Princess Anna of Montenegro: Difference between revisions

==Marriage==

==Marriage==

Princess Anna of Montenegro (18 August 1874 – 22 April 1971) was the seventh child and sixth daughter of Nicholas I of Montenegro and his wife Queen Milena.^[2]

Family and early life

Anna was born in Cetinje on 18 August 1874, a member of the House of Petrović-Njegoš, which had continuosly ruled the Principality of Montenegro since 1697, to Nicholas, Prince of Montenegro and his consort Princess Milena; on 28 August 1910, Nicholas would become King of Montenegro.

Anna’s sisters were particularly noted for achieving marriages with powerful royal figures, causing their father, like the contemporary Christian IX of Denmark, to earn the sobriquet “father-in-law of Europe“; one source declared that these advantageous marriages “had done more for [Montenegro] than all the brave deeds of this nation of warriors”.^[3] For instance, Princesses Zorka, Milica, Anastasia and Elena all made important marriages into the royal families of Serbia, Russia and Italy, respectively.

Their proud father encouraged the girls to brave the capital’s harsh winters by long hours of sledding, ice skating, and snow-shoeing along the frozen ground. In spring and summer, when the temperatures turned more hospitable, they made long excursions climbing into the nearby mountains, trekking and taking picnics, and there were also holidays at their father’s Villa Topolica on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. The girls were taught to ride bareback, to shoot and hunt, play golf, and could drive a four-in-hand easily. Still, Nicholas and Milena were conscious of the need to raise respectable princesses with an eye to their future marriages. They employed Swiss and German governesses and tutors, who were tasked with teaching them foundational and advanced lessons, as well as languages, deportment, and a host of skills deemed necessary to the well-bred lady, including painting, drawing, and dancing. Under this strict system, as one press article of the time recorded, the princesses “developed from tomboy girls into women of unusual grace and beauty, of exceptional personal distinction and of remarkable talent in many directions.”

All children of the ruler at the Montenegrin court were guided toward good literature, the study of foreign languages, and knowledge of their national history. Piano lessons were mandatory, and results depended on talent, determination, and perseverance.^[4]

Like all her older sisters before her, Anna was educated was educated at the Smolny Institute in Russia, at the expense of the Russian imperial family. This was probably an astute political choice.^[5] And upon each of their marriages, the princesses were given dowries of million rubles by the Russian emperor, the amount reserved only for the daughters of the Tsar.^[6][7]

Smolny Institute

They were placed under the special care of the Headmistress, enjoyed separate quarters and personal upkeep, and had their own dedicated tutor and maid, while still attending classes alongside the other pupils. In addition, by personal order of the Emperor, the State Treasury provided a one-time payment of 1,000 rubles “for accommodation” and an annual allowance of approximately 1,500 rubles for each girl’s expenses.

A special rooms were assigned only to the highest-ranking pupils, located next to the headmistress’s apartment. The girls dined with the headmistress, along with other pupils who took turns having lunch there, while tea was served in their own rooms. They would also retreat to their rooms after lessons ended. On Sundays and holidays, they were joined by young companions, who were allowed to play and dance with the Montenegrin princesses. Often, the princesses visited the Tsar’s family as guests, and at Christmas a court carriage would be sent for their outings, which included other students of the institute. In Smolny, Nichola’s daughters mingled with their fellow pupils without any particular airs of superiority.^[8]

Their position, however, reportedly improved after an official visit by their father, Prince Nicholas, to St. Petersburg, where Emperor Alexander III hosted him at a banquet in the Winter Palace and toasted him as “his only true friend.” Following this event, the Montenegro sisters’ status at Smolny was elevated immediately to that of royalty, and teachers were instructed to address them with royal etiquette.

This statement completely changed the political perception of them, even when it came to marriage proposals. The princesses, who had initially been considered insignificant and overlooked—so much so that they were expected to be sent to a convent on Island Vranjina on Lake Skadar to avoid being too great a financial burden on their father—suddenly became sought after as politically suitable matches.^[9]

In addition, all the princesses possessed a number of attractive qualities that could entice suitable husbands. In looks they were striking, with slightly darker complexions, dark eyes, and lithe figures. “Because the Prince did what he could to earn Alexander III’s good will,” Sergei Witte wrote, “it was only natural that the Emperor should show some attention to these young ladies upon their graduation from the institute. And this was enough to encourage some of the young men of the various Royal Families to seek their hands in marriage.”^[10]

