Grand Duke Ludwig IV

"Advice to a Granddaughter" is such a marvellous book!!!

I read on Fr Serfes' site that his publishing company were planning a book of the letters of the Grand Duchess Elisabeth to Tsar Nicholas. This was so exciting But this was some time ago. I wrote to the priest about it, and he said that part of the rest of the correspondence was being translated. But ive heard no news at all, so wonder if the project came about.. Would be so thrilling..

This would be exciting! Only a few of them are available now. I would love to see a whole book on the Hessian family correspondence--it must be voluminous! The children were so close and yet geographically separted, I imagine they wrote a lot. Plus, the major courts of represented for the most part--Russian (Ella, Alix), German (Ernie, Irene), English (Victoria). Who they must've known and what they all must've written about!

This sounds like a major project to me.   Publication of the complete Hessian correspondence may be a bit over-ambitious, but I'm prepared to lend a helping hand to anyone who wants to get part of the correspondence published.  

Yes, but wouldn't it be great!   I'll also volunteer to pitch in.  

Thanks for this information! It must have been a very awkward situation for the whole family.

In my prowling through the Times archives, I was looking up Victoria of Hesse's wedding for references not only to her, but to Ella's upcoming wedding and came across this--dated Darmstadt May 4 (a little slow off the mark!)

The Times, Monday, May 05, 1884; pg. 11; Issue 31125; col F
Court Circular

The rumor, which has bee propogated even in so serious and respectable a journal as the Berlin Post, that the Grand Duke intends shortly to enter into a morganatic marriage is a pure invention.

The Times, Wednesday, May 07, 1884; pg. 7; Issue 31127; col A
    Latest Intelligence. (FROM OUR CORRESPONDENTS.).
Berlin May 6 THE GRAND DUKE OF HESSE
Within the last few days a detailed and positive statement has been making the round of the German Press, which I first disregardded as incredible, but which has now received an appearance at least of truth, through its reproduction in the semi-official North German Gazette--a journal which generally seeks to verify before quoting the assertations of its contemporaries. The statement is to the effect that on the evening of the wedding of his daughter, Princess Victoria, to Prince Louis of Battenberg, the Grand Duke of Hesse privately contracted a morgantic marriage with a lady named Madame von Kolemine, the daughter of Count Adam von Hutten Czapski, a Russian courtier. Madame von Kolemine, is is added, lately procured a divorce from her husband, to whom she was married in 1873, and who for some time represented Russia at the Court of Darmstadt; and she was otherwise well known in diplomatic circles at Bern and Stockholm, where her husband had also resided. Her father died last year at Nice, and her previous husband is now posted at Carlsruhe, not far from Darmstadt. The Grand Duke's marriage with Madame von Kolemine took, it is said, the form only of the civil contract, which was privately entered into by the parties in the presence of Freiherr von Starck, Minister of State. Such is the story which is going the round of the German Press, but which, despite its positive form, is well calculated to cause skepticism. A friend in Darmstadt telegraphs to me on the subject as follows:--' The statement in the newspapers as to the morgantic marriage of the Grand Duke has created universal surprise here, and in Court circles everyone affects to know nothing whatsoever about it. An official denial is expected, but if this be not issued there will be no room for doubting the truth of the story."

The Times, Friday, May 09, 1884; pg. 5; Issue 31129; col A (from our correspondents)
Berlin May 8
I am now in a position to confirm the statement that is making the rounds of the Press here, and which I conveyed to you the other evening under all reserve, and with an expression of doubt--namely that the Grand Duke of Hesse had, on the eve of his eldest daughter's wedding, contracted a "left-handed" marriage with a lady named Madame von Kolemine. Despite it's apparent improbability, the story is quite true.

[interesting that by this point the Grand Duke was safely in England with his mother-in-law]

Oh, wow, where did you find that?!

Do we have any more volunteers? When and where will we have our first working meeting?  

Grandduchessella,
Thank you very much for this information on Madame von Kolemine! I am wondering: Have you been browsing through some old copies of The Times in an archive, or are the on line versions of The Times going back this far?

I'm browsing through online archives. I don't have the url right here--it's been down for a good part of the day (that happens a good bit) and I usually just click on a favorites button to get to it, but I'll try to recover it. It's on a trial period free of charge as of now though it could change anytime (though I'm hoping not!) so I'm gorging myself on it! Hmm, maybe that's why it keeps crashing.   It really beats going cross-eyed and practically blind trying to read old print and microfiche.  If we're going to have a meeting, before we pick a place, don't we need material to actually put together?  

I second that. I would love to see your pictures.

Louise

Thank you so much Thomas to explore for us the German web sites!!!

The pic of Alix's uncles are incredible! Heinrich looks like his brother so much!   I can see also a resemble between Alix and his father...

...I have always thought that the photos of Ludwig in the 1860's were of a man that could take your breath away!...

First time I read Victoria's Daughters, I was quite taken with the picture of Louis.  Whe I showed it to my mom, she summed it up nicely -- "Wasn't he dishy?"

Alexa

Interesting to see how much resemblence is passed through the generartions. Does anyone agree with me in noticing a  lot of resemblence between Alix's paternal uncles with her children (OTMA)?? Especially in the eyes.

Masha

Speaking of the "old mausoleum" in the Rosenhohe:
Didn't Ernie have all the old grand dukes moved from the palace church to the mausoleum?  Also are there any
pictures of the old mausoleum available? Is it located near the "new mausoleum of Ludwig and Alice?

Thanks

Thomas:  Thanks for the information and picture of the
old mausoleum.
Jim

Where in relationship to the two Mausoleums is the Hessen burial ground found?  IE:  North, South, in front, behind, along side of

Are there any pictures of Madame Kolemine, whom the Grand Duke morgantically married?

Madame Kolemine



The only picture of her I have found

I have just found a pic of Prince Wilhelm of Hesse at the following address :
http://www.chez.com/sielsa/pages/galerie/louiscousins.htm

He is sitting on the left with his two bavarian cousins, Otto and Ludwig (king Ludwig II to whom the site is dedicated). King Ludwig used to write to his cousin Anna, Wilhelm's sister, during his youth and once told his fiancée that, amongst his relatives, his cousin Wilhelm of Hesse was his favorite.