No Fairy Tale Ending For This Prince!

[Swordguy]

Sometimes I wonder about collectors who are only interested in the things they collect and not the original owners. It's hard to do that with a named sword.

This one was presented to Premier Lieutenant Prince Bernhard Wilhelm Georg Hermann zu Sachsen-Weimar when he was transferring out of Hussar Regiment 7 in 1888 after seven years of service there

It is small rose pattern Damascus steel, heavily gilt. Can't get the whole thing even on Rick's magic Epson scanner so here is the best I can do for full length

One very unusual thing about this is the use of natural eyes instead of the colored stones we usually see. This is called Teddy Bear eyes style now, but pre-dates stuffed Teddy bears by almost 20 years

[Swordguy]

From Rick's magic Epson scanner

The presentation panel

"Dem scheidenden Kameraden Premier Lieutenant Bernhard Prinz zu Sachsen Weimar Das Offizier Corps des Husaren Regiments K?nig Wilhlm I (1. Rhein. No. 7) Bonn 1881-1888"

There is so much gold and blue that the Damascus only really shows near the tip of the blade

here is the small rose pattern

and inverted color setting for a bit clearer

[Swordguy]

Most of the names. Because of the curve of the saber, it was impossible to get them all

This starts with the regimental commander and works down by seniority

I will type out the donors later

Maybe clearer to see the Damascus pattern with inverted color setting

[Swordguy]

Bernhard was the grandson of King Wilhelm I (1781-1864) of W?rttemberg by his marriage to his uncle's daughter his first cousin Duchess Pauline of W?rttemberg (1800-1873) and held sashes and stars

but it would all end horribly for Prince Bernhard.

He was a "working" Prince, not just a royal in a uniform. He earned his promotions slowly just like the other aristocrats he served with-- even if his awards marked him out as special.

Bernhard was born in Stuttgart where his royal grandparents could watch over him, on October 10, 1855. He was the son of Princess Auguste of W?rttemberg (1826-1898) and Prince Hermann Bernhard Georg zu Sachsen-Weimar (1825-1901). Bernhard's mother would die before her younger son's disgrace and ruin, but his father would live just barely to see Bernhard's shame.

Here are most of his former regimental comrades in 1890 from Rick-- notice the names on the sword go by seniority here

[Swordguy]

But there were still some good years ahead.

Prince Bernhard transferred over to Hussar Regiment 13. Here he is in 1890 soon after leaving Hussar Regiment 7

wearing his stars and sashes. I know the middle names do not match the order I gave up top, but I am following how they are listed by the Almanach de Gotha.

Rick does not have any Prussian Rank List between 1890 and 1902. Can somebody post a late 1890s page with any more awards Prince Bernhard might have had by then?

By 1902 it was too late. He was a traitor and a deserter by then

a Non Person

and all for love.

To Be Continued

[Guest Rick Research]

The contributors to this sword as named on the blade were (rank as in HR7 1888)

1) Friedrich Synold von Sch?z, Oberstlieutenant, Regimental Commander. Born Neisse 3.4.1840, died 1915. Ultimately retired with title ?Exzellenz? as Generalleutnant after commanding 4th Cavalry Brigade. No WW1 service. Holder of EK2 1870, RAO2mE, KO2a, XXV, 1870/71, 1866, 1897, Lippe House 2nd, Hessian Philip 2X, OV3a, Russian Vladimir 4, Swedish Sword 1st.

2) Carl von Uslar-Gleichen, Major. 1843-1919. Ultimately retired as Generalmajor after commanding 13th Cavalry Brigade. No WW1 service. Holder of EK2 1870, RAO2mE, KO2, XXV, 1870/71, 1897, BMV-Knight 1st, BZ2b, SA3a, WK3, Swedish Sword-Knight.

3) Ulrich Freiherr von Richthofen, Major. Born Neisse 13.1.1846. Retired from Hussar Regiment 12 as Oberstlieutenant. In 1908 a Royal Chamberlain. No known WW1 service. Holder of EK2 1870, RAO4, KO2, Johanniter-Commander, XXV, 1870/71, 1866, 1897, LH4, SA3a.

4) Paul von M?hlberg, Major. Born Berlin 17.5.1847, died 1926. Retired as Generalmajor after commanding 4th Cavalry Brigade. No WW1 service. Holder of EK2 1870, RAO2mE, KO2, XXV, 1870/71, 1866, 1897, SLH2b, HSH2b, WF3a, Saxe-Coburg Jubilee Medal, Netherlands Orange-Knight 1stX.

5) von Hellmann, Rittmeister. Holder of EK2 1870, 1870/71, LH4 in 1890?no subsequent data.

6) Karl von Kossecki, Rittmeister. Born Breslau 7.4.1852, died 1930. Retired as Oberst after commanding Hussar Regiment 4. Recalled for WW1 service and re-retired as Generalmajor aD, having served as Inspector of Replacement Squadrons of IVth Army Corps. Holder of (known) RAO3 with Bow, KO3, XXV, 1870/71, 1897, SA3b, HSH3a, Russian St Anna 2 with diamonds, Italian Crown-Knight, Serbian Takovo 4.

