Prince Aribert of Anhalt
| Prince Aribert of Anhalt | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Born | 18 June 1866 Wörlitz, Duchy of Anhalt | ||||
| Died | 24 December 1933 (aged 67) Munich, Nazi Germany | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
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| House | Ascania | ||||
| Father | Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt | ||||
| Mother | Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg | ||||
Prince Aribert Joseph Alexander of Anhalt (18 June 1866 – 24 December 1933) was regent of Anhalt from September to November 1918 on behalf of his underage nephew Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt. As regent, following the German revolution, he abdicated in the name of his nephew on 12 November 1918, thus ending the rule of the House of Ascania in Anhalt.
Early life[edit]
Prince Aribert was born in Wörlitz, Germany. He was the fourth son of Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt, and Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg. Anhalt was a Sovereign Duchy in the German Empire.[citation needed]
Marriage[edit]
On 6 July 1891, he married Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. Princess Marie Louise was the daughter of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, making her a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. The bride's first cousin, the German Emperor Wilhelm II, had been instrumental in arranging the match.
In December 1900, the Duke of Anhalt used his prerogative as reigning Duke to annul the marriage.[1] Princess Marie Louise, on an official visit to Canada at the time, immediately returned to England. According to her memoirs, she regarded her marriage vows as binding, so she never remarried. Her memoirs do, however, indicate rage over her marital experience and an obvious dislike of her former husband.[1][2][3]
Though contemporary sources did not directly suggest it was a cause of his marriage dissolution, a number of contemporaries and subsequent historical accounts suggest Aribert was bisexual or homosexual,[4][5] and some have suggested an indiscretion with a male attendant was the catalyst for the dissolution[6][7] and that the marriage had never been consummated.[6][8] However, other sources later suggested he was planning to remarry.[9]
Regent[edit]
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When his nephew, Joachim Ernst, succeeded his father as Duke of Anhalt on 13 September 1918, Aribert was appointed regent due to the young age of Joachim Ernst. Aribert's brief regency came to an end on 12 November 1918 when he abdicated in the name of his nephew following the German revolution. The duchy subsequently became the Free State of Anhalt.
Later life[edit]
Prince Aribert died in Munich aged 67 on 24 December 1933.[citation needed]
Honours[edit]
He received the following orders and decorations:[10]
Duchy of Anhalt: Grand Cross of the Order of Albert the Bear, 1882[11]
Baden:[12]
- Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, 1889
- Knight of the Order of Berthold the First, 1889
Kingdom of Bavaria: Knight of St. Hubert, 1885[13]
Brunswick: Grand Cross of the Order of Henry the Lion, 1888[14]
Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order
Mecklenburg: Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown, with Crown in Ore, 15 November 1888[15]
Kingdom of Prussia: Knight of the Red Eagle, 1st Class
Hohenzollern: Cross of Honour of the Princely House Order of Hohenzollern, 1st Class
United Kingdom: Honorary Grand Cross of the Bath (civil), with Collar, 14 July 1891[16]
Ancestry[edit]
| Ancestors of Prince Aribert of Anhalt |
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References and notes[edit]
- ^ a b Royal Couple Separated, New York Times, 14 November 1900.
- ^ The 1903 edition of the Almanach de Gotha states that they were divorced on 13 December 1900 and the contemporary report from the New York Times confirms this.
- ^ The 1904 edition of Whitaker's Almanack states that "her marriage was dissolved by joint request on account of a new family law of that Ducal House" which seems to also have been confirmed by the New York Times.
- ^ Robert Aldrich, The Seduction of the Mediterranean: Writing, Art and Homosexual Fantasy Routledge, 1993.
- ^ Gods, Mongrels And Demons by Angus Calder (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2004)
- ^ a b Greg King, Twilight of Splendor: The Court of Queen Victoria During Her Diamond Jubilee Year, John Wiley & Sons, 2007.
- ^ Marlene A. Eilers suggests that Prince Aribert had been discovered in a compromising position with another man.
- ^ Princess Marie Louise's uncle, Edward VII, summed up the situation, saying, "Ach, poor Louise, she has returned as she went-- a virgin."
- ^ Prince Aribert Gives Up His Rights to a Throne, Saint John Daily Sun, 23 January 1904.
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Herzogtum Anhalt (1894) "Genealogie des Herzoglichen Hauses" p. 5
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Herzogtum Anhalt (1894) "Herzoglicher Haus-orden Albrecht des Bären" p. 15
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1896), "Großherzogliche Orden" pp. 63, 77
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreichs Bayern (1906), "Königliche Orden" p. 9
- ^ Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Herzogtums Braunschweig für 1905. Braunschweig 1905. Meyer. p. 11
- ^ "Großherzogliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen". Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Mecklenburg-Strelitz: 1907 (in German). Neustrelitz: Druck und Debit der Buchdruckerei von G. F. Spalding und Sohn. 1907. p. 14.
- ^ Shaw, Wm. A. (1906) The Knights of England, I, London, p. 213
External links[edit]
Media related to Prince Aribert of Anhalt at Wikimedia Commons
- 1866 births
- 1933 deaths
- People from Wörlitz
- People from the Duchy of Anhalt
- House of Ascania
- Princes of Anhalt
- German people of French descent
- Major generals of Prussia
- Sons of dukes
- 19th-century German LGBT people
- 20th-century German LGBT people
- LGBT royalty
- Annulled Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
- Royal reburials
- LGBT military personnel
- LGBT Protestants