Princess Louise of Prussia, later Grand Duchess of Baden (1838-1923) was the daughter of William I, King of Prussia and German Emperor. Her long life spanned the year of revolutions in 1848 and the immediate aftermath of the First World War. She took little interest in the political matters of the day and, apart from being an ardent supporter of Roman Catholics in Germany, rarely made her views known. Yet for several decades she played a supportive role where her family was concerned, particularly involving herself in charitable works during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. She and her husband Frederick, Grand Duke of Baden (1826-1907), had three children and it is from their daughter Victoria, consort of King Gustav V, that the Swedish royal family are descended. This concise account examines her life and times.
Louise of Prussia was born on 3 December 1838 to Wilhelm I, German Emperor, then Prince Wilhelm of Prussia and his wife Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. She married the future Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden and they went on to have three children. John Van Der Kiste’s Daughter of Prussia is, by my knowledge, the first English language biography of Louise. I really enjoy John Van Der Kiste’s writing and it’s great look at the life of the penultimate Grand Duchess of Baden. The book is a bit on the short side, but I know the troubles of trying to research women’s life all too well. Sometimes the information simply does not exist. Nevertheless, John Van Der Kiste manages to capture Louise.
Daughter of Prussia: Louise, Grand Duchess of Baden and her family by John Van Der Kiste is available now in both the US and the UK.
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