Posted by Jorge on April 22, 2017, 4:05 pm 84.90.149.215
The jewels of this thread are no longer, unfortunately, in the possession of the Portuguese Royal House. Yesterday, Ella published a post named The Daily Diadem: The Order of Christ Tiara with a famous Laszlo portrait of Queen D.Augusta, wife of King D.Manuel II of Portugal.
I am going to make a resume of the portuguese history until the first appearance of the tiara and then continue to talk about the tiara itself and its symbols. Be ready because is a looong post. Hope you like.
After the assassination of King D.Carlos I of Portugal and of Crown Prince D.Luis Filipe in 1/02/1908, the younger son of D.Carlos I and Queen D.Amelia ascend to the Portuguese Throne with just 18 years old as D.Manuel II. With the royal family reduced to only 4 members (The King; The Queen-Mother D.Amelia, The Dowager Queen D.Maria Pia and the bachelor D. Afonso, the King’s uncle) the marriage of the new king became a state matter of huge importance.
It began an intense diplomatic “battle” in order to find a suitable princess. Several princesses were thought, many of them belonging or connected to the British Royal Family. The most famous of them was Louise Mountbatten, that later became Queen Consort of Sweden, but others were seen like good candidates like the Princesses of Connaught. Such approximation of the Portuguese Royal Family to the British Royal Family was not seen with good eyes by the republican movement in Portugal. Some say that they were responsible for failure of these attempts of marriage. Not sure if this is truth but the fact is that King D.Manuel did not marry before the end of the monarchy in Portugal.
In 5/10/1910 a “revolution” ended with the monarchy and exiled the Royal Family. With the exile, D.Manuel lost one of his main advantages to get a good marriage: he was no longer a reigning king. The attempts to get a marriage, while forging an “alliance” with a reigning house, continue, but in vain. Meanwhile D.Manuel never forgets that, with or without a throne, he is THE King of Portugal and suffers with the increasingly worst political and social situation in Portugal. The relation between D.Manuel II and the 1st republic is not very good: the king’s assets in Portugal became frozen for much time, leaving the king in a precarious financial situation. This was not a good propaganda for a young king that wants to marry.
In 1912 he met Princess Augusta Viktoria of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen while visiting his aunt Infanta Antónia of Portugal (she was the grandmother of Princess Augusta and sister of the grandfather of D.Manuel).
They became in love. The marriage between the two cousins is set to 4 September 1913 in the Sigmaringen Castle and was conducted by the also exiled Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon José Neto.
The Order of Christ Tiara was a wedding present from King D.Manuel II to D.Augusta. As far as I know, the tiara has the option to close in order to be worn as a coronet. When we see this jewel, the first thing we note is the “Crosses of Christ”. But the tiara is pure symbolism: “portugueseness” in every inch. The Crosses of Christ remembers, indeed, the Military Order of Christ. But why this symbol, and not another, like the one from the Military Order of Avis? The reason is simple: the Cross of Christ is intimately linked to the Portuguese Golden Age: the discoveries. At the time (beginning of XV century) the Order of Christ, headed by Infante D.Henrique, “sponsored” the discoveries (its beginning at least). Although “sponsored” by the Order, the discoveries voyages had the approval of D.Henrique’s father – King D.João I, married to Philippa of Lancaster, an English princess – and later of his brother, King D.Duarte. So, since the beginning this cross was present in the caravels’ sails. Even now, this cross is a much cherished Portuguese symbol. The history behind the Order of Christ is very interesting and deserves a thread on its own, but not in this board. I can, shortly, say that it has origin in the Templar’s. Nowadays the Order of Christ is the second highest order in the portuguese honorific system.
But wait, the symbols in the tiara go even beyond that: the base of the tiara was made to resemble the Manueline style. This style is the only one named to honour a portuguese king: D.Manuel I (so, a king namesake of D.Manuel II). King D.Manuel I was the great-grandson of D.João I and reigned in the most glorious Portuguese era (Manueline Era). In fact he was one of the most (if not the most) powerful and prestigious King in the western world of his time. He even minted a famous coin to celebrate that era – O Português (“The Portuguese”) – that was one of the heaviest in the world (35 gr of solid gold). In the picture below you can see that even the coin included the Cross of Christ. The moto inscribed in the face of the coin with the cross is the latin sentence “In hoc signo vinces”, which means “Through this symbol you shall win” (even today this is the moto of the Order of Christ). The importance of this symbol in the Portuguese culture and history is immense as you see.
“The Portuguese” was so prestigious that was imitated throughout the Europe, giving origin to the Portugaloser. But I am digressing … sorry … The Manueline style has lots of references and symbols of the portuguese discoveries. This sumptuous style is a derivation of the gothic and is characterized mainly for incorporating maritime elements and representations of the discoveries: the armillary sphere; anchor chains, ropes, cables, the cross of the Order of Christ, etc.
This style is present in famous portuguese monuments like the Belém Tower and the Jerónimos Monastery, both in Lisbon. In the jewellery department it is visible in the famous Custódia de Belém (you can see it live in the National Museum of Ancient Art in Lisbon).
Allegedly all of this symbolism was demanded by King D.Manuel himself, with some imputs of Queen Amélia, to the makers. Some people say this piece was commissioned to “Leitão e Irmão”, the Crown Jewelers, but, even thought they were contacted to project a tiara, the truth is that their project and the real piece are not a match. Did the Crown Jewelers changed their project or was another jeweler to make the tiara? Unfortunately the makers of the piece remain unknown.
