Prince Franz of Bavaria

Prince Franz
Prince Franz of Bavaria
Born	(1875-10-10)10 October 1875 Schloss Leutstetten, Starnberg, Bavaria
Died	25 January 1957(1957-01-25) (aged 81) Schloss Leutstetten, Starnberg, Bavaria
Burial	Michaelskirche, Munich, Bavaria
Spouse	Princess Isabella Antonie of Croÿ
Issue	Prince Ludwig of Bavaria Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria Princess Aldegunde Maria of Bavaria Princess Dorothea Therese of Bavaria Prince Rasso of Bavaria
House	Wittelsbach
Father	Ludwig III of Bavaria
Mother	Archduchess Maria Theresia of Austria-Este

Prince Franz of Bavaria (German: Franz Maria Luitpold Prinz von Bayern) (10 October 1875 – 25 January 1957) was a member of the Bavarian Royal House of Wittelsbach and a Major General in the Bavarian Army.

Early life and Military career

Franz was born at Schloss Leutstetten, Starnberg, Bavaria. He was the third son of King Ludwig III of Bavaria and his wife Archduchess Maria Theresia of Austria-Este. Initially, Franz served as a commander of the 2. Infanterie-Regiments König, but shortly before the outbreak of World War I, he was given command of the 3. bayerische Infanteriebrigade, which was later renamed and became the 4. Infanterie-Brigade. Prince Franz led this brigade through its victories at Fort Douaumont, Passchendaele and Kemmelberg.

For his exemplary leadership during these operations he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Max Joseph on 25 May 1916 and on 28 October 1916 was given command of the entire 4. Bayerische Infanterie-Division. In Spring 1918, Prince Franz was also awarded the Commander's Cross of the Military Order of Max Joseph and the prestigious Pour le Mérite, Prussia's highest military decoration, on 16 May 1918. However during the summer 1918, the 4. Bayerische Infanterie-Division suffered severe loses during the Battle of the Somme and was transferred to Italian Front on border protection duties, where he stayed for the remainder of the war.

Marriage

On 12 July 1912 Prince Franz married Princess Isabella Antonie of Croÿ, the daughter of Duke Karl Alfred of Croÿ and Princess Ludmilla of Arenberg. The wedding took place at the Schloss Weilburg in Baden near Vienna, Austria-Hungary. The couple had six children:

• Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (1913–2008); married Princess Irmingard of Bavaria (1923–2010).
• Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria (1914–2011); married Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza (1909–1981).
• Princess Adelgunde Maria of Bavaria (1917–2004); married Baron Zdenko von Hoenning-O'Carroll (1906–1996).
• Princess Eleonore Marie of Bavaria (1918–2009); married Count Konstantin of Waldburg-Zeil (1909–1972).
• Princess Dorothea Therese of Bavaria (1920–2015^[1]); married Archduke Gottfried of Austria (1902–1984).
• Prince Rasso of Bavaria (1926–2011); married Princess Theresa of Bavaria (b. 1931).

Death

Prince Franz of Bavaria died on 25 January 1957 at Schloss Leutstetten in Starnberg, Bavaria and is buried in the Colombarium in the Michaelskirche in Munich, Bavaria.

Decorations and honors

Bavaria

• Order of St. Hubertus
• Military Order of Max Joseph, Knight's Cross (1816) and Commander's Cross (1918)
• Military Merit Order, Star to 2nd Class with Swords
• Military Merit Order, 2nd Class with Swords
• Military Merit Order, 3rd Class with Crown
• Jubilee Medal
• Service Distinction Cross 2nd Class, for 25 years' service

Prussia

• Order of the Black Eagle
• 1914 Iron Cross 1st Class
• 1914 Iron Cross 2nd Class
• 1918 Wound Badge in Black
• Pour le Mérite
• Order of the Crown, 2nd Class with Star with Swords
• Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Honor Cross 1st Class with Swords
• Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Honor Cross 1st Class

Other German states

• Baden: House Order of Fidelity
• Brunswick: War Merit Cross, 2nd. Class
• Hesse-Darmstadt: Ludewig Order
• Lippe-Detmold: War Honor Cross for Heroic Deeds
• Saxony: Order of the Rue Crown
• Duchies of Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Saxe-Meiningen: Ducal Saxe-Ernestine House Order, Grand Cross
• Württemberg: Order of the Württemberg Crown, Grand Cross

Other countries

• Austria-Hungary: Order of the Golden Fleece
• Austria-Hungary: Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, Grand Cross
• Austria-Hungary: Military Merit Cross, 2nd Class with War Decoration
• Ottoman Empire: Imtiaz Medal in Gold with Swords
• Ottoman Empire: Turkish War Medal (so-called "Gallipoli Star")
• Ottoman Empire: Order of Osminieh, 1st Class

References

• Das Bayernbuch vom Kriege 1914-1918, Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen, Friedrichfranz Feeser, Chr. Belser AG, Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart 1930
• Die Wittelsbacher. Geschichte unserer Familie. Adalbert, Prinz von Bayern. Prestel Verlag, München, 1979