Figure 1.-- This is Princess Marianne of Prussia with her eldest surviving son Prince Adalbert of Prussia, her oldest daughter Princess Elisabeth of Prussia who was to become the paternal grandmother of Tsarina Alexandra of Russia. She is holding her youngest son Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Waldemar of Prussia. She was also the grandmother of Maximillian II of Bavaria through her youngest daughter.

Princess Maria Anna of Hesse-Homburg was a German noblewoman. She was born in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe (1785). She was the most senior woman at the Prussian court after the death of Queen Louisa (1810–40). She was styled as 'Princess Wilhelm of Prussia' Maria Anna was the twelfth child (and sixth daughter) of Frederick V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg and Caroline of Hesse-Darmstadt. She was a granddaughter of Countess Palatine Caroline of Zweibrücken, known as the "great Landgräfin". She married Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Karl (1783-1851), son of King Frederick William II of Prussia (1804). They were first cousins and had seven children: Princess Amalie Friederike Luise Karoline Wilhelmine of Prussia (4 July 1805 - 23 November 1805); died in infancy. Princess Irene of Prussia (born and died 3 November 1806); stillborn. Unnamed son (born and died 30 August 1809); stillborn. Prince Friedrich Tassilo Wilhelm of Prussia (29 October 1811 - 9 January 1813); died in infancy. Prince Heinrich Wilhelm Adalbert of Prussia (29 October 1811 - 6 June 1873); married morganatically, in 1850, Therese Elssler and had issue. Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Tassilo of Prussia (15 November 1813 - 9 January 1814); died in infancy. Princess Marie Elisabeth Karoline Viktoria of Prussia (18 June 1815 - 21 March 1885); married, in 1836, Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine and had issue. Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Waldemar of Prussia (2 August 1817 - 17 February 1849) Princess Marie Friederike Franziska Hedwig of Prussia (15 October 1825 - 17 May 1889); married, in 1842, King Maximilian II of Bavaria and had issue. Maria Anna was a vocal member of the anti-Napoleon-party around Queen Louisa. She supported the disasterous war against France (1806). She joined the royal family in its escape from the French occupation. With the death of Queen Louisa, she acted as first lady in official Prussian occasions. After Napoleon's deabacle in Russia, she proclaimed the famous "Aufruf der königlichen Prinzessinnen an die Frauen im preußischen Staate" and founded the patriotic women's association "Vaterlándischen Frauenverein" March 1813). She was a patron of the arts and scince and corresponded with Freiherr vom Stein, von Hardenberg and the Humboldt brothers and was an acquaintance of the poet Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué. She fell in live with with Count Anton of Stolberg-Wernigerode (1822), who later became Prussian Minister of State. She was active in prison reform at the Berliner Gefängnisinsassen and founded an orphanage in Pankow in Berlin.

Created: June 6, 1998
Last updated: 4:31 PM 5/20/2020