Category Archives: Former Monarchies

Princess Marie of Battenberg, Princess of Erbach-Schönberg

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Princess Marie of Battenberg, Princess of Erbach-Schönberg; Credit – Wikipedia

Marie Karoline of Battenberg was born in Strasbourg, France on February 15, 1852, the eldest child and only daughter of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine and Countess Julia Hauke. Because of her parents’ morganatic marriage, her mother did not become a Princess of Hesse and by Rhine, and was instead created Countess of Battenberg in her own right. Marie and her siblings, therefore, took their titles from their mother and were not in the line of succession for the grand-ducal throne of Hesse and by Rhine. For many years, Marie said that her birth date was July 15, 1852, to hide the fact that her mother was already six months pregnant with her at the time they married.

Marie had four younger brothers:

She became Princess Marie of Battenberg in December 1858 when her mother’s title was elevated by Marie’s uncle, Grand Duke Ludwig III of Hesse and by Rhine.

Gustav Ernst, Count of Erbach-Schönberg. source: Wikipedia

In 1868, while attending the inauguration of the Luther Monument in Worms, Marie met Gustaf Ernst, Count of Erbach-Schönberg. He was the son of Ludewig III, Count of Erbach-Schönberg and Countess Caroline von Gronsfeld-Diepenbrock. They became engaged in 1870 and were married in the Darmstadt City Church in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany, on April 29, 1871.

Marie and Gustav had four children:

  • Alexander, Prince of Erbach-Schönberg (1872) – married Princess Elisabeth of Waldeck and Pyrmont, had issue
  • Count Maximilian of Erbach-Schönberg (1878) – died in childhood
  • Prince Victor of Erbach-Schönberg (1880) – married Countess Elisabeth Széchényi de Sarvar et Felsö-Vidék, no issue
  • Princess Marie Elisabeth of Erbach-Schönberg (1883) – married Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Stolberg-Wernigerode, had issue

Princess Marie, Countess of Erbach-Schönberg with her parents Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine and Julia, Princess of Battenberg, at Osborne House, July 23, 1885, for the wedding of her brother Henry to Princess Beatrice of The United Kingdom. source: Royal Collection Trust RCIN 2905692

Marie’s title changed once again in August 1903, when her husband was elevated to the rank of Prince, and Marie became The Princess of Erbach-Schönberg. Five years later, in January 1908, Marie’s husband died, and their eldest son, Alexander, succeeded him as The Prince of Erbach-Schönberg.

An avid writer, Marie published translations of several prominent works and wrote My Trip to Bulgaria, a memoir of her visit to her brother, Alexander, who was Prince of Bulgaria from 1879 to 1886. In her later years, several more memoirs were published, one of which detailed the situation of her son, Maximilian, who was mentally unstable.

The Dowager Princess of Erbach-Schönberg died in Schönberg, Hesse, Germany on June 20, 1923. She is buried in the cemetery of St. Mary’s Church in Schönberg, Hesse, Germany.

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Countess Julia Hauke, Princess of Battenberg

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Julia Hauke, Princess of Battenberg; Credit – Wikipedia

Julia Hauke, Princess of Battenberg was the wife of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine, and the founder of the Battenberg branch of the Grand Ducal family of Hesse and by Rhine. She was born Julia Therese Salomea Hauke on November 24, 1825, in Warsaw, Poland, the youngest daughter of Count Johann Moritz Hauke and Sophie Lafontaine. Among her ten siblings was a sister Catarina who later became the mistress of Paul Friedrich, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Julia’s father was a distinguished soldier, serving with Napoleon’s Polish Legions, and then with the armies of Poland and the Duchy of Warsaw. He joined the army of Congress Poland in 1814, reaching the rank of General in 1828. In 1829, Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia appointed him Deputy Minister of War of Congress Poland. The following year, he was killed during the November Uprising of 1830. While riding beside the carriage carrying his wife and younger children, Hauke encountered a group of rebel cadets who wanted him to lead them in their revolt. He rebuked them and ordered them back to their quarters. Instead, they opened fire on him, killing him almost instantly. His wife, suffering from shock, died soon afterward, and their younger children – including Julia – were made wards of the Russian Emperor.

Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia. source: Wikipedia

Raised at the Russian Imperial Court, Julia later became a lady-in-waiting to Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, the wife of the future Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia. The Grand Duchess was born Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine, and was the younger sister of Julia’s future husband Alexander. He had accompanied his sister to Russia for her wedding in 1841, became close to his new brother-in-law, and decided to stay in Russia. Alexander became a prominent member of the Imperial Court and served in the Russian military. The Emperor considered Alexander as a possible husband for one of his nieces, but Alexander had already fallen in love with Julia. The Emperor refused to allow a marriage between them, but the couple was determined to marry. Eloping from St. Petersburg, they made their way to Breslau in Silesia, where they married on October 28, 1851. At the time, Julia was already six months pregnant with their first child.

Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine. source: Wikipedia

As their marriage was morganatic, Julia did not become a Princess of Hesse and by Rhine. Instead, her brother-in-law, Grand Duke Ludwig III of Hesse and by Rhine, created her Countess of Battenberg, with the style Illustrious Highness. Her children took their titles from her, becoming Counts and Countesses of Battenberg. Seven years later, the Grand Duke elevated Julia and her children to the rank of Prince/Princess, with the style Serene Highness. However, they remained ineligible for the Grand Ducal throne.

Julia and Alexander had five children:

Julia (far left) with some of her family, c1864. source: Wikipedia.  (seated L-R: Princess Elisabeth of Prussia, wife of Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine; Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine, Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia; Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, later Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine) (standing L-R: Julia, Princess of Battenberg; Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine; Prince Heinrich of Hesse and by Rhine; the future Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse and by Rhine; Gustav, Prince of Vasa; Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine)

Julia and her husband returned to the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, where they lived at the Alexander Palace in Darmstadt, and later at Schloss Heiligenberg in nearby Jugenheim. However, Alexander received a commission from the Austrian Army, and they spent many years in Austria and Italy, depending on where he was stationed. For this reason, each of their children was born in a different place.

In the foreground, the graves of Alexander and Julia; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Julia’s husband died in 1888 and was buried in the Grand Ducal Mausoleum in the Rosenhöhe in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse. However, as Julia was not of equal rank, she would not be permitted to be buried beside him. Therefore, she oversaw the construction of a new mausoleum, built in the grounds of Schloss Heiligenberg. Upon the completion of the new mausoleum, Alexander’s remains were moved there in 1894. The following year, On September 19, 1895, Julia died at Schloss Heiligenberg at the age of 69. She was buried beside her husband in the mausoleum on the grounds of their beloved Heiligenberg. In 1902, the mausoleum was converted to a memorial chapel, and the remains of Julia and Alexander were moved to graves just outside the building.

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Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Ludwig Hermann Alexander Chlodwig of Hesse and by Rhine (known as Lu) was the younger son of Ernst Ludwig, the last Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and his second wife Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich. He was born in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse, on November 20, 1908. Ludwig was Head of the House of Hesse from 1937 – 1968.

Ludwig had one older brother:

Lu also had a half-sister, Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine (1895-1903), from his father’s first marriage to Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Elisabeth had died from typhoid fever several years before Lu’s birth.

Lu was educated privately at home, along with his brother, before attending and graduating from the Realgymnasium in 1926. He then studied archeology and art history at universities in Darmstadt, Lausanne, and Munich. After graduating, Lu served as an attaché at the German Embassy in London. During this time, he met his future wife, The Honorable Margaret Geddes, daughter of British diplomat Auckland Campbell Geddes,1st Baron Geddes and Isabella Gamble Ross, while she was on holiday in Bavaria.

Embed from Getty Images 

Lu and Peg became engaged while attending the 1936 Winter Olympic Games in Bavaria. The wedding was planned for Saturday, November 20, 1937 – Lu’s 29th birthday. However, a great tragedy would strike the House of Hesse and by Rhine just days before.

On November 16, 1937, Lu’s family boarded a plane bound for London to attend his wedding. The passengers included Lu’s mother, his brother Hereditary Grand Duke Georg Donatus of Hesse and by Rhine and wife, born Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark, and their two sons, as well as the children’s nurse and Baron Joachin Riedesel zu Eisenbach, who was to be Lu’s best man. The plane was scheduled to stop in Brussels, but bad weather forced the pilot to continue on to Ostend instead. While attempting to land, the plane clipped a chimney on a factory near the airport, causing the plane to break apart and crash. All aboard the plane, including the pilot and three crew members, were killed.

