Prince Louis of Battenberg

Louis Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven, (24 May 1854 – 11 September 1921), formerly Prince Louis Alexander of Battenberg, was a minor German prince who married into the British Royal Family and pursued a distinguished career in the Royal Navy, eventually serving as First Sea Lord from 1912 to 1914. He was the father of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma and the maternal grandfather of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Louis of Battenberg This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Jump to: navigation, search May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search The British Royal Family is a group of people closely related to the British monarch. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... Old Admiralty House, Whitehall, London, Thomas Ripley, architect, 1723-26, was not admired by his contemporaries and earned him some scathing couplets from Alexander Pope The Admiralty was historically the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. ... Jump to: navigation, search Sir Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, PC, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, FRS, (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British admiral and statesman and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. ... HRH The Duke of Edinburgh The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, KG, KT, OM, GBE, AC, QSO, PC, (Philip Mountbatten, formerly Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark) (born 10 June 1921) is the consort of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. ...

Early Life

His Illustrious Highness Count Louis (Ludwig) Alexander of Battenberg was born in Graz, Austria, the eldest son of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine (1823-1888) by his morganatic marriage to Countess Julia von Hauke (1825-1895), the daughter of a Polish politician. His mother was created Countess of Battenberg with the style Illustrious Highness on marriage. She was created Princess of Battenberg with the style of Serene Highness by her brother-in-law, Grand Duke Ludwig III of Hesse and by Rhine on 21 December 1858. Thereupon, Count Louis became HSH Prince Louis of Battenberg. One of his younger brothers, Prince Alexander of Battenberg (1857-1893), became the reigning Prince of Bulgaria from 1879 to 1886, and another, Prince Henry of Battenberg (1858-1896), married Princess Beatrice of Great Britain and Ireland, the youngest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Battenberg (Eder) is a town of 5000 inhabitants in Northern Hesse, Germany. ... Prince Alexander of Hesse and by the Rhine 15 Jul 1823 - 1888. ... 1823 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1888 is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... A morganatic marriage is a type of marriage which can be contracted in certain countries, usually between persons of unequal social rank (unebenbürtig in German), which prevents the passage of the husbands titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage. ... Julia von Hauke (November 12, 1825 (O.S.) = November 24, 1825 (N.S.) - September 19, 1895) was wife of Prince Alexander of Hesse-Darmstadt (1823-1888), mother of Alexander of Bulgaria, and ancestor of the house of Mountbatten and the British royal House of Windsor. ... 1825 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1895 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1858 is a common year starting on Friday. ... Alexander Joseph of Battenburg (April 5, 1857 - November 17, 1893), the first prince of modern Bulgaria, reigned from April 29, 1879 to September 7, 1886). ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1893 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Prince Henry of Battenberg, KG, PC (5 October 1858-20 January 1896) was a descendant of the Grand Ducal House of Hesse and by Rhine who became a member of the British Royal Family through his marriage to Princess Beatrice, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of... 1858 is a common year starting on Friday. ... 1896 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Her Royal Highness The Princess Beatrice, (Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore), (14 April 1857 - 26 October 1944), was a member of the British Royal Family, the fifth daugther and the youngest child of Queen Victoria. ... Jump to: navigation, search Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and Empress of India from 1 January 1877 until her death. ... Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Francis Charles Augustus Albert Emmanuel, of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha branch of the House of Wettin) (26 August 1819 - 14 December 1861) was the husband and consort of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ...

Naval Career

In 1868, at the age of fourteen, Prince Louis became a naturalized British subject and joined the Royal Navy. He began his career as a midshipman on the Royal Alfred. In 1876, he accompanied the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII on his official tour of India. During the 1882 Egyptian intervention, he served as a lieutenant on Inconstant and was decorated with the Egyptian Medal and the Khedive Bronze Star. In September 1883, Queen Victoria appointed him lieutenant in her yacht, Victoria and Albert, which assured his promotion to commander two years later. Prince Louis rose to the rank of captain and became an aide-de-camp to the Queen in 1891. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1904, vice admiral in 1910, and admiral in 1912. During that time, he served as Director of Naval Intelligence (1902-1905), Commander-in-Chief of the Atlantic Fleet (1908-1911), commander of the Third and Fourth Divisions of the Home Fleet (1911), and Second Sea Lord (1911). He became a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (K.C.B.) in the military division in 1908, having received the K.C.B. and Knight Grand Cross (G.C.B.) in the civil division of the same order in 1884 and 1887, respectively. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... For the fishes called midshipman, see Midshipman fish In the navies of English-speaking countries, a midshipman is a low-ranking commissioned officer, usually the lowest rank. ... Edward VII (Albert Edward) (9 November 1841–6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, King of the Commonwealth Realms, and the Emperor of India. ... The Naval Intelligence Division (NID) was the intelligence arm of the British Admiralty before the establishment of a unified Defence Staff in 1964. ... Commander-in-Chief (in NATO-lingo often C-in-C or CINC pronounced sink) is the commander of all the military forces within a particular region or of all the military forces of a state. ...

