Why did Victoria marry Albert instead of Ernest?

Queen Victoria’s mother and the government had expected her to marry her cousin Prince Ernst, eldest son of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The British were so used to royal marriages being business contracts that a genuinely romantic royal love match was keenly observed.

What happened to Ernst brother of Prince Albert?

In 1842, Ernest married Princess Alexandrine of Baden in what was to be a childless marriage. Ernest and his only full sibling, his younger brother Prince Albert (consort to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom), were raised as though twins.

What venereal disease did Prince Ernest have?

Though neither man names the disease, the subtext is clear: Ernest contracted syphilis during a wild night in Paris – a misfortune that could befall anyone, really. The doctor offers no rebuke. Instead, he shifts blame by lamenting that “the women who carry this disease” are often asymptomatic.

Did Queen Victoria have to ask Albert to marry her?

Albert did not propose to Victoria – she asked him to marry her. Queen Victoria was attracted to Albert from the moment she first met him. “He is extremely handsome,” she wrote in her diary when Albert paid a visit to London just before her 17th birthday in 1836.

Did Prince Ernst have syphilis?

Ernst suffered from venereal disease in his late teens and early 20s, which was partly his father’s fault for encouraging him to live a wild, promiscuous lifestyle. Prince Albert initially encouraged him to get married, but after he found out about his brother’s disease he advised him to wait until he was better.

Did Prince Albert’s brother have an STI?

Who did Ernst of Coburg marry?

Princess Alexandrine of BadenErnest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha / Spouse (m. 1842–1893)

Ernest married Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg in Gotha on 3 July 1817. They had two children: Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (21 June 1818 – 22 August 1893), who married Princess Alexandrine of Baden on 3 May 1842.

Did Mercury really cure syphilis?

Mercury was in use by the early 16th century, and remained the primary treatment for syphilis until the early 20th century. Syphilis led to stigmatizing disfigurations that were treated with surgery, including pioneering attempts in rhinoplasty.

Was Queen Victoria’s marriage happy?

As Queen Victoria’s journal shows, from the moment she saw the prince arriving at the foot of the staircase at Windsor in 1839, she was smitten. Five days later she summoned him to her blue closet and proposed to him. But the marriage was not the romantic happy-ever-after story that Victoria constructed.

Did Prince Albert want Prince Ernst to get married?

Prince Albert initially encouraged him to get married, but after he found out about his brother’s disease he advised him to wait until he was better. Why didn’t Queen Victoria marry the older brother, Ernst?

Who was Queen Victoria’s husband?

The young queen married Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on 10 February 1840. The wedding of Victoria and Albert by George Hayter. Victoria was 18 when she succeeded to the throne in 1837, amid mounting speculation about who she would marry.

Why did Victoria invite Albert and Ernst to live in England?

Victoria was enjoying her independence and she was determined not to be rushed into a bad marital decision, of which her family offered all too many examples. After consultations with Leopold and Baron Stockmar, she invited Albert and Ernst to England again in 1839.

Did Prince Ernest have any siblings?

According to historian Charlotte Zeepvat, Ernest became “increasingly lost in a whirl of private amusements which earned only contempt from outside”. Ernest and his only full sibling, his younger brother Prince Albert (consort to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom), were raised as though twins.