All of this symbolism is not surprising: as I said previously D.Manuel II married in 1913, 3 years after he went to exile. Through the long 22 years of exile, D. Manuel II always looked for things that remind him his beloved country. He wanted to be surrounded by everything that could remind him his homeland.
This tiara actually still exists in the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen’s vaults. Accordingly to the bibliography I have, it is in the Sigmaringen Castle, now a museum. I can conclude, thus, that this piece is in the possession of the Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.
The choker was, for sure, made of diamonds and 11 rubies. It was ordered by Queen D. Amelia, mother of D.Manuel II, to Cartier (which makes sense since D.Amelia was a French Princess by birth). It was the wedding present from the Queen to her new daughter-in-law. I read somewhere that the stones resulted from dismantling some of Queen D.Amelia’s personal jewels. Do not remember the source, so I cannot swear this is truth. The choker and the tiara were thought from the beginning to form a set, so I really believe the tiara is also made of diamonds and rubies. Unfortunately I saw somewhere a black and white picture of the choker that was taken from an auction catalog. This means that this necklace may or may not exist anymore.
The earrings are probably made of rubies too and I think that there is a good chance that they were wedding gifts too.
To my knowledge, Queen D.Augusta only wore the tiara in for the famous Lazlo portrait. The choker, however, was worn very often, paired with D.Augusta’s others tiara (a Boucheron one):
D.Manuel II died in 1932 in strange circumstances without children. D.Augusta, shocking the Portuguese monarchists and mainly D.Amelia, decided to marry again in 1939 with Count Douglas. She died in 1966, childless and widow again. Some of his possessions (namely her Portuguese possessions inherited from D.Manuel II) were used to form the “D.Manuel II Foundation”, now run by the Duke of Braganza. Did she leave some jewels to the Duke? Do not know, but I believe most of her jewels were left to her nephews, especially to the Head of the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.
Such an interesting post!! Thank you so much Jorge. It was very enlightening to have the symbolism explained. I wish I could see a modern photo of this jewel to see the precise details in the band and whether or not the crosses contained rubies. Like you, I suspect that they did.
Thank you so much Jorge for this wonderful post and the time and effort you placed in it. Several years ago I saw in an old magazine the sketches that Leitão & Irmãos made for a rubi tiara for the Poetuguese Royal Family. If my memory is not failing I remember at least two diferent designs for a rubi and diamond tiara with historical portuguese elements, but none of the sketches was identical to the final piece.
--Previous Message-- : The jewels of this thread are no longer, : unfortunately, in the possession of the : Portuguese Royal House. Yesterday, Ella : published a post named The Daily Diadem: The : Order of Christ Tiara with a famous Laszlo : portrait of Queen D.Augusta, wife of King : D.Manuel II of Portugal. : : I am going to make a resume of the : portuguese history until the first : appearance of the tiara and then continue to : talk about the tiara itself and its symbols. : Be ready because is a looong post. Hope you : like. : : After the assassination of King D.Carlos I : of Portugal and of Crown Prince D.Luis : Filipe in 1/02/1908, the younger son of : D.Carlos I and Queen D.Amelia ascend to the : Portuguese Throne with just 18 years old as : D.Manuel II. With the royal family reduced : to only 4 members (The King; The : Queen-Mother D.Amelia, The Dowager Queen : D.Maria Pia and the bachelor D. Afonso, the : King’s uncle) the marriage of the new king : became a state matter of huge importance. : : : : It began an intense diplomatic “battle” in : order to find a suitable princess. Several : princesses were thought, many of them : belonging or connected to the British Royal : Family. The most famous of them was Louise : Mountbatten, that later became Queen Consort : of Sweden, but others were seen like good : candidates like the Princesses of Connaught. : Such approximation of the Portuguese Royal : Family to the British Royal Family was not : seen with good eyes by the republican : movement in Portugal. Some say that they : were responsible for failure of these : attempts of marriage. Not sure if this is : truth but the fact is that King D.Manuel did : not marry before the end of the monarchy in : Portugal. : : In 5/10/1910 a “revolution” ended with the : monarchy and exiled the Royal Family. With : the exile, D.Manuel lost one of his main : advantages to get a good marriage: he was no : longer a reigning king. The attempts to get : a marriage, while forging an “alliance” with : a reigning house, continue, but in vain. : Meanwhile D.Manuel never forgets that, with : or without a throne, he is THE King of : Portugal and suffers with the increasingly : worst political and social situation in : Portugal. The relation between D.Manuel II : and the 1st republic is not very good: the : king’s assets in Portugal became frozen for : much time, leaving the king in a precarious : financial situation. This was not a good : propaganda for a young king that wants to : marry. : : In 1912 he met Princess Augusta Viktoria of : Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen while visiting his : aunt Infanta Antónia of Portugal (she was : the grandmother of Princess Augusta and : sister of the grandfather of D.Manuel). : : : : They became in love. The marriage between : the two cousins is set to 4 September 1913 : in the Sigmaringen Castle and was conducted : by the also exiled Cardinal Patriarch of : Lisbon José Neto. : : : : : The Order of Christ Tiara was a wedding : present from King D.Manuel II to D.Augusta. : As far as I know, the tiara has the option : to close in order to be worn as a coronet. : When we see this jewel, the first thing we : note is the “Crosses of Christ”. But the : tiara