#prince wilhelm of hesse-kassel

[adini-nikolaevna]

“At 7 in the morning, the first signs of premature birth occurred.

At 8 o'clock the distinguished young woman [Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna] took Holy Communion according to the rite of the Greek Church. Her confessor had demanded to see her, and so the Grand Duchess' desire for the ordinance was brought about in a natural way. According to the custom of the Greek religion, the sick woman asked not only her parents present but also her husband's forgiveness for any slights. This was so touching for the young gentleman, who was not used to this ecclesiastical form, that he knelt by the bed and also asked for forgiveness for any worries that he had caused her during the short time of their marriage.

An hour later she gave birth almost painlessly and unusually easily to a boy who screamed loudly and audibly, although he was only 25 weeks old. I went with the child and all members of the august family, except her father and mother, into the next room, where I wrapped him in warm cotton wool to await the baptism. All the members gradually approached the basket to see their sister's child . The prince [Friedrich Wilhelm of Hesse-Kassel] also approached and seemed deeply touched with fatherly joy, which dwindled with each passing moment.”

A Protestant priest had been sent to perform the baptism. However, when he had not arrived after three quarters of an hour, and the weak spark of life threatened to go out at any moment, the fear arose in the entire circle of those present that the child might die without the sacrament of baptism. Someone, I think it was the Duke of Leuchtenberg, had opened the door of the sick room and saw the emperor kneeling beside the bed. No one dared to disturb this moment, and yet danger was imminent.

I handed over the care of the young prince to a very capable chambermaid, entered the mother's room and actually saw the emperor [Nicholas I] at her bedside, holding both of her hands in his in a half-kneeling position.

To get his attention I made a small noise, but he would not look up, and I was forced to wave. He immediately got up, came toward me, led me to the doorway and asked,

“What do you want?”

“The child is in danger of dying any minute; the clergyman has not come. Does Your Majesty wish to baptize your grandson yourself, lest he die without the ordinance?”

“Yes, yes. Certainly.”

The emperor immediately went into the next room and entered the circle of his family surrounding the basket with the child. When the bowl of water was given to him as ordered, he performed the baptism with a dignity and emotion that made the deepest impression on me. Everyone knelt around the great emperor, who was baptizing his youngest grandchild. Then, without another word, he left the room and returned to his daughter’s bedside.

After a good half hour the summoned clergyman finally appeared in full regalia, decorated with several medals. The child was barely alive; but he performed the baptism according to the regulations of the Protestant church.

Of these two baptisms, that of the grandfather of his grandson was certainly recorded in heaven.”

— Imperial physician Dr. Martin von Mandt on the premature birth of Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Kassel, the short-lived son of Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna of Russia.”

[homomenhommes]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … January 18

1726 – Frederick Heinrich Louis, more commonly known as Prince Henry of Prussia was born in Berlin (d.1802). He also served as a general and statesman, and, in 1786, was suggested as a candidate for a monarch for the United States, but before he could make up his mind on the offer, the U.S. had opted to be a Republic.

The younger brother of King Frederick II of Prussia, Henry's conflicts with "Frederick the Great" are almost legendary.

In 1752 Henry married Princess Wilhelmina of Hesse-Kassel in Charlottenburg, but they had no children. Henry lived in Rheinsberg after receiving it as a gift from his brother. Despite the marriage, he scarcely concealed his passion for other men and developed intimate friendships with the actor Blainville and the French emigre Count La Roche-Aymon. One favourite, Major Kaphengst, exploited the prince's interest in him to lead a dissipated, wasteful life on an estate not far from Rheinsberg.

Henry successfully led Prussian armies as a general during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), in which he never lost a battle. After the Prussian Army's initial success against one wing of the joint Russian and Austrian Armies in the Battle of Kunersdorf, Henry urged his brother Frederick to stop attacking. The king, who had already sent a message of victory to Berlin, pressed the attack. The day ended with a virtually destroyed Prussian army, a virtually defenseless Kingdom of Prussia, and a complete victory by the Russo-Austrian force. Afterwards, Henry reorganized the routed Prussian forces. Frederick came to rely on his brother as commander of the Prussian forces in the east, Frederick's strategic flank. Henry later won his most famous victory at Freiberg in 1762.

After the Seven Years' War, Henry worked as a shrewd diplomat who helped plan the First Partition of Poland through trips to Stockholm and St. Petersburg. In the 1780s he made two diplomatic trips to France. He was a friend of Jean-Louis Favier.

Henry attempted to secure a principality for himself and twice tried to become King of Poland, but was opposed by a displeased Frederick. The king frustrated Henry's attempt to become ruler of a kingdom Catherine II of Russia planned to create in Wallachia.

In 1786 either Nathaniel Gorham, then President of the Continental Congress, or Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, the Prussian general who served in the Continental Army, suggested to Alexander Hamilton that Henry should become President or King of the United States, but the offer was revoked before the prince could make a reply.

1867 – Félix Rubén García Sarmiento (d.1916), known as Rubén Darío, was a Nicaraguan poet who initiated the Spanish-American literary movement known as modernismo (modernism) that flourished at the end of the 19th century. Darío has had a great and lasting influence on 20th-century Spanish literature and journalism. He has been praised as the "Prince of Castilian Letters" and undisputed father of the modernismo literary movement.In November, 2012, the University of Arizona acquired a privately-held collection of manuscripts and letters created by Dario. This distinctive collection of archival material contained documents pertaining to Darío's life and work as a poet, journalist and diplomat. Several of the manuscripts are signed transcripts, written in Darío's hand, of some of his most important works including "Coloquio de los Centauros," two versions of "Los motivos del lobo" and "Canto épico a las glorias de Chile," a manuscript of 76 pages, which was one of Darío's first long poems.

