Leopold I of Lippe (2 December 1767 – 5 November 1802) was a Prince of

Lippe Lippe () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld, which forms the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe. ...

Biography

Leopold I was born in

Detmold Detmold () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of . It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947. Today it is the administrative center of ...

the son of Simon August, Count of Lippe-Detmold (1727–1782), and his second wife, Princess Leopoldine of

Anhalt-Dessau Anhalt-Dessau was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire and later a duchy of the German Confederation. Ruled by the House of Ascania, it was created in 1396 following the partition of the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst, and finally merged into th ...

(1746–1769). He received his education in

Dessau Dessau is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent ...

, and when he reached 18 he went to study at the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

. He succeeded his father as Count of Lippe-Detmold on his death on 1 May 1782, and remained Count until Lippe was raised to a Principality of the Holy Roman Empire in 1789. In 1790, a mental disorder was diagnosed, and he was incapacitated by the Imperial Chamber Court; in 1795, the guardianship was conditionally lifted after an improvement occurred. He died in

and was succeeded as Prince by his eldest son, who became Leopold II.

Marriage and children

He was married to Pauline Christine of Anhalt-Bernburg (23 February 1769 – 29 December 1820), daughter of Frederick Albert, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg, and Louise Albertine of Schleswig-Holstein, on 2 January 1796 in

Ballenstedt Ballenstedt is a town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Geography It is situated at the northern rim of the Harz mountain range, about 10 km (6 mi) southeast of Quedlinburg. The municipal area comprises the vi ...

. From the marriage he had two sons: *

Leopold II, Prince of Lippe Leopold II of Lippe (Paul Alexander Leopold; 6 November 1796 – 1 January 1851) was the sovereign of the Principality of Lippe. He succeeded to the throne in 1802, and in 1820 he assumed control of the government from his mother, who had been ac ...

(1796–1851) * Prince Friedrich (1797–1854)

Ancestry

References

* Wilhelm van Kempen: ''Die Korrespondenz des Detmolder Generalsuperintendenten Ewald mit dem Fürsten Leopold Friedrich Franz von Anhalt-Dessau 1790–1794/1798.'' In: ''Lippesche Mitteilungen.'' 33. 1964, p. 135–177. * ''Mächtige Stimme der Gerechtigkeit an die hohe Reichsversammlung in Regensburg die gegen den regierenden Fürsten von Lippe-Detmold verübte Usurpazionssache betreffend. Ein wichtiges Gegenstück zu den fürstneuwiedischen Rekursakten.'' 1795. * Rotberg: ''Wahrhafte Krankheits- und Curatelgeschichte des regierenden Fürsten zur Lippe. Mit Urkunden. Nebst einer kurzen Erörterung der Frage: Wann und wie eine Curatelanordnung über einen deutschen Reichsstand Statt habe?'' 1795. * ''Mitteilungen aus der lippischen Geschichte und Landeskunde'', Bände 10–13, Meyersche Hofbuchhandlung Verlag., 1914, p. 61 1767 births 1802 deaths House of Lippe Princes of Lippe Princes of the Holy Roman Empire {{Germany-royal-stub