Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg
Albrecht | |||||
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Crown Prince of Württemberg | |||||
Head of the House of Württemberg | |||||
Tenure | 2 October 1921 - 31 October 1939 | ||||
Predecessor | King Wilhelm II | ||||
Successor | Duke Philipp Albrecht | ||||
Born | Vienna, Empire of Austria | 23 December 1865||||
Died | 31 October 1939 Altshausen, State of Württemberg, Nazi Germany | (aged 73)||||
Spouse | |||||
Issue | See
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House | Württemberg | ||||
Father | Duke Philipp of Württemberg | ||||
Mother | Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria | ||||
Religion | Roman Catholic | ||||
Military career | |||||
Allegiance | German Empire | ||||
Service | Imperial German Army | ||||
Years of service | 1885–1919 | ||||
Rank | General field marshal | ||||
Commands | German 4th Army (1914–1917) Army Group Albrecht (1917–1918) | ||||
Battles | First World War |
Albrecht, Duke and Crown Prince of Württemberg (Albrecht Maria Alexander Philipp Joseph; 23 December 1865 – 31 October 1939) was the last heir presumptive to the Kingdom of Württemberg, a German military commander of World War I, and the head of the House of Württemberg from 1921 to his death.
Early life
[edit]Duke Albrecht was born in Vienna as the eldest child of Duke Philipp of Württemberg and his wife Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, daughter of Archduke Albert, Duke of Teschen.[1]
Albrecht entered the armies of the Kingdom of Württemberg and the German Empire in 1883, rose quickly through its ranks, and became the heir apparent to the throne of Württemberg.[1]
In 1910, Albrecht attended the funeral of Edward VII.[2][3] He was a third cousin of Mary of Teck, who was the Queen consort of George V.
World War I
[edit]When World War I began, Duke Albrecht's command, the Six Army Inspectorate (Sechste Armee-Inspektion), was formed into the 4th Army,[4] 123 battalions strong. As King William II had no sons, Albrecht was appointed the army's commander and assigned to the Ardennes, with Walther von Lüttwitz serving as his chief of staff. This army he led to victory alongside Crown Prince Wilhelm's 5th Army at the Battle of the Ardennes in August 1914. Following that victory, the 4th Army saw action in the First Battle of the Marne before being transferred to Flanders in October, where Albrecht commanded them during the Battle of the Yser. Albrecht also commanded the German forces during the Second Battle of Ypres, where poison gas was used on a large scale for the first time.[5]
Albrecht was awarded the Pour le Mérite in August 1915 and promoted to Generalfeldmarschall in August 1916. The new Army Group Duke Albrecht was placed under his command in February 1917, and he was responsible for the southern sector of the Western Front until the Armistice.
Postwar
[edit]Albrecht had become heir presumptive to the Kingdom of Württemberg following the death of his father in October 1917, but the German Empire's World War I defeat and the abdication of his cousin King Willhelm II of Württemberg following the German Revolution prevented him from ever succeeding to the throne. He became head of the House of Württemberg after the death of Wilhelm on 2 October 1921.
Albrecht died at Altshausen Castle. His son Duke Philipp Albrecht succeeded him as head of the House of Württemberg.
Family
[edit]Albrecht was married in Vienna on 24 January 1893 to Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria,[6] a daughter of Archduke Carl Ludwig. They had seven children:
- Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg (1893–1975).
- Duke Albrecht Eugen of Württemberg (born 8 January 1895 in Stuttgart; died 24 June 1954 in Schwäbisch Gmünd), who married Princess Nadezhda of Bulgaria (1899–1958), daughter of Tsar Ferdinand I. They had five children.
- Duke Carl Alexander of Württemberg (born 12 March 1896 in Stuttgart; died 27 December 1964 in Altshausen), a Benedictine monk known as "Father Odo".
- Duchess Maria Amalia of Württemberg (born 15 August 1897 in Gmunden; died 13 August 1923 in Altshausen), briefly engaged to Crown Prince George of Saxony.
- Duchess Maria Theresa of Württemberg (born 16 August 1898 in Stuttgart; died 26 March 1928 in Eibingen).
- Duchess Maria Elisabeth of Württemberg (born 12 September 1899 in Potsdam; died 15 April 1900 in Meran).
- Duchess Margarita Maria of Württemberg (born 4 January 1902 in Stuttgart; died 22 April 1945 in Altshausen).