The documents have already begun to alter the scholarship on Darío. The peer-reviewed "Bulletin of Spanish Studies," a prestigious academic journal from the United Kingdom, has published an article by Professor Alberto Acereda in its August 2012 issue based on letters found in ASU's collection. The article, "'Nuestro más profundo y sublime secreto': Los amores transgresores entre Rubén Darío y Amado Nervo," ("Our Most Profound and Sublime Secret: the Transgressive Love of Ruben Dario and Amado Nervo") reveals for the first time a secret romantic relationship between Darío and famed Mexican poet Amado Nervo (1870-1919) the Mexican Ambassador to Argentina and Uruguay, journalist, poet, and educator. Acereda said,"The exact nature of this relationship is evidenced in a series of intimate letters exchanged between the two poets and they help us to better understand the respective works of these modernist authors, as well as to establish a re-reading of certain texts."

1904 – Cary Grant, born Archibald Alexander Leach, (d.1986), was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship. Known for his transatlantic accent, debonair demeanor and "dashing good looks", Grant is considered one of classic Hollywood's definitive leading men. His good looks, charisma, and ambiguous sexuality enchanted women and men alike. As the star-struck comedian Steve Lawrence once said, "When Cary Grant walked into a room, not only did the women primp, the men straightened their ties."

Born Archibald Alexander Leach on January 18, 1904, near Bristol, England, Grant began his career in vaudeville. In 1932 he signed with Paramount and moved to Hollywood, where he developed the debonair persona that made him famous. After appearing in half a dozen films, his big break came when the sultry Mae West handpicked him to star with her in She Done Him Wrong (1933). Based on West's Broadway hit Diamond Lil, the film made Grant a bankable star.

Grant's best-known films include The Awful Truth (1937), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Gunga Din (1939), The Philadelphia Story (1940), His Girl Friday (1940), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Notorious (1946), To Catch A Thief (1955), An Affair to Remember (1957), North by Northwest (1959) and Charade (1963).

Grant was married five times. But there were well-founded rumours that he was bisexual or gay. Homosexual screenwriter Arthur Laurents wrote that Grant "told me he threw pebbles at my window one night but was luckless". Grant allegedly was involved with costume designer Orry-Kelly when he first moved to Manhattan, and lived with Randolph Scott off and on for twelve years.

Richard Blackwell wrote that Grant and Scott were "deeply, madly in love", and alleged eyewitness accounts of their physical affection have been published. Alexander D'Arcy, who appeared with Grant in The Awful Truth, said he knew that Grant and Scott "lived together as a gay couple", adding: "I think Cary knew that people were saying things about him. I don't think he tried to hide it." The two men frequently accompanied each other to parties and premieres and were unconcerned when photographs of them cozily preparing dinner together at home were published in fan magazines. Biographer Roy Moseley claims that Grant and Scott were seen kissing in a public carpark outside a social function both attended in the 1960s. William J. Mann's book Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood, 1910-1969 recounts how photographer Jerome Zerbe spent "three Gay months" in the movie colony taking many photographs of Grant and Scott, "attesting to their involvement in the Gay scene." Zerbe says that he often stayed with the two actors, "finding them both warm, charming, and happy."

Cary Grant (R) with Randolph Scott

For more pictures and backround of this 1930s 'bromance' see Cary Grant and Randolph Scott: A Love Story.

Barbara Harris, Grant's widow, has disputed that there was a relationship with Scott. When Chevy Chase joked about Grant being gay in a television interview Grant sued him for slander; they settled out of court. However, Grant did admit in an interview that his first two wives had accused him of being homosexual. Betsy Drake commented: "Why would I believe that Cary was homosexual when we were busy fucking? He lived 43 years before he met me. I don't know what he did. Maybe he was bisexual."

Although most of his career was spent playing a static archetype, Grant was unafraid to take risks, professionally or privately. He is credited with using the word "gay" for the first time in a homosexual context on screen. In Bringing Up Baby (1938), Grant plays a shy paleontologist against Katharine Hepburn's spoiled New York heiress. During one scene, Grant appears in a frilly pink dressing gown and to incredulous observers delivers his famous line "because I just went gay all of a sudden."

Knowing his audience did not want to see him age, Grant retired from films in the 1960s, secure as one of Hollywood's brightest stars. He died on November 29, 1986.

1913 – Danny Kaye, born David Daniel Kaminsky, (d.1987) was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian. His best known performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and rapid-fire nonsense songs.

Kaye starred in 17 movies, notably The Kid from Brooklyn (1946), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947), The Inspector General (1949), Hans Christian Andersen (1952), and — perhaps his most accomplished performance — The Court Jester (1956). His films were extremely popular, especially his bravura performances of patter songs and children's favorites such as The Inch Worm and The Ugly Duckling. He was the first ambassador-at-large of UNICEF and received the French Legion of Honor in 1986 for his many years of work with the organization.

Kaye and his wife, Sylvia Fine, both grew up in Brooklyn, living only a few blocks apart, but they did not meet until they were both working on an off-Broadway show in 1939. They were married on January 3, 1940.

During World War II, the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated rumors that Kaye dodged the draft by manufacturing a medical condition to gain 4-F status and exemption from military service. FBI files show he was also under investigation for supposed links with Communist groups. The allegations were never substantiated, and he was never charged with any associated crime.

