Author Topic: The Curse of Hesse  (Read 27188 times)

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Prince_Christopher

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The Curse of Hesse
« on: June 18, 2005, 04:16:41 PM »
I have read that there was an ancient curse on the Hesse family.

Does anyone know the origin of this legend?

And could we list the various events contributed to the curse?

Prince Christopher Ivanovich

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Re: The Curse of Hesse
« Reply #1 on: June 18, 2005, 07:46:47 PM »
Quote
I have read that there was an ancient curse on the Hesse family.

Does anyone know the origin of this legend?

And could we list the various events contributed to the curse?

Prince Christopher Ivanovich


I am aware of a Coburg curse.  I have read much on it.  I have never heard of a Heese curse.

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Prince_Christopher

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Re: The Curse of Hesse
« Reply #2 on: June 19, 2005, 08:33:50 AM »
I have read that it went even further back than this.
Who were the two friends who died with the Hesse Grand Ducal family in 1937?

rita

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Re: The Curse of Hesse
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2005, 11:05:19 AM »
The two persons were Baron Joachim von Riedesel and the nanny Lina Hahn. Riedesel was a good friend of Ludwig. He should give away the bride.

Prince_Christopher

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Re: The Curse of Hesse
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2005, 11:34:50 AM »
Was Lina Hahn related to Kurt Hahn, who founded the famous school at Salem?

Offline trentk80

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Re: The Curse of Hesse
« Reply #5 on: June 19, 2005, 12:26:07 PM »
And don't forget the death of the haemophiliac prince Friedrich (1873), and the murders of grand duchess Ella, empress Alexandra and her family (1918). Four of Princess Alice's seven children died in tragic circumstances and of her fifteen grandchildren, ten died tragically too! So yes, I would say there was a curse. At least for Princess Alice's descendants.  
Ladran los perros a la Luna, y ella con majestuoso desprecio prosigue el curso de su viaje.

Maria_Pavlovna

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Re: The Curse of Hesse
« Reply #6 on: June 19, 2005, 01:23:14 PM »
Quote
Mandie,
Unfortunately, Prince Christopher is only my username and I am alas a mere mortal.
I became interested in the Romanovs and other royalty many years ago as I sat in university libraries waiting for my mother who worked on her graduate degrees. I must have been only 11 years old or so when I discovered the Romanovs and QVD.

Strange to imagine I've held this fascination for a quarter of a century!

This led to my interest in my own personal genealogy on which I  have done extensive work.

However, I can say that my son is descended, through his mother, and closely, from Pacific Royalty. He is a 12 year old American boy and even though I've tried to get him interested in his heritage, he couldn't care less.

Prince Christopher Ivanovich




okay.  :)

Prince_Christopher

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Re: The Curse of Hesse
« Reply #7 on: June 19, 2005, 05:18:30 PM »
And Ernie's and Ducky's difficult marriage, divorce, and stillborn son.

pinklady

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Re: The Curse of Hesse
« Reply #8 on: June 20, 2005, 05:19:29 AM »
Three of Princess Alice's great grandchildren also died tragically, all three children of Cecilie and Georg Donatus, actually four if you include the unborn child in the plane crash as Cecilie was so heavily pregnant at the time.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by pinklady »

bluetoria

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Re: The Curse of Hesse
« Reply #9 on: June 20, 2005, 06:18:07 AM »
I agree that the Hessians seemed to suffer one tragedy after another, but - merely speculating  :) - it would be interesting to compare them with any other large family over several generations. Perhaps their situation as not to different from other people's. Do you think??

Offline grandduchessella

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Re: The Curse of Hesse
« Reply #10 on: June 20, 2005, 10:03:55 AM »
I guess this could be true but oh they seemed to suffer one blow after the other and the dates are very eerie.

If you look at a single family through 3 generations (such as Alice--her children--her grandchildren) and find a comparable situation there are probably similar situations.

