Wilhelm Karl, Duke of Urach

{{Short description|German prince, King-elect of Lithuania in 1918 (1864–1928)}}

{{Infobox royalty

| name = Prince Wilhelm Karl
Mindaugas II

| image = WilhelofUrach.jpg

| caption = Wilhelm in 1909

| succession = Duke of Urach

| reign = 17 July 1869 – 24 March 1928

| predecessor = Prince Wilhelm

| successor = Prince Karl Gero

| succession1 = King-elect of Lithuania

| reign1 = 11 July – 2 November 1918

| spouse = {{marriage|Duchess Amalie in Bavaria|1892|1912|end=died}}
{{marriage|Princess Wiltrud of Bavaria|1924}}

| issue = Princess Marie-Gabriele
Princess Elisabeth of Urach
Princess Karola
Prince Wilhelm
Karl Gero, Duke of Urach
Princess Margarete
Albrecht von Urach
Prince Eberhard
Princess Mechtilde

| house = Urach

| father = Wilhelm, 1st Duke of Urach

| mother = Princess Florestine of Monaco

| birth_date = {{birth date|1864|3|3|df=y}}

| birth_place = Monaco

| death_date = {{death date and age|1928|3|24|1864|3|3|df=y}}

| death_place = Rapallo, Kingdom of Italy

| burial_place = Ludwigsburg Palace Church

| full name = Wilhelm Karl Florestan Gero Crescentius

}}

Prince Wilhelm of Urach, Count of Württemberg, 2nd Duke of Urach (Wilhelm Karl Florestan Gero Crescentius; German: Fürst Wilhelm von Urach, Graf von Württemberg, 2. Herzog von Urach; 3 March 1864 – 24 March 1928), was a German prince who was elected in June 1918 as King of Lithuania, with the regnal name of Mindaugas II. He never assumed the crown, however, as German authorities declared the election invalid;{{cite book | last = Holborn | first = Hajo | title = A history of Modern Germany | publisher = Princeton University Press | year = 1982 | url = https://archive.org/details/historyofmoderng00hajo/page/429 | isbn = 0-691-00797-7 | page = [https://archive.org/details/historyofmoderng00hajo/page/429 429] }} the invitation was withdrawn in November 1918. From 17 July 1869 until his death, he was the head of the morganatic Urach branch of the House of Württemberg.

Early life

Born as Wilhelm Karl Florestan Gero Crescentius, Count of Württemberg, he was the elder son of Wilhelm, 1st Duke of Urach (the head of a morganatic branch of the Royal House of the Kingdom of Württemberg), and his second wife, Princess Florestine of Monaco, occasional Regent of Monaco and daughter of Florestan I, Prince of Monaco.

At the age of four, Wilhelm succeeded his father as Duke of Urach. He was born and spent much of his childhood in Monaco, where his mother Florestine often managed the government during the extended oceanographic expeditions of her nephew, Prince Albert I. Wilhelm was culturally francophone.

Candidate for various thrones

Through his mother, Wilhelm was a legitimate heir to the throne of Monaco. Wilhelm's cousin Prince Albert I of Monaco had only one child, Prince Louis, who was unmarried and had no legitimate children. The French Republic, however, was reluctant to see a German prince ruling Monaco. Under French pressure,{{citation needed|date=October 2016}} Monaco passed a law in 1911 recognising Louis's illegitimate daughter, Charlotte, as heir; she was adopted in 1918 by her grandfather Prince Albert I as part of the Monaco Succession Crisis of 1918. Wilhelm was relegated to third in line to Monaco's throne, behind Louis and Charlotte. Furthermore, in July 1918 France and Monaco signed the Franco-Monegasque Treaty; it required all future princes of Monaco to be French or Monegasque citizens and secure the approval of the French government to succeed to the throne.[http://untreaty.un.org/unts/1_60000/27/26/00053293.pdf 1918 Franco-Monegasque Treaty text] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519065147/http://untreaty.un.org/unts/1_60000/27/26/00053293.pdf |date=19 May 2011 }} After the accession of Prince Louis II in 1922, Wilhelm renounced his rights of succession to the throne of Monaco in favour of distant French cousins, the counts de Chabrillan, in 1924.

In 1913, Wilhelm was one of several princes considered for the throne of Albania.Arben Puto, L'indépendance albanaise et la diplomatie des grandes puissances: 1912–1914 (Tirana: Editions "8 Nëntori", 1982), 456. He was supported by Catholic groups in the north and attended the Albanian Congress of Trieste. In 1914, Prince William of Wied was selected instead.

