Category Archives: German Royals

Palace Chapel at Ludwigsburg Palace in Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Palace Chapel at Ludwigsburg Palace; Credit – Ludwigsburg Residential Palace

Württemberg was a County, a Duchy, and an Electorate before becoming a Kingdom in 1806. It is now part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The Palace Chapel (Schlosskapelle in German) at Ludwigsburg Palace in Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany was the place of worship and the traditional burial site of the Württemberg family since it was built in the early 1700s. The first King of Württemberg, Friedrich I, was the last ruler buried in the Palace Chapel at Ludwigsburg Palace. His son and successor, the childless King Karl I is buried in the Schlosskirche at the Old Castle (Altes Schloss) in Stuttgart. Wilhelm II, the last King of Württemberg, King Friedrich I’s grandson, is buried in the Old Cemetery on the grounds of Ludwigsburg Palace.

Ludwigsburg Palace; Credit – By Maulaff – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=149007837

Ludwigsburg Palace was expanded from a small hunting lodge to a monumental four-wing palace with 452 rooms between 1704 and 1816. The construction of Ludwigsburg Palace began during the reign of Eberhard Ludwig, Duke of Württemberg who laid the foundation in 1704. He allowed the workers to reside for free around the palace construction. Five architects worked on Ludwigsburg Palace over the years – Philipp Joseph Jenisch (link in German), Johann Friedrich Nette, Donato Giuseppe Frisoni, Philippe de La Guêpière, and Nikolaus Friedrich von Thouret. As a result of each architect’s work, Ludwigsburg Palace is a combination of Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical, and Empire-style architecture.

The Courtyard of Ludwigsburg Palace; Credit – By Gregorini Demetrio, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52233396

The ceiling painting “Glorification of the Holy Trinity” by Carlo Carlone; Credit – Ludwigsburg Residential Palace

Unusually opulent for a Protestant church, the Schlosskapelle (Palace Chapel) is located in the East Wing of Ludwigsburg Palace. It was designed by Italian architect Donato Giuseppe Frisoni and built from 1716 to 1724. Frisoni designed a two-story church interior that was circular instead of longitudinal. The rotunda of the chapel had three semi-domes. The chapel was painted by Donato Giuseppe Frisoni, Luca Antonio Colomba, Livio Retti, and Carlo Carlone, who were all restricted to Protestant doctrine for the subjects of their painting. The central dome is covered by an impressive ceiling painting “The Glorification of the Holy Trinity” by the painter Carlo Carlone.

The Ducal Box; Credit – Ludwigsburg Residential Palace

The Ducal Box Seat, painted with the biblical story of David by Livio Retti, was accessible to the ruling family directly from the second floor of their living quarters. The members of the court sat in the side galleries of the chapel.

Eberhard Ludwig, Duke of Württemberg – Ludwigsburg Palace’s construction started during his reign; Credit – Wikipedia

The Palace Chapel changed religious denominations depending on whether the ruler was Protestant or Catholic. Eberhard Ludwig, Duke of Württemberg, a Protestant, built it as a Protestant chapel. However, it became a Catholic chapel under the Catholic rulers Karl Alexander, Duke of Württemberg and Carl Eugen, Duke of Württemberg. King Friedrich I redecorated the Palace Chapel in 1798 as a Protestant chapel. Today, the Palace Chapel is a Catholic chapel.

Burials in the Royal Crypt in the Pastle Chapel at Ludwigsburg Palace

Eberhard Ludwig, Duke of Württemberg had a crypt built for the Württemberg family under the Palace Chapel

Works Cited

  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2004). ehemaliges Residenzschloss der Herzöge und Könige von Württemberg. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residenzschloss_Ludwigsburg
  • Ludwigsburg Residential Palace: Staatliche Schlösser und Gärten Baden-Württemberg. (n.d.). Www.schloss-Ludwigsburg.de. https://www.schloss-ludwigsburg.de/en/
  • Palace Chapel: Staatliche Schlösser und Gärten Baden-Württemberg. (2025). Schloss-Ludwigsburg.de. https://www.schloss-ludwigsburg.de/en/visitor-experience/palace-garden/buildings/palace-chapel
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Ludwigsburg Palace. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Brunswick Cathedral in Brunswick, Lower Saxony, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Brunswick Cathedral with the Brunswick Lion in the foreground; Credit – By Kassandro Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1770712

Originally a Roman Catholic church, Brunswick Cathedral (Braunschweiger Dom in German) is now a Lutheran church in Brunswick in the German state of Lower Saxony. The cathedral was founded in 1173 by Heinrich der Löwe (Henry the Lion – Heinrich III, Duke of Saxony from 1142  to 1180 and also Heinrich XII, Duke of Bavaria from 1156 to 1180). Heinrich built the cathedral as a burial place for himself and his second wife Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony and Bavaria, the eldest daughter of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, and their successors.

Dankwarderode Castle on the left, Brunswick Cathedral on the right; Credit – Wikipedia

Brunswick Cathedral was built between 1173 and 1195 on the Burgplatz (Castle Square) in Brunswick, adjacent to Dankwarderode Castle where Heinrich the Lion built his palace circa 1160 – 1175. There was direct access from the upper floor of Dankwarderode Castle to the north transept of Brunswick Cathedral. When Brunswick Cathedral was officially consecrated in 1226, it was dedicated to Saint Thomas Becket, Saint Blaise, and Saint John the Baptist. Matilda was a strong supporter of the 1173 canonization as a saint of Thomas Becket who had been murdered in Canterbury Cathedral by four of her father’s knights in 1170. See Unofficial Royalty: Canterbury Cathedral for more information.

The central nave with the tomb of Heinrich the Lion and Matilda of England in the foreground; Credit – Di Photo by PtrQs, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81519784

A 1900 painting of Brunswick Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

Brunswick Cathedral was built initially built as a three-aisled Romanesque pillar basilica. The cathedral was expanded and rebuilt several times, but the nave, transept, and choir are largely preserved from the 12th-century original building.

Tomb of Matilda and Heinrich with a memorial plaque for their son Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Von Brunswyk – DE:Wiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4217450

On June 28, 1189, Matilda died at Brunswick at the age of 33, about a week before her father King Henry II of England died. She was buried at the still incomplete Brunswick Cathedral. Heinrich, died on August 6, 1195, aged 65 – 66, in Brunswick, and was buried next to Matilda. Their tomb is the oldest double grave of a married couple in Germany. Their effigies are still the originals, made in the first half of the thirteenth century.

