Prince Wilhelm of Urach, Count of Württemberg, 2nd Duke of Urach (''Wilhelm Karl Florestan Gero Crescentius'';
German: ''
Fürst Wilhelm von Urach, Graf von Württemberg, 2.
Herzog
''Herzog'' (female ''Herzogin'') is a German hereditary title held by one who rules a territorial duchy, exercises feudal authority over an estate called a duchy, or possesses a right by law or tradition to be referred to by the ducal title. ...
von Urach''; 30 May 1864 – 24 March 1928), was a German prince who was elected in June 1918 as
King of Lithuania
The monarchy of Lithuania concerned the monarchical head of state of Kingdom of Lithuania, Lithuania, which was established as an Absolute monarchy, absolute and hereditary monarchy. Throughout Lithuania's history there were three Duke, ducal D ...
, with the
regnal name
A regnal name, or regnant name or reign name, is the name used by monarchs and popes during their reigns and, subsequently, historically. Since ancient times, some monarchs have chosen to use a different name from their original name when they ...
of Mindaugas II. He never assumed the crown, however, as German authorities declared the election invalid;
the invitation was withdrawn in November 1918. From 17 July 1869 until his death, he was the head of the
morganatic
Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...
Urach branch of the
House of Württemberg
The House of Württemberg is a German dynasty and former royal family from Württemberg.
History County
The House probably originated in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty. Around 1080 the ancestors of modern Württemberg, which was then calle ...
.
Early life
Born as Wilhelm Karl Florestan Gero Crescentius, Count of
Württemberg
Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart.
Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Württ ...
, he was the elder son of
Wilhelm, 1st Duke of Urach (the head of a
morganatic
Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...
branch of the Royal House of the
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which existe ...
), and his second wife,
Princess Florestine of Monaco, occasional Regent of
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
and daughter of
Florestan I, Prince of Monaco.
At the age of four, Wilhelm succeeded his father as
Duke of Urach
The title of Duke of Urach (German: ''Herzog von Urach'') was created in the Kingdom of Württemberg on 28 March 1867 for Friedrich Wilhelm Alexander Ferdinand, Count of Württemberg, with the style of Serene Highness. The first Duke of Urach was ...
. He was born and spent much of his childhood in Monaco, where his mother Florestine often managed the government during the extended oceanographic expeditions of her nephew, Prince
Albert I. Wilhelm was culturally
francophone.
Candidate for various thrones
Through his mother, Wilhelm was a legitimate heir to the throne of Monaco. Wilhelm's cousin Prince Albert I of Monaco had only one child,
Prince Louis, who was unmarried and had no legitimate children. The French Republic, however, was reluctant to see a German prince ruling Monaco. Under French pressure, Monaco passed a law in 1911 recognising Louis's illegitimate daughter,
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
, as heir; she was adopted in 1918 by her grandfather Prince Albert I as part of the
Monaco Succession Crisis of 1918. Wilhelm was relegated to third in line to Monaco's throne, behind Louis and Charlotte. Furthermore, in July 1918 France and Monaco signed the
Franco-Monegasque Treaty; it required all future princes of Monaco to be French or Monegasque citizens and secure the approval of the French government to succeed to the throne. After the accession of Prince
Louis II in 1922, Wilhelm renounced his rights of succession to the throne of Monaco in favour of distant French cousins, the counts de Chabrillan, in 1924.
In 1913, Wilhelm was one of several princes considered for the throne of
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
. He was supported by Catholic groups in the north and attended the
Albanian Congress of Trieste
The Albanian Congress of Trieste ( sq, Kongresi Shqiptar i Triestës) was a congress of Albanians held in Trieste, Austria-Hungary in the period between 27 February – 6 March 1913, organized by Faik Konica and Sotir Kolea with strong support ...
. In 1914 Prince
William of Wied was selected instead.
In 1917, as a newly retired general, Wilhelm sounded out the possibility of being made
Grand Duke of Alsace-Lorraine after the war was over. In 1918, he accepted the short-lived invitation to reign as
Mindaugas II of Lithuania
Prince Wilhelm of Urach, Count of Württemberg, 2nd Duke of Urach (''Wilhelm Karl Florestan Gero Crescentius''; German: '' Fürst Wilhelm von Urach, Graf von Württemberg, 2. Herzog von Urach''; 30 May 1864 – 24 March 1928), was a German prince ...
. His claims were published in a 2001 essay by his grandson-in-law, Sergei von Cube.
Military career
Typical of his family, Wilhelm entered the army in 1883 and was a professional general by the outbreak of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
in 1914 as commander of the
26th Infantry Division (1st Royal Württemberg) of the
Imperial German Army. Until November 1914 this division was part of the German assault on France, and then Belgium, where Wilhelm's sister-in-law
Elisabeth of Belgium was queen. In December 1914, the division fought in the battle to cross the Bzura river in Poland. From June to September 1915, the division moved from north of Warsaw to positions close to the
Neman River, an advance of hundreds of miles in the campaign in which Poland was taken (the
Great Russian Retreat of World War I). In October–November 1915, the division took part in the
Serbian Campaign
The Serbian campaign was a series of military expeditions launched in 1914 and 1915 by the Central Powers against the Kingdom of Serbia during the First World War.