Embed from Getty Images

After being notified of the tragedy, Lu and Peg, along with their families, decided that the wedding should take place immediately. They married quietly the following morning, November 17, 1937, at St. Peter’s Church, Eaton Square, London. Both wore black, and were joined by a small group of family and close friends. Guests included The Duke and Duchess of Kent; The Countess of Toerring-Jettenbach; The Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven (Lu’s paternal aunt); and the German Ambassador Joachim von Ribbentrop.

Lu, Peg and Johanna c1938; Credit – Wikipedia

Lu and his new wife traveled to Ostend to identify and accompany the bodies – by train – back to Darmstadt. Waiting for them was the only other surviving member of the Grand Ducal family, Don and Cecilie’s 14-month-old daughter Johanna who had not accompanied her parents on the trip to London. Lu and Peg adopted Johanna, but sadly she contracted meningitis and died shortly before reaching her third birthday.

At just 29 years old, Lu became the Head of the House of Hesse. He inherited Wolfsgarten, which would become his principal residence for the rest of his life. He was drafted for military service during World War II, but along with other members of former ruling houses, he was released due to the belief that they would be “politically unreliable”. He returned to Wolfsgarten where he was carefully watched due to his wife’s English background. Following the war, Lu and Peg devoted themselves to rebuilding Darmstadt. They worked to restore the museums, hospitals, and charitable institutions, and Lu co-founded the Institute for New Technical Form, the Council for Shaping, and the Bauhaus Archive. He also designed the German Pavilion for the 1958 World Expo in Brussels. An avid lover of classical music, he promoted the arts and music, including the Ansbach Festival and Aldeburgh Festival.

Because Lu and Peg never had children, in 1960 Lu adopted his distant cousin Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse. Moritz’s father became Head of the House of Hesse upon Lu’s death and was succeeded by Moritz in 1980, bringing the two branches of the Hesse line together again.

In 1964, he served as godfather for Prince Edward of the United Kingdom, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. The Duke’s sister had been married to Lu’s brother and Peg had become a close friend of The Queen.

Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine died in Frankfurt, Germany on May 30, 1968. Following his funeral on June 6, 1968, in the Darmstadt Stadtkirche in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany, he was buried near his parents and family in the Park Rosenhöhe (link in German) in Darmstadt where many members of the Hesse family are buried. He was survived by his wife Peg, who passed away in 1997 and is buried beside him.

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Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine; Credit – Wikipedia

Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine was the elder son of the last reigning Grand Duke, Ernst Ludwig, and his second wife, Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich. He was born in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse, on November 8, 1906, and had one younger brother:

Georg Donatus also had a half-sister, Elisabeth, from his father’s first marriage to Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Princess Elisabeth was born in 1895 and died of typhoid fever in 1903, three years before Georg Donatus was born.

At his christening on December 4, 1906, he was given the names Wilhelm Nikolaus Eduard Heinrich Karl in honor of his godparents – Wilhelm II, German Emperor, Nicholas II, Emperor of All of Russia, King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, Prince Heinrich of Prussia and Prince Karl of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich. Within the family, he was known by the name ‘Don’.

Georg Donatus and his brother Ludwig, c1911. source: Wikipedia

Don and his brother – known as ‘Lu’ – were raised at the family’s various homes in Hesse – the Neue Palais in Darmstadt (link in German), Schloss Wolfsgarten and Schloss Romrod (link in German). They were raised by English nannies, until the outbreak of World War I. By that time, Don was receiving private lessons in German and literature from Anna Textor, who ran a private school for English girls in Darmstadt, and had been the teacher of the future Empress Alexandra of Russia. After the fall of the German Empire, Don’s father was deposed in 1918. The family continued to live at the Neues Palais in Darmstadt, where Don continued his studies privately, before attending the Realgymnasium, graduating in 1926. He then studied economics at the University of Giessen, the University of Lausanne, and the University of Munich, earning his Ph.D. from Giissen in 1933.

