Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
Encyclopedia
Prince Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (Albert John Charles Frederick Arthur George; 26 February 1869 – 27 April 1931) was a grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
. He was the second son of Victoria's daughter, Princess Helena
, by her husband Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
. He was the Head of the House of Oldenburg
and also Duke of Augustenborg in Danish titulary and the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein between 1921 and 1931.
in Windsor Great Park
. Like his elder brother, Prince Christian Victor
, Albert was destined for a military career. However, while Christian Victor's was in the British Army
, Albert served with the Prussian Army
, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
in the 3rd Uhlan
s of the Guard. During World War I
he was excused from service against the British by the German Emperor
, and spent the war in Berlin
on the staff of the Governor of the city.
, to which the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
, the King of Denmark, the King of Norway, the King of the Hellenes, the former Grand Duke of Oldenburg and the Russian Imperial Family belonged.
(who happened to be also the husband of a daughter of Albert's uncle Frederick August of Augustenborg).
, Hungary
, Austria–Hungary, she was placed almost immediately after her birth with Anna Rosenthal and her husband Rubin Schwalb, of Jewish
origin. On 15 April 1931, shortly before his death, Albert wrote to her, admitting to her his paternity. After this, on 12 May she changed her surname from Schwalb, the name of her foster family, to "zu Schleswig-Holstein".
On 28 June 1925, in Vienna
, Valerie Marie (then only the daughter of the Schwalb family) married the lawyer Ernst Johann Wagner, but divorced him on 14 February 1938; the childless marriage was formally annulled in Salzburg
on 4 October 1940. When she intended to marry again, it became important to establish her parentage officially, as the Nazi laws prohibited marriages between Jews
and Aryans
. This was done with the assistance of her aunts, Helena Victoria
and Marie Louise
; they signed a statement attesting to her paternal lineage on 26 July 1938, officially acknowledging her.
In Berlin
-Charlottenburg
on 15 June 1939, a civil marriage took place between her and Prince Engelbert-Charles, 10th Duke of Arenberg
, and, after the annulment of her first marriage a religious ceremony took place in Münster
near Westfalen, on 9 October 1940; like his first marriage, this union was childless too. Valerie Marie died in Mont-Baron, Nice
, France
, on 14 April 1953 in an apparent suicide
. She never knew the identity of her mother.
Latest complete investigations and documents of adoption of the Schwalb family have demonstrated that she was the daughter of Baroness Bertha Marie Madeleine of Wernitz (born 17 August 1868 in Berlin), a Prussia
n noblewoman who died 4 April 1900 in Liptovský Mikuláš as a consequence of the childbirth.
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. He was the second son of Victoria's daughter, Princess Helena
Princess Helena of the United Kingdom
Princess Helena was a member of the British Royal Family, the third daughter and fifth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert....
, by her husband Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein was a minor German prince who became a member of the British Royal Family through his marriage to Princess Helena of the United Kingdom , the fifth child and third daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of...
. He was the Head of the House of Oldenburg
House of Oldenburg
The House of Oldenburg is a North German dynasty and one of Europe's most influential Royal Houses with branches that rule or have ruled in Denmark, Russia, Greece, Norway, Schleswig, Holstein, Oldenburg and Sweden...
and also Duke of Augustenborg in Danish titulary and the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein between 1921 and 1931.
Military career
Prince Albert grew up at Cumberland LodgeCumberland Lodge
Cumberland Lodge is a 17th century country house in Windsor Great Park located 3.5 miles south of Windsor Castle. It is now occupied by a charitable foundation which holds residential conferences, lectures and discussions concerning the burning issues facing society. The primary beneficiaries of...
in Windsor Great Park
Windsor Great Park
Windsor Great Park is a large deer park of , to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. The park was, for many centuries, the private hunting ground of Windsor Castle and dates primarily from the mid-13th century...
. Like his elder brother, Prince Christian Victor
Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein
Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein GCB GCVO DSO KStJ was a member of the British Royal Family. He was the eldest son of Princess Helena, third daughter of Queen Victoria....
, Albert was destined for a military career. However, while Christian Victor's was in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, Albert served with the Prussian Army
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in the 3rd Uhlan
Uhlan
Uhlans were Polish light cavalry armed with lances, sabres and pistols. The title was later used by lancer regiments in the Russian, Prussian, and Austrian armies....
s of the Guard. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he was excused from service against the British by the German Emperor
William II, German Emperor
Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, ruling the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia from 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918. He was a grandson of the British Queen Victoria and related to many monarchs and princes of Europe...
