Grandmother of Europe

The nickname of 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, 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.

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.[2]

Queen Victoria (1819–1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India.[3] She had nine children, who married with royal families throughout Europe.[4]

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.[5]

See also

References
  1. Sausmikat, Rita (2016). "Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History: Eleanor of Aquitaine's Political Career and Its Significance to Noblewomen" (PDF). Vexillum. 5: 36. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  2. Isabelle comtesse de Paris (1998). La Reine Marie-Amélie, Grand-mère de l'Europe (in French). Perrin. ISBN 978-2-262-01451-3.
  3. "Queen Victoria I". Larousse (in French). Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  4. Bassaid, Leila (2017). Symbolism of the Longest Reigning Queen Elizabeth II from 1952 to2017 (PDF) (PhD). Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  5. Haritos, Anne Blanche (November 1993). "Dear Readers" (PDF). Women of Europe Newsletter (39). Retrieved December 14, 2019.
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