Peter
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Posted 1374934577
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The second part of this three-part set is concerned with relationships between the sovereigns of the German Empire’s constituent realms, which I usually shorten to just the German Realms (I’m not sure by the way whether this is my coinage or not, but anyway I rather like the way it sounds). As explained in the introduction to the first part, since Kaiser Wilhelm II was King of Prussia as well as German Emperor he is included in this part as well as in the first, and indeed in the third.
When I began looking at doing a chart of these relationships, I quailed somewhat. There were a lot of sovereigns to consider, but I went ahead anyway, and I’m glad I did. I enjoyed doing it greatly and learned an immense amount about not just the relationships of these sovereigns but their lives, their ancestries and the realms they ruled, small, patchwork states for the most part but forming a fascinating tapestry of little linked nations within a nation. All had their roots far in the past of the Holy Roman Empire, and were inheritances from rulers with Imperial immediacy, that is owing allegiance to no one but the Emperor, who due to the importance of their dominions, the strength of their alliances, their personal qualities or a combination of the three avoided mediatisation in the convulsions of the Napoleonic years and the end of the Empire. Though I don’t plan to do this in other threads, it might be convenient at this point to show a table of all the rulers involved:
Sovereign From Sovereign From Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia 1888 Friedrich II, Duke of Anhalt 1904 Wilhelm II, King of Wūrttemberg 1891 Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg 1908 Friedrich August III, King of Saxony 1904 Ernst August III, Duke of Brunswick 1913 Ludwig III, King of Bavaria 1913 Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen 1914 Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine 1892 Gūnther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg 1890 Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1897 Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont 1893 Friedrich August II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg 1900 Heinrich XXIV, Prince Reuss Elder Line 1902 Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach 1901 Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe 1905 Friedrich II, Grand Duke of Baden 1907 Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe 1911 Adolf Friedrich VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 1914 Heinrich XXVII, Prince Reuss Younger Line 1913 Carl Eduard, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha 1900
As can be seen, they are arranged first by rank (king, grand duke, duke, prince) and then by accession date, and this is the plan that will be followed in the charts. My original intention was to have three of these, kings and grand dukes with each other followed by kings and grand dukes with dukes and princes, then finally dukes and princes with each other. However, forum size limits derailed this idea, and I ended up with six charts not three. The only part of the concept that survived was kings and grand dukes with each other, though to keep even that one in one piece after a change in the Genealogics software that broke all my red links, but allowed me to add considerably more of them during the course of repair, I had to resort to an expedient explained below the chart. Next comes kings and grand dukes with the dukes, then with the princes, followed by dukes with each other, dukes with princes, and finally princes with each other. So far as statistics are concerned I have though adhered to the original concept, regarding split charts as parts of a whole rather than entities in themselves, and statistical summaries appear after the key for the last chart in a set and cover all its charts, rather than being individual to each. The figures for number of connections formed shown in brackets after names in the keys do however pertain to that individual chart.
Combined statistics, broken into three parts, follow the charts and keys. In the headings of the statistics tables, please read 'II' and 'III' as meaning 'II a-b' and 'III a-c'; to have put this in the headings would have given the column widths an incongruous appearance. A two-part note on posterities appears after the tables. And now, with altogether 21 sovereigns, 64 ancestors and 278 relationships, here goes.
For an explanation of how to read the charts, click here .
