to the French throne
July Monarchy
The July Monarchy , officially the Kingdom of France , was a period of liberal constitutional monarchy in France under King Louis-Philippe starting with the July Revolution of 1830 and ending with the Revolution of 1848...
in 1830.
As a young woman, it was written that she "is represented to possess great beauty and accomplishments." Clémentine was taught history by the radical historian Jules Michelet
Jules Michelet
Jules Michelet was a French historian. He was born in Paris to a family with Huguenot traditions.-Early life:His father was a master printer, not very prosperous, and Jules assisted him in the actual work of the press...
, who would spend lessons glorifying the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
to his young student.
Marriage
Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand II was King of the Two Sicilies from 1830 until his death.-Family:Ferdinand was born in Palermo, the son of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies and his wife and first cousin Maria Isabella of Spain.His paternal grandparents were King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Queen Marie...
, when the period of his widowhood expired.
King Leopold I of Belgium
Leopold I of Belgium
Leopold I was from 21 July 1831 the first King of the Belgians, following Belgium's independence from the Netherlands. He was the founder of the Belgian line of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
organised the marriage of Clémentine and Prince August of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary
August of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary
August Ludwig Viktor of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary , was a German prince of the house of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and holder of Čabrad and Sitno, both in modern day Slovakia....
, who was closely connected to the royal houses of Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico and Austria-Hungary. August's cousin Albert married Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
and was Prince Consort
Prince consort
A prince consort is the husband of a queen regnant who is not himself a king in his own right.Current examples include the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , and Prince Henrik of Denmark .In recognition of his status, a prince consort may be given a formal...
in the United Kingdom.
The contract of marriage between Clémentine and August was signed in Vienna on 24 February 1843 by the French Ambassador Charles Joseph, Comte de Flahaut
Charles Joseph, comte de Flahaut
Auguste Charles Joseph de Flahaut de La Billarderie, Comte de Flahaut de La Billarderie was a French general and statesman...
, representing Clémentine and the Belgium Ambassador Baron O'Sullivan, representing August.
Prior to the wedding, the couple sought to reside in Austria, and an application was made to Prince Metternich, to know on what footing the husband of Princess Clémentine would be received at the Court of Vienna. The answer was that Princess Clémentine would be received as Princess of the Royal Family of the Bourbons but the Austrian Court would not recognise August as a Royal Highness. In consequence, it was decided that Prince Augustus would reside in France, and that he would quit the Austrian service and enter that of France, although he was an Austrian subject.
On 20 April 1843, Princess Clémentine married Prince August at the Château de Saint-Cloud
Château de Saint-Cloud
The Château de Saint-Cloud was a Palace in France, built on a magnificent site overlooking the Seine at Saint-Cloud in Hauts-de-Seine, about 10 kilometres west of Paris. Today it is a large park on the outskirts of the capital and is owned by the state, but the area as a whole has had a large...
