Prince Wolfgang of Hesse

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Prince and Landgrave Wolfgang Maurice of Hesse-Cassel (6 November 1896, Castle Rumpenheim, Offenbach, Germany - 12 July 1989), was the designated Hereditary Prince of the monarchy of Finland, and as such, already called the Crown Prince of Finland officially until 14 December 1918, and also afterwards by some monarchists.

Wolfgang was the second-born of a pair of twins, the fourth child and son born to Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse (1868-1940) and Princess Margaret of Prussia (1872-1954). His maternal uncle was the German Emperor William II. Wolfgang's father Frederick Charles of Hesse was elected King of Finland on 9 October 1918, to replace his first cousin once removed, the deposed Russian emperor, Nicholas II, who was titled Grand Duke of Finland. However, Frederick Charles renounced the throne in December, 1918, and the title was never actually held by the family.

Wolfgang would have been his father's heir as King of Finland instead of his elder twin Prince Philip of Hesse (1896–1980), apparently because Wolfgang was with his parents in 1918 and ready to travel to Finland (where rumoredly a wedding to a Finnish lady already was in the preparation for the coming Crown Prince). Philip was in the military and incommunicado at the time.

Wolfgang married on September 17, 1924 Princess Marie Alexandra of Baden (1902-44), daughter of Prince Maximilian of Baden and Princess Marie Louise of Hanover; they had no children. When Wolfgang died, his nephew Prince Heinrich of Hesse succeeded him in the claims to the throne of Finland.[1]

Wolfgang adopted his nephew, Prince Karl Adolf of Hesse (born 1937), elder son of his younger brother Christoph who was killed in action in 1943.

At the time of his death at the age of 92, Wolfgang was the only surviving great-grandchild of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom who had been born in her lifetime. Victoria died in 1901 and Wolfgang was born in 1896.

[edit] Ancestry

[edit] References

  1. ^ Baer, Katarina; Kuvat Pekka Elomaa. "Suomen Kuningas", Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved on 2008-02-14. (Finnish) 

[edit] External links

Prince Wolfgang of Hesse
Born: November 6 1896 Died: July 12 1989
Titles in pretence
Preceded by
Frederick Charles of Hesse
— TITULAR —
King of Finland
28 May 194012 July 1989
Reason for succession failure:
Kingdom never established
Succeeded by
Prince Heinrich of Hesse
Languages