Peter
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I: Relationships of the Kings and Grand Dukes of the German Empire at 28 June 1914, the day of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Reigning monarch W II G W II W FA III Ludwig III E Ludwig F Franz IV FA II W Ernst F II AF VI Wilhelm II of Germany — 3c KIIMS 3c FSC 3c KIIMS 1c VGB 2c1r FW3P 3c KIIMS 2c KFSW 1c WIG 3c G3GB 3c KIIMS Wilhelm II of Württemberg 3c KIIMS — 5c FAIIB 5c L8HD 2c FSA 4c FLW 4c GWHD 4c KMS 3c1r FIIW 3c1r KIIMS 2c FSA 2c LDW 1c1r WIW 3c KIIMS 2c1r FSA Friedrich August III of Saxony 3c FSC 5c FAIIB 5c L8HD — 2c MIB 2c MPS 3c FSC 3c KLB 3c1r KFB 3c1r KLB 5c L8HD 4c LIXHD 2c2r KFB 4c1r LIXHD Ludwig III of Bavaria 3c KIIMS 2c FSA 2c MIB 2c MPS — 3c1r GWHD 3c1r KIIMS 2c FSA 4c1r C3ZB 4c1r EAISW 4c1r L8HD 3c KIIMS 2c1r FSA Ernst Ludwig, GD of Hesse and by Rhine 1c VGB 4c FLW 4c GWHD 4c KMS 3c FSC 3c KLB 3c1r GWHD — 3c1r FWIIP 3c1r KFB 3c1r KLB 4c GWHD 4c KMS 3c1r FWIIP 2c2r KFB 3c G3GB Friedrich Franz IV, GD of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 2c1r FW3P 3c1r FIIW 3c1r KIIMS 3c1r KFB 3c1r KLB 3c1r KIIMS 3c1r FWIIP 3c1r KFB 3c1r KLB — 3c1r FIIW 3c1r KIIMS 3c PIR 1c1r LIB 3c1r KIIMS Friedrich August II, GD of Oldenburg 3c KIIMS 2c FSA 2c LDW 5c L8HD 2c FSA 4c GWHD 4c KMS 3c1r FIIW 3c1r KIIMS — 2c1r LDW 3c KIIMS 2c1r FSA Wilhelm Ernst, GD of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach 2c KFSW 1c1r WIW 4c LIXHD 4c1r C3ZB 4c1r EAISW 4c1r L8HD 3c1r FWIIP 3c PIR 2c1r LDW — 2c KFSW 4c FWIIP Friedrich II, GD of Baden 1c WIG 3c KIIMS 2c2r KFB 3c KIIMS 2c2r KFB 1c1r LIB 3c KIIMS 2c KFSW — 3c KIIMS Adolf Friedrich VI, GD of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 3c G3GB 3c KIIMS 2c1r FSA 4c1r LIXHD 2c1r FSA 3c G3GB 3c1r KIIMS 2c1r FSA 4c FWIIP 3c KIIMS — In order to keep this chart within forum size limits and avoid it having to be split, the second instance of each red link has been removed. That is, the relationships of sovereigns have a red link only when the other sovereign is below them on the left. All relationships are linked still, just only one of the two occurrences of each, and if you go to the intersection of the column of the sovereign below and row of the sovereign above you will find a link there. As a link is available for all relationships they are all in red, though those not directly linked are not underlined.
Peter
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Posted 1374936164
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Key: C3ZB EAISW FAIIB Christian III, CP of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld (1) Ernst August I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1) F Albrecht II, D of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1) FIIW FLW FSA Friedrich II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg (2) Frederick Lewis, Prince of Wales (1) Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (6) FSC FW3P FWIIP Franz, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (2) Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia (1) Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia (3) G3GB GWHD KFB George III of Great Britain and Ireland (2) Landgrave Georg Wilhelm of Hesse-Darmstadt (3) Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden (4) KFSW KIIMS KLB Karl Friedrich, GD of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (2) Karl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (12) Karl Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Baden (3) KMS L8HD LDW Duke Karl of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (2) Ludwig VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (3) Duke Ludwig of Württemberg (2) LIB LIXHD MIB Leopold I, Grand Duke of Baden (1) Ludwig IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (2) Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria (1) MPS PIR VGB Prince Maximilian of Saxony (1) Paul I Petrovitch of Russia (1) Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland (1) WIG WIW Wilhelm I of Germany (1) Wilhelm I of Württemberg (1)
Most connections formed: KIIMS (12) FSA (6) KFB (4) FWIIP, GWHD, KLB, L8HD (3) FIIW, FSC, G3GB, KFSW, KMS, LDW, LIXHD (2) Others (1)
Peter
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Key: FAIIB FFIMS FIAn F Albrecht II, D of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1) Friedrich Franz I, GD of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1) Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt (1) FIW FJSC FLMS Friedrich I of Württemberg (1) Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1) F Ludwig, HGD of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1) FMS FSA FSC Duchess Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1) Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (10) Franz, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1) FVHH FW3P FWIIP Friedrich V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg (1) Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia (3) Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia (9) G3GB GISM JSA George III of Great Britain and Ireland (3) Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (2) Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenberg (1) KIIMS L8HD LDW Karl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (13) Ludwig VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (1) Duke Ludwig of Württemberg (2) LIXHD PIR PPW Ludwig IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (3) Paul I Petrovitch of Russia (2) Prince Paul of Württemberg (1) VGB VIIA WIN Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland (2) Viktor II, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg (1) Willem I of the Netherlands (1)
