User:Stephen2nd/Nazi Party nobility
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German nobility in Nazi Germany | |
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1928–1945 |
German nobility in Nazi Germany, 1928–1945, were members of higher levels of the German nobility, registered by their title, date of birth, NSDAP Party registration number, and date of joining the Nazi Party, from the registration of their first prince (Ernst) into NSDAP in 1928, until the end of WWII in 1945.[1] Following the Wilhelm II abdication and the German Revolution, all German nobility as a legally defined class was abolished. On promulgation of the Weimar Constitution on 11 September 1919, all such Germans were declared equal before the law. [2] There were 22 heads of these former federal states, titled as the 4 Kings of Germany; Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, and Württemberg, there were also 6 Grand Dukes, 5 Dukes, and 7 Princes, who along with all of their heirs, successors and families, lost their titles and domains. In appeasement of such losses, Hitler, Goring, Himmler, and other Nazi leaders, frequently appealed to these (former) princes, and especially to Wilhelm II and his families from the former Prussian kingdom, by expressing sympathy for a restoration of their abolished monarchies, and such lost inheritances. In 1928, the newly formed Nazi Party began accepting these princes by their (abolished) former titles, and by their (abolished) princedoms, and registering these dukes, princes, and princesses as such, in NSDAP. There are two know NSDAP – lists of such princes and princedoms. Of the first list Historian Malinowski quotes; of 312 families of the old aristocracy 3,592 princes joined the Nazis (26.9%) before Hitler came to power in 1933. The second Berlin Federal archives list, depicts 270 princely members of the Nazi Party (1928–1942), of which almost half joined the Nazis pre-Hitler. The Berlin list named 90 direct senior heirs, to their 22 abolished princedoms,[3] and also included claimants to the (former) Imperial Crown of Wilhelm II. After the proposed Prussian – "fourth Kaiser" died in the Wehrmacht in 1940, Hitler issued the Prinzenerlass, prohibiting German prices from the Wehrmacht, but not from the Nazi Party, SA or SS. Some German states provided a proportionally higher number of SS officers, including Hesse-Nassau and Lippe. Such German princes included SS–Obergruppenführer and Higher SS and Police Leader Prince Josias of Waldeck and Pyrmont.
Kingdom of Prussia
[edit]![Kingdom of Prussia](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_K%C3%B6nigreich_Preussen_%28Grosses%29.png/100px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_K%C3%B6nigreich_Preussen_%28Grosses%29.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Bundesarchiv_Bild_102-14437%2C_Tag_von_Potsdam%2C_Adolf_Hitler%2C_Kronprinz_Wilhelm.jpg/260px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_102-14437%2C_Tag_von_Potsdam%2C_Adolf_Hitler%2C_Kronprinz_Wilhelm.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/Bundesarchiv_Bild_102-01280%2C_Kaiser_Wilhelm_II._mit_Sohn_und_Enkel.jpg/200px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_102-01280%2C_Kaiser_Wilhelm_II._mit_Sohn_und_Enkel.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/Bundesarchiv_Bild_102-14221%2C_Paul_von_Hindenburg_und_Wilhelm_von_Preu%C3%9Fen.jpg/260px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_102-14221%2C_Paul_von_Hindenburg_und_Wilhelm_von_Preu%C3%9Fen.jpg)
Wilhelm II, German Emperor issued his statement of abdication on 28 November 1918, from both the Kingdom of Prussian, and imperial thrones, thus formally ending the House of Hohenzollern's 400-year rule over Prussia. He also gave up his, and future succession rights to the throne of Prussia and to the German Imperial throne connected therewith.[5]
William, German Crown Prince was first son and heir of Prussia and the collective Kaiserreich of Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Crown Prince is known to have abdicated around the same time as his father in 1918. Prince William was a military commander, as second in command to his Commander in Chief father, with Generalfeldmarschall Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria and Generalfeldmarschall Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg, at German military headquarters throughout WWI, until the allied armistice of 11 November 1918. As such, Wilhelm II and Crown Prince William directly commanded their Chief of General Staff, General Paul von Hindenburg throughout WWI. In 1933, von Hindenburg appointed (Nazi Party Leader) Hitler as the new Chancellor of Germany. On Hindenburg's death, Hitler officially became Führer and Chancellor of the Realm/Reich. Previously in Germany (1871–1918), the Chancellor was only responsible to the Prussian Kaiser (as Leader of the reich). In 1933, the Nazi regime abolished the flag of the Weimar Republic, and officially restored the Imperial Prussian flag, alongside the Swastika.
An earlier meeting with a (later) senior Nazi figure occurred in 1916, when Crown Prince William invested Herman Wilhelm Göring with his Iron Cross, first class, after Göring flew reconnaissance and bombing missions in a Feldflieger Abteilung 25 (FFA 25) – in Crown Prince William's Fifth Army.[6]. Like many veterans, Göring believed the Stab-in-the-back legend, that the WWI German Army had not really lost the war, but was betrayed by Marxists, Jews, and especially Republicans, who had overthrown the German monarchy.[7] In 1933, with Hitler and the Nazi Party in power, Göring was appointed as Minister of the Interior for Prussia,[8] for which he established a Prussian police force called the Geheime Staatspolizei, or Gestapo.[9] The headquarters of Reich Main Security Office, SD, Gestapo and SS in Nazi Germany (1933–1945), was symbolically housed at Prinz Albrecht-Strasse, off Wilhelm-straße, in Berlin.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Berlin%2C_Sportpalast%2C_August_Wilhelm_v._Preu%C3%9Fen.jpg/140px-Berlin%2C_Sportpalast%2C_August_Wilhelm_v._Preu%C3%9Fen.jpg)
In the early 1930s, Wilhelm II apparently hoped the successes of the German Nazi Party would stimulate interest in a restoration of the monarchy, with Crown Prince William's son as the fourth Kaiser.[10] After Crown Prince Wilhelm joined the Stahlhelm which merged in 1931 into the Harzburg Front, Adolf Hitler visited the former Crown Prince at Cecilienhof three times, in 1926, in 1933 (on the "Day of Potsdam") and in 1935.[11] In May 1940, Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, the son of Crown Prince William, nominated by Wilhelm as the fourth Kaiser, took part in the invasion of France. He was wounded during the fighting in Valenciennes and died on 26 May 1940. The service drew over 50,000 mourners.[12] His death and the ensuing sympathy of the German public toward a member of the former German royal house greatly bothered Hitler, and he began to see the Hohenzollerns as a threat to his power. In 1940 Hitler issued the Prinzenerlass, prohibiting princes from German royal houses from military service the Wehrmacht.[12]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/DettenSahmGoeringLippertErnstGoerlitzer.jpg/250px-DettenSahmGoeringLippertErnstGoerlitzer.jpg)
Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia was the fourth son of Emperor Wilhelm II, by his first wife, Augusta Victoria. In 1933 August Wilhelm had a position in the Prussian state, and became a member of the German Reichstag. The former prince hoped "that Hitler would one day hoist him or his son Alexander up to the vacant throne of the Kaiser". In 1939 August Wilhelm was made an SA-Obergruppenführer, the second highest SA rank. Translated as "senior group leader",[13]Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA, and adopted by the Schutzstaffel one year later. Until 1942, it was the highest commissioned SS rank, inferior only to Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler.
As listed, Prince August was given Nazi Party membership number 24, at number 12 was SS-Obergruppenführer Philipp Bouhler. He was a SS-Reichsleiter, (same SS rank as Himmler and Goebbels), he was 2nd only to the rank of the Führer in NSDAP. Philipp Bouhler, worked alongside Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse who was a close friend of Göring. Bouhler was head of Nazi Action T4 euthanasia program for children and the handicapped; (70,000 murders). Deputy Führer to Hitler, also ranked SS-Obergruppenführer, and also SS-Reichsleiter, Rudolf Hesse was number 14. Hesse and Hitler, like Göring, held a shared belief in the stab-in-the-back myth, that Germany's loss in WWI was caused by a conspiracy of Jews and Bolsheviks rather than a military defeat.[14][15]
After the death of Prince August's father, Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1942, more so after making derogatory remarks about Joseph Goebbels, Prince August was denounced in 1942, side-lined and also banned from making public speeches. In 1945, with former Crown Princess Cecilie, August Wilhelm fled the approaching Red Army to Kronberg to take refuge with his aunt Princess Margaret of Prussia.
Prince Alexander Ferdinand was the only son of Prince August Wilhelm and his wife Princess Alexandra Victoria.[16] In 1939, Prince Alexander was a first lieutenant in the Air Force Signal Corps.[17][18][19] Like his father, Prince August hope that Hitler "would one day hoist him, or his son, up to the vacant throne of the Kaiser". Prince Alexander and his fathers support for the Nazis, caused disagreements among the Hohenzollerns, with Wilhelm II urging them both to leave the Nazi party.[20] In 1933, Prince Alexander quit the SA and became a private in the German regular army.[21] In 1934, Berlin leaked out that the prince quit the SA because Hitler had chosen 21-year-old Alexander Ferdinand to succeed him as "head man in Germany when he [Hitler] no longer can carry the torch".[21] The report said Joseph Goebbels was expected to oppose the prince's nomination.[21] Unlike many princes untrusted and removed from their commands by Hitler, Prince Alexander was the only Hohenzollern allowed to remain at his post.[22]
NSDAP![]() |
Nazi Party | Military Rank |
Title and Name |
Royal House |
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NSDAP – 24 | Joined: 1 April 1930 | ![]() ![]() |
Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia | ![]() |
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NSDAP – 534782 | Joined: 1 May 1931 | ![]() ![]() |
Prince Alexander Ferdinand of Prussia | ![]() |
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NSDAP – 2407422 | Joined: 1 May 1935 | ![]() |
Prince Karl Franz of Prussia | ![]() |
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Kingdom of Bavaria
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_K%C3%B6nigreich_Bayern_%28Grosses%29.jpg/90px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_K%C3%B6nigreich_Bayern_%28Grosses%29.jpg)
House of Wittelsbach | |
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Titles | King of Bavaria King of Denmark King of Sweden King of Norway King of Greece |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/66/Kingludwig3bavaria.jpg/90px-Kingludwig3bavaria.jpg)
King Ludwig III
King Ludwig III of Bavaria, may have been Hitler's first association with the Kaiserreich nobility. At the outbreak of World War I, Ludwig III received a petition from Adolph Hitler, asking for permission to join the Bavarian Army. The petition was granted and Hitler joined the Bavarian Army, where he served the remainder of WWI.[24][25]
As the war drew to a close, the German Revolution broke out in Bavaria, and Ludwig III was the first Kaiserreich monarch to be deposed.
