The Crowned Heads Of Europe

Happy Birthday to Isabella II (1830-1904), queen regnant of Spain from 1833 until 1868. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of the queen, engraved by Antonio Manso Fernández, and issued by Spain on November 22, 1978, Scott No. 2129, Edifil No. 2502, plus a photo of Queen Isabella.

- nethryk

Saint Ladislas, aka Ladislas I, (c. 1040-1095) was King of Hungary from 1077 and King of Croatia from 1091. Ladislas consolidated the Christian monarchy in Hungary, and legends depict him as a pious knight-king, "the incarnation of the late-medieval Hungarian ideal of chivalry." Here is an image of a stamp depicting a medieval reliquary of Saint Ladislas in the cathedral of Gyor, designed by Adam Cziglenyi, printed by lithography, and issued by Hungary on November 15, 1978 to commemorate the 900th anniversary of Saint Ladislas's accession to the throne of Hungary, Scott No. 2550, plus an image of the reliquary.

- nethryk

Afonso I (1109-118), commonly known as D. Afonso Henriques, was the first King of Portugal. Here is an image of a stamp depicting King Afonso I, engraved by Arnoldo Fragoso, printed by typography (letterpress), and issued by Mozambique Company on February 16, 1940 to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the foundation of Portugal, Scott No. 201, plus an image of a painting of the warrior monarch. Bonus: Coat of arms.

- nethryk

The papal tiara is a crown that was worn by popes of the Roman Catholic Church from as early as the 8th century to the 20th. The tiara was last used by Pope Paul VI at his coronation on June 30, 1963. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Pope Paul VI wearing the papal tiara, one of a set of stamps designed by Casimira Dabrowska, engraved by Vittorio Nicastro and Mario Colombati, and issued by Vatican City on October 16, 1963 to commemorate the coronation, Scott No. 367, plus a photo of Pope Paul's coronation.

- nethryk

Louise of Orléans (Louise Marie Thérèse Charlotte Isabelle, 1812-1850) was a Princess of Orléans and was Queen consort of the Belgians as the last wife of King Leopold I. She was very popular at the Belgian court for her generosity and beauty. Here is an image of a semi-postal (charity) stamp featuring a portrait of the queen, combined engraved by Charles Leclercqz and photogravure, and issued by Belgium on December 8, 1962 as one of a set of six stamps benefiting tuberculosis relief funds, Scott No. B724, plus an image of a detail from a painting of Queen Louise-Marie by Belgian artist Nicaise de Keyser (1813-1887) which may have been the model for this stamp's design. Note: Queen Louise-Marie died of tuberculosis at the early age of 38.

- nethryk

Stephen Uroš IV Dušan (commonly known as Stephen Dušan, c. 1308-1355) was the King of Serbia, and later Emperor (Tsar) of the Serbs and Greeks until his death. Dušan conquered a large part of southeast Europe, becoming one of his era's most powerful monarchs. Dušan's Code, which includes numerous charters on subjects both secular and ecclesiastic, was proclaimed on May 21, 1349, and is the tsar's most enduring legacy. Here is an image of an engraved stamp depicting Dušan holding a map of his empire and his code, and issued by Yugoslavia on September 9, 1951 to commemorate the 600th anniversary (in 1949) of the code, Scott No. 337, plus an image of a 14th century painting of Tsar Stephen Dušan from Lesnovo Monastery, Republic of Macedonia.

- nethryk

Alexander the Good was a Voivode (Prince) of Moldavia who reigned from 1400 to 1432. Here is an image of a stamp depicting Prince Alexander I, designed by Romanian artist Rodica Coteanu, printed by photogravure, and issued by Romania on January 30, 1982, Scott No. 3049, plus a photo of a monument to Alexander the Good by Moldovan sculptor Tudor Cataraga (1956-2010).

- nethryk

Happy Birthday to Princessa Santa Joana, aka Blessed Joan of Portugal (1452-1490), a Portuguese saint, Regent and princess of the House of Aviz who, after refusing several proposals of marriage, joined the Dominican Convent of Jesus in Aveiro in 1475. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Santa Joana, printed by lithography, and issued by Portugal on May 14, 1953 as one of a set of two similar stamps commemorating the 500th anniversary of the saint's birth, Scott No. 783, plus an image of an oil on oakwood portrait of Princessa Santa Joana by Portuguese Renaissance artist Nuno Gonçalves, painted during 1471 when she was Regent for her father, King Afonso V of Portugal, which was a model for this stamp's design.