In 1917, as a newly retired general, Wilhelm sounded out the possibility of being made Grand Duke of Alsace-Lorraine after the war was over.London Times. Düsseldorfer Nachrichten excerpt. 1918/11/5. p. 8. In 1918, he accepted the short-lived invitation to reign as Mindaugas II of Lithuania. His claims were published in a 2001 essay by his grandson-in-law, Sergei von Cube.[http://jahrbuch.annaberg.de/jahrbuch/2000/Annaberg%20Nr.8%20Kap10.pdf Von Cube Essay, 2000]

Military career

As was typical of members of his family, Wilhelm entered the army in 1883 and served as a professional officer. By the outbreak of World War I, he was a Generalleutnant and commander of the 26th Infantry Division (1st Royal Württemberg) of the Imperial German Army.Kriegsministerium (Hrsg.): Rangliste der Königlich Preußischen Armee und des XIII. (Königlich Württembergischen) Armeekorps für 1914, E.S. Mittler & Sohn, Berlin, 1914, p. 1160{{cite web |url=http://home.comcast.net/~jcviser/akb/urach.htm |title=Wilhelm II Herzog von Urach |website=home.comcast.net |access-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104084150/http://home.comcast.net/~jcviser/akb/urach.htm |archive-date=4 November 2012 |url-status=dead}} Until November 1914 this division was part of the German assault on France and Belgium, where Wilhelm's sister-in-law Elisabeth of Belgium was queen. In December 1914, the division fought in the battle to cross the Bzura river in Poland. From June to September 1915, the division moved from north of Warsaw to positions close to the Neman River, an advance of hundreds of miles in the campaign in which Poland was taken (the Great Russian Retreat of World War I). In October–November 1915, the division took part in the Serbian Campaign, moving from west of Belgrade to Kraljevo in less than a month. The division served at Ypres in Belgium from December 1915 to July 1916, then was largely destroyed at the Somme battles from August to November 1916 while holding the Schwaben Redoubt (Swabia is part of Württemberg).[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930153726/https://www.1914-18.info/erster-weltkrieg.php?u=436 Online history of the division (cached at the Internet Archive)]

On 30 December 1916, Wilhelm was named commanding general of the 64th Corps (Generalkommando 64) on the Western Front, taking command on 5 January 1917 and holding it until 10 December 1918 when the corps-level command was deactivated.Günter Wegner: Stellenbesetzung der Deutschen Heere 1815-1939. Band 1: Die Höheren Kommandostellen, Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1990, ISBN 3-7648-1779-8, p. 643 He was promoted to General der Kavallerie on 25 February 1917.Königlich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1917 Nr. 9, Stuttgart 25 February 1917, p. 41. His aides de camp included Eugen Ott and Erwin Rommel.{{cite web |url=http://home.comcast.net/~jcviser/akb/rommel.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104084234/http://home.comcast.net/~jcviser/akb/rommel.htm |archive-date=4 November 2012 |title=Erwin Rommel}}

King of Lithuania

On 4 June 1918, the Council of Lithuania voted to invite Wilhelm to become the king of a newly independent Lithuania. Wilhelm agreed and was elected on 11 July 1918, taking the name Mindaugas II. His election can be explained by several factors:See von Cube's essay, op.cit.

he was Roman Catholic (the dominant religion in Lithuania);
he was not a member of the House of Hohenzollern, the family to which belonged the German Emperor William II, who wanted Lithuania to be a monarchy in personal union with Prussia;
the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk of March 1918 had established Germany's power in the region, for the time being;
he had had a successful military career;
if the Central Powers were to win the war, Lithuania could have expected German protection in the event of future intrusions by Russia.

According to Wilhelm's agreement with the Council of Lithuania, he had to live in Lithuania and learn to speak its language.

File:Wilhelm Karl of Urach.png

In addition, he was also descended from Casimir IV Jagiellon, grand duke of Lithuania, through his daughter Barbara Jagiellon.

