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archduchessofnowhere · 2 years

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Hello. What do you know about the marriage Ferdinand, Duke of Alençon and Sophie Charlotte. Thank you.

Hello! Sorry it took me so long, I was taking a break from this blog since I've been busy with college (the post on Sophie's death anniversary was qued months ago), and then I got sick (F). But I feel much better now so let's talk about Sophie's marriage!

But first I'll start with the source though. The best source of information about Sophie is Christian Sepp's biography "Sophie Charlotte: Sisis leidenschaftliche Schwester", which is only available in German (and I think there's a Hungarian translation coming up soon). I haven't read it yet but it seems to me the most complete book written about her like, ever. Probably he goes into more detail about her engagement and marriage, so if you can get it you should check it out. I used to answer this mainly an Italian translation of Erika Bestenreiner's book Sisi und ihre Geschwister (of which I only read the chapters on Sophie), which I double crossed with some online articles about Sophie that Christian Sepp wrote. So I'm probably missing some details; I hope I can learn more and write about it in the future. Now without further delay, let's continue on the subject.

After the fiasco of her engagement with Ludwig II (truly a terrible moment for both of them tbh), Sophie was pretty heartbroken. For all the portrayals in media of Helene as the "rejected bride", Sophie was the one that actually got publicly rejected and humilliated. Her family was furious at Ludwig, even Elisabeth. But after the scandal passed, it was time to find her a match again.

All the sources I've read (aka Bestenreiner's chapters about Sophie and some other articles) point to Ludovika as the responsible for setting her up with Ferdinand, Duke of Alençon, who was a grandson of the last King of the French Louis Philippe. On him we have this quote from Bestenreiner's book: "Baroness von Redwitz described him as a man of chivalrous bearing, 'with a carefully studied hairstyle and polite manners', whose fluent French was listened to with delight. She added, most eloquently, that he possessed more the qualities of a saint than of a husband".

They met at the court of Dresde, where Sophie was visisiting her relatives from Saxony (the queen Amalie was her aunt), and they both left a good impression on each other. Sophie and Ferdinand got engaged on June 24 of 1868 and married three months later on September 28 at Possenhofen. There is an account of the wedding from one of the guests, the Prime Minister of Bavaria Prince Hohenlohe-Schilling:

The young Duke of Alençon is described by the prince as a 'handsome young man with a lively air. The bride was dressed in white silk with orange blossom trimmings and a hairstyle of orange blossom and tulle. The couple knelt in front of the altar, behind them on the left-hand side Prince Adalbert (best man), behind him the two ministers (the second best man Pfretzschner and myself) and then, behind us, the men of the House of Orleans. On the other side, the Duke of Nemours, the Duchess and all the princesses… Nobody was crying… The bride seemed imperturbable. Before the "yes", the groom congratulated his father and the bride, then her parents. The bride's "yes" seemed to say: "It's all right with me". But I don't want to say anything bad, it just seemed that way to me. After the wedding, I kissed the duchess' hand and wished her well. She seemed really happy and content"

Off to a great start, right?

The Duke and Duchess moved to London (the Orléans had been living in exile on England since King Louis Philippe abdicated in 1848), where they were quite bussy receiving guests. However, soon after Sophie fell into a deep melancholy, and no one could figure out why she didn't feel better, not even after her first daughter's birth a year later on July. Although we can't diagnose her for sure, it seems likely she suffered from depression. The couple moved to Sicily with the hopes she would recover, and she actually did got better; but they have to depart abruptly because it was akward for the Savoyards that members of a branch of the House of Bourbon were staying in the former Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which was ruled by the Bourbons until the kingdom was annexed to Italy in 1861. So Sophie's brother-in-law, the exiled King Francesco II of the Two Sicilies, invited them to stay over at Rome, and they agreed. Bestenreiner doesn't mention anything more on there time at Rome (although she does goes on a weird tangent about how the Wittelsbach sisters were depressed because they had too much free time??? That's not how mental illness works Erika), so I can't say anything else (if I find more I'll share it).

I ended up digressing a bit, but from what I could gather this marriage wasn't a love match, but a union between two people deemed adequate for each other (spoiler: they weren't).

