Princely Houses of Erbach

[Warren]

Comital and Princely Houses of Erbach



Erbach Arms

[David Lewis]

I wonder if anyone can help me solve a bit of a mystery

I have been looking at the descendents of Georg Ludwig of Erbach-Schönberg born 1 jan 1903 and Marie Margarethe Deringer and found two Xenias who I think may be the same person

Firstly Heins bruins on his site Descendants of Princess Julie von Battenberg Descendants of Princess Julie von Battenberg
shows her listed as an illigitimate daughter of Princess Edda Marie of Erbach-Schönberg and an unknown count of of Solms-Rödelheim und Assenheim

the listing is as follows:

1.1.2.2.Princess Edda Marie of Erbach-Schönberg (1930-1993), m.1951 (div 1960) Karl Josef Dierkes (1924-2008)
1.1.2.2.1.Anja Dierkes (*1952), m. ............ Ruser
1.1.2.2.1.1.Jannes Ruser
1.1.2.2.1.2.Nana Ruser
1.1.2.2.1.3.[by ............] Linus Dierkes
1.1.2.2.2.Petra Dierkes (*1953)
1.1.2.2.3.Jan-Wilm Dierkes (1956-1959)
1.1.2.2.4.Tatjana Dierkes (*1960)
1.1.2.2.5.[by Count ............ of Solms-Rödelheim und Assenheim] Xenia zu Erbach-Schönberg (*1963).

However Daryll Lundy's site "the Peerage "shows a Xenia being a daughter of Prinz Mayolf
thePeerage.com - Person Page 6343

This is suported by Geneall.net.
GeneAll.net - Xenia, Prinzessin zu Erbach-Schnberg

and Erbach 5.
where it also shows her as having died in the last century i.e 19??

Are these in fact the same person and does anyone have any more details.

Many Thanks

[MAfan]

She isn't listed at all in Paul Theroff's genealogy of Erbach Family; as children of Prince Maynolf are listed only Isabelle and Peter.

It would make sense if she indeed was the illegitimate daughter of Princess Edda, in this case she would have assumed her mother's surname zu Erbach-Schönberg and wouldn't be listed among the members of the Family.

[Kataryn]

Originally Posted by MAfan

She isn't listed at all in Paul Theroff's genealogy of Erbach Family; as children of Prince Maynolf are listed only Isabelle and Peter.

It would make sense if she indeed was the illegitimate daughter of Princess Edda, in this case she would have assumed her mother's surname zu Erbach-Schönberg and wouldn't be listed among the members of the Family.

I'm a bit sad for the young lady as it is not her fault that her mother did not marry her father. And it's simply the law in Germany of today that the child of an unmarried mother bears the last name of said mother - be it Miller, Meier or Prinzessin von Erbach. It has nothing to do with the wish to appear as something she is not - and as she is the daughter of this Princess Edda, she is by blood a part of the family - just not "standesrechtlich" (according to nobility-laws) due to rules which went out of order nearly 100 years ago.

It's a different thing with Iris of Saxony and her daughters. Iris is the morganatic daughter of Timo of Saxony and, though having been married several times, gave birth to her daughters on declaring them fatherless, so they could legally use her name of Duchess of Saxony, Princess of Saxony.
At least one of the daughters, Xenia, tried to form a media career on using her "title" as a "Princess". That's IMHO taking advantage of very loose family relations and the name law of a country which didn't deprive the nobility of their traditions. And that's very, very tacky.