Crypt of Heinrich the Lion, Sarcophagus of Heinrich (left) and Matilda (right); Credit – Von Brunswyk, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18904214

Brunswick Cathedral and the Nazis

During the Nazi regime, the Nazis used Heinrich the Lion and Brunswick Cathedral for ideological and propaganda purposes. In 1147, Heinrich the Lion’s Wendish Crusade against Polabian Slavs, also known as Wends, who lived northeast of Brunswick, resulted in their subjugation and the colonization of their territory. The Nazis tried to make Henry the Lion appear as the pioneer of their ideology. Between 1935 and 1940, the cathedral’s 19th-century interior furnishings were completely removed and the building was partially structurally and aesthetically altered to reflect Nazi ideology. The tombs of Heinrich the Lion and his wife Matilda were opened, supposedly for archaeological work, but the work lacked any scientific basis. The opening of the tombs was used as propaganda to bring attention to Heinrich the Lion and what the Nazis wanted him to represent. All this was done under the supervision of Dietrich Klagges, Prime Minister of the Free State of Brunswick from 1933 to 1945.

Adolf Hitler secretly visited Brunswick Cathedral on July 17, 1935 to observe the work. The visit did not go as Klagges intended. After the tour, Hitler declared that from now on he would be the only one to decide on the type and extent of the construction work for the conversion of the Brunswick Cathedral into a Nazi shrine. All work orders given by Klagges were canceled. To Hitler’s great annoyance, news of his secret visit quickly spread among the local people. Hitler left Brunswick after just a few hours and never returned. After World War II ended, the structural and design changes the Nazis had made to Brunswick Cathedral were largely reversed where possible, and the cathedral was able to serve as a Lutheran place of worship again.

Burials at Brunswick Cathedral

The crypt at Brunswick Cathedral; Credit – By TeWeBs – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=147494393

Perhaps the two most famous burials at Brunswick Cathedral besides Heinrich the Lion and Matilda of England, are their son Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor (1175 -1218) and Caroline of Brunswick, Queen of the United Kingdom (1768 – 1821), the wife of King George IV of the United Kingdom.

Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor

The seal of Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

Otto was the third son of Heinrich the Lion, Duke of Bavaria, Duke of Saxony and Matilda of England. Otto’s maternal grandparents were King Henry II of England and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right. Otto’s maternal uncles were King Richard I of England (the Lionheart) and King John of England. Otto spent most of his early life in England and France. He was a supporter of his uncle Richard, who created Otto Count of Poitou in 1196. With Richard’s support, he was elected King of the Romans in 1198, a step toward being Holy Roman Emperor. In 1209, Otto went to Rome to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Innocent III.

In 1210, Otto attempted to add the Kingdom of Sicily to the Holy Roman Empire, against the wishes of Pope Innocent III, who excommunicated him. Otto allied with his uncle King John of England, Count Ferrand of Flanders, Count Renaud of Boulogne, Duke Henri I of Brabant, Count William I of Holland, Duke Theobald I of Lorraine, and Duke Henry III of Limburg in an alliance against France during the Anglo-French War of 1213–1214. The coalition was soundly defeated at the Battle of Bouvines in 1214 when Otto was carried off the battlefield by his wounded and terrified horse, causing his forces to abandon the battlefield. The defeat forced Otto to withdraw to his home in Brunswick, allowing Ferderico, King of Sicily to take the German cities of Aachen and Cologne, depose Otto, and become Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich II. Otto died on May 19, 1218, aged 42–43, at Harzburg Castle, now in Bad Harzburg in the German state of Lower Saxony. There is a memorial plaque to Otto on the floor near the tombs of his parents which can be seen in a photo above.

Caroline of Brunswick, Queen of the United Kingdom

Caroline of Brunswick, Queen of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline of Brunswick was the daughter of Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Augusta of Great Britain, the elder sister of King George III of the United Kingdom. In 1795, Caroline of Brunswick married her first cousin, the future King George IV of the United Kingdom. The marriage of Caroline and George is one of the worst-ever royal marriages. Upon first seeing Caroline, George said to his valet, “Harris, I am not well; pray get me a glass of brandy.” Caroline said George was fat and not as handsome as his portrait. It is doubtful that the couple spent more than a few nights together as husband and wife. Their only child Princess Charlotte of Wales was born nine months later. Caroline and George found each other equally unattractive and never lived together or appeared in public together. Caroline was ignored at the court and lived more or less under house arrest. After two and a half years, she left the court and lived for ten years in a Montagu House in Blackheath, London. Caroline was denied any part in raising her daughter Charlotte and only saw her occasionally. Sadly, Charlotte predeceased both her parents, dying in childbirth in 1817 at the age of 21, along with her son. Had Charlotte lived, she would have succeeded her father on the throne.

When King George III died in January 1820, Caroline was determined to return to England and assert her rights as queen. King George IV was determined to be rid of Caroline and his government introduced a bill in Parliament, the Pains and Penalties Bill 1820, to strip Caroline of the title of queen consort and dissolve her marriage. The reading of the bill in Parliament was effectively a trial of Caroline. On November 10, 1820, a final reading of the bill took place, and the bill passed by 108–99. Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool then declared that since the vote was so close and public tensions so high, the government would withdraw the bill.

King George IV’s coronation was set for July 19, 1821, but no plans had been made for Caroline to participate. On the day of the coronation, Caroline went to Westminster Abbey, was barred at every entrance, and finally left. Three weeks later on August 7, 1821, Caroline died at the age of 53, most likely from a bowel obstruction or cancer. Before her death, Caroline requested that she be buried in her native Brunswick. Caroline was interred at Brunswick Cathedral next to her father. Her casket bears the inscription, “Here lies Caroline, the Injured Queen of England.”

Tomb of Queen Caroline in the crypt at Brunswick Cathedral: Credit – www.findagrave.com

This does not purport to be a complete list of the burials at Brunswick Cathedral.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2005). Kirchengebäude in Braunschweig, Niedersachsen. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braunschweiger_Dom
  • Der Braunschweiger Dom: Domkirche. (2024). Braunschweigerdom.de. https://www.braunschweigerdom.de/ueberdom
  • Dom Saint Blasius in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony – Find a Grave Cemetery. (2021). Findagrave.com. https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2098911/dom-saint-blasius
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2017). Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony and Bavaria. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/matilda-of-england-duchess-of-saxony/
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Brunswick Cathedral. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Henry the Lion. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Saint Boniface Abbey Church in Munich, Bavaria, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Saint Boniface Abbey Church; Credit- Eigenes Werk, CC BY 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15352400

Saint Boniface Abbey is a Benedictine abbey in Munich, in the German state of Bavaria, formerly the Kingdom of Bavaria. It was founded in 1835 by King Ludwig I of Bavaria who wanted to revive Roman Catholic spiritual life by founding new monasteries. Many monasteries were destroyed or used for other purposes from 1802 to 1814 during a period of secularization,  called the German Mediatization.

