Louis IV of Hesse
1837 – 1892 · Generation XXXIV · Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine
Louis IV of Hesse (1837–1892). Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. Married Alice of the United Kingdom in 1862. Born in Darmstadt to Prince Charles of Hesse and Princess Elisabeth of Prussia, he wed Queen Victoria’s daughter Alice at Osborne House — a match arranged by Prince Albert but entered willingly, overshadowed by the queen’s mourning. A plain-mannered man of conventional tastes, he had little part in his wife’s intellectual and charitable interests. In 1866 he led the Hessian cavalry on Austria’s side; in 1870 he commanded a division for Prussia and won credit for his courage at Gravelotte. He became grand duke in 1877 on his uncle’s death, but in 1878 diphtheria swept the family, killing Alice and their daughter Marie, and he brought up five surviving children alone. A morganatic marriage to Countess Alexandrine von Hutten-Czapska in 1884 was annulled within three months amid his in-laws’ objections. He died of a heart attack in Darmstadt, and his daughter Alix later married Nicholas II.
Place in the family
- Louis IV of Hesse married Alice of the United Kingdom, a daughter of Queen Victoria.
- The archive records 32 of his descendants, across 6 generations.
Partners
- Married Alice of the United Kingdom (1843 – 1878) in 1862 — 2 children together
Children
- Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (1863 – 1950)
- Alix of Hesse (1872 – 1918)
Life
- 1837 — Born
- 1862 — Married Alice of the United Kingdom
- 1892 — Died