European Royalty during World War II:
Royal Houses

Living Members of
The Former Ruling House of Finland, 1939-1945

Head of House

Wolfgang Moritz, Prince of Hesse (1896-     ).  Potential claimant to the throne of Finland upon the succession of his father, Prince Friedrich Karl, to the title of Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel in 1925 (according to his father’s order of 1918 that Finland would always pass to the second son of the Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel to avoid the union of the two titles).
Wife:  Marie Alexandra, née Princess of Baden (1902-1944).  She died on January 29, 1944, at Frankfurt-am-Main in an Allied bombing raid.

Father
Son of Landgrave Friedrich Wilhelm of Hesse-Cassel (1820-1884)

Friedrich Karl, Landgrave of Hesse (-Cassel) (1868-1940).  Recognized, with the entire house of Hesse-Cassel, as possessing rights of succesion to the Grand Duchy of Hesse and the Rhine by a family compact of 1902.  Elected King of Finland, as King Väinö I, in October 1918 by the Finnish parliament, but declined the throne two months later.  Succeeded as Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel in 1925 on the renunciation of the title by his elder brother, Landgrave Alexander Friedrich (below).  Died on May 28, 1940, at Cassel.
Wife: Margarete, née Princess of Prussia (1872-     )
Issue:  6 children, including
  1. Philipp, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse (1896-     ).  Succeeded as head of the dynasty in 1940 on the death of his father, Landgrave Friedrich Karl.
    Wife: Mafalda, née Princess of     Savoy (1902-1944).  Died on August 28, 1944, in Buchenwald concentration camp.
    Issue:
    1. Moritz, Hereditary Prince of Hesse (1926-     )
    2. Heinrich, Prince of Hesse (1927-     ).  Heir to the potential claim of his uncle, Prince Wolfgang Moritz (above), to the throne of Finland.
    3. Otto, Prince of Hesse (1937-     )
    4. Elisabeth, Princess of Hesse, born on October 8, 1940, in Rome.
  2. Richard, Prince of Hesse (1901-     )
  3. Christoph, Prince of Hesse (1901-1943).  Died on October 7, 1943, in an air crash over the Italian Alps while on active duty.
    Wife:     Sophia, née Princess of Greece and Denmark (1914-     )
    Issue:
    1. Christine, Princess of Hesse (1933-     )
    2. Dorothea, Princess of Hesse (1934-     )
    3. Karl, Prince of Hesse (1937-     )
    4. Rainer, Prince of Hesse, born on November 18, 1939, at Friedrichshof Castle.
    5. Clarissa, Princess of Hesse, born posthumously on February 6, 1944, at Friedrichshof Castle.

Brother and Sisters of Father
 Children of Landgrave Friedrich Wilhelm of Hesse-Cassel (1820-1884)

Elisabeth, Dowager Hereditary Princess of Anhalt-Dessau (1861-     )

Alexander Friedrich, Landgrave of Hesse (-Cassel) (1863-1945).  Succeeded to the title of Landgrave in 1888 on the death of his elder brother, Landgrave Friedrich Wilhelm.  Renounced the title of Landgrave upon his unequal marriage in 1925.  Died on March 26, 1945, at Fronhausen-an-der-Lahn.
Wife: Gisela, née Baroness Stockhorner von Starein (1884-     )

Sibylle, Baroness von Vincke (1877-     )

Brother of Great-Great-Grandfather
Son of Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel (1720-1785)