Saint Boniface (born Wynfreth circa 675, martyred June 5, 754) was an English Benedictine monk who was a missionary to parts of today’s Germany during the eighth century. German Roman Catholics regard him as an important national figure. The foundation stone was laid on October 12, 1835, the 25th wedding anniversary of King Ludwig I and Queen Therese of Bavaria, born Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. On a side note, Ludwig and Therese’s wedding on October 12, 1810, was held in a large outdoor space in Munich called the Theresienwiese. Named for his bride, Theresienwiese is the site of Oktoberfest, held every year to commemorate the wedding.

Tomb of King Ludwig I of Bavaria; Credit – Von Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62142909

In March 1848, King Ludwig I abdicated because he refused to reign as a constitutional monarch, and lost the support of his family and government ministers. Queen Therese died on October 26, 1854, and was initially buried in the royal crypt at the Theatinerkirche in Munich. Three years later, her husband had her remains moved to St. Boniface’s Abbey where he was also buried after his death on February 29, 1868.

Burial Site of Queen Therese of Bavaria; Credit – Wikipedia

St. Boniface Abbey is located in a city, unusual for a Benedictine monastery, Monasteries were usually located near farmlands to support the monastery’s monks. King Ludwig II bought the former Andechs Abbey in Andechs, in the German state of Bavaria, secularised in 1803, along with its supporting farmlands, and gave it St. Boniface Abbey to support the monks of the monastery. In 1850, the former Andechs Abbey was refounded as a Benedictine priory affiliated with St. Boniface Abbey. Andechs Abbey served as a burial place for the House of Wittelsbach, the ruling family in Bavaria, since the Middle Ages.

Besides Andechs Abbey, members of the House of Wittelsbach are interred at the Theatinerkirche in Munich, the  Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Munich, and the  Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church) in Munich. In 1977, Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, Head of the House of Wittelsbach and pretender to the former Bavarian throne from 1955 until he died in 1996, set up a Wittelsbach private family cemetery in the Andechs Abbey garden due to the lack of space in the other Wittelsbach burial sites. The private family cemetery complex is now the main burial place of the Wittelsbach family.

An 1862 drawing of St. Boniface Abbey Church; Credit – Wikipedia

The architecture of the Saint Boniface Abbey Church, designed by the architect Georg Friedrich Ziebland (link in German), was based on early Christian basilicas. King Ludwig I sent Ziebland on a two-year study trip (1827 – 1829) to Italy to study Roman basilicas. For the Saint Boniface Abbey Church, Ziebland was inspired by Early Christian architecture and Byzantine architecture, using the round arch style and a terracotta and brick combination.

Saint Boniface Abbey Church interior before it was damaged during World War II; Credit – Wikipedia

St Boniface Abbey Church reconstructed by Hans Döllgast, 1948–1950, photographed before 1971; Credit – Hans Döllgast, post-war reconstruction and modern architecture

During World War II, on April 25, 1944 and January 7, 1945, Saint Boniface Abbey Church was badly damaged. German architect, graphic artist, and university professor Hans Döllgast (link in German), who worked on many post-war reconstruction projects, reconstructed the interior of the abbey church between 1948 and 1950. The nave was shortened to about a third of its original length. Nothing remained of the mosaics and frescoes in the style of Roman basilicas.

In 1988, a competition was announced that would enable the redecoration of the church’s interior. German painter Peter Burkart created a frieze of colored paintings above the arcades (a series of joined arches used to create a covered walkway or area).

The current interior of St. Boniface Abbey Church. Painter Peter Burkart’s frieze of colored paintings, mentioned above. can be seen. Credit – Von Digital cat – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43876001

Friedrich Koller created the relief over the interior portal with the end of time speech from the Gospel of Matthew verse 24, where Jesus describes signs and events that will precede his return. In the left aisle is a Stations of the Cross with colored prints created by Bernd Hendl between. Nearby is a sculpture by Christine Stadler of Saint Elisabeth of Hungary.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2004). Benediktinerkloster in München. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abtei_St._Bonifaz_(M%C3%BCnchen)
  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2008, June 25). Georg Friedrich Ziebland Deutscher Architekt und Baumeister. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Friedrich_Ziebland
  • Sternberg, Maximilian. (2022). Hans Döllgast, post-war reconstruction and modern architecture. The Journal of Architecture, 1–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/13602365.2022.2086152
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). St. Boniface’s Abbey. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Regina von Habsburg, born Regina of Saxe-Meiningen

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Regina with family photos at her home Villa Austria in Pöcking on Lake Starnberg in Bavaria, Germany

Regina von Habsburg was the wife of Otto von Habsburg, the last Crown Prince of Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia. By birth, she was a member of the House of Saxe-Meiningen. Although sometimes called Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen, the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, today part of the German state of Thuringia, ceased to exist in 1918, at the end of World War I, seven years before Regina’s birth.

Regina Helene Elisabeth Margarete was born on January 6, 1925, in Würzburg, then in the Weimar Republic, now in Germany. She was the youngest of the four children and the younger of the two daughters of Prince Georg of Saxe-Meiningen and Countess Klara Marie von Korff genannt Schmising-Kerssenbrock (1895 – 1992). Regina’s father was Head of the House of Saxe-Meiningen from 1941 until he died in 1946. Her mother was a second cousin of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and a great-great-granddaughter of Princess Feodora of Leiningen, half-sister of Queen Victoria. Regina’s paternal grandparents were Prince Friedrich Johann of Saxe-Meiningen and Countess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld. Her maternal grandparents were Count Alfred von Korff genannt Schmising-Kerssenbrock and Baroness Helene von Hilgers.

Regina had three elder siblings:

  • Prince Anton Ulrich of Saxe-Meiningen (1919 – 1940), unmarried, killed in action during World War II
  • Prince Friedrich Alfred of Saxe-Meiningen (1921 – 1997), unmarried, converted to Roman Catholicism, became a Carthusian monk, renounced the succession to the Head of the House of Saxe-Meiningen allowing it to pass to his uncle Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Meiningen, Head of the House of Saxe-Meiningen from 1946 – 1984
  • Princess Marie Elisabeth of Saxe-Meiningen (1922 – 1923), died in infancy

Veste Heldburg where Regina grew up; Credit – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22438074

The House of Saxe-Meiningen was Evangelical Lutheran, and Regina’s two brothers were raised in that faith. However, Regina was raised as a Roman Catholic, her mother’s faith. She grew up in the family’s ancestral castle Veste Heldburg (Heldburg Fortress), a medieval hilltop castle in Hildburghausen, the capital of the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, now a German state. After the Duchy of Saxe-Meinigen ceased to exist, in 1918, the Saxe-Meinigen family retained possession of the Veste Heldburg. In 1945, at the end of World War II, Veste Heldburg was confiscated by the Soviet occupying force and the Saxe-Meiningen family received no compensation. Hildburghausen, where Veste Heldburg was located, was part of Communist East Germany, a Soviet satellite country, from 1949 until the reunification of Germany in 1990. In 2007, Regina received forty-seven paintings from the Friedenstein Castle Foundation. The paintings had been part of her father’s collection and were part of the property confiscated without compensation.

