Author Archives: Scott

Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg was heir presumptive to the throne of Württemberg for just a year before the monarchy was abolished in 1918. Three years later, upon the death of his distant cousin, the former King Wilhelm II Württemberg, he became Head of the House of Württemberg and pretender to the former throne.

Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg – source: Wikipedia

Albrecht Maria Alexander Philipp Joseph of Württemberg was born in Vienna on December 23, 1865, the eldest son of Duke Philipp of Württemberg and Archduchess Maria Teresa of Austria. He had four younger siblings:

Albrecht studied law at the University of Tübingen before beginning his military career. Having joined the Württemberg Army in 1885, he also received training in the Prussian Army. Rising quickly through the ranks, Albrecht held numerous commands and became Commander-in-Chief of the 4th Army on the Western Front during World War I. He was considered one of the most skilled military leaders of the war and he was highly recognized. German Emperor Wilhelm II awarded him the German Order of Merit and appointed him Fieldmarshal in the Prussian Army.

source: Wikipedia

On January 24, 1893 in Vienna, Albrecht married Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria, the daughter of Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria and Princess Maria Annunciata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Margarete Sophie’s father was the younger brother of both Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, and Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico. Her brother was Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination in 1913 was a primary cause of World War I. As Albrecht was the heir-presumptive to the throne of Württemberg, the couple took up residence in the Crown Prince’s Palace in Stuttgart, where they had seven children:

Altshausen Castle. photo: Andreas Praefcke – Eigenes Werk own photograph, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=169884

On November 30, 1918, King Wilhelm II abdicated, ending the monarchy of Württemberg. At that time, the former King gave Albrecht and his family Altshausen Castle (link in German) as their primary residence. Just three years later, on October 2, 1921, the former King died and Albrecht became Head of the House of Württemberg and pretender to the former throne.

Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg died at Altshausen Castle in Althausen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany on October 31, 1939. He was buried in the family crypt at the Church of St. Michael, Althausen Castle.

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Albert, Margrave of Meissen

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Albert, Margrave of Meissen was briefly one of the disputed Heads of the House of Saxony, and pretender to the former throne of the Kingdom of Saxony.

photo: By Adrian Nikiel – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7919702

Albert Joseph Maria Franz-Xaver, Prince of Saxony was born in Bamberg, Bavaria on November 30, 1934. He was the younger son of Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony, Margrave of Meissen and Princess Elisabeth Helene of Thurn und Taxis, and had four siblings:

After finishing secondary school in Bregenz, Austria, the family moved to Munich where Albert studied history and ethnography at the Ludwig Maximilian University, receiving his Ph.D. in 1961. He worked as a historian, studying the history of the Duchy and then the Kingdom of Saxony and its relationship to Bavaria.

Albert and his wife, 2005. photo: Wikipedia

In a civil ceremony on April 10, 1980, and a religious ceremony two days later at the Theatinerkirche in Munich, Germany, Albert married Elmira Henke. She had been his assistant for many years. They had no children.

Upon the death of his elder brother, Maria Emanuel, in July 2012, Albert assumed the Headship of the House of Saxony. This was disputed as Maria Emanuel had named and adopted his nephew Prince Alexander of Saxe-Gessaphe as his rightful heir. (More on the succession dispute below). However, Albert’s role in the dispute was short-lived, as he passed away in Munich three months later, on October 6, 2012. He is buried in the Old Catholic Cemetery in Dresden along with his wife.

SUCCESSION DISPUTE

Having no children, in May 1977 Maria Emanuel named his nephew Prince Alexander of Saxe-Gessaphe as his heir. Alexander was the son of the Margrave’s eldest sister Anna. A document was drafted, agreed to, and signed by all the other members of the former royal house. Two years later, in September 1999, Maria Emanuel legally adopted Alexander. However, in 2002, three of the family members retracted their agreement. One of them was Maria Emanuel’s younger brother Albert who stated that the headship of the family should eventually pass to Prince Rüdiger, the son of their late cousin Prince Timo of Saxony. Despite this disagreement, Maria Emanuel continued to assert that Prince Alexander was his rightful heir. Following Maria Emanuel’s death in July 2012, both Albert and Alexander claimed the headship of the family. When Albert died just three months later, the dispute intensified. Prince Rüdiger claimed that he was the rightful heir, and assumed the title Margrave of Meissen, just as Prince Alexander had done upon Maria Emanuel’s death.