Cecilie and Georg Donatus on their wedding day; Credit – Wikipedia

On February 2, 1931, Don married Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark. She was the daughter of Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. Through her mother, Cecilie and Don were first cousins once removed. They married in a Greek Orthodox ceremony at the Neues Palais Palace and in a Lutheran ceremony at the castle church. Following their honeymoon, they took up residence in a newly purchased home in Darmstadt, and had three children:

  • Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine (1931-1937) – died in a plane crash with his parents
  • Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine (1933-1937) – died in a plane crash with his parents
  • Princess Johanna of Hesse and by Rhine (1936-1939) – died from meningitis

Don became head of the family upon his father’s death on October 9, 1937. However, as the throne no longer existed, he did not assume the title of Grand Duke. Despite the formal mourning, it was decided that  Don’s brother Lu would marry The Honorable Margaret Geddes in England as scheduled for the following month. On November 16, 1937, Don, his wife Cecilie, their two sons Ludwig and Alexander, and his mother, Grand Duchess Eleonore, boarded a flight for London to attend Lu’s wedding. Tragically, the plane crashed in Belgium, and all aboard were killed.

Lu’s wedding took place immediately, and then he and his new wife flew to Belgium to accompany the remains of the family back to Darmstadt. Following their funeral which was held a few days later, Hereditary Grand Duke Georg Donatus and his family were buried in the Rosenhöhe in Darmstadt, Hesse Germany. Don’s daughter Johanna, who had not been on the plane, was adopted by his brother Lu. Sadly, she died in June 1939 after contracting meningitis.

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Resources: Robert the Bruce, King of Scots

Statue of Robert the Bruce at Stirling Castle; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

With the release of the film Outlaw King about Robert the Bruce (1274-1329), a Scottish national hero and King of Scots during the First War of Scottish Independence, we thought it would be a good idea to share some of our resources related to him.

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To learn more about the monarchs of Scotland, check out Unofficial Royalty: Scottish Index

Dorothea of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein: In November 1863, Prince Friedrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg claimed the twin duchies as Friedrich VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein after the death without a male heir of King Frederick VII of Denmark, who was also the Duke of Schleswig and the Duke of Holstein.  In 1864, following the Second Schleswig War, the Duchy of Holstein and the Duchy of Schleswig became occupied territories of the German Confederation and two years later, following the Austro-Prussian War, part of the new Prussian Province of Schleswig-Holstein. However, Prussia recognized the head of the House of Oldenburg as the *mediatized duke of these two duchies, with the rank and all the titles. The Duchy of Schleswig and the Duchy of Holstein are now the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.

*mediatize – to annex (a principality) to another state, while allowing certain rights to its former sovereign

Dorothea of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein; Credit – WIkipedia

Princess Dorothea Maria Henriette Auguste Louise of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was born in Vienna, Austria on April 30, 1881, to Prince Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Louise of Belgium. Through her mother, she was a granddaughter of King Leopold II of the Belgians. Dorothea had one older brother:

Ernst Günther, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein. source: Wikipedia

On August 2, 1898, in Coburg, Dorothea married Ernst Günther, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein. He was the son of Friedrich VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Upon his father’s death in January 1880, Ernst Günther had inherited his father’s title. However, just like his father before him, the title was merely in pretense, as the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein had been annexed by Prussia following the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. Ernst Günther served as a General in the Cavalry and was a member of the Prussian House of Lords.

Dorothea and Ernst Günther had no children of their own, but in 1920, they adopted Princess Marie Luise and Prince Johann Georg of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, the children of Prince Albrecht of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and his first wife, Countess Ortrud of Ysenburg and Büdingen.

Schloss Taxis. source: Wikipedia

Widowed in 1921, Dorothea survived her husband by nearly 46 years. The Dowager Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein, aged 86, died at Schloss Taxis in Dischingen, Germany on January 21, 1967. She is buried at St. Augustin Church in Coburg, Germany.

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Schleswig-Holstein Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Ernst Günther, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein: In November 1863, Prince Friedrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg claimed the twin duchies as Friedrich VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein after the death without a male heir of King Frederick VII of Denmark, who was also the Duke of Schleswig and the Duke of Holstein.  In 1864, following the Second Schleswig War, the Duchy of Holstein and the Duchy of Schleswig became occupied territories of the German Confederation and two years later, following the Austro-Prussian War, part of the new Prussian Province of Schleswig-Holstein. However, Prussia recognized the head of the House of Oldenburg as the *mediatized duke of these two duchies, with the rank and all the titles. The Duchy of Schleswig and the Duchy of Holstein are now the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.

