Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe
Encyclopedia
Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe (Leopold Julius Bernhard Adalbert Otto Karl Gustav; 30 May 1871 – 30 December 1949) was the final sovereign of the Principality of Lippe
. Succeeding to the throne in 1905 he had been governing the state since 1904 as regent.
the son of Ernest II, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld and Countess Karoline of Wartensleben. Leopold belonged to the Lippe-Biesterfeld
line of the House of Lippe
which was the most senior line of the princely house after the reigning Lippe-Detmold line.
He served as an officer in the German Army
until 1894, when he left to study political science at the universities of Bonn
and Berlin
.
. Leopold's father had acted as regent since 1897 and following his death on 26 September 1904 Leopold assumed the regency. This was not recognized by the German Emperor William II
who initially refused to legally recognize Leopold as regent as there was an issue over whether Leopold and his siblings were of legitimate rank and as such eligible for the succession. As a result the Diet of Lippe appointed a high commission to consider the matter.
The regency issue was still ongoing when Prince Alexander died on 13 January 1905. Leopold was confirmed as Prince of Lippe and Alexander's successor on 25 October 1905 following a court ruling.
On 3 June 1911 while out motoring Leopold and his brother Prince Julius were attacked by a gang of Italian laborers who hurled a shower of missiles at the princes. Though Leopold escaped unhurt his brother received a head wound.
During World War I
Leopold upgraded the titles of the various lines of the House of Lippe
. One of the members to benefit from the granting of titles was Leopold's nephew Count Bernhard of Biesterfeld (son of Leopold's brother Bernhard) who would go on to become the Prince Consort of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands
. On 24 February 1916 Bernhard and his brother were upgraded to the title Prince of Lippe-Biesterfeld with the style Serene Highness. The counts of Lippe-Weissenfeld also benefited with creations of the title Prince of Lippe-Weissenfeld with the style serene highness taking place on 24 February 1916 for Count Clemens and his descendants and again on 9 November 1918 for the other members of this line.
Just three days after upgrading the titles of members of the Lippe-Weissenfeld line and following the German Empire
's defeat in World War I
and the subsequent revolution
Leopold was forced to renounce the throne on 12 November 1918. Following the end of his rule the Principality of Lippe was transformed into a Free state
in the new Weimar Republic
.
in Germany all three of his sons by his first wife became members of the party. His eldest son the Hereditary Prince Ernst is reported to have been the first German prince to join the party when he signed up in May 1928.
In addition to being pro Nazis both Hereditary Prince Ernst and Prince Chlodwig had contracted unequal marriages. So in 1947 when Leopold wrote his will his youngest son and only child with his second wife Armin
would succeed him as head of the House of Lippe
and also become administrator of the princely family's properties such as Schloss Detmold. Thus when Leopold died in Detmold
his three eldest sons were all disinherited and his second son Armin
became head of the princely house.
. They had five children.
He was married secondly to Princess Anna of Ysenburg and Büdingen
(1886–1980) on 26 April 1922 at Büdingen. From this marriage he had one son.
Principality of Lippe
Lippe was a historical state in Germany. It was located between the Weser River and the southeast part of the Teutoburg forest.-History:...
. Succeeding to the throne in 1905 he had been governing the state since 1904 as regent.
Early life
He was born as Count Leopold of Lippe-Biesterfeld in OberkasselOberkassel (Bonn)
Oberkassel is a suburb in the Bonn municipal district of Beuel and lies on the right bank of the Rhine on the edge of the Siebengebirge mountains. Oberkassel has about 7,200 inhabitants.-History :...
the son of Ernest II, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld and Countess Karoline of Wartensleben. Leopold belonged to the Lippe-Biesterfeld
Lippe-Biesterfeld
Lippe-Biesterfeld is a cadet line of the House of Lippe, a morganatic title created in 1916, and since 1937 a title of the Dutch Royal House.-History:...
line of the House of Lippe
House of Lippe
The House of Lippe is a German Royal House. The House of Lippe descends from Count Jobst Hermann of Lippe whose son Bernhard I was the founder of the state of Lippe in 1123....
which was the most senior line of the princely house after the reigning Lippe-Detmold line.
He served as an officer in the German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
until 1894, when he left to study political science at the universities of Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
Ruler of Lippe
Since 1895 Lippe had been ruled by a regent due to the incapacity of Prince AlexanderAlexander, Prince of Lippe
Alexander, Prince of Lippe was the penultimate sovereign of the Principality of Lippe. Succeeding to the throne in 1895, power was exercised by a regent throughout his reign on account of his mental illness....
. Leopold's father had acted as regent since 1897 and following his death on 26 September 1904 Leopold assumed the regency. This was not recognized by the German Emperor William II
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...
who initially refused to legally recognize Leopold as regent as there was an issue over whether Leopold and his siblings were of legitimate rank and as such eligible for the succession. As a result the Diet of Lippe appointed a high commission to consider the matter.
