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Heinrich XIII Prinz Reuss

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Norschweden (talk | contribs) at 03:15, 11 December 2022 (Prinz Reuß is his surname, he has no title). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Not to be confused with Prince Heinrich Ruzzo Reuss of Plauen.
Heinrich XIII Prinz Reuss
Reuss in 2018
Born (1951-12-04) 4 December 1951 (age 72)
Büdingen, West Germany
HouseReuss
FatherPrince Heinrich I Reuss of Köstritz
MotherDuchess Woizlawa Feodora of Mecklenburg
Occupation

Heinrich XIII Prinz Reuss (born 4 December 1951; German: Heinrich XIII. Prinz Reuß, [ˈhaɪnʁɪç pʁɪnt͡s ʁɔɪ̯s])[1][2] is a German from a former aristocratic family, businessman and far-right activist. Reuss was arrested by German federal police in December 2022 due to his alleged leadership[3] in the 2022 Germany coup d'état plot.[4][5]

Biography

Early life and ancestry

He was born in Büdingen on 4 December 1951 to Prince Heinrich I Reuss of Köstritz and Duchess Woizlawa Feodora of Mecklenburg, who was in turn the only child of the German colonial politician Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg.[1][2] Reuss' parents, like all German nobility, had become private citizens in 1919 upon the adoption of the Weimar Constitution, which abolished any privileges and titles that had previously existed for nobility.[6]

The House of Reuss, from which Reuss is descended, dates to the 12th century and historically administered the regions of Gera and Greiz.[7] Heinrich distanced himself from his family around 2009.[8]

Reuss worked as a real estate developer, operating a company named Buero Prinz Reuss in Frankfurt, and also produced sparkling wine.[9]

Following the reunification of Germany in 1990, he tried to have properties held by the government returned to his family, including movable property, several townhouses and castles, tracts of forest and farmland, and the Jugendstil Reuss Theater in Gera, then held by the city of Gera. The many artworks the Reuss family obtained brought 3.5 million marks at auction while more than 300 pieces were loaned to museums.The mayor of Gera and Reuss were unable to negotiate any further agreement, each blaming the other. [10] Reuss spent much of his fortune on lawsuits seeking restitution, but met with little success.[11]

In 2017 he supported the reinterment of the remains of a number of his ancestors, most prominent among them Henry II, Count of Reuss-Gera, in their original location. Their sarcophagi had been moved repeatedly since the church where they were entombed was destroyed in a fire in 1780.[12]

In 2020, Reuss participated in the celebration of the first International Day of Conscience event in Vienna.[13]

Conspiracy theories and controversy

Reuss has spoken in favour of low flat tax for all citizens, hailing the 10 percent rate in the former Principality of Reuss, saying it let Reuss's citizens lead "happy lives" because it was "straightforward and transparent". Reuss contended that the modern German government and European Union were more distant and inaccessible than feudal princes. Reuss also gave speeches claiming that Germany had been a vassal state since the Second World War.[14] At Worldwebforum in Zürich in 2019 Reuss gave a speech accusing the Rothschilds and Freemasons for the wars of the twentieth century. [15]

In August 2022, Reuss attended a party held in honor of the mayor of Bad Lobenstein, where the family has a castle, who is sympathetic to the Reichsbürger movement and who was accused of assaulting a journalist. Afterwards, the current head of the Reuss family, Heinrich XIV Prinz Reuß [et],[a] objected to his involvement in local politics "in the strongest possible way". He called Heinrich XIII a "distant relative" and "a confused man peddling in conspiracy theories".[8][17][18] Heinrich XIV underscored this after Reuss was arrested in 2022, calling Reuss "a marginal figure" and noting that their last common ancestor lived in the early 19th century. He said Reuss' behavior was a "catastrophe" for the family, whose heritage as tolerant and cosmopolitan rulers was now associated with "terrorists and reactionaries".[19]

Involvement in 2022 German coup plot

Main article: 2022 Germany coup d'état plot
The hunting lodge Jagdschloss Waidmannsheil [de] in Thuringia owned by Reuss where meetings regarding the coup were allegedly held and weapons stockpiled

On 7 December 2022, Reuss was arrested at his home in the Westend of Frankfurt during a wide-ranging set of German police raids against alleged far-right conspirators in a planned coup d'état.[9] According to police, the coup's conspirators—which included former Bundestag member Birgit Malsack-Winkemann—were proponents of the Reichsbürger movement who hoped to install the 71-year-old Reuss as head of state.[20][21] Reuss' estate in Thuringia allegedly was the site of weapons stockpiles and meetings regarding the conspiracy.[14][1]

