Duchess Helene in Bavaria

Duchess Helene in Bavaria (Helene Caroline Therese; 4 April 1834 16 May 1890), nicknamed Néné, was the Hereditary Princess of Thurn and Taxis as the wife of Maximilian Anton Lamoral. She was a Duchess in Bavaria by birth as the daughter of Duke Maximilian Joseph and Princess Ludovika. She was temporarily the head of the Thurn and Taxis family.

In 1858, Helene married Maximilian Anton, Hereditary Prince of Thurn and Taxis. After nearly nine years of marriage, Maximillian died due to a chronic kidney disease, leaving the Thurn and Taxis throne in the hands of Helene until their son reached maturity.

Early life (1834–1858)

Childhood Helene Caroline Therese was the third child and eldest daughter of Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. Princess Ludovika had been pregnant with twins, but lost one of the fetuses during a trip to Bayreuth. Helene was born on 4 April 1834 in the Herzog Max Palais in Munich and was christened Caroline Therese Helene.

As a child, Helene and her siblings enjoyed a more carefree and informal upbringing than what was customary for royal children at the time. Their family home during winter was Herzog-Max-Palais in Munich and Possenhofen Castle on Lake Starnberg during summer.

Marriage prospects In 1853 Helene traveled with her mother, Ludovika, and her younger sister Elisabeth to Bad Ischl, Upper Austria for the birthday of her cousin, Franz Joseph I, then the Emperor of Austria. During this visit, Franz Joseph asked for Elisabeth's hand in marriage. nor in the surviving correspondence of Duchess Ludovika Duke Maximillian Joseph, Helene's father, invited the Thurn and Taxis family to Possenhofen for a hunting party, at which Prince Maximilian was introduced to Helene.

While the prince was vacationing at Possenhofen, he brought his marriage plans to his parents, who immediately agreed. The only difficulty involved was that, although the Thurn and Taxis family were counted among the richest in the land, they were not considered social equals for a princess of royal blood and a member of the House of Wittelsbach. Because of this, King Maximilian II of Bavaria, who was a cousin of Helene, did not at first agree to a marriage between the two, but through Elisabeth's influence on the king, the marriage took place nevertheless.

Children

Honors Dame of the Order of Queen Maria Luisa

Ancestry