Princess Victoria Feodora Reuss

Princess Victoria Feodora Reuss
Princess Viktoria Feodora (right) with her mother and brother, c. 1900s
Born21 April 1889 (1889-04-21)
Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia
Died18 December 1918(1918-12-18) (aged 29)
Rostock, Germany
Spouses
IssueDuchess Woizlawa Feodora of Mecklenburg
HouseHouse of Reuss
FatherHeinrich XXVII, Prince Reuss Younger Line
MotherPrincess Elise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

Princess Viktoria Feodora Reuss (German: Viktoria Feodora Prinzessin Reuß jüngere Linie; 21 April 1889 – 18 December 1918)[1] was a German noblewoman and a member of the House of Reuss. By marriage to Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg, she became a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. She was named in honour of the German Empress Auguste Viktoria.

Life and wartime service

Princess Viktoria Feodora was born in Potsdam, the eldest child of Heinrich XXVII, Prince Reuss Younger Line and Princess Elise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.[2] Her mother was a granddaughter of Princess Feodora of Leiningen, the half-sister of Queen Victoria.[3]

During the First World War, she was distinguished for her humanitarian work. She voluntarily served as an assistant nurse in a military hospital in Gera, caring for wounded soldiers with exemplary dedication.[4] Contemporaries described her as being "distinguished by all the virtues of beautiful humanity."[5]

Marriage and death

On 24 April 1917, she married Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg at Schloss Osterstein in Gera.[6] The wedding was kept small due to the ongoing war.[7] Following the marriage, the couple moved into the Grand Ducal Palace in Rostock.[8]

Together, They had only child:

  • Duchess Woizlawa Feodora of Mecklenburg (17 December 1918 – 3 June 2018). She married Heinrich I Prinz Reuss (1910-1982) the eldest son of Prince Heinrich XXXIV Reuss of Schleiz (1887-1956) and his wife and cousin, Princess Sophie Renata Reuss of Köstritz (1884-1968) and had issue

Tragically, Viktoria Feodora one day after giving birth to her only child, Duchess Woizlawa Feodora of Mecklenburg. She was interred in the Bad Doberan Minster. Her husband later remarried her sister-in-law, Princess Elisabeth of Stolberg-Rossla, in 1924.

Ancestry

References

  1. ^ Huberty, Michel; Alain Giraud; F. B. Magdelaine (1991). L'Allemagne Dynastique, Tome VI : Bade-Mecklembourg. A. Giraud. p. 239. ISBN 978-2-901138-06-8.
  2. ^ "Princess Viktoria Feodora Reuss of Schleiz". Ancestry. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  3. ^ "Reuss Royals". Unofficial Royalty. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  4. ^ "Feodora Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin". Royal Magazin. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  5. ^ "Engagement of Princess Feodora". Geraer Zeitung. 15 February 1917.
  6. ^ "Duke Adolf Friedrich Weds". The New York Times. 25 April 1917.
  7. ^ "The Princely Wedding in Gera". Mecklenburgische Zeitung. 25 April 1917.
  8. ^ "The name of Woizlawa Feodora". NettyRoyal. 17 December 2018.

Bibliography

  • Stark, A. (2001). The House of Reuss: A Genealogical History. Gera History Press.
  • Van der Kiste, John (2012). The Dutch Royal Family: A Modern History. The History Press.