A Visual (Partial) Genealogy of the Three Royal Cousins, Ruling Monarchs During World War I

I have very much been enjoying the book "King, Kaiser, Tsar" by Catrine Clay. The book describes the three royal cousins who ruled during World War I: King George V of England, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Czar Nicholas II of Russia. The book does more than describe political situations but gives many details about the upbringing, education, courtship and lifestyle of all three monarchs, taking many excerpts from personal letters and diaries.

As the royal relationships between the three are somewhat complicated, I thought it would help me to visualize it, so I collected some historical photographs.

All three cousins are descended from Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Queen Victoria reigned in England from 1837 to 1901.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and children

Unfortunately, I do not know precisely who is who among the royal children in the above photo. I do know that Princess Vicky was the oldest daughter, Princess Alice was the second daughter and Bertie (who became King Edward VII) was the oldest son, so that may give us some idea while trying to interpret this photo.

King Edward VII and Queen Consort Alexandra

King Edward VII reigned in England from 1901 to 1910.

King Edward VII's wife Alexandra was a sister to Russian Empress Maria Federovna, who became the mother to Czar Nicholas II. The two sisters were Danish princesses, children to King Christian IX of Denmark and Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel.

Queen Consort Alexandra of England and Empress Maria Federovna of Russia, sisters

King George V, son of King Edward VII and Queen Consort Alexandra

King George V reigned in England from 1910 to 1936.

Princess Vicky, daughter to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, married Kaiser Frederick III, Kaiser of Germany, King of Prussia. She became Empress of Germany and Queen of Prussia. Kaiser Frederick III reigned in Germany from March 9 to June 15, 1888.


Kaiser Frederick III of Germany and Princess Victoria

Kaiser Wilhem II, son to Kaiser Frederick III and Princess Victoria

Kaiser Wilhelm II reigned in Germany from 1888 to 1918.

Princess Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, married Grand Duke Louis IV of Germany and became the Grand Duchess of Hesse.

Princess Alice (Grand Duchess of Hesse)and Grand Duke Louis IV of Hesse, of Germany

Empress Alexandra Federovna of Russia, daughter of Princess Alice (Grand Duchess of Hesse)and Grand Duke Louis IV of Hesse, granddaughter of Queen Victoria and wife of Czar Nicholas II

Just a reminder -- Czar Nicholas II was also related to King George V by their mothers who were sisters, Empress Maria Federovna of Russia and Queen Consort Alexandra of England, Danish princesses. Czar Nicholas II reigned from 1894 to 1917.

Czar Nicholas II of Russia and Empress Alexandra Federovna

Photo of King Edward VII of England and Czar Nicholas II of Russia with families

The photo above was taken during Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight in 1909. From left to right: David (future Duke of Windsor, his mother Princess of Wales Mary (later Queen), Grandmother Queen Alexandra, her granddaughter Princess Mary, Czar Nicholas II,Princess Victoria(daughter Alexandra, King Edward VII, Grandduchess Olga of Russia, her Mother the Empress of Russia Alexandra, her daughter Grandduchess Tatiana,Prince George of Wales (later King George V) next to him Grandduchess Maria and in the front, Grandduchess Anastasia and Czarevitch Alexis.

The children of Czar Nicholas II: Maria, Tatiana, Anastasia, Olga, Alexei

King George V and Czar Nicholas II

In the above photo, first cousins Tsar Nicholas II and King George V exchange uniforms since they looked so much alike.

So, hopefully, this collection of photographs and captions helps to visualize the succession of royalty and their various relationships. In review, all three cousins were related to Queen Victoria (one through marriage). King George V, son to King Edward VII and Queen Consort Alexandra, and Kaiser Wilhelm II, son of Kaiser Frederick III and Princess (Empress and Queen of Prussia)Victoria, were grandsons to Queen Victoria. The wife of Czar Nicholas II, Alexandra Federovna, was a daughter of Princess Alice and granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Czar Nicholas II was also a first cousin to King George V through their mothers who were sisters and Danish princesses.

Three Examples of Wild and Innovative Architecture

This piano and cello house is located in Huainan City, An Hui Province in China. A staircase or an escalator inside the glass cello takes visitors up to the piano building which serves as a performance and practice hall for music students from the local college. It also acts as a planning exhibition hall for the developing region, displaying city development plans.

What an intriguing place to visit! I wonder if you would feel like you were "in a fishbowl" while in that transparent cello. Perhaps you would, but the view from inside must be so spectacular.

How would you like to stay in the hotel above? This is the Inntel Hotel in Zaandam, near Amsterdam, in The Netherlands. My mother would call this structure "hockerjawed," a term that does not seem to be a real term at all. I've never found "hockerjawed" in a dictionary. Maybe, somewhere down the line, one of my Midwestern ancestors invented their own word. Whopperjawed, however, is a real term of sorts I found in online slang dictionaries, and hockerjawed is synonymous with it, meaning askew or crooked.

This crazy hotel looks like a lot of of traditional Dutch houses stacked Jenga style. I imagine a child creatively stacking a series of Lego houses one upon another. I'm sure, however, the architect, Wilfried Van Winden, had an entirely different method.