Marriage

Background

Anna met Prince Francis Joseph of Battenberg at Cimiez, France, where the prince was a guest of the visiting Queen Victoria and Anna was visiting her sister Princess Milica of Montenegro and brother-in-law Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia.^[11] In La Turbie, a small party composed of Queen Victoria, Princess Alice of Battenberg, Prince Francis Joseph, Princess Anna, and others went on an afternoon drive together.^[12] While most of the party went to a booth to view a camera obscura, Anna and Francis Joseph broke away; soon afterwards, Francis Joseph’s brother Prince Louis of Battenberg announced the engagement to Princess Anna.^[12] During her marriage, her rank was elevated to Royal Highness in 1910 upon the proclamation of the Kingdom of Montenegro,^[13] which meant that she had the right to receive diplomats in her own right and that she now outranked her husband, Prince Francis Joseph, who held only the style of His Serene Highness, lower in rank than hers.

The Battenberg family was the product of a morganatic marriage, and though it was a lesser status than other royalty,^[14] the family had close ties with the United Kingdom, as Prince Henry was married to Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, Victoria’s youngest daughter. The Battenbergs were well known for their good looks, charm, and perhaps most importantly, their lack of political controversy, which may have helped them secure favorable royal partners.^[14]

Ceremony

Anna and Francis gained the permission of Queen Victoria and the Russian court in order to marry.^[14] On 18 May 1897 in the presence of her entire family, Anna married Prince Francis Joseph of Battenberg in both Eastern Orthodox and Protestant wedding ceremonies in Cetinje, Montenegro.^{[2][11][14][15]}

Francis was a colonel in the Bulgarian cavalry, where his older brother Alexander had been sovereign Prince of Bulgaria until 1886.^[11] Francis was well liked not only by Queen Victoria, but also by Nicholas II of Russia and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna; Nicholas is said to have given Princess Anna one million rubles as a dowry.^[11] This Russian connection was likely the result of Anna’s two sisters (Princess Milica of Montenegro and Princess Anastasia of Montenegro) being married to Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich and George Maximilianovich, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg, respectively, as well as Francis being first cousin once removed of both Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna.

Later life

Anna was said to be “unusually beautiful”; she was vivacious, and tall, while Francis was handsome, likable, tall, and well-educated.^[11][14] The happily married couple had no children.^[14] Anna and Francis were very popular with their respective families.^[14]

The same year they married, Francis was rumored to have been chosen as governor-general of the politically turbulent island of Crete by Turkey and Greece.^[16]

Prior to World War I, Anna and her husband spent much of their time at Prinz Emils Garten in Darmstadt, but once the war began, they were advised by Francis’ cousin Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse to stay out of Germany.^[17] When Italy joined the war, the couple found themselves to be permanent exiles, and consequently settled in Switzerland, where Francis pursued his academic studies.^[17] The couple had never been rich, but now their financial state was worse than ever; by August 1916, Francis was described as “awfully bad off”.^[17]

Throughout her life, Princess Anna anonymously wrote and published a large number of musical compositions that obtained a certain degree of commercial success.^[18][19] The royalties from these compositions provided a much-needed source of income for the couple.^[19] While working on an opera in 1899, Anna gained an interview of considerable length with the famous Italian composer Pietro Mascagni in the royal palace of Naples, as she wanted to consult him for musical advice.^[18][19] Anna’s sister Crown Princess Elena of Italy helped her procure the meeting.^[18]

Princess Anna of Battenberg maintained a close relationship with Louise Neukomm von Hallau (1845-1932), who had initially been her governess and later became her lady-in-waiting. Louise, who had served as Oberhofmeisterin to Anna’s sister, Grand Duchess Milica of Russia, before the Russian Revolution^[20], often accompanied Anna on visits to her hometown, Hallau, and remained in close contact with the princess even in her old age. When Louise died in Stein am Rhein in 1932, she left 10,000 swiss francs to Hallau, and Anna contributed 500 francs in memory of her devoted attendant.^[21]

Death

Francis died on 31 July 1924 in Territet (near Montreux, Switzerland). Though she had never met him, his niece-in-law Edwina Mountbatten had continuously sent him an allowance during his lifetime, and continued to do so with his widow, sending Anna money until Edwina’s own death in 1960.^[22]

In the British royal family’s 1917 eradication of German titles and styles, the Battenbergs became known as Mountbattens – all except Prince Francis and Anna. She would continue to use the name Battenberg until her death, surpassing all others in the royal house.^[23] Anna died on 22 April 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland, aged 96.^[2] Her body was buried, alongside her husband Francis Joseph, in the Waldfriedhof, Schaffhausen, Switzerland.^[24] For a number of years, she was Europe’s oldest living princess.^[25]

See also

References

External links