Family Feud: Victoria’s Grandchildren in World War I Alexandra, one of Victoria’s granddaughters, married the man who became Russia’s Tsar Nicholas II. Germany’s Wilhelm II (highlighted in black) descends from Victoria’s eldest daughter Vicky, while the United Kingdom’s George V is Victoria’s grandson via Edward VII. This partial Victorian family tree, created in, shows how the children of Victoria’s three eldest children became (or married) the monarchs of combatant countries. But once Victoria died in 1901, the familial connections began to degrade. The Queen hoped this complicated web of alliances would keep Britain powerful and Europe peaceful. Her daughter Victoria Eugenie married King Alfonso XIII of Spain. His son, Charles Edward, was stripped of his titles after fighting for the Germans in World War I. Leopold was made Duke of Albany, but died young.His daughter Margaret married Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, but died decades before Gustaf ascended to the throne. She married a British nobleman named John Campbell, who became the Duke of Argyll. Though she had four children who lived to adulthood, none of them had legitimate children. Helena married the prince of the German province of Schleswig-Holstein.His daughter Marie became queen of Romania when she married Crown Prince Ferdinand (later, Ferdinand I). Alfred ruled as Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (a German Duchy). One of her children (“Alix,” or Alexandra) married the man who would become Tsar Nicholas II, emperor of Russia. Alice had seven children before dying young, at the age of 35.Their son George V inherited the British crown, while their daughter Maud married Prince Carl of Denmark (later King Haakon VII, king of Norway). He married Alexandra of Denmark, whose father ascended to the Danish throne the same year. Albert Edward inherited Victoria’s crown upon her death, becoming King Edward VII of the United Kingdom.Their son, William, became Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II, and their daughter Sophia married Constantine, the future king of Greece. Her husband, Frederick III, died after serving just 99 days as German emperor. Victoria (called “Vicky”) married into Prussian nobility.These children (and the grandchildren that resulted from the marriages) spread Victoria’s genes all around the continent: They had nine children, each of whom married important European royal families. As they themselves were first cousins, they knew firsthand the importance of consolidating royal power via marriage. Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, wanted to expand British influence in Europe.
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