Review of "Queen Victoria’s Grandsons (1859-1918)," by Christina Croft

 Review of

Queen Victoria’s Grandsons (1859-1918), by Christina Croft, ISBN 9781505885811

Five out of five stars

The most historically significant family tree

 In the latter part of the nineteenth and first part of the twentieth, royalty was generally forbidden from marrying anyone but royalty. Some potential marriages between royals were frowned upon because one of the parties was considered too low a class of royalty for the other. Queen Victoria had nine children, all of which survived to adulthood. These children produced 42 grandchildren, 20 of which were male.

Given their parentage, the (grand)children were considered prime stock for marriages into other royal families. Therefore, the Queen Victoria family tree was extensive and extended into the royal courts throughout Europe. Most notably for the first decades of the 20th century, many of the autocrats were cousins or cousins in law. Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany was a grandchild, granddaughter Alix married Nicholas II, the last Czar of Russia, granddaughter Maud married King Haakon VII of Norway, and granddaughter Sophie married King Constantine I of Greece are the most notable figures. Others were married into the lesser royal families of the German princely states.

 Given this historically significant family tree, it is easy to create a book about the leaves on that tree. With so much material, only the high points can be covered. Yet, what is present in this book is fascinating to read. The childhood experiences of the children and grandchildren and how they were reared is an amazing story. Their distinct personalities and how they played, studied and grew into their royal personalities is a look back at how the royal families lived and acted when they were in power and treated as royalty.

 There is a natural end to the story in 1918, when the First World War ended. Wilhelm II and Nicholas II were both deposed, with Nicholas’ family being executed by the Bolsheviks. Born into some of the most privileged positions in the world, the descendants of Victoria once ruled, or were the spouse of the rulers of most of the world. Their story is an essential component of any study of history.

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