, with much "of European royalty in attendance." The couple had five children:
Children
Described as "a woman of formidable character and ambition... Clémentine dominated her husband and spoilt her children. Having herself married no more than a wealthy but undistinguished prince, she sought thrones for her sons."| Name | |Death | Princess Louise Princess Louise-Marie of Belgium Louise Marie of Belgium , princess of Belgium, was the eldest daughter of Leopold II, king of the Belgians, and his wife Marie Henriette, archduchess of Austria.-Marriage and issue:... , daughter of King Léopold II of Belgium Leopold II of Belgium Leopold II was the second king of the Belgians. Born in Brussels the second son of Leopold I and Louise-Marie of Orléans, he succeeded his father to the throne on 17 December 1865 and remained king until his death.Leopold is chiefly remembered as the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free... , on 4 February 1875; had issue | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince August of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary | 8 August 1845 | 14 September 1907 | married Leopoldina of Brazil, younger daughter of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil Pedro II of Brazil Dom Pedro II , nicknamed "the Magnanimous", was the second and last ruler of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was the seventh child of Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil and Empress Dona Maria Leopoldina and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of... , on 15 December 1864; had issue |
| Princess Clotilde of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary Princess Clotilde of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Princess Marie Adelheid Amalie Clotilde of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, full German name: Marie Adelheid Amalie Clotilde, Prinzessin von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha, Herzogin zu Sachsen was a Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha by birth and an Archduchess of Austria through her... |
1846 | 1927 | married Archduke Joseph Karl of Austria, Palatine of Hungary and became the foremother of the so-called Hungarian branch of the Habsburg dynasty, on 12 May 1864; had issue |
| Princess Amelie of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary Princess Amalie of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Princess Marie Luise Franziska Amalie of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, full German name: Marie Luise Franziska Amalie, Prinzessin von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha, Herzogin zu Sachsen was a Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha by birth and a Duchess in Bavaria through... |
1848 | 1894 | married Duke Maximilian Emanuel in Bavaria Duke Maximilian Emanuel in Bavaria Duke Maximilian Emanuel in Bavaria, full German name: Maximilian Emanuel, Herzog in Bayern was a Duke in Bavaria and member of the House of Wittelsbach. Maximilian Emanuel was the tenth and youngest child of Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria and his wife Princess Ludovika of Bavaria... , the youngest brother of Empress Elisabeth of Austria Elisabeth of Bavaria Elisabeth of Austria was the spouse of Franz Joseph I, and therefore both Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. She also held the titles of Queen of Bohemia and Croatia, among others... ; had issue |
| Ferdinand Ferdinand I of Bulgaria Ferdinand , born Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry, was the ruler of Bulgaria from 1887 to 1918, first as knyaz and later as tsar... , Tsar Tsar Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism... of Bulgaria Bulgaria Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east... |
26 February 1861 | 10 September 1948 | married Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma Princess Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Parma was the eldest daughter of Robert I, the last reigning Duke of Parma. She became princess-consort of Bulgaria upon her marriage to Ferdinand of Bulgaria, the then prince-regnant... , daughter of Robert I of Parma, on 20 April 1893 had issue |
1848 and aftermath
The Revolutions of 1848 in France led to the end of her father's reign, forcing Clémentine and her family to flee France, although Clémentine and Auguste, after ensuring their children were safely away, mingled with the crowd on the Place de la ConcordePlace de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.- History :...
during the abdication before leisurely travelling to Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
by train.
She then accompanied her father to the French Embassy in London before heading to Coburg, and then onto Vienna, where her husband was an officer with the Austro-Hungarian army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
.
Clémentine campaigned to regain the assets taken by decree from the Orléans by Louis Napoleon, seeking the return of the ancestral inheritance by, amongst other things, a letter writing campaign to the French media. She publicly refused the offer from Emperor Napoleon of 200,000 franc
Franc
The franc is the name of several currency units, most notably the Swiss franc, still a major world currency today due to the prominence of Swiss financial institutions and the former currency of France, the French franc until the Euro was adopted in 1999...
s, demanding instead the heritage of her father.
While staying with Queen Victoria in July 1851, Clémentine had to cut short her visit to return to Spain when news arrived that her sons' tutor "had gone off his head". Victoria fretted that she would share Clémentine's fate and revolution would end the British monarchy, and feared what would happen to her children.
August died in 1881 and Clémentine did not remarry.
Clémentine and the election to the Bulgarian throne
Realising that she would never be queen, Clémentine turned her efforts to instilling in Ferdinand, her favorite child, the idea that, as a direct descendant not only of Louis-Philippe but of the Sun KingLouis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, he deserved to be a king, of which country was not an important matter.
Clémentine ensured that Ferdinand was widely educated; fluent in several languages, Ferdinand also gained a great interest in the natural sciences and nature, all of which, Clémentine believed, would make Ferdinand an excellent king.
