The Hesse-Cassel family

I wonder if these portraits were pendants to the Wintherhalter of Anna?

He and his 2nd wife Anna of Prussia (1836-1918) had six children:



Prince Alexander Frederick of Hesse (1863–1945); married Baroness Gisela Stockhorner von Starheim and had issue.

This Prince was blind but seemed had an active life anyway, he married and even travelled around the Europe. In 1901 he was in Russia, visited GD Sergei in Moscow and the Imperial Couple in St-Petersburg. GD Sergei was thrilled and wondered in his diary : why a blind man goes on travelling?

This one may be a little esoteric, but perhaps someone is expert enough on the Hesse-Kassels in the late 18th/early 19th century for this.

I found the following curious statement about General Julius von Haynau in Wikipedia: that he was "the illegitimate son of the landgrave (later elector) of Hesse-Kassel, William I and Rebecca Richter, a Jewish woman".

All other sources that I know of have von Haynau's mother, William's mistress, as Rosa Ritter, also known as the "Frau of Lindenthal". As far as I could gather, Wikipedia based it's biographical entry on the 1911 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica (an edition old enough to be in the public domain). Later editions seem to have dropped the reference to the Jewish Richter.

Could it be that Rosa Ritter and Rebecca Richter are one and the same? And that the notorious General, who among other things is thought responsible for massacres of Jews in Hungary while putting down the 1848 revolt, was himself of Jewish ancestry?

Does anyone have any idea what information the authors of the 1911 Britannica might have based their geneology on? Or know anything else about the mysterious Rosa Ritter?

I wonder if there is any book on Landgrafin Anna, Princess of Prussia ?

I wonder if there is any book on Landgrafin Anna, Princess of Prussia ?

I've certainly never heard of a book on Anna; if you come across one, please let me know. 

By the way, what exactly did her husband do to give him such a bad reputation? 

I wonder if there is any book on Landgrafin Anna, Princess of Prussia ?

I've certainly never heard of a book on Anna; if you come across one, please let me know. 

By the way, what exactly did her husband do to give him such a bad reputation? 

Fast-living and company of people with bad reputation.

Anna herself was quite a serious person, she was very much into music. 

Does anyone know much about the marriage between Princess Sybille of Hesse and Baron Frierich von Vincke? I was just looking at an article on morganatic marriages and it said a little but then I looked at an old post of mine (just with geneaology info) that had noted they divorced in 1923. I wasn't able to find any info in my initial googling apart from names and dates. Any information on the princess would be appreciated. She seems to have been exceedingly lovely--at least the picture I saw--and had excellent connections and wealth yet I also don't recall seeing her name attached to any royals of her time.

edited--just saw on Marlene's blog that a proposal was offered to her, amongst others, by King Alexander of Serbia

a proposal was offered to her, amongst others, by King Alexander of Serbia

Well,yes,but not by King Alexander himself,but from his father King Milan in Alexander's name!He was desperate to marry him off to a German Princess,but as I understood,Princess Sybille rejected the idea and Alexander himself was not personally interested!

I found a newspaper article that said Milan made the proposal and that Sybille's parents would be given 2 years to consider it--I think because of her age. Obviously, nothing more happened.

Milan's hopes for Alexander to marry a German Princess were lost :-) before Sybille strong candidate was Princess Alexandra Karoline zu Schaumburg-Lippe,sister of Queen Charlotte...in the end Sybille made her own way and Alexander lost his life because of his choice of wife!

The best version of Princess Anna's Winterhalter portrait that I've been able to find:

Does anyone have pictures or portraits of Princess Marie of Hesse-Cassel, daughter of Landgrave Frederick of Hesse-Kassel, and his wife, Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen who married Grand Duke George of Mecklenburg-Strelitz? I've been looking for something of her and I haven't been able to find anything.  Thank you!

Princess Anna of Prussia in her later years.