Category Archives: German Royals

Friedenskirche (Church of Peace) and the Temple of Antiquities in Potsdam, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

The Friedenskirche with the domed Kaiser Friedrich Mauseleum on the left; Credit – By Arild Vågen – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29982486

The Friedenskirche (Church of Peace) is a Lutheran church in Sanssouci Park, surrounding Sanssouci Palace, in Potsdam, Germany. Sanssouci Palace was built between 1745 – 1747 in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, during the reign of Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia as his summer palace.

Sanssouci Park contains other structures including:

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History of the Friedenskirche

The Friedenskirche with the domed Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum of the right; Credit – By Wolfgang Staudt – originally posted to Flickr as Potsdam Friedenskirche, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3988614

In 1839, as Crown Prince of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia devised a preliminary plan for a church in the Sanssouci Park that would meet the needs of the Prussian court to worship while in summer residence at Sanssouci Palace. He envisioned a church with a lake, a park, and additional buildings. When Friedrich Wilhelm IV became King of Prussia in 1840, he began to carry out those plans. However, he was quite particular and repeatedly rejected the designs of the court architect Friedrich Ludwig Persius. After nearly two years, Friedrich Wilhelm III approved Persius’ plans. The cornerstone was laid on April 14, 1845. However, three months later Persius died and architect Friedrich August Stüler continued the project. On September 24, 1848, the Friedenskirche was consecrated in the presence of King Friedrich IV and his wife Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, Queen of Prussia. The church served not only as a chapel royal but also as a church for the parish of Brandenburger Vorstadt, a part of Potsdam.

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The Exterior of the Friedenskirche

Friedenskirche; Credit – Von Gemeingut im Foto – Eigenes Werk, Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39348752

The Friedenskirche was built in the style of an early Christian church with buildings surrounding the church built in the style of northern Italian monastery buildings.

The inner courtyard with the statue of Christ: Credit – By Wolfgang Staudt – originally posted to Flickr as Church of Peace, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3988611

There is an inner courtyard with a fountain and a life-size statue of Christ, a copy of the 1821 statue by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen in the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The bell tower; Credit – Von Miguel Hermoso Cuesta – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37843644

Next to the church is a free-standing bell tower modeled after the bell tower at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome, Italy.

Steinbrück fresco depicting Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane; Credit – By Elena Jamov – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21668281

On the eastern side of the church, there is a fresco by German painter and etcher Eduard Steinbrück depicting Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.

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The Interior of the Friedenskirche

The interior of the Friedenskirche; Credit – By Jochen Teufel – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7216909

The Friedenskirche is a columned basilica with three aisles and no transept.

The 13th century mosaic in the aspe; Credit – Von Karl-Heinz Meurer (–Charlie1965nrw) – HDR-Bild aus drei digitalen Fotografien, selbst fotografiert, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11906128

When he was Crown Prince of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm IV had purchased at auction a 13th-century mosaic from a church that was going to be demolished, the 1109 Church of San Cipriano on Murano near Venice, Italy. The Byzantine mosaic shows Jesus Christ seated on a throne as the judge of the world. This mosaic was installed in the apse over the altar.

The main altar; Credit – By J.hagelüken – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33175253

The four dark green columns of the main altar ciborium, the structure over the altar, are made of Siberian jasper and were a gift from Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia in 1842. Nicholas I was married to Friedrich Wilhelm IV’s sister Charlotte.

Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia with her daughters at the coffin of her husband Friedrich III in the Friedenskirche; Credit – Wikipedia

The sacristy is in the left aisle. After Friedrich Wilhelm IV’s death, it was temporarily used as a resting place for his coffin. Upon the deaths of nearly two-year-old Prince Sigismund in 1866 and eleven-year-old Prince Waldemar in 1879, the sons of the future Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia and his wife Victoria, Princess Royal, their coffins were interred in the sacristy. In 1888, Friedrich III’s coffin was also interred here. After the completion of the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum, all three coffins were moved there. In 1920, Prince Joachim, the youngest son of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor, and King of Prussia was interred in the sacristy. His coffin was moved to the Temple of Antiquities in 1931.

The entrance to the royal crypt; By Ra Boe / Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11867337

The entrance to the royal crypt is under two marble tablets honoring Friedrich Wilhelm IV and his wife Elisabeth Luise in front of the altar steps. Friedrich Wilhelm IV died on January 2, 1861, following several strokes. His coffin rested in the sacristy of the Friedenskirche until it was moved to the royal crypt after its dedication in October 1864.

It was common to hold confirmations of members of the House of Hohenzollern at the Friedenskirche. Among those confirmed there were Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia, son of Friedrich III, and his seven children.

 

Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia, the great-great-grandson of Wilhelm II and the current head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern, and Princess Sophie of Isenburg were married at the Friedenskirche on August 27, 2011.

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The Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum

The Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum; Credit – By Barbas, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17290128

Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia reigned for only 99 days, dying at the age of 56 on June 15, 1888. Already seriously ill with cancer of the larynx, he succeeded his father Wilhelm I, German Emperor, King of Prussia on March 9, 1888. Friedrich III was succeeded by his son Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. The year 1888 is called “The Year of Three Emperors” in German history. Friedrich III’s coffin was initially placed in the sacristy of the Friedenskirche. From 1888 – 1890, the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum was added to the north side of the Friedenskirche. It was designed by architect Julius Carl Raschdorff who also designed the 1893 – 1905 reconstruction of the Berlin Cathedral. After the inauguration of the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum on October 18, 1890, the coffins of Friedrich III, along with those of his two sons who had died in childhood, were moved from the sacristy of the Friedenskirche to the mausoleum. When Friedrich III’s wife Victoria died in 1901, she was also interred in the mausoleum.

Julius Carl Raschdorff designed the mausoleum in the Baroque-influenced Italian High Renaissance style based upon the 17th-century Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher in San Candido, Italy which was modeled after the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The mausoleum is a domed building with a circular floor plan with an attached rectangular chancel. A gold mosaic on the vaulted ceiling alternately depicts angels and palm trees.

Tomb of Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

In the middle of the rotunda are the marble sarcophagi of Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia and his wife, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, Victoria, Princess Royal.

Tombs of Victoria and Friedrich next to each other; Credit – By TeeBee – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47840199

Tomb of Prince Sigismund; Credit – Wikipedia

Prussian sculptor Reinhold Begas created the effigies of Friederich III and his wife Victoria and also created the tombs of Prince Sigismund and Prince Waldemar, the two sons of Friedrich III and Victoria who died in childhood, that stand against the side walls.

Tomb of Prince Waldemar; Credit – http://www.findagrave.com

Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia was originally interred at the Garrison Church in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia. During World War II, his coffin, along with several others, were moved, for their protection, to a salt mine near Bernterode, Germany. The coffins were discovered by occupying American forces, who re-interred them in St. Elisabeth’s Church in Marburg, Germany in 1946. Friedrich Wilhelm I’s original black marble sarcophagus was destroyed in 1945 and his remains were placed in a copy made from copper. In 1953, Friedrich Wilhelm I’s coffin was moved to Hohenzollern Castle in Hechingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The coffin finally found its final resting place in 1991, on the steps of the altar in the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum in the Friedenskirche.

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Burials at the Friedenskirche

Sarcophagi of Friedrich Wilhelm IV and his wife Elisabeth Luise in the royal crypt; Credit – By Wo st 01 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7032743

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The Temple of Antiquities

The Temple of Antiquities; Credit – Wikipedia

While it is now a mausoleum, the Temple of Antiquities was originally built to house the collection of classical works of art, antique artifacts, antique coins, and antique gems of Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia. Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia intended to convert the Temple of Antiquities into a court chapel but the plans were never carried out because of World War I. On April 19, 1921, Wilhelm II’s first wife Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein, German Empress, Queen of Prussia was interred in the Temple of Antiquities as per her wishes and it became the burial site of several other members of the House of Hohenzollern.

