Princess Viktoria of Prussia
Encyclopedia
Princess Viktoria of Prussia (Friederike Amalia Wilhelmine Viktoria) (12 April 1866 – 13 November 1929) was the second daughter of Frederick III, German Emperor
and his wife Victoria, Princess Royal
, a daughter of Queen Victoria. To the public she was always Princess Viktoria, and in the family she was called Moretta or Young Vicky.
Viktoria was baptised on her grandmother's birthday 24 May 1866 at Potsdam Palace.
Like her sisters, Princess Sophie
and Princess Margaret
, Viktoria was devoted to her mother and embraced English ways.
In 1881, Prince Alexander of Battenberg
, who had been selected as sovereign Prince of Bulgaria since 1879, visited the Prussian court at the behest of Viktoria's mother. As her mother and grandmother recommended Alexander (or 'Sandro') as a possible match, Viktoria quickly caught their enthusiasm and fell in love with him. Sandro, like his brothers, was considered exceedingly attractive, as he was lean and dashing. Viktoria on the other hand was not a pretty girl, being described by one as "a kind of wild, Scandinavian woman, with much of her mother's impetuosity and a streak of her brother Willy's eccentricity".
Though her parents wanted the couple to marry, Viktoria's grandfather, Emperor Wilhelm I and his chancellor, Otto von Bismarck
were opposed to the match: they were afraid that if Viktoria married Sandro, Tsar Alexander III
would be offended, as Alexander's actions in Bulgaria were irritating the Russians. As Bismarck was kept abreast of the affair by his spies, a vicious and bitter war of words was fought, but eventually, Viktoria's parents had to back down, and the young princess gave up all hope of marrying Sandro.
, a younger son of Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
, on 19 November 1890. The marriage was childless after an early miscarriage in the first few months of marriage. Adolf died in 1916.
Despite being technically on the German side in World War I
, Viktoria was very sympathetic to the British cause. After the war, she met her cousin, George V, King of Great Britain and expressed the wish that they would all be friends again soon. George told her he did not think this would be possible for a great many years.
suburb of Mehlem. She was on the point of divorcing Zoubkoff on the grounds that his behaviour had resulted in his expulsion from Germany, he was unable to maintain her, and that "conjugal relations did not exist"., but only a few days after this announcement became public she fell seriously ill with pneumonia, dying in a Bonn hospital on 13 November 1929.
Frederick III, German Emperor
Frederick III was German Emperor and King of Prussia for 99 days in 1888, the Year of the Three Emperors. Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl known informally as Fritz, was the only son of Emperor William I and was raised in his family's tradition of military service...
and his wife Victoria, Princess Royal
Victoria, Princess Royal
The Princess Victoria, Princess Royal was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert. She was created Princess Royal of the United Kingdom in 1841. She became German Empress and Queen of Prussia by marriage to German Emperor Frederick III...
, a daughter of Queen Victoria. To the public she was always Princess Viktoria, and in the family she was called Moretta or Young Vicky.
Early life
Like her sisters, Princess Sophie
Sophia of Prussia
Princess Sophie of Prussia was Queen of the Hellenes as the wife of King Constantine I.-Princess of Prussia:...
and Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret of Prussia
Princess Margaret of Prussia was a daughter of Frederick III, German Emperor and Victoria, Princess Royal. She married Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse. In 1926 they became Landgrave and Landgravine of Hesse...
, Viktoria was devoted to her mother and embraced English ways.
Alexander of Battenberg
Alexander, Prince of Bulgaria
Alexander Joseph, Prince of Bulgaria GCB , known as Alexander of Battenberg, was the first prince of modern Bulgaria, reigning from 29 April 1879 to 7 September 1886.-Early life:...
, who had been selected as sovereign Prince of Bulgaria since 1879, visited the Prussian court at the behest of Viktoria's mother. As her mother and grandmother recommended Alexander (or 'Sandro') as a possible match, Viktoria quickly caught their enthusiasm and fell in love with him. Sandro, like his brothers, was considered exceedingly attractive, as he was lean and dashing. Viktoria on the other hand was not a pretty girl, being described by one as "a kind of wild, Scandinavian woman, with much of her mother's impetuosity and a streak of her brother Willy's eccentricity".
Though her parents wanted the couple to marry, Viktoria's grandfather, Emperor Wilhelm I and his 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...
were opposed to the match: they were afraid that if Viktoria married Sandro, Tsar Alexander III
Alexander III of Russia
Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov , historically remembered as Alexander III or Alexander the Peacemaker reigned as Emperor of Russia from until his death on .-Disposition:...
would be offended, as Alexander's actions in Bulgaria were irritating the Russians. As Bismarck was kept abreast of the affair by his spies, a vicious and bitter war of words was fought, but eventually, Viktoria's parents had to back down, and the young princess gave up all hope of marrying Sandro.
Marriage to Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe
She ended up marrying Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-LippePrince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe
Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe was the regent of the Principality of Lippe from 1895 till 1897.-Early life:He was born in Bückeburg the seventh child of Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and Princess Hermine of Waldeck-Pyrmont .Following the death of Prince Woldemar on the 20 March 1895 and...
, a younger son of Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe was a ruler of the Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe.-Biography:He was born in Bückeburg to Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and Princess Ida of Waldeck and Pyrmont ....
, on 19 November 1890. The marriage was childless after an early miscarriage in the first few months of marriage. Adolf died in 1916.
Despite being technically on the German side 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...
, Viktoria was very sympathetic to the British cause. After the war, she met her cousin, George V, King of Great Britain and expressed the wish that they would all be friends again soon. George told her he did not think this would be possible for a great many years.
Second marriage
On 19 November 1927, despite the strong disapproval of her brothers and sisters, Viktoria married Alexander Zoubkoff (25 September 1901 – 28 January 1936), a Russian refugee described as a "dancer", who was 35 years her junior. By this time her finances were in a precarious state, and Zoubkoff proceeded to squander much of the little money that remained on his own private amusements, rarely returning to the matrimonial home. Eventually Viktoria was obliged to call in the receivers and to sell off the contents of the Schaumburg Palace by auction, the sale being conducted by the Cologne auctioneers M. Lempertz. The sale attracted far less interest than had been anticipated, and The Times described much of the bidding as "spiritless"; it was estimated that the proceeds from the auction would have covered only one-third of her debts (which were reported to have been 900,000 marks, or £45,000 sterling). After leaving the Schaumburg Palace, she moved into a single furnished room in the BonnBonn
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....
suburb of Mehlem. She was on the point of divorcing Zoubkoff on the grounds that his behaviour had resulted in his expulsion from Germany, he was unable to maintain her, and that "conjugal relations did not exist"., but only a few days after this announcement became public she fell seriously ill with pneumonia, dying in a Bonn hospital on 13 November 1929.
Titles and styles
- 12 April 1866 – 19 November 1890: Her Royal Highness Princess Viktoria of Prussia
- 19 November 1890 – 19 November 1927:Her Royal Highness Princess Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe
- 19 November 1927 – 13 November 1929: Her Royal Highness Princess Viktoria of Prussia, Mrs. Alexander Zoubkoff