Hans Heinrich XV, 3rd Prince of Pless, Count of Hochberg

Biography

Early life

He was born on 23 April 1861, in Pless, now known as Pszczyna in Poland. He was the son of Hans Heinrich XI and Marie von Kleist. In 1879 he graduated from the exclusive St. Mary Magdalene high school in Breslau. He then studied economics at the universities of Berlin, Geneva and Bonn. Later the studies prepared him to manage the wealth of the Hochberg family in Silesia. At the age of 22 Hans Heinrich XV, the son of a duke (Herzog von Pless) received from Emperor Wilhelm I a lower princely title and officially became the Fürst von Pless (Prince of Pless). In the years 1881–1882 he served in the German Imperial Army, first as a volunteer in the Royal Hussar regiment and later the Guard Hussars. After two years he left the army as a lieutenant. Between 1882 and 1885 he participated in a long, eventful hunting trip around the world and visited, among others, India and North America. After his return, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin, Germany. There he met and became friends with the young heir to the throne William Hohenzollern (later Emperor Wilhelm II). In 1886, Hans Heinrich XV was moved to a diplomatic post in Brussels, and a year later he became an attaché at the embassy in Paris.

Career and first marriage

In 1890, Hans Heinrich XV was awarded the position of secretary at the German embassy in London. There he met and proposed to the younger Mary Theresa Olivia Cornwallis-West called Daisy, a daughter of Col. William Cornwallis-West. Since the Cornwallis-West family was impoverished, the Hochbergs were forced to pay and organise the wedding. The wedding ceremony took place at St. Margaret's in Westminster on 8 December 1891. Notable witnesses were Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and his wife Princess Alexandra, while Queen Victoria personally gave the couple her blessing. They began their married life by traveling throughout Europe, Africa, Asia and America. As a wedding gift from Hans Heinrich XI, the senior head of the house, the young couple received Schloss Fürstenstein near Waldenburg, where they hosted the finest European aristocracy throughout their entire marriage. The couple had four children:

Daughter (25 February 1893 – 11 March 1893). Beatrice Maria Luise Margaret (15 July 1929 – 10 October 2021). Married twice and has issue. Conrad Joseph Hans (12 June 1930 – 29 November 1934).

This marriage also ended in a divorce in 1934 after González de Candamo began a sexual relationship with Hans Heinrich XV's younger son Bolko. The two subsequently married and had two children, Hedwig Maria and Bolko Constantine.

As a result of the global economic crisis, the Lower Silesian estates belonging to the Hochbergs fell into debt. In 1936, against the pressures of creditors Hans Heinrich XV left Waldenburg (now Książ) and came to Pszczyna, where his son Hans Heinrich XVII fought tax disputes with the Polish authorities, which became the heading of international media. Finally Hans Heinrich himself led to the end of the crisis by signing in 1937 an agreement in which the Hochbergs lost the privilege of mining in Pszczyna and lost control over the tax system. Eventually the Polish state took over 56% of his assets.

Upper Silesian Independence

After World War I, he was the first to propose the idea of Upper Silesian independence. Consequently, he financially and diplomatically supported the Union of Upper Silesians (referred to in Polish historiography as separatist) the Union of Upper Silesians opposed the Polish national movement. He also diplomatically attempted to force independence for all of Silesia, ensuring that both Pless and Książ were included in the proposed Silesian State, It was proposed to do a referendum to crown him as a Duke of Upper Silesia if it was to become independent. He likely voted for Germany during the plebiscite. During the Third Uprising, he personally recruited and equipped a company of volunteers, who, under the command of his son, Hans Heinrich XVII, joined the Selbstschutz Oberschlesien (Self-Defense of Upper Silesia), including during the latter's victorious Battle of Annaberg. Last years He died of a heart attack on 31 January 1938 in the Ritz Hotel in Paris and was buried in Pszczyna. During World War II his surviving sons both fought against the Nazis, Hans Heinrich XVII as John Henry Pless in the British RAF and Alexander Hochberg under the name of Aleksander Pszczyński as the shooter in the Polish Army under the command of General Władysław Anders.

Film adaptations Magnat (1987) – Hans Heinrich XV portrayed by Polish actor Jan Nowicki.

Orders and decorations Kingdom of Prussia: Order of Saint John, Knight of Justice Order of the Red Eagle, Grand Cross, 11 February 1917 Order of the Crown, 1st Class, 4 December 1911 Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Commander's Cross with Swords, 23 March 1918 Princely House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross with Swords, 22 March 1915 Iron Cross, 2nd Class Duchy of Anhalt: Frederickscross Order of Philip the Magnanimous, Grand Cross, 1 October 1898 Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: Order of the Griffon, Grand Cross Military Merit Cross Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg: Saxe-Ernestine House Order, Grand Cross Albert Order, Officer's Cross with Swords Order of the Crown, Knight Cross with Swords Austro-Hungarian Empire: Order of the Iron Crown, 1st Class Order of Leopold Military Merit Cross Order of Saint Alexander, 1st Class with Swords Order of the Medjidie, 2nd Class Gallipoli Star

Ancestry