is pure symbolism: “portugueseness” in : every inch. The Crosses of Christ remembers, : indeed, the Military Order of Christ. But : why this symbol, and not another, like the : one from the Military Order of Avis? The : reason is simple: the Cross of Christ is : intimately linked to the Portuguese Golden : Age: the discoveries. At the time (beginning : of XV century) the Order of Christ, headed : by Infante D.Henrique, “sponsored” the : discoveries (its beginning at least). : Although “sponsored” by the Order, the : discoveries voyages had the approval of : D.Henrique’s father – King D.João I, married : to Philippa of Lancaster, an English : princess – and later of his brother, King : D.Duarte. So, since the beginning this cross : was present in the caravels’ sails. Even : now, this cross is a much cherished : Portuguese symbol. The history behind the : Order of Christ is very interesting and : deserves a thread on its own, but not in : this board. I can, shortly, say that it has : origin in the Templar’s. Nowadays the Order : of Christ is the second highest order in the : portuguese honorific system. : : But wait, the symbols in the tiara go even : beyond that: the base of the tiara was made : to resemble the Manueline style. This style : is the only one named to honour a portuguese : king: D.Manuel I (so, a king namesake of : D.Manuel II). King D.Manuel I was the : great-grandson of D.João I and reigned in : the most glorious Portuguese era (Manueline : Era). In fact he was one of the most (if not : the most) powerful and prestigious King in : the western world of his time. He even : minted a famous coin to celebrate that era – : O Português (“The Portuguese”) – that was : one of the heaviest in the world (35 gr of : solid gold). In the picture below you can : see that even the coin included the Cross of : Christ. The moto inscribed in the face of : the coin with the cross is the latin : sentence “In hoc signo vinces”, which means : “Through this symbol you shall win” (even : today this is the moto of the Order of : Christ). The importance of this symbol in : the Portuguese culture and history is : immense as you see. : : : : “The Portuguese” was so prestigious that was : imitated throughout the Europe, giving : origin to the Portugaloser. But I am : digressing … sorry … : The Manueline style has lots of references : and symbols of the portuguese discoveries. : This sumptuous style is a derivation of the : gothic and is characterized mainly for : incorporating maritime elements and : representations of the discoveries: the : armillary sphere ; anchor chains, ropes , : cables, the cross of the Order of Christ , : etc. : : This style is present in famous portuguese : monuments like the Belém Tower and the : Jerónimos Monastery, both in Lisbon. In the : jewellery department it is visible in the : famous Custódia de Belém (you can see it : live in the National Museum of Ancient Art : in Lisbon). : : : : Allegedly all of this symbolism was demanded : by King D.Manuel himself, with some imputs : of Queen Amélia, to the makers. Some people : say this piece was commissioned to “Leitão e : Irmão”, the Crown Jewelers, but, even : thought they were contacted to project a : tiara, the truth is that their project and : the real piece are not a match. Did the : Crown Jewelers changed their project or was : another jeweler to make the tiara? : Unfortunately the makers of the piece remain : unknown. : : All of this symbolism is not surprising: as : I said previously D.Manuel II married in : 1913, 3 years after he went to exile. : Through the long 22 years of exile, D. : Manuel II always looked for things that : remind him his beloved country. He wanted to : be surrounded by everything that could : remind him his homeland. : : This tiara actually still exists in the : Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen’s vaults. : Accordingly to the bibliography I have, it : is in the Sigmaringen Castle, now a museum. : I can conclude, thus, that this piece is in : the possession of the Prince of : Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. : : The choker was, for sure, made of diamonds : and 11 rubies. It was ordered by Queen D. : Amelia, mother of D.Manuel II, to Cartier : (which makes sense since D.Amelia was a : French Princess by birth). It was the : wedding present from the Queen to her new : daughter-in-law. I read somewhere that the : stones resulted from dismantling some of : Queen D.Amelia’s personal jewels. Do not : remember the source, so I cannot swear this : is truth. The choker and the tiara were : thought from the beginning to form a set, so : I really believe the tiara is also made of : diamonds and rubies. Unfortunately I saw : somewhere a black and white picture of the : choker that was taken from an auction : catalog. This means that this necklace may : or may not exist anymore. : : The earrings are probably made of rubies too : and I think that there is a good chance that : they were wedding gifts too. : : To my knowledge, Queen D.Augusta only wore : the tiara in for the famous Lazlo portrait. : The choker, however, was worn very often, : paired with D.Augusta’s others tiara (a : Boucheron one): : : : : : : : : D.Manuel II died in 1932 in strange : circumstances without children. D.Augusta, : shocking the Portuguese monarchists and : mainly D.Amelia, decided to marry again in : 1939 with Count Douglas. She died in 1966, : childless and widow again. Some of his : possessions (namely her Portuguese : possessions inherited from D.Manuel II) were : used to form the “D.Manuel II Foundation”, : now run by the Duke of Braganza. Did she : leave some jewels to the Duke? Do not know, : but I believe most of her jewels were left : to her nephews, especially to the Head of : the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. : : More pictures at: : https://royal-magazin.de/portugal/portugal-augusta-victoria.htm :