, and spent the war in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on the staff of the Governor of the city.
Duchy
In 1921, the Prince succeeded as the head of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg of the House of Schleswig-Holstein, following his childless cousin Duke Ernst Gunther of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. This was the senior branch of the House of OldenburgHouse of Oldenburg
The House of Oldenburg is a North German dynasty and one of Europe's most influential Royal Houses with branches that rule or have ruled in Denmark, Russia, Greece, Norway, Schleswig, Holstein, Oldenburg and Sweden...
, to which the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
The House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg , known as the House of Glücksburg for short, is a German ducal house, junior branches of which include the royal houses of Denmark and Norway, the deposed royal house of Greece, and the heir to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms The House...
, the King of Denmark, the King of Norway, the King of the Hellenes, the former Grand Duke of Oldenburg and the Russian Imperial Family belonged.
Succession
As the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and as the Head of the House of Oldenburg, Duke Albert was succeeded by his distant cousin Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of GlucksburgFriedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
Friedrich Ferdinand of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg was the fourth Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg-Family and succession:...
(who happened to be also the husband of a daughter of Albert's uncle Frederick August of Augustenborg).
Issue
Despite never marrying, Prince Albert fathered a daughter, Valerie Marie. Born 3 April 1900 in Liptovský MikulášLiptovský Mikuláš
Liptovský Mikuláš is a town in northern Slovakia, on the Váh River. It lies in the Liptov region, in Liptov Basin near the Low Tatra and Tatra mountains...
, Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
, Austria–Hungary, she was placed almost immediately after her birth with Anna Rosenthal and her husband Rubin Schwalb, of Jewish
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
origin. On 15 April 1931, shortly before his death, Albert wrote to her, admitting to her his paternity. After this, on 12 May she changed her surname from Schwalb, the name of her foster family, to "zu Schleswig-Holstein".
On 28 June 1925, in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Valerie Marie (then only the daughter of the Schwalb family) married the lawyer Ernst Johann Wagner, but divorced him on 14 February 1938; the childless marriage was formally annulled in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
on 4 October 1940. When she intended to marry again, it became important to establish her parentage officially, as the Nazi laws prohibited marriages between Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
and Aryans
Aryan race
The Aryan race is a concept historically influential in Western culture in the period of the late 19th century and early 20th century. It derives from the idea that the original speakers of the Indo-European languages and their descendants up to the present day constitute a distinctive race or...
. This was done with the assistance of her aunts, Helena Victoria
Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein
-Titles:*1870–1917: Her Highness Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein*1917–1948: Her Highness Princess Helena Victoria-Honours:British honours*VA: Lady of the Order of Victoria and Albert...
and Marie Louise
Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein
-Titles:*1872–1891: Her Highness Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein*1891–1900: Her Highness Princess Aribert of Anhalt*1900–1917: Her Highness Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein...
; they signed a statement attesting to her paternal lineage on 26 July 1938, officially acknowledging her.
In Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
-Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, named after Queen consort Sophia Charlotte...
on 15 June 1939, a civil marriage took place between her and Prince Engelbert-Charles, 10th Duke of Arenberg
Arenberg
Arenberg, also spelled as Aremberg or Ahremberg, is a historic county, principality and finally duchy located in modern Germany. The Dukes of Arenberg remain a prominent Belgian aristocratic family.- History :...
, and, after the annulment of her first marriage a religious ceremony took place in Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
near Westfalen, on 9 October 1940; like his first marriage, this union was childless too. Valerie Marie died in Mont-Baron, Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, on 14 April 1953 in an apparent suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. She never knew the identity of her mother.
Latest complete investigations and documents of adoption of the Schwalb family have demonstrated that she was the daughter of Baroness Bertha Marie Madeleine of Wernitz (born 17 August 1868 in Berlin), a Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n noblewoman who died 4 April 1900 in Liptovský Mikuláš as a consequence of the childbirth.
Titles and styles
- 1869–1917: His Highness Prince Albert of Schleswig-Hostein
- 1917–1921: His Highness Prince Albert
- 1921–1931: His Highness The Duke of Schleswig-Hostein