I generation:
Constantine (1827-1892); m. 1848 Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg (1830-1911)
II Generation
1) Nicholas (1850-1918) This son was basically lost to the family due to his numerous transgressions.  
2) Olga (1851-1926); m. 1867 George I of Greece (assassinated 1913)
3) Vera (1854-1912); m.1874 Eugen, Duke of Württemberg –widowed after 3 years
4) Constantine (1858-1915); m.1884 Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg (1865-1927) (this branch would be especially hard hit)
5) Dimitri (1860-executed 1919) no descendants
6) Viatcheslav (1862-1879) no descendants
III Generation
1)  Artemy Iskander (1883-k.in Russian Civil War 1919) –son of Nicholas C.
2) Alexander Iskander (1889-1957); m. 1912 (div) Olga Rogovskya (disappeared in USSR)
3) Constantine I Greece—vilified, suffered assassination attempt (fire set), exile—recalled—exiled—died early
4) Alexandra Greece (GDss Paul) died age 21 after giving premature birth to 2nd child; her widower would be executed in 1919
5) Marie Greece —husband GD George executed by Bolsheviks
6) Olga Greece (Apr 1880-Nov 1880)
7) Ivan C (1886- executed Alapaevsk 1918); m.1911 Helena of Serbia (1884-1962)
8) Gabriel C (1887-1955); m.1917 Antonia Nesterovskya; m.2d  1951 Irina Kurakina (no descendants)
9) Tatiana C (1890-1979); m.1st 1911 Constantine Bagration-Moukhransky (1889-KIA 1915) leaving her w/2 small children; m.2d 1921 Alexander Korochenzov (1877-1922)
10) Constantine C (1891-executed at Alapaevsk 1918)
11) Oleg C (1892-KIA 1914 )
12) Igor  C (1894-executed Alapaevsk 1918)
13) George  C (1903-1938)
14) Natalia C (Mar 1905-May 1905)
15) Vera C (1906-2001)
16) Karl Eugen Wurttemberg  (Apr 1875-1875) –only son
17) Olga (1876-1932); m.1898 Maximilian Schaumburg-Lippe (Olga was widowed after 6 years)

So within children, children-in-law, grandchildren & grandchildren-in-law there was a lot of early deaths, violent deaths and I didn't even count illnesses and unhappy marriages.

They also serve who only stand and wait--John Milton
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Offline grandduchessella

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Re: The Curse of Hesse
« Reply #11 on: June 20, 2005, 10:12:02 AM »
I Generation
Tsar Alexander III m. Princess Dagmar of Denmark (Empress Marie Feodorovna)

II Generation
1)Nicholas II m. Princess Alix of Hesse (both executed 1918)
2) Alexander (Jun 1869- May 1870)
3) George (1871- 1899 of tuberculosis)
4) Xenia (1875-1960); m. 1894 GD Alexander of Russia (1866-1933)
5) Michael (1878-executed 918); m 1912 Natalia Cheremetevskya (died in poverty)
6) Olga (1882-1960); m.1st 1901 (div 1916) Peter, Duke of Oldenburg m.2d 1916 Nicholas  Kulikovsky

III Generation
1) Olga (1895-executed Ekaterinburg 1918)
2) Tatiana (1897-executed 1918)
3) Maria (1899-executed Ekaterinburg 1918)
4) Anastasia (1901-executed Ekaterinburg 1918)
5) Alexis (1904-executed Ekaterinburg 1918); suffered from hemophilia
They also serve who only stand and wait--John Milton
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bluetoria

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Re: The Curse of Hesse
« Reply #12 on: June 20, 2005, 10:53:22 AM »
Thank you, grandduchessella  :) - so it clearly wasn't just the curse of Hesse, was it? Maybe it's just that the Hessians were such an endearing family that their tragedy seems greater than everyone else's?  :-/

stepan

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Re: The Curse of Hesse
« Reply #13 on: June 21, 2005, 10:28:54 AM »
I read something about Alexandra Feodorovna,not a curse but something similar:
"At Darmstadt,where she was born to the Grand Duke of Hesse,she was already viewed somewhat coldly by the common people who nicknamed her Pechvogel,"bird of ill omen". Eyewittnesses have told how,when the princess left the Grand Duchy with her Tsarevich fiancée.onlookers were heard to shout: Geh und nimm dein Pech mit dir (Go and take your ill-luck with you)"    From Viktor Alexandrov´s The end of the Romanovs.   I haven´t read or heard about this anywhere else so I wonder if anyone else has?

bluetoria

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Re: The Curse of Hesse
« Reply #14 on: June 21, 2005, 10:32:28 AM »
That is very sad if it is true, Stepan. I cannot think what ill-luck they thought she had brought to the Grand Duchy.