Category Archives: German Royals

Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Zweibrücken

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Zweibrücken; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt (Marie Augusta Wilhelmine) was the first wife of the future Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria. She died before her husband became King of Bavaria but she did give birth to his heir. Born on April 14, 1765, in Darmstadt in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, now in Hesse, Germany, Augusta Wilhelmine was the ninth of the nine children and the fourth of the four daughters of Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hesse-Darmstadt, the second son of Ludwig VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, and Countess Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg.

Augusta Wilhelmine had eight older siblings:

Augusta Wilhelmine’s husband Maximilian Joseph; Credit – Wikipedia

Augusta Wilhelmine married Count Palatine Maximilian Joseph von Zweibrücken, the future King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, on September 30, 1785, in Darmstadt, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt now in Hesse, Germany. Maximilian Joseph was a member of the House of Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Zweibrücken, a branch of the House of Wittelsbach. He was the son of the Count Palatine Friedrich Michael of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld and Maria Francisca of Sulzbach.

Augusta Wilhelmine and Maximilian Joseph had five children:

Augusta Wilhelmina with her two eldest children Ludwig and Augusta; Credit – Wikipedia

The family mainly lived in Strasbourg, France where Maximilian Joseph was stationed with the French army, attaining the rank of Major General. The couple often visited Paris where Augusta Wilhelmine met Queen Marie Antoinette of France. Afterward, the two corresponded with each other. After the outbreak of the French Revolution, Maximilian Joseph joined the Austrian Army.

In 1789, Maximilian Joseph’s regiment revolted and the family fled to Augusta Wilhelmine’s parents in Darmstadt. The family then settled near the town of Mannheim, then in the Palatinate, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, which belonged to Maximilian Joseph’s family. In December 1794, the French army attacked Mannheim and the family home was attacked by French artillery. Once again the family had to flee.

In 1795, upon the death of his brother Karl II August, Duke of Zweibrücken, Maximilian Joseph succeeded him as Duke of Zweibrücken. However, at that time the Duchy of Zweibrücken was entirely occupied by the French.

On March 30, 1796, 31-year-old Augusta Wilhelmine, weakened from five pregnancies and the travails of war, died from pulmonary tuberculosis at Schloss Rohrbach (link in German) near Heidelberg, then in the Palatinate, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. She was buried in the Stadtkirche (City Church) Darmstadt in Darmstadt, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, now in Hesse, Germany.

In 1797, Augusta Wilhelmine’s widower Maximilian Joseph married for a second time, to Princess Caroline of Baden, and had seven more children.  Maximilian Joseph became the first King of Bavaria on January 1, 1806.

Interior of the Stadtkirche Darmstadt where Augusta Wilhelmine is interred; Credit – CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=788614

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.

Bavaria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2019). Auguste Wilhelmine von Hessen-Darmstadt. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Wilhelmine_von_Hessen-Darmstadt [Accessed 18 Jul. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Princess Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Augusta_Wilhelmine_of_Hesse-Darmstadt [Accessed 18 Jul. 2019].
  • Mehl, S. (2019). Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/maximilian-i-joseph-king-of-bavaria/ [Accessed 18 Jul. 2019].
  • Nl.wikipedia.org. (2019). Augusta Wilhelmina van Hessen-Darmstadt. [online] Available at: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusta_Wilhelmina_van_Hessen-Darmstadt [Accessed 18 Jul. 2019].

 

Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel was the husband of Princess Mary of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain. He became famous during the American Revolution as a supplier of thousands of Hessian soldiers who fought on behalf of the British.

Born on August 14, 1720, in Kassel in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in Hesse, Germany, Friedrich was the eldest surviving son of Wilhelm VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and his wife Dorothea Wilhelmine of Saxe-Zeitz. His paternal uncle was King Fredrik I of Sweden.

Friedrich had two siblings:

In 1725, when Friedrich was five years old, his mother became mentally ill and never again appeared at court. Friedrich was first educated by Colonel August Moritz von Donop and then by the Swiss theologian and philosopher Jean-Pierre de Crousaz.

Princess Mary of Great Britain, Friedrich’s first wife; Credit – By Johann Heinrich Tischbein – Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74554565

In 1740, a marriage was arranged for the 20-year-old Friedrich with 17-year-old Princess Mary of Great Britain, a daughter of King George II of Great Britain and his wife Caroline of Ansbach. A proxy marriage, with Mary’s brother Prince William, Duke of Cumberland standing in for the groom, was held on May 19, 1740, in the Chapel Royal of St. James’ Palace in London, England. Mary left England in June and married Friedrich in person on June 28, 1740.

