The
Battenberg family was a
cadet branchCadet branch is a term in genealogy to describe the lineage of the descendants of the younger sons of a monarch or patriarch. In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets – titles, realms, fiefs, property and income – have historically...
of the
House of Hesse-DarmstadtHesse is a region of west-central Germany. Originally the western part of the Landgraviate of Thuringia, in the mid 13th century it was inherited by the younger son of Henry II, Duke of Brabant, and became a distinct political entity...
, rulers of the
Grand Duchy of HesseThe Grand Duchy of Hesse was a member state of the German Confederation from 1806, when the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to a Grand Duchy, until 1918, when all the German monarchies were overthrown...
in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
. The first member was Countess Julia Hauke whose brother-in-law,
Grand Duke Louis III of HesseLouis III was Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine from 1848 until his death. He was succeeded by his nephew, Louis IV....
, created her Countess of Battenberg at her morganatic marriage to his brother,
Prince AlexanderPrince Alexander of Hesse GCB was the third son and fourth child of Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse and Wilhelmina of Baden.-Questioned parentage:...
of Hesse, in 1851 and Princess of Battenberg in 1858. The name Battenberg was last used by her youngest son,
Prince Francis Joseph of BattenbergPrince Francis Joseph of Battenberg, also known as Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg, , was the youngest son of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine and Countess Julia von Hauke....
, who died childless in 1924. Most members of the family, residing in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, had renounced their German titles in 1917, due to rising
anti-German sentimentAnti-German sentiment is defined as a fear or hatred of Germany, its people, and the German language.-Russia:In the 1860s Russia experienced an outbreak of Germanophobia, mainly restricted to a small group of writers in St. Petersburg who had united around a right wing newspaper...
among the British public during World War I, and changed their name to
MountbattenMountbatten is the family name adopted by two branches of the Battenberg family due to rising anti-German sentiment among the British public during World War I. On 14 July 1917, Prince Louis of Battenberg assumed the surname Mountbatten for himself and his descendants, and was created Marquess...
, an anglicised version of Battenberg.
Prince Alexander (1823–1888) was the third son of
Grand Duke Louis IILouis II was Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine from 1830 until his death. He was the son of Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse....
of
Hesse and by RhineThe Grand Duchy of Hesse was a member state of the German Confederation from 1806, when the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to a Grand Duchy, until 1918, when all the German monarchies were overthrown...
and of Wilhelmina of
BadenThe Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the right bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
yet it was openly rumoured his biological father was actually
Baron Augustus de SenarclensBaron August Ludwig von Senarclens de Grancy was born at Schloss Etoy, the son of Baron Cesar August von Senarclens. He became Grand Master of stables of the Grand Duke of Hesse, Major General, Knight of Honor and Devotion in the Order of Malta...
, his mother's chamberlain.
The
Battenberg family was a
cadet branchCadet branch is a term in genealogy to describe the lineage of the descendants of the younger sons of a monarch or patriarch. In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets – titles, realms, fiefs, property and income – have historically...
of the
House of Hesse-DarmstadtHesse is a region of west-central Germany. Originally the western part of the Landgraviate of Thuringia, in the mid 13th century it was inherited by the younger son of Henry II, Duke of Brabant, and became a distinct political entity...
, rulers of the
Grand Duchy of HesseThe Grand Duchy of Hesse was a member state of the German Confederation from 1806, when the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to a Grand Duchy, until 1918, when all the German monarchies were overthrown...
in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
. The first member was Countess Julia Hauke whose brother-in-law,
Grand Duke Louis III of HesseLouis III was Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine from 1848 until his death. He was succeeded by his nephew, Louis IV....
, created her Countess of Battenberg at her morganatic marriage to his brother,
Prince AlexanderPrince Alexander of Hesse GCB was the third son and fourth child of Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse and Wilhelmina of Baden.-Questioned parentage:...
of Hesse, in 1851 and Princess of Battenberg in 1858. The name Battenberg was last used by her youngest son,
Prince Francis Joseph of BattenbergPrince Francis Joseph of Battenberg, also known as Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg, , was the youngest son of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine and Countess Julia von Hauke....
, who died childless in 1924. Most members of the family, residing in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, had renounced their German titles in 1917, due to rising
anti-German sentimentAnti-German sentiment is defined as a fear or hatred of Germany, its people, and the German language.-Russia:In the 1860s Russia experienced an outbreak of Germanophobia, mainly restricted to a small group of writers in St. Petersburg who had united around a right wing newspaper...
among the British public during World War I, and changed their name to
MountbattenMountbatten is the family name adopted by two branches of the Battenberg family due to rising anti-German sentiment among the British public during World War I. On 14 July 1917, Prince Louis of Battenberg assumed the surname Mountbatten for himself and his descendants, and was created Marquess...
, an anglicised version of Battenberg.