On 7 November 1918, Ludwig fled from Munich with his family to Schloss Anif, near Salzburg. On 12 November 1918, King Ludwig gave Prime Minister Dandl the Anif declaration, releasing all government officials, soldiers and civil officers from their oath of loyalty to him. The republican government of Kurt Eisner declared the Wittelsbachs deposed, ending 700 years of Wittelsbacher rule over Bavaria.[26]
Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria – Ludwig's son and heir, did not join the far right in Germany, despite Hitler's attempts to win him over through Ernst Röhm and promises of royal restoration.[27] In 1932, a plan to give Rupprecht dictatorial powers in Bavaria under the title of Staatskommissar, attracted support from the Social Democratic Party of Germany, and the Bavarian Minister-President Wilhelm Hoegner, but the Bavarian government under Heinrich Held ended all hopes for the idea. Rupprecht continued to harbor the idea of the restoration of the Bavarian monarchy, in a possible union with Austria as an independent Southern Germany.[28][full citation needed]
In a memorandum in 1943 Prince Rupprecht even mentioned his ambition for the German crown, (of the Kaiserreich), which had been held by the House of Wittelsbach in the past.[29][full citation needed]
Kingdom of Saxony
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_K%C3%B6nigreich_Sachsen_%28Grosses%29.png/100px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_K%C3%B6nigreich_Sachsen_%28Grosses%29.png)
House of Wettin | |
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Titles |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/51/PrinceGeorgSaxony.jpg/85px-PrinceGeorgSaxony.jpg)
King Frederick Augustus III of Saxony
Frederick Augustus III was the last King of Saxony and a member of the House of Wettin. He voluntarily abdicated as king on 13 November 1918. When the German Republic was proclaimed in 1918, he was asked by telephone whether he would abdicate willingly. He said: "Oh, well, I suppose I'd better."[30] Upon abdicating, he is supposed to have said "Nu da machd doch eiern Drägg alleene!" (Saxon for "Well then do your sh... by yourselves!"). When cheered by a crowd in a railroad station several years after his abdication, he stuck his head out of the train's window and shouted, "You're a fine lot of republicans, I'll say!"[30] After his father's abdication, in 1919 Georg, Crown Prince of Saxony his first-born son and heir renounced his rights on the Saxon throne, to become a Catholic priest. This was very controversial among people who hoped that the monarchy might one day be restored. He worked in Berlin where he was credited with protecting Jews from the Nazi regime[31] in notable contrast to his pro-Nazi brothers-in-law, Prince Frederich of Hohenzollern and Prince Franz Joseph of Hohenzolllern-Emden, who joined the SS. As a leading Roman Catholic nobleman and near relative of the Habsburg, Bourbon, and Saxon dynasties, Prince Franz Joseph did much to lend respectability to the Nazi party.[32][33]
Kingdom of Württemberg
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Coat_of_Arms_of_the_Kingdom_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg_1817-1921.svg/100px-Coat_of_Arms_of_the_Kingdom_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg_1817-1921.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-H28245%2C_Berlin%2C_Kundgebung_des_HJ-Landdienstes.jpg/250px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-H28245%2C_Berlin%2C_Kundgebung_des_HJ-Landdienstes.jpg)
King William II of Wurttemberg
King William II abdicated on 30 November 1918.[34] Princess Pauine was the elder daughter of William II of Württemberg, notably, if George III of the United Kingdom had died in infancy as many predicted he would, Pauline, through the line of George III's sister, would have succeeded to the throne of the United Kingdom. Princess Pauine was a first cousin of: Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, and Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, and senior Nazi Party members Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Princess Pauline was indicted by a United States Military Government court for "having concealed two prominent Nazis since October 1945." The princess admitted "having deliberately provided a haven for Frau Gertrud Scholtz-Klink and her husband, former Maj. General August Heissmayer of the SS. The Princess had acknowledged knowing that Frau Scholtz-Klink was known as the chief of all Nazi women's organizations," but she denied awareness of Heissmayer's SS position. Frau Scholtz-Klink told the authorities that she did not know whether "Adolf Hitler was alive or dead," but "as long as he lives in the hearts of his followers, he cannot die." [35]
NSDAP![]() |
Nazi Party | Military Rank |
Title and Name |
Royal House |
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NSDAP – 3726902 | Joined: 1 April 1936 | Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg | ![]() |
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NSDAP – 4969451 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ![]() |
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NSDAP – 4023070 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | ![]() |
Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg | ![]() |
Born 24 March 1897. Gottfried was the son of Prince Ernst II. After 1918, Gottfried continued to serve as a leader of the European aristocracy.[17] He served in the German army in World War II, becoming severely injured at the Russian front. He was dismissed from the army after the abortive attempt on Adolf Hitler's life on 20 July 1944.[17] In 1931, Prince Gottfried married Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark, the sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. |
NSDAP![]() |
Nazi Party | Military Rank |
Title and Name |
Royal House |
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NSDAP – 1234146 | Joined: 1 August 1932 | Prince Albert Albrecht of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein | ![]() |
Born 9 March 1906. Prince Albert Albrecht of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein and Jagstberg, was born in Württemberg, son of Johannes, VIII and Archduchess Anna Maria Theresia of Austria. The husband of Countess Therese of Hohenlohe. | |
NSDAP – 1331054 | Joined: 1 September 1932 | Princess Lahmann Mariella of Hohenlohe-Oehringen | ![]() |
Born 31 August 1900. Countess Maria-Gabrielle (Mariella) Hedwig von Faber-Castell. On 1 May 1935, she married Prince Max Hugo Paul Friedrich Karl Egon zu Hohenlohe-Oehringen. (1893–1951) | |
NSDAP – 1359811 | Joined: 1 November 1932 | Prince Carl of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein | ![]() |
Born 20 October 1905. Carl, Prince of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein, was husband of Clara, Baroness von Meyern-Hohenberg, married 07 November 1912. | |
NSDAP – 3587919 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | Princess Alexandra of Hohenlohe-Langenburg | ![]() |
Born 22 April 1902. Daughter of Ernst II. Princess Alexandra of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (2 April 1901 – 26 October 1963) | |
NSDAP – 1891373 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | Prince Friedrich of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein | ![]() |
Born 3 September 1910. Frederick, Prince of Hohenlohe-Bartenstein. Prince Friedrich Hohenlohe-Bartenstein, was the son of Prince Johannes Hohenlohe-Bartenstein (b.1863) of Württemberg, and Princess Anna Austria-Toscana (b.1879) in Bavaria. He was husband of Marie Claire Buet. | |
NSDAP – 2151756 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | Prince Max-Hugo of Hohenlohe-Öhringen | ![]() |
Born 25 March 1893. Prince Max Hugo of Hohenlohe-Öhringen was the son of Max Anton Karl Prince of Hohenlohe-Öhringen and Helene Gräfin von Hatzfeldt. He married, firstly, Maria-Gabrielle Gräfin von Faber-Castell, daughter of Alexander Friedrich Lothar Graf von Faber-Castell and Sophie Ottilie Gräfin von Faber, divorced 1931. He married, secondly, Hella von Ramin in 1941. He and Hella divorced in 1942. He married, thirdly, Marianne Liselotte Diefenthal. He died on 17 October 1951 in Wurttemberg. | |
NSDAP – 3409977 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | (Prince) Grand Duke Karl Alexander of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach | ![]() |
Born 31 July 1908."According to His Royal Highest resolution. Highness graciously reigning Grand Duke Karl Alexander of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach from March 16, 1892 granted the rights of a legal personality". | |
NSDAP – 1787117 | Joined: 1 July 1933 | Prince Friedrich Karl Kraft | ![]() |
Born 16 March 1892. Prince Friedrich Karl KRAFT, born in Dresden (d. 2 September 1965). Died with his wife Florence Nina Chischina (1898–1965), in Rome, of wounds received in a car wreck. | |
NSDAP – 3508258 | Joined: 1 January 1936 | Prince Rudolph of Hohenlohe | ![]() |
Born 1 December 1903 | |
NSDAP – 5637217 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Princess Hella of Hohenlohe | ![]() |
Born 25 February 1883. Princess Hela was the wife of Prince Max-Hugo. Hella von Ramin was born on 25 February 1883. She was the daughter of Paul von Ramin and Gunhild von Ramin-Daber. She married, (third husband) Prince Max-Hugo in 1941. She and Max-Hugo divorced in 1942. She died 7 January 1943. | |
NSDAP – 4453767 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Princess Irma of Hohenlohe-Langenburg | ![]() |
Born 4 July 1902. Daughter of Ernst II. Princess Irma of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (4 July 1902 – 8 March 1986) | |
NSDAP – 5371558 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Prince Hugo Felix August zu Hohenlohe-Oehringen | ![]() |
Born 28 April 1890. Prince Hugo Felix August zu Hohenlohe-Oehringen, was son of Prince Hans Heinrich Georg Duke of Ujest zu Hohenlohe-Oehringen and Princess Gertrud Auguste Mathilde Olga von Hohenlohe-Öhringen. He was husband of Valerie von Carstanjen and Ursula von Zedlitz. He was father of Princess Alexandra Olga Elsa zu Hohenlohe Ohringen, and Princess Dorothea Elisabeth zu Hohenlohe Ohringen, (d.28 August 1962). | |
NSDAP – 6294978 | Joined: 1 May 1938 | Prince Alfred of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfurst | ![]() |
Born 31 March 1889. Prince Alfred of Hohenlohe was born in Salzburg, Austria, the son of Konrad, Prinz zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfurst and Franzisca Countess of Schönborn-Buchheim. He was husband of Catherine Britton. Father of Konrad zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst. Brother of Franziska Maria Anna von Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst. He died on 21 October 1948 in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. | |
NSDAP – 6580922 | Joined: 1 December 1938 | Prince Karl of Hohenlohe | ![]() |
Born 1 December 1903 | |
NSDAP – 6580933 | Joined: 1 December 1938 | ![]() |
Prince Gottfried Constantin of Hohenlohe-Langenburg | ![]() |
Born 11 September 1893. Gottfried Constantin of Hohenlohe-Langenburg was the son of Kuk privy councilor Prince Gottfried Karl Joseph and Anna von Schönborn-Buchheim. In WWII Constantin was adjutant of the Supreme Commander in Belgium. After June 1944, he was assigned as head of the military administration in Estonia. Captain Hohenlohe was later fired from the Wehrmacht. |
NSDAP – 6510492 | Joined: 1 December 1938 | Princess Viktoria of Hohenlohe | ![]() |
Born 20 October 1914 |
Grand Duchy of Baden
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Grossherzogtum_Baden.png/100px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Grossherzogtum_Baden.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Prince_Max_of_Baden_and_family.jpg/120px-Prince_Max_of_Baden_and_family.jpg)
Frederick II, Grand Duke of Baden
Grand Duke Frederick II abdicated on 22 November 1918, during the German Revolution of 1918–19 which resulted in the abolition of the Grand Duchy. After his Death in 1928, the headship of the house was transferred over to his great uncles grandson, Prince Maximilian of Baden. His successor Prince Maximilian, was the Chancellor of Germany and Minister President of Prussia, and the chief negotiator of the Kaiserreich abdication. Prince Max was married to Princess Marie Louise of Hanover, eldest daughter of Ernest Augustus II and Thyra of Denmark. Prince Max's son Prince Berthold of Baden married Princess Theodora, daughter of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. As such, Prince Berthold was brother-in-law to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. In 1920 with Kurt Hahn, Prince Max established the Schule Schloss Salem school[36][37] attended by Prince Philip.[38] Kurt Hahn also founded Gordonstone in Scotland attended by Philips heir, Prince Charles.