Regina’s father Georg was a judge in Meiningen and Hildburghausen. He joined the Nazi Party in 1933. During World War II, he served as a Major in the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany. On January 6, 1946, Regina’s 21st birthday, her father 53-year-old Georg died in a Soviet prisoner-of-war camp near Cherepovets in the Soviet Union.

Having lost a son in battle and a husband in a prisoner-of-war camp, Regina’s mother Klara Marie fled with Regina from Communist East Germany to West Germany. In 1949, Regina met Otto von Habsburg in a home for Hungarian refugees in Munich, West Germany where she worked as a social worker for Caritas Internationalis, a Roman Catholic charity. Otto was the the last Crown Prince of Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia. He was the son of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria and Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma.

Regina and Otto on their wedding day

Regina and Otto were married on May 10, 1951, at the Church of Saint-François-des-Cordeliers in Nancy, France, with the blessing of Pope Pius XII. After her marriage, she was known as Regina von Habsburg. For their entire married life, the couple lived at Villa Austria in Pöcking on Lake Starnberg in Bavaria, (West) Germany.

Regina and Otto with their children in 1965

Regina and Otto had seven children:

  • Andrea von Habsburg (born 1953), married Hereditary Count Karl Eugen von Neipperg, had five children
  • Monika von Habsburg (born 1954, twin of Michaela), married Luis María Gonzaga de Casanova-Cárdenas y Barón, 5th Duke of Santangelo, had four children
  • Michaela von Habsburg (born 1954, twin of Monika), married (1) Eric Alba Teran d’Antin, had three children, divorced (2) Count Hubertus von Kageneck, divorced
  • Gabriela von Habsburg (born 1956), married Christian Meister, had three children, divorced
  • Walburga von Habsburg (born 1958), married Count Archibald Douglas, had one child
  • Karl von Habsburg (born 1961), married Baroness Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza, had three children
  • Georg von Habsburg (born 1964), married Duchess Eilika of Oldenburg, had three children

Regina and Otto in their home posing with a portrait of Otto’s father Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria

Regina’s husband Otto was politically active. He was an early supporter of a unified Europe and was president of the International Pan-European Union from 1973 to 2004. He served from 1979 until 1999 as a Member of the European Parliament for the conservative party, Christian Social Union in Bavaria and eventually became the senior member of the European Parliament. Otto strongly supported the rights of European refugees, especially the ethnic Germans displaced from Bohemia which was once part of his family’s Austro-Hungarian Empire.

On December 2, 2005, Regina had a stroke and was hospitalized. She recovered in time to attend the reburial of the remains of her mother and brother in the crypt at Veste Heldburg at the end of February 2006. In the spring of 2007, her father’s remains were also reburied at Veste Heldburg.

The funeral of Regina von Habsburg

Regina died at her home in Pöcking, Germany on February 3, 2010, at the age of 85. After lying in state in the Church of St. Ulrich in Pöcking, a requiem mass was held and her remains were temporarily interred in the crypt at Veste Heldburg with the intention of reburial in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria when Otto died.

The Crypt Chapel of the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria: Otto’s tomb is on the right side of the altar and Regina’s tomb is on the left side of the altar; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

Regina’s husband Otto survived her for only seventeen months, dying at their home in Pöcking on July 4, 2011, aged 98. Otto was given what was called “the last Emperor’s funeral.” Following a 13-day period of mourning in many countries that were once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a requiem mass was held at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria. Otto was buried in Vienna at the Capuchin Church in the Crypt Chapel of the Imperial Crypt where his mother was also buried. At the time of his burial, Otto’s wife Regina was reburied nearby.

Regina’s tomb in the Crypt Chapel of the Imperial Crypt; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2005). Regina von Saxe-Meiningen, Frau von Otto von Habsburg. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina_von_Sachsen-Meiningen
  • ‌Flantzer, Susan. Burial Site: House of Habsburg-Lorraine: Emperors of Austria. (2012). Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/austrian-imperial-burial-sites/house-of-habsburg-lorraine-emperors-of-austria/
  • ‌Flantzer, Susan. (2019). Otto von Habsburg. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/otto-von-habsburg/
  • Wheatcroft, Andrew. (1995). The Habsburgs. London: Viking.
  • ‌Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Georg, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Regina von Habsburg. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Margarete Gertrud von der Schulenburg, Illegitimate Daughter of King George I of Great Britain

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Margarete Gertrud von der Schulenburg; Credit – kleio.org

The early kings from the British House of Hanover did not publicize their illegitimate children. King George I had three illegitimate daughters with his long-term mistress Melusine von der Schulenburg before he became King of Great Britain. At the time of Anna Luise Sophie’s birth her father, the future King George I of Great Britain, was the heir of his father Ernst August, Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Prince of Calenberg. George succeeded to those titles when his father died in 1698.

Margrete Gertrud’s father King George I of Great Britain; Credit – Wikipedia

The British House of Stuart failed to provide a legitimate Protestant heir as required by the Act of Settlement of 1701. When Queen Anne of Great Britain died on August 1, 1714, George, Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Prince of Calenberg was the closest Protestant heir to the British throne. George’s mother was Sophia of the Palatinate, commonly called Electress Sophia of Hanover. Sophia was the daughter of Elizabeth Stuart, the second child and eldest daughter of King James VI of Scotland/King James I of England. Therefore, the Protestant, German-born George, Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Prince of Calenberg became King George I of Great Britain, the first monarch of the British House of Hanover, bypassing dozens of Catholics with a better hereditary claim to the British throne.

Margarete Gertrud von der Schulenburg was born on January 10, 1701, in the Electorate of Hanover, now in the German state of Lower Saxony, the daughter of the future King George I of Great Britain and his mistress Melusine von der Schulenburg. Her paternal grandparents were Ernst August, Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Sophia of the Palatinate. Her maternal grandparents were Gustavus Adolphus, Freiherr (Baron) von der Schulenburg (link in German) and his first wife Petronella Ottilie von Schwencken.