In 2015, the heads of three Ernestine branches of the House of Wettin – Michael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Andreas, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Konrad, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen – issued a statement stating that they did not recognize Prince Alexander as Head of the House of Saxony, nor as Margrave of Meissen. Notably, their statement did not specifically recognize Prince Rüdiger either.

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Saxony Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen was Head of the House of Saxony and pretender to the former throne of Saxony from 1968 until he died in 2012. Having no children, his death brought about a dispute over the headship of the family between several of his relatives.

Maria Emanuel, Prince of Saxony was born on January 31, 1926 at Prüfening Abbey in Regensburg, the eldest child of Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony, Margrave of Meissen, and Princess Elisabeth Helene of Thurn und Taxis. He had four younger siblings:

  • Princess Maria Josepha (1928) – unmarried
  • Princess Anna (1929) – married Roberto de Afif, had issue
  • Prince Albert, Margrave of Meissen (1934) – married Elmira Henke, no issue
  • Princess Mathilde (1936) – married Prince Johannes Heinrich of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, had issue

In 1944, he was arrested due to a letter he wrote against the Nazi regime following the attempted assassination of Hitler. He was transferred to Potsdam to be put on trial. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts and connections of his father, he was charged as a juvenile and avoided the death penalty. Finally, at the end of the war in 1945, he was released and rejoined his family. After studying at the Düsseldorf Art Academy, Maria Emanuel worked as a painter and graphic artist in Munich, before moving to Switzerland in 1958.

 

On June 22, 1962 in La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland, Maria Emanuel married Princess Anastasia of Anhalt. She was the daughter of Prince Eugen of Anhalt and Anastasia Jungmeier. The couple had no children.

Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen died in La Tour-de-Peilz on July 23, 2012. He is buried alongside his parents in the grounds next to the Königskapelle in Karrösten, North Tyrol.

 

SUCCESSION DISPUTE

Having no children, in May 1977 Maria Emanuel named his nephew, Prince Alexander of Saxe-Gessaphe, as his heir. Alexander was the son of the Margrave’s eldest sister Anna. A document was drafted, agreed to, and signed by all the other members of the former royal house. Two years later, in September 1999, Maria Emanuel legally adopted Alexander. However, in 2002, three of the family members retracted their agreement. One of them was Maria Emanuel’s younger brother, Albert, who stated that the headship of the family should eventually pass to Prince Rüdiger – the son of their late cousin, Prince Timo of Saxony. Despite this disagreement, Maria Emanuel continued to assert that Prince Alexander was his rightful heir. Following his death in July 2012, both Albert and Alexander claimed the headship of the family. When Albert died just three months later, the dispute intensified. Prince Rüdiger claimed that he was the rightful heir, and assumed the title Margrave of Meissen, just as Prince Alexander had done upon Maria Emanuel’s death.

In 2015, the heads of three Ernestine branches of the House of Wettin – Michael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Andreas, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Konrad, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen – issued a statement stating that they did not recognize Prince Alexander as Head of the House of Saxony, nor as Margrave of Meissen. It is notable that their statement did not specifically recognize Prince Rüdiger either.

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Saxony Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony, Margrave of Meissen

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony, Duke of Saxony, Margrave of Meissen was the first pretender to the former throne of Saxony, and head of the House of Saxony, from 1932 until his death in 1968.

Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony, Margrave of Meissen photo: Wikipedia

Prince Friedrich Christian Albert Leopold Anno Sylvester Macarius of Saxony was born in Dresden on December 31, 1893, the second son of the last King of Saxony, King Friedrich August III of Saxony and his wife Archduchess Luise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany. He had six siblings:

After studying at the Military Academy in Dresden, Friedrich Christian served during World War I in the General Staff on the Western Front. Due to his fluency in several languages, he was sent on diplomatic missions to Spain, Turkey, and Austria. The Saxony monarchy ended in November 1918 when the German Empire collapsed and his father abdicated. Friedrich Christian then devoted his time to academics, studying law at universities in Cologne, Freiburg, Wroclaw, and Würzburg. After earning his degree, he taught art history privately before being asked by his father to take over the management of the family’s estates in Saxony and Silesia.

On June 16, 1923 in Regensburg, Friedrich Christian married Princess Elisabeth Helene of Thurn und Taxis, the daughter of Albert, 8th Prince of Thurn und Taxis and Archduchess Margarethe Klementine of Austria. Together, the couple had five children:

  • Prince Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen (1926) – married Princess Anastasia of Anhalt, no issue
  • Princess Maria Josepha (1928) – unmarried
  • Princess Anna (1929) – married Roberto de Afif, had issue
  • Prince Albert, Margrave of Meissen (1934) – married Elmira Henke, no issue
  • Princess Mathilde (1936) – married Prince Johannes Heinrich of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, had issue

That same year, Friedrich Christian became heir apparent to the former throne of Saxony when his elder brother renounced his rights to the throne and entered the priesthood. Nine years later, in February 1932, his father died and Friedrich Christian became Head of the House of Saxony and pretender to the former throne. At that time, he took on the historic title Margrave of Meissen. Over the next years, the family moved around quite a bit – living in Bamberg for several years before settling at Wachwitz Castle in Dresden until 1945. Moving several more times, they eventually settled in Munich in 1955.

Burial site at the Königskapelle. photo: Wikipedia

Friedrich Christian, Margrave of Meissen, died on August 9, 1968 in Samedan, Switzerland. Some years earlier, he had chosen the Königskapelle in Karrösten, North Tyrol to be his future burial site, instead of Dresden Cathedral, the traditional burial site for the Saxon family. He had a crypt designed in the grounds next to the chapel and is buried there alongside his wife and eldest son.

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Saxony Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse is the current pretender to the former grand ducal throne of Hesse and by Rhine, and Head of the House of Hesse. He succeeded to both upon his father’s death in 2013.

 

Heinrich Donatus Philipp Umberton, Prince of Hesse, was born in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein on October 17, 1966, the son of Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse and Princess Tatiana of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. He has three siblings:

  • Mafalda (1965) – married (1) Enrico dei Conti Marone Cinzano, no issue; (2) Carlo Galdo, has issue; (3) Ferdinando Peretti, has issue
  • Elena (1967) – unmarried, has issue
  • Philip (1970) – married Laetitia Bechtoff, has issue

 

In 2003, Donatus married Countess Floria Franziska von Faber-Castell. A civil ceremony was held in Wiesbaden on April 25, 2003, followed by a religious ceremony held at St. John’s Church in Kronberg on May 17, 2003. Their reception was held in the Green Salon at the former Schloss Friedrichshof (now Schlosshotel Kronberg). Guests included Princess Benedikte of Denmark (the groom’s aunt), and Princess Caroline of Monaco, The Princess of Hanover. Donatus and Floria have three children:

  • Paulina Princess of Hesse (born 2007)
  • Moritz, Hereditary Prince of Hesse (born 2007)
  • August, Prince of Hesse (born 2012)

Having studied Business Administration at the University of Hamburg, the Landgrave runs the Hesse Family Foundation which manages the numerous estates and assets of the Hessian family. These include the former Schloss Friedrichshof, Schloss Fasanerie, the Grandhotel Hessischer Hof, the Prince of Hesse Winery, Schloss Wolfsgarten, and the Gut Panker estate (the latter two are the family’s private residences).

