November 1914: Royalty and World War I

by Susan Flantzer

Radziwill Family
Timeline: November 1, 1914 – November 30, 1914
A Note About German Titles
November 1914 – Royals Who Died In Action


Radziwill Family

Trąby Coat of Arms used by the Radziwill Princely Family; Credit – Wikipedia

In November of 1914, a member of the Radziwill family died in action during World War I. Some of us will recall that the sister of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Caroline Lee Bouvier, married Prince Stanislaw Radziwill.  The Radziwill family was an important Polish–Lithuanian princely family that played a significant role in Polish–Lithuanian history. In 1518, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I created Mikołaj II Radziwill, an important statesman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Reichsfürst (Imperial Prince) of Goniądz and Meteliai Mikołaj. In 1547, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V created three other Radziwill family members Reichsfürst. Only four other families from the Polish nobility received the title of Reichsfürst from a Holy Roman Emperor.

Notable members of the Radziwill family include:

See Wikipedia: Radziwill Family for more information.

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Timeline: November 1, 1914 – November 30, 1914

  • November 1 – Russia declares war on the Ottoman Empire; Battle of Coronel off the coast of central Chile near the city of Coronel, German cruiser squadron defeats a British Royal Navy squadron
  • November 2 – United Kingdom begins the naval blockade of Germany
  • November 2-November 16 – Bergmann Offensive, first military engagement in the Caucuses in Erzurum Vilayet, Ottoman Empire (now in Turkey)
  • November 3 – Montenegro declares war on the Ottoman Empire; Battle of Kilimanjaro in German East Africa (today Burundi, Rwanda, and the mainland part of present Tanzania)
  • November 3–November 5 – German colonial forces defeat the British at the Battle of Tanga in German East Africa (today Burundi, Rwanda, and the mainland part of present Tanzania)
  • November 5 – France and the United Kingdom declare war on the Ottoman Empire
  • November 6 – Fao Landing, British and Indian Army besiege the fortress at Fao, Ottoman Empire (today in Iraq)
  • November 9 – Battle of Cocos in the northeast Indian Ocean near the Cocos Islands, a territory of Australia
  • November 11 – Sultan Mehmed V of the Ottoman Empire declares Jihad on the Allies
  • November 11-November 21 – Battle of Basra in the Ottoman Empire (today in Iraq)
  • November 11–December 6 – Battle of Łódź in Łódź, Russian Empire (today in Poland)
  • November 16-December 15 – Battle of Kolubara at the Kolubara River in Serbia, decisive Serbian victory forces the Austro-Hungarians to leave Serbia

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A Note About German Titles

Most of the royals who died in action during World War I were German. The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent states, most of them ruled by royal families. Scroll down to German Empire here to see what constituent states made up the German Empire.  The constituent states retained their own governments, but had limited sovereignty. Some had their own armies, but the military forces of the smaller ones were put under Prussian control. In wartime, armies of all the constituent states would be controlled by the Prussian Army and the combined forces were known as the Imperial German Army.  German titles may be used in Royals Who Died In Action below. Refer to Unofficial Royalty: Glossary of German Noble and Royal Titles.

24 British peers were also killed in World War I and they will be included in the list of those who died in action. In addition, more than 100 sons of peers also lost their lives, and those that can be verified will also be included.

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November 1914 – Royals Who Died In Action

The list is in chronological order and does contain some who would be considered noble instead of royal. The links in the last bullet for each person is that person’s genealogical information from Leo’s Genealogics Website or from The Peerage. If a person has a Wikipedia page, their name will be linked to that page.

Francis Annesley, 6th Earl Annesley

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

  • son of Hugh Annesley, 5th Earl Annesley and Mabel Markham
  • born February 25, 1884 in Castlewellan, Kilmegan, County Down, Ireland
  • married February 14, 1909 Evelyn Hester Mundy, no issue
  • Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Air Service
  • killed in action (airplane shot down) near Ostend, Belgium on November 5, 1914, age 30

The Honorable Arthur Edward Bruce O’Neill

  • son of Edward O’Neill, 2nd Baron O’Neill and Lady Louisa Cochrane
  • born September 19, 1876
  • married January 21, 1902 Lady Annabel Crewe-Milnes, had issue
  • Captain in the 2nd Life Guards, British Army
  • killed in action at Klein Zillebeke, Belgium on November 6, 1914, age 38

Henry Bligh Fortescue Parnell, 5th Baron Congleton

  • son of the son of Major General Henry Parnell, 4th Baron Congleton and Elizabeth Peter Dove
  • born September 6, 1890
  • unmarried
  • Lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards, British Army
  • killed in action near Ypres, Belgium on November 10, 1914, age 24
  • http://www.thepeerage.com/p1528.htm#i15275

Arthur, Freiherr von Kettler

Friedrich, Graf von Merveldt

  • son of Graf Friedericus von Merveldt, Freiherr zu Lembeck and Luise, Freiin von Landsberg-Velen
  • born October 26, 1878 in Freckenhorst, Prussia (now Germany)
  • 1910 married Maria Elisabeth, Freiin von Fürstenberg, had issue
  • killed in action at Oporow, Poland on November 16, 1914, age 36
  • http://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00122733&tree=LEO

Prince Nicholas Radziwill

  • son of Prince Wilhelm Radziwill and Catherine Rzewuska
  • born July 4, 1880
  • 1906 married Countess Madeleine Zawiska-Kieygajlo
  • killed in action at Mallwischken, Prussia (now in the Russian Federation) on November 30, 1914, age 34
  • http://www.thepeerage.com/p6808.htm#i68071