Prince Konstantin of Bavaria

Prince Konstantin of Bavaria (German: Konstantin Leopold Ludwig Adalbert Georg Thadeus Josef Petrus Johannes Antonius Franz von Assisi Assumption et omnes sancti Prinz von Bayern) (15 August 1920 – 30 July 1969) was a member of the Bavarian Royal House of Wittelsbach, journalist, author and a German politician.

Prince Konstantin
Born(1920-08-15)15 August 1920
Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Died30 July 1969(1969-07-30) (aged 48)
plane crash near Hechingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Burial
Andechs Abbey cemetery, Andechs, Bavaria
Spouse
Princess Maria Adelgunde of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
​
​
(m. 1942; div. 1948)​

Countess Helene von Khevenhüller-Metsch
​
​
(m. 1953)​
IssuePrince Leopold
Prince Adalbert
Princess Ysabel
HouseWittelsbach
FatherPrince Adalbert of Bavaria
MotherCountess Auguste von Seefried auf Buttenheim

Early life

Konstantin was born in Munich, Bavaria. He was the eldest son of Prince Adalbert of Bavaria and his wife Countess Auguste von Seefried auf Buttenheim.

In 1939, as most young German men of his age, the Prince was drafted to the military. However, his career in the German Army was short lived. In 1941, Prince Konstantin was relieved from all combat duties as a result of the so called Prinzenerlass and a year later started studying law at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität in Freiburg im Breisgau. After his graduation in 1944, he worked at the Higher Regional Court of Karlsruhe, but was arrested, as were most of his relatives, after the failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler and remained imprisoned for the rest of World War II.

Post World War II

After the war, Prince Konstantin began working as a journalist at the Neue Revue magazine, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and later on for the popular German magazine Bunte. In addition, in 1958 he published a biography of Pope Pius XII entitled Der Papst and three years later a historical reference book Ohne Macht und Herrlichkeit. He also became a member of the Christlich-Soziale Union in Bayern, one of the biggest political parties in Bavaria and was elected to the Bavarian state parliament in 1962 and in 1965 to the Bundestag.

Marriage

On 26 August 1942 Prince Konstantin married Princess Maria Adelgunde of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, the daughter of Prince Friedrich von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Princess Margarete Karola of Saxony. The wedding in Sigmaringen has been described as "the biggest society event during the war" (i.e. World War II). According to a contemporary, "a score of photographers and newsreel cameramen" were present at the procession from the castle.[1]

The couple had two sons, but the marriage ended in divorce on 14 July 1948 and was annulled on 24 March 1950.

On 14 August 1953 Prince Konstantin married again, Countess Helene (Hella) von Khevenhüller-Metsch, the daughter of Count Franz von Khevenhüller-Metsch and Princess Anna von Fürstenberg. The civil ceremony took place at Sankt Georgen am Längsee in Carinthia and the religious wedding followed a day later at Hohenosterwitz. The couple had a daughter together.

  • Princess Ysabel Helene Anna Augusta Maria de la Paz Ludovica-Fernanda et omnes sancti of Bavaria (20 July 1954) she married Count Alfred Hoyos on 30 May 1976. They have two children and five grandchildren:
    • Countess Stephanie Hoyos (1977) she married Baron Franz von Brackel on 15 April 2006. They have three children:
      • Count Constantin von Brackel (2006)
      • Countess Antonia von Brackel (2008)
      • Countess Johanna von Brackel (2010)
    • Count Johannes Hoyos (1978) he married Veronica Wundsam in 2013. They have two sons:
      • Count Balthasar Hoyos (2015)
      • Count Ludwig Hoyos (2017-2017)

Countess Helene was remarried to Prince Eugen of Bavaria on 27 November 1970.

Death

Prince Konstantin of Bavaria lost his life on 30 July 1969 in a plane crash near Hechingen, Baden-Württemberg and is buried at the Andechs Abbey cemetery in Bavaria.

Ancestry

Published works
  • Nach der Sintflut. Konstantin, Prinz von Bayern - Bergisch Gladbach : Lübbe, 1988
  • Nach der Sintflut. Konstantin, Prinz von Bayern - München : Süddeutscher Verlag, 1986
  • Papst Pius XII. [der Zwölfte], Konstantin, Prinz von Bayern - Stein am Rhein : Christiana-Verlag, 1980, 38. - 42. Tsd.
  • Des Königs schönste Damen. Konstantin, Prinz von Bayern - München : Süddeutscher Verlag, 1980
  • Prinz und Demokrat. Konstantin von Bayern. Konstantin, Prinz von Bayern - München : Langen/Müller, 1970
  • Die Zukunft sichern. Konstantin, Prinz von Bayern - Stuttgart-Degerloch : Seewald, 1969
  • Ohne Macht und Herrlichkeit. Konstantin, Prinz von Bayern - München : List, 1961
  • Der Papst. Konstantin, Prinz von Bayern - [Gütersloh] : Bertelsmann Lesering, 1959
  • Der Papst. Konstantin, Prinz von Bayern - München : Kindler, 1958, 27. - 29. Tsd.
  • Der Papst. Konstantin, Prinz von Bayern - Frankfurt/M. : Ullstein Taschenbücher-Verl., 1958

References
  • Die Wittelsbacher. Geschichte unserer Familie. Adalbert, Prinz von Bayern. Prestel Verlag, München, 1979
  • Prinz und Demokrat. Konstantin von Bayern: Ein Gedenkbuch. Konstantin, Prinz von Bayern and Arens, Hanns. München; Wien : Langen/Müller, 1970
  1. "The biggest society event during the war was the marriage of Princess Maria-Adelgunde of Hohenzollern to Prince Konstantin of Bavaria, which took place at Sigmaringen Castle on 31 August 1942. According to the description by Marie Vassiltchikov, it was an extraordinarily feudal event in which the local officials of the regime were kept in their proper place: '[...] the procession [...] wound its way out of the castle [...] The whole neighbourhood seemed to line the streets to watch, as had [sic] a score of photographers and newsreel cameramen...'"
    Burleigh, Michael (1996). Confronting the Nazi past: new debates on modern German history. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 63f. ISBN 978-0-312-16353-2.
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