Early ad free: Charlotte of Belgium part 1
Content warning: This story, while a long time requested one, is a stone cold bummer. Part one is not as sad as it gets, so we are requesting suggestions for happier subjects for our next Queen!
This week, we’re kicking off a two-part series on Charlotte of Belgium (sometimes known as Carlota of Mexico) while sipping on a Ranch Water. In Part One, we meet Charlotte as a beloved child turned purpose-driven young woman, then follow her whirlwind courtship with Archduke Maximilian of Austria and her arrival at the rigid Habsburg court.
If that court sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve been here before — this is the same world that made life miserable for Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi), married to Emperor Franz Joseph. Charlotte, however, seems to understand the assignment, quickly becoming everything a Habsburg princess is supposed to be… even as her marriage quietly begins to unravel.
From whispered affairs in Italy to a voyage that breaks her marriage beyond repair, Charlotte’s story takes a sharp, devastating turn. And just when it seems like things couldn’t get worse, a knock at the door offers an unexpected — and dangerous — new role: Empress of Mexico.
Cheers, bitches. 🥂
Time stamps:
00:00 – Disclaimer from Vulgar History
01:26 – Meet Charlotte of Belgium
04:25 – A Very Well-Connected Childhood
14:17 – From Happy Kid to Purpose-Driven Princess
17:08 – Marriage Season Has Entered the Chat
18:50 – Enter: Archduke Maximilian
24:59 – Love at First Sight (For Charlotte, Anyway)
29:15 – Thrown Into the Austrian Court
34:28 – Italy: The Honeymoon That Wasn’t
41:27 – The Voyage That Broke the Marriage
45:53 – Separate Bedrooms Forever
47:46 – So… Want to Be Emperor of Mexico?
Sources:
Comments (15)
Love Ann Fosters podcast!! About time she did y’all’s introduction!!
Nicola de la Haye! The first woman sheriff in England. She lived in the 13th century and was pretty much a bad ass
You should do Charlotte of Wales’ mom! She was married to George IV of England and they HATED each other. Incredible drama.
Grace O'Malley the Pirate Queen would be a dope subject if ya'll haven't done her yet! Also Clytemnestra or Helen of Troy from Greek Mythology even though I know they aren't real, still would be cool!
Do I have an episode for you babe https://www.patreon.com/posts/79254786?utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=android_share
Lee Miller would be interesting! She’s a little more contemporary, but she started as a model, then learned photography from and had an affair with Man Ray, then became the war photographer for Vogue during WWII. She took a really famous photo of herself in Hitler’s tub after he died. (I think she died of old age in the English countryside)
I don’t think you’ve done Desiree Clary! She is super, super interesting and lives until old age. She wasn’t happy ALL the time of course, it’s life, but you probably won’t have anything that’s a huge bummer when researching her. It’s pretty close to a happily ever after!
And Queen Maude of Norway is a pretty wholesome story all around for a breather
Alice Keppel might be interesting! She was a mistress to Edward VII and is great grandmother to Camilla - the Queen of England. I find it interesting that King Charles great grandfather and Camilla’s great Grandma were an item too but also kinda weird 🤣
Eleanor Roosevelt! First Lady is kinda-sorta comparable to a queen, right? She was an activist, diplomat, and humanist. And most likely a member of the LGBTQ+ community. All around fascinating lady and one of my favorite historical figures!
Check out Queen Marie of Romania. Talk about agency! Ain’t no stopping Marie.
Isabella d'Este would be a good one! She was sister-in-law to Lucrezia Borgia and ran shit in Mantua for a long time! Or Isabella of Angouleme...similar vibes in some ways to Eleanor of Aquitaine. Not necessarily happy but still entertaining!
It's interesting...I'm reading The Rebel Empresses by Nancy Goldstone, and she argues that Sisi's reception of Charlotte was kind. The resentment started with Charlotte, who disliked a) Sisi's friendship with Max, b) Sisi's lower birth but higher rank, and c) Sisi's ability to conceive. I don't know, but my personal guess is that the mother in law encouraged a lot of the tension between the two.
Yeah I think it's impossible for us to ever really know what the reason for the tension is sadly because both Charlotte and Elisabeth were so young and in places of not really being able to have autonomy. Also so much of this is hearsay and fueled by the fact that people love a rumor of a catfight
Awww It is a love match in The Empress season 2 and Max takes accountability for no children because syphilis *cue music. I wonder if Sisi struggled with Charlotte getting the family approval when she didn't and that started the rift. I think Antoinette Of Bourbon Duchess of Guise would be a cool lady to cover. Mary Queen of Scots grandmomager.