Who married Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse?

Louis IV (German: Ludwig IV. Großherzog von Hessen und bei Rhein; 12 September 1837 – 13 March 1892) was the Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine from 13 June 1877 until his death in 1892. Through his marriage to Queen Victoria's second daughter Alice, he was connected to the British royal family. Two of his daughters married into the House of Romanov.

Princess Alice (Alice Maud Mary; 25 April 1843 – 14 December 1878) was Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine from 13 June 1877 until her death in 1878 as the wife of Grand Duke Louis IV. She was the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Alice was the first of Queen Victoria's nine children to die and one of three to predecease their mother.

Alice spent her early childhood in the company of her parents and siblings, travelling between the British royal residences. Her education was devised by Prince Albert's close friend and adviser, Christian Friedrich, Baron Stockmar, and included practical activities such as needlework and woodwork and languages such as French and German. When her father became fatally ill in December 1861, Alice nursed him until his death. Following his death, Queen Victoria entered a period of intense mourning and Alice spent the next six months acting as her mother's unofficial secretary. On 1 July 1862, while the court was still at the height of mourning, Alice married a minor German prince, Louis of Hesse. The ceremony—conducted privately and with unrelieved gloom at Osborne House—was described by the Queen as "more of a funeral than a wedding". Alice's life in Darmstadt was unhappy as a result of impoverishment, family tragedy and worsening relations with her husband and mother.

Alice showed an interest in nursing, especially the work of Florence Nightingale. When Hesse became involved in the Austro-Prussian War, Darmstadt filled with the injured; the heavily pregnant Alice devoted much of her time to the management of field hospitals. One of her organisations, the Princess Alice Women's Guild, took over much of the day-to-day running of the state's military hospitals. As a result of this activity, Queen Victoria became concerned about Alice's directness about medical and, in particular, gynaecological, matters. In 1871, she wrote to Alice's younger sister, Princess Louise, who had recently married: "Don't let Alice pump you. Be very silent and cautious about your 'interior'". In 1877, Alice became grand duchess upon the accession of her husband, her increased duties putting further strains on her health. In late 1878, diphtheria infected the Hessian court. Alice nursed her family for over a month before falling ill herself, dying later that year.

Alice was the sister of King Edward VII and German Empress Victoria (wife of Frederick III), mother of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia (wife of Nicholas II), and maternal grandmother of Queen Louise of Sweden (second wife of Gustaf VI Adolf) and Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (the last Viceroy of India). Another daughter, Elisabeth, who married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, was, like Alexandra and her family, killed by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

Alexandrine Gräfin von Hutten-Czapska (* 3. September 1854 in Warschau; † 8. Mai 1941 in Vevey/Schweiz) war 1884 für kurze Zeit die zweite Gattin des Großherzogs Ludwig IV. von Hessen-Darmstadt.

Alexandrine von Hutten-Czapska wurde als Tochter von Adam Graf von Hutten-Czapski (1819–1884) und Marianne, Gräfin von Rzewuska-Grocholska (1827–1897) geboren. Ihr Vater wurde zusammen mit seinen Brüdern Ignacy und Emeryk Hutten-Czapski erst am 12. Juni 1874 in den russischen Grafenstand gehoben. Am Abend des 30. April 1884 ließ sich der seit sechs Jahren verwitwete 47-jährige Großherzog Ludwig IV. von Hessen-Darmstadt heimlich mit ihr, der 30-jährigen, frisch Geschiedenen, trauen. Als Standesbeamter fungierte sein amtierender Staatsminister. Alexandrine hatte sich wegen ihrer Affäre mit dem Großherzog von ihrem Mann, dem russischen Geschäftsträger in Darmstadt, Alexander von Kolemin, scheiden lassen. Ihre Heirat mit Ludwig IV. war unstandesgemäß, da sie dem Großherzog nicht ebenbürtig war, obwohl er sie anlässlich der Vermählung zumindest noch zur Gräfin von Romrod erhoben hatte.

Durch seine erste Ehe mit Prinzessin Alice war Königin Victoria von Großbritannien die Schwiegermutter des Großherzogs. Die Königin war von dieser Hochzeit nicht angetan und verurteilte die Liaison. Dies teilte sie dem Großherzog über seine beiden Schwager, den britischen Kronprinzen Albert Edward und Prinz Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen mit. Diese weilten in Darmstadt, weil am selben Tag die Tochter Ludwigs IV., Victoria, mit Prinz Ludwig Alexander von Battenberg (späterer Marquess of Milford Haven und britischer Großadmiral) vermählt worden war.

Die Ehe wurde daraufhin annulliert, die Gräfin abgefunden – unter anderem mit dem Titel einer Gräfin von Romrod. Gräfin Alexandrine sorgte mit Hilfe der Presse dafür, dass Europa an ihrem Schicksal ausgiebig Anteil nehmen konnte. 50 Jahre später verfasste Ludwig Berger ein Lustspiel über die Affäre: „Das kleinere Übel“.