Leopold of Hohenzollern

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Leopold of Hohenzollern

Leopold Stefan Karl Anton Gustav Eduard Tassilo von Hohenzollern (born September 22, 1835 in Krauchenwies near Sigmaringen , † June 8, 1905 in Berlin ) was Prince of Hohenzollern from 1885 until his death .

He is considered the “pawn of great politics”: In 1870, Bismarck urged him to make himself available as a candidate for the Spanish line of succession at the time. Leopold soon resigned from his candidacy because France threatened war. Nevertheless, it became the cause of the Franco-German War .

Life

Leopold was the eldest son of Prince Karl Anton von Hohenzollern (1811–1885) from his marriage to Josephine von Baden (1813–1900), daughter of Grand Duke Karl von Baden (1786–1818). His younger brother became King of Romania in 1881 as Carol I. Leopold took part in the German War as a Prussian officer .

Spanish candidate for the throne, Hereditary Prince Leopold , caricature by Karl Klietsch , satirical newspaper "Der Floh" from July 19, 1870

Leopold married Antonia Maria of Portugal (1845–1913), daughter of the Portuguese royal couple Maria II da Gloria and Ferdinand II , on September 12, 1861 in Lisbon . In 1868 the military deposed Queen Isabella II during the revolution in Spain . Since then, the Spaniards have searched the European royal houses for a candidate whom parliament could elect to be king. The Portuguese titular king Ferdinand II, who himself refused, referred to his son-in-law. At first Leopold refused, but the Spanish government asked Prussia to influence Leopold accordingly. This offer was now supported by the Prussian Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck , who had previously dismissed it as a family matter. From the French Emperor Napoléon III. Leopold's candidacy was rejected.

Leopold, who, through his grandmother Stéphanie de Beauharnais, was indirectly more closely related to the Bonapartes than to the Prussian Hohenzollerns , wrote to King Wilhelm I : “I am a Prussian and German to the core of my heart.” After the offer was accepted On July 2, 1870, Leopold shortly afterwards declared Leopold's father, Prince Karl Anton, for his son to renounce the Spanish throne. Nevertheless, the Franco-Prussian War broke out , in particular because of the French government's demand, which was not accepted in Germany, that Germans should always renounce their candidacy for the throne in Spain . On January 18, 1871, he took part in the imperial proclamation in Versailles .

In 1885 Leopold succeeded his father as Prince of Hohenzollern. After the fire at Sigmaringen Castle in 1893, he did a great job of rebuilding it.

Marriage and offspring

With Antonia Maria he had the following children:

  • Wilhelm (1864–1927), Prince of Hohenzollern
⚭ 1. 1889 Princess Maria Theresa of Naples and the Two Sicilies (1867–1909)
⚭ 2. 1915 Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria (1870–1958)
⚭ 1893 Princess Marie of Great Britain (1875–1938)
⚭ 1894 Princess Josephine of Belgium (1872–1958)

See also

literature

  • Georges Bonnin: Bismarck and the Hohenzollern Candidature for the Spanish Throne . Chatto and Windus, London 1957.
  • Gordon A. Craig : German History 1866-1945. From the North German Confederation to the end of the Third Reich. 67th - 72nd thousand CH Beck, Munich 1993, ISBN 3-406-07815-X , p. 31 ff.
  • Otto Plant : Bismarck. Volume 1: The founder of the empire (= Beck series 1785). CH Beck, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-406-54822-2 , p. 454 ff.

Web links

Commons : Leopold (Hohenzollern)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ From Paris to Krauchenwies - Migration in the service of the dynasty using the example of Antoinette Murat . Lecture by Carmen Ziwes on November 25, 2010 in Krauchenwies
  2. ↑ Dr. Theodor Toeche-Mittler: The imperial proclamation in Versailles on January 18, 1871 with a list of the festival participants , Ernst Siegfried Mittler and Son, Berlin 1896.
  3. ↑ H. Schnaebeli: photographs of the imperial proclamation in Versailles , Berlin 1871st
  4. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated December 31, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.schloesser-magazin.de
  5. ↑ https://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/inhalt.leopold-von-hohenzollern-kriegstreiber-wider-willen.d06953d6-0824-4c95-8684-7374b6388be4.html?reduced=true
predecessor Office successor
Karl Anton Head of the Princely House of Hohenzollern
1885–1905 		Wilhelm
personal data
SURNAME Leopold of Hohenzollern
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Leopold Stefan Karl Anton Gustav Eduard Tassilo von Hohenzollern (full name); Leopold von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prince of Hohenzollern, son of Karl Anton Prince of Hohenzollern
DATE OF BIRTH September 22, 1835
PLACE OF BIRTH Krauchenwies
DATE OF DEATH June 8, 1905
Place of death Berlin