by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2015
The Battenbergs were a morganatic branch of the Grand Ducal family of Hesse and by Rhine. The name began when Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine, the youngest son of Grand Duke Ludwig II, entered into a morganatic marriage in 1851. Later, the name would be anglicized to Mountbatten, a name very familiar to the British Royal Family.
Ten years earlier, Prince Alexander had accompanied his younger sister, Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine, to Russia where she was married to the Tsarevich (the future Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia). Prince Alexander remained there after the wedding, establishing himself in the Russian military and becoming a prominent member of the Imperial court. Emperor Alexander II was even considering Alexander as a possible spouse for one of his daughters. However, Alexander had other plans. In fact, he had fallen in love with one of his sister’s ladies-in-waiting, Countess Julia Hauke.
Julia Hauke was the orphaned daughter of Count Johann Mauritz Hauke, a lifelong soldier, and Deputy Minister of War of Congress of Poland. He and his wife were killed in an assassination attempt on Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, and their children became wards of Alexander I, Emperor of all Russia. She later became a lady-in-waiting to the new wife of the Tsarevich, the former Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine, Alexander’s sister.
Alexander and Julia. Photo: Wikipedia
Alexander and Julia were in love, and despite being banned from marrying by the Emperor, the couple eloped and left the Russian court. Prince Alexander was stripped of his Russian honors and military appointments, basically leaving him as a deserter from the Russian Army. The couple managed to get away, and married on October 28, 1851, in Breslau, Silesia (now Wrocław in Poland).
By this time, Alexander’s brother was the reigning Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, Ludwig III. The Grand Duke allowed the couple to settle in Hesse. Although he recognized their marriage, it was considered morganatic, meaning that none of their children would be in the line of succession to the grand ducal throne. It also meant that neither Julia nor their children would receive any titles from Alexander. Instead, the Grand Duke granted Julia the hereditary title Countess of Battenberg, with the style Illustrious Highness. This is the title that would pass to the couple’s children. Later, in 1858, the Grand Duke would elevate Julia and her children to the title of Prince/Princess of Battenberg, with the style Serene Highness. The origin of the title came from the small town of Battenberg in northwestern Hesse, and its castle Schloss Battenberg.
The couple had five children:
- Princess Marie of Battenberg (1852–1923), married in 1871 Gustav, Count of Erbach-Schönberg, had four children
- Prince Ludwig (Louis) of Battenberg (1854–1921), married Princess Victoria of Hesse of Hesse and by Rhine, had four children including Alice who married Prince Andrew of Greece and is the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; Louise who married King Gustaf Adolf VI of Sweden; and Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma); In 1917, Louis and his children gave up their German titles and took the surname Mountbatten and he was created the 1st Marquess of Milford Haven
- Prince Alexander of Battenberg (1857–1893), created Sovereign Prince of Bulgaria in 1879, abdicated and created Count of Hartenau, married morganatically Johanna Loisinger, had two children
- Prince Heinrich (Henry) of Battenberg (1858–1896), married Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, daughter of Queen Victoria, had including four children including Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg who married King Alfonso XIII of Spain
- Prince Franz Joseph (1861–1924), married Princess Anna of Montenegro, no children
Prince Alexander served with the Austrian army and held a command position in Hesse’s forces. Following Prussia’s defeat of Austria in 1866, he retired from the military and the family lived a quiet life. They split their time between the Alexander Palace (also known as the Battenberg Palace) in Darmstadt, and their country residence, Heiligenberg Castle in Seeheim-Jugenheim.
Because of the unequal marriage between Alexander and Julia, their children were often overlooked by other royal families when searching for prospective spouses. At the time, many monarchies would not even consider the idea of someone of a “lesser birth” marrying into their family. Fortunately, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom had no such misgivings. Eventually, all five of the Battenberg children made successful marriages.
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Princess Marie. photo: Wikipedia
Marie married Count Gustav of Erbach-Schönberg in 1871. Gustav was later elevated to Prince by the Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine in 1903. They had four children.
