Marie of Prussia (; 15 October 1825 – 17 May 1889) was
Queen of Bavaria by marriage to
Maximilian II of Bavaria, and the mother of Kings
Ludwig II and
Otto of Bavaria.
Life
Born and raised in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, she was the daughter of
Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, a younger brother of
King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, and his wife,
Landgravine Marie Anna of Hesse-Homburg. The family spent half of the year at Fischbach (today
Karpniki) Castle in Silesia, where they loved to hike in the
Giant Mountains
The Giant Mountains, Krkonoše, or Karkonosze (Czech: , , ), are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system (part of the Bohemian Massif). The Czech–Polish bor ...
.
In her youth, Marie was seriously considered as a wife for
Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Ernest II (; 21 June 181822 August 1893) was Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 29 January 1844 to his death in 1893. He was born in Coburg to Ernest III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. His father be ...
, until her engagement to Maximilian was announced.
Queen
On 12 October 1842, she married the
Crown Prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent.
''Crown prince ...
, and later
King of Bavaria,
Maximilian II.
Marie was loved equally by both the
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
and
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
populations. (At that time, Bavaria was mostly Catholic, whilst Prussia was mostly Evangelical.) A specific emphasis of her "great social engagement" was a reactivation of the Bavarian Women's Association, which took place on 18 December 1869 with the aid of her son,
Ludwig II. Its aim was "Pflege und Unterstützung der im Felde verwundeten und erkrankten Krieger" (''Care and support of soldiers wounded and injured in the field''). The Bavarian
Red Cross
The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
was officially founded as a result of the Bavarian Women's Association. The Red Cross eventually took over for the Queen.
Queen dowager
With the sudden death of Maximilian II on 10 March 1864, Marie became a widow. On 12 October 1874, she converted to
Catholicism
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
.
As a widow she lived at
Nymphenburg Palace
The Nymphenburg Palace (, Palace of the Nymphs) is a Baroque palace situated in Munich's western district Neuhausen-Nymphenburg, in Bavaria, southern Germany. The Nymphenburg served as the main summer residence for the List of rulers of Bavaria, ...
. She spent her summer holidays at
Schloss Hohenschwangau near
Füssen, a castle her husband had redecorated in
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
style, and at her country estate in Elbigenalp in the Lechtal Alps. She enjoyed hiking the mountains, which she had often done with her sons when they were young. Marie looked after her second son Otto, who was declared insane. She outlived her elder son, Ludwig II, by nearly three years; his unusual death occurring on 13 June 1886. Marie died in 1889 in
Hohenschwangau
Hohenschwangau is a former village and now an urban district of the municipality of Schwangau, Ostallgäu district, Bavaria, Germany.
It is located between Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss Hohenschwangau and is visited by about 2 million peop ...
.
She is interred in the
Theatine Church in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
in a side chapel opposite her husband.
Issue
*
Ludwig II of Bavaria
Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886), also called the Swan King or the Fairy Tale King (), was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke ...
(25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886); succeeded as King of Bavaria as Ludwig II. Declared mentally incompetent without examination and deposed in a coup in favour of his uncle, Prince Luitpold, on 10 June 1886;
died under disputed circumstances.
*
Otto I of Bavaria (27 April 1848 – 11 October 1916); succeeded as King of Bavaria as Otto I, but reigned only in name due to the regency of his uncle,
Prince Luitpold. Declared mentally incompetent and deposed on 5 November 1913 by his cousin Prince Ludwig, later King
Ludwig III of Bavaria
Ludwig III (Ludwig Luitpold Josef Maria Aloys Alfred; 7 January 1845 – 18 October 1921) was the last King of Bavaria, reigning from 1913 to 1918. Initially, he served in the Bavarian Army, Bavarian military as a lieutenant and went on to hold ...
.
Honours
* : Grand Mistress of the
Order of Theresa[''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Preußen'' (1886/7), Genealogy p]
4
/ref>
* Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...
:
Ancestry
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marie Of Prussia
Prussian princesses
1825 births
1889 deaths
Royalty from Berlin
House of Hohenzollern
House of Wittelsbach
Queens consort of Bavaria
Converts to Roman Catholicism from Calvinism
German Roman Catholics
Burials at the Theatine Church, Munich
Bavarian queen mothers
Gallery of Beauties
Immigrants to the Kingdom of Bavaria