Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau
Encyclopedia
Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau (25 December 1833 – 24 November 1916) was a Princess
of Anhalt-Dessau
and member of the House of Ascania. As the wife of Adolphe of Nassau
, she was the last Duchess of Nassau from 1851 until 1866 and the first Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 1890 until 1905.
in the Duchy
of Anhalt-Dessau
on Christmas Day 1833 to Prince Frederick Augustus of Anhalt-Dessau
and Landgravine Marie Louise Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel
.
, Duke of Nassau and later Grand Duke of Luxembourg. They had five children, of whom only two lived to the age of eighteen and to become prince and princess of Luxembourg:
in the Austro-Prussian War
of 1866. After Austria's defeat, Nassau was annexed to the Kingdom of Prussia
and Adolph and Marie Adelheid lost their throne on 20 September 1866.
In 1890, King William III of the Netherlands
died. His only daughter Wilhelmina
succeeded on his death without surviving male issue to the Dutch throne
, but was excluded from the succession to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg by the Salic Law
. The Grand Duchy, which had been linked to the Netherlands since 1815, passed to the Dutch royal family's distant relative - the dispossessed Duke Adolphe - on 23 November 1890, in accordance with the Nassau Family Pact
. Marie Adelheid now became Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
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Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
of Anhalt-Dessau
Anhalt-Dessau
Anhalt-Dessau was a principality and later a duchy located in Germany. It was created in 1396 following the partition of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst. The capital of the state was Dessau. Anhalt-Dessau experienced a number of partitions throughout its existence with Anhalt-Köthen being...
and member of the House of Ascania. As the wife of Adolphe of Nassau
Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Adolphe I, Grand Duke of Luxembourg was the last Duke of Nassau, and the fourth Grand Duke of Luxembourg.-Biography:...
, she was the last Duchess of Nassau from 1851 until 1866 and the first Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 1890 until 1905.
Birth and family
Adelheid Marie was born in DessauDessau
Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...
in the Duchy
Duchy
A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess.Some duchies were sovereign in areas that would become unified realms only during the Modern era . In contrast, others were subordinate districts of those kingdoms that unified either partially or completely during the Medieval era...
of Anhalt-Dessau
Anhalt-Dessau
Anhalt-Dessau was a principality and later a duchy located in Germany. It was created in 1396 following the partition of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst. The capital of the state was Dessau. Anhalt-Dessau experienced a number of partitions throughout its existence with Anhalt-Köthen being...
on Christmas Day 1833 to Prince Frederick Augustus of Anhalt-Dessau
Prince Frederick Augustus of Anhalt-Dessau
Frederick Augustus of Anhalt-Dessau , was a German prince of the House of Ascania from the Anhalt-Dessau branch.-Birth and family:...
and Landgravine Marie Louise Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel
Landgravine Marie Louise Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel
Marie Luise Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel, was a member of the House of Hesse-Kassel and a Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel by birth...
.
Marriage and issue
On 23 April 1851 in Dessau, as his second wife, she was married to Adolphe of NassauAdolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Adolphe I, Grand Duke of Luxembourg was the last Duke of Nassau, and the fourth Grand Duke of Luxembourg.-Biography:...
, Duke of Nassau and later Grand Duke of Luxembourg. They had five children, of whom only two lived to the age of eighteen and to become prince and princess of Luxembourg:
- William IV (1852–1912), second Grand Duke of Luxembourg
- Frederick (28 September 1854 – 23 October 1855)
- Marie (14 November 1857 – 28 December 1857)
- Francis Joseph William (30 January 1859 – 2 April 1875)
- Hilda (1864–1952), married Friedrich II, Grand Duke of BadenFriedrich II, Grand Duke of BadenFrederick II, Grand Duke of Baden was the last Grand Duke of Baden.-Life:He became Grand Duke on 28 September 1907, after the death of his father Frederick I...
Later life
Duke Adolph supported the Austrian EmpireAustrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
in the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
of 1866. After Austria's defeat, Nassau was annexed to the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
and Adolph and Marie Adelheid lost their throne on 20 September 1866.
In 1890, King William III of the Netherlands
William III of the Netherlands
William III was from 1849 King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg until his death and the Duke of Limburg until the abolition of the Duchy in 1866.-Early life:William was born in Brussels as son of William II of the Netherlands and...
died. His only daughter Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Wilhelmina was Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948. She ruled the Netherlands for fifty-eight years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War I and World War II, the economic crisis of 1933, and the decline of the Netherlands as a major colonial...
succeeded on his death without surviving male issue to the Dutch throne
Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...
, but was excluded from the succession to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg by the Salic Law
Salic law
Salic law was a body of traditional law codified for governing the Salian Franks in the early Middle Ages during the reign of King Clovis I in the 6th century...
. The Grand Duchy, which had been linked to the Netherlands since 1815, passed to the Dutch royal family's distant relative - the dispossessed Duke Adolphe - on 23 November 1890, in accordance with the Nassau Family Pact
Nassau Family Pact
The Nassau Family Pact was a mutual pact of inheritance and succession made in 1783 by princes of the old German noble and sovereign family of Nassau. It confirmed Salic Law to operate in favor of all agnatic lines of the family, divided into first surviving lines which existed in the Middle Ages...
. Marie Adelheid now became Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
Legacy
The Grand Dukes of Luxembourg are still descendants of Adolphe and Marie-Adelheid, although cognatically, since the very independence of the Grand-Duchy required an alteration of the succession laws at the absence of male heirs.Ancestry
Adelheid-Marie's ancestors in three generationsSee also
- Prix Grand-Duc AdolphePrix Grand-Duc AdolpheThe Prix Grand-Duc Adolphe is a Luxembourgian art award awarded every year to one or more artists exhibiting at the Salon Artistique of the Cercle artistique de Luxembourg ....
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