- nethryk

Charles IV (1316-1378) was the first King of Bohemia also to become Holy Roman Emperor. In 1348, Charles founded Charles University in Prague, Here are images of two stamps with different designs featuring, respectively, a portrait of King Charles IV, and a depiction of the king kneeling before Saint Wenceslaus (c. 907-935), the patron saint of Bohemia, designed by Karel Svolinský, engraved by Jirí Antonín Švengsbír, and issued by Czechoslovakia on April 7, 1948 as part of a four stamp set commemorating the 600th anniversary of the foundation of Charles University, Scott Nos. 346 & 348.

- nethryk

Queen Géraldine of the Albanians (1915-2002) was the Queen Consort of King Zog I of Albania. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of the queen, printed by photogravure, and issued as one of a set of eight stamps commemorating the 10th anniversary of royal rule, Scott No. 292, plus an image of the cover of a recent biography of Queen Géraldine, written by Joséphine Dedet.

- nethryk

Happy Birthday to Isabella I (1451-1504), Queen of Castille and wife of Ferdinand II of Aragon. Isabella was given the additional title of "Catholic Monarch" by Pope Alexander VI. Here is an image of a stamp depicting Queen Isabella, printed by lithography, and issued by Brazil on March 10, 1952 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of her birth, Scott No. 717, plus an image of a painting of Isabella I attributed to Early Netherlandish artist Gerard David (c. 1460-1523).

- nethryk

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231) was a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary and Landgravine of Thuringia, Germany who built a hospital where she personally tended to the sick until her premature death at age 24. Saint Elizabeth is perhaps best known for her "miracle of the roses" which says that whilst she was taking bread to the poor in secret, she met her husband Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia with his hunting party. In order to quell suspicions of the gentry that Elizabeth was stealing treasure from the castle, Louis asked her to reveal what was hidden under her cloak. In that moment, Elizabeth's cloak fell open and a vision of white and red roses could be seen, which proved to Louis that God's protecting hand was at work. Here is an image of a stamp depicting the "miracle of the roses," designed by French artist Pierrette Lambert (1928- ), engraved by Claude Haley (1923-1988), and issued by Monaco on April 26, 1969 as a Red Cross stamp, Scott No. 721, plus an image of a painted and gilded wooden statue (c. 1520) of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, produced by the atelier of Late Gothic sculptor Hans Leinberger (c.1475/1480 - after 1531).

- nethryk

Belated (June 2) Happy Birthday wishes to Constantine II (1940- ), the King of Greece from 1964 until the abolition of the monarchy in 1973. Here is an image of an engraved stamp featuring portraits of the King of the Hellenes and his bride, Queen Anne-Marie (born a princess of Denmark), and issued by Greece on September 18, 1964 as one of a set of three similar stamps commemorating their wedding on that day, Scott No. 803, plus a photo of the royal couple attending a dinner at Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen in 2004.

- nethryk

Here is an image of a stamp reproducing a stained-glass window in Notre-Dame Cathedral of Luxembourg City featuring portraits of Saint Kunigunde of Luxembourg, OSB (c. 975-1040) and her husband, Holy Roman Emperor Saint Henry II (973-1024), printed by photogravure (Courvoisier, S.A.), and issued by Luxembourg on September 14, 1970 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Roman Catholic diocese of Luxembourg (which was raised to an archdiocese in 1988), Scott No. 491, plus an image of a medieval painting of the saintly royal couple.

- nethryk

Princess Maria Louise of Bulgaria (1933- ) is the daughter of Tsar Boris III and Tsaritsa Ioanna, and the older sister of Simeon II of Bulgaria. She now lives with her husband Bronislaw Chrobok in New Jersey. Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of the princess as a child, printed by photogravure, and issued by Bulgaria on October 3, 1937 as one of a set of three similar stamps honoring her, plus an image of a photograph of Princess Maria Louise as a somewhat older child.

- nethryk