Prince Joachim of Prussia
| Prince Joachim | |
|---|---|
| Prince Joachim of Prussia | |
 | |
| Born | 17 December 1890 Potsdam, Prussia |
| Died | 18 July 1920 (aged 29) Potsdam, Prussia |
| Burial | 21 July 1920 |
| Spouse | Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt |
| Issue | Prince Karl Franz of Prussia |
| House | Hohenzollern |
| Father | Wilhelm II, German Emperor |
| Mother | Duchess Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein |
| Prussian Royalty |
| House of Hohenzollern |
|---|
 |
| Wilhelm II |
Prince Joachim Franz Humbert of Prussia (17 December 1890 – 18 July 1920) was the youngest son of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, by his first wife, Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein.
Candidate for thrones
Ireland
During the Easter Rising in Dublin in 1916, some republican leaders, including Patrick Pearse and Joseph Plunkett, contemplated giving the throne of an independent Ireland to Prince Joachim.[1][2]
While they were not in favour of a monarchy per se, Pearse and Plunkett thought that if the rising were successful and Germany won the war, an independent Ireland would be a monarchy with a German prince as king, like Romania and Bulgaria before it.[3]
The fact that Joachim did not speak English was also considered an advantage, as he might be more disposed to learning and promoting the use of the Irish language.[4]
Georgia
After Georgia's declaration of independence following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Joachim was briefly considered by the German representative Friedrich Werner von der Schulenburg and Georgian royalists as a candidate to the Georgian throne.[5]
Marriage
Prince Joachim married Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt (10 June 1898 – 22 May 1983), the daughter of Eduard, Duke of Anhalt and his wife Princess Luise of Saxe-Altenburg (daughter of Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg), on 11 March 1916.[6] The couple had one son, the Prince Karl Franz Josef Wilhelm Friedrich Eduard Paul (Potsdam, 15 December 1916 – Arica, Chile 22 Jan 1975).
Later life
After his father's abdication, Joachim was unable to accept his new status as a commoner and fell into a deep depression, finally committing suicide by gunshot on 18 July 1920 in Potsdam. One source reports that he had been in financial straits and suffered from "great mental depression".[7] His own brother Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia commented that he suffered from "a fit of excessive dementia".[7] Before his death, the couple had recently divorced. The direct causes are not really known to the public, only that there had been no previous report of marital troubles before the divorce was announced.[8] Regardless of the reasons, this event may have also contributed to his depression.
Children and grandchildren
The only issue of the marriage of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie-Auguste was their son, Prince Karl Franz Josef Wilhelm Friedrich Eduard of Prussia (15 December 1916 Potsdam, Germany – 22 January 1975 in Chile).
On 5 October 1940, Prince Karl married Princess Henriette Hermine Wanda Ida Luise Schönaich-Carolath (25 November 1918 – 16 March 1972). They divorced on 5 September 1946. They were the parents of three children:
- Prince Franz Wilhelm Viktor Christoph Stephan of Prussia (born 3 September 1943), he married Maria Vladimirovna, Grand Duchess of Russia, a claimant to the disputed Russian throne. Their child is Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia, Prince of Prussia, born 13 March 1981 in Spain.
- Prince Friedrich Christian Ludwig of Prussia (3 September 1943 – 26 September 1943)
- Prince Franz Friedrich Christian of Prussia (born 17 October 1944).
After the divorce, Prince Karl married,morganatically, Luise Dora Hartmann (5 September 1909 Hamburg, Germany – 23 April 1961 Hamburg, Germany) on 9 November 1946. The childless couple divorced in 1959.
Prince Karl's last marriage was to Doña Eva Maria Herrera y Valdeavellano (10 June 1922 Lima, Peru – 6 March 1987 Lima, Peru) on 20 July 1959 in Lima, Peru. They were married until Prince Karl's death and had two daughters;
- Alexandra Maria Augusta Juana Consuelo Prinzessin von Preussen (born 29 April 1960 Lima, Peru)
- Désirée Anastasia Maria Benedicta Prinzessin von Preussen (born 13 July 1961 Lima, Peru).
Regimental Commissions [9]
- Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant), 1. Garderegiment zu Fuß (1st Regiment of Foot Guards)
- à la suite, 4. Gardegrenadierlandwehrregiment (4th Reserve Regiment of Grenadier Guards)
Chivalric Orders [9]
- Knight, Order of the Black Eagle
- Knight Grand Cross (with Crown), Order of the Red Eagle
- Knight, First Class, Prussian Crown Order
- Grand Commander, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern
- Knight, First Class, Order of the Netherlands Lion, Netherlands
- Knight, First Class (Star with diamonds), Osminieh Order, Ottoman Empire (Turkey)
Military Decorations (1914-1918)
- Iron Cross, Second Class
- Iron Cross, First Class
Ancestry
References
- ^ Memoirs of Desmond FitzGerald, 1913-1916, Desmond FitzGerald; Routledge & K. Paul, 1968, page 141
- ^ Irish nationalism: a history of its roots and ideology, Seán Cronin, Continuum, 1981, page 255
- ^ The Irish Factor, 1899-1919: Ireland's Strategic and Diplomatic Importance for Foreign Powers, Jérôme aan De Wiel, Irish Academic Press, 2008, page 66
- ^ Abject Loyalty: Nationalism and Monarchy in Ireland During the Reign of Queen Victoria, James H. Murphy, CUA Press, 2001, page 301
- ^ Template:Fr iconLe Caucase dans les plans stratégiques de l'Allemagne (1941-1945) Centre d'études d'histoire de la defense, 29, Georges Mamoulia, 2006, page 53
- ^ "Prince Joachim Married", The New York Times, Amsterdam, 12 March 1916
- ^ a b "Kaiser's Youngest Son, Joachim Shoots Himself", The New York Times, Berlin, 18 July 1920
- ^ "Two of ex-Kaiser's Sons Bring Suits For Divorce", The New York Times, Paris, 8 January 1920
- ^ a b Schench, G. Handbuch über den Königlich Preuβischen Hof und Staat fur das Jahr 1908. Berlin, Prussia, 1907.
- 1890 births
- 1920 deaths
- Prussian princes
- German royalty
- Royalty who committed suicide
- Suicides by firearm in Germany
- Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
- Recipients of the Order of the Black Eagle
- Grand Crosses of the Order of the Red Eagle
- Grand Commanders of the House Order of Hohenzollern
- Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion
- Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class
- Prussian Army personnel
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown (Württemberg)