7) Georg von Priem, Rittmeister. Born Berlin 1.2.1850. Alive 1908 as major zD, Hofmarschall, Royal Chamberlain with title ?Exzellenz.? No known WW1 service. Holder of EK2 1870, RAO4mKr, KO3, XXV, 11870/71, 1897, Princely HHO2, SLH1, Waldeck Merit 3, WK2c, Reuss Honor Cross elder line 3, SA2c, HSH2b, AA2b, BStM1a, HP4aX, Mecklenburg Wend Crown 2a, Mecklenburg Griffin 21, OV1, SWF3b, Netherlands Orange 2.

8) Freiherr von Uckermann, Rittmeister. There were several cavalry officers with this name and without awards as of 1890, am as yet unable to distinguish between them later on, absent rank dates.

9) von Wallenberg, Premier-Lieutenant ? la Suite. In 1902 Major in Hussar Regiment 11, holder of RAO4, XXV, 1897, SLH4, SA3b. Gone by 1907 and may have died.

10) Georg von Hugo, Premier-Lieutenant. Born Hildesheim 10.9.1857. By 1908 Oberst commanding Cuirassier Regiment 8. Holder of RAO4mKr, KO3, XXV, 1897, SA3a, ?EK3, British Royal Victorian Order 3, Rumanian Star 3b, French legion of Honor, and French Black Star of Benin 2. NO WW1 service and did not make general, so presumably died as Colonel.

11) von Pestel, Premier-Lieutenant. Multiple cavalry officers of same name so unable to distinguish which was he without awards or rank dates at this time.

12) Hans von Wiedner, Premier-Lieutenant. Born Breslau 18.7.1856, died Kniegnitz 11.8.1915. Recalled for WW1 as Major aD, served as Adjutant of Home Establishment Vth Army Corps.

13) Johannes Graf von Saurma-Jeltsch, Premier-Lieutenant. Born Berlin 2.3.1857. Alive 1908 as estate owner, no WW1 service. Holder of Order of Malta, Swedish Vasa Knight 1st, Spanish Isabella the Catholic Commander, and Turkish Medjidie-Commander.

14) von Tiele-Winckler, Seconde-Lieutenant ? la Suite. Multiple cavalry officers of this name so cannot distinguish which was him without awards and rank dates. Name later spelled without the c as ?Winkler.

15) Graf Brune von Mons, Seconde-Lieutenant. Vanishes without trace?probably died 1890s.

16) Max Freiherr Raitz von Frentz, Seconde-Lieutenant. Born D?sseldorf 6.8.1860, alive 1926. Retired after 1909 as a Rittmeister (rank he had held since 1898!) in Hussar Regiment 9. Recalled for WW1 as Major aD in charge of the Main Munitions Warehouse in Verdun Operational Zone of the 5th Army. Awards as of 1908:

RA04, XXV, 1897, SWD3a, Order of Malta.

17) von der Osten, Seconde-Lieutenant. Again too many officers to distinguish which was he.

18) Freiherr von Woellwarth-Lauterburg, Seconde-Lieutenant. Three cavalry officers this name.

19) von Salviati, Seconde-Lieutenant. In 1902 he was a Rittmeister zD (rank 1896) with uniform of Uhlan Regiment 7 on staff of Landwehrbezirk I Braunschweig. Holder of BZ3bmE and 1897. No subsequent data.

20) Alfred Graf von Radolin, Seconde-Lieutenant. Born Jarotschin 8.4.1864. Transferred to the Regiment Garde du Corps, later a Rittmeister ? la Suite der Armee. Estate owner in 1908. Holder of KO4, 1897, SWF3a, Russian St Anna 3, Turkish Osmanie 4, Turkish Medjidie 3, Italian Crown 5. No WW1 service.

21) Max Graf von Wartensleben, Seconde-Lieutenant. Born Halle a/S 1867, died 9.9.1924. After serving elsewhere, Rittmeister in HR 7 again in the 1890s, retiring as a Major. Recalled for WW1 as Oberstleutnant aD on Staff of High Command of Army Group Crown Prince Rupprecht (no Bavarian WW1 awards). As of 1908 he held RAO4, KO4,1897, LH4, and Johanniter Order. Probably also received an XXV.

22) Adolf Prinz zu Schaumburg-Lippe, Premier-Lieutenant ? la Suite. Born B?ckeburg 20.7.1859, died Bonn 9.7.1916. An uncle of the later reigning Prince of the same name. This Adolf was ultimately a General der Kavallerie ? la Suite in both Hussar Regiment 7 and J?ger Battalion 7?but with courtesy rank only, due to his royal status rather than actually earning his ranks like Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar. In WW1 Adolf was nominally on the Staff of VIIIth Army Corps. His pre-WW1 dynastic awards were: LH1, RAO1, Schaumburg-Lippe General Decoration, OV1mgKr, Reuss Honor 1, HSH1, WK1. His placement HERE, with the last named person, out of rank precedence, may indicate that he and Number 23 below failed to chip in their fair share towards Bernhard?s sword?or perhaps did not contribute at all, and were tacked on out of embarrassment by the others to = 100 percent of the regiment?s officers.

