Ernest Augustus III, Duke of Brunswick
Encyclopedia
Ernest Augustus III reigning Duke of Brunswick
(2 November 1913 – 8 November 1918), was a grandson of George V of Hanover
, whom the Prussia
ns deposed in 1866. The last reigning monarch
of the House of Hanover
, Ernest Augustus was a direct descendant of Henry the Lion
.
, the fifth son of George III of the United Kingdom
, became king of Hanover
in 1837 because Salic Law
barred Queen Victoria
from reigning in Germany.
His Royal Highness Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover, Prince of Great Britain
and Ireland
, styled "Prince Ernest of Cumberland," was born at Penzing
near Vienna
, the sixth and youngest child of Crown Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover and his wife, the former Princess Thyra of Denmark. His father succeeded as pretender to the Hanoverian throne and as Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale in the peerage of Great Britain
in 1878. The younger Prince Ernst August became heir apparent to the dukedom of Cumberland and to the Hanoverian claim upon the deaths of his two elder brothers, George and Christian.
In 1884, the reigning Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
, a distant cousin, died and the Duke of Cumberland claimed to succeed to that territory. However, the Imperial Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck
, managed to get the Federal Council (Bundesrat) of the German Empire to exclude the duke from the succession. Bismarck did this because the duke had never formally renounced his claims to the kingdom of Hanover, which had been annexed to Prussia
in 1866 following the end of the Austro-Prussian War
(Hanover had sided with losing Austria
). Instead, Prince Albrecht of Prussia
became the regent of Brunswick. After Prince Albrecht's death in 1906, the duke offered that he and his elder son, Prince George, would renounce their claims to the Duchy in order to allow Ernst, his only other surviving son, to take possession of the Duchy, but this option was rejected by the Bundesrat and the regency continued, this time under Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who had previously acted as regent for his nephew in Mecklenburg.
When Ernest's older brother, Prince George, died in an automobile accident on 20 May 1912, the German Emperor
sent a message of condolence to the Duke of Cumberland. In response to this friendly gesture, the Duke sent his only surviving son, Ernst, to Berlin to thank the Emperor for his message. Ernst and the German Emperor were third cousins in descent from George III of the United Kingdom. In Berlin, Ernst met and fell in love with the Emperor William II's only daughter, Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia
.
On 24 May 1913, Ernest and Victoria Louise, third cousins once removed, were married to each other. This marriage ended the decades-long rift between the Houses of Hohenzollern and Hanover
. The wedding of Prince Ernest Augustus and Princess Victoria Louise was also the last great gathering of Europe
an sovereigns (many of whom were descended both from Queen Victoria and Christian IX of Denmark
) before the outbreak of The Great War
. In addition to the German Emperor and Empress and the Duke and Duchess of Cumberland, George V
and Queen Mary
of the United Kingdom and Tsar Nicholas II
attended. Upon the announcement of his betrothal to Princess Victoria Louise in February 1913, Prince Ernest Augustus took an oath of loyalty to the German Emperor and accepted a commission as a cavalry captain and company commander in the Zieten–Hussars, a Prussian Army regiment in which his grandfather (George V
) and great-grandfather (Ernst August I) had been colonel
s. George V of the United Kingdom gave his consent to the marriage on 17 March 1913 as required under the Royal Marriages Act.
On 27 October 1913, the Duke of Cumberland formally renounced his claims to the duchy of Brunswick in favor of his surviving son. The following day, the Federal Council voted to allow Prince Ernest Augustus of Cumberland to become the reigning Duke of Brunswick. The new Duke of Brunswick, who received a promotion to colonel in the Zieten–Hussars, formally took possession of his duchy on 1 November.
During World War I, the duke rose to the rank of major-general. On 8 November 1918, he was forced to abdicate his throne along with the other German kings, grand dukes, dukes, and princes. The next year, his father's British dukedom was suspended under the Titles Deprivation Act 1917
as a result of the Duke's service in the German army during the war, and Ernest Augustus' title as Prince of the United Kingdom was suspended under the same Act. Thus when his father died, in 1923, Ernest Augustus did not succeed to his father's title of Duke of Cumberland. For the next thirty years Ernest Augustus would remain as head of the House of Hanover, living in retirement on his various estates. He lived to see one of his children come to a European throne – in 1947 his daughter Frederica
, became Queen of the Hellenes when her husband Prince Paul of Greece and Denmark
succeeded his brother as King. The Duke of Brunswick is the maternal grandparent of Queen Sophie of Spain and the former King Constantine II of the Hellenes
.
He died at Marienburg Castle
near Hanover
in 1953.
Duchy of Brunswick
Brunswick was a historical state in Germany. Originally the territory of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in the Holy Roman Empire, it was established as an independent duchy by the Congress of Vienna in 1815...
