Princess Marie of Battenberg (15 February 1852 – 20 June 1923) was a Princess of Battenberg and, by marriage, the Princess of Erbach-Schönberg. She worked as a writer and translator.

Background and early life

Marie was the eldest child and only daughter of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine (1823–1888), founder of the House of Battenberg and his morganatic wife, the Countess Julia Hauke (1825–1895), daughter of the Polish Count John Maurice Hauke. As a result of a morganatic marriage, Marie and her siblings were excluded from the succession of the Grand Duchy of Hesse, and bore the title Princes of Battenberg. Conceived six months before her parents married, Marie always told people that her birthday was the 15th of July instead of the 15th of February. She was born 15 February in Strasbourg and not 15 July in Geneva. Marie grew up in a wholesome family environment which was remarked upon by their royal relatives for its harmony and simplicity. She was the eldest of five children and she had four younger brothers, each highly distinguished in his own right. The eldest of her brothers was the distinguished British First Sea Lord, Prince Louis of Battenberg, father of Louise, Queen of Sweden and of Earl Mountbatten; he was also the maternal grandfather of Prince Philip. Her second brother was Prince Alexander of Battenberg, who was elected Prince of Bulgaria (equivalent to king) in 1879. Her third brother was Prince Henry of Battenberg, who married Princess Beatrice, a daughter of Queen Victoria, and was the father of Victoria Eugenie, Queen of Spain. Her fourth and youngest brother was Prince Francis Joseph of Battenberg, who married a daughter of king Nicholas I of Montenegro, but they had no children. In this way, Marie was related to a wide swathe of European royalty. Marie was a godmother to her niece, Princess Alice of Battenberg, mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Marriage and family

The Princess married on 19 April 1871 in Darmstadt, Count Gustav Ernst of Erbach-Schönberg (1840–1908), who was elevated to the rank of Prince in 1903. They had four children:

Literary works

Ancestry