Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse

Louis IV Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine Ludwig IV, 1878 Reign 13 June 1877 – 13 March 1892 Predecessor Louis III Successor Ernest Louis Burial Rosenhohe, Darmstadt Spouse Alice of the United Kingdom Alexandrina Hutten-Czapska (annulled) Issue Princess Victoria Princess Elisabeth Princess Irene Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse Prince Friedrich Princess Alix, Empress of all the Russias Princess Marie Names (Template:Lang-de) (Template:Lang-en) House House of Hesse-Darmstadt Father Charles of Hesse-Darmstadt Mother Elizabeth of Prussia

Louis IV (Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Karl) (12 September 1837 – 13 March 1892), was the fourth Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, reigning from 13 June 1877 until his death. Through his own and his children's marriages he was connected to the British Royal Family, to the Imperial House of Russia and other Royal Houses of Europe.

Early life

Louis was born at Darmstadt, Germany as the son of Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine (23 April 1809 – 20 March 1877) and Princess Elizabeth of Prussia (18 June 1815 – 21 March 1885), granddaughter of King Frederick William II of Prussia.

Marriage

On 1 July 1862, Louis married Princess Alice, the third child of Queen Victoria of Great Britain at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. On the day of the wedding, the Queen issued Letters Patent granting her new son-in-law the style of Royal Highness. This style was only in effect in Great Britain, not the German confederation where Prince Ludwig was only a Grand Ducal Highness. The Queen subsequently created him a Knight of the Garter.

Military career

During the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Louis commanded the Hessian cavalry in support of the Austrian side. In the 1870-71 Franco-Prussian War, Louis led the Hessian contingent of the armies of the North German Confederation.

Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

On 13 June 1877, he succeeded his uncle as Grand Duke of Hesse, taking the name Ludwig IV.

Second marriage

Following the death of Princess Alice in 1878, Ludwig IV contracted a morganatic marriage on 30 April 1884 in Darmstadt with Alexandrina Hutten-Czapska (3 September 1854 – 8 May 1941), the former wife of Aleksander ...vich Kolemin, the Russian chargé d'affaires in Darmstadt. His second wife received the title Countess von Romrod. The marriage, which caused great concern within his family, was annulled within a year.

Death

Grand Duke Ludwig IV died on 13 March 1892 and was succeeded by his son, Ernest Louis. His remains are buried at Rosenhöhe, the mausoleum for the Grand Ducal House of Hesse outside of Darmstadt.

Titles, Styles, Honours & Arms

Styles of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by the Rhine Reference style His Royal Highness Spoken style Your Royal Highness Alternative style Sir

Titles

• 12 September 1837 - 1 July 1862: His Grand Ducal Highness Prince Ludwig of Hesse
• 1 July 1862 - 13 June 1877: His Royal Highness Prince Ludwig of Hesse
• 13 June 1877 - 13 March 1892: His Royal Highness The Grand Duke of Hesse

Honours

• 1862: Knight of the Garter

Ancestry

16. Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt

8. Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse

17. Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken

4. Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse

18. Landgrave George William of Hesse-Darmstadt

9. Landgravine Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt

19. Countess Maria Luise Albertine of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg

2. Prince Charles of Hesse and by Rhine

20. Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden

10. Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden

21. Landgravine Caroline Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt

5. Princess Wilhelmine of Baden

22. Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (= #16)

11. Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt

23. Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken (= #17)

1. Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse

24. Prince Augustus William of Prussia

12. Frederick William II of Prussia

25. Duchess Louise Amalie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

6. Prince William of Prussia

26. Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (= #16)

13. Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt

27. Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken (= #17)

3. Princess Elizabeth of Prussia

28. Frederick IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg

14. Frederick V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg

29. Countess Louise Ulrike of Solms-Braunfels

7. Landgravine Maria Anna of Hesse-Homburg

30. Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (= #16)

15. Landgravine Caroline of Hesse-Darmstadt

31. Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken (= #17)

Issue

Issue by Princess Alice

See also: Grandchildren of Victoria and Albert

Image	Name	Birth	Death	Notes
	Princess Victoria	5 April 1863	24 September 1950	married Prince Louis of Battenberg, later Marquess of Milford-Haven; had issue. She was the maternal grandmother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who is the consort of Queen Elizabeth II.
	Princess Elisabeth	1 November 1864	17 July 1918	Took the name Yelisaveta Fyodorovna on her baptism into the Russian Orthodox Church; married Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia (son of Alexander II of Russia); no issue
	Princess Irene	11 July 1866	11 November 1953	married Prince Heinrich (son of Friedrich III of Germany); had issue
	Prince Ernst Ludwig	25 November 1868	9 October 1937	Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (13 March 1892 – 9 November 1918); married (1) HRH Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; divorced (2) HH Princess Eleonore zu Solms-Hohensolms-Lich; had issue
File:Frittie.jpg	Prince Friedrich	7 October 1870	29 May 1873	Suffered from haemophilia and died from internal bleeding after a fall from a window
	Princess Alix	6 June 1872	17 July 1918	Took the name Alexandra Feodorovna on her baptism into the Russian Orthodox Church; married Tsar Nicholas II of Russia; had issue
	Princess Marie	24 May 1874	16 November 1878	Died of diphtheria

Issue by Alexandrina Hutten-Czapska, Countess von Romrod

No issue. Marriage annulled.