Biography of Franz Xaver Winterhalter 1805-1873

Franz Xaver Winterhalter is in Painters.

On 20th April 1805 Franz Xaver Winterhalter was born.

In 1823 Federico de Madrazo y Kuntz (age 7) went to Paris [Map] and studied under Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 17).

1831. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 25). Portrait of Leopold Grand Duke of Baden (age 40).

Leopold Grand Duke of Baden: On 29th August 1790 he was born. On 25th June 1819 he and Princess Sophie of Sweden were married. She the daughter of King Gustav IV of Sweden. On 24th April 1852 he died. His son Louis succeeded II Grand Duke of Baden. He suffered from a mental illness during all of his life so his brother Frederick Grand Duke of Baden acted a Regent until 1852 when Frederick Grand Duke of Baden also became Grand Duke of Baden.

1831. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 25). Portrait of Princess Sophie of Sweden (age 29).

Princess Sophie of Sweden: On 21st May 1801 she was born to King Gustav IV of Sweden. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland. On 6th July 1865 Princess Sophie of Sweden died.

1840. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 34). Portrait of Princess Victoria Saxe Coburg Gotha (age 17) around the time of her marriage to Prince Louis Duke Nemours (age 25) on 26th April 1840.

Princess Victoria Saxe Coburg Gotha: On 14th February 1822 she was born to Ferdinand Georg August Saxe Coburg Gotha and Maria Antonia Koháry Csábrág. In 26th April 1840 Prince Louis Duke Nemours and she were married. He the son of King Louis Philippe I of France. On 10th November 1857 Princess Victoria Saxe Coburg Gotha died.

Around 1840. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 34). Portrait of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (age 20). Note the Arm Garter as worn by Ladies of the Garter.

Around 1842. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 36). Portrait of Victoria Empress Germany Queen Consort Prussia (age 1).

William of Worcester's Chronicle of England

William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

Around 1842. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 36). Portrait of Victoria Empress Germany Queen Consort Prussia (age 1).

Around 1846. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 40). Portrait of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (age 4).

Around 1846. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 40). Portrait of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (age 26) and Prince Albert Saxe Coburg Gotha (age 26) and their children.

Around 1846. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 40). Portrait of Prince Albert Saxe Coburg Gotha (age 26).

1846. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 40). Portrait of Antoine Orléans Duke Montpensier (age 21).

1848. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 42). Portrait of Princess Maria of the Two Sicilies (age 25).

Princess Maria of the Two Sicilies: On 26th April 1822 she was born to Leopold Prince of Salerno and Archduchess Clementina of Austria. On 25th November 1844 Prince Henri Duke of Aumale and she were married. He the son of King Louis Philippe I of France. They were fourth cousin once removed. On 6th December 1869 Princess Maria of the Two Sicilies died.

Around 1850. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 44). Portrait of Major-General John Douglas (age 32).

Major-General John Douglas: On 7th April 1817 he was born. On 8th September 1888 he died.

In 1853. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 47). Portrait of Empress Eugénie of France (age 26).

Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes

Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

1854. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 48). Portrait of Princess Sophie of Sweden (age 52).

Around 1854. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 48). Portrait of Empress Eugénie of France (age 27).

In 1855. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 49). The Emperor Napoléon III (age 46).

Around 1855. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 49). The Empress Eugénie of France (age 28) surrounded by her Ladies in Waiting.

Around 1857. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 51). Portrait of Marie Luise Victoria Saxe Coburg Gotha Duchess Kent and Strathearn (age 70).

Around 1857. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 51). Portrait of Princess Anna of Prussia (age 20).

Princess Anna of Prussia: On 17th May 1836 she was born to Charles Hohenzollern and Marie Saxe Weimar Eisenach. On 26th May 1853 Friedrich Wilhelm Hesse-Kassel and she were married. They were fourth cousin once removed. He a great x 2 grandson of King George II of Great Britain and Ireland. On 12th June 1918 Princess Anna of Prussia died.

Before 1858. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 52). Portrait of Clementina Augusta Wellington Child-Villiers (age 33).

Around 1859. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 53). Portrait of Prince Albert Saxe Coburg Gotha (age 39).

William of Worcester's Chronicle of England

William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

Around 1862. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 56). Victoria Empress Germany Queen Consort Prussia (age 21) and Frederick III King Prussia (age 30) and their chlidren.

Around 1865. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 59). Portrait of Victoria Empress Germany Queen Consort Prussia (age 24).

Around 1865. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 59). Portrait of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (age 27).

Around 1871. Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 65). Portrait of Maria Holstein Gottorp Romanov (age 17).

On 8th July 1873 Franz Xaver Winterhalter (age 68) died.