As it turned out, that country was Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and Clémentine actively lobbied for Ferdinand's election as Prince of Bulgaria.
Clémentine then worked to ensure European recognition of Ferdinand, lobbying other heads of state, including Kaiser Wilhelm II and Ferdinand's suzerain, Sultan Abdul Hamid II
Abdul Hamid II
His Imperial Majesty, The Sultan Abdülhamid II, Emperor of the Ottomans, Caliph of the Faithful was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire...
of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. She was said to "cast a beneficent and civilizing glow around [Ferdinand], smoothing away many difficulties by her womanly tact and philanthropic activity."
Clémentine also found time to design a royal crown for Ferdinand, which included a "requisite number of jewels from her own dressing case". Unfortunately, Ferdinand made a number of alterations to the design but decided not to pay the painter for painting a portrait of the new crown, leading him to be sued by the painter in a Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
court.
Clémentine in Bulgaria
Clementine followed her son to Bulgaria, where she became an important person as the mother of the sovereign. Extremely wealthy, Clémentine made herself popular in her adopted homeland by showering money on Bulgaria, including a donation of four million francs towards the completion of a railway line linking Bulgaria to Europe's rail network.She is considered have had a positive impact on Bulgarian society, and created good will for Ferdinand among the Bulgarian public by large donation to charitable and public causes: she financed the connection of several buildings and institutions, such as a school for the Blind and the Klimentinskata Hospital, and she was also one of the founders of the Bulgarian Red Cross.
Clémentine also gained a reputation for haughtiness and disdain for anyone not of royal blood, although she surprised many observers with her charm and good humour at times. At official dinners, it is said she "smiled at the small incongruities committed during these meals by the uncouth Bulgarian notabilities of those days, and she contrived somehow by her tact, and without ever wounding any one among them, to teach them that peas are not to be eaten with one's knife, and that it is not altogether the thing to drink from the finger-bowl."
A friend of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
, Clémentine would lunch with Victoria, particularly at Coburg when Victoria would visit her German relatives.
Said to be "one of the cleverest royal ladies in Europe", Clémentine was known for her "shrewd mind and a remarkable understanding of European politics and diplomacy", and was often sent by Ferdinand as his representative on diplomatic missions around Europe.
Clémentine also sought a suitable bride for Ferdinand and was said to be "anxious" to arrange a marriage between Ferdinand and Princess Hélène of Orléans, the Comte de Paris's
Philippe, Comte de Paris
Philippe d'Orléans, Count of Paris was the grandson of Louis Philippe I, King of the French. He was a claimant to the French throne from 1848 until his death.-Early life:...
daughter, but Princess Hélène demurred.
In February 1896, Clémentine was reported to have "broken off relations" with Ferdinand following Ferdinand's consent to have his son Boris
Boris III of Bulgaria
Boris III the Unifier, Tsar of Bulgaria , originally Boris Klemens Robert Maria Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver , son of Ferdinand I, came to the throne in 1918 upon the abdication of his father, following the defeat of the Kingdom of Bulgaria during World War I...
baptised into the Bulgarian Orthodox Church
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.5 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia...
. They reconciled, however, and one of the highlights of her life was seeing Prince Ferdinand hailed as a recognized head of state during an official visit to Paris later that year. This was particularly poignant, as it recalled her father's forced abdication and flight from Paris in 1848.
In 1899, her daughter-in-law Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma
Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma
Princess Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Parma was the eldest daughter of Robert I, the last reigning Duke of Parma. She became princess-consort of Bulgaria upon her marriage to Ferdinand of Bulgaria, the then prince-regnant...
died following complications from the birth of daughter Nadezhda
Princess Nadezhda of Bulgaria
Princess Nadezhda Klementine Maria Pia Majella of Bulgaria was a member of the Bulgarian Royal Family.-Life:...
(who was privately christened Clémentine in honour of her grandmother) and Clémentine assumed responsibility for the education of the children.