Peter
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Peter
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Key: AHW C3ZB CAHL Alexander Hermann, Count of Wartensleben (1) Christian III, CP of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld (5) C Albrecht, P of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (2) EAISW FAD FIIW Ernst August I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (3) Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (1) Friedrich II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg (7) FIW FLMS FLW Friedrich I of Württemberg (1) F Ludwig, HGD of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1) Frederick Lewis, Prince of Wales (1) FSA FVHH FWIIP Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (6) Friedrich V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg (3) Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia (3) FWIP FWSB GISM Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia (1) Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Solms-Braunfels (2) Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (1) GLE GWHD H24RE Georg Ludwig I, Count of Erbach (1) Landgrave Georg Wilhelm of Hesse-Darmstadt (1) Heinrich XXIV, Count Reuss zu Ebersdorf (3) H24RK JDK KIIMS Heinrich XXIV, Count Reuss zu Kōstritz (2) Johann Dietrich, Count of Kunowitz (2) Karl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (5) KMS KNW L8HD Duke Karl of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1) Karl Christian, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg (2) Ludwig VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (2) LAZ LCSG LIXHD Lebrecht, Prince of Anhalt-Zeitz-Hoym (1) Ludwig Christian, Count of Stolberg-Gedern (2) Ludwig IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (9) LKNS OPS PIR Ludwig Kraft, Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken (7) Otto, Prince of Schōnburg (1) Paul I Petrovitch of Russia (2) PPW PWBS VIIA Prince Paul of Württemberg (1) P Wilhelm, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1) Viktor II, P of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg (3) WDCR Wolfgang Dietrich, Count of Castell-Remlingen (2)
Most connections formed IIa-b: KIIMS (18) FSA (16) FWIIP, LIXHD (12) FIIW, LKNS (7) C3ZB (5) FVHH, PIR, VIIA (4)
EAISW, FW3P, G3GB, GISM, H24RE, L8HD (3) CAHL, FIW, FLMS, FWSB, H24RK, JDK, KNW, LCSG, LDW, PPW, VGB, WDCR (2) Others (1)
Peter
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IIIa: Relationships between the Dukes of the German Empire at 28 June 1914, the day of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
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IIIb: Relationships between the Dukes and the Princes of the German Empire at 28 June 1914, the day of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Key: BIISM C3ZB CAHL Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (1) Christian III, CP of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld (1) C Albrecht, P of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (4) EAISW FAD FIIW Ernst August I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1) Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (1) Friedrich II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg (1) FSA FVHH FWIP Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (5) Friedrich V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg (1) Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia (1) FWSB GIIWP GVWP Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Solms-Braunfels (1) Georg II, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (2) Georg Viktor, P of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1) H24RE H24RK JDK Heinrich XXIV, Count Reuss zu Ebersdorf (1) Heinrich XXIV, Count Reuss zu Kōstritz (1) Johann Dietrich, Count of Kunowitz (1) KIIMS KNW L8HD Karl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1) Karl Christian, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg (1) Ludwig VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (1) LAZ LCSG LIXHD Lebrecht, Prince of Anhalt-Zeitz-Hoym (1) Ludwig Christian, Count of Stolberg-Gedern (1) Ludwig IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (4) LKNS MSA PHP Ludwig Kraft, Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken (2) Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg (1) Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal (1) PWBS WDCR WIVO P Wilhelm, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1) Wolfgang Dietrich, Count of Castell-Remlingen (1) Willem IV, Prince of Orange (1)
Peter
