Famous Morganatic Marriages (1919)

Famous Morganatic Marriages is a historical book written by Charles Kingston, first published in 1919. The book details the lives and marriages of various European nobles who married below their rank, or ""morganatically."" These marriages were considered unequal due to the difference in social status between the partners, and the offspring of such unions were typically not eligible for succession to the throne or inheritance of titles and lands.The book covers the stories of famous couples such as Napoleon Bonaparte and his second wife, Marie Louise of Austria, who married morganatically after his divorce from Josephine; King Edward VIII of England and Wallis Simpson, an American socialite, whose relationship caused a constitutional crisis and led to his abdication; and Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Countess Sophie Chotek, whose assassination sparked World War I.In addition to these well-known figures, the book also explores the lives of lesser-known royals and nobles who entered into morganatic marriages, including the Duke of Cumberland and his wife, Lady Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and Prince August of Prussia and his wife, Countess Alexandra of Schwerin.Overall, Famous Morganatic Marriages provides an intriguing glimpse into the lives of European nobility and their unconventional unions, shedding light on the social and political implications of morganatic marriage throughout history.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.