Princess Caroline Amalie of Hesse-Homburg, Princess of Reuss-Greiz, Regent of Reuss-Greiz

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Caroline Amalie of Hesse-Homburg, Princess of Reuss of Greiz; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Caroline Amalie of Hesse-Homburg, the second wife of Heinrich XX, 4th Prince Reuss of Greiz, was born on March 19, 1819 in Homburg vor der Höhe, Landgraviate of Hesse-Homburg, now in Hesse, Germany. She was given a long string of names: Caroline Amalie Elisabeth Auguste Friederike Ludowike Christiane Josephine Leopoldine George Bernhardine Wilhelmine Woldemare Charlotte.

Caroline Amalie was the eldest of the three children and the elder of the two daughters of Gustav, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg and Princess Louise of Anhalt-Dessau. Caroline’s father joined the Swedish Army in the service of his godfather and namesake King Gustav III and then joined the Austrian Army where he saw action in early 19th-century battles.

Homburg Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Amalie was brought up at Homburg Castle with her siblings. Their mother had been born deaf and perhaps this was one of the reasons that the family lived in self-chosen isolation.

Caroline Amalie had two younger siblings:

  • Princess Elisabeth (1823 – 1864)
  • Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Hesse-Homburg (1830 – 1848), unmarried, predeceased his father

Caroline Amalie’s husband, Heinrich XX, 4th Prince Reuss of Greiz; Credit – Wikipedia

45-year-old Heinrich XX, 4th Prince Reuss of Greiz needed an heir. His first wife Sophie of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg had died childless in 1838. On October 1, 1839, Heinrich XX married 20-year-old Caroline Amalie in Homburg vor der Höhe, Landgraviate of Hesse-Homburg. The couple had five children:

Heinrich XX died on November 8, 1859, at the age of 65. Heinrich XXIII, his thirteen-year-old son succeeded him as the 5th Prince Reuss of Greiz. Caroline Amalie was Regent of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz from 1859 until 1867, during the minority of their son, Heinrich XXII, 5th Prince Reuss of Greiz.

As the daughter of an Austrian general, Caroline Amalie had an anti-Prussian attitude. During the Austro-Prussian War, she was on the side of Austria and as a consequence, Reuss-Greiz was occupied by Prussian troops. The Principality of Reuss-Greiz avoided the fate of the Kingdom of Hanover, which was annexed by Prussia, because Karl Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach intervened with his brother-in-law King Wilhelm I of Prussia on behalf of the House of Reuss-Greiz. However, Caroline Amalie had to pay a price. She had to abandon her position as Regent and pay half of the war indemnities with her personal wealth.

Carolina Amalie survived her husband by thirteen years, dying on January 18, 1872, aged 52, in Greiz, Principality of Reuss-Greiz. She was buried with her husband at the Stadtkirche St. Marien (link in German), now in Greiz, Thuringia, Germany.

Reuss-Greiz Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited:

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2020). Caroline von Hessen-Homburg. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_von_Hessen-Homburg [Accessed 3 Mar. 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2020). Gustav (Hessen-Homburg). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_(Hessen-Homburg) [Accessed 3 Mar. 2020].
  • Es.wikipedia.org. (2020). Carolina de Hesse-Homburg (1819-1872). [online] Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_de_Hesse-Homburg_(1819-1872) [Accessed 3 Mar. 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2020). Heinrich XX, 4th Prince Reuss of Greiz. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/heinrich-xx-4th-prince-reuss-of-greiz/ [Accessed 3 Mar. 2020].