(2 November 1913 – 8 November 1918), was a grandson of George V of Hanover
George V of Hanover
George V was King of Hanover, the only child of Ernest Augustus I, and a grandchild of King George III of the United Kingdom. In the peerage of Great Britain, he was 2nd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, 2nd Earl of Armagh...
, whom the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
ns deposed in 1866. The last reigning monarch
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
of the House of Hanover
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, Ernest Augustus was a direct descendant of Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion was a member of the Welf dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
.
Early life
Ernest's great-grandfather, Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of CumberlandErnest Augustus I of Hanover
Ernest Augustus I was King of Hanover from 20 June 1837 until his death. He was the fifth son and eighth child of George III, who reigned in both the United Kingdom and Hanover...
, the fifth son of George III of the United Kingdom
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
, became king of Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
in 1837 because Salic Law
Salic law
Salic law was a body of traditional law codified for governing the Salian Franks in the early Middle Ages during the reign of King Clovis I in the 6th century...
barred Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
from reigning in Germany.
His Royal Highness Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover, Prince of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, styled "Prince Ernest of Cumberland," was born at Penzing
Penzing (Vienna)
Penzing is the 14th District of Vienna and consists of the boroughs of Penzing, Breitensee, Baumgarten, Hütteldorf and Hadersdorf-Weidlingau. In the west, it shares a border with Purkersdorf and Mauerbach...
near Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, the sixth and youngest child of Crown Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover and his wife, the former Princess Thyra of Denmark. His father succeeded as pretender to the Hanoverian throne and as Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale in the peerage of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in 1878. The younger Prince Ernst August became heir apparent to the dukedom of Cumberland and to the Hanoverian claim upon the deaths of his two elder brothers, George and Christian.
In 1884, the reigning Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, located on the Oker river about 13 kilometres south of Brunswick. It is the seat of the District of Wolfenbüttel and of the bishop of the Protestant Lutheran State Church of Brunswick...
, a distant cousin, died and the Duke of Cumberland claimed to succeed to that territory. However, the Imperial Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
, managed to get the Federal Council (Bundesrat) of the German Empire to exclude the duke from the succession. Bismarck did this because the duke had never formally renounced his claims to the kingdom of Hanover, which had been annexed to Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
in 1866 following the end of the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
(Hanover had sided with losing Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
). Instead, Prince Albrecht of Prussia
Prince Albrecht of Prussia
Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Albrecht of Prussia was a Prussian general field marshal and, from 1885, regent of the Duchy of Brunswick.-Biography:...
became the regent of Brunswick. After Prince Albrecht's death in 1906, the duke offered that he and his elder son, Prince George, would renounce their claims to the Duchy in order to allow Ernst, his only other surviving son, to take possession of the Duchy, but this option was rejected by the Bundesrat and the regency continued, this time under Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who had previously acted as regent for his nephew in Mecklenburg.
Marriage and accession to the duchy of Brunswick
William II, German Emperor
Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, ruling the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia from 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918. He was a grandson of the British Queen Victoria and related to many monarchs and princes of Europe...
sent a message of condolence to the Duke of Cumberland. In response to this friendly gesture, the Duke sent his only surviving son, Ernst, to Berlin to thank the Emperor for his message. Ernst and the German Emperor were third cousins in descent from George III of the United Kingdom. In Berlin, Ernst met and fell in love with the Emperor William II's only daughter, Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia
Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia
Victoria Louise of Prussia was the only daughter and the seventh child of William II, German Emperor and Empress Augusta Victoria. She was their last surviving child. Princess Victoria Louise is the maternal grandmother of Queen Sophie of Spain and the former King Constantine II of the Hellenes...
.
On 24 May 1913, Ernest and Victoria Louise, third cousins once removed, were married to each other. This marriage ended the decades-long rift between the Houses of Hohenzollern and Hanover
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
. The wedding of Prince Ernest Augustus and Princess Victoria Louise was also the last great gathering of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an sovereigns (many of whom were descended both from Queen Victoria and Christian IX of Denmark
Christian IX of Denmark
Christian IX was King of Denmark from 16 November 1863 to 29 January 1906.Growing up as a prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a junior branch of the House of Oldenburg which had ruled Denmark since 1448, Christian was originally not in the immediate line of succession to the Danish...
) before the outbreak of The Great War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In addition to the German Emperor and Empress and the Duke and Duchess of Cumberland, George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
and Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
of the United Kingdom and Tsar Nicholas II
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
attended. Upon the announcement of his betrothal to Princess Victoria Louise in February 1913, Prince Ernest Augustus took an oath of loyalty to the German Emperor and accepted a commission as a cavalry captain and company commander in the Zieten–Hussars, a Prussian Army regiment in which his grandfather (George V
George V of Hanover
George V was King of Hanover, the only child of Ernest Augustus I, and a grandchild of King George III of the United Kingdom. In the peerage of Great Britain, he was 2nd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, 2nd Earl of Armagh...