Mary and Friedrich had four sons:


Friedrich and Mary’s sons: Wilhelm, Karl, and Friedrich; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich and his wife Mary are ancestors of the current British royal family through their fourth son Prince Friedrich. Prince Friedrich’s daughter Augusta was the grandmother of Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, better known as Queen Mary, the wife of King George V of the United Kingdom. Through their third son Prince Karl, Friedrich and Mary are great-grandparents of King Christian IX of Denmark. Through King Christian IX, Friedrich and Mary are ancestors of six of the ten current European royal families: Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Friedrich and Mary’s marriage was not happy and Friedrich was cruel and abusive. After the birth of their fourth son, Friedrich left Mary and their sons. Eventually, Friedrich sent her a letter saying that before they had married, he had been in love with a Catholic woman he had wanted to marry. However, she would not agree to marry Friedrich unless he converted to Catholicism which he refused to do, fearing the reaction of his family and future subjects. Shortly before the birth of his fourth son, Friedrich received word that his former love was dying and he went to see her. She asked him to convert to Catholicism so their souls could be reunited in heaven and Friedrich agreed to do so. In February 1749, Friedrich visited the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne Clemens August of Bavaria who received him into the Roman Catholic Church. Furious, Mary’s father King George II ordered his daughter back to England but she refused, saying that it was her duty to remain in the place that God had placed her and that she would ensure her sons would be brought up Protestant.

By 1754, it became obvious to Friedrich’s father Wilhelm VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, that the marriage of his son and Mary was irretrievably broken and he agreed that his daughter-in-law and grandchildren should live with him. In 1755, Mary and Friedrich officially separated but Mary refused a divorce to deprive her husband of the opportunity to remarry. Friedrich’s father ordered him to leave the Protestant religion untouched in Hesse-Kassel and gave his eldest grandson the County of Hanau-Münzenberg, under the regency of Mary. Friedrich never saw his wife again and did not see his children until 1782.

Friedrich’s second wife Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1760, Wilhelm VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel died and Friedrich became Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. As there had been no divorce, Mary was then Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel. When Mary died in 1772, Friedrich was finally free to marry again. On January 10, 1773, Friedrich married Margravine Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt, who was twenty-five years younger than her husband. Philippine was the daughter of Margrave Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg-Schwedt and his wife Princess Sophia Dorothea of Prussia. Wilhelm and Philippine had no children but eventually, Philippine reconciled her husband with his children from his first marriage, from whom he had been estranged since 1754.

Hessian soldiers; Credit – Wikipedia

At that time, it was the usual practice for smaller principalities to rent out their soldiers to other countries, and Friedrich was no exception. He rented out so many soldiers to his first wife’s nephew King George III of Great Britain for use during the American Revolution, that “Hessian” became an American term for all German soldiers used by the British during the American Revolution. With the income received from hiring out his soldiers, Friedrich became one of the richest rulers in Germany. With this revenue, he became a patron of the arts and sciences and hired architect Simon Louis du Ry to transform the town of Kassel into a modern capital city.

On October 31, 1785, Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel died suddenly from a stroke at the age of 65 at Castle Wessenstein (now known as Castle Wilhelmshöhe) in Kassel in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in Hesse, Germany. He left behind a developed economy and a full treasury for his son and successor, Wilhelm IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. Friedrich was buried at the Roman Catholic Church of St. Elisabeth (link in German) in Kassel which was built on Friedrich’s order by architect Simon Louis du Ry between 1770 and 1777. The original church was destroyed during World War II and rebuilt after the war. Friedrich’s remains were reinterred in the new church in a new tomb. He is the only Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel not buried in the Protestant Martinskirche (St. Martin’s Church) (link in German) in Kassel.

Tomb of Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel; Credit – By FriedrichII-hessen-kassel-grab-elisabethkirche.jpg: ChristosVderivative work: Rabanus Flavus – This file was derived from: FriedrichII-hessen-kassel-grab-elisabethkirche.jpg:, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23414512

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. (2019). Friedrich II. (Hessen-Kassel). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_II._(Hessen-Kassel) [Accessed 17 Jul. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_II,_Landgrave_of_Hesse-Kassel [Accessed 17 Jul. 2019].
  • Flantzer, S. (2019). Princess Mary of Great Britain, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-mary-of-great-britain-landgravine-of-hesse-kassel/ [Accessed 17 Jul. 2019].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. (2019). Фридрих II (ландграф Гессен-Касселя). [online] Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A4%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%85_II_(%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%84_%D0%93%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BD-%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8F) [Accessed 17 Jul. 2019].
  • Van der Kiste, J. (2013). King George II and Queen Caroline. New York: The History Press.
    Van Der Kiste, John. The Georgian Princesses. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing, 2000. Print.
    Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Princess Mary of Great Britain, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Princess Mary of Great Britain, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel; Credit – WIkipedia

On March 5, 1723, Princess Mary of Great Britain was born at Leicester House, Leicester Square in London, England. She was the seventh of the eight children and the fourth of the five daughters of King George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach, then the Prince and Princess of Wales. At the time of her birth, her grandfather King George I sat upon the throne of Great Britain. When Mary was four-years-old, her grandfather died and her father succeeded him. The next year the family moved to St. James’ Palace in London.