 

Donatus maintains close ties with the British Royal Family and is often invited to events such as the Royal Windsor Horse Show. In 2016, he was seated next to the Duchess of Cambridge at an event for the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations. In 2021, he was part of a very small group of family members invited to attend the funeral of The Duke of Edinburgh. Donatus and his wife also attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and Donatus attended the coronation of King Charles III.

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Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse was head of the House of Hesse, and pretender to the former Grand Ducal throne of Hesse and by Rhine from 1980 until his death in 2013.

Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse, Head of the House of Hesse; photo: Wikipedia

Moritz Friedrich Karl Emanuel Humbert, Prince of Hesse-Kassel, was born at the Castle of Racconigi in Italy on August 6, 1926. He was the eldest child of Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse and Princess Mafalda of Savoy. Moritz had three younger siblings:

  • Heinrich of Hesse-Kassel (1927) – unmarried
  • Otto of Hesse-Kassel (1937) – married (1) Angela von Doering, no issue; (2) Elisabeth Bonker, no issue
  • Elisabeth of Hesse-Kassel (1940) – married Count Friedrich von Oppersdorff, had issue

Moritz with his mother and younger brother. photo: Wikipedia

Raised primarily in Italy, Moritz returned to Germany in 1943 and served briefly in the German forces. That year, both of his parents were arrested by the Nazis and placed in different concentration camps. His mother died in 1943 as a result of injuries after the Buchenwald concentration camp was bombed. His father was released but then taken into custody by Allied forces until his eventual release in 1947. After his military service, Moritz studied agriculture and took over the administration of the family’s estate at Gut Panker in Schleswig-Holstein (link in German).

In 1960, Moritz was adopted by his distant relative  Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine. Ludwig had no children and would be the last member of the House of Hesse and by Rhine. This adoption ensured that the former grand ducal family’s estates and assets would remain in the Hesse family upon his death.

 

In June 1964, Moritz married Princess Tatiana of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, the daughter of Gustav Albrecht, 5th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Margareta Fouché d’Otrante. The couple had four children before divorcing in 1974:

  • Mafalda (1965) – married (1) Enrico dei Conti Marone Cinzano, no issue; (2) Carlo Galdo, has issue; (3) Ferdinando Peretti, has issue
  • Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse (1966) – married Countess Floria Franziska of Faber-Castell, has issue
  • Elena (1967) – unmarried, has issue
  • Philip (1970) – married Laetitia Bechtoff, has issue

Moritz succeeded his father as Head of the House of Hesse and pretender to the former grand ducal throne of Hesse and by Rhine in 1980. Having also inherited the holdings of the former House of Hesse and by Rhine some years earlier, Moritz contributed many of these assets and much of his vast personal art collection to the Hesse Family Foundation which oversees and manages the family’s estates and collections. These include the Schlosshotel Kronberg, which was originally built as Schloss Friedrichshof by his great-grandmother, Empress Friedrich (nee Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom); the Prinz von Hessen winery; Gut Panker; and Schloss Wolfsgarten (which Moritz inherited from Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine).

Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse died in Frankfurt on May 23, 2013. Following his funeral at St. John’s Church in Kronberg, he was buried in the family cemetery on the grounds of the former Schloss Friedrichshof.

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Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse; Credit – Wikipedia

Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse became head of the Electoral House of Hesse (also known as Hesse-Kassel) in 1940. In 1968, upon the death of his childless distant cousin, Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine, Philipp inherited the headship of the former Grand Ducal House of Hesse and by Rhine as well. This reunited the last two remaining branches of the historic House of Hesse, which had been divided in 1567.

