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 The County of Waldeck (later the Principality of Waldeck and Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont) was a state of the Holy Roman Empire and its successors from the late 12th century until 1929. In 1349 the county gained Imperial immediacy and ...

from 12 May 1893 to 13 November 1918.

Early life, family and education

Friedrich was born on 20 January 1865 in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont during the reign of his father

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 ...

. He was the only son and sixth child of George Victor and his first wife

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 ...

. He was a brother of the Dutch Queen consort Emma and Princess Helena, Duchess of Albany. His maternal grandparents were

William, Duke of Nassau Wilhelm (Given names: ''Georg Wilhelm August Heinrich Belgicus''; 14 June 1792, Kirchheimbolanden – 20/30 August 1839, Bad Kissingen) was joint sovereign Duke of Nassau, along with his father's cousin Frederick Augustus, reigning from 1816 unti ...

and his second wife

Princess Pauline of Württemberg 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 ...

. Pauline was a daughter of

Prince Paul of Württemberg Prince Paul of Württemberg (Paul Heinrich Karl Friedrich August; 19 January 1785 – 16 April 1852) was the fourth child and second son of King Frederick I and his wife, Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Early life Paul was born in ...

and his wife Charlotte of

Saxe-Hildburghausen Saxe-Hildburghausen () was an Ernestine duchy and Imperial Estate of the Holy Roman Empire in the southern side of the present State of Thuringia in Germany. It existed from 1680 to 1826 but its name and borders are currently used by the Distri ...

. Paul was a son of

Frederick I of Württemberg Frederick I (Frederick William Charles, ; 6 November 1754 – 30 October 1816) was the ruler of Württemberg from 1797 to his death. He was the last Duke of Württemberg from 1797 to 1803, then the first and only Elector of Württemberg from ...

and his wife

Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (Augusta Caroline Frederica Luise; 3 December 1764 – 27 September 1788), was the first wife of Frederick of Württemberg and the mother of William I of Württemberg. Early life Princess Augusta was bor ...

. Augusta was the eldest daughter of Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and

Princess Augusta of Great Britain Augusta of Great Britain (Augusta Frederica; 31 July 1737 – 23 March 1813) was a British princess, granddaughter of George II and the only elder sibling of George III. She was Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Princess of Brunswick-Wolfenb ...

, elder sister of

George III of the United Kingdom George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Great Britain and Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great ...

. Friedrich studied law at both the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen (, commonly referred to as Georgia Augusta), is a Public university, public research university in the city of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1734 ...

, and the

Leipzig University Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

. Following his time in university, Friedrich went on to serve in the Prussian army as part of the Guards Uhlan regiment.

Reign

On 12 May 1893, Friedrich ascended to the throne upon the death of his father. During World War I, he served in the Imperial German Army as a cavalry general. Germany would, however, lose the war and the German Revolution would force Friedrich to abdicate on 13 November 1918. However, he refused to sign an abdication agreement for some time before signing one that gave his family ownership over their home of Arolsen Castle and the surrounding Arolsen forest.

Post-abdication

During the rule of Nazi Germany, neither Friedrich or his wife joined the Nazi party. Friedrich died on 26 May 1946 in Arolsen, Allied-occupied Germany.

Marriage and children

He married Princess Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe, daughter of

Prince William of Schaumburg-Lippe Prince William of Schaumburg-Lippe (; 12 December 1834 – 4 April 1906) was the son of George William, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and member of the House of Lippe. Early life William was born at Bückeburg, Schaumburg-Lippe on 12 December 1834 ...

and Princess Bathildis of Anhalt-Dessau, in

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 ...

on 9 August 1895. They had three sons and one daughter: *

Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont () (13 May 1896 – 30 November 1967) was the heir apparent to the throne of the Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont and a general in the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS). From 1946 until his death, he wa ...

(b. 13 May 1896, d. 30 November 1967) *Prince Maximilian Wilhelm Gustav Hermann of Waldeck and Pyrmont (b. 13 September 1898, d. 23 February 1981) * Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont (b. 22 December 1899, d. 18 February 1948) *Prince Georg Wilhelm Karl Victor of Waldeck and Pyrmont (b. 10 March 1902, d. 14 November 1971)

Honours and awards

* : Grand Cross of the Order of the Württemberg Crown, ''1889'' *

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 ...

: Knight of the

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle () was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful service to the kingdom, o ...

, 1st Class, ''24 May 1890'' * : Grand Cross of the

Order of the Crown of Romania The Order of the Crown of Romania is a chivalric order set up on 14 March 1881 by King Carol I of Romania to commemorate the establishment of the Kingdom of Romania. It was awarded as a state order until the end of the Romanian monarchy in 1947. ...

* : ** 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 ...

, ''1893'' ** 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 ...

, ''1893'' * : Knight of the Royal

Order of Saint Hubert The Royal Order of Saint Hubert (), or sometimes () is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood founded in 1444 or 1445 by Gerhard VII, Duke of Jülich-Berg. He sought to commemorate his victory over the House of Egmond at the Battle of ...

, ''1893'' * : Knight of the

Order of the Rue Crown The Order of the Rue Crown () or Order of the Crown of Saxony was a dynastic order of knighthood of the Kingdom of Saxony. The order takes its name from the green floral crown of rue ('' crancelin'') found in the coat of arms of Saxony. It occup ...

, ''1894'' *

Sweden-Norway Sweden and Norway or Sweden–Norway (; ), officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, and known as the United Kingdoms, was a personal union of the separate kingdoms of Sweden and Norway under a common monarch and common foreign poli ...

: ** Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian

Order of Saint Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

, ''17 June 1894'' ** Knight of the Royal

Order of the Seraphim The Royal Order of the Seraphim (; ''Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is the highest order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Sweden. It was created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the ...

, ''18 September 1897'' * : Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

(civil division), ''26 April 1904''

Ancestry

References

1865 births 1946 deaths People from Bad Arolsen People from the Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont Princes of Waldeck and Pyrmont House of Waldeck and Pyrmont Annulled Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Generals of Cavalry (Prussia) Pretenders Monarchs who abdicated Leipzig University alumni {{Germany-royal-stub