Jorge, I love your posts because not only do you feature the most beautiful Portuguese jewels, you provide the fascinating and relevant history behind them. You have done it again with the Order of Christ tiara plus the choker. Thank you so much! The tiara and choker are truly stunning pieces. --Previous Message-- : Thank you so much Jorge for this wonderful : post and the time and effort you placed in : it. : Several years ago I saw in an old magazine : the sketches that Leitão & Irmãos made : for a rubi tiara for the Poetuguese Royal : Family. If my memory is not failing I : remember at least two diferent designs for a : rubi and diamond tiara with historical : portuguese elements, but none of the : sketches was identical to the final piece. : : : : --Previous Message-- : The jewels of this thread are no longer, : unfortunately, in the possession of the : Portuguese Royal House. Yesterday, Ella : published a post named The Daily Diadem: The : Order of Christ Tiara with a famous Laszlo : portrait of Queen D.Augusta, wife of King : D.Manuel II of Portugal. : : I am going to make a resume of the : portuguese history until the first : appearance of the tiara and then continue to : talk about the tiara itself and its symbols. : Be ready because is a looong post. Hope you : like. : : After the assassination of King D.Carlos I : of Portugal and of Crown Prince D.Luis : Filipe in 1/02/1908, the younger son of : D.Carlos I and Queen D.Amelia ascend to the : Portuguese Throne with just 18 years old as : D.Manuel II. With the royal family reduced : to only 4 members (The King; The : Queen-Mother D.Amelia, The Dowager Queen : D.Maria Pia and the bachelor D. Afonso, the : King’s uncle) the marriage of the new king : became a state matter of huge importance. : : : : It began an intense diplomatic “battle” in : order to find a suitable princess. Several : princesses were thought, many of them : belonging or connected to the British Royal : Family. The most famous of them was Louise : Mountbatten, that later became Queen Consort : of Sweden, but others were seen like good : candidates like the Princesses of Connaught. : Such approximation of the Portuguese Royal : Family to the British Royal Family was not : seen with good eyes by the republican : movement in Portugal. Some say that they : were responsible for failure of these : attempts of marriage. Not sure if this is : truth but the fact is that King D.Manuel did : not marry before the end of the monarchy in : Portugal. : : In 5/10/1910 a “revolution” ended with the : monarchy and exiled the Royal Family. With : the exile, D.Manuel lost one of his main : advantages to get a good marriage: he was no : longer a reigning king. The attempts to get : a marriage, while forging an “alliance” with : a reigning house, continue, but in vain. : Meanwhile D.Manuel never forgets that, with : or without a throne, he is THE King of : Portugal and suffers with the increasingly : worst political and social situation in : Portugal. The relation between D.Manuel II : and the 1st republic is not very good: the : king’s assets in Portugal became frozen for : much time, leaving the king in a precarious : financial situation. This was not a good : propaganda for a young king that wants to : marry. : : In 1912 he met Princess Augusta Viktoria of : Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen while visiting his : aunt Infanta Antónia of Portugal (she was : the grandmother of Princess Augusta and : sister of the grandfather of D.Manuel). : : : : They became in love. The marriage between : the two cousins is set to 4 September 1913 : in the Sigmaringen Castle and was conducted : by the also exiled Cardinal Patriarch of : Lisbon José Neto. : : : : : The Order of Christ Tiara was a wedding : present from King D.Manuel II to D.Augusta. : As far as I know, the tiara has the option : to close in order to be worn as a coronet. : When we see this jewel, the first thing we : note is the “Crosses of Christ”. But the : tiara is pure symbolism: “portugueseness” in : every inch. The Crosses of Christ remembers, : indeed, the Military Order of Christ. But : why this symbol, and not another, like the : one from the Military Order of Avis? The : reason is simple: the Cross of Christ is : intimately linked to the Portuguese Golden : Age: the discoveries. At the time (beginning : of XV century) the Order of Christ, headed : by Infante D.Henrique, “sponsored” the : discoveries (its beginning at least). : Although “sponsored” by the Order, the : discoveries voyages had the approval of : D.Henrique’s father – King D.João I, married : to Philippa of Lancaster, an English : princess – and later of his brother, King : D.Duarte. So, since the beginning this cross : was present in the caravels’ sails. Even : now, this cross is a much cherished : Portuguese symbol. The history behind the : Order of Christ is very interesting and : deserves a thread on its own, but not in : this board. I can, shortly, say that it has : origin in the Templar’s. Nowadays the Order : of Christ is the second highest order in the : portuguese honorific system. : : But wait, the symbols in the tiara go even : beyond that: the base of the tiara was made : to resemble the Manueline style. This style : is the only one named to honour a portuguese : king: D.Manuel I (so, a king namesake of : D.Manuel II). King D.Manuel I was the : great-grandson of D.João I and reigned in : the most glorious Portuguese era (Manueline : Era). In fact he was one of the most (if not : the most) powerful and prestigious King in : the western world of his time. He even : minted a famous coin to celebrate that era – : O Português (“The Portuguese”) – that was : one of the heaviest in the world (35 gr of : solid gold). In the picture below you can : see that even the coin included the Cross of : Christ. The moto inscribed in the face of : the coin with the cross is the latin : sentence “In hoc signo vinces”, which means : “Through this symbol you shall win” (even : today this is the moto of the Order of : Christ). The importance of this symbol in : the Portuguese culture and history is : immense as you see. : : : : “The Portuguese” was so prestigious that was : imitated throughout the Europe, giving : origin to the Portugaloser. But I am : digressing … sorry … : The Manueline style has lots of references : and symbols of the portuguese discoveries. : This sumptuous style is a derivation of the : gothic