Alexander Palace Forum
Discussions about the Imperial Family and European Royalty => The Hohenzollern => Topic started by: Svetabel on December 31, 2007, 04:58:05 AM
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Does anyone know anything on Landgrafin Luise of Hesse-Philippstal (1829-1901), nee Princess of Prussia, spouse of Landgraf Alexis von Hesse-Philippstal (1828-1905) ? She was daughter of Prince Karl of Prussia and Princess Marie of Saxe-Weimar, and sister of notorious Red Prince Friedrich Karl (1828-85) of Prussia and Furstin Anna of Hesse-Kassel. Luise was married to Alexis in 1854 and seemed their marriage was unhappy.
While reading a letter of Empress Maria Fedorovna of Russia to her husband Emperor Alexander III I came across such a passage: “Poor Waldemar [brother of MF] was much upset when he squired ugly sister of Aunt Anna, Princess Luise of Prussia. She looked absolutely monstrous, so enormous and pot-bellied, she weared a lilac outfit and a white extra-size mantle. There was an impression that she had been given a dip into a bag of flour ”. This passage is from a letter of May 1884 when Empress MF attended a wedding of her cousin Princess Elisabeth of Hesse-Kassel and Prince Leopold of Anhalt.
I’ve never any seen any picture of this larger-than-life Luise. Can anybody help? Any extra info on her?
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In the late 1840s Queen Josephine of Sweden and her friend Queen Elisabeth of Prussia planed a possible match between Princess Luise and Crown Prince Carl of Sweden, who also visited Prussia and actually became quite attached to her and wanted to marry her, but then Luise became sick and all future wedding plans were cancelled by the Swedish court (there were rumours that Luise´s illness had provoked infertility) and Carl married another Luise (and another granddaughter of Queen Luise), princess of the Netherlands.
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Thanks Linnea! If we only can find a picture of Luise...
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I couldn't find a picture of her, sorry. The marriage was unhappy though--the Online Gotha lists them as being divorced in 1861, just 7 years after marriage.
I did find some information in an old newspaper at the time of her former husband's death. He was listed as being one of the handsomest royals of the day and she was accorded as being one of the loveliest. She tossed over the Swedish prince (according to the sheets of the day) for the Duke of Genoa, father of the future Queen Margherita of Italy. The Prussian Court refused to consent to the marriage on account of the Duke's Catholicism and later she became affianced to Prince Alexis. Signs of mental instability soon became apparent and the prince asked for a divorce. She lived the rest of her years, mostly in retirement, in Wiesbaden surrounded by her attendants.
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I couldn't find a picture of her, sorry. The marriage was unhappy though--the Online Gotha lists them as being divorced in 1861, just 7 years after marriage.
I did find some information in an old newspaper at the time of her former husband's death. He was listed as being one of the handsomest royals of the day and she was accorded as being one of the loveliest. She tossed over the Swedish prince (according to the sheets of the day) for the Duke of Genoa, father of the future Queen Margherita of Italy. The Prussian Court refused to consent to the marriage on account of the Duke's Catholicism and later she became affianced to Prince Alexis. Signs of mental instability soon became apparent and the prince asked for a divorce. She lived the rest of her years, mostly in retirement, in Wiesbaden surrounded by her attendants.
Mental instability? Then this is an obvious reason she is not well-known and there is no much info on her. Many thanks, grandduchessella! :)
I did dig out a picture of a Luise of Preussen (it was on ebay sales). The caption says as you see "Luise, Prinzessin von Preussen", and probably it's her as being a divorced she definitely had her family name and title by birth.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/feomarie/LuisePreussen.jpg)
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This is Luise (1829-1901)
(http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c298/regensburg/hzlluise1829.jpg)
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Here she is with her husband, Alexis Landgraf of Hessen-Philippsthal-Barchfeld
(http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c298/regensburg/hsspalexis1820-1905luise.jpg)
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I took these images from the "Hohenzollern Jahrbuch 1909". I enclose the entry with their signatures:-
(http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c298/regensburg/aaaa016.jpg)
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Those are great, Regensburg. They certainly seem to bear out the reports of what an attractive couple they were.
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The coin profile of Alexis looks almost hauntingly similar to dear Fritz.
With Luise's life being almost matched (in years) by QV's, did they have any relationship?
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Regensburg, thanks for the pictures of Luise and Alexis!
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I believe there is a lovely picture of Luise of Prussia (married Hessen) in Count Wrangel's excellent book, Les Maisons Souvereigns de l'Europe, which was published in the late 1890s.
Arturo
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Are there any known jewels of the Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld branch?Were they rich or not?
If you look genealogy tables they have been married very well...with prinsesses of Prussia,Denmark,Anhalt,Meiningen,Bentheim,Hohenlohe,Glücksburg,Solms so I guess there are some jewels left...any known?
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I thought the Cassel line was the only line that survive. Isn't the other line has a prince (Frederick I think) that supported Anna Anderson ???
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I don't think that there was any Friedrich von Hessen-Philippsthal-Barchfeld at that time...
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You are right. It was Prince Frederick of Saxe-Altenburg and another supporter Princess Marianne of Hesse-Philippsthal.
