Princess Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Encyclopedia
Princess Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (Laura Williamina Seymour; 17 December 1832 – 13 February 1912) was a British
-born aristocrat whose marriage to a German prince naturalised in England made her a kinswoman
of the British Royal Family
and a member of the royal court.
and his wife, Georgiana Berkeley, a granddaughter of the 4th Earl of Berkeley
and a great-granddaughter of the 2nd Duke of Richmond
. Paternally, she descended in unbroken male line from the Seymours
(originally, St. Maur) who belonged to the gentry
of the 12th century, acquired considerable landed
wealth by the marriage of Sir Roger de St. Maur to the baron
ial co-heiress Cecily Berkeley, and were ennobled in 1536 as Viscounts Beauchamp. Laura's direct ancestor, Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
, was the eldest brother of Henry VIII's queen consort
, Jane Seymour
, and had himself declared Lord Protector
of England during the minority
of their son, King Edward VI
. The Dukedom of Somerset
and the Marquessate of Hertford
, eventually devolved upon her branch of the Seymour family. Laura Seymour descended four times from Charles I of England
(although severed from the Royal Family by bars sinister), and she was an eighth cousin of her husband's, with whom she shared multiple descents from King Frederick II of Denmark
.
with a cadet
of a German mediatised
family of princely
rank in 19th century Europe. Almost two weeks before her morganatic marriage
to Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
(a half-nephew of Queen Victoria who had served under her father's military command) on 26 January 1861, she was created Countess von Gleichen by Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
.
When the Countess von Gleichen's brother, Francis
, inherited his cousin's Marquessate of Hertford in 1870, the Queen granted her the rank and style of the daughter of a marquess by Royal Warrant of Precedence
, entitling her to prefix Lady to her name. However, she continued to use her comital
title until 15 December 1885, when it was gazetted in the Court Circular
that the Queen had granted her permission to share, within the British Empire
, her husband's princely title. Henceforth she was known as HSH
Princess Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, although this changed neither her legal rank nor her title in the German Empire
. In accordance with the original Coburg
grant, her children were also Count/Countess von Gleichen and, although granted unique precedence before the daughters and younger sons of English dukes in 1913, they never received authorisation to share their parents' princely style
at the Court of St. James's
, and were known by their comital title (dropping, however, the von
) until George V
Anglicised their style in 1917, along with the styles of members of his own family who bore German titles. Princess Victor did not live to undergo that demotion in titulature.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-born aristocrat whose marriage to a German prince naturalised in England made her a kinswoman
Kinship
Kinship is a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin, through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. And descent groups, lineages, etc. are treated in their own subsections....
of the British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
and a member of the royal court.
Ancestry
Laura Williamina Seymour was a daughter of Admiral Sir George SeymourGeorge Francis Seymour
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Francis Seymour, GCB, GCH, PC was a Royal Navy officer.-Naval career:...
and his wife, Georgiana Berkeley, a granddaughter of the 4th Earl of Berkeley
Augustus Berkeley, 4th Earl of Berkeley
Lt.-Col. Augustus Berkeley, 4th Earl of Berkeley KT was the son of Vice-Admiral James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley and Lady Louisa Lennox....
and a great-granddaughter of the 2nd Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond
The 2nd Duke of Richmond has been described as early cricket's greatest patron. Although he had played cricket as a boy, his real involvement began after he succeeded to the dukedom...
. Paternally, she descended in unbroken male line from the Seymours
Seymour family
Seymour, or St. Maur, is the name of an English family in which several titles of nobility have from time to time been created, and of which the Duke of Somerset is the head.-Origins:...
(originally, St. Maur) who belonged to the gentry
Gentry
Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
of the 12th century, acquired considerable landed
Landed gentry
Landed gentry is a traditional British social class, consisting of land owners who could live entirely off rental income. Often they worked only in an administrative capacity looking after the management of their own lands....
wealth by the marriage of Sir Roger de St. Maur to the baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
ial co-heiress Cecily Berkeley, and were ennobled in 1536 as Viscounts Beauchamp. Laura's direct ancestor, Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp of Hache, KG, Earl Marshal was Lord Protector of England in the period between the death of Henry VIII in 1547 and his own indictment in 1549....
, was the eldest brother of Henry VIII's queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
, Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...
, and had himself declared Lord Protector
Lord Protector
Lord Protector is a title used in British constitutional law for certain heads of state at different periods of history. It is also a particular title for the British Heads of State in respect to the established church...
of England during the minority
Minor (law)
In law, a minor is a person under a certain age — the age of majority — which legally demarcates childhood from adulthood; the age depends upon jurisdiction and application, but is typically 18...
of their son, King Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
. The Dukedom of Somerset
Duke of Somerset
Duke of Somerset is a title in the peerage of England that has been created several times. Derived from Somerset, it is particularly associated with two families; the Beauforts who held the title from the creation of 1448 and the Seymours, from the creation of 1547 and in whose name the title is...
and the Marquessate of Hertford
Marquess of Hertford
The titles of Earl of Hertford and Marquess of Hertford have been created several times in the peerages of England and Great Britain.The third Earldom of Hertford was created in 1559 for Edward Seymour, who was simultaneously created Baron Beauchamp of Hache...
