Princess Mafalda of Savoy (19 November 1902 – 28 August 1944) was the second daughter of King

Victor Emmanuel III of Italy Victor Emmanuel III (Vittorio Emanuele Ferdinando Maria Gennaro di Savoia; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. He also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia (1936–1941) and ...

and his wife

Elena of Montenegro Elena of Montenegro (; 8 January 1873 – 28 November 1952) was a Montenegrin princess as the daughter of King Nicholas I of Montenegro and his wife, Queen Milena. She was Queen of Italy from 1900 until 1946 as wife of King Victor Emmanuel ...

. The future King Umberto II of Italy was her younger brother.

Biography

Queen Elena of Savoy with daughters Yolanda and Mafalda

Princess Mafalda was born on 19 November 1902 in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, and was nicknamed “Muti”. She was the second child born to

King Victor Emmanuel III King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

and Queen Elena of Italy. She was baptized at the

Quirinal Palace The Quirinal Palace ( it, Palazzo del Quirinale ) is a historic building in Rome, Italy, one of the three current official residences of the president of the Italian Republic, together with Villa Rosebery in Naples and the Tenuta di Castelporzia ...

on 15 December 1902. During her childhood, she was closest to her mother, from whom she inherited a love for music and the arts. During

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 ...

, she accompanied her mother on her visits to Italian military hospitals. On 23 September 1925, at Racconigi Castle, Mafalda married

Prince Philipp of Hesse Philipp, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse (6 November 1896 – 25 October 1980) was head of the Electoral House of Hesse from 1940 to 1980. He joined the Nazi Party in 1930, and, when they gained power with the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancel ...

, Landgrave of

Hesse-Kassel The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel), spelled Hesse-Cassel during its entire existence, was a state in the Holy Roman Empire that was directly subject to the Emperor. The state was created in 1567 when the Lan ...

and grandson of German Emperor Frederick III. Prince Philipp and his brother Christoph were members of the

National Socialist Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

(Nazi) party. Prince Philipp's marriage to Princess Mafalda put him in position to act as intermediary between the National Socialist government in Germany (ruling since 1933) and the Fascist government in Italy, ruling since 1922. On the evening of 26 March 1935 she was present at an informal diplomatic dinner given by

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

in the Reich President's House in Berlin. She sat next to Anthony Eden. However, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

believed Princess Mafalda was working against the war effort; he called her the "blackest carrion in the Italian royal house". So did Hitler's Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels, who called her "the biggest bitch ''(grösste Rabenaas)'' in the entire Italian royal house". Early in September 1943, Princess Mafalda travelled to

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

to attend the funeral of her brother-in-law, King Boris III. While there, she was informed of Italy's surrender to the Allied Powers, that her husband was being held under house arrest in

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

, and that her children had been given sanctuary in the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

. The

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

ordered her arrest, and on 23 September she received a telephone call from

Hauptsturmführer __NOTOC__ (, ; short: ''Hstuf'') was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in several Nazi organizations such as the SS, NSKK and the NSFK. The rank of ''Hauptsturmführer'' was a mid-level commander and had equivalent seniority to a ...

Karl Hass Karl Hass (5 October 1912 – 21 April 2004) was an SS ''Hauptsturmführer'' and German spy who helped deport more than 1,000 Italian Jews to Auschwitz. A perpetrator in the Ardeatine massacre, in which 335 civilians were murdered, he was tri ...

at the German High Command, who told her that he had an important message from her husband. On her arrival at the German embassy, Mafalda was arrested, ostensibly for subversive activities. Princess Mafalda was transported to

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

for questioning, then to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, and finally to Buchenwald concentration camp. On 24 August 1944, the Allies bombed an ammunition factory inside Buchenwald. Some four hundred prisoners were killed and Princess Mafalda was seriously wounded: she had been housed in a unit adjacent to the bombed factory, and when the attack occurred she was buried up to her neck in debris and suffered severe burns to her arm. The conditions of the labour camp caused her arm to become infected as a result, and the medical staff at the facility amputated it; she bled profusely during the operation and never regained consciousness. She died during the night of 26–27 August 1944; her body was reburied after the war at Kronberg Castle in Hesse. Eugen Kogon, author of ''The Theory and Practice of Hell – The German Concentration Camps and the System Behind Them'' (1950), adds more details of Mafalda's death – some of it in conflict with the previous account. After the air raid of 24 August 1944, the princess was wounded in the arm and Dr. Schiedlausky, camp medical office, performed the arm amputation, but his patient did not survive due to loss of blood. Her naked body was dumped into the crematorium, where Father Joseph Thyl dug it out of the body heap, covered her up, and arranged for speedy cremation. Thyl cut off a lock of the princess's hair, which was smuggled out of camp to be kept in Jena, until it could be sent on to her German relatives. Her death was not confirmed until after Germany's surrender to the Allies in 1945.Kogon, Eugen (1950). ''The Theory and Practice of Hell – The German Concentration Camps and the System Behind Them''. New York: Farrar, Straus. p. 131. In 1995, the Italian government honored Princess Mafalda with her image on a