The regency issue was still ongoing when Prince Alexander died on 13 January 1905. Leopold was confirmed as Prince of Lippe and Alexander's successor on 25 October 1905 following a court ruling.
On 3 June 1911 while out motoring Leopold and his brother Prince Julius were attacked by a gang of Italian laborers who hurled a shower of missiles at the princes. Though Leopold escaped unhurt his brother received a head wound.
During World War I
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...
Leopold upgraded the titles of the various lines of the House of Lippe
House of Lippe
The House of Lippe is a German Royal House. The House of Lippe descends from Count Jobst Hermann of Lippe whose son Bernhard I was the founder of the state of Lippe in 1123....
. One of the members to benefit from the granting of titles was Leopold's nephew Count Bernhard of Biesterfeld (son of Leopold's brother Bernhard) who would go on to become the Prince Consort of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands
Juliana of the Netherlands
Juliana was the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands between 1948 and 1980. She was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry...
. On 24 February 1916 Bernhard and his brother were upgraded to the title Prince of Lippe-Biesterfeld with the style Serene Highness. The counts of Lippe-Weissenfeld also benefited with creations of the title Prince of Lippe-Weissenfeld with the style serene highness taking place on 24 February 1916 for Count Clemens and his descendants and again on 9 November 1918 for the other members of this line.
Just three days after upgrading the titles of members of the Lippe-Weissenfeld line and following the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
's defeat in World War I
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...
and the subsequent revolution
German Revolution
The German Revolution was the politically-driven civil conflict in Germany at the end of World War I, which resulted in the replacement of Germany's imperial government with a republic...
Leopold was forced to renounce the throne on 12 November 1918. Following the end of his rule the Principality of Lippe was transformed into a Free state
Free State of Lippe
The Free State of Lippe was a German state formed after the Principality of Lippe was abolished following the German Revolution of 1918.After the end of World War II, Lippe was restored from Nazi rule. This autonomy ended in January 1947 when British forces incorporated Lippe into the new German...
in the new Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
.
Post abdication
After the rise of NazismNazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
in Germany all three of his sons by his first wife became members of the party. His eldest son the Hereditary Prince Ernst is reported to have been the first German prince to join the party when he signed up in May 1928.
In addition to being pro Nazis both Hereditary Prince Ernst and Prince Chlodwig had contracted unequal marriages. So in 1947 when Leopold wrote his will his youngest son and only child with his second wife Armin
Armin, Prince of Lippe
Armin, Prince of Lippe is the son of Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe and his second wife Princess Anna of Ysenburg and Büdingen.-Head of the House of Lippe:...
would succeed him as head of the House of Lippe
House of Lippe
The House of Lippe is a German Royal House. The House of Lippe descends from Count Jobst Hermann of Lippe whose son Bernhard I was the founder of the state of Lippe in 1123....
and also become administrator of the princely family's properties such as Schloss Detmold. Thus when Leopold died in Detmold
Detmold
Detmold is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of about 74,000. It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947...
his three eldest sons were all disinherited and his second son Armin
Armin, Prince of Lippe
Armin, Prince of Lippe is the son of Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe and his second wife Princess Anna of Ysenburg and Büdingen.-Head of the House of Lippe:...
became head of the princely house.
Marriages and children
Leopold was married to Princess Bertha of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (1874–1919) on 16 August 1901 in RotenburgRotenburg an der Fulda
Rotenburg an der Fulda is a town in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany lying, as the name says, on the river Fulda.- Geography :- Location :...
. They had five children.
- Ernst, Hereditary Prince of Lippe (1902–1987) married first (1924) Charlotte Ricken (1900–1974). After divorcing in 1934 he married secondly (1937) Herta-Elise Weiland (1911–1970)
- Prince Leopold Bernhard of Lippe (1904–1965)
- Princess Karoline of Lippe (1905–2001) married (1932) Count Hans of Kanitz (1893–1968)
- Prince Chlodwig of Lippe (1909–2000) married (1940) Veronika Holl (1915–2007)
- Princess Sieglinde of Lippe (1915–2008) married (1942) Friedrich Carl Heldman (1904–1977)
He was married secondly to Princess Anna of Ysenburg and Büdingen
Princess Anna of Ysenburg and Büdingen
Princess Anna of Ysenburg and Büdingen was the youngest child of Bruno, 3rd Prince of Ysenburg and Büdingen and his wife Countess Bertha of Castell-Rüdenhausen...
(1886–1980) on 26 April 1922 at Büdingen. From this marriage he had one son.
- Armin, Prince of LippeArmin, Prince of LippeArmin, Prince of Lippe is the son of Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe and his second wife Princess Anna of Ysenburg and Büdingen.-Head of the House of Lippe:...
(born 1924)