Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine
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| Prince Alexander | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Hesse and by Rhine | |
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| Spouse | Julia von Hauke |
| Issue | |
| Princess Marie Louis Mountbatten, Marquess of Milford Haven Alexander, Prince of Bulgaria Prince Henry Prince Francis Joseph |
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| House | House of Hesse-Darmstadt |
| Father | Grand Duke Louis II of Hesse |
| Mother | Wilhelmine of Baden |
| Born | 15 July 1823 Darmstadt, Hesse |
| Died | 15 December 1888 (aged 65) Seeheim, Hesse |
| Burial | Rosenhohe, Darmstadt |
Prince Alexander of Hesse GCB (15 July 1823 - 15 December 1888), was the third son and fourth child of Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse and Wilhelmina of Baden.
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[edit] Questioned parentage
Though Alexander is best known for the scandal caused by his marriage, also his parentage was subject of scandal, as it was openly rumoured that his and his sister Marie's father was actually Baron Augustus de Senarclens, their mother's chamberlain.
[edit] Career
As a younger son of the Grand Duke, Prince Alexander followed the martial tradition of his family, and served in the Russian Army, where he became a distinguished soldier with a glittering career ahead of him. He had a regiment of lancers named after him and was awarded the Cross of St. George. The fact that his sister Marie was the Tsarevna (Crown Princess) of Russia (i.e., wife of the future Tsar Alexander II) was not a disadvantage to his prospects. Many, however, thought it odd that he did not serve in a Hessian cavalry unit or at least a German one.
[edit] Alexander's marriage
This promising career however was cut short by a scandal, as Alexander fell in love with Countess Julia von Hauke, a lady-in-waiting to his sister, Maria Alexandrovna. The Countess was an orphaned German-Polish ward of the Tsar, and daughter of the Tsar's former Minister of War. At that time, Tsar Nicholas I was considering Alexander as a possible husband for his niece and as he heard of the romance, the Tsar forbade the couple to marry.
Alexander left for England to contemplate his future, but then returned to Russia and eloped with Julia from St. Petersburg. The two were married in Breslau (Silesia) in 1851.
They returned to Hesse, where his older brother Grand Duke Louis III was displeased by the lowly dynastic status of his brother's wife. Julia was created Countess of Battenberg (named after a small town of Battenberg in the north of Hesse where they first lived in seclusion), but their children would remain excluded from the line of succession and would always bear the slight stigma of being styled "Serene Highnesses" rather than "Grand Ducal Highnesses". The Countess was later elevated to the rank of a Princess (Fürstin), and the couple eventually returned to Darmstadt.
[edit] Children
Having forgone his dynastic claims, Prince Alexander and his morganatic wife lived a quiet life. Their family lived primarily at Heiligenberg Castle, near Jugenheim, in southern Hesse.
Alexander of Hesse and Julia of Battenberg had five children, and they inherited their mother's title and surname. The children were:
- Princess Marie of Battenberg 1852 - 1923
- Prince Louis of Battenberg 1854 - 1921
- Prince Alexander of Battenberg, 1857 - 1893
- Prince Henry of Battenberg 1858 - 1896
- Prince Francis Joseph of Battenberg 1861 - 1924
Prince Alexander of Hesse died in 1888, Princess Julia of Battenberg died at Schloss Heiligenberg in 1895 at the age of 70.
[edit] Descendants
Despite these scandalous origins, the family of Battenberg quickly was accepted into Europe's nobility, forming marital ties with several royal families.
- Prince Louis married Princess Victoria (daughter of Queen Victoria's second daughter, Alice). Their children included:
- Princess Louise, became Queen of Sweden through her marriage to Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden.
- Princess Alice, married Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, with whom her children include Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of Elizabeth II.
- Prince Henry married Queen Victoria's youngest daughter, Beatrice. Their only daughter:
- Princess Ena, became Queen of Spain upon her marriage to King Alfonso XIII of Spain. Their grandson Juan Carlos is the present King of Spain.
- Prince Alexander became the first Prince of modern Bulgaria, but was disposed shortly after.
[edit] Ancestry
| Ancestors of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine | ||
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