Today's featured historical member of the Grand Ducal Family was not destined for life as a Grand Duchess. But a fortuitous marriage, war and the loss of a duchy gave Luxembourg the matriarch of its current dynasty - as well as the founder of an artistic award still given today.
Adelheid-Marie was the eldest of three daughters of Prince Friedrich August of Anhalt-Dessau and the former Princess Marie Luise of Hesse-Kassel. She was born on December 25, 1833, in the city of Dessau. Adelheid-Marie had two younger sisters: Bathildis, who married into the Schaumburg-Lippe family, and Hilda, who did not marry. Adelheid-Marie was a maternal niece of Louise of Hesse-Kassel, the wife of Christian IX of Denmark. This made Adelheid-Marie a cousin of Alexandra of Denmark, consort of Edward VII of Great Britain.
Adelheid-Marie was the eldest of three daughters of Prince Friedrich August of Anhalt-Dessau and the former Princess Marie Luise of Hesse-Kassel. She was born on December 25, 1833, in the city of Dessau. Adelheid-Marie had two younger sisters: Bathildis, who married into the Schaumburg-Lippe family, and Hilda, who did not marry. Adelheid-Marie was a maternal niece of Louise of Hesse-Kassel, the wife of Christian IX of Denmark. This made Adelheid-Marie a cousin of Alexandra of Denmark, consort of Edward VII of Great Britain.
As the niece of Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt, Adelheid-Marie grew up at court in Dessau. During her childhood, she developed a distinct talent for painting that later turned into a passion. She also spent a significant amount of time at Schloss Rumpenheim, the seat of the Hesse-Kassel family. It was at Rumpenheim that 15-year-old Adelheid-Marie is believed to have first met her future husband in 1849. Duke Adolph of Nassau had been widowed a few years earlier after the unfortunate death of his wife, Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, following the birth of a stillborn daughter.
Adelheid-Marie married Adolph at Dessau on April 23, 1851, upon which time she became the Duchess of Nassau. Queen Victoria sent a letter congratulating the couple on their marriage. Adelheid-Marie and Adolph honeymooned at palaces in Oranienstein and Königstein im Taunus, two of the seats of the House of Nassau. Oranienstein later became the couple's first summer home.
During the early years of Adolph and Adelheid-Marie's marriage, the couple apparently had a difficult time time adjusting to married life together, not least due to their fourteen year age difference. Queen Victoria, considering wives for the son, the Prince of Wales, and chosing not to consider Adelheid-Marie's sister Hilda, once described , "the Duchess of Nassau - the eldest sister - at one time a very bad wife". How much of it is actually true and how much is based on Adelheid-Marie's mother-in-law disliking to be replaced as the woman of the house, remains unknown.
During the early years of Adolph and Adelheid-Marie's marriage, the couple apparently had a difficult time time adjusting to married life together, not least due to their fourteen year age difference. Queen Victoria, considering wives for the son, the Prince of Wales, and chosing not to consider Adelheid-Marie's sister Hilda, once described , "the Duchess of Nassau - the eldest sister - at one time a very bad wife". How much of it is actually true and how much is based on Adelheid-Marie's mother-in-law disliking to be replaced as the woman of the house, remains unknown.
One of the oldest tiaras in the grand ducal family is believed to have been part of the (wedding) trousseau of Adelheid-Marie. The Grand Duchess Adelaide Tiara has been worn consistently by Adelheid-Marie's descendants since her time and is still one of the most frequently seen tiaras in the family collection.
Adelheid-Marie and Adolph settled in Schloss Biebrich in Wiesbaden and had five children:
- Friedrich (1854-1855)
- Marie (1857)
- Franz Josef (1859-1875)
- Hilda (1864-1952)
Tragically, only the oldest and youngest of Adelheid-Marie's children survived into adulthood. Eldest son Guillaume succeeded his father as Grand Duke of Luxembourg, while their surviving daughter and youngest child Hilda married Friedrich II, the last Grand Duke of Baden. Both their son Friedrich and their daughter Marie died in infancy, while their son Franz Josef died of scarlet fever during his military training.
The Luxemburger Schloss |
The Austro-Prussian War in 1866 changed the life of Adelheid-Marie and her family dramatically. Adolph sided with the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the skirmish. After Austria's defeat, Prussia assumed control over the Duchy of Nassau from Adolph. This action more or less forced the family into exile from the duchy to Vienna, Frankfurt and Schloss Hohenburg in Bavaria. Adolph signed an agreement in 1867 that gave him ownership of some of his former homes, including Luxembourg Palace.
As Adolph indulged his passion for hunting, Adelheid-Marie spent their "exile" caring for their children, receiving other royal and noble guests, and painting. Her works were often sold to benefit various organizations patronized by Adelheid-Marie, particularly those dedicated to nursing. In the late 1880s Adelheid-Marie painted flowers on the pulpit of an evangelical church in Königstein. She had significant involvement in the building and decoration of the church, donating the land for its construction as well as providing decor for the interiors. Many of her paintings are still in the possession of the Grand Ducal Family, hanging in the Château de Berg but also in some of the former ducal castles in what today is the German state of Hesse. In addition to her passion for painting, Adelheid-Marie was also an accomplished rider.
She became the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg upon her husband's acquisition of the grand duchy in 1890. Although the couple largely separated themselves from the politics of the country, Adelheid-Marie did take interest in the art scene of her new homeland. In 1902, she and the Luxembourg Artistic Circle founded the Prix Grand Duc Adolphe (Grand Duke Adolph Prize), which was created to recognize artists working within the grand duchy. The Prix Grand Duc Adolphe is still in existence and is awarded generally every two years. (Read here about the 2013 edition.)
Adelheid-Marie with her daughter-in-law and granddaughters |
Following Adolph's death in 1905, Adelheid-Marie split her time between Königstein and Luxembourg. She received frequent visits from her daughter Hilda, with whom she was quite close. Adelheid-Marie was also devoted to her six granddaughters, the oldest of whom - the future Grand Duchess Marie-Adelaide - was her namesake. Adelheid-Marie helped care for them during the long illness of Grand Duke Wilhelm (of Guillaume) IV. Adelheid-Marie took a particular interest in the girls' artistic education, giving them drawing and painting instruction herself.
Adelheid-Marie died on November 24, 1916, at her home in Königstein im Taunus. She was 82 years old. She is buried along with her husband and son in the Nassau ducal crypt at Schlosskirche in Weilburg.
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