and is characterized mainly for : incorporating maritime elements and : representations of the discoveries: the : armillary sphere ; anchor chains, ropes , : cables, the cross of the Order of Christ , : etc. : : This style is present in famous portuguese : monuments like the Belém Tower and the : Jerónimos Monastery, both in Lisbon. In the : jewellery department it is visible in the : famous Custódia de Belém (you can see it : live in the National Museum of Ancient Art : in Lisbon). : : : : Allegedly all of this symbolism was demanded : by King D.Manuel himself, with some imputs : of Queen Amélia, to the makers. Some people : say this piece was commissioned to “Leitão e : Irmão”, the Crown Jewelers, but, even : thought they were contacted to project a : tiara, the truth is that their project and : the real piece are not a match. Did the : Crown Jewelers changed their project or was : another jeweler to make the tiara? : Unfortunately the makers of the piece remain : unknown. : : All of this symbolism is not surprising: as : I said previously D.Manuel II married in : 1913, 3 years after he went to exile. : Through the long 22 years of exile, D. : Manuel II always looked for things that : remind him his beloved country. He wanted to : be surrounded by everything that could : remind him his homeland. : : This tiara actually still exists in the : Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen’s vaults. : Accordingly to the bibliography I have, it : is in the Sigmaringen Castle, now a museum. : I can conclude, thus, that this piece is in : the possession of the Prince of : Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. : : The choker was, for sure, made of diamonds : and 11 rubies. It was ordered by Queen D. : Amelia, mother of D.Manuel II, to Cartier : (which makes sense since D.Amelia was a : French Princess by birth). It was the : wedding present from the Queen to her new : daughter-in-law. I read somewhere that the : stones resulted from dismantling some of : Queen D.Amelia’s personal jewels. Do not : remember the source, so I cannot swear this : is truth. The choker and the tiara were : thought from the beginning to form a set, so : I really believe the tiara is also made of : diamonds and rubies. Unfortunately I saw : somewhere a black and white picture of the : choker that was taken from an auction : catalog. This means that this necklace may : or may not exist anymore. : : The earrings are probably made of rubies too : and I think that there is a good chance that : they were wedding gifts too. : : To my knowledge, Queen D.Augusta only wore : the tiara in for the famous Lazlo portrait. : The choker, however, was worn very often, : paired with D.Augusta’s others tiara (a : Boucheron one): : : : : : : : : D.Manuel II died in 1932 in strange : circumstances without children. D.Augusta, : shocking the Portuguese monarchists and : mainly D.Amelia, decided to marry again in : 1939 with Count Douglas. She died in 1966, : childless and widow again. Some of his : possessions (namely her Portuguese : possessions inherited from D.Manuel II) were : used to form the “D.Manuel II Foundation”, : now run by the Duke of Braganza. Did she : leave some jewels to the Duke? Do not know, : but I believe most of her jewels were left : to her nephews, especially to the Head of : the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. : : More pictures at: : : https://royal-magazin.de/portugal/portugal-augusta-victoria.htm : : :
Jorge, thank you for this most interesting, well researched post, muitissimo obrigado!
What I am confused about, is what you write about D. Manuel's death in "strange circumstances". I didn't know about that. Could you clarify?
--Previous Message-- : The jewels of this thread are no longer, : unfortunately, in the possession of the : Portuguese Royal House. Yesterday, Ella : published a post named The Daily Diadem: The : Order of Christ Tiara with a famous Laszlo : portrait of Queen D.Augusta, wife of King : D.Manuel II of Portugal. : : I am going to make a resume of the : portuguese history until the first : appearance of the tiara and then continue to : talk about the tiara itself and its symbols. : Be ready because is a looong post. Hope you : like.
I am very glad you liked the post. It is always exciting to see your positive reactions. Now, I am going to try to answer the questions you made.
@Beth If I remember correctly, there are recent pictures of the tiara. The idea was the pictures to be published in the book "Se as joias falassem", a book (in Portuguese) about (some of) the portuguese royal jewels. That book indeed talks about the wedding gifts of D.Augusta, but without recent pictures. Unfortunately, if I am not mistaken, the authorization to release the pictures in the book never came from the Sigmaringen Museum. Without the proper authorization, that copyrighted material was sealed and locked away from public eyes. A true shame ...
@Cristina Really? Two different designs, both from Leitão e Irmão? I only know one, but your information raises some questions! Could it be possible there was a third (missing) design from the Crown Jewels that match the actual tiara? According to the book "Se as joias falassem", the tiara has no longer its original case and has no maker's mark. So we are facing one of the following options:
* Designed by Leitão e Irmão but made by other jeweler; *Designed by someone but made by the Crown jeweler; *Designed and made by some unknown jeweler; *Designed and made by Leitão e Irmão.
Did you notice that the portuguese royal jewels always give us so many mysteries to solve and generally we end up in a dead-end?
@ karenl Thanks! I try to do my best. Is my opinion that the jewels are important not only because of its intrinsic and artist value, but because of all the history behind them. Like Queen Margrethe II said "we do not count the carats; we count the centuries". But sometimes is difficult to do a proper background history because in history everything is connected to everything and Portugal has more than 900 years of history. But I am quite sad that such portuguese piece is no longer in possession of the Portuguese Royal Family.