Mary had six older siblings and one younger sibling:

Mary’s husband Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1740, when Mary was 17 years old, a marriage was arranged for her with 20-year-old Friedrich II, the future Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. Friedrich was the son of Wilhelm VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Dorothea Wilhelmine of Saxe-Zeitz. As Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, Friedrich became famous during the American Revolution as a supplier of thousands of Hessian soldiers who fought on behalf of the British.  A proxy marriage, with Mary’s brother William standing in for the groom, was held on May 19, 1740, in the Chapel Royal of St. James’ Palace. Mary left England In June and married Friedrich in person on June 28, 1740.

Mary and Friedrich had four sons:

Mary and her husband Friedrich are ancestors of the current British royal family through their fourth son Prince Friedrich. Prince Friedrich’s daughter Augusta was the grandmother of Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, better known as Queen Mary, the wife of King George V of the United Kingdom. Through their third son Prince Karl, Mary and her husband Friedrich are great-grandparents of King Christian IX of Denmark, as are Mary’s younger sister Louisa and her husband King Frederik V of Denmark. Through this line, Mary and Friedrich (along with her sister Louisa and Frederik V of Denmark) are ancestors of six of the ten current European royal families: Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Mary in 1762; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary’s marriage was not a happy one and Friedrich was cruel and abusive. After the birth of their fourth son, Friedrich left Mary and their sons. Eventually, Friedrich sent her a letter saying he was in love with a Catholic woman and wanted to marry her. However, she would not agree to marry Friedrich unless he converted to Catholicism which he refused to do, fearing the reaction of his family and future subjects.  Shortly before the birth of his fourth son, Friedrich received word that his former love was dying and he went to see her. She asked him to convert to Catholicism so their souls could be reunited in heaven and Friedrich agreed to do so.  In February 1749, Friedrich visited the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne, Clemens August of Bavaria, who received him into the Roman Catholic Church. Furious, Mary’s father King George II ordered his daughter back to England but she refused, saying that it was her duty to remain in the place that God had placed her and that she would ensure her sons would be brought up Protestant.

By 1754, it became obvious to Friedrich’s father Wilhelm VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, that the marriage of his son and Mary was irretrievably broken and he took in his daughter-in-law and grandchildren to live with him. Mary and Friedrich officially separated in 1755 but Mary refused a divorce to deprive her husband of the opportunity to remarry.  Friedrich’s father ordered him to leave the Protestant religion untouched in Hesse-Kassel and gave his eldest grandson the County of Hanau-Münzenberg, under the regency of Mary.  Friedrich never saw his wife again and did not see his children until 1782.

In 1756, Mary went to Denmark to take care of the children of her younger sister Louisa who had died a few years earlier. Mary’s sons grew up in the Danish royal court and two sons married Danish princesses. In 1760, Wilhelm VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel died and his son and Mary’s husband became Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. As there was no divorce, Mary was then Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel.


Mary’s sons: Wilhelm, Karl, and Friedrich; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1785, Mary’s oldest surviving son Wilhelm returned to Hesse-Kassel when his father died to succeed him as Wilhelm IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. He later became Wilhelm I, Prince-Elector of Hesse. Karl became a Field Marshal in the Danish Army and was royal governor of the Danish duchies of Schleswig and Holstein from 1769 to 1836. Friedrich also served in the Danish Army. In 1781, he bought Rumpenheim Castle (link in German) from his brother Karl and it became his family’s seat. Mary had spent her last years living there.

Mary died on January 14, 1772, in Hanau, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in Hesse, Germany, at the age of 48. She was buried at the Marienkirche (link in German) in Hanau. Originally a Roman Catholic church built in the 1300s dedicated to Mary Magdalene, it was renamed the High German Reformed Church after the Reformation. In 1818, Mary’s son Wilhelm, now Prince-Elector of Hesse, decreed that the church should be renamed Marienkirche, St. Mary’s Church, in honor of his mother.

