Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Encyclopedia
Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (July 20, 1835 – January 25, 1900) was a niece of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
. She was the second daughter of Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Feodora of Leiningen
, older half-sister of the British queen. She is a matrillineal ancestor of Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
became Emperor of France
, he made a proposal of marriage to Adelheid's parents after he had been rebuffed by Princess Carola of Sweden
. Although he had never met her, the political advantages of the marriage for the Emperor were obvious. It would gain dynastic respectability for the Bonaparte line, and could promote closer alliance between France and Britain, because Adelheid was Queen Victoria's niece. At the same time, she was not officially a member of the British royal family, so the risk of refusal was small. Adelheid could be expected to be sufficiently grateful for her good fortune to convert to Roman Catholicism.
In fact, the proposal horrified Queen Victoria and vexed the Prince Consort, who preferred not to confer such hasty legitimacy upon France's latest "revolutionary" regime — the durability of which was deemed dubious — nor to yield up a young kinswoman for the purpose. The British court maintained a strict silence toward the Hohenlohes during the marriage negotiations, lest the Queen seem either eager for or repulsed by the prospect of Napoléon as a nephew-in-law.
The parents, accurately interpreting the British silence as disapproval, declined the French offer—to their sixteen year-old daughter's dismay. This may have been only a maneuver by the Hohenlohes to get concessions from the French to secure their daughter's future interests.But before his ministers could press his case with further inducements, Napoléon gave up pursuit of a royal consort. Instead he offered marriage to Eugénie de Montijo
, Countess of Teba, whom he had been simultaneously soliciting to become his mistress, and who had refused his advances.
. They were parents to seven children:
A small island in Franz Josef Land
, Adelaide Island
(Остров Аделаиды), was named after Princess Adelheid by the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition
.
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. She was the second daughter of Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Feodora of Leiningen
Princess Feodora of Leiningen
Princess Feodora of Leiningen was the only daughter of Emich Carl, Prince of Leiningen and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld . Feodora and her older brother Carl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen were maternal half-siblings of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom...
, older half-sister of the British queen. She is a matrillineal ancestor of Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
Napoleon III's proposal of marriage
In 1852, not long after Napoléon IIINapoleon III of France
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte...
became Emperor of France
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
, he made a proposal of marriage to Adelheid's parents after he had been rebuffed by Princess Carola of Sweden
Carola of Vasa
Carola of Vasa was a titular princess of Sweden, and the queen consort of Saxony...
. Although he had never met her, the political advantages of the marriage for the Emperor were obvious. It would gain dynastic respectability for the Bonaparte line, and could promote closer alliance between France and Britain, because Adelheid was Queen Victoria's niece. At the same time, she was not officially a member of the British royal family, so the risk of refusal was small. Adelheid could be expected to be sufficiently grateful for her good fortune to convert to Roman Catholicism.
In fact, the proposal horrified Queen Victoria and vexed the Prince Consort, who preferred not to confer such hasty legitimacy upon France's latest "revolutionary" regime — the durability of which was deemed dubious — nor to yield up a young kinswoman for the purpose. The British court maintained a strict silence toward the Hohenlohes during the marriage negotiations, lest the Queen seem either eager for or repulsed by the prospect of Napoléon as a nephew-in-law.
The parents, accurately interpreting the British silence as disapproval, declined the French offer—to their sixteen year-old daughter's dismay. This may have been only a maneuver by the Hohenlohes to get concessions from the French to secure their daughter's future interests.But before his ministers could press his case with further inducements, Napoléon gave up pursuit of a royal consort. Instead he offered marriage to Eugénie de Montijo
Eugénie de Montijo
Doña María Eugenia Ignacia Augustina de Palafox-Portocarrero de Guzmán y Kirkpatrick, 16th Countess of Teba and 15th Marquise of Ardales; 5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920), known as Eugénie de Montijo , was the last Empress consort of the French from 1853 to 1871 as the wife of Napoleon III, Emperor of...
, Countess of Teba, whom he had been simultaneously soliciting to become his mistress, and who had refused his advances.
Marriage and children
On September 11, 1856 Adelheid married Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-HolsteinFrederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein
Duke Frederick VIII , succeeded nominally as the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein from 1863 while Prussia actually took overlordship and real administrative power.-Life:...
. They were parents to seven children:
- HSH Prince Friedrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (August 3, 1857 - October 29, 1858).
- HSH Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-AugustenburgAugusta Viktoria of Schleswig-HolsteinAugusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein was the last German Empress and Queen of Prussia. Her full German name was Auguste Victoria Friederike Luise Feodora Jenny von Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.She was the eldest daughter of Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess...
(October 22, 1858 - April 11, 1921); married Wilhelm II of Germany. - HSH Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-AugustenburgPrincess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-AugustenburgPrincess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg was the second-eldest daughter of Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and his wife Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.-Family:Karoline Mathilde's elder sister, Augusta Viktoria was German...
(January 25, 1860 - February 20, 1932). Married Friedrich Ferdinand, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. He was a son of Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-GlücksburgFriedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-GlücksburgFriedrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg was the third Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...
, second son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-GlücksburgFriedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-GlücksburgFriedrich Wilhelm Paul Leopold was the first Duke of the Second Line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and founder of a line that includes the Royal Houses of Denmark, Greece, Norway, and the United Kingdom...
and Louise Caroline of Hesse-KasselLouise Caroline of Hesse-KasselPrincess Louise Caroline of Hesse-Kassel was the consort of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and the matriarch of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg which would eventually become the ruling house of the kingdoms of Denmark, Greece,...
. - HSH Prince Gerhard of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (January 20 - April 11, 1862).
- HSH Prince Ernst Gunther of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-AugustenburgErnst Gunther, Duke of Schleswig-HolsteinErnst Gunther, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein was a son of Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. He inherited his father's title as titular duke of Schleswig-Holstein....
(August 11, 1863 - February 21, 1921); later Duke of Schleswig-Holstein. - HSH Princess Louise Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-AugustenburgPrincess Louise Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-AugustenburgPrincess Louise Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg was a daughter of Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.-Family:Louise was the sixth child and third daughter of Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and his wife Princess...
(April 8, 1866 - April 28, 1952); married Prince Friedrich Leopold of PrussiaPrince Friedrich Leopold of PrussiaJoachim Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Leopold Prinz von Preußen was a son of Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia and Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau, married in 1854.- Family :On 24 June 1889 he married in Berlin Princess Louise Sophie of...
, a male-line great-grandson of Frederick William III of PrussiaFrederick William III of PrussiaFrederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:...
. - HSH Princess Feodora Adelheid of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (July 3, 1874 - June 21, 1910).
A small island in Franz Josef Land
Franz Josef Land
Franz Josef Land, Franz Joseph Land, or Francis Joseph's Land is an archipelago located in the far north of Russia. It is found in the Arctic Ocean north of Novaya Zemlya and east of Svalbard, and is administered by Arkhangelsk Oblast. Franz Josef Land consists of 191 ice-covered islands with a...
, Adelaide Island
Belaya Zemlya
Belaya Zemlya is a group of three cold, glaciated islands. It is a geographical subgroup of Franz Josef Land, Russian Federation.Belaya Zemlya is separated from the main Franz Josef group by a broad strait known as Proliv Severo Vostochnyy....
(Остров Аделаиды), was named after Princess Adelheid by the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition
Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition
The Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition was an expedition that ran from 1872–74 and discovered Franz-Josef Land. According to Julius von Payer, one of the leaders, the journey was to find the north-eastern passage. It actually explored the area northwest of Novaya Zemlya. According to the...
.