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IIIc: Relationships between the Princes of the German Empire at 28 June 1914, the day of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Key: AISL C3ZB CAHL Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe (1) Christian III, CP of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld (1) C Albrecht, P of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (2) FIIW FVHH FWSB Friedrich II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg (1) Friedrich V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg (1) Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Solms-Braunfels (1) GIIWP H24RK KLHL Georg II, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (2) Heinrich XXIV, Count Reuss zu Kōstritz (4) Karl Ludwig, P of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1) LAZ LIXHD LKNS Lebrecht, Prince of Anhalt-Zeitz-Hoym (1) Ludwig IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (1) Ludwig Kraft, Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken (1) WHP Wilhelm, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal (1)
Most connections formed IIIa-c: FSA (9) CAHL (6) H24RK, LIXHD (5) GIIWP, KIIMS (4) LKNS (3) BIISM, C3ZB, FIIW, FVHH, FWSB, LAZ (2)
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Combined statistics 1914 (2) part one: individuals forming four or more connections Code Name T I II III Code Name T I II III KIIMS Karl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 34 12 18 4 G3GB George III of Great Britain and Ireland 6 2 3 1 FSA Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg 31 6 16 9 EAISW Ernst August I, D of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach 5 1 3 1 LIXHD Ludwig IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 19 2 12 5 PIR Paul I Petrovitch of Russia 5 1 4 - FWIIP Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia 16 3 12 1 FW3P Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia 4 1 3 - FIIW Friedrich II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg 11 2 7 2 FWSB Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Solms-Braunfels 4 - 2 2 LKNS Ludwig Kraft, Count of Nassau-Saarbrücken 10 - 7 3 GIIWP Georg II, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont 4 - - 4 C3ZB Christian III, CP of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld 8 1 5 2 GWHD Landgrave Georg Wilhelm of Hesse-Darmstadt 4 3 1 - CAHL C Albrecht, P of Hohenlohe-Langenburg 8 - 2 6 H24RE Heinrich XXIV, Count Reuss zu Ebersdorf 4 - 3 1 H24RK Heinrich XXIV, Count Reuss zu Kōstritz 7 - 2 5 KFB Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden 4 4 - - L8HD Ludwig VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 7 3 3 1 LDW Duke Ludwig of Württemberg 4 2 2 - FVHH Friedrich V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg 6 - 4 2 VIIA Viktor II, P of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg 4 - 4 -
Peter
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Posted 1374939392
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Combined statistics 1914 (2) part two: individuals forming three or two connections Code Name T I II III Code Name T I II III FSC Franz, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld 3 2 1 - FAD Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Anhalt-Dessau 2 - 1 1 GISM Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen 3 - 3 - FAIIB Ferdinand Albrecht II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel 2 1 1 - JDK Johann Dietrich, Count of Kunowitz 3 - 2 1 FIW Friedrich I of Württemberg 2 - 2 - KLB Karl Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Baden 3 3 - - FLMS Friedrich Ludwig, Hereditary GD of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 2 - 2 - KMS Duke Karl of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 3 2 1 - FLW Frederick Lewis, Prince of Wales 2 1 1 - KNW Karl Christian, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg 3 - 2 1 FMS Duchess Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 2 - 1 1 LAZ Lebrecht, Prince of Anhalt-Zeitz-Hoym 3 - 1 2 FWIP Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia 2 - 1 1 LCSG Ludwig Christian, Count of Stolberg-Gedern 3 - 2 1 KFSW Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach 2 2 - - VGB Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland 3 1 2 - PPW Prince Paul of Württemberg 2 - 2 - WDCR Wolfgang Dietrich, Count of Castell-Remlingen 3 - 2 1 PWBS Philipp Wilhelm, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt 2 - 1 1 BIISM Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen 2 - - 2
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Combined statistics 1914 (2) part three: individuals forming only one connection Code Name I II III Code Name I II III AHW Alexander Hermann, Count of Wartensleben - 1 - MIB Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria 1 - - AISL Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe - - 1 MPS Prince Maximilian of Saxony 1 - - AUSM Anton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen - - 1 MSA Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg - - 1 FFIMS Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin - 1 - OPS Otto, Prince of Schōnburg - 1 - FIAn Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt - 1 - PHP Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal - - 1 FJSC Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld - 1 - WHP Wilhelm, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld - - 1 GLE Georg Ludwig I, Count of Erbach - 1 - WIG Wilhelm I of Germany 1 - - GVWP Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont - - 1 WIN Willem I of the Netherlands - 1 - JSA Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenberg - 1 - WIVO Willem IV, Prince of Orange - - 1 KLHL Karl Ludwig, 3rd Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg - - 1 WIW Wilhelm I of Württemberg 1 - - LIB Leopold I, Grand Duke of Baden 1 - -