After Kaye and his wife became estranged, he was allegedly involved with a succession of women, though he and Fine never divorced. The best-known of these women was actress Eve Arden.

There are persistent rumors that Kaye was either homosexual or bisexual, and some sources claim that Kaye and Laurence Olivier had a ten-year relationship in the 1950s while Olivier was still married to Vivien Leigh. A biography of Leigh states that the alleged relationship caused her to have a breakdown. The alleged relationship has been denied by Olivier's official biographer, Terry Coleman. Joan Plowright, Olivier's widow, has dealt with the matter in different ways on different occasions: she deflected the question (but alluded to Olivier's "demons") in a BBC interview. However, in her memoirs Plowright denies that there had been an affair between the two men. Producer Perry Lafferty reported: "People would ask me, 'Is he gay? Is he gay?' I never saw anything to substantiate that in all the time I was with him." Kaye's final girlfriend, Marlene Sorosky, reported that he told her, "I've never had a homosexual experience in my life. I've never had any kind of gay relationship. I've had opportunities, but I never did anything about them."

1973 – The Chilean journalist Juan Manuel Astorga was born today. Astorga is a major media personality having hosted radio, television and cable shows in his long and storied career. In 2008, Astorga gave an interview to Caras magazine, in which he discussed his homosexuality .

He chose to disclose his sexuality before he was outed by an attorney who was a member of the Fascist-connected Catholic order Opus Dei. The attorney attempted to extort money from Astorga by threatening to out him. Astorga beat him to the punch. The Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation of Chile supported Astorga and condemned this kind of blackmail.

1986 – Eugene Lee Yang is an American filmmaker, actor, and internet celebrity, best known for his work with BuzzFeed (2013–2018) and The Try Guys (2014–present). Yang is also known for his work with various human rights and LGBT advocacy charities such as The Trevor Project.

Yang, the only son of Korean immigrants Min-Young and Jae Yang, was born and raised in Pflugerville, Texas. He is the middle child of two sisters. Growing up in Pflugerville, Yang's family was one of the few Asian Americans in their community. He struggled with body image issues and low self-esteem as, in his own words, no one looked like him, and suffered bullying due to his appearance.

At school, he engaged in artistic activities including visual arts, illustration, theater, choir, and dance. However, a seventh-grade teacher recommended that he should consider studying filmmaking. He later went to the University of Southern California and, during his studies, had written and directed six short films discussing wide-ranging social and political topics, including mental health care, gay marriage, and school shootings. He graduated with a B.A. in cinema production degree in 2008. On June 15, 2019, Yang came out as gay in a video titled "I'm Gay" which he wrote, directed, and choreographed with the song "A Moment Apart" by Odesza.

In 2013, he started working for the video branch of the internet media company, BuzzFeed, at the recommendation of a colleague who saw his potential in creating short format videos. He was given free control on experimental video productions and exploring new modes of storytelling.Reaction to some of his early works was positive particularly on their distinct candor and reliability, which led to more provocative sketches such as

The Try Guys, which was established in Buzzfeed in 2014, together with co-stars Ned Fulmer, Keith Habersberger, and Zach Kornfeld. The show is a mix of social commentary and humor depicting scenarios such as men going through labor pains and prostate cancer check at a doctor's office. The cast initially were hesitant about stepping out from behind the camera as they had limited acting experience, but they continued producing videos for the show after receiving positive feedback.

Yang is the only openly gay member among the cast of The Try Guys, which also produced LGBTQ-themed videos such as season 1 episode 3 The Try Guys Try Drag for the First Time. On October 31, 2018, he published the video, My Dad’s First Drag Show (Featuring Kim Chi), where he adopted a similar approach into exploring drag culture by inviting his father and stepmother to a drag show.

He also executively produced and hosted Buzzfeed's Queer Prom five-part video series that documented the journey of eight high school seniors who attended the company's first LGBTQ-themed prom together with other students.

On October 11, 2018, commemorated as the 30th year of National Coming Out Day, he took over the website of the advocacy group Human Rights Campaign, publicly sharing his experience growing up as a young queer man and advocating for LGBTQ representation in the media. Furthermore, he collaborated with The Trevor Project, a non-profit LGBTQ suicide prevention organization, to raise awareness on the incidence of suicide among LGBTQ youth and in inviting volunteers in the video Eugene Volunteers at the Trevor Project, which was posted on December 3, 2018.

He referred to himself as queer and LGBT, however, on June 15, 2019, Yang explicitly came out as gay in a music video. Two days later, Yang released an accompanying video documenting the creation of the video, his feelings, and his thoughts surrounding his coming out process.

In 2019, he announced that he is in a relationship with Matthew McLean

2009 – On this date the Right Reverend Gene Robinson, the bishop of New Hampshire, and the first openly gay bishop of any denomination opened the inaugural festivities of Barack Obama's presidency when he gave the opening prayer at the Lincoln Monument. HBO, which had paid for exclusive rights to the event did not broadcast Bishop Robinson's prayer. So those watching the event live or later in replay would never have known it had occurred.

Curiously, National Public Radio chose not to air the prayer live either. There was no record of Bishop Robinson or his prayer in images placed on the sites of Getty Images, the New York Times and the Washington Post.

Very curious indeed. After some lame excuses HBO later aired a complete version of the afternoon's proceedings with Bishop Robinson's prayer included. No good excuse was ever given by the inaugural committee.

