Heinrich XIII, 2nd Prince Reuss of Greiz

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Note about the Reuss numbering system: All males of the House of Reuss were named Heinrich plus a number. In the Reuss-Greiz, Elder Line, the numbering covered all male children and the numbers increased until 100 was reached and then started again at 1. In the Reuss-Gera, Younger Line, the system was similar but the numbers increased until the end of the century before starting again at 1. This tradition was seen as a way of honoring Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich VI (reigned 1191 – 1197) who had benefitted the family. Therefore, the Roman numerals seen after names are NOT regnal numbers.

Principality of Reuss-Greiz: The House of Reuss began their rule circa 1010. Heinrich XI, Count Reuss of Greiz, Lower-Greiz (Untergreiz) and Upper-Greiz (Obergreiz) was elevated to princely status in 1778 and then used the title of Prince Reuss, Older Line, or Prince Reuss of Greiz.

Heinrich XXIV, the last Prince Reuss of Greiz, succeeded his father in 1902 but was unable to rule because of his physical and mental disabilities as a result of an accident in his childhood. Instead, a Regent ruled the Principality of Reuss-Greiz: Heinrich XIV, 4th Prince Reuss of Gera from 1901 – 1913 and then his son Heinrich XXVII, 5th and last Prince Reuss of Gera from 1913 – 1918.

On November 11, 1918, the Regent, Heinrich XXVII, Prince Reuss of Gera (Younger Line) abdicated in the name of the disabled Heinrich XXIV, 6th Prince Reuss of Greiz. After the abdication, Heinrich XXIV retained the right of residence of the Lower Castle in Greiz and lived there until his death. The territory that encompassed the Principality of Reuss-Greiz is now in the German state of Thuringia.

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Heinrich XIII, Prince Reuss of Greiz; Credit – Wikipedia

Heinrich XIII, 2nd Prince Reuss of Greiz was born on February 16, 1747, in Greiz in the County of Reuss-Untergreiz, later the County of Reuss-Greiz, and in 1778, the Principality of Reuss-Greiz. He was the second of the six sons and the third of the eleven children of Heinrich XI, 1st Prince Reuss of Greiz and his first wife Countess Conradine Reuss of Köstritz. Heinrich XIII’s eldest brother had died in 1745 so upon his birth, Heinrich XIII was his father’s heir.

Heinrich XIII had ten siblings. Any siblings listed as Count or Countess died before their father became Prince of Reuss-Greiz.

  • Count Heinrich XII Reuss-Greiz (1744 – 1745), died in infancy
  • Countess Amalie Reuss-Greiz (1745 – 1748), died in childhood
  • Princess Friederike Reuss of Greiz (1748 – 1816), married (1) Friedrich Ludwig, Count of Castell-Rüdenhausen, no children, divorced (2) Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Hohenlohe-Kirchberg, no children
  • Prince Heinrich XIV Reuss of Greiz (in German) (1749 – 1799), married Marie Anne Meyer, no children
  • Prince Heinrich XV Reuss of Greiz (in German) (1751 – 1825), unmarried
  • Princess Isabelle Auguste Reuss of Greiz (1752 – 1824), married Burgrave Wilhelm Georg of Kirchberg-Hachenburg, had children
  • Countess Marie Reuss of Greiz (1754 – 1759), died in childhood
  • Princess Viktoria Reus of Greiz (1756 – 1819), married Wolfgang Ernst II, Prince of Isenburg and Büdingen, no children
  • Count Heinrich XVI Reuss of Greiz (1759 – 1763), died in childhood
  • Prince Heinrich XVII Reuss of Greiz (1761 – 1807), married Babette von Wenz, no children

On February 2, 1770, Heinrich XIII’s mother died and eight months later his father married for a second time to Countess Alexandrina von Leningen-Dagsburg-Falkenburg but the marriage was childless.

Heinrich XIII married Princess Wilhelmine Luise of Nassau-Weilburg on January 9, 1786, in Kirchheim, Principality of Nassau-Weilburg, now in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Wilhelmine Luise’s parents were Karl Christian, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg, and Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau. Princess Carolina was the daughter of William IV, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of the Netherlands, and Anne, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain.

Heinrich XIII and Wilhelmine Luise three sons:

Heinrich XIII, along with his brothers Heinrich XIV and Heinrich XV, served in the Austrian Army. He attained the rank of General Feldzeugmeister, commander-in-chief of the artillery, one of the highest officers in the army. Heinrich XIII was a close personal friend of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II. In 1789, Heinrich XIII represented the Holy Roman Empire at the court of the Kingdom of Prussia.

Upon the death of his father in 1800, Heinrich XIII succeeded as Prince Reuss of Greiz. On April 6, 1802, a large fire destroyed much of Greiz, the capital of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz. Approximately 430 buildings were destroyed. Many other buildings were demolished to prevent the fire from spreading. Heinrich XIII oversaw the rebuilding of Greiz in the neoclassical style and moved his residence from the Obere Schloss (link in German) (Upper Castle) to the Untere Schloss (link in German) (Lower Castle) so he could be closer to the people and social life of Greiz.

The Lower Castle in Greiz, with the Upper Castle in the background; Credit – Von Wolfgang Pehlemann Wiesbaden Germany – Selbst fotografiert, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32945991

Upon the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, Heinrich XIII, representing the Principality of Reuss-Greiz, joined the Confederation of the Rhine in 1807. After the defeat of Napoleon, Heinrich XIII and the Principality of Reuss-Greiz joined the German Confederation at the Congress of Vienna in 1815.

Heinrich XIII, 2nd Prince Reuss of Greiz died on January 29, 1817, aged 69, in Greiz, Principality of Reuss-Greiz. He was buried at the Stadtkirche St. Marien (link in German) now in Greiz, Thuringia, Germany. His wife Wilhelmine Luise survived him by twenty years, dying on October 10, 1837, aged 72. She was buried with her husband.

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Reuss-Greiz Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2020). Heinrich XIII. (Reuß-Greiz). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_XIII._(Reu%C3%9F-Greiz) [Accessed 1 Mar. 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2020). Heinrich XIII, Prince Reuss of Greiz. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_XIII,_Prince_Reuss_of_Greiz [Accessed 1 Mar. 2020].
  • It.wikipedia.org. (2020). Enrico XIII di Reuss-Greiz. [online] Available at: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_XIII_di_Reuss-Greiz [Accessed 1 Mar. 2020].
  • Pl.wikipedia.org. (2020). Henryk XIII (Reuß-Greiz). [online] Available at: https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henryk_XIII_(Reu%C3%9F-Greiz) [Accessed 1 Mar. 2020].