Peter
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Posted 1374940323
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A note on posterities
In view of the number of sovereigns involved, it seems best to start with a table showing which of them has living descendants today. In the headings of the table that follows, p (proles ) signifies that the sovereign does have descendants today, sps (sine proles superstite ) that the sovereign had at least one child and perhaps further descent, but all descent is now extinct, and sp (sine prole ) that the sovereign was childless. Sovereigns that had children are linked to a Genealogics chart of their descendants, and those that did not to their Genealogics individual page.
Sovereign p sps sp Sovereign p sps sp Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia √ Friedrich II, Duke of Anhalt √ Wilhelm II, King of Württemberg √ Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg √ Friedrich August III, King of Saxony √ Ernst August III, Duke of Brunswick √ Ludwig III, King of Bavaria √ Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen √ Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine √ Günther ViKtor, Prince of Schwarzburg √ Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin √ Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont √ Friedrich August II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg √ Heinrich XXIV, Prince Reuss Elder Line √ Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach √ Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe √ Friedrich II, Grand Duke of Baden √ Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe √ Adolf Friedrich VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz √ Heinrich XXVII, Prince Reuss Younger Line √ Carl Eduard, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha √
Of the six sovereigns that were childless, Adolf Friedrich VI and Heinrich XXIV in fact never married, the former apparently not inclined to marry and the latter not able to, as he was left physically and mentally disabled by a tragic childhood accident. He was the last of his line, no doubt adding to his parents’ anguish, if anything could have, so the Princes Reuss Younger Line are now simply Princes Reuss. Descent survives from three of Heinrich XXIV's sisters, including Hermine who was second wife of Emperor Wilhelm II. By her first marriage she was great-grandmother to Grand Duke George of Russia ; we must hope that he will eventually marry equally and produce further descent.
Adolf Friedrich VI was not quite the last of his line, but his suicide in 1918 still left the Strelitz succession in a fair muddle, eventually resolved after various twists and turns by demorganatising the Carlow branch of the family, the head of which, Duke Borwin, is today heir to both the Mecklenburg Grand Duchies; his nearest relationship to Adolf Friedrich VI is shown here .
The other childless sovereigns were married but failed of issue. Interesting collateral descendants include, for Friedrich II of Baden, Margrethe II of Denmark and Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, great-great-grandchildren of his sister Viktoria; for Friedrich II of Anhalt, Grand Duke George again, great-great-grandson of his brother Eduard; for Gü nther Viktor, Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, great-great-grandson of his sister Marie; and for Adolf II his brother Stephan's grandson Christoph , Prince of Schleswig-Holstein, present head of the entire House of Oldenburg.
More tragedy is involved in the stories of the two sovereigns that had issue, but with no descent surviving. Ernst Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine had three children and three grandchildren, but his daughter died young, his elder son perished in an air crash along with two of the grandchildren, the third of whom died two years later aged only two, and his younger son died childless in 1968, at which point the Hesse-Darmstadt branch became extinct in male line, though ample descent survives from Ernst Ludwig’s sisters Victoria and Irene. Victoria’s descendants include the present Prince of Wales , her great-grandson.
Bernhard III of Saxe-Meiningen had just one child, his daughter Feodora, who married but had no children. After suffering all her life from the agonising hereditary disease porphyria, she killed herself aged 66, unable to face yet more years of torment. His most prominent collateral descendant is Archduke Karl of Austria, great-grandson of his paternal half-brother Friedrich , who aged 52 was killed in action in the early days of the war.
