Prince Wolfgang of Hesse

Prince Wolfgang
Crown Prince of Finland
Born	(1896-11-06)6 November 1896 Castle Rumpenheim, Offenbach am Main, German Empire
Died	12 July 1989(1989-07-12) (aged 92) Frankfurt, West Germany
Spouse	Princess Marie Alexandra of Baden ​ ​ (m. 1924; died 1944)​ Ottilie Moeller ​ (m. 1948)​
Names Wolfgang Moritz
House	Hesse-Kassel
Father	Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse
Mother	Princess Margaret of Prussia

Prince Wolfgang of Hesse (Wolfgang Moritz Prinz von Hessen; 6 November 1896 – 12 July 1989) was the district administrator of Obertaunuskreis from 1933 to 1945.

Wolfgang was born at Castle Rumpenheim, Offenbach am Main, the second son of Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse (1868–1940) and Princess Margaret of Prussia (1872–1954). His maternal uncle was the German Emperor William II.

In World War I, Wolfgang served as an officer in the command of Field Marshal August von Mackensen. Towards the end of the war, Wolfgang's father Frederick Charles of Hesse was selected by the Central Powers as a prospective King of Finland on 9 October 1918, to replace his first cousin once removed, the deposed Russian emperor, Nicholas II, who was titled Grand Duke of Finland. Wolfgang was designated heir, in preference to his elder twin brother Philipp to ensure the separation of the thrones of Hesse and Finland. However, Frederick Charles renounced his candidature on 14 December 1918, and the title was never actually held by the family. The monarchy of Hesse was abolished in the German revolution of 1918–1919.

Wolfgang married on 17 September 1924 Princess Marie Alexandra of Baden (1902–1944), daughter of Prince Maximilian of Baden and Princess Marie Louise of Hanover; they had no children.

He joined the NSDAP and the SA in December 1933, and was appointed Landrat (district administrator) of Obertaunuskreis, a landkreis in the state of Hesse, serving in that capacity until the end of World War II. His wife was killed in an air raid in 1944.

He married secondly Ottilie Moeller (1903–1991), the daughter of Ludwig Moeller and Eleanore Steinmann, in September 1948.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Prince Wolfgang of Hesse

8. Landgrave William of Hesse-Kassel 4. Landgrave Frederick William of Hesse-Kassel 9. Princess Louise Charlotte of Denmark & Norway 2. Landgrave Frederick Charles of Hesse-Kassel 10. Prince Charles of Prussia 5. Princess Anna of Prussia 11. Princess Marie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach 1. Prince Wolfgang of Hesse 12. William I, German Emperor 6. Frederick III, German Emperor 13. Augusta of Saxe-Weimar 3. Princess Margaret of Prussia 14. Albert of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha Prince Consort 7. Victoria, Princess Royal 15. Victoria of the United Kingdom

References

• Sjöström (2013) "Suomen kuningas" kuoli. Suomen Kuvalehti 22/2013 page 17.
• Hessian Biography