Philip, Prince of Eulenburg

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Philip Frederick Alexander, Prince of Eulenburg and Hertefeld, Count of Sandels, in German: Philipp Friedrich Alexander Fürst zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld, Graf von Sandels (Königsberg 12 February 1847 - Liebenberg 17 September 1921) was a politician and diplomat of imperial Germany in late 1800s and early 1900s.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Influence 3 Marriage and personal life 4 Descendants 5 References

[edit] Early life

He was the eldest son of Philipp Graf zu Eulenburg (Königsberg, 24 April 1820 - Berlin, 5 March 1889), married at Berlin, 22 April 1846 Alexandrine Freiin von Rothkirch und Panthen (Glogau, 20 June 1824 - Meran (Merano), 11 April 1902). His younger sister and brother were Adda Gräfin zu Eulenburg (Königsberg, 21 September 1848 - Berlin, 27 March 1893), married at Liebenberg, 16 July 1869 Karl Graf von Kalnein (- Potsdam, 24 December 1915), and Friedrich Botho Graf zu Eulenburg (Königsberg, 16 March 1850 - Berlin, 3 December 1914), married in Berlin, 5 December 1875 Clara von Schaeffer-Voit (Berlin, 2 August 1856 - Berlin, 17 February 1939), who had issue extinct in male line.

Count Philip of Eulenburg was born at Königsberg, Province of Prussia, in 1847. He became a close friend of Kaiser Wilhelm II, who was 12 years his junior, prior to Wilhem’s accession to the imperial throne. Eulenburg entered the diplomatic corps in 1877, becoming Prussia's ambassador to Bavaria and, subsequently, Germany's ambassador to Austria-Hungary. Philip's brother, Botho zu Eulenburg succeeded his uncle, Friedrich Albrecht zu Eulenburg, as Interior Minister of Prussia.

[edit] Influence

Upon the accession of his friend Wilhelm to the thrones of Prussia and Germany, count Eulenburg assumed an unofficial position of immense influence, and among other things, was instrumental in the appointment of Bernhard von Bülow as head of the foreign office in 1897. Wilhelm II had long desired the appointment of "his own Bismarck" - a powerful chancellor who would enact the Kaiser's will - and Eulenburg was the first to suggest Bülow for this role.

In 1900, count Philip was created 1st Prince of Eulenburg and Hertefeld, and to continue his wife's otherwise soon-to-be-extinguished comital name, thus becoming Count of Sandels.

[edit] Marriage and personal life

Count Philip of Eulenburg married Augusta Sandels at Stockholm on 20 November 1875. August Sandels (Stockholm, 12 May 1853 - Liebenberg, 14 December 1941) was daughter of Samuel August, the last Count Sandels (1810 - 1892), and wife (married on 16 October 1850) Hedvig Henrietta Emilie Augusta Tersmeden (Hinseberg, Fröv, 17 August 1829). They had eight children.

Although he was married, Eulenburg was connected in homosexual liaisons with members of the Kaiser’s inner circle, including Count Kuno von Moltke, the military commander of Berlin. Sources say that he continued to have homosexual relationships even after the marriage.The public exposure of these liaisons in 1907 led to the Harden-Eulenburg Affair. In 1908, Eulenburg was placed on trial for perjury due to his denial of his homosexuality; the trial was repeatedly postponed due to Eulenburg’s claim of poor health. Eulenburg died in 1921.^[1]

