Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine
Quick Facts
Biography
Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine (Friedrich Wilhelm August Victor Leopold Ludwig; 7 October 1870 – 29 May 1873) was the haemophiliac second son of Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse, and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, one of the daughters of Queen Victoria. He was also a maternal great-uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh through his eldest sister Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine.
Life
Friedrich, called "Frittie" in the family, was a cheerful and lively child despite his illness. "Leopold" was added as one of his names in honor of his mother's hemophiliac brother, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, who was Friedrich's godfather.
Death
His haemophilia was first diagnosed in February 1873, a few months before his death, when he cut his ear and bled for three days. Bandages could not stanch the flow of blood. In late May 1873, Friedrich and his older brother Ernst were playing together in their mother's bedroom. Ernst ran to another room, which was set at right angles to Alice's bedroom and peered through the window at his younger brother. Alice ran to get Ernst away from the window. When she was out of the room, Friedrich climbed onto a chair next to an open window in his mother's bedroom to get a closer look at his brother. The chair tipped over and Friedrich tumbled through the window, falling twenty feet to the balustrade below. Friedrich survived the fall and might have lived had he not been a haemophiliac. He died hours later of a brain hemorrhage.
Aftermath
Following Friedrich's death, his distraught mother often prayed at his grave and marked anniversaries of small events in his life. His brother Ernst told his mother he wanted all of the family to die together, not alone "like Frittie." Two of Friedrich's sisters, Irene and Alix, also had haemophiliac sons.
Ancestry
16. Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse | ||||||||||||||||
8. Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse | ||||||||||||||||
17. Landgravine Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt | ||||||||||||||||
4. Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine | ||||||||||||||||
18. Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden | ||||||||||||||||
9. Princess Wilhelmine of Baden | ||||||||||||||||
19. Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt | ||||||||||||||||
2. Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse | ||||||||||||||||
20. Frederick William II of Prussia | ||||||||||||||||
10. Prince Wilhelm of Prussia | ||||||||||||||||
21. Frederika Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt | ||||||||||||||||
5. Princess Elisabeth of Prussia | ||||||||||||||||
22. Frederick V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg | ||||||||||||||||
11. Landgravine Maria Anna of Hesse-Homburg | ||||||||||||||||
23. Landgravine Caroline of Hesse-Darmstadt | ||||||||||||||||
1. Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine | ||||||||||||||||
24. Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld | ||||||||||||||||
12. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ||||||||||||||||
25. Princess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf | ||||||||||||||||
6. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | ||||||||||||||||
26. Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | ||||||||||||||||
13. Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | ||||||||||||||||
27. Duchess Louise Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | ||||||||||||||||
3. Princess Alice of the United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||
28. George III of the United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||
14. Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn | ||||||||||||||||
29. Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz | ||||||||||||||||
7. Victoria of the United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||
30. Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (= 24) | ||||||||||||||||
15. Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld | ||||||||||||||||
31. Princess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf (= 25) | ||||||||||||||||