Margarete Gertrud’s mother Melusine von der Schulenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Margarete Getrud’s mother Melusine von der Schulenburg came from an old Brandenburg noble family. Her father served as a member of the Brandenburg Privy Council. Melusine’s mother died in childbirth along with her last child. In 1690, Melusine became a maid of honor to Electress Sophia of Hanover, the mother of the future King George I. A year later, Melusine became George’s mistress. In 1694, George annulled his marriage to Sophia Dorothea of Celle after she fell in love with the Swedish Count Philip Christoph von Königsmarck, an officer in the Hanoverian army. Königsmarck disappeared and it was widely believed that George ordered Königsmarck’s death. Sophia Dorothea was banished to the Castle of Ahlden in her father’s territory of the Principality of Celle now in Lower Saxony, Germany. She was not allowed to remarry, would never again see her children, and was kept as a prisoner at the Castle of Ahlden until she died in 1727. George did not marry again and Melusine remained his mistress until he died, also in 1727.

Margarete Gertrud had two full sisters:

Margarete Gertrud had two half-siblings from her father’s marriage to Sophia Dorothea of Celle:

Margarete Gertrud and her sisters Petronilla Melusina and Anna Luise Sophie were never openly acknowledged as King George I’s children. Instead, two of their mother’s sisters and their husbands officially acknowledged them. Anna Luise and Melusina were raised by Melusine’s sister Margarete Gertrud and her husband and distant cousin Friedrich Achaz von der Schulenburg. Margarete was raised by Melusine’s sister Sophie Juliane and her husband Rabe Christoph, Count (Graf) von Oeynhausen. Sometimes Margarete Gertrud is referred to as Margarete Gertrud von Oeynhausen.

In 1714, King George I made his state entry into London accompanied by his mistress Melusine von der Schulenburg, nicknamed “the Maypole” by the British because of her tall thin appearance. Melusine and their daughters lived with King George I in the royal palaces and acted as his hostess. At Kensington Palace, Melusine had a three-story apartment overlooking the gardens. Melusine became a naturalized British citizen in 1716 and in the same year was created Duchess of Munster, Countess and Marchioness of Dungannon, and Baroness of Dundalk for life. In 1719, she was further created Duchess of Kendal, Countess of Feversham, and Baroness of Glastonbury and Somerset for life.

Margarete Gertrud’s husband Albrecht Wolfgang, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe; Credit – Wikipedia

Nicknamed Trundchen, Margarete Gertrud was the favorite of her father King George I. At her father’s court, she met the future Albrecht Wolfgang, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe. Albrecht Wolfgang and his brother were educated in England because of their parents’ estrangement and eventual divorce. In 1720, Albrecht Wolfgang entered King George I’s service at court. King George I thought Albrecht Wolfgang would be a good match for Margarete Gertrud.

Before the couple married in 1721, King George I asked Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI to grant Margarete Gertrud an imperial title so her marriage to Albrecht Wolfgang would be an equal marriage. Karl VI agreed and created Margarete Gertrud Countess of Oeynhausen. It was also a political marriage. The County of Schaumburg-Lippe bordered the Electorate of Hanover, and King George I was also the Elector of Hanover. The marriage allied the County of Schaumburg-Lippe with George I thereby neutralizing any territorial expansion of the Electorate of Hanover and providing the small County of Schaumburg-Lippe protection against claims of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel. There was a clause in the marriage contract that King George I would defend the County of Schaumburg-Lippe against its enemies.

Margarete Gertrud and Albrecht Wolfgang’s son Wilhelm, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe; Credit – Wikipedia

Margarete Gertrud and Albrecht Wolfgang had two sons:

The Princely Mausoleum at the St. Martini Church; Credit –  Von Beckstet – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9678304

Twenty-five-year-old Margarete Gertrud died from tuberculosis in Mannheim, then in the Electorate of the Palatinate, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, on April 8, 1726, two years before her husband became the Sovereign Count of Schaumburg-Lippe. She was buried in the Princely Mausoleum at the St. Martini Church (links in German) in Stadthagen, then in the County of Schaumburg-Lippe, now in the German state of Lower Saxony.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2005). Graf von Schaumburg-Lippe-Bückeburg. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albrecht_Wolfgang_(Schaumburg-Lippe)
  • Beauclerk-Dewar, Peter & Powell, Roger. (2006). Right Royal Bastards – The Fruits of Passion. Burke’s Peerage & Gentry LLC.
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2015). King George I of Great Britain. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-george-i-of-great-britain/
  • ‌Flantzer, Susan. (2020). Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal, Mistress of King George I of Great Britain. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/melusine-von-der-schulenburg-duchess-of-kendal-mistress-of-king-george-i-of-great-britain/
  • Margaret Gertrude, Countess of Oeynhausen. Geni_family_tree. (2022). https://www.geni.com/people/Margaret-Gertrude-Countess-of-Oeynhausen/6000000000769944176
  • Margarete Gertrud von Oeynhausen (1701-1726) -… (2023). Findagrave.com. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/35295100/margarete_gertrud_von_oeynhausen
  • Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal. (2024, July 16). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melusine_von_der_Schulenburg
  • Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.

Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

The County of Waldeck was a county within the Holy Roman Empire since 1180.  In 1625, the much smaller County of Pyrmont became part of the much larger County of Waldeck through inheritance and the combined territory was known as the County of Waldeck-Pyrmont. In 1712,  Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Count of Waldeck-Pyrmont was elevated to Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont by Holy Emperor Karl VI.

Friedrich, the last Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont,  abdicated on November 13, 1918, and negotiated an agreement with the government that gave him and his descendants the ownership of the family home Arolsen Castle and Arolsen Forest. Today the territory that encompassed the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont is located in the German states of Hesse and Lower Saxony

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Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe was the wife of Friedrich, the last reigning Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Bathildis Marie Leopoldine Anna Auguste was born on May 21, 1873, in Ratibořice, then in the Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic. She was the sixth of the eight children and the second of the four daughters of Prince Wilhelm of Schaumburg-Lippe and Princess Bathildis of Anhalt-Dessau. Bathildis’ paternal grandparents were Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and Princess Ida of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Her maternal grandparents were Prince Friedrich August of Anhalt-Dessau and Princess Marie Luise Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel.

Bathildis had seven siblings:

Náchod Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

Bathildis’ family spent much time in the Kingdom of Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. In 1839, her grandfather Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe bought the town of Náchod, then in the Kingdom of Bohemia and Náchod Castle, and the Schaumburg-Lippe family held the town and castle until 1945.

Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 9, 1895, at Náchod Castle, 22-year-old Bathildis married 30-year-old Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont.

Bathildis and Friedrich had four children:

During World War I, Bathildis’ husband Friedrich served as a Cavalry General in the Imperial German Army. After the defeat of the German Empire in World War I and the end of all the German monarchies, Friedrich abdicated on November 13, 1918. However, he was the only German prince who refused to sign an abdication agreement. Philipp Scheidemann, the Social Democratic Mayor of Kassel, jokingly called him “Friedrich the Defiant” because of his resistance. Friedrich negotiated an agreement with the new government that gave him and his descendants the ownership of the family home Arolsen Castle and the Arolsen Forest.

