Albrecht
Duke of Württemberg
Albrecht, Duke and Crown Prince of Württemberg (Albrecht Maria Alexander Philipp Joseph; 23 December 1865 – 31 October 1939) was the last heir presumptive to the Kingdom of Württemberg, a German military commander of World War I, and the head of the House of Württemberg from 1921 to his death. Duke Albrecht was born in Vienna as the eldest child of Duke Philipp of Württemberg and his wife Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, daughter of Archduke Albert, Duke of Teschen. Albrecht entered the armies of the Kingdom of Württemberg and the German Empire in 1883, rose quickly through its ranks, and became the heir apparent to the throne of Württemberg. He was a third cousin of Mary of Teck, who was the Queen consort of George V. When World War I began, Duke Albrecht's VI Inspectorate Corps was formed into the 4th Army, 123 battalions strong. As King William II had no sons, Albrecht was appointed the army's commander and assigned to the Ardennes, with Walther von Lüttwitz serving as his chief of staff. This army he led to victory alongside Crown Prince Wilhelm's 5th Army at the Battle of the Ardennes in August 1914. Following that victory, the 4th Army saw action in the First Battle of the Marne before being transferred to Flanders in October, where Albrecht commanded them during the Battle of the Yser. Albrecht also commanded the German forces during the Second
Battle of Ypres, where poison gas was used on a large scale for the first time. Albrecht was awarded the Pour le Mérite in August 1915 and promoted to Generalfeldmarschall in August 1916. The new Army Group Duke Albrecht was placed under his command in February 1917, and he was responsible for the southern sector of the Western Front until the Armistice.
1st Württemberg Dragoons "Queen Olga". The dragoon regiment "Königin Olga" (1st Württemberg) No. 25 was a regiment of the Württemberg army from 1806 to 1919. In Ludwigsburg, where they were last stationed, they were also known colloquially as the white dragoons. The Leib-Chevauxlegers-Regiment was raised in 1806 with four escadrons and renamed Leib-Chevaulegers-Regiment No. 2 in 1811. The regiment had been part of the Normann Brigade in 1813. On its return to Ludwigsburg on 19 November 1813, the commander was dismissed and the regiment was renamed Jäger-Regiment No. 4 Prinz Adam on 17 November 1813. When the army was reorganised, the regiment was renamed the 4th Cavalry Regiment on 31 March 1817. By decree of King Karl on 19 December 1864, the earlier tradition was continued and thus the names of some regiments were extended; the regiment was given the addition 4th Queen Olga Cavalry Regiment. In 1870 it was renamed the 1st Queen Olga Dragoon Regiment and on 2 October 1871 the 1st Queen Olga Württemberg Dragoon Regiment On 18 December 1871, all Württemberg regiments were given additional numbers. These corresponded to the consecutive numbering of all regiments of the German army, regardless of their affiliation to one of the contingents; the regiment was
given the number 25 1. Württemberg Dragoon Regiment Queen Olga No. 25. On 14 December 1874, all Württemberg troop units received the names in the final spelling and numbering: Dragoon Regiment "Queen Olga" (1st Württemberg) No. 25.
The House of Württemberg is a German dynasty and former royal family from Württemberg. The House probably originated in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty.[citation needed] Around 1080 the ancestors of modern Württemberg, which was then called "Wirtemberg", settled in the Stuttgart area. Conrad of Württemberg became heir to the House of Beutelsbach and built the Wirtemberg Castle. Around 1089, he was made Count. Their domains, initially only the immediate surroundings of the castle included, increased steadily, mainly through acquisitions such as those from impoverished homes of Tübingen. At the Diet of Worms in 1495, Count Eberhard V was raised to Duke (Herzog) by the German King, later Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I. During 1534 to 1537 Duke Ulrich introduced the Protestant Reformation, and the country became Protestant. Duke Ulrich became head of the local Protestant Church. In the 18th Century, the Protestant male line became extinct, the head of the house was succeeded by Duke Charles Alexander, a Roman Catholic. Despite having a Catholic royal family, Protestantism survived as the established church, run by a church council composed by
members of the nobility of Württemberg. From 1797, with the accession of Duke Frederick II, the royal family was again Protestant. Due to the political upheavals during the reign of Napoleon I, and being an ally of Napoleon, Württemberg became a part of the Confederation of the Rhine, Duke Frederick II was made Elector in May 1803, he collected and received secularized and mediated dominions, which greatly enlarged his country in territorial extension. In January 1806 he assumed the title of King of Württemberg. In 1828 King William I adopted a new house law, the rights and obligations of the ruling family have been established, including the exclusive primogeniture in the male line as well as marriage restrictions on coequal level. At the end of World War I during the German Revolution all the monarchies in Germany were abolished, King William II abdicated on 30 November 1918. When former King William II died in 1921 the senior branch line of the House of Württemberg became extinct, the headship of the House passed to a distant relative, Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg.
Royal standard of the King. Square yellow flag, in the center, 3 black stag half-horns, antlered. In four corners, a royal crown. The standard with the antlers replaced the former one in 1894. Duke William (1848-1921) from another branch of the house of Württemberg took over in 1891 after the death of King Charles (1864-1891) as William II. William II and Charlotte of Schaumburg-Lippe had only a daughter so (according to Salic law) the right to the throne passed to the branch of Duke Albrecht in 1921.
Awards: Sash and star of the Order of the Württemberg Crown (Orden der Württembergischen Krone), stars of the Friedrich Order (Friedrichs-Orden) and the Military Merit Order (Militärverdienstorden).
