10 arranged royal marriages that resulted in a long and happy life
While the idea of an arranged marriage would probably make most of our heads spin these days, royals used to be expected to participate in arranged weddings. Despite this, not all of these weddings were loveless affairs. Here are ten arranged royal weddings that resulted in the newlyweds falling madly in love.
Related: 10 cases of posthumous marriage
10 King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York
Most of us are used to hearing about King Henry VIII, but unlike his predecessor, he was not known for his successful marriages. On the other hand, King Henry VII had a much happier love life.
In January 1486, the young King Henry VII married Elizabeth of York to unite the two houses of York and Lancaster – you know, those of the fame of the Wars of the Roses. However, without actually meeting his bride, Henry VII was not convinced that the union was such a good idea. Concerned that Elizabeth would claim the throne as rightfully hers, he arranged for him to be crowned king before the marriage took place.
Despite Henry VII’s concerns, everything seems to have changed when he actually met his bride-to-be. Considered a beauty, Elizabeth of York eventually won the heart of Henry VII. Today, stories exist of the two exchanging small gifts during their marriage, and it seems that they ended up living happily ever after.[1]
9 Ivan the Terrible and Anastasia Romanova
Ivan the Terrible is usually associated with war and mischief, but he is also involved in an interesting love story. Ivan the Terrible, or Ivan IV, was the first official Tsar of Russia and to secure his right to the throne, he married Anastasia Romanova in 1547.
Like many royal weddings, the wedding was a political one, hoping to unite two powerful Russian dynasties, the Rurikid and the Romanov. Despite the politics behind the marriage, it seems that Ivan IV quickly fell in love with his new bride.
According to a number of sources, Anastasia even had a positive influence on the ruthless tsar. The problem is that when she died, she left her husband heartbroken. Ivan IV became convinced that his bride had been poisoned and unleashed a murderous rampage in an attempt to bring down treacherous traitors in his country. If Anastasia hadn’t died young, maybe Ivan IV wouldn’t have been so terrible![2]
8 King George V and Queen Mary
Mary was Queen Victoria’s goddaughter, while George was the son of the Prince of Wales. Mary’s favor with her godmother eventually led to these two royals getting engaged.
In 1891, Queen Victoria chose Prince Albert, George’s older brother, as a prime suitor for Mary. However, their engagement did not last long as Prince Albert died of flu just a few weeks before they were due to wed.
That didn’t deter Mary’s godmother, though. Queen Victoria noticed that Albert’s brother, George, had taken a liking to Mary. She approved the match, and just a year after Albert’s death, Mary and George were married.
It seems that although the Queen chose the match because of its strong ties to the throne and royal bloodline, Mary and George had a successful marriage. In fact, it was such a successful marriage that it made the newspapers as an example of marriage to the nation. When his father, Edward VII, died in 1910, George was crowned George V and reigned until 1936.[3]
7 King Edward I and Eleanor of Castile
King Edward I was the son of King Henry III and was known for his fight against the Scots and the Welsh. However, long before Edward would win a battle, his parents began planning who he would marry in order to secure the royal lineage. In 1254, his parents chose Eleanor of Castile to make an alliance between England and Castile and prevent France from invading them.
Although the marriage was for political reasons, it soon became clear that the couple was very much in love. In fact, the couple would be inseparable until Eleanor died in 1290. However, during their marriage, the happy couple had eleven daughters and four sons, leaving a successful heir to the throne.[4]
6 King Charles V and Isabella of Portugal
King Charles was the Holy Roman Emperor and the son of King Phillip, making him a powerful figure in Europe in the 16th century. Despite this, he found himself in a political bind, short of money needed for political ventures in Central Europe. In addition, he was under pressure from his Spanish subjects to marry someone from the Iberian Peninsula, preferably someone who had grown up in Spain.
Fortunately for King Charles, Isabella of Portugal seemed to be a good match. She was the daughter of Manuel I and Queen Mary of Castile, and Manuel I had promised a large dowry. The king accepted the match, although he did not meet his bride-to-be until a few hours before his wedding.
