|
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, (Louise Caroline Alberta; 18 March 1848 – 3 December 1939), was the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Her early life was spent moving among the various royal residences in the company of her family. When her father, the Prince Consort, died on 14 December 1861, the court went into a period of intense mourning, to which Louise was unsympathetic. Louise was an able sculptor and artist, and several of her sculptures remain today. She was also a supporter of the feminist movement, corresponded with Josephine Butler and visited Elizabeth Garrett. She held that "the subject of Domestic Economy lies at the root of the – highest life of every true woman." As an unmarried daughter of Victoria, Louise served as an unofficial secretary to her mother between 1866 and 1871. The question of Louise's marriage was discussed in the late 1860s. Suitors from the royal houses of Prussia and Denmark were suggested, but Victoria wanted new blood in the family, and therefore suggested a high-ranking member of the aristocracy. Despite opposition from members of the royal family, Louise fell in love with John, Marquess of Lorne, the heir to the Duke of Argyll, and Victoria consented to the marriage,〔 which took place on 21 March 1871.〔 Despite a happy beginning, the two drifted apart, possibly because of their childlessness and the Queen's constraints on their activities. In 1878, Lorne was appointed Governor General of Canada. Louise became viceregal consort, but her stay was unhappy as a result of homesickness and dislike of Ottawa. Following Victoria's death in 1901, she entered the social circle established by her brother, the new king, Edward VII. Louise's marriage survived thanks to long periods of separation, but the couple reconciled in 1911, and she was devastated by her husband's death in 1914. After the end of the First World War in 1918, at the age of 70, she began to retire from public life, undertaking few public duties outside of Kensington Palace, where she died at the age of 91. ==Early life== Louise was born on 18 March 1848 at Buckingham Palace, London. She was the fourth daughter and sixth child of the reigning British monarch, Queen Victoria, and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. As the daughter of the sovereign, Louise was styled ''Her Royal Highness The Princess Louise'' from birth. Her birth coincided with revolutions which swept across Europe, prompting the Queen to remark that Louise would turn out to be "something peculiar". The Queen's labour with Louise was the first to be aided with chloroform. Albert and Victoria chose the names ''Louisa Caroline Alberta''. Louise was chosen to honour Albert's mother. Though christened Louisa in Buckingham Palace's private chapel by John Bird Sumner, the Archbishop of Canterbury, on 13 May 1848, she was invariably known as Louise throughout her life.〔 Her godparents were Duke Gustav of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (her paternal great-great-uncle, for whom Prince Albert stood proxy); The Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen (for whom her great-aunt Queen Adelaide stood proxy); and The Hereditary Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (her first cousin once-removed, for whom the Hereditary Grand Duchess's mother The Duchess of Cambridge stood proxy).〔 During the ceremony, The Duchess of Gloucester, one of the few children of George III who was still alive, forgot where she was, and suddenly got up in the middle of the service and knelt at the Queen's feet, much to the Queen's horror. Like her other siblings, Louise was brought up with the strict programme of education devised by her father, Prince Albert, and his friend and confidant, Baron Stockmar. The young children were taught practical tasks, such as cooking, farming, household tasks and carpentry. From her early years, Louise was a talented and intelligent child, and her artistic talents were quickly recognised. On his visit to Osborne House in 1863, Hallam Tennyson, the son of the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, remarked that Louise could "draw beautifully".〔Lang, p. 325〕 Because of her royal rank, an artistic career was not considered. However, the Queen allowed her to attend art school under the tuition of the sculptor Mary Thornycroft, and she later, in 1863, enrolled at the National Art Training School,〔Later the Royal College of Art.〕 South Kensington. Louise also became an able dancer, and Victoria wrote, after a dance, that Louise "danced the sword dance with more verve and accuracy than any of her sisters". Her wit and intelligence made her a favourite with her father, with her inquisitive nature earning her the nickname "Little Miss Why" from other members of the royal family. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|