@Lucas Thanks. Do you speak portuguese? I always smile when I see my beloved mother language in international forums or boards.
In what concerns the death of King D.Manuel II, we need to be careful because there are some conspiracy theories. Some of them actually make sense, considering the historic context, but they were never fully proved. I try to get the facts and form my own opinion. Here they are the most important ones:
1. In the beginning of May 1932 some burglars entered Fulwell Park (the King's house) and robbed some jewels, silverware and historic documents. Between the documents robbed was one of the only two copies of the report of police investigation about the murder of his father and brother. The conclusions of the investigation never reached the court because the monarchy ended and the republic was not interested in knowing what really happened and who was really involved. The other copy of the report was in a safe in a governmental department and disappeared mysteriously. Was the republic afraid of the conclusions of the report? Some say the burglars were republican "secret agents". Well, about this there are some books that try to reconnect the broken links.
2. 30/06/1932: the King watches a Wimbledon tennis tournament with his wife, Queen Mary, the Duke of Kent and other members of the BRF. At the exit, D.Manuel II feels a heavy sore throat. Arriving home, the pain increases and he ordered the physician Lord Dawson to be called. Strangely the doctor only (?) recommends absolute rest and the cancellation of all appointments. The clinical situation became increasingly worst and the king starts to have some difficulties to talk;
3. 2/07/1932: much worse, the King decides to go to London in order to consult the famous (and with good reputation) laryngologist Sir John Milsom Rees. The doctor sent D.Manuel II home to rest (?). Arriving home, the King was even worse: besides talking hardly, he started having breathing difficulties.
4. The signs of suffocation were evident but Sir Rees, that allegedly promised to visit the king one hour after he examined the King, was not appearing. Orders were given to call the local doctor but when he arrived, did not made what he was supposed to do in that situation: a tracheotomy;
5. At this time D.Manuel II was already not able to speak or to breathe. Desperate, through gestures, he asks a window to be opened.
6. D.Manuel II dies with edema of glottis. Shortly after the king's last breath Sir Reed arrives, only to sign the death certificate. The Doctor was also doctor of BRF and was immediately dismissed.
7. Contrary to the common practices, the body is not autopsied and is not embalmed.
Three doctors, including a very prestigious one that was physician of the BRF, and none of them paid proper attention to the case? Only sent D.Manuel to rest?
Now a conjecture: some people say the King's body started decomposing faster than usual.
I am a bit confused about your point 6, but maybe I'm reading it the wrong way: Lord Dawson may have been dismissed from the royal houshold of Fulwell Park, but certainly not by the british royal house. He was still very much in function at the deathbed of King George V.
: Arriving home, the pain increases and he : ordered the physician Lord Dawson to be : called. Strangely the doctor only (?) : recommends absolute rest and the : cancellation of all appointments. The : clinical situation became increasingly worst : and the king starts to have some : difficulties to talk; : : 6. D.Manuel II dies with edema of glottis. : Shortly after the king’s last breath Sir : Reed arrives, only to sign the death : certificate. The Doctor was also doctor of : BRF and was immediately dismissed.
While trying to understand, after reading your post, if I had made some confusion I realized that both Sir Reed and Lord Dawson were physicians of the BRF and of the PRF. Because of the same illness, but in different days, both were consulted by D.Manuel II.
However, in the fateful day, of both doctors, only Sir Reed was consulted. According to the bibliography I have, it was he (Sir Reed) and not Lord Dawson who was dismissed of both Households. Lord Dawson, as you noticed, was pretty much in function when King George V died in 1936.
Bonus: When D.Manuel II dies, D.Augusta sends a telegram to D.Amelia saying her son was very ill. Queen D.Augusta was trying to smooth the truth because she was afraid to cause some damage to the health of her mother-in-law with such hard notice. When the telegram was being delivered to D.Amelia (in France) and before it was opened, the old queen said “Je sais, mon fils est mort!”. Quite strange, amazing and creepy at the same time!
--Previous Message-- : Interesting story of which I had no idea. : : I am a bit confused about your point 6, but : maybe I'm reading it the wrong way: Lord : Dawson may have been dismissed from the : royal houshold of Fulwell Park, but : certainly not by the british royal house. He : was still very much in function at the : deathbed of King George V. : : Arriving home, the pain increases and he : ordered the physician Lord Dawson to be : called. Strangely the doctor only (?) : recommends absolute rest and the : cancellation of all appointments. The : clinical situation became increasingly worst : and the king starts to have some : difficulties to talk; : : 6. D.Manuel II dies with edema of glottis. : Shortly after the king’s last breath Sir : Reed arrives, only to sign the death : certificate. The Doctor was also doctor of : BRF and was immediately dismissed. : :
I am not certain what book you refer to, but Sir Milsom Reed did not fall out of favour with the British Royal Family in 1932 (the year of King Manuel's death). He received the Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in 1934. This order is a dynastic order, awarded by the King personally (no government intervention). He is not likely to have received this order in 1934 if he had been dismissed two years earlier.