Tomb of Mary of Great Britain, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel; Credit – Wikipedia

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

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_II,_Landgrave_of_Hesse-Kassel [Accessed 17 Jul. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Princess Mary of Great Britain. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Mary_of_Great_Britain [Accessed 17 Jul. 2019].
  • Van der Kiste, J. (2013). King George II and Queen Caroline. New York: The History Press.
  • Van Der Kiste, John. The Georgian Princesses. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing, 2000. Print.
  • Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Prince Adalbert of Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Prince Adalbert of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Adalbert Ferdinand Bergengar Viktor of Prussia was the third son of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia and Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein. He was born at the Marble Palace in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, on July 14, 1884. Adalbert had six siblings:

Adalbert and his brothers lived at the Princes’ House at Plön Castle. They received a strict military education and also studied agriculture on nearby Princes’ Island. In 1894, he entered the Imperial Navy and attended the Naval Academy in Kiel. Following his training, he made several trips abroad, representing his father, and continued his military career.

Adalbert and Adelheid, c1914. source: Wikipedia

On August 3, 1914, in Wilhelmshaven, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Lower Saxony, Adalbert married Princess Adelheid of Saxe-Meiningen. She was the daughter of Prince Friedrich Johann of Saxe-Meiningen and Countess Adelheid of Lippe-Biesterfeld. The couple had three children:

  • Princess Victoria Marina (1915) – died at birth
  • Princess Victoria Marina (1917-1981) – married Kirby Patterson, had issue
  • Prince Wilhelm Viktor (1919-1989) – married Marie Antoinette, Countess of Hoyos, had issue

During World War I, Adalbert served in the Prussian Navy, eventually taking command of the SMS Dresden in 1917 until the end of the war. He also served as a Major in the Prussian Army, with the 1st Regiment Foot Guards. During this time, his family remained living in Kiel. Following the end of the monarchy in November 1918, Adalbert left his family in Kiel and initially took refuge on his yacht. He soon moved to Bad Homburg, Germany where he purchased Villa Adelheidswert and was joined by his wife Adelheid and children. Adalbert and Adelheid often traveled to Switzerland due to her health and they eventually settled there permanently in 1928. Adopting the names Count and Countess von Lingen, they lived a very quiet and private life and took no part in German politics.

At the age of 64, Prince Adalbert died on September 22, 1948, in La-Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland. He is buried in the Vassin Cemetery in the same town, alongside his wife who survived him by nearly 23 years.

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.

Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Wilhelm Eitel Friedrich Christian Karl of Prussia (known as Eitel Friedrich or Eitel Fritz) was the second son of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia and his first wife Auguste Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. He was born at the Marble Palace in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, on July 7, 1883.

Eitel Friedrich had six siblings:

From 1896, Friedrich Eitel lived and studied at the Prince’s House on the grounds of Plön Castle along with his brothers. He was later a member of the Corps Borussia Bonn, the corps of the House of Hohenzollern. At the beginning of World War I, he served on the front line, commanding the First Foot Guards. From 1915 to 1918, he led the 1st Division of Guards on both the Western and Eastern fronts. Friedrich Eitel was highly decorated for his leadership and valor and received the Iron Cross and the Prussian Order of Merit, Prussia’s highest award for valor.

Eitel Friedrich and Sophie Charlotte. source: Wikipedia

On February 27, 1906, in Berlin, Eitel Friedrich married Duchess Sophie Charlotte of Oldenburg. She was the daughter of Friedrich August II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg and Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia. The couple first met in June 1905 at the wedding of Eitel’s elder brother Crown Prince Wilhelm and Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and met again later that month. They became engaged in the fall of 1905. Following the wedding, the couple resided at Villa Ingenheim (link in German) in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, and had no children.

The marriage was never happy because Eitel Friedrich was continually unfaithful, and Sophie found it difficult to make friends in her new home. While he was off fighting during World War I, Sophie lived primarily at the Bellevue Palace in Berlin. In 1922, several newspapers published allegations of infidelity against Sophie. She was summoned as a witness in a divorce case and admitted having had an affair with the gentleman involved. Eitel Friedrich filed for divorce, and the couple was formally divorced on October 20, 1926.

Villa Ingenheim. photo: Von karstenknuth – Eigenes Werk, Attribution, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23295620

After the war and the end of the German Empire, Eitel Friedrich remained active in monarchist circles and supported the Stahlhelm paramilitary organization. In 1921, he was found guilty of a fraudulent transfer of 300,000 marks abroad and was fined 5,000 marks. He was later one of the founders of the Harzburg Front, a radical right-wing alliance formed to present unified opposition to the government of Chancellor Heinrich Brüning. However, he was an outspoken opponent of Adolf Hitler.