Decorations and awards
[edit]German States
[edit]- Kingdom of Württemberg:
- Order of the Württemberg Crown
- Friedrich Order
- Military Merit Order, Grand Cross (1 November 1914)[11][12]
- Wilhelm Cross with Crown and Swords (5 October 1916)[13]
- Service Decoration 1st Class[7]
- Jubilee Medal in Gold[7]
- Grand Duchy of Baden:
- House Order of Fidelity (1904)[14]
- Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order, Grand Cross[15]
- Kingdom of Bavaria:
- Order of St. Hubert, Knight (1886)[16]
- Military Order of Max Joseph, Grand Cross (10 October 1915)[17]
- Prince Regent Luitpold Medal on the Ribbon of the Jubilee Medal for the Bavarian Army[7]
- Free and Hanseatic City of Bremen: Hanseatic Cross[18]
- Duchy of Brunswick: War Merit Cross, 2nd Class [19]
- Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg: Hanseatic Cross[20]
- Grand Duchy of Hesse:
- Ludewig Order, Grand Cross (7 September 1899)[21]
- General Honor Decoration for Bravery[22]
- :
- Princely House Order of Hohenzollern
- Principality of Lippe: House Order of the Cross of Honor, 1st Class[7][8]
- Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck: Hanseatic Cross[24]
- Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin:
- House Order of the Wendish Crown, Grand Cross with Crown in Ore[7]
- Military Merit Cross, 1st and 2nd Class [25]
- Grand Duchy of Oldenburg: House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis, Grand Cross with Golden Crown and Collar[7]
- Kingdom of Prussia:
- Order of the Black Eagle, Knight with Collar (18 January 1900)[7][26]
- Order of the Red Eagle: Grand Cross (18 January 1900)[7]
- Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Grand Commander's Cross[7]
- Order Pour le Mérite (22 August 1915)[12][27]
- Oakleaves to the Order Pour le Mérite (25 February 1918)[1][28]
- Iron Cross, 1st and 2nd Class[29]
- Principality of Reuß jüngere Linie: Princely Reuss Honor Cross, 1st Class[7]
- Kingdom of Saxony:
- Order of the Rue Crown, Knight (1894)[30]
- Military Order of St. Henry
- Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach: Order of the White Falcon, Grand Cross[7]
- Saxon Duchies: Ducal Saxe-Ernestine House Order, Grand Cross[7]
- Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen: Cross for Merit in War[34]
- Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe: House Order of the Cross of Honor, 1st Class[7]
- Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen: Princely Schwarzburg Honor Cross, 1st Class with Crown[7]
- Principality of Waldeck: Princely Waldeck Merit Cross, 1st Class[7]
Foreign States
[edit]- Austria-Hungary:
- Order of the Golden Fleece (1893)[35]
- Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary, Grand Cross (1891)[36]
- Military Merit Cross, 1st Class with War Decoration[37]
- Golden Military Merit Medal on the ribbon of the Military Merit Cross[38]
- Military Jubilee Medal[39]
- United Kingdom:
- Royal Victorian Order, Honorary Knight Grand Cross (14 August 1907)[40]
- Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Medal[41]
- House of Nassau: House Order of the Golden Lion[7]
- Principality of Monaco: Order of Saint Charles, Grand Cross (12 February 1889)[42]
- Ottoman Empire:
- Order of Glory with Diamonds and Sabers[43]
- Imtiaz Medal in Gold[44]
- Imtiaz Medal in Silver[45]
- War Medal[46]
- Empire of Persia: Order of the Lion and the Sun, Grand Cross[7]
- Russian Empire: Order of St. Andrew[7]
Ancestry
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Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c Pawly 2003, p. 30.
- ^ Tuchman 2014, p. 16.
- ^ Hopkins 1910, p. 372.
- ^ Pawly 2003, p. 11.
- ^ Zabecki 2014, p. 1504.