Reuss is also reported to have reached out to the Russian government via its embassy in Berlin, presumably for assistance in the coup.[22] A Russian citizen named "Vitalia", who was Reuss' life companion,[23] and through whom he was able to secure interim financing from three Russian individuals, was also arrested.[24] The conspirators allegedly planned to cooperate with Russia, but according to the Federal Prosecutor's Office of Germany, there was nothing to suggest that the Russians "reacted positively to his request."[25] A spokesperson from the Russian Embassy in Berlin denied any involvement.[26] Dmitry Peskov issued a statement on 8 December denying the Kremlin's involvement in the failed coup d'état.[24]

Notes

  1. ^ Heinrich XIV Prinz Reuss, born in Vienna in 1955, has headed the House of Reuss since 2012. He lives in Austria with his wife and four children. After German reunification, his branch of the family won the restoration of some properties that had been expropriated in 1945 and he has maintained a second home in Bad Köstritz. As of 2018, his heir Heinrich XXIX, born 1997, planned to make Gera his home.[16]

References

  1. ^ a b c Fahey, Ryan (7 December 2022). "Everything we know about German coup leader Prince Heinrich XIII who wants to be king". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b McNaughton, Arnold (1973). The Book of Kings: A Royal Genealogy. New York City: Quadrangle/New York Times Book Co. p. 345. ISBN 0-8129-0280-7. OCLC 1340410.
  3. ^ "Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss: Who is 'ringleader' of German far-right coup plot – and what is the Reichsburger movement?". Sky News. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  4. ^ Murray, Miranda (7 December 2022). "Germany raids far-right group over plot to install prince in coup". Reuters. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Heinrich XIII, Germany's 'Putsch Prince,' lamented monarchy's demise". The Washington Post.
  6. ^ Murray, Miranda (7 December 2022). "Germany foils far-right plot to install Prince Heinrich XIII in coup". Reuters. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  7. ^ "Heinrich XIII. Reuß festgenommen: Wer ist der Prinz, der Scholz ersetzen wollte?". euronews (in German). 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Fürstenhaus Reuss distanziert sich von Weigelt-Gast Prinz Heinrich XIII" (in German). Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  9. ^ a b Oltermann, Philip (7 December 2022). "Key figures behind alleged far-right plot to overthrow the German government". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  10. ^ Mischke, Roland (24 December 1998). "Heinrich XIII. Prinz Reuß, Erbe einer 700jährigen Fürstentradition, will Geras Jugendstil-Theater und einiges mehr zurückbekommen: "Ein bißchen mitreden möchten wir schon"". Berliner Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  11. ^ Hoffer, Rewert (7 December 2022). "Rothschilds, Freimaurer, Deutschland GmbH: So tickt Heinrich XIII. Prinz Reuss". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Reußen-Gruft in Gera soll an historischen Ort zurück" [The Reussen crypt in Gera is to be returned to its historical location]. Die Welt (in German). 29 August 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  13. ^ "Heinrich XIII. Prinz Reuss". Federation of World Peace and Love. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  14. ^ a b Marsh, Sarah (7 December 2022). "Heinrich XIII: the prince suspected of plotting to be German kaiser in coup". Reuters. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  15. ^ "Die Abschaffung der Monarchie und der Status der Bundesrepublik Deutschland". YouTube. 15 February 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  16. ^ Maier-Lorenz, Juliane (19 November 2018). "Fürst Reuß: "Es war klar, dass wir nach Thüringen zurückkommen"" (in German). Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  17. ^ Koity, Marius (25 August 2022). "Nach „Affäre um Weigelt": Familie Reuß distanziert sich von Prinz Heinrich XIII. „aufs Schärfste"". www.otz.de (in German). Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  18. ^ Schuetze, Christopher F. (7 December 2022). "What Do We Know About Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  19. ^ "Haus Reuß schockiert über Vorgänge um Heinrich XIII" (in German). Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  20. ^ Ramirez, Nikki McCann (7 December 2022). "Germany Arrests QAnon-Linked Extremists Over Plot to Topple Government". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  21. ^ Saric, Ivana (7 December 2022). "Germany arrests 25 people over far-right coup plot". Axios. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  22. ^ Bennhold, Katrin; Solomon, Erika (7 December 2022). "Germany Arrests 25 Suspected of Planning to Overthrow Government". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  23. ^ Thorwarth, Katja (10 December 2022). "Prinz Reuß von den „Reichsbürgern" bedient antisemitische Verschwörungserzählungen". Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  24. ^ a b "Allemagne : un coup d'Etat par un réseau terroriste d'extrême droite déjoué". LCI. YouTube. 8 December 2022.
  25. ^ https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/prince-putsch-and-his-gang-the-motley-crew-that-wanted-to-topple-the-german-government-a-07a32d7c-96e6-4b61-a282-9e9ab2ffa288
  26. ^ Connolly, Kate (7 December 2022). "German police raids target alleged far-right extremists seeking to overthrow state". Guardian. Retrieved 7 December 2022.

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