Duke of Urach
Encyclopedia
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Herzog
Herzog
Herzog may refer to:* Herzog , German title of nobility* The surname Herzog, derived from the above-Athletes:* Andreas Herzog , Austrian soccer player* Dieter Herzog , German soccer player* Whitey Herzog , U.S...
von Urach) was created in the Kingdom of Württemberg
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg was a state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which came into existence in 1495...
for Friedrich Wilhelm Alexander Ferdinand, Count of Württemberg
Wilhelm, 1st Duke of Urach
Count Friedrich Wilhelm Alexander Ferdinand of Württemberg, 1st Duke of Urach , was the son of Duke Wilhelm of Württemberg , younger brother of King Frederick I of Württemberg, by his morganatic wife, Baroness Wilhelmine von Tunderfeldt-Rhodis , who had married in 1800...
on 28 March 1867, with the style of HSH
Serene Highness
His/Her Serene Highness is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein and Monaco. It also preceded the princely titles of members of some German ruling and mediatised dynasties as well as some non-ruling but princely German noble families until 1918...
.
"Urach" is pronounced Oo-raakh (IPA /uːrɑːx/)
Family
Wilhelm was the son of Duke Wilhelm of WürttembergDuke William Frederick Philip of Württemberg
William Frederick Philip, Duke of Württemberg was a prince of the House of Württemberg and a minister for war.-Early life:...
(1761-1830) and his morganatic
Morganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
wife, Baroness (Freiin) Wilhelmine von Tunderfeldt-Rhodis (1777-1822), whom he married at Coswig
Coswig, Anhalt
Coswig is a town in the district of Wittenberg of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, approx. 12 km west of Wittenberg, and 15 km east of Dessau.- History :...
on 23 August 1800. His paternal grandfather was Friedrich II Eugen
Friedrich II Eugen, Duke of Württemberg
Friedrich Eugen of Württemberg , the fourth son of Duke Karl Alexander and Princess Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis .-Royal duke:...
(1732-1797), from whom all claimants to the Kingdom of Württemberg
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg was a state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which came into existence in 1495...
are descended. Because of his first marriage to Théodolinde de Beauharnais
Théodolinde de Beauharnais
Théodolinde de Beauharnais, Princess of Leuchtenberg, Countess of Wurttemberg was a Franco-German princess.- Biography :...
, the first Duke had converted to Roman Catholicism. His second marriage to Princess Florestine of Monaco
Princess Florestine of Monaco
Princess Florestine Gabrielle Antoinette of Monaco was the youngest child and only daughter of Florestan I, Prince of Monaco and his wife Maria Caroline Gibert de Lametz...
gave rise to the Monaco Succession Crisis of 1918
Monaco Succession Crisis of 1918
The Monaco Succession Crisis of 1918 arose because France objected to the prospect of a German national inheriting the throne of Monaco, a nation which neighboured France on its Mediterranean coast. Albert I, Sovereign Prince of Monaco had only one legitimate child, the Hereditary Prince Louis,...
.
The 2nd Duke of Urach was briefly chosen as Mindaugas II, King of Lithuania in 1918. The family owns Lichtenstein Castle
Lichtenstein Castle
Lichtenstein Castle is situated on a cliff located near Honau in the Swabian Alb, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.Historically there has been a castle on the site since around 1200. It was twice destroyed, once in the Reichskriegs war of 1311 and again by the city-state of Reutlingen in 1381...
, rebuilt by the first duke in the 1840s.
Dukes of Urach (1867)
- Wilhelm, 1st Duke of UrachWilhelm, 1st Duke of UrachCount Friedrich Wilhelm Alexander Ferdinand of Württemberg, 1st Duke of Urach , was the son of Duke Wilhelm of Württemberg , younger brother of King Frederick I of Württemberg, by his morganatic wife, Baroness Wilhelmine von Tunderfeldt-Rhodis , who had married in 1800...
(1810-1869) - Wilhelm, 2nd Duke of UrachMindaugas II of LithuaniaPrince Wilhelm of Urach, Count of Württemberg, 2nd Duke of Urach was a German prince who was elected King of Lithuania with the regnal name Mindaugas II on 11 July 1918...
(1864-1928) - Karl Gero, 3rd Duke of UrachKarl Gero, Duke of UrachPrince Karl Gero Albrecht Joseph Wilhelm Anton Maria of Urach, Count of Württemberg, 3rd Duke of Urach was the head of the morganatic Urach branch of the House of Württemberg.-Life:...
(1899-1981) - Karl Anselm, 4th Duke of UrachKarl Anselm, Duke of UrachPrince Karl Anselm Franz Joseph Wilhelm Louis Philippe Gero Maria of Urach, Count of Württemberg, 4th Duke of Urach was the head of the morganatic Urach branch of the House of Württemberg.-Biography:...
(born 1955) Renounced the dukedom in 1991 - Wilhelm Albert, 5th Duke of UrachWilhelm Albert, Duke of UrachPrince Wilhelm Albert Raphael Maria of Urach, Count of Württemberg, 5th Duke of Urach is the head of the morganatic Urach branch of the House of Württemberg.-Duke of Urach:...
(born 1957)
Heir apparent: Prince Karl Philipp of Urach (born 1992)
Titles
The duke has always been addressed as: Herzog von Urach; his wife as Herzogin; his sons as FürstFürst
Fürst is a German title of nobility, usually translated into English as Prince.The term refers to the head of a principality and is distinguished from the son of a monarch, who is referred to as Prinz...
von Urach (Prince of Urach); all male members of the family as Graf
Graf
Graf is a historical German noble title equal in rank to a count or a British earl...
von Württemberg (Count of Württemberg); female members as: Fürstin von Urach and Gräfin von Württemberg.