- ^ born 13 May 1870 in Artstetten Castle; died 24 August 1902 in Gmunden.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Kriegsministerium (Hrsg.): Rangliste der Königlich Preußischen Armee und des XIII. (Königlich Württembergischen) Armeekorps für 1914, E.S. Mittler & Sohn, Berlin, 1914, p. 46
- ^ a b Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg (1908), "Departement des Kriegswesen" p. 216
- ^ Königlich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1916 No. 9, Stuttgart 25 February 1916, p. 116
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1916 No. 9, 25 February 1916, p. 116
- ^ Militär-Wochenblatt, 1915 No. 16/20, Berlin 27 January 1915, p. 481
- ^ a b "Albrecht Maria Alexander Philipp Joseph Herzog von Württemberg". the Prussian Machine. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1916 No. 58, 16 October 1916, p. 611
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1910), "Großherzogliche Orden" p. 41
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1915 No. 58, 12 September 1915, p. 519
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Bayern (1908), "Königliche Orden" p. 9
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1915 No. 71, 18 November 1915, p. 645
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1915 No. 78, 31 December 1915, p. 721
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1915 No. 20, 31 March 1915, p.
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1915 No. 71, 18 November 1915, p. 645
- ^ "Ludewigs-orden", Großherzoglich Hessische Ordensliste (in German), Darmstadt: Staatsverlag, 1914, p. 6 – via hathitrust.org
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1915 No. 14, 6 March 1915, p. 149
- ^ Richard Lundström and Daniel Krause: Verleihungen des Fürstlichen Hausordens von Hohenzollern mit Schwertern und der Goldene Ehrenmedaille mit Schwertern 1914-1947, Phaleristischer Verlag Michael Autengruber, Konstanz am Bodensee, 2008, ISBN 3-937064-12-5, p. 9
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1915 No. 71, 18 November 1915, p. 645
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1915 No. 58, 12 September 1915, p. 519
- ^ "Court Circular". The Times. No. 36043. London. 19 January 1900. p. 7.
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1915 No. 68, 6 November 1915, p. 607
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1918 No. 11, 16 March 1918, p. 103
- ^ Militär-Wochenblatt, 1915 No. 11, Berlin 16 January 1915, p. 230
- ^ Sachsen (1901). "Königlich Orden". Staatshandbuch für den Königreich Sachsen: 1901. Dresden: Heinrich. p. 4 – via hathitrust.org.
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1915 No. 45, 23 July 1915, p. 390
- ^ Der Königlich Sächsische Militär-St. Heinrichs-Orden 1736-1918: Ein Ehrenblatt der Sächsischen Armee, Druck und Verlag der Wilhelm und Bertha v. Baensch Stiftung, Dresden 1937, p. 128.
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1916 No. 19, 14 April 1916, p. 199
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1915 No. 39, 24 June 1915, p. 335
- ^ Boettger, T. F. "Chevaliers de la Toisón d'Or – Knights of the Golden Fleece". La Confrérie Amicale. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ "A Szent István Rend tagjai" Archived 22 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1915 No. 45, 23 July 1915, p. 390
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1917 No. 40, 15 September 1917, p. 318
- ^ Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Königreichs Württemberg für 1908, W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1908
- ^ The London Gazette, issue 28058, p. 6149
- ^ Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Königreichs Württemberg für 1908, W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1908
- ^ Sovereign Ordonnance of 12 February 1889
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1918 No. 20, 15 May 1918, p. 178
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1916 No. 19, 14 April 1916, p. 200
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1916 No. 19, 14 April 1916, p. 200
- ^ Personal-Nachrichten, 1916 No. 19, 14 April 1916, p. 200
References
[edit]- Hopkins, J. Castell (1910). The Life of King Edward VII with a Sketch of the Career of King George V. W.E. Scull.
- Pawly, Ronald (2003). The Kaiser's Warlords: German Commanders of World War I. Illustrated by Patrice Courcelle. Osprey. ISBN 978-1-78096-673-1.
- Tuchman, Barbara W. (2014) [1962]. Guns of August. Random House Trade. ISBN 978-0-345-38623-6.
- Zabecki, David T. (28 October 2014). Germany at War: 400 Years of Military History. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1598849813.
External links
[edit]- 1865 births
- 1939 deaths
- Nobility from Vienna
- German Roman Catholics
- Dukes of Württemberg (titular)
- Members of the Württembergian Chamber of Lords
- German Army personnel of World War I
- Field marshals of the German Empire
- Pretenders to the throne of Württemberg
- Military personnel of the Kingdom of Württemberg
- 19th-century German landowners
- Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
- Grand Crosses of the Military Order of Max Joseph
- Annulled Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles
- Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)
- Military personnel from Vienna
- Heirs presumptive
- 20th-century German landowners