Posterity does survive from the other 13 sovereigns, as can be seen from the links, but only one of them can claim a current sovereign among their descent. This is Carl Eduard of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who was the maternal grandfather of Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Ernst August III of Brunswick could make that claim, and will be able to again; Constantine II , former King of the Hellenes, is his grandson and the Prince of Asturias his great-grandson. And since Ernst August's wife was Princess Victoria of Prussia, only daughter of the Emperor Wilhelm II, he could also say as much. Another who one day will be able to is Ludwig III of Bavaria, since Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein is his great-great-great-grandson. Due to forum size limits, I will continue what I have to say in the next post.
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Posted 1374940388
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A note on posterities part 2
I like in these notes to focus on descent to current sovereigns. The preceding part however contains most of can be said about that, though I will add to it by pointing out that Margrethe II of Denmark is the granddaughter of Friedrich Franz IV's sister Alexandrine and Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands the great-grandson of Leopold IV's brother Bernhard. With the demise of equal marriage it is unlikely that there will ever be very much more to add in the future; however, not descended is not the same as not related. I began this note with a table and will end with one, this time showing the spread of descent among current sovereigns from the top ten ancestors (those forming seven or more connections) of the 1914 German Realms sovereigns.
. KIIMS FSA LIXHD FWIIP FIIW LKNS C3ZB CAHL H24RK L8HD T Carl XVI Gustaf √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ 10 Henri √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ 10 W-Alexander √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ 10 Philippe √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ 10 Margrethe II √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ 9 Harald V √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ 9 Juan Carlos I √ √ √ √ √ √ 6 Hans-Adam II √ √ √ √ √ √ 6 Albert II √ √ √ √ 4 Elizabeth II √ 1 Total 6 6 9 6 8 9 9 5 8 9
It will be noted that the most exiguous collection belongs to the Queen, followed by the two sovereign Princes and Juan Carlos I. The Prince of Wales however has everyone bar CAHL and H24RK. The Prince of Asturias has CAHL as well as all the others his father lacks, so that will be five with a full set in the future, and he remember descends from two of the actual 1914 sovereigns as well. Descent from their ancestors, if not from them, is as you can see widespread among the other sovereigns, even if they cannot all claim a perfect 10. Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein incidentally adds FIIW, FSA, and KIIMS, so when he eventually succeeds Liechtenstein’s score will be raised to 9, lacking only FWIIP.
A final thought; the table shows that LIXHD, Ludwig IX of Hesse-Darmstadt, is an ancestor of all current sovereigns bar the Queen (as is also the case with L8HD, C3ZB and LKNS, but they were all earlier than LIXHD, being in fact his father, his father-in-law and his wife's maternal grandfather, so are not germane to what follows). As he is also an ancestor of the Prince of Wales, he will one day replace Jan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange, as most recent common ancestor of all current sovereigns (an observation originally made by Theodore Harvey in this forum, and one I have never seen stated anywhere else).
Equal marriages being so rare nowadays, once he assumes this position he is unlikely ever to be displaced from it. The only way that would happen is if Princess Alexandra of Hanover, another descendant of all 10 ancestors shown above, were to one day succeed to Monaco. As Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein is an FSA descendant, that would make Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg the new nearest common ancestor (FIIW and KIIMS would then also be ancestors of all, but both were earlier than FSA, KIIMS being in fact his father-in-law). However, as Princess Alexandra has three older siblings in line for Monaco her accession seems unlikely, even if the present Prince does not have legitimate issue.
And when her oldest half-brother Andreas married the mother of his son Sasha, that legitimated the child and pushed Princess Alexandra even further down the line. It would not have affected her position in the succession anywhere else, but in Monaco children legitimised by subsequent marriage have full rights, so long as they were not the result of adultery – Albert II’s half-Togolese son Alexandre would have become heir apparent in this way, had his father been willing to marry his mother. And with that I will conclude both digression and note.
Peter
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Posted 1420122696
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