On an added note the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington also performed at the event but there was no announcement or caption of any sort to identify the group performing (perhaps to not upset any viewers out there).

2010 – Undercover cops are working Dubai's chat rooms to bust gay men for trying to hookup online. The National reports that one 22 year old man is charged with prostitution, consensual homosexual sex, producing pornographic material, cross-dressing and insulting religion, while the second, an 18-year-old student, is facing prostitution charges. Homosexuality is illegal in the United Arab Emirates, and if found guilty both face a minimum of three and a maximum of 15 years in prison.

[die-greifen]

who: mecklenburgish line of succession

The line was succession to the Mecklenburgish throne was changed from agnatic primogeniture to male preference primogeniture on 1 January 1930 upon the descendants of Heinrich Ludwig I.

The line of succession was changed from male preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture for the descendants of Wilhelm Franz I on 1 January 1990, male preference primogeniture continues for the rest of Heinrich Ludwig I’s descendants.

Conditions of eligibility until 2006

Legitimate descendant of Heinrich Ludwig I (legitimised children are not applicable)

Raised protestant

Marries with the consent of the Monarch

Conditions of eligibility from 2006

Legitimate descendant of Heinrich Ludwig I (legitimised children are not applicable)

Consent to marry is required for the first seven in line to remain eligible

Prior to 1982, all people in the line of succession had to make marriages to members of ruling royal houses, former ruling royal houses or noble families to remain in the line of succession.

LINE OF SUCCESSION ON 1 DECEMBER 2014

HM Heinrich Ludwig I (b. 1890 d. 1954) …..HM Paul Friedrich II (b. 1919 d. 1982) ……….HM King Wilhelm Franz I (b. 1949 d. 1992) ……………HM Queen Karolina Augusta I (b. 1988) ……………(1) HRH Prince Klaus Wilhelm, Duke of Havel and Mecklenburg-Schwerin (b. 1992) ……….(2) HRH Prince Albrecht Gustav, Duke of Bad Doberan (9. 1953) ……………(3) HRH Prince Paul Ludwig of Mecklenburg (b. 1983) ……………(4) HRH Prince Christian Franz of Mecklenburg (b. 1987) ……………(5) HRH Princess Marie Leopoldine of Mecklenburg (b. 1985) ……………(6) HRH Princess Marie Josefine of Mecklenburg (b. 1989) ……….(7) HRH Princess Heinrike Franziska, Duchess of Ratzeburg (b. 1940) ……….(8) HRH Princess Elisabeth Mathilde, Duchess of Güstrow (b. 1942) ……………(9) HSH Prince Ludwig of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (b. 1973) ………………..(10) HSH Princess Juliana of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (b. 2005) ………………..(11) HSH Princess Lucinda of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (b. 2006) ……………(12) HSH Prince Konstantin of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (b. 1976) ………………..(13) HSH Prince Rupprecht of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (b. 2012) ………………..(14) HSH Prince Samuel of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (b. 2014) ……….(15) HRH Princess Marie Anastasia, Duchess of Grevesmühlen (b. 1944) ……………(16) HH Prince Karl Viktor of Hesse-Kassel (b. 1973) ………………..(17) HH Prince Otto of Hesse-Kassel (b. 2005) ………………..(18) HH Princess Mafalda of Hesse-Kassel (b. 2008) ………………..(19) HH Princess Pauline of Hesse-Kassel (b. 2010) ……………(20) HH Prince Ernst Albert of Hesse-Kassel (b. 1974) ……………(21) HH Prince Nikolaus Emmanuel of Hesse-Kassel (b. 1975) ………………..(22) HH Prince Daniel of Hesse-Kassel (b. 2008) ………………..(23) HH Prince Peter of Hesse-Kassel (b. 2010) ………………..(24) HH Princess Milena of Hesse-Kassel (.b 2013) ……….(25) HRH Princess Cecilie Auguste, Duchess of Ludwigslust (b. 1947) ……………(26) HSH Prince Friedrich Magnus of Schwarzburg (b. 1977) ………………..(27) HSH Prince Bernhard of Schwarzburg (b. 2009) ………………..(28) HSH Prince Joachim of Schwarzburg (b. 2011) ………………..(29) HSH Princess Theresia of Schwarzburg (b. 2007) ………………..(30) HSH Princess Antoinette of Schwarzburg (b. 2013) ……………(31) HSH Princess Anne Therese of Schwarzburg (b. 1980) ……….(32) HRH Princess Alexandrine Luise, Duchess of Waren (b. 1951) ……………(33) HH Princess Ingeborg, Marchioness of Bowmont and Cessford (b. 1982) ……………(34) HH Princess Sigrid of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (b. 1983)

……….HRH Princess Ingrid Sophie, Duchess of Teterow (b. 1955 d. 2012) …..(35) HRH Princess Marie Elisabeth, Duchess of Parchim (b. 1921) ……….(36) HH Prince Harald of Denmark (b. 1953) ……………(37) HH Prince Oskar of Denmark (b. 1983) ……………(38) HH Prince Axel of Denmark (b. 1985) ……………(39) HH Princess Louisa of Denmark (b. 1982) ……….(40) HH Princess Feodora of Liechtenstein (b. 1955) ……………(41) HSH Prince Adam Karl of Liechtenstein (b. 1986) ……………(42) HSH Prince Peter Gregor of Liechtenstein (b. 1991) ……………(43) HSH Princess Bernadette Sophia of Liechtenstein (b. 1984) ……………(44) HSH Princess Johanna Eleonore of Liechtenstein (b. 1988)

[findetdeutschland]

Art

Germany not only has beautiful landscapes and wonderous festivals, but there is also a large art culture surrounding the country that it is difficult to not know of at least one musician/author/artist that was originally from Deutschland or surrounding German speaking areas. Support of the arts is also something that the government is also focused on maintaining since the 1800’s. There are hundreds of theaters in Germany, and finding a local symphony orchestra isn’t something incredibly difficult to do. Now I don’t think I could even barely scratch the surface of all the influential, talented individuals that came from Germany. I can however give you some more information about a couple of the most well-known people that originated from Germany.