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Princess Marianne was Princess von Hessen-Philippsthal-Barchfeld,born Princess of Prussia since Hessen-Philippsthal branch died out...she was married to Prince and Landgraf Wilhelm who got killed in Russia during WW II...
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Yes...That is why I thought that line died out...
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Well,there were 2 branches...Hessen-Philippsthal died out but Hessen-Philippsthal-Barchfeld didn't and they married almost equal every time...Marianne's descendants married nobles like Oda-Mathilde von Garmissen,Alexandra von Kaufman,Countess Monika Strachwitz von Groß-Zauche u.Camminetz,Felix von Saucken...
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Here's a photo of Luise, a rare one as any of her images.
Due to the dress-style that's the middle of the 1870s.
http://www.bildarchivaustria.at/Pages/ImageDetail.aspx?p_iBildID=12361940 (http://www.bildarchivaustria.at/Pages/ImageDetail.aspx?p_iBildID=12361940)
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Marc,
Some jewels certainly existed but which ones? While browsing the pictures of the House of Lippe-Biesterfeld I came across images of Furst Leopold IV and his 1st wife Princess Bertha of Hesse-Philipstahl. I don't know if her jewels were of the Hesse origin in these pitures but who knows. Possibly some expert on jewels sooner or later will give us an answer : )
Furstin Bertha
(http://i47.tinypic.com/24deyjc.jpg)
This one is from royaltyguide.nl (http://royaltyguide.nl)
http://www.royaltyguide.nl/images-families/hessen/hessenphilippsthal2/1874%20Bertha-02.jpg (http://www.royaltyguide.nl/images-families/hessen/hessenphilippsthal2/1874%20Bertha-02.jpg)
With her husband
(http://i50.tinypic.com/16i64k1.jpg)
The whole family
(http://i46.tinypic.com/11ll7qw.jpg)
(http://i45.tinypic.com/bebksy.jpg)
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You have found more of her jewels of her than I thought she had-thanks...though question about the jewels...I assume some of them could ave been wedding gifts from her Hesse family and some of them must have been surely the property of the House of Lippe-Biesterfeld,since I have seen pictures of Leopold's second wife Anna wearing the same tiara Bertha has in the second and third picture ...if anyone has more info-new findings would be great as we know almost nothing about jewels of this still existing branch of the Hesse family!
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Prince Chlodwig von Hessen-Philippsthal-Barchfeld who married Princess von Solms-Hohensolms-Lich:
(http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k126/auersperg21/Chlodwigbarchfeld.jpg)
And his half-brother Prince Christian von Hessen-Philippsthal-Barchfeld who married morganaticly:
(http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k126/auersperg21/Christianbarchfeld.jpg)
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Anymore pics of their families and details of the lives of these two princes ? :)
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Svetabel posted a wedding picture of Landgrave Wilhelm von H-P-Barchfeld(Chlodwig's son) and Princess Marianne of Prussia on another thread,just scroll down:
http://forum.alexanderpalace.org/index.php?topic=6812.15
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One more portrait of Furstin Bertha
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/feomarie/Rarefind/fff9ebd6.jpg)
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It seems you really know how to find a rare picture... if you find some more,please post ;-)
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I've dug out some more of the Barchfeld family.
Marc, hope these ones are new to you))
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/feomarie/Rarefind/chlodwig.jpg)
Prince Chlodwig
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/feomarie/Rarefind/hessebarch.jpg)
His children. From l.to r.: Alexander Ferdinand, Irene, Ernst Luwdig, Wilhelm.
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Svetabel,you just know how to surprise me :)
Yes,I have never seen them before...I just like this branch of family as it seems forgotten and in the shadow of other Hessen branch...
There is this site by Prince Alexis von Hessen-Philippsthal-Barchfeld:
http://schlossaugustenau.com/
It is about Castle Augustenau owned by this branch and there is a section where he writes a little about his family with a few small photos...
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I couldn't find a picture of her, sorry. The marriage was unhappy though--the Online Gotha lists them as being divorced in 1861, just 7 years after marriage.
I did find some information in an old newspaper at the time of her former husband's death. He was listed as being one of the handsomest royals of the day and she was accorded as being one of the loveliest. She tossed over the Swedish prince (according to the sheets of the day) for the Duke of Genoa, father of the future Queen Margherita of Italy. The Prussian Court refused to consent to the marriage on account of the Duke's Catholicism and later she became affianced to Prince Alexis. Signs of mental instability soon became apparent and the prince asked for a divorce. She lived the rest of her years, mostly in retirement, in Wiesbaden surrounded by her attendants.
Mental instability? Then this is an obvious reason she is not well-known and there is no much info on her. Many thanks, grandduchessella! :)
I did dig out a picture of a Luise of Preussen (it was on ebay sales). The caption says as you see "Luise, Prinzessin von Preussen", and probably it's her as being a divorced she definitely had her family name and title by birth.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/feomarie/LuisePreussen.jpg)
One more photo of Princess Luise, a rare image from 1860s
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/feomarie/prsshessephilipstal_zpsabefe801.jpg)
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Very interesting picture indeed :-)
I am very much interested in this second and only other surviving branch of the Hessen family...were they rich,petty...the fact is they intermarried very well...
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One more picture of Princess Luise Anna:
http://de.allbuch.online/wiki/Datei:Luise_Anna_von_Preu%C3%9Fen.jpg