Grandmother of Europe explained

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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
  • Descendants of Christian IX of Denmark
  • Royal descendants of Queen Victoria and of King Christian IX
• 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
  • Descendants of Miguel I of Portugal

Notes and References

1. Sausmikat . Rita. Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History: Eleanor of Aquitaine's Political Career and Its Significance to Noblewomen. Vexillum. 5. 36. 2016. December 14, 2019.
2. Book: Le Temps retrouvé XXVI: Relation de la Cour de France. Mercure de France. Spanheim, Ezechiel. 1973. Paris, France. 74–79, 305–308.
3. Book: Isabelle comtesse de Paris. La Reine Marie-Amélie, Grand-mère de l'Europe. 1998. Perrin. French. 978-2-262-01451-3.
4. Web site: Queen Victoria I. Éditions Larousse. French. 1 December 2019.
5. Bassaid . Leila . 2017 . Symbolism of the Longest Reigning Queen Elizabeth II from 1952 to2017 . PhD . December 14, 2019.
6. Haritos. Anne Blanche. Dear Readers. Women of Europe Newsletter. November 1993. 39. December 14, 2019.