Creation
Prince Alexander (1823–1888) was the third son of
Grand Duke Louis IILouis II was Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine from 1830 until his death. He was the son of Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse....
of
Hesse and by RhineThe Grand Duchy of Hesse was a member state of the German Confederation from 1806, when the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to a Grand Duchy, until 1918, when all the German monarchies were overthrown...
and of Wilhelmina of
BadenThe Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the right bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
yet it was openly rumoured his biological father was actually
Baron Augustus de SenarclensBaron August Ludwig von Senarclens de Grancy was born at Schloss Etoy, the son of Baron Cesar August von Senarclens. He became Grand Master of stables of the Grand Duke of Hesse, Major General, Knight of Honor and Devotion in the Order of Malta...
, his mother's chamberlain. His spouse, Julia von Hauke (1825–1895), was a mere countess – the orphaned daughter of
John Maurice von HaukeCount Maurice Hauke was a professional soldier...
who had been a general in the Russian army and then Deputy Minister of War of
Congress PolandCongress Poland , officially and formally Kingdom of Poland and informally known as Russian Poland was a constitutional personal union of the Russian Empire created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, replaced by the Central Powers in 1915 with the Kingdom of Poland...
– and therefore of insufficient rank for her children to qualify for the succession to the throne of Hesse. For this reason, her brother-in-law
Grand Duke Louis IIILouis III was Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine from 1848 until his death. He was succeeded by his nephew, Louis IV....
created the title Countess of Battenberg for her and for the couple's future descendants. (A previous family of counts of Battenberg had become extinct in the 14th century.) In 1858 the title, which referred to the town of
Battenberg, Hesse- Location :The middle centre of Battenberg lies in the Ederbergland, or Eder Highland, to which the Burgwald abutting the town to the east also belongs, on the southern edge of the Sauerland and the Rothaargebirge...
, was elevated to princely status. There was never a corresponding Principality of Battenberg; the title was a non-sovereign one in the nobility of the
Grand Duchy of HesseThe Grand Duchy of Hesse was a member state of the German Confederation from 1806, when the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to a Grand Duchy, until 1918, when all the German monarchies were overthrown...
.
The children of this union bore the title of Prince or Princess and the style
Serene HighnessSerene Highness is a style used today by the reigning families of Monaco and Liechtenstein...
. Battenberg thus became the name of a morganatic
cadet branchCadet branch is a term in genealogy to describe the lineage of the descendants of the younger sons of a monarch or patriarch. In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets – titles, realms, fiefs, property and income – have historically...
of the Grand Ducal family of Hesse, without right of succession.
Members
- Julia, Princess of Battenberg
Princess Julia of Battenberg was the wife of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine , the mother of Alexander of Bulgaria, and ancestress to the current generations of the British and the Spanish royal families.-Life:Julia was...
(1825–1895)
- Princess Marie of Battenberg (1852–1923), married the Prince of Erbach-Schönberg in 1871
- Prince Louis of Battenberg (1854–1921), renounced his title in 1917 to become Marquess of Milford Haven
Marquess of Milford Haven is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1917 for Prince Louis of Battenberg, the former First Sea Lord, and a relation to the British Royal family, who amidst the anti-German sentiments of World War I abandoned the use of his German surname and...
— married Princess Victoria of Hesse and by RhinePrincess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, later Victoria Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven was the eldest daughter of Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and his first wife Princess Alice of the United Kingdom .Her mother died while her brother and sisters...
, daughter of Louis IV, Grand Duke of HesseLouis IV , was the fourth Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, reigning from 13 June 1877 until his death...
and Alice of the United KingdomThe Princess Alice was a member of the British Royal Family, the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom...
- Princess Alice of Battenberg
Princess Alice of Battenberg, later Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark , was the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and mother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.Congenitally deaf, she grew up in Germany, England and the Mediterranean...
(1885–1969), married Prince Andrew of Greece and DenmarkPrince Andrew of Greece and Denmark , of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, was the seventh child and fourth son of King George I of Greece and Olga Constantinovna of Russia....
in 1903
- Princess Louise of Battenberg
Louise Mountbatten was Queen of Sweden as the second wife of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden.-Biography:...
(1889–1965), renounced her title in 1917 to become Lady Louise Mountbatten (later Queen of Sweden)
- Prince George of Battenberg
Captain The Most Honourable George Louis Victor Henry Serge Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven was born the son of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine at Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany...
(1892–1938), renounced his title in 1917 to become Earl of Medina (later Marquess of Milford Haven)
- Prince Louis of Battenberg
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC was a British admiral and statesman and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
(1900–1979), renounced his title in 1917 to become Lord Louis Mountbatten (later Earl Mountbatten of BurmaThe title Earl Mountbatten of Burma was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1947 for Louis Mountbatten, 1st Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, the last Viceroy of India....
)
- Prince Alexander of Battenberg
Alexander Joseph of Battenberg was the first prince of modern Bulgaria, reigning from 29 April 1879 to 7 September 1886.-Early life:...
(1857–1893), became Prince of Bulgaria in 1879 (later Count Hartenau)
- Asen of Hartenau (1890–1965)
- Tsvetana of Hartenau (1893–1935)
- Prince Henry of Battenberg
Colonel Prince Henry of Battenberg was a descendant of the Grand Ducal House of Hesse, later becoming a member of the British Royal Family, through his marriage to Princess Beatrice.-Early life:...
(1858–1896) — married Princess Beatrice of the United KingdomThe Princess Beatrice was a member of the British Royal Family. She was the fifth daughter and youngest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha...
