German Monarchies before 1918: The Grand Duchies, Duchies & Principalities 3/3

When studying European history, the various German monarchies come up a lot. They were figuratively and literally in the middle of everything; the protestant reformation, various wars and revolutions, and they married their offspring to royals across the continent, to the extent that most modern monarchs have more German heritage than local. Check out my episodes. But to call these many German Monarchies a Gordian knot is an understatement. They were constantly shifting boarders, merging, dividing and changing names because of battles, treaties and dynastic developments. And their allegiance to the Holy Roman Empire and then to Prussia shifted over time. So let’s slice through the Gordian knot and take a closer look at all of the German monarchies that existed at a single point in time; when they were abolished following Germany’s defeat in WWI. Over three episodes, we’ll examine the 4 Kingdoms, 5 Grand Duchies, 5 Duchies and 6 Principalities that existed in 1918. Look back at the dynasties that founded them and notable family members along the way. Find out which monarch was in the hot seat when the revolution came, and meet their modern decedents who no longer rule, but still have plenty of clout, cash and castles. In the last 2 episodes, we explored the three kingdoms of Prussia, Bavaria & Württemberg. And the Kingdom of Saxony and it’s offshoots, the Saxes, who became known as “the breeding pens of European Royalty”. Today we’ll complete the puzzle of historic Germany monarchies with a jaunt through the other 4 Grand Duchies, 2 duchies and 6 principalities. Among their ranks, we’ll find many familiar names and faces, including Queen Charlotte of the UK, Tsarina Alexandra of Russia, several of Queen Victoria’s inlaws, Prince Philip and more! Grand Duchy of Baden Grand Duchy of Hesse Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin & Mecklenburg-Strelitz Grand Duchy of Oldenburg Duchy of Anhalt Duchy of Brunswick Principality of Lippe Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Principality of Waldeck & Pyrmont Principality of Reuss-Greiz Principality of Reuss-Gera