Adalbert of Prussia (1884–1948)

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Prince Adalbert, photo from 1903.

Adalbert Ferdinand Berengar Viktor von Prussia (born July 14, 1884 in Potsdam , † September 22, 1948 in La Tour-de-Peilz / Switzerland ) was a German prince and son of Kaiser Wilhelm II .

Life

Adalbert was born as the third son of Kaiser Wilhelm II and his wife Empress Auguste Viktoria . The emperor's particular fondness for the navy gave the newborn prince a professional appointment with his baptismal name: A nephew of Emperor Wilhelm I of the same name , as admiral, played a key role in building up the Prussian fleet .

After his strictly military education, which he received together with his brothers on the Prinzeninsel and in the Prinzenhaus am Plöner Schloss , Adalbert joined the Imperial Navy on May 31, 1894 and attended the Naval Academy and School (Kiel) to become a naval officer to be trained. After completing his training, Adalbert went on a number of trips abroad, including to Brazil, and represented Kaiser Wilhelm II at the courts in Beijing and Athens . At the request of his father, he also received drawing lessons from the marine and landscape painter Poppe Folkerts . As a naval officer, he lived in a small house on the Kiel harbor, the Villa Seelust . On August 3, 1914, Adalbert married Princess Adelheid von Sachsen-Meiningen (1891–1971) , the wedding ceremony took place in Wilhelmshaven . Princess Adelheid, then 22 years old, was a granddaughter of Duke Georg II of Saxony-Meiningen , the popular “theater duke”. The marriage had three children. The uncle of Princess Adelheid, who later became Duke Bernhard III. , was married to the sister of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Princess Charlotte .

First World War

During the First World War , Adalbert was first as a navigation officer on SMS Kaiser , then with the staff of the II. Admiral of the IV. Squadron and since May 1917 commander of the small cruiser SMS Danzig , with which he also participated in the Albion company . In March 1918 he took over command of the new SMS Dresden building (1917) until the end of the war. During the war, the mother of Empress Auguste Viktoria entrusted her daughters-in-law with charitable tasks. Adelheid was instrumental in two naval convalescent homes. In July 1918, the homes for members of the naval forces and the marine corps in Berchtesgaden were opened.

Adalbert, who was also a major in the Prussian Army , stood à la suite of the 1st Guards Regiment on foot , the Grenadier Regiment "King Frederick the Great" (3rd East Prussian) No. 4 and the 1st Guards Grenadier Landwehr Regiments.

The fact that, of all things, the uprisings of the deep sea fleet in November 1918 ultimately led to the overthrow of the monarchy hurt Adalbert deeply.

Retired life

In the summer of 1919, Adalbert and his family left Kiel and moved into a villa in Bad Homburg . They named their new home Adelheidswerd . In the following years they lived very secluded as private individuals in Germany. Adelheid's poor health made frequent stays in Switzerland necessary. The family finally moved to Switzerland permanently in 1928, and the couple adopted the name Graf und Countess von Lingen for a few years. Adalbert continued to live very withdrawn and took no part in German politics. He died in La Tour-de-Peilz on Lake Geneva at the age of 64. His widow, who after her husband's death had little contact with the Hohenzollern family apart from the daughter of the Emperor Viktoria Luise (1892–1980) , did not die until 1971.

progeny

Prince Adalbert was married to Princess Adelheid Erna Carolina Marie Elisabeth of Saxony-Meiningen (1891–1971). There are three children from the marriage:

  • Viktoria Marina (* / † September 4, 1915)
  • Viktoria Marina (born September 11, 1917 - † January 22, 1981)
  • Wilhelm Viktor (born February 15, 1919 - † February 7, 1989)

Awards

Web links

Commons : Prince Adalbert of Prussia (1884–1948)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Adalbert Prinz von Preußen ( Memento from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) at preussen.de
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Ranking list of the Imperial German Navy for 1918 , Ed .: Marine-Kabinett , Mittler & Sohn Verlag , Berlin 1918, p. 23.
personal data
SURNAME Prussia, Adalbert von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Prussia, Ferdinand Berengar Viktor von; Prussia, Adalbert Ferdinand Berengar Viktor Prince of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German prince and son of Kaiser Wilhelm II.
DATE OF BIRTH July 14, 1884
PLACE OF BIRTH Potsdam
DATE OF DEATH September 22, 1948
Place of death La Tour-de-Peilz , Switzerland