Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg (1854–1898)
Princess Marie | |||||
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Princess Albert of Prussia | |||||
Born | Eisenberg | 2 August 1854||||
Died | 8 October 1898 Kamenz Castle | (aged 44)||||
Spouse | |||||
Issue | |||||
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House | Saxe-Altenburg | ||||
Father | Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg | ||||
Mother | Princess Agnes of Anhalt-Dessau |
Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg (Marie Friederike Leopoldine Georgine Auguste Alexandra Elisabeth Therese Josephine Helene Sophie; 2 August 1854 – 8 October 1898) was the wife of Prince Albert of Prussia, Regent for the duchy of Brunswick.[1]
Family
[edit]Marie was the only surviving child of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and his wife Princess Agnes of Anhalt-Dessau, as her younger brother Georg died as an infant. Because her father had no surviving sons to inherit his title, he was succeeded by Marie's cousin Ernst.
Marriage and issue
[edit]Marie arrived at Potsdam on the evening of 18 April 1873, where she was received by Prince Albert of Prussia, her fiance.[2] The couple drove to Bellevue Castle, where they were received by the Emperor and Empress.[2]
On 9 April 1873 in Berlin, Marie married Prince Albert, a grandson of Frederick William III of Prussia.[1] Other reports have them being married on 19 April.[3] Albert's parents had been unhappily married to each other and later divorced; as he chose to wait before getting married and was 36 at the time of their wedding, this is believed to be the reason he did not marry earlier.[4] Spectators commented that the wedding ceremony was grander than most, with Dragoon Guards opening the procession and the Emperor and Empress in attendance.[4] Marie was described as possessing "girlish beauty, and [a] modest unpretending demeanor" that "at once captivated the hearts of the multitude".[4]
They had the following children:
- Prince Friedrich Heinrich Albrecht (1874–1940)
- Prince Joachim Albrecht (1876–1939); married Marie von Blich-Sulzer and Karoline Kornelia Stockhammer
- Prince Friedrich Wilhelm (1880–1925); married Princess Agatha of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst
Later life
[edit]In 1885, Albert was appointed Regent for the Duchy of Brunswick, replacing Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover, who had been removed from office by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck.[5] Ernest Augustus was also a distant relative of Marie's, as his mother Queen Marie was born a princess of Saxe-Altenburg. After accepting the regency, Albert and Marie resided chiefly in Brunswick, Berlin, and Kamenz.[5]
Princess Marie died on 8 October 1898 at Kamenz Castle.[1][3] Emperor Wilhelm II and Empress Augusta Victoria attended her funeral, which was held at the castle where she died.[6]
Prince Albert died in 1906. They were buried in the Mausoleum auf dem Hutberge in the park of Schloss Kamenz/Silesia. After World War II, the mausoleum was plundered and they were reburied in the park.[7]
Ancestry
[edit]Ancestors of Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg (1854–1898) |
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References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Princess Maria of Prussia Dies", The New York Times, 9 October 1898
- ^ a b "Germany", The Manchester Guardian, Berlin, 19 April 1873
- ^ a b "Princess Maria of Saxony Dead", The Washington Post, Berlin, 9 October 1898
- ^ a b c "A Royal Marriage", The New York Times, Berlin, 7 May 1873
- ^ a b "Memorial Notices", The Manchester Guardian, 11 October 1898
- ^ "The Kaiser Goes To A Funeral", The New York Times, 12 October 1898
- ^ "Saxe-Altenburg". Royaltyguide.nl. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2010.