August 1914: Royalty and World War I

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New York Times, August 2, 1914; Photo Credit – http://collections.yadvashem.org

by Susan Flantzer

Introduction
Timeline: June 28, 1914 – August 31, 1914
A Note About German Titles
August 1914 – Royals Who Died In Action


Introduction

This is the first of what we hope will be a monthly feature during the duration of the centenary of World War I. The plan is to have an introduction related to a World War I event that occurred during that particular month, followed by a general timeline of events for that month, and concluding with the royals who died in action during that month. The links above can be used to jump to the different sections.

August 1914 marks the start of World War I, one of the deadliest conflicts in human history with 17 million deaths and 20 million wounded (numbers include military and civilian casualties). Statistic for August 2014: 27,000 French soldiers were killed in a single day on August 22, 1914.

The Pulitzer Prize winning classic book The Guns of August (also published as August 1914) by Barbara Tuchman, published in 1962, details the first month of World War I. The book’s first chapter opens with the funeral of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom in May 1910, which was attended by nine kings, and then the chapter goes on to discuss Europe’s alliances and the diplomacy of royalty. King Edward VII was related to many of the royals on European thrones as World War I started. Despite being royal, these people also were members of an extended family that was affected personally by the war in a variety of ways. Below is a list of Edward VII’s relatives who sat on thrones in 1914.

Edward VII’s son: King George V of the United Kingdom
Edward VII’s daughter: Queen Maud of Norway
Edward VII’s son-in-law: King Haakon VII of Norway

Edward VII’s nephews and nieces (also grandchildren of Queen Victoria and all first cousins)

Edward VII’s nephews and nieces by marriage (nephews and nieces of his wife born Princess Alexandra of Denmark, also grandchildren of King Christian IX of Denmark and all first cousins)

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Timeline: June 28, 1914 – August 31, 1914

  • June 28 – Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne, and his wife in Sarajevo by Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip
  • July 5 – Austria-Hungary seeks German support for a war against Serbia in case of Russian mobilization; Germany gives assurances of support
  • July 23 – Austria-Hungary sends an ultimatum to Serbia; Serbia’s response is unsatisfactory to Austria-Hungary
  • July 28 – Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia; Russia mobilizes its forces
  • July 31 -Germany warns Russia to stop mobilizing; Russia says mobilization is against Austria-Hungary only
  • August 1 – Germany declares war on Russia; Italy declares its neutrality; Germany and the Ottoman Empire sign a secret alliance treaty
  • August 2 – Germany invades Luxembourg; Skirmish at Joncherey (France) the first military action on the Western Front
  • August 2-26 – Germany sieges and captures Longwy, France near the Luxembourg border, opening France to German invasion
  • August 3 – Germany declares war on France; Belgium does not allow German arms through to the French border
  • August 4 – Germany invades Belgium to outflank the French army; United Kingdom protests the violation of Belgian neutrality guaranteed by a treaty; German Chancellor replies that the treaty is just a scrap of paper; United Kingdom declares war on Germany; United States declares its neutrality
  • August 4–August 16 – Germans besiege and capture the fortresses of Liège, Belgium: Battle of Liège
  • August 5 – Montenegro declares war on Austria-Hungary; Ottoman Empire closes the Dardanelles, straits that connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea
  • August 6 – Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia; Serbia declares war on Germany
  • August 7 – British Expeditionary Force arrives in France
  • August 7–September 13 – Battle of the Frontiers fought in eastern France and southern Belgium; Germans are victorious against the British Expeditionary Force and France’s Fifth Army
  • August 7-August 10 – Battle of Mulhouse (France), a phase of the Battle of the Frontiers
  • August 9 – Montenegro declares war on Germany; Togoland Campaign begins (Togoland was a German protectorate in West Africa, now it comprises Togo and part of Ghana)
  • August 11 – France declares war on Austria-Hungary
  • August 12 – United Kingdom declares war on Austria-Hungary; Battle of Haelen (Belgium), a phase of the Battle of the Frontiers
  • August 14-August 25 – Battle of Lorraine (France), a phase of the Battle of the Frontiers
  • August 16–August 19 – Serbs defeat the Austro-Hungarians at the Battle of Cer (Serbia)
  • August 17 – Russian army enters East Prussia; Battle of Stalluponen (East Prussia now Nesterov, Russia)
  • August 20 – Germans launch a failed attack against the Russians in East Prussia, the Battle of Gumbinnen (East Prussia now Gusev, Russia); Germans occupy Brussels, Belgium; Battle of Morhange (France), a phase of the Battle of Lorraine; Battle of Sarrebourg (France), a phase of the Battle of Lorraine.
  • August 21 – Battle of Charleroi (Belgium), a phase of the Battle of the Frontiers
  • August 21-August 23 – Battle of the Ardennes (a forest in Belgium, Luxembourg, and France), a phase of the Battle of the Frontiers
  • August 22 – Austria-Hungary declares war on Belgium
  • August 23 – Japan declares war on Germany; Battle of Mons (Belgium), a phase of the Battle of the Frontiers
  • August 23–August 30 – Battle of Tannenberg (Allenstein, East Prussia now Olsztyn, Poland) resulting in a heavy defeat for the Russians by the Germans
  • August 23–September 11 – Battle of Galicia (Lemberg, Galicia now Lviv, Ukraine)
  • August 23–August 25 – Battle of Kraśnik (Russia Poland, Russian Empire now in Poland), a phase of the Battle of Lemberg; Austro-Hungarian First Army defeats the Russian Fourth Army
  • August 24 – Action of Elouges (Belgium); Battle of the Mortagne (France), a phase of the Battle of Lorraine
  • August 24–September 7 – Germans besiege and capture the Maubeuge Fortress in France
  • August 24-September 28 – Allied Great Retreat to the River Marne (From Mons, Belgium to River Marne, France)
  • August 25 – Japan declares war on Austria-Hungary
  • August 26 – British and French forces conquer Togoland, a German protectorate in West Africa which now comprises Togo and part of Ghana; Battle of Le Grand Fayt (France)
  • August 26–August 27 – Battle of Le Cateau (Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France); Allied retreat
  • August 26-August 30 – Battle of Gnila Lipa (Russian Poland, now Poland), a phase of the Battle of Lemberg
  • August 26-September 2 – Battle of Komarow (Komarow and Zamość, Russian Poland now in Poland), a phase of the Battle of Lemberg
  • August 27 – Battle of Étreux (France)
  • August 27–November 7 – Battle of Tsingtao; British and Japanese forces capture the German-controlled port of Tsingtao in China
  • August 28 – British Royal Navy wins the First Battle of Heligoland Bight
  • August 29–August 30 – Battle of Saint Quentin (Guise, France), aka Battle of Guise; Orderly Allied retreat
  • August 30 – New Zealand occupies German Samoa in the South Pacific (later Western Samoa)

