Prince Heinrich | |||||
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![]() Heinrich von Hessen und bei Rhein,
c.1865 | |||||
Born | Bessungen, Grand Duchy of Hesse | 28 November 1838||||
Died | 16 September 1900 Munich, German Empire | (aged 61)||||
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House | Hesse-Darmstadt | ||||
Father | Prince Charles of Hesse and by Rhine | ||||
Mother | Princess Elisabeth of Prussia |
Grand Ducal Family of Hesse and by Rhine |
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Louis II |
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Prince Heinrich of Hesse and by Rhine (Heinrich Ludwig Wilhelm Adalbert Waldemar Alexander; November 28, 1838 - September 16, 1900) was a member of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt and a General of the Cavalry.
He was the second son of
Prince Charles of Hesse and by Rhine and
Princess Elisabeth of Prussia and a younger brother of the later
Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse.
Heinrich studied in Göttingen and Giessen and joined the Hessian army as a lieutenant in 1854. In 1859 he joined the
Prussian Army as a captain and fought in the
First Schleswig War and the
Austro-Prussian War.
On 17 September, 1866, Heinrich became commander of the 2nd Guards Uhlan Regiment. He led the regiment during the Franco-Prussian War and received the Iron Cross (2nd class). In 1873, Heinrich was promoted to Generalmajor. In 1879 he became commander of the 25th (Grand Ducal Hessian) Division and shortly afterwards was promoted to Lieutenant General. On August 21, 1884 Heinrich was given the distinction of a Commanding General and two years later, on September 18, 1886, was promoted to General of the Cavalry. On 7 July 1887, Heinrich retired and received the Pour le Mérite; being the final recipient by order of William I as the latter died in the next year.
In retirement he eventually settled in Munich. From 1881 until his death he also was a member of the Hessian Landstände.
Heinrich married morganatically on February 25, 1878, Caroline Willich von Pöllnitz (1848-1879) who was created Freifrau von Nidda for the occasion. She died after the birth of their only child Karl, Count of Nidda (1879-1920).
He married again in 1892 - also morganatically, to Emilie Hrzic de Topuska (1868-1961). She was elevated to Freifrau von Dornberg. They had also one son: Elimar, Freiherr von Dornberg (1893-1917), who died in an accident.
He received the following orders and decorations: [1]