Starting off, we’re going to talk about Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm and Wilhelm Carl Grimm. You may have heard of the Brothers Grimm before or maybe you’ve heard of some of their tales, especially if you enjoy Disney content. They brothers were born in 1785-86 and were the oldest siblings in their family of six children. These boys ended up taking care of their family when both of their parents passed, and both attended University of Marburg studying law. Jacob ended up working in Paris doing legal research and ended up working as a librarian to King Jérôme of Westphalia then an auditeur in the highest court in France until Napoleon’s defeat. After returning to Hessian service, he travelled to Paris to retrieve stolen art and literature that were taken from Prussia and Hesse. Wilhelm started around this time at a library is Kassel and Jacob eventually joined him at, and from this point on did the brothers focus on literature and research into it. They began collecting different folk literature, songs, and poetry and accumulated them all into a collection that contained over 200 short stories and called it Kinder und Hausmärchen. This book is what we know today as the Grimm Brother’s tales that include stories like Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Little Red Riding Hood. The brothers also accomplished quite a bit more involving philosophy, teaching at an university and were even exiled from the country they lived because of their political beliefs. If you would like to get a more thorough deep dive, I highly suggest giving my link to Britannica a look at the beginning of the paragraph.

Another influential person to come from Germany is a name you might also be familiar with, and that is Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach was born in 1685 and was born into a long line of musicians. His father is credited for teaching Bach the violin, however both of his parents ended up passing away when Johann was only ten years old. After they died, he ended up learning how to play the organ by his brother, and furthered his musical education after he was accepted into a school in Lüneburg. He continued his education and became a violinist/organist for Duke Johann Ernst for a short while. Then he bounced around as an organist for multiple different churches, but really wanted to get out there and continue to listen/learn more music from different places. After clashing with a few different churches, he returned to the duke’s court and ended writing some music that is still heard today like “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor”. A few years later, Bach tried to leave the duke for a musical position for Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen, and Duke Ernst imprisoned for a couple months for it. He didn’t want to let him go, but eventually was released. During his time for the prince, he was able to focus on his music writing and shifted gears into a more orchestra concerto. This continued for a few years until the prince married someone who didn’t enjoy music. Prince Leopold ended up dissolving Bach’s orchestra officially in 1723. He then went back to a church in Leipzig and performed as well as taught music to others. This didn’t stop his music writing all the way until his passing in 1750. Bach was an incredibly accomplished man, and also wrote a few books during his lifespan. I wasn’t able to cover all the details in his life, however you can check out more information in the link above.

[c-c-2]

Silvius [Sylvius] Leopold Weiss [Weiß] was a German composer and lutenist, the master lutenist of the 18th century and one of the greatest players of all time. He was born into a lute-playing family: his father Johann Jakob (1662-1754) and brother Johann Sigismund (c1690-1737) were also lutenists of distinction. Silvius Leopold and first learned the instrument from his father.

In 1706, Silvius Leopold Weiss made his professional debut in the Breslau court, in which his family served. Weiss' extraordinary talent gained the attention of Elector Johann Wilhelm, dedicatee of Arcangelo Corelli's Op. 6 and an intelligent patron of music. Weiss served in Wilhelm's court in Düsseldorf for the next two years, and his earliest known compositions date from this time.

In 1708 he was engaged by the former Polish queen, Maria Casimira, as a musician in the service of her son Prince Alexander Sobieski, who travelled to Rome to join her there in that year. Weiss left Düsseldorf for Rome and resided in the Zuccari palazzo until 1714, absorbing new Italian styles firsthand and touring with the Prince to various courts. By the time of the Prince's death, Weiss' reputation was already well established, and he spent the next several years touring the continent and taking fixed employment only briefly. In Prague he met the prominent Bohemian lutenist Count Johann Anton Losy, whose work had a considerable impact. After Losy's death, Weiss would write a memorial Tombeau that remains one of most eloquent works.

In 1714 Silvius Leopold Weiss returned to Germany and briefly served at the Hesse court at Kassel. In 1717 he first played at Dresden, and in 1718, weary of wandering, he decided to settle into a lucrative post offered him at the court of Dresden in the famous orchestra of the Saxon elector and King of Poland, August the Strong. Though this did not prevent him from travelling on occasion, Dresden would serve him as home base for the rest of his life. Attempts to dislodge Weiss from Dresden made by representatives of the Vienna Court, including princely sums of money offered, went ignored. Weiss is known to have met with the violinist Franz Benda in 1738.

At his death in 1750, Silvius Leopold Weiss was 66 years of age. He was, and still is, regarded as the greatest of all lutenists, and the instrument fell into decline within two decades of his death. An evaluation by the Markgrafin Wilhelmine de Bayreuth, sister of Frederick II of Prussia and herself a composer, would serve well as epitaph; "(Weiss) excels so much in playing the Lute that no one has ever matched him, and those who will come after him will only be left with the glory of imitating him." Sylvius Weiss' son Johann Adolph Faustinus Weiss succeeded him as a Saxon court lutenist.

