Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse

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Louis IV
Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

Ludwig IV, 1878
Reign 13 June 1877 – 13 March 1892
Full name Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Karl
Titles HRH The Grand Duke of Hesse
HRH Prince Ludwig of Hesse
HGDH Prince Ludwig of Hesse
Born 12 September 1837(1837-09-12)
Birthplace Darmstadt, Germany
Died 13 March 1892 (aged 54)
Buried Rosenhöhe
Predecessor Louis III
Successor Ernest Louis
Consort Alice of the United Kingdom
Alexandrina Hutten-Czapska (annulled)
Issue Princess Victoria
Princess Elisabeth
Princess Irene
Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse
Prince Friedrich
Princess Alix
Princess Marie
Royal House House of Hesse
Father Charles of Hesse-Darmstadt
Mother Elizabeth of Prussia

Louis IV (Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Karl) (12 September 1837 - 13 March 1892), was the fourth Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, reigning from 13 June 1877 until his death. Through his own and his children's marriages he was connected to the British Royal Family, to the Imperial house of Russia and other royal houses of Europe.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Louis was born at Darmstadt, Germany as the son of Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine (23 April 1809-20 March 1877) and Princess Elizabeth of Prussia (18 June 1815-21 March 1885), granddaughter of King Frederick William II of Prussia.

[edit] Marriage

On 1 July 1862, Louis married Princess Alice, the third child of Queen Victoria of Great Britain at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. On the day of the wedding, the Queen issued Letters Patent granting her new son-in-law the style of Royal Highness. This style was only in effect in Great Britain, not the German confederation where Prince Ludwig was only a Grand Ducal Highness. The Queen subsequently created him a Knight of the Garter.

[edit] Military career

During the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Louis commanded the Hessian cavalry in support of the Austrian side. In the 1870-71 Franco-Prussian War, Louis led the Hessian contingent of the armies of the North German Confederation.

[edit] Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

On 13 June 1877, he succeeded his uncle as Grand Duke of Hesse taking the name Ludwig IV.

[edit] Second Marriage

Following the death of Princess Alice in 1878, Ludwig IV contracted a morganatic marriage on 30 April 1884 with Alexandrina Hutten-Czapska (3 September 1854-8 May 1941), the former wife of Alexander Kolémine, the Russian chargé d'affaires in Darmstadt. His second wife received the title Countess von Romrod. The marriage, which caused great concern within his family, was annulled within a year.

Styles of
Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by the Rhine
Image:Grand Duke of Hesse Standard.gif
Reference style His Royal Highness
Spoken style Your Royal Highness
Alternative style Sir

[edit] Death

Grand Duke Ludwig IV died on 13 March 1892 and was succeeded by his son, Ernest Louis. His remains are buried at Rosenhöhe, the mausoleum for the Grand Ducal House of Hesse outside of Darmstadt.

[edit] Titles, Styles, Honours & Arms

[edit] Titles

  • 1837-1862: His Grand Ducal Highness Prince Ludwig of Hesse
  • 1862-1877: His Royal Highness Prince Ludwig of Hesse
  • 1877-1892: His Royal Highness The Grand Duke of Hesse

[edit] Honours

[edit] Ancestry

[edit] Issue

Name Birth Death Notes
By Princess Alice
Princess Victoria 5 April 1863 24 September 1950 married Prince Louis of Battenberg, later Marquess of Milford-Haven; had issue
Princess Elisabeth 1 November 1864 17 July 1918 Took the name Yelisaveta Fyodorovna on her baptism into the Russian Orthodox Church; married Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia (son of Alexander II of Russia); no issue
Princess Irene 11 July 1866 11 November 1953 married Prince Heinrich (son of Friedrich III of Germany); had issue
Prince Ernst Ludwig 25 November 1868 9 October 1937 Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (13 March 1892-9 November 1918); married (1) HRH Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; divorced

(2) HH Princess Eleonore zu Solms-Hohensolms-Lich; had issue
Prince Friedrich 7 October 1870 29 May 1873 Suffered from haemophilia and died from internal bleeding after a fall from a window
Princess Alix 6 June 1872 17 July 1918 Took the name Alexandra Feodorovna on her baptism into the Russian Orthodox Church; married Tsar Nicholas II of Russia; had issue
Princess Marie 24 May 1874 16 November 1878 Died of diphtheria
By Alexandrina Hutten-Czapska, Countess von Romrod
no issue
Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse
Born: September 12 1837 Died: March 13 1892
German royalty
Preceded by
Louis III		 Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine
1877-1892		 Succeeded by
Ernest Louis