Countess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld
Countess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld (22 June 1870 – 3 September 1948) was the eldest child of Ernest II, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld and Countess Karoline of Wartensleben.[1]
| Countess Adelaide | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princess Friedrich of Saxe-Meiningen | |||||
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| Born | 22 June 1870 Oberkassel, Prussia | ||||
| Died | 3 September 1948 (aged 78) Detmold, West Germany | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | Prince Friedrich of Saxe-Meiningen | ||||
| Issue | Feodora, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Adelaide, Princess Adalbert of Prussia Georg, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen Prince Ernst Leopold Princess Luise Marie Bernhard, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen | ||||
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| House | Lippe | ||||
| Father | Ernest, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld | ||||
| Mother | Countess Karoline of Wartensleben | ||||
Family and early life
Adelaide was born on 22 June 1870 to Ernest II, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld and his wife Countess Karoline of Wartensleben.
After the death of Woldemar, Prince of Lippe in 1895, her parents were involved in a regency and succession dispute to the principality of Lippe. Though Woldemar's younger brother Alexander succeeded, he was incapable of ruling due to a mental illness. Consequently, two branches of the House of Lippe argued over rights to a regency. Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe, a brother-in-law of Wilhelm II, German Emperor was chosen, but a court-settlement allowed Ernest to become the regent of Lippe-Detmold on 17 July 1897.
Marriage and issue
At Neudorf, Adelaide married Prince Friedrich Johann of Saxe-Meiningen, a younger son of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen on 24 April 1889.[1][2] They had the following children together:
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feodora Karola Charlotte Marie Adelaide Auguste Mathilde | 29 May 1890 | 12 March 1972 | married on 21 January 1910 to Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. |
| Adelaide Erna Karoline Marie Elisabeth | 16 August 1891 | 25 April 1971 | married on 3 August 1914 to Prince Adalbert of Prussia. |
| Georg, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen | 11 October 1892[2] | 6 January 1946 | Died as a POW in Russian camp of Cherepovets, Soviet Union; married Countess Klara Marie von Korff genannt Schmising-Kerssenbrock; had issue including Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen, wife of Crown Prince Otto of Austria. |
| Ernst Leopold Friedrich Wilhelm Otto | 23 September 1895[2] | 17 August 1914 | Killed in action, near Maubeuge, France |
| Luise Marie Elisabeth Mathilde Helene Katharine | 13 March 1899 | 14 February 1985 | married on 25 October 1936 to Baron Götz von Wangenheim |
| Bernhard, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen | 30 June 1901 | 4 October 1984 | married firstly Margot Grössler (morganatic) and secondly Baroness Vera Schäffer von Bernstein (equal marriage) |
Role in Lippe succession dispute
Two branches of the House of Lippe debated over rights to the principality of Lippe-Detmold.[3]
As Adelaide's great-grandmother was a member of the petite noblesse, her family's claim to full royalty was challenged.[3] This claim threatened the succession to Saxe-Meiningen, as Adelaide was married to the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen's heir apparent; were her father deemed a lesser royal status, it might be thought that her own claim was not equal enough for her husband's family.[4]
Titles and styles
- 22 June 1870 – 24 April 1889: Her Illustrious Highness Countess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld
- 24 April 1889 – 3 September 1948: Her Highness Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
Ancestry
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References
- Lundy, Darryl. "The Peerage: Adelheid Karoline Prinzessin zur Lippe-Biesterfeld". Retrieved 13 November 2010.
- Paxton, John (1900). The Statesman's year-book, Volume 37. London: Macmillan and Co. p. 685.
- "No Title" (PDF), The New York Times, Berlin, 8 October 1904
- "The Kaiser and the Lippes" (PDF), The New York Times, Berlin, 26 July 1898