Prince Karl Gero Albrecht Joseph Wilhelm Anton Maria of Urach, Count of Württemberg, 3rd Duke of Urach (19 August 1899 – 15 August 1981) was the head of the morganatic Urach branch of the

House of Württemberg The House of Württemberg is an uradel, ancient German nobility, German dynasty and former royal family of the Kingdom of Württemberg. History County The House probably originated in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty. Around 1080 the ancestors ...

Life

He was born in Lichtenstein, then part of the

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg ( ) was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Electorate of Württemberg, which existed from 1803 to 1806. Geogr ...

, at his family's Lichtenstein Castle, being the second son of Duke Wilhelm of Urach and his first wife Duchess Amalie in Bavaria. In 1917 he graduated from the Karls-Gymnasium school in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

. After graduation he served in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. He was heavily wounded in 1918. After the war Karl Gero von Urach studied architecture, and later worked as an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. In 1928, on his father's death, Karl Gero became the third Duke (

Herzog (; feminine ; masculine plural ; feminine plural ) 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 ...

) of Urach, as his elder brother Wilhelm had resolved to marry morganatically (he was a director at

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

for most of his life, and had two daughters). In 1935 he entered

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

and became a

Hauptmann () is an officer rank in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is usually translated as ''captain''. Background While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has, and originally had, the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literall ...

, and in 1940 was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. Until 1945 he was based at the local army headquarters at

Tübingen Tübingen (; ) is a traditional college town, university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer (Neckar), Ammer rivers. about one in ...

and Ulm. On 20 June 1940 Karl Gero von Urach married Countess Gabriele of Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg (1910–2005). The marriage was childless. Karl Gero von Urach died at Lichtenstein Castle on 15 August 1981, and his nephew Karl Anselm succeeded to the Dukedom.

Ancestry

References

Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart – Bestand GU 126 – Karl Gero Herzog von Urach (1899–1981)

External links

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Urach, Karl Gero, Duke of 1899 births 1981 deaths People from Reutlingen (district) Dukes of Urach People from the Kingdom of Württemberg German Roman Catholics Karl Gero German Army personnel of World War I German Army officers of World War II Military personnel from Baden-Württemberg Pretenders Crown princes