Grand Duchy of Hesse
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Grossherzogtum_Hessen.png/100px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Grossherzogtum_Hessen.png)
House of Hesse | |
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Titles | Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine King of Sweden King of Finland |
Cadet branches | Hesse-Kassel Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld Battenberg (Mountbatten) Hanau-Schaumburg Hesse-Nassau |
Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse
Prince Frederick Charles was the brother-in-law of the German Emperor Wilhelm II. Frederick Charles was elected as the King of Finland by the Parliament of Finland on 9 October 1918. However, with the abdication of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany ending monarchies in Germany, Finland adopted a republican constitution. His first son Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse joined the Nazi Party in 1930, and the SA. Stormtroopers in 1932. In 1933 his three other brothers joined the (SS) and the SA. Prince Philipp of Hesse became a particularly close friend of Hermann Göring, the future head of the Luftwaffe. After Hindenburg's appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor in 1933, Philipp was appointed Oberpräsident (Governor) of Hesse-Nassau, and a member of the Reichstag, and of the Prussian Staatsrat. Philipp played an important role in the consolidation of Nazi rule in Germany. He introduced other aristocrats to NSDAP officials and, as son-in-law of the king of Italy, was a frequent go-between for Hitler and Benito Mussolini. As Governor of Hesse-Kassel, Philipp was complicit in the T-4 Euthanasia Program. In February 1941, Philipp signed the contract placing the sanitarium of Hadamar Clinic at the disposal of the Reich Interior Ministry. Over 10,000 mentally ill people were killed there. In 1946, Prince Philipp of Hesse was charged with murder, but the charges were later dropped.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-R26074%2C_Reichstreffen_des_Reichsbundes_Volkstum_und_Heimat.jpg/270px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-R26074%2C_Reichstreffen_des_Reichsbundes_Volkstum_und_Heimat.jpg)
Prince Fredericks other son Prince Christoph of Hesse was a SS. Schutzstaffel officer. Prince Christophe was a director in the Third Reich's Ministry of Air Forces, Commander of the Air Reserves, with a rank of Oberführer in the SS.[39] In 1943, he was killed in an airplane accident in a war zone near Italy.[39] Prince Christoph was a great-grandson of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha through their daughter Victoria, Princess Royal, wife of Frederick III, German Emperor. Christoph married Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark.[39] Princess Sophie was the youngest daughter of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg, and the sister of the future Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Prince Wilhelm of Hesse, was heir to the Hesse-Philippsthal line. Prince Wilhelm was the eldest child of Prince Chlodwig of Hesse and Princess Caroline of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich. In 1932 he joined the Nazi party and SS rising to the rank SS-Hauptsturmführer.[40][41][page needed] Prince Wilhelm married Princess Marianne, the daughter of Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia.[40] During WWII Prince Wilhelm refused to join an SS unit, instead switching to the regular German Army, where he became a captain of infantry.[41][page needed][42] He was killed in action during the fighting at Gor on the Eastern Front.
NSDAP![]() |
Nazi Party | Military Rank |
Title and Name |
Royal House |
![]() ![]() |
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NSDAP – 418991 | Joined: 1 October 1930 | ![]() |
Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse | ![]() |
Born 6 November 1896. Philipp was son of Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse and Princess Margaret of Prussia, (sister of Wilhelm II). In 1932, he joined the (SA). In 1933 his brothers joined the (SS) and the (SA). He was a member of Reichstag and Prussian Staatsrat. Through his party membership, Philipp became a particularly close friend of Hermann Göring. He introduced aristocrats to NSDAP officials and, as son-in-law of the king of Italy, he was a go-between for Hitler and Benito Mussolini. |
NSDAP – 696176 | Joined: 1 November 1931 | ![]() |
Prince Christoph of Hesse | ![]() |
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NSDAP – 1187621 | Joined: 1 May 1932 | ![]() ![]() |
Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld | ![]() |
Born 1 May 1905. In 1932, Prince Wilhelm joined the Nazi party and the SS rising to the rank SS-Hauptsturmführer.[40][41][page needed] Prince Wilhelm married Princess Marianne of Prussia. During WWII Prince Wilhelm refused to join an SS unit, instead switching to the regular German Army, where he became a captain of infantry.[41][page needed][42] He was killed in action during the fighting at Gor on the Eastern Front. |
NSDAP – 1794944 | Joined: 1 May 1932 | Prince Wolfgang of Hesse | ![]() |
Born 6 November 1896. Prince Wolfgang of Hesse-Kassel was the designated Hereditary Prince of the monarchy of Finland, (with a pretension to Estonia), and as such, called the Crown Prince of Finland officially until 14 December 1918, and also afterwards by some monarchists. | |
NSDAP – 3766312 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse | ![]() |
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NSDAP – 3766313 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark | ![]() |
Born 22 January 1911. Princess Cecilie was a grandchild of King George I of Greece and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinova of Russia (a granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia). She was a great-great granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Her brother Philip, later Duke of Edinburgh, is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. | |
NSDAP – 4628851 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Princess Marianne of Prussia | ![]() |
Born 23 August 1913. Princess Marianne was the wife of Prince Wilhelm of Hesse. She was a descendant of King Frederick William III of Prussia and King William I of the Netherlands. She was named after her great-grandmother Princess Marianne of the Netherlands. She was a third cousin of William, German Crown Prince. | |
NSDAP – 4814689 | Joined: 1 May 1938 | Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse | ![]() |
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NSDAP – 4814690 | Joined: 1 May 1938 | Princess Margaret of Prussia | ![]() |
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Royal House |
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NSDAP – 1184026 | Joined: 1 March 1932 | ![]() |
Prince Alexis of Hesse-Philippsthal | ![]() |
Born 8 June 1911. Prince Alexis Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld. Was the son of Landgrave Chlodwig Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld, and Princess Karoline Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, b. 27 May 1877, d. 28 Nov 1958, Berlin, Germany. |
NSDAP – 1203662 | Joined: 1 August 1932 | ![]() |
Prince Richard of Hesse | ![]() |
Born 14 May 1901. Prince Richard was the twin brother of Prince Christopher. |
NSDAP – 3515493 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | Princess Victoria Cecile of Hesse-Philippsthal | ![]() |
Born 26 October 1914. Viktoria Cäcilie (1914–1998), Prince Wilhelm and Alexander Friedrich (1911–1939), were the children of Chlodwig, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld, an officer in the Prussian Army and head of the Hesse-Philippsthal line of the House of Hesse. In the early 1930s three of Landgrave Chlodwig's children (Wilhelm, Alexander Friedrich and Viktoria Cäcilie) joined the Nazi party. His third son Prince Alexander Friedrich, who suffered from epilepsy, was sterilised by the Nazis on 27 September 1938, he died a year later.[43] |
Grand Duchy of Hesse by Rhine
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Grossherzogtum_Hessen.png/100px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Grossherzogtum_Hessen.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/The_Family_of_the_Grand_Duke_of_Hesse.jpg/80px-The_Family_of_the_Grand_Duke_of_Hesse.jpg)
Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse
During World War I, Grand Duke Ernest Louis served as an officer at Kaiser Wilhelm's headquarters. In July 1918, roughly sixteen months after the February Revolution, which forced his brother-in-law, Nicholas II from his throne, Ernst's two sisters in Russia, Elizabeth, who had become a nun following the assassination of her husband, Grand Duke Sergei, in 1905, and Alexandra, the former tsarina, were killed by the Bolsheviks. At the end of the war, he lost his throne during the revolution of 1918, after refusing to abdicate.[44] Ernst was the last Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine from 1892 until 1918.[45]
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NSDAP – 5900506 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Louis, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine | ![]() |
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NSDAP – 7900128 | Joined: 1 January 1940 | Princess Marie Alexandra of Baden | ![]() |
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Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Wappen_Mecklenburg-Schwerin.png/100px-Wappen_Mecklenburg-Schwerin.png)
Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Following the 1918 suicide of Grand Duke Adolphus Frederick VI of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Grand Duke Frederick Francis took up the regency of Strelitz, after the heir presumptive Duke Charles Michael, who was serving in the Russian Army at the time and had indicated that he wished to renounce his succession rights. Friedrich Franz abdicated the grand ducal throne on 14 November 1918 following the German Empire's defeat in World War I; the regency ended at the same time.[46][full citation needed] His son 'Friedrich Franz joined the Schutzstaffel or SS, and by 1936 held rank of Hauptsturmführer (Captain).[47] He was posted to Denmark during WWII where he worked at the German embassy as a personal aide to Werner Best.[47] He spent 1944 serving with the Waffen-SS tank corps.[47] In May 1943, Friedrich Franz was passed over as heir in favour of his younger brother Duke Christian Louis.[48][full citation needed]
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NSDAP – 504973 | Joined: 1 May 1931 | ![]() ![]() |
Friedrich Franz, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | ![]() Mecklenburg |
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Grand Duchy of Oldenburg
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Grossherzogtum_Oldenburg.png/100px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Grossherzogtum_Oldenburg.png)
House of Oldenburg | |
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Titles |
Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg
Grand Duke Frederick was forced to abdicate his throne at the end of World War I, when the former Grand Duchy of the German Empire joined the post-war German Republic.[49] He and his family took up residence at Rastede Castle, where he took up farming and local industrial interests.[17] A year after his abdication, he asked the Oldenburg Diet for a yearly allowance of 150,000 marks, stating that his financial condition was "extremely precarious".[17] In 1931, Frederick died in Rastede.[49]
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NSDAP – 4085803 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Nikolaus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Oldenburg | ![]() |
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Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Grossherzogtum_Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach.png/100px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Grossherzogtum_Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Kaiser_Wilhelm_II._und_Gro%C3%9Fherzog_Wilhelm_Ernst_von_S-Weimar-Eisenach.jpg/300px-Kaiser_Wilhelm_II._und_Gro%C3%9Fherzog_Wilhelm_Ernst_von_S-Weimar-Eisenach.jpg)
William Ernest, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Grand Duke Wilhelm Ernst was in line for the Netherlands throne, (as the grandson of Princess Sophie of the Netherlands) after Queen Wilhelmina. The Dutch feared annexation of the Netherlands, to prevent this, lawyers tried to change the constitution to exclude Wilhelm Ernst. Another proposal, was that if Wilhelmina would die childless, then he or his offspring would have to choose between the Dutch and the Weimar throne. The birth of Wilhelmina's daughter Juliana of the Netherlands in 1909 lessened the chance for the house of Wettin to inherit the Dutch throne. On 9 November 1918 Wilhelm Ernst – along with the rest of the Kaiserreich monarchs – was forced to abdicate. His throne and lands were relinquished and he fled with his family to the family estate in Silesia, where he died five years later. Despite all his work for Weimar during his government, Wilhelm Ernst was a hated ruler. In his private life, he was known as a sadist. On the day of his abdication, he was called the "most unpopular prince in all Germany".[51]
Duchy of Anhalt
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Herzogtum_Anhalt_%28Gro%C3%9Fes%29.png/75px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Herzogtum_Anhalt_%28Gro%C3%9Fes%29.png)
Joachim Ernst succeeded his father as Duke of Anhalt on September 13, 1918, however due to his age his uncle Prince Aribert of Anhalt was appointed regent. His brief reign came to an end on November 12, 1918 with his uncle abdicating in his name following the German revolution. The duchy became the Free State of Anhalt.
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NSDAP – 3452693 | Joined: 1 May 1934 | Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt | ![]() |
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NSDAP – 4843880 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Duchess Edda Charlotte of Anhalt | ![]() |
Born 20 August 1905 | |
NSDAP – 7267717 | Joined: 1 November 1939 | Duke Joachim Ernst of Anhalt | ![]() |
Born 11 January 1901 |
Duchy of Brunswick
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Herzogtum_Braunschweig_%28Grosses%29.png/100px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Herzogtum_Braunschweig_%28Grosses%29.png)
House of Hanover | |
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Parent house | |
Titles | etc., etc., etc. |
Prince Ernest Augustus, 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale
Ernst August, Crown Prince of Hanover, was the only son of George V of Hanover and Marie of Saxe-Altenburg. Although he was the senior male-line great-grandson of George III, the Duke of Cumberland was deprived of his British peerages and honours for having sided with Germany in World War I.[53][54] Ernst August was the last Hanoverian prince to hold a British royal title. His descendants are in the line of succession to the British throne. His successor Ernst Augustus, Duke of Brunswick and Prince of Hanover, Prince of Great Britain and Ireland, was the youngest child of Crown Prince Ernest Augustus and Princess Thyra. [55] When Ernest's older brother Prince George died, the German Emperor sent a message of condolence to the Duke. In response the Duke sent his only surviving son, Ernst, to thank the Emperor. In Berlin, Ernst met Emperor William II's only daughter, Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia. Ernest and Victoria Louise married in 1913. The wedding was the last great gathering of European sovereigns; German Emperor and Empress, Duke and Duchess of Cumberland, George V and Queen Mary of the UK, and Tsar Nicholas II attended. On 8 November 1918, he was forced to abdicate his throne along with the other Kaiserreich nobility. The next year, his father's British dukedom was suspended under the Titles Deprivation Act 1917. In 1947 his daughter Frederica became Queen of the Hellenes when her husband Prince Paul of Greece and Denmark succeeded as King. He died in 1953.
Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Herzogtum_Sachsen-Altenburg_%28Grosses%29.png/100px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Herzogtum_Sachsen-Altenburg_%28Grosses%29.png)
Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Ernst_II_family.jpg/200px-Ernst_II_family.jpg)
When Germany lost the war, all the German princes lost their titles and states. Ernst was one of the first princes to realize major changes were coming for Germany, and quickly arrived at an amicable settlement with his subjects..[19] He was forced to abdicate the government of the duchy on 13 November 1918, and spent the rest of his life like a private citizen. On 1 May 1937 Ernst joined the Nazi party[56] Ernst became the only former reigning German prince who accepted German Democratic Republic citizenship after World War II, refusing an offer to leave his beloved Schloß Fröhliche Wiederkunft and relocate to the British occupation zone. The Schloß had been confiscated by the Soviet occupiers, but Ernst had been granted free use of it until his death. In March 1954, with the death of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, he became the last survivor of the German princes who had reigned until 1918. One year later, on 22 March 1955, he died at his Schloß.
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NSDAP – 4868932 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg | ![]() |
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Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
[edit]Ruler | Title | Arms – Flag | House – State | Location | Spouse – Children |
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Duke Charles Edward 1884–1954 |
![]() File:Flagge Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha (1911–1920).svg |
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha 1826–1918 Duchy of Saxe-Coburg Gotha 1826–1918 |
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Spouse: (1) Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein Children: |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Herzogtum_Sachsen-Coburg_und_Gotha_%28Grosses%29.png/100px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Herzogtum_Sachsen-Coburg_und_Gotha_%28Grosses%29.png)
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | |
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Parent house | House of Wettin |
Titles | Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1826–1918) King of the Belgians (1831–present) King of Portugal and the Algarves (1837–1910) Prince of Bulgaria (1887–1908) King of Great Britain and Ireland (1901–1917) Tsar of Bulgaria (1908–1946) |
Charles Edward, was the last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and the head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha until his death in 1954. A male-line grandson of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, he was also until 1919 a Prince of the United Kingdom as the Duke of Albany. The Duke was a controversial figure in the UK due to his status as Sovereign Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, part of the German Empire, during World War I. He was deprived of his British peerages, his title of Prince and Royal Highness and his British honours in 1919.[57] In 1918, he was forced to abdicate his ducal throne. In World War I Charles Edward held a commission as a general in the German Army. Consequently, George V ordered his name removed from the register of the Knights of the Garter in 1915. In July 1917, he and his children had the Royal Arms insignia removed from their (Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) coats of arms, they also lost their titles of Prince and Princess of the United Kingdom and the styles Royal Highness and Highness. He retained the style Highness of a sovereign ducal house in Germany, until 18 November 1918 when a Workers' and Soldiers' Council of Gotha deposed him. On 23 November he signed a declaration relinquishing his rights to the throne.
In 1977, Ottfried Neubecker, Director of the German General Rolls of Arms and of the Board of the International Academy of Heraldry, with the cooperation of J.P. Brooke-Little from the College of Arms, published "A Little Brown Book," later reprinted in 1988/89/97 as " Heraldry. Sources, Symbols and Meaning". (ISBN: 0-316-64141-3). On page 96, Neubecker stated that; "The reigning royal family in Great Britain goes back to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg, husband of Queen Victoria. Our summary of the family tree covers all those descended in the male line from Queen Victoria. As the princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha were excluded from the British royal family in 1893, the labels chosen independently by them were not recognized in England. (Also), on 17 July 1917 the name of Saxe-Coburg was changed to Windsor."[58] By warrant of Sep. 12, 1917 and subsequent Order in Council of 1919, George V removed the inescutcheon of Saxony from the arms of all descendants of the Prince Consort. [59] Of George’s 29 first-cousins on his father's side, 19 were German, the rest half-German; while on his mother's side, of the 31 first-cousins, six were German and 25 half-German.[60] In 1919, most, if not all of these Saxe-Coburg Gotha princes lost their titles and royal status, in accordance with the Weimar Constitution, which abolished their German monarchy. Although according to Neubecker; the princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha were excluded from the British royal family in 1893, the labels chosen independently by them were not recognized in England.[61][page needed] Following the successions to the British throne of two such (Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) princes; as king Edward VII, and king George V, the 1893 (Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) exclusions of the British branch were finally enacted in 1919, at the end of WWI, shortly prior to the Weimar exclusions.