[edit] Descendants

• Philipp Graf zu Eulenburg (Wulkow, 16 November 1876 - Berlin, 28 June 1878)
• Astrid Gräfin zu Eulenburg (Berlin, 25 March 1879 - Paris, 23 March 1881)
• Alexandrine (Adine) Elise Klara Antonia Prinzessin zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld Gräfin von Sandels (Liebenberg, 1 July 1880 - Friedelhausen, 3 February 1957), married at Liebenberg, 15 June 1910 Eberhard Graf von Schwerin (Weilburg, 11 July 1882 - Giessen, 4 April 1954)
• Friedrich-Wend 2te Fürst zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld Graf von Sandels (Starnberg, 19 September 1881 - Weeze, 1 August 1963), married at Liebenberg, 21 May 1904 Marie Freiin Mayr von Melnhof (Vienna, 8 April 1884 - Weeze, 3 February 1960), and had:
  • Ingeborg-Marie Alexandrine Mathilde Augusta Prinzessin zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld (Liebenberg, 8 September 1906 - Salzburg, 15 December 2000), married firstly (civily) Falkenthal bei Gransee, 2 November 1926 (religiously) Liebenberg, 3 November 1926 (div 1936) Rudolf Freiherr von Engelhardt (Schönheyden, 18 September 1896 - Starnberg, 27 August 1991), married secondly Liebenberg, 19 July 1937 Carl August von Schoenebeck (Bernstadt, 19 January 1898 - Munich, 4 September 1989)
  • Wend 3te Fürst zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld Graf von Sandels (Liebenberg, 28 October 1908 - Sorengo, 26 August 1986), married firtsly in Berlin, 3 June 1937 (div 1967) Hildegard Semper (Wittlich, 10 June 1913 - Düsseldorf, 25 April 1986), married secondly at Staufenberg, 23 February 1967 Gisela von der Schulenburg (Köln-Lindenthal, 29 June 1920 -), and had by first wife:
    • Philipp-Gottfried 4te Fürst zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld Graf von Sandels (Berlin, 27 April 1938), married at Düsseldorf, (civily) 17 April 1964 (religiously) 18 April 1964 Christiane Pollay (Lüneburg, 16 August 1941), and had:
      • Friedrich Philipp Erbprinz zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld Graf von Sandels (Hamburg, 7 September 1966), married (civily) at Weeze, 2 December 1997 (religiously) at Budapest, 23 May 1998 Patricia Erkel (Zürich, 15 January 1970)
      • Botho Siegwart Christian Prinz zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld Graf von Sandels (Stuttgart, 27 March 1969), married (civily) at Weeze, 23 April 1999 (religiously) at Aachen, 29 May 1999 Franziska Wirtz (Edmonton, Alberta, 17 January 1973 -), and had:
        • Augusta Aurelia Louise Theodora Marie Prinzessin zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld (Willich, 3 September 2000)
    • Fides Gabriele Viktoria Prinzessin zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld Gräfin von Sandels (Häsen, 7 October 1943), married at Düsseldorf, 1 February 1969 Bolko von Gersdorff (Bauchwitz, 18 November 1938 -)
• Augusta Alexandrine Prinzessin zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld Gräfin von Sandels (Starnberg, 1 September 1882 - Starnberg, 28 January 1974), married in London, 4 February 1907 (div 1931) Edmund Jarolmjeck
• Sigwart Botho Philipp August Prinz zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld Graf von Sandels (Munich, 10 January 1884 - k.a. Jasło, Galicia, 2 June 1915), married in Leipzig, 21 September 1909 Helene Staegemann (Hannover, 18 April 1877 - Partenkirchen, 20 August 1923), and had:
  • Friedrich Maximilian Philipp Donatus Prinz zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld Graf von Sandels (Dresden, 19 February 1914 - Munich, 2 February 1936), unmarried and without issue
• Karl Kuno Eberhard Wend Prinz zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld (Starnberg, 16 June 1885 - Weeze, 4 December 1975), married firstly Saint Helier, Jersey, 27 May 1908 (div 1923) Sophie Moshammer (Munich, 9 April 1891 - Munich, 8 May 1944), married secondly in Munich, 5 November 1923 Geertruida Verwey (Utrecht, 6 May 1901 - Weeze, 28 October 1987), and had:
  • Flita Edeltraut Astria Prinzessin zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld Gräfin von Sandels (Munich, 2 March 1909 - Berlin, 20 November 1945), unmarried and without issue
  • Titia Philippa Prinzessin zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld Gräfin von Sandels (Berlin, 16 October 1928 -), married at Weeze, 27 July 1957 Thilo Rötger (Ludwigshafen, 24 June 1928)
• Viktoria Ada Astrid Agnes Prinzessin zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld Gräfin von Sandels (Starnberg, 13 July 1886 Starnberg, 23 September 1967), married at Liebenberg, 12 May 1909 (div 1921) Otto Haas-Heye, a Lecturer (Heidelberg, 16 December 1879 - Mannheim, 9 June 1959), by whom she had: Johannes Haas-Heye, Ottora Maria Haas-Heye (Partenkirchen, 13 February 1910 -), married to Carl Ludwig Greve Douglas (Stjernorp, 26 July 1908 - Rio de Janeiro, 21 January 1961), and Libertas Haas-Heye (Liebenberg im Löwenberger Land (Brandenburg), 20 November 1913 - executed at Berlin-Plötzensee, 22 December 1942), married to Harro Schulze-Boysen (Kiel, 2 September 1909 - executed at Berlin-Plötzensee, 22 December 1942 for conspiring against the Hitler regime); Princess Sophie, Duchess in Bavaria, the current Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein, is one of Philip Eulenburg's descendants, as are the Duchess' children, of whom one son will succeed on the throne of Liechtenstein.

[edit] References