Princess Wilhelmine of Baden

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Grand Duchess consort of Hesse and by Rhine
Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine
(m. 1804)
IssueLouis III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine
Prince Karl
Princess Elisabeth
Prince Alexander
Maria Alexandrovna, Empress of Russia
Names
Wilhelmine Louise
HouseZähringenFatherCharles Louis, Hereditary Prince of BadenMotherLandgravine Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt

Princess Wilhelmine of Baden (Wilhelmine Louise; 21 September 1788 – 27 January 1836), was by birth a Princess of Baden from the House of Zähringen and by marriage Grand Duchess consort of Hesse and by Rhine. Her descendants include King Charles III of the United Kingdom, King Felipe VI of Spain, and other members of European royalty.

She was the youngest daughter of Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden and Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt, and the younger sister of Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna of Russia, born Princess Louise of Baden.

Life

Princess Wilhelmine Louise of Baden was born on 21 September 1788 as the eighth and youngest child of Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden (1755–1801) and Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt (1754–1832). In Karlsruhe on 19 June 1804, Wilhelmine married her maternal first cousin Louis, Hereditary Prince of Hesse-Darmstadt (1777–1848). The union proved to be unhappy due to Louis's extramarital affairs, and they separated after the birth of their three older children.

In 1820, she acquired Schloss Heiligenberg, where Baron August von Senarclens de Grancy (1794–1871) was the chamberlain, and they started an affair. Her last four children were believed to have been fathered by Senarclens de Grancy, although they were recognized by Grand Duke Louis II as his own. In 1830, following her father-in-law's death, she became Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine.

Issue

Her descendants include Emperor Nicholas II of Russia (1868–1918) and his wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (1872–1918), last emperor and empress of Russia, her great-grandchildren; King Felipe VI of Spain (born 1968), the incumbent sovereign of Spain, her great-great-great grandson; and King Charles III of the United Kingdom (born 1948), the incumbent sovereign of the United Kingdom, her great-great-great grandson.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Princess Wilhelmine of Baden[1]
Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Baden-Durlach
Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden
Princess Amalia of Nassau-Dietz
Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden
Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Princess Caroline Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt
Countess Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg
Princess Wilhelmine of Baden
Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
Countess Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg
Princess Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt
Christian III, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken
Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken
Countess Caroline of Nassau-Saarbrücken

References

  1. ^ Genealogie ascendante jusqu'au quatrieme degre inclusivement de tous les Rois et Princes de maisons souveraines de l'Europe actuellement vivans [Genealogy up to the fourth degree inclusive of all the Kings and Princes of sovereign houses of Europe currently living] (in French). Bourdeaux: Frederic Guillaume Birnstiel. 1768. pp. 38 (father), 69 (mother).

Sources

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