*mediatize – to annex (a principality) to another state, while allowing certain rights to its former sovereign

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Ernst Günther, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Ernst Günther was the mediatized Duke of Schleswig-Holstein from 1880 until his death in 1921. He was born in Dolzig, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Poland, on August 11, 1863, to Friedrich VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, a daughter of Queen Victoria’s half-sister Feodora of Leiningen.

Ernst Günther had six siblings:

Upon his father’s death in January 1880, Ernst Günther inherited his father’s title. However, just like his father before him, the title was merely in pretense, as the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein had been annexed by Prussia following the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. He served as a General in the Cavalry and was a member of the Prussian House of Lords.

An affair in 1896 caused a great scandal within Germany. Ernst Günther had fallen in love with Baroness Johanna von Spitzemberg, the daughter of Hildegard von Spitzemberg, a noted hostess in Berlin, and a friend of the German Imperial Family. Ernst Günther and Johanna wanted to marry, but Kaiser Wilhelm and Kaiserin Auguste Viktoria – Ernst Günther’s sister – quickly made it clear that marriage would not be permitted.

Dorothea of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. source: Wikipedia

Two years later, on August 2, 1898, in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in the German state of Bavaria, Ernst Günther married Princess Dorothea of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the daughter of Prince Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Louise of Belgium. They had no children. However, in 1920, they adopted Princess Marie Luise and Prince Johann Georg of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, the children of Prince Albrecht of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and his first wife, Countess Ortrud of Ysenburg and Büdingen.

Ernst Günther died at Schloss Primkenau in Primkenau, Germany, now in Przemków, Poland, on February 22, 1921. He is buried in the Ducal Graveyard in Primkenau. As he had no legal heir, his titles were inherited by his cousin, Prince Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, son of Princess Helena of the United Kingdom and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, and a grandson of Queen Victoria.

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Schleswig-Holstein Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg was the wife of Friedrich VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein. She was born Princess Adelheid Victoria Amalie Louise Maria Konstanze on July 20, 1835, in Langenburg, Principality of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, the daughter of Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Feodora of Leiningen, the elder half-sister of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Adelheid had five siblings:

Adelheid with her mother Princess Feodora. source: Wikipedia

In 1852, the new French Emperor Napoléon III proposed to Adelheid, hoping that marriage to Queen Victoria’s niece would bring a closer alliance with the United Kingdom. However, Queen Victoria was horrified by the idea but remained silent. Adelheid’s family understood that Victoria’s silence indicated her disapproval and declined the Emperor’s proposal. He went on to marry Eugénie de Montijo, who would later become a close friend of Queen Victoria and her family.

Friedrich VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Four years later, in Langenburg on September 11, 1856, Adelheid married Friedrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, the future Friedrich VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein. He was the son of Christian August II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg and Countess Louise Sophie of Danneskiold-Samsøe. They had seven children:

Some of Adelheid’s children, photographed c1869. (l-r) Caroline Mathilde, Auguste Viktoria, Luise Sophie and Ernst Günter. source: Wikipedia

In November 1863, Adelheid’s husband claimed his succession to the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, following the death of the Danish King Frederik VII, and the family moved to Kiel in the Duchy of Holstein. After the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were annexed by Prussia following the Austro-Prussian War, Adelheid and her family returned to Dolzig, in Lower Lusatia, then part of Prussia, now in Poland, where they had resided after their marriage. They alternated between Dolzig, Gotha, Schloss Primkenau in Silesia, and Schloss Gravenstein near Sonderburg (now known as Gråsten Palace). Schloss Gravenstein had been confiscated from Friedrich’s father in 1852 due to his part in the Schleswig-Holstein War. Following Prussia’s annexation of the duchies, Schloss Gravenstein was returned to Friedrich. Today, it is a summer residence of the Danish Royal Family.

Soon after her husband died in 1880, and her eldest daughter’s marriage in early 1881, Adelheid retired from public life, settling in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony, where she spent her time painting and enjoying the arts. She died on January 25, 1900, in Dresden and was buried in the Ducal Graveyard in Primkenau, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Przemków, Poland.

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Schleswig-Holstein Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Friedrich VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein: In November 1863, Prince Friedrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg claimed the twin duchies as Friedrich VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein after the death without a male heir of King Frederick VII of Denmark, who was also the Duke of Schleswig and the Duke of Holstein.  In 1864, following the Second Schleswig War, the Duchy of Holstein and the Duchy of Schleswig became occupied territories of the German Confederation and two years later, following the Austro-Prussian War, part of the new Prussian Province of Schleswig-Holstein. However, Prussia recognized the head of the House of  Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg as the *mediatized duke of these two duchies, with the rank and all the titles. The Duchy of Schleswig and the Duchy of Holstein are now the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.