The first campaign began after Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on 28 J ...
, moving from west of Belgrade to Kraljevo in less than a month. The division served at
Ypres
Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though
the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality c ...
in Belgium from December 1915 to July 1916, then was largely destroyed at the Somme battles from August to November 1916 while holding the ''
Schwaben Redoubt
The Capture of Schwaben Redoubt () was a tactical incident in the Battle of the Somme, 1916 during the First World War. The redoubt was a German strong point long and wide, built in stages since 1915, near the village of Thiepval and overlook ...
'' (Swabia is part of Württemberg). Wilhelm retired as divisional general on 5 January 1917.
In 1917–18, Wilhelm was
General Officer Commanding of the
64th Corps (Generalkommando 64) on the western front; his
aides de camp included
Eugen Ott and
Erwin Rommel.
King of Lithuania
On 4 June 1918, the
Council of Lithuania voted to invite Wilhelm to become the king of a newly independent Lithuania. Wilhelm agreed and was elected on 11 July 1918, taking the name Mindaugas II. His election can be explained by several factors:
*he was Roman Catholic (the dominant religion in Lithuania);
*he was not a member of the
House of Hohenzollern
The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenbu ...
, the family to which belonged the German Emperor
William II, who wanted Lithuania to be a monarchy in personal union with
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
;
*the
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (also known as the Treaty of Brest in Russia) was a separate peace treaty signed on 3 March 1918 between Russia and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire), that ended Russia's ...
of March 1918 had established Germany's power in the region, for the time being;
*he had had a successful military career;
*if the
Central Powers
The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in ...
were to win the war, Lithuania could have expected German protection in the event of future intrusions by Russia.
According to Wilhelm's agreement with the Council of Lithuania, he had to live in Lithuania and learn to speak its language.
In addition, he was also descended from
Casimir IV Jagiellon
Casimir IV (in full Casimir IV Andrew Jagiellon; pl, Kazimierz IV Andrzej Jagiellończyk ; Lithuanian: ; 30 November 1427 – 7 June 1492) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447, until his death. He was one of the m ...
, grand duke of Lithuania, through his daughter
Barbara Jagiellon
Barbara Jagiellon (15 July 1478 – 15 February 1534) was a Polish princess, member of the Jagiellonian dynasty and by marriage Duchess of Saxony.
Born in Sandomierz, she was the sixth daughter of King Casimir IV of Poland and Archduchess Eli ...
.
From the beginning, Wilhelm's reign was controversial. The four socialists of the twenty members of the Council of Lithuania left in protest. The German government did not recognize Wilhelm's selection as king, although the influential publicist and politician
Matthias Erzberger
Matthias Erzberger (20 September 1875 – 26 August 1921) was a German writer and politician (Centre Party), the minister of Finance from 1919 to 1920.
Prominent in the Catholic Centre Party, he spoke out against World War I from 1917 and as a ...
, also a Catholic from Württemberg, supported the claim. Wilhelm never had the chance to visit Lithuania; he remained instead at
Lichtenstein Castle, his home south of
Stuttgart. He did start to learn the
Lithuanian language
Lithuanian ( ) is an Eastern Baltic language belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the official language of Lithuania and one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.8 mill ...
, however. Within a few months of his election, it became clear that
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
would lose
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and on 2 November 1918, the Council of Lithuania reversed its decision.
In the tiny chapel of
Lichtenstein Castle is a framed letter from
Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...
welcoming Wilhelm's selection as the future king of Lithuania.
In 2009 Wilhelm's grandson
Inigo
Inigo derives from the Castilian rendering (Íñigo) of the medieval Basque name Eneko. Ultimately, the name means "my little (love)". While mostly seen among the Iberian diaspora, it also gained a limited popularity in the United Kingdom.
Ear ...
was interviewed on television in Vilnius, and said: "...if he was honoured with a proposal to assume the throne of Lithuania, he would not refuse it."
The German anti-war novelist
Arnold Zweig
Arnold Zweig (10 November 1887 – 26 November 1968) was a German writer, pacifist and socialist.
He is best known for his six-part cycle on World War I.
Life and work
Zweig was born in Glogau, Prussian Silesia (now Głogów, Poland), the son ...
set his 1937 novel ''Einsetzung eines Königs'' (The Crowning of a King) around the election of Mindaugas in 1918.
Marriages and children
Wilhelm was married twice. On 4 July 1892, he married firstly
Duchess Amalie in Bavaria (1865–1912), daughter of
Karl-Theodor, Duke in Bavaria, a niece of Empress
Elisabeth of Austria, and a direct descendant of the Lithuanian princess
Ludwika Karolina Radziwiłł of
Biržai
Biržai (, known also by several alternative names) is a town in northern Lithuania. Biržai is famous for its reconstructed Biržai Castle manor, and the whole region is renowned for its many traditional-recipe beer breweries.