--Previous Message-- : While trying to understand, after reading your : post, if I had made some confusion I : realized that both Sir Reed and Lord Dawson : were physicians of the BRF and of the PRF. : Because of the same illness, but in : different days, both were consulted by : D.Manuel II. : : However, in the fateful day, of both : doctors, only Sir Reed was consulted. : According to the bibliography I have, it was : he (Sir Reed) and not Lord Dawson who was : dismissed of both Households. : Lord Dawson, as you noticed, was pretty much : in function when King George V died in 1936. : : Bonus: : When D.Manuel II dies, D.Augusta sends a : telegram to D.Amelia saying her son was very : ill. Queen D.Augusta was trying to smooth : the truth because she was afraid to cause : some damage to the health of her : mother-in-law with such hard notice. When : the telegram was being delivered to D.Amelia : (in France) and before it was opened, the : old queen said “Je sais, mon fils est : mort!”. Quite strange, amazing and creepy at : the same time! : : : --Previous Message-- : Interesting story of which I had no idea. : : I am a bit confused about your point 6, but : maybe I'm reading it the wrong way: Lord : Dawson may have been dismissed from the : royal houshold of Fulwell Park, but : certainly not by the british royal house. He : was still very much in function at the : deathbed of King George V. : : Arriving home, the pain increases and he : ordered the physician Lord Dawson to be : called. Strangely the doctor only (?) : recommends absolute rest and the : cancellation of all appointments. The : clinical situation became increasingly worst : and the king starts to have some : difficulties to talk; : : 6. D.Manuel II dies with edema of glottis. : Shortly after the king’s last breath Sir : Reed arrives, only to sign the death : certificate. The Doctor was also doctor of : BRF and was immediately dismissed. : : : :
I had never heard of this tiara before - thank you for a very interesting post, Jorge!
--Previous Message-- : The jewels of this thread are no longer, : unfortunately, in the possession of the : Portuguese Royal House. Yesterday, Ella : published a post named The Daily Diadem: The : Order of Christ Tiara with a famous Laszlo : portrait of Queen D.Augusta, wife of King : D.Manuel II of Portugal. : : I am going to make a resume of the : portuguese history until the first : appearance of the tiara and then continue to : talk about the tiara itself and its symbols. : Be ready because is a looong post. Hope you : like. : : After the assassination of King D.Carlos I : of Portugal and of Crown Prince D.Luis : Filipe in 1/02/1908, the younger son of : D.Carlos I and Queen D.Amelia ascend to the : Portuguese Throne with just 18 years old as : D.Manuel II. With the royal family reduced : to only 4 members (The King; The : Queen-Mother D.Amelia, The Dowager Queen : D.Maria Pia and the bachelor D. Afonso, the : King’s uncle) the marriage of the new king : became a state matter of huge importance. : : : : It began an intense diplomatic “battle” in : order to find a suitable princess. Several : princesses were thought, many of them : belonging or connected to the British Royal : Family. The most famous of them was Louise : Mountbatten, that later became Queen Consort : of Sweden, but others were seen like good : candidates like the Princesses of Connaught. : Such approximation of the Portuguese Royal : Family to the British Royal Family was not : seen with good eyes by the republican : movement in Portugal. Some say that they : were responsible for failure of these : attempts of marriage. Not sure if this is : truth but the fact is that King D.Manuel did : not marry before the end of the monarchy in : Portugal. : : In 5/10/1910 a “revolution” ended with the : monarchy and exiled the Royal Family. With : the exile, D.Manuel lost one of his main : advantages to get a good marriage: he was no : longer a reigning king. The attempts to get : a marriage, while forging an “alliance” with : a reigning house, continue, but in vain. : Meanwhile D.Manuel never forgets that, with : or without a throne, he is THE King of : Portugal and suffers with the increasingly : worst political and social situation in : Portugal. The relation between D.Manuel II : and the 1st republic is not very good: the : king’s assets in Portugal became frozen for : much time, leaving the king in a precarious : financial situation. This was not a good : propaganda for a young king that wants to : marry. : : In 1912 he met Princess Augusta Viktoria of : Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen while visiting his : aunt Infanta Antónia of Portugal (she was : the grandmother of Princess Augusta and : sister of the grandfather of D.Manuel). : : : : They became in love. The marriage between : the two cousins is set to 4 September 1913 : in the Sigmaringen Castle and was conducted : by the also exiled Cardinal Patriarch of : Lisbon José Neto. : : : : : The Order of Christ Tiara was a wedding : present from King D.Manuel II to D.Augusta. : As far as I know, the tiara has the option : to close in order to be worn as a coronet. : When we see this jewel, the first thing we : note is the “Crosses of Christ”. But the : tiara is pure symbolism: “portugueseness” in : every inch. The Crosses of Christ remembers, : indeed, the Military Order of Christ. But : why this symbol, and not another, like the : one from the Military Order of Avis? The : reason is simple: the Cross of Christ is : intimately linked to the Portuguese Golden : Age: the discoveries. At the time (beginning : of XV century) the Order of Christ, headed : by Infante D.Henrique, “sponsored” the : discoveries (its beginning at least). : Although “sponsored” by the Order, the : discoveries voyages had the approval of : D.Henrique’s father – King D.João I, married : to Philippa of Lancaster, an English : princess – and later of his brother, King : D.Duarte. So, since the beginning this cross : was present in the caravels’ sails. Even : now, this cross is a much cherished : Portuguese symbol. The history behind the : Order of Christ is very interesting and : deserves a thread on its own, but not in : this board. I can, shortly, say that it has : origin in the Templar’s. Nowadays