From the beginning, Wilhelm's reign was controversial. The four socialists of the twenty members of the Council of Lithuania left in protest. The German government did not recognize Wilhelm's selection as king, although the influential publicist and politician Matthias Erzberger, also a Catholic from Württemberg, supported the claim. Wilhelm never had the chance to visit Lithuania;{{cite book| first=Stanley W. |last=Page |title=The Formation of the Baltic States |year=1959 |publisher=Harvard University Press |page=94}} he remained instead at Lichtenstein Castle, his home south of Stuttgart. He did start to learn the Lithuanian language, however.Mindaugas Peleckis and Tomas Baranauskas.[http://www.bernardinai.lt/index.php?url=articles/54471 Karališkojo kraujo paieškos: Lietuva ir šimto dienų karalius]. Retrieved 20 June 2007 Within a few months of his election, it became clear that Germany would lose World War I, and on 2 November 1918, the Council of Lithuania reversed its decision.

In the tiny chapel of Lichtenstein Castle is a framed letter from Pope Benedict XV welcoming Wilhelm's selection as the future king of Lithuania.Stuttgart archives, HStA. GU 117, file 847: copy of letter from Benedict XV dated 24 July 1918.

In 2009, Wilhelm's grandson Inigo was interviewed on television in Vilnius, and said: "...if he was honoured with a proposal to assume the throne of Lithuania, he would not refuse it."{{cite web |url=http://lietuva.lt/en/news/view/id.1189/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718015858/http://lietuva.lt/en/news/view/id.1189/ |archive-date=18 July 2011 |title=Lithuania - Official Gateway to Lithuania}}

The German anti-war novelist Arnold Zweig set his 1937 novel Einsetzung eines Königs (The Crowning of a King) around the election of Mindaugas in 1918.Eric Sutton (Translator); "The Crowning of a King", English edition; The Viking Press, 1938 ASIN: B00085BS08

Marriages and children

Image:Wilhelmurach.jpg

File:Wilhelm Karl of Urach Duke of Urach.png

Wilhelm was married twice. On 4 July 1892, he married firstly Duchess Amalie in Bavaria (1865–1912), daughter of Karl-Theodor, Duke in Bavaria, a niece of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, and a direct descendant of the Lithuanian princess Ludwika Karolina Radziwiłł of Biržai. Nine children were born of this marriage:

Princess Marie Gabriele (1893–1908)
Princess Elizabeth (1894–1962) who married Prince Karl of Liechtenstein (1878–1955), an uncle of Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein, and had issue.
Princess Karola (1896–1980)
Prince Wilhelm (1897–1957), who morganatically married Elisabeth Theurer (1899–1988) and had two daughters, Elisabeth and Marie Christine, neither of whom married.
Karl Gero, Duke of Urach (1899–1981), 3rd Duke of Urach, who married Countess Gabriele of Waldburg-Zeil (1910–2005); no issue.
Princess Margarete (1901–1975)
Prince Albrecht (1903–1969), a diplomat; former artist turned journalist, and expert on the Far East. Married first Rosemary Blackadder and second Ute Waldschmidt, divorced both of them and had issue by both. His daughter Marie-Gabrielle (aka Mariga) was the first wife of Desmond Guinness. Albrecht's marriages were also considered morganatic, but his descendants use Furst von Urach as their surname.
Prince Eberhard (1907–1969), who married Princess Iniga of Thurn and Taxis (1925–2008) and had issue: Karl Anselm, Duke of Urach, born 1955, Wilhelm Albert, Duke of Urach, born 1957 and Prince Inigo of Urach, born 1962.
Princess Mechtilde (1912–2001), who married Friedrich Karl, Prince of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst and had issue.

In 1924, Wilhelm married secondly Princess Wiltrud of Bavaria (1884–1975), daughter of King Ludwig III of Bavaria. This marriage was childless.

Prince Eberhard's son Inigo made a sentimental journey to Lithuania in November 2009, which was covered by the local media.{{Cite web |url=http://www.lrytas.lt/videonews/?id=12584850081257234636&sk=1 |title=TV coverage (in Lithuanian and English) |access-date=7 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100125130714/http://www.lrytas.lt/videonews/?id=12584850081257234636&sk=1 |archive-date=25 January 2010 |url-status=dead }}[http://lietuva.lt/en/news/view/id.1189/ Lithuanian web page]