All the Hohenzollerns interred at the Temple of Antiquities are relatives of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. After World War I, Wilhelm II went into exile in the Netherlands, where he purchased Huis Doorn, a small manor house outside of Doorn, a small town near Utrecht in the Netherlands. As a condition of his exile, Wilhelm could never return to Germany and was allowed only to travel within a radius of fifteen miles from his house. A mausoleum in the garden of Huis Doorn near Wilhelm’s favorite rhododendrons was built to house his remains. Both his wives were interred at the Temple of Antiquities.

Coffins inside the Antique Temple; Credit – Wikipedia

Those interred at the Temple of Antiquities:

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Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Antikentempel – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikentempel> [Accessed 11 March 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Friedenskirche (Potsdam) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedenskirche_(Potsdam)> [Accessed 11 March 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Antique Temple – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antique_Temple> [Accessed 11 March 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Church of Peace, Potsdam – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Peace,_Potsdam> [Accessed 11 March 2022].
  • Royaltombs.dk. 2022. The Valley of the Kings – Burial Places of European Monarchs. [online] Available at: <http://www.royaltombs.dk/> [Accessed 11 March 2022].
  • Unofficial Royalty. 2022. Kingdom of Prussia Index. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/current-monarchies-article-index/german-royals-index/prussian-index/> [Accessed 11 March 2022].

Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) in Berlin, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Berlin Cathedral; Credit – By Ansgar Koreng / CC BY 3.0 (DE), CC BY 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41469664

Located in Berlin, the capital of Germany, the Berlin Cathedral, known in German as the Berliner Dom, is a member of the Evangelical Church in Germany, a federation of twenty Lutheran, Reformed (Calvinist), and United (Prussian Union, for example) Protestant regional churches and denominations in Germany. As with many churches in Europe, the religious affiliation of the Berlin Cathedral has changed over the centuries: Roman Catholic until 1539, Lutheran from 1539–1632, Reformed from 1632–1817, and United (Prussian Union) from 1817 – present. The current church was built from 1894 to 1905 during the reign of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. Although lesser well known than other royal burial sites, the Hohenzollern Crypt in the Berlin Cathedral is the most important dynastic burial site in Germany and rivals the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria, Westminster Abbey in London, England, the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France, and the Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain.

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House of Hohenzollern

Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

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. The first King in Prussia succeeded his father as Friedrich III, Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg in 1688. The Electorate of Brandenburg was part of the Holy Roman Empire, while the Duchy of Prussia, formerly a fief of the Crown of Poland, lay outside the Empire’s borders. The Duchy had been inherited by the Hohenzollern Prince-Electors of Brandenburg in 1618 and was ruled in personal union.

Friedrich I, the first King in Prussia, formerly Friedrich III, Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

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. Because the Hohenzollerns’ sovereignty over the Duchy of Prussia was dependant upon succession in the male line (and would return to the Polish crown if there were no male heirs to succeed), Friedrich I agreed to style himself King in Prussia and not King of Prussia. In 1772, King Friedrich II (the Great) in Prussia, through several battles and wars, united the various parts of his kingdom, taking the title King of Prussia.

In 1871, the German Empire, consisting of four kingdoms, six grand duchies, five duchies, seven principalities, three free Hanseatic cities, and one imperial territory, was proclaimed. The King of Prussia was also the German Emperor (Kaiser). 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. On November 10, 1918, Wilhelm Hohenzollern crossed the border by train and went into exile in the Netherlands, never to return to Germany.

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.

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History of the Berlin Cathedral

The Berlin Cathedral; Credit – By Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64059550

The original church was consecrated in 1454, as the Roman Catholic St. Erasmus Chapel, the chapel of the Berlin Palace, the main residence of the House of Hohenzollern from 1443 – 1918.  St. Erasmus Chapel was used for the services of the family of the Elector of Brandenburg and the court. In 1465, Pope Paul II raised it to the status of a collegiate church. Eventually, the chapel could not meet the growing needs of the Electors of Brandenburg.

The first cathedral, used 1536–1747; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1535, the Dominican monastery church south of the Berlin Palace was converted into the first cathedral. The Gothic brick church was expanded and richly furnished. A burial site for the House of Hohenzollern was established. The new cathedral was consecrated in 1536. A new western façade with two towers was built in 1538. Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg converted to Lutheranism in 1539 and the Catholic cathedral became a Protestant cathedral.

Model of the Baroque cathedral by Jan Boumann and Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff; Credit – Wikipedia

Over the years, the Gothic brick cathedral became dilapidated. From 1747 – 1750, Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia had a new Baroque cathedral, designed by Dutch architect Jan Boumann and Prussian architect and painter Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, built where the current cathedral stands today. After the coffins of the Hohenzollern family members were transferred to the new cathedral, the old cathedral was demolished to clear space for the Baroque extension of the Berlin Palace. On September 6, 1750, the new Baroque cathedral was consecrated. Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel remodeled the interior in 1817 and the exterior in 1820 – 1822 in the Neoclassicist style.

Model of Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s remodeling of the exterior in the Neoclassicist style; Credit – Wikipedia

After the founding of the German Empire in 1871, there had been calls for a new church that could compete with the major churches in the world and impressively replace the previous churches. In 1885, Prussian architect Julius Carl Raschdorff, professor of architecture at the Technical University of Berlin, presented plans for a new cathedral in an adaptation of the Italian High Renaissance style and influenced by the Baroque style. After dismantling the movable interior decorations (altar, paintings, tombs), the cathedral designed by Boumann and von Knobelsdorff was demolished in 1893. The cornerstone for the new cathedral was laid on June 17, 1894, with the goal of consecrating the cathedral in 1900. However, due to construction delays, the consecration did not take place until February 27, 1905. The state paid the entire construction cost. The new cathedral was much larger than any of the previous churches and was considered a Protestant rival to the Roman Catholic St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

Berlin Cathedral in 1905; Credit – Wikipedia

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World War II Destruction and Reconstruction

Berlin Cathedral in May 1945 with much damage, compare it to the photo above; Credit – Wikipedia

The Berlin Cathedral suffered much damage during World War II. Allied air raids destroyed windows and major cracks appeared on the cupolas of the corner towers. On May 24, 1944, the dome and its cupola lantern were hit by a bomb of combustible liquids. The resulting fire was unreachable and could not be extinguished. The entire cupola lantern fell into the interior of the cathedral, smashing through the floor with its enormous weight and damaging large parts of the Hohenzollern Crypt and some of its coffins below. By the end of World War II, twenty-five percent of the Berlin Cathedral had been destroyed.

The damaged sarcophagus of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia; Credit – Von Colin Pelka – Selbst fotografiert, Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23256455

After World War II, when Berlin and Germany were divided, the Berlin Cathedral was located in East Berlin in the Communist German Democratic Republic also known as East Germany. The East German government promoted state atheism although some people remained loyal to Christian churches. To protect the interior of the cathedral while the status of the Berlin Cathedral was debated, a temporary roof was built between 1949 – 1953. The Berlin Palace, which had also been damaged, was demolished by the East German government in 1950. Serious consideration was given to also demolishing the Berlin Cathedral. Following lengthy and extensive negotiations, an agreement was finally reached between the government of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), the Federation of Protestant Churches in the GDR, and the churches in the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), which provided for the reconstruction.

Memorial Church section of the Berlin Cathedral with the Hohenzollern Crypt access in 1900; Credit – Wikipedia

However, the Communist East German government had two demands. First, it demanded the removal of as many crosses as possible. The second demand dealt with the Memorial Church (Denkmalskirch) section on the north side of the Berlin Cathedral that contained the ceremonial sarcophagi (cenotaphs or empty tombs) of Johann Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg, Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg and his wife Dorothea Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Friedrich I, King in Prussia and his wife Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, and Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia. In the middle of the Memorial Church was the access to the Hohenzollern Crypt. Although the Memorial Church section of the Berlin Cathedral had survived World War II intact, it was demolished by the Communist East German government in 1975 for ideological reasons due to it being a place of honor for the Hohenzollern dynasty. The ceremonial sarcophagi were moved into the Sermon Church (Predigtkirche), the main part of the cathedral.

