Princess Alexandrine of Prussia (1842-1906)
Encyclopedia
Princess Frederica Wilhelmina Louise Elisabeth Alexandrine of Prussia (1 February 1842 – 26 March 1906) was a member of the House of Hohenzollern
as the daughter of Prince Albert of Prussia and his wife Princess Marianne of the Netherlands
.
. She was named after her aunt (and later mother-in-law) the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
. She had two elder surviving siblings, Princess Charlotte Frederica
(later Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Meiningen), and Prince Albert. Her parents' marriage was dissolved on 28 March 1849. Her father later remarried in 1853 to one of the court maids-of-honor, Rosalie von Rauch
, who was created Countess of Hohenau. The couple had two sons. Their mother also remarried morganatically to a former coachman, producing issue with Johannes van Rossum.
Due to the troubled marriage of her parents, Alexandrine was to all intents and purposes the adopted daughter of her otherwise childless uncle and aunt, King Frederick William IV of Prussia
and Queen Elisabeth Ludovika
, and became their ward. They took Alexandrine to live with them, bringing her up as their own offspring.
), but was not considered "clever or pretty" enough by his sister Crown Princess Victoria ('Vicky') of Prussia
. The prince married Alexandra of Denmark
instead. Despite her comment, Vicky had a fondness for Alexandrine, writing to her mother that she was "such an excellent girl and much admired here"; Alexandrine also had one millions dollars from her mother, and would have even more wealth when she married. Consequently, Vicky tried again to marry her off to another British relative, Prince George, Duke of Cambridge
. Nothing came of this either however.
. Though the marriage was meant to give her financial security in the future, it was certainly not a love match; Alexandrine cried during the entire wedding ceremony. Vicky described the wedding to her mother,
; consequently he was generally considered to be the "black sheep" of the family. Regardless, the Queen granted her permission, endowing her with a grand trousseau
of lavish clothing and jewelry. Her other uncle Emperor Wilhelm I gifted her an opulent diamond necklace, while her mother Princess Marianne gave her a necklace of Siberian amethysts as well as an emerald diadem.
. During their marriage, the couple lived at Bellevue Palace in Berlin; Alexandrine saw little of Mecklenburg
, her husband's native country. The marriage was unhappy, and she tried to escape several times, only to be forced back by pressure from her powerful Aunt Alexandrine. William managed with difficulty to secure an unimportant command in the Prussian army during the Franco-Prussian War
. He was badly injured from an explosion during the war, but continued to live on until 1879. The couple had one surviving daughter:
After her husband's death, Alexandrine dedicated her life to her daughter, and played very little part in public life. Alexandrine died on 26 March 1906 at Schloss Marley, near Potsdam
, Brandenburg
, Germany
. Bellevue Palace was next occupied by Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia
and his new bride Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg
.
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern is a noble family and royal dynasty of electors, kings and emperors of Prussia, Germany and Romania. It originated in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century. They took their name from their ancestral home, the Burg Hohenzollern castle near...
as the daughter of Prince Albert of Prussia and his wife Princess Marianne of the Netherlands
Princess Marianne of the Netherlands
Princess Marianne of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau , was a member of the House of Orange-Nassau, by birth Princess of the Kingdom of the United Netherlands and by marriage Princess of the Kingdom of Prussia.-Family:Born in Berlin, she was the youngest child and second daughter of King...
.
Family and early life
Alexandrine ('Addy') was the youngest child born to Prince Albert of Prussia and his wife Princess Marianne of the NetherlandsPrincess Marianne of the Netherlands
Princess Marianne of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau , was a member of the House of Orange-Nassau, by birth Princess of the Kingdom of the United Netherlands and by marriage Princess of the Kingdom of Prussia.-Family:Born in Berlin, she was the youngest child and second daughter of King...
. She was named after her aunt (and later mother-in-law) the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Princess Alexandrine of Prussia
Alexandrine, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was the wife and consort to Paul Frederick, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin as well as the daughter of Frederick William III of Prussia and Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.-Family:Alexandrine was the seventh child and fourth daughter of Frederick...