Decorations and awards

=German states=

{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|

{{flag|Kingdom of Württemberg}}:
Military Merit Order
Knight's Cross (1914)Militär-Wochenblatt, 1915 No. 16/20, Berlin 27 January 1915, p. 481
Commander's Cross (20 February 1918)Königlich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1918 No. 8, Stuttgart 25 February 1918, p. 54Otto von Moser: Die Württemberger im Weltkriege (in German), 2nd Edition, Chr. Belser AG, Stuttgart 1928.
Order of the Württemberg Crown
Grand CrossKriegsministerium (Hrsg.): Rangliste der Königlich Preußischen Armee und des XIII. (Königlich Württembergischen) Armeekorps für 1914, E.S. Mittler & Sohn, Berlin, 1914, p. 1160
Swords to the Grand Cross (5 July 1915)Königlich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1915 No. 48, Stuttgart 30 July 1915, p. 413
Friedrich Order
Grand Cross
Crown and Swords to the Grand Cross (5 September 1916)Königlich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1916 No. 49, Stuttgart 12 September 1916, p. 538
Wilhelm Cross with Crown and Swords (5 October 1916)Königlich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1916 No. 58, Stuttgart 16 October 1916, p. 611
Service Decoration 1st Class for Officers
Jubilee Medal in Gold
{{flag|Kingdom of Bavaria}}:
Order of St. Hubert, Knight (1892)[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_nTedipoxoGcC/page/n39 Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreich Bayern] (1906), "Königliche Orden" p. 9
Military Merit Order, 2nd Class with Star and Swords (13 November 1914)Militär-Wochenblatt, 1914 No. 170, Berlin 3 December 1914, p. 3653Königlich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1915 No. 14, Stuttgart 6 March 1915, p. 146
Military Merit Order, 1st Class with Swords (11 June 1917)Erhard Roth: Verleihungen von militärischen Orden und Ehrenzeichen des Königreichs Bayern im Ersten Weltkrieg 1914-1918, Phaleristischer Verlag Michael Autengruber, Offenbach am Main, 1997, ISBN 3-932543-19-X, p. 14Königlich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1917 No. 26, Stuttgart 11 June 1917, p. 183
Military Merit Order, 1st Class with Crown and Swords (31 August 1918)Erhard Roth: Verleihungen von militärischen Orden und Ehrenzeichen des Königreichs Bayern im Ersten Weltkrieg 1914-1918, Phaleristischer Verlag Michael Autengruber, Offenbach am Main, 1997, ISBN 3-932543-19-X, p. 12Königlich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1918 No. 37, Stuttgart 31 August 1918, p. 306
Prince Regent Luitpold Medal on the Ribbon of the Jubilee Medal for the Bavarian Army
{{flagicon|Hamburg}} Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg: Hanseatic CrossKöniglich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1916 No. 19, Stuttgart 14 April 1916, p. 199
{{flagicon image|Flagge Großherzogtum Hessen ohne Wappen.svg}} Grand Duchy of Hesse: General Honor Decoration for BraveryKöniglich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1915 No. 78, Stuttgart 31 December 1915, p. 722
{{flagicon image|Flag of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Sigmaringen.png}} Princely House of Hohenzollern
Princely House Order of Hohenzollern, Cross of Honor 1st Class
Princely House Order of Hohenzollern, Swords to the Cross of Honor 1st Class Königlich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1917 No. 40, Stuttgart 15 September 1917, p. 318
{{flagicon image|Flagge Fürstentum Lippe.svg}} Principality of Lippe: War Merit CrossKöniglich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1917 No. 15, Stuttgart 22 March 1917, p. 104
{{flagicon image|Flagge Großherzogtümer Mecklenburg.svg}} Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: House Order of the Wendish Crown, Grand Cross with Crown in Ore
{{flagicon|Kingdom of Prussia}} Kingdom of Prussia:
Order of the Black Eagle, Knight
Order of the Red Eagle:
Grand Cross with Oakleaves en sautoir
Swords to the Grand Cross with Oakleaves en sautoirKöniglich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1915 No. 68, Stuttgart 6 November 1915, p. 607
Iron Cross, 1st and 2nd ClassMilitär-Wochenblatt, 1915 No. 11, Berlin 16 January 1915, p. 230Militär-Wochenblatt, 1915 No. 96/97, Berlin 29 May 1915, p. 2335
Kaiser Wilhelm I Memorial Medal (Centenary Medal) (1897)Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, M 707 Nr. 1819
{{flag|Kingdom of Saxony}}:
Order of the Rue Crown, Knight (1898){{cite book|author=Sachsen|title=Staatshandbuch für den Königreich Sachsen: 1901|year=1901|publisher=Heinrich|chapter=Königlich Orden|page=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015030492006&view=1up&seq=45&skin=2021 5]|location=Dresden|via=hathitrust.org}}
Albert Order, Grand Cross with Swords (4 May 1916)Königlich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1916 No. 23, Stuttgart 10 May 1916, p. 243
{{flagicon|Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach}} Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach: Order of the White Falcon, Grand Cross
{{flagicon|Schaumburg-Lippe}} Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe: House Order of the Cross of Honor, 1st Class