Rüdiger Hoth, a German civil engineer, was hired as the master builder in 1975. During many meetings with the East German government, Hoth successfully negotiated that the cathedral would be largely reconstructed according to the 1885 designs of Julius Raschdorff.

In 1980, the Baptismal and Matrimonial Church (Tauf- und Traukirche) on the south side of the cathedral was reopened for services. The restoration of the large main part, the Sermon Church (Predigtkirche), in the center, began in 1984. Berlin Cathedral was finally able to be re-consecrated during a celebratory service on June 6, 1993, with the participation of numerous prominent guests in what was now a unified Germany, reunified since October 3, 1990.

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Interior of the Berlin Cathedral

Interior of the Berlin Cathedral; Credit- By Steve Collis from Melbourne, Australia – Berliner Dom (HDR), CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24306403

In the center of the large dome is a round window showing the Holy Spirit as a dove in a halo. Around the round window are eight large mosaics depicting the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount created by Prussian painter Anton von Werner.

The dome of the Berlin Cathedral; Credit – Von Svein-Magne Tunli – tunliweb.no – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56131113

The main altar comes from the previous cathedral and was the work of Prussian architect Friedrich August Stüler, and consists of a marble table supported by Corinthian columns with a crucifix, and a gilded wooden stand with the statues of the twelve apostles. On both sides of the altar are two large Baroque candelabras. The three paintings above the altar by Anton von Werner depict scenes from the life of Jesus: the Nativity, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.

The main altar: Credit – By Mathew Schwartz – Imported from 500px (archived version) by the Archive Team. (detail page), CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75775034

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The Hohenzollern Crypt

The Hohenzollern Crypt: Credit – By Rolf Dietrich Brecher from Germany – Hohenzollerngruft I, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63622648

The Hohenzollern Crypt, which occupies almost the entire basement of the Berlin Cathedral, is the most important dynastic burial site in Germany. A total of 94 members of the House of Hohenzollern have been interred there from 1595 – 1873. The sarcophagi and coffins, some simple and some quite elaborate, represent all artistic styles from late Gothic onwards and were made from stone, metal, or textile-covered wood.

Styles of coffins; Credit – By Steve Collis from Melbourne, Australia – Berliner Dom Crypt, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24306375

With the expansion of Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam near Berlin, the Hohenzollern Crypt fell out of favor as a burial site. Some of the Prussian royals were buried in the Friedenskirche (Church of Peace) as well as elsewhere on the grounds of Sanssouci Palace. Several chose to be buried in a mausoleum at Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin. The last German Emperor, Wilhelm II, was entombed in a mausoleum built on the grounds of Huis Doorn, his home in exile in the Netherlands, while his two wives were buried at the Antique Temple on the grounds of Sanssouci Palace.

Credit – By Rolf Dietrich Brecher from Germany – A lot of coffins – Generations.., CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63652230

During the reconstruction of the Berlin Cathedral overseen by civil engineer Rüdiger Hoth, who served as the master builder on the project, the Hohenzollern Crypt was refurbished. Hoth said of the crypt, “It was always considered a private family crypt in the time of the kaisers, and commoners were not allowed to come in but today we think it is historically and culturally important to Germans to be in touch with this part of their past.” Refurbished with white marble floors, whitewashed walls, and soft lighting, the Hohenzollern Crypt was opened to the public for the first time ever on November 20, 1999.

A child’s coffin; Credit – By Pudelek (Marcin Szala) – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17789259

There had been discussion concerning whether Hohenzollerns buried elsewhere should be moved to the refurbished Hohenzollern Crypt. However, historians and descendants of the Hohenzollerns rejected the idea of moving the remains of Hohenzollerns whose express wishes were to be buried elsewhere. Prince Wilhelm-Karl of Prussia (born 1955), a great-grandson of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia said, “I believe the wishes of the deceased should be respected.” He did find the public gawking at his family’s burial crypt “a little unsettling.” However, he agreed with the head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia (born 1976), the great-great-grandson and heir of Wilhelm II, that the burial site belongs to German history and, therefore, to the general public.

Credit – By Jorge Láscar from Australia – Crypt and intricate sarcophagi – Berliner Dom, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31952300

Those buried in the Hohenzollern Crypt at the Berlin Cathedral:

  • Elisabeth Magdalene of Brandenburg, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1537 – 1595), daughter of Joachim II, Elector of Brandenburg and wife of Franz Otto, Duke of of Brunswick-Lüneburg
  • Johann Georg, Elector of Brandenburg (1525 – 1598)
  • Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg (1582 – 1600), son Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Joachim of Brandenburg (1583 – 1600), son of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Augustus of Brandenburg (1580 – 1601), son of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Catherine of Brandenburg-Küstrin, Electress of Brandenbueg (1549 – 1602), first wife of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Elisabeth of Anhalt-Zerbst, Electress of Brandenburg (1563 – 1607), wife of Elector Johann Georg, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Eleonore of Prussia, Electress of Brandenburg (1583–1607), second wife Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg (1546 – 1608)
  • Albrecht Christian of Brandenburg (born and died 1609), son of Johann Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Ernst of Brandenburg (1583 – 1613), son of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf (1613 – 1614), son of Johann Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf, grandson of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Johann Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg (1572 – 1620)
  • Albrecht of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf (1614 – 1620), son of Johann Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf, grandson of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Catharina Sibylla of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf (born and died 1615), daughter of of Johann Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf, granddaughter of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Johann Sigismund of Brandenburg (born and died 1624), son of Georg Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Joachim Sigismund of Brandenburg (1603 -1625), son of Johann Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Ernst of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf (1617–1642), son of Johann Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf, grandson of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Wilhelm Heinrich of Brandenburg (1648 – 1649), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Anna Sophia of Brandenburg (1598 – 1659), daughter of Johann Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg, wife of Friedrich Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
  • Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Electress of Brandenburg (1597 – 1660), wife of Georg Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Heinrich of Brandenburg (born and died 1664), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Amalia of Brandenburg (1664 – 1665), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Katharina Sofie of the Palatinate (1594 – 1665), daughter of Friedrich IV, Elector Palatine, sister of Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Electress of Brandenburg
  • Luise Henriette of Nassau, Electress of Brandenburg (1627–1667), first wife of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Karl Emil, Electoral Prince of Brandenburg (1655 – 1674), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Dorothea of Brandenburg (1675 – 1676), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Elisabeth Henriette of Hesse-Kassel, Electoral Princess of Brandenburg (1661 – 1683), first wife of the future Friedrich I, King in Prussia
  • Friedrich August of Brandenbrg (1685 – 1686), son of the future Friedrich I, King in Prussia
  • Ludwig of Brandenburg (1666 – 1687), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg (1620 – 1688)
  • Dorothea Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Electress of Brandenburg (1636 – 1689), second wife of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Karl Philipp of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1673 – 1695), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1700 – 1701), daughter of Philipp Wilhelm, Margarve of Brandenburg-Schwedt
  • Georg Wilhelm von Brandenburg-Schwedt (born and died 1704), son of Philipp Wilhelm, Margarve of Brandenburg-Schwedt
  • Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, Queen in Prussia (1668 – 1705), second wife of Friedrich I, King in Prussia
  • Friedrich of of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1704 – 1707), son of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich Ludwig of Prussia (1707 – 1708), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia (1710 – 1711), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Philipp Wilhelm, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1669 – 1711), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich I, King in Prussia (1657 – 1713)
  • Charlotte Albertine of Prussia (1713 – 1714), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Ludwig of Prussia (1717 – 1719), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Luise Wilhelmine of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1709 – 1726), daughter of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, granddaughter of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1672 – 1731), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1677 – 1734), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1710 – 1741), son of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1715 – 1744), son of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Sophie Dorothea of Hanover, Queen of Prussia (1687 – 1757), wife of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, daughter of King George I of Great Britain
  • August Wilhelm of Prussia (1722 – 1758), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Emil of Prussia (1758 – 1759), son of August Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Karl Friedrich Albrecht of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1705 – 1762), son of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Heinrich of Prussia (1747 – 1767), son of August Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Christine of Prussia (1772 – 1773), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Friederike Elisabeth of Prussia (1761 – 1773), daughter of August Ferdinand of Prussia, granddaughter of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Friedrich Heinrich of Prussia (1769 – 1773), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Friedrich Paul of Prussia (born and died 1776), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Luise Amalie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Princess of Prussia (1722 – 1780), wife of August Wilhelm of Prussia
  • Anna Amalia of Prussia, Abbess of Quedlinburg (1723 – 1787), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Ludwig of Prussia (1771 – 1790), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Unnamed Princess of Prussia (born and died 1794), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Friedrich Ludwig Karl of Prussia (1773 – 1796), son of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia (1744 – 1797)
  • Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern, Queen of Prussia (1715 – 1797), wife of Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia
  • Karl Georg of Prussia (1795 – 1798), son of Friedrich Ludwig Karl of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel (1745 – 1800), wife of Landgrave Friedrich II of Hesse-Kassel, daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt
  • Friederike of Prussia (1799 – 1800), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Friederike Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt, Queen of Prussia (1751 – 1805), second wife of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Ludwig Ferdinand of Prussia (1772 – 1806), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Ferdinand of Prussia (1804 – 1806), son of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Ferdinand of Hesse-Kassel (born and died 1806), son of Wilhelm of Landgrave Hesse-Kassel, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Unnamed Prince (born and died 1806), son of Prince Willem of Orange-Nassau (later King Willem I of the Netherlands) and Wilhelmine of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Wilhelmine of Hesse-Kassel, Princess of Prussia (1726 – 1808), wife of Heinrich of Prussia
  • August Ferdinand of Prussia (1730 – 1813), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Wilhelm of Prussia (1811 – 1813), son of Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Tassilo of Prussia (1813 – 1814), son of Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Anna Elisabeth Luise of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1738 – 1820), wife August Ferdinand of Prussia
  • Unnamed Prince (born and died 1832), son of Prince Albrecht of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Augustus of Prussia (1779 – 1843), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Heinrich Karl of Prussia (1781 – 1846), son of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Maria Anna Amalie of Hesse-Homburg, Princess of Prussia (1785 – 1846), wife of Wilhelm of Prussia
  • Waldemar of Prussia (1817 – 1849), son of Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Wilhelm of Prussia (1783 – 1851), son of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Anna of Prussia (born and died 1858), daughter of Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, great-granddaughter of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Adalbert of Prussia (1811–1873), son of Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia

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.

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Works Cited

  • Berlinerdom.de. 2022. Berliner Dom. [online] Available at: <https://www.berlinerdom.de/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Berlinerdom.de. 2022. GDR period and reconstruction | Berliner Dom. [online] Available at: <https://www.berlinerdom.de/en/visiting/about-the-cathedral/gdr-period-and-reconstruction/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Berlinerdom.de. 2022. The ‘Hohenzollern’ crypt | Berliner Dom. [online] Available at: <https://www.berlinerdom.de/en/visiting/about-the-cathedral/the-hohenzollern-crypt/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Berliner Dom – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_Dom> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Berliner Dom – Hohenzollerngruft – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_Dom#Hohenzollerngruft> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Berlin Cathedral – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Cathedral> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2012. Royal Burial Sites of the Kingdom of Prussia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/german-royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-kingdom-of-prussia/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Unofficial Royalty. 2015. Kingdom of Prussia Index. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/current-monarchies-article-index/german-royals-index/prussian-index/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Williams, Carol, 1999. Germany’s Royals Getting Belated Respect. [online] Los Angeles Times. Available at: <https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-24-mn-47041-story.html> [Accessed 5 March 2022].

Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan (Theatine Church of St. Cajetan) in Munich, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Theatinekirche; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan (Theatine Church of St. Cajetan), which this writer has visited, is a Roman Catholic church located in Munich in the German state of Bavaria. The church was founded by Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (reigned 1651 to 1679) and his wife Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, in gratitude for the birth of a long-awaited male heir. Ferdinand Maria and Henriette Adelaide had married in 1650. Henriette Adelaide had a daughter in 1660, a stillbirth in 1661, and finally gave birth to a male heir, the future Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria, in 1662, twelve years after her marriage.

The Theatinekirche has two patron saints. Gaetano dei Conti di Thiene (1480 – 1547), known as Saint Cajetan, was an Italian Catholic priest and co-founder of the Theatine Order and was canonized as a saint in 1671. Saint Adelaide (Adelheid) of Italy (931 – 999) (also known as Saint Adelaide of Burgundy) was the wife of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor. Adelaide was devoted to charitable work and supported the founding of monasteries. Because of her charity, Adelaide was widely revered after her death and was canonized in 1097.

Italian architect Agostino Barelli introduced Italian Baroque architecture to Bavaria with his design for the Theatinekirche. The design was modeled after the mother church of the Theatine Order, Sant’Andrea della Valle in Rome. Construction began in 1663. Barelli completed the shell of the church and left Munich in 1674 because of arguments with the site manager Antonio Spinelli and Henriette Adelaide’s confessor. The incomplete church was consecrated in 1675. Barelli’s successor as the chief architect of the Bavarian court, Enrico Zuccalli, actually Johann Heinrich Zuccalli, a Swiss architect, added the two towers which were not in the original plans, from 1684 -1692. The interior was completed in 1688 and the dome in 1690. For a long time, the outer facade of the Theatinerkirche remained unfinished. Despite many discussions, no agreement was reached. Finally, in 1765, the Bavarian court architect François de Cuvilliés the Elder designed a facade in the Rococo style which his son François de Cuvilliés the Younger completed.

During World War II, the Theatinekirche was bombed four times by the Allied Forces and suffered great damage. An altarpiece by Italian painter Antonio Zanchi was destroyed, along with the choir (the area between the nave and the sanctuary), the altar, and the south chapel. Reconstruction began in 1946 and was completed enough by 1955 to allow church services to resume.

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Interior of the Theatinekirche

Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Stucco Decorations

Stucco decorations; Credit – By marsupium photography – https://www.flickr.com/photos/hagdorned/10382855675/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57528584

The interior of the Theatinekirche is richly decorated with stucco in the Baroque and Rococo styles with Corinthian columns decorated with acanthus leaves, ornaments, and religious figures.

The Pulpit

The pulpit; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62189862

The 1686 black oak pulpit is the work of Austrian sculptor Andreas Faistenberger (link in German).

The High Altar

The high altar; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62189854

Before the World War II bombing, over the high altar hung a 1675 painting (below) by Italian painter Antonio Zanchi that depicted the patron saints of the church St. Cajetan and St. Adelaide, the founders of the church Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria and his wife Henriette Adelaide of Savoy with their children, and two pages holding a model of the Theatinekirche. Sadly, the painting was destroyed during a bombing in 1944.

A draft of Antonio Zanchi’s destroyed painting: Credit – Wikipedia

The high altar now contains a 1646 painting (below) by Flemish painter Gaspar de Crayer showing an enthroned Mary holding the infant Jesus surrounded by saints.

Gaspar de Crayer’s painting; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62189858

Statues of the Four Evangelists

The statues of the four evangelists on the high altar can be seen in this photo; Credit – Von © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62189657

In 1722, Bavarian sculptor Balthasar Ableithner (link in German) created the larger-than-life statues of the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which were placed around the high altar. Only the statues of Mark and John survived the World War II bombing intact. The statue of Luke was able to be reconstructed. A new statue of Matthew was created by Italian sculptor Giuseppe Ducrot and placed on the altar in 2017.

