Prince Albert of Prussia (1837–1906)
Prince Albert of Prussia (Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Albrecht; 8 May 1837 – 13 September 1906) was a Prussian general field marshal, Herrenmeister (Grand Master) of the Order of Saint John from 1883 until his death, and regent of the Duchy of Brunswick from 1885, also until his death.
Biography
He was born in Berlin, the son of Prince Albert of Prussia (1809–1872) and his wife Princess Marianne (1810–1883), daughter of King William I of the Netherlands. His father was a brother of King Frederick William IV of Prussia and of William I, German Emperor.
Albrecht entered the Prussian army in 1847, serving in the First Schleswig War and participating in the battles of Skalitz, Schweinschädel and Königgrätz in the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. In the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 he commanded a guard cavalry brigade at Gravelotte and Sedan. After the fall of the Second Empire, he was subordinated to Edwin von Manteuffel in the fighting around Bapaume and St. Quentin. In 1874 he became commander of the X Corps stationed in Hannover. In 1883 he succeeded his uncle prince Charles as Herrenmeister of the Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg).
In 1885, Albert was chosen as Regent for the Duchy of Brunswick, as German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck had removed Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover, from office.[1] In 1913 Ernst August's son Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick became Duke of Brunswick who only reigned for 5 years and 6 days. After accepting the regency, Albert and Marie resided chiefly in Brunswick, Berlin, and Kamenz.[1]
Prince Albrecht died at Schloss Kamenz in 1906. He was buried in the Mausoleum auf dem Hutberge in the park of Schloss Kamenz. After World War II, the mausoleum was plundered and the bodies of Albert and his wife were reburied in the park.[2]
Marriage and issue
On 9 April 1873 in Berlin he married Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg (1854–1898), daughter of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (1826–1908) and his wife Agnes of Anhalt-Dessau (1824–1897). Albert's parents had been unhappily married to each other and were later divorced. His decision to wait until he was 36 before marrying is thought to have been a reflection of his parents' marital situation.[3]
Their children were:
- Friedrich Heinrich (1874–1940)
- Joachim Albrecht (1876–1939)
- Friedrich Wilhelm (1880–1925)
Honours and awards
Prince Albert received the following awards and decorations:[4]
- German honours
Prussia: - Order of the Black Eagle, Knight with Collar
- Pour le Mérite with Oak Leaves
- Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown
- Order of the Red Eagle, Grand Cross with Crown, Oak Leaves and Swords
- Order of the Prussian Crown, Knight 1st Class
- Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Grand Commander
- Iron Cross, 1st Class
- Johanniter Order, Grand Master, 1883-1906
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen: Princely House Order of Hohenzollern, Cross of Honour 1st Class with Swords
Anhalt: Order of Albert the Bear, Grand Cross Baden: - House Order of Fidelity, Knight
- Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order, Commander
- Order of the Zähringer Lion, Grand Cross
Bavaria: Order of St. Hubert, Knight Brunswick: Order of Henry the Lion, Grand Cross Ernestine duchies: Saxe-Ernestine House Order, Grand Cross Hesse and by Rhine: - Order of the Golden Lion, Knight
- Ludwig Order, Grand Cross
Lippe-Detmold: House Order of Lippe, Grand Cross Mecklenburg: - Order of the Wendish Crown, Grand Cross with Crown in Ore
- Military Merit Cross, 1st Class (Mecklenburg-Schwerin)
Oldenburg: House and Merit Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, Grand Cross with Crown Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach: Order of the White Falcon, Grand Cross Saxony: Order of the Rue Crown, Knight Württemberg: Order of the Württemberg Crown, Grand Cross
- Foreign
Austria-Hungary: Order of St. Stephen of Hungary, Grand Cross Belgium: Royal Order of Leopold, Grand Cordon Kingdom of Italy: Order of the Annunciation, Knight Netherlands: - Military William Order, Commander
- Order of the Netherlands Lion, Grand Cross
Kingdom of Portugal: Order of the Tower and Sword, Grand Cross Kingdom of Romania: Order of the Star of Romania, Grand Cross Russian Empire: - Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called, Knight
- Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, Knight
- Order of St. Anna, 1st Class
- Order of St. Stanislaus, 1st Class
- Imperial Order of the White Eagle, Knight
- Order of St. George, 4th Class
Spain: - Order of the Golden Fleece, Knight
- Order of Charles III, Grand Cross with Collar
Sweden-Norway: Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, Grand Cross United Kingdom: - Order of the Bath, Honorary Grand Cross (military)
- Order of St. John, Knight
Ancestry
References
- "Memorial Notices", The Manchester Guardian, 11 October 1898
- "Saxe-Altenburg". Royaltyguide.nl. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
- "A Royal Marriage", The New York Times, Berlin, 7 May 1873
- Handbuch über den Königlich Preußischen Hof und Staat (1906), Genealogy p.4
External links
Prince Albert of Prussia (1837–1906) Born: 8 May 1837 Died: 13 September 1906 | ||
Preceded by Friedrich Carl Alexander, Prinz von Preußen |
Herrenmeister (Grand Master) of the Order of Saint John 1883–1906 |
Succeeded by Eitel Friedrich, Prinz von Preußen |
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