Although his father was Elector of Hesse until the electorate was abolished in 1866 (after which he was exiled to Austria),[2] upon his father's death in 1875, Friedrich Wilhelm and his younger brothers were all excluded from the line of succession due to his parent's morganatic marriage. Therefore, his uncle, Prince Frederick William of Hesse-Kassel, succeeded as titular Elector of Hesse and the Head of the House of Hesse-Kassel.
At their birth, his sons were Counts von Schaumburg, but post-1918, his descendants bear the title Prince and Princess von Hanau.[3]
Personal life
Prince Friedrich was married twice, both times morganatically. His first marriage was to Auguste Anna Birnbaum (1837–1862), an actress at the court theater of Kassel. They daughter of actors Carl Birnbaum and Maria Sargany, she became pregnant and her father threatened to kill Auguste and himself if they didn't marry. They eloped to London where they were married on 23 September 1856 and she became Countess von Schaumburg. Because of his threats, her father was imprisoned and her family exiled and persecuted. Their child was born prematurely child who died soon after birth, after which Friedrich Wilhelm abandoned her under pressure from his father. They were divorced soon after. She died of tuberculosis in 1862 in Bad Cannstatt, where they had taken refuge under the protection of King Charles of Württemberg.[4]
His second marriage was to Ludovika Bertha Luise Gloede (1840–1912) on 8 April 1875. Also an actress, she was the daughter of the Rev. Friedrich Gloede and Maria Dorothea Goldbeck. Although married in 1875, he already had two sons with her:[3]
Friedrich August (1864–1940), who married Hildegard von Zsadány, Countess Almasy, in 1899; m. second, Ernestine Christine Detzer.[3]
