Louis Bonaparte (1778-1846) and Hortense de Beauharnais, King and Queen of Holland


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Sotheby's Amsterdam will auction a sniffbox from King Louis Napoleon.

Article in Dutch and picture of the box here.
 
I've not been able to find out in my poking around if the Bonaparte King Louis of Holland remained Catholic as monarch? I assume that if he did he was the only Catholic monarch the Dutch have had (since independence from Spain of course). Also, what exactly are the laws about religion and marriage with the Dutch monarchy? I know the parliament has to approve all marriages but is there a law about the monarch having to be a member of a certain church (Dutch Reformed?) and are there any laws against Orange royals marrying Catholics and keeping their royal rights like in Great Britain? I know some did and it did not make them very popular but I could never find out if this changed anything legally for them.

King Louis also interests me in general. It seems rather out of the ordinary that an imposed foreign monarch would become so popular and so identify with his own people that he would oppose his own family over it.
 
Cher Louis remained a catholic.There are no laws saying a Monarch has to be this or that denomination,
but tradition has it that the Oranges are protestant.

This is not Britain.The Heir,Alexander is married to a catholic Maxima,
Prince Maurits married a catholic Princess Marilene and they are still in line until Alexander takes over.
 
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I bought a wonderful picture/Medaillon of Queen Hortense in an Auction in Paris.

Did Queen Hortense agree that Empress Marie Louise left Paris for Vienna with her Son and never visited Napoleon with their Son during his 2 Exiles ?

Napoleon never saw his Son since his first Abdication (1814)
 
The first really Dutch monarchs (holding the highest office of state by hereditary succession) of course were the Ducs de Bourgogne (Dukes of Burgundy) who ruled over roughly 2/3rd of today's Benelux countries.

Look at this map: it is almost like today's map of the Benelux countries plus the Duché de Bourgogne.

The Dukes of Bourgone were:

1631-1363
Philippe the Bold, Duc de Bourgogne
x Margaretha of Flanders
= Jean the Fearless

1363-1404
Jean de Valois, "the Fearless", Duc de Bourgogne
x Margarethe of Bayern
= Philippe the Good

1404-1419
Philippe de Valois, "the Good", Duc de Bourgogne
x Isabelle of Portugal
= Charles the Bold

1419-1467
Charles de Valois, "the Bold", Duc de Bourgogne
x Isabelle de Bourbon
= Marie de Bourgogne

1467-1482
Marie de Valois, Duchesse de Bourgogne
x Maximilian I of Habsburg, Holy Roman Emperor
= Philippe the Handsome

1482-1506
Philippe of Habsburg, Duc de Bourgogne
x Joanna of Castile
= Charles de Habsburg

1506-1556
Charles V of Habsburg, Duc de Bourgogne x Isabella de Portugal
= Philippe II of Habsburg

1556-1581
Philippe II of Habsburg, Duc de Bourgogne

In 1581 the Burgundian territories in the Low Countries (roughly today's Benelux) revolted against the King of Spain (Philippe II) who was -as Duke of Burgundy- the rightful Lord of the Netherlands. Here the mighty Burgundian empire collapsed.

:flowers:
 
Philippe , Duc de Bourgogne married our Countess Margaretha van Vlaanderen
Jean Sans Peur
Philippe le Bon , the greatest one , founded the Order of the Golden Fleece
Charles le Téméraire , killed in Nancy
Marie de Bourgogne x Emperor Maximilien of Habsbourg
Philippe le Beau (Habsbourg/ Bourgogne)married an Infanta of Spain daughter of Isabelle de Castille and Ferdinand d' Aragon
Charles Quint Habsbourg Emperor and King of Spain
Philippe II King of Spain , terrible Duke of Alba ( against Protestants)

Then We were split for ever , (10 Provinces du Nord ) The Netherlands , (8 Provinces d'en Bas) Belgium.
Duke, It was our history.

You started your Kingdom and we were Spanish, Austrian French , Dutch until 27/9/1830
 
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Very nice ! Exactly what I would expect of a morning dress from the first Empire.
 
It was at Tsar Alexander I of Russia's prompting that King Louis XVIII of France bestowed upon Hortense Bonaparte the title of Duchesse de Saint-Leu and agreed that her State allowance of 400,000 francs should be continued.
 
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