Prince Eitel Friedrich died at Villa Ingenheim in Potsdam, Germany on December 8, 1942. The Nazi regime refused to allow him any military honors at his funeral and forbade anyone attending the funeral to wear their uniforms. Despite this, many of his former military comrades, all in civilian clothes, attended his funeral. Eitel Friedrich is buried in the Antique Temple in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, Germany.

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.

Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, German Crown Princess

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, German Crown Princess; Credit – Wikipedia

Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was the wife of Wilhelm, German Crown Prince. She was born in Schwerin, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, on September 20, 1886, to Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia.

Cecilie had two older siblings:

Crown Prince Wilhelm. source: Wikipedia

During the wedding celebrations of her brother Friedrich Franz in June 1904, Cecilie got to know Crown Prince Wilhelm who was representing his father Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia. On September  4, 1904, Cecilie and Wilhelm celebrated their engagement at the Mecklenburg-Schwerin hunting lodge. Cecilie married Crown Prince Wilhelm in ceremonies held on June 6, 1905, in the Royal Chapel of the Berlin Palace and the Berlin Cathedral in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany.

They had six children:

Cecilienthof – court of honor. photo: By Gryffindor, panorama made by Digon – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2180563

Following their marriage, the couple made their home at the Marble Palace in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany, for the summers, and the Crown Prince’s Palace in Berlin for the winters and court season. Years later they had Cecilienhof built in the New Garden in Potsdam, near the Marble Palace. Construction was completed in 1917 and the family moved in right away. Although seemingly happy at first, the couple soon began to have difficulties. Wilhelm was a perpetual womanizer and made little attempt to keep any of his affairs quiet. He would often boast to Cecilie of his escapades, once even bringing her to the point of considering suicide. Despite this, their family continued to grow with the birth of their six children.

As Crown Princess, Cecilie was immensely popular and took on charity work. She particularly enjoyed working with organizations that promoted and provided education for women. She traveled extensively, including a visit to the United Kingdom in 1911 to attend the coronation of King George V of the United Kingdom. A friendship developed between Cecilie and King George V’s wife Queen Mary, and the two maintained a correspondence until Mary died in 1953. When the German Empire fell in 1918, Cecilie’s husband and father-in-law went into exile in the Netherlands. Cecilie first left Cecilienhof for the safety of the Neues Palais with her mother-in-law but was soon given permission to return to her home, and ensured of her safety. However, her husband was not permitted into the country at that time.

Oels Castle in Silesia. photo: By Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova – Praca własna, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27187345

The family managed to retain numerous personal properties, including Oels Castle in Silesia, where she met her husband in November 1923 after five years of separation. By then, it was a marriage “in name only”. In 1926, a settlement was reached between the German State and the former royal family. Cecilienhof became the property of the state but Cecilie and Wilhelm were given the right of residence for three generations. Cecilie based herself at Cecilienhof and stayed active in charitable organizations such as the Queen Luise Fund, the Fatherland’s Women Union, and the Ladies of the Order of St. John. All of these were later abolished in 1933 by Adolf Hitler.

Cecilie continued to live a private life at Cecilienhof in the years leading up to World War II. In May 1938, her son Ludwig Ferdinand married Grand Duchess Kira, the daughter of the pretender to the Russian throne, at Cecilienhof. This would be the last big family occasion before the war. In the midst of the war, her father-in-law died in 1941 and her husband became head of the House of Hohenzollern. The family spent most of their time at Oels Castle but returned to Potsdam in 1944 to celebrate Christmas.  In February 1945, they left Cecilienhof for the last time, fleeing the Red Army. Their beloved home Cecilehof was seized by the Soviets. It would later be the site of the Potsdam Conference in the summer of 1945, hosting British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, US President Harry Truman, and Soviet leader Josef Stalin.

Churchill, Truman, and Stalin at Cecilienhof for the Potsdam Conference, July 25, 1945. source: Wikipedia

Cecilie settled in Bad Kissingen, Germany for the next several years, while her husband lived in Hechingen until his death in July 1951. The following year, Cecilie moved to an apartment in the Frauenkopf district in Stuttgart. That same year, her memoirs were published and she made another visit to England where she attended the christening of her granddaughter and enjoyed a final visit with Queen Mary. Later that year, her sister, Queen Alexandrine of Denmark, died and Cecilie never fully recovered from the loss.

Cecilie, German Crown Princess and Crown Princess of Prussia, died on May 6, 1954, her late husband’s birthday, while visiting Bad Kissingen. She was buried six days later beside her husband at Hohenzollern Castle in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.

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.

Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, German Empress, Queen of Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, German Empress, Queen of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was the wife of Wilhelm I, German Emperor and King of Prussia. She was born Princess Augusta Marie Luise Katharina on September 30, 1811, in Weimar, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in the German state of Thuringia, the second daughter of Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia.

Augusta had three siblings:

Augusta’s husband, the future Wilhelm I, German Emperor and King of Prussia in 1848; Credit – Wikipedia

Augusta first met her future husband in 1826 when she was just 15 years old. Wilhelm found her personality to be wonderful but did not find her as attractive as her older sister. However, his father encouraged the marriage. At that time, Wilhelm was in love with a Polish princess, Elisa Radziwill, but marriage would not have been allowed as it was considered unequal. Wilhelm’s father King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia forced him to end that relationship and to marry Augusta. He proposed on August 29, 1828, and the two were formally engaged on October 25, 1828. The marriage took place in the chapel at Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, on June 11, 1829, and they had two children:

Their marriage was not without struggles. Augusta was deeply in love with Wilhelm, but he was still in love with Elisa Radziwill. Although welcomed in the Prussian court, she soon found the strict protocol stifling. She wanted to get involved in charitable causes but found that her sister-in-law, then Crown Princess Elisabeth Ludovika took precedence over her in such activities.

In 1837, the family took up residence in a new palace in Berlin, which became known as the Kaiser Wilhelm Palais, and later the Altes Palais (Old Palace). This would remain Augusta’s primary residence for the rest of her life. In 1850, the couple moved to Koblenz, where her Wilhelm served as Governor-General of the Rhine Province. Augusta flourished in Koblenz, away from the strict court life of Berlin. They remained there until 1858 when Wilhelm was named Regent for his older brother, King Friedrich Wilhelm IV who was ill. They returned to Berlin and their increased responsibilities. In January 1861, the King died, and Wilhelm and Augusta became the new King and Queen of Prussia. The new Queen was more interested in politics than many of her predecessors and did not hesitate to voice her opinion. She despised Otto von Bismarck, who her husband had appointed, and the feeling was mutual. Ten years later, Wilhelm was named the first German Emperor (Kaiser), with Augusta as his Empress (Kaiserin). During their reign, Augusta founded the National Women’s Association and numerous hospitals and schools throughout Prussia to help those in need.

Mausoleum at Charlottenburg Palace. photo: Von Manfred Brueckels – Selbst fotografiert, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4833730

Augusta’s husband died on March 9, 1888, and was succeeded by their son Friedrich III. Friedrich was terminally ill with throat cancer, died just 99 days later, and was succeeded by his eldest son Wilhelm II, who became the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. Despite having been in ill health for nearly 10 years, Augusta continued to participate in official duties. Shortly after a New Year’s reception, Augusta died at the Altes Palais in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany on January 7, 1890, at the age of 78. She was buried in the mausoleum at Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, alongside her husband.

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.

Prussia Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, Queen of Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, Queen of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria was the wife of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia. She was born in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria., now in the German state of Bavaria, on November 13, 1801, the daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his second wife Princess Caroline of Baden, and had six siblings:

Elisabeth Ludovika also had five older half-siblings from her father’s first marriage to Princess Auguste Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt:

Raised at the Bavarian court, Elisabeth Ludovika received an extensive education, much more than was typically given to princesses at that time. She remained close to her tutor, Friedrich Thiersch, an archeologist and former theologian, for the rest of his life. Having a large family, she was also very close to her siblings particularly her sister Ludovika Wilhelmine and her twin sister Amalie. Ludovika Wilhelmine’s daughter, later Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) of Austria, was her goddaughter and namesake.

King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

In Berlin on November 29, 1823, Elisabeth Ludovika married Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia, after four years of negotiations regarding religion. The Crown Prince was required to be Lutheran, while Elisabeth Ludovika was Catholic. Eventually, it was agreed that she could retain her religion with the expectation that she would eventually convert. She did convert, but not until 1830. Other than a stillborn child born early in their marriage, the couple had no children.

The couple lived at the Berlin Palace and in 1825, they were given a parcel of land bordering Sanssouci Park in Potsdam. There they had the Charlottenhof Palace built, which became their summer residence, and remained one of Elisabeth Ludovika’s homes until her death. Ten years later, in 1835, they were permitted to move into Sanssouci Palace. The palace had been built as a summer residence by King Friedrich II and had remained largely unused since his death. Elisabeth Ludovika and Friedrich Wilhelm took up residence in the west wing, formerly the guest quarters while using the east wing, formerly the private rooms of Friedrich II, for official duties. After they became King and Queen of Prussia, the east wing was incorporated into their private quarters as well, and official duties were conducted elsewhere.