Bathildis’ eldest son Josias; Credit – Wikipedia

Both Bathildis and her husband Friedrich lived through World War II. While neither joined the Nazi Party, their eldest son Josias, his wife Altburg, and their eldest child Margarethe were members of the Nazi Party. Josias joined the Nazi Party in 1929 and by 1930, he was a member of the Schutzstaffel, better known as the SS. The SS was the primary agency of security, surveillance, and terror in Nazi Germany and German-occupied Europe. In September 1930, Josias become the Adjutant and Staff Chief of Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany, and the main architect of the Holocaust. Josias rose through the ranks of the SS, eventually attaining the rank of General of the Waffen-SS, the military branch of the SS. Members of the Waffen-SS were involved in numerous atrocities. At the Nuremberg Trials (1945 – 1946), the Waffen-SS was judged to be a criminal organization because of its direct involvement in numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity.

On April 13, 1945, Josias was taken prisoner by American forces. For a period of time, Josias had supervisory authority over the Buchenwald concentration camp. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes in connection to the Buchenwald concentration camp by an American court in Dachau, Germany during the Buchenwald Trial on August 14, 1947. In 1948, Josias’ sentence was reduced to twenty years. He was released early from the Landsberg War Crimes Prison for health reasons in 1950.

Princely Mausoleum and Cemetery; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Bathildis’ husband Friedrich, the last Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont, died on May 26, 1946, at the age of 81 in Arolsen, Germany. His son Josias became Head of the House of Waldeck-Pyrmont while in custody. Bathildis survived her husband by sixteen years, dying on April 6, 1962, aged 88, in Arolsen, West Germany, now in Germany. She was buried with her husband in the Princely Cemetery at Schloss Rhoden (link in German) in Rhoden, now in the German state of Hesse.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2023. Bathildis zu Schaumburg-Lippe. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathildis_zu_Schaumburg-Lippe> [Accessed 3 November 2023].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2023. Prince William of Schaumburg-Lippe. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_William_of_Schaumburg-Lippe> [Accessed 3 November 2023].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2023. Josias, Hereditary Prince Of Waldeck And Pyrmont. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josias,_Hereditary_Prince_of_Waldeck_and_Pyrmont> [Accessed 3 November 2023].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2023. Princess Bathildis Of Schaumburg-Lippe. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Bathildis_of_Schaumburg-Lippe> [Accessed 3 November 2023].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/friedrich-prince-of-waldeck-pyrmont/> [Accessed 3 November 2023].
  • Petropoulos, Jonathan, 2009. Royals And The Reich. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Luise of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

The County of Waldeck was a county within the Holy Roman Empire since 1180.  In 1625, the much smaller County of Pyrmont became part of the much larger County of Waldeck through inheritance and the combined territory was known as the County of Waldeck-Pyrmont. In 1712,  Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Count of Waldeck-Pyrmont was elevated to Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont by Holy Emperor Karl VI.

Friedrich, the last Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont, abdicated on November 13, 1918, and negotiated an agreement with the government that gave him and his descendants the ownership of the family home Arolsen Castle and Arolsen Forest. Today the territory that encompassed the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont is located in the German states of Hesse and Lower Saxony

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Luise of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont; Credit – Wikipedia

The second wife of Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Princess Luise of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg was born on January 6, 1858, at Schloss Luisenlund in Kiel, Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Named Luise Karoline Juliane, she was the third of the three children and the second of the three daughters of Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and Princess Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe. Luise’s paternal grandparents were Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and Princess Luise Karoline of Hesse-Kassel. Her maternal grandparents were Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and Princess Ida of Waldeck and Pyrmont.

Luise had four siblings:

Luise’s husband Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont; Credit – Wikipedia

Helena of Nassau, the first wife of Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, had been in poor health for the last decade of her life, and died on October 28, 1888, aged 57. On April 29, 1891, at Schloss Luisenlund in Güby, Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, 60-year-old Georg Viktor married 33-year-old Luise of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.

Luise became the stepmother to Georg Viktor’s five surviving children. Her eldest stepchild was three years older than Luise, the youngest was fifteen years younger.

Luise and Georg Viktor had one son Prince Wolrad of Waldeck and Pyrmont, born on June 26, 1892, in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse. Through his half-sister Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Wolrad was the uncle of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, the reigning monarch during World War I. He was also the uncle of Charles Edward, the reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha during World War I, and Princess Alice of Albany through his half-sister Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont who had married Prince, Leopold, Duke of Albany, the youngest son of Queen Victoria.

A year after the birth of his son Wolrad, Georg Viktor, aged 62, died from pneumonia on May 12, 1893, in the spa town Marienbad, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic. He was buried with his first wife Helena in the Princely Cemetery at Schloss Rhoden (link in German) in Rhoden, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse.

Luise’s son Prince Wolrad of Waldeck and Pyrmont; Credit – Wikipedia

Because he showed little interest in his studies, Wolrad was directed toward a military career. He became a Lieutenant in the Dragoon Regiment of the Grand Ducal Hessian Division of the Imperial German Army. During World War I, he fought during the early battles, the Battle of the Frontiers (August 7 – September 6, 1914) and the First Battle of the Marne (September 6 – September 12, 1914). On the evening of October 17, 1914, two months after the start of World War I, Prince Wolrad led a cavalry patrol near Moorslede, Belgium. The patrol came under fire from the advancing British troops. Several of the dragoons were hit and fell off their horses and Prince Wolrad’s horse was also hit. The prince and his aide reached a nearby trench, but then Prince Wolrad saw one of his men lying injured a short distance from the trench. The prince crawled to the wounded man and tried to pull him to safety, but was fatally hit by gunfire and died from his wounds at the age of 22.

Luise of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont, 1907; Credit – Wikipedia

Luise survived her husband by 43 years, dying on July 2, 1936, aged 78, in Marburg an der Lahn, Germany. She was buried with her husband Georg Viktor, their son Wolrad, and her husband’s first wife Helena of Nassau in the Princely Cemetery at Schloss Rhoden (link in German) in Rhoden, Hesse, Germany.

Princely Mausoleum and Cemetery at Schloss Rhoden; Credit – www.findagrave.com

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2021). Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/georg-viktor-prince-of-waldeck-and-pyrmont/
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2021). Prince Wolrad of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/prince-wolrad-of-waldeck-pyrmont/
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich,_Duke_of_Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Gl%C3%BCcksburg
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Princess Louise of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Louise_of_Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Gl%C3%BCcksburg

Auguste of Anhalt-Dessau, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Auguste of Anhalt-Dessau, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen: The County of Schwarzburg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1195 to 1595, when it was partitioned into Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The new counties remained in the Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution. In 1697, the County of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The County of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in 1710.

