Prince William of Schaumburg-Lippe (; 12 December 1834 – 4 April 1906) was the son of

George William, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe (20 December 1784 – 21 November 1860) was a Count and later Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe. Biography He was born in Bückeburg the son of Philipp II, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe, and his second wife Princ ...

and member 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. ...

Early life

William was born at

Bückeburg Bückeburg (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Bückeborg'') is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the border with North Rhine Westphalia. It is located in the district of Schaumburg close to the northern slopes of the Weserbergland ridge. Bückeburg ha ...

Schaumburg-Lippe Schaumburg-Lippe, also called Lippe-Schaumburg, was created as a county in 1647, became a principality in 1807 and a free state in 1918, and was until 1946 a small state in Germany, located in the present-day state of Lower Saxony, with its capi ...

on 12 December 1834. He was the seventh child, and third son, of

(1784–1860), and Princess Ida of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1796–1869). Among his siblings were Prince Adolphus I (reigning Prince of

) and Princess Adelheid (wife of Friedrich, reigning Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg). His paternal grandparents were

Philip II, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe Philipp II Ernst, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe (5 July 1723– 13 February 1787) was a ruler of the counties of Lippe-Alverdissen and Schaumburg-Lippe. Early life He was born at Rinteln the son of Friedrich Ernst, Count of Lippe-Alverdissen (1687-177 ...

and

Landgravine Juliane of Hesse-Philippsthal Juliane of Hesse-Philippsthal (8 June 1761 – 9 November 1799), was a countess of Schaumburg-Lippe, married in 1780 to Count Philip II, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe. She served as the regent of Schaumburg-Lippe during the minority of her son from 17 ...

. His maternal grandparents were

George I, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

and

Princess Augusta of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for t ...

. The closest person to him was his mother,

Princess Ida ''Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant'' is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen; the next was ''The Mikado''. ''Princess Ida'' opened at the Savoy Thea ...

, and little Prince William also attached himself to her with deep love, a familiar, close relationship that lasted until the princess's death. Several trips with his royal parents had pleasantly interrupted the young prince's years of teaching and service. The related princely courts were visited and Prince William (as well as the other princely children) accompanied his parents several times to

Náchod Náchod (; ) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. It is known both as a tourist destination and centre of industry. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and i ...

and

Ratibořice Castle Ratibořice Château () is a chateau in Ratibořice village (part of Česká Skalice) in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It stands on an elevated plain below which valley in the bend of the Úpa river widens. Together with Babi� ...

, which Prince Georg Wilhelm had purchased from Count Octavio zur Lippe in 1842. Prince William was last in Ratibořice with his parents and Princesses Ida and his sister, Elisabeth in the summer and autumn of 1853. Princess Ida traveled back to

in August, the others still stayed in Ratibořice and had to postpone their departure because first, his father,

himself fell ill with a fever, which soon passed, but then Prince William became seriously ill with

rheumatic fever Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammation#Disorders, inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. The disease typically develops two to four weeks after a Streptococcal pharyngitis, streptococcal throat infection. Si ...

, which degenerated into a malignant nervous fever.

Career

Prince William was an officer in the Austrian Army.

Personal life

On 30 May 1862, William was married to Princess Bathildis of

Anhalt-Dessau Anhalt-Dessau was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire and later a duchy of the German Confederation. Ruled by the House of Ascania, it was created in 1396 following the partition of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst, and finally merged into th ...

(1837–1902) at

Dessau Dessau is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent ...

. The Princess was a daughter of

Prince Frederick Augustus of Anhalt-Dessau Frederick Augustus of Anhalt-Dessau () (23 September 1799 – 4 December 1864), was a German prince of the House of Ascania from the Anhalt-Dessau branch. Birth and family Frederick was born in Dessau on 23 September 1799 as the fourth (but thi ...

, and his wife,

Princess Marie Luise Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel Princess Marie Luise Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel (9 May 1814 – 28 July 1895) was a member of the Electorate of Hesse, House of Hesse-Kassel by birth. Through her marriage to Prince Frederick Augustus of Anhalt-Dessau, she became a princess of An ...

. Together, they were the parents of eight children: * Princess Charlotte of Schaumburg-Lippe (1864–1946), who married

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

William II of Württemberg William II (; 25 February 1848 – 2 October 1921) was the last King of Württemberg. He ruled from 6 October 1891 until the dissolution of the kingdom on 30 November 1918. He was the last German ruler to abdicate in the wake of the November Rev ...

, in 1886; no issue. * Prince Franz Joseph of Schaumburg-Lippe (1865–1881), who died unmarried. * Prince Frederick of Schaumburg-Lippe (1868–1945), who married Princess Louise of Denmark, a daughter of King Frederick VIII, in 1896; had issue. After her death in 1906, he married Princess Antoinette of Anhalt, daughter of Prince Leopold of Anhalt, in 1909. * Prince Albrecht of Schaumburg-Lippe (1869–1942), who married Duchess Elsa of Württemberg, eldest daughter of Duke Eugen of Württemberg and Grand Duchess Vera of Russia, in 1897; had issue. * Prince Maximilian of Schaumburg-Lippe (1871–1904), who married Duchess Olga of Württemberg, younger sister of Duchess Elsa, in 1898; had issue. ** Prince Eugen of Schaumburg-Lippe (1899-1929) * Princess Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe (1873–1962), who married

Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (''Friedrich Adolf Hermann Fürst zu Waldeck und Pyrmont''; 20 January 1865 – 26 May 1946) was the last reigning Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont from 12 May 1893 to 13 November 1918. Early life, fa ...