Names
The nam ...
. Nine children were born of this marriage:
* Princess Marie Gabriele (1893–1908)
*
Princess Elizabeth (1894–1962) who married
Prince Karl of Liechtenstein
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
(1878–1955), an uncle of
Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein
Franz Joseph II (Franz Josef Maria Aloys Alfred Karl Johannes Heinrich Michael Georg Ignaz Benediktus Gerhardus Majella; 16 August 1906 – 13 November 1989) was the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein from 25 July 1938 until his death.
Franz Jose ...
, and had issue.
* Princess Karola (1896–1980)
*
Prince Wilhelm (1897–1957), who
morganatic
Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...
ally married Elisabeth Theurer (1899–1988) and had two daughters, Elisabeth and Marie Christine, neither of whom married.
*
Karl Gero, Duke of Urach (1899–1981), 3rd Duke of Urach, who married Countess Gabriele of
Waldburg-Zeil
Waldburg-Zeil was a County and later Principality within Holy Roman Empire, ruled by the House of Waldburg, located in southeastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located around Schloss Zeil, near Leutkirch im Allgäu.
History
Waldburg-Zeil ...
(1910–2005); no issue.
* Princess Margarete (1901–1975)
*
Prince Albrecht (1903–1969), a diplomat; former artist turned journalist, and expert on the Far East. Married first Rosemary Blackadder and second Ute Waldschmidt, divorced both of them and had issue by both. His daughter Marie-Gabrielle (''aka'' Mariga) was the first wife of
Desmond Guinness. Albrecht's marriages were also considered morganatic, but his descendants use as surname ''Furst von Urach''.
* Prince Eberhard (1907–1969), who married
Princess Iniga of Thurn and Taxis (1925–2008) and had issue:
Karl Anselm, Duke of Urach, born 1955,
Wilhelm Albert, Duke of Urach, born 1957 and
Prince Inigo of Urach, born 1962.
* Princess Mechtilde (1912–2001), who married Friedrich Karl, Prince of
Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst
Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst was a county in northeastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The name Hohenlohe derives from the castle of Hohenloch near Uffenheim in Mittelfranken, which came into the possession of the descendants of Conrad o ...
and had issue.
In 1924, Wilhelm married secondly Princess Wiltrud of Bavaria (1884–1975), daughter of King
Ludwig III of Bavaria
Ludwig III (Ludwig Luitpold Josef Maria Aloys Alfried; 7 January 1845 – 18 October 1921) was the last King of Bavaria, reigning from 1913 to 1918. Initially he served in the Bavarian military as a lieutenant and went on to hold the rank of Oberl ...
. This marriage was childless.
Prince Eberhard's son
Inigo
Inigo derives from the Castilian rendering (Íñigo) of the medieval Basque name Eneko. Ultimately, the name means "my little (love)". While mostly seen among the Iberian diaspora, it also gained a limited popularity in the United Kingdom.
Ear ...
made a sentimental journey to Lithuania in November 2009, which was covered by the local media.
Lithuanian web page
/ref>
Honours
Ancestors
See also
* List of Lithuanian rulers
The article is a list of heads of state of Lithuania over historical Lithuanian state. The timeline includes all heads of state of Lithuania as a sovereign entity, legitimately part of a greater sovereign entity, a client state, or a Republics o ...
* Mindaugas
Mindaugas (german: Myndowen, la, Mindowe, orv, Мендог, be, Міндоўг, pl, Mendog, c. 1203–1263) is the first known Grand Duke of Lithuania and the only crowned King of Lithuania. Little is known of his origins, early life, or ...
* House of Mindaugas
* Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse
* Archduke Charles Stephen of Austria
* Monaco Succession Crisis of 1918
* Florestan I children
* Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg
Duke Adolf Friedrich Albrecht Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (German: ''Adolf Friedrich Albrecht Heinrich, Herzog zu Mecklenburg-Schwerin''; 10 October 1873 – 5 August 1969), was a German explorer in Africa, a colonial politician, the elect ...
* Kingdom of Finland (1918)
References
External links
Schloss Lichtenstein
Urach–family archive in Stuttgart
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilhelm Karl, Duke of Urach
1864 births
1928 deaths
German Army generals of World War I
People from the Kingdom of Württemberg
German Roman Catholics
Dukes of Urach
Monegasque people of German descent
Monegasque Roman Catholics
Lithuanian people of German descent
Princes of Urach
Generals of Cavalry of Württemberg
People educated at Eton College
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
Recipients of the Military Merit Order (Bavaria), 1st class
Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles
Grand Crosses of the Order of Military Merit (Bulgaria)
Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog
Lithuanian monarchy
Kings of Lithuania