Prince Philipp of Hesse-Kassel was born at Rumpenheim Castle in Offenbach on November 6, 1896, the third son of Prince Friedrich Carl, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Margarethe “Mossy” of Prussia. Philipp had five brothers:

Raised by an English governess, Philipp briefly attended school in England before continuing his studies in Germany. He attended the Goethe-Gymnasium in Frankfurt and the Helmholtz-Gymnasium in Potsdam. Philipp was the only one of his siblings who did not attend a military academy. However, when World War I began, he enlisted in the Hessian Dragoon-Regiment along with his older brother Max. Both served in Belgium, where Max was killed in action in October 1914. His eldest brother, Friedrich Wilhelm, was also killed in action in 1916, making Philipp second in line to the Headship of the Electoral House of Hesse. He continued his military service, serving on the Eastern Front and the Hindenburg Line before being wounded in active combat in 1917.

In October 1918, just weeks before the war ended, Philipp’s father was elected King of Finland. At the time, it was decided that Philipp, the eldest surviving son, would remain heir to the Electoral House, and his younger twin brother Wolfgang would be heir to the Finnish throne. However, following the fall of the German Empire, Philipp’s father quickly renounced the throne.

Following World War I, Philipp enlisted in the Transitional Army, before focusing on his education. He attended the Technical University in Darmstadt, studying art history and architecture for several years before taking a job at the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum in Berlin. In 1923, he moved to Rome, where he established a successful interior design business.

Philipp and Mafalda on their wedding day. photo: Wikipedia

On September 23, 1925, at Castello di Racconigi, near Turin, Philipp married Princess Mafalda of Savoy. She was the second daughter of King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy and Princess Elena of Montenegro. Philipp and Mafalda had four children:

  • Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse (1926) – married Princess Tatiana of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, had issue
  • Prince Heinrich of Hesse-Kassel (1927) – unmarried
  • Prince Otto of Hesse-Kassel (1937) – married (1) Angela von Doering, no issue; (2) Elisabeth Bonker, no issue
  • Princess Elisabeth of Hesse-Kassel (1940) – married Count Friedrich von Oppersdorff, had issue

Having returned to Germany in 1930, Philipp became a member of the National Socialist German Workers Party (the Nazi Party) and became a close friend of Hermann Göring. In 1933, he was appointed Governor Hesse-Nassau, and often served as a go-between for Hilter and Mussolini, primarily due to his marriage to the daughter of the Italian King. Due to his interest and knowledge of art, he also served as Hitler’s art agent in Italy, acquiring countless works for Hitler’s planned museum in Linz.

However, his relationship with the Italian King would soon become a problem for Philipp. In July 1943, King Vittorio Emanuele III had Mussolini arrested. Hitler, believing that Philipp and his family were complicit in Mussolini’s downfall, had the family arrested. Philipp was taken into custody in September 1943 and sent to Flossenburg concentration camp, where he was kept in solitary confinement. His wife was placed in custody in Rome, and following interrogations in Munich and Berlin, Mafalda was sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp. Sadly, Mafalda was seriously injured when Buchenwald was bombed in August 1944, and died several days later.

In April 1945, Philipp was transferred to Dachau and then to Tyrol. At the end of World War II, he was freed by the Germans but almost immediately arrested by American forces. Due to his complicity in events of the Naxi regime, he was held by the Allies for two years, before finally being released in 1947.  Following his release, Philipp focused his efforts on the restoration of several of his properties damaged during World War II, and continuing with his interior design work.

Philipp was heir to his distant cousin Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine, who had no children. In 1960, Ludwig adopted Philipp’s eldest son Moritz as his rightful heir to ensure that the estates and assets of the House of Hesse and by Rhine would remain within the Hesse family. When Ludwig died in 1968, the House of Hesse and by Rhine was absorbed by the House of Hesse-Kassel. This would be the first time the historic House of Hesse was unified since initially being divided in 1567.

Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse died in Rome, Italy on October 25, 1980. He is buried in the family cemetery at the former Schloss Friedrichshof (now Schlosshotel Kronberg) in Kronberg im Taunus, Hesse. He was succeeded by his elder son, Moritz, as Head of the House of Hesse and pretender to the formal Grand Ducal throne of Hesse and by Rhine.