The death of Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen without an heir in 1909 caused the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen to be united under Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in a personal union. Following his succession in Sondershausen, Prince Günther Victor dropped the name Rudolstadt from his title and assumed the title Prince of Schwarzburg.

At the end of World War I, Prince Günther Victor was the last German prince to renounce his throne, abdicating on November 22, 1918. He made an agreement with the government that awarded him an annual pension and the right to use several of the family residences. The territory that encompassed the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen is now located in the German state of Thuringia.

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The first wife of the three wives of Friedrich Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Princess Auguste of Anhalt-Dessau was born on August 18, 1793, in Dessau, then in the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. She was given the names Amalie Auguste but was called Auguste. Auguste was the eldest of the seven children and the elder of the two daughters of Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, and Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Homburg. Her paternal grandparents were Leopold III, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau and Princess Luise of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Auguste’s maternal grandparents were Friedrich V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg, and Princess Karoline of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Auguste, on the right, with her mother and her siblings Leopold and Georg; Credit – Wikipedia

Auguste had six younger siblings:

Kavalierstrasse in Dessau with the Hereditary Prince’s Palace on the left; Credit – Wikipedia

Auguste grew up with her family at the Hereditary Prince’s Palace on Kavalierstrasse in Dessau. Her mother Amalie personally and thoroughly took care of the upbringing and education of her children.

Friedrich Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 15, 1816, in her hometown of Dessau, 23-year-old Auguste married her first cousin Friedrich Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, who was also 23 years old. Friedrich Günther was the son of Ludwig Friedrich II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Auguste’s maternal aunt Landgravine Karoline of Hesse-Homburg. When his father died in 1807, 14-year-old Friedrich Günther became the reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt with his mother Karoline serving as Regent of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt until he came of age in 1814.

Auguste and Friedrich Günther had three sons. All three predeceased their father, leaving Friedrich Günther with no male heirs.

  • Friedrich Günther, Hereditary Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1818 – 1821), died in early childhood
  • Günther of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Hereditary Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1821 – 1845), unmarried, died in his 20s
  • Prince Gustav of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1828 – 1837), died in childhood

Auguste was popular with the people of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and was a supporter of the arts and sciences. She died, aged 60, on June 12, 1854, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia, and was buried in the Alter Friedhof/Garnisonfriedhof (Old Cemetery/Garrison Cemetery) in Rudolstadt. When that cemetery was closed sometime after 1869, Auguste’s remains were moved to the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg (link in German), the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle in Schwarzburg, now in the German state of Thuringia. Her remains were moved a second time to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas (link in German) in Rudolstadt, Thuringia, Germany before the demolition of the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg in the early 1940s.

Stadtkirche St. Andreas; Credit – Wikipedia

A year after Auguste’s death Friedrich Günther married Countess Helene of Reina (1835 – 1860). Helene was the daughter of Auguste’s brother Prince Georg of Anhalt-Dessau from his morganatic, second marriage. Although Helene was adopted by her paternal uncle Prince Wilhelm of Anhalt shortly before her marriage and assumed the title of Princess of Anhalt, her marriage to Friedrich Günther was considered morganatic under the House Laws of the Schwarzburg family. They had a set of twins, one boy and one girl, but Helene, aged 25, died three days after their birth. Friedrich Günther married for a third time to Marie Schultze (1840 – 1909) in 1861, but the marriage was also morganatic and was childless. Friedrich Günther survived his first wife Auguste by thirteen years, dying on June 28, 1867, at the age of 73. Friedrich Günther was succeeded by his brother Albrecht as all of his sons by Auguste had predeceased him and his son by his second wife was born from a morganatic marriage.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2022). Friedrich Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/friedrich-gunther-prince-of-schwarzburg-rudolstadt/
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Amalie von Hessen-Homburg. Wikipedia (German). https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalie_von_Hessen-Homburg
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Auguste von Anhalt-Dessau. Wikipedia (German). https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_von_Anhalt-Dessau
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2022). Friedrich von Anhalt-Dessau. Wikipedia (German). https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_von_Anhalt-Dessau
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2022). Auguste of Anhalt-Dessau. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_of_Anhalt-Dessau
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Erbprinzliches Palais Dessau. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erbprinzliches_Palais_Dessau

Bernardina Christina of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen: The County of Schwarzburg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1195 to 1595, when it was partitioned into Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The new counties remained in the Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution. In 1697, the County of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The County of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was elevated to the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in 1710.

The death of Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen without an heir in 1909 caused the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen to be united under Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in a personal union. Following his succession in Sondershausen, Prince Günther Victor dropped the name Rudolstadt from his title and assumed the title Prince of Schwarzburg.

At the end of World War I, Prince Günther Victor was the last German prince to renounce his throne, abdicating on November 22, 1918. He made an agreement with the government that awarded him an annual pension and the right to use several of the family residences. The territory that encompassed the Principalities of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen is now located in the German state of Thuringia.

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Bernardina Christina of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

Bernardina Christina of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was the wife of Johann Friedrich, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt who reigned 1744 – 1767. Born on May 5, 1724, in Weimar, then in the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in the German state of Thuringia, Bernardina Christina was the seventh of the eight children and the youngest of the four daughters of Ernst August I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and his first wife Eleonore Wilhelmine of Anhalt-Köthen. Bernardian Christina’s paternal grandparents were Johann Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Weimar and his first wife Sophie Auguste of Anhalt-Zerbst. Her maternal grandparents were Prince Emmanuel Lebrecht of Anhalt-Köthen and Gisela Agnes of Rath, Countess of Nienburg.

Bernardina Christina had seven siblings but only Bernardina and two sisters survived childhood:

  • Wilhelm Ernst, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1717 – 1719), died in early childhood
  • Princess Wilhelmine of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1717 – 1752), twin of Wilhelm Ernst, unmarried
  • Johann Wilhelm, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1719 – 1732), died in his teens
  • Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1720 – 1724), died in childhood
  • Princess Johanna of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1721 – 1722), died in infancy
  • Princess Ernestine Albertine of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1722 – 1769), married (first wife) Philipp, Count of Lippe-Alverdissen, had four children
  • Prince Emmanuel Frederick of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1725 – 1729), died in childhood

In 1726, when Bernardina Christina was only two years old, her 30-year-old mother died. Bernardina Christina’s father was deeply affected by his wife’s death. Ernst August I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach decided to not marry again, choosing to live quietly with his mistresses. However, in 1732, Ernst August’s only surviving son Johann Wilhelm, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach died and it became necessary for Ernst August to marry again to provide an heir to his throne.

