Queen Victoria Family Tree: Due to the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, the most powerful nations in Europe entered a state of war. However, some of the fighting countries shared an odd trait: their leaders were relatives. As a result, World War I became somewhat of a family affair.
This historical anomaly can be attributed to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, also referred to as the “Grandmother of Europe.” Let’s look at the royal family tree to understand how the “war to end all wars” was waged amongst Queen Victoria’s grandsons.
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Marriage Alliances: Queen Victoria’s Nine Children
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert desired to increase British sway throughout Europe. They were first cousins. Thus, they had personal experience with the significance of marriage as a means of preserving royal authority.
Nine of their children married into prominent European royal families. Victoria’s DNA was dispersed across the entire continent by these offspring (and the grandkids that followed the marriages):
- Victoria (nicknamed “Vicky”) Wed was a member of the Prussian nobility. Frederick III, her spouse, passed away after only 99 days as German emperor. Their daughter Sophia married Constantine, the future king of Greece, and their son William would grow up as Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany.
- Albert Edward Following the demise of Queen Victoria, Edward became King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. The same year his father became king of Denmark, he wed Alexandra of Denmark. Their daughter Maud married Prince Carl of Denmark, and their son George V succeeded to the British throne (later King Haakon VII, king of Norway).
- Alice had seven kids before passing away at the young age of 35. One of her offspring, Alix or Alexandra, wed the future Tsar Nicholas II, the Russian emperor. Queen Victoria Family Tree
- Alfred Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha at the time (a German Duchy). When his daughter Marie wed Crown Prince Ferdinand, she became Romania’s queen (later, Ferdinand I).
- Helena married the prince of Schleswig-Holstein, a German province. She had four children, but only one of them had children that were biologically hers.
- Louise died without producing offspring. She wed John Campbell, a British aristocrat who later rose to the title of Duke of Argyll.
- Arthur served as Canada’s governor. His daughter Margaret was married to Sweden’s Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf and passed several decades before Gustaf took the throne.
- Leopold became Duke of Albany but passed away young. Charles Edward, the family’s son, lost his title after serving the Germans in World War I.
- Beatrice married a prince of Germany. Victoria Eugenie, her daughter, wed King Alfonso XIII of Spain.
The Queen hoped that by maintaining a complex web of allies, Britain would remain strong and Europe would remain tranquil. But after Victoria passed away in 1901, the ties to the family deteriorated.
Family Feud: Victoria’s Grandchildren in World War I
Queen Victoria’s grandchildren held the positions of king or emperor in the governments of the UK, Germany, Norway, Romania, Russia, Greek, Swedish, and Spanish at the time of World War I (or had married them):
- King George V of the United Kingdom (Victoria’s grandson via Albert Edward/Edward VII)
- Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany (Victoria’s grandson via Vicky)
- King Haakon VII of Norway (husband of Victoria’s granddaughter, Maud)
- Ferdinand I of Romania (husband of Victoria’s granddaughter, Marie)
- Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (husband of Victoria’s granddaughter, Alexandra)
- King Constantine I of Greece (husband of Victoria’s granddaughter, Sophia)
- Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden (husband of Victoria’s granddaughter, Margaret)
- King Alfonso XIII of Spain (husband of Victoria’s granddaughter, Victoria Eugenie)
Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire engaged in combat with a coalition of allies that included the United Kingdom, Romania, and Russia during the conflict. As a result, Wilhelm II was at war with his cousin George V, his in-laws Nicholas II and Ferdinand I, and his cousin Nicholas.
Victoria’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren in World War I lost their lives. Beatrice’s son and two of Vicky and Frederick’s grandsons suffered catastrophic wounds during the conflict. (The latter group included the nephews of Kaiser Wilhelm.)
Some leaders were happy to watch their cousins fight each other. When it became evident that he couldn’t ensure Greek neutrality, Constantine I surrendered, and Norway, Sweden, and Spain stayed neutral in the conflict.
Royal Pains: Abdication, Murder, Disease
The crown-wearing head weighs a lot! Victoria’s descendants experienced many difficulties, even though being a member of the Victorian family tree undoubtedly offered its advantages.
Victoria was genetically predisposed to hemophilia, a fatal blood illness handed down through families. Alexei, the son of Tsar Nicholas and Victoria, and several other royal family members experienced the condition.
Additionally, most of these monarchies fell during the 20th century, as communism and democracy spread throughout Europe. Following Germany’s defeat in World War I, Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated, and Tsar Nicholas II (and hence, his wife Alexandra) were driven from power by the Bolsheviks, who also massacred his family.
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King Michael I of Romania, the grandson of Marie and Ferdinand I, was twice forced to abdicate and spent most of his life in exile. Likewise, Victoria Eugenie and Alfonso nearly escaped an attempted murder on their wedding day in 1906, and Constantine I of Greece abdicated twice.
Victoria’s Royal Descendants Today
Many of Victoria’s descendants still hold thrones throughout Europe. Victoria and Albert are the ancestors of King Harald V of Norway, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, and King Felipe VI of Spain. Charles III of the United Kingdom is one of Victoria’s descendants, as one might anticipate. Victoria’s great-great-grandchildren, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, are third cousins.
While Phillip was derived from Victoria’s daughter Alice, Charles received the throne from Elizabeth, who received it from her father, George VI (an ancestor of Albert Edward/Edward VII). Follow Newswatchlist.com for more information. You can also leave your thoughts in the comment section, and don’t forget to bookmark our website.
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