. She had two elder surviving siblings, Princess Charlotte Frederica
Princess Charlotte Frederica of Prussia
Princess Frederica Louise Wilhelmina Marianne Charlotte of Prussia was the eldest daughter of Prince Albert of Prussia and his wife Princess Marianne of the Netherlands...
(later Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Meiningen), and Prince Albert. Her parents' marriage was dissolved on 28 March 1849. Her father later remarried in 1853 to one of the court maids-of-honor, Rosalie von Rauch
Rosalie von Rauch
Rosalie von Rauch was the morganatic second wife of Prince Albert of Prussia, the youngest child of King Frederick William III....
, who was created Countess of Hohenau. The couple had two sons. Their mother also remarried morganatically to a former coachman, producing issue with Johannes van Rossum.
Due to the troubled marriage of her parents, Alexandrine was to all intents and purposes the adopted daughter of her otherwise childless uncle and aunt, King Frederick William IV of Prussia
Frederick William IV of Prussia
|align=right|Upon his accession, he toned down the reactionary policies enacted by his father, easing press censorship and promising to enact a constitution at some point, but he refused to enact a popular legislative assembly, preferring to work with the aristocracy through "united committees" of...
and Queen Elisabeth Ludovika
Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria
Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria was a Princess of Bavaria and later Queen consort of Prussia.-Early life and family:...
, and became their ward. They took Alexandrine to live with them, bringing her up as their own offspring.
Marriage prospects
As a young woman, Alexandrine was considered as a potential bride for the one-year older Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII of the United KingdomEdward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
), but was not considered "clever or pretty" enough by his sister Crown Princess Victoria ('Vicky') of Prussia
Victoria, Princess Royal
The Princess Victoria, Princess Royal was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert. She was created Princess Royal of the United Kingdom in 1841. She became German Empress and Queen of Prussia by marriage to German Emperor Frederick III...
. The prince married Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
instead. Despite her comment, Vicky had a fondness for Alexandrine, writing to her mother that she was "such an excellent girl and much admired here"; Alexandrine also had one millions dollars from her mother, and would have even more wealth when she married. Consequently, Vicky tried again to marry her off to another British relative, Prince George, Duke of Cambridge
Prince George, Duke of Cambridge
Prince George, Duke of Cambridge was a member of the British Royal Family, a male-line grandson of King George III. The Duke was an army officer and served as commander-in-chief of the British Army from 1856 to 1895...
. Nothing came of this either however.
Wedding
On 9 December 1865, Alexandrine married her much-older cousin Duke William of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1827–1879). He was a younger son of Paul Frederick, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg and Alexandrine's aunt and namesake Princess Alexandrine of PrussiaPrincess Alexandrine of Prussia
Alexandrine, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was the wife and consort to Paul Frederick, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin as well as the daughter of Frederick William III of Prussia and Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.-Family:Alexandrine was the seventh child and fourth daughter of Frederick...
. Though the marriage was meant to give her financial security in the future, it was certainly not a love match; Alexandrine cried during the entire wedding ceremony. Vicky described the wedding to her mother,
Furthermore, William had a reputation for drunkenness and a dissolute character, so it was surprising that the exceedingly pious and recently widowed Queen Elisabeth gave her consent to the match. On two occasions William had been deprived of his command in the Prussian army and had recently proposed marriage to the celebrated ballerina Marie Taglioni
"The wedding was celebrated with the greatest pomp, but had something of the solemnity of a funeral about it - nothing gay, festive or bridal. The only thing that made a pleasing impression on me was dear Addy herself, who although she cried the whole time, had such a dignified and touching appearance that I never saw her look so well. She went through it all with the most perfect tenue - though I never saw her smile once. She did not look a bit like a bride but I must say very elegant and distinguee... The bridegroom's tenance looked as evil as possible the whole time. I looked in vain for a trace of softness of feeling".
Marie Taglioni
Marie Taglioni was a famous Italian/Swedish ballerina of the Romantic ballet era, a central figure in the history of European dance.-Biography:...
; consequently he was generally considered to be the "black sheep" of the family. Regardless, the Queen granted her permission, endowing her with a grand trousseau
Trousseau
Trousseau may refer to:*A dowry*The outfit of a bride, including the wedding dress or similar clothing*A name for the Bastardo grape in some regions*A white mutation of the Trousseau grape, known as Trousseau Gris...
of lavish clothing and jewelry. Her other uncle Emperor Wilhelm I gifted her an opulent diamond necklace, while her mother Princess Marianne gave her a necklace of Siberian amethysts as well as an emerald diadem.