Two additional residences were Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin and Stolzenfels Palace on the Rhine. Elisabeth Ludovika and Friedrich Wilhelm took up residence at Charlottenburg after their accession. Stolzenfels Castle, one of Friedrich Wilhelm’s reconstruction projects, quickly became one of their favorite homes.

After becoming Queen of Prussia in 1840, Elisabeth Ludovika welcomed her role and became greatly involved in charity work throughout Prussia. She also wandered into the political realm, working to strengthen the relationship between Prussia and Austria. Wholly devoted to Friedrich Wilhelm, and he to her, Elisabeth Ludovika spent the last few years of her time as Queen serving instead as nurse and caretaker for her husband after his first series of strokes in 1857.

Charlottenhof Palace. photo: By Momay – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16489837

Elisabeth Ludovika was widowed on January 2, 1861. She spent the remainder of her life at her homes at her various homes, including Sanssouci and Charlottenhof Palace in Potsdam, Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, and Stolzenfels Castle on the Rhine. She continued her charity work, in honor of her late husband, and enjoyed a close relationship with her brother-in-law, King Wilhelm I of Prussia. She was also close to Victoria, Princess Royal, the wife of her nephew, the future Friedrich III of Prussia. Victoria had been a great comfort to Elisabeth Ludovika after the death of her husband. Because of that closeness, Elisabeth Ludovika bequeathed her jewels to Victoria instead of following tradition and leaving them to the new Queen. This act of kindness ended up causing a rift between Victoria and her mother-in-law, which would last until her death.

Dowager Queen Elisabeth Ludovika of Prussia died on December 14, 1873, in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany while visiting her twin sister Queen Amalie of Saxony. A week later, she was buried beside her husband in the crypt of the Friedenskirche (Church of Peace) in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany.

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.

Prussia Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Kingdom of Prussia: The Protestant Franconian branch of the House of Hohenzollern ruled as Margraves of Brandenburg, Dukes of Prussia, Electors of Brandenburg, Kings of Prussia from 1415 until 1918. In November 1700, in exchange for supporting the Holy Roman Empire in the Spanish War of Succession, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor agreed to allow Friedrich III, Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg to make Prussia a kingdom and become its first king. In the aftermath of World War I, Prussia had a revolution that resulted in the replacement of the monarchy with a republic. Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia abdicated on November 9, 1918.

The Kingdom of Prussia had territory that today is part of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and Switzerland. All or parts of the following states of today’s Germany were part of the Kingdom of Prussia: Brandenburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt, and Schleswig-Holstein.

********************

Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia – source: Wikipedia

King Friedrich Wilhelm IV reigned from 1840 until 1861. He was born at the Crown Prince’s Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, on October 15, 1795, the eldest son of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia, and Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Friedrich Wilhelm had eight younger siblings:

As he was directly in the line of succession, Friedrich Wilhelm was given a broad education by numerous private tutors, as well as a military education in the Prussian Army. Early in life, he developed interests in architecture and the arts and later in life served as patron of several artists, including famed composer Felix Mendelssohn.

Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria. source: Wikipedia

In Berlin, on November 29, 1823, Friedrich Wilhelm married Princess Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, the daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and Princess Caroline of Baden. Aside from one stillborn birth, the couple had no children.

Friedrich Wilhelm became King of Prussia upon his father’s death on June 7, 1840. As his father had done himself, the new King changed many of his father’s policies – including reducing the censorship of the press and promising to provide a new constitution for the Prussian people.

In 1849, the King was offered the title Emperor of the Germans but refused as he did not feel it was the right of the Frankfurt Parliament to offer it. Instead, he wanted to reestablish the Holy Roman Empire, where a College of Electors would hold the authority to name an Emperor. Some years later, his successor, Wilhelm I, became the first German Emperor (Kaiser).

Stolzenfels Castle. photo: By Holger Weinandt – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40032919

King Friedrich Wilhelm IV is perhaps best known for his contributions to architecture and the buildings he constructed. These included:

In July 1857, the King suffered several strokes from which he never fully recovered.  Eventually, in October 1858, he appointed his brother and heir, as Regent. A further stroke in November 1859 left him partially paralyzed and unable to speak, and another the following November left him mostly unconscious. Following one last stroke, King Friedrich Wilhelm IV died on January 2, 1861, in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany. He was buried in the crypt beneath the Friedenskirche (Church of Peace) in Sanssouci Park, Potsdam, and his heart was placed in the mausoleum at Charlottenburg Palace, beside the tombs of his parents.

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.

