One of the wealthiest and most powerful aristocratic families in Spain are the dukes of Medina Sidonia. With their base in the Andalusian seaport town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, huge estates across the south of Spain, and the oldest extant dukedom in the Kingdom, they dominate much of Spanish history from the fifteenth century toContinue reading “Dukes of Medina Sidonia: Virtual kings of Andalusia”
Author Archives: Jonathan Spangler
Eulenburg and Bülow princes: two scandals that shook the Prussian court
The court of Kaiser Wilhelm II is remembered for its excessive militarism—the Prussian sabre rattling that encouraged the Austrian emperor to send such a strong ultimatum to the Serbs in July 1914 that made World War I inevitable—an excess that ultimately brought about the demise of both monarchies and the dukes and princes that supportedContinue reading “Eulenburg and Bülow princes: two scandals that shook the Prussian court”
Seymour of Wolf Hall: the rise and fall and rise again of the dukes of Somerset
The woman at the centre of the historical drama The Mirror and the Light—though she doesn’t say very much—is Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII of England and mother of the future king, Edward VI. Hilary Mantel’s trilogy focuses on the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell, from a tradesman’s son to chief ministerContinue reading “Seymour of Wolf Hall: the rise and fall and rise again of the dukes of Somerset”
Il Gattopardo: The Real Leopard, Prince of Lampedusa
The new Netflix series Il Gattopardo (‘The Leopard’) is the third adaptation of the celebrated novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. Published in 1958, it was first a hugely successful film by Visconti in 1963, then a BBC radio drama in 2008. Telling the story of a powerful landowner from the old aristocracy of SicilyContinue reading “Il Gattopardo: The Real Leopard, Prince of Lampedusa”
The Hills are Alive! Auersperg princes: Lords of Slovenia and Relatives of the Von Trapp Singers
I was recently talking to some students about the character Captain von Trapp in the film ‘The Sound of Music’. Students are always curious how someone from a landlocked country like Austria could be a retired naval commander. We also got to talking about his rank, since he is called a baron in the filmContinue reading “The Hills are Alive! Auersperg princes: Lords of Slovenia and Relatives of the Von Trapp Singers”
Gesualdo: Princes of Venosa and a composer-murderer
I’ve just finished watching the last season of ‘My Brilliant Friend’ so my mind is focused on all things Neapolitan, and more troubling, about a world drenched in passion and violence. There were hundreds of wealthy aristocratic families in the Kingdom of Naples who were given princely titles—the highest honour, but without any sovereign statusContinue reading “Gesualdo: Princes of Venosa and a composer-murderer”
Ponce de León and the Dukes of Arcos: Andalusian Lords and the First Floridian
Most American schoolchildren have heard of Ponce de Leon, when learning about the early Spanish explorers of the New World—after Cortes and Pizarro heading to Mexico and Peru, most can recall that Ponce de Leon went north in 1513 and discovered a new land he named La Florida, ‘the land of flowers’. I admit, IContinue reading “Ponce de León and the Dukes of Arcos: Andalusian Lords and the First Floridian”
Noailles—a major court family at Versailles, and patrons of the arts in the 20th century
One of my favourite scenes in the movie Marie-Antoinette (2006) is the one in which the new Dauphine of France wakes up in the morning and is totally bewildered by the extremely complicated routine at Versailles, explained to her by the Comtesse de Noailles (whom she dubs ‘Madame Etiquette’), played by the wonderfully frosty JudyContinue reading “Noailles—a major court family at Versailles, and patrons of the arts in the 20th century”
Compton—Not quite dukes, but marquesses of Northampton
There’s a fairly common surname in England and America, Compton, and if you want to think it might once upon a time have been connected to the old Anglo-Norman aristocracy, as derived from an old French word connected to accounting (comptant), that’s not a bad deduction; but it just as easily could be derived, likeContinue reading “Compton—Not quite dukes, but marquesses of Northampton”
Dukes of Brunswick II: Lüneburg, Hanover, and the Queen-Consort who never was
An interesting illustrated poster was published in about 1715 for distribution to the people of Great Britain that celebrated the health and vitality of their new royal family: the Hanoverians. At the top is the prosperous looking King George I, a former war hero in Europe and a symbol of the ongoing stability of theContinue reading “Dukes of Brunswick II: Lüneburg, Hanover, and the Queen-Consort who never was”
Dukes and Princes 