Albert
Prince of Prussia
Prince Albert of Prussia (German: Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Albrecht; 8 May 1837 – 13 September 1906) was a Prussian general field marshal, Herrenmeister (Grand Master) of the Order of Saint John from 1883 until his death, and regent of the Duchy of Brunswick from 1885, also until his death. Albert was born in Berlin, the son of Prince Albert of Prussia and his wife Princess Marianne, daughter of King William I of the Netherlands. His father was a brother of King Frederick William IV of Prussia and of William I, German Emperor. In 1885, Albert was chosen as Regent for the Duchy of Brunswick, as German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck had removed Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover, from office. In 1913 Ernst August's son Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick became Duke of Brunswick who only reigned for 5 years and 6 days. After accepting the regency, Albert and Marie resided chiefly in Brunswick, Berlin, and Kamenz. Prince Albrecht died at Schloss Kamenz in 1906.
The Brunswick Hussar Regiment No. 17 was a cavalry unit in the Brunswick Army, later the Prussian Army. The "Hussar Regiment von Roth" was established in the Principality of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel during the Seven Years' War by Duke Karl von Braunschweig in 1759. It initially had four companies, but was reinforced by two companies in 1762. Due to a lack of funds, this regiment had to be disbanded in 1767. For the time being, the hussars in the small principality remained an episode. Only after the signing of the Vienna Convention with Austria did the “Black Duke” Friedrich Wilhelm von Braunschweig, as agreed in the convention, succeed in establishing a Freikorps of just under 1 April 1809 in the small Bohemian towns of Nachod and Braunau to deploy over 2000 men, including 1000 hussars, 1000 light infantry and 125 horse artillery. The corps, which was called the Black Squad, operated independently under the leadership of Friedrich Wilhelm. On January 1, 1825, the troop was reorganized under the name "Herzoglich Braunschweigisches Garde-Husaren-Regiment". In 1867, after the Duchy of Brunswick joined the North German Confederation, the unit was renamed "Ducal Brunswick Hussar Regiment No. 17". After the military convention with Prussia on March 18, 1886, the regiment was incorporated into the Prussian army and was given its final name "Brunswick Hussar Regiment No. 17".
The House of Hohenzollern is a formerly royal German (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenburg, Prussia, the German Empire, and Romania. The family came from the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the late 11th century and took their name from Hohenzollern Castle. The first ancestors of the Hohenzollerns were mentioned in 1061. The Duchy of Brunswick (German: Herzogtum Braunschweig) was a historical German state. Its capital was the city of Brunswick (Braunschweig). It was established as the successor state of the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel by the Congress of Vienna in 1815. In the course of the 19th-century history of Germany, the duchy was part of the German Confederation, the North German Confederation and from 1871 the German Empire. By a law of 1879, the Duchy of Brunswick established a temporary council of regency to take over at the Duke's death. If Ernest Augustus – who had been created the Duke of Cumberland in the British peerage–were unable to succeed, the council would also be empowered to appoint a regent. With William's death in 1884, the Wolfenbüttel line came to an end. The Duke of Cumberland then proclaimed himself Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick. However, since he still claimed to be the rightful King of Hanover, the Federal Council ruled that he would violate the peace of the German Empire if he succeeded to Brunswick. Lengthy negotiations ensued, but were never resolved. Regency were appointed to Prince Albert of Prussia until his death in 1906.
Awards: Collar,sach and star of the House Order of Henry the Lion, Cross of the of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg), Stars of the Order of the Black Eagle and the House Order of Hohenzollern.
