The sobriquet grandmother of Europe has been given to various women, primarily female sovereigns who are the ascendant of many members of European nobility and royalty, as well as women who made important contributions to Europe.
Royalty
- Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122–1204) was Queen-consort of France from 1137 to 1152, then of England from 1154 to 1189. She earned the nickname because her descendants included royalty in England, France, Denmark, Castile, and Sicily, among other kingdoms.[1]
- Éléonore Desmier d'Olbreuse (1639–1722) was the wife of George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and the maternal grandmother of George II of Great Britain.[further explanation needed]
- Elizabeth Charlotte, Madame Palatine (1652-1722), was the second wife of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (younger brother of Louis XIV of France). Through her daughter she was the grandmother of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, the husband of Maria Theresa, and great-grandmother of Joseph II and Leopold II (both Holy Roman Emperors) and Marie Antoinette, the last Queen of France before the French Revolution.[2]
- Maria Theresa (1717–1780), Empress of Austria, was the only female ruler of the Habsburg monarchy. Many of her children and grandchildren married many European royals and nobles. [further explanation needed]
- Joséphine de Beauharnais (1763–1814) was Empress-consort of French Emperor Napoleon. She was the maternal grandmother of Napoleon III and the great-grandmother of several Swedish and Danish royals.[further explanation needed]
- Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily (1782–1866) was Queen-consort of the French king Louis Philippe I. She is known as Grand-mère de l'Europe.[3]
- Queen Victoria (1819–1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India.[4] She had nine children, who married with royal families throughout Europe.[5] At the outbreak of the First World War, her grandchildren occupied the thrones of both Germany and the United Kingdom.
Others
- Louise Weiss (1893–1983) was a French author and a European Union politician. She earned the nickname not for her grandchildren but for her own contributions to European political institutions.[6]
See also
- Descendants of Queen Victoria
- Christian IX of Denmark, a Father-in-law of Europe
- Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, the most recent common ancestor of all current European monarchs
- John William Friso, the most recent common ancestor of all European monarchs, current and former since World War II
- Miguel I of Portugal, known as the Grandfather of Europe
References
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