Heinrich,Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein's Ancestors

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Gentlemen,

I remember reading a book titled "Laurels for Prince Wittgenstein" by Werner Roell. I know that Heinrich,Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein was desended from a Russian field marshal who was a calvary officer during the Napolean War. In that book a man who was a relative of Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein,had said long after World War II was over,that Heinrich had a French grandmother and had relatives and friends in England. I can't find any proof at all in other books and even on the internet that had anything to do with his other international background with the French and English. Do you know any other ancestory of Heinrich other than that he was related to the Russian field marshal? Heinrich was a German night fighter ace with 83 air-to-air night victories.

Sincerely,

Edward

[Gerdan]

Hello Edward

I hope to answer you a part of your questions.

The parents of Heinrich Prinz zu Seyn-Wittgenstein :

Father: Gustav Alexander (188 - 1953), Diplomat at the German Ambassy Kopenhagen
Mother: Walburga nee Freiin von Friesen (1885 - 1970)

Grandfather: Alexander (* 1847 Paris + 1940 Hachenburg)
Grandmother: Marie Auguste Yvonne de Blacas d'Aulps (* 1851 Paris + 1881)
His grandmother came from a French noble family. It was the 2nd marriage of his father Alexander because his first wife died.

From relatives in England I do not know.

Gerdan

Gerdan

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Dear Gerdan,

Thank you so far. So you don't know for sure what was Heinrich's father Gustav Alexander birth year was? Also why the star before the year 1847 of Alexander and the star before the year 1851 of Marie Auguste Yvonne de Blacas d' Aulp's? It's so strange that Werner Roell who was the author of the book about Heinrich didn't mentioned about the name of Heinrich's grandmother.

Edward

[Gerdan]

Dear Edward,

the exact year of birth of his father Alexander is 1880 and the symbol * (star) in genealogy always has the meaning of date of birth (exact). As the + has the meaning of day of death.

Gerdan

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Dear Sir,

I don't like to bring this up but,I thought all commissioned officers of the Wehrmacht had to meet certain proof of descent from German or related blood. Somehow Heinrich,Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein made officer in the Luftwaffe in the late 1930's despite having a French grandmother. I knew Heinrich was in the Hitler Youth. So Gustav Alexander, Heinrich's father, was born in 1880. Since Gustav Alexander's French mother died in 1881,that means he was one year old. I remember that statement that said that Heinrich was a decendant of a very old German family. I don't know what to make of things.

Edward

[Gerdan]

Dear Edward

it was no problem at all to have a French grandmother. The French - in the eyes of the Germans - have been a "folk/race" of equality and not "lower ranking". They came from the same origin. The German name FRANKreich gives you the hint that it comes from the tribe Franken which are part of the German people.
So it was no disadvantage for a German person to have Frenche ancestors. Also it was not forbidden in the TR to merry a French person.

Gerdan