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July 11, 2011: Requiem Mass for Otto von Habsburg

 

Otto von Habsburg, the last Crown Prince of Austria and later in his long life, a member of the European Parliament, was the eldest and the longest surviving of the eight children of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria and his wife Zita of Bourbon-Parma. Otto and his wife Regina of Saxe-Meiningen lived at Villa Austria in Pöcking, Bavaria, Germany, and Otto died there on July 4, 2011, aged 98. Multiple requiem masses were celebrated for Otto von Habsburg including one at the Theatinekirche in Munich, in Bavaria, Germany.

On July 11, 2011, a requiem mass was celebrated in the Theatinekirche by Cardinal Reinhard Marx and his predecessor Cardinal Friedrich Wetter. Munich’s Chief Rabbi Steven Langnas recited a Jewish funeral prayer. At the end of the requiem mass, the “Kaiserhymne” (Emperor’s Hymn), the old Austrian imperial anthem, was sung.

The requiem mass was screened on big screens at the Odeonsplatz, the large square in front of the Theatine Church, and was broadcast by Bavarian Television. Following the requiem mass, the Prime Minister of Bavaria Horst Seehofer hosted a reception for 700 invited guests in the Kaisersaal of the Munich Residenz, the former royal palace of the Wittelsbachs. Among the royalty and nobility attending the requiem mass and reception were Otto von Habsburg’s seven children: Andrea von Habsburg (born 1953), Monika von Habsburg (born 1954, twin of Michaela), Michaela von Habsburg (born 1954, twin of Monika), Gabriela von Habsburg (born 1956), Walburga von Habsburg (born 1958), Karl von Habsburg (born 1961), and Georg von Habsburg (born 1964). Also attending were members of the House of Wittelsbach – Prince Luitpold of Bavaria, Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria and his wife Princess Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria – and Gloria, Princess Dowager of Thurn and Taxis.

On July 16, 2011, following a requiem mass at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria, Otto was interred in the Crypt Chapel of the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, the traditional burial site of the House of Habsburg. His mother Zita of Bourbon-Parma was interred in the Crypt Chapel in 1989. At the time of his burial, Otto’s wife Regina who died in 2010, was also interred in the Crypt Chapel.

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Royal Burials

Coffins in the Princely Crypt of the Theatinekirche; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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

The Theatine Church has two burial areas.

The side chapel with the tombs of Maximilian II, King of Bavaria (on left) and Marie Friederike of Prussia, Queen of Bavaria (on right); Credit – By User:Mattes – Self-photographed, CC BY 2.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40079208

Interred in stone sarcophagi in a side chapel of the main nave:

Sign for the Princely Crypt; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

When I visited the Theatinekirche, my husband did not want to pay the two euros admission to the Princely Crypt, and so I went into the crypt alone – just me and 47 coffins of members of the House of Wittelsbach – no one else was there. Being alone was a fairly creepy experience. I looked around, took photos, and exited quickly!

A view of the dark and creepy (if you are alone!) Princely Crypt; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Interred in the Princely Crypt:

  • Luise Margarete Antonie of Bavaria (1663 – 1665) – daughter of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
  • Ludwig Amadeus Viktor of Bavaria (born and died 1665) – son of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
  • Stillborn son (1666) – son of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
  • Kajetan Maria Franz of Bavaria (born and died 1670) – son of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
  • Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, Electress of Bavaria (1636 – 1676) – wife of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria
  • Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (1636 – 1679)
  • Leopold Ferdinand of Bavaria (born and died 1689) – son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Anton of Bavaria (born and died 1690) – son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Wilhelm of Bavaria (1701 – 1704) – son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Alois of Bavaria (1702 – 1705) – son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Maximilian Emanuel Thomas (1704 – 1709) – son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Maximiliana Maria of Bavaria (born and died 1723) – daughter of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Elector of Bavaria
  • Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (1662 – 1726)
  • Therese Kunigunde of Poland, Electress of Bavaria (1676 – 1730) – 2nd wife of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Josef Ludwig of Bavaria (1728 – 1733) – son of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Elector of Bavaria
  • Maximilian Joseph Franz of Bavaria (1720 – 1738) – son of Ferdinand Maria Innocenz of Bavaria and grandson of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Ferdinand Maria Innozenz of Bavaria (1699 – 1738) – son of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Elector of Bavaria (1697 – 1745)
  • Maria of Bavaria (born and died 1748)
  • Unnamed prince (born and died 1753)
  • Maria Anna of Bavaria (born and died 1754)
  • Unnamed prince (born and died 1755)
  • Maria Amalia of Austria, Holy Roman Empress (1701 – 1756) – wife of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor
  • Clemens Franz de Paula of Bavaria (1722 – 1770) – son of Ferdinand Maria Innocenz of Bavaria and grandson of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
  • Maria Anna of Bavaria, Margravine of Baden-Baden (1734 – 1776) – daughter of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, wife of Ludwig Georg, Margrave of Baden-Baden
  • Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria (1727 – 1777)
  • Maria Anna of Pfalz-Sulzbach, Princess of Bavaria (1722 – 1790), wife of Clemens Franz de Paula of Bavaria
  • Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony, Electress of Bavaria (1728 – 1797) – wife of Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria
  • Karl Theodor, Elector of Bavaria (1724 – 1799)
  • Maximilian Joseph Karl Friedrich of Bavaria (1800 – 1803) – son of Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria
  • Maximiliana Josephe Karoline of Bavaria (1810 – 1821) – daughter of Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria

Tombs of Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria and his 2nd wife Caroline of Baden, Queen of Bavaria; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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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. 2022. Theatinerkirche (München) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatinerkirche_(M%C3%BCnchen)> [Accessed 6 January 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Death and Funeral of Otto von Habsburg – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_funeral_of_Otto_von_Habsburg> [Accessed 6 January 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Theatine Church, Munich – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatine_Church,_Munich> [Accessed 6 January 2022].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2012. Royal Burial Sites of the Kingdom of Bavaria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/german-royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-kingdom-of-bavaria/> [Accessed 6 January 2022].
  • Theatinerkirche.de. 2022. Theatinerkirche München. [online] Available at: <http://www.theatinerkirche.de/> [Accessed 6 January 2022].

Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church) in Munich, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Michaelskirche in Munich; Credit – By Andrew Bossi – Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2918246

Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church), which this writer has visited, is a Roman Catholic church located in Munich in the German state of Bavaria. The patron of the church is Saint Michael the Archangel. In 1556, Albrecht V, Duke of Bavaria granted the Jesuit Order permission to establish a school in Munich which is still in existence and known as the Wilhelmsgymnasium. A church was to be built in conjunction with the founding of the Jesuit school. However, the school and the church did not get beyond the planning stage during Albrecht V’s lifetime.

Neuhauser Street and Michaelskirche, 1830s; Credit – Wikipedia

Eventually, the school and church were built during the reign of Albrecht V’s son and successor Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria, hence the name of the school, Wilhelmsgymnasium. Wilhelm V had received a Jesuit education and was a strong supporter of the Counter-Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church’s reaction to the Protestant Reformation. The Michaelskirche, built in the Renaissance architectural style, and the school built from 1583 – 1597 were spiritual centers of the Counter-Reformation. With the abolition of the Jesuit order in 1773, Michaelskirche and Wilhelmsgymnasium came into the possession of the House of Wittelsbach. After the end of the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1918, the church passed into the possession of the State of Bavaria. In 1921, the pastoral care of Michaelskirche returned to the Jesuit Order.

After the severe damage caused by bombings during World War II, Michaelskirche was renovated and then rededicated at Pentecost in 1953. Most recently, the interior was renovated from 1980 – 1983 for the 400th anniversary. From 2009 to 2013, the facade including the statues was renovated.