Prince Ludwig (“Louis”). photo: Wikipedia
Louis married his first cousin once removed, Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Louis served as First Sea Lord before stepping down at the onset of World War I due to anti-German sentiment. Louis and Victoria relinquished their German titles in 1917 and were created Marquess and Marchioness of Mountbatten – the anglicized version of Battenberg. They had four children:
- Princess Alice of Battenberg, later Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark (1885-1969); married Prince Andrew of Greece, five children including Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh
- Princess Louise of Battenberg, later Lady Louise Mountbatten, later Queen of Sweden (1889-1965); married the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, no children
- Prince George of Battenberg, later George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven (1892-1938); married Countess Nadejda Mikhailovna de Torby, two children
- Prince Louis of Battenberg, later Lord Louis Mountbatten, later 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900-1979); married Edwina Ashley, two children
Prince Alexander. photo: Wikipedia
Prince Alexander of Battenberg
Alexander (known as ‘Sandro’) was elected Prince of Bulgaria and held the throne from 1879-1886. He later married Johanna Loisinger and took the style Count of Hartenau. The couple had two children who took on the surname ‘von Hartenau’.
Prince Heinrich (“Henry”). photo: Wikipedia
Henry married Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria. The family lived in the Queen’s household where Beatrice served as her mother’s secretary and companion. Having convinced his mother-in-law to allow him to serve with British forces in the Ashanti War, Henry died of malaria on the journey. He was just 37 years old. In 1919, his wife and children relinquished their German titles and took on the surname Mountbatten. Henry and Beatrice had four children:
- Prince Alexander of Battenberg, later Alexander Mountbatten, Marquess of Carisbrooke (1886-1960); married Lady Irene Dennison, one daughter
- Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, later Queen of Spain (1887-1969); married King Alfonso XIII of Spain, six children. Victoria Eugenie is the great-grandmother of the current King Felipe VI of Spain.
- Prince Leopold of Battenberg, later Lord Leopold Mountbatten (1889-1922); unmarried.
- Prince Maurice of Battenberg (1891-1914); killed in action in World War I
Prince Franz Joseph. photo: Wikipedia
Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg
Franz Joseph married Princess Anna of Montenegro, the daughter of King Nicholas I of Montenegro and Milena Vukotić. He served as an officer in the Bulgarian army during his brother Alexander’s reign. He was a favorite of Queen Victoria and met his wife at a dinner party held by The Queen while on holiday in Cimiez, Nice. The couple had no children.
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In 1917, King George V of the United Kingdom asked all of his family, and extended family to relinquish their German titles due to the anti-German feelings in the United Kingdom. For the Battenbergs, this affected Prince Louis and the family of Prince Henry, who had died 21 years earlier. They gave up their Battenberg titles and took on the surname Mountbatten, the anglicized version of Battenberg.
Prince Louis became Louis Mountbatten and was created Marquess of Milford Haven. His elder son took the courtesy title of Earl Medina, and his younger son became Lord Louis Mountbatten. His daughter Louise became Lady Louise Mountbatten. His elder daughter, Alice, was already married and had become Princess Andrew of Greece.
Prince Henry’s two surviving sons both took the surname Mountbatten as well. His eldest son, Prince Alexander became Alexander Mountbatten and was created Marquess of Carisbrooke. His younger son, Prince Leopold, became Lord Leopold Mountbatten. Henry’s daughter Victoria Eugenie was already Queen of Spain, and his youngest son Maurice had been killed in action before the title changes had occurred.
The Mountbatten name continues today through the descendants of Prince Louis. Although his daughter Alice never took on the Mountbatten name, her son did. Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, was born Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark. He gave up his royal titles upon joining the British Royal Navy and took on the name Philip Mountbatten. In 1960, Queen Elizabeth II issued an Order in Council declaring that her descendants, when needing a surname, would use Mountbatten-Windsor.
The Mountbatten name also continues through Prince Louis’ two sons, both as a surname and a title. His elder son George succeeded him as Marquess of Milford Haven and that title continues today with Louis’ great-grandson, also named George Mountbatten. Louis’ younger son, Lord Louis Mountbatten, later served as First Sea Lord like his father before him and became the last Viceroy, and first Governor-General, of India. He was later created Earl Mountbatten of Burma, a title which passed down to his elder daughter, Patricia Mountbatten Knatchbull. Countess Mountbatten passed away in 2017, and the title passed to her son Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma.
The name ceased in Prince Henry descendants in the following generation. Henry’s eldest son, Alexander, had just one daughter Iris. Upon her marriage in 1941, the surname ceased in this branch of the family. Lord Leopold Mountbatten died unmarried, with no children.
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