Following the Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising of 1903 and the resultant increase in refugees, Clémentine co-ordinated the humanitarian response, gathering donations throughout Europe, including 2000 Francs from Kaiser Wilhelm II.
In October 1903, Clémentine, along with Prince Boris, was on the Orient Express
Orient Express
The Orient Express is the name of a long-distance passenger train service originally operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. It ran from 1883 to 2009 and is not to be confused with the Venice-Simplon Orient Express train service, which continues to run.The route and rolling stock...
when it collided with a goods train near the Serbian border. Although shaken, they were not hurt.
Increasingly deaf as she aged, Clémentine became dependent on an enormous ear trumpet
Ear trumpet
Ear trumpets are tubular or funnel-shaped devices which collect sound waves and lead them into the ear. This results in a strengthening of the sound energy impact to the eardrum and thus a better hearing for a reduced or decreased hearing individual....
and on people obligingly raising their voices for her. It became an occupational hazard of the Bulgarian court to be caught in long, loud conversations with Clémentine that she was reluctant to end. However, even well into her eighties, Clémentine often traveled to Paris to study the latest fashions.
Death and legacy
Although she saw Ferdinand recognized internationally as Prince of Bulgaria (albeit under the nominal suzeraintySuzerainty
Suzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...
of the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Sultan), Clémentine died the year before the dream of seeing her son installed as an independent monarch was realized.
Clémentine suffered from inflammation of the right lung in February 1898 and, while there were fears for her health, she was able to recover satisfactorily.
In early February 1907, Clémentine was struck with a bout of influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
, which, considering her age, was feared to be terminal. Clémentine was reported to have recovered from this bout "so that all danger has passed" but remained weak.
Clémentine died in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
on 16 February 1907, at the age of eighty-nine. Her influence on Ferdinand
Ferdinand I of Bulgaria
Ferdinand , born Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry, was the ruler of Bulgaria from 1887 to 1918, first as knyaz and later as tsar...
was so pronounced that people began to predict his downfall. She was buried in Coburg, with an inscription on her memorial, composed by Ferdinand after his installation as tsar in 1908, reading "King's daughter, no Queen herself, yet King's mother."
|}
Ancestry
Sources
- Aronson, T.Theo AronsonTheodore Ian Wilson Aronson was a royal biographer with an easy manner which enabled him to meet and earn the trust of his subjects....
(1986) Crowns in conflict: the triumph and the tragedy of European monarchy, 1910–1918, J. Murray, London. ISBN 0-7195-4279-0. - Barman, R. (2002) Citizen Emperor: Pedro II and the Making of Brazil, 1825–1891, Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-4400-9.
- Constant, S. (1979) Foxy Ferdinand, 1861–1948, Tsar of Bulgaria, Sidgwick and Jackson, London. ISBN 0-283-98515-1.
- de Saint-Amand, I. (1895) The Revolution of 1848, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York.
- Ilchev, I., Kolev, V. & Yanchev, V. (2005) Bulgarian parliament and Bulgarian statehood, St. Kliment Ohridski University Press, ISBN 9540721970.
- Jobson, D. (1848) Career of Louis-Philippe: with a full account of the late revolution, E. Churton.
- Longford, E. (1987) Victoria R.I., George Weidenfeld & Nicholson Ltd, London. ISBN 0-297-17001-5.
- Mansel, P. (2001) Paris Between Empires, Phoenix, London. ISBN 1 84212 656 3.
- Princess Catherine RadziwillCatherine RadziwillPrincess Catherine Radziwiłł was a Polish princess from the Polish-Lithuanian aristocratic Radziwiłł family. She was born as Countess Ekaterina Adamovna Rzewuska. She married Prince Wilhelm Radziwiłł at age 15 and moved to Berlin to live with his family...
(1916, reprinted 2010) Sovereigns and Statemen of Europe, Get Books, ISBN 1445568101.