Silvius Leopold Weiss was one of the most important and most prolific composers of lute music in history and one of the best-known and most technically accomplished lutenists of his day. He wrote around 600 pieces for lute, most of them grouped into 'sonatas' (not to be confused with the later classical sonata, based on sonata form) or suites, which consist mostly of Baroque dance pieces. Weiss also wrote originally extensive repertory of chamber music, lute duets, and concertos, but only the solo parts have survived; in every case the parts that accompany the solo lute are lost. Some of his "Suonate" (Weiss' own term) for solo lute, which have come down to us in a variety of tablature manuscripts, are missing their preludes, which were usually improvised. Seventy suites, however, are known in their entirety; most last about 20 to 25 minutes in performance. As a composer, Weiss shows extraordinary originality; his suites stand comparison with those of J.S. Bach. Only one of the suites, No. 49 in B flat minor, appeared in print during Weiss' own lifetime; his work was not intended for amateur players but for virtuosi whose skills approached his own. A modern printed edition of Weiss' complete works has been underway since 1980.

Weiss' music is characterised by a unique understanding of the capabilities of his instrument, its strengths and its weaknesses; like J.S. Bach's, it represents the culmination of a high Baroque style a little at odds with the more progressive aspirations of his younger contemporaries. Weiss was also in demand as a teacher. His many aristocratic pupils included the young Frederick the Great and his sisters Wilhelmena (later Margravine of Bayreutlt) and Anna Amalia, Princess of Prussia, and his otter pupils included the lutenists Adam Falckenhagen and Johann Kropfgans.

Silvius Leopold Weiss' skill as a player and accompanist was legendary, as were his powers of improvisation. In this he was even compared with J.S. Bach, though it is doubtful whether they actually formally competed in improvisation, as the following account by Johann Friedrich Reichardt describes:

"Anyone who knows how difficult it is to play harmonic modulations and good counterpoint on the lute will be surprised and full of disbelief to hear from eyewitnesses that Weiss, the great lutenist, challenged J. S. Bach, the great harpsichordist and organist, at playing fantasies and fugues."

Weiss and J.S. Bach had been in all probability well known to one another even before they actually met. In later life, Weiss became a friend of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. During 1739 Weiss stayed in Leipzig for four weeks, together with W.F. Bach and his own pupil Johann Kropfgans, and he visited the J.S. Bach house frequently; Johann Elias Bach, J.S. Bach's personal secretary, reports that the music he heard then was 'extra-special'. He wrote that that "we heard some very fine music when my cousin from Dresden [Wilhelm Friedemann Bach] came to stay for four weeks, together with the famous lute-player Mr. Weiss." J.S. Bach's Suite for violin and harpsichord in A major BWV 1025, recently identified as an arrangement of one of Weiss' lute sonatas, may owe its origin to one of these legendary meetings.

It is often suggested that J.S. Bach's, no slouch at the lute himself and an enthusiast of the hybrid lute-harpsichord, may have written his lute music (BWV 995-1000, 1006a) for Weiss, or even commissioned by him, but there is no concrete evidence for this, despite the musical and personal links between the two men. J.S. Bach was connected with a circle of professional and amateur lute players in Leipzig, and Weiss, as a fine composer, is unlikely to have felt the need to ask J.S. Bach to write for him. On the on the other hand, J.S. Bach would undoubtedly have known Weiss' music through playing it on his lute-harpsichord, probably in transcriptions like the one he made as the basis for the BWV 1025 arrangement. It is hard to believe that Weiss did not return the compliment in some way.

[princessvictoriamelita]

Prince and Princess Frederick Charles of Hesse with their sons, Prince Friedrich Wilhelm and Prince Maximilian, c. 1895.

[ladysophy]

Crown Princess Sophia of Greece with her siblings and mother (in Germany). 1900.

From left: Crown Princess Sophia of Greece, Princess Victoria of Schaumburg-Lippe, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Prussia, Empress Frederick, Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Meiningen, Prince Henry of Prussia, and Princess Margaret of Hesse-Kassel.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

[graceofromanovs]

24th June (O.S. 12th June) 1825

Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna, the third daughter of Emperor Nicholas I and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, was born on this day in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire. She was named after her late aunt Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna, but in the family she was known by her affectionate nickname “Adini”. According to her sister Olga’s memoirs, Alexandra had inherited her mother’s “Prussian look”, resembling her maternal grandmother Queen Louise of Prussia. Her father affectionately spoke of Adini as “... a little moppet, but very sweet.”

Alexandra was known for both of her wit and lively personality. She possessed musical talents, and was considered talented enough to qualify for lessons from the famous soprano Henriette Sontag. In 1844, she married Prince Frederick “Fritz” William of Hesse-Kassel. The couple would have a happy, albeit brief marriage. Alexandra became ill shortly before her wedding, which complicated her pregnancy that followed. She went to labour three months before the child was due, and gave birth to a son, Wilhelm. The infant died shortly after he was born, and Alexandra died later the same day. The first of her parents to die. Their grief and devastation would last until the end of their lives.

“I’m finishing this diary and, by strange coincidence, at the same time completing my girlish experience. It was beautiful, this existence, and very happy. I didn’t know sorrow. God and the people who love me helped me to store on necessities for my future. It is revealed now to me as the dawn of a beautiful day. So let the clouds that lie upon it dissipate before the evening, and the evening of my life be like its dawn! God help me!” — Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna, 1843.