Despite all that, the king fell in love with his wife thanks to her beauty and calm disposition. He was so dazed that he planned an elaborate honeymoon in Granada, where the Queen became pregnant. The two had a happy thirteen-year marriage before Isabella’s death in 1539. Even after her death, the king remained dazed and spent hours in front of her portrait, dying years later holding what had once been her crucifix. .[5]
5 King Edward III and Phillipa of Hainaut
King Edward I was not the only King Edward to fall in love with his wife. A few generations later, King Edward III also had the good fortune of a loving marriage.
King Edward III married Philippa in 1327, the daughter of Count William of Henegouwen in Holland. The reason for the marriage was that Edward’s mother wanted to form an alliance with Count William to invade France. The marriage was set and the two got married when they were just teenagers.
Despite the arranged nature of their marriage and the young age of the betrothed, the two fell deeply in love. In fact, they were married for over forty years and had a total of twelve children. According to historical records, it appears that the couple spent most of their time in each other’s company and maintained close correspondence when apart, with Edward referring to his wife as his lover.[6]
4 Napoleon and Marie Louise
Napoleon Bonaparte was the French Emperor for a brief period in the 19th century, and as part of his conquests and search for an heir to the throne, he decided to validate his empire by marrying European royalty. His choice was Marie-Louise, the Archduchess of Austria.
The wedding took place in 1810 and was the first step towards a budding friendship between Austria and France, who had been at war together for the past twenty years.
Despite the arranged nature of their marriage, it appears that Marie-Louise and Napoleon became very fond of each other. Marie-Louise even wrote to her father: “He loves me very much. I sincerely return his love.” Although the marriage was not as marked by love as that of Napoleon’s first relationship, it seems that the two still had a deep bond and a loving union.[7]
3 King George III and Queen Charlotte
Most of us know Queen Charlotte from her appearance in the Netflix series Bridgerton. However, she was a real person and she really loved her king.
Queen Charlotte and King George III were married in 1761, largely due to the Queen’s connections to the Royal Family and her status as a Protestant. Even though they didn’t meet until their wedding day, the two seemed to have fallen quite in love. They attended events together and performed musical duets.
Even when the king fell ill with mental illness in 1789, Charlotte remained faithful to her husband. Although she was forced to live apart from him for her own safety, it seems she did her best to make sure he had the best doctors available to support him. Their marriage was filled with love for the six decades that it lasted.[8]
2 Tsar Alexander III and Tsarina Maria Feodorovna
Tsar Nicholas II and his wife, Queen Alexandra, are often hailed as a great love story from Russia. However, Tsar Alexander III and his wife, Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, also had a rather romantic marriage.
Maria Feodorovna was born Princess Dagmar of Denmark. In addition to being the Princess of Denmark, she was also the sister of the Princess of Greece and was the sister-in-law of the Prince of Wales. All that meant she had some powerful connections for any royal family in Europe looking to get married.
Although many suitors were interested in her, Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich’s father already had connections with Maria’s family and made her a proposal to marry his son. The two quickly fell in love and agreed to the arrangement.
Tragically, Nicholas fell ill and died before the two could actually get married. Still determined to tie the families together, the Russian family suggested that Maria marry Nicholas’ brother, Alexander. Despite still mourning her lost lover, Maria agreed to the political marriage.
It seems that agreeing was a good idea after all, since she eventually fell in love with her new husband. The two seemed to have lived a long and happy life together, with the Tsarina sending letters alluding to their affection for her family back home during their marriage.[9]
1 King Henry III and Eleanor of Provence
King Henry III married Eleanor of Provence in 1236, although the couple had never met before their wedding day. The reason for their marriage was to create ties between the Count of Provence in France and the Royal Family in England, securing good relations with the powerful French kingdom.
Despite the political reasons for this marriage, it seems that the two had a happy marriage. Their marriage lasted 36 years and Henry trusted and loved his wife enough to leave her as Regent of England while he was out of the country.
Henry is said to have been affectionate and cordial with his wife and spent much of his time in her company. The two had five children during their marriage and they seemed to have been both good parents and a happy couple.[10]