In 1932, Charles Edward took part in the creation of the Harzburg Front, through which the German National People's Party became associated with the Nazi Party. Charles Edward was a member of the (NSDAP), and formally joined the Nazi Party in 1935, becoming a member of the SA (Brownshirts), rising to rank of Obergruppenführer. Obergruppenführer, was the highest commissioned SS rank, inferior only to Reichsführer-SS (Heinrich Himmler). Charles Edward held the same SS rank as; Prince Josias of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Rudolf Hess, von Ribbentrop, Martin Bormann, and Reinhard Heydrich. Charles Edward was also a member of the Reichstag representing the Nazi Party. In 1936, Adolf Hitler sent Charles Edward to Britain as president of the Anglo-German Friendship Society. His mission was to improve Anglo-German relations and to explore the possibility of a pact between the two countries. He sent Hitler encouraging reports about the strength of pro-German sentiment among the British aristocracy. After the Abdication Crisis, he played host to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, during their private tour of Germany in 1937.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-1990-0309-506%2C_Er%C3%B6ffnung_des_Deutsch-Polnischen_Instituts.jpg/260px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-1990-0309-506%2C_Er%C3%B6ffnung_des_Deutsch-Polnischen_Instituts.jpg)
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Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, was a German aristocrat, and the Regent of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha during the minority of his wife's cousin, Duke Charles Edward, from 1900 to 1905. Ernst was the oldest of three children, and the only son, of Hermann, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, and Princess Leopoldine of Baden. He married the Queen Victoria's granddaughter, Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh, daughter of The Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duke of Edinburgh and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna. After Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, Ernst joined his son Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe (who had already entered in 1931) in the Nazi Party.[65] Prince Gottfried, the son of Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe married Princess Margarita, who was one of the sisters of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the consort of Queen Elizabeth II.
Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Hohenlohe) joined the Nazi Party, in 1937, together with several of her children.[66]
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NSDAP – 300354 | Joined: 1 September 1930 | Prince Rainer of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ![]() |
Born 4 May 1900. Prince Rainer was son of Prince August Leopold and his wife Archduchess Karoline Marie of Austria. At the time of his birth the House of Wettin ruled the Kingdom of Saxony and the Ernestine duchies in Germany, as well as the kingdoms of Belgium, Portugal, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom. In line of succession to the Coburg throne, he possessed one of the largest fortunes in Hungary, one of the constituent realms within the Habsburg Empire, whose reigns ended, along with that of the Dukes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1918. | |
NSDAP – 1037966 | Joined: 1 April 1932 | ![]() |
Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ![]() |
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NSDAP – 2560843 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | ![]() ![]() |
Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ![]() |
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NSDAP – 7213588 | Joined: 1 October 1939 | ![]() |
Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ![]() |
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Royal House |
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NSDAP – 196633 | Joined: 15 May 1930 | Prince Ernst of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ![]() |
Born 25 February 1907. Prince Ernst was the son of Prince August Leopold (aka Prince of the Empire of Brazil) and Archduchess Karoline Marie of Austria. Prince Augusts' wife was the daughter of Archduke Karl Salvator of Austria, Prince of Tuscany, and his wife Princess Maria Immaculata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Prince Ernst married morganatically to Irmgard Röll. This marriage was childless. (d. 9 June 1978). | |
NSDAP – 1037967 | Joined: 1 April 1932 | Hereditary Princess Foedora of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ![]() |
Born 7 July 1905. Princess Feodora Freiin von der Horst (1905–1991),[67] was Prince Johann Leopold's first wife. | |
NSDAP – 1560711 | Joined: 1 March 1933 | Princess Irmgard of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ![]() |
Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach and Bertha Krupp. Gustav Krupp was "a super Nazi". Krupp was an avowed monarchist, and was persuaded the NASDP could end the Republic and restore the Kaiser and the old elites for renewed German expansion. Bertha Krupp never liked Hitler and she pleaded illness when he came on an official tour in 1934. Her daughter Irmgard acted as hostess.[68] Krupp secretly built artillery in Sweden, and built submarine pens in the Netherlands. In the 1930s, it also manufactured tanks and other war materials for Hitler. Krupp was a member of the Prussian State Council from 1921 to 1933. Gustav Krupp was named as a war criminal at the 1945 Nuremberg Trials. | Born 27 January 1912. Princess Irmgard was the daughter of|
NSDAP – 1453322 | Joined: 7 March 1933 | Prince Leopoldine of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ![]() |
Born 13 May 1905. Prince Leopoldine Gonzaga, was son of Prince August Leopold. (d. 24 December 1978). |
Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Herzogtum_Sachsen-Meiningen-Hildburghausen_%28Grosses%29.png/100px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_Herzogtum_Sachsen-Meiningen-Hildburghausen_%28Grosses%29.png)
Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Bernhard assumed the duchy of Saxe-Meiningen after the death of his father in 1914. When Germany lost the war, all the German princes lost their titles and states. Bernhard was forced to abdicate as duke on 10 November 1918, and spent the rest of his life in his former country as a private citizen. His wife Princess Charlotte of Prussia was the second child of Prince Frederick of Prussia and Princess Victoria. Charlotte was the eldest granddaughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. She was well loved by her paternal grandparents King Wilhelm I and Queen Augusta, and close to her brother Wilhelm II.
Georg, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen was the head of the house of Saxe-Meiningen from 1941 until his death. A nephew of Kaiser Wilhelm II, [52] Georg was the eldest son of Prince Frederick Johann of Saxe-Meiningen (1861–1914) and Countess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld (1870–1948). His uncle Bernhard III abdicated on 10 November 1918 following the German Revolution. In 1933 he joined the Nazi Party. Georg died in the Russian prisoner of war camp in Northern Russia. His heir was his second and only surviving son Prince Frederick Alfred who renounced the succession, being a monk in 1953, allowing it to pass to his uncle Bernhard.
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Nazi Party | Military Rank |
Title and Name |
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NSDAP – 898842 | Joined: 1 March 1932 | Bernhard, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen | ![]() |
Born 30 June 1901. Prince Bernhard was the third son of Prince Frederick Johann and Countess Adelaide. Bernhard and his first wife were declared guilty of a Nazi conspiracy against Austria in 1933; he was sentenced to six weeks in prison. After intervention of the German envoy, he was released from prison and they escaped to Italy. Three weeks later he was arrested while trying to return to his castle of Pitzelstaetten[69][70] He died in 1984. | |
NSDAP – 2594794 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | Georg, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen | ![]() |
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Nazi Party | Military Rank |
Title and Name |
Royal House |
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NSDAP – 525333 | Joined: 1 March 1931 | Princess Clara of Saxe-Coburg Meiningen | ![]() |
Born 31 May 1895 | |
NSDAP – 898841 | Joined: 1 March 1932 | Princess B. Margot of Saxe-Coburg Meiningen | ![]() |
Born 22 November 1911 |
Principality of Lippe
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_F%C3%BCrstentum_Lippe.png/100px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_F%C3%BCrstentum_Lippe.png)
Prince Leopold IV, was forced to renounce the throne on 12 November 1918. Following the end of his rule Lippe became a Free state in the new Weimar Republic. All three of his sons by his first wife became members of the party. His eldest son Prince Ernst is reported to have been the first German prince to join the party when he signed up in May 1928.[71] When Leopold died in Detmold his three eldest sons were all disinherited and his youngest son Armin became head of the house.[72]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-H1215-503-009%2C_Walther_Darr%C3%A9_bei_einer_Kundgebung.jpg/230px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-H1215-503-009%2C_Walther_Darr%C3%A9_bei_einer_Kundgebung.jpg)
Princess Marie Adelheid of Lippe was the daughter of Count Rudolph and Princess Luise of Ardeck. In 1920, Marie Adelheid married Prince Heinrich XXXII,[16][73] who had once been close to succeeding Queen Wilhelmina to the Dutch throne. They divorced in 1921.[16][73] Marie Adelheid married thirdly to Hanno Konopath, a Nazi government official in 1927.[16][73] This marriage created some important contacts for her in the German regime.[16][73] Like the Hesse family, the Lippe dynasty joined the Nazi party in great numbers (ultimately eighteen members would eventually join).[74] Some German states provided a proportionally higher number of SS officers, including Hesse-Nassau and Lippe, Marie Adelheid's birthplace.[74] Marie Adelheid developed strong connections with the Nazi regime, and became a leading socialite during that time.[74] In 1921, Marie Adelheid became employed as an aide to the Nazi Minister of Food and Agriculture, Richard Walther Darré (a friend of her third husband's).[75] Her cousin Ernst, Prince of Lippe (son of Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe) was also employed under Darré.[74] Marie Adelheid devoted her writing talent to promoting National Socialist ideals, in particular those of Darré.[76] Darré's views suffered as new plans were produced by Himmler and Göring.[77][full citation needed] As Darré's influence declined, so did that of Marie Adelheid and her cousin.