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Maximilian, Margrave of Baden

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Maximilian, Margrave of Baden and his wife in July 2017 at the wedding of Prince Ernst August of Hanover and Ekaterina Malysheva; Credit – Von Bernd Schwabe – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60818074

Maximilian, Margrave of Baden was the head of the House of Zähringen and pretender to the former Grand Ducal throne of Baden from 1963 until his death in 2022. Paternally, he was the grandson of his namesake, Prince Maximilian, Margrave of Baden. Maternally, he was the oldest living grandchild of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. Thus, he was a nephew of Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh and first cousin of King Charles III of the United Kingdom and his siblings.

 

Maximilian Andreas Friedrich Gustav Ernst August Bernhard, Prince of Baden, was born on July 3, 1933, in Salem, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, the elder son of Berthold, Margrave of Baden and Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark.

He has two siblings:

Max attended the Schule Schloss Salem, founded by his grandfather and Kurt Hahn, and then went on to study agriculture and forestry.

In the early 1960s, Max was engaged to his first cousin Princess Beatrix of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Beatrix was the daughter of Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark (his mother’s elder sister). However, the engagement was called off in 1961, and several years later, he married Archduchess Valerie of Austria. She was the daughter of Archduke Hubert of Austria and Princess Rosemary of Salm-Salm. Max and Valerie wed in a civil ceremony in Salem on September 23, 1966, followed by a religious ceremony held at Persenbeug Castle in Austria.

They have four children:

  • Marie Louise, Princess of Baden (1969) – married Richard Dudley Baker, had issue
  • Bernhard, Margrave of Baden (1970) – married Stephanie Kaul, had issue
  • Leopold, Prince of Baden (1971) – unmarried
  • Michael, Prince of Baden (1976) – married Christina Höhne, no issue

Upon his father’s death in October 1963, Max became Head of the House of Zähringen and pretender to the former grand ducal throne of Baden. He also inherited the family’s vast estates, including four castles in Salem, Baden-Baden, Zwingenberg and Eberstein, and over 2,000 hectares of forests, vineyards, and land. However, due to poor investments and the overall global economic crisis, Max found himself in debt. In 1995, he auctioned off most of the contents of Schloss Baden-Baden, bringing in over 55 million dollars. Three years later, he appointed his son and heir Bernhard as the administrator of the family’s assets.

Max spent many years overseeing the family’s wine production business, an industry that had been in the family for hundreds of years. Based at Schloss Staufenberg in Durbach, and Schloss Salem, the Margrave of Baden Winery has been producing wine since the late 1700s.

The Margrave of Baden was involved in countless organizations and associations during his lifetime. One lasted many years – his association with the German Red Cross. He served on the honorary council of the Baden Regional Association and was an active participant. Max and his wife Valerie lived in a wing of Salem Abbey, one of the family’s ancestral homes.

On December 29, 2022, Maximilian, Margrave of Baden, aged 89, died at Salem Abbey, a family home, in Salem, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. He was buried at the Mimmenhausen Cemetery, in Salem, Germany. His funeral on January 13, 2023, was attended by former and current royalty including King Philippe of Belgium, Prince Albert II of Monaco and his sister Caroline, Princess of Hanover, Prince Hassan of Jordan, Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein, and the heads or representatives of most of the former ruling houses of Germany. Max’s first cousin King Charles III of the United Kingdom was represented by Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse.

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Baden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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Berthold, Margrave of Baden

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Berthold, Margrave of Baden was the Head of the House of Zähringen and Pretender to the former Grand Ducal throne of Baden from 1929 until his death in 1963.