#sophie in bavaria duchesse d'alençon #ferdinand d'orléans duke of alençon #historian: erika bestenreiner #aks

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janiklandre-blog · 7 years

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Monday, March 27, 2017

a rainy Monday - 9:30 a.m. computer room - one week from today the cataract op - cannot deny being nervous - and coming here, computer opening, feels almost like a miracle.

Yesterday - it must have been in October or so that I found out that a park friend was in a hospital in New Jersey. Bill F. goes back many years - he loves dogs, his own dog had died and he had taken to walking dogs, a little extra income. Came to nyc from Chicago - some 50 years ago? - a young actor, had an acting careers, arill was doing voice overs when I met him, also I believe some advertising work - in those early years his intrerest was Rick - also from Chicago, about the same age - a photographer who had done fashion in Milan, Italy bujtwas one of those who fell in love with the red tailed hawk, Palemale -Palemale.com will tell you a lot about him - the first hawk to take up residence on a nyc apartment building, where among other Mary Tyler Moore lived - a friend of the hawk - there are two movies about the hawk, a book, a lot of writing - this is in Central Park, off East 72nd Street, above a little pond, the bench where Rick came for years and years, day in, day out, peddled some of his photographs, set up two telescopes, became the center of a small community - he also was an astronomer - and with endless patience talked about the hawks. We all loved him - many brought him cake - that may have contributed to his sudden heart attack that killed him - three years ago?

Rick was Bill's fast friend - he had little interest in me in these days - he came to talk to Rick. Only since Rick died he also began talking to me - and with my never ending interest for people - for which I am most grateful - I always find out their histories - and we had not gotten very close, but closer.

Like so many of us he had his tenant drama - he loves showing photographs on his tablet - his apartment in a corner house somewhere on 2nd Avenue in the 70's was lovely, he had put a lot of work into it, lived there for some 40 years - when as so many houses in nyc his house was sold, and bought by a group with the intention of demolishing a few houses and building a high rise - as they already have done on East End Avenue. also in the 70's and they offered him a great new apartment there, at the same rent he had been paying - a lot better than so many fare who are just harrassed out of their housing - Bill was reluctant, finally accepted and worked hard last August on the move - and when I finally visited him yesterday in a place called Isabella House - I at last found out the details. He had gone to the hospital, fainted, was two weeks in a coma and now, dresdful operations later, he is in this rehab. Very happy to see me. Different from the Bill I met more than ten years ago.

As it happens I know Isabella House - it was where the third wife of Robert G. - Janet Pincus - mentioned earlier, not favorably - had moved his mother, Tamina, about whom I have written also - I first met 1953 - came to visit her at Isabella House in the 90's when at last we came to appreciate each other.

Isabella House is a huge complex at 515 Audobon Avenue - on the corner of 190th street. Tamina had lived since the 1920's on 171st street, Washington Heights - still, she was very unhappy with being moved - but - she was a positive thinker, always singing a happy song - that is what she turned the radio on to when she got up early to tend to her palace - a large apartment, big rooms, seven - and was helped by a lovely woman who came from the same Northern region of Germany - Bremen - where she had come from. They were close in age and shared a dialect - and were great companions who had shared a life. Few visited Tamina in Isabella House - she was given one furnished room - the glory of the place: Kissinger;s mother was there.

The number 1 subway goes to 190th Street, where it is deep underground and a long elevator ride takes you to the surface. One day I discovered that the number 3 bus that leaves a few minutes from house on Astor Place goes to Fort George at the tip of Manhattan and uses St.Nicholas Avenue at 190th street - one block away from Audobon Avenue - a long and scenic ride. Once I knew Bill was there I planned to take it - was postponing it - yesterday decided it was the day and spent some four hours on buses and close to three hours with Bill - we had a most congenial meeting - even though we don't see eye to eye on some thnings - but we never have let that matter.

