Adolf II (23 February 1883 – 26 March 1936) was the last ruler of the small

Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe Schaumburg-Lippe, also called Lippe-Schaumburg, was created as a county in 1647, became a principality in 1807 and a free state in 1918, and was until 1946 a small state in Germany, located in the present-day state of Lower Saxony, with its capi ...

in northwestern Germany from 29 April 1911 until his

abdication Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the Order of succession, succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of ...

on 15 November 1918. Adolf was the eldest son of

Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe George, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe (10 October 1846 – 29 April 1911) was the ruler of the small Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe within the German Empire from 1893 to 1911, succeeding his father Adolf I, and being succeeded by his son Adolf ...

, and succeeded his father as prince on 29 April 1911. His short reign came to an end seven years later when he was forced to abdicate on 15 November 1918 following the

German revolution German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

. He and his wife were both killed in a plane crash in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

on 26 March 1936. As he had no children, Adolf was succeeded as head of the House of

Schaumburg-Lippe Schaumburg-Lippe, also called Lippe-Schaumburg, was created as a county in 1647, became a principality in 1807 and a free state in 1918, and was until 1946 a small state in Germany, located in the present-day state of Lower Saxony, with its capi ...

by his younger brother Wolrad.

Biography

Early life

Prince_Adolf_of_Schaumburg_Lippe_LCCN2014699149

Adolf was born in

Stadthagen Stadthagen () is the capital of the district of Landkreis Schaumburg, Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 20 km east of Minden and 40 km west of Hanover. The city consists of the districts Brandenburg, Enzen ...

, the only other town in the principality apart from the capital

Bückeburg Bückeburg (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Bückeborg'') is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the border with North Rhine Westphalia. It is located in the district of Schaumburg close to the northern slopes of the Weserbergland ridge. Bückeburg ha ...

, to the then hereditary Prince Georg (1846–1911) and

Princess Marie Anne of Saxe-Altenburg Princess Marie Anne of Saxe-Altenburg (14 March 1864 – 3 May 1918) was the consort of Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe. As the eldest daughter of Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Meiningen, and the sister of Er ...

(1864–1918). He was born during the reign of his grandfather Prince Adolf I, and became

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

to Schaumburg-Lippe at the age of 10 on 8 May 1893 following the death of his grandfather, and the accession of his father. In 1904, while studying at the

University of Bonn The University of Bonn, officially the Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (), is a public research university in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the () on 18 October 1818 by Frederick Willi ...

, he became a member of the

German Student Corps Corps (or Korps; "''das ~''" ('' n''), (''sg.''), (''pl.'')) are the oldest still-existing kind of '' Studentenverbindung'', Germany's traditional university corporations; their roots date back to the 15th century. The oldest corps still exist ...

Corps Borussia Bonn The Corps Borussia Bonn is a German Student Corps at the University of Bonn. History Borussia was established on 22 December 1821 and joined the Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband (KSCV) in 1856. It is the corps of the House of Hohenzollern a ...

Reign

Upon the death of Prince George on 29 April 1911, Adolf succeeded his father as prince of Schaumburg-Lippe at the age of 28. During his reign he developed the spa of

Bad Eilsen Bad Eilsen (West Low German: ''Ahlsen'') is a municipality in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately southwest of Stadthagen, and southeast of Minden. Bad Eilsen is also the seat of the ''Samtgeme ...

and was responsible for many buildings there. He was forced to abdicate on 15 November 1918 following the

: the principality became the

Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe The Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe () was created following the abdication of Prince Adolf II of the Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe on 15 November 1918, following the German Revolution. It was a state in Germany during the Weimar Republic ...

. Adolf was exiled to Brioni in

Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; ; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian: ; ; ) is the largest peninsula within the Adriatic Sea. Located at th ...

Marriage and death

Adolf married the actress Elisabeth Franziska (Ellen) Bischoff-Korthaus (1894–1936, previously married to Prince Eberwyn, son of

Alexis, Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt Alexis (Alexis Carl Ernst Louis Ferdinand Eugen Bernhard; 17 November 1845 – 21 January 1919) was a lieutenant general, statesman, and the Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt from 28 September 1890 to 21 January 1919. Biography Early life Alex ...

) in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

on 10 January 1920. They were both killed in a plane crash in

Zumpango Zumpango is a municipality located in the northeastern part of the state of Mexico in Zumpango Region. It lies directly north of Mexico City within the Greater Mexico City urban area. The municipal seat, Zumpango de Ocampo, lies near Lake Zumpango ...

, on 26 March 1936, while flying from

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

Guatemala City Guatemala City (, also known colloquially by the nickname Guate), is the Capital city, national capital and largest city of the Guatemala, Republic of Guatemala. It is also the Municipalities of Guatemala, municipal capital of the Guatemala Depa ...

in a

Ford Trimotor The Ford Trimotor (also called the "Tri-Motor", and nicknamed the "Tin Goose") is an American Trimotor, three-engined transport plane, transport aircraft. Production started in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and ended on June 7, 1933, afte ...

airplane.

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

from 27 March 1936 reported that it was the worst Mexican air crash. All fourteen people on board the airplane, ten tourists from Europe and four crew members, died when the plane crashed between two volcanos. His youngest brother Prince Friedrich Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe, who served as an adjutant to

Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and philologist who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief Propaganda in Nazi Germany, propagandist for the Nazi Party, and ...

, spoke out against letting Ellen be buried in Bückeburger Mausoleum next to her husband, because she was not of "

Aryan ''Aryan'' (), or ''Arya'' (borrowed from Sanskrit ''ārya''), Oxford English Dictionary Online 2024, s.v. ''Aryan'' (adj. & n.); ''Arya'' (n.)''.'' is a term originating from the ethno-cultural self-designation of the Indo-Iranians. It stood ...

origin". As he had no children, Adolf was succeeded as head of the House of

by his younger brother Prince Wolrad.

Ancestry

References

External links

*
A 1913 wire photo; hosting and hunting with the Germain kaiser.
'' Quebec Chronicle'' , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Adolf 02 Of Schaumburg-Lippe, Prince 1883 births 1936 deaths People from Stadthagen Princes of Schaumburg-Lippe House of Lippe Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Mexico Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1936 State leaders killed in aviation accidents or incidents People from Schaumburg-Lippe Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Pretenders Monarchs who abdicated