Berthold, Margrave of Baden; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Berthold Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst August Heinrich Karl of Baden was born in Karlsruhe, Germany on February 24, 1906. He was the only son of Prince Maximilian of Baden, Margrave of Baden and Princess Marie Luise of Hanover. Berthold had one older sister:

Berthold, his wife and two elder children, c1936. source: private collection

On August 17, 1931 in Baden-Baden, Berthold married Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark, the second daughter of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg (as well as the elder sister of Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh). The couple were second cousins through their mutual great-grandfather, King Christian IX of Denmark. Berthold and Theodora had three children:

 

The last reigning Grand Duke of Baden, Friedrich II, had no children. Although the Headship of the House would pass to Berthold’s father Max, the Grand Duke’s assets would not. As part of an agreement following the end of the monarchy, Friedrich’s assets and estates would pass to the Republic of Baden if he had no legal children. To avoid this from happening, Friedrich and his wife, Hilda, legally adopted Berthold in August 1927. When Friedrich died the following year, his father became Head of the House, but it was Berthold who actually inherited all of the family’s assets.

 

Berthold, Margrave of Baden died suddenly on October 27, 1963, in Spaichingen, Germany, from an apparent heart attack. He is buried in the Mimmenhausen Cemetery in Salem, along with his wife, his parents, and his daughter.

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Baden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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Prince Maximilian of Baden, Margrave of Baden

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Prince Maximilian of Baden was the heir to the throne of the Grand Duchy of Baden, and served briefly as Chancellor of the German Empire.

Prince Maximilian of Baden, Margrave of Baden – photo: By Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R04103 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5367974

Prince Maximilian Alexander Friedrich Wilhelm of Baden was born in Baden-Baden on July 10, 1867. He was the only son of Prince Wilhelm of Baden (a younger son of Grand Duke Leopold of Baden), and Princess Maria Maximilianovna of Leuchtenburg (a granddaughter of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia). Max had one older sister:

After his initial education, Max studied law and cameralism at Leipzig University before training as an officer in the Prussian Army. In 1907, upon the death of his uncle, Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden, Max became heir-presumptive to his childless cousin, Friedrich II. In addition to his new position, he became President of the upper house of parliament in Baden. Four years later, he left the Prussian army with the rank of Major General.

Prince Max with his wife and children, c.1910. source: Wikipedia

On July 10, 1900, in Gmunden, Austria, Max married Princess Marie Luise of Hanover. She was the daughter of Ernst August, Crown Prince of Hanover and Princess Thyra of Denmark. The couple had two children:

Max returned to military service in 1914 at the beginning of World War I, serving as a general staff member, representing his cousin Friedrich II. However, he soon retired due to ill health. He became honorary president of Baden’s chapter of the German Red Cross, using his family connections to help prisoners of war. Staunchly liberal, he remained out of politics but spoke out against military policies he disagreed with. Despite maintaining a relatively low profile, it was through his friendship with Kurt Hahn that Max would later be appointed Chancellor of Germany. He was initially considered for the job in July 1917, and once again in September 1918 but was turned down by Kaiser Wilhelm II. However, later that same month, when it was clear that the German front was soon to fall, the entire cabinet of Chancellor Georg von Hertling resigned. Von Hertling himself recommended Prince Max to succeed him. This time the Kaiser agreed, and Max was formally appointed on October 3, 1918.

Just a month later, it was clear that the German Empire was ending. At noon on November 9, 1918, Prince Max announced Kaiser Wilhem II’s abdication and the formal renunciation of the Crown Prince. Max also resigned as Chancellor. Friedrich Ebert, the leader of the SPD, asked Max to remain in Berlin as Regent, but Max refused and returned to Baden.

With no further role in politics, Prince Max retired to Baden. He wrote and published several books, and in 1920, he helped Kurt Hahn establish the Schule Schloss Salem , a boarding school in Salem, Germany, later attended by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the brother of his son’s wife.

On August 9, 1928, the last reigning Grand Duke of Baden, Friedrich II, died, and Max became the pretender to the former throne and the Head of the House of Zähringen. At that time, he assumed the historic title of Margrave of Baden. Just over a year later, on November 6, 1929, Prince Max, Margrave of Baden died of kidney failure following several strokes. He is buried in the Mimmenhausen Cemetery in Salem.

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Baden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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