Quick Facts
Biography
Countess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld (22 June 1870 - 3 September 1948) was the eldest child of Ernest II, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld and Countess Karoline of Wartensleben.
Family and early life
Adelaide was born on 22 June 1870 to Ernest II, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld and his wife Countess Karoline of Wartensleben.
After the death of Woldemar, Prince of Lippe in 1895, her parents were involved in a regency and succession dispute to the principality of Lippe. Though Woldemar's younger brother Alexander succeeded, he was incapable of ruling due to a mental illness. Consequently, two branches of the House of Lippe argued over rights to a regency. Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe, a brother-in-law of Wilhelm II, German Emperor was chosen, but another settlement allowed Ernest to become the regent of Lippe-Detmold on 17 July 1897.
Marriage and issue
At Neudorf, Adelaide married Prince Friedrich Johann of Saxe-Meiningen, a younger son of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen on 24 April 1889. They had the following children together:
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feodora Karola Charlotte Marie Adelaide Auguste Mathilde | 29 May 1890 | 12 March 1972 | married on 21 January 1910 to Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. |
| Adelaide Erna Karoline Marie Elisabeth | 16 August 1891 | 25 April 1971 | married on 3 August 1914 to Prince Adalbert of Prussia. |
| Georg, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen | 11 October 1892 | 6 January 1946 | Died as a POW in Russian camp of Cherepovets, Soviet Union; married Countess Klara-Maria of Korff genannt Schmising-Kerssenbrock; had issue including Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen, wife of Crown Prince Otto of Austria. |
| Ernst Leopold Friedrich Wilhelm Otto | 23 September 1895 | 17 August 1914 | Killed in action, near Maubeuge, France |
| Luise Marie Elisabeth Mathilde Helene Katharine | 13 March 1899 | 14 February 1985 | married on 25 October 1936 to Götz, Freiherr von Wangenheim |
| Bernhard, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen | 30 June 1901 | 4 October 1984 | married firstly Margot Grössler (morganatic) and secondly Baroness Vera Schäffer of Bernstein (equal marriage) |
Role in Lippe succession dispute
Two branches of the House of Lippe debated over rights to the principality of Lippe-Detmold.
As Adelaide's great-grandmother was a member of the petite noblesse, her family's claim to full royalty was challenged. This claim threatened the succession to Saxe-Meiningen, as Adelaide was married to the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen's heir apparent; were her father deemed a lesser royal status, it might be thought that her own claim was not equal enough for her husband's family.
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
- 22 June 1870 – 24 April 1889: Her Highness Countess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeld
- 24 April 1889 – 3 September 1948: Her Highness Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
Ancestry
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