On 9 December 1912, Prince Louis assumed the post of First Sea Lord, the senior uniformed officer in the Royal Navy. In that capacity, he was responsible to the First Lord of the Admiralty (at the time, Winston Churchill) for the readiness of the fleet and the preparation of naval strategy. However, with the outbreak of World War I, rising anti-German sentiment among the British public and newspapers forced him to resign as First Sea Lord on 29 October 1914. He held no official post for the remainder of the war and retired from the active list in the Navy in 1918. December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1912 was a leap year starting on Monday. ... The First Lord of the Admiralty was a British government position in charge of the Admiralty. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, FRS, PC (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. ... Jump to: navigation, search World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machineguns, and poison gas. ... The First Sea Lord is the senior admiral and professional head of the British Royal Navy. ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 63 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Marriage and Children

On 30 April 1884, Prince Louis of Battenberg married Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (5 April 1863-24 September 1950) at Darmstadt. His wife was the eldest daughter of Princess Alice of Great Britain and Ireland (26 April 1843-14 December 1878), the second daughter of Queen Victoria, and Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse and by Rhine (12 September 1837-13 March 1892). Prince and Princess Louis of Battenberg were first cousins once removed; his father-in-law was also his first cousin. The marriage produced four children ¹: April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining, as the last day in April. ... 1884 is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar). ... Daughter of Grand Duke Luis IV of Hesse and by Rhine and HRH The Princess Alice of Great Britain, second daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Map of Germany showing Darmstadt Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland (federal state) of Hesse in Germany. ... Her Royal Highness The Princess Alice (Alice Maud Mary), (25 April 1843 - 14 December 1878, was a member of the British Royal Family, the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria. ... April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (117th in leap years). ... 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1878 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... 1837 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1892 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

• HSH Princess Alice of Battenberg (15 February 1885-5 December 1969 m. HRH Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (2 February 1882-3 December 1944). Among her children is Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
• HSH Princess Louise of Battenberg, later styled Lady Louise Mountbatten (13 July 1889-2 March 1965) m. HRH Crown Prince Gustaf Adolph of Sweden, later Gustaf VI Adolf, King of Sweden (11 November 1882-15 September 1973)
• HSH Prince George of Battenberg, later 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven (6 November 1892-4 April 1938) m. Countess Nadejda (Nada) de Torby (28 March 1896-22 January 1963)
• HSH Prince Louis Francis of Battenberg, later 1st Viscount Mountbatten of Burma and 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900-August 27, 1979) m. Hon. Edwina Ashley (28 November 1900-21 February 1960).

Princess Alice of Battenberg Princess Alice of Battenberg, later Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark (25 February 1885 - 5 December 1969) was a great-granddaughter of the British Queen Victoria who married into the royal house of Greece. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1885 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Jump to: navigation, search December 5 is the 339th day (340th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1969 was a common year starting on Wednesday For other uses, see Number 1969. ... His Royal Highness Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (January 20, 1882 - December 3, 1944), of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, was the son of George I (1845-1913), King of the Hellenes, and of Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinova (1851-1926) of Russia. ... Jump to: navigation, search February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1882 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... December 3 is the 337th (in leap years the 338th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... HRH The Duke of Edinburgh The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, KG, KT, OM, GBE, AC, QSO, PC, (Philip Mountbatten, formerly Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark) (born 10 June 1921) is the consort of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. ... Her Majesty Queen Louise (Louise Alexandra Marie Irene) of Sweden (13 July 1889 - 7 March 1965) was the second wife of King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden. ... Jump to: navigation, search July 13 is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1889 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... March 2 is the 61st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (62nd in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1965 was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ... King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden, Oskar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustav Adolf (November 11, 1882 - September 15, 1973), was the eldest son of King Gustav V. At birth he was created Duke of Scania. ... November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... 1882 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... The Most Honourable George Louis Victor Henry Serge Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven (December 6, 1892–April 8, 1938) was born the son of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine at Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany. ... November 6 is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 55 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1892 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... 1938 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (88th in Leap years). ... 1896 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1963 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Sir Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, PC, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, FRS, (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British admiral and statesman and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. ... June 25 is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 189 days remaining. ... 1900 is a common year starting on Monday. ... August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search This page refers to the year 1979. ... November 28 is the 332nd day (333rd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1900 is a common year starting on Monday. ... Jump to: navigation, search February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Adoption of the Surname Mountbatten

