Prince Henry of Battenberg
Prince Henry Maurice of Battenberg ( born October 5, 1858 in Milan, † January 20, 1896 in Sierra Leone, malaria ) was Governor from 1889 and captain of the Isle of Wight.
Origin
Henry Maurice of Battenberg was the third son of five children of Prince Alexander of Hesse- Darmstadt (1823-1888) and Countess Julia Hauke (1825-1895), a maid of honor to the Empress Marie Alexandrovna. Since their marriage was considered morganatic, Julia Hauke was through her marriage is not a member of the House of Hesse, but received from her brother, Grand Duke Ludwig III. of Hesse and by Rhine, the orphaned since 1310 title of Countess of Battenberg. Since this was also true for their children, who were not entitled to inherit to the Grand Duke of Hesse throne, so it was originally built Battenberg. Julia was later elevated to the rank of prince of Hesse, their descendants were thus the title of Prince or Princess.
Life
At the wedding of his elder brother Prince Louis Alexander of Battenberg with Princess Victoria Alberta of Hesse- Darmstadt Heinrich Moritz learned in 1884, the British Princess Beatrice, daughter of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort Albert, know. Beatrice and Heinrich Moritz got engaged secretly in Darmstadt. Back in the UK, the Queen was shocked, she wanted to marry Beatrice allow in any case, because she was her constant companion and secretary. After eight months of constant dispute over the marriage of Queen Victoria was finally agreed. The only requirement of the Queen was that the couple for the rest of her life was to live with her. Beatrice agreed, and Heinrich Moritz, who was a halbverarmter and semi standesgemäßer Prince, had nothing to lose and no future in the Prussian army, so he agreed.
On July 23, 1885, he married at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight Princess Beatrice ( 1857-1944 ). He and his wife were the left and right hand of the Queen of Great Britain. 1889 Queen Victoria appointed her son to the governor and captain of the Isle of Wight, he was inducted as a Knight in the Order of the Garter. However, this was not a strenuous task for Heinrich Moritz, and he still had very little to do. He spent his time with the upbringing and education of his children. Rumor has it he had a secret affair with his wife's sister, Louise (1848-1939), however, there is insufficient evidence to support this assertion.
Expedition
In 1895 it was announced that locals were sold as slaves in the territory of Ashanti in Ghana, a colony of Great Britain. London forbade the local tribal chief (king) Prempeh this type of trading. As the African King refused, it was decided to send an expedition under Sir Francis Scott by Ashanti. Prince Heinrich Moritz asked his mother to their consent to participate in this expedition, which they initially rejected. On December 7, 1895, he went on board the " HMS Coramandel " to Africa. In Ghana, Prince Heinrich Moritz went with the main group of the expedition to Kumasi, capital of Ashanti. When they arrived on January 4 at the Pra River, reached a fever in the group in order to adhere to the ill some soldiers. When they arrived in Kwisu on January 10, ill also Prinz Heinrich Moritz malaria. Despite his protests, he was taken on board the " HMS Blonde" and moved back to the UK, but as the ship crossed the coast of Sierra Leone, died Prince Henry Maurice of Battenberg. He was buried in Whippingham on the Isle of Wight. His descendants changed their family name from Battenberg to Mountbatten in 1917.
Progeny
- Prince Alexander of Battenberg (1886-1960), since 1917 the Marquess of Carisbrooke ∞ Irene Denison ( 1890-1956 )
- Princess Victoria Eugénie Julia (1887-1969), called Ena ∞ King Alfonso XIII. of Spain (1886-1941)
- Prince Leopold Arthur of Battenberg (1889-1922), since 1917 Lord Leopold Mountbatten
- Prince Maurice of Battenberg Victor (1891-1914) like,