the Order : of Christ is the second highest order in the : portuguese honorific system. : : But wait, the symbols in the tiara go even : beyond that: the base of the tiara was made : to resemble the Manueline style. This style : is the only one named to honour a portuguese : king: D.Manuel I (so, a king namesake of : D.Manuel II). King D.Manuel I was the : great-grandson of D.João I and reigned in : the most glorious Portuguese era (Manueline : Era). In fact he was one of the most (if not : the most) powerful and prestigious King in : the western world of his time. He even : minted a famous coin to celebrate that era – : O Português (“The Portuguese”) – that was : one of the heaviest in the world (35 gr of : solid gold). In the picture below you can : see that even the coin included the Cross of : Christ. The moto inscribed in the face of : the coin with the cross is the latin : sentence “In hoc signo vinces”, which means : “Through this symbol you shall win” (even : today this is the moto of the Order of : Christ). The importance of this symbol in : the Portuguese culture and history is : immense as you see. : : : : “The Portuguese” was so prestigious that was : imitated throughout the Europe, giving : origin to the Portugaloser. But I am : digressing … sorry … : The Manueline style has lots of references : and symbols of the portuguese discoveries. : This sumptuous style is a derivation of the : gothic and is characterized mainly for : incorporating maritime elements and : representations of the discoveries: the : armillary sphere ; anchor chains, ropes , : cables, the cross of the Order of Christ , : etc. : : This style is present in famous portuguese : monuments like the Belém Tower and the : Jerónimos Monastery, both in Lisbon. In the : jewellery department it is visible in the : famous Custódia de Belém (you can see it : live in the National Museum of Ancient Art : in Lisbon). : : : : Allegedly all of this symbolism was demanded : by King D.Manuel himself, with some imputs : of Queen Amélia, to the makers. Some people : say this piece was commissioned to “Leitão e : Irmão”, the Crown Jewelers, but, even : thought they were contacted to project a : tiara, the truth is that their project and : the real piece are not a match. Did the : Crown Jewelers changed their project or was : another jeweler to make the tiara? : Unfortunately the makers of the piece remain : unknown. : : All of this symbolism is not surprising: as : I said previously D.Manuel II married in : 1913, 3 years after he went to exile. : Through the long 22 years of exile, D. : Manuel II always looked for things that : remind him his beloved country. He wanted to : be surrounded by everything that could : remind him his homeland. : : This tiara actually still exists in the : Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen’s vaults. : Accordingly to the bibliography I have, it : is in the Sigmaringen Castle, now a museum. : I can conclude, thus, that this piece is in : the possession of the Prince of : Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. : : The choker was, for sure, made of diamonds : and 11 rubies. It was ordered by Queen D. : Amelia, mother of D.Manuel II, to Cartier : (which makes sense since D.Amelia was a : French Princess by birth). It was the : wedding present from the Queen to her new : daughter-in-law. I read somewhere that the : stones resulted from dismantling some of : Queen D.Amelia’s personal jewels. Do not : remember the source, so I cannot swear this : is truth. The choker and the tiara were : thought from the beginning to form a set, so : I really believe the tiara is also made of : diamonds and rubies. Unfortunately I saw : somewhere a black and white picture of the : choker that was taken from an auction : catalog. This means that this necklace may : or may not exist anymore. : : The earrings are probably made of rubies too : and I think that there is a good chance that : they were wedding gifts too. : : To my knowledge, Queen D.Augusta only wore : the tiara in for the famous Lazlo portrait. : The choker, however, was worn very often, : paired with D.Augusta’s others tiara (a : Boucheron one): : : : : : : : : D.Manuel II died in 1932 in strange : circumstances without children. D.Augusta, : shocking the Portuguese monarchists and : mainly D.Amelia, decided to marry again in : 1939 with Count Douglas. She died in 1966, : childless and widow again. Some of his : possessions (namely her Portuguese : possessions inherited from D.Manuel II) were : used to form the “D.Manuel II Foundation”, : now run by the Duke of Braganza. Did she : leave some jewels to the Duke? Do not know, : but I believe most of her jewels were left : to her nephews, especially to the Head of : the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. : : More pictures at: : https://royal-magazin.de/portugal/portugal-augusta-victoria.htm :
The author is graduated in history and has an impressive curriculum in the area of the European gotha, so I find strange that kind of error in his book.
Not sure exactly how to explain the divergence but I can raise the following hypotheses:
* Sir Rees received the order because of past events. King George V, because of the death of D.Manuel II (a dear friend and relative and a cherished member of the community) might have decided to postpone the attribution of the knighthood. The attribution of the order might have been already decided before this event. In 1934 D.Augusta was no longer in England: had returned to her homeland. D.Amelia had also no reasons to leave France. So, when Sir Rees was knighted, there was "no one" to offend in England;
*Misinterpretation and consequent wrong translation. The essential sentence is in page 212. I assumed that he was dismissed because of the closeness between the two royal houses. However, feeling that there was a strong current against him, it is possible that it was him who resigned voluntarily. Later he could have been restored to his old post/office. Once again, only after the Portuguese court had left England.
*While typewriting, the royal families might have been switched in the book. Originally the idea could have been that he left his office as physician of the Portuguese, not the British, royal family.
on April 22, 2017, 4:05 pm
