Friedrich Wilhelm von Hanau
Friedrich Wilhelm von Hanau (born November 18, 1832 , Wilhelmshöhe Palace ; † May 14, 1889 in Riesbach near Zurich ) was the eldest son of Elector Friedrich Wilhelm I of Hesse-Kassel (* 1802; † 1875) and his morganatic wife Gertrude , later Princess of Hanau and zu Hořowitz (* 1803, † 1882).
Life
In the ongoing family tradition, he immediately threw himself into a family scandal with his first marriage: As a lieutenant in the Garde du Corps, he deserted and married the actress Auguste Birnbaum, later Countess Schaumburg (* 9th September 1856) in the Church of St. James in Westminster October 1837; † June 29, 1862 in Cannstatt ), daughter of the court actor Carl Birnbaum zu Kassel and Maria Sargany. In doing so, he behaved no less befittingly than his father, who, in order to marry his mother, had broken up her first marriage. Nonetheless, his father resented his marriage, especially since he had ordered him back to Kassel from his service in the Austrian army in order to be able to better monitor him according to the women’s stories. The elector excluded him from the Fideikommiss Hanau-Hořowitz, which he had set up for the benefit of his children, as they could not succeed in the electoral dignity and in the Fideikommiss of the House of Hesse due to the improper marriage of their parents . No children were born from the marriage between Friedrich Wilhelm and Auguste Birnbaum. The prince soon gave in to his father's wishes, returned to Kassel, and the marriage ended in divorce.
His father banished the prince , who had been excluded from the army, to Fulda , where he again met an actress: Ludovika Gloede (born May 6, 1840 in Hamburg ; † April 20, 1912 in Munich ), daughter of pastor Friedrich Gloede and Marie Dorothea Ludovika Goldbeck . This time, out of consideration for the father, the relationship initially remained outside of marriage, and the two only married on April 8, 1875, after the elector's death. She called herself Countess Schaumburg, which was recognized by the Kingdom of Bavaria . They had a son, Friedrich August (* 1864; † 1940). Despite the electoral exclusion from the inheritance, the descendants assumed the title "Prince of Hanau", which was recognized by judgments of the Bavarian Supreme Court of June 4, 1930 and the Munich Regional Court of May 28, 1931. The family of the princes of Hanau, which still exists today, comes from this marriage.
Prince Friedrich Wilhelm von Hanau died in 1889 in his Villa Seefeld in Riesbach near Zurich.
literature
- Philipp Losch : The Princess of Hanau and her children . In: Hanauer Geschichtsblätter 13, 1939, p. 34.
- Michel Huberty: L'Allemagne dynastique: Les 15 familles qui ont fait l'empire . Vol. 1: Hesse - Reuss - Saxe . Le Perreux-sur-Marne 1976. ISBN 2-901138-01-2 .
Web links
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Friedrich Wilhelm von Hanau |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Son of Elector Friedrich Wilhelm I of Hesse-Kassel |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 18, 1832 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Wilhelmshöhe Castle |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 14, 1889 |
| Place of death | Riesbach |