As time goes on I do get to hear of more and more medical stories - and my getting old and older is beginning to involve me in my own, Still - his is so complex - it started before I met him with a kidney with what it sounds to me not a great problem - that ended up being removed - reinforcing my belief how tgerribly dangerous doctors are - and that by now has led to horrific complications - and I only hopw to be able bvefore too long to visit him on East End Avenue - and meet him again in the park. he has quite a way to go - and since he so appreciated my visit - may make it up there again.

So, this was my day yesterday - well it was close to 5 p.m. when I got back home - do plan on number 6 train to 125th street and there I found out passes the 101, even closer to my house that I never knew goes up there too. A bit less tedious - used to walk to to the number 1 subway on Sheridan Square - now, with disfunctional gaiit too far.Buses!

Well, by 8 p.m. I still joined a friend at a bsr on East 7th street, 75 East 7th, never had noticed it - some writers reading too young for me. Sex, sex, sex - alas noty much part of my life these days. I left before my friend left.

Still, earlier in the day, while waiting for the number 3 bus - a schedule tells you when it is supposed to arrive but it is nowhere within sight - I was dwelling on the topic "respect for the old" - that many of us find so often lacking. What forever annoys me on Astor place - there can be five buses standing, I pass them - but passengers must stand in rain and wind and wait for the bus to come. Unthinkeable in Europe - when there is an empty bus waiting, you can sit down. At one time in the Villager it said buses on Astor place would also allow passengers to sit in them - but no way. When they are about to leave you have to make a fast dash to catch them. And always three of them leave at the same time. Zero respect for passengers. Long waits. Some will tell me write to the MTA - but such letteers have so little effect.

Respect. I remember when when the word "dissed" came into use - for disrespected - I don't hear it much any more. I specially remember one young woman often using it, complaining abour being "dissed" - she was a squatter who had grown up in some slummy part of Boston and now as far as I know is living happily ever after in England.

Those of you who have been reading these here musings know how the granddaughter of Dorothy Day brought this to my attention and my mulling over it. I'm still mulling and suddenly seeing disrespect all around me as my once upon a time squatter friend did - we took walks of miles and miles and miles together. Marylou. One of so many people I miss. She who had grown up in a slum - Irish Catholic - and had experienced so much disrespect in her life - she was a strong believer in - not just taking it. She was not afraid of confrontation - she had her wayh of dealing with conflict - that I have come to realize. I lack. Obviously as I so often point out - growing up scorned in the Hitler years and - also watching my parents being totally powerless to protest the terrible injustice done to them - has turned me into a creature not well equipt to deal with being "dissed".

I realize how much it annoys me - and yet much of the advice also is, stand above it, ignore it, don't dignify a silly annoyance with a response. Still, I now also think of the reactions of others - and I'm very glad Paco was told split, when you feel anger rising - and this is also something I've been doing - and now also remember my friend Helen who died not long ago, objexcting to to this mode - she did like to criticise - and chided me for never wanting to deal with any of her criticism. Yet she, a survivor of Auschwitz, was an angry woman - generous to a fault - still, you felt the smoldering anger. I did not want to deal with it.

Friends who insist on telling you the truth - not a mode I enjoy. Good friends should be able to point out mistakes - yet it is terribly hard to do it the right way - and when someone insults you who in relation to you has a lot more power - how do you deal with that.

Often a good response comes to me only much later - but - in the case of someone insulting you and then runnning away - well - luckily - a new mode in my life. Really low, if you ask me.

It's 11 a.m. No call, no message - a few words with the woman at Moishe's bakery - thank God for the computer! - and asking myself, should I find ways to get the ASUS or should I learn to use the ipad I will soon have had for a year - Bill whom I visited uses his extensively and exclusively - I did buy to replace my laptop and most of the time I do seem to have access to this here computer - and then I could cancel the $17 a month I have been paying for the wifi I have not used for a couple of years now - oh modern technology - and yes, on Saturday, the printer here suddenly started printing what I was writing without me fiving any kind of command - I thought someone was activating it long distance - and when I woke at 4:46 a.m.and tried to open my iphone to get the time - first it would not open and then came up with the craziest of stuff - now it seems to have returned to siome normalcy - well - as I said long ago, computeers are allowed to down - but not humans. Adios. Off to the Polish church. Marianne

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