Anna of Montenegro
Anna Petrović-Njegoš, Princess of Montenegro (born August 18, 1874 in Cetinje , Montenegro , † April 22, 1971 in Montreux , Switzerland ) was a member of the House of Petrović-Njegoš .
Family and early life
Princess Anna was the seventh child and sixth daughter of the future King Nikola I of Montenegro and his wife Milena Vukotic . Anna's sisters were best known for marrying in royal families, which earned their father, like his contemporary Christian IX of Denmark , the nickname "father-in-law of Europe". A source explains that these beneficial marriages did more for Montenegro than any valiant deeds of warriors of that nation, such as the marriages of princesses Militza , Anastasia , Elena , Zorka to members of the Imperial Family of Russia, the Royal Family of Italy and of the royal family of Serbia. Like all her sisters, Anna was brought up in Russia at the expense of the Russian imperial family, and like her sisters, she received a dowry from the Russian tsar for her marriage.
marriage
Anna met Prince Franz Joseph von Battenberg in Cimiez (France), where the Prince was a guest of Queen Victoria and Anna was with her sister Militza and her husband, Grand Duke Peter Nikolajewitsch Romanow . Franz Joseph von Battenberg was the son of Prince Alexander von Hessen-Darmstadt (1823–1888) and Countess Julia von Hauke (1825–1895). Since their marriage was considered morganatic , Julia von Hauke did not become a member of the House of Hesse through her marriage , but received from her brother-in-law, Grand Duke Ludwig III. of Hesse and the Rhine , the orphaned title of Countess of Battenberg since 1310 . Since this also applied to their children, who were also not entitled to inherit the succession to the throne in Hesse , the Battenberg family was created . The family had close ties with the United Kingdom as Heinrich von Battenberg was married to Princess Beatrice of Great Britain and Ireland - Victoria's youngest daughter.
Anna and Franz married on May 18, 1897 in the presence of their entire family in Montenegro; There was a wedding in both Orthodox and Protestant rites. Franz was a colonel in the Bulgarian cavalry, where his older brother Alexander had been the sovereign prince of Bulgaria since 1886. Franz was very popular, not only with Queen Victoria, but also with Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna ; Nicholas is said to have given Anna a million rubles as a dowry. This Russian connection was based in part on the marriages of Anna's sisters Milica with Grand Duke Peter Nikolajewitsch and Anastasia with Georg Maximilianovich , 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg .
Next life
The marriage was considered happy, but remained childless. Before World War I, Anna and her husband spent much of their time in Darmstadt , but when the war started, Franz's great cousin, Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hessen-Darmstadt , recommended that they leave Germany. The couple emigrated to Switzerland. Franz continued his academic studies there. The couple had never been rich, but now their financial situation was worse than ever; in August 1916 Franz was described as "terribly bad-looking". Throughout her life, Anna anonymously wrote and published a large number of musical compositions that achieved some degree of commercial success. The royalties from these compositions were a much-needed source of income for the couple.
Franz died on July 31, 1924 in Territet (near Montreux, Switzerland). Although she had never met him, his niece Edwina Mountbatten had supported him financially; after his death she sent money to his widow Anna until Edwina's own death in 1960.
When King George V renounced all German titles for himself and his family in July 1917 and called on his relatives to do the same, the British Battenbergers also gave up their Hessian titles and dignities. All but Anna and Franz took the surname Mountbatten . Anna bore the name Battenberg until her death, in contrast to everyone else in the royal family.
Anna died on April 22, 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland.
literature
- Emily Chauviere: The Marriages of Five Princesses of Montenegro . Suite101.com
- Hugo Vickers: Alice: Princess Andrew of Greece . St. Martin's Press, New York 2000, ISBN 0-312-28886-7
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ William Miller: Travels and politics in the Near East . T. Fisher Unwin, London 1898, p. 42 (English, limited preview in Google Book search).
- ↑ Royal Wedding at Cettinje. - Francis Joseph of Battenberg United to Princess Anna of Montenegro . NYTimes
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Anna of Montenegro |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Princess Anna von Battenberg; Princess Anna of Montenegro |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Member of the Petrović-Njegoš house |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 18, 1874 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cetinje , Montenegro |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 22, 1971 |
| Place of death | Montreux , Switzerland |