[wgabry]

Prince Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince Maximilian, Prince Philipp and Prince Wolfgang of Hesse-Kassel, the first four children of Princess Margaret of Prussia and Frederick Charles, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse.

[thepompandcircumstance]

ETYMOLOGY: Louise

The French name is the female form of ‘Louis’; it means “famous warrior”. This is quite a common name, and among the many that bear this are:

HM Queen Louise of Denmark, Princess of Hesse-Kassel [the consort of King Christian IX of Denmark, she was the mother of the consorts/monarchs Queen Alexandra of the UK, Empress Maria of Russia, Frederick VIII of Denmark, and George I of Greece.]

HM Queen Louise of Denmark, Princess of Sweden [the consort of Frederick VIII, two of her sons became monarchs: Christian X of Denmark and Haakon VII of Norway.]

HM Queen Louise of Sweden, Princess of Battenberg [the younger sister of Princess Andrew of Greece, and thus the aunt of Prince Philip. She was also the stepmother of Queen Ingrid of Denmark.]

HRH Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife [daughter of Edward VII, one of few Princesses Royal whose children got the HRH style]

HRH Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll [daughter of Queen Victoria]

HIH Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia, Duchess of Brunswick [the only daughter and youngest child of Kaiser Wilhelm II, “Sissy” was the mother of Queen Frederica of Greece; thus, she is the grandmother of King Constantine II and Queen Sofia of Spain.]

[germanaustriannoblesandroyals]

House of Wettin & of Hesse: Princess Christina of Saxony

Christina was born as the eighth of ten children to Duke George “the Bearded” of Saxony and his wife, the Polish princess Barbara Jagiellon. Her siblings were Hereditary Princes Johann and Friedrich of Saxony as well as Electoral Princess Magdalena of Brandenburg.

At the age of 17, Christina was married to Landgrave Philipp I of Hesse. It was a strictly political marriage which nevertheless resulted in 10 children being born. Their daughter were Electress Agnes of Saxony, Countess Palatine Anna of Zweibrücken, Duchess Barbara of Württemberg-Mömpelgard, Electress Palatine Elisabeth and Duchess Christine of Holstein-Gottorp. Their sons each became a Landgrave in their own right since their father decided to split the inheritance to all four sons. This way the branches Darmstadt, Kassel, Rheinfels and Marburg of the House of Hesse were established.

In 1540 Philipp decided to marry his 17-year-old mistress Margarethe von der Saale. Christina consented to her husband’s bigamy due to her view of him as her sovereign and under the condition she remain his main wife and that only her children would inherit the lands and titles of their father. This bigamy was even allowed by no one less than Martin Luther, who commented that bigamy was better than a divorce, as well as Philip Melanchthon. Even though Philipp was now also married to Margarethe, he and Christina would go on to have three more children before their sexual relationship ended.

When Philipp was captured during the Schmalkaldic War, it was Christina alongside her son Wilhelm who took over the governmental duties from 1547-49. Philipp had not named Christina as his regent officially since he feared she would not provide for his children with Margarethe. Margarethe was also not allowed at Wilhelm’s court in Kassel, even after Christina’s death, so his father’s fear was not without reason.

Christina died on April 15th, 1549, She is buried at St. Martin’s Church in Kassel.

// Özge Ulusoy in Magnificent Century (2011-14)

[adini-nikolaevna]

Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Hesse-Kassel, husband of Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna of Russia, by Hau. Would really love to see this portrait in color someday…

https://vk.com/photo-52196838_457265471

[die-greifen]

who: royal duchies of mecklenburg

Since 1930 various members of the Royal House of Mecklenburg have been awarded dukedoms similar to the current practice in Sweden.

The first two dukedoms were awarded to the children of King Heinrich Ludwig I on 1 January 1930 when the King changed the rules of succession to allow women to inherit. Since 1930, dukedoms have been awarded upon birth, with the exception of Heinrich Ludwig’s three eldest granddaughters who were born in London during WWII. The three princesses were retroactively granted their titles once word of their births had reached the King in Mecklenburg.

These titles are only nominal and non-hereditary, though they are transferrable to any spouse of the original holder of the title. The dukedoms are granted without rank but are placed above all other titles (except for monarchical titles and the crown princely title of the heir/ess apparent). Unlike Sweden, the monarch continues to use their dukedom title after ascending the throne.

Dukedoms’ names are taken from major cities and towns in Mecklenburg, along with significant landmarks.

Below is a list of dukedoms in the order they were granted:

Paul Friedrich II, Duke of Rostock, 1930-1982

Marie Elisabeth, Duchess of Parchim, 1930-present

Heinrike Franziska, Duchess of Ratzeburg, 1940-present

Elisabeth Mathilde, Duchess of Güstrow, 1942-present

Marie Anastasia, Duchess of Grevesmühlen, 1944-present

Cecilie Auguste, Duchess of Ludwigslust, 1947-present

Wilhelm Franz I, Duke of Schwerin, 1949-1992

Alexandrine Luise, Duchess of Waren, 1951-present

Albrecht Gustav, Duke of Bad Doberan, 1953-present

Ingrid Sophie, Duchess of Teterow, 1955-2012

Karolina Augusta I, Duchess of Elde, 1988-present

Karolina Augusta I, Duchess of Rostock, 1989-present

Klaus Wilhelm, Duke of Havel, 1992-present

The spouses of the above also held or hold the titles by virtue of their marriage:

Thyra of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Duchess of Rostock, 1939-1981

Gorm of Denmark, Duke of Parchim, 1949-1991

Rupprecht of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Duke of Güstrow, 1970-1978

Heinrich of Hesse-Kassel, Duke of Grevesmühlen, 1972-1999

Michael, Hereditary Prince of Schwarzburg, Duke of Ludwigslust, 1975-present

Alexander of Schleswig-Holstein, Duke of Waren, 1980-present

Veronica Doncaster, Duchess of Bad Doberan, 1982-present

Eleonora of Leiningen, Duchess of Schwerin, 1985-present

While there are no rules regarding who can and cannot be awarded dukedoms, it is the intention for the titles to be limited to the children of the monarch and the children of the heir or heiress apparent.