Marriage and later life
William's older brother Frederick Francis already had many children from his two marriages, so there was no chance of William and Alexandrine succeeding to the throne of Mecklenburg-SchwerinMecklenburg-Schwerin
Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1348, when Albert II of Mecklenburg and his younger brother John were raised to Dukes of Mecklenburg by King Charles IV...
. During their marriage, the couple lived at Bellevue Palace in Berlin; Alexandrine saw little of Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
, her husband's native country. The marriage was unhappy, and she tried to escape several times, only to be forced back by pressure from her powerful Aunt Alexandrine. William managed with difficulty to secure an unimportant command in the Prussian army during the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
. He was badly injured from an explosion during the war, but continued to live on until 1879. The couple had one surviving daughter:
- Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (7 November 1868 - 20 December 1944); married Prince Heinrich XVIII Reuss of Köstritz and had issue.
After her husband's death, Alexandrine dedicated her life to her daughter, and played very little part in public life. Alexandrine died on 26 March 1906 at Schloss Marley, near Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
, Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Bellevue Palace was next occupied by Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia
Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia
Prince Eitel Friedrich was the second son of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany by his first wife, Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein...
and his new bride Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg
Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg
Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg was a member of the House of Holstein-Gottorp. She was the only surviving child of Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg by his first wife Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia.Sophia Charlotte is best known for her unhappy and well-publicized marriage...
.
Ancestry
| Princess Alexandrine of Prussia | Father: Prince Albert of Prussia Prince Albert of Prussia (1809-1872) Prince Albert of Prussia was a Prussian colonel general. Albert was the fifth son and youngest child of King Frederick William III of Prussia and Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. His parents had fled to East Prussia after the occupation of Berlin by Napoleon... |
Paternal Grandfather: Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:... |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Frederick William II of Prussia Frederick William II of Prussia Frederick William II was the King of Prussia, reigning from 1786 until his death. He was in personal union the Prince-Elector of Brandenburg and the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel.-Early life:... |
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt Frederika of Hesse-Darmstadt was Queen consort of the Kingdom of Prussia as the second wife of Frederick William II of Prussia.-Background:... |
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| Paternal Grandmother: Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was Queen consort of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William III... |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg was ruler of the state of Mecklenburg-Strelitz from 1794 until his death. Originally ruling as duke he was raised to the title grand duke in 1815... |
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| Paternal Great-grandmother: Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt Princess Friederike Caroline Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt was a member of the House of Hesse and by marriage a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.... |
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| Mother: Princess Marianne of the Netherlands Princess Marianne of the Netherlands Princess Marianne of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau , was a member of the House of Orange-Nassau, by birth Princess of the Kingdom of the United Netherlands and by marriage Princess of the Kingdom of Prussia.-Family:Born in Berlin, she was the youngest child and second daughter of King... |
Maternal Grandfather: William I of the Netherlands William I of the Netherlands William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg.... |
Maternal Great-grandfather: William V, Prince of Orange William V, Prince of Orange William V , Prince of Orange-Nassau was the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, and between 1795 and 1806 he led the Government of the Dutch Republic in Exile in London. He was succeeded by his son William I... |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange Wilhelmina of Prussia, born Frederika Sophia Wilhelmina, , was the consort of William V of Orange and also the de facto leader of the dynastic party and contra revolution in the Netherlands... |
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| Maternal Grandmother: Wilhelmine of Prussia Wilhelmine of Prussia (1774-1837) Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia was the first wife of King William I of the Netherlands and so the first Queen of the Netherlands.-Biography:Princess Wilhelmine was born in Potsdam... |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Frederick William II of Prussia Frederick William II of Prussia Frederick William II was the King of Prussia, reigning from 1786 until his death. He was in personal union the Prince-Elector of Brandenburg and the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel.-Early life:... |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt Frederika of Hesse-Darmstadt was Queen consort of the Kingdom of Prussia as the second wife of Frederick William II of Prussia.-Background:... |