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NSDAP – 88835 | Joined: 1 May 1928 | ![]() ![]() |
Ernst, Hereditary Prince of Lippe | ![]() Lippe |
![]() In 1938 Prince Ernst worked with, and became second Adjutant to Walter Darré, the "Reich Peasant Leader", at the Nazi Minister of Agriculture. In 1939 he was one of three main aides to the Minister, in his functions as Reich Minister, and Reichsleiter of the Nazi Party. Prince Ernst actively supported Darré's activity as Reichsleiter of the NSDAP, whilst also being Darré's adjutant as Reich Farm Leader, Prince Ernst's official residence was in the Reich Office of Agricultural Policy. Prince Ernst's main task as a party aide, was to act as a liaison between the Reich Office, for country people in Munich and in Berlin. As an adjutant, Prince Ernst was a member of the SS (SS-Nr. 314 184), with the honorary rank of SS-Sturmbannführer. He is listed in the Race and Settlement Main Office. Prince Ernst testified at the Nuremburg Trials. |
NSDAP – 2583009 | Joined: 1 March 1933 | ![]() |
Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld | ![]() |
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NSDAP – 5854038 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Prince Ernst-Aschwin of Lippe-Biesterfeld | ![]() |
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NSDAP![]() |
Nazi Party | Military Rank |
Title and Name |
Royal House |
![]() ![]() |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NSDAP – 292948 | Joined: 1 March 1930 | Prince Kurt of Lippe | ![]() |
Born 5 March 1855. Prince Kurt (1855–1934) married (I) Sophie von Klengel (1857–1945) maried (II) Johanna Krischke (1894–1987) 1. Marie Sophie (1886–1946) 2. Karl Christian (1889–1942) | |
NSDAP – 461527 | Joined: 1 February 1931 | Prince Karl Christian Joachim of Lippe | ![]() |
Born 21 October 1889. | |
NSDAP – 479952 | Joined: 1 March 1931 | Prince Ludwig of Lippe | ![]() |
Born 27 September 1909 | |
NSDAP – 565619 | Joined: 1 June 1931 | Princess Sophie of Lippe | ![]() |
Born 9 April 1857 | |
NSDAP – 621441 | Joined: 1 September 1931 | Princess Johanna of Lippe | ![]() |
Born 15 June 1894 | |
NSDAP – 674238 | Joined: 1 October 1931 | Princess Hedwig-Maria of Lippe | ![]() |
29 December 1903 | |
NSDAP – 868756 | Joined: 1 January 1932 | Count Otto of Lippe | ![]() |
Born 4 July 1904 | |
NSDAP – 891529 | Joined: 1 February 1932 | Prince Leopold Barnard of Lippe | ![]() |
Born 19 May 1904. Prince Leopold Bernhard (1904–1965), was the second son of Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe. | |
NSDAP – 1334759 | Joined: 1 October 1932 | Princess Elisabeth of Lippe | ![]() |
Born 27 October 1900 | |
v 5164799 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Prince Christian of Lippe-Biesterfeld | ![]() | ||
v 4533031 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Prince Ferdinand of Lippe-Weissenfeld | ![]() |
Born 16 July 1903. Prince Carl Franz Ferdinand of Lippe-Weissenfeld was the son of Clemens Prince of Lippe-Weissenfeld and Friederike Baronin von Carolowitz. He married Dorothea Princesss von Schönburg-Waldenburg. He died on 26 September 1939 at age 36 at near Lublin, Poland, killed in action. | |
NSDAP – 6153171 | Joined: 1 May 1938 | Princess Franziska of Lippe | ![]() |
Born 14 December 1902 | |
NSDAP – 7218152 | Joined: 1 October 1939 | Prince Kurt-Bernhard of Lippe | ![]() |
Born 4 July 1901 | |
NSDAP – 4320380 | Joined: witheld | Count Rolf of Lippe | ![]() |
Born 4 January 1912. | |
NSDAP – 3723952 | Joined: witheld | Prince Walther of Lippe | ![]() |
Born 7 April 1878. |
Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_F%C3%BCrstentum_Schaumburg-Lippe.png/100px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_F%C3%BCrstentum_Schaumburg-Lippe.png)
Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
Adolph succeeded his father as Prince in 1911, until he was forced to abdicate on 15 November 1918. Following the German revolution: the Principality became the Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe. Adolf married Ellen Bischoff-Korthaus, they were both killed in a plane crash in Mexico in 1936, in a controlled flight into the side of a volcano. He was succeeded as head of the House of Schaumburg-Lippe by his brother Wolrad.
Prince Adolph's brother Prince Friedrich Christian, was son of Georg, the reigning Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, and Princess Marie Anne. Friedrich's brother Adolf II was the "last German prince forced to abdicate.[80] After WWI, Friedrich Christian was an ardent Nazi Party supporter, and worked vigorously to gain noble and royal support for it, and eventually became an upper privy councillor and adjutant to Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. In 1939, Friedrich Christian was asked to become king of Iceland by Icelanders sympathetic to the Nazi party, but refused due to the opposition of Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop. Prince Friedrich felt disillusioned by the abdication of Emperor Wilhelm II, and even more unhappy over the "cowardly abdications" of the German princes in 1918.[81][full citation needed] The prince wished for a restoration of the monarchy, he believed that Adolf Hitler was also in tandem with these views, writing in his diary, "Hitler was in principle for the monarchy, but not for the continuation of that which, in his opinion, had failed totally."[81] The prince "liked to think the "National Socialists as true heirs of the old nobility."[82] [full citation needed]
The House of Schaumburg-Lippe had ten members in the Nazi party.[83] Hitler wanted these high-ranking members of society for propaganda reasons – the more who joined, the more socially acceptable his new regime would be.[84] Like Friedrich and his brother Prince Wolrad, Hitler appointed many of these new members to the Sturmabteilung as stormtroopers.[85] Hitler made various assurances to its members, leading them to believe he intended to restore the monarchy.[86][full citation needed]
Friedrich Christian was a speaker for the Nazi Party in 1929, and worked vigorously to gain the support of other noble families behind Hitler.[81][86][full citation needed] He worked closely with Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels.[87] Goebbels gave him a position in the newly created Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.[88] By April 1933, Friedrich Christian was both an upper privy councillor and Goebbels' adjutant.[88] That year, the prince arranged for the Minister's involvement in the Berlin University book burning.[88] As evident from photographs and diaries during that time, Hitler and Goebbels both held Friedrich Christian in high esteem.[81] As WWII continued with German military defeats, Hitler became more suspicious of royal and noble families, questioning their loyalties.[89] By 1943 he secretly ordered all Nazi bureaucracies to compile a record of members, and then personally decided if they were to be "retired" or allowed to stay.[90] Most of the princes were unwillingly booted out of the party as a result.[91] Goebbels went to Hitler to protect Friedrich Christian, who obtained a special waiver, for the prince's "future deployment in the Propaganda Ministry".
In 1947, four German princes Friedrich Christian, Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia, Prince Philipp of Hesse, and Hereditary Prince Ernst of Lippe, were brought under arrest to the war crimes jail at Nuremberg in order to appear as witnesses in a portion of the 16 trials of high-ranking Nazi criminals.[92] Viewed as an "old-line party member" who made propaganda excursions to many foreign countries on Goebbels' behalf, Friedrich Christian was the last of the four to testify.[92]
NSDAP![]() |
Nazi Party | Military Rank |
Title and Name |
Royal House |
![]() ![]() |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NSDAP – 95146 | Joined: 1 August 1928 | ![]() ![]() |
Prince Friedrich Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe | ![]() |
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NSDAP – 3681098 | Joined: 1 August 1935 | ![]() |
Wolrad, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe | ![]() |
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NSDAP – 3681097 | Joined: 1 October 1935 | Princess Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe | ![]() |
Princess Bathildis (1903–1983), married Wolrad, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe. Bathildis was the only daughter of Prince Albert of Schaumburg-Lippe and Duchess Elsa of Württemberg. |
NSDAP![]() |
Nazi Party | Military Rank |
Title and Name |
Royal House |
![]() ![]() |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NSDAP – 309344 | Joined: 1 October 1930 | ![]() |
Prince Stephan of Schaumburg-Lippe | ![]() |
Prince Stephan Alexander Viktor and his wife Duchess Ingeborg Alix of Oldenburg.[93][94] Were the parents of Princess Marie Alix of Schaumburg-Lippe[93][94] who was the Duchess consort of Schleswig-Holstein. Princess Marie's paternal grandfather was Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe. |
NSDAP – 638702 | Joined: 1 May 1938 | ![]() |
Prince Albrecht of Schaumburg-Lippe | ![]() |
|
NSDAP – 3018293 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | ![]() |
Prince Max of Schaumburg-Lippe | ![]() |
Prince Max of Schaumburg-Lippe (28 March 1898 – 4 February 1974), married in 1933 to Princess Helga-Lee of Schaumburg-Lippe, no issue; |
NSDAP – 7965863 | Joined: 1 May 1938 | ![]() |
Prince Walburgis of Schaumburg-Lippe | ![]() |
Prince Walbergis joined on the same day as Prince Franz Joseph. |
NSDAP – 6189085 | Joined: 1 May 1938 | ![]() |
Franz Joseph Adolph Ernst of Schaumburg-Lippe | ![]() |
Prince Franz Josef of Schaumburg-Lippe (1 September 1899 – 7 July 1963), married in 1959 to Maria Theresia Peschel. His mother Duchess Elsa of Württemberg; (1876–1936) was a daughter of Duke Eugen of Württemberg and Grand Duchess Vera Constantinovna of Russia. She married Prince Albert of Schaumburg-Lippe (1869–1942). Here four children were Prince Franz Josef, Prince Max, Prince Alexander and Princess Bathildis. |
NSDAP –144005 | Joined: 16 August 1929 | Princess Alexandra of Schaumburg-Lippe | ![]() |
D.o.b. witheld | |
NSDAP – 309345 | Joined: 1 October 1930 | Princess Ingerborg-Alice of Schaumburg-Lippe | ![]() |
D.o.b. witheld |
Principality of Schwarzburg
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_F%C3%BCrstentum_Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.png/100px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_F%C3%BCrstentum_Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.png)
Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg
Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg (1852–1925) was the final sovereign prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, and also the last German royal to abdicate in the wake of the November Revolution of 1918. Following the outbreak of the German revolution Prince Günther abdicated on 22 November 1918. Following his death in Sondershausen he was succeeded as head of the House of Schwarzburg by Prince Sizzo.[95][full citation needed] Died childless.
Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Coat_of_Arms_of_the_Principality_of_Waldeck_and_Pyrmont.svg/100px-Coat_of_Arms_of_the_Principality_of_Waldeck_and_Pyrmont.svg.png)
Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (Friedrich Adolf Hermann Prinz zu Waldeck und Pyrmont; 20 January 1865 – 26 May 1946) was the last reigning Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont from 12 May 1893 to 13 November 1918.
Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont was the heir apparent to Waldeck and Pyrmont. At the end of WWI, his family lost their Principality as Waldeck and Pyrmont became a Free State in the new Weimar Republic. On 1 November 1929, Josias joined Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party, becoming a member of the SS in 1930. He was immediately appointed adjutant to Sepp Dietrich (a leading member of the SS), before becoming Heinrich Himmler's Adjutant and staff chief in September 1930.[96] Waldeck-Pyrmont was elected as the Reichstag member for Düsseldorf-West in 1933 and was promoted to the rank of SS Lieutenant General.[96] He was promoted again in 1939, to the Higher SS and Police Leader for Weimar. In this position he had supervisory authority over Buchenwald concentration camp.[97] After World War II, he was sentenced to life in prison at the Buchenwald Trial (later commuted to 20 years) for his part in the "common plan" to violate the Laws and Usages of War in connection with prisoners of war held at Buchenwald concentration camp, but was released after serving about three years in prison. He was the nephew of William II, King of Württemberg, and Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Queen Regent of the Netherlands. He was also a cousin of Wilhelmina, Queen of the Netherlands, and Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Prince Josias's and his wife, Duchess Altburg of Oldenburg were the parents of Wittekind, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler were his godfathers.[41][page needed] Wittekind, who served in the German Armed Forces as a Lieutenant Colonel, succeeded as head of the House of Waldeck and Pyrmont when his father died on 30 November 1967.[98]
NSDAP![]() |
Nazi Party | Military Rank |
Title and Name |
Royal House |
![]() ![]() |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NSDAP – 160025 | Joined: 1 November 1929 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont | ![]() Waldeck and Pyrmont |
![]() ![]() |
NSDAP – 161001 | Joined: 1 November 1929 | Duchess Altburg of Oldenburg | ![]() |
![]() | |
NSDAP – 8562493 | Joined: 1 September 1941 | Princess Margarethe of Waldeck and Pyrmont | ![]() |
Born 22 May 1923. Princess Margarethe was the eldest daughter of Prince Josias and Princess Altberg. Princess Margarethe of Waldeck and Pyrmont married Count Franz August zu Erbach-Erbach (b. 1925). |
Principality of Reuss-Greiz
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7c/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_F%C3%BCrstentum_Reu%C3%9F_%C3%A4ltere_Linie.jpg/100px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_F%C3%BCrstentum_Reu%C3%9F_%C3%A4ltere_Linie.jpg)
Heinrich XXIV, Prince Reuss of Greiz
Heinrich XXIV, Prince Reuss of Greiz (1878–1927) was the last reigning Prince Reuss of Greiz from 1902 to 1918. Then he became Head of the House Reuss of Greiz which became extinct at his death in 1927. At the death of father in 19 April 1902, Heinrich XXIV succeeded as the Prince Reuss of Greiz. Because of the physical and mental disability of Heinrich XXIV, the result of an accident in his childhood, Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss Younger Line served as regent of Reuss Elder Line from 1902 until his death in 1913; the regency continued thereafter under Heinrich XIV's successor, Heinrich XXVII, until the abolition of the German monarchies in 1918.
Principality of Reuss-Gera (Younger Line)
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_F%C3%BCrstentum_Reu%C3%9F_j%C3%BCngere_Linie.png/100px-Wappen_Deutsches_Reich_-_F%C3%BCrstentum_Reu%C3%9F_j%C3%BCngere_Linie.png)
Heinrich XXVII, Prince Reuss Younger Line
At the death of his father in 29 March 1913, Heinrich inherited the throne of the Principality, as well he continued the regency of Reuss Elder Line, because of a physical and mental disability of Prince Heinrich XXIV due to an accident in his childhood. Prince Heinrich XXVII abdicated in 1918 after the German Revolution of 1918–19, when all German monarchies were abolished. After the death of Heinrich XXIV, Prince Reuss Elder Line in 1927, the titles passed to Heinrich XXVII.
Heinrich XLV, Hereditary Prince Reuss Younger Line
Heinrich XLV was the head of the House of Reuss, and last male member of the Reuss-Schleiz branch of the Younger Line. Heinrich XLV was the only surviving son of Heinrich XXVII. During the 1930s Heinrich XLV became a Nazi sympathizer and member of the Nazi Party.[102] In 1945 he was arrested iby the Soviet military and disappeared. In 1962 he was declared dead by a court in Büdingen.
NSDAP![]() |
Nazi Party | Military Rank |
Title and Name |
Royal House |
![]() ![]() |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NSDAP – 237533 | 1 May 1930 | Princess Marie Adelheid of Lippe-Biesterfeld | ![]() |
Nazi party in great numbers (ultimately eighteen members would eventually join).[74] Some German states provided a proportionally higher number of SS officers, including Hesse-Nassau and Lippe, Marie Adelheid's birthplace.[74] As an ardent believer of the party's views, Marie Adelheid developed strong connections to the emerging Nazi regime, and became a leading socialite during that time.[74] | Born 30 August 1895. Like the Hesse family, the Lippe dynasty joined the|
NSDAP – 2199219 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | Heinrich XLV, Hereditary Prince Reuss Younger Line | ![]() |
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NSDAP – 3603963 | Joined: 1 May 1935 | Prince Heinrich XXXIII Reuss of Köstritz | ![]() |
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NSDAP![]() |
Nazi Party | Military Rank |
Title and Name |
Royal House |
![]() ![]() |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NSDAP – 912977 | Joined: 1 February 1932 | Prince Heinrich of Reuss | ![]() |
Born 28 March 1890. Heinrich Harry, Prince of Reuss, Graf von Plauen, was the son of Heinrich XXVI, Prince of Reuss (b. 15 December 1857) and Viktoria, Gräfin von Fürstenstein (b. 11 September 1863). He was husband of Huberta Valeska Sascha Eva Anna Dorothea, Freiin von Tiele-Winckler. Prince Heinrich joined the Nazi Party at the same time as Princess Huberta. | |
NSDAP – 912978 | Joined: 1 February 1932 | Princess Huberta of Reuss | ![]() |
Born 14 April 1889. Princess Edina-Huberta of Reuss, was the daughter of Heinrich Harry, Prince Reuss, Graf von Plauen (b. 28 March 1890) and Huberta Valeska Sascha Eva Anna Dorothea, Baroness von Tiele-Winckler (b. 14 April 1889) | |
NSDAP – 1190474 | Joined: 1 May 1932 | Prince Heinrich XXXVI | ![]() |
Born 10 August 1888. Heinrich XXXVI Prince Reuß zu Köstritz, was born in Stonsdorf, and died in Oberstdorf 10 May 1956. | |
NSDAP – 3018157 | Joined: 1 May 1933 | Prince Heinrich XXXV | ![]() |
Born 10 August 1888. Brother of Heinrich XXXIII, and XXXII. Heinrich XXXV (1887–1936) married firstly in 1911 (divorced 1921) Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg (1888–1947), married secondly in 1921 (divorced 1923) Princess Marie Adelaide of Lippe (1895–1993) | |
NSDAP – 4418345 | Joined: 1 May 1937 | Prince Heinrich XXVII | ![]() |
Born 13 December 1897 | |
NSDAP – 7089148 | Joined: 1 September 1939 | Prince Heinrich of Reuss | ![]() |
Born 26 May 1921. Prince Heinrich V Reuss of Köstritz (d. 28 October 1980) was the son of Marie Adelheid and Heinrich XXXV Prinz Reuss zu Köstritz, her first husband's younger brother.[16][73] |
See Also
- List of German monarchs in 1918
- Abdication of Wilhelm II
- List of Nazi Party leaders and officials
- Glossary of German military terms
- Glossary of Nazi Germany
References
[edit]- ^ Jonathan Petropoulos. "Appendix I. High Nobility in the Nazi Party". Royals and the Reich: The Princes Von Hessen in Nazi Germany. pp. 5–6.
this book explores the experiences of a cohort of German princes who supported Hitler and the Nazi regime... (Re: German Federal Archives, Berlin) – 270 members of princely families who joined the Nazi Party... (their) susceptibility to the entreaties of Hitler, Goring, Himmler, and other Nazi leaders... Hitler frequently appealed to them by expressing sympathy for a restoration of the monarchy.
- ^ Article 109 of the Weimar Constitution constitutes: Adelsbezeichnungen gelten nur als Teil des Namens und dürfen nicht mehr verliehen werden ("Noble names are only recognised as part of the surname and may no longer be granted").
- ^ Jonathan Petropoulos. Appendix I – p. 380
- ^ Showalter, D. E., Tannenberg: Clash of Empires. Hamden: Archon, 1991. p. 177
- ^ The American Year Book: A Record of Events and Progress. 1919. p. 153.
- ^ Manvell 2011, pp. 28–29.
- ^ Manvell 2011, p. 39.
- ^ Manvell 2011, p. 92.
- ^ Evans 2005, p. 54.
- ^ Baron Clemens von Radowitz-Nei (3 July 1922). "Monarchy Will Return, But Not I, Says Ex-Kaiser; Ebert Capable, but Republic Is Only a Temporary Affair, Former Ruler Holds. Sees Nation Again a Power. Hopes for an Economic Union in Central Europe, but Disapproves Austrian Alliance. Assails the Soviet Treaty. Talks on Many Current Issues With Baron Clemens von Radowitz-Nei, One of a Group Of Callers at Doorn". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
- ^ Müller, Heike; Berndt, Harald (2006). Schloss Cecilienhof und die Konferenz von Potsdam 1945 (German). Stiftung Preussische Schlösser und Gärten. ISBN 3-910068-16-2.
- ^ a b "Wilhelm Prinz von Preussen (in German)" (in German). Preussen.de. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
- ^ McNab (II) 2009, p. 15.
- ^ Nesbit & van Acker 2011, p. 15.
- ^ Evans 2003, p. 177.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Lundy, Darryl. "The Peerage: Alexander Ferdinand Prinz von Preußen". Retrieved 13 December 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f "Family of Ex-Kaiser Sends Many to Front". The New York Times. 26 November 1939.
- ^ a b Associated Press (26 November 1939). "Kaiser's Kin Serve Hitler In Nazi Army". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b c d "Prince's Wireless Plant". The New York Times. 7 April 1914.
- ^ MacDonogh, Giles (2000). The Last Kaiser: The Life of Wilhelm II. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 449. ISBN 9780312305574.
- ^ a b c d "Prince Chosen by Hitler as Reich Regent" (PDF). Tonawanda Evening News. 2 January 1934.
- ^ Petropoulos, Jonathan (2006). Royals and the Reich: The Princes von Hessen in Nazi Germany. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 243. ISBN 978-0-19-979607-6.
- ^ a b c "Kaiser's Grandson is Killed in Action". The New York Times. 17 September 1939.
- ^ See, e.g., Toland, John (1976). Adolf Hitler. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 57–58. ISBN 0-385-03724-4. ("Toland") and Large, David C. (1997). Where Ghosts Walked: Munich's Road to the Third Reich. New York: Doubleday & Company. pp. 48–49. ISBN 0-393-03836-X. ("Large").
- ^ This account is based on Hitler's recollections in Mein Kampf. Kershaw holds that Hitler's story is simply not credible and suggests that bureaucratic error, rather than bureaucratic efficiency, was responsible for Hitler's enlistment; indeed, as a national of an allied country, he should have been sent to Austria for service in that army. Based on Bavarian government investigations in 1924, the more likely scenario in Kershaw's view is that Hitler applied for enlistment, along with thousands of other youths, on or about 5 August 1914, was initially turned away because the authorities were overwhelmed with applicants and had no place to assign him, and eventually was recalled to serve in the 2nd Infantry Regiment (2nd Battalion), before being assigned to Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment 16 (the List Regiment), which was principally made up of raw recruits. Kershaw, Ian (1999). Adolf Hitler 1889–1936: Hubris. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 89–90. ISBN 0-393-04671-0. ("Kershaw").