[historywithlaura]

ADOLPHUS

Duke of Cambridge

(born 1774 - died 1850)

pictured above is a portrait of the Duke of Cambridge, by Sir William Beechey from the 1800s

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SERIES - Descendants of the Monarchs of Ireland: Adolphus was a son of George III, King of the United Kingdom, the King of Ireland from 1760.

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ADOLPHUS FREDERICK was born in 1774, at the Queen's House in London (the place that would later be known as Buckingham Palace), he was the seventh son of George III, King of Great Britain and Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

A member of the British branch of the HOUSE OF HANOVER, he was from birth a PRINCE OF GREAT BRITAIN.

The British Hanoverians kept their ties to the Electorate of Hanover in the Holy Roman Empire. In 1786 he and his older brothers Prince Ernest Augustus and Prince Augustus Frederick were sent to study at the University of Göttingen, that had been founded in 1734 by their great-grandfather Georg II, Elector of Hanover (also George II, King of Great Britain).

Around 1789-91 he and his brother Prince Ernest Augustus joined the Hanoverian Army and began their military training. He was soon sent to the battlefield in the War of the First Coalition against the French Republic.

At 1800-01 the Acts of Union that united Great Britain and Ireland were passed and he became a PRINCE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM.

During the War of the Second Coalition he acted as a mediator in Prussia and in 1801 his father created him DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE, EARL OF TIPPERARY and BARON CULLODEN.

He continued to fight against France in the other Coalition Wars that were part of the Napoleonic Wars until the first defeat of Napoléon I, Emperor of the French in 1814.

From 1813 he acted as MILITARY GOVERNOR OF HANOVER. And after the Electorate was recognized as Kingdom in 1814 he acted as GOVERNOR GENERAL and as VICEROY from 1816, serving three Monarchs: his father King Georg III; his brother King Georg IV; and another brother King Wilhelm IV.

By 1817 the Hanoverian British Royal Family suffered a succession crisis after the death of Princess Charlotte of Wales while giving birth, as she was the only child of George, Prince Wales (the eldest brother of the Duke of Cambridge) and the the second-in-line to the throne.

Some of King George III's sons were married but their children rather died early or were not considered legitimate, and the daughters were too old to even try to have children of their own. So the sons who were still single, including the Duke of Cambridge, rushed to get married and produce heirs to the throne.

In 1818 he married AUGUSTE WILHELMINE LOUISE, a Princess of Hesse-Kassel as the daughter of Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Karoline of Nassau-Usingen. They lived in Hanover where their three children were born.

After the death of his brother King William IV in 1837 he was succeeded by their niece Queen Victoria in the United Kingdom. However do to the Salic Law she could not succeed in Hanover and his eldest living brother succeeded as Ernst August I, King of Hanover.

With Hanover having its own King living there, there was no need for a Viceroy anymore and the Duke of Cambridge returned to England with his family.

Aged 76 the Duke of Cambridge died, in 1850 at his London residence, Cambridge House.

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Descendants of the Duke of Cambridge include five Monarchs of the United Kingdom:

Princess Mary of Teck (wife of King George V), her sons

King Edward VIII and

King George VI, her granddaughter

Queen Elizabeth II, and her great-grandson

King Charles III.

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Check my post on ADOLPHUS' father and his connections to the Monarchs of Ireland!

His father was George III, King of the United Kingdom - the King of Ireland between 1760-1800/01.

[goodqueenaly]

Has there ever been a case in RL where a king or queen had living twins or triplets?

Twins? Oh sure, a bunch of them; I can give a handful of examples from the top of my head. The famous Cleopatra’s first children with Mark Antony were twins, Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene. King Maximilian I of Bavaria had two sets of identical twin daughters with his second wife: Elisabeth and her twin Amalie married King Frederick William IV of Prussia and King John I of Saxony, respectively, while their younger sisters Sophie and Marie Anne married Archduke Franz Karl of Austria and King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony, respectively (Sophie, incidentally, was the mother of Franz Josef I of Austria, and was sometimes called “the only man” at the Austrian court for her assertiveness). The Duke of Edinburgh’s elder sister Sophie first married one member of the two sets of twins born to the future (and titular) Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and his wife, a sister of Kaiser Wilhelm II.  In fact, the reigning Prince of Monaco just (well, in December 2014) had twins, Gabriella and the new heir to the principality, Jacques. 

Triplets? Not that I know of, although it seems a great-granddaughter of the last reigning Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (who was himself a brother of Queen Emma of the Netherlands and brother-in-law of Queen Victoria’s youngest son Leopold) had a set of triplets in 2004.

[princessvictoriamelita]

Empress Frederick and her family, c. 1895.

Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse, Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Hesse, Princess Margaret of Hesse holding baby Prince Maximilian, Prince George of Greece and Denmark, Crown Princess Sophia of Greece, Crown Prince Constantine of Greece and Empress Frederick.