23) Graf von Hohenthal und Bergen, Premier-Lieutenant ? la Suite. Two officers with this name, both holding Russian St Anna 3 in 1890, so can?t tell which was which later.

Now for some idea of how expensive swords like this were, note that 21 or 23 officers-- noblemen-- chipped in for this one. Compare that with a wartime one paid for by an exactly similar number of enlisted reservists at

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2489

[Gerd Becker]

This must be the most historically valuable sword, that i have ever seen on a public forum

Unique and beautiful

Edited September 20, 2005 by Gerd Becker

[Guest Rick Research]

Noooooooo! We lost Ted's and my Rest Of The Story in yesterday's upgrade glitch!

OK, let's see if I can reconstruct this...

The Prince was promoted Major ? la Suite von der Armee on 22 March 1897-- Kaiser Wilhelm's 100th birthday, with uniform of Hussar Regiment 12. I don't know what glittery baubles he may have added after 1890, since this is my Great Rank List Gap.

But in 1900 he left Germany without permission and was married illegally to a commoner in London-- TREASON, since as a Royal Highness his marriage had to be cleared in advance by the head of his line and the Kaiser, neither of whom would have given approval to such an eloped m?salliance.

? From the EXCELLENT and right up to current Online Gotha

http://pages.prodigy.net/ptheroff/gotha/gotha.htm

under the Weimar part of Saxony, and W?rttemberg

He was immediately CASHIERED from the German army, stripped of all rank as a dynastic traitor (probably had to give back his Orders as well), and he and any offspring were permanently barred from succeeding to the thrones of Saxe-Weimar or W?rttemberg. He was given an invented title as a Count-- because even in disgrace, a shamed EX-Prince could not be "busted" to commoner...

and it was all for nothing.

The love of Bernhard's life was dead within two and a half years, having had NO children. He then remarried, but that marriage too was childless. He died in Hannover on a remittance pittance, probably, in 1907-- shunned and reviled.

From the Gotha Hofkalender 1917:

No cover-up here: NO WAY could a Prince Gone Bad be "hushed up!"

Morganatic marriages ran in the tribe-- Bernhard's first cousin, oldest son of his uncle, did the same "everything for love" in 1909--with the same result.

A forgotten royal scandal, lives ruined... all that remains of Prince Charming's bad end is an exquisite sword...

with sad teddy bear eyes.

[Guest Brian von Etzel]

I'm sorry but is Oh Wow just not a good response?

[Oberst General]

thank you for posting this great sowrd and data.

One rarely gets to see anything like this.

Im only guessing here , but would a price form something like this be around 5-6 thousand (us) or more?

[stevo4361]

Thanks for sharing that! I'm speechless, thanks for the research and sharing it with us "commoners"

Kind Regards,

Steve

[Chris Boonzaier]

Well, having a lazy flip through the back pages.. I found this....

Out freaking standing....

That would be a sure firecentrepiece for a colletion... the Pussycats eyes.... the damascus blade.... the engravings....

untinkable with todays labour costs!!!!

Look at the going away gifts armies give out nowdays......

[mustang]

To Santa Claus

North Pole

Dear Santa,

ive been a good boy all year,please please please get all my mates to club together and buy me one of these swords,i promise ill be good all next year too......

thanks,

mustang

ps.glass of sherry for you and carrots for rudolph by the tree

[achimvw]

The contributors to this sword as named on the blade were (rank as in HR7 1888)

12) Hans von Wiedner, Premier-Lieutenant. Born Breslau 18.7.1856, died Kniegnitz 11.8.1915. Recalled for WW1 as Major aD, served as Adjutant of Home Establishment Vth Army Corps.

#12 was my great grandfather. Interesting to see his name.

Achim von Wiedner

[Guest Rick Research]

That is why I always say "history is not DEAD."

In 2088 or ... 2388 we will all be forgotten, but with any luck, this very nice gift sword will still be "alive" and having adventures with new owners-- who we can only hope will it just as much!

[jameslien]

Hello Swordguy,

You asked, "Rick does not have any Prussian Rank List between 1890 and 1902. Can somebody post a late 1890s page with any more awards Prince Bernhard might have had by then?"

I just found your listing.

In 1895 and 1896, Prinz Bernhard was no longer in an active Regiment. He was switched to Offiziere a la suite der Armee. He is a Rittmeister.

In 1898 and 1900, he is listed as an Offiziere a la suite der Armee as a Major

In the 1901 Rangliste, he is not listed.

His awards did not change.

I don't have a scanner so I can't post the pages, but if you want to send me a private email, I will xerox the pages and mail them to you. I prefer to see the original documents too. Mistakes can be made with Rangliste if you are not careful.

Cheers...James

[Guest Rick Research]

Yes, since this was posted over 3 years ago we've got all the rest filled in, thanks.