, daughter of Queen VictoriaVictoria was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India of the British Raj from 1 May 1876, until her death...
and Prince Albert
- Prince Alexander of Battenberg
Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke, GCB, GCVO was a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of Queen Victoria...
(1886–1960), renounced his title in 1917 to become Marquess of CarisbrookeThe title of Marquess of Carisbrooke was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1917 for Prince Alexander of Battenberg, eldest son of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg. Along with other German-surnamed relations of the British royal family, Alexander...
- Queen Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (1887–1969), married Alfonso XIII of Spain
align=right|Alfonso XIII , King of Spain, posthumous son of Alfonso XII of Spain, was proclaimed King at his birth. He reigned from 1886-1931...
in 1906
- Prince Leopold of Battenberg
Lord Leopold Mountbatten, GCVO was a descendant of the British Royal Family, a grandson of Queen Victoria. He was known as Prince Leopold of Battenberg from his birth until 1917, when the British Royal Family relinquished their Germanic titles during World War I.-Early life:Prince Leopold was born...
(1889–1922), renounced his title in 1917 to become Lord Leopold Mountbatten
- Prince Maurice of Battenberg
Prince Maurice of Battenberg, KCVO, was a descendant of the British Royal Family, a grandson of Queen Victoria and her youngest grandchild...
(1891–1914)
- Prince Francis Joseph of Battenberg
Prince Francis Joseph of Battenberg, also known as Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg, , was the youngest son of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine and Countess Julia von Hauke....
(1861–1924)
Relations to royal families
One of the original couple's sons,
Prince Alexander of BattenbergAlexander Joseph of Battenberg was the first prince of modern Bulgaria, reigning from 29 April 1879 to 7 September 1886.-Early life:...
, was made Sovereign Prince of
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
; he was later kidnapped and forced to abdicate.
Another son,
Prince Henry of BattenbergColonel Prince Henry of Battenberg was a descendant of the Grand Ducal House of Hesse, later becoming a member of the British Royal Family, through his marriage to Princess Beatrice.-Early life:...
, married
The Princess BeatriceThe Princess Beatrice was a member of the British Royal Family. She was the fifth daughter and youngest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha...
, the youngest daughter of
Queen VictoriaVictoria was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India of the British Raj from 1 May 1876, until her death...
; their daughter, Victoria Eugenia Julia Ena, became
queen consortA queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles...
of
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
. Her uncle
Edward VIIEdward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death on 6 May 1910...
elevated her style to
Royal HighnessRoyal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...
, so that she would have the "necessary" status to marry into the Spanish royal house.
Alexander and Julia's eldest son,
Prince Louis of BattenbergAdmiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC was a British admiral and statesman and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, became the
First Sea LordThe First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
of the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
. Due to anti-German feelings prevalent in Britain during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, he anglicised his name to
MountbattenMountbatten is the family name adopted by two branches of the Battenberg family due to rising anti-German sentiment among the British public during World War I. On 14 July 1917, Prince Louis of Battenberg assumed the surname Mountbatten for himself and his descendants, and was created Marquess...
, as did his children and nephews, the sons of Prince Henry and Princess Beatrice. They renounced all German titles and were granted
peerageThe Peerage is a system of titles in the United Kingdom, which represents the upper ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system. The term is used both collectively to refer to the entire body of titles, and individually to refer to a specific title...
s by their cousin, King
George VGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 1910 through World War I until his death in 1936...
: Prince Louis became the 1st
Marquess of Milford HavenMarquess of Milford Haven is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1917 for Prince Louis of Battenberg, the former First Sea Lord, and a relation to the British Royal family, who amidst the anti-German sentiments of World War I abandoned the use of his German surname and...
, while
Prince AlexanderAlexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke, GCB, GCVO was a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of Queen Victoria...
, Prince Henry's eldest son, became the 1st
Marquess of CarisbrookeThe title of Marquess of Carisbrooke was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1917 for Prince Alexander of Battenberg, eldest son of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg. Along with other German-surnamed relations of the British royal family, Alexander...
.
Prince Louis's younger son
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of BurmaAdmiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC was a British admiral and statesman and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
served as the last Viceroy of India and his nephew
Prince Philippos of Greece and DenmarkThe Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. Philip was originally a royal prince of Greece and Denmark, and thus a member of the Danish-German House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, but renounced these titles shortly before his marriage and adopted the...
married the heiress presumptive of the British throne, later
Elizabeth IIElizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known informally as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,...
, after having renounced his Greek titles and taken his grandfather's and uncle's surname, Mountbatten, which his mother had never borne. The name Battenberg, in its anglicised form, is now a part of the personal surname,
Mountbatten-WindsorMountbatten-Windsor is the personal surname of some of the descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh under an ambiguously-worded Order-in-Council issued in 1960....
, of some members of the
British Royal FamilyImage:Roy-fam-2007.jpg|right|500px|thumb|Members of the Royal Family gathered for a dinner celebrating the 60th wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh Image:Roy-fam-2007.jpg|right|500px|thumb|Members of the Royal Family gathered for a dinner...
.