Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse

Infobox Monarch|majesty
name =Louis IV
title =Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine


caption =Ludwig IV, 1878
reign =13 June, 1877 – 13 March, 1892
coronation =
othertitles ="HRH" The Grand Duke of Hesse
"HRH" Prince Ludwig of Hesse
"HGDH" Prince Ludwig of Hesse
full name =Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Karl
predecessor =Louis III
successor =Ernest Louis
suc-type =
heir =
consort =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
Princess Marie
royal house =House of Hesse
dynasty =
royal anthem =
father =Charles of Hesse-Darmstadt
mother =Elizabeth of Prussia
date of birth =birth date|1837|9|12|df=y
place of birth =Darmstadt, Germany
date of death =death date and age|1892|3|13|1837|9|12|df=y
place of death =
date of burial =
place of burial =Rosenhöhe|

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 Elisabeth 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.

econd Marriage

Following the death of Princess Alice in 1878, Ludwig IV contracted a morganatic marriage on 30 April 1884 with Alexandrina Hutten-Czapska (3 September 1854-8 May 1941), the former wife of Alexander Kolémine, 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.

infobox hrhstyles


royal name=Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by the Rhine
dipstyle=His Royal Highness
offstyle=Your Royal Highness
altstyle=Sir|

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

Titles

*1837-1862: "His Grand Ducal Highness" Prince Ludwig of Hesse
*1862-1877: "His Royal Highness" Prince Ludwig of Hesse
*1877-1892: "His Royal Highness" The Grand Duke of Hesse

Honours

*1862: Knight of the Garter

Ancestry

ahnentafel-compact5
style=font-size: 90%; line-height: 110%;
border=1
boxstyle=padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0;
boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;
1= 1. Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse
2= 2. Prince Charles of Hesse and by Rhine
3= 3. Princess Elizabeth of Prussia
4= 4. Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse
5= 5. Princess Wilhelmine of Baden
6= 6. Prince William of Prussia
7= 7. Landgravine Maria Anna of Hesse-Homburg
8= 8. Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse
9= 9. Landgravine Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt
10= 10. Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden
11= 11. Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt
12= 12. Frederick William II of Prussia
13= 13. Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt
14= 14. Frederick V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg
15= 15. Landgravine Caroline of Hesse-Darmstadt
16= 16. Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt
17= 17. Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken
18= 18. Landgrave George William of Hesse-Darmstadt
19= 19. Countess Maria Luise Albertine of Leiningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg
20= 20. Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden
21= 21. Landgravine Caroline Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt
22= 22. Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (= #16)
23= 23. Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken (= #17)
24= 24. Prince Augustus William of Prussia
25= 25. Duchess Louise Amalie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
26= 26. Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (= #16)
27= 27. Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken (= #17)
28= 28. Frederick IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg
29= 29. Countess Louise Ulrike of Solms-Braunfels
30= 30. Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (= #16)
31= 31. Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken (= #17)

=Issue by Princess Alice =