Duke of Leuchtenberg was a title created twice by the monarchs of Bavaria for their relatives. The first creation was awarded by Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria to his son Maximilian Philipp Hieronymus, upon whose death without children the lands passed back to his nephew Elector Maximilian II. [1] It was re-created by Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria on 14 November 1817 and awarded to his son-in-law, Eugène de Beauharnais, styled Royal Highness by personal grant, and with the style Serene Highness for his agnatic descendants. [2] [3] Eugène was the adopted stepson of the deposed Emperor Napoleon I of France, and had previously held the title of French prince (Prince français) with the style Imperial Highness. [4] He also had been the emperor's heir in Frankfurt and briefly in Italy. King Maximilian Joseph compensated his son-in-law after he lost his other titles and named him heir to the kingdom after the male-line descendants of the royal house and next in precedence after the Royal Family. [2]
The subsidiary title, also in the Bavarian peerage, was Prince of Eichstätt, which was resigned by the 4th Duke to the King of Bavaria in 1855. [2] [5] On 14 July 1839, Emperor Nicholas I of Russia granted the Russian and Finnish style Imperial Highness, alongside the subsidiary title Prince Romanovsky, to the 3rd Duke, Maximilian, who had just married his daughter, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna. [6] [7]
Nicholas Maximilianovich, 4th Duke of Leuchtenberg, was created Duke of Leuchtenberg in the Russian Empire in 1890 by Alexander III of Russia, as the ducal family was by then composed of members of the extended Russian Imperial Family. This creation once again confirmed the elevation of the style from Serene to Imperial Highness, and was to be carried by all male line descendants of Nicholas born of marriages of the corresponding rank, of the incumbent Duke from 1852 to 1891. The title was largely ceremonial, with no lands or governance attached; the style and title became "Duke von (or of) Leuchtenberg, de Beauharnais". [7]
Following the death of the 8th Duke in 1974, no remaining heirs of full dynastic status remained; the 8th Duke's parents' marriage was the last equal marriage entered into by a male dynast of the House of Beauharnais. The title is claimed by Nicolas de Leuchtenberg (born 1933), [8] senior heir of the 4th Duke by a morganatic marriage, whose grandfather Nicolas Nikolaievitch (1868–1928) was titled Duke of Leuchtenberg in 1890 by edict of Tsar Alexander III of Russia, with the style Highness. [7]
Duke | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Death |
---|---|---|---|---|
Maximilian Philipp Hieronymus 1650–1705 | | 30 September 1638 Munich, Bavaria son of Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria and Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria | Maurita Febronia de la Tour d'Auvergne 1668 no children | 20 March 1705 Turkheim, Bavaria aged 66 |
Duke | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Death |
---|---|---|---|---|
Eugène de Beauharnais 1817–1824 styled Royal Highness by personal grant, French Prince (1804), Viceroy of Italy (1805), Prince of Venice (1807), heir to the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt (1810) | ![]() | 3 September 1781 Paris, France son of Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais and Joséphine Tascher de la Pagerie | Princess Augusta of Bavaria 14 January 1806 7 children | 21 February 1824 Munich, Bavaria aged 42 |
Auguste de Beauharnais 1824–1835 styled Serene Highness, created Imperial and Royal Highness by his father-in-law Duke of Santa Cruz (1829), Prince Consort of Portugal (1834) | | 9 December 1810 Milan, Lombardy, Italy son of Eugène de Beauharnais and Princess Augusta of Bavaria | Maria II, Queen of Portugal 1 December 1834 no children | 28 March 1835 Lisbon, Portugal aged 24 |
Maximilian de Beauharnais 1835–1852 styled Serene Highness, granted the style Imperial Highness by his father-in-law | ![]() | 2 October 1817 Munich, Bavaria son of Eugène de Beauharnais and Princess Augusta of Bavaria | Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia 2 July 1839 7 children | 1 November 1852 Saint Petersburg, Russia aged 35 |
Nicholas Maximilianovich de Beauharnais 1852–1891 styled Imperial Highness | ![]() | 4 August 1843 son of Maximilian de Beauharnais and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia | Nadezhda Sergeevna Annenkova (morganatic) October 1868 2 sons | 6 January 1891 Paris, France aged 47 |
