Prince Adalbert of Bavaria (1886-1970)
Encyclopedia
Prince Adalbert of Bavaria (3 June 1886 – 29 December 1970) was a member of the Bavaria
n Royal House of Wittelsbach
, historian, author and a German Ambassador to Spain.
in Munich
, Bavaria
. He was the second son of Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria and his wife Infanta María de la Paz of Spain
.
As most of his peers, following the Abitur
, Adalbert joined the Bavarian Army and remained an officer throughout the First World War. He served with the artillery as a battery commander and later then as a General Staff Corps
and a cavalry
officer on both the Western and the Eastern Fronts.
, Adalbert was recalled back to the military and served as a staff officer under close family friend Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb
. With the Army Group C, he took part in the German invasion of France
, but his return to the German Army was short lived. In early 1941, Prince Adalbert was relieved from all combat duties as a result of the so called Prinzenerlass
. By this decree, Hitler ordered that all members of the former German reigning royal houses were forbidden from joining or participating in any military operations in the Wehrmacht
. Later, in May 1941, Prince Adalbert was cashiered from the military and withdrew to the family castle Hohenschwangau
in southern Bavaria, where he lived for the rest of the war.
as the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Spain. He remained in this post until 1956.
. The wedding took place in Salzburg
, Austria. The couple had two sons:
and is buried at the Andechs Abbey cemetery in Bavaria.
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n Royal House of Wittelsbach
Wittelsbach
The Wittelsbach family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria.Members of the family served as Dukes, Electors and Kings of Bavaria , Counts Palatine of the Rhine , Margraves of Brandenburg , Counts of Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland , Elector-Archbishops of Cologne , Dukes of...
, historian, author and a German Ambassador to Spain.
Early life
Adalbert was born in at the Nymphenburg PalaceNymphenburg Palace
The Nymphenburg Palace , i.e. "Nymph's Castle", is a Baroque palace in Munich, Bavaria, southern Germany. The palace was the main summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria.-History:...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. He was the second son of Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria and his wife Infanta María de la Paz of Spain
Infanta María de la Paz of Spain
María de la Paz of Spain was an infanta of Spain. A daughter of Queen Isabella II of Spain, she married her first cousin Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria. She lived for the rest of her life in Germany, dedicating her time to her family, charity work and writing poetry...
.
As most of his peers, following the Abitur
Abitur
Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
, Adalbert joined the Bavarian Army and remained an officer throughout the First World War. He served with the artillery as a battery commander and later then as a General Staff Corps
German General Staff
The German General Staff was an institution whose rise and development gave the German armed forces a decided advantage over its adversaries. The Staff amounted to its best "weapon" for nearly a century and a half....
and a cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
officer on both the Western and the Eastern Fronts.
1920s-1940s
After Germany’s defeat in 1918, Prince Adalbert left the military and began study history at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich; later publishing several works on Bavarian and royal history. With the outbreak of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Adalbert was recalled back to the military and served as a staff officer under close family friend Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb
Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb
Wilhelm Josef Franz Ritter von Leeb was a German Field Marshal during World War II. - Youth :...
. With the Army Group C, he took part in the German invasion of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, but his return to the German Army was short lived. In early 1941, Prince Adalbert was relieved from all combat duties as a result of the so called Prinzenerlass
Prinzenerlass
Prinzenerlass was the name of a decree issued in 1940 by Adolf Hitler that prohibited all members of Germany's formerly reigning royal houses from joining or participating in any military operations in the Wehrmacht....
. By this decree, Hitler ordered that all members of the former German reigning royal houses were forbidden from joining or participating in any military operations in the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
. Later, in May 1941, Prince Adalbert was cashiered from the military and withdrew to the family castle Hohenschwangau
Hohenschwangau
Hohenschwangau is a village in the municipality of Schwangau, Ostallgäu district, Bavaria, Germany.It is located between Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss Hohenschwangau and is visited by about 2 million people annually, where they start tours to the former royal palaces.The village is dominated...
in southern Bavaria, where he lived for the rest of the war.
Post WWII
After the war he worked shortly for the Bavarian Red Cross office and in 1952 was appointed by Konrad AdenauerKonrad Adenauer
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer was a German statesman. He was the chancellor of the West Germany from 1949 to 1963. He is widely recognised as a person who led his country from the ruins of World War II to a powerful and prosperous nation that had forged close relations with old enemies France,...
as the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Spain. He remained in this post until 1956.
Marriage
On 12 June 1919 Prince Adalbert married Countess Auguste von Seefried auf Buttenheim, the daughter of Count Otto von Seefried auf Buttenheim and Princess Elisabeth Marie of BavariaPrincess Elisabeth Marie of Bavaria
Princess Elisabeth of Bavaria was a member of the Bavarian Royal House of Wittelsbach. She was known as Princess of Bavaria till 1918.-Birth and family:...
. The wedding took place in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, Austria. The couple had two sons:
- Prince Konstantin of BavariaPrince Konstantin of BavariaPrince Konstantin of Bavaria was a member of the Bavarian Royal House of Wittelsbach, journalist, author and a German politician.-Early life:Konstantin was born in Munich, Bavaria...
(1920–1969) - Prince Alexander of Bavaria (1923–2001)
Death
Prince Adalbert of Bavaria died on 29 December 1970 at MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and is buried at the Andechs Abbey cemetery in Bavaria.
Ancestry
Published works
- Das Ende der Habsburger in Spanien (2 Bände). Bruckmann Verlag, München 1929
- Vier Revolutionen und einiges dazwischen. Siebzig Jahre aus dem Leben der Prinzessin Ludwig Ferdinand von Bayern, Infantin von Spanien. Hans Eder Verlag, München, 1932
- An Europas Fürstenhöfen. Lebenserinnerung der Infantin Eulalia von Spanien 1864-1931. Verlag Robert Lutz Nachfolger Otto Schramm, Stuttgart, 1936
- Eugen Beauharnais. Der Stiefsohn Napoleons. Ein Lebensbild. Propyläen Verlag, Berlin, 1940
- Nymphenburg und seine Bewohner. Oldenbourg Verlag, München, 1949
- Max I. Joseph von Bayern. Pfalzgraf, Kurfürst und König. Bruckmann Verlag, München, 1957
- Die Herzen der Leuchtenberg. Chronik einer napoleonisch-bayerisch-europäischen Familie. Prestel Verlag, München, 1963
- Der Herzog und die Tänzerin. Die merkwürdige Geschichte Christians IV. von Pfalz-Zweibrücken und seiner Familie. Pfälzische Verlagsanstalt, Neustadt/Weinstraße, 1966
- Als die Residenz noch Residenz war. Prestel Verlag, München, 1967
- Die Wittelsbacher. Geschichte unserer Familie. Prestel Verlag, München, 1979
- Erinnerungen 1900-1956. Langen-Müller Verlag, München, 1991