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The Facade of Michaelskirche

The facade of Michaelskirche; Credit – Credit – By Luidger – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=718322

The large, impressive facade of Michaelskirche has bronze statues of Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria and earlier rulers of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach in the form of a family tree. A large bronze statue between the two entrances shows Saint Michael the Archangel battling Lucifer. The statue was made by Dutch sculptor Hubert Gerhard.

Saint Michael the Archangel vanquishing Lucifer; Credit – By pingnews.com – Sculpture in Munich, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=97462767

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The Interior of Michaelkirche

The interior of Michaelskirche; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The main altarpiece has a painting of Saint Michael the Archangel fighting Lucifer by Bavarian painter Christoph Schwarz.

The main altar; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The church contains the 1830 monument by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen to Eugène de Beauharnais who is interred in the crypt. Eugène was the son of Josephine de Beauharnais, Napoleon Bonaparte’s first wife, and her first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais, who was executed by guillotine during the French Revolution. Eugène de Beauharnais marrried Princess Auguste of Bavaria, daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, and was created Duke of Leuchtenberg.

The monument by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen to Eugène de Beauharnais; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

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The Princely Crypt

Sign with a photo of King Ludwig II at the entrance to the Princely Crypt; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The House of Wittelsbach ruled as Dukes, Electors, and Kings of Bavaria from 1180 until 1918. A princely crypt was in the original plans of Michaelskirche. Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria was buried in the crypt at his request, as was his son Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria.

Stairs down to the Princely Crypt; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

The best-known Bavarian ruler interred at Michaelskirche is Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, the builder of Neuschwanstein Castle who died in 1886 under mysterious circumstances. Ludwig’s brother Otto, King of Bavaria is also interred at Michaelskirche.

Tomb of Ludwig II, King of Bavaria; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Besides Michaelskirche, rulers of the House of Wittelsbach have been interred at the Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan (Theatine Church of St. Cajetan) in Munich, the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Munich, and the Andechs Abbey in Andechs. In 1977, Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, Head of the House of Wittelsbach and pretender to the former Bavarian throne from 1955 until his death in 1996, set up a Wittelsbach private family cemetery near Andechs Abbey due to the lack of space in the other Wittelsbach burial sites. The cemetery complex is now the main burial place of the Wittelsbach family.

The following members of the House of Wittelsbach are interred in the crypt:

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. 2022. St. Michael (München) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael_(M%C3%BCnchen)> [Accessed 28 February 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. St. Michael’s Church, Munich – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael%27s_Church,_Munich> [Accessed 28 February 2022].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2012. Royal Burial Sites of the Kingdom of Bavaria. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/german-royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-kingdom-of-bavaria/> [Accessed 28 February 2022].
  • St-michael-muenchen.de. 2022. St. Michael – die Jesuitenkirche in der Münchner Innenstadt. [online] Available at: <https://www.st-michael-muenchen.de/index.php> [Accessed 28 February 2022].

Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Munich, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Frauenkirche in Munich, Bavaria, Germany; By Diliff – CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5825439

The Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) also called Münchner Dom (Munich Cathedral), which this writer has visited, is a Roman Catholic church and the cathedral church of the Archbishop of Munich located in Munich, the capital of the German state of Bavaria.

Frauenkirche in 1870 looking toward the main altar; Credit – Wikipedia

In the 12th century, a Romanesque church was built on the site replacing an earlier church. This new church served as a second parish in Munich following the older Alter Peter Church. A new late Gothic cathedral commissioned by Sigismund, Archduke of Austria and the people of Munich, was erected in the 15th century. The cathedral was built from 1468 – 1488 by bricklayer and architect Jörg von Halsbach. Red brick was chosen as the building material for financial reasons and because there was no nearby rock quarry. The cathedral was consecrated In 1494 but the towers were not completed until 1525.

Frauenkirche in ruins after World War II. The steps led to the main altar; Credit – https://www.muenchner-dom.de/die-kathedrale/geschichte/baugeschichte/

The Frauenkirche was severely damaged by the Allied Forces’ bombing raids during World War II. The roof collapsed, one of the towers was damaged, and much of the interior was destroyed. A major restoration was required and continued until 1994.

Interior of the restored Frauenkirche looking towards the main altar; Credit – By Chabe01 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64107752

From 1971 – 1972 the main altar area was redesigned according to the reforms and specifications of the Second Vatican Council. From 1989 – 1994, the interior decorations of the original architect Jörg von Halsbach and the oak choir stalls with the sculptures of the original sculptor Erasmus Grasser were reconstructed and new altarpieces were created. Artwork from notable 14th to 18th-century artists like Peter Candid, Erasmus Grasser, Jan Polack, Hans Leinberger, Hans Krumpper, and Ignaz Günther replaced the artwork destroyed in the World War II bombing raids.

The main altar; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62161379

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Cenotaph of Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor

The Cenotaph of Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

A cenotaph, an empty tomb erected in honor of a person whose remains are elsewhere, for Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor who died in 1347, stands in the south aisle. The remains of Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor are interred in the Frauenkirche crypt. The cenotaph was the work of sculptor Hans Krumpper (circa 1570 – 1634) who was the chief sculptor to the Bavarian court during the reigns of Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria and Maximilian I, Duke of Bavaria.  During the World War II-related restoration of the Frauenkirche in the 1980s, the cenotaph was restored with financial help from the Messerschmitt Foundation whose primary goal is the preservation and maintenance of German cultural monuments.

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The Crypt

The 1971 crypt in the Frauenkirche; Credit – By User: Bbb at wikivoyage shared, CC BY-SA 1.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22660042

The crypt we see today was created in 1971 when a larger crypt with exposed brick walls and a concrete beam ceiling was built during World War II-related reconstruction. The coffins of members of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach were then transferred to new wall niches with grave markers. The House of Wittelsbach ruled as Dukes, Electors, and Kings of Bavaria from 1180 until 1918.

Besides the Frauenkirche, rulers of the House of Wittelsbach have mostly been interred at the Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan (Theatine Church of St Cajetan) in Munich and Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church) in Munich, and the Andechs Monastery in Andechs. In 1977, Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, head of the House of Wittelsbach and pretender to the former Bavarian throne from 1955 until his death in 1996, set up a Wittelsbach family cemetery near Andechs Abbey due to the lack of space in the other Wittelsbach burial sites. The cemetery complex is now the main burial place of the Wittelsbach family.

Burial site of some members of the House of Wittelsbach; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62160767

The following members of the House of Wittelsbach are interred in the crypt:

Burial site of Ludwig III, the last King of Bavaria, his wife and five of their children; 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

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Frauenkirche (München) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frauenkirche_(M%C3%BCnchen)> [Accessed 29 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Munich Frauenkirche – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_Frauenkirche> [Accessed 29 December 2021].
  • Muenchner-dom.de. 2021. Der Münchner Dom: Baugeschichte. [online] Available at: <https://www.muenchner-dom.de/die-kathedrale/geschichte/baugeschichte/> [Accessed 29 December 2021].
  • Muenchner-dom.de. 2021. Der Münchner Dom: Home. [online] Available at: <https://www.muenchner-dom.de/> [Accessed 29 December 2021].

Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, Duchess of Nassau

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, Duchess of Nassau; Credit – Wikipedia

Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia was the first wife of the future Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg. Born on May 26, 1826, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Elizabeth was the second of the five daughters of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia and Princess Charlotte of Württemberg (Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna). Her paternal grandparents were Paul I, Emperor of All Russia and his second wife Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg (Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia). Elizabeth’s maternal grandparents were Prince Paul of Württemberg and Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Elizabeth was named in honor of Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna of Russia (born Louise of Baden), the wife of her uncle Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia. Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna had died ten days before Elizabeth’s birth and was a close friend of Elizabeth’s mother.

Elizabeth had four sisters:

Mikhailovsky Palace in the nineteenth century with Mikhailovsky Square in the foreground; Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth grew up at the Mikhailovsky Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. Her mother closely supervised the education of her three surviving daughters. Their father Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich had a military career and he taught his daughters parade and military maneuvers, claiming that any of them would have been able to command a cavalry regiment.

