Prince Heinrich of Bavaria

Prince Heinrich of Bavaria (24 June 1884 – 8 November 1916) was a member of the Bavarian Royal House of Wittelsbach and a highly decorated Army officer in the First World War.

Early life

Heinrich was born in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria. He was the only child of Prince Arnulf of Bavaria and his wife Princess Therese of Liechtenstein.

Heinrich was brought up in Munich, where one of his tutors was Joseph Gebhard Himmler, the father of Heinrich Himmler. The elder Himmler was an ardent royalist who, following the birth of his second son, petitioned the prince to allow him to be named after him - Heinrich. The prince agreed and also became Heinrich Himmler's godfather. "{H}e took a lively interest in the progress of his godson and in how the Himmlers were faring. It was a warm relationship, as is shown by the preserved correspondence between Gebhard and the prince; at Christmas the Himmlers regularly received a visit from the prince and his mother..."

Military career and death

At the age of 17, following his Abitur, Heinrich joined the Bavarian army with the rank of Leutnant. Initially, he served with the Royal Bavarian Infanterie-Leib-Regiment, but later was reassigned the 1st Royal Bavarian Heavy Cavalry “Prince Charles of Bavaria”.

After the outbreak of World War I, the regiment saw action on the Western front, where Prince Heinrich was badly wounded. Upon recovering, he returned to his old infantry regiment and in June 1915, was promoted to major. At the same time, he was put in charge of the III. Battalion of the newly established Deutsches Alpenkorps stationed in the Carnic Alps. In late 1916, the battalion was transferred to Romania where it fought at Turnu Roșu Pass. On 7 November 1916, during operations in the area near Poiana Spinului, while conducting a personal reconnaissance of the front line, he was shot and killed by Romanian soldiers. His last words reportedly were, "Noblesse oblige. I do not mean that with respect to my family but rather my duty as an officer."

Heinrich's body was transported back to Munich, where he was buried by his father's side at the Theatinerkirche. On 6 March 1917, for his exceptional bravery, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Max Joseph, Bavaria's highest military honour.

Honours

Prince Heinrich received the following honours, orders and decorations:

German states Order of Saint Hubert (24 June 1902) Military Order of Max Joseph, Knight's Cross (6 March 1917) Duchy of Brunswick: Order of Henry the Lion, Grand Cross (16 June 1914) War Merit Cross 2nd Class Hohenzollern principalities: Princely House Order of Hohenzollern, Honor Cross 1st Class with Swords (17 August 1916) Order of the Black Eagle Iron Cross 2nd Class Iron Cross 1st Class Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross with Swords Saxon duchies: Ducal Saxe-Ernestine House Order, Grand Cross (6 November 1907) Kingdom of Württemberg: Order of the Württemberg Crown, Grand Cross

Foreign states Military Merit Cross, 3rd Class with War Decoration Order of Saint Alexander, Grand Cross (29 April 1908) Order of Glory, Grand Cordon Order of Osmanieh 1st Class (29 April 1908) Liakat Medal in Gold with Sabers War Medal Military Order of Christ, Grand Cross Order of Charles III, Knight Grand Cross (1906) Cross of the Military Knightly Order of Our Lady of Montesa (1906)

Ancestry