, son of

George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont George Victor (14 January 1831 – 12 May 1893) was the 3rd sovereign Prince of the German state of Waldeck and Pyrmont. George Victor was born in Bad Arolsen the son of George II, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and his wife Princess Emma of ...

and

Princess Helena of Nassau Princess Helena of Nassau (; 18 August 183127 October 1888) was a daughter of William, Duke of Nassau, and consort of George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Early life Helena was born at Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau. She was the ninth chi ...

, in 1895; had issue. * Princess Adelaide of Schaumburg-Lippe (1875–1971), who married

Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg Ernst II (31 August 1871 – 22 March 1955) was the last reigning duke of Saxe-Altenburg and a German general active during World War I. Early life He was the fourth child and only son of Prince Moritz, the youngest son of Georg, Duke of Saxe- ...

, son of

Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg Georg Karl Frederick (24 July 1796 in Hildburghausen – 3 August 1853 in Hummelshain) was Duke of Saxe-Altenburg from 1848 to 1853. Family He was the fourth but second surviving son of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (of Saxe-Altenburg ...

and

Princess Augusta of Saxe-Meiningen Princess Augusta of Saxe-Meiningen (6 August 1843 – 11 November 1919) was the daughter of Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and his wife Princess Marie Frederica of Hesse-Kassel. She was the mother of Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. Fam ...

, in 1898. They had issue before their divorce in 1920. * Princess Alexandra Karoline of Schaumburg-Lippe (1879–1949), was scheduled to marry King

Alexander I of Serbia Alexander I (; 14 August 187611 June 1903) was King of Serbia from 1889 until his death in 1903, when he and his wife, Draga Mašin, were assassinated by a group of Royal Serbian Army officers, led by Captain Dragutin Dimitrijević. Acces ...

, but against the wishes of his parents, he married instead his mother's

lady in waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but ...

, Draga Mašin. In 1901, her name was also linked to

Prince George of Greece and Denmark Prince George of Greece and Denmark (; 24 June 1869 – 25 November 1957) was the second son and child of George I of Greece and Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, and is remembered chiefly for having once saved the life of his cousin the future Em ...

and later in 1905 to

Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia Prince Wilhelm Eitel Friedrich Christian Karl of Prussia (7 July 1883 – 8 December 1942) was the second son of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany by his first wife, Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. He was bo ...

, but nothing came out of it. She remained single and never married. Prince William and his daughter-in-law, Princess Louise of Denmark, died five hours apart at the family castle in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

. His cause of death was from heart trouble while hers was from meningitis.

Honours

* Ascanian duchies: Grand Cross of the House

Order of Albert the Bear The House Order of Albert the Bear (German: ''Hausorden Albrechts des Bären'' or ''Der Herzoglich Anhaltische Hausorden Albrechts des Bären'') was founded in 1836 as a joint House Order by three dukes of Anhalt from separate branches of the fam ...

, ''14 January 1856'' * : Knight of the

Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau The Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau (, ; ) is a chivalric order shared by the two branches of the House of Nassau (the Ottonian and Walramian lines). In the context of the elder ''Walramian line'', this order is the highest Luxemb ...

, ''July 1864'' *

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

: Grand Cross of the

House Order of the Wendish Crown The House Order of the Wendish Crown () is a dynastic order that was jointly instituted on 12 May 1864 by Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Grand Duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. It is the oldest and most s ...

, with Crown in Ore, ''21 March 1868'' *

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

: ** Knight of the Imperial

Order of the Iron Crown The Order of the Iron Crown () was an order of merit that was established on 5 June 1805 in the Kingdom of Italy by Napoleon Bonaparte under his title of Napoleon I, King of Italy. The order took its name from the ancient Iron Crown of Lombard ...

, 1st Class, ''1875'' ** Grand Cross of the Austrian Imperial Order of Leopold, ''1899'' *

Ernestine duchies The Ernestine duchies (), also known as the Saxon duchies (, although the Albertine appanage duchies of Weissenfels, Merseburg and Zeitz were also "Saxon duchies" and adjacent to several Ernestine ones), were a group of small states whose numb ...

: Grand Cross of the

Saxe-Ernestine House Order The Saxe-Ernestine House Order ()Hausorden
Herzogliche Haus Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha was a ...

, ''1882'' * :''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden'' (1896), "Großherzogliche Orden
pp. 6277
/ref> ** Knight of the

House Order of Fidelity The House Order of Fidelity () is a dynastic order of the Margraviate of Baden. It was established by Charles III William, Margrave of Baden-Durlach as a reward for merit and to mark the laying of the foundation stone of his residence at Kar ...

, ''1885'' ** Knight of the

Order of Berthold the First The Order of Berthold the First () was a dynastic order in the Grand Duchy of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden () was a German polity on the east bank of the Rhine. It originally existed as a sovereign state from 1806 to 1871 and later as par ...

, ''1885'' * : Grand Cross of the Order of the Württemberg Crown, ''1886''''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Württemberg'' (1886/7), "Königliche Orden" p
23
/ref>

Ancestry

References

Notes and sources

*L'Allemagne dynastique, Huberty, Giraud, Magdelaine, Reference: II 269 {{DEFAULTSORT:Schaumburg-Lippe, Prince William Of 1834 births 1906 deaths People from Bückeburg People from Schaumburg-Lippe

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

Members of the House of Lords (Austria) Austrian generals Sons of princes regnant