Sophie of Merenberg
Encyclopedia
Countess Sophie of Merenberg, Countess de Torby, (1 June 1868 – 14 September 1927) was the eldest daughter of Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau and Natalya Alexandrovna Pushkina.
, Switzerland
, the first child of Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau and Natalya Alexandrovna Pushkina. As the marriage of her parents was considered morganatic
she was ineligible to bear her father's title or rank.
Her paternal grandparents were William, Duke of Nassau
and Princess Pauline of Württemberg
. Her maternal grandparents were the renowned Russian poet Alexander Pushkin and Natalya Pushkina.
Like her parents marriage, she married morganatically on 10 March 1891 the Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia, grandson of Nicholas I of Russia
at Sanremo
, Italy
. Later Sophia was made Countess de Torby by her uncle Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
, the title was extended to all three of her children.
They had 2 daughters and one son:
Early life
Sophie was born at GenevaGeneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, the first child of Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau and Natalya Alexandrovna Pushkina. As the marriage of her parents was considered morganatic
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...
she was ineligible to bear her father's title or rank.
Her paternal grandparents were William, Duke of Nassau
William, Duke of Nassau
Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg was the father of Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Queen Sophia .-Biography:Wilhelm was the eldest son of Frederick...
and Princess Pauline of Württemberg
Princess Pauline of Württemberg
Princess Pauline Friederike Marie of Württemberg, full German name: Pauline Friederike Marie, Prinzessin von Württemberg was a member of the House of Württemberg and a Princess of Württemberg by birth...
. Her maternal grandparents were the renowned Russian poet Alexander Pushkin and Natalya Pushkina.
Marriage and family
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
at Sanremo
Sanremo
Sanremo or San Remo is a city with about 57,000 inhabitants on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. Founded in Roman times, the city is best known as a tourist destination on the Italian Riviera. It hosts numerous cultural events, such as the Sanremo Music Festival...
, Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
. Later Sophia was made Countess de Torby by her uncle Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
Adolphe I, Grand Duke of Luxembourg was the last Duke of Nassau, and the fourth Grand Duke of Luxembourg.-Biography:...
, the title was extended to all three of her children.
They had 2 daughters and one son:
- Countess Anastasia Mikhailovna de TorbyAnastasia de TorbyCountess Anastasia Mikhailovna de Torby, CBE , also named Lady Zia Wernher, was the elder daughter of Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia, a grandson of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, by Countess Sophie of Merenberg.-Biography:Like her mother, Anastasia was born of a morganatic marriage, and was...
(9 September 1892 – 7 December 1977) married in 1917 to Sir Harold Wernher, 3rd BaronetHarold Augustus WernherSir Harold Augustus Wernher, 3rd Baronet, GCVO, TD -Biography:He was the son of Sir Julius Wernher, 1st Baronet and his wife Alice Sedgwick Mankiewicz...
. - Countess Nadejda Mikhailovna de TorbyNadejda Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford HavenNadejda Mikhailovna Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven was the second daughter of Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia and his morganatic wife Sophie, Countess von Merenberg. She was a younger sister of Countess Anastasia de Torby.Her paternal grandparents were Grand Duke Michael...
(28 March 1896 – January 1963) married in 1916 to Prince George of BattenbergGeorge Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford HavenCaptain George Louis Victor Henry Serge Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven , styled Earl of Medina between 1917 and 1921, was born the son of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine at Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany...
(later 2nd Marquess of Milford HavenMarquess of Milford HavenMarquess of Milford Haven is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1917 for Prince Louis of Battenberg, the former First Sea Lord, and a relation to the British Royal family, who amidst the anti-German sentiments of the First World War abandoned the use of his German...
). - Count Michael Mikhailovich de Torby (8 October 1898 – 8 May 1959)