In 1843, Adolphe, then the sovereign duke of the Duchy of Nassau, visited St. Petersburg, Russia for the first time and met Elizabeth. Adolphe’s stepmother Princess Pauline of Württemberg was Elizabeth’s maternal aunt. It was love at first sight and Adolphe and Elizabeth became betrothed. On January 31, 1844, 17-year-old Elizabeth married 26-year-old Adolphe in St. Petersburg. The newlyweds remained in Russia for a while before traveling to the Duchy of Nassau where they lived at Biebrich Castle in Wiesbaden, now in the German state of Hesse.

Elizabeth, now Duchess of Nassau, was happily married and very popular with the people of the Duchy of Nassau. The couple was delighted when Elizabeth soon became pregnant with their first child, but the happiness did not last. On January 28, 1845, at Biebrich Castle, after a very difficult labor, 18-year-old Elizabeth died giving birth to a daughter who did not survive the birth.

Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth; Credit – By Velvet – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=92972063

With the blessing of Elizabeth’s uncle Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, the grief-stricken Adolphe used Elizabeth’s dowry to build the Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth in Wiesbaden. Adolphe sent his court architect Philipp Hoffmann to Russia to study the architecture of Russian Orthodox churches. The church’s location on a hill was chosen by Adolphe himself so that he could always have a view of the church from his residence. The church was built from 1847 – 1855, and on May 25, 1855, it was dedicated to Saint Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist and Elizabeth’s patron saint. Shortly afterward, the coffin containing the remains of Elizabeth and her daughter was taken in a procession from St. Bonifatius Roman Catholic Church, its temporary burial place, to the Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth where it was interred in the crypt.

Tomb of Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, Duchess of Nassau; Credit – By Altera levatur  Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69833581

The Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Elizabeth in Wiesbaden, now in the German state of Hesse, has two other royal burials. Two of the four children of Elizabeth’s first cousin Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia and his mistress and later his morganatic second wife Catherine Dolgorukov, Princess Yurievskaya are buried there: Prince George Alexandrovich Yurievsky (1872 – 1913) and Princess Olga Alexandrovna Yurievskaya (1874 – 1925).

In 1851, Adolphe married for a second time to Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau. They had five children, but only two lived to adulthood including his successor Wilhelm (Guillaume) IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg.  Since 1839. the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg had been united with the Netherlands and the King of the Netherlands was also the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. This rule continued until King Willem III of the Netherlands died in 1890. His successor was his daughter Wilhelmina, who could not inherit the throne of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg due to the Salic Law which prevented female succession. Through the Nassau Family Pact,  Adolph became the Grand Duke of Luxembourg in 1890.

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. 2021. Elisabeth Michailowna Romanowa – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Michailowna_Romanowa> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchess_Elizabeth_Mikhailovna_of_Russia> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. St. Elizabeth’s Church, Wiesbaden – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Elizabeth%27s_Church_(Wiesbaden)> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2015. Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/grand-duke-adolphe-of-luxembourg/> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2021. Élisabeth Mikhaïlovna de Russie — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89lisabeth_Mikha%C3%AFlovna_de_Russie> [Accessed 23 December 2021].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2021. Елизавета Михайловна — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%95%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B0_%D0%9C%D0%B8%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B0> [Accessed 23 December 2021].

Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg was Head of the House of Württemberg, and pretender to the former throne, from 1939 until his death in 1975.

photo: By Atelier E. Breber, Berlin – Original publication: Published as a postcard in Europe.Immediate source: Private Collection – Wartenberg Trust, PD-US, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34113255

Prince Georg Philipp Albrecht Carl Maria Joseph Ludwig Lubertus Stanislaus Leopold of Württemberg was born in Stuttgart on November 14, 1893, the eldest son of Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg and Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria. He had six younger siblings:

  • Duke Albrecht Eugen (1895) – married Princess Nadezhda of Bulgaria, had issue
  • Duke Carl Alexander (1896) – unmarried
  • Duchess Maria Amalia (1897) – unmarried
  • Duchess Maria Theresa (1898) – unmarried
  • Duchess Maria Elisabeth (1899) -unmarried
  • Duchess Margarita Maria (1902) – unmarried

After attending the Eberhard-Ludwigs-Gymnasium in Stuttgart, Philipp Albrecht began studying law at the University of Tübingen. He left his studies after two semesters to join the Württemberg Army in 1912. He served in the Royal Dragoon Regiment No.25 during World War I, fighting on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. Following the November Revolution in 1918, which saw the end of the monarchy, he retired from military service and returned to his studies in Tübingen, eventually earning his doctorate in 1925.

Philipp Albrecht was married twice. His first wife was Archduchess Helena of Austria, Princess of Tuscany. She was the daughter of Archduke Peter Ferdinand of Austria and Princess Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Philipp Albrecht and Helena married in Altshausen on October 24, 1923. Sadly, Helena died just a week after giving birth to their only child:

  • Duchess Maria Christina (1924) – married Prince Georg Hartmann of Liechtenstein, had issue

Four years later, on August 1, 1928, Philipp Albrecht married Archduchess Rosa of Austria, Princess of Tuscany. Rosa was the younger sister of his first wife. Together they had six children:

  • Duchess Helene (1929) – married Federico Pallavicini, Marchese Pallavicini, had issue
  • Duke Ludwig Albrecht (1930) – married (1) Baroness Adelheid von Bodman, had issue; (2) Angelika Kiessig, had issue
  • Duchess Elisabeth (1933) – married Prince Antoine of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, had issue
  • Duchess Marie Therese (1934) – married Prince Henri d’Orléans, Count of Paris, had issue
  • Carl, Duke of Württemberg (1936) – married Princess Diane d’Orléans, had issue
  • Duchess Maria Antonia (1937) – unmarried

Despite the monarchy having been abolished, Philipp Albrecht and his family continued to live at the Crown Prince’s Palace in Stuttgart until 1934 when they were forced to leave after he refused to fly the Nazi Flag above his home. They moved to Altshausen, where he became more involved in the family’s business ventures. After his father died in 1939, he became head of the House of Württemberg and pretender to the former throne and took over the management of the family’s estates. Philipp Albrecht remained very highly regarded in Württemberg for the rest of his life, unlike many of his contemporaries in other German monarchies.

Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg, died in Ravensburg, Germany on April 1, 1975. He is buried in the family crypt in Altshausen, Germany.

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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.

Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

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

Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg – source: Wikipedia

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

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

Albrecht with his wife Margarete Sophie – source: Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

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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.

Fredrik I, King of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Fredrik I, King of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Fredrik I was King of Sweden from 1720 until he died in 1751. However, he was also Prince Consort of Sweden from 1718 to 1720 and Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1730 until his death. He was born Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel on April 28, 1676, in Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in the German state of Hesse. Friedrich was the third but the eldest surviving of the twelve sons and the third but the eldest surviving of the seventeen children of Karl I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Maria Amalia of Courland. His paternal grandparents were Wilhelm VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg. His maternal grandparents were Jacob, Duke of Courland and Luise Charlotte of Brandenburg. Both his grandmothers were sisters and so his parents were first cousins.

Friedrich had sixteen siblings:

After completing his education at the University of Utrecht, Friedrich made the Grand Tour, traveling in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, and the German monarchies. He then embarked on a military career, leading the Hessian troops in the War of the Spanish Succession alongside the Dutch and the Holy Roman Empire troops.

