Countess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld (22 June 1870 – 3 September 1948) was the eldest child of

Ernest II, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld Ernst, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld (''Ernst Kasimir Friedrich Karl Eberhard''; 9 June 1842 – 26 September 1904) was the head of the Lippe-Biesterfeld line of the House of Lippe. From 1897 until his death he was the regent of the Principality o ...

and Countess Karoline von Wartensleben.

Family and early life

Adelaide was born on 22 June 1870 to

and his wife, Countess Karoline von Wartensleben. After the death of

Woldemar, Prince of Lippe Woldemar of Lippe (''Günther Friedrich Woldemar''; 18 April 1824 – 20 March 1895) was the sovereign of the Principality of Lippe, reigning from 1875 until his death. Early life and reign Prince Woldemar of Lippe was born in Detmold the third ...

in 1895, her parents were involved in a regency and succession dispute to the principality of Lippe. Though Woldemar's younger brother

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

succeeded, he was incapable of ruling due to a mental illness. Consequently, two branches of the

House of Lippe The House of Lippe () is the former reigning house of a number of small Germany, German states, two of which existed until the German Revolution of 1918–19, the Principality of Lippe and the Schaumburg-Lippe, Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe. ...

argued over rights to a regency.

Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe (; 20 July 1859 – 9 July 1916) was a German prince of the House of Schaumburg-Lippe and a Prussian General of the Cavalry. He was regent of the Principality of Lippe from 1895 to 1897 due to the incapacit ...

, a brother-in-law of

Wilhelm II, German Emperor Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty ...

was chosen, but a court-settlement allowed Ernest to become the regent of Lippe-Detmold on 17 July 1897.

Marriage and issue

At Neudorf, Adelaide married Prince Friedrich Johann of Saxe-Meiningen, a younger son of

Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (2 April 1826 – 25 June 1914), was the penultimate Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, reigning from 1866 to 1914. For his support for his successful court theatre he was also known as the ''Theaterherzog'' (theatre duke ...

on 24 April 1889. They had the following children together:

Role in Lippe succession dispute

Two branches of the

debated over rights to the principality of

Lippe-Detmold Lippe (later Lippe-Detmold and then again Lippe) was a state in Germany, ruled by the House of Lippe. It was located between the Weser river and the southeast part of the Teutoburg Forest. It originated as a state during the Holy Roman Empire, an ...

. As Adelaide's great-grandmother was a member of the lower nobility (Modeste Christiane von Unruh) and has one quarter commoner ancestry, her family's claim to full royalty was challenged. This claim threatened the succession to

Saxe-Meiningen Saxe-Meiningen ( ; ) was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine duchies, Ernestine line of the House of Wettin, located in the southwest of the present-day Germany, German state of Thuringia. Established in 1681, by partition of the Ern ...

, as Adelaide was married to the

Duke of Saxe-Meiningen Saxe-Meiningen ( ; ) was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine duchies, Ernestine line of the House of Wettin, located in the southwest of the present-day Germany, German state of Thuringia. Established in 1681, by partition of the Ern ...

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

; were her father deemed a lesser royal status, it might be thought that her own claim was not equal enough for her husband's family.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld, Countess 1870 births 1948 deaths Countesses in Germany House of Lippe