Eugene Maximilianovich de Beauharnais 1891–1901 styled Imperial Highness | ![]() | 8 February 1847 Saint Petersburg, Russia son of Maximilian de Beauharnais and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia | Daria Opotchinina (morganatic) 20 January 1869 1 daughter Zinaida Skobeleva (morganatic) 14 July 1878 no children | 31 August 1901 Saint Petersburg, Russia aged 54 |
George Maximilianovich de Beauharnais 1901–1912 styled Imperial Highness | ![]() | 29 February 1852 Saint Petersburg, Russia son of Maximilian de Beauharnais and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia | Duchess Therese Petrovna of Oldenburg 12 May 1879 one son Princess Anastasia of Montenegro 16 April 1889 2 children | 16 May 1912 Paris, France aged 60 (15) |
Alexander Georgievich de Beauharnais 1912–1942 styled Imperial Highness; reverted to Serene Highness following abolition of Russian titles in 1918; title held in pretense after abolition of German monarchy in 1919 | ![]() | 13 November 1881 Saint Petersburg, Russia son of George Maximilianovich and Duchess Therese Petrovna of Oldenburg | Nadezhda Nicolaevna Caralli (morganatic) 22 January 1917 no children | 26 September 1942 Salies-de-Béarn, France aged 60 |
Sergei Georgievich de Beauharnais 1942–1974 styled Serene Highness | ![]() | 4 July 1890 Peterhof, Russia son of George Maximilianovich and Princess Anastasia of Montenegro | never married | 7 January 1974 Rome, Italy aged 83 |
Note: according to the present-day republican German law, the subsequent list is only an original research. Noble titles no more exist.
Portrait | Biographical Elements | Complete Title(s) | Marriage(s) | Tenure |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Nicolas Nikolaevich de Leuchtenberg Born on 17 October 1868 in Geneva, Switzerland. Deceased on 2 march 1928 in Paris, France | granted the style Highness by Alexander III (1890–1928); Count of Beauharnais (1878–1928); Duke of Leuchtenberg (1890–1928); Marquis of La Ferté-Beauharnais (1891–1928) | Countess Maria Nikolaevna Grabbe (1869–1948) (daughter of Count Nicholas Pavlovich Grabbe) | Duke of Leuchtenberg 11 November 1890 – 2 March 1928 (37 years, 3 months and 20 days) (cousin of Sergei Georgievich, son of Nicholas Maximilianovich) |
Nicolas Nikolaevich de Leuchtenberg Born on 8 August 1896 in Gory, Russia. Deceased 5 May 1937 in Munich, Germany | styled Highness (1896–1937); Duke of Leuchtenberg (1896–1937); Count of Beauharnais (1896–1937); Marquis of La Ferté-Beauharnais (1928–1937) | Olga Nikolaevna Fomina (1898–1921) Elisabeth Müller-Himmler (1906–1999) | Duke of Leuchtenberg 2 March 1928 – 5 May 1937 (9 years, 2 months and 3 days) (son of his predecessor) | |
![]() | Nicolas de Leuchtenberg Born on 12 October 1933 in Munich, Germany | styled Highness (1933); Duke of Leuchtenberg (1933); Count of Beauharnais (1933); Marquis of La Ferté-Beauharnais (1937) | Anne Christine Bügge (1936) | Duke of Leuchtenberg 5 May 1937 – present (86 years, 7 months and 27 days) (son of his predecessor) |
Eugène Rose de Beauharnais was a French nobleman, statesman, and military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Through the second marriage of his mother, Joséphine de Beauharnais, he was the stepson of Napoleon Bonaparte. Under the French Empire he also became Napoleon's adopted son. He was Viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy under his stepfather, from 1805 to 1814, and commanded the Army of Italy during the Napoleonic Wars. Historians consider him one of Napoleon's most able relatives.
Princess Tatiana Constantinovna of Russia was the third child and eldest daughter of Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich of Russia and his wife, Princess Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg.
Princess Anastasia Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro was the daughter of King Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro (1841–1921) and his wife, Queen Milena (1847–1923). Through her second marriage, she became Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova of Russia. She and her sister "Militza", having married Russian royal brothers, were known colloquially as the "Montenegrin princesses" during the last days of Imperial Russia, and may have contributed to its downfall by the introduction of Grigori Rasputin to the Empress Alexandra.
Maximilian Joseph Eugene Auguste Napoleon de Beauharnais, 3rd Duke of Leuchtenberg, Prince Romanowsky was the husband of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolayevna of Russia and first cousin of Emperors Napoleon III of the French and Francis Joseph I of Austria. He was a grandson of Napoleon I's first wife, the Empress Josephine, by her prior marriage to Alexandre de Beauharnais.
Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia was a daughter of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, and sister of Alexander II. In 1839 she married Maximilian, Duke of Leuchtenberg. She was an art collector and President of the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg.
Princess Helen of Serbia was a Serbian princess. She was the daughter of King Peter I of Serbia and his wife, the former Princess Ljubica of Montenegro. She was the elder sister of George, Crown Prince of Serbia and King Alexander I of Yugoslavia. Helen was also a niece of Queen Elena of Italy, Princess Anastasia of Montenegro, wife of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia and of Princess Milica of Montenegro, wife of Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia, the women who introduced Grigori Rasputin to Tsarina Alexandra.
Auguste Charles Eugène Napoléon de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg was the first prince consort of Maria II of Portugal. Besides being the 2nd Duke of Leuchtenberg and 2nd Prince of Eichstätt, he also held the Brazilian noble title of Duke of Santa Cruz.
Princess Augusta of Bavaria, Duchess of Leuchtenberg was the second child and eldest daughter of Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and Princess Augusta Wilhelmina of Hesse-Darmstadt. By marriage, she was a French princess.
The House of Beauharnais is a French noble family. It is now headed by the Duke of Leuchtenberg, descendant in male line of Eugène de Beauharnais.
Nicolas de Leuchtenberg is a claimant to the Dukedom of Leuchtenberg.
Princess Therese of Nassau-Weilburg was a member of the House of Nassau-Weilburg and a Princess of Nassau-Weilburg by birth. Through her marriage to Duke Peter of Oldenburg, Therese was also a Duchess of Oldenburg.
Princess Maria Maximilianovna of Leuchtenberg, also known as Princess Maria Romanovskya, Maria, Princess Romanovskaja, Maria Herzogin von Leuchtenberg or Marie Maximiliane was the eldest surviving daughter of Maximilian de Beauharnais, 3rd Duke of Leuchtenberg and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia. She married Prince Wilhelm of Baden. The couple's son, Prince Maximilian of Baden, was Germany's last Imperial chancellor.
Princess Eugenia Maximilianovna of Leuchtenberg was a daughter of Maximilian de Beauharnais, 3rd Duke of Leuchtenberg and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia. Although she was a member of the French House of Beauharnais, she was born and raised in her mother's native country, Russia.
Duchess Therese Wilhelmine Olga Friederike of Oldenburg was the youngest daughter of Duke Peter Georgievich of Oldenburg and his wife Princess Therese of Nassau-Weilburg.
Alexander Georgievich, 7th Duke of Leuchtenberg, also known as Prince Alexander Georgievich Romanovsky or less commonly Alexander de Beauharnais, was the only son of George Maximilianovich, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg by his first wife, Duchess Therese of Oldenburg. He was a descendant of Paul I of Russia through both of his parents.
Prince George Maximilianovich Romanowsky, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg, also known as Prince Georgii Romanovsky or Georges de Beauharnais, was the youngest son of Maximilian de Beauharnais, 3rd Duke of Leuchtenberg and his wife, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia.
Prince Sergei Georgievich Romanowsky, 8th Duke of Leuchtenberg was the son of Prince George Maximilianovich Romanowsky, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg and his second wife Princess Anastasia of Montenegro. He succeeded his half-brother Alexander Georgievich as Duke of Leuchtenberg from 1942 until his death.
Prince Eugen Maximilianovich Romanowsky, 5th Duke of Leuchtenberg was a son of Maximilian de Beauharnais, 3rd Duke of Leuchtenberg and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia Duke of Leuchtenberg. He succeeded his brother Nicholas Maximilianovich as Duke of Leuchtenberg from 1891 until his death.
Marie, Duchess of Anhalt was the wife and consort of Friedrich II, Duke of Anhalt. She was the last Duchess of Anhalt, as German royal and noble titles were abolished in 1919 during the Weimar Republic.
Nicholas Maximilianovitch, 4th Duke of Leuchtenberg was a Russian Prince and soldier who was the 4th Duke of Leuchtenberg from 1852 until his death in 1891. Head of the House of Beauharnais, he was a grandson of Nicholas I of Russia and was a candidate for the throne of Greece and of Romania. Like his father, he was also a renowned mineralogist.