, eventually devolved upon her branch of the Seymour family. Laura Seymour descended four times from Charles I of England
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
(although severed from the Royal Family by bars sinister), and she was an eighth cousin of her husband's, with whom she shared multiple descents from King Frederick II of Denmark
Frederick II of Denmark
Frederick II was King of Denmark and Norway and duke of Schleswig from 1559 until his death.-King of Denmark:Frederick II was the son of King Christian III of Denmark and Norway and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. Frederick II stands as the typical renaissance ruler of Denmark. Unlike his father, he...
.
Marriage
Nonetheless, her noble antecedents in the United Kingdom did not suffice to permit Laura to contract an equal marriageEqual marriage
Equal marriage can refer to:*The custom or legal requirement of Ebenbürtigkeit practiced by royalty in Europe and elsewhere; see Royal intermarriage....
with a cadet
Cadet
A cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...
of a German mediatised
German Mediatisation
The German Mediatisation was the series of mediatisations and secularisations that occurred in Germany between 1795 and 1814, during the latter part of the era of the French Revolution and then the Napoleonic Era....
family of princely
Princes of the Holy Roman Empire
The term Prince of the Holy Roman Empire denoted a secular or ecclesiastical Imperial State, who ruled over an immediate fief directly assigned by the Holy Roman Emperor...
rank in 19th century Europe. Almost two weeks before her morganatic marriage
Morganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
to Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Admiral Victor Ferdinand Franz Eugen Gustaf Adolf Constantin Friedrich of Hohenlohe-Langenburg GCB , also known as Count Gleichen, was an officer in the Royal Navy, and a sculptor.-Biography:...
(a half-nephew of Queen Victoria who had served under her father's military command) on 26 January 1861, she was created Countess von Gleichen by Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the second sovereign duke of the German duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, reigning from 1844 to his death...
.
When the Countess von Gleichen's brother, Francis
Francis Seymour, 5th Marquess of Hertford
Francis George Hugh Seymour, 5th Marquess of Hertford GCB PC , known as Francis Seymour until 1870, was a British courtier and Conservative politician...
, inherited his cousin's Marquessate of Hertford in 1870, the Queen granted her the rank and style of the daughter of a marquess by Royal Warrant of Precedence
Royal Warrant of Precedence
A Royal Warrant of Precedence is a warrant issued by the Monarch of the United Kingdom to determine precedence amongst individuals or organisations....
, entitling her to prefix Lady to her name. However, she continued to use her comital
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
title until 15 December 1885, when it was gazetted in the Court Circular
Court Circular
The Court Circular is the official record that lists the engagements carried out by the Monarch of the United Kingdom and of the other Commonwealth Realms; the Royal Family; and appointments to their staff and to the court. It is issued by Buckingham Palace and printed a day in arrears at the back...
that the Queen had granted her permission to share, within the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, her husband's princely title. Henceforth she was known as HSH
Serene Highness
His/Her Serene Highness is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein and Monaco. It also preceded the princely titles of members of some German ruling and mediatised dynasties as well as some non-ruling but princely German noble families until 1918...
Princess Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, although this changed neither her legal rank nor her title in 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...
. In accordance with the original Coburg
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha served as the collective name of two duchies, Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Gotha, in Germany. They were located in what today are the states of Bavaria and Thuringia, respectively, and the two were in personal union between 1826 and 1918...
grant, her children were also Count/Countess von Gleichen and, although granted unique precedence before the daughters and younger sons of English dukes in 1913, they never received authorisation to share their parents' princely style
Style (manner of address)
A style of office, or honorific, is a legal, official, or recognized title. A style, by tradition or law, precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or political office, and is sometimes used to refer to the office itself. An honorific can also be awarded to an individual in a personal...
at the Court of St. James's
Court of St. James's
The Court of St James's is the royal court of the United Kingdom. It previously had the same function in the Kingdom of England and in the Kingdom of Great Britain .-Overview:...
, and were known by their comital title (dropping, however, the von
Von
In German, von is a preposition which approximately means of or from.When it is used as a part of a German family name, it is usually a nobiliary particle, like the French, Spanish and Portuguese "de". At certain times and places, it has been illegal for anyone who was not a member of the nobility...
) until 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....
Anglicised their style in 1917, along with the styles of members of his own family who bore German titles. Princess Victor did not live to undergo that demotion in titulature.
Children
Laura Seymour and Prince Victor had four children, the daughters becoming notable for their artistic endeavors and cultural patronage:- Count Albert Edward WilfredLord Edward GleichenMajor-General Lord Albert "Edward" Wilfred Gleichen, KCVO, CB, CMG, DSO was a British courtier and soldier....
(1863-1937), soldier. - Countess Feodora (Feo) Georgina MaudLady Feodora GleichenLady Feodora Georgina Maud Gleichen was a British sculptress of figures and portrait busts and designer of decorative objects....
(1861-1922), sculptor. - Countess Victoria (Valda) Alice Leopoldina Ada Laura (1868-1951), singer.
- Countess Helena EmilyLady Helena GleichenLady Helena Emily Gleichen, OBE, DStJ was a British painter of landscapes, flowers, and animals, with a particular passion for horses....
(1873-1947), artist.