At the behest of King George V, Prince Louis relinquished the title Prince of Battenberg in the Grand Duchy of Hesse, as also the style of Serene Highness, on 14 July 1917. At the same time, he also anglicized his family name, changing it from "Battenberg" to "Mountbatten". On July 17, the king created him Marquess of Milford Haven, Earl of Medina, and Viscount Alderney in the peerage of the United Kingdom. His wife ceased to use her own title of Princess of Hesse and became known as the Marchioness of Milford Haven. His three younger children ceased to use their princely titles and assumed courtesy titles as children of a British marquess; his eldest daughter, Princess Alice, had married into the Greek royal family in 1903, and never had occasion to use the surname Mountbatten. However, her only son, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, adopted the name when he became a British subject in 1947. George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert Windsor, (3 June 1865–20 January 1936) was the last British monarch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, changing the name to the House of Windsor in 1917. ... Jump to: navigation, search July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... 1917 was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... The title of Marquess of Milford Haven was created in 1917 for Prince Louis of Battenberg, the former First Sea Lord, and a relation to the British Royal family, who became Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven. ... The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801. ... 1903 has the latest occurring solstices and equinoxes for 400 years, because the Gregorian calendar hasnt had a leap year for seven years or a century leap year since 1600. ... HRH The Duke of Edinburgh His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (Philip Mountbatten), styled HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (born June 10, 1921), is the consort of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. ...

Prince Louis' elder son, George Mountbatten, who received the courtesy title Earl of Medina, succeeded him as 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven in 1921. Prince Louis' younger son, styled Lord Louis Mountbatten after 1917, was created Viscount Mountbatten of Burma in 1946 and then Earl Mountbatten of Burma and Baron Romsey in 1947.² He served as the last Viceroy of India. The Most Honourable George Louis Victor Henry Serge Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven (December 6, 1892–April 8, 1938) was born the son of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine at Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany. ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Sir Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, PC, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, FRS, (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British admiral and statesman and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. ... 1917 was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... 1946 was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Governor-General of India (or Governor-General and Viceroy of India) was the head of the British administration in India. ...

Lord Milford Haven was appointed a member of the Privy Council and was promoted to the rank of Admiral of the Fleet in recognition of his service to the Royal Navy in August 1921. He died in London on 11 September 1921. His remains were buried at Whippingham Church on the Isle of Wight. Her Majestys Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Isle of Wight is an island off the south coast of England, opposite Southampton. ...

Titles from birth to death

Here is a list of titles the Marquess of Milford Haven held from birth to death in chronological order:

• His Illustrious Highness Count Louis of Battenberg
• His Serene Highness Prince Louis of Battenberg
• Louis Mountbatten
• The Most Honourable The Marquess of Milford Haven

Note

¹ In 1881, Prince Louis of Battenberg allegedly had an illegitimate daughter Jeanne Marie Langtry Malcolm by the actress, Lillie Langtry, a one-time mistress of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. Jeanne Marie Langtry Malcolm (8 March 1881 - 1964) was the illegitimate daughter of the actress Lillie Langtry. ... Lillie Langtry (née Emilie Charlotte Le Breton, nicknamed the Jersey Lily) (13 October 1853 - 12 February 1929) was a British actress born on the island of Jersey in 1853. ... Edward VII (Albert Edward) (9 November 1841–6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, King of the Commonwealth Realms, and the Emperor of India. ...

² Upon relinquishing his princely title and anglicizing his surname to Mountbatten, Prince Louis allegedly wrote in a letter to his son George, "Enter Prince Jekyll, exit Lord Hyde."

The First Sea Lord is the senior admiral and professional head of the British Royal Navy. ... John Arbuthnot Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher John Arbuthnot Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher (January 25, 1841 – July 10, 1920), commonly known as Jackie Fisher, was a British admiral known for his efforts at naval reform. ...

The title of Marquess of Milford Haven was created in 1917 for Prince Louis of Battenberg, the former First Sea Lord, and a relation to the British Royal family, who became Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven. ... The Most Honourable George Louis Victor Henry Serge Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven (December 6, 1892–April 8, 1938) was born the son of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine at Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany. ...

Sources

• Marlene A. Eilers, Queen Victoria's Descendants (New York: Atlantic International Publishing, 1987).
• Richard Alexander Hough, Louis and Victoria: The First Mountbattens (London: Hutchinson, 1974).
• Hugo Vickers, Alice, Princess Andrew of Greece (New York: St. Martin's, 2000).
• Philip Ziegler, Mountbatten (New York: Knopf, 1984).