Wilhelm I, Elector of Hesse (1743-1821)
Issue:  4 children, including
  1. Wilhelm II, Elector of Hesse (1777-1847)
     Issue:  14 children, including
    1. Friedrich Wilhelm I, Elector of Hesse (1802-1875)
      Issue of his unequal marriage:  9 children, including
      1. Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince von Hanau und Horowitz, Count von Schaumburg (1832-1889)
        Issue:
        1. Friedrich August, Prince von Hanau und Horowitz, Count von Schaumburg (1864-1940).  Died at Brünn on April 26, 1940.
          2nd Wife:            Ernestine, Frau Friedrich Adam from 1924, née Detzer (1894-     )
          Issue:  4 children, including
          1. Heinrich, The Prince von Hanau und Horowitz, Count von Schaumburg (1900-     )
            Wife:  Maria Theresia, née Countess Fugger auf Babenhausen (1899-     )
            Issue:
            1. Karl Heinrich, Hereditary Prince von Hanau und Horowitz, Count von Schaumburg (1923-     )
            2. Leopold, Prince von Hanau und Horowitz, Count von Schaumburg (1924-     )
            3. Eleonore, Princess von Hanau und Horowitz, Countess von Schaumburg (1925-     )
            4. Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince von Hanau und Horowitz, Count von Schaumburg (1927-     )
          2. Hildegard, Countess Wulf Diether of Castell-Rüdenhausen (1905-     ).  Divorced at Berlin on December 15, 1941.
          3. Emmerentiana, Countess Ludwig von Montgelas (1913-     )
        2. Ludwig, Prince von Hanau und Horowitz, Count von Schaumburg (1872-1940)
      2. Wilhelm, Prince von Hanau und Horowitz, Count von Schaumburg (1836-1902)
        Wife:  Elisabeth, née Princess of Lippe-Weissenfeld (1868-     )
      3. Karl, Prince von Hanau und Horowitz, Count von Schaumburg (1840-1905)
        Wife:  Hermine, née Countess Grote (1859-1939).  Died at Münchehagen, near Bad Rehburg, on March 31, 1939.
      4. Heinrich, Prince von Hanau und Horowitz, Count von Schaumburg (1842-1917)
        Wife:  Martha, née Riegel (1876-1943).  Died at Prague on March 10, 1943.
      5. Philipp, Prince von Hanau und Horowitz, Count von Schaumburg (1844-1914)
        Issue:  3 children, including
        1. Karl August, Count von Schaumburg (1878-1905)
          Wife:  Anna, Frau Erich von Böchmann from 1919, née von Trott zu Solz (1870-1942).  Died at Oberurf on October 15, 1942.
          Issue:  2 children, including
          1. Marie Luise, Baroness Hans Treusch von Buttlar-Brandenfels (1903-     )

Surviving Junior Hesse-Cassel Line
 Descendents of Landgrave Philipp of Hesse-Philippsthal (1655-1721)

Head of the House of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld

Chlodwig, Landgrave of Hesse (-Philippsthal-Barchfeld) (1876-     ).  Succeeded as Landgrave in 1905 on the death of his uncle, Landgrave Alexis.
Wife: Karoline, née Princess of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich (1877-     )
Issue:  5 children, including
  1. Wilhelm, Prince of Hesse (-Philippsthal-Barchfeld) (1905-1942).  Killed in action in World War II on April 30, 1942, at Byeloy, near Wyasma, Russia.
     Wife: Marianne, née Princess of Prussia (1913-     )
    Issue:
    1. Wilhelm, Prince of Hesse (-Philippsthal-Barchfeld) (1933-     )
    2. Hermann, Prince of Hesse (-Philippsthal-Barchfeld) (1935-     )
    3. Johanna, Princess of Hesse (-Philippsthal-Barchfeld) (1937-     )
  2. Irene, Frau Waldemar von Thomsen (1907-     )
  3. Alexis, Prince of Hesse (-Philippsthal-Barchfeld) (1911-1939).  Died on October 22, 1939, in Berlin.
  4. Viktoria Cäcilie, Princess of Hesse (-Philippsthal-Barchfeld) (1914-     )

    Half-Sister
    Daughter of Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (1831-1890) by his first, unequal marriage

Luise, Princess Rudolf of Lippe-Biesterfeld (1868-     )

    Half-Brother
    Son of Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (1831-1890) by his fourth marriage

Christian, Prince of Hesse (-Philippsthal-Barchfeld) (1887-     ).  Married unequally in 1915.
Wife: Elizabeth, née Rogers (1893-     )
Issue:
  1. Elisabeth, Princess of Hesse (-Philippsthal-Barchfeld) (1915-     )
  2. Richard Christian, Prince of Hesse (-Philippsthal-Barchfeld) (1917-     )
  3. Waldemar, Prince of Hesse (-Philippsthal-Barchfeld) (1919-     )
  4. Olga, Princess of Hesse (-Philippsthal-Barchfeld) (1921-     )

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Last updated on 01/04/04 .