Luise Dorothea of Brandenburg, Fredrik’s first wife; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 31, 1700, in Berlin, Electorate of Brandenburg, now in the German state of Brandenburg, Friedrich married his first cousin Luise Dorothea of Brandenburg, the only daughter of the future King in Prussia, Friedrich I, and his first wife Elisabeth Henriette of Hesse-Kassel. Luise Dorothea was sickly and died childless on December 23, 1705, aged 25. After the death of his first wife, Friedrich began to look for a second wife from Europe’s great royal houses. He had bigger ambitions than just being the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. He wanted to influence a larger monarchy. Friedrich discovered Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden. Her brother Karl XII, King of Sweden was unmarried and Ulrika Eleonora was regarded as a possible future heir to the Swedish throne. In 1708, Ulrika Eleonora’s elder sister Hedwig Sophia died from smallpox, leaving her only child eight-year-old Karl Friedrich as a possible heir to the Swedish throne. At the age of two, Karl Friedrich became Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp when his father died in battle.

Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden, Fredrik’s second wife; Credit – Wikipedia

As early as 1710, Hereditary Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel requested Ulrika Eleonora’s hand in marriage but their betrothal was not announced until January 23, 1714. The marriage was supported by her grandmother Hedwig Eleonora, who expected Ulrika Eleonora to move with her husband to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, thereby increasing the possibility that the young son of the deceased Hedwig Sophia, Karl Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, would become the heir to the Swedish throne. Ulrika Eleonora and Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel were married on March 24, 1715 in Stockholm, Sweden. Friedrich took the Swedish version of his name, Fredrik, and was granted the title Prince of Sweden and the style of His Royal Highness. Instead of moving to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, the couple remained in Sweden.

In 1718, Karl XII, King of Sweden invaded Norway by laying siege to Fredriksten Fortress. On December 11, 1718, while in the trenches close to the perimeter of Fredriksten Fortress, 36-year-old Karl XII was hit in the head by a projectile that entered the left side of his skull and exited on the right side of his skull, instantly killing him. Some historians claim Karl XII was assassinated instead of being hit by enemy fire, and that his brother-in-law Fredrik could have hired an assassin to kill Karl XII.

After Karl XII’s death, his only surviving sibling Ulrika Eleonora claimed the Swedish throne even though her nephew Karl Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp had the better claim by primogeniture. Ulrika Eleonora asserted that she was the closest surviving relative of her brother and was elected Queen of Sweden by the Riksdag, the Swedish legislature. She was crowned at Uppsala Cathedral on March 17, 1719.

Frederik I, King of Sweden in his coronation robes; Credit – Wikipedia

Ulrika Eleonora wanted to reign jointly with her husband Prince Fredrik as William III and Mary II had done in England but the Swedish nobility rejected the notion. Frederik increased his influence on his wife and in state affairs and then reached out to the most powerful men in Sweden who soon considered a change. Ulrika Eleonora wrote a letter to the Riksdag on February 29, 1720, informing its members of her desire to abdicate in favor of her husband on the condition that she should succeed him if he should die before her. The Riksdag confirmed the succession of Ulrika Eleonora’s husband and the condition of her abdication which granted her place as the heir to the Swedish throne until her death. On March 24, 1720, Prince Fredrik acceded to the Swedish throne as Fredrik I, King of Sweden and Ulrika Eleonora became Queen Consort. In 1730, Frederik’s father died and he became Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel but immediately appointed his younger brother Wilhelm Regent of Hesse-Kassel. The childless Frederik would be succeeded as Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel by his brother who would reign as Wilhelm VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel.

At the beginning of his 31-year reign, Fredrik was an active monarch. However, after the nobility regained some power during the wars with Russia, Fredrik was not so much powerless as uninterested in state affairs. The battle losses in the Great Northern War suffered by Frederik’s brother-in-law Karl XII, King of Sweden ended Sweden’s position as a major European power. Under Frederik’s reign, this had to be accepted. Sweden also had to cede land to Russia in the 1721 Treaty of Nystad.

In 1723, Fredrik tried unsuccessfully to strengthen his royal authority. Thereafter, he never had much to do with politics. Fredrik did not even sign official documents, instead, a stamp of his signature was used. He devoted most of his time to hunting and his affairs. One lasting accomplishment was the institution of the three principal Swedish orders of chivalry: the Royal Order of the Seraphim, the Royal Order of the Sword, and the Royal Order of the Polar Star.

Frederik’s mistress Hedwig Taube; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1734, Swedish noblewoman Hedwig Taube (1714 – 1744) became Fredrik’s official mistress. She was given the title Countess of Hessenstein and bore Fredrik four children. Ulrika Eleonora expressed her disapproval to her close confidant Emerentia von Düben who convinced her never to display any public reaction to the affair because it would be beneath the queen’s dignity. Hedwig Taube died a week after the birth of her daughter Hedwig Amalia. She was originally buried at Vadsbro Church. At a later date, her son Karl Edvard had his mother’s remains transferred to Strängnäs Cathedral where she was interred next to her daughter Hedwig Amalia. After Hedwig Taube’s death, Fredrik took another official mistress, Swedish noblewoman Catharina Ebba Horn, who was given the title Countess. Catharina was Fredrik’s mistress for only three years, agreeing to leave her position after receiving a great fortune and three estates.

Frederik’s sons by Hedwig Taube; Credit – Wikipedia

While both of his marriages were childless, Fredrik had four children with Hedwig Taube:

  • Fredrika Vilhelmina von Hessenstein (1732 – 1734), died in early childhood
  • Fredrik Vilhelm von Hessenstein (1735 – 1808), unmarried, had a career in the Swedish army
  • Karl Edvard von Hessenstein (1737 – 1769), unmarried, had a career in the Swedish army
  • Hedwig Amalia von Hessenstein (1744 – 1752), died in childhood

On November 24, 1741, at Wrangel Palace in Riddarholmen, Stockholm, Sweden, Ulrika Eleonora died from smallpox at the age of 53. She was buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden. Because Fredrik and Ulrika Eleonora had no children, Fredrik had no heir. This situation was eventually solved by Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia.

After the death of his first cousin Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp in 1739, Prince Adolf Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp became the administrator of the duchy for his cousin’s 11-year-old son Karl Peter Ulrich. Karl Peter Ulrich’s mother was the deceased Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia, the elder surviving daughter of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia. When his mother’s sister Elizabeth succeeded as Empress of Russia, she named her nephew Karl Peter Ulrich as her successor. Now called Peter, he married Adolf Friedrich’s niece Princess Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst. Later, he reigned briefly as Peter III, Emperor of All Russia until he was deposed by his wife who reigned as Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia.

In 1743, after the Russo-Swedish War (1741-1743) ended in Sweden’s defeat, negotiations were held with Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia. She agreed to restore part of Finland to Sweden if her heir’s uncle, Adolf Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp, was made heir to the childless King Fredrik I of Sweden. Thereafter, Adolf Friedrich was known by the Swedish version of his name, Adolf Fredrik.

Sarcophagus of Ulrika Eleonora and her husband Fredrik I; Photo © Susan Flantzer

Fredrik I, King of Sweden survived his wife by ten years. After suffering several strokes, he died on March 25, 1751, aged 74, at Wrangel Palace in Riddarholmen, Stockholm, Sweden, and Adolf Frederik of Holstein-Gottorp succeeded to the Swedish throne. Fredrik was buried with his wife at Riddarholmen Church.

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. 2021. Friedrich (Schweden) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_(Schweden)> [Accessed 15 September 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Frederick I of Sweden – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_I_of_Sweden> [Accessed 15 September 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I,_Landgrave_of_Hesse-Kassel> [Accessed 15 September 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/ulrika-eleanora-queen-of-sweden/> [Accessed 15 September 2021].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2021. Fredrik I – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredrik_I> [Accessed 15 September 2021].

Albert, Margrave of Meissen

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

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

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

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

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

Albert and his wife, 2005. photo: Wikipedia

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

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

SUCCESSION DISPUTE

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

In 2015, the heads of three Ernestine branches of the House of Wettin, Michael, Prince of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Andreas, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Konrad, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen, issued a statement stating that they did not recognize Prince Alexander as Head of the House of Saxony or as Margrave of Meissen. Notably, their statement did not specifically recognize Prince Rüdiger either.

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Saxony Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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