On April 7, 1734, 10-year-old Bernardina Christina got a stepmother when her father married Sophie Charlotte of Brandenburg-Bayreuth. Bernardina Christina had four half-siblings from her father’s second marriage:

Bernardina Christina’s husband Johann Friedrich, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 19, 1744, in Eisenach, then in the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in the German state of Thuringia, 20-year-old Bernardina Christina married 23-year-old Johann Friedrich, who had become the reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt just two months earlier.

Bernadina Christina and Johann Friedrich had six children but only two daughters survived childhood:

Bernadina Christina was active in charitable causes. In 1756, she founded the Bernardina Abbey for noblewomen in Rudolstadt. However, she did not live to see the inauguration of the abbey in 1757. On June 5, 1757, aged 33, Bernadina Christina died in Rudolstadt, then in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia. She was buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg (link in German), the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle (link in German) in Schwarzburg, now in the German state of Thuringia.

Stadtkirche St. Andreas where Bernadina Christina and her husband are buried; Credit – Von Michael Sander – Selbst fotografiert, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=543007

Bernadina Christina was deeply mourned by her husband Johann Friedrich, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, who never remarried. Johann Friedrich survived his wife by ten years, dying at the age of 46 on July 10, 1767, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in Thuringia, Germany. He was buried with his wife at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg. In the early 1940s, the remains of Johann Friedrich and Bernardina Christina were transferred to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas (link in German) in Rudolstadt before the demolition of the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2023. Johann Friedrich (Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Friedrich_(Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt)> [Accessed 13 October 2023].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2023. Ernest Augustus I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Augustus_I,_Duke_of_Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach> [Accessed 13 October 2023].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2023. John Frederick, Prince Of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Frederick,_Prince_of_Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt> [Accessed 13 October 2023].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2023. Princess Bernardina Christina Sophia Of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Bernardina_Christina_Sophia_of_Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach> [Accessed 13 October 2023].
  • Flantzer, Susan,2020. Johann Friedrich, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/johann-friedrich-prince-of-schwarzburg-rudolstadt/ [Accessed 13 October 2023].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Royal Burial Sites Of The Principality Of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-principality-of-schwarzburg-rudolstadt/> [Accessed 13 October 2023].

Auguste of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2023

The County of Waldeck was a county within the Holy Roman Empire since 1180.  In 1625, the much smaller County of Pyrmont became part of the much larger County of Waldeck through inheritance and the combined territory was known as the County of Waldeck-Pyrmont. In 1712,  Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Count of Waldeck-Pyrmont was elevated to Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont by Holy Emperor Karl VI.

Friedrich, the last Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont,  abdicated on November 13, 1918, and negotiated an agreement with the government that gave him and his descendants the ownership of the family home Arolsen Castle and Arolsen Forest. Today the territory that encompassed the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont is located in the German states of Hesse and Lower Saxony

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Auguste of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont; Credit- Wikipedia

The wife of Georg I, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Princess Auguste of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (Albertine Charlotte Auguste) was born on February 1, 1768, Sondershausen, Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, now in the German state of Thuringia. She was the third of the six children and the second of the three daughters of Prince August of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1738 – 1806), the grandson of Christian Wilhelm I, a reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, and Princess Christine of Anhalt-Bernburg. Auguste’s paternal grandparents were Prince August of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1691 – 1750) and Princess Charlotte Sophie of Anhalt-Bernburg. Her maternal grandparents were Viktor Friedrich, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg and Princess Albertine of Brandenburg-Schwedt.

Auguste had five siblings:

  • Prince Friedrich of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1763 – 1791), married his first cousin Catarina of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, had one daughter
  • Princess Katharina of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1764 – 1775), died in childhood
  • Prince Wilhelm of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1770 – 1807), unmarried
  • Prince Alexius of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1773 – 1777), died in childhood
  • Princess Friederike of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (1774 – 1806), married Friedrich Karl of Sayn-Wittgenstein and had three children

Auguste’s husband Georg of Waldeck and Pyrmont; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 12, 1784, at Otterwisch Castle in Otterwisch, Electorate of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony, sixteen-year-old Auguste married 37-year-old Prince Georg of Waldeck-Pyrmont, the son of Karl August, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont and Christiane Henriette of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld. Georg was the heir of his unmarried brother Friedrich Karl August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont who reigned 1763 – 1812.

Georg and Augusta had thirteen children. Seven of their children died either in childhood or in their early twenties:

  • Christiane of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1787 – 1806), Abbess of Schaaken, died at age 19
  • Karl of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1788 – 1795), died in childhood
  • Georg II, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1789 – 1845), married Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, had five children
  • Friedrich of Waldecka and Pyrmont (1790 – 1828), morganatically married Ursula Polle who was created Countess of Waldeck, had four children
  • Christian of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1792 – 1795), died in early childhood
  • Augusta of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1793 – 1794), died in infancy
  • Johann of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1794 – 1814), died at age 20
  • Ida of Waldeckaamd Pyrmont (1796 – 1869), married Georg Wilhelm Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, had nine children
  • Wolrad of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1798 – 1821), died at age 23
  • Mathilde of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1801 – 1825), married Eugen of Württemberg, had three children, died during her fourth pregnancy
  • Karl Christian of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1803 – 1846), married Amalie of Lippe-Biesterfeld, had one child
  • Karoline Christiane of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1804 – 1806), died in early childhood
  • Hermann of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1809 – 1876), married Agnes Teleki de Szék, had no children

Auguste in old age; Credit – www.geni.com

On September 24, 1812, upon the death of his childless elder brother Friedrich Karl August, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont, Auguste’s husband 65-year-old Georg succeeded him as Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Georg had a short reign, dying on September 9, 1813. He was buried in the Princely Mausoleum at Schloss Rhoden (link in German) in Rhoden, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse. Auguste survived her husband by thirty-six years, dying on December 26, 1849, aged 81, in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse. She was buried with her husband in the Princely Mausoleum at Schloss Rhoden.

Princely Mausoleum (on the right) and Cemetery; Credit – www.findagrave.com

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • August von Schwartzburg-Sondershausen. geni_family_tree. (2021). https://www.geni.com/people/August-von-Schwartzburg-Sondershausen/6000000094312734890
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2021). Georg I, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/georg-i-prince-of-waldeck-and-pyrmont/
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Princess Augusta of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Augusta_of_Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
  • Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Авґуста Шварцбург-Зондерсгаузенська (Augusta of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen). Wikipedia (Ukrainian). https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D0%B2%D2%91%D1%83%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0_%D0%A8%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%86%D0%B1%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B3-%D0%97%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%81%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%83%D0%B7%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%B0