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A Note About German Titles

Most of the royals who died in action during World War I were German. The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent states, most of them ruled by royal families. Scroll down to German Empire here to see what constituent states made up the German Empire.  The constituent states retained their own governments, but had limited sovereignty. Some had their own armies, but the military forces of the smaller ones were put under Prussian control. In wartime, armies of all the constituent states would be controlled by the Prussian Army and the combined forces were known as the Imperial German Army.  German titles may be used in Royals Who Died In Action below. Refer to our Glossary of German Noble and Royal Titles.

24 British peers were also killed in World War I and they will be included in the list of those who died in action. In addition, more than 100 sons of peers also lost their lives, and those that can be verified will also be included.

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August 1914 – Royals Who Died In Action

Nine royals died in August 1914 and four of them are related.  The Lippe-Biesterfeld family and its Saxe-Meiningen relatives took a big hit. Adelheid of Lippe-Biesterfeld, whose husband Prinz Friedrich of Saxe-Meiningen died on August 23, 1814, lost not only her husband, but also her son, her brother and her nephew…all dead within 22 days!

The list is in chronological order according to the date of death and does contain some who would be considered noble instead of royal. The links in the last bullet for each person is that person’s genealogical information from Leo’s Genealogics Website or from The Peerage. If a person has a Wikipedia page, their name will be linked to that page.

Friedrich Wilhelm, Prinz of Lippe-Biesterfeld
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Ottokar, Graf of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg

Georges Alexandre Lamoral, Prince de Ligne

Friedrich, Prinz of Saxe-Meiningen
FriedrichSaxeMeiningen

Robert Cornwallis Maude, 6th Viscount Hawarden

Ernst, Prinz of Saxe-Meiningen

Friedrich Albert, Graf zu Rechteren-Limpurg-Speckfeld

Ernst, Prinz of Lippe-Biesterfeld

Helmut, Freiherr von Cornberg

Robert, Graf zu Stolberg-Wernigerode