postal stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...

. '' Mafaldine'' ("little Mafalda"), a variety of flat pasta, are named after her.

Children

Princess Mafalda married

Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse Philipp, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse (6 November 1896 – 25 October 1980) was head of the Electoral House of Hesse from 1940 to 1980. He joined the Nazi Party in 1930, and, when they gained power with the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancel ...

on 23 September 1925 (civilly & religiously) at Racconigi Castle near

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...

. They had 4 children: #Prince

Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse (legally ''Moritz Friedrich Karl Emanuel Humbert Prinz und Landgraf von Hessen'' 6 August 1926 – 23 May 2013) was the son of Prince Philip, Landgrave of Hesse, and the head of the House of Brabant and the German H ...

(6 Aug 1926 – 23 May 2013) married on 1 Jun 1964 (civilly) and on 3 Jun 1964 (religiously) in

Kronberg Kronberg im Taunus is a town in the Hochtaunuskreis district, Hesse, Germany and part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. Before 1866, it was in the Duchy of Nassau; in that year the whole Duchy was absorbed into Prussia. Kronberg lies at t ...

Princess Tatiana of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning wiktionary:principal, principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. ...

(b. 31 July 1940 Gießen), with issue (div. 16 October 1974) # Prince Heinrich Wilhelm Konstantin Viktor Franz (30 Oct 1927 Villa Savoia,

– 18 November 1999 Schloß Wolfsgarten, Langen), unmarried, without issue # Prince ''Otto'' Adolf (3 June 1937

– 3 January 1998

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

) married 1st on 5 April 1965 (civilly) in

and on 6 April 1965 (religiously) in

Trostberg Trostberg (; Central Bavarian: ''Droschberg'' or ''Troschtberg'') is a town in the district of Traunstein, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Alz, 19 km northwest of Traunstein. As with other 'old towns' in the region, it is a ...

''Angela'' Mathilde Agathe von Döring (12 Aug 1940

Goslar Goslar (; Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines ...

– 11 April 1991

), daughter of general Bernd von Doering, without issue (div. 3 February 1969) then married 2nd on 28 December 1988 Elisabeth Marga Dorothea Bönker (formerly Wittler) (31 Jan 1944 Rumburg,

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

– 12 April 2013), without issue (div. 1994) # Princess ''Elisabeth'' Margarethe Elena Johanna Maria Jolanda Polyxene (b. 8 October 1940 Villa Savoia,

) married on 26 Feb 1962 (civilly) and on 28 Feb 1962 (religiously) in

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

Count Friedrich Karl von Oppersdorf (30 Jan 1925

Głogówek Głogówek (pronounced , German: ''Oberglogau'', cs, Horní Hlohov, szl, Gogōwek) is a small historic town in southern Poland. It is situated on the Osobloga River, in Opole Voivodeship of the greater Silesian region. The city lies approximat ...

– 11 January 1985 Gravenbruch), with issue.

Honours

* House of Savoy: Knight Grand Cordon of the Royal Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarusgenmarenostrum.com
page with the Italian Royal family members' honours
/ref> * : Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, 3rd First Class

Ancestry

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Savoy, Mafalda Maria Elisabetta Of 1902 births 1944 deaths

Mafalda ''Mafalda'' () is an Argentine comic strip written and drawn by cartoonist Quino. The strip features a six-year-old girl named Mafalda, who reflects the Argentinian middle class and progressive youth, is concerned about humanity and world pea ...

Italian royalty

Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Knights of Malta Deaths by airstrike during World War II Italian people of Montenegrin descent Italian people who died in Buchenwald concentration camp Italian civilians killed in World War II Nobility from Rome Daughters of emperors Daughters of kings