) and great-grandfather (Ernst August I) had been colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
s. George V of the United Kingdom gave his consent to the marriage on 17 March 1913 as required under the Royal Marriages Act.
On 27 October 1913, the Duke of Cumberland formally renounced his claims to the duchy of Brunswick in favor of his surviving son. The following day, the Federal Council voted to allow Prince Ernest Augustus of Cumberland to become the reigning Duke of Brunswick. The new Duke of Brunswick, who received a promotion to colonel in the Zieten–Hussars, formally took possession of his duchy on 1 November.
During World War I, the duke rose to the rank of major-general. On 8 November 1918, he was forced to abdicate his throne along with the other German kings, grand dukes, dukes, and princes. The next year, his father's British dukedom was suspended under the Titles Deprivation Act 1917
Titles Deprivation Act 1917
The Titles Deprivation Act 1917 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which authorised enemies of the United Kingdom during the First World War to be deprived of their British peerages and royal titles. -Background:...
as a result of the Duke's service in the German army during the war, and Ernest Augustus' title as Prince of the United Kingdom was suspended under the same Act. Thus when his father died, in 1923, Ernest Augustus did not succeed to his father's title of Duke of Cumberland. For the next thirty years Ernest Augustus would remain as head of the House of Hanover, living in retirement on his various estates. He lived to see one of his children come to a European throne – in 1947 his daughter Frederica
Frederika of Hanover
Frederica of Hanover was Queen consort of the Hellenes as the wife of King Paul of Greece.-Early life:...
, became Queen of the Hellenes when her husband Prince Paul of Greece and Denmark
Paul of Greece
Paul reigned as King of Greece from 1947 to 1964.-Family and early life:Paul was born in Athens, the third son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia. He was trained as a naval officer....
succeeded his brother as King. The Duke of Brunswick is the maternal grandparent of Queen Sophie of Spain and the former King Constantine II of the Hellenes
Constantine II of Greece
|align=right|Constantine II was King of Greece from 1964 until the abolition of the monarchy in 1973, the sixth and last monarch of the Greek Royal Family....
.
He died at Marienburg Castle
Marienburg Castle, Hanover
Marienburg Castle is a Gothic revival castle in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north-west of Hildesheim, and around south of Hanover, in the municipality of Pattensen, Hanover. It was a summer residence of the House of Guelph...
near Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
in 1953.
Issue
The Duke and Duchess of Brunswick had five children:- Prince Ernest AugustusErnest Augustus IV, Prince of HanoverErnst August IV, Prince of Hanover, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, Prince of Great Britain and Ireland was head of the House of Hanover from 1953 until his death...
(18 March 1914 – 9 December 1987); married (1) 1951, Princess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-GlücksburgPrincess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-GlücksburgPrincess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg , was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and a Princess of...
(19 December 1925 – 6 February 1980), and had issue; and (2), 1980 Countess Monika of Solms-LaubachCountess Monika of Solms-LaubachMonika, Dowager Princess of Hanover is the second wife and widow of Ernest Augustus IV, Prince of Hanover. Monika is the eldest daughter of Georg Friedrich, Count of Solms-Laubach and Princess Johanna of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich....
(b. 8 August 1929). - Prince George William (25 March 1915 – 8 January 2006); married 1946, Princess Sophie of Greece and DenmarkPrincess Sophie of Greece and DenmarkPrincess Sophie of Greece and Denmark was the fourth child and youngest daughter of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg, making her the elder sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
(26 June 1914 – 24 November 2001), and had issue. - Princess Frederica (18 April 1917 – 6 February 1981); married 1938 Paul I of the Hellenes (14 December 1901 – 6 March 1964), and had issue.
- Prince Christian OscarPrince Christian Oscar of HanoverPrince Christian Oscar of Hanover , Prince of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the fourth son of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick and his wife Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia, the only daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and Augusta Viktoria of...
(1 September 1919 – 10 December 1981); married 1963 (divorced 1976) Mireille Dutry (b. 10 January 1946), and had issue. - Prince Welf Henry (11 March 1923 – 12 July 1997); married 1960 Princess Alexandra of Ysenburg and BüdingenAlexandra Prinzessin von HannoverAlexandra Prinzessin von Hannover is a German politician, philanthropist, and widow of Prince Welf Henry of Hanover...
(b. 23 October 1937).
Titles and styles
- 17 November 1887 – 1 November 1913: His Royal Highness Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover and Cumberland
- 1 November 1913 – 30 January 1953: His Royal Highness The Duke of Brunswick