According to Jonathan Glancey in "The Guardian" online, the architect based the appearance of these stacked houses on traditional homes ranging from a stately notary's dwelling to workers' cottages. On the top of the structure is a blue house based on one that was painted by Claude Monet on a trip to Zaandam.

Below is Claude Monet's "Blue House in Zaandam."

I like the Monet painting, but the house is painted at such an angle that you do not see the curvy Dutch style gable as visible in the hotel.

How about an upside-down house? Is that sufficiently hocker/whopper...askew for you?

This house is not really a home but an exhibit open to the public on the island of Usedom in Germany. According to "The Telegraph," the house was designed by Polish partners, Klausdiusz Golos and Sebastian Mikiciuk, for the Edutainment exhibition company.

There is even furniture affixed to the ceiling. It looks like something Hildi Santo-Tomas of "Trading Spaces" would do. (In fact, she did affix furniture to the ceiling in one episode.)

Wandering through this upside-down exhibit, I think you'd feel a bit like Fred Astaire doing his famous dance on the ceiling.

If walls slanted inward at the bottom, rather than at the top, is not sufficiently confusing, how must it feel to stand beneath an upside-down toilet?

What's next? A room based on M.C. Escher's "Relativity?"

Books in Review: Two Books I've Read on Kindle in 2011

So far, this year, I’ve read mostly all non-fiction. Some of the books I read with specific research goals in mind for various fictional projects. Others, I read for my own spiritual enrichment. In this category, reading on one topic often prompted me to read similar books on similar topics. Even among these books I read because they just captivated my interest, I think very likely they will have an indirect if not direct influence on my writing. “How Then Should We Live: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture” by Francis Schaeffer prompted me to begin reading “Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assualt on Mind, Morals and Meaning” by Nancy Pearcey. Since both books deal with communicating better as a Christian to the modern culture, I think they should definitely have some influence on my own writing.

"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak

This is a novel written for youth. I first noticed in on an end cap in Borders and, since, it showed up in my Amazon recommendations. The story takes place during World War II, and unlike a lot of other World War II stories, the protagonists here are German citizens. The narrator of the story, strangely enough is Death, but the story is really one of survival, of evading Death. The main character is a young preteen girl, Liesl Meminger, who is raised by foster parents.

Her foster mother is a strict disciplinarian in the habit of using rough language, sometimes disguising a tender heart. Her favorite addresses for people were “saumensch” and “saukerl” which translate into something like “filthy pig” in the feminine and masculine. She used such mixed-up expressions as “Good girl, Saumensch” while hugging Liesl.

Her foster father was a gentler character, who was often at Liesl’s bedside when she was wakened by nightmares, brought on by memories of her brother’s death and separation from her biological mother. He would entertain her with his accordion and help her learn to read at odd hours of the night, including, as the title suggests, her “stolen” book, “The Gravedigger’s Handbook.”

Although Liesl and her friends are forced to take part in Hitler Youth activities, the atmosphere at home is definitely anti-Hitler. In fact, her family hides a Jewish man in the basement, a man who develops a special friendship with Liesl and helps nurture her love for books.

"Mystics, Mavericks and Merrymakers: An Intimate Journey among Hasidic Girls" by Stephanie Wellen Levine

I chose to read this book in preparation for writing certain parts of the sequel to “And the Violin Cried.” My first book deals with some Hasidic characters, who will become more important in the second book, and, yes, one of these is a teen girl, which made this book appropriate.

While a graduate student in American studies at Harvard, the author spends some time as living among Lubavitcher Hasidim in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Her study was among the teen girls, whom she observed in their homes, social and school activities. Whereas mainstream American teens have their own cliques and stereotypes like jocks and geeks, Levine discovered certain types among the Hasidic girls. Levine goes into depth of how girls live in a community that is really completely gender-segregated, and how life and expected roles are very different for Hasidic men and women.

She gave character profiles of several girls she met who fell into different categories. From her descriptions, you get the feeling of what their daily life was like, interacting at school, going out in the neighborhood to The Gap or a kosher restaurant, attending weddings, their religious customs and the tricky business of following the strict religious laws.

One type is the chassidische girls. Chassidische girls are highly interested in religious study and in the Lubavitcher ideal of reaching out to the outer Jewish community to draw people into a more orthodox religious lifestyle. These were a rarity. “Normal” girls were fashionable and popular. They may get themselves into slight mischief such as accepting a car ride from a man who is not related to them, something which, in their community, could hurt their reputation and their matchmaking chances. Their slight rebellion might include wearing long socks instead of stockings to school.

The author came across questioners and rebels. One questioner was highly respected by her community for her intelligence and yet this same community felt, “She was too smart for her own good.” Her intelligent mind caused her to question the religious system she was brought up in and which her family was part of for generations. Levine also came across a group of young rebels who left the community and who were rebellious by any teen standard, smoking marijuana, visiting strip clubs, exploring alternative lifestyles, etc.

It was an interesting glimpse into a culture I would not likely be able to see any other way.

More to Come...