Hessian Heir

Ludwig was born on 12 September 1837 at the Prinz-Karl-Palais, Darmstadt, and was the eldest son of Karl of Hesse and by Rhine and Elisabeth of Prussia. 

At his birth, Ludwig was third-in-line to the grand ducal throne of Hesse behind his father’s eldest brother, Ludwig, and his father himself. After his grandfather was forced to abdicate in 1848, Ludwig’s’ uncle succeeded as Ludwig III, however he had no legitimate issue from his first marriage and had made a morganatic second marriage so it was becoming increasingly likely the ducal then would pass down to young Ludwig one day. Ludwig was always destined for a career in the military and he started his training in 1848 alongside his brother, Heinrich, and also attended the University of Gottingen and the University of Geissen.

Marriage

In 1860, Ludwig and Heinrich were invited to Windsor Castle to attend the Ascot races so Queen Victoria could assess Ludwig as a possible marriage candidate for her second daughter, Alice. Alice’s older sister, Victoria, had met the brothers when she visited Darmstadt to meet their sister, Anna, to see if she would make a suitable bride for the Prince of Wales. While Vicky had not been impressed by Anna, she had liked her brothers immensely and thought Ludwig would be a good match for Alice. Before the visit to Windsor Castle was over, it was obvious Ludwig and Alice were smitten with each other.

Ludwig and Alice were formally engaged on 30 April 1861, however arrangements for the wedding were thrown into chaos by the death of Prince Albert on 14 December that same year. Queen Victoria ordered the wedding to go ahead as planned despite the period of mourning, however it would be a far simpler affair at Osborne House. On 1 July 1862, the royal family gathered in the dining room at Osborne House which had been temporarily converted into a chapel for the wedding but the atmosphere was gloomy as an emotional Queen Victoria was hidden from view by her sons.

While Alice wore a traditional white bridal gown, the guests were required to wear subdued clothing while the princess had to wear the appropriate mourning attire before and after the ceremony. Alice was walked down the aisle by her father’s brother, Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and was flanked by her four younger sisters. Alice had to be careful not to appear too joyful in case she upset her mother which explains the mournful wedding photos taken that day. In fact, Queen Victoria later wrote to her eldest daughter that the day had been “more of a funeral than a wedding”.

Alice and Ludwig left for Hesse a few days later but her place of residence had already sparked controversy and Alice’s popularity in Hesse was already at its lowest as the small state could not afford to provide a place suitable for the daughter of a queen. However, when Alice finally arrived in Darmstadt, she and Ludwig were greeted warmly by the crowds despite the bad weather.

In 1863, a pregnant Alice returned to England for the wedding of her brother, Albert Edward, to Alexandra of Denmark and ended up giving birth to her first child, Victoria, on 5 April, in the presence of her mother. The birth of a second daughter, Elisabeth, on 1 November 1864, would strain the relationship between Alice and her mother as Alice chose to breastfeed her children herself, something Queen Victoria abhorred. Unfortunately, it was the start of a rift that would only grow wider as time went on because Victoria was jealous of Alice’s happiness and Alice despaired of her mother’s prolonged mourning.

In 1866, tensions in the family were heightened when Austria declared war on Prussia with Hesse firmly on the Austrian side which meant Alice and her sister Victoria were technically enemies. Alice, pregnant with her third child, sent her older daughters to live in England while Louis went off to war. Alice devoted herself to nursing wounded soldiers, using the methods promoted by her friend, Florence Nightingale, but still putting herself at great risk from disease. The Austrians were defeated in the War but the grand duchy was at risk of being annexed to Prussia like its neighbours. However, the duchy was spared die to its close familial ties with Russia as Louis’ paternal aunt,

In 1866, tensions in the family were heightened when Austria declared war on Prussia with Hesse firmly on the Austrian side which meant Alice and her sister Victoria were technically enemies. Alice, pregnant with her third child, sent her older daughters to live in England while Ludwig went off to war. Alice devoted herself to nursing wounded soldiers, using the methods promoted by her friend, Florence Nightingale, but still putting herself at great risk from disease. The Austrians were defeated in the War but the grand duchy was at risk of being annexed to Prussia like its neighbours. However, the duchy was spared due to its close familial ties with Russia as Ludwig’s paternal aunt, Marie of Hesse, now Maria Alexandrovna, was married to Tsar Alexander III.

Ludwig also fought in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 alongside his brother-in-law, Friedrich of Prussia, with whom he had a good relationship. However, since Ludwig was now in the Prussian army it meant he spent a lot of time away from home. Over the following years, cracks began to appear in Ludwig and Alice’s marriage and Alice consoled herself by concentrating on her public duties. Tragedy befell the family in 1873 when their youngest son, Friedrich, nicknamed Frittie, died after falling from a window on to a balcony twenty feet below. The boy suffered from haemophilia, and although he regained consciousness, the internal bleeding could not be stopped.

Grand Duke

In 1876, Alice returned to England for treatment for an internal complaint caused by a backward curvature of the womb and then spent time at Balmoral recuperating. While at Balmoral, the strain between Alice and Ludwig was evident in her letters in which she often berates her husband for his childishness and apparent lack of intelligence. Despite her reservations, Alice remained loyally supportive of Ludwig and she stood up for him whenever she felt his actions were not being recognised. On 20 March 1877, Ludwig’s father died making Ludwig heir apparent to the ducal throne, however, his uncle, Ludwig III, died on 13 June that same year. As the new Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Hesse, Ludwig and Alice managed to reconcile but Alice found her new duties rather overwhelming.

In November 1878, the family fell ill with diphtheria and while the older children recovered, Marie, the youngest, died. Alice kept the news of Marie’s death from the other children but eventually told her son, Ernst Ludwig, who was so devastated by the news, Alice kissed him on the cheek, sealing her own fate. A few days later, Alice became seriously ill and died, aged 35 years, on 14 December 1878, the anniversary of her father’s death.

While Ludwig made a full recovery from his illness, he now found himself as a single parent to five children, however his eldest daughter, Victoria, took over the maternal role to her younger siblings. Queen Victoria also took a keen interest in her motherless grandchildren and the family spent a lot of time with her in England and on the Isle of Wight.

In 1884, the royal family descended on Darmstadt for the wedding of his eldest daughter to Louis of Battenberg, however Ludwig was not happy at the prospect of losing his daughter as she would be moving to England. That same evening, Ludwig secretly married his mistress, Alexandrine von Hutten-Czapska, the former wife of Alexander von Kolemine, the Russian chargé d’affaires in Darmstadt. When news of the marriage was made public, it caused such a scandal Ludwig had the marriage annulled within three months and Alexandrine was financially compensated.

Ludwig died of a heart attack on 13 March 1892 in the New Palace in Darmstadt and was succeeded by his son, Ernst Ludwig.