Prince Friedrich Sigismund of Prussia (1891–1927)

Prince Joachim Viktor Wilhelm Leopold Friedrich Sigismund of Prussia (17 December 1891 – 6 July 1927) was a German World War I fighter pilot and member of the House of Hohenzollern. He was the son of Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia and Princess Louise Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, married in 1916.

Friedrich Sigismund
Born(1891-12-17)17 December 1891
Jagdschloss Klein-Glienicke, Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia
Died6 July 1927(1927-07-06) (aged 35)
Lucerne, Switzerland
Burial
SpouseMarie Louise of Schaumburg-Lippe
IssuePrincess Louise Viktoria
Prince Friedrich Karl
HouseHohenzollern
FatherPrince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia
MotherPrincess Louise Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg

Early life

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At Glienicke Castle, Prince Joachim Viktor Wilhelm Leopold Friedrich Sigismund was born to Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia and his wife Princess Louise Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg on 17 December 1891. He was their second child and eldest son; his siblings would come to include Princess Victoria Margaret, Prince Friedrich Karl, and Prince Friedrich Leopold.

 
Waiting to be taken-off

Like some other Hohenzollerns like Prince Heinrich of Prussia, Friedrich was greatly interested in aviation.[1] In 1911, he began building an aeroplane at Glenicke Castle, with the hopes of trying it out the following spring.[1] In 1917, he and his brother Friedrich Karl joined the German flying corps.[2] Later that year, his brother died from war wounds.

Marriage and issue

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On 27 April 1916, he married at Jagdschloss Klein-Glienicke in Berlin Princess Marie Louise of Schaumburg-Lippe (b. 10 February 1897, Oldenburg - d. 1 October 1938, Potsdam) (a daughter of Prince Friedrich of Schaumburg-Lippe and Princess Louise of Denmark).

They had two children:[3]

  • Louise Victoria Margaret Antoinette Sieglinde Alexandrine Stephanie Thyra (b. 23 August 1917 – d. 23 March 2009), married Hans Reinhold (b. 20 November 1917 - d. 2002) on 12 September 1942 in Potsdam. They had one child before divorcing in 1949:
    • Manfred Reinhold (b. 13 February 1943)
  • Friedrich Karl Viktor Stefan Christian (b. 13 March 1919, Jagdschloss Glienicke – d. 19 June 2006, Mallorca), married Lady Hermione Mary Morton Stuart (2 March 1925-2 September 1969)[4] and secondly Adelheid von Bockum-Dolffs (born 16 September 1943).

Death

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He and his wife were great lovers of riding and horses, and he was considered one of the best horsemen in Germany.[3] The couple spent most of their time raising and training horses at their Mecklenburg estate, as well as at their estate at Glienicke Castle near Potsdam.[3] He and his wife were great social favorites, and Friedrich was popular with the German people.[5]

On 5 July 1927 at age 35 at Lucerne, Switzerland, Frederich Sigismund fell from a horse.[3][5] He was riding in an international tournament; while doing a difficult jump, he fell and his foot got caught in a stirrup.[3][5] Before he was able to free himself, the horse trod his chest multiple times, breaking five ribs and causing other injuries.[3] He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died the following day from his injuries.[3]

His body was brought back to Potsdam, where a ceremonial funeral was held. Important members of the Hohenzollern dynasty attended, including former Crown Prince Wilhelm and his brother Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia.[6] He was buried at Glienicke Palace, next to his sister Princess Victoria Margaret of Prussia.[6]

Regimental commissions

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[7]

  • 1. Garderegiment zu Fuß (1st Regiment of Foot Guards), Leutnant à la suite from 1901; Leutnant by 1908.
  • 2. Leib-Husaren-Regiment Königin Viktoria von Preußen Nr. 2, Rittmeister (captain of cavalry), during World War I
  • Fliegerabteilung 22 (aerial observer squadron), 1917–1918

Chivalric orders

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[7]

Military decorations (1914-1918)

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  • Iron Cross, Second Class
  • Iron Cross, First Class
  • Flugzeugführerabzeichen (Pilot's qualification badge)

Ancestry

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Prince Builds An Aero", The Washington Post, Berlin, 20 February 1911
  2. ^ "Princes Join Aero Corps", The Washington Post, Amsterdam, 16 January 1917
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Prince Sigismund Dies After Riding Accident", The New York Times, Berlin, 7 July 1927
  4. ^ "Lady Hermione Stuart Wed to German Prince", The New York Times, Berlin, 14 December 1961
  5. ^ a b c "Prussian Prince Dies; Hurt in Tournament", The Washington Post, Lucerne, Switzerland, 7 July 1927
  6. ^ a b "German Prince's Body Is Brought To Potsdam", The New York Times, Berlin, 1 July 1927
  7. ^ a b Schench, G. Handbuch über den Königlich Preuβischen Hof und Staat fur das Jahr 1908. Berlin, Prussia, 1907.
  8. ^ a b "Königlich Preussische Ordensliste", Preussische Ordens-Liste (in German), 1, Berlin: 5, 175, 1895 – via hathitrust.org

Sources

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  • Zivkovic, Georg: Heer- und Flottenführer der Welt. Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück, 1971 S. 427-428 ISBN 3-7648-0666-4
  • C. Arnold McNaughton: The Book of Kings: A Royal Genealogy, in 3 volumes (London, U.K.: Garnstone Press, 1973), volume 1, page 67.