Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse

Georg Donatus Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse Spouse Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark Issue Prince Ludwig Prince Alexander Princess Johanna Stillborn son Full name German: Georg Donatus Wilhelm Nikolaus Eduard Heinrich Karl English: George Donatus William Nicholas Edward Henry Charles House Hesse-Darmstadt Father Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse Mother Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich Born 8 November 1906(1906-11-08) Darmstadt, Germany Died 16 November 1937(1937-11-16) (aged 31) Ostend, Belgium

Grand Ducal Family of Hesse and by Rhine Ernest Louis Children    Princess Elisabeth    Hereditary Grand Duke Georg Donatus    Prince Louis Grandchildren    Prince Ludwig    Prince Alexander    Princess Johanna

Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse (Georg Donatus Wilhelm Nikolaus Eduard Heinrich Karl, 8 November 1906 – 16 November 1937) was the first child of Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse and Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich.

Marriage and children

On 2 February 1931 at Darmstadt Georg married his first cousin once-removed, Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark, daughter of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg (and thus a sister of Prince Philip), a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. They had four children:

Name	Birth	Death	Notes
His Grand Ducal Highness Prince Ludwig Ernst Andreas of Hesse	25 October 1931	16 November 1937	Killed in air accident
His Grand Ducal Highness Prince Alexander Georg Karl Heinrich of Hesse	14 April 1933	16 November 1937	Killed in air accident
Her Grand Ducal Highness Princess Johanna Marina Eleonore of Hesse	20 September 1936	14 June 1939	Died from meningitis.
Stillborn son	16 November 1937	16 November 1937	Stillborn in air accident.

On 1 May 1937 Georg and Cecilie both joined the Nazi Party.

Death

In October 1937, Georg Donatus' father, Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse died. A few weeks after the funeral, Ernst Ludwig's younger son, Prince Louis was due to be married to Margaret Geddes. On 16 November 1937, Georg Donatus, Cecilie, their two young sons, Georg's mother Grand Duchess Eleonore, the children's nurse, a family friend, a pilot and two crewmen, left Darmstadt for the United Kingdom, where Prince Louis was due to be married. The aeroplane hit a factory chimney near Ostend and crashed into flames, killing all those on board. Cecilie was heavily pregnant with her fourth child at the time of the crash, and the remains of the foetus were found in the wreckage, indicating that Cecilie had gone into labour. The only survivor of the family was Johanna; she was not on the plane at the time. Johanna was adopted by Prince Louis and Princess Margaret, however, she died in 1939 from meningitis.

He, his wife and children and mother were all buried at Rosenhohe, Darmstadt.

Titles

• His Royal Highness The Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

Georg Donatus never acceded to the grand ducal throne as it had been abolished at the end of the First World War. Titles became surnames after that point and it was rare for the head of a royal, grand ducal or ducal family to change his title upon accession as head of a house.

Ancestry

16. Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse

8. Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine

17. Princess Wilhelmine of Baden

4. Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse

18. Prince Wilhelm of Prussia

9. Princess Elizabeth of Prussia

19. Landgravine Maria Anna of Hesse-Homburg

2. Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse

20. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

10. Albert, Prince Consort

21. Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

5. Alice of the United Kingdom

22. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn

11. Queen Victoria

23. Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

1. Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse

24. Karl Ludwig, Prince of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich

12. Ferdinand, Prince of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich

25. Princess Henriette of Bentheim and Steinfurt

6. Hermann, Prince of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich

26. Anton Octavian, Prince of Collalto and San Salvatore

13. Countess Caroline of Collalto and San Salvatore

27. Countess Karolina Apponyi de Nagyappony

3. Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich

28. Konstantin, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode

14. Wilhelm, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode

29. Baroness Ernestine von der Reck

7. Countess Agnes of Stolberg-Wernigerode

30. August, Count of Stolberg-Roßla

15. Countess Elisabeth of Stolberg-Roßla

31. Countess Caroline of Erbach-Schönberg

Patrilineal descent

Descent before Gilbert I, Count of the Maasgau is taken from [1] and may be inaccurate.

1. Brunulf I, Neustrian Nobleman, Count
2. Aubri I, Neustrian Nobleman, Count
3. Walter I, Neustrian Nobleman, Count
4. Walter II, Neustrian Nobleman, Count
5. Albo, Neustrian Nobleman, Count
6. Mainer, Count of Sens, d. 800
7. Gainfroi, Count of the Maasgau,
8. Gilbert I, Count of the Maasgau, d. 842
9. Gilbert II, Count of the Maasgau, 825–875
10. Reginar, Duke of Lorraine, 850–915
11. Reginar II, Count of Hainaut, 890–932
12. Reginar III, Count of Hainaut, 920–973
13. Lambert I, Count of Leuven, 950–1015
14. Lambert II, Count of Leuven, d. 1054
15. Henry II, Count of Leuven, 1020–1078
16. Godfrey I, Count of Leuven, 1060–1139
17. Godfrey II, Count of Leuven, 1187–1226
18. Godfrey III, Count of Leuven, 1140–1190
19. Henry I, Duke of Brabant, 1165–1235
20. Henry II, Duke of Brabant, 1207–1248
21. Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse, 1244–1308
22. Otto I, Landgrave of Hesse, 1272–1328
23. Louis the Junker, Landgrave of Hesse, 1305–1345
24. Hermann II, Landgrave of Hesse, 1341–1413
25. Louis I, Landgrave of Hesse, 1402–1458
26. Louis II, Landgrave of Hesse, 1438–1471
27. William II, Landgrave of Hesse, 1469–1509
28. Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, 1504–1567
29. George I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, 1547–1596
30. Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, 1577–1626
31. George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, 1605–1661
32. Louis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, 1630–1678
33. Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, 1667–1739
34. Louis VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, 1691–1768
35. Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, 1719–1790
36. Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse, 1753–1830
37. Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse, 1777–1848
38. Prince Charles of Hesse and by Rhine, 1809–1877
39. Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, 1868–1937
40. Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse, 1906–1937

See also

• Sabena OO-AUB Ostend crash

References

Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse House of Hesse-Darmstadt Born: 1906 Died: 1937
Titles in pretence
Preceded by Ernst Ludwig	— TITULAR — Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine 1937 Reason for succession failure: Grand Dukedom abolished in 1918	Succeeded by Louis