- ^ Anifer Erklärung, 12./13. November 1918 (in German) Historisches Lexikon Bayerns, accessed: 10 May 2008
- ^ "The Prince of Possibilities: Kronprinz Rupprecht von Bayern". Retrieved 29 April 2008.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
kirchen
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
google
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Milestones, Feb. 29, 1932". Time. 29 February 1932. Archived from the original on 27 October 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
- ^ Diocese of Dresden-Meissen(in German) retrieved on 9 November 2008
- ^ Burleigh, Michael; Wipperman, Wolfgang (29 November 1991). The Racial State: Germany, 1933–1945. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 274. ISBN 978-0-521-39114-6.
- ^ Thomas, W Hugh (22 March 2002). The strange death of Heinrich Himmler: a forensic investigation. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 32. ISBN 0-312-28923-5.
- ^ Abdication text (in German)
- ^ Princess indicted for helping the Nazis. The New York Times. March 3, 1948
- ^ "Biografie Prinz Max von Baden (German)". Deutsches Historisches Museum. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Biografie Prinz Max von Baden (German)". Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
- ^ Prince Philip quoted in Brandreth, p. 72
- ^ a b c d Almanach de Gotha. Gotha, Germany: Justus Perthes. 1944. pp. 61–62.
- ^ a b c Almanach de Gotha. Justus Perthes. 1942. p. 62.
- ^ a b c d e f Petropoulos, Jonathan. Royals and the Reich: The Princes Von Hessen in Nazi Germany.
- ^ a b "Four high Nazis dead, Berlin says". The Milwaukee Journal. 31 July 1942. p. 1. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
- ^ Petropoulos, Jonathan. Royals and the Reich: The Princes Von Hessen in Nazi Germany. pp. 250, 381, 382.
- ^ "Two More Rulers Give up Throne; Republics Proclaimed in Wurttemburg and Hesse—Ducal Lands Seized" (PDF). The New York Times. 14 November 1918. p. 1. Retrieved 8 December 2008.
{{cite news}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=
(help) Hesse mentioned toward the middle of the article - ^ "Ex-ruler of Hesse Dead in Germany; Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig Was Ousted in 1918 After Reign Praised for Its Wisdom". The New York Times. 10 October 1937. p. 29. Retrieved 8 December 2008.
{{cite news}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=
(help) Paid subscription required to read the full article. - ^ Cite error: The named reference
heraldica
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e f Royals and the Reich: The Princes Von Hessen in Nazi Germany. p. 99.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Pet72
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Duchess Elisabeth". The New York Times. 5 September 1955.
- ^ "Crown Princess Juliana of the Netherlands & Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld – 1937". Royal Forums.
- ^ "'The Most Unpopular Prince in Germany': Grand Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach". European Royal History Journal (XIV): 24–26. December 1999.
- ^ a b c "Youngest Son of Kaiser Engaged". The New York Times. 15 October 1915.
- ^ MacNeil, Swift (18 November 1914). "ALIEN PEERS". Hansard. His Majesty's Stationery Office. pp. HC Deb 18 November 1914 vol 68 cc437-8W. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
Mr. Swift MacNeill asked the Prime Minister (1) whether he is aware that the Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, in the peerage of Great Britain, and Earl of Armagh, in the peerage of Ireland, and a prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, is in command of troops in the German Army, engaged in active hostilities against the Sovereign and people of the British Empire; whether he is aware that the first Duke of Cumberland, the paternal grandfather of the present duke, after his accession to the throne of Hanover, took the oath of allegiance in England, and sat in the House of Lords as a peer of Great Britain by hereditary right; whether the present Duke of Cumberland, who was born a British subject, has since divested himself of his British nationality and, if so, how and when; and whether, having regard to the fact that the present Duke of Cumberland is in arms with the enemies of the British Empire against the Sovereign of that Empire, and guilty of high treason, any and, if so, what steps will be taken to secure that he shall no longer retain British and Irish titles or peerages and a seat in the House of Lords; and (2) whether he is aware that the Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence, and Baron Arklow, in the peerage of the United Kingdom, prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, is in command of troops in the German Army, engaged in active hostilities against the Sovereign and people of the British Empire; whether he is aware that the Duke of Albany was born in England, a subject of the British Crown, and succeeded, at his birth as a posthumous child, to these United Kingdom titles or peerages held by his father, who swore allegiance and sat as a peer of the United Kingdom in the House of Lords by hereditary right; whether the Duke of Albany has ever divested himself of his British nationality and, if so, how or when; and whether, having regard to the fact that the Duke of Albany is in arms with the enemies of the British Empire against the Sovereign of this Empire, and guilty of high treason, any and, if so, what steps will be taken to secure that he shall no longer retain United Kingdom peerages and titles and a seat in the House of Lords?
- ^ Bottomley asked the Prime Minister whether it is proposed to abolish the peerages of which the Dukes of Albany and Cumberland have recently been deprived; and, if not, whether the heirs of such dukes will ultimately become eligible for the assumption of the titles?
- ^ Under settled practice dating to 1714, as a male-line descendant of George III, Prince Ernst August III of Hanover also held the title of Prince of Great Britain and Ireland with the style of Highness. In the Court Circular printed in The Times and in the London Gazette, he was frequently styled Prince Ernest Augustus of Cumberland.
- ^ Ernst Klee: Das Kulturlexikon zum Dritten Reich. Wer war was vor und nach 1945. S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2007, S.505.
- ^ "No. 31255". The London Gazette. 28 March 1919.
- ^ ISBN: 0-316-64141-3. (A Little Brown Book. 1st published 1977. Reprinted 1988/89) Edition 1997: Heraldry. Sources, Symbols and Meaning: (pg 96). By Ottfried Neubecker, Director of the German General Rolls of Arms, on the Board of the International Academy of Heraldry. (With contributions by J.P. Brooke-Little. College of Arms. London.)
- ^ (Philip Thomas, Burke's Peerage 1963).
- ^ Christopher Wilson (18 July 2014). "Why are the royals STILL hiding their German past?: Queen urged to display German uniform worn by her grandfather as Britain headed for war with his cousin The Kaiser". The Daily Mail.
- ^ Neubecker
- ^ Until George V's warrant of 1917, all arms of Prince Albert's British royal descendants, bore an inescutcheon for Saxony. Heraldica – British Royalty Cadency
- ^ Neubecker
- ^ Velde
- ^ (in German) Ernst Klee, Das Kulturlexikon zum Dritten Reich. Wer war was vor und nach 1945 [The Cultural Dictionary of the Third Reich: Who was What Before and After 1945] (Frankfurt am Main: S. Fischer, 2007), p. 261.
- ^ Jonathan Petropoulos, Royals and the Reich: The Princes von Hessen in Nazi Germany (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006), 382.
- ^ Theroff, P, "Saxony", http://www.angelfire.com/realm/gotha/gotha/saxony.html
- ^ Manchester, William. The Arms of Krupp. Boston: Little, Brown, & Company, 1968.
- ^ To, Wireless (11 December 1933). "Nazi Prince and Princess Flee Austria, Abusing Freedom German Envoy Obtained". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
- ^ "Austrians Retake Pringe Who Fled; Bernhard of Saxe-Meiningen, Nazi, Is Captured Trying to Re-enter His Castle". The New York Times. 1 January 1934. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
- ^ Petropoulos, Jonathan (2006). Royals and the Reich: The Princes Von Hessen in Nazi Germany. Oxford University Press. p. 98. ISBN 0-19-516133-5.
- ^ Beéche, Arturo E. (October 2006). "A Headless House? The Dynastic Dispute of the House of Lippe". European Royal History Journal (LIII): 14, 15.
- ^ a b c d e Gossman, p. 65.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Petropoulos, p. 266.
- ^ Gossman, pp. 1–2 and 65.
- ^ Gossman, p. 2.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
P267
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Petropoulos, Jonathan (2006). Royals and the Reich: The Princes Von Hessen in Nazi Germany. Oxford University Press. p. 98. ISBN 0-19-516133-5.
- ^ Waterfield, Bruno (5 March 2010). "Dutch Prince Bernhard 'was member of Nazi party'". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
- ^ Petropoulos, Jonathan (2006). Royals and the Reich: The Princes von Hessen in Nazi Germany. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-19-979607-6.
- ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference
G68
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
G69
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Petropoulos, p. 100.
- ^ Petropoulos, pp. 5-6.
- ^ Petropoulos, p. 111.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
S31
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Petropoulos, pp. 44, 99.
- ^ a b c Petropoulos, p. 137.
- ^ Petropoulos, pp. 6-7.
- ^ Petropoulos, p. 284.
- ^ Petropoulos, p. 7.
- ^ a b "German Princes To Testify". The Irish Times. 12 July 1947.
- ^ a b Darryl Lundy (10 May 2003). "Prinzessin zu Schaumburg-Lippe". The Peerage. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
- ^ a b Paul Theroff. "SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN". Paul Theroff's Royal Genealogy Site. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
one
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e Wistrich, Robert S. (1995). Who's Who in Nazi Germany. Routledge. p. 171. ISBN 0-415-26038-8.
- ^ Petropoulos 2006, p. 262 harvnb error: multiple targets (5×): CITEREFPetropoulos2006 (help)
- ^ Petropoulos, Jonathan (2006). Royals and the Reich: The Princes Von Hessen in Nazi Germany. Oxford University Press. pp. 265, 266. ISBN 0-19-516133-5.
- ^ Petropoulos 2006, p. 262 harvnb error: multiple targets (5×): CITEREFPetropoulos2006 (help)
- ^ "Nazi Prince sent to subdue French". The New York Times. 25 April 1942. p. 3.
- ^ Stein 2004, p. 255
- ^ Lionel Gossman: Brownshirt Princess; A study of the "Nazi Conscience". Open Book Publishers, Cambridge 2009. ISBN 978-1-906924-07-2, S. 68