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 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 ...

House of Hesse The House of Hesse is a European dynasty, directly descended from the House of Reginar, House of Brabant. They ruled the region of Hesse, one branch as prince-electors until 1866, and another branch as grand dukes until 1918.Burke's Peerage, Bur ...

Life

Landgrave Moritz was born at Racconigi Castle, in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Moritz's mother, Princess Mafalda of Savoy, was arrested by the Nazis for alleged subversive activities and died in the

Buchenwald concentration camp Buchenwald (; 'beech forest') was a German Nazi concentration camp established on Ettersberg hill near Weimar, Nazi Germany, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within the Altreich (pre-1938 ...

in 1944 as a result of a U.S. bombing raid on the camp. Moritz and his siblings (Moritz, Otto and Elisabeth) were given sanctuary in the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

under the care of their Aunt and Uncle

Louis, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine Louis, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine (''Ludwig Hermann Alexander Chlodwig'', 20 November 1908 – 30 May 1968) was the youngest son of Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse by his second wife, Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich. He was a grea ...

and Margaret Campbell Geddes who adopted them. After the War they were reunited with their father in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Together with his younger brothers, he took part in the ship tour organized by Queen Frederica and her husband King

Paul of Greece Paul (; 14 December 1901 – 6 March 1964) was King of Greece from 1 April 1947 until his death on 6 March 1964. Paul was born in Athens as the third son of Constantine I of Greece, Crown Prince Constantine and Sophia of Prussia, Crown Princess ...

in 1954, which became known as the “

Cruise of the Kings The Cruise of the Kings () was a royal cruise around the Mediterranean Sea in the summer of 1954, organised by Queen Frederica of Greece, Queen Frederica and Paul of Greece, King Paul of Greece. The cruise aimed to promote tourism in Greece an ...

” and was attended by over 100 royals from all over Europe. Prince Louis of Hesse and by Rhine, the last head of the

Hesse-Darmstadt The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt () was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse among the four sons of Landgrave Philip I. ...

line, died in 1968, at which time Moritz's father succeeded him as head of the entire house. Moritz had been the head of the House of Hesse since the death of his father Philip on 25 October 1980. Moritz was a world-famous art collector.Petty, Terrence (2005-12-23)
"An adoration of art"
, ''

St. Petersburg Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', called the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It is published by the Times Publishing Company, which is owned by The Poynter Institute f ...

''. He presided over the Foundation of the House of Hesse which is the proprietor of the Kronberg Palace Hotel and several manor estates and palaces. He lived at

Schloß Wolfsgarten Schloss Wolfsgarten is a former hunting seat of the ruling family of Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, Hesse-Darmstadt, located in the Germany, German state of Hesse, approximately 15 kilometers south of Frankfurt am Main. The hunting lodge was es ...

south of Frankfurt am Main and Panker estate in Schleswig-Holstein He died of lung illness in a hospital in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, Germany at age 86.

Marriage and children

Moritz married Princess Tatiana of

Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg was one of several imperial counties and later principalities ruled by the House of Sayn-Wittgenstein. Most of the former county is located in the present district of Siegen-Wittgenstein (in the modern state of North ...

, daughter of Prince Gustav Albrecht. Their marriage took place in the summer of 1964 in

Giessen Giessen, spelled in German (), is a town in the Germany, German States of Germany, state () of Hesse, capital of both the Giessen (district), district of Giessen and the Giessen (region), administrative region of Giessen. The population is appro ...

and ended in divorce in 1974. They had four children. * Mafalda Margarethe (born 6 July 1965). Married 1st Enrico ''dei Conti'' Marone Cinzano (born 5 April 1963,

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) 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 city is main ...

) on 8 July 1989 (div. 1990) with no issue. Married 2nd Carlo Galdo (born 26 March 1954,

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

) on 19 December 1991 (div. 1999) and had two daughters. Married 3rd Ferdinando ''dei Conti'' Brachetti Peretti (born 13 January 1960,

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

) on 28 September 2000 (div. 2014) and had two sons. * Heinrich Donatus Philipp Umberto (born 17 October 1966). Married Countess Floria Franziska von

Faber-Castell Faber-Castell AG is a German privately-held multinational corporation, multinational manufacturer of pens, pencils, other office supplies (e.g., staplers, slide rules, erasers, rulers)Faber-Castell InternationalOffice Products and art supplies,Fa ...

(born 14 October 1974, Düsseldorf, Germany) on 25 April 2003 (civilly) and on 17 May 2003 (religiously) and has a daughter and two sons. * Elena Elisabeth Madeleine (born 8 November 1967) has a daughter with Massimo Caiazzo (born 1976). * Philip Robin (born 17 September 1970). Married Laetitia Bechtolf (born 5 May 1978,

Wedel Wedel () is a town in the Pinneberg (district), district of Pinneberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, approximately south of Elmshorn, and west of Hamburg. History Foundation and Mi ...

Pinneberg Pinneberg (; ) is a town in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany. It is the capital of the Pinneberg (district), district of Pinneberg and has a population of about 43,500 inhabitants. Pinneberg is located 18 km northw ...

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...

) on 5 May 2006 (civilly) and on 10 June 2006 (religiously) and has three daughters and a son.

Ancestry

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Moritz, Hesse, Landgrave Of 1926 births 2013 deaths People from Racconigi House of Hesse-Kassel 20th-century German art collectors 21st-century art collectors Princes of Hesse German hoteliers Pretenders