Prussia Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Kingdom of Prussia: The Protestant Franconian branch of the House of Hohenzollern ruled as Margraves of Brandenburg, Dukes of Prussia, Electors of Brandenburg, Kings of Prussia from 1415 until 1918. In November 1700, in exchange for supporting the Holy Roman Empire in the Spanish War of Succession, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor agreed to allow Friedrich III, Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg to make Prussia a kingdom and become its first king. In the aftermath of World War I, Prussia had a revolution that resulted in the replacement of the monarchy with a republic. Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia abdicated on November 9, 1918.

The Kingdom of Prussia had territory that today is part of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and Switzerland. All or parts of the following states of today’s Germany were part of the Kingdom of Prussia: Brandenburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt, and Schleswig-Holstein.

********************

Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia reigned from 1797 to 1840. He was born in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, on August 3, 1770, the eldest child of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia and Friederike Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Friedrich had six younger siblings:

Friedrich Wilhelm had a half-sister from his father’s first marriage to Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, which ended in divorce:

He also had several half-siblings from his father’s morganatic marriages to Julie von Voß and Sophie von Dönhoff:

  • Friedrich Wilhelm, Count of Brandenburg (1792) – married Mathilde von Massenbach, had issue
  • Sophie (Julie), Countess of Brandenburg (1793) – married Ferdinand, Duke of Anhalt-Köthen, no issue
  • Ulrike Sophie von Berkholz (1774) – died in infancy
  • Christina Sophie von Lützenberg (1777) – died in infancy
  • Count Alexander von der Marck (1779) – died in childhood
  • Countess Marianne von der Marck (1780) – married three times, had four daughters

As was usual for the time, Friedrich Wilhelm was raised by governesses and tutors. Removed from his parents, he grew up at Paretz Palace, the home of his tutor, Count Hans von Blumenthal. He became close friends with Blumenthal’s son and later purchased the palace from him. In addition to his education, Friedrich Wilhelm received military training, working his way up to the rank of Colonel, and participating in the campaigns against France in 1792-1794.

Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. source: Wikipedia

On December 24, 1793, Friedrich Wilhelm married Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. She was the daughter of Karl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt. The couple was second cousins, as both were great-grandchildren of Ludwig VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. They were given several residences – The Crown Prince’s Palace and Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin – and later used Paretz Palace as their primary summer residence. Over the next sixteen years, Friedrich Wilhelm and Luise had nine children:

Auguste von Harrach. source: Wikipedia

Friedrich Wilhelm’s first wife died in 1810, and fourteen years later, he married for a second time. On November 9, 1824, at Charlottenburg Palace, the King married Countess Auguste von Harrach, who he had first met two years earlier at a spa in Teplitz.

Thirty years younger than her husband, Auguste was from a lower-ranked noble family which was considered unsuitable for marriage into the royal house. She was also Catholic (she later converted in 1826). All of this led to the marriage being initially kept secret. Upon marriage, Auguste was created Princess von Leignitz and Countess von Hohenzollern. This permitted her to attend court, however, she still ranked far behind the rest of the Prussian royal family. The couple had no children, and Auguste remained the King’s steadfast companion for the rest of his life but did not participate in any formal or official role. Following the King’s death, Auguste received a large financial settlement and lived in the New Pavilion (link in German), which the King had built for her next to Charlottenburg Palace to use as her dower home. She also retained a residence at the Princesses Palace in Berlin and had a home – Villa Liegnitz (link in German) – in Sanssouci Park.

Friedrich Wilhelm III became King on November 16, 1797, upon his father’s death. He immediately implemented changes – cutting the expenses of the royal court, dismissing many of his father’s ministers, and taking on much of the responsibilities himself. This caused great inconsistency during his reign, as he was hesitant to delegate any responsibility to his ministers. He also made efforts to restore the moral dignity of the Prussian royal court, long plagued during his father’s reign with “political intrigues and sexual affairs”.

Initially remaining neutral in the Napoleonic Wars, Friedrich Wilhelm led Prussia into the war in October 1806. The French soon occupied Berlin, causing the Royal Family to flee to Memel, in East Prussia, under the care of Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia. The French treated Prussia harshly. Prussia lost much of its Polish territories and was assessed with large financial settlements. Following Napoleon’s defeat of Russia in 1813, Friedrich Wilhelm allied with the Russian Emperor, and together the two countries contributed to Napoleon’s eventual defeat. At the subsequent Congress of Vienna, the King succeeded in regaining significant territories for his country.

King Friedrich Wilhelm III died in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany, on June 7, 1840. He is buried in the Mausoleum on the grounds of Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, alongside his first wife. His second wife, who survived him by 33 years, is also buried in the crypt there, although there is no stone or marker.

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.

Prussia Resources at Unofficial Royalty