The Descendants of the Battenberg / Mountbattens
The Children of Prince Alexander of Hesse and Princess Julie
Sep 17, 2009
The Battenbergs were a small, humble German princely family, the result of a morganatic marriage between Prince Alexander of Hesse and the Polish Countess Julie Hauke. Although the parents were initially ostracized from European royal courts, their handsome and charming children were later considered respectable marital prospects and joined important European royal families. Thus, from this relatively humble royal family came two queens, a prince consort, a reigning prince, the Mountbatten family, and other important royal characters.
Prince Alexander and Princess Julie of Battenberg had five children. Their daughter Marie married an unimportant but respectable German prince and faded into European royal history. Their sons and grandchildren, however, had a lasting impact on European royal families and history in general.
Prince Louis of Battenberg, Marquess of Milford Haven, the First Mountbatten
In 1884, Prince Louis of Battenberg married his cousin Princess Victoria of Hesse, a daughter of Princess Alice of Great Britain and the future Grand Duke Louis IV of Hesse and by Rhine. This popular couple had a happy marriage lived at the court of Princess Victoria’s grandmother Queen Victoria, and basically became more English than German. Prince Louis of Battenberg joined the British Royal Navy and served well with distinction, but eventually had to resign amidst anti-German feeling during World War I.
It was at this time that his family anglicized Battenberg to the more English-sounding Mountbatten, and Louis dropped his royal title and became the 1st Marquess of Milford Haven, a title his descendants still carry. Although Prince Louis and Princess Victoria of Battenberg had a relatively low-profile life, their four children had a great impact on history.
Princess Alice of Battenberg: Their oldest child married Prince Andrew of Greece, and they had five children before having to flee Greece during one of its many revolutions. Their son Prince Philip later became a British citizen, taking his mother’s maiden name of Mountbatten, before marrying his distant cousin Queen Elizabeth II and fathering the heir to the throne Prince Charles.
Princess Louise of Battenberg: The Battenberg’s second child became the second wife of King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden, becoming Queen Louise of Sweden. Although they had no children together, she was a beloved stepmother to his children and a popular queen.
George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven: Louis and Victoria’s first son inherited his father’s title. He married Countess Nada de Torby, the morganatic daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich of Russia.
Lord Louis Mountbatten, Earl of Burma: Perhaps the most famous of Louis and Victoria’s children, Lord Louis Mountbatten was the last Viceroy of India and in this role helped to peacefully end the British Raj in India. For his work he was given the title Earl of Burma.
Prince Alexander of Battenberg, Reigning Prince Alexander I of Bulgaria
In 1879, Prince Alexander of Battenberg was chosen to be the reigning prince of the newly independent and unstable country of Bulgaria. He was chosen because Russia wanted control in the area and he was the nephew of Tsar Alexander II. During his short reign as Prince Alexander I of Bulgaria, the two main areas of Bulgaria were joined, but he was always unpopular and eventually deposed in 1886. He also wanted to marry Princess Victoria of Prussia, daughter of the future Emperor Frederick III of Germany, but her family objected and he eventually married the opera singer Johanna Loisinger, with whom he had two children.
Prince Henry of Battenberg and Princess Beatrice of Great Britain
The third son Prince Henry of Battenberg married Princess Beatrice of Great Britain, Queen Victoria’s favorite daughter, and moved to England. This couple had four children, including the future Queen Ena of Spain, from whom the present royal family of Spain is descended.
Prince Franz Josef of Battenberg and Princess Ana of Montenegro
Prince Alexander and Princess Julie of Battenberg’s youngest son, Prince Franz Josef, was named after his godfather Emperor Franz Josef of Austria. He married Princess Ana of Montenegro at a time when the Montenegrin royal family was rising in power and this was a relatively important dynastic match. Through the Montenegrin family of Petrovic-Njegos, the Battenbergs became related to the Italian, Serbian/Yugoslavian, and Russian royal families. Prince Franz Josef and Princess Ana had a happy but childless marriage, and were popular among their relatives.
Sources:
Eilers, Marlene A. Queen Victoria’s Descendants. Falkoping, Sweden: Rosvall Royal Books, 1997.
Packard, Jerrold M. Victoria’s Daughters. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998.
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