*mediatize – to annex (a principality) to another state, while allowing certain rights to its former sovereign

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

Friedrich VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein; Credit – Wikipedia

Born Prince Friedrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, Friedrich VIII was the pretender Duke of Schleswig-Holstein from 1863 until he died in 1880. He was born on July 6, 1829, at Augustenborg Palace in Denmark, the eldest son of Christian August II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg and Countess Louise Sophie of Danneskiold-Samsøe, and he had six siblings:

Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 11, 1856, in Langenburg, Kingdom of Württemberg, now in Baden-Württemberg, Friedrich married Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. She was the daughter of Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Feodora of Leiningen, the half-sister of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Together they had seven children:

Some of Friedrich’s children in1869. (l-r: Caroline Mathilde, Auguste Viktoria, Louise Sophie, and Ernst Gunther)

In November 1863, following the death of King Frederik VII of Denmark, Friedrich proclaimed himself reigning Duke of Schleswig and Holstein. His claim was formally recognized by many of the smaller German states and the Federation, but Prussia and Austria adamantly refused. They tried, unsuccessfully, to force the German Confederation to disavow Friedrich’s claim and the sovereignty of Schleswig and Holstein.

This soon led to the Second Schleswig War which began in February 1864. Just nine months later, the war was over and under the Treaty of Vienna, the two duchies were ceded to Prussia and Austria. Less than two years later, as a result of the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, Schleswig and Holstein were formally annexed by Prussia, becoming the Province of Schleswig-Holstein. Friedrich was permitted to keep his title and later served on the staff of the Prussian Crown Prince (later Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia) during the Franco-Prussian War.

At just 50 years old, Friedrich VIII died in Wiesbaden, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Hesse, Germany on January 14, 1880. He is buried in the Ducal Graveyard in Primkenau, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Przemków, Poland.

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Schleswig-Holstein Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Ellen Franz, Baroness von Heldburg

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Ellen Franz, Baroness von Heldburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Ellen Franz, Baroness von Heldburg, was the third wife of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. She was born Hermine Helene Maria Augusta Franz on May 30, 1839, in Naumburg, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, to Hermann Franz and Sarah Grant.

Raised in Berlin, Ellen studied the piano with Hans von Bülow (who would later become Conductor of the Meiningen Court Orchestra under Ellen’s husband, Duke George II.) Through von Bülow, she met Cosima Liszt, the daughter of famed composer Franz Liszt, and the two maintained a lifelong friendship. Cosima would later marry and divorce von Bülow, and then married the German composer, Richard Wagner. She also studied acting, and made her debut on the stage in 1860, using the stage name Ellen Franz. Seven years later, she came to the Meiningen Court Theatre and appeared in numerous roles over the next six years. Within a year of arriving in Meiningen, Ellen had become romantically involved with Duke Georg II, who was still married to his second wife, Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Feodora would die in late 1872.

Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 18, 1873, Ellen married the twice-widowed Georg II at Villa Feodora in Bad Liebenstein. Before the marriage, Georg created her Baroness von Heldburg in her own right, and she used this title for the rest of her life, also reverting back to her given name Helene. As the marriage was morganatic, she did not become Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen. The couple did not have any children.

Sharing a love of the theatre with her husband, Ellen worked with him to reform and redevelop the Meiningen Theater. Much of their efforts became known as the Meininger Principles which is still taught in theater schools today. While her husband created costumes and scenery, Ellen focused on the casting of the productions and helping to train the young students. Through her friendship with Cosima Wagner, she brought several notable musicians and composers to the theater, including Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms.

The Helenenstift, now the Palais am Prinzenberg. photo: Von Kramer96 – Eigenes Werk, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10154690

After her husband died in 1914, Ellen lived for several years at Heldburg Fortress before moving to the Helenenstift in Meiningen, a residence built for her in the early 1890s, intended to serve as a widow’s residence. The Helenenstift is now known as the Palais am Prinzenberg (link in German). The Baroness von Heldburg died at the Helenenstift on March 24, 1923, at the age of 83. She is buried beside her husband in the Park Cemetery in Meiningen, now in the German state of Thuringia.

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