}}

=Foreign states=

{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|

{{flagicon|Austria-Hungary}}{{flagicon image|Flag of Hungary (1896-1915).svg}} Austria-Hungary: Military Merit Cross, 2nd Class with War DecorationKöniglich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1916 No. 11, Stuttgart 10 March 1916, p. 145
{{flag|Kingdom of Bulgaria}}: Order of Military Merit, Grand Cross with War DecorationKöniglich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1918 No. 20, Stuttgart 15 May 1918, p. 178
{{flag|Kingdom of Denmark}}: Order of the Dannebrog, Grand Cross (10 June 1903){{cite book |year=1923 |orig-year=1st pub.:1801 |editor1-last=Bille-Hansen |editor1-first=A. C. |editor2-last=Holck |editor2-first=Harald |title=Statshaandbog for Kongeriget Danmark for Aaret 1923 |trans-title=State Manual of the Kingdom of Denmark for the Year 1923 |url=https://dis-danmark.dk/bibliotek/918018.pdf#page=59 |series=Kongelig Dansk Hof- og Statskalender |language=da |location=Copenhagen |publisher=J.H. Schultz A.-S. Universitetsbogtrykkeri |page=51 |access-date=2 November 2019 |via=:da:DIS Danmark}}
{{flag|Sovereign Military Order of Malta}}: Knight of Honor and Devotion
{{flag|Principality of Monaco}}: Order of Saint Charles, Grand Cross (4 December 1883)[https://journaldemonaco.gouv.mc/var/jdm/storage/original/application/111d5b8912be8bbdcdadcc0b0165d899.pdf Sovereign Ordonnance of 4 December 1883]
{{flag|Ottoman Empire}}:
Order of Osmanieh, 1st Class
Liakat Medal in Gold with SabersKöniglich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1916 No. 19, Stuttgart 14 April 1916, p. 200
Imtiaz Medal in GoldKöniglich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1918 No. 37, Stuttgart 31 August 1918, p. 306
Imtiaz Medal in SilverKöniglich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1918 No. 37, Stuttgart 31 August 1918, p. 306
War MedalKöniglich Württembergisches Militär-Verordnungsblatt: Personal-Nachrichten, 1916 No. 19, Stuttgart 14 April 1916, p. 200

}}

Ancestors

{{ahnentafel

|collapsed=yes |align=center

|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;

|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;

|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;

|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;

|1= 1. Wilhelm, 2nd Duke of Urach

|2= 2. Wilhelm, 1st Duke of Urach

|3= 3. Princess Florestine of Monaco

|4= 4. Duke Wilhelm Frederick of Württemberg

|5= 5. Baroness Wilhelmine von Tunderfeldt-Rhodis

|6= 6. Florestan I, Prince of Monaco

|7= 7. Maria Caroline Gibert de Lametz

|8= 8. Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg

|9= 9. Margravine Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt

|10= 10. Baron Friedrich Karl von Tunderfeldt-Rhodis

|11= 11. Baroness Therese Wilhelmine Schilling von Canstatt

|12= 12. Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco

|13= 13. Louise Félicité d'Aumont Mazarin

|14= 14. Charles-Thomas Gibert

|15= 15. Marie-Françoise Le Gras de Vaubercey

}}

References

External links

[http://www.urach.de/html/lichtenstein.htm Schloss Lichtenstein]
[https://www2.landesarchiv-bw.de/ofs21/olb/struktur.php?archiv=1&klassi=1.08&anzeigeKlassi=1.07 Urach–family archive in Stuttgart]

{{s-hou|House of Württemberg|30 May|1864|24 March|1928|name=Wilhelm Karl, 2nd Duke of Urach}}

{{s-ttl|title=Duke of Urach|years= 17 July 1869 – 11 August 1919}}

{{s-ttl|title=King of Lithuania|years=11 July 1918 – 2 November 1918}}

{{s-tul|title=King of Lithuania|years=2 November 1918 – 24 March 1928}}

{{S-tul|title=Duke of Urach|years=11 August 1919 – 24 March 1928}}

Category:1864 births

Category:1928 deaths

Category:German Army generals of World War I

Category:People from the Kingdom of Württemberg

Category:German Roman Catholics

Category:Dukes of Urach

Category:Monegasque people of German descent