Queen Victoria's Matchmaking

September 25, 2017
British historian and documentarian Cadbury (Princes at War) energetically reveals the extent of Queen Victoria’s meddling in the marriage arrangements of her grandchildren in order to create the family’s ideal British-German alliance. The diminutive and aging Victoria remained an imposing figure to her numerous offspring, but some among them—notably within her favored German branch—defied her and instead married for love. In one case, her own Russian grandson, the future Nicholas II, had to essentially woo her in order to marry her favorite granddaughter, and his own cousin, Alix of Hesse. Victoria’s concerns about Russia’s unstable monarchy and political violence proved well-founded, as Nicholas II and Alexandra Romanov became Russia’s last imperial couple. While high-stakes matchmaking is Cadbury’s central theme, she delves into the fruits of that optimistic enterprise while navigating the religious and personality pitfalls into which the sometimes petulant Victoria drew herself. Cadbury notes that it was Victoria’s own grand plan to reshape Europe that bore unfortunate results; her grandson Kaiser Wilhelm II rebelled and his own instability partially led to the events that caused WWI. While royal matchmaking implies spectacular weddings and the enhancement of power, Cadbury’s engrossing family history proves that it was a deadly serious proposition.

October 1, 2017
Digging deeper into Queen Victoria's extensive brood, their intermarriages, and their wars.Prince Albert's great plan was to intermarry his children with European royal houses to spread the liberalism of England and prevent wars. That was not to be. World War I ended or fatally harmed the monarchies of most of Victoria's grandchildren. The cousinhood proved to be more harmful than powerful. The great shifts in politics in the early 20th century and the clash of the poor and the wealthy gave rise to anarchists and increasing instances of assassination. BBC producer Cadbury (Princes at War: The Bitter Battle Inside Britain's Royal Family in the Darkest Days of WWII, 2015, etc.) concentrates on Victoria's attempts to find a suitable bride for Eddy, the Prince of Wales, pushing primarily German princesses. Victoria's love of all things German accounts for her deep distrust and dislike of all things Russian, particularly after the assassination of Czar Alexander II. Equally important to Victoria were the marriages of her late daughter's children. Her death left her mother feeling closer to her granddaughters than to her own children. She hoped to wed her favorite, Alix, to Eddy. At her sister's wedding to Grand Duke Sergei in St. Petersburg, Alix met the czarevich, Nicholas, who captured her heart. Princess Victoria, the eldest daughter, was married to reformer Frederick II, German emperor and king of Prussia. Alas, his reign was desperately short, and he was succeeded by his bellicose, even maniacal son, Wilhelm II. Victoria's final choice for Eddy's wife, Mary of Teck, a rank outsider--she was not a royal--might have worked out, except Eddy died unexpectedly. In this enjoyable story for fans of royal machinations, Cadbury ably shows not just the successes, but also the damage inflicted by Victoria's single-mindedness.An instructive European history that effectively shows "the influence of [Victoria's] matchmaking on the remarkable rise of the royal dynasty."

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Starred review from November 1, 2017

Queen Victoria had a distinct vision of her grandchildren shaping world politics, and she calculated political marriages across Europe to do just that. However, the increased political instability of Russia in the early 20th century led her to eschew matches with the tsars. The downfall of the Romanovs validated this, although too late to spare her favorite grandchild--the ill-fated Alexandra, tsarina of Russia. Many of the matches Victoria made were successful liaisons. Yet times were changing, and those in power struggled to adapt. It was this lack of flexibility, coupled with the grandiose dreams of Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II and infighting with other grandchildren of Victoria that heavily influenced the events and alliances of World War I. Cadbury (Princes at War) weaves a captivating history featuring tidbits from letters and journals of sexual proclivities, unrequited love, delusions of grandeur, and the pushback of several of Victoria's grandchildren to her matches. VERDICT By telling the story of how interrelated royal families and their relationships shaped history, Cadbury offers a scintillating portrait of the major royal matches Victoria pursued and their far-reaching effects. A perfect choice for history buffs as well as the average reader; a must-have for libraries.--Stacy Shaw, Orange, CA

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2017

Queen Victoria had a distinct vision of her grandchildren shaping world politics, and she calculated political marriages across Europe to do just that. However, the increased political instability of Russia in the early 20th century led her to eschew matches with the tsars. The downfall of the Romanovs validated this, although too late to spare her favorite grandchild--the ill-fated Alexandra, tsarina of Russia. Many of the matches Victoria made were successful liaisons. Yet times were changing, and those in power struggled to adapt. It was this lack of flexibility, coupled with the grandiose dreams of Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II and infighting with other grandchildren of Victoria that heavily influenced the events and alliances of World War I. Cadbury (Princes at War) weaves a captivating history featuring tidbits from letters and journals of sexual proclivities, unrequited love, delusions of grandeur, and the pushback of several of Victoria's grandchildren to her matches. VERDICT By telling the story of how interrelated royal families and their relationships shaped history, Cadbury offers a scintillating portrait of the major royal matches Victoria pursued and their far-reaching effects. A perfect choice for history buffs as well as the average reader; a must-have for libraries.--Stacy Shaw, Orange, CA

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2017
Never mind Downton Abbey or The Crown, there's enough material for seven gripping miniseries in Cadbury's (Chocolate Wars, 2010) new book, which tells the true story of Queen Victoria's efforts to ensure European peace by engineering royal marriages for her 42 grandchildren. Seven were crowned as kings and queens, but Victoria's best-laid plans couldn't save them from the cataclysm of WWI. An affectionate meddler and political schemer, the queen used her grandchildren's betrothals to extend constitutional monarchy throughout Europe, but she had well-informed forebodings about Russia. She tried to steer two royal princesses away from marrying Romanovs, but Alix of Hesse married Nicholas Romanov, and both were murdered by the Bolsheviks. Less well known is the story of Alix's sister Elizabeth, who married a wealthy Romanov prince and was widowed by an assassin's bomb. In England, Victoria chose a little-known grandchild, Mary of Teck, for Prince Albert Victor, British heir apparent. Then Albert died. Supported by the queen, Mary married Albert's brother George, the future King George V. George would go to war with yet another grandchild, the empire-builder Kaiser Wilhelm, and millions would die. Cadbury interweaves Victoria's correspondence, court diaries, and other sources to tell a glittering story with a dark ending.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)